How did we move without a moving truck? Well, our Airbnb still houses the furniture, so were left with the contents of our kitchen, closets, and shelves to move to our new house. Rather than commit to a singular day with dozens and dozens of boxes (and many more dollars), we said “no thank you” to a moving truck and instead used my Roadshow BMW X3 trunk.
I found such ease in lowering the seats to be completely flat for every type of item — from artwork to boxes and pillows. In the BMW X3, you can even wave your foot under the car to open the tailgate hands-free! Perfect for loading and unloading with boxes in hand.
Keep scrolling for my tips to a truck-free, stress-free move:
Start early!
You’ll be sorry if you wait for one doomed day of a move-out. Start the process earlier than you think you need to — because, no matter what, the date will creep up on you! Better to be mostly prepared than in a bind, right?
Stock up on old Amazon or online shopping boxes
This is my excuse for those online shopping splurges….Save your boxes in the garage to reuse for the move! If you don’t have any, I highly recommend ordering boxes and packing paper online from U-Haul. They’ll deliver to you!
Make a rule: you can’t leave your house without a full trunk
Hold yourself accountable! Every time you leave the house, you should have a full trunk. I always make Alex load the car, and I’ll unload when I’m near the new neighborhood.
Purge as much as possible before the move: a beautiful opportunity to donate
Cull down and curate before you move out — and make sure to find ways to donate what you no longer need!
Tackle one room at a time
I found it much less overwhelming and more manageable to dedicate time toward a room start to finish before moving onto the next.
Pack by drawer (and mark the box accordingly)
Pack up a bathroom drawer straight into a box, and you’ll be able to unpack it exactly the same. Be sure to mark the box with your intended destination so you can unpack with ease!
Pad your breakables with your towels and sheets
These towels take up so much room when stacked on their own, but they serve as perfect foundations for other more breakable items.
The heavier the item, the smaller the box
Don’t make it so hard on yourself — save the bigger boxes for the lighter-weight items and conquer heavier gadgets or accessories on their own.
Keep clothes on hangers
From closet to car to closet — it’s the most seamless method.
Use your laundry baskets to reuse trip after trip
I really appreciated using plastic laundry bins for random knick knacks; once unloaded, I’d bring the bins back home to pack up again.