Moving house interstate/long distance

Yup, we moved house long distance.

Since we're re-lated, OP, why don't we stop by and stay with you a few months?

What's that new address?

OP, how are you moving? (Flying? Road trip?)

I would take as much as possible. I'm a minimalist (Mary), but I love everything that I have, down to the smallest kitchen tool.

First, though, I would declutter. Get rid of things I don't use. Donate, dump in trash or sell.

Why get rid of a bunch of stuff only to have to go out and buy the same stuff in a new town.

How the fuck should we know, OP - are you 20 with post college Ikea; 40 with some valuable original MCM case goods; or 60 with all of Mother’s brown furniture, Hummels and good China?

Jesus - throw us a bone why don’tcha.

Dump the kitchen stuff unless they’re expensive appliances you use. Muffin tins, mixing bowls, cookie sheets etc. you can buy at a thrift shop.

Unless you have a 100 inch Sony that you paid 10k for, I would recommend giving your TV away and buying a new one when you move. They're a huge hassle to move and completely replaceable.

I would probably try to calculate how much it would cost to move stuff (in effort as well) and see if buying them in the new place is worth it against that.

Have a couple moving companies who do long distances moves come out to your house and give you an estimate (some will let you give a video tour of the house and provide a virtual estimate). If you have a special item that might need careful packing, like a glass table top, ask for pricing on this as well. In that example, crating the glass table might not be worth the expense.

The estimate will be based on how many rooms you have in your house and of course, how much stuff you have.

When you're looking at moving companies, try to find a company that has been around for awhile and don't just trust Yelp or Google Reviews. Check Better Business Bureau reviews to find out how they really are.

What r7 said, especially about the research. I know someone who used a cut-rate moving service for a cross-country move and her boxes arrived heavily water damaged. She lost thousands of dollars worth of designer clothes and shoes. They also made it impossible to submit a claim for damaged items.

Save everything. Throw nothing away.

My family and me, moved from Chicago to Southern West Virginia 21 years ago. I took everything we had, which was a lot. It depends on your money situation and whether you're moving to a very rural area or not. When I look back now, it was a damned good thing we took everything. We were almost fucking broke and couldn't afford to buy the big things. The small stuff was important to me too, it was just a matter of making it all fit into a double wide trailer. I know I'll catch hell for admitting that. It was hard to decide what to keep and what to let go, because everything had memories tied to it. I really wish I could give you better advice.

Good luck