Moving Across the Country?

[HaileyJade]

Ive been thinking about relocating but Im not sure how to do it exactly.

Anyone know how much it roughly costs to move across the country? Im trying to get everything lined up and organized.

Im not actually sure if I can even do this yet.

 

[VeronicaChaos]

Well, it depends on where you're moving, how far away it is, etc. I think google tells you approx how much gas is if you are driving. Are you selling your stuff? Bringing it with you? if so, looked at quotes from moving companies/uhaul? Have you looked at apartments in wherever you are moving? How much deposits cost? Then you have to consider how much it will cost to get electrical/gas/internet hookup, and the deposits on all of those. And are you going to be staying in motels? You'll have to figure out how many nights you'll need.

When I moved across the country, I sold/got rid of everything, drove my car, and it took about 3 days. I think it cost me about 300-400 dollars in gas, and another 200-300 in food/motels. The thing that really fucked me up though is that I was under the impression that the cat deposit was 400 total, not per cat, which I have two of...
fucking stupid apartment complex. So I had to start making money fast lol. I also needed to buy new furniture right away, which was about 500 for just a bed and kitchen table.

If you've never moved a long distance before, it's an amazing experience, and I think you should go for it! It's so wonderful being in a new place and getting to start from scratch on a new life. When I first moved it felt like every day I was on vacation. Good luck and get out there!

 

[SoTxBob]

I've done it a few times over the years.. your cost is determined strictly by your amount of stuff.... :-D In college, I could get most of by stuff under the shell on my truck. Easy breezy and cheap. cost was gas and my time. Last move was a full blown moving company. They charge by the pound usually if its cross state lines but it still depends on distance... moved back from Fla.. for a 3 bedroom full was almost $4k The good thing is that its all packed, loaded and moved into the new place and insured against damage. They came in one afternoon and started packing, loaded up and were on the road next day. I didnt have to do anything but point and supervise the packing and then point where I wanted the stuff on arrival.
I will give a word of warning.. be sure whomever you get to move your stuff that they are reliable and honest. Check the BBB for complaints or even the states atty office. Here there are numerous stories of small to mid size movers that tell you one price and then by the time its all loaded, have racked you with lots of add on charges that you have no idea of.
They hand you the bill at the new place and if you dont pay up, they keep your stuff hostage ....
All in all, a big move like that is fun and like discovering a new life chapter in a new place. Good luck !!

Hmmm.. a new camming saga perhaps? online a few times a day for "show me " updates along the way :mrgreen:

 

[GreatDane]

Like what has been already said, it all depends on how you are planning on moving. If you have a lot of things that you are wanting to move, over sized items (large bureau's, large dressers, big screen TV), how many rooms that you are trying to move, and how many loads will it take to get everything in your home / apartment into the truck.

If everything that you own and are wanting to take with you will fit into a small truck it will cost less, the larger the truck the more it's going to cost. it's the same with the distance, the farther that you are moving, the more it's going to cost. Right now most shipping companies are charging anywhere from $.99 to $2.99 per mile based on what I have seen shipping other items. Most of those charges are determined if they have a return load coming back into the area that they are from. Then you have to look at how many people are you needing to load and unload all of your stuff.

If all of your things will fit into a large U-Haul truck it will be the cheapest but then you have to drive the truck yourself or have someone that can drive it. The larger trucks require a CDL license but that's on the ones over 30' long, keep that in mind if you have to hire a driver. If you have to hire a driver you are looking at possible transportation back to his or her home which may be cheaper to buy them a one way ticket back on one of the local airlines than letting them drive the moving truck back all depending on the distance. you have to pay so much per mile on the truck itself and you have to return the truck with a full tank of fuel.

 

[jamesrobert]

It depends on how you plan to move.

With a moving truck it would have cost a friend $3500 two years ago to use a Uhaul from Maine to Arizona. Then add gas. Then the next expense is food and lodging along the way. Then is first and last month's rent and security deposits for utilities and your home (if renting). So I'd say $3500-$5000 if actually across the country without a Uhaul if you're moving into your own place first thing. $5000-$8500 if using a Uhaul and getting your own place first thing.

 

[Teagan]

I just recently moved myself a few states from where i was before. I didnt take any bigger items with me which helped in costs. To save on money though i packed up boxes of my stuff safely and used the post office to ship it to myself. It was actually a super savings to me to do. Especially with clothes and such. If its an option id suggest doing that. I used priority shipping and a tracking number and they arrived after 2 days only. I carried on my incidentals and a weeks worth of clothes and a few toys for work and such. I only spent about 500 to ship all my stuff and it was several boxes. They were all oversized large ones too.

 

[LacieLaPlante]

When I moved from Boston to California, I just brought my clothing and what I could fit in 3-4 suitcases and bought everything new at my new place.

It's hard :/ Especially to make new friends, that's the hardest part in my opinion if you don't have school to meet people.

Where are you thinking?

 

[HaileyJade]

When I moved from Boston to California, I just brought my clothing and what I could fit in 3-4 suitcases and bought everything new at my new place.

It's hard :/ Especially to make new friends, that's the hardest part in my opinion if you don't have school to meet people.

Where are you thinking?

Im thinking about moving to California or Arizona. I definitely need a change. I looked into a moving company. They load it, move it, and unload it. Its kinda expensive though. Around $4000.

 

[AshaSnow]

I moved from Louisiana to Arizona and from Arizona to South Carolina. Expenses included overall:

Hotels
Gas
Food
Moving truck (packing, delivering, unpacking)
Plane flights
Car transport services
Deposit for apartments

If you decide on anywhere around Mesa, AZ let me know, that's where I lived at one point (loved it, besides the lack of trees).

 

[Bocefish]

Some moves can be tax deductible, but sounds like your case may require creative finagling. May be worth looking into though. There are also DIY container moves if you just have apartment stuff. You load the container and they'll store and then ship it to your destination where you unload it.

http://www.1800packrat.com
http://www.pods.com

These guys seem reasonable for full service: http://www.budgetvanlines.com/verified999moving/

 

[LadyLuna]

So, for the pods, just to see how much they cost, I came up with a random move date, random cities that I actually knew the zip codes to simply from having to send stuff there so often. (I have friends in both of the cities listed. I'm good with numbers, so I remember zip codes fairly easily)

Move date was March 31st
Move was from Ohio to North Carolina.

The guy on the phone said that there will be 3 payments. The first will be 5 days before they drop off the container. The second will be due 5 days before they deliver the container to their site in NC. The third will be due 5 days before they deliver the container to the new home in NC. They give you one month to move with that fee, after that there is a new fee per month. They have $10,000 coverage on the items for the first month included in all that, with a fee of $49.95/month (plus tax) after the first month. They have moving supplies available, but no dollies.

the 8x7x7 is the smaller unit. The initial three are (in order) $441.55, $1,742.99, and $49.92. There is no fee to schedule a spot, and you can change the date if you schedule a few months in advance and discover it needs to be a different day. If you keep it beyond the first month, it is $125/month (plus tax).

The 8x8x16 is the other unit they offer. The inital three (in order) are $521.60, $1,975.24, and $49.92. After the first month, it's $199.99/month (plus tax).

Getting a truck is cheaper, even with a trailer to pull your car behind it.

 

[jamesrobert]

So, for the pods, just to see how much they cost, I came up with a random move date, random cities that I actually knew the zip codes to simply from having to send stuff there so often. (I have friends in both of the cities listed. I'm good with numbers, so I remember zip codes fairly easily)

Move date was March 31st
Move was from Ohio to North Carolina.

The guy on the phone said that there will be 3 payments. The first will be 5 days before they drop off the container. The second will be due 5 days before they deliver the container to their site in NC. The third will be due 5 days before they deliver the container to the new home in NC. They give you one month to move with that fee, after that there is a new fee per month. They have $10,000 coverage on the items for the first month included in all that, with a fee of $49.95/month (plus tax) after the first month. They have moving supplies available, but no dollies.

the 8x7x7 is the smaller unit. The initial three are (in order) $441.55, $1,742.99, and $49.92. There is no fee to schedule a spot, and you can change the date if you schedule a few months in advance and discover it needs to be a different day. If you keep it beyond the first month, it is $125/month (plus tax).

The 8x8x16 is the other unit they offer. The inital three (in order) are $521.60, $1,975.24, and $49.92. After the first month, it's $199.99/month (plus tax).

Getting a truck is cheaper, even with a trailer to pull your car behind it.

Luna inspired me to check Uhaul prices from the zip codes I know (Michigan to North Carolina) because they are so close to where she checked from.

A 10' truck was $977 with just over 700 miles.

Michigan to Arizona is $1,683 with just under 2500 miles.