Big, scary decision has been made...

[avalen]

Just wondering...would it be a good idea to get AAA in case something happens on the way to MN? I don't have any kind of roadside assistance insurance other than free towing thru State Farm.

ABSOLUTELY

in my past experience, I always got better service from them when need when I was out on the highway. Never get good service at home and in town.

[rvgal]

I have AAA & have had good luck with them. However, you should check if they will cover you if you're towing something. I was told previously that if I was towing something & needed roadside assistance, I would only be covered if I had RV roadside coverage. I was advised that if I was towing anything & I only had the normal car coverage, they wouldn't assist me.

[BarbaraRose]

Thanks for the tips. I will check with AAA and find out about the towing thing.

My roommate and her fiance have offered to take Lola to the airport if I decide to fly her back. It would make my trip much easier to not have her with me. Has anyone here flown a pet somewhere before?

Tomorrow I will make arrangements for the hitch and reserve the trailer.

[Echo]

Thanks for the tips. I will check with AAA and find out about the towing thing.

My roommate and her fiance have offered to take Lola to the airport if I decide to fly her back. It would make my trip much easier to not have her with me. Has anyone here flown a pet somewhere before?

Tomorrow I will make arrangements for the hitch and reserve the trailer.

As far as I know they have to have a clean bill of health, you provide the ? hard sided carrier, when last I checked into flying Shade with me it was over $100. Your very best bet is to check with the airlines themselves.

In all honesty, I don't think I would trust the wacked out roomies with the job of getting Lola to the airport.

[BarbaraRose]

I have been checking all the airlines for their policies. The ones with direct flights from San Diego to Mpls, either require you to also be on the flight with your pet, or have restrictions against taking pets as cargo until after September 15th due to hot weather issues. So it looks like she will be traveling with me (unless any of you know of someone flying from SD to MPLS in August that could take her on board with them).

I trust the fiance more than the roommate, but looks like that won't option won't work anyways.

[ali1257]

Barbie I just felt peace for you when I read your decision. And taking the cat should not be an issue. We took our cat(s) at three different times on cross country trips. They tend to like their space and if you get the kennel sooner than later you can leave it open in your bedroom for Lola to get used to seeing it and even being in it.

Travel safe. And yes, make sure you have roadside assistance. Better to have it and not need it then not have it and need it. Plus AAA can route you a trip from San Diego to MN for free. Have fun, travel safe and remember to stop and take breaks. Have lots of Cd's to play and sing along with.

[JanetA]

i have to say,,, not throwing cold water on the subj,, but when you first mentioned calif,, i thought,,, wow! cost of living outta sight! !!
Being a hairdresser myself, i know how iffy the money is,,, and given the ups and downs of the salons youve been involved with,,, i know that stress level too! so,,, not surprised at your decision,, and im in agreement w/ the others,,, you are doing the right thing.
just have a question that you might have already explained in one of your posts i might have missed: why not stay w/ your dad to save even more $$?? Just wondering. Guess because im w/ my mom due to her advanced age,,, I am her caregiver to keep her @ home so she doesnt have to go to a nursing home,,, as she is blind and pretty unsteady on her feet. Trying to save $$ for my future life on the road, myself.
Just wondered.

I just want to wish you all the best and much happiness and hoping you find what you want out of llife and get to have fun like all the gals on here. I know that's what you want,,, as all of us do.

Safe travels for your big move and pray that you have no problems along the way. will look for your future posts about your progress.

J

[BarbaraRose]

I have absolutely no regrets about moving out here. I have had a fun 2 years here and if I hadn't done it, I would have always wondered "what if?". I would consider moving back out here again if I have more money to work with, or at least do more traveling out here. I will be going back to MN with a lot of great memories and photos!

Living with my dad is not an option for me, as he is very controlling and manipulative with me. Just that one week staying with him in May was driving me up a wall! I was a nervous wreck and depressed being there and couldn't wait to leave. He and I get along great for a couple of hours. After that, we get on each other's nerves. We have always had a very rocky relationship. I need to set strict boundaries with him or he gets too intrusive. Once, many years ago, when I moved back in with him, I tried to set some boundaries, and he got really defensive, things got ugly, and I had to move out right away. He has mellowed out some over the years but still has his control issues. Besides, that house has some really bad memories for me and I still get nightmares about it. So I need my own space...

$300 per month will still allow me to have enough money to get some bills paid off and get in a better financial situation. Also thinking about going back to school to get into something that will pay better. Maybe I will even be able to buy a small RV or trailer in a couple years.

[BarbaraRose]

OK. I have a problem. After making phone calls, checking with lots of trailer hitch places, and contacting Ford, there is no hitch for my car.

Now I have to figure out how to get my stuff back to MN since it won't all fit in my car, especially with the cat. The Pods are way too expensive. Does anyone know how much it costs to ship boxes across the country? Where do I go for more information? I probably have about 6 medium to large boxes of stuff to haul.

It might end up being cheaper to just give everything away here and replace it all when I get to MN. The cost of the hitch and trailer, plus extra gas to pull it would have run me about $600, so by saving that much, I can replace pretty much everything I would leave behind. The only think I want to keep is most of my books. Those I will have to ship back. Probably just take my clothes, golf clubs, tent, cat and airbed with me. I still have my cartop carrier.

Any ideas and suggestions welcome!

[Readytogo]

Barbie, couple of things to look into. You used to be able to ship things by bus pretty cheap. If its just boxes of stuff, can you just stack on top of each other in car. Do the seats fold flat? By pods, do you mean those things that go on top of car? It will work out, you made a good decision. Wendy

[Acadianmom]

You can go to the UPS web site and put in zip codes and estimate what the shipping cost would be on a box to see if it would be worth shipping. Maybe ask at a UPS store what would be the best way to ship things.

Martha

[OutandAbout]

Barbie, check with the airlines - cargo flights- Check with UPS and FED Ex and any other companies out there. Check with the post office, they do that kind of thing also. Considering their circumstances, it might be cheaper as they want the business. Also, you can check with long distance moving companies, like Allied, to see if they will do that on a load going to MN. Many places to call. Also, really cut what you are taking. You shouldn't have to replace everything. Just some ideas. Linda

[BarbaraRose]

Barbie, couple of things to look into. You used to be able to ship things by bus pretty cheap. If its just boxes of stuff, can you just stack on top of each other in car. Do the seats fold flat? By pods, do you mean those things that go on top of car? It will work out, you made a good decision. Wendy

Pods are the storage boxes you can rent and then they ship them to where you are going. The small ones start around $2000. I don't have that much stuff anyways.

I have a small station wagon. Half of the back seat will have the cat cage. My luggage in the front seat. So that leave half of the back seat and the back of the wagon for boxes (I have stacking plastic bins), and also my cartop carrier. I can fit 2 bins in the back seat, 4 in the back end, and my golf clubs, tent and lighter things in the carrier.

I will be spending the next couple weeks trying to wittle things down and see what I have left over that HAS to go back with me.

Got my car checked over today and it got a clean bill of health and just had to pay for an oil change! So that is a big relief!

Will check with the Post Office next door first and see what they have to offer for shipping rates.

[Echo]

You can also check Yellow Freight too. And other LTL freight lines also they do a lot of small shipments.

[BarbaraRose]

I get my mail at the Postal Annex so I decided to ask them about shipping. With my discounts there, I can ship all my books back for $100 thru USPS Media. The rest of my stuff shouldn't cost even that much. I am saving lots of money today!

Now just have to start sorting, tossing, giving away and packing!