As the saying goes, “moving is for the birds,” but with these 10 simple and cheap moving tips – your next move will be a breeze!
I may earn a small commission for affiliate links in this post at no extra cost to you. Please read my privacy page for more information. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.
Table of Contents
- #1 Trash Bags Are So Helpful on Moves
- #2 Coffee Filters Make Great Moving Items
- #3 Plastic Bins Are a Moving Essential
- #4 Ziplock Bags Are the Perfect Moving Essential
- #5 Grab a Rolling Suitcase to Help with a Move
- #6 Coolers Make Moving Day Easier
- #7 Prepare the Mattress for a Move
- #8 Check and Secure Your Dresser Drawers Before Moving Day
- #9 Prepare an Overnight Bag for Moving Day and Night
Packing up a home, condo, or apartment is often a chaotic, exhausting, and dreadful experience.
But I’m here to tell you – after a few moves of my own – it doesn’t have to be.
While the world was on a pandemic-induced lockdown in April 2020 – I was packing up my house and moving.
Yep – my house was sold in early March of 2020, and it was a done deal.
While the rest of the world was quarantined and baking bread, finding new hobbies, and playing board games – my husband and I were moving.
With the uncertainty of the pandemic, we decided to hold off purchasing a home in 2020 and decided to rent for a year.
We would purchase a home when our lease ended.
We moved twice in a little over a year providing me with tons of simple and cheap moving tips to share with all of you.
RELATED POST: Already moved into your new home and need kitchen theme ideas? Here are 20 kitchen theme decor ideas to get you started.
#1 Trash Bags Are So Helpful on Moves
Moving with trash bags on clothes is my absolute favorite tip! The Dollar Tree is a great place to shop for simple cheap moving essentials.
Grab a ton of moving supplies like trash bags from Amazon, too.
I love shopping – which creates more clothes to move.
This tip makes it seamless to take the clothes in groups from one closet to the next.
Pro tip: Grab similar hangers – when they are the same size – it’s easy to keep them together.
Pro tip: Don’t use rubber bands to secure the hangers. Just pull up each of the trash bag ties once over each way. This way they shift easier during transport and are less likely to fall off hangers. Plus – no need to mess with rubber bands when you arrive! Just pull the plastic ties on each side down – then, voila – simple unpacking.
Pro tip: Keep hanger bundles no more than 10-15. More than this, the weight is difficult to manage, and the clothes tend to slip off.
Pro tip: Color coordinate clothes before bundling and keep pants and tops separate. This way your new closet is organized when you arrive.
Pro tip: Use these trash bags as they are less likely to rip during the move and you’ll have a stash of trash bags ready to go in your new home.
#2 Coffee Filters Make Great Moving Items
Coffee filters are the perfect way to move as they are lightweight, cheap, thin, flexible, and round making them perfect to keep breakables safe.
- Pro tip: When packing bowls, plates, and glass casserole dishes use about five coffee filters per item. Make sure to keep the coffee filters slightly separated and staggered. Doing this helps prevent the breakables from shifting and clanking while boxed.
- Pro tip: Sectioning off water glasses, coffee cups, beer mugs, and wine glasses with coffee filters will help prevent shattered glass while boxed. I also recommend rolling a filter and sticking it inside to insulate even more.
- Pro tip: Separate glass perfume bottles, makeup bottles, and personal items inside the box with coffee filters.
- Pro tip: Use the coffee filters to create box dividers to insulate items on the top, bottom, and middle of boxes.
#3 Plastic Bins Are a Moving Essential
Grab some plastic bins in all shapes and sizes.
Plastic bins make moving simple and provide a stable, secure place for collectibles and holiday keepsakes.
It also helps protect items from water or moisture if it’s raining or snowing on moving days.
- Pro tip: Purchase clear plastic bins to see the inside contents.
- Pro tip: Make sure bins have secure handles that snap. This way if you are storing it in a basement or garage it will be secure and water-resistant.
- Pro tip: Keep bins small and similar-sized. This will help with weight distribution and make moving easier and stacking simple at the new home.
#4 Ziplock Bags Are the Perfect Moving Essential
It’s amazing the things you’ll need to keep together in a hurry when moving, especially on the actual move day.
- Pro tip – Bag jewelry such as necklaces, bracelets, and rings separately in clear Zip Lock bags. This makes it easier to unpack and see what the items are when you arrive at your new home. Plus, it prevents jewelry from tangling.
- Pro tip – Keep a Zip Lock bag handy when furniture is being moved. Tiny screws, nuts, and bolts should be bagged and taped to the item for easy access when the furniture arrives at the new home.
#5 Grab a Rolling Suitcase to Help with a Move
Moving day is exhausting enough – save some energy by placing all heavy items in rolling suitcases.
- Pro tip: Make sure to distribute weight evenly in a suitcase to prevent tipping over. Place the heaviest items at the bottom of the suitcase. In addition, keep heavier items near the back of the suitcase near the handle to prevent tip-overs.
- Pro tip: Use straps around the outside and middle to prevent the suitcase from popping open.
- Pro tip: Label the contents of the suitcase and what room it’s going to at the new house.
RELATED POST: Want to keep your home neat and organized after moving? Check out this post on How to Get Organized with DIY Decluttering Quickly with 13 Tips.
#6 Coolers Make Moving Day Easier
Make sure to grab a cooler while shopping for moving essentials. Although it’s best to scale down your canned goods, perishables, and pantry items – you’ll still need to move some food.
- Pro tip: Purchase inexpensive coolers before the move.
- Pro tip: Grab a bunch of fabric bags from The Dollar Tree. These are easier to carry heavy canned goods and can be used in the future.
- Pro tip: Pack a separate cooler to have ready-made food such as deli sandwiches and chips for the day of moving and the morning after. Nothing is worse than being hungry with nothing to eat or the means to cook.
#7 Prepare the Mattress for a Move
Have you ever been driving down the road and noticed a fellow motorist with an unwrapped mattress piled high on top of the truck?
Yep, if it rains – not so good! One simple moving tip is to plan to have mattresses and boxsprings in plastic and ready to go.
- Pro tip: Purchase mattress bags from a local retailer or here. They are inexpensive and protect the mattress and box spring during move day.
- Pro tip: Make sure to wash the second set of sheets and place them inside the mattress bag. This way you’ll create a bedding kit that’s easy to assemble when it’s bedtime at the new home.
Pro tip: Seal all mattresses and boxsprings in a high-quality, waterproof, zippered mattress protector before placing them in the plastic bag. This will give an added layer of protection should the truck be open or it’s raining or snowing on move day.
- Bonus – your mattress is protected and the zippered protector can be used in the future on the mattress nightly.
#8 Check and Secure Your Dresser Drawers Before Moving Day
Be sure to check with the movers well in advance of moving day to see what their policy is on removing items from drawers.
Our first move – they had us leave all items in drawers. So, we were unprepared that the second movers needed items removed.
Not fun with all your items scattered about on a moving day.
Pro tip: If you can leave items in the drawers – secure the tops with Glad Press ‘n Seal. It’s great and prevents items from shifting.
- Pro tip: Make sure to organize and secure items in drawers ahead of time. If you can move items in drawers – loose coins, jewelry, and pins can easily slip out becoming lost forever.
Pro tip: If you must remove items from drawers – place clothes in laundry baskets like this one and label them by a piece of furniture. This way when it gets moved – it ends up near the right drawer.
#9 Prepare an Overnight Bag for Moving Day and Night
After a long day of moving, nothing is worse than not finding your toothbrush, pajamas, or teddy bear.
Pack the essentials for each member of the family in separate bags.
Pro tip: It’s best to purchase duplicate toiletries so you’ll have a backup for more than one night in case items are lost in the shuffle.
- Pro tip: If working or school is happening within a day or two of the move, be sure to pack an outfit that’s easy to find for each family member.
- Pro tip: Place children’s and pets’ favorite toys inside their overnight bags. This ensures night one will go smoother.
#10 A Moving Kit is Fabulous for Moving Day and Night
You’ve started unpacking and you’re sure you put this or that in that box.
It’s not there.
The lightbulb burned out and it’s dark in the new house.
Whoops – the bathroom is missing toilet paper. These are things to be prepared to need. Make sure to grab all your essentials here before your move.
Pro tip: Check out Amazon moving essentials here to make sure you grabbed all the moving items for your move.
Want more great DIY and everything home ideas? Be sure to follow us on Pinterest, Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter for the latest posts, tips, and ideas.
Final thoughts
I hope these simple and cheap moving tips help make your next move so much easier. After our multiple moves, my husband, pup, and I are getting settled in our new home.
Your Turn!
Have you recently moved? What kind of simple and cheap moving tips can you offer? Drop a comment below – I’d love to hear additional ideas!
Really helpful moving tips right here. Thank you for sharing!
Thank you for reading.
I have no plans of moving soon but these tips sure are handy. Great article.
Thank you for reading.
I’m moving halfway across the country in a few weeks and am definitely going to be doing 1, 2 and 3! These moving tips are extremely helpful, thank you for sharing!
Hi Meghan! Thank you for reading! I wish you luck on your upcoming move and hope these tips were helpful!
These are some great tips!
So glad you found the tips great! Thank you for reading!
Very helpful tips .. saving it for future use ❤️
Glad the post was helpful. Good luck on your future move. Thank you for reading.
Hi there!
I’m excited you found the simple and cheap moving tips helpful.
Thank you for reading!
The suitcase one is a good tip! Wish I would have thought about that when I moved before haha will know for the next time!
Hi Deanna!
I’m excited you liked the tip to use a suitcase! It was sure helpful for when we moved the last few times.
Thanks for reading!
These tips are incredible; I wish I’d known before our last move. I’ll be saving this though for the future! Thanks
Hi Belle!
I’m excited you liked the 10 simple and cheap moving tips post! I hope all of your future moves go great!
Thank you for reading!
This is a great list of simple moving tips. My parents are actually in the process of moving into a new condo so I will pass this along to them!
Hi Dana!
I’m excited you enjoyed the 10 simple and cheap moving tips post! I hope your parent’s move into the condo goes great!
Thank you for reading!
Love these tips for moving. I never would have thought of these. Simple hacks to make your big move a lot more manageable. Thank you!
Hi There!
We moved quite a bit in the last few years – and I was excited to share some of my simple and cheap moving tips! I’m glad you loved the tips!
Thank you for reading!
Great tips!
Hi Kirsten!
I’m excited you thought the 10 Simple and Cheap Moving Tips post was great!
Thank you for reading!
Super helpful ideas! Thanks!
Hi Emily!
I’m excited you found the 10 Simple and Cheap Moving tips super helpful!
Thank you for reading!
I have personally moved and helped friends /family members move. It’s a very stressful process. I see why people pay thousands of dollar to hire a moving company. You shared some great tips to bear in mind when relocating. The coffee filter tip is an interesting one. Thanks for sharing.
Hi Kevin!
Moving is really tough – especially when you do it a lot! And help others, too (your friends and family are lucky to have you)! I’m excited you liked the coffee filter tip – it’s one of my favorites as well!
Thank you for reading!
I’ve never had the experience of moving out but these will help a lot when the time comes. So, I will note them, Thank you for sharing!
Hi Fransic!
I hope your future moves go well! I appreciate you noting the 10 Simple and Cheap Moving Tips post for future moves!
Thank you for reading!
Im a big fan of rolling suticases! Thanks for sharing some great tips to help with moving! And a moving kit. sounds like a great idea.
Hi Nia!
I’m excited you found some great ideas from the 10 Simple and Cheap Moving Tips post! The rolling suitcases has been such a help on moving day for me! The moving kit is also so helpful!
Thank you for reading!
I’m a military brat who moved 14 times in 18 years as a kid. And, I’ve used tip #1 helping my kids move in and out of college. But I never heard of tip #2 before. Brilliant!
Hi Sage!
Wow! 14 times in 18 years – you sure have me beat! I bet I could learn quite a bit from your moves! I’m excited you liked tip #2 – the coffee filters are so helpful with breakables!
Thank you for reading!
Oh my goodness…so many wonderful moving tips in this post! This is incredibly helpful. I must say the coffee filter idea is GENIUS! I’m even going to start using that when I am packing away my holiday breakables! Thanks!
Hi Michelle!
Great idea! The coffee filters would be perfect to protect all the holiday breakables. I’m definitely gonna grab some for my ornaments this year, too.
Thank you for reading!
We moved last October. We made use of plastic bins, suction bags, trash bags , boxes and suitcases. We also secured our chest drawers so we didn’t have to take out the stuff in there, haha!
Moving is always such a stressful event. I appreciate these 10 stupid simple movint tips!
wow, I didn’t know about coffee filters! Pretty cool tip, thanks!
These are such great tips! I would have never thought to use coffee filters when packing!
My brother moved this weekend, I wish I had these tips for him sooner!!!!
I never thought to use ziplocs but that is a good idea. You can see what’s in there and keep things safe for transporting.
Thank you for sharing these helpful tips!! I love the coffee filter tip! These are amazing life hacks!!
These are great tips. Moving can be challenging. A friend of mine is currently moving to her new house. With the economic state right now, she’s spent a fortune on moving trucks.
This is so helpful. Moving and packing can be quite daunting and overwhelming. I would apply these tips in subsequent times.