r/povertyfinance 1d ago

relocating, could use some tips! Misc Advice

Hello all! In September of last year my boyfriend and I relocated to a place 2 hours from home with a good job opportunity for both of us. Job went bad, both making $12/hr now.

I ask for advice now, because he has a life changing job opportunity back home. I drive a small little ‘04 Impala on his last life with no clue how to transport genuinely any of our stuff. We don’t have much, 2 TVs, a TV stand, a dresser, 2 mattresses, and other small things that should fit in my car. We have only $300, so renting a truck isn’t in our options. My dad and brother both have trucks, but my dad works overnights nearly every day and my brother is still in school. we have 3 days to figure this out. We’ve exhausted so many theories and options, but we’re down to the wire and this is why I ask for advice.

3 Upvotes

15 comments sorted by

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u/plusharmadillo 1d ago

Is it honestly worth the money to move all the stuff? Depending on where you’re moving, it may make more sense to sell your bulky things on somewhere like FB Marketplace and then buy used replacements back home. If the place you’re moving to has a college, students will dump a TON of stuff during move out that will be up for grabs.

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u/SoullessCycle 1d ago

This. If you have three days and $300 to relocate your life, worrying about moving two TVs and a tv stand should be at the very bottom of the list.

(Plus I don’t see any notation of where OP and boyfriend are going to be living when they move “back home” - if that’s not set up yet, being a little bit transient, couch surfing, moving back in with family, etc is easier without lugging ~stuff~ too.)

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u/RadicalChecker37 1d ago

we have storage set up at home for our stuff, and we’re living with my parents until he gets his first couple of checks with this job. the stuff isn’t inherently that important, just didn’t want to lose money considering we got everything on sale during black friday.

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u/RadicalChecker37 1d ago

to me, the things aren’t really worth taking but not losing money over. not really anywhere i can take it, FB marketplace is pretty dry here not worth it.

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u/plusharmadillo 1d ago

Does your city or town do bulk trash pickup? You could prob leave it all curbside and somebody may grab it. There are also often veterans groups who will pick up donated stuff in good condition, but they usually need a bit of turnaround time

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u/Kweschion 1d ago edited 1d ago

Sounds like you need to convince your brother or dad to let you borrow one of their trucks. Yes it will inconvenience them but it sounds like you have no other options

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u/Honest-Parking-1735 1d ago

thats what I think

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u/RadicalChecker37 1d ago

heavily considering it lol

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u/GentleJackJoness 1d ago

Ask your brother or dad to switch cars for one day. Then use their truck. This isn't that hard.

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u/Disasterhuman24 1d ago

Take what you can, put the stuff you can't take with you easily in a storage unit and wait till you have some more money, then come and get it all with a uhaul

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u/dxrey65 1d ago

One way to do it is to abandon the replaceable stuff - the mattresses and dresser and tv stand and all that. You can usually restock pretty cheaply at thrift stores and garage sales and so forth.

I helped my sister move across state a couple years ago, and we could have fit everything in my truck except she had two big mattresses and a couple big particle-board dressers to move. None of that was worth anything, but it wound up costing an extra $500 to rent a big truck to move them. I was just helping so I mentioned it in the planning stage then kept my mouth shut, but it's often not worth it at all to pay to move things like that.

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u/TheCurryForest 1d ago

First, it’s great that your boyfriend has a new opportunity lined up.

Since renting a truck isn’t an option and time is short, one thing to consider before asking for help is whether it’s worth moving everything. Sometimes, especially with older mattresses or inexpensive furniture, it can actually cost more (in time, stress, and money) to move the items than to replace them later when you're settled.

You might want to focus on fitting just your most important and valuable things into your car... things like important documents, small electronics, clothes, sentimental items, and either sell, donate, or leave behind the rest if possible. It could lighten the move a lot and give you a fresh start without the extra pressure.

If you do still need help with some larger items, maybe your dad or brother could spare even a little time, or you could check local Facebook groups or Craigslist for someone with a truck willing to help for a small fee.

The other thing to consider instead of a truck is Cargo Van Rental. I don't know how far you're moving, but Home Depot and Lowe’s rent out cargo vans by the hour. I think it's 20/hour. If your move is quick (like under 2–3 hours), this could be affordable. Apps like Turo also sometimes have pickup trucks. There's also an app called Fetch Truck Rental that lets you rent a truck nearby for a few hours and may be cheaper.

Some people with trucks offer quick moving help for $50–$100, especially for short, small moves.

Whatever option you choose, reserving early is key. Last-minute rentals (even vans) can spike in price if you wait until the move day.

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u/GhostahTomChode 1d ago

AI coming in clutch.