Need Moving Advice: Long Distance, Ideas Needed

I've taken a new job in Kansas City that starts in the middle of December.  My current job will end on or a bit after November 14th.  I need to get moved from the New Haven CT area to KC and am trying to figure out what makes the most sense.  Normally the company I would start working for would take care of all of this and I just let it happen, do some of the packing of boxes myself maybe, but this time around it's "We'll reimburse you for up to $5,000, good luck!" and a few phone numbers of moving companies.  

Due to the short timeline I won't be able to make it to Kansas City and find a place to live that's permanent beforehand.  I'm going to be seeing family over a lot of the week of Thanksgiving and I doubt I will have time to spend in KC to find something.  So here's what I see happening; I get everything moved somehow to the KC area and it's warehoused while I live in temp housing for a month or so.  I eventually find something and the things come out of warehouse storage and are delivered to my new 'real' home.  

As far as volume of stuff, I have basically a 1 bedroom's worth of things.  A dining room table, smaller kitchen table, a big drafting table that I use as a workbench in the garage.  A non-running motorcycle that I want to take with me and make running again.  Couple dressers.  So not a college student's level of stuff but it's just me, no kids or spouses' stuff to move.  

I am moving on my own so basically any heavy lifting assistance on either end would require me hiring someone to help.  I have one car that I'd drive across the country and have for when work starts.  I've had the Pods thing suggested and when I look online the local Pods franchise sounds awful to deal with.  And I don't know what they're like with a motorcycle in the mix.  

What does the hive recommend? 

Pods.

You load your crap in and they haul it over for you and deliver when and where you want.  Declare the value of the contents beforehand and if they lose it $$$$$$ profit!

Buy and enclosed trailer, load it, find a willing relative/friend where you can park it until you're settled. Either fly back yourself or slip someone $1k to drive it out to you. Unload at your leisure. Sell the trailer. Pocket $3k.  

When we moved to Houston 17 years ago we paid our friends to move us. We didn't pocket anything, but they made $1500 in pure profit when it was all said and done and they did it for less than having real movers do it. They were less than two months from having their first kid and reeeeeeealy needed some help to make ends meet, so it was a win for everyone involved. 

I'd sell/give away everything you can't easily fit in car. Then use the 5 large to buy new stuff and a running bike. If you were closer I'd buy the drafting table. Gave mine away last time I moved and watching CL to buy another.

The $5k has to be spent on moving things, not buying things.  So I can't buy a trailer or a new couch or whatever with the money.  It's a pretty restrictive agreement.  

Pods or similar would make this pretty easy in some respects.  That might be the way to lean I guess.  Think I'll research what similar options are available; the reviews for the local Pods office are pretty poor.

It sounds like a big source of your worry may be feeling like you need to figure this out "right now!", and you have the holidays coming up and all that. 

If no matter what you're going to be in temporary housing for a stretch, why not just put whatever doesn't fit in the car into storage in New Haven, then figure out how to get it to KC once you've found permanent housing?  

I did this two years ago. Only had 4-5 weeks to plan, and only a two-week window to move. 

I did the math of Uhaul Truck Rental vs Penske/Ryder Truck Rental vs ABF Upack vs PODS vs Zippy Shell. 

Here's how the break-down went - Uhaul was the cheapest by about $1000-$2000. Penske/Ryder was far more expensive than all other options because they don't like you not dropping on the truck at the same spot. PODS was most expensive, followed by ABF Upack, followed by the cheapest non-drive-ourselves option which was Zippy Shell.

Uhaul is a pain because the trucks are slow, unweildy, and we would have had to tow our car as well. We wanted to actually see some of the country while driving west (PA to AZ), and I felt like utilizing UHaul required more of a straight shot, get there ASAP. We also have a cat, which stuck in a truck cab with us would've been fun. She was bad enough stuck in a car for 5 days.

I tried pricing out someone else hauling my car out to AZ via U-Ship. I think I got quotes ranging from $750-$900. Which that, along with renting a Uhaul would've been around $2500. 

I wanted someone to move our stuff, and we'd pack the cat up for a week long road trip. We chose Zippy Shell, as they came out to about $3500. We got the 10ft container (7 x 7 x 10) with two couches (loveseat on its ends), a bed, two dressers, a bunch of bikes, no desks, no tables, no chairs. It barely fit, but we made it. Zippy Shell also helped me unload the container, and they were flexible on timing too (I think they charged $50 per day of storage). 

There are a few other companies now that do what PODS, ABF, ZippyShell do:

1-800-Pack-Rat

Door-To-Door Storage

United Mayflower

SMARTBOX

COWs (Container on Wheels)

One thing I will say is that owning a truck with a 6' bed is crucial when moving. It allow you to move stuff yourself, sleep in the back, tow a trailer if necessary, etc etc etc. Think about selling your current car, getting a truck for the move and tow, then when you're out there, you can sell the truck and get another vehicle. 

I bought a truck after the move and I really wish I would've had it prior. 

I'd also get rid of (Sell) pretty much anything and everything you can. I regret moving couches, because we've lived two places already in AZ where the couches just didn't work in the residence. I wish I would've sold more stuff prior to moving, those damn couches included.

It's not your $5k then so even if Pods is expensive, so what.   

Otherwise, my recommendation would be to sell what you can in CT via Craigslist and re-buy on the other side via Craigslist.  

Some good input so far.  I think what I'm going to try to do is somehow get this junk (more on that later) to KC.  I'll be in that general area for Thanksgiving and will extend my stay and spend time in the KC metro trying to find something to rent.  If that's successful, cool, if not I'll have things dropped at a storage unit near where I work or think I might live.  That way I'm not coming back out here to CT later when I could do it now.

I'll look into the various Pod-like options listed by pheller.  That's an awesome chunk of into, thanks.  I'm going to take a hard look at what I can gte rid of between here and there.  I just did this a year ago and a lot of small stuff got dumped then.  Maybe it's time for my couch to find a new owner...

Thanks everyone.

You've also got the better part of two months before the new job starts. That's a long time.

I'd be looking at whatever option is going to leave me with the least amount of work and use up the whole $5k.

I hate moving. 

In reply to pheller :

I'll be working through Nov 17th.  I go to Kansas to see family for turkey time most of the following week.  There's two weeks where I'm not travelling or working full time between now and the start of the next job.  I have a lot of calendar days but there's holidays and large amount of distance between now and then.

pres589 said:

The $5k has to be spent on moving things, not buying things.  So I can't buy a trailer or a new couch or whatever with the money.  It's a pretty restrictive agreement.  

Pods or similar would make this pretty easy in some respects.  That might be the way to lean I guess.  Think I'll research what similar options are available; the reviews for the local Pods office are pretty poor.

Negotiate? Say something like a 4,000.00 signing bonus instead of moving expenses? Obviously they want you enough to spend 5 grand moving your stuff.

In reply to pres589 :

Wait, you've got family in Kansas? How close to KC?

pheller:  About 2.5 hour's drive away.  I think the smart thing is to do a bit of house hunting while there for holidays and if I can't find something I'll have my things dropped at a storage unit.  I'll do short-term stay somewhere and look while working if it works out that way.

Not A TA: Yeah, corporate HR, always making deals for people...

Throw stuff away and buy in Kansas City? 

My son moved from Chicago to SoCal and bought all his stuff when he got to California.  Now he has to move to Boston in the spring for a two year position - 3,000 miles.....  

Two years ago my wife and I moved from Arizona to Mississippi.  We used Two Men and a Truck and thought they were very reasonable.

The truck that gets loaded at your old place is the one that arrives at the new place with at least one of the movers who helped load.  I think we paid around $3000 which included a 26' truck and them pulling my wife's CX-5 on a trailer behind it.

Was very pleased.

I would strong suggest going to Clark Howard’s web site ( www.clark.com) and searching for his moving guide.  Skip past the ads that come ip on the top of the page ( he has no control of these as I understand things), and look for a result titled “ how to hire the best moving companies” and “how to avoid moving ripoffs”.  LOTS of great consumer info there!  You really want a binding estimate if you plan on hiring someone, or you may very well find all possessions held hostage at trumped up inflated cost is the estimate is not binding.  

In reply to pres589 :furniture you have no attachment to ( non-family prior owners) should be sold.  It's not worth the expense to move it and the chance of it fitting in your new place are almost nonexistent. In fact sometimes you wind up getting the wrong place just because your furniture will fit/ match/ work and the better places it won't. 

Exception? Beds  they are only worth what the frame is worth  mattresses have no value on the second hand market.  

Same with clothes.  No second hand value.  Box and ship bedding  

Kitchen stuff has a tiny value but they are small enough to box and ship 

books  and magazines ditto 

If you're looking for another alternative to PODS, Uhaul offers a similar service.