Sooner or later, it will happen to every one of us: We're going to move. Often, that first move is from home to the dorm.

Once you're out of college, you'll embark on a career move: The average American will move 11 times in their lifetime. Hopefully, the bulk of those moves are in the upward direction as opposed to back into the basement at home.

Even if you cut those numbers in half, you'll still be packing and unpacking everything you own at least six times. That's a lot of bubble wrap. It's not just about throwing stuff in boxes and hoping for the best! If you're about to embark on your next move, you might want to consider the following clever moving tips.

Tip #1: Bag It Up

Boxes are boxes — you might have flexibility of size but not of shape. Do you have a lot of square shaped things? Instead of relying on boxes for everything, think bags. Start with your suitcases, which are the perfect spot for clothes. Then move on to vacuum seal bags. These are great ways to store a lot of bulky items like comforters, sweaters and pillows without taking up a lot of space.

Tip #2: Use a Clear Plastic Bin for the Essentials

Phone charger. Toothbrush. Pajamas. Coffeemaker. Those items are all you'll need to get through the first night in your new place. To instantly find those essentials, pack them up in a clear plastic bin. It will help if this is the only clear plastic bin you use for the move.

Tip #3: Enter Through a Balcony or Window on Second Floor

If you're dealing with any kind of walkup or second floor, you're going to wear out your movers quickly. Even the pros will slow down with all those stairs. One of my friends rented a Genie scissor lift to help them move into a very narrow townhome that happened to have a large second floor balcony. This will allow you to pop up and down with boxes and furniture without the strain of climbing stairs. As an added bonus, my friend used the scissor life to power wash the exterior of their home before returning it. Plus, it's a lot of fun!

Tip #4: Don't Pack Junk

You've probably accumulated a lot of stuff since your last move. Do you need to bring that junk with you? Of course not. Create a pile for donation. Let your friends or family who are helping you move have first dibs on anything they want and then the rest can be donated or given away.

Tip #5: Use Clothes Instead of Bubble Wrap

Instead of spending a small fortune on bubble wrap, consider wrapping your breakables in clothing or towels. They have to be packed anyway, and you’ll be able to fit more in a box without the bulging bubbles.

Tip #6: Socks for Stemware

Speaking of using clothes to protect breakables, your socks will make the perfect stemware protection. You've got plenty of both, so put them to work.

Tip #7: Rent Bins

Those who care about the environment might want to look for a moving company that rents plastic bins rather than buy cardboard boxes. You’ll simply pick up the bins, use them and then bring them back.

Tip #8: Electronic Selfie

Before you unplug your cables, take a picture of where everything goes. This will help when you need to plug it back in again: You don't want to wait for the Geek Squad to show up.

Tip #9: Wrap It in Plastic

When it comes to protecting furniture, movers are pros at wrapping things in those bulky furniture pads. You can cut down on the time it takes by pre-wrapping your stuff in plastic. Think big rolls of Saran Wrap. Easy to use and quick to wrap and unwrap.

Tip #10: Label Your New Doors

Of course you're going to label all your boxes, but you can help the movers by also labeling the rooms those boxes are going into. Just tape a sign to the door designating which is the master bedroom, spare room, kid's room or any other.

Finally, make sure you give yourself plenty of time. You don't want to be rushing on the day of the move and throwing stuff into boxes at random. You'll get through this with a little planning and proactive packing.