Emergency Move Family of 4, towing car, 4 cats, From CA to LA, Less than $1,000.?

Question

Hello, my family and I are going through a crisis! We are a family of four, Daughter 11, Son 14, elderly Mother, myself. Therefore, we have 4 kittens, two are 8 months and 2 are 5 months. We must tow our car, sale newly purchased furniture, we don't want to sale but have to in order to rent a truck to tow our car, move our family and kittens. Furthermore, we are trying to move to Louisiana August 1st. Can someone please tell us how, and ideally, $1,000. maximum? Your honest and prompt response is greatly appreciated!

Answer 1

Los Angeles to New Orleans is 1900 miles,Truck towing a car may get around 10 miles per gallon, fuel at 4.25 per gallon.

probably looking at about $800-$850 for fuel alone.

Answer 2

1000?......ya right

Answer 3

Antioch to Baton Rouge is almost 2200 miles.  

According to Microsoft Streets and Trips, if you average 10 MPG in a truck, and you rent a gasoline truck with gas prices at an average of $4.10 per gallon (they'll go down when you get out of California).....you're looking at a cost of almost 900 dollars in gasoline alone.  Move it up to 1000 dollars if you rent a diesel truck.  

And just from checking the U-Haul website (www.uhaul.com) it looks like the cheapest rate for that move, with the smallest truck (which may not even be big enough to pull your car, depending on what kind of car you have).....is $2434 dollars.  

And frankly, if you rent the smallest truck AND try to tow a car with it, the savings on rental costs is going to go out the window, because that small little motor doesn't do well with towing.  Your fuel mileage will drop, and you'll spend the money in fuel.  So I'd go ahead and get a larger truck....at LEAST the 14' truck, which is priced at $2513.  

Add to it either $196.00 or $395.00 for the tow dolly....depending on which type you get (the full trailer is safest for your car).  

I just checked Uhaul.com, but go ahead and check Penske and Budget truck rental as well.  In my experience, Penske tends to be the cheapest, but right this minute their site is not working for rate quotes.  Also, if you decide to rent a truck, reserve it EARLY, as last-minute rentals are more expensive.....and try to reserve a pickup and dropoff date on a WEEKDAY if at all possible (rates are lower).  Play with the websites a little, see if the rate changes if you alter your dates.    

Then you consider meals (you'll save money if you get an ice chest and buy drinks, bread & sandwich fixin's at Wal Mart).  Still for a family of 4, it's wise to budget at LEAST 100 bucks, and that's if you drink water and eat apples, PBJ and bologna sandwiches the whole way.  

Hotel stays....Streets & Trips says the trip is a 4 day trip.  I can do it in 2 and a half, but then I'm a professional OTR truck driver &  I can sit in the seat and drive for 18 hours per day if I need to.  Only you know what kind of driving stamina you've got....and if you've never driven a U-Haul truck before, you might find it takes more out of you because it's a different style of driving.  Once you're out of California, you can find hotels for about $60-70 bucks per night.  Super 8's and Motel 6's are typically the cleanest and nicest you'll find, while still being pretty cheap.  So budget about 250-280 bucks for hotel stays unless you think you can drive it in less than 4 days.  

A couple tips about hotels....It might not be honest, but I'd suggest walking in by yourself to check in.  Some places, kids stay free....but park out of sight of the office and leave Mom in the truck, that way you'll get the 1-person nightly rate, just make sure you ask for 2 beds (Tell them you like having a choice, and extra pillows and blankets :).  And don't mention the cats....some places don't allow pets and some places charge $10-15 per pet.  Cover the cat carriers with a sheet or pillowcase when you're moving into the room for the night, make sure the kitties have their litter boxes & don't leave them in the room alone.....no one will be the wiser.  

Honestly, the only way you're going to get from California to Baton Rouge for less than 1000 dollars, is if you sell EVERYTHING and just drive the car.  Even then, gas, food and hotel stays are going to run close to 700-900 bucks.  

You *could* check Craigslist or post an ad.....you might run a slim chance of finding someone else who's moving from California to the same area.  For half the price of the truck rental and half the price of fuel, they might be willing to load your stuff on their truck.....you'd drive your own car and follow them to Louisiana.  It'd still end up being over $1000 but it'd be cheaper than doing it yourself.  Stranger things have happened on Craigslist, it *could* be a miracle worker.  There are a LOT of people leaving California because it's too expensive, so it might be worth a shot.  Plus, I'm sure if you threw in an offer to help THEM move their stuff when they got there, you'd have an extra hand to help move YOUR stuff too.  

One other thing, since I'm an animal lover & I travel all over the place with 2 dogs.....Go to the dollar store and get cheap cat collars if your kitties don't already have them.  Make up tags on heavy paper, with your cell phone number and the address of your final destination.  Put on the tag that you're moving.  Cover the tag in clear, heavy duty tape (like packaging tape, which you probably have plenty of).....and tape them securely to the cat collars.  Put bells on the collars, too.  Pets, especially cats, have a tendency to freak out during a move and they get lost easily.  

Also, make sure they've got cat carriers and are used to being in them....offer water and a little food throughout the day but feed a main meal at night once you stop for the day....I know the cab of your truck is going to be crowded, but don't let the kitties ride in the back, as it'll get too hot!  If you let the cats out while you're riding, make SURE they go back in a carrier BEFORE someone opens a door....cats can slip out of your grasp like greased lightning.