Cheaper to move everything or just buy new stuff? (moving company, rent a truck, truck)

[radraja]

I live in a 1 bedroom condo right now.

Generally speaking, if I were to move out of state, would it be cheaper for me to:

A. Keep my current furniture and hire movers to load & drive it (loading and driving the furniture myself probably wouldn't be an option).

-OR-

B. Take only my personal belongings (in my car), ditch my current furniture, and buy all new stuff post-move.


Thoughts? I know they have sites that offer quotes, but I don't know where I'm moving yet (plus it'll probably be at least another year from now), so at this point, I just want a general idea of what would make more sense...

[MrBlueSky_]

I've pretty much furnished my entire home by buying used furniture off Craigslist.org. It's not difficult to find some really nice stuff on there for cheap.

So, if your furniture doesn't have any sentimental value I would sell it/give it away locally on your city's Craigslist classifieds etc, then buy more stuff off the Craigslist at your new location.

[azoria]

Well, it depends.....

....On how much it costs to move the stuff versus replacing it. You'd need to know how much it would cost to pack, load and haul the stuff yourself, and how much it cost to pay someone else to do all that. And how far you're moving.

Chances are for the furnishings and possessions in a small one bedroom condo, it would be much cheaper to leave the current stuff behind and replace everything in the new location. Plus it gives you the opportunity to purge junk you don't need and don't use but would probably haul away if you could. It's good to get rid of stuff every so often.

[hothulamaui]

sometimes your old stuff doesn't fit right in a new place. the couch is too long, or the area would be better suited to a round table and you have square. the pictures don't quite fit on the walls or there are not enough wall space for the pictures you have. I think it is fun to get new stuff. a new town, new stuff

[Newdaawn]

I agree with Mr Bluesky. If your things are not new, lovely, or with sentimental value. Sell them. You could rent a small U haul to take whatever you cannot part with. As many time what you want to keep will not fit in the car. Much depends on how much of a drive you will be making to your new location.

[Jillaceae]

I've done both, and it depends.

Like a lot of others, we furnished one apartment almost entirely off of Criagslist for a few hundred dollars. If you don't have a problem with used stuff, this is a really great option.

On the other hand, if you want new furniture, it will be cheaper to move the stuff you have. When we moved to the apartment we have now, most of our furniture was too large for the very small space. We weren't finding what we needed on Craigslist, so we went to Ikea because Ikea is cheap and has a lot of space-saving furniture. The stuff we bought from Ikea was inexpensive, but needing multiple pieces still adds up. It cost nearly $1000 to furnish the living area of our 500 sqare foot apartment. For that we got a couch, an end table, three bookcases, a table and two chairs, two small bedroom end tables, a large rug, and a few other small items. It was quite a lot for $1000, but still, it was $1000.

It depends on how far out of state you want to move, too. When we moved from Oregon and Vermont, we did the Craigslist thing because it would have cost several thousand dollars for the truck. Our last move was only about 1000 miles, and truck rental (we still moved all our stuff and our mattress, just not our big furniture) was only $600 (Penske w/ AAA discount). A slightly larger truck for if we had wanted to move all our furniture still would have been under $1000.

[brookdaleresident]

It depends on the value of your furniture. I paid movers $3000 to move mine; it would cost at least $20k to replace it with something comparable. If my things were old and not in the best condition, I'd buy new. Distance is a big factor in your moving cost.

[Cav Scout wife]

Like others have said, it depends on the cost of the move with and without furniture; as opposed to the cost of not furniture and having to buy new stuff (either new or used) when you get where you are going.

I would not, since I never move too far (the times I did, we were reimbursed through the Army), and usually don't rent a truck or anything. We usually call a few friends over and feed them, in lieu of paying them to help us move, lol.

[kygman]

Last year when we moved, even though it was across town, we got what we wanted out of the old place and advertised in the local paper for a free yard sale. Everything left behind was free. I opened the door at 7 and was going home by 9. None of the "can you hold that till I get a truck from so and so" of anything. First come, first served. The little that was left either went in the trash or to the Salvation Army.

[norm]

I am faced with the same problem. I got a quote of $2800 for moving my stuff from Long Island, NY to Albuquerque. I am bringing my bedroom furniture & dining room table & chairs along with various stuff (lamps, tools, utensils, appliances, clothing, etc). My furniture alone would cost about the same (if not more) as the moving costs so it pays for me to use a moving company. This way we can drive to ABQ with my 2 dogs & 4 cats and not have to cram stuff into every corner of the van.