What is an efficient way of moving home?
The #1 asset of any frequent mover is a private mail box or PMB such as the UPS Store.  It means you always get your mail.  I know many people who don't use PMBs and have nasty tax bills, credit burns and even arrest warrants (on failure to appear)  because a trivial problem festered into a bad one.  The DMV, the IRS, banks, creditors, all exclusively use postal mail for anything timely or urgent.

It is simply impossible to contact everyone every time you move - seriously, who remembers the IRS or the SSA?

PMBs are pricey but they work. Everyone accepts PMBs.  The PMB can receive UPS or FedEx and even sign for you.  You can reach a human, give credit card # and they'll forward your mail anywhere in the world. Sometimes I just have them mail mine if I don't have time to go over there. They'll call you if you get a certified letter.

Even at-the-house utilities like the gas company, always tell them to send your mail to the PMB, which they will cheerfully do. That means you get your last statement.  

Life just works so much better with a PMB.



Granted, I just spent a lot of time on your second question. 

On your first question, it's real simple: hoard quality knockdown boxes, like Bankers Boxes or better.  Those are for your stuff.  If it's easy and you have the space, sure, why not save original boxes.  I don't work that hard at it, unless the appliance is delicate and likely to take damage in shipping (NOT a microwave).

That said, the custom shipping foam blocks are the only thing that makes the box worth saving. I often see people with a coffeemaker set in the bottom of its original box, with the foams missing or thrown away. That defeats the purpose of saving the box; the coffeemaker won't be protected from damage anymore than in any other box.  So why keep a weird box around?

Moving is just a lot of packing and 1000 trips to the car.  That's just what it is.  If you are sick of it, hire out the "1000 trips to the car" job to some "two guys and a truck" type operation, that's not so expensive, you don't have to go full Mayflower.