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I am moving from South Carolina to Washington (state) because I am switching jobs. My relocation expenses will not be paid. We have money to move, but there are some complications and I need some advice. Here's the relevant info:
1. We have three cars: Car A is my car and has a manual transmission, Car B is my wife's car and has an automatic transmission (she cannot drive stick), and Car C is my backup car and also has a manual transmission. We must relocate Cars A and B. It is okay if I leave Car C behind or sell it.
2. We have a dog and a 2-year old. I don't know if either one of them can handle a cross-country roadtrip. The 2-year old would require his own flight ticket.
3. We have a lot of furniture.
4. We're trying to avoid paying a trucking/transport company about $1200/car if we can help it.
5. My wife does not want us to drive in separate vehicles.
6. We do not have a place to stay in Washington yet, so I'll need to fly up there about two weeks before the big move to sign a lease and get a key.
So, using a combination of airplanes, moving companies, U-Hauls, car/pick-up truck rentals, car transport/freight services, car trailers, towing and roadtripping, what would you recommend is the most efficient, most economical, or most practical way of moving ourselves, our furniture, and our two (or three) cars?
Tricky. But not impossible.
1. How much time do you have? Can you drive one car there when you go look for a place to live, and fly back?
2. Honestly...dog and two year old...cross country trip is doable...I have done it myself, with two more kids. What works best is leave early, like 5 am, kid and dog sleeps until around 830 or 9, stop for breakfast, go to a park, let them run around for an hour or so...back in the car. Stop at 1, go to a park...same thing...munch then run around. Back in the car...the "trick", is eat, play, go to bathroom before getting back in car. Minimizes stops, and they get worn out, so they doze in the car. Don't go to restaurants. The last thing the kid needs is to sit around for food. And the dog needs run around time, as does the child. It is cheaper, faster and easier to pack a cooler. Just make simple snacks. But I got most of my driving time done early in the morning, and late afternoon.
3. Do you have any family or friends who can help you move?
4. Do you need all that furniture? Calculate the cost of moving and buying new....
It is usually cheaper and easier to sell your furniture and buy or lease new when you move cross country...unless you have very, very expensive and valuable furniture.
I recommend getting rid of as much furniture as possible, if you can't, consider the Pod thing or ABF U-pack, then they ship it to wherever you want them to. Will both cars make it to Washington and still be driveable and useable when they get there? It might be worth the $1200 to ship a car that might break down on the way and cause you more headache and more money/time wasted. The money you make selling the furniture and extra car might give you that ability to ship one of the cars. It would take a lot of stress off of you, then you all take one car and drive across country.
Location: ๏̯͡๏﴿ Gwinnett-That's a Civil Matter-County
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In a nutshell...
The more crap you have to move, the more it will cost you to move.
The more you do yourself without movers, packers, portable storage containers etc, the less it will cost you to move.
Ergo, if you're on a tight budget sell stuff before your move and if you're willing and able, get it down to what will fit in two of the vehicles you have drivers for. Let that be the goal. If you can't fit it all, then hopefully you can ship it. And if that won't work then plan "C" should be renting trailers. Anything else will be considerably more expensive and more complicated as you will then have to find additional drivers.
I know nothing about driving with brats but I know a lot about driving with dogs. Make some space in the back seat for a dog kennel, put a cushy pillow-like bed in it and let them sleep the whole way. They don't really need that many bathroom breaks. Feed the dog less or nothing at all during the drive. (But provide plenty of water.) Save the play for when you get to your destination. Although if you find yourself needing a break yourself, find out where the dog parks are ahead of time and know how to get to them. For example, maybe somewhere in colorado or somewhere it will be time for a break to stretch your legs and let the dog run around.
One more vote for selling EVERYTHING except the best of the cars.
Drive that with everyone in the car including the dog and kid.
Allow an extra 4 or 5 days and enjoy the trip.
Be super organized and make lists of everything you need to do. Break it up into month before, week before and so on. Get rid of everything you don't absolutely need unless it was expensive to buy and/or has a big emotional place for you. You almost have to be brutal about giving away or selling stuff. More stuff is more money to move and/ or store.
We moved 4 pets cross country and drove just 6-7 hours/day and they did fine. We stopped early to eat and get them settled in the room w/ their litter box/food/water. We walked the dog, fed her, etc. and she did great, too. Make sure she has an ID on her and is with a leash all the time so she doesn't accidently run.
A 2 year old, I have no idea, but good luck with all of it.
We are also moving to WA state, from MO, next month. We don't have children or pets, but we do have two cars. We are driving one and shipping the other. We chose the shipper based on its relationship to our mover. The mover made it easy and we found that prices were pretty much the same between competitor shippers.
I am so tired of people calling other people's possessions crap! It is more expensive to replace good furniture than it is to ship it. We are taking the good stuff, and donating the rest. We are keeping records so we can take a deduction on our '12 income taxes. It makes no sense to ship junk, but it makes good sense to ship good furniture which still functions and look well.
We are packing books, linens, photos, clothes, shoes, electronics (mostly) and kitchen ware. The movers will pack all my breakables, some of which are family pieces or expensive. The movers assume liability for what they pack.
We have already rented an apartment via the internet. Be sure to check with the P.O. about leaving a forwarding address. You need to do this 3 days before you don't want further mail delivery, if you do this online.
Also, make sure you have with you insurance documents, birth certificates, and any estate documents. Have your wife pack and keep on her person or in her personal luggage any valuable jewelry she owns.
I like another poster's recs for handling the cross country drive with a child and a pet. That should work, but it won't be the easiest thing you've ever done.
If you want your wife to do part of the driving, you'll have to use her car, or teach to use the stick. My advice is to drive the most reliable car, and have it serviced before setting out. It wouldn't hurt to join AAA either.
Let me answer question number 6 first. You can call the apartment or condo place and do all this via the fax, mail or picking up the key when you first show up. This is tricky especially if it is sight unseen but have done it on 2 moves and not bad (sight unseen meaning you have the front office send you pictures of the apartment inside and out, check police reports and the area where the place is located).
We have moved several times and until you start packing or unpacking you never realize how much you have....this is my meaning to crap when I have a pair a shoes that that I have not worn in the past year, why do I have it? The boxes add up also with all the little things in it. I have moved cross country and you can to it takes time but keep in mind and this is an adventure try to stop and do some sightseeing on the way even if means a potty break for the dog (look for sights to stop at along the way). Moving is stressful enough and trying to make fun out of it will help.
U-Haul with a car trailer might help if you do not want to have a unpack or ship it.
To get the other car there you could always see if a friend or family member wants to come and visit later on and drive your other car. Pay for the one way ticket back.
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