5 Frugal Ways to Make Moving Easier

Summer is prime moving season.

And who doesn't relish the chance to push a bookcase up a flight of stairs during the hottest part of the year?

While you can't control everything (and moves often morph into extended exercises in Murphy's Law), you can make it a lot easier. And cheaper.

Here are five tips to simplify and cut the costs -- and the stress -- during your next move.

Some people are under the gun to move. Too many times, they pack everything and intend to sort it later when they have time.

Big mistake.

Most movers charge by the pound, says Steve Weitekamp, president of the California Moving & Storage Association.

And if you're moving yourself, all the more reason for ditching items first and just taking the good stuff.

"Go through everything you have," says Dick Gaylord, past president of the National Association of Realtors and broker with Re/Max Real Estate Specialists in Long Beach, Calif. "Determine what you really use. If you've got magazines from five years ago that you've not looked at once, get rid of them."

Want to make the process easier? Watch a couple of episodes of "Hoarders." Then get moving.

Have things that you just don't need or want anymore? Consider three options:

* If you have items that still have some life left in them -- just not in your house -- donate them. Charities such as the Salvation Army and Goodwill run thrift stores, where they'll sell your stuff and use the proceeds. Or dial up the thrift stores in your area to see if they have a market for the items you're unloading. You can put the money toward your move or your new place.

* Have a stack of old books? Call a used bookshop and see if you can sell or trade your titles. Ditto at used-record stores.

* For broken or worn-out items, if time is more important than money, services such as 1-800-Got-Junk begin_of_the_skype_highlighting              1-800-Got-Junk      end_of_the_skype_highlighting begin_of_the_skype_highlighting              1-800-Got-Junk      end_of_the_skype_highlighting? will haul it away -- and recycle anything that's salvageable. And since you're not paying to move it, this can save some coin.

Also, many big-box electronics stores will accept and recycle old electronics free.

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