I moved from California to Tennessee in 1989. The cost was about $12,000. I also moved a car with my stuff. That included 30-day storage. I was happy--I wrote the cost off my taxes because it was a job move, and the housing costs are now a fraction of what they were in CA. My auto insurance had a 70% reduction in cost. The windshield cracked during the move but it was replaced by the moving company's insurance.
One time I rented a storage unit. Took longer than I thought, to find a new place. In the meantime, the cost of the storage unit was more than the value of the contents.
If you can't find a cheaper move, maybe give everything away and buy new when you get there. Or have a yard sale, and let it all go, cheap.
My guess is that a Ryder or other rental truck, and do your own driving makes sense. Keep within sight of spouse or family member, who's driving the car. Keep in contact via CB or FRS two way radio, and do your own driving.
Did you do a web search? From:
mentch noun
Etymology: Yiddish (mentsh), an honorable person, from German Mensch (person).
I think storage unit places live off of people like this.
That they do. About every other month, there are ads in the paper here auctioning off the contents of abandoned storage units, when people realize their old crap isn't worth paying the ransom on. Most really don't let bidders inspect before they bid, other than maybe a peek in the door, so they go cheap. If I had a pole barn and a pickup truck, I'd be tempted to bid once in a while, but I think most of it is garage sale quality at best. Chipboard furniture, half-dead stereos, old clothes, that sort of thing. One of the storage places near here actually lets people set up storefronts in the units, and I think most of their stock comes from abandoned units they bought up. Between them and the bottom-feeder used furniture stores, an outsider is likely to get outbid just to make them go away.
(I miss living in apartments, and getting all the post-divorce dumpster diving goodies, either from couples that lived there splitting up, or people moving into a 1-bedroom with half a house full of stuff, and realizing it won't fit.)
-- aem sends...
He could buy an ocean cargo shipping container in CA for cheap, instead of renting PODS. Makes for a nice shop/storage at the new place. Various sizes from 10' (rare) to 40'. Transport by truck or train.
"Craters & Freighters specializes in packaging, crating, and shipping items that are too heavy, oversized, and fragile for standard shipping companies." * Have you friend check this site.
I've had three moves, using national companies. FL-NY 1989. NY-PA
1990. PA-NV 1995. Prices were between $10,000 and $19,000. (?) National companies charge for the boxes an packing materials. One company thought the could pack-up our kitchen in a day or so. It took them closer to 4 days :-)A local move across town five years ago cost me about $600.
With a national company I always take out "insurance"! Lost or broken items were covered, so I was reimbursed.
*On 2/20/2010 2:25 AM mm spake thus:
The Asian aesthetic practice you provided a somewhat comical attempt at transliteration for is feng shui, pronounced "feng shway".
After seeing all these prices I feel much better, I thought I wasted thousands for my move 5 years ago. From PA to TN. The household stuff wasn't bad but I have a lot of other "stuff" I moved myself, like a 2 ton antique safe.
I'm stunned. The Pod People are moving thousands of empty pods to Michigan anyway, looks like they'd cut some slack.
On the other hand, they have to move thousands of empty pods to California also...
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