How Many Boxes Do You Actually Need When Moving?

We can all agree that moving home is a drag, especially when it comes to packing. Not only is it time-consuming, but there's also the challenge of figuring out how many boxes you need to move your life from one home to the next. Depending on the moving company and services they offer, you may not need to worry about acquiring boxes. For an additional cost, certain moving companies will provide the packaging materials for you, explains moving.com.

Some moving companies will go the extra mile and box up your belongings, so you don't even have to lift a finger, however, this service again comes with an extra fee. Of course, not everyone is fortunate enough to afford this type of service, in which case, it's up to you to decide how many boxes you'll need for your move. Fortunately, we have a few tips to make this part of your move easier and less stressful.

The first step to calculating the number of boxes you'll need to move is taking a look at your belongings and making a list of everything you have. Once you've done that, Piece of Cake Moving & Storage suggests dividing your items into two categories: big and small. If you're still struggling, there are websites, like The Home Depot, that offer moving calculators to estimate how many boxes you'll need. Though it isn't an exact number, it will at least give you some sort of direction.

Additionally, you need to understand which boxes are appropriate for which items. Not all boxes are created equally, so you should take a look at your belongings and decide which boxes will help them survive the move. If you fail to choose the correct box for an item, there's a risk the item will be damaged during its transition from one location to the next.

Of course, the longer you've lived in the apartment, the more stuff to pack up. Once you've gathered a list of all your personal belongings, you have to factor in the number of rooms you have in your current apartment. According to MovingTips, the bigger the apartment, the more boxes you will need. For example, a two-bedroom apartment will require twice as many boxes as a studio. For a more accurate estimate, look at your home's square footage.

As a rule of thumb, it's better to get more boxes than you think you need. There's nothing worse than scrambling around, trying to find extra boxes the day before (or the day of) the move. Most of the time, you can get boxes for free from your local grocery stores, but with all the chaos of moving day, there's a good chance you won't be able to sneak away and grab more.