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We just want to bounce an idea off anyone who has moved before.
We are moving cross country, 2,200 miles anyways, and we are debating moving everything we have in a Uhaul v. moving the most important/valuable things in our cars and buying new stuff when we get there.
This is the first time we're moving more than ten miles away so it is a little overwhelming.
We have already been purging a lot of stuff that we don't need anymore so that we aren't moving junk but there is still a lot left.
The cost of the Uhaul plus an auto transport for my car is $2,200 and I am estimating $1,000 for gas plus about $300 in gas for my wifes car which she'll drive.
Instead of the $3,500 we would spend to move everything we could potentially spend just $600 in gas for our cars which would leave $2,900 for new furniture and other replaceable stuff. The only thing we would by new is a mattress, everything else we're cool with used so we might actually save some money there.
The only catch is that we still might have more stuff that would be better to keep than replace than our cars can hold. So we were thinking of shipping some things like clothing. A box of good clothes would cost more to replace than it would to ship.
This method would require us to really eliminate everything replaceable/non-valuable. We could probably have a massive yardsale and raise another $500-$1,000 to add to the savings pot.
Is this more hassle than we're thinking it would be? Is it going to actually save money in the long run?
First, you haven't factored in the expenses of staying in motels on the road. You are talking about 4 or 5 days. What is waiting for you at the end of your trip? Do you have a place to live lined up? There are so many factors that you haven't mentioned, that it is hard to give you a good answer.
You can't replace a household for $2,900. You can thrift a lot of stuff, if that is what you expect to do. And if your present stuff is thrifted, and/or has no value, then I can understand why you would want to chuck it all.
A decent bed to sleep in will cost around a thousand, at least. A decent sofa will run the same, or more.
And it will be costly to ship things ahead. There are some recs on this board about cheaper shipping. Perhaps one of them would work. I am sending boxes of things ahead to my son who will hold them for me. I estimate this cost at $100-$150.
Without knowing more about your plans and circumstances, it seems to me that you will need to at least tow a trailer. But you are right to only plan on taking the things you value.
First, you haven't factored in the expenses of staying in motels on the road. You are talking about 4 or 5 days. What is waiting for you at the end of your trip? Do you have a place to live lined up? There are so many factors that you haven't mentioned, that it is hard to give you a good answer.
You can't replace a household for $2,900. You can thrift a lot of stuff, if that is what you expect to do. And if your present stuff is thrifted, and/or has no value, then I can understand why you would want to chuck it all.
A decent bed to sleep in will cost around a thousand, at least. A decent sofa will run the same, or more.
And it will be costly to ship things ahead. There are some recs on this board about cheaper shipping. Perhaps one of them would work. I am sending boxes of things ahead to my son who will hold them for me. I estimate this cost at $100-$150.
Without knowing more about your plans and circumstances, it seems to me that you will need to at least tow a trailer. But you are right to only plan on taking the things you value.
We didn't factor the hotels in this thread as that cost will be the same with or without a moving truck.
We will have a place to live.
Our "household" is just a one bedroom apartment consisting of a bed with a metal frame, two dressers, 2 bookshelfs, a desk, a couch, a loveseat and a tv stand.
Most of our furnishings are handmedown, thrift, or cheap walmart stuff.
We had considered the tow trailer but we would need to buy a hitch plus the tailer rental and it's about $600 which eats into the savings.
We didn't factor the hotels in this thread as that cost will be the same with or without a moving truck.
We will have a place to live.
Our "household" is just a one bedroom apartment consisting of a bed with a metal frame, two dressers, 2 bookshelfs, a desk, a couch, a loveseat and a tv stand.
Most of our furnishings are handmedown, thrift, or cheap walmart stuff.
We had considered the tow trailer but we would need to buy a hitch plus the tailer rental and it's about $600 which eats into the savings.
It sounds as if you could indeed leave much of your household behind. However, I still don't think you have budgeted enough to furnish your new place, especially if you need to buy a new bed. I assume you are taking household goods with you. If you have to make do at your new place, whatever you do, buy yourselves a decent bed.
We just want to bounce an idea off anyone who has moved before.
We are moving cross country, 2,200 miles anyways, and we are debating moving everything we have in a Uhaul v. moving the most important/valuable things in our cars and buying new stuff when we get there.
This is the first time we're moving more than ten miles away so it is a little overwhelming.
We have already been purging a lot of stuff that we don't need anymore so that we aren't moving junk but there is still a lot left.
The cost of the Uhaul plus an auto transport for my car is $2,200 and I am estimating $1,000 for gas plus about $300 in gas for my wifes car which she'll drive.
Instead of the $3,500 we would spend to move everything we could potentially spend just $600 in gas for our cars which would leave $2,900 for new furniture and other replaceable stuff. The only thing we would by new is a mattress, everything else we're cool with used so we might actually save some money there.
The only catch is that we still might have more stuff that would be better to keep than replace than our cars can hold. So we were thinking of shipping some things like clothing. A box of good clothes would cost more to replace than it would to ship.
This method would require us to really eliminate everything replaceable/non-valuable. We could probably have a massive yardsale and raise another $500-$1,000 to add to the savings pot.
Is this more hassle than we're thinking it would be? Is it going to actually save money in the long run?
I had a few things shipped, (cost was about $400), and whatever was left, the little things, I crammed in to my car along with some pets. I moved 1700 miles. I truly think it was the cheaper way to go because, as you stated, the UHaul adds up to a LOT!!! You aren't even counting in hotels unless you plan on sleeping in truck stops, which, doable but you should, really, give yourself at least one day in a hotel. (You will thank me for this advice if you were not currently planning on doing so. You will! And you will actually save time by using a car instead of a UHaul to the point that you could shave an entire day or two off the move. So, essentially, you will be saving money and that should be factored in the cost.)
Further, depending on where you are going, in some places you are going to have to deal with heavy traffic and if you think people are terrible drivers when you are in a car, try driving in it with a UHaul.
My advice: Depending on the amount of stuff you are leaving behind or selling, if it's cheaper to buy new, just get new stuff. Less stress, less heavy lifting, less time consuming, typically much cheaper. And, in many places, when you buy new furniture, they will deliver it to your house usually free of charge or for a very small fee. I ended up saving a couple of grand by NOT taking all of my stuff with me and buying new. That included a brand new, very good bed for $500, (which should be your first order of business).
Double your estimate of fuel for the moving truck. Our last move was coast to coast and gas was about the same price as now and our fuel costs were well over $3,000. Well over. That said, jettisoning furniture and appliances and loading all the books, computers and personal keepsakes in a rental truck is how I have always moved. I would add one of the cars to the list of things to sell on the origin end of the trip. For one thing I think $300 is a mighty lowball figure for fuel across 2200 miles (mountains?). For another, will you really need two cars at the destination? But that's me, I'm a car lite advocate. If you ignore my advice and take two sets of vehicles on the road, please don't ignore this advice: get two way radio's or whatever and stay in communication or not on the way but drive your own vehicle. People that drive in teams spend so much time watching the other vehicle that they miss things that affect their vehicle! Don't do this. Drive your own vehicle and forget about what the other driver is doing. Good luck and safe journey.
we moved from WI to SC in 09, our first move over 20 miles in the 25 yrs we've been together, and even after getting rid of some spare furniture to family and donating other items we still filled a 26' Uhaul with what we wanted to bring down. But we were moving from a home to a home, not an apt to apt. I drove the truck, we had my wife's car transported down (sporty car not of any use in a move) and she drove the suv pulling the boat. In that distance it was just 1 night at a hotel halfway down, and the fuel wasnt as bad as thought considering the truck and us going thru the mountains. So we made it work, and at a better cost then having movers do it for us (but i've driven truck before so that wasnt a concern).
BUT.... i will say now that we've been here the 3 years..... if we ever had to do it again we would consider not hauling all the furniture and stuff unless absolutely necessary. Heck it may not fit or work out in another home anyhow. So guess we're glad it worked out, since starting over in a new state didnt force us to start all over furnishing and supplying our home, but i can see the flip side as well.
We shipped $700.00 worth of stuff by UPS. I figured the cost per pound to ship an item and then decided if it would be cheaper to replace. You can use charts to come up with estimates and also find out the size of parcels that are allowed and what you can and can't ship online. We, in the past, used both the tow behind and drivable U-Hauls and it is rather a hassle and really slows you down and you have to find a place to park the thing and a gas station that easily accommodates your vehicle choice which in the boonies can be challenging. We had really bad luck with U-Haul as we hit a terrible rain storm and the pull behind leaked badly leaving us with an unbelievable disaster and there were problems with brakes on the truck and it hit our car which was pulling a pop-up camper (which we planned to stay in) and totaled the camper and caused some delay in the trip. What you need to buy new will depend on the location where you are too and how good of shopper you are. Thrift is big these days for a reason!
Unless you have collected antiques and own really expensive furnishings and appliances...I say have a big moving sale....If you are moving somewhere where you can buy the essentials, and even rummage sale some of your items than make it easy on yourself. There is something very freeing about moving to a new location as unburdened as possible. You may well decide that you want to decorate differently. Go for it!! Enjoy your move.
Quote:
Originally Posted by CrossfitNut
We just want to bounce an idea off anyone who has moved before.
We are moving cross country, 2,200 miles anyways, and we are debating moving everything we have in a Uhaul v. moving the most important/valuable things in our cars and buying new stuff when we get there.
This is the first time we're moving more than ten miles away so it is a little overwhelming.
We have already been purging a lot of stuff that we don't need anymore so that we aren't moving junk but there is still a lot left.
The cost of the Uhaul plus an auto transport for my car is $2,200 and I am estimating $1,000 for gas plus about $300 in gas for my wifes car which she'll drive.
Instead of the $3,500 we would spend to move everything we could potentially spend just $600 in gas for our cars which would leave $2,900 for new furniture and other replaceable stuff. The only thing we would by new is a mattress, everything else we're cool with used so we might actually save some money there.
The only catch is that we still might have more stuff that would be better to keep than replace than our cars can hold. So we were thinking of shipping some things like clothing. A box of good clothes would cost more to replace than it would to ship.
This method would require us to really eliminate everything replaceable/non-valuable. We could probably have a massive yardsale and raise another $500-$1,000 to add to the savings pot.
Is this more hassle than we're thinking it would be? Is it going to actually save money in the long run?
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What you need to buy new will depend on the location where you are too and how good of shopper you are. Thrift is big these days for a reason!
