Perhaps one of the most difficult tasks associated with the move is knowing where to start. With all the details that you need to attend to, you may not necessarily know how to proceed even if you have already set an exact date for the move.

Tips on How to Gather Packing Supplies, Label & Pack Your Things

The best place to start is by gathering your packing supplies. Here is a quick list of the things that you will need:

- Carton boxes
- Markers, pencil, pen
- Bubble wrap, packing paper and corrugated cardboard pieces
- Old newspaper and tissue paper
- Packaging tape and tape dispenser
- Scissors, cutter, tape measure

Next up, here is a slew of other useful tips on how you should label and pack your things:

1. When packing heavy items such as your kitchenware and other fragile items, use new boxes or special boxes. Use the old moving boxes that your sister or mother gave you only for packing light items such as clothes.

2. If you still have them, use the original boxes of the audio-video equipment that you have. The same thing holds true for your computer set and other electronic equipment.

3. Make sure that all the boxes that you have are about the same size, and set a certain weight limit. This way, moving, stacking and transporting the boxes will be a lot easier.

4. After you have organized the things which you will carry with you in your move, make sure to label them correctly. Indicate whether the items inside are fragile or not. If fragile, indicate which side should be up. Finally, make a note of exactly which room in the house that box belongs to. Color-code the boxes if possible so that it will be easier for the movers to place the boxes where they belong once you arrive at your new house.

5. To save room in the boxes, use your existing towels, blankets and area rugs to secure the fragile items that need to be packed carefully.

6. Make sure to have the rugs and draperies cleaned before packing. All the liquid containers and medicines should be stored in a leak-proof container.

7. If you are planning a short move, you do not necessarily need to pack the big items such as your mirrors, sofa sets and other big items. However, this is necessary if you are planning to move a significant distance in-state or out-of-state.
8. Make sure that the top and bottom of each carton is sealed properly. You don’t want your stack of clothes to fall off once the box is lifted, so make sure that the bottom of the box is sealed securely with packing tape.

9. Again, it would help if you will choose same-sized carton boxes for easy stacking and moving. If you want to, you can go ahead an stack four or five boxes in one pile to make it easier for the movers to transfer your things from the house onto their moving vans or trucks.

10. Make sure that the cartons are filled to the top – but not so much that they will 'overflow'. Any item which exceeds the height of the box might be damaged during the move, so make sure that you can still seal the top of the box shut.