Moving cross country

[brikis98]

This summer, my gf and I are moving from Boston, MA to Palo Alto, CA and are trying to figure out the best way to get our belongings shipped across. We will have the following:

* Clothes
* Kitchen supplies: plates, pots, pans, utensils, small appliances
* Bathroom/cleaning supplies
* Sports equipment: 2 bikes, hockey equipment, tennis rackets, etc
* 37" LCD TV + 5.1 speaker system
* Desktop computer, laptop computer, peripherals
* Lots of books
* NO FURNITURE. We are moving into a fully furnished apartment so we aren't bringing any furniture with us

It's not much stuff at all, which is why I feel like using something like PODS would be total overkill (unless they have a very small POD we could use).

Any/all suggestions are appreciated


EDIT ---> Forgot to mention, we are NOT going to drive all the way across the country (we don't have enough time), so something like a UHaul is not an option.

 

[ggnl]

Small Uhaul maybe? Or you could stuff as much of it as possible in your cars and ship the rest via Fedex/USPS.

 

[amdskip]

Sounds like a small uhaul would easily take all of that, heck even a little trailer.

 

[Capt Caveman]

I've used Door to Door Moving and Storage with great success several times. The containers are smaller than PODS and less expensive.

 

[Titan]

I would vote for a small U-haul, but if you're flying or something, maybe look into some freight companies. Or ship all books media mail, and the rest via UPS/FedEX.

 

[CrackRabbit]

Another vote for a small moving truck. DO NOT USE UHAUL! Go with Penske or Budget.

 

[brikis98]

Sorry guys, I forgot to mention that we will NOT be driving the 3000+ miles across the country, as we just won't have time for it. The gf and I will fly and our stuff needs to get shipped without us.

 

[krylon]

Well since you aren't driving, any regular shipping carrier is going to rape you with all of those bulky items. Plus, after you factor in insurance, you might as well just get a professional moving company and be done with it. It will be a much better experience.

 

[spelletrader]

I have moved around the country (and world) a lot. At one point we lived in 6 different states in a 5 year period.

The last move that we did where we actually had to ship items was from NYC to Maui and then Maui to Denver. Most of the stuff we brought from NYC came with us in our luggage and we had family ship us some stuff via USPS a few months later. While living on Maui we acquired more stuff (naturally!) and didn't have any family there (all of my wifes family lives on Oahu or the Big Island) to ship anything to us in Denver. All of our furniture had already been put into storage in North Carolina and a moving company was bringing it out to Denver.

Anyway. Here is what we did to get our stuff from Maui to Denver. We already had a house rented and everything so had an address to ship to, but you can always just ship to the closest post office and have it held there for pick up. My wife got a bunch of shipping boxes, buy em at Walmart or you can sometimes get decent ones for free if you ask. All of the stuff that we could afford to lose and did not need right away (clothes we don't wear often, books, etc) we shipped via parcel post.

Stuff that we preferred not to lose was shipped priority with signature confirmation and held at the post office for pickup. We had to hold all the priority items for pick up because we spent 2 weeks on Oahu before flying to Denver. Parcel post will take ~6 weeks to arrive, but it is dirt cheap.

We shipped 3 computers (with 19" crt monitors no less!), 100 dvds, a tv, 5 boxes of kids toys and clothes, all of our clothes, my work specific equipment, rollerblades etc, kitchen appliances/utensils, books galore. We did not lose a single thing, and everything was intact and working perfectly upon arrival. EDIT: Note the computer monitors were shipped parcel post as well, my wife packed them in separate boxes with clothes/blankets etc packed around them for packing material. It was a risk, but it worked out fine.

So I highly recommend USPS for your move.

Places I have lived since 1994:

New York City (Born and raised then joined the military)
Texas (San Antonio)
Florida (Ft Walton Beach)
Maryland (Indian Head)
Florida (Ft Walton Beach)
South Korea (Kunsan City)
Guam (Yigo)
North Carolina (Fayetteville) (got out of the military)
New York City
Hawaii (Haiku, Maui)
Colorado (Denver)
Wyoming (Cheyenne)
New Mexico (Las Cruces) (been here for the last 3 years)

That is actually living there, if you add in deployments or temporary duty I would have to add a dozen other countries and two dozen other states. I have always used USPS for every move for at least some stuff, and religiously on the longer deployments.

Our kids are in school now and we just had another, so we have settled for now and hopefully rid ourselves of the wanderlust. I hope to never have to move again!

 

[brikis98]

Thanks for the detailed reply spelletrader, we'll definitely look into using USPS.

 

[EagleKeeper]

Boston to Palo Alto will be a good 4 day drive for adults

Double check the costs.

also, if you are moving for business, the employer may assist.


We have done Annapolis -> San Diego in 4.5 days with 4 children in a sedan.

 

[nerp]

I get off on the fact that you can box up your entire existence and mail it like that and it will arrive in Maui perfectly intact. The mail system is pretty freakin amazing.

How much did it cost?

 

[brikis98]

Originally posted by: nerp
How much did it cost?

I'm curious about that too.

 

[brikis98]

bump

 

[kalrith]

I had some friends move from NY to Missouri. They shipped their stuff in a semi-truck. The moving company they used (I could find out the name if you want) would drive to different locations to load items for people. The movers would load all of the stuff in the semi-trailer and then put up a dividing wall. Then they'd move on to the next location and do the same. Then they'd drop all the stuff off at the various destinations. I'm not sure exactly how long it took to get there or how much it cost, but I could certainly ask them if you'd like me to. They said it was very affordable and much easier than using a U-Haul.

 

[dullard]

I'm going to say look into mailing it or look into something like UPS. It really won't cost much if you are really careful with what you take. About 5 years ago I mailed a friend's belonings from Nebraska to Boston with USPS. It cost under $70. Of course, he really did well at selling/giving away most of the non-essentials as all of his stuff fit easilly in my Civic. He did have me ship it with their media mail price and it didn't arrive for a month though - you'll probably want to pony up a bit more cash and get it there in a week.

Cleaning supplies aren't worth taking. Same with probably all of your books. You could buy that stuff when you get at your destination. Depending on quality, it may be worth it just to ditch much of your kitchen supplies as well. On sale, kitchen plates and cups don't cost that much and they are hard to ship without breaking. Many clothes can come with you on the plane. Your only hard thing to ship will be the TV. At that point, you might consider selling it use and buying another similar used one when you arrive in Palo Alto - net price difference for the TV swap should be almost $0.

 

[zinfamous]

United Van.

lack of furniture should save you a bit of cash, and depending on the number of books you have, shipping individual boxes could be very cost-prohibitive. Books are also quite heavy, so remember to double your estimated weight on those...

GF and I moved from Chicago to Bay Area back in July. we looked into PODS, Uhaul, shipping, United Van and other moving companies. we had a bit more stuff (furniture, bigger TV, etc...) and were weighing the options of shipping the car out and flying, doing the Uhaul and shopping/towing the car, or just driving and letting the pros deal with all the stuff.

By far, hiring United was the best decision. I tend to move every year, and have always done it myself. If I ever move out-of-state again, I'll look into a pro moving company.

All total, we spent ~4k for the moving, and total travel costs from Chicago to Palo Alto. (remember: gas was ~$4/gallon back in July/August).

What worked out for us is that we didn't yet have a lease, and United took their sweet time to get our stuff out. We were able to find some space and move in by the time the moving van showed up at our door and unloaded everything in less than an hour. The pick-up in Chicago was also ridiculously smooth. we packed everything of course--just needed them to move out and into truck.

However, if you don't have so much time, as you say, and you will need your stuff, the delivery may take more than 2 weeks. The vans will wait for other jobs to stack up and deliver each move on route to your place. Boston -> Palo Alto means you are the end of the line.

We shopped several moving companies in the area, and these guys were the best: honest and hassle-free. Many, many moving companies are schiesters, so you have to be careful. Many will estimate the job nearly 30% of the final charge they will demand--sometimes by holding your goods ransom until you pay. Be sure to check around for reviews and suggestions if you consider hiring a company.

anyhoo, GL.

 

[zinfamous]

Originally posted by: EagleKeeper
Boston to Palo Alto will be a good 4 day drive for adults

Double check the costs.

also, if you are moving for business, the employer may assist.


We have done Annapolis -> San Diego in 4.5 days with 4 children in a sedan.

sounds like hell.

we spent 4 days just driving Chicago to Palo Alto, but we planned on taking our time and seeing the sights. We also took a longer, more northern route (SD -> Wyoming) to avoid the craptacular drudgery of US 80/Nebraska. Saw some absolutely gorgeous scenery.

But yeah, if you hauled ass and rotated 8-hour shifts you could get to other coast in 5 days.