Moving across the country

[gradapp514]

How do people handle moving across the country, e.g. from California to New York, or Alabama to Oregon? Or even more than a couple of states over? Do you hire a moving service? Is it more cost-effective to take your furniture with you or to buy it there? And if you’re taking your car with you to the campus, do you drive it all the way there or have it car shipped? If you're hoping to get a teaching assistantship and the program offers a barely-livable stipend for the academic year, how do you cover moving expenses? I’m considering applying to grad schools that are far away and want to see if it’ll be feasible to go there if I get in.

[juilletmercredi]

Everyone does things differently. There are several recent threads about moving across the country that address a lot of these questions (some here, here, and here. There are more; those are just the first three I could easily find.)

1) Whether or not you hire a moving service depends on your personal financial resources and how much stuff you have. If you have a lot of stuff, hiring a moving service will be expensive but it might be worth it vs. packing it all yourself and driving it across the country. I've seen people here suggest using moving pods, like PODS or U-PACK, as a middle ground for cross-country shipping. There are also different types of moving services: you can get a full-service one (where they pack your stuff, which costs more) or just them moving your stuff into the truck and driving it and dropping it off.

2) Whether or not it's more expensive to take furniture depends on how much furniture you have, how attached you are to that furniture, how much money you have or want to invest in buying new furniture, and your personal tolerance for spending a few weeks without furniture. If all you have is thrifted stuff and you are moving 2,000 miles, then it may cost more money to ship it than it would to just buy new stuff. But if you have nice-ish furniture and you're just moving a few states over, it might cost more to replace than ship. When I moved from GA to New York I wanted to bring some bedroom furniture, but I investigated the cost and it was cheaper for me to purchase bedroom furniture there than get it shipped. BUT I was also comparing the cost of a nice heirloom furniture set my mother bought me to buying a bed frame from Amazon and a cheap mattress in town - if i wanted another really nice bedroom set, that would've been more expensive than shipping.

3) Similar answer for the car. Lots of people make either choice. I'd say for grad school it's probably more common to drive just because it's cheaper, and I had lots of friends in grad school who drove with their family members and pets from California or Florida or Illinois or wherever to New York. (More people ditched their cars, because you don't need them there.) Depends on how much you like to drive and whether you can afford the shipping for the car! Shipping a regular sedan costs somewhere between $600 and $1000. I estimate that I'd need to fill up my car 5 or 6 times to make a 2,000 mile move, and even at current gas prices it is WAY cheaper to drive it than ship it. BUT I also don't like driving that much (and my dog hates long car rides), so I'd rather ship it than drive it.

4) Different ways. I borrowed a student loan to cover my moving expenses. You can borrow a personal loan (may have a higher or lower interest rate; if you have good credit, right now a personal loan interest rate would likely be lower than a student loan). Some people get support from family or relatives. Some people saved up in the months prior to moving. Many people DIY as much as they possibly can to save their spend on really important things.

If you haven't even applied yet, you have plenty of time to think about this. You can consider setting up a fund for yourself to save up to offset at least some of the costs.

 

[AP]

I moved across hemispheres. I packed two suitcases. 

Friends of mine that moved to California from Michigan, Texas, Florida, and Georgia all had help. Some were married, so their spouses kind of earned enough money to hired some service. Others packed everything themselves and drove. In one case, they moved in sections (first they moved a part and then, say when coming back from Fall break, they drove the rest). Others just did it in one trip, their parents driving their cars.

A couple of these folks sold their cars before coming. 

Regarding furniture, I think it depends on what you own and how you are willing to live. I first moved to a furnished place owned by the university, then I had roommates who brought in their furniture, and then I moved in with my SO (who had their own furniture). So I only recently bought furniture and only because I can afford the more expensive IKEA stuff (and only a little bit).

I did the bulk of my writing in Georgia and I drove from California. My new position gave me a moving allowance that covered the shipping of the car. 

Unfortunately, moving is expensive and as from 2018 it is not deductible from taxes. I'd try to keep moving expenses to a minimum. Remember that in addition to the "moving" per se expenses, settling in involves getting all sorts of new stuff at the same time such as cleaning supplies, some cooking ingredients, and the like. Also, remember that you'll have other non-moving expenses at the beginning of the semester such as books and fees. 

I think it is very wise to weigh in the location of your programs as you apply (though do not allow it to limit you). I did apply to places that offered a good stipend because, as you mentioned, moving is expensive. 

Edited August 22, 2019 by AP

[Katie B]

I moved from Indiana to Texas and I drove it! I only brought what could fit in my car which means I left my furniture in Indiana. The cost to try and ship these items just wasn't worth it to me when they were old and due to be replaced anyway. The biggest problem I had was packing all my books, I had four or five boxes and that was after donating a massive amount. I reduced my possessions by almost 50% I'd say, but most of it was clutter left over from undergrad that I never used. Unlike most, I did have the benefit of moving in with my SO and the cost of replacing furniture like a table or desks was split in half because of this. We also bought second hand furniture or did the cheap Ikea. The only things we splurged on were a new bed and a couch, which were essential for us (I have scoliosis and have to have a good bed). 

The whole process was more expensive than I had anticipated but I had been saving for a year before I moved. Start saving as early as you can and price things out as much as possible.