Packing is where most moves start to fall apart.
You think, “We don’t have that much stuff,” buy a couple of random rolls of tape and a handful of boxes… and two days later you’re wrapping wine glasses in panic with yesterday’s newspaper and trash bags.
A good packing supplies plan saves you three things at once:
The trick isn’t to buy everything the store suggests. It’s to know what you should buy new and what you can safely reuse without risking broken items and a miserable moving day.
This guide walks you through a complete packing supplies list with a simple lens:
Buy it vs Reuse it — and how to build a smart mix that fits your move and your budget.
It’s tempting to head straight for the moving aisle and toss things into the cart. Don’t.
You’ll either overspend or end up short on the stuff you really need.
Take ten minutes and answer a few questions first:
Local moves are more forgiving than long-distance or storage moves.
If yes, protection and moisture control matter more.
That affects box size and how heavy you can safely pack them.
If you’ll have a crew (like us at United Prime Van Lines) handle some or all of the packing, you may need fewer supplies than you think.
Once you know the situation, you can make smarter decisions about what must be new and what can be safely reused.
Some materials just don’t age well — or they weren’t made for moving in the first place. These are the items you should almost always buy new or get directly from a moving company.
Yes, you can reuse some boxes (we’ll get to that), but there are areas where fresh, sturdy boxes are non-negotiable:
Look for:
You don’t have to buy every single box new, but plan on a core set of high-quality boxes for the items that matter most.
This is where many people cheap out — and regret it.
Avoid dollar-store tape that:
What to buy instead:
If you pack well but seal badly, your boxes can literally open on the stairs or in the truck. This is not where you want to experiment.
Old newspapers seem like a good idea for wrapping… until the ink rubs onto your dishes and glasses.
New, ink-free packing paper is ideal for:
You can reuse towels and clothes for padding, but paper is perfect for getting into all the small gaps and making tight, secure bundles inside boxes.
For truly fragile items, you want a layer of something that absorbs shock:
Use these for:
You don’t need to wrap everything in bubble wrap — just the pieces where a single hit could crack or shatter them.
Mattresses absorb dust, dirt and moisture very easily. Old sheets don’t protect against everything and tend to slip off.
Buy:
If your belongings will be:
Could you reuse some sticky notes? Sure.
Will they fall off or get lost? Also yes.
For a sane unpacking process, buy:
Clearly labeled boxes shrink your move-in stress by half. “Kitchen – pans & pots” is infinitely better than “Random stuff, maybe?”
Now to the fun part: saving money without sacrificing safety. There are plenty of things you already own that can double as packing supplies if you use them intentionally.
You can reuse boxes if:
Use reused boxes for:
Avoid reusing questionable boxes for heavy or fragile items. If a used box fails, it will probably happen while you’re carrying it down the stairs.
Instead of buying a mountain of bubble wrap, you can reuse:
Smart ways to use them:
Just don’t mix very dirty or greasy kitchen items with your nice clothes — keep some separation and common sense.
If you kept the original boxes for:
Those boxes were designed to:
You can still put those original boxes into a bigger moving box for extra protection, but starting with the manufacturer’s packaging is always a win.
You’re moving them anyway — might as well make them work.
Great things to pack inside:
Just remember to label them like regular boxes, especially if movers are helping you. A suitcase with no label will not magically walk itself to the right room.
If you’ve moved before or ordered a lot of online items, you may already have:
As long as they’re clean, dry and not torn to pieces, reuse them. You don’t need fresh plastic for everything, especially for non-fragile items or extra padding around existing wrapped objects.
Some “creative” ideas sound smart at 2 a.m. and feel like a disaster on moving day. Try to avoid:
They rip easily, shift in the truck, and don’t stack well. Use them only for soft, non-breakable items like bedding and plush toys — and still label them.
Anything that held fresh produce or frozen items can be weak, damp or harbor bugs. Skip those.
They’re not made for load-bearing seals. Use real packing tape.
h2: Room-by-Room Packing Supplies Breakdown
To make it more practical, let’s walk room by room and look at what you should buy vs what you can reuse.
Buy new:
Reuse:
Buy new:
Reuse:
Buy new:
Reuse:
Buy new:
Reuse:
Buy new:
Reuse:
Buy new:
Reuse:
Beyond boxes, there’s a small toolkit you’ll want on hand all day, not buried at the bottom of a truck:
When you move with a company like United Prime Van Lines, we bring our own tools — but it’s still useful to have your own little kit, especially on the unpacking side.
Use this as a template and adjust based on your home size.
Buy new:
Reuse:
You don’t have to figure all of this out alone. If you’d rather not spend days hunting for boxes and guessing how much paper you need, we can step in.
When you schedule a move with United Prime Van Lines, you can:
You can still reuse your own suitcases, bins and some boxes if you want — and we’ll build around that to keep your costs and waste down, while keeping your belongings safe.
The secret to a smart packing supplies strategy isn’t buying the entire moving store or trying to DIY everything with trash bags and hope.
It’s about choosing a balanced mix:
Get that mix right, and packing stops feeling like chaos and starts feeling like a clear, doable project. And if you decide you’d rather hand most of it off, we’re ready to help you pack, protect and move with a plan — not just with boxes.
