Safest Way To Move..

[NatashaDisneyCM]

My DD is in Texas, and her family is in Mass, she has a 1 yo and is getting divorced and wants to come home. She has stuff to move, just not a whole house. So I was thinking of driving down and getting a uhaul to hitch up to my truck, or should I fly there and drive back in a uhaul? or fly there get mover (I do not think there is enough stuff, and I am thinking money wise) and fly back?? I know this could be a hard drive, has anyone done it?
what is the cheapest and safest way?? I have never done......this??
thanks!

I just want to get her home!!

 

[HeatherC]

I would probably fly down and plan a leisurely drive back.

I'd also check into moving companies. They may be able to just ship her stuff after all for the same amount of money.

 

[NHdisneylover]

What about something like this:

http://www.upack.com/moving-services/cross-country-moving.asp

They deliver a storage cube big enough to fill with one rooms worth of furniture/stuff (you could get more than one cube if you need it but I think you could fit a lot in one of those if she packs well). She has three days to fill it and lock it. She keeps the key and they deliver it to you--where you have 3 days to unload it.

It would be cheaper than full movers and you can just do a small amount of belongings--but safer I think than you and her trying to drive a trailer and/or truck across country with a toddler.

If she has a car to bring home to you, you may still consider flying out and driving back with her. Otherwise, I would suggest have her pack up the cube and then fly with the baby to your place. The money YOU save on not going down there and back will probably mostly make up the difference in cost to have the company move the bin and she and the baby will have a much easier time of it.

 

[NatashaDisneyCM]

I was just looking up the "PODS" online, that way I can get one to her house, and she can pack at her leisure...thou I do not know how much free time she has with a 11 month old! lol but maybe I could fly down the week before and help pack up..has anyone used them? what type of price are we looking at?...humm, I forgot, I think she has a car. (it is a weird situation) lol

thanks everyone!

 

[malibuconlee]

I think the pod would be a good way to go. Especially if she has a car to transport. If you do a u-haul rental truck there is no place for the baby seat. She'll be stuck driving by herself from TX to MA with an infant. No fun.

eTA: Fly there. Help her pack and load into the pod, then drive back with her and the baby.

 

[The Mystery Machine]

Pods may not be the cheapest however considering you guys need to transport a car back and she only has a small amount of stuff, it sounds like the easiest solution.

That way you don't have to drive the truck with the stuff and just have to worry about the car, mom, and baby. TX to Mass is a long drive.

 

[Magic Mom]

Are they a military family?

 

[minkydog]

I was just looking up the "PODS" online, that way I can get one to her house, and she can pack at her leisure...thou I do not know how much free time she has with a 11 month old! lol but maybe I could fly down the week before and help pack up..has anyone used them? what type of price are we looking at?...humm, I forgot, I think she has a car. (it is a weird situation) lol

thanks everyone!

I think this is a very good idea. I remember our first move. DS23 was just barely 2 and we had a whole house to move from Georgia to South Florida. The whole thing was overwhelming and if my neighbors had not stepped in to help with DS I think I would have lost my mind completely! If you can go down there to help, please do so. Your daughter will be most grateful for the practical help and emotional support.

 

[jfoofj]

A little off topic here, but is your DD's soon to be ex in agreement with her moving with the baby? I only ask because if she is a resident of TX (states have different residency requirements, not sure how long she has lived there) and if her STBXH contests her moving out of state with the baby she could be forced to return, or could even lose custody to him.

I'm not trying to scare you, I don't know enough about your situation to know if this even applies, but we lived through a similar experience with my DSS when his mom tried to move several states away.

 

[NatashaDisneyCM]

A little off topic here, but is your DD's soon to be ex in agreement with her moving with the baby? I only ask because if she is a resident of TX (states have different residency requirements, not sure how long she has lived there) and if her STBXH contests her moving out of state with the baby she could be forced to return, or could even lose custody to him.

I'm not trying to scare you, I don't know enough about your situation to know if this even applies, but we lived through a similar experience with my DSS when his mom tried to move several states away.

this is what I am waiting for, she had to petition the courts to let her go, I just found out, this will take place in the fall..She also has melanoma, and wants to be close to family here in Mass...she knows no one in Texas...just soon to be ex.
She also has a washer and dryer, both new to move. I may have her sell them...that is going to depend. I have one here, so if she moves with me, no need for it.

I just hope Texas courts can see the situation for what it really is...abuse!

 

[jfoofj]

this is what I am waiting for, she had to petition the courts to let her go, I just found out, this will take place in the fall..She also has melanoma, and wants to be close to family here in Mass...she knows no one in Texas...just soon to be ex.
She also has a washer and dryer, both new to move. I may have her sell them...that is going to depend. I have one here, so if she moves with me, no need for it.

I just hope Texas courts can see the situation for what it really is...abuse!

Does your daughter have any idea if her STBXH will fight her on the move? Because if he contests the move it is very likely she will have to stay in TX until the custody issue is decided. I don't know how TX feels about child move-aways, but I know MA is very strict in this matter. The parent moving has to prove that it is in the best interest of the child to move, and you have to be prepared to come up with a long distance parenting plan for the other parent to see the child, and the parent moving away is usually required to pay all travel expenses. DH's ex wanted to move away and the courts said she couldn't take DSS. She had a job lined up, a place to live, everything but the judge said nope, it would interefere w/ DH's relationship with DSS.

I don't know the details of what is going on, but I would suggest that your daughter hire a good lawyer who specializes on long distance moves in custody cases, and I would go renting any Uhauls till you have court orders saying she can take your grandchild out of state.

Also, I truly hope that your daughter's melanoma is an early stage and treatable. I do hope you realize that should anything happen to your daughter (God forbid, I'm not trying to be morbid, just realistic) that her exH would have custody of the baby unless he is found to be unfit.

Good luck, I truly hope it works out for everyone.

 

[NatashaDisneyCM]

well jfoofj without going into to much detail, my DD has stage 3a. and has had neck dissections , as for my special son~inlaw. My DD is the sole caretaker, he does nothing! He drinks and is abusive, mentally and lately physical. So at this point he knows she wants and needs to be home, and is willing to work it out...I also know she is not saying everything. I found out a little while ago, this will not happen till fall or winter because she is waiting out the divorce etc.
I see everything in the favor of my DD with his abusive history. and the fact he does nothing child wise. she is keeping all legal etc...

 

[jfoofj]

Oh boy.... I have a family member who has battled melanoma, I am truly hoping for the best for your daughter.

It sounds like she knows what she is doing in regards to the divorce process... I wish you guys the best. Hopefully her STBXH will understand she needs to move and not contest the move. Make sure she documents any instances of abuse to use if she has to in court.... if he is physical with her she should call 911. That way when the abuse gets brought up in court she will have the police reports and it won't be he said she said.

I hope that you will be moving her up here sooner rather than later. Oh, and I like the PODS idea too, but I have no idea how much they cost!

 

[phorsenuf]

Fly down, rent a truck, tow her car behind it.

 

[NatashaDisneyCM]

Thanks all for your suggestions, I was taken off guard this morning when I got a very early morning text about a move. I have moved a million times, and I am damn good at it. I just have never moved cross country, and I know it can be a dangerous drive. the weather from the west to east has been awful, and tow women alone is not the safest way to travel, so I was trying to get an idea the best way to move. I was in shock when I first posted, and I had a genetics exam at 9 am this morning, so I was not all there!

 

[mom2travel]

First, a hug and good wishes for you daughter (and you!) as you work through her illness, divorce and move

We have used pods to move. I don't recall the cost, but it made the most sense for us at the time, based upon what we needed to move. I believe the cost will depend on how long you have the pod onsite at her current home to pack it up, how far they need to move it, and whether or not they need to hold it for you before delivering to you in MA (storage).

We were happy with our experience. And the pod holds a ton of stuff! you just need to make sure it is packed tightly so things don't move around. Ours was packed to the gills so not an issue.

 

[NatashaDisneyCM]

First, a hug and good wishes for you daughter (and you!) as you work through her illness, divorce and move

We have used pods to move. I don't recall the cost, but it made the most sense for us at the time, based upon what we needed to move. I believe the cost will depend on how long you have the pod onsite at her current home to pack it up, how far they need to move it, and whether or not they need to hold it for you before delivering to you in MA (storage).

We were happy with our experience. And the pod holds a ton of stuff! you just need to make sure it is packed tightly so things don't move around. Ours was packed to the gills so not an issue.

my DD did price it out, looks like 2000 grand for everything. which is do~able. I am just looking for the easiest way to help my DD! thanks!

 

[malibuconlee]

Fly down, rent a truck, tow her car behind it.

Not an option when you need to put a carseat in it. Moving trucks are bucket seats. No rear seat for the baby.

 

[phorsenuf]

Not an option when you need to put a carseat in it. Moving trucks are bucket seats. No rear seat for the baby.

I just did this a few months ago. The truck (Budget) had a bench seat.

 

[ksjayhawks]

I would have her look at the items that she will be moving and determine if it is worth the cost to move them. I would sell the washer and dryer. It may be better for her to sell most of the furniture and only move clothes, toys, crib, sentimental stuff and then use money from the sale for the trip back to Mass and to buy what she really needs when she gets to Mass. If she is going to move in with you, she might also have to pay for storage of items that you don't have room for/she doesn't need.

Then you can possibly drive down there and hook a small uhaul trailer to your vehicle. She can drive her car and you two can head back, taking all the time that you need.

She can also call moving companies and see if they have any moves scheduled to your area. Many times the moves do not use the total truck, so she may be able to add her items to the truck for a decent price. Then you can fly down and drive back with her.

I have never used PODS. Have had friends use them for local moves--when they needed to clear out the house to stage it to sell or had to move out before the next place was ready. Not sure what the cost would be.

Good luck on getting this sorted out. Hopefully there won't be many snags in the divorce. A pp gave good advice on making sure she documents everything--date, time, what happened, who was there, etc. Praying her treatments heal her.