When you’ve found the perfect new place to live, you will need to start thinking about moving all of your belongings there. Keep in mind that moving your belongings out of state is not cheap and with gas prices always going crazy, it isn’t going to get any cheaper. Your best bet is to take as little as possible along with you. Weigh the cost of getting the item there against the cost of replacing it once you’ve moved. When you call a moving company, they usually charge by the pound and the mileage. Depending on how much stuff you plan to bring along and how far away you are moving, you may be surprised to find that it is actually more affordable to buy a new set of dishes than it is to bring the old ones that are missing a few pieces anyway. Select your most precious items to take and then have a yard sale with the rest of your things. In the long run, you will be glad you did and besides, its fun to decorate a new house with a few new knickknacks.
It may be more cost effective to rent a truck and do the moving yourself. But be aware that these rentals can also be quite pricey and unless you are a professional mover, you may lose a few breakables along the way.
When we made our 550 mile move, we actually purchased a used van and made several trips back and forth with it to get all of our things here. Although it may sound like an inconvenience, for us this was the best way to go and we still have the van.
When it gets close to the time when you will actually be packing up, you should start collecting boxes. Boxes and packing material expenses can add up rather quickly. Your best bet is to find out when your supermarket gets their weekly delivery and ask them if you could have some of the boxes that they would be getting rid of anyway. Drug stores and Liquor stores are also good places to find used boxes. Save all of your old newspapers to be used as packing material. If you need to purchase boxes, go to your nearest storage company or mailing center. If you are hiring a moving company, they may be able to supply you with boxes for an additional fee.
If you are packing breakables, it is a good idea to incorporate some of them in with your clothing. To get my China cabinet here in one piece I packed up the glass cabinets with sheets and blankets and then wrapped the outside with bubble wrap. It worked beautifully.