Traveling across this great country of ours can be a very rewarding experience, but moving cross country can be a different story altogether. When you’re moving you have a purpose, you don’t have time to stop and take selfies with the locals. Your main goal is to get there with you, your family members, and furniture all in one piece while investing as little time, money and energy as possible.
The problem is choosing how you’re going to do it. If you go for the most inexpensive choice, it’s not going to be the quickest choice, and success is never guaranteed, no matter which way you roll. However, by factoring in your personal situation, and creating a budget you can find a way to make the best of all worlds. Here are some tips on how you can make moving cross country work for you.
Moving Cross Country with a Rental Truck
When you rent a moving truck, there’s a set cost for the rental, distance travel, and insurance which cuts down on a lot of haggling. Fill-ups are on you and be wary of those. They may fill your gas tank, but they’ll empty your pockets. Moving trucks are not known for their fuel efficiency. In fact, the average moving truck gets about 10 mpg. Ouch!
Moving Cross Country with a Portable Moving Container
If the moving truck is the DIY way, a portable moving container is DIY with a little company, that being the company you rent the container from. Also known as cubes, the storage containers are delivered to your door and you get some time to load it up with your belongings. Once packed, the movers drive them to your destination and unload. Depending on your situation, you can elect to have help with packing and loading or save money and Do it yourself, then, they will take the unit back to the service center.
With portable moving containers, they transport the cubes so you can just worry about driving your vehicle when moving cross country. Another is the cost. Renting moving containers for long distance drives cost about two to three thousand a month, a full-on moving company will cost around twice that. Moving containers can also double as storage units which can be helpful for more complicated moves.
Shipping Your Belongings Cross Country
These days, we’re all too familiar with shipping costs. A pair of shoes costs around $6 to ship cross country on Amazon, if you go by those rates, it may be more worth it to buy a whole new shoe collection than to have your current one shipped.
Never fear though, you can hold on to your Jimmy Choos. Shipping large packages cross country can be done quite affordably. Amtrak and Greyhound both offer shipping options, and with Greyhound’s Bus Freighter, you can even get your items shipped door to door, although there are additional fees associated.
For lighter boxes consider UPS, Fed EX or even the good old USPS snail mail. Chances are, you’ll be surprised by how low the prices are.
Bonus Tip: UPS and USPS offer good deals on book delivery; check out flat rate deals for other items.
Professional Movers
If you want all the bells and whistles, you can hire a professional mover. One benefit is that they are professionals, i.e. they are supposed to know what they’re doing, and if they don’t, they pay for their mistakes. Try getting payback on the broken picture of Uncle Gary you shipped snail mail. (not going to happen) With professional movers, your belongings are insured, so the company covers any damages.
Plus, you don’t have to lift a finger. They pack, they drive and they help you move the furniture into your new location. If this is the way you choose to roll, just be sure to do some comparison shopping to get a good deal. Professional moving can be rather pricey.
Tips for Efficient Ways to Move Cross Country
Let It Go
They say that less is more, and when it comes to moving, that means the less you have, the more money you save. Downsizing is known to correspond with other life transitions, moving being one of the most appropriate. Moving cross country is the perfect opportunity to let go of possessions – Its liberating and it also makes the move a lot less stressful.
BYOB (Bring Your Own Boxes)
When you’re moving, a box is a precious commodity. Newspapers become valuable material and bubble wrap is no longer for popping. Looking for moving supplies at recycling centers and local liquor stores can save you a bundle. As they say, one man’s trash is another man’s treasure. You’re also helping out the environment by reusing recyclable materials. Good for you and good for the planet!
Get Your Friends to Pitch In
If you’re an avid watcher of Seinfeld, at least in syndication, you may remember the compunctions Jerry had about asking Keith Hernandez if he could help him move a couch. Jerry thought it was too early in the relationship to ask for such a big favor.
Its true, getting help moving cross country can be a lot to ask from friends, but if you have some that are really close, and not afraid to get their fingers dirty, it never hurts to ask. You can always throw them a buck or two or take them out for a meal to compensate. However, if you don’t have friends with extra time to spare on their hands, call Colonial Van Lines today.