Creating Columns
A tip to creating layouts/columns is coloring the background to always know the boundaries of each element rather than always having a white background with elements maybe overlaying. Being aware of the boundaries of margins and the effects of padding on a box will change the whole layout, margins can affect the placement of each element. With a column there must be an eye out to make sure the contents of a column do not overflow and push the other column over and under the first.
Padding
Padding and margins do work in containing text and other elements as long as they do not have a declared width that is too large. That is where some math comes in to determine the correct widths while working the margins. Although it is very tedious to be changing constantly considering the distance of an element from the edge is an important pay off.
Border-Box
By using box-sizing: border-box adjustments can be made to the columns without having to constantly adjust the width of the box to accommodate the new information. The box will remain the same size and the text or other element will squeeze down to fit inside the declared width and height. This technique would eliminate the need to nest divs inside each other to help contain the information.