One of the most significant things that you can do to reduce your costs when hiring a moving company is to pack well. If you have a lot of items that are not packed or are improperly packed, this will significantly increase the amount of time it takes to complete your move as well as risk damage to you property.

1. Do not use garbage bags to pack you property in since they do not provide protection for you property, are very difficult and time consuming to pack on the moving vehicle, and they often break during a move.

2. If available, used moving boxes are often the most economical option for packing supplies. Often neighbors or friends will have these, or some local moving companies will sell used boxes at a discount. You should verify that these boxes are in good condition and not weakened by previous use. If you try to get boxes from a local retailer, such as a grocery store, try to get the same size boxes, make sure that they are in good condition and that the top or bottom of the boxes have not been cut off. Be aware that often boxes that retailers have available are not as strong as standard moving boxes and are not recommended for moving. If you can only find random boxes of different sizes, it is recommended that you purchase moving boxes instead. While you may save money on the purchase of moving supplies by using these random size boxes, you will increase the cost of your move, as it is more time consuming to move and pack boxes of random size. Typically you will get the most economical price on moving boxes from your local moving company. Some local retailers, such as home improvement stores, also sell boxes at competitive prices.

3. For short distance moves, you can use cloth materials such as towels, blankets and quilts as padding material for packing if you do this carefully. Be aware that these items usually do not provide as good or padding for fragile items, but can be used effectively if the concern is to prevent items from getting scratched. Also be careful not to tightly pinch your towels, blankets or quilts between furniture as they might wear through or get stained. This is especially a concern for longer distance moves where items tend to rub against each other for longer periods of time.

4. It is recommended that you purchase packing paper for your move. If you shop around a little, packing paper typically costs roughly the same as newspaper and you don’t have to worry about getting newspaper ink on the items you are packing. Packing paper can be purchased from many local moving companies. It is usually the most cost effective padding material to use inside of your boxes. Bubble wrap and packing peanuts should be used on more fragile items, but in general, they are significantly more costly packing materials than packing paper.

5. Tape your boxes well. If your boxes are poorly taped, your movers will have to spend more time handling the boxes and you property may suffer damage if a box fails. This increased cost in moving time will more than offset any money saved by using less tape. It is recommended that three bands of tape be used across the bottom of the box and one band of tape be used across the top.

By packing well and being organized you can greatly reduce your moving costs and better protect your property.