Starting a whole new life. Please help me? (relocating, jobs, U-Haul)
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I recently decided that I am going to move to a new city, start a new life, career and really enjoy life for all it is worth. I will be graduating with a Master's of Finance from a major university. I am currently living near Des Moines, Iowa. I am very lucky that I have been able to travel all over the country and out of the country and I have decided that I do not want to be here anymore. I love my family and friends, but I need a new change.
I have decided that I would like to move to Miami, Florida after I graduate.
I love Miami. There is so much to do and see at all hours of the day. I have found jobs that I am going to look into. I am going to be going all alone, no family lives in Miami.
Obviously, I have a few concerns.
1.) I have many possessions, but only one bedroom's worth. What to I bring? Or do I sell everything and go with nothing but clothes and basic necessities? Bring furniture? What should I take? Buy a new car? I really do not know what to do. My parents are great in helping, but we have lived in the same town for our entire lives. What did you all take?
2.) Other than driver's license and such, what major things do I have to do when moving to another state?
3.) Making new friends and business relationships. I am a very social person, but how do I meet locals? I do not want to be in a new place alone. I want someone who can show me the very best of the city and so on. Where are some good places? Gym? Library? Special events? For you people that move a lot, what do you usually do?
4.) I know this is really up to me, but did you all keep close in touch with your friends from home? I don't think I would ever forget them, but is it hard to keep in touch?
5.) Get a new local phone number? (Cell phone, of course.) Or keep the old?
6.) Tips for moving for before and after I get there? Any other comments?
I love Miami and I know that I will really like it, because I have been there many, many times. Thank you for all of your time and I appreciate all of your opinions. Thank you again.
I am trying to do something very similar. My house is on the market and after it sells, I am relocating from Michigan to North Carolina....by myself, to start all over. I'm very excited but I have worries too. I think that's natural at any age. I'm 47. I have a good job that I can do anywhere, so it will be following me.
Once my home is sold, I plan to rent a small cottage at my new destination. I am having a massive garage sale before I leave and will get rid of absolutely everything I own, with the exception of the necessities and the pieces I love and can't live without. My bed, a few pieces of furniture, some art, PC, and lamps will come with me along with my clothes. The rest will be sold or donated.
When I move, I will have to arrange for a new drivers licence, register my car, probably get an emissions test and seek new auto insurance. My current policy will not be valid in my new state. I'm not sure about my bank yet. I may have to get a new one of those too.
I personally plan to change my cell phone number to a local number as it will be my only phone.
My family supports my decision and they are happy for me. They will actually be helping me with the move when the times comes. How great is that?
I'm leaving a 22 year old son here that is living his own life, and he encourages me to 'follow my heart' too.
C515, can you leave your stuff in your parents garage? It's so much easier to try a new place if you bring very little with you. And if you end up hating Miami, it's much easier to move to a new city or even to go back home, if you're not lugging around a bedroom set!
I think moving to a new city is a great adventure and should be treated as such. If you were 30 and owned some things you loved, that would be different, but at 24? Just hop on a plane with a suitcase, and go! Rent a room, not an apartment, and let your new roommates show you the city.
1.) I have many possessions, but only one bedroom's worth. What to I bring? Or do I sell everything and go with nothing but clothes and basic necessities? Bring furniture? What should I take? Buy a new car? I really do not know what to do. My parents are great in helping, but we have lived in the same town for our entire lives. What did you all take?
this is a toughie. you have to balance the cost and the hassle you're willing to put up with. i've moved a number of times in the past year, and the easiest method i used was to primarily pack what i needed and little else. this included bed linens, all my clothes, computer, dishware, documents, and things like photo albums and little trinkets from childhood that i can't part with. i even packed a little bit of toilet paper and paper towels to get me by for the first few days. as for furniture, i completely lucked out because my place already had a desk and a sofa; all i needed was a bed. to make it easy on myself, i bought a bed from ikea and had it delivered to my place. i put it together myself to save money, although i could have paid the delivery guys more to assemble it for me. this ended up being such an easy move because of the lack of crap i had to find a place for in my apartment. the biggest shopping trip i had to make was to buy food; i pretty much already had what i needed.
now, the very first time i did a big move, i didn't know any of this, and it was a lot more work. i pretty much packed up everything i've ever owned in my life and shipped all of it there for over $300. when i arrived, i promptly went to target where i bought a crap load of furniture- more than was necessary, because my apartment was big and i needed to fill up space. as for my bed, i was lucky that i had a family member with a truck who put it together for me. this may not be true for you, but this move taught me that i don't need a tv or a sofa. i spent quite a bit of money on a nice tv and a big couch, and i never used either. again, i highly recommend that you focus on the essentials. i also had probably 25 huge boxes i needed to unpack, and organizing my apartment took a long time. this isn't the funnest activity on earth when you are exhausted from moving and shell shocked by being in a new place.
ask yourself some questions like; how big is my place? what do i need and what can i toss away? how much lifting and carrying do i want to be doing in the summer miami heat? how much energy am i going to have after driving/flying/whatever there? for every box you pack, know that you're going to lift that box and carry it multiple times, and that goes for every other box. the heat in the south is no joke. my advice? pack lightly!
furniture is always up in the air. are you extremely attached to your bed and other items? i wouldn't bother taking them if you can help it. tons of furniture stores out there deliver, so you wouldn't have to worry about how to get any of it in your apartment. and if they have an ikea, i recommend them.
do you already have a car? my suggestion would be to pack it with the essentials and take off. if there's something you might want to keep and have no room for, can you leave it with your parents or friends, as the other commentator suggested? if you don't have a car, you can pack everything into boxes and then have it delivered by the time you will have arrived.
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2.) Other than driver's license and such, what major things do I have to do when moving to another state?
get your mail forwarded to your new address. fill out the form at the postal office; it costs money to do it online. correct your address with people who mail you a lot, such as credit card companies. think about whether you'll need to get a new bank account in florida. is the one you use now convenient enough, or should you use a branch there? the easiest way to switch is to settle in, and then write yourself a check from your old checking account, and once that clears, close the old account over the phone.
you might have to re-register your car again in florida- i'd look into that.
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3.) Making new friends and business relationships. I am a very social person, but how do I meet locals? I do not want to be in a new place alone. I want someone who can show me the very best of the city and so on. Where are some good places? Gym? Library? Special events? For you people that move a lot, what do you usually do?
this is a great question to ask on the miami city-data forum. i'm sure there are endless things to do there, and they should have good suggestions. i've been lucky that college has been the common factor in all my moves, so i've met people through school. apart from that, there are so many ways to meet people- work, volunteering, meetup.com, events posted on craigslist, hobbies, etc. you'll do fine.
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4.) I know this is really up to me, but did you all keep close in touch with your friends from home? I don't think I would ever forget them, but is it hard to keep in touch?
with skype and facebook, keeping in touch these days is so easy. i use skype every week to talk to my parents and so i still get to see them, which is really cool.
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5.) Get a new local phone number? (Cell phone, of course.) Or keep the old?
it's a pain to change your number- i'd keep your old one if you have no problems with it.
I am thinking of starting over the only thing that is keeping me down is money and bad credit. I haven't don't do drugs i have been mentally abuse and trying to do deal with that. I live in Idaho and not willing to stay here and this State is holding me down to. I need a fresh start and don't know what to do. I sometimes break down and cry cause everything i been through comes down on me. I don't have money to get a new identity from court i am on disability but it's gone and can't do anything to get myself out. All my children r grown so i really don't have that to worry about. I can't here for i might make out alive. I need help is there anyone who can help me please
Not to be negative, but visiting a place and actually living there are completely different. I have lived in So. Florida my whole life and I can tell you this is a great place to visit but far different living here. There are some real problems here that you are just not going to encounter in IA (most of my family is from IA). All I can say is RESEARCH and ask the locals for advice re: where to live in Miami-Dade. I do think it is AWESOME that you are relocating and I sincerely wish you the best!!!
Sit down with a cup of coffee, a pen and a long piece of paper.
Write all and any question on it, one below the other.
Do that over several days, or whenever a new one comes to your mind.
A week from now, sit down and organize these questions in groups ( medical, new friends, area of town to live in, moving items, old friends, family, drivers ID, new or used car, etc, etc)
You will see that a structure appears.
Now you can start asking questions to particular folks, google them, or answer them by yourself.
After a month of doing a little bit every day you will feel much more secure about your plan.
I did this when I moved as a young man to Europe, when I came back from there, when I moved with my family cross the states. Always worked.
I am thinking of starting over the only thing that is keeping me down is money and bad credit. I haven't don't do drugs i have been mentally abuse and trying to do deal with that. I live in Idaho and not willing to stay here and this State is holding me down to. I need a fresh start and don't know what to do. I sometimes break down and cry cause everything i been through comes down on me. I don't have money to get a new identity from court i am on disability but it's gone and can't do anything to get myself out. All my children r grown so i really don't have that to worry about. I can't here for i might make out alive. I need help is there anyone who can help me please
When you look at all your problems lumped together it does look impossible so don't do that. Instead look at the things you can change. For starters - find resources for mental illness drugs.... depression, bi-polar are easy to treat with the right medications. Join a support group. Go to any group just to get out of your head for a while.
Live with someone else so your not depressed and alone...misery loves company. You ca get out of the cycle by taking baby steps and accepting help.
OP I cannot offer much more advice than you've already received but wanted to say good luck and good for you! I am in the same process, should be moving in January, and I think everyone should do something like that if that's what's in their heart! And obviously living and visiting an area are completely different! You are not committed to living there the rest of your life! if you find it's not for you then find somewhere else.
Personally I am going to get rid of anything that will not fit in a U-haul trailer and my Yukon. That means selling/donating bed, dresser, sofa, etc...but it's fun to buy new furniture when you're starting a new life anyway.
I bet they have furniture now, as the OP started this thread two years ago...
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