It’s no secret that I am terrified of this upcoming move, but today I started getting various estimates for the major stuff.
First, the moving itself. Looks like it might run as high as $3500 to move what paltry items I am going to take; the storage space will cost $250 per month.
I ordered carpet today which looks like it will cost another $3500.
And boom, just like that, all my savings are gone.
On top of that, I’m beginning to despair of finding a high paying job out there; it’s just that the huge number of jobs that I saw last month all seem to have disappeared, including the one that I really wanted.
I still have so much ahead of me to do — throwing out so much junk, painting every room, cleaning up the backyard and doing some landscaping, finding a home for the cats… I’m overwhelmed and feeling so much pressure that I want to explode.
[Oops… no wonder I’ve been shaking with fear. I got my math wrong as usual. I did my measurements in square feet, the pricing is in square yards and I divided by 3 instead of 9. So the carpet should only be a little over $1000. Thank goodness.]
I also found it cheaper to ship my stuff and drive my car that to use U-Haul and tow.
My shipping was $3,400 from Alaska to Seattle. I drove down and had an apartment before my goods arrived. I paid no storage.
I lived in an apartment for one year while I got to know the area and then selected which part of town A. I could afford and B. I wanted to live in. That first year I only unpacked what I needed.
Preferring to spend my time finding employment and scouting the area for my needed studio space.
I know a year seems like a long time but in reality in a new city it goes by pretty quick. The first 3-4 months are a blurr.
Are you haveing someone move you, or are you going with the U-Haul route? It’s a real pain, but it can save you a bundle.
Actually, U-Haul does NOT save a bundle.
With U-Haul, I would have to load my own stuff and drive the truck. The truck gets 12 MPG; and their towing gear won’t fit my Prius. The cost for the U-Haul truck would be about $2,000, plus around $600 for gas.
It turns out that it’s easier and almost as cheap to get a full service mover.