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Hello, I just wanted to know if anyone had any advice on what to expect when making a move from one state to another. I live in LA,California and I will be moving to Eugene next year with my daughter and younger sister. I'm 26,my sis is 23, and my daughter is 2 yrs old. We are moving because economically Eugene would be much better for us,plus my step dad (my little sisters real father) lives out there already. I've lived on my own twice with no problems and so had my sister. BUT we've never lived outside of CA. and the longest I've rode in a car is 8 hrs when my family and I drove to San Francisco. I looked it up online and traveling from CA to OR is 13 hours...I'm just a little nervous about the whole moving thing. We have to find a house,buy furniture, and I have to look for childcare for my daughter. My question is does anyone have any advice as far as how much it cost to move? I'm basically not moving with any furniture and my sis is going to try and sell as much of her stuff so we would just have boxes....I want to save at least $5000 to move and buy whatever we need for the house...
Any advice would be much appreciated.
MOVING
We have moved several times for my husbands job. Four times in the past 6 years, actually! The first moves - from tx to CA, and then from CA to OR - were paid for by his employer. They paid for the movers and gave us money for extra stuff, so we were a bit spoiled.
The last two moves - from OR to WA, and then from WA back to OR - we paid for ourselves. It actually wasn't too bad.
We rented a UHaul and packed everything up, loaded up the truck, and drove it to our new location ourselves. The cost for that part of your move will depend on how long you need the truck (how many days) and what size truck you would need. The gas for the truck, too, is going to cost you a bit... you can ask the UHaul or truck rental people what sort of gas mileage (mpg) the truck you are renting gets and then check gas prices and do the math to estimate gas costs for your move. We planned our route by stopping at every CostCo along the way which offered gas as we've found CostCo to have the best gas prices along I-5. Costco usually has a very inexpensive food court, too, ($1.50 hot dog and it comes with a drink! ) and of course potty breaks...
HOUSING
As far as housing, we've always found it easier to rent a small'ish apartment first. You don't want to rush into an expensive house right off the bat, or at least we didn't want to. It's better to rent a small easy apartment first and get to know the area and figure out what part of town you really want to live once your here. Also, renting an apartment saves you money and helps you recover from the cost of moving. Our rent for a two bedroom, 1050 sq. ft. apartment in Eugene is $700. per month. Our utilities are much less than they would be in a house, too. Also, the deposit and applications fees and all that were less than if we had rented a home right off the bat. We love our apartment, and even have a little yard to grow things in and we've also rented a garage to store extra things in. We plan to stay here until we find a home to buy. If you do want to go straight into a home, you can google eugene property managers or eugene rentals and there are several you can get in touch with. Or of course look up local realtors if you plan to buy.
CHILDCARE
As far as childcare, there is something called "Kid City" through the Eugene recreation services... through the city of Eugene. If you go to the city of Eugene website, you can find info about it there. There are also things like karate after school camps and other services. There are a few day cares and things like that. I wish I could help more but we've never used day care... Once you find what school you'd like your kids to go to, I'm sure the school might have some information for you as well.
EXTRA STUFFF
It's illegal to pump your own gas in Oregon. Seriously. I LOVE this! Some people don't appreciate it as much as I do. I have kids, though, and love that I can stay in the car with my kids and get gas... and not have to get out in the cold wet muddy weather or anything.
Oregon has State and Federal taxes but no sales tax. I love this, too! In CA, TX, and WA I'm always surprised how fast the sales tax really does add up... here in Oregon the price you see is the price you pay and having lived in places where we used to pay sales tax - we feel like we're saving money all the time here. Of course - we have state income tax which other states don't have... but in Oregon - thanks to having state income tax - we get what are called "kicker checks". It's like Christmas in Spring when you get a kicker check, LOVE those. It only happens every few years. Honestly I don't pay enough attention to tax stuff, but I just know that I had completely forgotten about our "kick refund" and when we received that check in the mail I had to call the revenue dept to make sure it wasn't a mistake. When we knew for sure it was our money, we took a vacation (we stayed in Oregon!). It was great.
Other moving costs - transferring your vehicle titles and registrations and your driver's license - we have found OR to be less expensive than other states. Our tags also last longer, too. You can go to the Oregon DMV for more info on all that. I love that the Eugene office is so quick. In TX,CA, and WA we sometimes waited an hour or more taking care of all that mess... but in Eugene when you the DMV office is very rarely crowded. Love that.
Hmmm... I can't think of any other moving expense right off the bat... just restocking your food, and furniture is gradually and easily acquired - watch for garage sales and hit Goodwill or St. Vinnie's (thrift stores) if you need to save money. Otherwise there are plenty of furniture stores in town and they seem to always have sales going on. There are also lots of antique stores, especially along the coast, where you can find some cool pieces. There's also Craigslist and Freecycle groups for Eugene where people often give furniture away for free.
$5000 should really be plenty for you. Good luck with everything. You'll love it here and so will your kid's. Just try to relax, enjoy the moment, and have fun! There are lots of beautiful things to see along the drive from CA to Oregon - even along I-5 believe it or not. Drive careful!
Although this has little to do with your question, I think it's appropriate for the general topic.
Not quite sure if Eugene is the best place to move after todays announcement of the Hynix plant closing leaving over 1,100 out of work. Home Page: The Register-Guard, Eugene, Ore. (http://www.registerguard.com/RG/Home/index.csp - broken link)
Not to say there wont be jobs of course, but Eugene gets really hit hard in tough economic times due to the lack of diversity in the economy and the somewhat ant-corporate/business attitude of city government.
just wanted to give a little heads up. Otherwise, good luck and enjoy Oregon!
Although this has little to do with your question, I think it's appropriate for the general topic.
Not quite sure if Eugene is the best place to move after todays announcement of the Hynix plant closing leaving over 1,100 out of work. Home Page: The Register-Guard, Eugene, Ore. (http://www.registerguard.com/RG/Home/index.csp - broken link)
Not to say there wont be jobs of course, but Eugene gets really hit hard in tough economic times due to the lack of diversity in the economy and the somewhat ant-corporate/business attitude of city government.
just wanted to give a little heads up. Otherwise, good luck and enjoy Oregon!
WOW thats sad all those people will be out of work. But thanks for the heads up. I will be doing Medical Transcription through a contractor not based out of OR so I pray I will be ok. My mom and older sis will still stay in CA so I always have them as a back up plan. I don't know what the hell my little sis plans on doing but she says she has it all figured out. I just know that I will be able to support my daughter and myself . I plan on moving with enough money that will cover me "just in case".
Thank you though
MOVING
We have moved several times for my husbands job. Four times in the past 6 years, actually! The first moves - from tx to CA, and then from CA to OR - were paid for by his employer. They paid for the movers and gave us money for extra stuff, so we were a bit spoiled.
The last two moves - from OR to WA, and then from WA back to OR - we paid for ourselves. It actually wasn't too bad.
We rented a UHaul and packed everything up, loaded up the truck, and drove it to our new location ourselves. The cost for that part of your move will depend on how long you need the truck (how many days) and what size truck you would need. The gas for the truck, too, is going to cost you a bit... you can ask the UHaul or truck rental people what sort of gas mileage (mpg) the truck you are renting gets and then check gas prices and do the math to estimate gas costs for your move. We planned our route by stopping at every CostCo along the way which offered gas as we've found CostCo to have the best gas prices along I-5. Costco usually has a very inexpensive food court, too, ($1.50 hot dog and it comes with a drink! ) and of course potty breaks...
HOUSING
As far as housing, we've always found it easier to rent a small'ish apartment first. You don't want to rush into an expensive house right off the bat, or at least we didn't want to. It's better to rent a small easy apartment first and get to know the area and figure out what part of town you really want to live once your here. Also, renting an apartment saves you money and helps you recover from the cost of moving. Our rent for a two bedroom, 1050 sq. ft. apartment in Eugene is $700. per month. Our utilities are much less than they would be in a house, too. Also, the deposit and applications fees and all that were less than if we had rented a home right off the bat. We love our apartment, and even have a little yard to grow things in and we've also rented a garage to store extra things in. We plan to stay here until we find a home to buy. If you do want to go straight into a home, you can google eugene property managers or eugene rentals and there are several you can get in touch with. Or of course look up local realtors if you plan to buy.
CHILDCARE
As far as childcare, there is something called "Kid City" through the Eugene recreation services... through the city of Eugene. If you go to the city of Eugene website, you can find info about it there. There are also things like karate after school camps and other services. There are a few day cares and things like that. I wish I could help more but we've never used day care... Once you find what school you'd like your kids to go to, I'm sure the school might have some information for you as well.
EXTRA STUFFF
It's illegal to pump your own gas in Oregon. Seriously. I LOVE this! Some people don't appreciate it as much as I do. I have kids, though, and love that I can stay in the car with my kids and get gas... and not have to get out in the cold wet muddy weather or anything.
Oregon has State and Federal taxes but no sales tax. I love this, too! In CA, TX, and WA I'm always surprised how fast the sales tax really does add up... here in Oregon the price you see is the price you pay and having lived in places where we used to pay sales tax - we feel like we're saving money all the time here. Of course - we have state income tax which other states don't have... but in Oregon - thanks to having state income tax - we get what are called "kicker checks". It's like Christmas in Spring when you get a kicker check, LOVE those. It only happens every few years. Honestly I don't pay enough attention to tax stuff, but I just know that I had completely forgotten about our "kick refund" and when we received that check in the mail I had to call the revenue dept to make sure it wasn't a mistake. When we knew for sure it was our money, we took a vacation (we stayed in Oregon!). It was great.
Other moving costs - transferring your vehicle titles and registrations and your driver's license - we have found OR to be less expensive than other states. Our tags also last longer, too. You can go to the Oregon DMV for more info on all that. I love that the Eugene office is so quick. In TX,CA, and WA we sometimes waited an hour or more taking care of all that mess... but in Eugene when you the DMV office is very rarely crowded. Love that.
Hmmm... I can't think of any other moving expense right off the bat... just restocking your food, and furniture is gradually and easily acquired - watch for garage sales and hit Goodwill or St. Vinnie's (thrift stores) if you need to save money. Otherwise there are plenty of furniture stores in town and they seem to always have sales going on. There are also lots of antique stores, especially along the coast, where you can find some cool pieces. There's also Craigslist and Freecycle groups for Eugene where people often give furniture away for free.
$5000 should really be plenty for you. Good luck with everything. You'll love it here and so will your kid's. Just try to relax, enjoy the moment, and have fun! There are lots of beautiful things to see along the drive from CA to Oregon - even along I-5 believe it or not. Drive careful!
*hhe*
Your getting me excited again! I know you said its illegal to pump your own gas which is good for me,but why is it illegal? I also love the no sales tax,but question does that mess up or make what I get back in my tax refund less? You said you guys get "kicker checks" but did you also receive a stimulus check as well this year? Moving into a apt is a good idea. I was gathering info online about renting a house. I am far from trying to buy one. My daughter is 2 and very energetic so I wanted a house that she would be able to run around the backyard in. As far as moving like I said before I basically have boxes that I have to move that have decorations and kitchen appliances. I also have a few tv's. I don't have that much stuff. My coworker was telling me about a co called ABF where you load their truck and they drive it to your desired location. Everything from mileage to gas is included in the price. I was thinking about doing that because Uhaul can get expensive. And gas in CA is HORRIBLE almost $5/Gal
Thank you for all of your useful information,I really appreciate it.
Rhonda
The closing of Hynix is so awful for those people who worked there. I especially feel bad for the 100 or so families who moved here from South Korea to work there and hopefully provide a better life for their families. I knew a few of those families, and they were still struggling to learn English and find their place here. Some of them were worried about their being able to renew their visa, and one family I knew was concerned because their father - who worked at Hynix - was having a hard time passing some sort of test he needed to pass in order for him to live here permanently. Honestly I don't know all the details, I just know that to me it feels like the South Korean families, of all the families having to cope with the Hynix layoffs, will be the hardest hit.
There's a saying that goes "Bloom where you're planted." I would imagine a few of the people who moved here specifically for the Hynix job are feeling that right now. Although, now that they are "planted" in Eugene - they can bloom here. It's a great place to grow.
According to the newspaper (The Register Guard) the city of Eugene will be feeling a trickle down effect for awhile due to the Hynix closure. They are reporting that property taxes and water and electricity prices might increase to balance out the loss of Hynix.
The good news, though, is that there are still plenty of jobs in Medical, Dental, and Legal and Accounting fields. My husband is in data networking and telecommuting and his business is booming. Housing prices are still low because people seem desperate to sell their homes. Many asking prices for homes keeping going lower and lower because right now there are many more sellers than their are buyers. There seem to be plenty of rentals, too.
Personally, I feel that if you are in one of those career fields I mentioned - especially anything medical related - and you are wanting to move to Eugene, now would be a good time. My husband and I are excited to be here now and are planning to buy our first home soon. Due to a lack of buyers and so many homes on the market, we plan to get a good price for our home. We plan to install solar panels to help offset rising energy prices, and to grow our own vegetables and have fruit trees and perhaps even barter with local farmers who produce dairy products and meat to help reduce our food spending. We would even like to try our hand at raising a few chickens for their eggs. You can save a lot of money and get wonderful farm-fresh foods by gleaning and participating in U-Pick as well. We bike or walk to almost everywhere we need to go and when we do drive we use a small, energy efficient car (haven't bought a hybrid - yet!) so our gas costs stay down.
We don't even subscribe to cable TV. We have a TV, but we only use it to watch films that we've checked out from the library. Eugene has an awesome Library system. We check out music CD's, games, books on CD, and of course books to keep us entertained, too. A lack of TV has been wonderful for our kids. They aren't asking for the latest greatest toy fad or kid craze that comes along. I love not having TV. We don't waste much time, either, flipping channels and all that. I'm not sure how much cable TV costs currently, but I imagine we are saving money there as well...
Where there is a will, and some thought and planning, there is a way. When times get hard you just have to adjust accordingly. If you think about it, hard times should serve to make us more resourceful and more wise. They should also make us more appreciative of everything we have in our lives - and more especially: the people and good health.
The closing of Hynix is so awful for those people who worked there. I especially feel bad for the 100 or so families who moved here from South Korea to work there and hopefully provide a better life for their families. I knew a few of those families, and they were still struggling to learn English and find their place here. Some of them were worried about their being able to renew their visa, and one family I knew was concerned because their father - who worked at Hynix - was having a hard time passing some sort of test he needed to pass in order for him to live here permanently. Honestly I don't know all the details, I just know that to me it feels like the South Korean families, of all the families having to cope with the Hynix layoffs, will be the hardest hit.
There's a saying that goes "Bloom where you're planted." I would imagine a few of the people who moved here specifically for the Hynix job are feeling that right now. Although, now that they are "planted" in Eugene - they can bloom here. It's a great place to grow.
According to the newspaper (The Register Guard) the city of Eugene will be feeling a trickle down effect for awhile due to the Hynix closure. They are reporting that property taxes and water and electricity prices might increase to balance out the loss of Hynix.
The good news, though, is that there are still plenty of jobs in Medical, Dental, and Legal and Accounting fields. My husband is in data networking and telecommuting and his business is booming. Housing prices are still low because people seem desperate to sell their homes. Many asking prices for homes keeping going lower and lower because right now there are many more sellers than their are buyers. There seem to be plenty of rentals, too.
Personally, I feel that if you are in one of those career fields I mentioned - especially anything medical related - and you are wanting to move to Eugene, now would be a good time. My husband and I are excited to be here now and are planning to buy our first home soon. Due to a lack of buyers and so many homes on the market, we plan to get a good price for our home. We plan to install solar panels to help offset rising energy prices, and to grow our own vegetables and have fruit trees and perhaps even barter with local farmers who produce dairy products and meat to help reduce our food spending. We would even like to try our hand at raising a few chickens for their eggs. You can save a lot of money and get wonderful farm-fresh foods by gleaning and participating in U-Pick as well. We bike or walk to almost everywhere we need to go and when we do drive we use a small, energy efficient car (haven't bought a hybrid - yet!) so our gas costs stay down.
We don't even subscribe to cable TV. We have a TV, but we only use it to watch films that we've checked out from the library. Eugene has an awesome Library system. We check out music CD's, games, books on CD, and of course books to keep us entertained, too. A lack of TV has been wonderful for our kids. They aren't asking for the latest greatest toy fad or kid craze that comes along. I love not having TV. We don't waste much time, either, flipping channels and all that. I'm not sure how much cable TV costs currently, but I imagine we are saving money there as well...
Where there is a will, and some thought and planning, there is a way. When times get hard you just have to adjust accordingly. If you think about it, hard times should serve to make us more resourceful and more wise. They should also make us more appreciative of everything we have in our lives - and more especially: the people and good health.
OK you and I have a connection...LMAO I agree with you about work in the medical field thats why I picked to get training in that field. People are always getting sick so that field will always have work.
I loved that saying because its so true. I need to make sure to remember it.
When we move we aren't getting cable because of the same reason as you. My daughter watches tv now but i'm cutting it out once we move to OR.
There is much good info in HHE's posts but you both might want to look on the Rental forum and see what is thought of U-Haul. I for one will never use them again. They are undoubtedly the market leader and the first name you think of when considering a self move but both Penske and Budget offer alternatives. The Pod or Container shipping option will not likely save money and is very much less flexible than a self move. Gas... ... suffice it to say that our move to PDX was from NYC, six days of twice daily $125 fill ups. I think you will manage ok since gas hasn't gone up much since we've been here. And since we are on the subject of here I hope you don't mind if I ask a question that has been on my mind since you began posting in the Eugene forum: have you really thought this thing through? The earlier poster has a point, even if you aren't going to be looking for work in Eugene. If your stated reason for leaving LA is to do better economically then I wonder if NM, AZ or even TX might not be better choices? Especially given that your employment is based elsewhere. Just curious.
There is much good info in HHE's posts but you both might want to look on the Rental forum and see what is thought of U-Haul. I for one will never use them again. They are undoubtedly the market leader and the first name you think of when considering a self move but both Penske and Budget offer alternatives. The Pod or Container shipping option will not likely save money and is very much less flexible than a self move. Gas... ... suffice it to say that our move to PDX was from NYC, six days of twice daily $125 fill ups. I think you will manage ok since gas hasn't gone up much since we've been here. And since we are on the subject of here I hope you don't mind if I ask a question that has been on my mind since you began posting in the Eugene forum: have you really thought this thing through? The earlier poster has a point, even if you aren't going to be looking for work in Eugene. If your stated reason for leaving LA is to do better economically then I wonder if NM, AZ or even TX might not be better choices? Especially given that your employment is based elsewhere. Just curious.
H
Thanks for the advice. I don't like AZ,NM,or TX because I don't like heat.I have family in Yuma,AZ that I visited and it was unbelievably boring out there. My step father lives in OR and I know he would help us if needed. I have completely thought this through,I'm 26 and wouldn't move to a unknown state without fully thinking about it and planning it. I'm not moving tomorrow or next month. I have over a year before we move. I'm just gathering as much info as I can to make things easier when it is move time. I also plan on visiting OR multiple times before move.
And if if my employment is based elsewhere I will still be getting the same pay no matter where I move. So its not a problem.
Again thanks for the advice but my mind is made up.
I think you'll be fine, Rhonda. Yes, Hynix is closing, but the company had one HUGELY successful job fair and is having another one because they couldn't accommodate all the employers at the first one. Many of the people at Hynix will remain in Eugene-Springfield and be employed there. Some will move. Also, there's already talk (indeed, there was talk before the announcement) about getting a solar cell plant to take over. They use much of the same technology and the technical personnel are already there.
Also, it will be more than 13 hours driving to Eugene. I live in Salem and when I moved to Pasadena, it took twenty hours of driving. Not meant to scare you. Just to prepare you. The drive is not bad. It's freeway all the way. With a little one, you'll take longer because you'll want to stop and get her out of the car to walk, play, etc. Look at it this way: you're like the pioneers in their covered wagons, on your way to a new life in the Oregon Territory. The trip can be nice. Traffic in Sacramento can get hairy, but the rest of the way is no problem.
Good luck and welcome to Oregon!!!
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...I'm just a little nervous about the whole moving thing. We have to find a house,buy furniture, and I have to look for childcare for my daughter. My question is does anyone have any advice as far as how much it cost to move? I'm basically not moving with any furniture and my sis is going to try and sell as much of her stuff so we would just have boxes....I want to save at least $5000 to move and buy whatever we need for the house...
I agree with you about work in the medical field thats why I picked to get training in that field. People are always getting sick so that field will always have work. 
