I just moved recently, and if you check the date between this entry and the 2nd prior entry, you’d notice a large gap.   It’s mostly due to the fact that I moved cross-country.  I used to live on the East Coast and now I live on the West Coast.   Writing that disturbs me a bit, since there’s so much in between that is this country, but it seems that the financial prosperity has blessed all the coastal cities save for a few on the interior.

Regardless, I’ve decided to write a post about moving.  Moving anywhere is an expensive, exhausting ordeal.   Anytime you move, there’s tons of unexpected costs to be encountered.  From the basic foods, to even the oddest of purchases…a broom and a toilet plunger, to floor mats for the bathroom and everything in between.  That gets expensive.  And for the most part, it’s hard to cut costs when you’ve moved to a new city and don’t know up from down (or in my case; North from South).

A few things that have helped.

• I bought a GPS unit for my car before I left.  While this is a splurge, roughly $150, it’s been worth its weight in gold getting around.  On the fly navigation is the bees knees and has saved me many times over after I’ve gotten lost.  Coupled with the fact that after 6 months or so, the value will be mostly retained since it can update the maps over the internet.  My knowledge of getting around can only increase, so it’s a good investment that I don’t feel will depreciate very quickly, as long as it is kept in reasonably good condition.
• 1-800-GooG-411.  A free version of 411 that is directly linked to Google.  It’s a machine, so it can be frustrating to use at times, but is insanely cheaper than using normal 411.  Naturally, this helps a lot in a new city.
• Craigslist.  Craigslist.  Craigslist.  When I moved here I had NO furniture.  Now I’ve got a night stand (for free) and a Dresser ($20).  Fortunately the place came with a bed, but I’m betting I can grab a nice queen size bed with box springs off the CL for $50 in a few months.
• If you’re moving to a big city…love the bus.  Here in Seattle, the fare is $1.50 (I think it’s up to $1.75 soon) for a trip.  The ticket lasts for 6 hours, so a round trip fare is the same in that time frame.  Automatically you
  • Won’t have to fight for parking downtown
  • Won’t have to pay parking tickets or parking garage prices
  • Won’t have to fight traffic (I read or listen to my iPod)
  • Won’t have to pay for gas.  I don’t know what the price is like where you live, but here it’s expensive! $3.56 for a gallon of regular gasoline (as of this writing).  My car gets 23 mpg in the city, and I know it’s less in stop-and-go bumper to bumper.  Not to mention the wear on the brakes and transmission.

While you’re going to eat a lot of costs up front, The more you can get initially, the cheaper it becomes over the long run.  It hurts at first, there’s no doubt about that, but it does get better.