When its time to move, you suddenly realize how much stuff you have. You may start to feel that sense of panic crawling up your spine. In your rush to get the whole thing over with, you may make a few fatal errors that will end making things more difficult than you would like. Here are a few of the mistakes I have made in the past with my Houston moving boxes.

1) Using Too Large of Boxes

Bigger Houston moving boxes mean you can fit more stuff in them. While this is great if you want to load everything up into a few boxes, large boxes can make moving very difficult in the long run. First of all, if you aren’t careful, you will end up packing a dreadfully heavy box. Moreover, the size of the box itself renders it impossible to carry on its own.

Instead of getting stuck with a handful of over-sized, extremely heavy boxes, I recommend packing your belongings into several small and medium-sized containers. This way, they are more manageable and can be easily loaded into the truck.

2) Using Too Thin of Boxes

Some objects are large and heavy and therefore warrant the use of a large box. What you don’t want though is a large, thin box that will rip the second you lift it. Box stores carry double, triple, even quadruple-wall boxes that can easily handle some of the heavier furniture. Just remember to check the sturdiness of the walls before using the box!

3) Loading Moving Boxes Upside Down

Unless you are buying boxes from a wholesale distributor, like AAA Box, your boxes will come with some kind of logo or marking on them. This will inform you which side of the box is “up”. With all the hustle and bustle of packing, it is very easy to accidentally tape the top of the box first, load your stuff in, and then tape the bottom of the box.

The problem is, although you think you are carrying your boxes rightside up, they are in fact carrying it upside down. This may damage the contents inside and leave you with a mess once you open up your box. Try to make sure you are loading your boxes up correctly or labeling them to designate which side it up!

4) Not Labeling Your Boxes

Don’t make this mistake! Label your boxes.

You may think you can get away without labeling your moving boxes, but it will ALWAYS come back to bite you. I used to only label boxes containing fragile items. I had to learn the hard way that labeling your items is key.

The first time I really regretted not labeling, I had split a storage unit with my friend. Neither of us labelled and splitting up our belongings at the end of the summer was an absolute nightmare. The second time, I lived in a two-story duplex. Even though I had hired movers to help me, we had no idea where to put a lot of my stuff. I ended up spending the entire next day moving electronics and dish sets up and down the stairs.

Hopefully you heed these tips concerning Houston moving boxes so you won’t make the same mistakes I did. For more advice on moving supplies and packaging materials, follow AAA Box on Twitter @AAABoxCompany/