I'm moving. How in the hell do I do it?

Wobbie

I'm getting ready to move 400+ miles. I've been married for 16+ years so, yeah, I've got some shit. Luckily, no framed poster collection . But I do have a 1900 square foot house and 3 car garage full of the usual stuff.

It seems my three moving options are:

U-Haul truck

Professional movers (Mayflower, etc.)

PODS

U-Haul and PODS say they have trucks/containers that will handle a 3-4 bedroom house. Frankly, I'm skeptical. Professional movers would probably cost $8500+ . Who here has moved a whole house and what's the best way to go?? ANY advice is appreciated.

Flagg

When we last moved 6 years ago, we used PODS. We got almost everything in one three bedroom house into one POD. I would definitely use them again.

pandora

imalive wrote:

I'm getting ready to move 400+ miles. I've been married for 16+ years so, yeah, I've got some shit. Luckily, no framed poster collection . But I do have a 1900 square foot house and 3 car garage full of the usual stuff.

It seems my three moving options are:

U-Haul truck

Professional movers (Mayflower, etc.)

PODS

U-Haul and PODS say they have trucks/containers that will handle a 3-4 bedroom house. Frankly, I'm skeptical. Professional movers would probably cost $8500+ . Who here has moved a whole house and what's the best way to go?? ANY advice is appreciated.

Have a rummage/moving sale first- make some $ to pay for the move and lighten the load. Get rid of everything thats not sentimental or that you really don't need /want. We moved cross country many years ago- did it ourselves with a u-haul truck. It was tough but then its over you know- you can live thru anything- for us we had to keep it cheap and just felt better doing it ourselves- "running down a dream" it was part of the journey

warmbreath

Just stay way away from firms offering moving help, I have never been so ripped off in my whole life. Those Pods sound great, you and your best friends load it, use your best lock, nobody touches it but you good luck Sandy

Heatherj43

I moved 25 miles 7 years ago and had 3 professional movers for $300, that was including the tip. I move from a home I had lived in for 25 + years.
The best part was that they were able to get the bigger pieces of furniture in and out of the 2 homes.

rival.

i would just make 1000 trips using my sister's honda civic.

blackredyellow

I don't know the pricing, but those PODS sound like the way to go. We moved from a 2 bedroom apt to a house across town last year, and we used a big U-haul and a couple of pickup trucks.

U-haul might have trucks big enough (although I doubt it), but packing up that much stuff takes time, and unless you wanted to pay for the truck to sit in your driveway for a couple of days, a POD would be easier... especially if you don't have a lot of help loading or unloading. You could get some people together for the big stuff, and then just pack/unpack the little stuff over a few days.

Wobbie

Flagg wrote:

When we last moved 6 years ago, we used PODS. We got almost everything in one three bedroom house into one POD. I would definitely use them again.

How many square feet was your 3 bedroom house? Would you say you had (less/more/about the same) amount of crap as the average household?

pandora wrote:

Have a rummage/moving sale first- make some $ to pay for the move and lighten the load. Get rid of everything thats not sentimental or that you really don't need /want. We moved cross country many years ago- did it ourselves with a u-haul truck. It was tough but then its over you know- you can live thru anything- for us we had to keep it cheap and just felt better doing it ourselves- "running down a dream" it was part of the journey

Like the "Clean Sweep" show, huh? Keep, sell, trash. I already told my wife we're renting a construction dumpster . That scene could be ugly :roll: . Did you get everything in one U-Haul?

singularity wrote:

i would just make 1000 trips using my sister's honda civic.

If you had TWO Civics, it would only take 500 trips!

mcgavinj

It's not easy...I just recently moved across town is all. Had a uhaul and 4 trucks and 6 of my closest family/friends. It went pretty good, but the kicker was I had a pregnant wife 9 months along and the next day a new baby...glad we got it done the day we did...

pandora

imalive wrote:

Flagg wrote:

When we last moved 6 years ago, we used PODS. We got almost everything in one three bedroom house into one POD. I would definitely use them again.

How many square feet was your 3 bedroom house? Would you say you had (less/more/about the same) amount of crap as the average household?

pandora wrote:

Have a rummage/moving sale first- make some $ to pay for the move and lighten the load. Get rid of everything thats not sentimental or that you really don't need /want. We moved cross country many years ago- did it ourselves with a u-haul truck. It was tough but then its over you know- you can live thru anything- for us we had to keep it cheap and just felt better doing it ourselves- "running down a dream" it was part of the journey

Like the "Clean Sweep" show, huh? Keep, sell, trash. I already told my wife we're renting a construction dumpster . That scene could be ugly :roll: . Did you get everything in one U-Haul?

singularity wrote:

i would just make 1000 trips using my sister's honda civic.

If you had TWO Civics, it would only take 500 trips!

yes we did got it all into the u-haul- couldn't fit the rowing machine so my husband traded it for an acoustic quitar (which my daughter is learning on now with her boyfriend). Our vehicles and a friend's, also who drove with us, were all loaded up- it was 1300 miles- I had Mr Smee our parakeet, Maggie our Brittany, the kids they were 5 and 7 and 3 gerbils that decided to escape in the car after a pit stop! I also remember we didn't drive straight and carried all the pets into the hotel stop over. Its a great memory- thats what you're doing making memories. Its hard work but fun. Good luck!

decides2dream

it's not the world that is heavy, it's the things that you save...;)


i hear ya - moving SUCKs!
i don't envy you there, at all.
i've been married 17 years, in our home 13....and i DO have a poster collection so you bet....the idea of ever moving, yikes!

my strong suggestion - professional movers.
it will still be such a job packing up your lives, but seriously....soooo much more manageable.
good luck!

Who Princess

I haven't moved across country and I haven't moved in so many years that I don't think most of my experience is relevant. My husband was a Navy brat and moved across country many times but they always had movers provided for them so that doesn't help you much.

I'm seeing a lot of good advice offered here that I wouldn't have known about, like the PODS. I also agree with the idea of uncluttering your life before the move. It will save you lots of time. If you don't have the time for a garage sale or you are too busy to sell the stuff on ebay or craigslist (and you probably are), donate it to local charities with resale shops. Keep a record of everything you donate and you can deduct it on your income tax. I'm guessing that with all the stuff you're describing in your life you're able to itemize deductions?

I actually have a little experience in helping people move across states. I used to be a disaster response case manager working with Hurricane Katrina evacuees who had relocated to my community. When some of them chose to move back to New Orleans or to other states, I helped coordinate that. You can rent a truck from Penske or U-Haul, to name a couple. When you contact the leasing agency they will ask you how large your home is and use that to determine what size truck to rent you.

The down side of moving yourself rather than using professionals is that they are faster and more experienced. Also, if you can get your friends to show up and help you on moving day, then I commend you. Seems to me that some perfectly responsible people have a tendency to vanish when you ask for help with moving. You also can't order them around the way you can a moving crew. The last time my prince and I moved, we were so frustrated from asking friends and family (and having them do things THEIR way) that we hired movers. They were off duty firefighters though and cost less than a professional moving company.

I'm wondering if there are people who could be hired to do some of the packing and even loading for you. This can save a lot of time and possibly protect your breakables. Also, they can make better use of the space in your moving truck. Sometimes the clients I assisted in relocating would tell me that they weren't given a big enough truck. I don't know if that was the case or if they didn't load efficiently. But packing can really be an art. There's a big difference between tossing a bunch of stuff into a box and actually packing it.

Just some random thoughts!

norm

moving SUCKS!!! i hope to never do it again!

so i have no suggestions but i wanted you to know my feelings on moving :wave:

Flagg

First house was about 1800 square feet with an average amount of crap. We did have a sale though. Todd advice there.

Who Princess

norm wrote:

moving SUCKS!!! i hope to never do it again!

so i have no suggestions but i wanted you to know my feelings on moving :wave:

Well, that's sort of what I wanted to say but I thought I'd try to be helpful! :P

Plus I never know when to shut up! :oops: :silent:

soulsinging

norm wrote:

moving SUCKS!!! i hope to never do it again!

so i have no suggestions but i wanted you to know my feelings on moving :wave:

I have lived in a different place every year for the past 9 years or so... it's ridiculous. About 2 years ago, my then gf and i decided to just get a truck and move things ourselves. it was the worst decision ever... most miserable day of my life. we had a big truck and a nice 2 bedroom place fully furnished. unless you have a lot of people that you KNOW will be onhand to help, do not move yourself. Hire movers. It's pricy, but it will be worth it. It's the only time in our entire 3-year relationship that we were literally screaming at each other we were so pissed off after carrying another heavy as shit piece of furniture that she could barely lift. and im not a guy prone to rage, but i practically punched a hole in the wall becos it was such a frustrating xp.

peacegirl

I have a friend who recently moved from Florida to Delaware and he used PODS
was cheaper than professional movers

norm

whoprincess wrote:

norm wrote:

moving SUCKS!!! i hope to never do it again!

so i have no suggestions but i wanted you to know my feelings on moving :wave:

Well, that's sort of what I wanted to say but I thought I'd try to be helpful! :P

Plus I never know when to shut up! :oops: :silent:

i'm i man of few words but i make those words count! :P

iamsam_pj

if you can afford movers, i'd say go for it!

i just moved a few months ago from tampa to seattle. i used movers to take my stuff since i have an irrational fear of driving uhauls...easiest move ever. with the company that i used, it was the same driver that picked up my stuff and then delivered it. that made me feel a bit better that all of my things would make it safe and sound.

i've used uhauls to move within the state of florida...it was always just frustrating to try and bribe friends with pizza and beer to help me load/unload.

dcfaithful

No advice for you Rob, I'm still an apt. dweller :(...and a college student...and a 21 year old...my advice may have little merit...

I moved my girlfriend from Atlanta to SLC in a U-haul and towed her civic behind it...took a couple days to do the drive, but it was a fun adventure...not to costly. BUT, considering your 1900 sq. foot house w/ 3 car garage...all I can say is if I was there, I'd buy us a case and help you pack!

Are you heading back to the Valley?

The Champ

I recommend these guys: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_98E61JA ... L&index=89

dcfaithful

soulsinging wrote:

norm wrote:

moving SUCKS!!! i hope to never do it again!

so i have no suggestions but i wanted you to know my feelings on moving :wave:

I have lived in a different place every year for the past 9 years or so... it's ridiculous. About 2 years ago, my then gf and i decided to just get a truck and move things ourselves. it was the worst decision ever... most miserable day of my life. we had a big truck and a nice 2 bedroom place fully furnished. unless you have a lot of people that you KNOW will be onhand to help, do not move yourself. Hire movers. It's pricy, but it will be worth it. It's the only time in our entire 3-year relationship that we were literally screaming at each other we were so pissed off after carrying another heavy as shit piece of furniture that she could barely lift. and im not a guy prone to rage, but i practically punched a hole in the wall becos it was such a frustrating xp.

I forgot to include my details of rage too. The primary reason being that my girlfriend assumed that the parking break needed to be on in her Civic as it was towed across the States..... :eh: Stopping in St. Louis and getting the Honda down to drive it to a restaurant was quite eventful with no brakes... :roll:

skippybrew

Just find someone to trade with. You get their stuff, they get yours. Done and done. :thumbup:

justam

imalive wrote:

I'm getting ready to move 400+ miles. I've been married for 16+ years so, yeah, I've got some shit. Luckily, no framed poster collection . But I do have a 1900 square foot house and 3 car garage full of the usual stuff.

It seems my three moving options are:

U-Haul truck

Professional movers (Mayflower, etc.)

PODS

U-Haul and PODS say they have trucks/containers that will handle a 3-4 bedroom house. Frankly, I'm skeptical. Professional movers would probably cost $8500+ . Who here has moved a whole house and what's the best way to go?? ANY advice is appreciated.

Get rid of as much stuff as you can. Only bring things you care about or need. It's a good time to throw other items away because you will be charged by weight.

Have the movers come out and give you an estimate. There will be one which includes them packing you up...don't take that one...go for the one which has you packing yourself. Collect and pack the boxes yourself so that you can save the cost of the labor and boxes.

I don't think it's a good idea to try to move a whole house full of furniture in a U-Haul truck.

Moving is unpleasant enough even when other people load the truck, drive the truck and unload the truck.

Are you moving because of a new job? Usually the new job will contribute something to the cost of the move. You should ask about it.

jecica

Whatever you do, movers or PODs, just remember you show up way before you stuff does. Prepare and keep what you really need/want. We moved from California to Boston and the stuff wasn't there for weeks.

Wobbie

iamsam_pj wrote:

if you can afford movers, i'd say go for it!

i just moved a few months ago from tampa to seattle. i used movers to take my stuff since i have an irrational fear of driving uhauls...easiest move ever. with the company that i used, it was the same driver that picked up my stuff and then delivered it. that made me feel a bit better that all of my things would make it safe and sound.

If I may ask.....how much did that cost?

soulsinging wrote:

About 2 years ago, my then gf and i decided to just get a truck and move things ourselves. it was the worst decision ever... most miserable day of my life. Hire movers. It's pricy, but it will be worth it. It's the only time in our entire 3-year relationship that we were literally screaming at each other we were so pissed off after carrying another heavy as shit piece of furniture that she could barely lift. and im not a guy prone to rage, but i practically punched a hole in the wall becos it was such a frustrating xp.

That is a classic story. Like you, I'm a nice guy, but I can easily imagine myself screaming "just pick the fucking thing up!!!!!"

justam wrote:

Are you moving because of a new job? Usually the new job will contribute something to the cost of the move. You should ask about it.

Unfortunately, I will be bearing the entire cost.

JaneNY

When we were a year into married life, we had to move 2100 miles. We only had a 1 bedroom apartment, but lots of books. We gave away stuff, packed as much unbreakable stuff as we could, into liquor boxes (obtained free from stores), and packed the rest into our hatchback and drove. The boxes of unbreakable stuff were mailed parcel post to our new location. 30 boxes, to my husband's new place of work (a university), and the boxes were just piled up in his office. I know the post office hated us, but it was a good idea. Cost $200 at the time I believe. Probably more now. Get rid of as much as possible.

Phantom Pain

iamsam_pj wrote:

if you can afford movers, i'd say go for it!

i just moved a few months ago from tampa to seattle. i used movers to take my stuff since i have an irrational fear of driving uhauls...easiest move ever. with the company that i used, it was the same driver that picked up my stuff and then delivered it. that made me feel a bit better that all of my things would make it safe and sound.

i've used uhauls to move within the state of florida...it was always just frustrating to try and bribe friends with pizza and beer to help me load/unload.

I agree 100%

Friend of mine were just talking about this at lunch today

chadwick

i moved a long fucking ways pulling a u-haul dual axle trailer behind my car.
sounds like you have more crap than i did.
i gave away a lot of stuff.
"travel light" that's my motto.

good luck with your future move.
oh and btw, if it were me i'd rent a big fucking u-haul or tractor trailer.

LikeAnOcean

singularity wrote:

i would just make 1000 trips using my sister's honda civic.

Hahaha!!!


I've done the same thing.. I recently moved from a studio apartment to room with a buddy. I don't have much, but it always feels like so much more when moving. I'm a minimalist so I really only have what I need, but still moving was a pain in the ass. We rented a small truck, but I also made half a dozen trips in my civic.

I couldn't imagine moving someone out of a house. I guess when I moved I only had one person helping, but still..

iamsam_pj

it was crazy expensive...looking at the paperwork it was close to $9k for a studio/1br. i guess i should have stated before that my company paid for my move...otherwise i'd still be in florida. so yeah...if you can afford it!!