Shopping carts are incredibly efficient for moving.

I moved out of my apartment and just across the complex to a new building. It's about a 15 second drive, so it seemed kind of excessive to take all my stuff from my apartment, walk to my car, put it in my car, drive my car to the new building, take all my stuff from my car and carry it into my new apartment.

My parents suggested using a shopping cart, so that way I could take my stuff directly from my apartment and bring it straight to my new one (almost, since it was on the second floor). At first I thought it was completely ridiculous.

But it was totally genius. By using a shopping cart, I wouldn't have to put all my stuff in boxes to carry to my car and then carry right back inside again. I could just pile a bunch of stuff into this shopping cart. Easy! Plus I save gas, the environment AND get exercise! Efficient! 

So I walked over to the grocery store that's right across the street and borrowed a shopping cart. (Thanks, HyVee!) It was super awkward taking it home with me. Probably one of the most uncomfortable experiences of my life. I had to cross over a busy street just pushing a shopping cart by myself and I think everyone was judging and/or laughing at me. But it was totally worth it.

Once moving day arrived, I loaded up my shopping cart and pushed it over. Other people were moving in too, and I got a few funny looks until people realized that this was actually pure genius. While they had to keep going back and forth from their car to their apartment, and when you're carrying a bunch of stuff the walk from the parking lot to the door is kind of long, I wheeled my cart right up to the stairs. I even got some compliments!

I successfully got everything from point A to point B in just three easy trips (plus two trips in my car for the really big boxes that wouldn't fit in the cart). Which is awesome because I seem to have somehow accumulated an excess of things.

I avoided the awkward walk back to the grocery store to return the cart because two of my friends that helped me move agreed to go with me. Things are always less weird when you're not alone. The shopping cart idea even made unpacking easier since most things were not taken apart or thrown into a box and mixed with a bunch of other random things.

I guess my parents do have good ideas sometimes.