The success of a cheap move requires a lot of organisation. Therefore, it is important to prepare everything in advance. Among the most important steps are packing things in boxes, which may include bedding, clothes, crockery, books, toys, knick-knacks and other decorative objects... It is strongly recommended that you start by packing items that you rarely use, especially those in rooms that you only visit occasionally, such as the garage or attic, for example.

To make this extremely time-consuming task easier for people about to move, manufacturers of packing products have created specific materials to protect the various packed objects against handling errors and jolts that can occur during a move. Thus, users can benefit from a wide range of packaging products, such as a cardboard box with compartments specially designed to hold plates, another specialised box for glasses, a wardrobe box to hang your clothes on hangers, or standard boxes for different objects.

However, buying boxes can be expensive, as a single box with a capacity of 30 litres costs 1.20 euro. A box for 75 glasses costs around 13 euros. Given that these boxes are only going to be used once and may even be reserved for a later move or lent to friends, the total cost of the boxes purchased to transport your objects can be exorbitant.

How to find free boxes?

For a cheap move, you can get boxes free of charge by going to supermarkets or by collecting them from associations, for example. You should avoid folded boxes and those with too thin walls.

On the other hand, falling on torn boxes is not such a bad thing! You can use them to insert plates, glasses, trinkets or your fragile objects before packing them in the boxes. You can also use them to interleave the different parts of a piece of furniture that has been disassembled, to avoid rubbing.

How do I determine the number of boxes needed for the move?

It is important to carry out a cubing or assessment of the volume of items to be packed in boxes. As an indication, for a volume of 15 m3, between 45 and 50 standard boxes should be provided. To further lighten the volume to be moved, you can get rid of things you no longer need, by selling them or offering them to your relatives or associations, and throwing away anything that can no longer be useful. To carry out your cubing in an efficient way, several methods exist, for example you can use an online volume calculator.

How to get well organised with cardboard boxes?

It is advisable when packing to protect your belongings inside the boxes by covering them carefully with bubble wrap and stretch film. Also, it is important not to leave any gaps between the inside wall of the boxes and the items they contain, filling them with newspaper.

However, it is recommended never to put heavy objects of the same category in the same box. In concrete terms, by only putting books in a large box, the person responsible for transporting the package may suffer back pain. This is why it is preferable to put a few books with clothes, in order to moderate the weight of the box, provided, of course, that the contents are labelled with an adhesive label, allowing the owner to find himself/herself when unpacking to store the contents. If the weight of the box is nevertheless heavy to carry, it is preferable to bring a trolley or other lifting device, which you can rent or borrow if you have decided to move out on your own.

Once you have unloaded your belongings in your new home, it is important when packing your belongings to note the contents of each box on a label, as well as its destination room and the degree of fragility of the contents. Sometimes it is important to indicate the handling direction of a box containing very fragile items. As a general rule, it is preferable to indicate the top and bottom direction of each box with a marker to avoid any inconvenience when reopening them. Translated with www.DeepL.com/Translator (free version)