5 Ways To Save Money Packing (That Actually Work)

How You Can Save Money Packing UK

Moving home can be really expensive and the cost of packing-up your household can soon add up. Imagine if you could cut your costs down massively and save a lot of money across the home move?

We’ve done the research and pulled together 7 great ways to save money when packing. By the end of this article, you should be able to reduce your costs down significantly.

(1) Don’t Buy Expensive boxes

Boxes are expensive to buy; the best one we could find at the time of writing was actually £60 for a two-bedroom house – and that’s assuming you want them all the same size. If you have the money to spare – great. The great news, however, is that you don’t need to spend that money. Not at all. The first rule does not buy boxes. Not only will you save money, but you’ll also have a positive impact on the environment. So, how do I get free boxes then?

There are lots of ways to get free boxes for packing. Try some of these;

• Ask friends and use social media to see if anyone has any boxes
• Use your neighbours, or join neighbourhood groups such as Next Door
• Look into your local supermarkets and shops – electronic stores like Currys or Argos tend to have lots of boxes they no longer need.

(2) Think outside the box (literally)

You don’t even need to pack your entire house with boxes, there are hundreds of other alternatives to help spread the load. You could consider using some of the following when it comes to packing;

• Suitcases;
• Laundry bags & laundry baskets;
• Garbage bags (and be sure to mark on the garbage bag which room it is for); and,
• If applicable, you can even use your towels, linens and other clothes

(3) If you still need boxes, rent instead of buying

You might have specific needs that cannot, unfortunately, be met by thrifting and using creative solutions. In these circumstances, instead of buying lots of boxes you will never use again there is an answer. Rent your boxes instead of buying them. Check out a website like cratehire to rent plastic crates out; you can borrow large crates for a week for as little as a couple of quid. Nifty solution!

(4) Protect your valuables

You need to protect your valuables. Most valuables actually break in transit. Therefore, you can save yourself lots of cash by protecting your valuables properly. We’d recommend you wrap your valuables in bubble wrap & tape. Be sure to write any necessary instructions on there in marker, such as “keep upright”.

If you can’t get your hands on bubble wrap you can finally get to put your carrier bags to use! Wrap your item in carrier bags and fasten them with tape. If it’s especially valuable or prone to break, you can use your pillows or duvets. If you need to store any items across the move, valuables or otherwise, check out storage that can guarantee the lowest price such as Safestore.

(5) Visit your local pound shop

When moving home there is a long list of items you’ll need to get your hands on. Therefore, make a trip to your local budget shop to pick all of those items up cheaply. It can save you a fortune. You can pick-up your essentials like marker pens, bin bags, cleaning products, air fresheners and so on…

Bonus Tip

If you need to sort van transport, we’d encourage you to check-out a company that is highly rated and good value. Some companies can be very punitive and bury costs. You could start with van rental company such as AnyVan – they have a Trust Pilot review score of 5/5. Another thing to consider is trying to reduce your weekly food shop as your move approaches. By the time you move home, you want to be as close to an empty fridge as possible. This will actually help a lot with the packing process. It’s also recommended that you buy as much as you can after you’ve moved in. This can save transportation & packing time and costs.

That said, make sure you do get some essentials on the day of your move! Now you know multiple ways to save money when packing! We’ve also pulled together a change of address checklist to help you make sure you tick everything off your list during the move.