Advice on a Moving Idea (Seattle: fit in, to rent, how much)

[Capo]

Hi All,

I'm hoping to get some advice from everyone. I've been out in Seattle the past 2 months working at my new job. In about a month, my family will move out and join me (had to sell the house). Anyways, the situation we're in now is what makes the most sense regarding our "stuff."

Should we sell it, save the moving truck money, and rebuy everything out here? We don't have any super fancy stuff, but we do have a newish king bed, a leather sofa set, with tables/etc. The cost to rent a moving truck + the gas needed to drive it 2500 miles (at 5 miles to the gallon) does not look fun...

My main concern is with our personal items that we can't get rid of. Unfortunately, all of this won't fit into our rather small car that has to be driven out as well...

How much would it cost to ship a few (likely several) boxes? Is anyone aware of a more economical option than UPS or fedex? I'd love to just forego the moving truck entirely, but if we're going to have huge costs associated with moving our personal items and/or buying stuff out here, we might as well just do the moving truck.

[sayulita]

I think you just need to sit down and do the math. There are no magic bullets in this situation.

[azoria]

For the boxes, the cheapest way to get them to Seattle is through the Post Office. Their prices are comparatively reasonable.

For larger furnishings, the cost of trucking them 2,500 miles is probably commensurate with replacement cost.

[Robineli]

Look into ABF shipping. They have relocubes, which we are currently using to ship a loveseat, bed, and several boxes.

[AzDreamer]

Check the link below, they have a service where you load you stuff into a container, they pick it up and move it and you unload at the new place.

The Best Moving & Storage Idea Ever for Self Storage, Portable Moving and Storage Solutions | PODS

Maybe you could look at craigslist to see what it would cost to replace your furniture.