Tips For Moving Across States
In early 2021 my husband and I moved from Virginia to Texas. We found a house to move into, we just had to figure out how to get there with all our stuff. Luckily we were moving from a small one-bedroom apartment so we didn’t have too much stuff and we didn’t feel burdened to hire a moving company. However we had too much stuff to pack into our cars, and he had to fit a motorcycle into the bed of his truck, so thank goodness for U-Haul. We rented their biggest trailer so he could tow most of our stuff with his truck and we could fit everything else inside our vehicles. Here are some tips and tricks we learned about moving across states, and how to fit all your stuff.
Downsize if you can
One of the main tips for moving across states is to downsize. If we had too much stuff for a trailer, we would have rented one of their big trucks and towed my car behind it while I drove his truck. But as it happened we didn’t need to spend that extra money, and after three days we arrived safely in Texas, in our new home. So definitely be honest with yourself and see what you can donate or sell before you go into the hustle of moving with a million things that you don’t actually need.
Preparation is the key
We only drove about 7-8 hours a day so we wouldn’t get tired and groggy, so we could stay safe. Also we had to stop pretty often so he could get gas. With a motorcycle in the bed and towing a trailer, his truck was getting 10 mpgs. So budget extra money for gas. You can also mark a couple stop points for spending the night or having dinner, that way you know roughly how much money you need.
Keep everything organizED
Things like color coding your boxes, keeping your receipts separated, and keeping a small trash in your car are great for organization and sanity. Small things like that are going to make a huge difference at the end of the day.
If you are traveling with pets
Protect your car with a protectant liner, use dog beds so they are as comfy as possible, packing things like portable water bowl, dog bags for going to the bathroom, ziploc bags with food, and pee pads (these are great to put in the bathroom at hotels for emergencies), are going to be a gamechanger when it comes to time saving. Your pup is going to thank you
Do your research
Don’t buy boxes (you can always find free boxes on facebook marketplace) or overspend on things that are not a priority for you, for example make sure that you are going to need a moving company or just family or a friend’s help. Search the area and see if you have tolls on your way or what’s the shortest route to save money on gas and save time too.
Unexpected costs are real
Once we got to texas the adventure still wasn’t over. We had to go to the DMV for our licenses (which was a pain) and we had to go to the tax assessor’s office to change the vehicle registration (which wasn’t as much of a pain), change our addresses on our bank accounts, vehicle finance lenders etc. etc… (also U-haul charged me a $20 late fee for turning in the trailer late even though i turned it in a day early. I’m still salty about that) Long winded way of saying take your time driving, stay safe, account a lot of extra money for gas, food and hotels. And when you’ve finally reached your destination, you’re only halfway there.