Streamline both short and long moves

Shirley Orefice moved more than 4,000 miles this summer; Wanda Johnson moved about 400 feet.

Johnson and her husband, Paul, moved two doors down from their current home. Orefice and her husband, Michael, moved an ocean away from their home, to England.

The two Tennesseans are among almost 39 million people who moved between 2003 and 2004, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

Whatever the distance of a move, some kind of work is always involved, so regardless if you do it yourself or hire movers, here are some ways to lighten your load:

• Have a yard sale to save your sanity. After the sale, donate or toss the remains.

• Book any moving company early, at least five weeks beforehand. Some companies will give discounts on moves between October and April. And check with the Better Business Bureau for complaints.

• Start scoping out your favorite grocery or liquor store for free boxes weeks in advance if you’re packing.

• Avoid plastic storage boxes during the summer. They get hot, become soft, and often spill their contents.

• Pack books as if they were standing on the bookshelf and use small boxes. Otherwise, neither you nor your mover will be able to pick them up.

• Take important documents and family pictures – as well as that all-important roll of toilet paper – with you in the car.

• Tip your movers. After all, they just carried your grand piano up the spiral staircase at your new home.