Getting a Move On

Whether it's for career, family or education (or this time of year, more likely the end of it), we're reaching the apex of moving season. In fact, while summer is the most popular time for moving, spring may actually be the best time for it. The weather is nice but not sweltering, moving companies aren't charging premium rates yet, and kids are getting out of school. It also may be mandatory in the case of college students graduating and shipping off to start their new career (or, in many cases, returning to their parents' house).

In any event, there are many stages to planning the move. You'll need to take an inventory of what you have, decide whether to hire movers or do the job yourself and notify everybody that needs to know where you're going. There's going to be a lot of paperwork involved with this, so you'll want something to keep it all together like an expandable wallet or accordion file. These are durable, have enclosures and include multiple pockets for classification.

Avery 5-Pocket Expanding File

The inevitable feeling as you pack is that you have too much stuff. Don't spend the day running to the store buying more things. Acquire all your packing essentials in advance. Boxes are obvious. You're gonna need boxes. Don't forget to think about the size of boxes you're looking for. Larger boxes can fit more but are harder to carry, while smaller boxes are easy to carry but can only hold certain items. When buying, this page can help filter your options by size to find the right boxes for you.

Universal Kraft Shipping Cartons

What about packaging materials? When everything, including fragile items like dishware, have to be moved, it takes a great amount of care to make sure nothing gets broken. That's why we recommend packaging materials to serve as cushioning. Make sure you have twine and either bubble wrap, foam wraps or Styrofoam peanuts to lessen the rigors of travel on your fine china.

If you're moving on your own, can you or your friends lift everything? If not, a dolly or hand truck makes life considerably easier and makes the move that much faster. Other items that will come in handy are a black marker for labeling the contents of all these boxes, proper packaging tape for sealing the boxes securely, and a utility knife for opening them once the move is complete.

Make Buying Moving Supplies Easy

The housing markets around the country are still in pretty poor shape so it is a great time to move if you can.  You can probably get a lot more bang for your buck if you take the time to look at some new options.  It doesn't matter if you are moving from an apartment to a house, from your house to a more affordable apartment, to a new apartment or a new house, you are going to need more moving supplies.  Boxes, Tape, and Packing material are all necessities.

Shop a Wide Selection of Moving Supplies

The most important thing you need when you are moving is boxes, lots and lots of boxes.  You can find tons of different cardboard boxes online and pick as many as you want (even recycled boxes are available).  Boxes are generally sold in bundles of 25, but they are sometimes available in bundles of 15 or 10 as well.  I have moved a few times and helped friends move more often that that, and if there is one lesson I will never learn is that you can never have to many boxes.  You'll probably never need a pack of boxes any smaller than 25 and if you happen to have a few extra boxes, everybody can find something else to keep in boxes.  Remember that bigger boxes don't necessarily mean it'll be easier to move, if you pack two identical boxes, one with books and one with blankets you'll quickly find out they are not the same.

The second most important thing you'll need to purchase is packing materials.  You have a wide variety of selection so you can easily find the one that suits you best.  Bubble wrap is a classic and you can buy it big or small rolls and it does an excellent job of protecting your valuables.  Popping Bubble wrap is fun for kids of all ages, so even if your kids won't help you pack they'll at least be entertained.  Foam wraps are a newer high tech way to make sure your items are securely held in place.  You just open the packing material and press hard on one spot to start a chemical reaction.  As the foam starts to rise you put it in your box with your item and the foam creates a perfect custom fit for your item.  Rolls of paper is the oldest packing method but it is nicer than newspaper since it doesn't have ink on it.  You can buy packing peanuts if you want, but they are always a mess.  I'll never figure out what to do with them.

Earth Friendly Packing Materials

If you want to be Green while you are moving you should check out the CareMail line of products.  The CareMail line is all environmentally friendly moving supplies so you can still safely pack and move your stuff knowing that your packing materials have made a minimal impact on landfills.  They of course have boxes and paper rolls to substitute the conventional products, but they have an environmentally friendly bubble wrap substitute and biodegradable packing peanuts made from corn and potato starch.

Lastly, you are going to need to make sure that you'll need packing tape to keep the boxes closed and a healthy supply of permanent markers to label the boxes.  Remember to lift with your knees!