Moving costs

Hotel if you don't do it all in one day...

These are generally dog-friendly:

La Quinta Inns & Suites
Motel 6 & Studio 6 (my usual choice with the dog)
Holiday Inn / IHG
Candlewood/Staybridge
Sheraton/Westin

For packing - check out craigslist. Lots of people who just moved to an area will post all of their boxes/packing materials for free or low cost (I paid a case of beer)

I ended up hiring movers for the move to AZ, because it was about the same cost as renting the truck, towing my car, gas, etc. Definitely worth getting a free estimate - just to check.

Start packing EARLY. I begged my neighbors for space in their trash cans so I wouldn't have to pay for extra pick-up. Turns out, I had a lot of stuff not worth keeping or donating.

Keep all reciepts. A move for a job is tax-deductible.

Check the costs of having someone move you.  If you have collectable things, take them with you in your own vehicle that you will be driving.  Or insure the crap out of them in advance.  My B-I-L lost three boxes of family Christmas decorations that were from three generations in one move.  That was one of many things, but he didn't catch it until it was Christmas and then too late to claim.

Number your boxes, so you know if you get them all back when using a mover.  Write the numbers where you are going to be taping them and cover it with the clear packing tape.   Easy to tell if they open boxes that way, plus it is another way to hopefully make them think before opening a box.  Plus if you number the boxes and you keep that information on a separate piece of paper, they wouldn't know what to take.

I will probably move using rental trucks, because I have way too much stuff to make it affordable to pay for full moving company, but we will check when we get ready to make the move.

Oh, thought of:

Change in car insurance rate, change in homeowner's/renter's insurance rates...

You might consider selling some of your stuff with your house, like yard equipment and other home related stuff as well as larger furniture.  If you have a small house likely to be a starter home, it might be a selling point.  That will help with how big your moving truck needs to be.

Only other cost I can think of is first/last months rent or a security deposit.   Otherwise DIY is pretty cheap after figuring gas and truck rental.  It's just a bunch of sweat equity.

I've done Chicago to Seattle and Seattle Back to Chicago.

Depending on what type of vehicle you own (Truck or SUV) Renting an enclosed trailer is a fraction of the cost of a moving truck and you don't have mileage fees.

When downsizing to a smaller space that truck can seem very very small. I threw away, gave away, and donated a lot of stuff because i feared i would not have enough room. I ended up getting carried away and having so much extra room. i regretted getting rid of so much. so be careful when deciding what to get keep and get rid of.

+1 for Craigslist packing supplies

+1 for Insurance rates (can be very surprising)

Oh wow it is about 1/3 of the cost from an initial search, I had no idea!
My SUV has a 5,000lb hitch rating so I should be able to pull the largest enclosed trailer. Huh! 

x2   Sell, sell, sell.   You are moving from a 2 br house to a 1 br condo.  You will need half the stuff....if that.  Nothing sucks more than to move furniture to the new location only to get rid of it up arrival.  I have done it many times. You might really surprise yourself with how few things you actually use. 

Right now, I would make 3-4 lists.  1.  Stuff that is 100% going.  2.  Stuff you don't want to live with out but might part with in the future.  3.  Stuff that it wouldn't pain you to get rid of.  4.  Stuff to get rid of. Do this exercise 3x before you move. This will save you on truck rental, packing supplies and labor. 

Tri Take Me Away & I moved 5 miles a year ago.  We gave away and sold SOOOOO much stuff.  Even when we moved in,  we took 4 truckloads to goodwill.  The junk just kept coming.  We recently surpassed the 1 year mark in the house.  We had boxes that still hadn't been opened.  Gone.  We LOVE to get rid of stuff. 

If you've never towed a trailer:

Driving:

1. Give yourself 2x the distance you normally would for stopping.

2. Triple-check the connection on the hitch ball.  Have the guy/gal at the trailer rental help you with this.  Make sure the safety chains are long enough to pass around the hitch and lock onto themselves, instead of just hooked onto the little loops provided near the hitch... if possible.  It is much safer this way.   Make sure that you check with the trailer rental company to find out what size ball you need.   It should be a 2" ball.  Make sure you have a padlock or a trailer hitch lock to make sure the trailer stays attached to your vehicle when you're eating lunch or walking the dog or whatever!

3. Also have them help you check the lights.   Make sure you carry extra fuses in case one blows while you're towing.

4. If your vehicle starts to fishtail for any reason, FOR GODS SAKE do NOT step on the brakes.   A little more throttle will sort it right out.  This is very counter-intuitive... but remember: In this case the trailer is trying to catch up with you.  Don't let it.

5. Keep an eye on the temp gauge.  Your truck is doing a LOT more work than it normally does.  And if it's an automatic transmission, then the transmission is going to get much hotter than normal.  Towing like this will bring out any problems with a marginal cooling system.

Loading:

When loading the trailer, make sure that you spread the weight evenly. 

If you put too much weight on the front of the trailer, the tongue will be too heavy and it will make the rear end of your truck "squat."  This is bad because:

• Too much load on the rear tires.
• Not enough load on your steering tires.
• Your fuel economy will SUCK with the truck's "nose in the air"

If you put too much load on the rear of the trailer, the tongue of the trailer will be too light.  This is bad because:

• It makes your trailer unstable.  Once you get going fast enough, the trailer will start to wobble back and forth.  It will likely make you crash. 

When loading the trailer, if you have heavy stuff, like a piano, place it just slightly in FRONT of the wheels of the trailer.  Then, try to put all the rest of your stuff evenly throughout the trailer.

When you're done, everything should look relatively "level" when you're parked on level ground.

Good luck.  I know that's a lot of stuff to think about, but if you're careful, it's really pretty easy.

This also translates into high rent costs in the city as well, assuming you want to live in a decent neighborhood.  Another thing to think of is that most people in Chicago live vertically in an apartment\condo.  This means you are going up lots of stairs to get to your unit, maybe you get lucky and have an elevator.  When you get here you will want to hire somebody to help you carry your furniture up 2 or 3 flights of steps, assuming no elevator.

I moved in November of 2011 within the city (actually only moved 8 blocks) and they charged me $70 an hour plus supplies. Here is the company I used http://www.thepromove.com/ You may want to call them and see if they will just send some guys to haul your stuff from the truck into your place.   

Also, I second the guy that said sell as much of your stuff as you can.  You are moving from a house to an apartment.  You will not need much.  A buddy of mine moved from Cincinnati to Chicago.  When he got here he found out that his couch couldn't make the turn in his stairwell to his apartment and since he didn't have split box springs for his bed he couldn't get those in his door either.  He ended up selling them both that night and bought new stuff.   

I live in Lincoln Park (North side of the city) and have lived throughout the city for the last 15 years.  Feel free to PM me with any questions.  Good luck.  

6.5 years ago, I moved from Detroit to Sacramento.  We took a 8' trailer I believe.  Sold most of our stuff.  The trailer was only $600, but the in-laws paid for it (we were planing on moving with only what we could fit in the truck).  The truck got 18 MPG, which was about what it got unloaded on the express way (it got 13 commuting to work, so I sold it the next summer lol).

Last summer, I moved from Sacramento to Boston.  16' truck this time, with my Volvo on a trailer behind.  $1500 for the truck, $300 for the trailer, 10 MPG...

x2, if you are purchasing a condo. And keep in mind general purchasing fees, like closing fees, lawyers' fees, etc. Oh yeah, and monthly assessment fees, which vary depending on where you live. My friend's parents live in the South Loop with a 2 bed, 2 bath, and their assessment in nearly as much as my monthly mortgage. My assessment, though, is pretty low. So assessments vary, so definitely ask!

Oh yeah, if you are renting, you may have to pay a pet fee (one time, probably won't get it back) in addition to a security deposit.

Will you have a car in the city? I'm not sure what the grace period is, but you will have to register that for a city sticker. And depending on what neighborhood you live in, you also will need to register your  for a another sticker that's neighborhood specific. Your building may have a parking garage (free or you have to purchase a spot) or you may have to park on the street. And depending on the neighborhood (like Wrigleyville), you won't be able to park on the street during certain hours/times (even with a neighborhood sticker). 

You also should register your dog, but I think that's a pretty nominal fee.

People always seem to forget about having to completely restock their fridge.  It's more expensive than you think to buy all those condiments again.

If you are moving door to door you might be able to salvage them in a cooler, but otherwise you end up having to replace everything. 

And of course there is the expense of "eating out" until you can get your kitchen vaguely set up enough to cook. 

Consumables for a house like shelf liner and cleaning supplies usually take a pretty big hit when you first move somewhere too.?

Anytime you switch locations you end up having to buy some new stuff because you need an item to fit in a place you didn't have before.  Great example...my last house had a place to rack my shoes in the closet.  The new house didn't.  I lived with piled shoes for a month but eventually had to go out and buy shoe racks.

You already hit on most of the expenses.  Utilities will end up costing you a lot more than you think too...most of those companies want you to pay a month in advance so you end up paying about a month and a half for each of them.  As long as you have pretty decent credit you shouldn't have to pay much of a deposit for water/electric.  It would just be the tv/phone/alarm type companies that end up charging you a lot up front. 

I'm not sure if you remember the times of the "moving horror stories"...  But I got totally "had" by a moving company.  All the stuff you hear.  I could go on and on.  Inflated costs, holding your stuff as hostage, delays, and flat out lies.  It was probably the one time in my life I was totally scammed.  I had the "proof" but it wasn't substantial enough to take it to court.

If I was to ever do it again, I would buy my own boxes and tape, pack it myself, and get a U-haul.  It would have saved me THOUSANDS.  If I were to use a moving company again, it would be a bigger name, and I would do some thorough research and ask a lot of questions.

Rent for a 1 bedroom apartment in the suburbs is $1400+.

You can probably buy a decent one bedroom condo in a western suburb for $70K. It will probably need work, but will be decent.

Take into careful consideration what your house is currently worth, what the mortgage is, and what you will make or lose as a result of the sale... real estate around here has come down considerably, but it's still more expensive than much of the country... and yes, taxes are outrageous. Sales tax/property tax/income tax... all various shades of awful. 

In exchange, though, you do get to live in (or NEAR) Chicago, which is a GREAT city. It's my kind of town, Chicago is.

Wow what great advice - thank you friends! Like I said, very preliminary but now I have a better idea of what to budget for.

Wasn't thinking of buying anything just yet - looking to rent something but yes I've heard all about the neighborhood stickers for cars. In my sister's neighborhood you have to register any extra overnight vehicles each night with the police, otherwise it will be towed. Haven't decided if I would keep my car - depends heavily on where I'd live.

I like the idea of selling the non-essential stuff before moving. Including my huge sectional couch, chaise lounge, sunroom furniture, bakers rack - man I have a lot of crap to Craigslist!
Good thoughts on Craigslist packing supplies.
I don't do landline phone or cable TV, so could avoid some of those setup costs. 
Forgot to factor in a good Target run for cleaning supplies, specific storage needs, etc. 

You guys rock. 

One more expense that I did see mentioned yet, is that if you move into a larger condo building, there will typically be a move in fee. The fee is to cover the cost of renting a security guard and to block off an elevator. From my experience the fee is normally 1-2 hundred dollars.

It sucks to have to pay the fee in these bigger buildings, but the move sure is easy. You would be able to back the truck up to a loading dock and bring your stuff right into an elevator that is locked off so only you have access to it during you move.