Are you part of the more than 15 percent of the population that will move in the United States this year? If you are, check out these moving tips and advice to make your move easier, less stressful, and possibly cheaper.

1. The most crucial step to a successful long distance move is to get rid of the clutter in your house. By getting rid of unnecessary items, like extra furniture, duplicate appliances, clothing that never gets worn, or toys that your kids no longer play with, you are downsizing your extra belongings so that you don’t move more than you have to.

2. Another thing that does not always make it into lists of moving tips and advice is to have your whole family pack a bag of their essentials before you move as though you were going on a trip. In case you get delayed on the way, the movers do not arrive at the time they said they would, or things just do not go as you planned, the whole family will have the things that they need to make the best of the delay.

3. Speaking of delay, the best way to take care of your utilities is to delay them being shut off in your old home until the day after you plan to leave. This way, if you do get delayed for some reason, you will not be without electricity or hot water. Set up the utilities in your new house to be turned on the day before you are supposed to arrive. That way if the utilities company gets delayed for any reason, you will not be inconvenienced.

4. If your new house is fairly close to your old one, try renting a storage unit. Though this may seem counter intuitive, it could save you money and stress. Why should you move all your stuff twice? The benefit of renting some kind of storage unit is that you will be able to move small items like boxes and small appliances before you move bigger things. Not having boxes of breakables underfoot when trying to move big appliances or furniture will safe you a lot of frustration. Once you have moved the bigger items into your new home, you can take you time moving the smaller stuff in. Since moving company prices can be high, this is a way to cut down on the amount of time that you need them.