When my daughter moved from MD to FL, she used one of those pod-type thingies. They dropped it off, she packed it, they took it to her new location, she unpacked. More expensive than a UHaul but less stressful, and cheaper than hiring movers. But figure out what you really *really *want to take with you - you might be able to ship it yourself and drive with the rest in your car.
Sounds like an exciting adventure ahead!
What do you do? Don’t forget Colorado is legal. And we have a very nice climate.
I’d find living in Portland extremely challenging. I love sunny days and dislike going out in the rain. I start getting depressed after several days of continuous rain.
The cooler temps in Portland are a plus.
Colorado was actually my number one tippy-top choice for ages. Still would be, really. If I disappeared yesterday everyone would tell the cops to start by checking the Denver area.
But I’d have to get a new job, to move there.
It’s still definitely a consideration.
But Portland has two key advantages: my current job is portable to that location, and I have two (2!!) friends there.
One of whom I helped move, from Dallas, a year or so ago when she was in a similar spot. I can lean on her, once I’m there. Hell, she’s been trying to convince me to move there since she did. Bitch owes me a favor or three.
You are very welcome. You’ll go right past my house. If the timing is right, I’ll put you up for the night. Keep us posted and we’ll see how it goes.
That is a serious consideration. Part of the reason I want to gtfo of Dallas is that - despite the constant lack of rain, and the relentlessly sunny days - I don’t go outside much, because stepping outdoors is literally an assault on my senses.
Moving somewhere that’s constantly foggy or rainy might be out of the frying pan & into the fire, so to speak, as far as the SAD symptoms are concerned.
Still. I’m about to turn forty, and I’ve lived in Texas for thirty fucking years. It’s past time for a change.
Later, I’ll regret leaving behind decent barbecue and Mexican food, I’m sure.
Penske is better than U-haul.
Have the stuff shipped if it doesn’t fit in your fit.
I love Portland, but I don’t mind drizzle. It’s pricey, but there’s great food, great recreation (gorgeous hikes are an easy day trip from the city) and just a nice atmosphere. And as cities goes, it smells good. (obviously, it smells different depending on where you are, but the underlying scent of the local air is nice.)
I said Ryder, meant penske,
Still, better than uhaul isn’t a high bar to clear. Sometimes their maintenance is scary
Sit down in your digs now and look around. What stuff do you HAVE to take? Would it be easier AND cheaper in the long run to turf all your stuff here, then scour the local second-hand shops/Craiglist or FB Buy Swap and Sell pages and buy over there?
We moved cross country 3 months ago (from the cold to the OMG IT’S HOT, hot), and downsized dramatically. Still had too much stuff when we got here, and I really wish we’d just brought our computers, books and personal papers.
Pile what you absolutely cannot live without into the back of your car and just GO. Life is too short not to take some chances. Yeah, it might not work, but what’s the worst that can happen? And what if it DOES work for you?
You are moving into one of the most beautiful areas of the country. If you do not like DFW weather, boy to we have a change for you! There are really only two seasons here, the dry and the wet. The wet season just started and will last until late may, maybe June. The dry lasts from July through September. The summers are wonderful, the winters can be gloomy if you don’t find something to do that you like.
If you find a place to live and work near Portland you will have Eden at your disposal. In an hour or two you can be on some very beautiful beaches, all 400 miles of Oregon coastline is public property. In the other direction you have the high desert, in the middle you have the Cascade Mountains, great hiking, camping. I hope you like the outdoors, if not you should consider that as a new hobby.
Keep your car, public transportation exists only within the very urban areas, much like Texas. Leave your umbrella at home, you just get used to doing things in the rain and using an umbrella labels you as a newbie. The wet season is the time for indoor activities and doing things while you are damp.
Portland can be very expensive to live in, the state taxes are among the highest in all the states. But if you can make it here, you will never look back at Texas.
You can put a limited amount of stuff in a cartop carrier.
I drove from Edmonton, Alberta to Ottawa, Canada with two dogs, a cat, a teenager and a bunch of stuff in my two door Wrangler and your would be SHOCKED how much you can fit if you play a little baggage Tetris.
I adore Portland. If I could afford to, I’d have a primary home on the Georgia coast, and a sweet little getaway in Portland. Or vice versa.
Keep what’s irreplaceable, and just buy new/thrift furniture when you get to your destination. Or have your larger items shipped. Or even pack the car, arrange delivery by train, and fly to PDX, if the drive is worrisome.
I have a very cool aunt and two cousins in Portland. If you need local information, I can draw on their knowledge, if that helps.
Unless it has changed recently, Oregon has no sales tax, and Washington has no property tax, so a lot of folks find it financially convenient to work and shop in Portland and live across the Columbia River in Vancouver and environs.
You got this. Big ((((hugs)))) to you.
Sorry Purple, missed your reply. When the time gets close enough to start being definitive, give me a range of dates, preferably a few weeks in advance, errrm lets see, thinking about this, proooobbbabblllly mid jan to late feb would work easiest for me depending on project scheduling at work.
If you want to go really hardcore inexpensive, pack
A) your clothes
B) medications, prescriptions and personal hygiene items
C) vital and important papers
D) work related equipment, as pared down to minimal as you can get it without hampering yourself at your job
E) an electric skillet, a sauce pan, a kitchen knife of some sort that can be multipurpose, a spatula, a large spoon for cooking and stirring hot stuff, plate, bowl, cup, glass, and a single set of knife fork spoon
Thats your basic moving survival kit, with a little juggling and adjusting these things can be packed into most cars and still leave room for the driver to safely operate it. Everyone is right in that renting a truck is sorta costly and uhaul are frigging highway men depending on origin and destination (yeah rates are determined in large part by where your leaving and where your going as I learned once)
ETA that list is in order of importance from a mover’s pov
if you have any books or decor that you don’t want to leave behind or a particular peice of furniture or something like that, it might be less expensive, or more cost effective to have a moving company pick it up and ship it as a part of a bigger load. Most companies can even store it for you, but I couldn’t tell you rates vs a storage unit.
If I had lived 3/4 of my life in Texas and wasn’t used to snow and cold, I’d opt for Portland over Ann Arbor. Michigan can be beautiful, but it can also be brutal. You’ve got a couple of friends in Portland, that’d be my preference. Best wishes.
There’s an IKEA in Portland.
You mean Washington has no state income tax. It most definitely has property tax.
The driving part is not difficult at all, and U-Haul will hook everything up for you. Just make sure to get the full sized trailer. They offer a smaller trailer option that cannot be backed up!