View Full Version : How many have moved a long distance with only what you could fit in your car?
I'd be interested in the stories of those of you who moved a long distance with only what you could fit in your car.
What did you take? Did you ship any boxes to your new location? Where there any really difficult decisions on what you took or left out? How big was your vehicle (small car, sedan, SUV/pickup truck?)?
Thanks!
In 1977 my wife and I were living in Anchorage Alaska when we discovered that she was pregnant. Since she was from Ohio and I was from Missouri, we decided that we needed to start our family a little closer to at least one of our homes.
So, with little planning and $600 in our pocket, we sold most of our possessions, loaded our small Mazda hatchback with what we kept and put it on a ferry to Seattle. We then flew to Seattle, picked up our car at the docks and drove to Cincinnati.
Starting over was an adventure, but with time and the vagaries of memory, one that I'd almost like to re-live.
This is so funny. In 1977, we also moved from Anchorage Alaska. We moved to Indianapolis, Indiana to get better jobs. We shipped the Buick station wagon full of our stuff to Seattle where my husband picked it up and drove it to Indianapolis with our two cats. I flew with luggage and another cat. We shipped a few boxes but that was all. Sold the house, left all the furniture (which had value in Alaska).
To this day I am totally amazed that we moved somewhere neither of us had lived. It tells us just how bad the job was my husband had in Anchorage. They paid him a lot but it was going to kill him.
The luckiest part was that there was a person in the same federal agency in Indiana who wanted to go to Alaska at the same time. It was meant to be.
sweetana, small world huh?
Yeah, actually, a few times.
1981: moved from St Louis to Kansas City with my stuff in a Chevette Hatchback, that belonged to my fiancee's parents. I didn't own a car myself.
1983: moved w/ husband from Kansas City to Chattanooga in same Hatchback.
1999: moved from rural Broadwell IL to Lincoln IL (OK, not long distance) with everything for me and 4 kiddos in a pick-up truck. Though, honestly, if I had not been moving the 16 year-old's entire life, I could have gotten it in the back of the Honda Civic.....but not with the kids in their car seats at the same time. :~)
1996 - The day I graduated from college in Wisconsin I threw my cat, her litterbox and my few possessions into my vw jetta and moved to Philadelphia.
1999 - In my Honda Civic hatchack, I moved w/my cat, her litterbox and my few pssessions from Philadelphia to Florida.
2000 - My now husband and I each filled our cars and moved to Texas w/my cat, of course :)
2001 - Then we moved back to Florida, but to a different city still w/my well traveled cat. Then my husband had me drive his furniture & stuff from storage in Ct and we've had STUFF! ever since.
It's not too difficult to accumulate furniture, there is usually someone who is looking to get rid of a piece here and there if you don't mind used.
Enjoy the freedom while you can!
It seems that it is not the stuff that you move that is important but why one moves that makes the process easier. DH and I did similar moves to other posters for a few years as we worked through the changes that were necessary. I don't remember thinking much about the things that we packed, it was all about the move and how it was an improvement and a step ahead. We did live out of suitcases for a while.
Once our young family came along, we had more stuff to move.
Sad Eyed Lady
2-22-12, 10:40am
Yes, from Kentucky to Minnesota in an old 1966 Mustang containing our books, records, stereo, etc. We did ship clothing, cookware & small appliances - and basically that is all we owned in the world. Long ago, young unencumbered days, not much in material possessions but long on daring and adventure. We knew a total of 4 people (2 of them children) in the whole state of MN but just packed up and went.
sweetana, small world huh?
Ha Ha - even smaller world - except my move from Anchorage was around 1994. Put everything I owned in the little Suzuki Samari convertable and put it on a container ship to Seattle. Picked it up there and drove down to Calif where I was starting a new job (actually an old job since I was being re-hired). Basicly just took clothes, and a couple of boxes of photos, momentos, and important papers. When I made the move up to Alaska in 1990, I drove the Suzuki all the way from the east coast and only brought clothes, etc... Bought stuff once I got there.
I've also had many, many other moves (too many to list!) like that over the years because of my military transfers. During most of those moves I didn't own a vehicle other than a motorcycle, so shipped my few things via UPS. When I had a vehicle, I would only take the few things that fit into it and sell off the rest or give it away and start fresh at my new place. When I was married and DH had alot of his own stuff (he was somewhat of a pack rat) then we would get a moving company to move us (free with military transfers) and then we would take everything. but otherwise, when it was just me, it was just a few things.
tradd - if you have things you just can't part with then you might want to check out how much a professional mover costs - depending on how far you are moving to (Chicago to Atlanta??) - or if you can tow a small rented trailer behind you car (expensive because of gas prices though). It might not be that much more expensive then shipping things down via Fed Ex or UPS. But if you can part with things - except what you can fit in your car - then I think moving as minimally as possible is the way to go. What you save in moving expenses can be used to refurbish your new place.
I cannot believe that three people reading this message responded that they had moved from Anchorage, Alaska. Either the board is widely read or a whole lot of people left Anchorage. :-)
We did not leave because of the weather, etc. since I was raised there and my brother still lives there. I missed it for years and years. Great place to get a job with minimal qualifications and work your way up (in the 70s).
I cannot believe that three people reading this message responded that they had moved from Anchorage, Alaska. Either the board is widely read or a whole lot of people left Anchorage. :-)
We did not leave because of the weather, etc. since I was raised there and my brother still lives there. I missed it for years and years. Great place to get a job with minimal qualifications and work your way up (in the 70s).
I know - I thought that was pretty amazing myself. I also miss Alaska alot too - mostly Anchorage but that whole area. I worked for a government lab testing oil samples from the north slope. Pretty boring and only seasonal (May to Oct) but gave me lots of free time to "play" in the snow. I left because my old job in Calif (the one I had gotten when I got out of the coast guard) wanted to hire me back and dh, who was still in the CG stationed in Anchorage, was planning on getting out in 6 months once his tour was over. So I took off (plane to Seattle to pick up car) and he eventually came down to SoCal. He decided to stay in the CG but was able to get stationed close to my job. I was also stationed in Cordova for awhile - less than a year - and that was great too but WAY too small of a town for me. I would love to go back to Anchorage someday and maybe spend a year there. I have a friend who lives there who is always inviting me to come live with her and bring my dog. So who knows... maybe this summer I'll do it. Other then waiting on some medical stuff concerning my sister, I don't have anything holding me here - or anywhere!
I cannot believe that three people reading this message responded that they had moved from Anchorage, Alaska. Either the board is widely read or a whole lot of people left Anchorage. :-)
We did not leave because of the weather, etc. since I was raised there and my brother still lives there. I missed it for years and years. Great place to get a job with minimal qualifications and work your way up (in the 70s).
We didn't leave because of the weather either. I was stationed at Elmendorf through the end of my Air Force enlistment and loved the area so much we stayed after I got out. Worked as an airport policeman at Anchorage International Airport along with a part-time gig at the Holiday Inn at 4th & C streets right up until my wife's pregnancy. We struggled with the idea of staying forever or returning to our extended families before finally deciding to return to the lower 48.
I don't regret the move, but I do still miss Alaska. We're looking forward to an extended road trip back in the RV in a few years. I get excited every time I think about it.
tradd - if you have things you just can't part with then you might want to check out how much a professional mover costs - depending on how far you are moving to (Chicago to Atlanta??) - or if you can tow a small rented trailer behind you car (expensive because of gas prices though). It might not be that much more expensive then shipping things down via Fed Ex or UPS. But if you can part with things - except what you can fit in your car - then I think moving as minimally as possible is the way to go. What you save in moving expenses can be used to refurbish your new place.
Spartana, I drive a small Focus hatchback, so towing even a small trailer is out of the question.
I was delighted to see that there are a fair amount of studios for rent in the Atlanta area, and a decent number of them are furnished. So, that's a possibility for a bit. But I would really like to get a studio again. Get two comfy chairs, a small table with two chairs, a small bookcase/shelving unit, voila! And something to sleep on, of course.
My husband moved from coastal SC to here in Missouri with his little B2000 extended cab truck, his guitar, and two gymbags of clothes.
Mine wasn't quite so far I moved from here to Memphis in my ford ranger truck with 3 suitcases of clothes, bedding, one small pot and one fry pan, and a favorite chair.
happystuff
2-23-12, 7:21am
The closest I've come to this was my stint in the service - showing up with uniforms and a few personal items. I am ever-so-slowly trying to get back my life back to this stage!
Regarding all the Anchorage talk. I have friends who just moved from Anchorage to Costa Rica. They sold almost everything. The largest amount of stuff to send was 7 children! Everyone packed one suitcase and then they shipped by slow boat a small container of their favorite things.
Spartana, I drive a small Focus hatchback, so towing even a small trailer is out of the question.
I was delighted to see that there are a fair amount of studios for rent in the Atlanta area, and a decent number of them are furnished. So, that's a possibility for a bit. But I would really like to get a studio again. Get two comfy chairs, a small table with two chairs, a small bookcase/shelving unit, voila! And something to sleep on, of course.
You might also want to look at staying in a short term vacation rentals for awhile (couple of weeks to a month or two) to get a better idea of the area you'd like to move too before doing a long lease. All are completely furnished including utensils, etc... and include utilities. You don't need to sign a lease or get an approval - you can just pay with a CC (or cash) for the time you want. Weekly rates during the high season can be expensive but if you do multiple weeks or a month or more - especially during the low season (whenever that is in Atlanta) - it can be VERY reasonable. Usually cheaper than a motel stay and much more comfortable. If I were to be relocating and didn't want to bring much with me or wanted the time to find an ideal place before unpacking all my things, I would do that. You can check out places online under vacation house rentals. I usually use www.VRBO.com and www.homeaway.com Make sure and look for the long term (monthly) rate rather than weekly as they are much cheaper and you don't have to pay lodging tax for a stay of a month or more.
ETA: I just looked at some vacation rentals right in downtown Atlanta and they are VERY expensive. So maybe my suggestion isn't a good idea unless it's outside of the city.
The closest I've come to this was my stint in the service - showing up with uniforms and a few personal items. I am ever-so-slowly trying to get back my life back to this stage!
Oh yeah - all my stuff fit into one sea bag (large canvas duffle bag) and on the ship it all had to fit into a locker smaller than a gym locker. It was great. No car, no nuthin'. Of course my "real life" isn't quite that spartan (yet) but I always thought military life - especially shipboard life - was the way to go stuff-wise! Just what you need and no more ('cause you're going to have to carry it on your back). And hey! they fed me too :-)!
A few times, back in the day. Once from MI to TX and back again in a VW bug and a old little Toyota truck. That was all the material possessions I had at the time. Today, nope could not happen.
I have moved 26 times, I have every type story about moving except out of country.
I once moved from Finland to France by mailing "myself" about six boxes. Problem was, I didn't get my work permit for France in time, so my stuff got put in the closet of my future office for six months while I waited in England for the paperwork to come through!
In 2010, DH and I packed up our Pontiac Grand Prix sedan and moved from Pahrump, NV, to Boca Raton, FL, including the cat. I mailed about twenty boxes to myself, and about three of them went missing. We left everything else in our Nevada house for an auctioneer company to come and clear out, and then they sold all our stuff over time and occasionally mailed us checks. The trip took us five days and four nights, I believe, and was pretty grueling, but at least we had air conditioning and the car didn't break down, thank GOD!
A Focus has more trailer-pulling power than you think:
http://www.mrmoneymustache.com/2011/12/08/turning-a-little-car-into-a-big-one/
I actually moved to California from the Midwest by airplane, with two large suitcases full of clothes, books and a CD player. My mom later mailed me a few boxes of things I wanted from home.
We now have a very nice heavy oak platform bed with drawers beneath that would limit my ability to move by hatchback or plane. I could get another random bed, but I like THIS one!
From Austin, TX to Williamsburg VA 9n 1997, in a VW bug with two dogs and a partner. We sent a few boxes, but the post office in Wmbg thought it said West Virginia though he told us he knew there was Williamsburg West Virginia, but he sent it on to "there", from whence it was sent back and then returned again to WVA until some postal person gave up. We'd sold almost all our stuff.
Than again from the Rhinebeck in the Hudson River Valley, NY, 2 dogs, a different partner. We mailed nothing but did also take a 10-foot UHaul, the smallest one. We kept only things that would fit into the UHaul, which ruled out piano, which we gave to a kid we knew who had wanted to play it, and other stuff we cared about, but it was good to do it that way--moved into a 300 sf caretakers cottage at the Quaker Meeting House (from a 1,200 sf sparcely furnished house), where we were the caretakers. It was the only way we could afford to do it, or wanted to do it really. Regretted only one cabinet from the first move that my partner had made by hand and it was something everyone liked. Gave it to a friend.
I forgot to say in the 2nd move mentioned we moved to Santa Fe, NM.
Philly, PA to Welly, NZ.
7 suitcases and a car seat. 25 boxes in storage to be shipped later -- these equal one pallet to ship (current price $250 to ship). So, when I have that money and the space set up to receive it, we'll send it. Takes 8 weeks. Then customs (no charge, they just like to inspect it).
Philly, PA to Welly, NZ.
7 suitcases and a car seat. 25 boxes in storage to be shipped later -- these equal one pallet to ship (current price $250 to ship). So, when I have that money and the space set up to receive it, we'll send it. Takes 8 weeks. Then customs (no charge, they just like to inspect it).
Yes, personal, used household goods are free of duties (import taxes) when imported into the US. I was just studying this for the customs broker licensing exam. :-)
ONLY $250 to ship it? Yikes, that's cheap!
Yeah. it's the Upak WeShip group. So long as it's only one pallet, it will be $250. Prices might go up, but I don't know. I asked for anotehr quote recently, and they said 250.
When I graduated from college I shipped a few boxes from Florida to my summer internship in upstate NY. Then I flew to Denver to pick up my parents' old car (my graduation gift) and drove to NY state. At the end of the summer I put everything I owned into the car (easily) and drove to my first "real" job 4 hours away in NJ. After a week in a hotel while I found an apartment I was able to move in in about 15 minutes. Then I had to figure out what to do for furniture. Thankfully new coworkers gave me a kitchen table, loaned me a mattress, and connected me to someone looking to sell a cheap but functional couch.
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