flamingo
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Joined: Dec 17, 2012 10:38:09 GMT -5
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Moving
Apr 29, 2014 7:17:57 GMT -5
Post by flamingo on Apr 29, 2014 7:17:57 GMT -5
Can I first say how much I hate the process? For as excited as we are, because it's for a good job and to a fun, fascinating city, mocking still sucks! we are moving from a small southern city to a very large city where cars won't be necessary. That part sounds fun and exciting-and since I will sell my car that frees up quiye a bit of money to help with the higher cost of living. What we now can't decide is whether to hire movers or just buy new furniture when we get there. We will be downsizing and our couch and most likely,our bed, won't fit no matter what. We only have a little more than a 1 bedroom apartments worth of stuff but moving will easily cost $3-4k assuming we get the same great deal we got 4 years ago when we moved here. I can replace my couch, bed, tv, table, and easy chair for about half that. I'm ok with that. And I've moved enough to know how to quickly and cheaply replace most things I'll need immediately. It just makes me twitchy to know I'll be showing up in a new city with nothing but suitcases full of clothes! Anyone ever do this before? We have no kids, just a 1 year old puppy, so I'm sure we will be fine. My mind is just racing with details as I start the new job the first of June so I have like 30 days left to do everything!! Agh!!
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bookkeeper
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Joined: Mar 30, 2012 13:40:42 GMT -5
Posts: 1,783
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Moving
Apr 29, 2014 8:08:20 GMT -5
Post by bookkeeper on Apr 29, 2014 8:08:20 GMT -5
DH and I have made major moves 3 times for his career. The last time we moved ourselves (2 adults 2 kids) in a uhaul, but it was only 300 miles.
I am a believer that cash is easiest to move. Your old furniture rarely fits in the new space. Historically I have hosted a moving sale and gotten rid of anything that wasn't essential to housekeeping or a family heirloom. My brother held a moving sale when he left the Pacific Northwest and he got more for his stuff than he paid for it!
We bought a second home in Arizona during the real estate meltdown. We flew in with only our suitcases. We purchased beds the first day and some folding chairs. The housewares we needed at Target ran around $600. I thought it would be fun to pick out all new everything. Turns out it wasn't. All that shopping was exhausting. We like to visit estate sales in the area to fill in what we still need for furnishings and housewares, it seems like we find better quality at the estate sales. We did it, you can do it too.
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midjd
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Your Money Admin
Joined: Dec 18, 2010 14:09:23 GMT -5
Posts: 17,720
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Moving
Apr 29, 2014 8:11:24 GMT -5
via mobile
Post by midjd on Apr 29, 2014 8:11:24 GMT -5
We did that when we moved from the Midwest to NYC. Definitely nerve-wracking!! I think we brought a mattress, TV, laptop, and some plates. The planning was the worst...once we actually got there it wasn't bad. Having a smartphone would have been a huge help, though. I remember how discombobulated I felt for the first few days before we got internet. Once I could Google the nearest grocery store, hospital, subway station, etc. I felt a lot more secure. We did a lot of walking/exploring those first few weeks, too. It's so much fun to see everything with fresh eyes before it becomes routine. Keep things flexible and it will be great. Have fun and good luck!
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Bonny
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Joined: Nov 17, 2013 10:54:37 GMT -5
Posts: 7,459
Location: No Place Like Home!
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Moving
Apr 29, 2014 9:31:34 GMT -5
Post by Bonny on Apr 29, 2014 9:31:34 GMT -5
With as little stuff as you have and as small a place as you are moving to it seems like a smart idea.
We've never done it since we've got a houseload of family antiques that DH won't part with yet but when we moved to Germany we knew several people who did. There was a regular 2-3 year turnover of ex-Pat rental housing and furniture. And of course everyone made a trip to IKEA.
Good luck!
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midwestlily
Junior Member
Joined: Apr 8, 2011 14:46:07 GMT -5
Posts: 157
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Moving
Apr 29, 2014 9:42:43 GMT -5
Post by midwestlily on Apr 29, 2014 9:42:43 GMT -5
In 2008 I moved down here from Michigan for what was supposed to be an 8-month job (still here 5 years later). I had nearly a year to go on my lease and expected to move back when the job ended, so I kept my apartment in Michigan and left most of my stuff there. Rented an apartment here and bought the basics, bed (mattresses, no frame or headboard), TV, cheap plastic chests for nightstands, a chaise to sit on, a folding chair and a folding "TV tray" table to eat on, a cheap kitchen "starter kit" at Target, some plastic shelving. Like bookkeeper, I thought it would be fun to buy all new stuff, but it was exhausting, plus much of what I got was so cheap that it started falling apart immediately. As it turned out, the job got extended, so I had movers bring down the rest of my stuff a few months later. Kept the new bed, though. I also checked out a couple of local furniture rental stores when I moved down here, thinking that might be a good temporary solution. I quickly realized that renting for more than a month or two would cost more than buying. Apparently some people can't multiply.
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Moving
Apr 29, 2014 10:35:47 GMT -5
Post by The Walk of the Penguin Mich on Apr 29, 2014 10:35:47 GMT -5
After paying for my apartment for 18 months, I finally moved it last July out here. Professional packers and movers cost me about $6500 from KY to WA.
I got rid of a lot of stuff before I moved, but should have gotten rid of a lot more. I would have, if I had more time than I did as I only had a weekend to cull through my stuff before the packers arrived.
I got rid of 1 BR of stuff and my dining room set. I got rid of no longer used electronics, clothes and a lot of books. Even so, we have taken a lot of stuff to Goodwill out here while unpacking as we have a lot of duplicates.
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flamingo
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Joined: Dec 17, 2012 10:38:09 GMT -5
Posts: 1,960
Mini-Profile Name Color: 7c65d4
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Moving
Apr 29, 2014 15:11:39 GMT -5
Post by flamingo on Apr 29, 2014 15:11:39 GMT -5
DH and I have made major moves 3 times for his career. The last time we moved ourselves (2 adults 2 kids) in a uhaul, but it was only 300 miles.
I am a believer that cash is easiest to move. Your old furniture rarely fits in the new space. Historically I have hosted a moving sale and gotten rid of anything that wasn't essential to housekeeping or a family heirloom. My brother held a moving sale when he left the Pacific Northwest and he got more for his stuff than he paid for it!
We bought a second home in Arizona during the real estate meltdown. We flew in with only our suitcases. We purchased beds the first day and some folding chairs. The housewares we needed at Target ran around $600. I thought it would be fun to pick out all new everything. Turns out it wasn't. All that shopping was exhausting. We like to visit estate sales in the area to fill in what we still need for furnishings and housewares, it seems like we find better quality at the estate sales. We did it, you can do it too. I'm sure it will work out fine, but I definitely fear getting tired of shopping to pick out new things. I love shopping. Until I don't. Then I'm just done. But at least most things can be slowly bought over time. And I'll be in a fun city to shop in!!
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Deleted
Joined: Oct 9, 2024 10:12:11 GMT -5
Posts: 0
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Moving
Apr 29, 2014 16:12:53 GMT -5
Post by Deleted on Apr 29, 2014 16:12:53 GMT -5
I second, third and fourth the suggestions to sell whatever you can and get it later. Moving sucks, you have my sympathy.
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tskeeter
Junior Associate
Joined: Mar 20, 2011 19:37:45 GMT -5
Posts: 6,831
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Post by tskeeter on Apr 29, 2014 18:41:56 GMT -5
DH and I have made major moves 3 times for his career. The last time we moved ourselves (2 adults 2 kids) in a uhaul, but it was only 300 miles.
I am a believer that cash is easiest to move. Your old furniture rarely fits in the new space. Historically I have hosted a moving sale and gotten rid of anything that wasn't essential to housekeeping or a family heirloom. My brother held a moving sale when he left the Pacific Northwest and he got more for his stuff than he paid for it!
We bought a second home in Arizona during the real estate meltdown. We flew in with only our suitcases. We purchased beds the first day and some folding chairs. The housewares we needed at Target ran around $600. I thought it would be fun to pick out all new everything. Turns out it wasn't. All that shopping was exhausting. We like to visit estate sales in the area to fill in what we still need for furnishings and housewares, it seems like we find better quality at the estate sales. We did it, you can do it too. I'm a bit surprised that your AZ home didn't come fully furnished, right down to the silverware in the drawer and the sheets on the beds. Many of the properties that are transferred from one snowbird to another do.
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tallguy
Senior Associate
Joined: Apr 2, 2011 19:21:59 GMT -5
Posts: 14,563
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Post by tallguy on Apr 29, 2014 19:50:42 GMT -5
On the contrary! I find it to be a most enjoyable hobby!
(As evidenced by...this!)
Sorry. I had to.
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Deleted
Joined: Oct 9, 2024 10:12:11 GMT -5
Posts: 0
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Post by Deleted on Apr 29, 2014 20:55:43 GMT -5
I'm ordinarily cheerful and organized and was moving under the best of circumstances: with my new husband, for a job I enjoyed, with a gold-plated relo program, to a house and area we liked. I still had bad meltdowns- twice, in private. One of them was when I got to DH's house (yeah, we were moving out of two houses) and he wasn't there. I got down on the floor and cried. That was 11 years ago- it hasn't happened since.
The wife of the couple who bought my house said her husband told her the only way he'd be taken out of that house is in a hearse.
OP, you have my sympathy.
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bookkeeper
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Joined: Mar 30, 2012 13:40:42 GMT -5
Posts: 1,783
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Moving
Apr 30, 2014 6:41:51 GMT -5
Post by bookkeeper on Apr 30, 2014 6:41:51 GMT -5
DH and I have made major moves 3 times for his career. The last time we moved ourselves (2 adults 2 kids) in a uhaul, but it was only 300 miles.
I am a believer that cash is easiest to move. Your old furniture rarely fits in the new space. Historically I have hosted a moving sale and gotten rid of anything that wasn't essential to housekeeping or a family heirloom. My brother held a moving sale when he left the Pacific Northwest and he got more for his stuff than he paid for it!
We bought a second home in Arizona during the real estate meltdown. We flew in with only our suitcases. We purchased beds the first day and some folding chairs. The housewares we needed at Target ran around $600. I thought it would be fun to pick out all new everything. Turns out it wasn't. All that shopping was exhausting. We like to visit estate sales in the area to fill in what we still need for furnishings and housewares, it seems like we find better quality at the estate sales. We did it, you can do it too. I'm a bit surprised that your AZ home didn't come fully furnished, right down to the silverware in the drawer and the sheets on the beds. Many of the properties that are transferred from one snowbird to another do. We bought a short sale from a young couple that was divorcing. The house was in a brand new neighborhood. The snowbirds hadn't made any nests there yet.
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Sunnyday
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Joined: Aug 3, 2013 0:36:39 GMT -5
Posts: 1,425
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Moving
Apr 30, 2014 8:14:57 GMT -5
via mobile
Post by Sunnyday on Apr 30, 2014 8:14:57 GMT -5
I don't love the work involved in moving, but I love starting fresh!!
Take this opportunity to cull through your things, and keep only what you love! how exciting for you!!!
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flamingo
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Joined: Dec 17, 2012 10:38:09 GMT -5
Posts: 1,960
Mini-Profile Name Color: 7c65d4
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Moving
Apr 30, 2014 10:43:24 GMT -5
Post by flamingo on Apr 30, 2014 10:43:24 GMT -5
I don't love the work involved in moving, but I love starting fresh!! Take this opportunity to cull through your things, and keep only what you love! how exciting for you!!! This will be the 3rd time we've moved in 4 years. I'm excited for this new adventure. With every move we've culled through our stuff and tossed crap we didn't want to move. Each time, my DH has said, let's just sell it all and start fresh. He's getting his wish this time! I'll be flying up with just my suitcases. But we are going to ship at least one box via ups of essentials that don't fit in suitcases. Good thing I'm going to have a couple weeks in my new city to set up before work starts!
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tootsieroll
Junior Member
Joined: Feb 26, 2013 8:45:53 GMT -5
Posts: 222
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Moving
Apr 30, 2014 10:54:40 GMT -5
Post by tootsieroll on Apr 30, 2014 10:54:40 GMT -5
We moved from Tx to MD almost three years ago. We rented a truck from Penske and we "hired" dh's brother to help us with the trip. We paid his food and lodging and gave him a couple hundred bucks. The truck plus car trailer was cheap - about $900 to rent for a week. We had to get gas for my car and diesel for the truck. It was definitely an adventure moving twin toddlers, a 3 year old, and our dogs - one blind, one deaf. Depending on what your new home will be like, it could be complicated getting you pr larger items inside (I am imagining a lot of steps in an apartment or similar place). Because of that, if you moved yourself, you could just buy furniture when you get there using the money you saved on movers to help pay for the new stuff.
When ee we moved from MD to TX right after college in 2000, we brought the bare necessities since we were young and pretty broke, and did the move ourselves as well.
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Deleted
Joined: Oct 9, 2024 10:12:11 GMT -5
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Moving
Apr 30, 2014 12:09:05 GMT -5
Post by Deleted on Apr 30, 2014 12:09:05 GMT -5
It sounds freeing to just sell everything and start fresh. No moving things you are tired of or that you will find don't work as well in the new place as they did in the old place. It really stinks to move something only to throw it away after you have just paid to move it.
Some of our furniture has been moved 7 times. We do our own packing, hire movers to fill a rented U haul, DH drives it to the new location, and we hire different movers to unload the U haul. I would like to move out of state (hopefully across the country) this summer and we are planning a big purge. We need to get it down to one truck. I can't imagine starting with nothing, but I can see the appeal and how if your stuff isn't worth much, it may be more cost effective.
Good Luck!
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