So recently, after 39 years in my home, I made my first move cross country to start a new life journey but didn’t want to spend $15-20,000 using a traditional moving company. So I explored other options and eventually chose to rent a UHaul Truck and movers to load it, drive it and unload it at the other end. I figured I would rather do all my own packing anyway to decide what will get sold, donated, tossed or packed and really how hard could that be? Turns out, pretty darn hard. With a leaning toward sentimentality and having raised my only child in my home, selling and donating was tough and tossing was even harder! BUT I will admit that once I started selling some things I got more conducive to the idea. By the time I moved, I was giving stuff away!! So here’s some tips to help you on your way!

UHaul: The UBox is ridiculously small and though it might be good for a move across town or taking a child to college, it is NOT a good choice for cross country moves no matter what their Infomercial says. Seriously small!!

UHaul 26ft Truck: This was my choice as all their literature and employees stated that this would accommodate a 3-4 bedroom home. And let me say, when you look at an empty 26ft truck trailer, you will be convinced your things will fit.  Reality, maybe a 1-2BR home at the most. I moved one set of bedroom furniture, one mattress, a sofa, loveseat and twin sleeper plus 4 desks and a few incidental small tables….NO dining room, other 3 bedrooms, kitchen, family room, appliances, washer dryer NONE of THAT! I had lots of bins and boxes but hey, without all that extra furniture it should fit, right? Wrong. Ended up having to buy a 14′ trailer to attach to my daughter’s truck which was also full to make the 1100 mile drive across country.

Granted moving this way saved me probably $10000 in costs and so I would do it again, just smarter and better! My movers were very very nice people….but incredibly slow. Take the time to get referrals as best you can. It will be a great help!

I’m still glad I packed myself as I made sure I have what is most important to me with me in my new home. One thing that made it difficult was that I wasn’t confirmed on the deal going through until 2 weeks before closing so I had to leave a lot of packing until the last minute so the home would still be staged properly in case it had to go back on the market. These are all factors I was not aware of when I started the process but know now and want to pass on so that your move can be less stressful, more joyful and an experience you can look back on as a good part of your new journey.

The key is recognizing that your past memories will be with you forever and your new memories are lying ahead. Give yourself the authority to move forward so when you look back it’s with joy and appreciation for the blessings you enjoyed. Home truly is where your heart is and with the people who mean the most to you.

Happy Journey!