The Moving Optimization Thread

[phoenixfeather]

So! In about nine months I'm going to be involved in a big cross-country move, and finances are going to be a bit of an issue. As a result, I've been doing a lot of research on interesting ways to be able to do this successfully -- something beyond "make sure you get your boxes for free." Here are a couple of things I've found.

• If you move a long distance and have a full-time job for at least 39 weeks after your move (or are planning to have one for that length of time) you may be able to write off your moving expenses. Check out Tax Trails - Are You Eligible to Deduct Moving Expenses? for more information.
• As it happens, if you are a member of AAA, quite a few moving companies appear to give a substantial discount. Take a look at your AAA membership website for more information. *
• Priority Mail boxes are a flat rate. Combined with the idea of poste restante (about which you can see more here: http://www.upgradetravelbetter.com/2...r-destination/), this seems like a very useful way to ship yourself as much as you can pack into a bunch of boxes.

Any other creative suggestions?

* In fact being a member of AAA appears to give so many discounts that I often forget to use them. I really should note down the important ones for future use.

[alex]

This isn't a creative suggestion, but for there is some important information about saving money and more at How to avoid Moving Company Scams.

[Ronni]

I will be watching this thread with interest. I am moving to Chicago sometime in the next few months and even though it's not cross country (just from Ohio), it's still the biggest move I've ever made.

I want to do this the most efficient way possible. So far, I was thinking the ole U-Haul trick but I know that's going to cost a pound, cause I have to either tow my car, or have my itty bitty car tow a trailer, which probably won't work too well.

Argh. Just the thought of it overwhelms me.

[hermione]

When my sister and I moved to California from Hawaii (not quite the same as for you as it was more over the ocean and not land) we learned a few things:

* First, this is a obvious one, but moving is the best time to get rid of things you don't need. It will cost you money to move something and not use afterwards.

* While it is good to sell off some of your things when moving, some things that will save you money even though it will cost some money to move: large (nice) furniture, a piano, a big-screen TV. You never get as much as the worth of an item when you sell it used, and after your move, it will cost you more money to buy the same things new. Unless you're lucky and hit moving sale where you can buy the same things as nice as you sold before you moved.

Example with the piano: we have an upright piano that weighs about 500 lbs. When we were moving, some neighbors were interested in buying it but wouldn't have wanted to pay more than $1,000 for it. The movers charged us $1.10 per lb., but had we sold it for $1,000 and not paid $550 to move it, we still wouldn't have been able to buy as good a piano for only $1,550.

* For moving across land, a U-Haul (or Budget truck which we found to be cheaper) does save you a great deal of money, but it is also a lot of work and very stressful because you have a time deadline if you don't want to be charged extra for returning it late. Though the late fees would still be a lot less than hiring movers. So that is up to you and what you prefer or can handle. We've only used U-Hauls for fairly short-distanced moves. One from Hayward to Fremont, CA (about 20 miles) and one from Fremont to Van Nuys, CA (about 350 miles). If there are at least 2 of you moving, one of you can drive the truck and one the car. That's how we did it; I drove the truck and my sister drove the car with the pets.

* If you have a lot of books, ship them to your new home using Media Mail, which is cheaper than using the moving company. Back in 2003, we shipped 7 boxes of books weighing about 70 lbs. each for around $100. With the movers, it would have cost about $550.

Originally Posted by phoenixfeather

• Priority Mail boxes are a flat rate. Combined with the idea of poste restante (about which you can see more here: http://www.upgradetravelbetter.com/2...r-destination/), this seems like a very useful way to ship yourself as much as you can pack into a bunch of boxes.

About the Flat Rate Priority Mail boxes, though, unless these are very small but very heavy things, I'm not sure how much this will save you. The Flat Rate boxes are not very big, probably big enough to pack 10 DVDs, and they will cost you $9 per box. Also, if you're shipping very valuable things, you'll probably want to insure it, and the USPS insurance rate will probably cost you more than the movers' insurance rate.

* If you have pets, moving is also a very stressful and frightening time for pets. Check out our Relocation Tips for Pet Owners and our Pet Relocation Checklist. We have had pets for the last 20 years and have moved many times with them, so we put together these suggestions for pet owners.

One last tip: I highly suggest getting a back brace for during and a heating pad for after the move.

Hope this helps and good luck. Moving is not fun and never will be. I speak from experience as I have moved about 20 times in the first 25 years of my life (about the first 10 times I was young and lucky enough to be exempted from the stress), and it never gets easier or more fun. I guess unless you have tons of money and can pay people to do everything for you ... then maybe.

[Looby]

Like Hermione said, take the opportunity to get rid of as much stuff as possible. If you have good quality furniture, it might be worth shipping, but if most of your belongings are Ikea standard, sell them on craigslist and re-stock in the new place. Like Hermione I moved over-sea (UK to Canada) so we only had 3 suitcases for 2 of us.
Are you moving for a new job? Ask HR if you are eligible for relocation costs.
Re: the car for Ronni, I had a friend who took a cross-country holiday a few years ago driving someone's car to their new house for them. I'm not sure what company they went through, but a little googling should turn something up. Or maybe a friend could drive it over for you in exchange for a little holiday in your new place?
Good luck, it is stressful, I'm already dreading our next move which will probably be within the year, ack.

[Ronni]

Originally Posted by Looby

Re: the car for Ronni, I had a friend who took a cross-country holiday a few years ago driving someone's car to their new house for them. I'm not sure what company they went through, but a little googling should turn something up. Or maybe a friend could drive it over for you in exchange for a little holiday in your new place?
Good luck, it is stressful, I'm already dreading our next move which will probably be within the year, ack.

Hi Looby. A friend of mine offered to drive the U-Haul truck for me (I plan to get the 10 foot), and I'm going to drive my car with the computers, cat, etc. It's only a 6 hour trip, and I do plan to get rid of a great deal of stuff. What is lucky for me is that I'm moving in with my fiance who lives here, so there are tons of things I don't have to worry about as far as setting up and furniture and all. My concern will be getting rid of stuff so I can fit into his place!

The move for me is about a 350-400 mile move, so not too long, and the price is hundreds less than I anticipated. I think that once I get rid of a bunch of stuff, I won't feel as overwhelmed.

[Looby]

Hi Ronni,
I'm glad you got the car issue sorted, I think that once you start to get rid of stuff, it gets easier- I actually found it quite cathartic, whittling everything down to those 3 suitcases. I didn't bother trying to sell anything, just gave it to friends and charity shops, which had the added bonus of making me feel good! I have so much less stuff now and I don't miss any of it, it's great!

[jkuo13]

I'll put in another vote for getting rid of as much stuff as possible. I accumulated a lot of stuff while I was in school and started selling/donating as much of it as possible about 6 months before I graduated. I managed to fit everything I owned into my parents' minivan by the time I actually had to move.

After having to move my fiancee's montrousity of a couch several times, I finally wised up and invested in some gear to make moving a little easier. If you're doing the moving yourself without a moving company, having something like forearm forklifts or a shoulder dolly might come in handy.

[Ronni]

Originally Posted by Looby

Hi Ronni,
I'm glad you got the car issue sorted, I think that once you start to get rid of stuff, it gets easier- I actually found it quite cathartic, whittling everything down to those 3 suitcases. I didn't bother trying to sell anything, just gave it to friends and charity shops, which had the added bonus of making me feel good! I have so much less stuff now and I don't miss any of it, it's great!

Three suitcases! Wow, that's impressive! I won't be able to wittle down to that much, nor do I want to, but I plan to cut my possessions in half, at LEAST. I'd like to make some money off of some of my stuff, but I plan to unload most of it onto family, friends, and Goodwill. The only furniture I plan to move is a desk, desk chair, bed, some bookcases, and my baker's rack. It's all the LITTLE stuff I have to let go of!

[purplefdu]

I've been able to fit everything I needed into a Chevy Cavalier in college. Mom was supposed to rent a midsized and got a compact instead because they screwed up. But the return trip was free and we got a van for the return trip which always had more stuff, lol. I have a bit more at home, but not much as we have a teeny home and no access to the attic or garage for storage. We go through our stuff once or twice yearl when we clean house and donate/give away stuff to keep us from overflowing at the seams.