The reason why moving can be such a hassle is because the average person doesn’t prepare properly. In other words, they do not have the common packaging supplies needed for the job. Unfortunately, as you prepare for your big move, you can’t just throw everything into garbage bags. That would make your life easier, but it would be the most ineffective move in history.

Once you determine when you will be moving, it is up to you to gather the necessary packaging supplies to ensure that you have the best move possible. By doing this, you avoid losing important items, refrain from damaging your furniture and ensure that when you relocate to your new abode that you will have access to all of your essentials.

Remember, the movers can only do so much before it’s out of their control. Here are five packaging supplies you need to make your move easier:

1. Packing Tape for Your Boxes

Yes, you could use totes – or even plastic bags – but this would make things a lot more difficult than they need to be. You need to rely on good old-fashioned cardboard boxes, and what tool complements these kinds of boxes? Packing tape.

Packing tape will make sure that your boxes will not break apart at the seams and guarantee that the top is completely taped up correctly without any risk of something falling out.

2. Labels to Know Where Everything is

Here is a common scenario: you finish your move, you’re in your new apartment or house and you’re searching for the plates, the toothbrush or the coffeemaker. You’re scrambling everywhere around the place to find it, but you can’t.

Do you know why this happens? Because you’re not using labels for your boxes. Moving forward, you must slap labels on boxes, bags and totes to know where everything is.

3. Bubble Wrap for the Fragile Items

Whether it is your computer equipment or your collection of World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) action figures, you will want to utilize bubble wrap inside the boxes. By incorporating this into your packaging strategy, you will feel confident that nothing will get damaged.

One more thing: you can utilize bubble wrap to protect your furniture as well.

4. Packing Paper to Protect Your Fine China

Speaking of fragility…

Packing paper is another product that will protect your fragile items from being damaged. You see it all the time at stores like Ikea, where the cashier will wrap your drinking glasses or glass vase in packing paper. So, when you place your fine china in the box, you can be assured it will be well protected.

5. The Plastic Wrapping is Your Friend

There is one trick that most people do not employ: plastic wrapping for furniture.

For instance, let’s say you own a five-drawer bedroom chest for all of your clothes, underwear, socks and pajamas. It can be annoying to take everything out, transfer them into a garbage bag and then reorganize them again. Well, you don’t have to do this.

The simple solution: wrap your entire bedroom chest in plastic wrapping to prevent the doors from falling out. This allows you to keep all of your clothes inside without having to make a mess and disorganize the move – this eliminates one extra thing you need to do at your new apartment, condominium or house.

You may not want to spend the extra cash – you’re already doling out a lot of dough for your house (mortgage) or apartment (first and last month’s rent) – but packaging supplies are a worthwhile investment, even if you’re not the type of person to move all the time (hey, you may need it to ship an item overseas).

Buy the plastic wrap, the labels, the bubble wrap and a plethora of other packaging supplies and you will realize that moving doesn’t need to be a headache-inducing affair.