The price of new packing materials such as boxes and bubble wrap can be a bit of a shock when you are storing goods. But there are a few ways to save money on your packaging. At Store and Insure we’ve picked up a few clever tricks for packing household items, and now we’d like to share them with you.

Collect second-hand packing

Re-using packaging is better for the environment, and it makes economic sense. So save up bubble wrap, sturdy boxes in various sizes and packing peanuts from deliveries rather than buying new. And make use of paper from your shredder, too.

You might be lucky enough to have a place of work that gets a lot of deliveries. Businesses often have to pay to dispose of their waste, so you could be doing your boss a favour by taking some boxes and packing material off their hands. The same goes for local businesses. Shops are particularly helpful, especially if you ask right before they get their rubbish collected. But make sure you ask first: it’s only polite.

Ask around for old curtains and blankets, as these can be useful for protecting furniture during a move. Charity shops may be able to help with this. Ask the volunteers, rather than just browsing, as they sometimes have linen and blankets good enough for your needs but not good enough to be worth selling stashed away in the back room. They may give you these in exchange for a small donation if you ask nicely.

Another good source of packing material is peer-to-peer re-use sites like Freegle and Freecycle. It’s good manners to offer something to the community in return, so remember them when you are decluttering.

Finally, ask anyone who has moved recently, as they will have plenty of boxes they want to get rid of.

Pack with what you have

Rather than buying in boxes, use suitcases and bags you already have to pack items. Suitcases that are slightly too damaged or scruffy for travel are great for this. Think about empty spaces in your unit. If you’re storing a fridge, could you stack items inside it? Or if you’re storing a bookshelf, make use of it.

You can use your clothes and linen for padding. Whatever you use to protect your household goods in storage, make sure it is clean and fresh before you begin, as you don’t want to transfer musty smells to your possessions in storage.

Spend wisely

You may decide to spend out on a few items to optimise your packing. For example, you may consider it worthwhile getting specialist boxes for heirloom china or glassware. Or you might find it worth buying a hanging rail for clothes so they are easy to access. If these items give you peace of mind, they’re worth the money.

How much does storage cost monthly?

When you price up your storage unit, don’t forget to include the moving costs, both in and out. If you’ve followed our tips, you’ve probably saved yourself a fair bit anyway. It can be hard to work out the monthly costs of storage, but our guide to storage costs will help. Our top tip is to read the small print and take time to understand the costs once the monthly discounts stop. And also, factor in the cost of insuring your goods. Get started by asking Store and Insure for a quote.