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I hope someone can offer some valued advice. I need to move several pieces of furniture and some boxes from Los Angeles to Boston. I can pack the boxes myself, but how to I get it moved cheaply? Even the Pods seem to cost around $2,500. This seems like a lot of money. Any other options?
I (want) to move several pieces of furniture and some boxes from Los Angeles to Boston.
I can pack the boxes myself, but how to I get it moved cheaply?
SELL the furniture there and mail (or UPS) the boxes.
Even giving furniture away is a perfectly fine choice.
Replace these items when you get east.
Caveat: If these pieces are family heirlooms... store them until you're absolutely positively
and otherwise completely and unreservedly certain that you will never be returning to LA.
If this is true you probably have family to leave them with.
I just moved a load of mainly furniture from CA to TN and price checked everything. The U-Haul containers were the cheapest option. About $1300 for one 'pod-like' container, but each additional container was $500 only more.
I used 1800RATPACK because of the level movement of their container--I had a lot of heavy things I did not want to shift, like a piano.
Otherwise the U-Haul was a good low price option for a move, not storage as their containers and not well constructed.
Also, once you get an on-line price, call them and negotiate. Ask how can I lower the price?, drop off the container on a different day, etc. and they will lower the prices. My ratpack went from $5500 to $3300 for the large container up to 6000 pounds. When I checked ABS was the most expensive. PODs did not serve my area. Nor did Mayflower.
Okay, I called uHaul. They will give me a small container to fill -- 8' x 5' x 7'6"
I would fill it up at a nearby uHaul location. And they would deliver it to another nearly uHaul location on the east coast. I would have to unload it myself.
The cost would be:
$1,748.00 for shipping
$134.00 for each 30 days of rental
$180 in taxes (depends on state)
Since I would pay for at least a month rental, this would give me plenty of time to load and unload the container. I am not sure how much I would be able to fit in there. If I can move stuff for under $2K, it might be worth it to me.
Does anyone have any other advice to contribute? It seems moving is a hassle no matter how you slice it. Ugh. I feel sick already.
Try doing the U-Haul on line quote too. Sometimes they come out less than in-person or on the phone. With the gas drop, it should be less. MY quote was a few weeks ago and a lot less $ with a similar distance and mine was door to door. If you do the drop off, consider if you have a vehicle to haul the stuff to the U-Haul center.
To see if everything will fit, mark out the space in your house or garage and stack the stuff up and see what you can fit in the space, and how to best arrange it.
I have no answers for you, having given away almost everything I own, certainly all my furniture, and then sending UPS everything I needed for daily existence in my recent move. I'm posting because I've made several unsuccessful moves in my life, and they all were unsuccessful because I was unwilling to (thank you Frozen ) "let it go."
Why are you moving? No, this isn't an actual question for you to answer here. It's a question your posts made me ask about your situation.
If it's to take a new job, then, as others suggest, you can buy new furniture in your new city. If you can't afford storage and aren't relocating to take a new job, are you sure you won't get over your head in debt to make this move? So-- Why are you moving? For a relationship? Is the relationship solid? Could your partner not help you with your cherished possessions?
Even millionaires don't move across country with all their "chattels." Millionaires in fact are less likely to work themselves up about their ability to replace belongings. Possibly your furniture is (seriously) telling you something: that you're already sure you're going to lose too much by making the move. A cross-country move can be a great and wonderful change in your life--great enough that parting with even heirlooms is worth it.
The point is that moving is a RISK. For your own sake, please think this move through, because even if a potential move is a blessing waiting to happen, your attitude toward it can jinx even the greatest opportunity. Don't act impulsively thinking that by acting impulsively, the many serious issues surrounding one of life's most stressful activities, moving, will magically disappear.
If you absolutely cannot afford to move your furniture, ask yourself if at this point in your life, it isn't more realistic for you to stay where you are and keep your belongings then to make such a drastic move and pay storage fees for items you will never be able to move at such a distance. The most important question: Will losing these possessions hurt so badly that you can't stand it? If the answer is Yes, then maybe now isn't the right time for you to leave where you can continue to own and enjoy them.
You can fit a LOT of stuff into those containers. We've used them a few times, and I'm always amazed at how tight you can fill them. For things that fit into boxes, try to use the same size as much as possible-- it saves space when you can uniformly stack boxes. Remember to factor in the cost of getting your stuff to and from the drop-off facility; especially if you have to rent a truck to bring your stuff there you may find it worth paying the couple extra hundred bucks to have them drop it off at your place.
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) "let it go." 
