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We just moved from SC to AK. We read the advice 'sell everything and just go' but we have too many items that actually are important to us and we also had a great deal of expensive items that would cost too much to replace after spending a lot on a big move. So we opted to get rid of anything that didn't matter, most things that mattered 'a little bit' and keep the 'absolutely keep' and most 'I'd really like to keep' items. We wound up giving our mattresses away on the day we left due to lack of space but they were always the 'if we have room' category being already plenty old enough to deserve replacement.
We had photos, many items saved from our days in the military, things that are important to our kids that they want to hold onto for when they have kids, tons of high end tools, and a few furniture items that I really liked and since we would need to move things anyway we tossed them in.
We got rid of a TON of stuff. Twenty years of military life, ten years after, four kids, and a husband that wanted to keep and find a use for too many things. I was thrilled to have narrowed it down to a 26 ft U Haul but we will still need to rent a storage unit on this side because this house doesn't have the storage space we need.
The drive was smooth but the U Haul was terrible. Like, awful. My husband said it was horrible to drive. It broke down on our second day. It leaked so we did have a casualty - a handed down cedar chest that the top was subjected to constant moisture because it rained our entire drive except two days, and the blanket that was under it to protect it, wicked up the water and then held it against the wood top. They warn you they are not water proof and they most certainly are not. Luckily it was just one corner that took the worst and everything else was fine. This was the only move that things were not broken or damaged from negligence so there is something to be said for packing yourself, but it was also much more difficult than if we had just hired a company. The U Haul service people were great. They got it fixed and made it more road worthy but the unit was just in bad condition.
The pets traveled great. If you have a carsick prone pup you can ask your vet for motion sickness pills. I asked ours about dramamine and he suggested a medication made just for animals. We used it a few times for certain windy/curvy areas and our dogs never got carsick. We set up a pet station in one car with blankets/pillows, kept plenty of bottled water (vet advised this), got them microchipped for safety, health certificate and copies of their rabies certificates. Keep leashes, dishes for food and water, and potty pick up bags in an easy access place and prepare for frequent stops. We did run into ticks in Saskatchewan but had packed a medical kit for dogs and humans, and had a tick removal tool in it and it worked great.
The key is just do the planning and preparation. Do not wait till the last minute. Everyone will have different needs so ask around for any specific issues you will have. If you are using a moving company I would strongly advise you to put in the cars irreplaceable photos, and your important papers, such as marriage certificates, deeds, diplomas, birth certificates, etc. If you plan to ship any valuable items, research insurance, see if your insurance company will cover the items in transit.
Furniture usually isn't worth moving. You will need different clothes.
Sell everything and drive a car with the pets. Don't be one of those people that take all kinds of things they will never need again.
After moving across country twice I agree. Pack up what you can't do without....some clothes, computer, important papers. If you have memorabilia....pack and leave with your family for a future trip back home....or rent a pull along trailer. The only exception would be if you were moving only hundreds of miles....then you can make round trips....But... You said across country....So, Have a huge moving sale.....those are work but can be fun and a great part of closure. We did that....and had more fun giving so many garage things away to a family with lil boys who were going to be building a tree house with their dad....extra boards, paints nails....you name it.
It is ever so much more fun to re find furniture at your new location piece by piece. Or if you prefer new, buy new. I personally prefer finding treasures that suit my new residence.
Have all your important documents packed in a brief case, pack a suitcase to live out of the last couple of weeks. Pack up your bathroom essentials and kitchen essentials you're taking along to be ready to put right away in your new residence.
Know as much as you can about your new area. Do your online research, the home page of this forum has excellent information about nearly every town/city in the U.S.
Make this as much of a fun adventure as you can, you will look back on these memories forever.
Enjoy your new life!
We have always found the U-Haul 20' cab-over trucks to be the best deal. Even without filling them all the way. Towed one pickup and drove the car. The price is way reasonable compared to moving companies or pods. They drive very well too, catering to regular drivers.
We hired a team of 2 guys to help unload, through U-Haul. $100 for 2 hours and that was plenty of time for all the heavy lifting. We could find lodgings for $50 or $60 in the well-known chains.
I've moved with chickens, cockatiels, dogs, and horses. All an adventure!
We moved twice for retirement in 7 years. First time from western PA to a 55+ in SC (near Charlotte, NC). I moved down in October 2008 and hubby stayed in PA to clean out and sell the house which took 2.5 years. Then 2 years ago we moved from there to another 55+ in Dover, DE. Each time was a totally different experience.
First move was done by mostly by hubby during his stay alone. Since we were moving to a smaller house in a community with amenities and lawn care and little snow he go rid of a lot of stuff we wouldn't need. Held many yard sales and then donated pickup truck loads of stuff. Most of our furniture, however, was kept as we bought high quality and to replace it would cost too much. Only thing we replaced was a sofa and loveseat. Everytime he made the 8 hour drive to visit he would load up the van and twice we rented a Penske 28' truck and hired a couple guys in SC to help unload. There was one 1 item damaged and it was the way he packed it. Still had stuff to get rid of, though. Had many boxes of collectibles that wasn't sure I wanted to get rid of.
Second move was all at once. We managed to get rid of the 20 or so boxes of collectibles we had left over after keeping out the few pieces we wanted to keep We packed everything but furniture and kitchen. Hired a moving company to pack up the kitchen and things like mirrors and glass shelves in the curios and china cabinets. The company we chose was highly recommended and was told "when the museums need to move something, this is the company they choose". Apparently since we weren't a museum they didn't care. Several furniture pieces damaged and the careless spillage of a coke (hubby saw it and questioned it) in the truck ate the finish off our cherry dining room table. I am so happy we got the full coverage insurance.
My couple of comments:
1. People will say to get rid of all your furniture. I say it all depends on how much it would cost to replace it and how well you like it. As mentioned, we had solid oak and cherry furniture which would cost a fortune to replace and we loved it, so we moved it and then paid to have it moved. If it isn't something you love or would be too expensive to replace, then do away with it.
2. If you choose to pay someone, don't be put off if they get upset with you watching over them. Our movers got a bit lippy and implied they knew their job. Obviously they didn't and I was really upset when I saw the damage. In fact at the end when they started to do a few things like screw the legs back on the table, I just told them to get out and we would finish. I didn't want to see them any longer. Luckily we found an excellent furniture repair guy. Had hubby insisted on them taking care of the spill and checking things it might not have been damaged. It's your stuff, not theirs.
3. If you have a significant other, make sure you both have input on what to keep and what to give away. Because I wasn't there to supervise, hubby gave away some things I really wanted to keep, and kept stuff I told him to get rid of. Plus he kept pushing me to get rid of some stuff that I didn't. Moving is not a peaceful marriage experience.
4. As far as DIY or hire, it all depends on your abilities. We hired the movers the second time because I was recovering from a botched hip replacement surgery and hubby was pretty much on his own for everything and we felt we needed someone else to do the "heavy" lifting. The worst was getting the extremely heavy sofa bed, and a 350# juke box up into the loft. They made us sign a waiver for wall damage, which they did but it could be patched.
The Better Business Bureau is your friend. Carefully evaluate any mover you might hire. Note that interstate moving affords you more protections than intrastate. Be especially careful to avoid companies who close their doors on Friday only to re-open as a different company on Monday.
...It leaked so we did have a casualty - a handed down cedar chest that the top was subjected to constant moisture because it rained our entire drive except two days, and the blanket that was under it to protect it, wicked up the water and then held it against the wood top. They warn you they are not water proof and they most certainly are not. Luckily it was just one corner that took the worst and everything else was fine. This was the only move that things were not broken or damaged from negligence so there is something to be said for packing yourself, but it was also much more difficult than if we had just hired a company. The U Haul service people were great. They got it fixed and made it more road worthy but the unit was just in bad condition...
This I did not know! Living in an arid environment my whole life, this is something that would never come to mind. Thank you for telling us. I'll purchase a roll of plastic drop cloth to drape over whatever furniture and boxes I load.
This I did not know! Living in an arid environment my whole life, this is something that would never come to mind. Thank you for telling us. I'll purchase a roll of plastic drop cloth to drape over whatever furniture and boxes I load.
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Make sure you lay plastic down and wrap it up around the items as well. The cedar chest was ruined by the water dripping down onto the floor and being wicked up by the blanket padding the chest. It wasn't the dripping from the top that did it in! In fact, everything else was fine. We had one box damp on the bottom but the item was on a layer of peanuts so was undamaged. The other water area dripped onto a rubbermaid bin so again, we got lucky. It's hard to protect a large load from water intrusion in a moving van but you could also protect valuables by placing them in plastic bags within the boxes.
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