Like most people, I’m not a big fan of moving. It’s just exhausting.
But for someone who hates moving so much, I sure do move a lot. A few years ago, I made a big move from Texas to California. I’d saved up a small “Relocation Fund” in case I couldn’t find work when I got here. I needed to make that money last as long as possible. So I had to relocate for as cheap as possible. Here’s how I did it.
Pare Down…Strategically
I wanted to take as little with me as possible. Of course, “as little as possible” turned into more than I expected. If you make a list of all of your stuff, chances are, you have way more junk than you realize.
Some cross country movers advise getting rid of everything to make the move really cost-effective. But I’ll be honest–I had a hard time doing that. There were a lot of items I decided to keep, because I felt it would be wasteful to get rid of them altogether and shop for new stuff later.
Still, I wanted to travel as lightly as I could. The less I had, the cheaper it’d be to relocate.
Typically, I don’t have trouble letting go of stuff. But there were a few items I wavered over leaving behind. So I used a basic rule-of-thumb when deciding what to get rid of. With each item I had trouble letting go of, I asked myself: Will I likely buy a replacement in the next two years?
If the answer was yes, I left it behind. At that point in my life, most of my belongings were Ikea cheapies and garage sale/curbside finds. So I said “yes” to a lot of stuff.
Think Beyond U-Haul
Are PODS still popular? They certainly were when I was planning my move. In case you’re in the dark, PODS are mobile storage units you can fill with stuff and send to your new address. They seemed convenient, so I considered them. And then I found out they cost a small fortune. So I started looking for other options.
Everyone’s go-to moving solution seems to be U-Haul. For my cross country move, U-Haul was still an expensive option. With the mileage expense, the cheapest truck I could find would cost me nearly $1,000 total. (If you have few belongings, you might consider hitching a U-Haul trailer to your car for a cheaper rate.)
Despite my purging, there were a few pieces of furniture I planned to take with me. As mentioned, I didn’t want to blow my budget on new furniture once I got to California. So I had to weigh my options. I started researching other truck rental services: Budget, Ryder, and Penske. Penske offered a rate of $450. No extra for mileage. We filled it with my crap, and we hit the road.
Collect Packing Materials Early
One thing I was damn sure not going to buy for this move: boxes. After working in retail and seeing how many boxes just get tossed out, I can’t bring myself to spend money on boxes.
But I’m also not a big fan of dumpster diving. So I started saving boxes at work. I checked with different departments and asked if they could set them aside for me. I asked friends and family, too. To ensure I’d have enough, I asked early on–maybe four months away from my big move. I also started saving newspapers. By the time I had to start packing, I had plenty of boxes and packing material to use.
Related: Brokepedia’s Guide to Saving Money on Travel
Prepare for Hidden Costs
I’m an organizational freak, so I love lists. I make a lot of lists. I make lists of lists I want to make.
So as soon as I decided to make a cross-country move, I started listing all of the extra costs. Of course, there were obvious expenses: an apartment deposit, moving costs, etc. But there were a lot of smaller expenses that added up, too. For example:
Vaccinations and required health documentation for my cat to travel
DMV costs for a new California driver’s license and vehicle registration
Deposits and connection fees for utilities
What I Wish I Did Differently
Overall, I was happy with the cost of my move, considering how expensive it could’ve been. I ended up spending much less than I anticipated. But there are still a few things I wish I’d done differently:
Stocked up on cheap(er) stuff
Everyday stuff seems to cost a little more in California, plus, sales tax is higher than it was in my home state. I kind of wish I would’ve stocked up on some pricier, evergreen items–batteries, for example.
Also, there are products I used to use that I can’t seem to find here. My go-to face cream, for example, was four bucks at the H-E-Bs in Texas (I miss you, H-E-B). Here in L.A., my face cream is nowhere to be found. We don’t use face cream here, we just buy new faces. Kidding! (kinda.) I can order it online, but then I have to pay shipping and state sales tax. Thankfully, my mom is lovely enough to send me my favorite Texas goodies every now and then.
Timed my move better
I moved during the summer. On a weekend. Chances are, I could’ve saved money on quite a few things by timing my move better:
Gas/Air conditioning
Hotels
Truck rental
Mapped out my gas trips
Oh, if only I were as frugal as I am now. I would’ve mapped out my gas stops. I might have even purchased discounted gas gift cards.
Taken advantage of my employer 401(k) match
When I decided to move and switch careers, I knew I might end up being a self-employed freelancer. But I didn’t think what that might mean for my retirement. Looking back, I wish I would’ve taken more advantage of my employer’s 401(k) match. After all, that was free money. And I love free money. Womp womp.
Sure, a cross country move is a big pain in the ass. But it’s also incredibly exciting. Moving to a new place? With new scenery? New neighborhoods, new friends? That’s pretty amazing. A lot of planning and a little outside-the-box thinking can help keep a cross country move the exciting milestone it should be.
Photo: graham
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Curiosity is getting to me, whats the face cream that you cant get in California??
It’s called Concha Nacar. I can’t find it anywhere here. My face misses it.
did you end up finding your face cream because i get it on drugstore.com
Thanks for the heads up!
You can get that in Mexico. Drive down to Tijuana and get it at Dax for $3.
Hi Kristin, I live in San Francisco and that cream is sold in those little Latin market type stores and you can probably find a similar store there in L.A.
One of the things I did for my big move was hiring movers to load the truck. They were so good about stacking all the boxes and furniture and making sure it was all balanced so nothing toppled over and broke. So worth the $200 for a couple professionals for a couple of hours.
That’s pretty affordable! I’ll have to keep that in mind for my next move.
My last move included four flights of stairs on an incline (lovely place, but no elevator). So I’m either hiring movers or I’m staying here forever.
We did that one move. We hired 2 workers from a small company to move from LV to Laughlin, NV. We ended up getting a small young man and a petite female in the deal (they were short-handed that weekend and the owner had to call in a favor of a female friend). It was also about the only day that it rained that year. The young man ended up hauling all the bigger things himself, while the young woman carried only little things. They got paid a pre-arranged flat rate for the whole move that would have taken about 4 hours, but it actually took them about 18 hours. We felt so bad for them that we gave the workers some extra cash.
As far as the face cream, we are now in Europe and my mom has been shipping things like Shower to Shower and other products not available here. I will have to stock up better next time I get back to the states (but I have found some great products here, too–I just cannot replace and StS).
Thanks for your post. It will be helpful in the future.
Good for you on the move! It takes a lot of courage to pack up and follow your dream! You didn’t take advantage of the 401(k) match? Tsk tsk tsk…
Thanks, David 🙂
Oy, I know. Shame on me. I did take some advantage of it, but I should’ve gotten more out of it!
Enjoyed your blog. No disrespect intended but TX to CA is not a cross-country move.
Thanks! But how dare you. Jk. Yeah, I guess you’re right. Technically, it’s not. But “semi-cross-country move” just takes up too many characters.
It sure seemed like it, when you’re driving it. LOL
Came across your blog in a fit of terror over the prospect of a move from Chicago to Napa.Great budget tips — I know it’s gonna be a tough move, but my husband and I are bound and determined to make it happen.
Haha, thanks! It’s a lot of work, but it’s less daunting than it seems. Another tip I’ve come across that might help: it might be worthwhile to use media mail to ship books. They’re heavy and a pain to move, and media mail is usually pretty cheap. Good luck with the move!
Wow, I love that idea! I am trying to downsize my books but I know there are going to be some that I just CANNOT part with so the media mail idea is a great one! Thanks!
Oh, I totally understand. Glad this helps 🙂
Hi, we are moving Chicago to Tahoe, what did you use for the move? Did you do any sightseeing along the way? How many days did it take you?
Thanks!
Took just a few days, and I used Penske for the move. I did a little sightseeing in Arizona, but I was in a hurry to get to Cali. 🙂 Good luck to you!
How did you get such a low rate in the Penske truck? In looking to move from New Mexico to Montana and the online quote was close to $2000!! Did you call and work a deal with them?? I’d love to get a cheaper rate..
I liked your advice. I’m moving soon from TX to TN and nervous and excited! It’s my first job out of college and reality is hitting me about all of the costs. Do you have any advice for someone who isn’t moving with a lot of funds saved up? I’m actually using U-boxes (from U-haul) but I still have a lot of stuff and it is not reasonable to move everything I have collected over 4 1/2 years of college.
Hello, fellow Texan 🙂 How exciting–congrats! You’ve got an advantage since you’re moving for a job. I had to move with savings because I didn’t really have anything lined up. Can you try paring down more and selling more of that stuff? Chances are, with an exciting new job and life, you’ll probably want to get new stuff soon anyway. I’d probably sell all my college stuff, save money on the move, then use that savings to start a “new stuff budget” once I got to TN. Just my two cents, though. Oh, and don’t forget to take the moving expense tax deduction.
Good luck with everything!
HUGE help with the Penske moving company suggestion!! This is the second time we are moving cross country. First from NC to CO and now from CO to MN. The first time we sold everything big, loaded up my truck and my fiance’s car and headed out. We saved a fair amount for the move for all of the unexpected fees/expenses. We did not anticipate how expensive furniture was going to be in CO, holy cow!
This time we learned our lesson and have furniture we love and I now have a much smaller, gas-friendly car. We want to move it but unless we rent a truck there is no way that’s possible.
For everyone else out there this is by far the best option available!! Uhaul costs about $1400 all said and done (small truck and towing equipment for vehicle). Penske is less than half the price and you don’t even have to pay extra for mileage. $650!!
Thanks Kristin!!
SWEET! This comment makes my day. So glad you saved some serious cash. Have a great move! 🙂
Also Penske has a aaa discount and an ordering online discount (you can take advantage of both). You will also have a year of aaa road side assistance. some motels also give a aaa discount if you ask. Penske has good equipment, uhall’s stuff is worn out, budget can be cheap but equipment was worse than uhaul. Penske’s tow dolly for cars can be a little pricy so i’ve even asked uhaul if i could rent a Penske truck and a uhaul tow dolly. uhaul said yes, but don’t tell Penske. (knowledge come from using all of them for longer distance moves in the last year and a half.)
I’ll have to call them and check it out.
Wonderful advice! I start my big move from MN to CA this July. Your blog will most likey save me $2k. Thanks for sharing
Woohoo! That is awesome. Thanks for commenting and letting me know. Good luck on your big move. You’ll love CA!
Planning my second move to California from Michigan in August. Excited but also a little scared about the moving cost. Thanks for the tips.
Haha, everyone’s moving to Cali! Sure thing 🙂 I hope they help you save some cash on your move. Best of luck!
I’m planning my move to California from Michigan currently, have any tips or things that worked best for you?
Great article! I plan to move to CO in about a year. Love the rental truck idea! That way I get to keep my stuff.
Now to find a driver……
Great! You have some time to save and plan for the move. Yeah, I still tried to pare down my stuff as much as possible, but the truck was the perfect option for my situation. Hope this helps!
How did you end up getting the Budget truck for so cheap ($450)? Even with a couple of discounts, the truck from Milwaukee, WI to Portland, OR is still over a grand -_-
Yikes! That was simply how much Penske quoted me, which was a lot less than any other option. I’m not sure if weekday vs. weekend rates vary much?
I’m in the Bay Area looking to move to Austin. I know, how original. So I checked the Penske rates for a truck to Austin in June and it was $2,520 for 22 or 26′. Just for fun I checked the rate for Austin to the Bay Area and it was $840. I guess we’re not the only ones looking to escape Cali.
Good advice, though. I’ll add a tip for you on boxes – check Craigslist. Lots of people looking to give away their moving boxes, or sell them dirt cheap.
Thanks for the additional tip–it’s a solid one!
Good luck on shopping for the truck, it seems like Penske’s rates have hiked a bit. I moved in September–maybe it’s cheaper depending on the season.
Seasonality is a factor I’m sure, but I think it has more to do with the direction and the supply and demand of trucks in certain areas. If everyone is moving to Texas, one-way rates to Texas go up, because they end up having an oversupply of trucks there and have to pay to have them moved. $840 from Austin to the Bay Area seems like a great deal to me. I was quoted about $3500 for a 16′ pod from the Bay Area to Texas.
I’m planning on move from Vegas to Austin in July. Did you check for discounts with Penske? They offer a AAA discount which if you don’t have a membership already, it may be worth it to buy one if the savings is greater than the cost of the membership. Ask about discounts for the company you work for as well. I work for Hertz and that gave us a 20% discount. Depressing to think about how much less it is to go the other way though isn’t it?
Thanks for the tip, Rosa. The AAA discount is 20% also, so it would save around $500 in my case, definitely worth the membership fee. But I’m thinking now we’ll sell off most of our furniture and do some form of pod. I just looked into the UHaul UBox option. The boxes are 5X8, so four would total a bit more space than a 16′ pod from PODs. The price quoted for four was $3400 ($2800 for three) which includes 30 days of box use (at $80/box/month). Another thing to factor in with trucks is fuel costs, which for a Bay Area to Austin move would be around $550. And of course the pain and potential liability of driving a truck 1700 miles. Good luck with your move.
Hi Kristin, My husband and I are considering relocating to AZ from Milwaukee, WI. We don’t have any family there and I have no idea where to start. How much should I save for moving expenses? Penske seems like a GREAT option and I am going to bookmark that in my brain lol. Wish they had a guide for first time movers like myself, so we have al our bases covered. Any guidance would be greatly appreciated!
-Kelly
Hi Kelly! A first time mover’s guide is an excellent idea for a separate post. I’ll add it to the list. How much to save really depends on your situation. But that’s a lame answer, so I’ll share my own experience. 🙂
Like I said, I didn’t want to dip into my emergency fund, since I was switching careers, so that meant relocating for as little as possible. A realistically frugal budget, for me, was $2,500 to $3,000. (This included a rental deposit for an apartment in LA, which was expensive). Overall, I think the major costs you should consider when deciding how much to save are: moving truck (or pod or cost of shipping), gas, flights, hotels, rental deposit. And small costs add up, too: packing material, DMV costs, deposits for adding utilities or cable to your new place, etc. This is just a start. But it should give you a ballpark of what to save!
Hi Kelly
Did you make the move? I live in Milwaukee and will be moving to Phoenix in October. Any advice would be appreciated. 🙂
We moved from WI to NV in Oct 2014. I transferred through my job (lateral move) on my own. My job didn’t help with any of the expenses. This was my dream to move here and I was not going to allow me not having thousands of dollars stop me from coming here. My son had graduated from high school and I had been with my job long enough to qualify for the transfer.
I had a moving sale and used the funds from that plus my last paycheck from WI. If items didn’t fit in my truck, it did not make the trip. I didn’t know anyone here in NV and we struggled in the beginning. No cable, no phone or even a Living Room set. Just our bi-weekly paychecks, bare necessities and each other. I took advantage of my free hotel comps (I had enough to get us through at least 2 weeks) and luckily I only ended up using 4 days of those comps. I found a nice place to stay on craigslist (same day approval) and was able to finance (2) new mattresses and box springs. Tax season rolled around and I was able to get a living room set and slowly, but surely things begin to look up for us. Yes, I wish that I had more money saved up but we made it happen.The only thing that I would have changed is not driving through Colorado during October. We ran into a snow storm in the mountains. Obviously, October through May is no joke in Colorado. We have made this road trip several times before, but during summer months.I have not one regret about our decision.The moral of my story is to not allow money to limit you. Had I done that, I would still be living in boring, cold Wisconsin. The world is too big to stay in just one place. I wake up everyday to picturesque mountains and palm trees daily.
Bre Moore your comment gave me hope and inspiration. along with this article. I want to move from IL to LV. But I don’t have thousands of dollars saved. I have an aunt I can stay with. But the fear of moving without a job is holding me back. I have a family trip planned there soon so I will take advantage then to look for jobs.
Choose the best time to move. Gather quotes and find the cheapest rates available.You can save a ton of money on boxes and packing material by using hand-me-down boxes and wrapping everything in your old sheets.Move yourself with family and friends.
Great information. Thank you so…much for sharing.
I love Penske, I’ve used them many times with great success. Calling them now for a quote.
Glad you found it useful! Good luck with Penske. And thanks for the comment!
Moving from NH to NOLA….. rather than my hubby driving a rental truck and me and the kids in the car, we’re buying space on an 18 wheeler that drives this route weekly. It’s about the same price as Penske and we do all the loading/unloading. But it’s door to door service and we don’t have to drive two vehicles. (They leave the trailer at our house the day before for loading.) We can both just take turns driving the car which saves us $$$ on motels since we will drive non-stop.
Hi I am looking to move from NJ to FL and was wondering what trucking company you are using and if they travel everywhere? I don’t have a lot of money and have noticed moving companies can get very expensive.
Try State to State relocation. I am using them to move from NJ to TX
How did you find out about this?
big move coming and were leaving Cali !! being a military (brat) we moved all my life. when I got married 20 years we bought a house, 30 year mortgage and never moving again “never” is a very long time. Well my wife and I are retired and found our forever home and it’s not here. Thanks for all the advice. were looking at option A,B, and C. A dump every thing and replace. doing the math it would cost more then moving every thing. B keep every thing, my back hurts just thinking about that. C a hybrid of A and B I think I could pull it off for 5 grand from Ca to Wa with a 3 bedroom 1500 square foot house if we keep things that are not needed and could be replaced at a reasonable price and will not be needed right away.
Your article has given me hope and inspiration thanks again and wish me luck
Awesome! Sounds like a plan to me. Good luck with the move!
If you plan to get rid of items, try calling a “battered women’s shelter, if they have one where you are….I don’t like donating to certain places, as they turn around and sell items. I prefer to bless someone in need, and God will bless you in return.
Is there a trick for getting a cheap Penske rate? When I requested a rate on-line from Iowa to Oregon I was quoted almost $2500. What am I doing wrong????
Thank you of this post! About how much did you spend on gas for the trip and did you have to modify your car insurance policy to ensure that you were covered the whole way? How many days total did the trip take you? How many hours a day did your drive? And what time did you start out in the morning and what time did you stop driving in the evenings?
Thanks for reading! I don’t remember how much I paid in gas, but give this calculator a try: https://www.fueleconomy.gov/trip/
I didn’t make any changes to my car insurance policy until I registered my car in CA. We drove about 6-8am to 6-8pm, and the trip took 2 days total. Hope this helps!
Thank you for such a concise overview of a cross country move. I’ve moved about twice a year for the past 21 years, and this makes it a manageable task instead of a daunting part of life. Gas stops link was very helpful.
Awesome, glad you found it useful 🙂 Yep, daunting stuff is so much easier when broken down into a series of small, manageable tasks. Thanks for reading!
Oh man, I understand the pains of living in a larger city. The price of apartments are higher, and the smaller things are more expensive, too. I moved interstate a few months back from Phoenix to a smaller town in northern Utah, and it’s been like night and day. I much rather prefer to be in a smaller town 🙂 You gave fantastic advice that I’ll be keeping in the near future when we pick out a house to settle in.
Thank you for all the helpful advice! I will be moving back to TX( Miss my HOME) from MN (came up here for school, said I would only be here a couple of years…It’s been 7yrs. lol) Well, I graduate from college this December (at 40 years old! Woop! Woop! Haha) as a Funeral Director/Embalmer!!! I hope to secure a job in either San Antonio or Houston! Having a tough time deciding between the two! Lol The #1 thing at the forefront of my mind is the cost of living difference. Here in MN (we live in a rural area) the rent is cheap, but you have to drive a ways to go shopping. I am going to try and leave as much as possible behind because for some odd reason renting a truck here in MN is way more expensive than from TX. Last time I moved we rented a U-Haul from TX to MN for I think around $900, but trying to rent the same size truck from MN to TX was almost $1800!!! Crazy!!! 🙂
Anyway, sorry I’m rambling! Lol I was wondering what you think about moving in late December or early Jan.?
Congrats! I love Houston, but I was raised there and lived there until about five years ago, so I’m pretty biased 🙂 From what I’ve read, winter is actually a great time to move because seasonal rates are supposed to be lower, and it’s easier to find good deals on rentals. Of course, your mileage may vary!
Hey Kristen, I am moving to California and also driving cross-country. I am also looking for a moving trailer and came across your blog. I see that you said Penske gave you a great price what was that for exactly? Please help.
-Jackie
Hey Jackie! Just looked up my old rental confirmation. It was specifically for “12′ One Way Van with 7day(s) Travel.” Plenty of room for my couch, bed, coffee table, TV stand and a bunch of boxes. Hope this helps.
Hi! Thanks for your note on penske. Just wanted to add that certain things like boxes of books/clothes etc (vs. furniture) may ship well with Amtrak. Called many places and have some of the cheapest per pound shipping rates so am doing a mix of shipping stuff and possibly renting something depending how much furniture I can part with, etc. Thanks! 🙂
I would’ve never thought of Amtrak. Thanks for the tip!
How did you get a rate of only $450 from Penske? That’s incredible. I’m trying to move stuff (about 1 room worth) from Dallas to Seattle and everyone is quoting me over $1500. Gross. Advice?
Yikes! Well, as someone else mentioned, it may depend on the supply and demand of trucks in certain areas. So if there’s a huge demand for trucks in Dallas, they might be pricier. Maybe try looking to/from nearby areas? If it’s significantly cheaper, what if you drove with someone to, say, Fort Worth to pick up the truck, then drove it back to Dallas, loaded it up and headed out to Seattle? Just a thought, it might be more trouble than it’s worth, but I’d give it a shot.
Hey Kristin!
Just read your article a year later and found it very helpful. Funny story, im getting ready to move from Houston, TX to San Diego, CA end of November/early December. How did you happen to find such a good deal on the Penske truck, any helpful websites or discounts you can help me out with? That deal sounds great and im not running across it. Maybe it was just cheaper to move last year than this year haha! $450 sounds much better than almost $1000
thanks for your time and the helpful article,
Will
oops, i see you basically covered this in the above article!
No worries! I wonder if the season has anything to do with it? I moved at the end of summer. There’s a lot of useful info (from readers, too) in this thread. As someone mentioned, prices fluctuate depending on the supply and demand in certain areas, so it might be worth trying to see what prices are picking up from nearby towns. You might get a cheaper price from a Penske in say, Tomball, and then you could just drive the truck to your place and load it up. Just an idea!
I’m moving from Washington to Delaware, I don’t really have a lot of stuff but my son is my biggest fear while driving. Any tis for a 2yr old?
Hey! I just moved from Austin, TX to Redding, CA in July… But I left my stuff in storage back in TX. I’m headed back there next week to make the big drive with my stuff, and I appreciate the advice! I cannot agree more with how much I miss my friendly neighborhood HEB! 😉
so what way did you end up moving your things? I need to go back to S.A.Tx to get my things, but am looking into whats the best least expensive way.
Hi ,
Excellent article.
I am moving from Houston to Denver. The price of a Penske Truck is approx. 700$. I have been calling movers for pricing regarding loading and unloading the truck. However so far i have been receiving pretty high prices of 2 professional movers with dolleys and tools , 2hrs minimum = 117$ per hr + $35 travel fee =275$ (onwards) and 2 helpers , 2hrs minimum + 35$ travel fee = 245$. I have very little furniture , its a 1bedroom apartment with mainly 1 bed and 2 sofas and a 4 seater dining table.
Kindly advice if you have any costeffective movers in mind.
Thanks
Anand.
Thanks, Anand!
I’ve never hired movers, so I’m not sure what the going rate is, but have you tried looking on sites like Task Rabbit? I know a lot of the users offer moving and packing services, and since it’s a freelance site, it might be a cheaper alternative to hiring a professional moving company. I hope this helps!
Excellent. I really like your article, it’s very helpful. Thanks.
I just did a cross country move from New York to Florida. I was going to rent a uhaul and the cost was going to be $3655 for a 1 way rental. Then I had to pay for gas and tow my car. It was going to cost me over $6500 by the time my move was over! Ah. I needed a better way. Then someone told me to check out movecrosscountry.com and they provide a trailer with empty space. Well it ended up costing me $1800 and I shipped me, my kids and car on amtrak. The total move cost less than half! So glad to find this way to move. What a relief. Just thought I would share how i saved money with my move cross country.
When you say take advantage of your 401k, (i am enrolled and also recieve employee match). What exactly did you mean? withdraw it for the move? i am in the same boat. switched jobs, and moving to WA across country from OK for a better job offer in a better economy.
also, i am trying to figure out how to get a place before i move. (low income most likely ) or a studio my son and i can share until i am on my feet there. Do you have any advice how to go about that?
I enjoyed reading your article, lol it was almost as if you were speaking ot me in a way.
Glad you liked it 🙂
By take advantage of my 401(k), I meant I wish I would have contributed enough to get my employer’s full match. That was like leaving free money on the table, and now that I don’t have that benefit as a freelancer, I miss it!
I took a trip out here beforehand to find an apartment and familiarize myself with the city. I’m not sure if that’s an option for you, but if I had to do it over again, I might just find a place with a short term lease while I look for a more permanent place. I would probably go through a rental website rather than Craigslist, just in case of any potential issues. You can find better deals on Craigslist, but it’s easier to work with a formal rental website, and if it’s short-term, you can find something better once you get there.
Anyway, I hope this helps. Good luck with your move! WA is beautiful!
What Penske $450.00 option did you use? Was this a trailer or truck? I’ll be moving from California to Austin in March with 2 other people and we’d ideally like to find a way to do it <1,000 total cost.
My family and I will be moving across the country this summer. We are looking for ways to save money on the transportation of our stuff. Yes, I looked into PODS as well, and they did cost quite a bit of money. I agree that getting a moving van is more economical, but it is hard to know who to go with. I like you suggestion to search around for different companies to see how good of a deal you can get. Thanks for the info!
Hello kwong, First of all i would like to say very good article. We are right that we should start packing things earlier and we also should think ahead that what we will need.
I really understand the complication of living in the large city. Specially crowd and the high rent.
i have to go to ca. to get our stuff out of 2-3 storage units & bring it, daughter, grandson & dog back to ohio. i was quoted $2,000 4 months ago from u-haul, now almost $4,000 from sacramento to newark. we came cross country with only 7 cats & 3 dogs & 3 of us with very little. rented a house with nothing, no beds, dishes & etc. never again.
Hi Virginia! My husband and I are considering making the move from Philadelphia to San Diego..we have three dogs and that seems like it’s going to be a huge hassle, both during the move and then also finding a place that will accommodate that many pets. I know it’s a different city, but where did you end up finding a house that accepted all your pets?! Any tips for during the move with that many animals? Did someone drive the moving truck and someone drive a car with the animals?!
I am curious how much you saved in your “relocation fund” prior to moving? My husband and I are thinking of moving to Texas and I am trying to plan how much we should have saved before we take the leap.
If at all possible do you think that you could tell me the final cost or the broken down math of you move? I am planning to move form San Diego to San Antonio. I’m driving myself insane trying to find the best, yet cheapest way to make this move for me and my family. Thank you in advance. XO
We ended up going with upack.com and doing the 17′ of trailer space for our move from the Bay Area to Austin last August. It was $2600 for door-to-door delivery. We paid about $300 on both ends for help loading and unloading the trailer, using local moving companies found through YELP. We bought boxes and packing materials from Home Depot, which probably totaled around $300, but you can get great deals on boxes from people on Craigslist. Then we drove our own vehicles, so you have the calculate the gas for that. Moving is tax deductible, in most cases, so keep all your receipts.
I tried upack.. Was way too much work. Having to do a second cross country move i went online and found a website called http://www.movecrosscountry.com. they did all the work and my total cost for moving was 1200 dollars. It was a bargain.
I’m trying to help my niece move from NJ to NC. Penske doesn’t seem to rent cargo vans one way, only trucks. How did you do that? I realize it’s been a couple of years so maybe that changed??
She’s considering selling what she can and buying again b/c it’s about $1,000 to rent a truck.
Thoughts?