Moving in Sept. Overwhelmed - Any Advice?

Hello all, I will be making the big move across the pond from NY to the Manchester area to be with my partner in early September. I'm sitting here looking at all my stuff and wondering how the heck am I going to clean out this place and decide what to take/what not to take. To make things more stressful - my dad actually owns the house I am currently in and is putting it on the market tomorrow officially so now it's a race - as I am hoping it doesn't sell before I am ready to move... we still haven't filled out the fiance visa (which we plan to do in the next 2-3 weeks) so hopefully that goes smoothly and I am not putting the cart before the horse so to speak... but to anyone whose done this before or even those of you going through it right now any advice/help would be so greatly appreciated.

Big things on my mind are: Have a leased Jeep that isn't up until May 2009 - how do I turn it in early or get rid of it; furniture do I bring it or leave (From what I can see from doing some online researching furniture even 'cheap' brands seems much more expensive in the UK - so I was initially thinking it may pay in the end to pack); Overall costs i.e. cheaper to send over boxes or do it by freight; A good game plan to start i.e. any advice on how people are or have started this process - did you try and do a room a week etc.; Credit cards I have expiring here that still have debt on them (but are current and in good standing) can I just continue to make payments on them monthly or will that become an issue? Work 401 what to do about that; US savings/checking account - can that stay open? Mail can that be forwarded to UK address...

Prehaps if we all put our heads together we can make one of those 'lists' that seem to be so very helpful on this site And if anyone is going through the same exact experience feel free to message me, we can vent together!

Cheers!
Angela

I am in a similar situation - moving to UK in September - and I can totally understand that overwhelmed feeling!!

Basically, to make myself feel better I've been chipping away at belongings - I've gone through the books, CDs, clothes, etc and identified what I want to keep and what can go (ie, most of it!) I've given away piles of stuff to the charity shop and given some friends some things. I'm not sure what to do with the more valuable stuff - maybe have a garage sale or something closer to the time we move. I'm not even going to try to seel my car until 3-4 weeks before departure (can use ZipCars after that point  ) For shipping, try a site called upakweship.com.

I've also made a list of things to do, which has helped me feel more organized. Set up credit cards so that you can make online payments, and ask to "go paperless" and not receive any paper bills - only e-mail alerts when bills are due.

Don't know if this helps but other things on the list are: renew driver's license; back up all files on computer (in case computer is damaged in transit); get copies of medical/dental/vet records & credit reports; get letter from doctor explaining any medical conditions I have and what medications I take.

Unless you have furniture that is very valuable/special to you I would recommend selling it/giving it away and buying new stuff in the UK. It's just too expensive to ship unless you have a good reason.

Thanks CS - I've been downloading 'to do' lists from various moving sites as I am a list person, I think once things start moving along I'll feel a bit better - as with anything its getting going that's the hardest part... Maybe I'll post one of those lists on here for others, may be useful. Keep in touch, let me know how you're doing - it's nice having someone to talk to going through the same thing Love these boards, they have been a life saver, and the people are all wonderful!

I agree about setting up online bills for your credit cards. I'm glad I kept my US credit card-comes in handy when buying stuff online to have shipped either here or to family in the US.
I got a bunch of packing boxes, and filled one box per day-it wasn't so hard that way. I only put in things I either couldn't live without, thought I couldn't get in the UK, were very cheap or on sale, or were very sentimental(irreplaceable stuff came with me on the plane). After I filled the box, I usually filled another box for charity or offering to friends and family.

 I shipped all my Xmas and Halloween decorations(a MUST if you like Halloween because you won't find much in the shops here), framed photos and wall pictures, clothes, esp. winter coats and boots, bulk items I stocked up on at Costco(like those 3M pet hair rollers), 8 pair of new trainers I bought at the outlet mall(have feet problems and can't get Easy Spirit or Reebok walkers that I like here, also can't get wide widths as easily), toiletry items, Bath and Body Works stuff, Always panti liners and pads(don't ask me why-I have no idea!), candles, Mylanta(can't get it here), and my Snoopy collection.

In hindsight, I wouldn't have shipped as much as I did(shipped by boat, took about 2 months and cost $1000). The only things I really couldn't have lived without were the trainers, the winter coat and the Mylanta. IF you are plus-size, bring ALL your clothes, as I find the selection here to be incredibly poor. That all would have been much cheaper to ship by post office.I would have picked out Xmas decorations and knick-knacks that were very sentimental only. And there ARE Costcos here!

Try to take it one day at a time-I know it's hard. Good luck!

I moved last September and was renting half a duplex from my father.  My move coincided with my parents' retirement and the liquidation of their property business.  My house went on the market in June, was sold in July/August and I had to be on September 1st.  Thankfully, my parents' own house didn't sell and I lived near enough to it that I could move there for a few weeks (they had already moved to their retirement home, so it was really a shell of a house and I had no belongings left, but it was somewhere to sleep).  The alternative plan, had their house sold as well, was to quit my job earlier than planned and move to stay with family for a few weeks. 

I started packing before my husband left in April.  That way I could make him do some of the hard work too!  I chipped away at things.  For example, I packed up a room I didn't use that much, put all of the paintings and photos and knick-knacks in boxes a month before I shipped them, packed my winter clothes when I got my summer clothes out.  Packing yourself only works if you aren't using a shipper.  Since we sent a relatively small amount, we used UPS (we pretty much only sent the kitchen, clothes and sentimental items).  A few people have used pallet shipping companies that also let you pack yourself out.  Make a super detailed packing list for each box.  I kept my lists in a notebook, so that I didn't lose the lists over the 5 months of packing. 

I also sent all of my books in M-bags (USPS).  Those were shipped as soon as we had a physical address in the UK.  One more load off my mind early on. 

I'm aiming on January, on account of I am slow. Just this weekend began putting books into boxes.

So, ummm...no advice. Just an expression of solidarity. We shall overcome. Ummm...right?

A good game plan to start i.e. any advice on how people are or have started this process - did you try and do a room a week etc.; Credit cards I have expiring here that still have debt on them (but are current and in good standing) can I just continue to make payments on them monthly or will that become an issue? Work 401 what to do about that; US savings/checking account - can that stay open? Mail can that be forwarded to UK address...

I always start packing things that are nonessential first. Books are great--they're easy to pack and give you a sense of accomplishment that helps get some momentum going. If you can, sort things to go and things to get rid of into different rooms. I absolutely second keeping a detailed list of everything that goes into every box. I did that on my laptop, and backed it up frequently, because it would have been disastrous to lose it.

My husband and I (we're both American) are still making payments on our credit cards--no problem at all. They definitely come in useful for buying things in the US. We also still have our US savings and checking accounts. That's probably the best way to make credit card payments, anyway. Be aware, though, that some banks and credit card companies will give you a lot of hassle about changing to a non-US billing address and, even worse, phone number.

Yes, mail can be forwarded to a UK address, with some restrictions.

Our more valuable (not very!) stuff we sold on craigslist rather than having a yard sale. Not necessarily less work overall, but it's spread out, and I *hate* yard sales.

We had two months to sort everything out, from job offer to arrival in the UK. You should be fine timewise! But I would definitely recommend doing as much as you can early on, because the time will vanish and the things to do will multiply. Best of luck!

We just had our first big yard sale this past weekend. The craigslist ad that we put up mentioned that the cars and house were available too. I was pleasantly surprised by how much we made from what I considered our 'junk' ($450), but flat out stunned by the interest expressed in the cars and house. If we're not careful, we're going to find ourselves homeless and riding the bus before we're ready to go. 

We've been packing as we sort through stuff for the yard sales, and gradually reducing the general level of 'stuff' in each room. I think we're ready to start completely packing some of the rooms now though. All the out of season clothes are already packed away in storage containers as our old house has small closets, so that's a bonus. The dumpster arrives today, so I'm going to be a busy boy cleaning out the basement, garage and yard this week.

Good luck, and remember to take small bites, but lots of them!

I moved in May, and decided to take the relatively stress-free approach of SELLING EVERYTHING apart from small personal possessions, books, DVDs and CDs. My husband has a basic assortment of furniture, and the sale of my things is helping us support ourselves while I'm waiting for my work permit. We also got loads of Marks and Spencer vouchers and other household gifts for our wedding that helped us round out things a bit. It took about a month, and I also left some non-essential items with friends and family to pick up on my next visit.

There's an IKEA in Manchester, which is always good for inexpensive, tasteful furniture and you can also find affordable household bits and bobs at stores like Homebase.

I was able to transfer my US credit card (Capitol One) and my student loan account to my UK address with no problem, although I check my balance and pay on-line. My US debit/check card works fine here and I'm only charged $2.00 total to withdraw money. I'm getting a joint account with my husband shortly, but I'd recommending keeping a US account in case you want to buy gifts for friends and family living in the US - a lot of on-line retailers won't bill and ship to separate countries. If you need to transfer money between accounts, the UK bank you end up with should be able to handle it for you, although you can transfer money online using internet services like paypal or Xtrade for a bit less.

The only headache I experienced was with my cell phone company (Verizon), who asked for supporting documents to prove I was moving out of the country and asked for the termination fee upfront (which I ignored - they can adjust the charge later and I'll pay a small late fee if need be). I had US Cellular the last time I moved abroad and they were much nicer.

It's a chore, but it feels really good when it's all over and a fresh start can be really great sometimes. If you're confident about your visa application, then you're not jumping the gun at all as most people get theirs returned in about a week by post, or the same day in person.

If we're not careful, we're going to find ourselves homeless and riding the bus before we're ready to go. 

Just pick a date and tell people the house and cars aren't available before then. We had to do that with our car.

The only headache I experienced was with my cell phone company (Verizon), who asked for supporting documents to prove I was moving out of the country and asked for the termination fee upfront (which I ignored - they can adjust the charge later and I'll pay a small late fee if need be).

Ugh, we had a horrific time with Verizon, and we were well past the end of our contract so didn't have to pay a termination fee. They merely kept conveniently "forgetting" to cancel our service, and when we got that sorted out they kept "forgetting" to send us the refund check. It was months before it was all finished. 

We're moving in September as well  

I've started the whole packing/moving process now as well.  I'm only taking things that I absolutely cannot live without.  If your shipping a lot, it would probably be cheaper to ship via freight.  I know the post office will only ship up to 66 pounds and it costs over 200 bucks for that.  I'm looking into fedex right now and seeing how much it costs with them cause every other shipping company I've contacted wanted over 1,000 for a small pallet.  I suppose it doesn't help that we are in the midwest either.

For furniture, I would suggest selling what you have and buying new.  We're getting all our furniture, household items, etc. from Ikea over there.  It's very cheap and some things are even cheaper than Ikea over here.  Plus they will ship it to you over there.

For your US bills, It's easier just to set up an auto pay.  I only have my student loans to pay off and I've set it up and am leaving enough money in my account to pay them for at least a year.  That way I don't have to worry about sending over money into that account for some time.

I'd definately get your medical record so it's easier for you new doctor to treat you.

I don't really have any advice for your car situation.  Mine is paid off so I'm just looking to sell it in August.  Maybe talk to your dealership about that one.

Hmmm, that's all I can think of at the moment.  I'm sure I'll come up with some other things to list. 

I've started the whole packing/moving process now as well.  I'm only taking things that I absolutely cannot live without.  If your shipping a lot, it would probably be cheaper to ship via freight.  I know the post office will only ship up to 66 pounds and it costs over 200 bucks for that.  I'm looking into fedex right now and seeing how much it costs with them cause every other shipping company I've contacted wanted over 1,000 for a small pallet.  I suppose it doesn't help that we are in the midwest either.

If you're shipping multiple boxes, FedEx and UPS are MUCH cheaper than USPS. They will combine all your boxes into one shipment and charge you based on the total weight, whereas the post office charges you per box. The price per pound goes down as the total weight goes up. We sent 400 pounds of stuff by air through UPS and including insurance it was about $3 per pound.

Thanks again to everyone whose responded so far.... great suggestions! Looks like my move may get postponed seems the fiance is back in staunch Dr. mode and doesn't know what she wants - drives me crazy - here I am willing to give up pretty much my life as I've known it, and she just doesn't get it... one minute its all yes I want you here, let's do this, this and this, next it's well I just don't know I have to sort this and this could happen... I'm so aggrevated today I don't even feel like going over there in a couple weeks now. I feel like just saying no more trips etc. till you figure this out, because the next one we're either doing the visa paperwork or deciding enough is enough. Don't get me wrong our relationship is very solid but she has a demanding career and she also isn't very good at relaxing and just figuring out one thing at a time... I just don't want to make the wrong decision, everything was going so well too! Maybe it's just cold feet...

I don't have much advice with respect to the moving, since I won't be doing it until June of next year, but I do understand the stress you are feeling.

I wanted to comment about the leased vehicle.  You need to review your lease contract.  It will state what you will owe should you turn your car in early.  From reviewing my lease contract, if I were to turn my car in early I would owe my monthly car payment times the number of months remaining on my lease plus the cost of excess mileage.  I believe my contract offered another option, which was to pay the difference between what the car was worth and the balance on my lease.  Either way, given that your lease is up in 5/2009, it could be pricey to turn it in.

The other thing you can do with a leased vehicle is try to get someone else to take it over for you. There are sites for just this type of activity.

Try:

LeaseTrader

or

SwapALease