Cheap way to move?

[sirrileydog]

My wife and I need to move a small moving truck worth of stuff about 700 miles to start school.
I saw some old posts from 2004 about this, but wanted to see if there are any new cheap ways for students to move. I just got a $1000 quote from Uhaul for my 700 mile move from California.

I have maximum time flexibility. Any suggestions would be great.

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[Jolie South]

I've heard talk of PODS. They leave a container at your house and you load it up. Then, they pick it up at drop it off at your new location and you have a few days to unload it.

I think for cross country moves this might be less costly considering the gas money you'll be spending driving a guzzlin' UHaul. Add to that hotel costs for an overnight stay somewhere.

I think the costs will be comparable, but IMO not driving a UHaul is a good thing.

I'd check out PODS, SAM, or UPack. There are bunch of places that do it.

 

[Bananas Foster]

I've had nothing but bad experiences with UHaul. You can find plenty of rants about Uhaul online, the last time I moved I went ahead and chose someone else, it was more expensive, but well worth not being thrown into rage by UHaul.

 

[sunny1]

Purely anecdotal evidence - but I always see Uhauls on the side of the road broken down.

We used PODS before for a move from NC to OH, and it was super convenient. I think you can do a price check online easily at their website. I don't know that it will necessarily be cheaper but it's worth checking.

 

[SBBunny]

Whoa, I was JUST looking up self-service moving companies (I load my stuff in a truck --> they drive to medical school). Hm.... this PODS thing sounds intriguing. My biggest problem is that I haven't driven a regular car in the past five years (even before then, I drove very rarely). A U Haul could be deadly.

 

[SBBunny]

Well, PODS doesn't serve New York City, so it's back to the drawing board for me.

 

[DoctorDreamer]

Yeah, only one of those three PODs type services will service the drive from OKC to NH (getting proce quotes for the longest drive I may do, depending on waitlists). The thing is, my family will go with me to help unpack, so they will be driving their car, too. So, the way I see it, we'll already be paying for gas $, so why not just do the UHAUL?

Rental for the UHAUL can be anwhere from ~$150 (for a trailer) to ~$1000 (for the truck), but the PODs thing was looking like ~$1500-$2000!

 

[Lshapley]

Well, for our move across country we have decided the most prudent thing to do is sell most of our belongings in Philadelphia and buy new things in Portland (or Boston...) with the money we make + the money we save. We will take our most precious things in the car with us and ship some of the other things. If something costs more to ship than it is worth (and has no sentimental value attached), we'll just buy new when we are at our location. Considering gas will be about $5/gallon this summer, I think this is the smart way to go. For a 700-mile move, gas along will cost about $300 for the U-haul (estimate 12 mpg).

 

[Prog86]

One of our friend's daughter moved about 600 miles away from home. They shipped all her stuff including books (heavy) via UPS (ground or freight i think). Apparently they even come pack and haul away your stuff and deliver to your doorstep. Might be something to look into. Gas prices hitting $4.00, moving one way by U-HAUL or any other company may prove pricey.

 

[cpa2md]

Budget truck rental is about 1/3 less than UHaul.

If you have a lot of books, you can mail them via the USPS using media mail, and it is a heck of a lot cheaper than regular mail - may be worthwhile.

You might try Craig's List or something, too, to see if anyone else is moving in the same direction about the same time, and you can share a move.

 

[DoctorDreamer]

I just got a quote of about $650 for a 16' truck and $850 for a 22' truck from Penske. They give you a whole week to move, and anything 16' and up can pull a car. Gas mileage averages about 8-10 miles/gallon. That would put an 1650 mile move at about $1500. (Assuming no other cars or people traveling...)

The idea of staying local is starting to look better and better.

 

[Lshapley]

I just got a quote of about $650 for a 16' truck and $850 for a 22' truck from Penske. They give you a whole week to move, and anything 16' and up can pull a car. Gas mileage averages about 8-10 miles/gallon. That would put an 1650 mile move at about $1500. (Assuming no other cars or people traveling...)

The idea of staying local is starting to look better and better.

Not to mention the cost of the motels you will be staying in...and the added paranoia that someone may try and steal your stuff from the truck! If you just ship it out, then you could fly out. If you drive a car, you can easily take your valuables into your room with you at night.

 

[DoctorDreamer]

Not to mention the cost of the motels you will be staying in...and the added paranoia that someone may try and steal your stuff from the truck! If you just ship it out, then you could fly out. If you drive a car, you can easily take your valuables into your room with you at night.

Well, if I had someone else move my stuff, it would be the same $1500, plus I would have to drive my car (extra mileage and gas) out. And if my family went out with me to help me get settled and then flew back, that's an additional $300 per person!

That's pretty intense.

 

[SBBunny]

ARGH. UPS is looking like a decent option. The whole gas price thing is a very valid point... Now to figure out how to buy a car. Too bad that when I try to research used cars, I just end up looking at old convertibles. I've found a selection of crazy-looking pink ones.

 

[Weoh]

ABF is absolutely awesome (visit the upack website for more info). For anything more than an in-town move, I'm definitely using them again. They drop off a trailer (about 1/2 to 2/3 the size of what you'd typically see on an 18 wheeler), leave it for a few days while you pack it; then pick it up and drive it to your destination. There, they'll drop it off for a few days while you unpack. They can also hold the trailer for you if you need more flexibility with your own travel time. Although they deliver a full trailer, you only pay for the space that you use (you're charged by the foot).

They do offer PODs, but they're a little more expensive than just paying for space on the regular trailer.

Very good for the price too (especially when compared to Uhaul, et al.). If you decide to use their services, go to your local post office (or website)-- they often have coupons to help you save on moving services. There were ABF coupons when I moved, so it'll save you a little more dough.