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We moved across country twice in two years. We had no regrets and we did do a pretty good job of getting rid of stuff. But several years after the second move we still had quite a few boxes of stuff that we had not unpacked. Clearly these were items that were not "needed".
We are going to be moving a substantial distance again in about 3 years and I have started whittling away at the stuff already. I have a list going, room-by-room, of what will go, what will be sold and what will be donated. Most of the furniture will not go with us...other than dining room and living room - those pieces are fairly new and expensive, so worth the move. Bedroom furniture, most of it will not come...other than two dressers that are high quality and worth the moving cost. We are also in a "no buy" mindset now, knowing that we have a move coming.
We will also rent for a few months when we move to have time to research specifically where we want to be. So, with it being just two of us we'll rent a 1 bdrm and won't have space for much furniture...another reason to not bring too much.
For both of our moves, we drove the truck ourselves, but hired helpers to load and unload. This was money well spent and quite a bit of savings over hiring out the entire job. On the first move, we lucked out, a good friend of ours was an advisor for an engineering fraternity and was able to locate a couple of students who were looking to make some cash. When these guys finished packing the truck there was not room for a single sheet of paper!! BEST.MONEY.EVER.SPENT! On the plus side for them, they "inherited" some items that wouldn't fit in the moving truck or our vehicles...vacuum cleaner (guess they'd use it!!) and a fairly nice gas grill...they would definitely use that!! hehe
Best advice, start preparing early and as YorktownGal said...open a bank account at your destination, it will make everything so much easier when you get there.
If you do social media, see if your new town or area has a Facebook group or has a presence on Nextdoor. This can provide a wealth of knowledge from locals who know the ins & outs of local businesses, contractors, town culture and regulations. Where the best walking trails are, where to get takeout from, handyman recommendations, etc.
Join before moving and ask your questions! Also, lurk and learn. I found this invaluable when I moved to my current town. So much great information and advice. In my case, I've gotten far more out of the local Facebook group but, YMMV.
Heck, I just moved across town and I hate every bit of my stuff. That is, while it's being moved. Once I put it in place I like it again.
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