Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
You should get a good mover rate. The traffic sounds like it's going from CA to TX and they would rather bring back the trucks full. Just like here in CT, more moving out than moving in. Most moving out of CT are going to the Carolina's or Florida
You should get a good mover rate. The traffic sounds like it's going from CA to TX and they would rather bring back the trucks full. Just like here in CT, more moving out than moving in. Most moving out of CT are going to the Carolina's or Florida
If you have toddlers, you're likely at a stage in your life where keeping stuff makes sense. Re-purchasing stuff wastes money you don't necessarily need to spend. It adds up. Stuff like furniture, eating utensils, etc., that you can live with for 3 or more years stays - the rest you can toss if it makes a difference in moving costs.
Most posts on this topic deal with people who are approaching retirement age and are in the downsizing mode. In that case, the rule is: if you have not touched that item in two or three years - into the dumpster it goes. Clutter in old age is a real bummer.
Do you love it?
Do you use it on a regular basis?
How easy is it to replace?
How much will it cost to move?
We're retired, no kids. We got rid of nearly everything. Shipped six boxes, which are now in my brother's basement.
The only things we brought with us were clothes, toiletries, my favorite garlic press, and a vintage jar opener. Of course, we knew we would be traveling quite a bit before settling down, so bringing more wasn't really an option.
We have furnished our new home mostly with second hand furniture that we like as much as what we left behind. I'm looking forward to rediscovering what we shipped in those six boxes a year ago. Must not have been too important
However, since you have kids and will probably have jobs, you probably need to take enough to have a functional house right away.
The bold part.
That console TV...if you are seriously considering getting rid of it, get on that NOW. It's hard to get rid of TV's, the old kind. No one wants anything but a flat screen TV now, not even a pawn shop or thrift store will take the old tube TVs if that's what yours is. I personally loved the old console TVs in the wooden cabinets, but it can be a real challenge to find somebody to take it off your hands. Even for free.
However. I highly recommend, if you can afford it, upgrading to a flat screen (sadly, just like everybody else, there are reasons no one wants the old TVs) because they are light and you can move them so easily, whether you are relocating your household or just rearranging the living room. And the prices have come down a lot. If you don't need a ginormous humongous one, you can get a decent flat screen TV for under $300 easy. I've found best prices in my area to be at Walmart (or Sam's if you do that, dunno about Costco, I've never been a member.) I've found them new at Walmart cheaper than I've found them used at the pawn shop, which strikes me as weird but whatever.
They just aren't that expensive anymore. It is no longer a ridiculous indulgence, depending on how tight your budget is. And if you're trying to drop weight for a move, you really have to look hard at something heavy like that.
It's far more expensive to replace a good bed, so unless it's time to do that (if your bed is in bad shape for instance) you're better off taking that with you. If you have been thinking about upgrading a beat up old piece of cheap furniture, then consider ditching it rather than moving it. If you have a bunch of books you don't read much anymore, consider trying a used bookstore or seeing if your local library takes donations. Go through your clothes. If you haven't worn it in a few years, get rid of it.
Regarding the massage chair... OK, so you paid $1,000 and you don't want to lose money selling it. Do you use it? If you use it, then keep it. But there is this thing called "sunk costs." You won't be able to go back in time and have your $1,000 back. That is not an option. Your options today are, own a massage chair...or NOT own a massage chair and take whatever someone will pay to own your massage chair. Those are your options, the $1,000 is gone and no longer exists, ok? So let go of that. Now do you want to own a massage chair? Or do you want to take whatever someone will pay for it, and not have it to deal with? I would answer that question with "How often do I use this thing?" Plenty of people have had to deal with this exact train of thought when it comes to exercise equipment.
If you have the time and space, consider doing a yard sale before you go. You'd be surprised what people will happily give you money for. I had a friend who was having a life disaster and she was abandoning anything she couldn't sell, and she actually succeeded in selling opened and half-full bottles of shampoo, conditioner, and household cleaning products. Granted not for whatever she paid, but she got something for it!
EDIT: Oh and about the dishes. Do you like them or hate them or what? Or more significantly how does your wife feel about the dishes? If no one really likes the ones you've got, it could be a good excuse to get rid of the old ones and get new ones. Again...if you can afford that. I don't presume to know anything about your finances. I know that when I was married, I HATED the hodgepodge of unmatching dishes so much, that when I got divorced and went off on my own, I refused to take any of them, I went and bought all new matching dishes. Not high end fancy china or anything, just a set that is all the same. And I LOVE THEM.
Unload it in Texas before your move. You won't have room for the large items and the price one pays to move it with labor cost etc... You can buy new furniture in California once you get the lay of the land.
Especially if there's no elevator in your new building.
Yes, you may lose money on it or you will pay twice for it.
Look on Craigslist: no one wants heavy stuff anymore. People are giving away stuff that's heavy.
No emotional attachment? Say byeeee!!
I'm in the process of planning for a move from TX to Southern Cali. We are moving with two toddlers and one small dog into a smaller place (3 bedroom condo).
Do I need to bring basic things like dishes, utensils and cooking pots? What about the big stuff? I have a 7 foot long solid wood tv console that's is heavy and was purchased for $700.
I'm not sure what is the criteria for keeping or getting rid of.
I've moved many times and made a lot of wrong decisions, especially in my early moves.
Our last 3 moves were corporate moves, so the company paid for everything, and that made a huge difference. I was taking everything unless I was already ready to get rid of it. (And I did go through and get rid of quite a bunch of stuff that was just taking up space.)
The dumbest thing we did early on was pay to move and store furniture that wasn't worth very much money, and for what we spent to move and store it, we could have bought new stuff -- stuff we likely would have liked even more than what we had.
This is heavily dependent on how the move is priced -- is it by the pound? By the size of truck --i.e. volume? It also depends on whether you're driving a car (or even two) separately from the moving truck -- it's easy to throw some stuff into your car. You can move plants. You could probably easily move utensils and cooking pots in the car. Maybe even dishes -- if you pack those yourself, you could pack them in a suitcase, using clothes and towels/dish towels, blankets, linens, etc so they don't break. If movers pack them, a set will take up an enormous box and take up a ton of packing material. If you pack them in a box, again, you could pack them in with linens, but you have to remember you've done so when you unpack. If you end up having to pack the dishes and glasses in special boxes with lots of moving paper and in a sturdy box, it depends on how much your dishes are worth. If they were expensive dishes, keep them. If they were inexpensive, you may be better off just donating them somewhere and buying new ones when you get to TX.
As far as toddler toys -- they're very large. There is a HUGE secondary market for them. Unless there are items that your kids are particularly attached to or have special sentimental meaning, sell the toys in CA and go to one of those kids resale events that they have all across the country. You can buy your kids used toys for the price (or less) that you sold their old toys for.
By tv console -- does that mean a piece of furniture upon which you place a television and it has shelves underneath for putting things like a DVR, a disc player, a video game console, etc? If you absolutely love it, then keep it. If not, get rid of it and buy something new (or used) in TX.
Assuming you will somehow be paying by the space/weight, as has been said earlier, determine whether you really love an item, use it a lot, and if it is easily replaceable.
I have always looked at aggregate cost of moving vs aggregate cost of replacement.
A few years ago I moved coast to coast. Buying boxes, renting a Penske truck, putting my car on a trailer behind the truck, hiring laborers on either end to load/unload, hotels, meals and gas cost me a little over $6,000. I could not have replaced all of my stuff for $6,000, so I moved virtually everything.
It was labor intensive to pack myself, and I had to drive cross country, but I don’t mind driving a 26’ truck and trailer, so it made sense to me.
I probably could have gotten rid of a few things and gotten a smaller truck, but it would not have saved a huge amount of money, so why bother?
Take advantage of the opportunity to do a bit of spring cleaning and get rid of the stuff you won’t be using in a year and move the rest.
I’m assuming you have good furniture dishes utensil and other things. If you do keep it. Good furniture or items are expensive. It’s amazing how many people sell good items or toss it away only to buy cheap junk later
My rule for keeping or tossing is 12 months. (Granted tools don’t fall in that category. I’m talking household items or nicknack crap clutter stuff.
When we remodeled our last house we took 4 truckloads of stuff to the goodwill. We’re remodeling our current house so we’re gonna do the same here.
I'm in the process of planning for a move from TX to Southern Cali. We are moving with two toddlers and one small dog into a smaller place (3 bedroom condo).
Do I need to bring basic things like dishes, utensils and cooking pots? What about the big stuff? I have a 7 foot long solid wood tv console that's is heavy and was purchased for $700.
I'm not sure what is the criteria for keeping or getting rid of.
Is the condo fully furnished and providing dishes, utensils, and cookware? If the answer is no then you bring that stuff with you.
OP here,
Lots of really good tips everyone thanks! Our time line is about 6 months or so from now. I'm looking into the least path of resistance and stress for the entire move, so hiring a long haul company that will load and unload is our best option so far. We do have two cars that will be shipped and our plan is to rent a unfurnished 2 or 3 bedroom condo/apt. Not sure what to do about the washer and dryer. They're like new and I really don't want to sell them.
Unlike my initial move from Cali to Texas, it was just me and literally a suitcase. This move back is BIG!
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
