Let’s face it: Moving is expensive and not to mention time consuming. From locating a mover, meeting with moving companies for an estimate, booking the job, packing, and the actual move itself, it’s no wonder people consider moving to be a stressful event. These inevitable factors don’t have to make or break your move. In fact, with some careful planning and organization you can actually save time and even some money (yes, you heard that right!) on your move. Follow our simple guide to ease your mind and bank account on moving day.

You will save money if you can be flexible with your moving date. Of course, this isn’t always the case, but if you can avoid June, July, and August-the busiest (and most expensive) moving months. Also, planning your move in the middle of the month may ease some costs, whereas the beginning of the month is generally higher due to leases that begin or end during this time.

From the second you decide to move, keep a list of everything you need to do, starting with a list of prospective movers. Check with friends and family that have moved, as well as local movers on the Internet. For the most part, you should stick with local movers. Even if someone is cheaper farther away, they will likely charge you travel time, which may not be much of a savings. From your list, interview two-four movers in your home. It is important to have an in-house meeting, so that they can actually look at your items and determine an estimate. Giving this information over the phone will likely not be accurate and result in additional fees (and headaches) on moving day.

Let your movers know exactly what challenges they will face at the pick-up and drop-off location -- stairs, a long carry to the house, or restrictions on long trucks in a particular neighborhood. These will dictate what the moving company brings to the house to be moved. Make sure the mover knows about any special items that will need extra attention in the move, including disconnecting and connecting appliances, large pieces of glass, and assembly and disassembly of things like outdoor gym equipment. Movers do not generally disconnect or reconnect appliances such as washers and dryers. It can be costly to have a third-party do it, so if you or someone you know can do it, you can save a lot of money.

Next the fun part: Packing. Yes, you heard that right, fun! Packing doesn’t have to be a grueling experience, in fact it can be the best time to get organized and assess your items for a fresh start in your new place. Items that you don’t want can be donated (tax deductable), sold at a garage sale or simply given to friends or family. This may even cut down some moving costs (especially if you get rid of heavy items). If you do lighten up your load, be sure to let the moving company know, so that they can change your moving quote. You can also opt to put your items in storage. If you can’t part with certain items (or don’t have the room for them), you can keep them safe in a storage facility. When you finally get down to the packing, make a system for each room-packing room-by-room, color-coding the boxes, and mark those that have fragile items. This will not only enable you to know where everything is going, easing and saving time with the unpacking process, but it will set up a system for the movers.

Before the movers come, check your place for anything that hasn’t been packed. As you are packing, make sure you have enough boxes and supplies. There is nothing worse than having to fork over money for marked up boxes and materials when you are in a bind. You'll probably need more than you anticipate, so buy extra.

When the movers arrive (hopefully on time), explain to them where everything is and go through your color-coding system. If disassembly is involved, be sure they know where all of these items are. Most likely, you will stay with your mover until the finish loading up the final boxes. Before they leave, make sure that you have each others direct phone numbers. Anything and everything (good and bad) can occur on moving day, you want to know firsthand of any problems, as well as a status of where the movers are. Again, you are paying for their services; don’t be afraid to call to “check up.”

When the movers arrive, reiterate again where everything goes and be sure they follow your system, as well as be super delicate with fragile items. Also double check that everything that was taken apart was properly put back. You don’t want to see extra screws and parts lying around on moving day.

Some moving situations are tax-deductable such as in moving for work. In order to get some money back, you are going to need documentation of your move. Collect receipts from your moving company to the supplies you purchased. Keep these records in a very safe place. You might even want to photocopy them, just in case. You don’t want to lose out on a refund just because you lost some paper!

Moving is hard work. Once you are in your new place, you can breathe a sigh of relief for the extra work you put in to get you home.