Moving advice!

[Yaaamiii]

Literally. I don't mean should I move, should I not. For those of you who took the steps to move to your SO or vice versa within the USA, what did you have to do? What things needed to be considered? Did you move with nothing but the clothes on your back, or did you move all of your possessions? How deflated did your wallet become? How long did you need to save for in order to make the move? In my case I would be moving 6 hours away from our home city. I'm currently out of state for college but I'll be done a year before him as his program is 5 years and mine is only 4. What things do I need to consider before moving?

Any advice is appreciated!

[kacie]

Things to consider would be firstly where are you going to live? Are you going to be able to find a job once you've moved? Are you able to sell some possessions or hire a truck to take them with you? Money wise it would depend on whether you're going to move into his place (if your SO has one) or whether you have to get a place together, how quickly you can find a job there, or if you will have to live of your savings, what kind of social life you're expecting to have, the costings of things, whether it's more expensive there than what it is where you live now.

[lucybelle]

Well I moved to another country, so I actually think my move was LESS expensive because I was forced to get rid of and not bring most of my stuff. If you're only moving a couple hours away I can definitely see you renting a moving van, piling all your shit into it, and driving cross country just so you don't have to part with it. Me? I got rid of ALL of my furniture. More than 3/4 of my clothes (and ALL winter clothes). Almost all my shoes. All my "things" (like picture frames, doo-dads, etc). I had 2 checked bags and only had to pay for one. Plus my ticket down. That was it. It was a cheap move because I purged myself of a LOT. I gave most of my stuff away or for super cheap, I thought I needed a little good karma for the move

My SO went down before me and picked out our apartment so we didn't have to live in his mom's house until we found one. When I got there he agreed to support me financially for 6 months or until I got a job, whichever was shorter. Our original apartment was furnished, then we moved into one which was not. We lived off of plastic yard furniture borrowed from his parents until we found good deals on things. First came the couch/love seat set. Then the dinner table and chairs. We took our time since we're not fancy people and were okay waiting for a good price. We split the cost of everything.

[iHeartt]

Things to consider would be firstly where are you going to live? Are you going to be able to find a job once you've moved? Are you able to sell some possessions or hire a truck to take them with you? Money wise it would depend on whether you're going to move into his place (if your SO has one) or whether you have to get a place together, how quickly you can find a job there, or if you will have to live of your savings, what kind of social life you're expecting to have, the costings of things, whether it's more expensive there than what it is where you live now.

I am moving 5 hours away to be CD with my SO. I'm moving in with him and I'm taking most of my possessions with me. Of course going through them and throwing away or giving away things no longer needed. But we are merging 2 households. I only have a one BR apartment so I don't have too much furniture and will use most of it, if not all of it. Renting a moving van and away I go. (We see each other very frequently, so I take a car load of boxes every time one of us goes to his place!)

Things to take into consideration..... I think kacie was right on the mark with her post. For me, I won't have any time off work. I work in my city and 4 days later, I begin my new job in my new city. Yep, have a job already waiting for me so that is a HUGE help in not needing tons of savings. Feel free to message me if needed! Good luck to you!

[Yaaamiii]

Oh I guess I should have added these few details that I forgot about...I live with my mom, technically. When I'm home on school vacations, that is. I'm graduating this upcoming May and have the choice to either move back home or move to my SO. Obviously I want to move to my SO to close the distance but we'll see if I'm able to when the time comes. I don't have many things. I'd be moving to a predominantly college town and I have other friends who go to his school so I wouldn't be completely alone.

If I do end up moving, I'll probably donate most of my things to goodwill, since my SO and I will for sure be closing the distance after he graduates. I just wanna close it earlier than that, and he does too. There's just a lot to think about. My SO actually lives on campus as its more convenient for him, so I'd probably move in with roommates or on my own. If it was with roommates, it would be SO cheap. I'm talking $100 a month cheap. Our home city is WAY more expensive than his college's city is. The problem is I don't have a car, so if I moved back home, I'd be saving for a car (since my SO doesn't have one either), not closing the distance a year later.

*sigh*

[pvbonolo]

I could use some help in this area, also. I'm planning on moving to my SO sometime in the middle of this year, but I have no idea how much money I should have saved up, cheap moving companies to use, how to find an apartment, etc.

[kacie]

I would think finding an apartment would depend on how much you can pay per month, but have a look online at the area you're planning on moving too for ideas of how much it will cost you.

[lyonsgirl]

Well.... I haven't moved to be near my SO (yet). He moved once to live near me, and I have moved... too many times. (Both with my family and on my own) In & out of dorms every year at college, then into my first apartment - that wasn't furnished - and then out - and into my first "real" apartment. And then into another apartment, 800 miles away.. and then into my current place, 1200 miles from there.

Before you move, if you can, take a trip out there. Apartment hunt and actually see the places. I regret not doing this for the 2nd "real" apartment I have lived in. I lucked out, but I would have liked a little bit larger of a kitchen, ha (although it's not like I've upgraded in this one...). And, if at all possible, ask about the people who would be your neighbors. Heck, if you're feeling bold, introduce yourself to them. I regret not doing that with this apartment........ Since you don't have a car, how do you plan on going to the store? Grocery shopping, clothes shopping, housewares, etc. How do you plan on getting all that stuff home from the store?

Ask the leasing office where the closest grocery store, WalMart, Target, coffee shop, restaurants, etc, are to the complex. See if you could really picture yourself living there - and the logistics of it. Do you know where you'll be working? How will you get to work? How far is the commute? What's the traffic like on that road you'd have to take to get to work?

Basically, ask every single question you could ever think of. When you do look at apartments - don't just look at one. Take a notebook with you - and a camera (or take pictures with your phone). Write down things that are important to you in apartments. Like, does it have A/C? Is it central, or a wall unit? What about a dishwasher? Laundry? What do the fixtures look like in the kitchen? What kind of utilities do you have to pay for? Do they pay for any of them? Can you pay your rent online?

Sorry. I could go on and on about this topic. When I moved into my first place, I furnished it with stuff from craigslist, garage sales, and I got lucky and my parents let me take my bed from home (which I am still using). When I moved out - I sold/gave away all the big pieces I didn't want (like my couch, cheap end tables, cheap stools, old bookcases). I bought new stuff for my "big girl" apartment from IKEA. Since I have a pretty decent paycheck, I could afford to do this.

And now this fall, Nix & I will be merging our possessions... which means getting rid of a ton of stuff and setting up all of our new stuff. That will be an adventure...

[Dove87]

I am thinking of moving from florida to texas to be with my SO. I am already in college for the first time at home, for a certificate. I am thinking about moving with him and going to college to get an AA degree. But I am a transplant patients, and the thing I'm most worried about is insurance and getting my checkups. It's a lot to think about. I checked prices on moving vans and they are expensive!