It can be pretty incredible just how many times students move accommodation during their studies. It's also quite common for graduates to regularly move residence in the years after their studies have finished, so it's a good idea to get prepared and ready for quick, affordable and easy moves. With some planning, forward thinking and a few smart decisions, you can ensure that nearly every move goes well without breaking the bank or annoying your landlord! Here's just a few tips for students and graduates:Think ahead. It's never too early! It will almost be guaranteed that nearly every time you'll have to move it'll come at the busiest, most hectic and stressful time of the year. This will only be made worst when you attempt to move last minute without thinking ahead. Look at your rental agreement. When does it run out? Will you be moving out at the end of the year? When exactly do you need to be out by? Not just the month, but the precise day. Make a note of it somewhere like the front of your diary. If you know when it's happening, find a period of time a few months before that date when you can start organising yourself for the move. Make a note of this preparation date in your diary. Make some lists.So you're moving in a few months. What can you do now that'll be useful? Plenty! But first start by writing a list of items you definitely want to keep and the items you can shed. Be brutal and honest. Student accommodation is often small and compact so you'll need to be strict and keep things compact. Go through everything and make two lists. What to keep. What to get rid of.Separate out your 'Throw' list into smaller categories.The benefit of organising your items this early on is that you can be a bit smarter in how you get rid of these unwanted items. Make categories such as 'Charity Shop', 'To Sell', 'Offer to housemates', 'Recycle' (i.e. if it's glass or paper) or 'Throw Away' when something isn't in good condition and is totally unusable. By not simply throwing everything away, you'll be helping the environment and you may even make some money by selling items online.Start collecting boxes!By starting early, you won't be in a blind last minute panic to collect everything together the night before the move. You can go to shops and supermarkets to get some free boxes which will save you money, but this might take some time to get enough, so leave yourself a month or so to accrue what you need. There are removal firms who also offer boxes that are designed for easy moving.Book your removal serviceThere are so many options to choose from so it may help to clarify a little what's on offer. First of all, there's van hire. This is where you simply hire the van. You will need to have a clean license and check the company's requirements but you will need to pick up the van, load your own items, drive them to the new location and unload again before taking back the van. There's also a man and van hire service. This is great as a driver will bring the van to your doorstep, help you load, drive everything to the new place, help unload and take the van away again. Piece of cake! What is you're wanting to put your stuff into storage though? There's another quite excellent option you can look into: a mobile storage unit! This is where a storage unit is driven to your door. You load into it. It gets driven back to the storage facility and hey presto, all done!