The Ultimate List of Packing and Moving Supplies

I used to be the kind of person that preferred to skip corners just to save some time or some money.  After doing this for most of my life I somehow realized that skipping corners actually does the opposite of what I was going for.  I was spending more time on tasks because I was using improper tools with improper methods and therefore the going was rough, and I was spending more money on the same tasks because I was breaking stuff.  Needless to say, skipping corners when it comes to packing and moving is not recommended.  

Here’s a list of some seriously helpful packing and moving supplies from a converted corner-skipper gone list-maker:

1)      Cheap, but not too cheap moving boxes.  I used to get the cheapest of all cheap moving boxes, and that meant I was scrounging boxes out of grocery store dumpsters.  That just isn’t necessary!  Definitely asking department stores is one thing- that is frugal.  Dumpster diving is flat out warned against since you stand a really high chance of inviting microscopic varmints into your home. 

2)      What are you going to do with the perfectly cheap moving boxes if you can’t tape them shut?  Don’t get cheap tape!  I repeat- DO NOT GET CHEAP TAPE.  I once tried to pack up my apartment using a couple rolls of cheap tape and was this close to just burning the whole place down.  Cheap tape tears so easily, and is so hard to manage.  It will escalate the stress level of your move exponentially.

3)      Packing material.  Start stocking up on newspapers, or just go ahead and buy a roll of butcher paper for thirty bucks. 

4)      Sharpies and/or labels for marking your boxes.  You might even consider doing a color-code system where each room gets assigned a color.

5)      If you are doing your own move, you should at LEAST rent a hand truck.  Once we started doing this we felt exceedingly ashamed that it took us so long.  It made our moves SO MUCH easier.  And if you are going to rent one you might as well rent two for the friend you asked to help out.

6)      Gloves are a great idea, and even those straps that are meant to help you and someone else carry extra large items, like appliances.

7)      If you are not doing your own move, make sure you at least have your own moving blankets.  A moving company will charge you for the use of their blankets, and they are going to use a lot of them to make sure that none of your stuff breaks while under their care.