Box Packing Tips 

  Supplies 

    Sturdy boxes, packing tape, bubble wrap or other packing material, marker, notebook

   Steps

• Begin Packing the stuff you use least. 
• Consider donating or selling items that you never use. 
• If you will know you will probably never use something, but can't get rid of it for whatever reason, consider boxing it up and never unpacking it when you arrive at your destination -- that is what basements and attics are for.
• Use sturdy boxes. 
• Use the sturdiest boxes for the heaviest items.
• Boxes of the same size are easier to stack. 
• Consider asking for used boxes at a business that uses a lot of copier paper.
• National Superstores like Wal*Mart will allow you to browse the store for boxes during restocking (11pm - 1am).
• Place bubble wrap or some other cushioning material around fragile items.  An efficient (and free) packing material is the towels, bed sheets, and even clothing that you have to pack up anyway.  
• Fill the boxes to prevent them from collapsing if other boxes are stacked on top of them.
• Label each an every box.  A good way to do this is to number the boxes and then write in a notebook next to the corresponding number a detailed list of the contents.
• Write "fragile" on any boxes that contain breakable items.
• Don't make the boxes too heavy.  If a box of books is beginning to get heavy, consider filling the rest of the space with stuffed animals or something else light.
• Use lots of tape.   Forgoing 3¢ worth of packing tape won't look so bright when you are on your hands and knees scavenging for the 10,000 microscopic Polly Pocket toys that spilled out onto the driveway.
• Stack boxes so that the sturdiest, heaviest boxes are on the bottom and the lightest and most fragile are on the top.
• Don't stack the boxes too high -- the bottom box may not survive the weight or the stack may become unstable and topple over.

For more useful tips, check out Self Storage Tips and the Self Storage Space Calculator