We Tried to Sell Our Home by Owner

Getting ready to move and want to save money on packaging supplies? With a bit of ingenuity, you can save money by recycling some of your household garbage into packaging materials. Take a look at these ideas:

Plastic bottles

Old plastic bottles can create a durable layer of cushioning along the bottom and top of a moving box. To make force-resistant packaging material out of old plastic bottles, grab some old bottles and a knife.

You can use soda bottles, plastic milk cartons or almost any other types of plastic bottles -- However, you want to use the same type of bottle for each box.

Cut the base off the bottom of the bottle. Now, you should have a plastic dome. Place it upturned in the bottom of the box so that the bottom of the bottle is facing toward you. Repeat this process until you have lined the bottom of the box with cut bottles.

Now, you have a layer of plastic and air to cushion your belongings. Load up the box with dishes, photographs, electronics or other items. Once the box is almost full, create another plastic bottle cushioning layer along the top of the box.

Keep in mind, however, you still need to wrap most objects in additional paper cushioning.

Paper recycling

The layer of cut plastic bottles helps to protect your possessions from force coming from other boxes or accidental droppage. However, it doesn't protect the items in the box from smashing into each other and breaking.

If you are packing ceramic or glass items, wrap them in paper from your recycling bin. Rip pages from old catalogs, crumple them up and place them inside of glasses. Wrap old advertisements around plates and picture frames. Shred old bills and turn them into free packaging material.

Cardboard Tubes

You can also use old cardboard tubes from your toilet paper, paper towels or holiday wrapping paper while you are packing. You can cut these tubes to size and slip them over glass items, or you can flatten several of them and place them between glass plates.

However, cushioning glass isn't their only use. They are ideal for packing knives. You don't want your kitchen knives to poke out the sides of your moving boxes, and if you slip them in a cardboard tube, you create an additional layer of packaging material between your knives' blades and the sides of your boxes. Use tape to seal the tubes around your knives.

You can also use this trick when packing tools such as screwdrivers or small saws.

Milk Cartons

In other cases, your recycled goods don't just have to cushion your possessions. Instead, they can help you organize your stuff.

If you have to pack a bunch of small items, for example, milk cartons can help you keep them organized. Simply rinse the cartons and let them dry. Then, cut off the top of the milk cartons so that you have a series of boxes.

Line one of your moving boxes with the milk cartons. Then, put in your small items. This is great for keeping office supplies, small toys or other items organized. Place a layer of cardboard over the top of the milk cartons to create an extra seal and keep the objects in place. When you are unpacking, this extra bit of organization will make packing infinitely easier.

On average, people who are moving spend between $170 and $220 on packaging supplies to pack the possessions in a 2 to 3 bedroom home. This figure includes both boxes and packaging materials, but if you embrace the tips above, you can save money on this part of your moving budget. You can get more information by visiting the sites of professional movers.