Note: This blog post is a sponsored conversation written by Lynn Smythe, the Founder and Chief Blogger for The Creative Cottage lifestyle blog. The opinions, thoughts, ideas and text are all mine.
Have you recently graduated from college and about to move to a new city, town, or even planning a long-distance cross-country move? Congratulations and Welcome to the Land of Adulting!
Moving to a new state after college is a bit stressful but, with these handy top 5 long-distance moving tips, you’ll get through the move in style.
Taking the First Step – Deciding Where to Move
Ask yourself a very important question. What is your top priority when it comes to moving to a new city after graduating college? Is it landing your dream job no matter where the company is located or do you want to first decide where you are going to live?
My daughter recently graduated from the University of Florida in Gainesville (GO GATORS!) and she and her boyfriend decided they wanted to move in together. They researched the top states they were interested in and picked a few top cities. Then they planned a 2-week vacation road trip where they visited their top locations.
After getting back from that trip and discussing the pros and cons of each city they originally narrowed their choices down to either Charlotte, NC, or Nashville, TN. After much soul searching and doing a bit of further research (budgeting actual housing and living costs, investigating potential jobs, available amenities, and outdoor entertainment opportunities) they changed their mind and decided to move to – wait for it – Knoxville, TN!
I know a major concern they had when they were thinking of going to Nashville is that it’s in a different time zone. I also think they were worried that Nashville would be too much of a city – too expensive, too crowded, and too much competition for jobs. They decided to avoid possible confusion, they wanted to stay in an Eastern Time Zone. Also, Knoxville is much closer to friends and family, has a lower cost of living compared to Nashville, is in a temperate climate, and has more of a small-town vibe.
Research Apartments That Fit Within Your Budget
My daughter and her bf made a list of priorities – what to look for – when researching what type of apartment they wanted to find in Knoxville. As this is their first non-college apartment, it had to be within a certain price point so as not to blow their budget. They wanted something close to potential job opportunities, something close to the downtown area, and something close to outdoor recreation areas.
My daughter rescued a HUGE greyhound a few years ago and she needed to find an area with lots of opps for walking her fur baby. The apartment they selected is right on the Tennessee River, has fantastic views of the waterfront, is just a few miles from downtown, and is right smack dab alongside a paved greenway. The greenway goes for miles and miles and miles along the river and is a popular spot for walkers, joggers, cyclists, and walkers of awesome doggos. That means she can literally roll out of bed to walk Luna any time of day or night.
Start Saving and Budgeting for Cross Country Move
Moving to a new town is always an expensive endeavor. The number one new move expense is budgeting for your apartment deposit. This is usually a security deposit along with the first and last month’s rent and can total thousands of dollars. And, as a new resident, the utility companies also usually require a deposit before you can open a new account for your water, electricity, gas, whatever.
You’ll also need to factor in the cost of a moving company such as 24/7 Logistic Services, a Florida moving company, who specializes in long-distance moving in Hollywood, Florida to move all your personal belongings across the country. And, if you are relocating for a new job, how long is it going to be before you actually start your job and receive your first paycheck?
My daughter was lucky to conduct a successful long-distance job search while still living in Florida. She had multiple phone, email, and Zoom interviews before getting an offer. But, her new job doesn’t start until 2 weeks after she and her boyfriend make the move to Knoxville. On a positive note, that will give her time to settle in, unpack, explore her new home before starting her career, but that also means no $$ coming in for a few weeks.
When I moved to Florida many, many, many years ago I didn’t have a job lined up (this was way before the internet was a thing) AKA the land before time without Zoom meetings or Microsoft Teams. How on earth did I ever survive!?!
But I did have several thousand dollars in my savings account, a few friends living in the area, and connections on potential job opps. I was lucky to find a new job within a few days of landing in south Florida but was very happy to have the cushion of savings.
Long-Distance Moving – Pare Down to Bare Essentials
You don’t really need to take that hand-me-down sofa you’ve used for the past 4 years while in college do you? Paring down your personal possessions to all but the basics makes it easier to make a cross country. You can hunt for thrift store bargains and/or buy new furniture once you get to your new location. And, if you’ve really pared down to the basics, you might not have to get such a large moving truck or maybe you can even do a DIY move.
My daughter and her boyfriend are doing a combination of self-move and moving truck move across the country. They need to get both their vehicles to Knoxville along with Miss Luna the wonder dog. Miss Luna will need lots of stops to get out of the car and stretch her four legs and the back of my daughter’s car will serve as her mobile doggie bed during the trip.
They’ll pack up their cars with computer gear and whatever they need to get through the first few days after landing in their new hometown. Knoxville is about an 8-hour drive from Gainesville – that’ll extend to 9 or 10 once you figure in breaks, stopping for gas, snacks, etc. They probably won’t get around to unpacking any of their boxes until the next day or two after they make the move so they are both packing enough clothing, kitchen, and bathroom gear to get them through the first couple of days before dealing with the stacks of moving boxes.
That being said, they are hiring a long-distance moving company to pack up and move their large and bulky possessions – XL king-size bed, other furniture, bicycles, etc. They thought about renting a moving truck and doing it themselves, but then how to get both of their cars to Knoxville became an issue – so, moving truck it is!
Research Long Distance Moving Companies
If you’re an extreme minimalist you can probably just pack up a bag or two, throw all your earthly possessions into your car, and start driving to your new hometown. But if you’re like most recent college graduates, you’ve managed to accumulate a lot of items. So much stuff – besides a couple of suitcases and your greyhound rescue dog (I’m channeling my daughter and her dogo Miss Luna) you’ll need to either rent a moving truck or hire the services of a moving company.
That means it’s time to start researching the best long-distance cross country moving companies near you, determine if they only offer local moving services or also specialize in cross country moves, and read online reviews (the good, the bad, and the ugly) written by previous customers. Once you’ve narrowed down your choices, pick up the phone or send a good old-fashioned email, and ask for a quote.
Depending on your budget you can do an economy move where you pack up all your items, load them into the truck, then let the moving company know when you’re ready to have them drive the truck to your new city. If budget isn’t a problem, say you landed that $$$$$$ new job in the big city then, congratulations! You can reserve a full-service moving company that will pack up all your belongings for you, load them into the truck, drive the truck cross country, then unload all your belongings into your new home.
Many moving companies even have options for storing your items in a short-term storage unit until you are ready for delivery. This is a convenient option if you are temporarily living in a hotel or apartment waiting for your new home to close.
So, there you have it, our top 5 tips for making your first long distance cross country move after college.
Good Luck!
Let’s Keep in Touch
Do you have any tips or tricks you’d like to share? Leave a comment on this post or shoot me an email: info@thecreativecottage.net and I just might feature your story in a future blog post.
Take care,
Lynn Smythe
Founder and Chief Blogger
The Creative Cottage
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