long distance moving costs

[momz]

I haven't been here in a while! But, with all the wisdom of the disboards, I thought I would come here to learn about your experience and any advice you can share.

DD (23) and her boyfriend are moving from Indiana to New Orleans for her to complete a 6 month internship. They are moving during the month of December. Their current lease ends Dec. 7, but they won't be free from obligations in Indiana until the last week of December. However, their landlord does not allow month-to-month leases.

My initial thoughts are to pack up their stuff into one of those storage and moving pod things. And they can find a short term furnished rental like AirB&B or an extended stay suite kind of thing.

Any advice on the costs for moving long distance and using the pod style storage and moving plan?

Any other thoughts around the logistics of this?

I'm asking because I'm paying.

 

[TiggerTrigger]

If you wind up doing storage, look into UHaul. Many locations offer the first month free, meaning you'll just have to invest in proper locks. The last time we moved, we had a 2 week gap between closings. We moved all of our stuff into storage during that time. We were able to fully move it out of storage before the 1 month mark, so the actual storage units were free. It might also come in handy for negotiating a deal on a UHaul truck if they plan to move their stuff themselves. I remember being given some truck related coupons when we rented the storage units.

Beyond that, while it might be more convenient to store in NOLA since they'll be moving there, I'd dig through reviews of the facilities since humidity can be an issue down here. Most places are climate controlled and go above and beyond with moisture factor issues, but you'll really want to look hard into reviews claiming moisture damage during storage.

 

[barkley]

are they just planning to stay in n.o. for the 6 months of the internship and then moving back or elsewhere? if that's the case then it might be more cost effective to store at a facility where they are now and just take the BARE minimum (rent one of the small uhauls to self drive). i'm not a fan of the pod type moving stuff b/c we have several massive unsecured pieces of property in our region where it's VERY obvious that these companies store full containers (the lots that have the empty ones for people to inquire about w/ the little secured and enclosed supposed storage centers are distantly located from the view of these dumping lots). being exposed to the elements of heat and snow here i can't imagine how damaged furniture and electronics end up.

we had a 6 month period of time when we were inbetween permanant housing so we rented a climate controlled storage and put everything we did'nt need in there. saved us a TON on doing a double move. it kind of reminded me of being back in college-if we needed a spare chair or some other odd or end we hit up a thrift shop. moving from one state to one a few states away cost us a good chunk of money when we did it, and that was with paying extra to lock in the fuel rate (glad we did-they jumped up much higher over the couple of months between booking and the actual move).


on the housing in december-by any chance do they have any friends in college who will be heading back home during break? seems most of the students in our college town do so maybe they have a friend who would let them use their place for those 3 weeks? otherwise-if there's something like a holiday inn give them a call (directly) and ask if they give any kind of break for a longer term stay. we did this for a week and a half after we moved but before our moving stuff arrived (they give you a range of dates vs. a specific out of state). not bad-mini fridge, microwave, free breakfast in the morning/warm cookies in the evening (i want to say they gave us at least a 20% discount off the lowest rate i could find on their corporate website).

 

[Christine]

My son did this a few years ago. Had about enough stuff for a 1BDRM apartment. Moved from the East Coast to the West Coast and the most affordable option was the U-Haul Pods. Worked out very well also!

 

[SandyinMonterey]

We moved from West coast to East coast in 2016. We used a POD to store/transport our dining room set with hutch and some other items (helped to declutter and prep house for sale).. That cost $5000. Moving truck for 1500 square foot home was $25,000. I started looking into different places way before moving. Dates were booking up for our move.

 

[neverlandsky]

By far the cheapest is to rent a Uhaul and climate controlled storage unit.

 

[cvjw]

My son just moved the equivalent of a 1 bedroom apartment an hour and a half away. The cost was $1600. Couldn’t believe how expensive it is to move now.

 

[_19disnA]

Part of what to choose depends on your budget and how much of the work you (or your daughter) plan to do. The cheapest method will likely mean MORE work is required of you/daughter with regard to packing and prep for moving. If you hire a moving company will cost more......BUT that cost includes packing materials/boxes and the expertise to box items so things don't get broken. While you can do all of that on your own if you have the time or energy, you still need to purchase the boxes and packing materials.

When we moved a few years ago, the moving company had these really large upright boxes where they take items from a closet and basically hang them in the box. At the new location you just take all of those items and place them in your new closets. Might cost more, but was a BIG timesaver at the new location with regard to unpacking.

Never used those POD type storage, but have the same questions mentioned by others. Clearly with that method, YOU do all of the work of packing/unpacking and likely their contract says they aren't responsible for damage during shipping. If you put your items in boxes, likely will be easier to arrange them so they don't move during shipping. I could see poorly stored items/heavy furniture getting damaged/broken while in transit. What sort of climate-controlled storage they offer would also be something to consider based on where you are located and what time of year it is.

People often think they will save money doing it on their own, but you can easily injure yourself trying to mover large/heavy pieces of furniture/appliances that may be beyond your ability.

 

[ak517]

We’ve moved up and down the east coast a few times now and used the Uhaul boxes. We hired local movers (sometimes through Bellhops, sometimes through taskrabbit or similar) to move our stuff into the Uhaul box either via a moving truck or downstairs if it was able to be directly parked somewhere for some time. We did this in 2021 from BOS to MIA and in 2022 from MIA to NYC. I can’t imagine we spent more than $4k each time including moving services and a couple months of storage. Just make sure to take pictures of the tracking info on the boxes. We had great luck with the service but I’ve read horror stories (same goes for any moving service, unfortunately).

 

[barkley]

just thought of something-if they have renter's insurance see if they continue the policy through the move if it will cover them. we once witnessed a horrific accident scene where a moving truck had been slammed into by a car that literaly impaled the side of the truck. mountain pass and you could see furniture, boxes, personal items destroyed and strewn all over the highway and down the mountain. the insurance the moving companies traditionally sell is per pound so it does not provide any real coverage-we made arrangement with our (then) renter's insurance for coverage during our last move (had overlapping renters and homeowers for the period of time the movers had possession of our property).

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

My husband has moved three times technically but only twice with a U-Box through U-Haul. The first move was from Kansas City to TX but it was to a fully furnished apartment paid for completely by his company and so what he needed he just packed in his car although he was coming back home every 2 weeks so it wasn't needing to move an entire apartment or house with him. He was coming home about every 2 weeks in CA and MD as well but needed furniture and more things for those moves. The pod worked out well for him.

The move from KC to MD and KC to CA he did the U-Box. He's shipped his car from Kansas City to CA and from TX to MD. I think the shipping of the car ran about 700-900. Those expenditures were covered by his company with a 2 or 3 thousand moving expenses budget.

In MD his car was delivered before he arrived but the landlady signed for it (with my husband's permission). In CA I believe it arrived after he did but only by a day or two. If shipping a car make sure to remove any toll tags if you have one.

His move from KC to TX was just under 6 months, MD was 8 1/2 months and CA was 9 months. Each time he did get a renter's policy for his apartment (even the basement apartment in MD).

I think the bigger question for your daughter is what are their initial plans regarding what they will do AFTER she is done with her internship. I ask that because if the intent is to come back to Indiana it would be less hassle but no access to at least some of their stuff if they did a storage facility back in Indiana and just chose certain things they won't want while they are away. However, that would alleviate just how much stuff they need to go through now and think about moving and storing while in New Orleans.

 

[RichyNord]

Long-distance moving can be a wild ride. The costs depend on many factors, like how far you’re going, how much stuff you have, and whether you’re going for a full-service moving company or a DIY approach.

I’ve seen quotes ranging from a few hundred bucks to a few thousand. If you want to save some cash, maybe consider packing your things and hiring a truck for the move. But if you sit back and let the pros handle everything, look for the best moving company in your area. They can make the process a whole lot smoother.

And don’t forget to budget for small extras like packing supplies and insurance.

 

[RangerPooh]

We’ve made three cross country moves (all with kids), and a shorter multistate move (before kids). We’ve used U-Haul for all. On our last move we used two UBoxes from Uhaul, in addition to a U-Haul truck. Our UBoxes took a month to arrive, after they were initially sent on the wrong route, to the wrong Destination. Weather and holidays can contribute to delays. Ours was delayed due to Thanksgiving. But was still cheaper than using a Pod or other moving companies.

I’d either use a U-Haul or UBox for what they need in NO. Then keep the rest local to you or where the plan to relocate after the 6 months are up. If they live in a college town and are leaning towards storing belongings, I’d inquire what a 7 month lease might be. This then gives wiggle room upon return. Storage units in college towns often hill fast for summer and increase rates, which theirs would take into the summer months.