I’m trying to decide how to go about my move from Philadelphia to San Diego. I have no furniture - it’s just clothes, books, CD’s, a computer, a stereo, and lots of junk.
[ul][li]Drive cross-country? Not my first choice.[/li]
[li]Rent a U-Haul cross-country? Probably cost-prohibitive.[/li]
[li]Ship everything USPS? Not sure I trust that method.[/li]
[li]Take out 5 suitcases every time I visit home? What I’m considering at this point.[/li]
[li]Hire movers? No clue how much this would be.[/ul][/li]
Anybody ever do this before? Suggestions?
Jeez Exprix, thanks for filling us in on all the details! I’ve moved to an entirely different country, but the Army has handled all of my big moves, so I’m not sure what advice to give you. Or are you looking for advice? Commiseration? Stories? I could tell you why I don’t have any furniture any more but that is a very long, very bitter story…
Exprix, I swear that when I opened this thread, it was completely blank. I even waited a minute to make sure it was really done loading. This board has been super freaky today.
As for what you should do, depending on how much you have, driving a U-Haul or your own car would be cheapest. If you choose to mail, you can mail the books (the heaviest things) by book rate which is substantially cheaper than regular mail.
When I moved from Germany to Memphis (for college), I did the gradually move everything over each time I visited thing. It’s amazing how much stuff you can leave behind without really missing it.
Hired movers are the most expensive, but it couldn’t hurt to get a quote, esp. if you really don’t want to drive. Can’t you also get things delivered by the airlines, like freight? I’m not sure what those services are called, but perhaps one of the other Dopers know. You take your stuff to the carrier, they fly it across and you pick it up at the final destination.
Oh, and now would be the perfect time to completely clean out your closets and get rid of everything you haven’t used/worn in a year, with the exception of sentimental items.
When I moved to Alabama from Massachusetts I used the combination of a rented passenger van and UPS. Didn’t spend more than $200* for the van and $125* for UPS (15-20 copier paper boxes) either way. I had no furniture just stuff and lots of it!
*1991-1992 prices
Yes, Esprix, my wife and I moved from Portland, ME to San Francisco CA about a year and a half ago.
The steps we went through aren’t particularly what I would suggest you do, but feel free to consider them as a possible “How not to guide” …
The first thing we did was hold a yard sale. We got rid of a lot of big things that we considered a) unneeded or b)easily replaceable, i.e. furniture.
My wife’s company flew her out, but wouldn’t pay for either me or our stuff. So what was left after the yard sale was placed in storage, at my sister’s house and my wife’s sister’s house. I stayed in ME for about a month after my wife flew out to wrap things up.
On the day before my departure, I prioritized our belongings and crammed as much as I could into the ol’ Honda Civic (kitchen ware, clothes, blankets, electronics) and the rest was left in storage. Thus began my magical mystery trek across the continent. *
You said you didn’t want to drive it, but I would highly recommend it. It can be boring, but can also be very inspirational - the Mississippi River, the great plains, the Rocky Mountains - all very cool if you can deal with the driving.*
My sister (bless her soul) chipped in about $100 bucks to UPS the rest (or at least most of it) to us.
We still have a few doo-dads in my sister’s attic, but all in all the plan went pretty smoothly.
I moved abroad (permanently) two years ago and like you I didn’t have any big items to move, just clothes and cd’s and tons of text books. Here’s what I did. First time I came over, I brought two HUGE suitcases filled to the maximum weight limit the airlines would allow. These were filled mainly with clothes and my most important personal possessions that I felt I couldn’t live without for a while. Several months later I visited the US again. I took those same two suitcases back, virtually empty, and brought them home filled to the brim again. Most of the rest of my possessions have been shipped by the post office. Post office will do small packages a cheaper rate called “surface” (even though it was going across the Atlantic in my case…). Lots of personal possessions were sent that way; it took 4-8 weeks to arrive here although it may take less time for you since you’ll still be in the US. The post office also does a cheaper rate for packages containing only books, so all of my text books were posted here as well. The rest of my stuff (e.g. sentimental items I don’t need with me) is staying at my parents’ for the time being with no plans to move. It took a total of about 8 months to get most of my stuff over (spreading the cost of posting the packages), but the things arriving late were things I could live without for the time being (but would want eventually).
I suggest you look at how much stuff you realistically need with you (clothes and music were most important to me) and compare that with how often you expect to be home. Pack your suitcases as full as possible in any case. If you’re going to be home sooner and/or can live without the extra stuff, wait till the next time you go back to bring more stuff (in your suitcases). If you won’t be going back for a while and/or want your stuff to join you but not necessarily urgently, I’d say post it through the post office or UPS. The computer and stereo can be packed and shipped especially; there are shipping places that will safely pack them for you and then ship them.
Espirit, I have one word for you Amtrack, I’ve done the cross country moves more than I care to think about, they’ll let you take a lot, and it’s a great trip to boot.
If you want to look into a moving company, they will come to your place and give you a free estimate. We moved from Oakland to Pennsylvania and from Pennsylvania back to San Diego. The estimates will vary hugely–when a moving company wants to blow you off as not worth their time, they will just give you a high estimate. However, some of the smaller companies came up with pretty good deals (We used Paul Arpin). There may be more options if your load of stuff doesn’t fill a whole van. (We had quite a bit of furniture the second time.)
In '83, my parents & I moved from Brewster, NY, to Kenner, LA, with a stop in DeKalb, IL, because one of my sisters was getting married. First thing we did was have a garage sale. Sold pretty much everything that couldn’t fit in a rented van. My parents grew up in the '30s and are notoriously thrifty, if they decided a rented truck was the best for them you probably will too.
I recently moved from Indiana to San Jose. Just out of college. No furniture, only clothes and junk. I rented a car filled it to the brim, and drove south through Texas, NM, AZ and up through California. It is a great trip ( I have done it several times) and it is so much better to see the landscape and the different states. I recommend it.
Hi, I moved from San Francisco to New York two years, two months ago.
I shipped all of my clothes, books, music and personal stuff using a Mailboxes Etc. type of company. The service they gave was great - I had about 10 thirty lb. boxes, it cost about $300. The only thing that arrived damaged was my turntable which was insured for more money than I paid for it. It was no trouble getting the insurance money.
I also shipped my upright bass (6ft x 4ft) but I shipped that overnight, mega insured, through a private bass dealer and it cost $600.
I had it all shipped to a friend’s house in Hoboken (he was at home during the day) and when I flew back to NY, I was very pleased that my stuff was waiting for me.
It was super smooth for me - I hope you have the same luck!
Driving’s not so bad. It’s the easiest way of getting your car to SD, anyway.
In February I moved from Chicago to Seattle.
I loaded up the car with all the stuff I didn’t trust to movers (computers, recording studio equipment, etc) and took it with me. If you have stuff that’s fragile, I wouldn’t trust it to anybody else. I could write a novel about what happened during my move…
Speaking of which, paying movers, in your case, is probably the worst idea. I had to do it 'cause I had an apartment crammed full of stuff, and for a cross-country move, it costs a mint (for my one-bedroom apt, in the neighborhood of $4000).
One word, if you ARE gonna let someone else ship your stuff: insurance.
If you are driving, I highly recommend getting on of them AAA TripTiks, for no other reason than that it will alert you to where major road work is being done and suggest alternate routes if you need 'em. If you’re not an AAA meber, ask someone you know who is to get you one. If you don’t know anyone who is, email me and I’ll get you one…
Went from Conn to CA (S.F), and the drive was incredible. Of course I was too young to drive at the time, so I only got to enjoy the scenery and tunes, but I would do it again today if I was moving (and driving).
Packed the old VW Bus with as many belonging as we could (IIRC, it was purchased for the move then resold), and went right across this great land of ours. Amazing.
I have not done the equivalent since, but one day…
Before you ship UPS or USPS, check the cost of a one way rental (gas, motels, etc) and figure out if it’s worth the extra to see the scenery.
If you don’t have any furniture, you could rent the smallest truck available from U-Haul or another company like that for probably less than $500. A professional mover will charge over $1000 for a cross-country move, depending on how much stuff you plan on taking with you. My family and I moved from California to Michigan when I was a kid, but my step-dad was in the military, so we didn’t have to worry about paying for it. I’ve never tried shipping any of my stuff through the mail, but I guess it is worth looking in to. Just make sure to insure anything of value, in case of damage or loss.
Congrats on the move. I just know you will love San Diego. The weather is beautiful and the beaches are fabulous. You might buy a “learn to speak Spanish” book because the Mexican culture is very rich there. San Diego has the BEST Mexican food restaurants. One of my favorite restaurants when I visit San Diego is Casa De Bandini in old town San Diego, good food and good ambience.
Before you think of driving across, how good is your car. California has very strict smog checks before you can license a vehicle. But, since the winters in San Diego are not at all cold, I don’t know the last time it snowed there but I would bet it is over 50 years, you should be able to find a used car for <$5K in great shape and that meets the smog requirements. If your car is in good shape, take the time and drive across country and consider it a vacation to see the US. When I was in the military, I had my books and some other stuff UPS shipped to me. Worked out fine. Just pack it in good boxes. The rest, since you will probably be going home for turkey-day and Christmas, you can just bring back with you.
I moved from New York State to Utah several years back. I was a student, with little money. Here’s what I did:
1.) Packed up all my books and sent them to myself in Salt Lake City, by way of General Delivery (Since I wasn’t sure where I would be). Book rate is the cheapest rate, which will save you money. Sending things General Delivery essentially means that you hasve free storage until you pick them up.
2.) Left all my furniture behind. Sell it, chuck it, or give it away. If you’ve got a good item of furniture you might want to leav it with someone and make a special trip later.
3.) Rent a U-Haul or equivalent and bring the rest with you. I was told that my car wouldn’t have enough oomph to drag a U-Haul, so I bought a very light and cheap trailer, figuring to sell it when I got to Utah. I spent a lot of time and effort fixing it up. But between Gary, Indiana and Lincoln, Nebraska I had six (SIX!!!) flat tires on the trailer, and then one of the suspension springs broke. I was forced to swell the trailer and rent a U-Haul. Fortunately, the doom-sayers were wrong, and I was able to drive it across country from there. But when I was crossing the Continental Divide in Colorado I was beginning to wish there was a lower gear than first, since I wasn’t sure I was going to make it. (I did, to my relief.)
Moving - oh the joy. I am two weeks away from a 1600-mile move. I did lots of checking around for how to send my stuff & here is what I found:
Forget movers. Neither easy or cost-effective.
U-haul was the cheapest (I have a little furniture and about 50 boxes of various sizes), but if you don’t want to make the drive, or can’t for some reason, not an easy choice.
I have too much stuff to ship normally and have it be cost-effective.
End result - I am using U-Pack, which is an outfit that rents space in a commercial carrier. They bring a trailer to your house & drop it off for 1-2 days. You purchase linear feet (the truck is 8 feet wide and 9 feet tall) with a minimum of 5-feet. They give you a pre-fab bulkhead to put up between your stuff and the next load, then pick up the trailer and ship it to the other side. You can check out their web site at http://www.u-pack.com to get a quote. If you don’t have much stuff this will not be the best option for you, but it’s a hell of a lot cheaper than getting movers if you are moving furniture or lots of boxes.
Good luck - and I hope for your sake you don’t have to move with animals. I am bringing 4 cats with me, whick is why I didn’t want to have to worry about a U-haul truck.
If you don’t feel like driving out with all of your stuff. (Thats what I did, it was marvelous and I highly recommend it. I drove from DC to Ventura, wonderful trip.) But, if you would rather just get out there and be done with it, I suggest using Amtrak to ship your stuff. If you call them and ask about shipping they offer a service that is really cheap and works great. The only downside is, you have to take everything to the train station to be picked up, and you have to pick it up in San Diego. So, its not super convienient, but based on price it was well worth it.
Of course, if you fly you will arrive a few days before your belongings, but if you take enough to last a couple of days you will be fine.
I’ve moved to an entirely different country, but the Army has handled all of my big moves, so I’m not sure what advice to give you. Or are you looking for advice? Commiseration? Stories? I could tell you why I don’t have any furniture any more but that is a very long, very bitter story…