Best choice for shipping books/clothes/some CDs and DVDs to the U.S.

My contract is done in two months, and I would like to ship some things to the U.S. (my native country) now so that a) they are out of my way and b) I can hopefully have people over there confirm their receipt.

I am most eager to ship books I intend to keep, but I want to also ship some clothing, CDs, and DVDs.

I would greatly appreciate input regarding 2 things (and others that I am forgetting!).  First, which method of shipment is recommended? I would prefer to spend the least amount of money possible, but if using the Saudi postal system will result in my boxes being opened/lazily thrown in the wrong location/any-bad-outcome-you-can-name, then it probably isn't worth saving money using them vs. DHL, FedEx, or another option.  Related to that, it might be nice for the items I'm shipping to be received relatively soon instead of (perhaps?) not arriving in the U.S. until after I am back in the U.S. just for peace of mind. 

The second piece of feedback I would like regards the number of boxes I use/the timing of shipment.  Is it best to use one big box or several smaller ones? What should I expect in terms of the time it takes for my boxes to reach the U.S.?

Many thanks in advance for your input regarding this situation.