Schlepping made easy with two luggage carts
This post is brought to you by Sterling Relocation, relocation service specialists.
Who says airline baggage fees are excessive? I carefully considered all my options for moving across the country from Los Angeles to Rhode Island and calculated that flying was cheaper than professional movers, Uhaul, and the United States Postal Service. Don�t believe me? Check my math below.
Movers
Pros: All I have to do is pack. The movers load up my stuff and unpack it. Cons: Dealing with skeezy movers, who may charge me a higher rate for any boxes above and beyond my initial estimate. Plus, the pick up window is two weeks and the delivery window is four weeks. I called a national moving company for a quote to move 13 large boxes under 40 pounds each.
$623.43 = total includes a fuel fee, stairs fee, and an administrative fee
Uhaul
Pros: Getting to see the country with a friend. Cons: Molding butt to seat over 3,560 miles.
$2,519 = an 11-day rental for a 10-foot truck with up to 3,560 miles costs
(Extra mile fee: $.40 per mile over 3,560)
$848 = Gas: 3,560 miles in a 12 miles per gallon truck at $2.86/gal (average price of regular gas according to AAA)
$500 = 5-nights hotel
$150 = 6-nights camping passes
$4,017 = total
U.S. Postal Service
Pros: Boxes delivered to my new doorstep. Cons: Stuff doesn�t arrive for eight days and may be damaged from the rough ride or heat.
$559 = parcel post rate for 13 boxes each weighing up to 40 pounds
$36 = Insurance of $2.75 for up to $200 for each box
$595 = total
Flying on Southwest (Bags on Virgin America, which has limited routes, are just $25 per bag, up to 50 pounds per bag, up to 10 bags. That�s even better than Southwest!)
Pros: Stuff arrives with me. Cons: Lugging boxes to and from airport.
$0 = boxes 1-2, which are free on Southwest
$250 = boxes 3-7 which are $50 per as long as they weigh less than 50 pounds each
$0 = boxes 8-13, which a friend flew across for me for free using his elevated airline status perks
$40 = sky cap tip checking me in in 10 minutes flat
$20 = shuttle driver tip for loading and unloading boxes
$310 = total
If you had to move across the country, how would you do it?
July 27th, 2010 at 12:01 pm
What about furniture and large items? Did I miss something, are you leaving LA?
July 27th, 2010 at 12:15 pm
How about the cost of your flight? That should be included.
July 27th, 2010 at 12:27 pm
wouldent move so free
July 27th, 2010 at 12:59 pm
I agree with the other posters, the cost of the plane ticket should be included and this is perfect for someone with no furniture! Do you plan on buying new furniture when you get there? Did you sell the old and will use that money to buy new furniture? I think there are several other things to be considered but ultimately you got yourself and your necessary belongings across the country for $310 (plus airline ticket cost). I get your point, I just think it’s incomplete.
July 27th, 2010 at 1:06 pm
I was wondering that too. Are you leaving us bargain babe? What about your husband and furniture?
July 27th, 2010 at 1:58 pm
You did get to ship 6 boxes for free, a perk not everyone has access to. If you had had to pay for them, it would have added $300 to the cost, assuming they go for $50 each also.
July 27th, 2010 at 2:24 pm
Also, what about your vehicle? Did you sell it?
July 27th, 2010 at 2:39 pm
I moved to another country and what we did was sell almost everything at either garage sales (the most profitable) or through an auctioneer (least profitable but easiest). We also gave away a lot of stuff. Everything else went into the truck of our car except 12 boxes of books which we shipped M-bag. The books took 3 months but that was okay. We shipped them in 4 shipments because it was easier to transport them to and from the post office (no package delivery in Merida).
regards,
Theresa
July 27th, 2010 at 3:08 pm
I still have several belongings at my mom’s house on the other side of the country. While home for Christmas I decided to bring a box of stuff back with me, so I wrapped everything carefully and checked the box before boarding my flight. When I picked up the box at the baggage claim, it looked like it had been run over by a truck. Apparently it had gotten caught in a belt somewhere along the way, and despite my careful packing job, most of the box’s contents were broken.
Southwest reimbursed me for the value of all the broken items, but unfortunately I lost a few things that were sentimental and irreplaceable (priceless to me!). So, if you’re going to move your belongings as checked baggage, I highly recommend that you not do this for breakable or sentimental items. I would put all sentimental items in your carry-on and ship breakable items via the post office or UPS.
July 27th, 2010 at 3:35 pm
For someone without furniture that’s fine…but most of us are concerned about furniture – I guess we’d have to go with movers!
July 27th, 2010 at 5:23 pm
I think you made this move by leaving a lot of different kinds of “baggage” behind, so you didn’t have to think about furniture. That is a definite plus. For people like me, who have more than 30 years accumulated in a home, it would be a whole different story. Think I’ll stay where I am, and plan to visit those who’ve moved. That will include my youngest son, who will soon be relocating to the Denver, CO area for his job, as well as my brother in VA… and now Julia in RI!!!
July 27th, 2010 at 6:05 pm
I moved from the west coast to the east coast three years ago using USPS. I was in no rush, so choose the cheapest ground option, which took about 3 weeks. Moved over 20 boxes (I think 50 lbs was the limit or maybe 70lb, cannot recall for sure) for $500. Of course no furniture. It was the best deal at the time.
July 27th, 2010 at 6:50 pm
You need to include the cost of the shuttle driver that you tipped.
July 27th, 2010 at 7:11 pm
I’m also wondering about the price of your airline ticket? Why didn’t you include that in your figures? What about your husband, your furniture, your vehicle? It’s way too confusing, but you made the move and you are happy, so that’s all that really matters.
July 28th, 2010 at 12:57 am
I’m a little surprised that a few readers say Julia didn’t mention her husband when calculating moving expenses. I’m not sure why they just assumed that she’s married – single gals can be savvy savers, bargain hunters and successful businesswomen, too!
July 28th, 2010 at 8:39 am
I believe people are mentioning a husband because there is a guy who BB refers to as bargain hubby or something like that. Am I right BB?
July 28th, 2010 at 10:08 am
@Susan You are right, not everyone would have access to checking 6 bags for free (on two flights), but my access was a big part of why flying across the country was my cheapest option. You have to use all your resources to save!
July 28th, 2010 at 10:09 am
@Katie T I am not sure what I am going to do with my MINI. I may sell it, I may drive it across the country, I may have it shipped or driven across by someone else. I left this expense out of the calculation because I have not decided yet.
July 28th, 2010 at 10:10 am
@Theresa in Merida I gave a lot of stuff away, too, especially books and kitchenware. The move was a great reason to donate clothes I never wear and other possessions I was having a hard time giving up. I feel much better having a lighter load.
July 28th, 2010 at 10:18 am
@Robin I did include the shuttle driver tip – $20.
July 28th, 2010 at 10:21 am
@Sylvia and @Junie I did not include the price of my one-way airline ticket – $249 – because I was going to fly for every option except renting the Uhaul, which was so much more expensive than the other choices that it would not have made much of a difference. I have very little furniture and none of it made sense to take with me. I can replace everything I need for pennies on the dollar at garage sales and IKEA. My car is still in California and I have not decided what to do with it yet, so I left that out of my calculations.
July 29th, 2010 at 11:39 am
[...] Lists – contents of boxes that I put in storage and carried in my cheap cross country move [...]
July 30th, 2010 at 8:33 am
[...] to protect my Rhode Island garden, which I planted on an earlier visit. (Did you miss my post about moving across the country?) Everything seems to grow very well in the Ocean State so I’m satisfying my gardening itch [...]
July 31st, 2010 at 3:55 pm
I used movers but then I had lots of furniture.
August 2nd, 2010 at 1:31 pm
I would have mailed the books via USPS Media Mail – a 70 LB box of books mailed from coast to coast would cost approximately $30.00 (not including insurance)
August 22nd, 2010 at 1:47 pm
Bargain Babe – I just traveled cross country from Los Angeles to Washington DC via Amtrak. I was amazed at their baggage policy – each ticketed person is allowed 3 checked pieces of luggage (50 lbs or less), two carryons of 50 lbs or less PLUS your personal items (purse, laptop) at no charge. You can check 3 more pieces of baggage weighing 50 lbs or less for $10 each. That is a lot of stuff!
A person would have to travel Coach for the most economical ticket (we got a sleeper since we were doing it for the experience, not necessarily trying to save money).
August 23rd, 2010 at 8:51 am
@chris at yardsalequeen.com I didn’t know Amtrak had such a generous and cheap luggage policy. I bet the ticket was expensive, though?! I’m curious how much you paid to take Amtrak cross country. Was the trip worth it?