Moving is a hassle. Whether you’re moving across the hall, across the street, across from town, across the province, across the country, or (God forbid) across the ocean… moving is a pain in the butt. Luckily, the ordeal of residential moving (or office moving) can be reduced to a mild inconvenience with knowledge and preparation. Read on to find tips on how to make any move, local or long distance, easier.

Tip 1: Scavenge for Packing Materials

This may seem a bit crass but instead of paying ridiculous prices for box, why not salvage the boxes found at your local businesses or grocery dumpsters? You’ll be able to find any size box you need, and the packing materials you’ll find can be described by everyone’s favorite four letter word…free! Pay dozens (if not hundreds) of dollars for boxes if you like, but I prefer getting the same exact boxes for free.

Tip 2: Use what you have.

Instead of wasting a box or two on packing old blankets, towels, and pillows, why not use those to wrap and protect your fragile items. You can also rent padded blankets from a rental company at a nominal fee, if you run out of your own blankets to use. Here’s another tip about packing breakables: stacking boxes of fragile materials upon each other is a potential domino effect best avoided.

Tip 3: Mark all boxes properly.

Whether you’re a true do-it-yourselfer or hiring a moving company, failing to mark a box of breakables as “Fragile” is not a mistake you can afford to make. Also, marking boxes by which room the contents are designated for is a simple way to avoid unnecessary work and strain. Planning and organization is the key.

Tip 4: Keep boxes light.

Keeping boxes light is important, especially when taking the DIY approach. If you need a crane to lift a certain box, then chances are that box is too heavy. Keep the weight of each box reasonable, and protect your belongings (as well as your back).

Tip 5: Have some “Open me first” boxes.

Separately pack things like bedsheets, toiletries, eating utensils, and other things you’d want to have right away. Going through two or three boxes for everything you need for the first few days is much better than going through ten or twenty. And of course, be sure to mark these boxes with “Open me first.” Furthermore, you should consider carrying these boxes with you in your car, instead of the moving truck.