It's time to move! Make the rounds of calling friends, chill the beer, get the pizza delivery coupons ready and get your moving gloves out. Now that you're ready, it'll be a breeze!

Actually, no matter how ready you are, moving is always a major pain in the neck. No matter what anybody tells you to the contrary, it'll mean a day (hopefully not days) or sweating, lifting, maneuvering up and down stairs, and taking 5 minutes now and then to sit on the couch and pant.

Moving is tough, but here are some great tips to help make it easier:

Become Obsessive-Compulsive And Get Organized

The old organizing strategy is to write on each box "kitchen" or "bedroom" to designate rooms. After your move is finished, each room has a stack of boxes, each filled with a bunch of random stuff that goes in that room. You might find that you need something on that first night, and where will it be!? In one of the boxes...

This time, you're going to get REALLY organized. You're going to make a massive list, maybe even using a computer. This list will show the exact contents of each box, which will be numbered. This'll help in case of emergencies and will also make unpacking a piece of cake.

Start Early... No, Start NOW!

Here is a common scenario that quickly spirals out of control into a full-scale nightmare: You know you're moving. You know when. You even have a calendar with something circled on it in red or another bright color. In spite of knowing all these things, one morning you wake up and... "I have to move the day after tomorrow!!!" Ouch.

Start now, and do it little by little. With your massive list, prioritize. Make three categories: Things I Don't Really Need At All But Keep For Some Reason; Things I Use Fairly Often; Things I Need Pretty Much Every Day. Feel free to make your own categories, and you can even go crazy and make 4 or 5!

Weeks before the Big Day, start packing the TIDRNAABKFSR items (the things you don't need so much). Theoretically, you don't need them, so it'll be no problem for them to be boxed up for a couple weeks.

Put a little time into packing each day, and it'll feel like nothing at all. Instead of spending 3 harrowing days doing a packing marathon, put stuff in boxes for 30 minutes a day.

Call Professional Movers

I know, you can do it yourself. Heck, you've moved before, it's no big deal.

Actually, movers can make it much easier. Not only can they do the back breaking work, they also have tools, gear and years of expertise behind them. Why throw your back out doing it yourself? Professional movers are fully trained and equipped, no matter how much huge furniture you have.

The big advantage to doing it yourself is the savings. Hiring a moving company costs money, and that's the thing that makes the world go around. But before you start buying your packing tape and collecting old boxes from supermarkets, consider this - Good movers can be found cheaply. Most companies offer very reasonable rates.

Call several in your area and see what they charge. They'll want an estimate of how much stuff you're taking, and the mileage from your old house to your new will be a factor. Still, call around and see what kinds of deals you can get before you decide to put you and your friends through the nightmare of moving.

Residents of Philadelphia, moving services are readily available to you. Hire a professional instead of doing the heavy lifting yourself. Visit http://www.angieslist.com