The four-pass method
Pass one (3 weeks out): storage areas, books, off-season — the stuff you never touch. Pass two (2 weeks): kitchens minus essentials, guest rooms, decor. Pass three (1 week): clothes minus a week's wear, linens, most electronics. Pass four (moving week): daily-use essentials into the "open first" boxes. The passes convert an impossible week into four reasonable weekends.
The open-first box doctrine
One box per person + one per room-function: sheets, towels, chargers, toilet paper, coffee setup, two days of clothes, kids' comfort items. The first night in a new home is won or lost by these boxes — labeling them clearly and loading them LAST (so they come off FIRST) is the whole trick.
The material reality
Boxes ($1–3 each, 30–60 for a 2BR), tape (one roll per 15 boxes), paper and bubble (or linen-wrapping), and markers. Free boxes from liquor and grocery stores work if uniform-sized; the uniformity matters more than the price — odd boxes wall-paper into puzzle time. Budget $120–200 and buy once.