Moving cost effectively

**scfr** · 03-22-2015, 05:35 AM

We moved from Seattle to Austin (approx 2300 miles) which was a shorter move than you will have (Boston to San Francisco, for example, is approx 3100 miles). We had just 2 adults and 1 dog. So, while I'm happy to offer tips, I recognize that your move is going to be much harder than mine so GOOD LUCK!

Cars: We sold one of ours before we moved, so that we just had the truck and one car. How old are yours? What would be the cost of moving (driving, towing, or hiring someone to drive) both vs. the cost of selling one and replacing once you are in your new location?

Cars - Towing vs. Driving: Towing a car behind a rental truck is one of those things that sounds good in theory, but can be intimidating (and possibly even dangerous) when it comes down to it if you're not used to driving a truck. Originally DH planned to tow the car behind the rental truck, but when he walked the lot and looked at the trucks and thought about towing over mountain passes and through parking lots in unfamiliar territory, he decided that he really didn't have the skill and confidence to do that safely. So he drove the truck and I drove the car.

Hiring Movers vs. Rental Truck: This is the "big question" isn't it? I don't remember the specifics, but I found PODS to be really expensive so I ruled them out pretty quickly. Truly, you will just need to price both options and then decide which way to go. How do your kids and dogs do on road trips? How do you feel about 5(or possibly 6) days in the car with them? If one of you is driving the truck and one driving the kids and dogs, can the one with the kids & dogs safely handle rest stops alone? Will you have help from family and/or friends on either end of the move? That makes a difference! I think it just comes down to how badly you want or need to save money and how much work you are willing to do yourselves.

Rental Truck: We rented a 16-foot Penske rental truck and ended up with a bit of room to spare. I think we started out with a 22-foot booked but I challenged myself to purge enough to fit in to a smaller size. Shop around and look for discounts (we got both a AAA and on-line booking discount). Once you have booked, re-visit the web site; if prices drop, try to re-book at the lower price.

Purging: As you already know, it's so critical on a long-distance move! Your apartment rental will be temporary; it can be sparsely furnished. There are some bare minimums that you will need, but you can get creative, and things don't have to be "all or nothing." For example, we kept our metal bed frame, box spring, and mattress ... but sold the heavy headboard. Since it was just the 2 of us, we just used a little bedside table as our temporary dining table (the dining table & chairs were sold). With children you'll need something bigger, but what about a folding 4-seater card table? Folding tables can be a dining table or desk. You may be able to borrow folding tables and chairs from family when you get to the West Coast, so you may not even need to bring them with you! A large box with things you want for your house but don't need in your apartment can double as a bedside table. We sold our couches and used folding chairs or sat on the floor in our apartment. You get the idea ... Anything in bad shape that you plan to replace soon anyway? Dump it and replace when you get to the new location.

Motel - If you drive yourselves: Hands down, Motel 6 was the best for us. Reasonably priced, conveniently located on our driving route, pet friendly.

**creditcardfree** · 03-22-2015, 07:22 AM

scfr's post reminded me that regardless of if you do your own packing or not, it is best to set aside things you will want with you before the movers arrive or before most of your items are unpacked. We had two days in our current home before our household goods arrived, so we had folding chairs, air mattresses and bedding, soap, toilet paper. I think I bought a shower curtain rod when we arrived since it was a new home, but I had the curtain. Bath towels, cleaning rags, grocery bag for trash, paper plates, a cooler for food. It's like camping initially!

We also don't let movers haul important/sensitive papers, or photographs (which I need to attempt to purge or downsize if possible).

Motel 6 always accepts pets and I think at no additional charge.

**bigdaddybus** · 03-22-2015, 10:44 AM

We used pods in 2005 when we needed all out household items stored for 4 months. The entire process worked great from delivery,packing,storage for a few months, to delivery and unpacking at the new house.

I know others who have done the same and all of them said they would use pods again. One family we know also called a local moving company and hired two guys to unpack their pods.

**rennigade** · 03-22-2015, 11:40 AM

I never moved cross country but I have to think a one way uhaul kind of truck is cheaper than hiring pro movers. Get rid of anything and everything you really dont want. Craigslist whatever you want to leave behind.

As far as cars. Id have wife drive one car. Husband drive uhaul. And 2nd car you could always have a relative or friend drive it for you. Pay for the hotel along the way and air transportation back to the west coast. Thats always an option.

**LivingAlmostLarge** · 03-22-2015, 12:19 PM

I am researching pods and uhaul and doing it ourselves. Right now it costs around $1k to ship cars cross country, will confirm tonight with friends who just did it end of February. With the cost of gas (it was a prius) and hotels and food and wear and tear on the car it's usually cheaper to ship than drive.

Great tips and i'm reading and researching all answers. Please keep it coming.

**ua_guy** · 03-23-2015, 07:37 AM

If you're going to do a "U-Haul" kind of move, I'd recommend going with Penske which is typically a "higher rent" outfit that might give you a decent truck. I rented from U-Haul once, one-way to move from Southern CA up to Seattle, and they gave me a truck with more than 250,000 miles on it (gas Ford chassis), no working A/C, that had transmission problems. I was livid, but that was the only truck they would provide. For one-way rentals, they always want to get rid of their crappiest truck.

You might also look into something like ABF U-Pack. You bring your stuff to a local place where it is loaded on a cargo trailer (you pay by the foot). The truck then travels across country to your destination, and you unload it from a local place. So it requires two "in-town" U-haul rentals and labor on each end.

Another option is to just hire a moving company to shove everything-- cars included-- into a large truck and unload it all when you get there. If there is one thing I will never do again provided I have adequate money, is move myself. I did that getting into my last house and it was a miserable, miserable experience, even with help.

**LivingAlmostLarge** · 03-23-2015, 06:19 PM

Going to check out Penske. Also pods because we are storaging possibly stuff so it might work out better. Biggest issue with pods is that our driveway has wires so we might not be able to stash a pod there to load. Uggh I hate my place.

**kork13** · 03-23-2015, 09:29 PM

Personally I would do it (and have done it) with a rental truck & just drive it yourself. Easily the cheapest IMO. I've twice rented a big moving truck from Budget (typically cheaper Penske & U-Haul, you can find discount codes online) for $250-$300, driven it halfway across the country (OR to OK & UT to OK). Gas is expensive, but it was basically ~$100/day, back when unleaded was closer to $3/gal. Rental truck would be my recommendation. Just ask for some help from family/friends with the loading & unloading.

Moving cost effectively