Tips on moving for that first pharm job?

[trailerpark]

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Most likely I will be moving 16 hours (by driving) and was wondering if anyone knew the cheapest way to move long distances or any tips to save money?

As a new graduate I'm pretty broke. It's even farther (22 hours) from my family so they wouldn't be able to take the trip with me. I've read about Upack.com and they estimated about 2 grand, yiKes! I have a smaller apartment, but drive a even smaller compact car. So far I've thrown away/donated every last thing I don't want to take with me.

 

[WVUPharm2007]

How much stuff are you taking with you?

Is jamming as much crap into your car as possible and UPS'ing the rest to yourself not an option?

Can your car tow one of those tiny little Uhaul trailers?

 

[xiphoid2010]

Most likely I will be moving 16 hours (by driving) and was wondering if anyone knew the cheapest way to move long distances or any tips to save money?

As a new graduate I'm pretty broke. It's even farther (22 hours) from my family so they wouldn't be able to take the trip with me. I've read about Upack.com and they estimated about 2 grand, yiKes! I have a smaller apartment, but drive a even smaller compact car. So far I've thrown away/donated every last thing I don't want to take with me.

When I moved to Texas for my first job:
Crammed the small essentials (eg cloths, computer) in my Honda accord
Sold everything else on Craig's list
Bought cheap stuff for the appartment when I got there, including an air mattress.

The calculation was, i had baought most of my crappy student furnitures and appliances on Craig's list in the first place, they were worth a thousand $ total. I broke even selling them back. Also If the job turned out totally not what I expected and its time to move again, it'll be easy and of little loss to do so.

 

[trailerpark]

Well I have a queen sized mattress and box spring that's relatively new (gift before pharm school). A nice dresser, desk and table and chairs. Not sure if civic could pull something.

 

[Dred Pirate]

rent a small uhaul and tow your car, or get get two friends, one to drive their car and one to drive your car, and you drive the uhaul, then they drive with each other back. (did that from Iowa to AZ 16 years ago).

 

[pezdispenser]

Well I have a queen sized mattress and box spring that's relatively new (gift before pharm school). A nice dresser, desk and table and chairs. Not sure if civic could pull something.

First of all, throw out all your pharmacy notes if you haven't already 😛

A Civic can tow, but you'll have to get a hitch which would be around $200-350, and maybe $150 to rent a trailer from U-Haul.

I've helped friends move by driving the U-Haul truck for them. They just paid my meals, motel and plane ticket back. Oh and those trucks only get about 9 mpg. So this option could cost >$2,000.

 

[SoylentGreen]

I did something similar - your best bet would either be to rent a truck plus a tow dolly to tow your car. Two days should be sufficient for you. Remember to save all of your receipts for the truck and gas and everything because that's a big tax deduction.

 

[Dred Pirate]

have you asked your employer if they will chip in and cover some expenses? My last employer (Eckerd) gave me 5k - yes that was 8 years ago, but I know someone who got a hospital job almost 2000 miles away and got 5k from their employer for a move next month.

 

[trailerpark]

Good tips everyone, thanks. I'll ask Wally World about helping.

 

[mustang sally]

Definitely ask about relocation assistance!

Another option (though definitely not the cheapest) would be to just charge your moving expenses and then pay off your card when you have your good pharmacist salary going on. That's what we ended up doing. Plus if your family can't go with you, it might be helpful to have moving men. Pretty sure there's a tax deduction in there somewhere as well when you move for employment.

 

[MackandBlues]

I did something similar - your best bet would either be to rent a truck plus a tow dolly to tow your car. Two days should be sufficient for you. Remember to save all of your receipts for the truck and gas and everything because that's a big tax deduction.

Only if you itemize your taxes which single people without property shouldnt do because you get more money with the standard deduction usually. Just FYI

 

[confettiflyer]

I did a combination of things:

1) Shipped car - granted with a 16 hour drive, I wouldn't do that. But be aware most certified shippers will NOT transport your car if it's filled with visible stuff, so my broker advised me to just put it in the trunk.

2) Greyhound - there's this 3rd party shipping service and it was pretty cheap, but all my boxes were crushed at the end. No big deal, it was mostly clothes/compressable crap I didn't want to sell.

3) UPS - high value items that needed insurance and tracking. If you're driving one-shot and not stopping overnight, just fill your car up with this stuff.

4) USPS - for anything that would qualify for Media Mail (textbooks/books you want to keep, CD's/DVD's, etc...) Just remember they DO open/search your packages to make sure you're not abusing the book rate.

5) Checked in luggage - for stuff I needed on day #1 of arrival

 

[confettiflyer]

Only if you itemize your taxes which single people without property shouldnt do because you get more money with the standard deduction usually. Just FYI

You don't need to itemize to claim work move expenses.

 

[MackandBlues]

You don't need to itemize to claim work move expenses.

really? very cool then.

 

[bacillus1]

I moved from the East Coast to the West Coast last year. I sold a few small furniture items on Craigslist. I didn't ship a car as I wanted to buy a new one with that pharmacist salary. I did some estimates though and it cost about $1200 (so less for you as it's a shorter distance). You can always buy furniture when you get there, as shipping furniture is probably as expensive if not more so than buying new things. If you're single, you can just get a small studio so not much furniture will be required. I just packed all my bare necessities into 2 bags and a carry-on. Definitely comparison shop for flights, if you're flying. I typically use tripadvisor for flights. You will definitely be able to write off your moving expenses.

Do you know anyone in the new location? If so, it would be a great help for you to ask them to look at apartments, so you have one lined up when you move and don't have to stay in a hotel for long periods of time. What I did was find 2 apartments on craigslist, and asked people to go there and take some pictures. Ended up moving into one of these. If you do this, definitely ask the landlord if they're willing to sign a lease with you without meeting you in person.

 

[anewmanx]

1-2 months of a storage unit for a few hundred bucks, then you can go pick up the items when you have a fat paycheck in your wallet. In the meantime, survive on a $25-50 air mattress. 🙂

Congrats on the job!

 

[trailerpark]

Has anyone ever used ABF U-Pack.com relo-cube?