move everything or buy there?

[rising_star]

Thus far my most space consuming items are my books - I am doing a history PhD so I have a ton from my MA program. Clothes are a close second with my electronics coming in last. Like a previous poster, I am disassembling my desk, entertainment center, and any other piece of IKEA furniture I can that will fit in my car. Whatever doesn't fit is getting donated to charity or stored in my folks garage (it's what they are there for, right?). Buying a bed and couch will be the biggest problem since I know no one, so I figure I'll just buy it somewhere locally that delivers - otherwise, there's always someone selling their crap on craigslist for cheap.

Honestly, mail the books using USPS media mail. You'll pay about $0.50/pound, maybe less depending on the distance, and it'll take about 10 days to reach the destination, sometimes less. That's how I've moved books around the country and it's been pretty easy and very cost effective each time. If it were me, I would sell the things that don't fit and use the money you get to buy stuff at your destination. What's the likelihood that you'll ever get it out of storage from your parent's garage anyway, you know? I had no trouble having a mattress delivered, and I imagine a couch wouldn't be too difficult either if you buy from a furniture store. If you go the CL route, I would email your department's listserve and see if anyone has a truck/SUV you can borrow. I borrowed my friend's Suburban for a recent move (just the vehicle, didn't even use their help), and it was incredibly helpful.

I got to tell you, I'm packing what fits into my car and hitting the road and I'm only going from NC to GA!

...

So, I plan on buying when I'm there. I figure it's a minimum of five years so I can justify buying semi-quality stuff more than I can justify hauling stuff down there.

This is basically what I did, except I moved way further away. One of the first things I did was buy a quality mattress. It was expensive but, as my mom pointed out, you're going to want to sleep easily and pain-free when you're writing your dissertation, not be tossing and turning because you can't get comfortable.

Another thing to keep in mind is that you don't need to acquire all of your furniture at once. Start with the essentials (bed, bookshelves, nightstand, desk, lamps), and gradually add the other things as you get paychecks.

[coyabean]

As someone who has moved cross country (2000 miles) about 6 times in the last three years... unless your furniture is worth over about 3000 dollars -or has major sentimental value to you, leave it and buy new. I've priced everything from UHauls, to PODS, to moving companies and they all - for a one bedroom plus, for a distance like that, will cost thousands. You can generally furnish a new apartment with the help of IKEA or a cheap furniture store for about that much - and its much less hassle. Drive the car(s) you have - load them down with everything - ship everything else, and let the big stuff go - or better yet sell it on craigslist - and not only will you save yourself the 3K + but you'll have some money to help pay for the new stuff.

I don't think I've ever been anywhere for longer that 2 years in my adult life. :/ After three or four of the moves you describe you learn that there is such a thing as being a slave to stuff. I refuse. Beyond something a relative gave me or something like that? I purchase with the intent of USING it, not treasuring it. I figure that by the time I sell off some furniture I've gotten what I paid for: the use of its function.

[Riotbeard]

I don't think I've ever been anywhere for longer that 2 years in my adult life. :/ After three or four of the moves you describe you learn that there is such a thing as being a slave to stuff. I refuse. Beyond something a relative gave me or something like that? I purchase with the intent of USING it, not treasuring it. I figure that by the time I sell off some furniture I've gotten what I paid for: the use of its function.

I agree with this mostly, but it feels wasteful to get rid of some the matress I bought a year ago for my last move where I actually fit four years of life into one scion car load... and most of that was books and movies.

[modernity]

Agreed coya! I have a very small collection of things that I keep now, and until I'm sure I'll be somewhere for some time - I plan on keeping it that way.

As far as your mattress - you can try craigslist - I spent about 800 on a mattress, had it a year, and sold it on craigslist for 600 - which I thought was a pretty fair return. I kept it clean and under a mattress pad though, so it looked brand new which is why I could get so much for it... but I sold my mattress/couch/table/and various odds and ends like a toaster oven the night before I moved and I got about 1200 total from them, when I had probably paid about 2500 for it all, and had used it all for a year.

I completely understand how it can feel wasteful but that's unfortunately the price of being a nomad sometimes.

[evolve]

I'm going from NC to CA and my girlfriend and I have decided to sell everything (furniture-wise) on Craigslist and start over! It feels liberating! Of course I'll be shipping out books and a few other random things (diving equipment for example) that wouldn't be easily replaced, and clothing. We are selling my Jeep and having our Honda Fit shipped out there for $700, then we are hopping on a plane and enjoying the ride! We actually lucked out big time, a professor in my dept will be in Greece all summer and needs house-sitters, so we will have that arrangement through August, which will allow ample time to shop around for a place, furniture, etc.

[yinyangwriter]

I'm also moving across the country, in the opposite direction...MA to CA. I'm trying to figure out what other people do with their things when they move across country....Should I bring my books and all of my clothes, including the winter clothes? I don't want to burden with parents with storing all of my things, especially since they are planning to move to a new house soon...but moving or shipping multiple boxes across the country is both expensive and problematic because I'm not sure I would have enough room in graduate school to store these things for the whole of my doctoral program. I'll probably be living on campus with roommates with one good dorm size room to myself. Any ideas? I did call PODS and they said that it would cost me over 3300 dollars to move my things to CA and that they really are targeted more to people who have a lot of furniture/appliances that they want to move. Right now, it looks like I'll have to ship everything with FedEx, UPS, or the Postal Service...But I won't even have an address until Sept 1st so I'm not sure where I would mail everything...Ugh.

[gsams]

I haven't lived "at home" in 4 years, but in those years, I was either in on-campus housing or studying abroad, so I don't have much. I am shipping some things and driving out with the rest. The only furniture I will have is a chair that comes apart and easily will fit in my Soul. I have to buy furniture when I get there, which is okay!

[astroturf]

I made the trek earlier this month from TX to FL (have to take summer classes for my program, so I had to get there pretty quickly). There was a lot of stuff I didn't want to part with at first, but the cost of hauling all of it across the South just kept getting more and more expensive as we kept packing more and more stuff up. It's easy to think you don't have that much, but then the boxes keep piling along with the cost. I ended up making piles of what absolutely had to come, what I wanted to come, and what could go if need be and sold the rest. It got to be such a hassle as the move approached that only the stuff I put in my "absolute needs" pile really ended up making it and a few of the "wants" that I could shove in the back of my pickup.. I sold the couches a week before the move and threw the bed away the morning of (it was old and decrepit, there was no way I could sell it). I couldn't bear to get rid of my books so I did a light pruning,sold those for a bit of cash at a used bookstore, and sent the rest ahead of time media mail. It saved a ton of room and I didn't have to give up my books, so it was pretty win-win. Everything that couldn't be sold but was too cumbersome I either gave away to friends and family or left in a box next to my old apartment's dumpster for everyone else to paw through.

[coyabean]

FYI: I got an email today that IKEA is having a huge sale this weekend -- up to 60% off and secret sales. For you guys who are already at that stage.

[atetrachordofthree]

In the past 7 years or so I have done about 5 long distance moves. Each time I tried a different method.

I have done

1) Sell/donate absolutely everything except for two suitcases and a small box shipped. Hop on a plane.

My thoughts: very pleasant trip, but very unpleasant to have to buy so insanely much when I arrive at the new destination. Goodwill and Craigslist are great, but they don't always have what you need (especially in smaller towns where options are limited), so you will likely breakdown and buy new after a month of not having a bed/desk. In my experience it takes about a whole year to furnish an apartment buying exclusively second hand super good deals...and in my life, that's usually when I have to go.

Verdict: impractical.

2) Fill a POD, sell everything that won't fit, hop on a plane/train.

My thoughts: PODS are expensive, but the trip was pleasant, and I have most of the things I needed. The only thing I really lacked was a bed frame and I ended up just putting the mattress on the floor. Worked great. I didn't have a car at that time though.

Verdict: expensive, but it's a good solution, especially for someone living a carless lifestyle.

3) Rent a U-Haul and take absolutely everything.

My thoughts: This happened after I got a car and had been driving for a year. One thing that happens with car-owing is that you buy a lot of unnecessary but would-be-nice-to-have stuff, so my belonging multiplied. I personally really hated driving, let alone a huge truck, and it was one of the most stressful things I had to do. Loading and unloading were also excruciating. I got to my new place and realized that my new apartment was a lot smaller than the previous one, so I all of a sudden had all kinds of stuff that I don't have room for. I had to either find a bigger and more expensive place, sell the stuff, or store them in the basement of the apartment.

All of it was unpleasant, and, although renting the truck only cost half of POD, gas and insurance and motel (it was a very long drive!) combined I only saved about $150.

Verdict: expensive anyway and not fun

4) fill my car, ship the books via media mail, sell everything that won't fit, drive.

Cheapest option of all, except that I had to drive (but so much less stress compared to driving a U-Haul). I loaded up with my clothes, musical instruments, dishes, and half of my books. Sold book shelves, desk, etc. and bought them again when I got to the destination. Waiting for a good desk to show up on Craigslist was my biggest contention about this method--which is to say, not too much to complain. Having spent only on gas and media mail shipping also meant that if I want to take an extra day driving, I could afford a night in a motel. But I actually just drove to a campground and paid $20 to pitch a tent. Also, if you don't already have a place lined up, you can drive around apartment viewing with all of your belongs still in the car. Can't do that with a truck (or it'd be super expensive), and certainly can't do that if you get off the train with 5 suitcases.

verdict: ideal, especially for someone who has a car

5. ship books by media mail, take the train (you can bring two 50-lbs bags with you, and check in another three to six bags that are 50-lbs each), sell all furniture

I did this after I went back to a car-free lifestyle again. Pleasant, stress-free trip that took a really long time, but you can essentially bring as much as you would in a car. It ends up costing a little more than driving myself but it was more fun for me. The only other draw back is that you pretty much have to already have a place lined up when you arrive. So you might have to make two trips-- one to find a place to live, one to move. Otherwise it's very similar to driving your own car. The other limitation is that you can't do this moving across Canadian border. Media mail is within US only, and the train to Canada allows no checked in bags.

Verdict: almost ideal, especially for the car-less or for people who doesn't want to drive.

The next time I move I will probably do no.5 if I'm moving within US, rent a car and do no.4 if it's within the US.