How to save money while MOVING across the country?

[DianeS]

Oh, yippee! What wonderful ideas! I'll be checking them out. ABF, tire pressure, PODS, hotel coupons, middle of the week moving, getting truck and trailer from different companies, seeing if I can rent from or return to a different city for less, free breakfasts, renting that fun movie, and everything else. Thank you!

OF COURSE the ideal is to find work with a company that will pay my moving expenses... just don't know if that will work out yet. (Moving for my husband-to-be's education.) But believe me, that would be pretty high on my "want" list!

Any more ideas kicking around out there?

 

[framing fowl]

We've always moved by buying a good utility trailer or two on craigslist. Then we load and unload at our pleasure -no deadlines or trying to beat the clock. When we're done, we sell them. We've been able to sell them at cost or for a profit.

Do you know how many days you'll be on the road? In August it'll be hot! Get up super early so you can drive during the cool of the morning and fewer vehicles on the road.

 

[SunshineAfterTheRain]

OMG you must rent the movie "$5 a day" it is a great movie about traveling on $5 a day!!

eta: here is a trailer: It was so funny.

I looked it up on Netflix and watched it yesterday. Hilarious!!!

 

[Sunny]

And Soon "Welcome to Oregon"

Check out the prices of the moving trucks and trailers that you would need to use. Then compare the price to the idea below..

I know alot of people that have used ex-school buses to move long distances. They buy a used bus. Remove the seats.. As soon as you do that it can be registered as motorhome in most states. You can sell the seats. Ive seen them going for $25-$75 a piece around here. It could raise some gas money.

The trick is you leave at least two seat in the front for family to sit on. Ive heard many people put a mattress behind those so drivers can switch off while the other one sleeps. Then load all your stuff in the rest of the bus.

Then when you get to your destination, resell the bus. Many people in oregon look for them to turn into motorhomes. I personally used to have an old tour bus as a motorhome. But was actually our home for a year.

With selling the bus after you get to your destination. It may be the cheapest move you ever made. Depending on how much you spend on the bus and how much you sell if for. But for reselling it as a converstion potential, make sure you purchase a bus that has the storage areas under it.. Motorhome converters look for that, because that is where they put the generators, and water/sewer tanks. Ive seen buses around here go for any where between $2,500 to around $9,000 Depending on years and mileage..

 

[hwillm1977]

I belong to a website called www.couchsurfing.org

It connects people backpacking/travelling around with places to stay for free... we've had people pull in to our yard (it's set up in advance), set up a tent, share a meal and a campfire with us and pull out in the morning. It's been great for us so far, and if you're adventurous you could meet some great people and never have to pay for a hotel room... just depends on your comfort level staying with people you don't know.

 

[pinkfox]

this is a great thread, im probably going to be doing similar soon so some great ideas here.

i will say that while the pods and abs and such may seem like a great idea, shop around and compare prices to those of a small moving company ect...
ive bene looking into it and for me, it looks like its actually going to be cheaper to have a moving company do it, pods costs about the same amount as a moving company but because itll just be me id have to hire help on the other end to unpack.
the upack works out cheaper but they wont deliver it to the adress because its too far form one of their hubs, so by the time i then hire a couple of folks to help me unpack the cube/truck at the hub, hire a truck, get it to my house and have people help me unload it, it works out more expensive than having a company come, load everything up, dirve it for me direct to the house and then unload it for me...

i also checked into uhaul, budget ect, and by the time you factor in the gas milage ontop of the rental fees...sometimes they also work out more expensive than hiring a small moving company to do all the heavy lifting for you lol
make sure to factor in the cost of gas, and remember on the uhaul and buget type trucks, gas milage DROPS once the truck is full, and drops even further if your towing a vehicle...so if their average gas milage is 15 to the gal, youll be lucky to get 10 once full and 8 if your towing ontop of it...so make sure to factor gas money into it all...

if youve got lots of hands to helpn pack and unpack and they will deliver to the door the upack type set up might work out the better deal.

personally my current plan is to drive as far as possible in one sitting, take a break and repeat, trying to get at least 10 hours drive time in a day before camping somewhere cheap (no or very basic facilities where its free/under $10 a night), because ill have all my critters and will be moving them on closing day (its the better option) im planning o spending 1 night and getting a late check out at a motel 6 that day (i can store the critters in my room for the couple hours at signing as motel 6 is supposedly veyr pet frinedly)...

ahh the joys of long distance moves.

 

[KevsFarm]

Ditto....Wifezilla....check out Pods or Pack Rat....good luck..

 

[FarmerJamie]

PODS is only cost-effective if you're moving from a major metro area to another. Gets pricier the more you are "out of town". I have a co-worker going through this right now.

Good luck of you starting a new life somewhere far away!

 

[KevsFarm]

May be true in you ohio cities FJ, but not here in NY...My brother has used them in his cross country moving, they are cheaper than U-haul and the likes...

 

[FarmerJamie]

May be true in you ohio cities FJ, but not here in NY...My brother has used them in his cross country moving, they are cheaper than U-haul and the likes...

My coworker is moving from Cleveland to El Paso, Texas. I'm just passing along what he shared with me with regards to the price differences. Depending on the origin and destinations, the price does vary quite a bit. As shared by the rep from PODS.

As always, you have do your homework, as your mileage may vary.