The Many Moving Decisions of Miss Twenty-Something Law Student

Okay, so moving cross-country (or partially cross-country, as the case may be) isn't a new thing to me. But this will be the first time I've undertaken a move like this without a dorm room (and the included amenities and furniture) waiting for me on the other side. And that just makes this whole process a little bit more difficult.

During college I acquired quite a bit of "stuff" and I had to get rid of 75% of it when I moved back to California, so everything that I ended up keeping was really special or useful to me. And in the last two years that I've been out of college, I've managed to accumulate even MORE stuff. Now that the time has come for me to be a big girl and get my own (unfurnished) apartment, I have to decide what "stuff" comes with me and what stuff stays. 

Let me give you a clue: I want it ALL.

Needless to say, there aren't very many scenarios in which I can keep or even use all of my stuff. And how much I ultimately decide to part with will determine how I move to Dallas in 50 days. Here are the options that I've explored.

1. Moving Truck - I could rent a moving truck from a company like U-haul or Penske. These trucks run about $850 to pick up in my hometown and drop off 6 days later in Dallas, and have a mileage limit of 1750 miles. Now, it's only 1300ish miles to Dallas, so I'm thinking that I would be fine as far as mileage goes, but if I rent a truck I still have to pay for gas and hotels, etc. These trucks get about 12 mpg on the freeway, so at $4/gallon that's an extra $440 in gas at least, not to mention food and lodging. I'm thinking that this option, in total, will cost me about $1600 when all is said and done, plus will take 4 days (1 to load, 2 to drive, 1 to unload).
   
2. U-Haul Trailer - I could rent a small trailer to hitch behind our car/truck. To pick one up in my hometown and drop it off in Dallas 6 days later would cost about $150. Now, the added expense here would come from the mileage and money put into our personal vehicle. Since I'm not planning on taking my car to Dallas, we would probably use one of my parent's cars. We have a hybrid and a small truck, and odds are we would end up taking the small truck (it's older and an extra car, anyway, so no one cares about the added mileage...plus it's tiny and gets good gas mileage). The bad thing about this option would be that someone (probably my dad) would have to drive the truck to and from Dallas, and one of these trips he would be by himself. :/ Total I think that this option would end up costing about $650.
   
3. ABF U-Pack Pods - This option is the least amount of stress. The pod is delivered to my house, I pack it, they pick it up and 4 days later it's dropped off in front of my apartment in Dallas. The contents are insured, so that's another worry off of my mind. It is pricey though, and we're looking at about $900 for the door-to-door service. In addition to that price, I would have to get a plane ticket to Dallas for myself, which is an additional $200, so our total out the door would be around $1100. STILL, it does make it exponentially easier and less stressful on me, which makes it more valuable.
   
4. Two Suitcase Limit - In this option my dad and I fly out to Dallas, and whatever I can pack with me in two suitcases (technically three, since my dad wouldn't need two) is what I end up starting with in Dallas. Of course, this means that the big things -- my bed, my amazing bookshelf, my books, and my mementos and knick-knacks -- couldn't come with me. I would have to sell everything possible before leaving and use the proceeds from that to set myself up with some Craig's List and IKEA furniture before school starts. I might ship myself a box or two of books before moving, but other than that...no comforts of home. While this option is the cheapest (only the price of a plane ticket), it's the least amount of "stuff," and it would probably cost me more in the long run to replace my stuff than it would just to move my stuff.
   
5. Road Trip - In this option we load the little truck down with as much stuff as it can hold, strap the mattress with a tarp over it on top, and take a road trip to Dallas. This option would fit an amount of stuff somewhere between options #4 and #2, which is doable without being outrageously expensive to supplement once I'm in Dallas. This option would probably cost about $500 in gas, food, and lodging.

So, those are the options I'm weighing right now. I think ultimately it will probably come down to my dad, who is the one who's going to be doing the lifting and taking the time off to move me in. It's kind of an overwhelming amount of information to process, isn't it?