Most Frugal Ways to Move Two States Away

[Purple Cat]

I'm moving from the Chicago area to Eastern Tennessee. We are on a very, very limited income, but have a wonderful opportunity to obtain a great home in Tennessee.

I am a single parent of small children. Does anyone have any wonderful ideas for moving our 2 bedroom apartment to East Tennessee?

TIA

[elsie]

I would think a uhaul - but when getting quotes, check areas you can drive to because sometimes you get a better price on a rental from a place 45 minutes away.

[angelcollector1]

I would say the Uhaul or another type of that moving option. Also, if you need a job and aren't moving there with one already in hand, think twice about it... just because there's a house to live in doesn't mean you can afford to live there without income, and unemployment is high and jobs are scarce.

[Isaac'sMa]

It might be cheaper to sell your stuff before you move and take only what fits in your car. You can find most of what you need on Craig'sList or freecycle- pots, pans, furniture etc after you get to the new place... Is there a possibility that when you get to TN that the house will be partially furnished?

BTW, ITA about the job situation. It's not a good time to be in the market for a job...

[schreiberwriter]

My friend worked with a shipping company, took everything on a truck to where the semi was and loaded it into the semi. Perhaps some companies in Elk Grove Village could help. It's a center for logistics companies. Wish I had more specifics.

Budget also has inexpensive renting.

[Thystle]

Budget Rentals is less expensive than Uhaul usually. You can do a truck or a trailer.


GET RID OFF AS MUCH AS YOU CAN. Period. That is the biggest cost saving advice. If it's not worth a ton or not precious you can replace it.


You can also parcel post/media mail yourself boxes through the post office for pretty darn cheap.

[angelcollector1]

I will say that I moved from RI to Memphis, TN in 2006. I took all my personal stuff that was important to me, my clothing, my computer, some linens and kitchen stuff and whatever I could fit in the car and left. I rented an unfurnished duplex from craigslist before I left and the first thing I did once I got there after staying in a hotel for a few days was to buy a bed. As I had been there over the first 2 months I bought new furniture- a bed and dresser for my son who was to arrive after a month; a dining table and chairs and a small tv. I'm a minimalist so that makes a difference. When my son arrived we had his personal belongings - he's a collectaholic of many different things - shipped by fedex - it cost about $300 but we had more than 10 boxes that weighed at least 50-60 lbs each. At that point I got word from the company I relocated for was closing that office and moving us to west central FL. This time the relocation was on thier dime.. I still sold the stuff or donated everything I couldn't fit in the car; shipped his boxes again and bought new with the relocation $ the company paid. It was definitely worth it to me to do it that way.

[AAK]

When we moved from Boston to the West Coast, we got quotes from three different truck rental places. (Uhaul, Budget, and ???) Turns out, that Budget and Uhaul were willing to play the game "beat the quote" with us. We just kept bringing the lowest quote to the opposite company to have them beat it. Then, we turned around and brought the new quote to the other company and so on. We ended up paying half of our original quote.

Amy

[EricaDoula]

Look into using an ABF trailer, you only pay for the space you use, and for us they have been the cheapest by far!