The thing about moving is that it’s a process that you can’t do half way. Oh no – it’s all or nothing. Sure, you could take some shortcuts by not completely wrapping your glassware or simply tossing things into a box, but what would that accomplish? Let me tell you – it will allow you to get all new things!

It’s true, there’s no good way to move in a hurry. Just think about it: when you relocate, you have to touch each and every item that you own. So, you have two solutions. One would be to hire professional movers who will come in and pack up every little thing that you own and transport it safely (you hope!) to your new abode. Of course, for most people, this isn’t an option. It’s simply too expensive. So, that leaves us with the second option: doing the work yourself.

The truth is that completing a move on your own isn’t as daunting as it seems if you have the right supplies. You might be wondering what possibly could be classified as supplies aside from boxes and Sharpies. While those are necessary, you should also consider some other must-have items including moving pads and perhaps a furniture dolly.

While a furniture dolly is relatively self-explanatory, you might be wondering what is so great about moving pads. The truth is, they really are great tools and they are sadly overlooked by most people when they contemplate packing. The beauty of moving pads is that they can be used for a variety of purposes and they can even be used long after you’re settled in your new abode.

Traditionally, these blue, quilted blankets are used to protect furniture and surfaces from becoming marred during the transport process. However, you can also use them to pad larger pieces from becoming dinged or scratched. You will undoubtedly find a stack of moving pads to be a tool you can’t live without!

The only things I’ve found which can alleviate some of the frustration and stress of moving are careful organization and money.

Organization is a mandatory; your lists must have lists.  There’s a sequence you should follow for packing and loading your items, arranging for transportation and acceptance of keys, turning on and turning off utilities as well as changing addresses.  One of the last things you need to worry about is something preventable – like breakage.  That’s where money becomes really useful.

Even with a modest budget, you can protect your hard-earned or inherited belongings from scratches, dents, punctures and breakage.  You’ll find your best tools are moving blankets and moving boxes.

Moving blankets are thick, durable, and heavy.  Unlike any cover you may have ever had on your bed, moving blankets are manufactured to withstand the abuses of moving while protecting the items they cover.  Constructed from heavy cotton or cotton/polyester blends, they’re filled with recycled cotton threads compressed into thick bats.  The exterior surface prevents most scratches from reaching your furniture or artwork; the interior batting provides a cushion that resists dents and other mars.

Buy your moving blankets online or from a local truck rental facility.  Be sure to cover everything you don’t have the heart or funds to replace; it’s much better to be safe than sorry.

And as for the other frustrating things that happen during a move?  Well, plan ahead and have the best pizza place in town deliver on your first night in your new place.  Don’t forget to get a good night’s sleep!

I have a few friends who have moved themselves the past couple of years and turned to them for advice. Perhaps unsurprisingly, they suggested that I use a calendar to keep track of each task or necessity including turn on/off dates for utilities, issuing change of address cards through the Postal Service, alerting contacts in our contact list with our new information, calling all of our creditors, etc. A lot of stuff had to happen and timing really did matter.

When we started talking about some of the more hands-on suggestions, she surprised me when she mentioned moving straps. “Just what are those?” I asked. Evidently moving straps are a simple yet ingenious way to move heavy objects, whether when rearranging furniture or completely relocating. Made from nylon, the kit includes a long strap with partitions near each end. The partitions allow you to slide another strap with looped ends through; you end up with something that looks a lot like the letter “I”.

The long piece of the moving straps slides under the object to be move, for example, a refrigerator. That probably takes some maneuvering to do, but it’s manageable. Then the two people moving the refrigerator slide the smaller straps through a partition and around their shoulders. Voila! Instant moving strap. This simple device allows you to use large muscle groups to lift the heavy object and saves your arms to balance and guide the load.
We borrowed Peggy’s moving straps and quickly saw the difference.

Alright, so you’ve helped a buddy or two out in the past with their move.  They did it on the cheap and on the quick, and their move turned out pretty much OK.  Yours should too, right?

We both know that’s not how Murphy’s Law works.  Something will go wrong, and it will go wrong with that lamp your mom let you borrow.  Just don’t risk it.

Quality moving blankets, like all moving supplies, are basically pretty inexpensive, especially if you focus on the “need to have” features like cushioning quality.  You can spend just a few dollars and get the peace of mind that you’re protecting the stuff you already own.  Let’s face it, the cost of a couple of blankets is far less than replacing the coffee table or buying a new mattress after the older one went belly-up in the grungy snow.

Moving blankets can be found in a variety of places.  You’ll want to shop around for the best deal, and I advise you start shopping early to avoid any rush delivery fees or supply problems.  You can buy blankets and boxes online and have them shipped to you.  Many retailers offer seasonal discounts, so if you think there’s a possibility of a move in your future, I advise you to start watching prices now.

You can also pick up your moving blankets at the dealer where you’ll likely rent a moving van or truck.  In my experience, these types of places charge higher prices but again you will want to do some price shopping.

Once you get your moving blankets, begin to set things up in an assembly-line fashion, and recruit other family members to help.  Be sure to stack things in an organized way, otherwise you’ll be stumbling around in a maze as the house gets packed up.  Be sure to assemble the boxes using strong clear tape on all the seams.  You may want to air out the blankets (they tend to have a strong scent) before use.

I’m sure there are categories and circumstances where that just may make buckets of sense.  With moving blankets, a little evaluation and reflection upon type of use is in order.

Moving blankets are available in a large variety of colors and styles.  Depending upon your intended use for the blanket, a lightweight, less durable option like a furniture pad may be sufficient for your needs.  If you’re a professional mover, on the other hand, the top of the line version built with stitched hems may be the most economical choice in the long run.

Moving blankets are sold by weight, and as you might imagine, the heavier the blanket the more protection the covered item receives.  It acts like a buffer zone between your couch and the sharp edge of the shelf you may walk around when moving the couch upstairs or out to a moving van.

Middle-weight blankets, as you might imagine, are more durable than simple moving pads but are less hefty than to-of-the-line pads.  Will they cover well?  Sure.  But for the money, why not add more peace of mind?  You just never know what might get spilled, and you’ll be amazed at the amount of dirt that collects on things just by sitting inside the moving van.

Moving blankets can be evaluated based on this general type of grading scale.  Which blanket is right for your application?

Growing up, snow days from school were just about the best thing ever.  That is, until May came and we kids were itchy to get out of school for the summer but had two weeks’ worth of make-up days ahead of us.  Still, the occasional snow day can be a boon for a kid, and even a parent interested in recapturing his or her youth a little.

Of course, snow play involves being bundled up, and to the extreme if you live in Minnesota or Wisconsin or the wind is howling.  Somehow, kids manage to ignore the near-frostbite pain of the cold for the sheer joy of snowball fights, building snowmen, and sledding.

Sledding can be a solitary pursuit or it can be done among friends.  These days, special materials help kids go faster and farther than ever before.

If you’re going sledding, first take a look around your house or neighborhood (that way you’re closer to the hot chocolate!).  If there aren’t any good hills around, maybe it’s time for a drive to a community sledding hill.

Most of your gear – the tubes, the tandem sled, the wacky board, etc. won’t fit inside your vehicle, so you’ll need to put them on top.  Grab your straps and tie them down.  Place the straps about 12” apart to get good coverage.  When you start driving down the road, you want to make sure that the front doesn’t catch wind and pull everything out into the wind!

After you sled, the straps can make a good come-along if all of your gear has a handle.  Just slip the strap through the handles, cinch it tight, and drag your stuff back to the car.

That’s where you may be wrong.  Truly, it’s almost as though you can’t have enough moving blankets.

Moving blankets are made especially to handle the rough moving environment.  Furniture gets highly handled (and not always by the cleanest of hands), and there are typically corners or doors to bump into.  Furniture may get rubbed up against something dirty, or have a box with a sharp edge or unboxed item fall upon it.  Fabric may get torn or precious wood may get compressed with a ding.

Moving blankets can often help you avoid all of that.  While not a guarantee, moving blankets have proven to be a great protection tactic for the practical-minded homeowner.

Consider buying one moving blanket for every piece of furniture you plan to move.  End tables, dressers, desks, filing cabinets, TV stands and bookcases all need them.    Hold the blankets on securely with moving bands, oversized rubber bands that keep them snug against the furniture to avoid slippage.

Enclosed trailers can be a great method of delivering tools and equipment to job sites.  Some companies have an eye on efficiency and choose to outfit the trailers with proper shelving, hooks, and work surfaces.  Others may simply load up the trailer, requiring workers to sort through the contents at the job.  Properly outfitting the trailer does take some time and money, but in the long run it should result in a smoother-running operation, fewer safety hazards, and prolonged life of tools.

Straps, like the hook-and-loop variety which fit smoothly into airline track, can do a great job of keeping electrical cords and air hose into tight coils, ready to roll out.  Other straps, like rubber tarp straps with J-hooks, can be used in conjunction with a tarp to protect loads of delivered wood material like 2 x 4’s.  Cam straps can do a great job of cinching boxes of fasteners together, particularly if you like to keep a good supply of extras around the site.

How else might you use straps around a work site?

Paper towels, antibacterial cleaning spray, garbage bags, dust rags, packing tape and dispensing gun, scissors, box cutter, moving boxes, moving blankets, hand truck, furniture dolly, furniture covers, packing paper or bubble wrap.

Some of these items are actually required in order to prepare your items for removal from your existing residents.  Others are used in the process of moving, and a few others are used at the new destination to get surfaces ready for your belongings.

Moving blankets rank among the top most critical items on your list, for without them, you can’t sufficiently protect your furniture from the scratches, dents, dust and marks that just seem to accumulate whenever furniture is touched and moved into another place.  No matter how much care is given to safeguard delicate wood, these things happen.  But you can lessen their instance if you use the right moving blankets along with some moving bands.

While not on a list of supplies per se, among your list of To-Do items be sure to notify all utilities in the city you’re departing as well as the city you’re moving to.  In some cases, with good letters of recommendation, you can get start-up fees waived at your new place.  You may need to mail those in advance.  Other items you’ll need close at hand include birth certificates and immunization records for any children starting day care or school.  In some cases, you may also need copies of social security cards.

What else would you put on your list of necessary moving supplies?

If you’ve ever cut down your own Christmas tree, you know there’s nothing like the experience.  Whether there’s snow or it’s just cold, selecting the right tree is a great family bonding moment.  Don’t let that be spoiled by a damaged or lost tree – grab the stuff I suggested before heading out on your journey.

Surprised by my recommendation?  You shouldn’t be.  But don’t forget the hand saw too!  You see, the moving blanket will provide the roof of your truck or SUV with great protection, both from scratches and tree sap.  Plus, it should make it easy to slide the tree off the roof and even provide some carrying handles (of a fashion) to help you lug it in your house.

The cam buckle strap will be a great help when it’s time to secure your tree to the roof rack.  Rather than a ratacheting action, the cam buckle strap lets you control the tension used to hold the tree securely.  I think they go on easier and come off easier than other tie down straps, too.

A quick reminder – be sure to put the cut end of your tree toward your front windshield before tying it down.  That way when you drive forward, the friction flows with the direction of the branches rather than against.  Not only should that keep your tree branches in better condition, it will make the cam buckle strap work a little less hard, too.