has anyone relocated from across country to phoenix? (Peoria, Flagstaff: insurance, apartment complex)

[ForBoston]

i currently live in buffalo, ny (don't applaud that). the economy is going down the drain, i've seen 8 feet of snow fall in 2 days time, and to be honest, it's just not an appealing place anymore. i was doing a little research on top places to relocate to and phoenix came up as thrid, and as much as idaho and kansas appeal to me (haha) i began to look into the area more and more and i really like what i see. i am just coming out of a teaching program so i'll be looking for a teaching job, and from what i've read, there are a ton of up and coming areas so i'm not too worried about finding a position.
now, is there anyone here who has packed up and moved across the country and if so, if you don't mind me asking, how much did you end up paying and what's the cheapest way you think it could be done? i was quoted a price from pods of about $4,000 and had to change my pants afterwards. if i was to do it myself with u-haul, i could do it for about $1,800 (with towing a vehicle). i'm hoping i could do better than that, so maybe someone has some advice.

my second question is about living. i'm a simpleton. i don't need anything over the top elaborate, especially when i'm first starting out. so i hopped on craigslist to get an idea of prices and such, and apartments for rent are actually quite reasonable. i was going to move to boston with my buddy who is in law school, and he lives in brookline. he has a 1bed, 1bath and pays $1,300 a month (not including utilities). that's not something i could afford starting out on a teacher's salary. i see all these epic looking apartment complexes on craigslist (one example is monterey point) that have respectable rent ($700/month) that include appliances, washer and dryers etc and for a college student who thinks fabreeze is just as good as washing the clothes, this is pretty huge. are these types of complexes for real, or am i getting punked here? any suggestions when it comes to apartments?

thanks for your time.

[ComputerGuy]

You can go over to uhaul.com, input your information, and the site will give you a quote on the cost of moving. That should give you a rough estimate on what you will pay.

[HX_Guy]

Not sure on the cost of moving, but the rent cost sounds accurate.

My parents rent an apartment in north Peoria, it's about 780 sq ft, 1 bedroom 1 bathroom and they pay right around $700 a month. Yes, it does include all you appliances (range/stove, microwave, fridge, washer, dryer) and you'll find that most, probably all, of apartments in the Phoenix area will include these.

[micrguy]

Also remember that if you are driving across the country in a rental truck (and towing a car) you will be spending at least $750 if not more in gas. Also choose your route carefully and be prepared for some white knuckle driving. I drove a rental truck with bad shocks and towing my car across the country and the last part of the drive from Flagstaff to Phoenix was a killer. Most of the midwest is easy to drive unless you get wind or severe weather.

I got really lucky the last time that I rented a truck, it only had 7500 miles on it, so see if you can request a newer vehicle.

[blisterpeanuts]

Unlike in Boston, apartments in Phoenix also come with AC. You only need AC about 6 weeks a year in Boston, but when you need it you really need it.

Look on Craigslist for deals; there are tons of apartments under $700. Someone wants you to live in her timeshare by a golf course for like $350. Driving around town, I see lots of deals posted--3 months free rent, etc. Looks like a glut of vacancies right now.

In Boston, we were paying $1400 for a 2.5 bedroom, 1 car garage space, no AC. Hoo boy. You'll do well on the financial side. Get a roommate and you'll be living like a king. And I hear there's lots of teaching jobs here, both full time and substitute.

As for moving--the best and cheapest way if you're young and strong is to rent a truck or trailer and get some friends to help you at each end. Maybe don't bring that old bed, sofa, and bookcase because you can get all that stuff pretty cheaply here. We had lots of heavy stuff--an exercise machine, too many boxes of books, etc.--and we rented a U-Store pod and hired teams at each end to load/unload. That worked pretty well but it did come out to about $5000.

[jlhct]

It cost me about $2500 to have my stuff moved from CT to here. That proce included the movers in both locations. The move motivated me to get rid a lot of stuff so I wouldn't be paying moving costs for stuff I could do without.

My advice would be to start listing stuff on ebay/craigslist or giving it away to friends/family/people who could really use it and just move out here with just the bare nessesities to keep your price as low as possible.

[wicked_wisdom]

* to piggyback of the uhaul thing, instead of getting an entire uhaul, you could split the cost with someone else.

U-Haul customer to customer boards

* Mailing things to yourself, or a friend, is usually better than paying to move them. Send things media mail when possible - books, CDs, DVDs, and papers. Get insurance for things like movies, too - it's only a few dollars.

* Definitely clean out your stuff before you pay to move it - donate old clothes, sell books and movies you don't want. See if you can store things you're not sure about with your parents or friends. That might be a good idea for some childhood items you don't necessarily need. Also, try to open a bank account at a bank that will be in your new state before you get their - see what's around, and see if one of the banks has branches close to you. It will be a huge convenience and time saver.

* i hear amtrak and greyhound also ship boxes. i've never used it myself so i don't know the details, but you may wanna check that out.

* Camping along the way instead of staying in hotels saves a lot of money.

* Take a cooler and pack your lunches/breakfasts (also bcz. you will feel like CRAP if you eat fast-food the whole way). Don't drive fatgued, but try to keep a mile goal so you don't end up accidentally spending an extra night on the road. if you can stand it, don't run the AC--eats gas like a mo-fo. keep the window down and work on the trucker tan

* When you get to your destination, contact the welcome wagon and let them know. there's all sorts of really great coupons you can get, and also info about the town.

* Save your receipts and write down your expenses - moving for a new job can be deducted from your taxes next year, depending on your work situation.

[foma]

When I moved from TX to upstate NY, we had a Uhaul trailer and I used my SUV and trailer (the covered ones) to tow what little belongings I owned. Total cost: under $500. Total cost for move (ie gas, food, travel etc), probably under $1500.

When hubby and I moved from upstate NY to PHX, we got a mover to do it. Total cost, including travel etc., about $12,000. The movers alone I think was about $10K. We lived in a 700 sq ft apartment in upstate so we didn't exactly have a lot of stuff and it still cost us that much money.

The cheapest way to go is to do it yourself. No matter which way you do it, however, just make sure you DO YOUR HOMEWORK. It's a pain in the arse but if you're not organized, you can get royally screwed - no matter if you do it yourself or of you hire someone.

If you hire someone, DO YOUR HOMEWORK DO YOUR HOMEWORK DO YOUR HOMEWORK. There's a lot of shady companies out there. I've heard of some pretty crappy stories about how companies quote you one price and then double it and refuse to give you are stuff unless you pay. It's pretty scary. Ours was a corporate move so luckily everything went smoothly.

Good luck!

[ranman469]

for our move from mi. to gilbert az. penski trucks all the way 1k cheeper than uhal.the truck was a 26' and we got a car tote for 1800$ we booked 6 months ahead, that may have helped

in the burbs they are building new schools and are looking for people. the wife was checking on line for the diffrent districts.

[twiggy]

Originally Posted by jlhct

It cost me about $2500 to have my stuff moved from CT to here. That proce included the movers in both locations. The move motivated me to get rid a lot of stuff so I wouldn't be paying moving costs for stuff I could do without.

My advice would be to start listing stuff on ebay/craigslist or giving it away to friends/family/people who could really use it and just move out here with just the bare nessesities to keep your price as low as possible.

Ditto that! The most cost effective is to sell there at a garage sale or craigs list and buy when you get here. You might even find a furnished apt. There are a lot of those out here. The first apt you rent try and get a short stay lease, like 3 to 6 months. After that you will know exactly where you want to live, near a job, etc. Arizona, and a few other states like Florida and California are in a recession already according to the news (get from that what you want). I guess it is from our housing issues. So look into those jobs first thing. Good luck.