Moving is never fun.  While you may be looking forward to your new place, the thought of packing and transporting boxes and furniture may be daunting.  You don’t have to enjoy pushing a mattress up your new stairs, but here are a few tips to make moving day easier.

1. Hire Movers

This sounds obvious, but if you’re looking to move across the country or have a substantial amount of heavy furniture, you may want to hire help.  Make sure you check out the moving company and get references before you hand over all your possessions and be on hand to supervise at all times.  Hiring movers may not be the most affordable option, but it is certainly the easiest.

2. Have Plenty of Water

It doesn’t matter if your moving day is planned for the dead of winter or the height of summer; you will get thirsty. Sodas and beer are great for celebrating when you’re finished, but make sure there’s a cooler of bottled water at both your old house and the new one.  This way, you’ll be sure to stay hydrated and able to finish your move.

3. Have a Back-Up Plan

You may do all your homework reserving a truck for moving day, but if your reservation gets lost in the company’s system, you may simply be out of luck.  Make sure you have a back up plan. Ask friends for pick-up trucks you can borrow or scout out other truck rental locations like car dealerships and home improvement stores.  Also, many moving van rental companies often have trailers available when they are out of large trucks.  If you have a vehicle that can tow a trailer, it might mean you’ll make more trips, but at least you’ll be able to move.

4. Assign Roles

It’s very important that everyone on your moving team knows his or her responsibilities. This avoids conflicts when everyone is tired and it helps people know what to do when there’s a little bit of down time. If you have someone assigned to deciding where each box goes in the new place, it makes it easier for the guys unloading the van.  If you have someone assigned to sweeping the old house for anything left behind, it’s a good way to avoid the blame game later on.

5. Plan a Light Lunch

The last thing you’ll want after a hot and sweaty morning of moving is a greasy, heavy lunch.  Plan ahead and send someone to pick up sandwiches or light, prepared salads.  This way, you’ll get the nourishment you need to keep going into the afternoon, but won’t feel ill from a greasy burger or a loaded piece of pizza.