Why is moving to Seattle so darn expensive?

[BuckeyeAtHeart]

We have used ABF U-Pack trailers twice and the only damage we had was to our dryer, but that was because of the friend who was helping us load the trailer (put heavy stuff on top of a dryer which is not nearly as sturdy as the washing machine).

There are videos to watch so that you can learn how to safely pack your belongings in these trailers. It is a skill, but some may realize how important a skill it would be to learn for future moves

My advice if you go this route: (1) you can never use too many padded blankets or tie-down straps, (2) try to use consistent boxes - we picked up apple boxes and egg boxes from the grocery store and hubby loved that he only had to deal with stacking/fitting two different-sized boxes (of course there were some odd sizes too).

Why not have you belongings transported and you drive your vehicle? This will then give you the opportunity to check out a future home with your own car. If you use ABF, they won't deliver the trailer until you call them. I believe they expect you to call within a certain number of days from the time the trailer arrives at their terminal, but I also believe they offer the option to pay for a number of days to store the trailer.

[windrunner4484]

Originally Posted by valthenya

I haul and then be sure to media mail your books

What is media mail? I have lots of books and will be taking many with me. Gave half of them to the library already.

[MJ7]

Moving items is never worth it to me. Not unless you can justify spending an extra 6k on those same items.

I always sell my items and just pick up new ones when I get there. Of course this is easy when you don't have a full household. If you have a family then you are pretty much just going to have to fork it out. Moving is never cheap, and that's why a lot of people avoid doing so, especially the older you get.

[nep321]

Bet thing to do is store all of your stuff in one or two U-Boxes. Then, have it shipped to your new location. You'll save maybe $1K-2K. In total, it should be about $2K max.