<p>My daughter is currently finishing a semester at a college across the country from where we live. The next semester, she will be back at her regular university which is within driving distance of our home. The question I have is concerning all the accumulated "stuff" that needs to come back to our home. When the semester started, I decided that we'd pack basically two suitcases full of clothes, fly up to the current college, and buy whatever she needs for the dorm & studies there. Now how do I get it all back home?!? Does anyone have a suggestion of an economical way of getting all this stuff back, other than renting a u-haul and driving for a few days? Ugh.</p>
<p>Pack them in boxes and ship via UPS.</p>
<p>Check the school bulletin board to see if another student is driving that way at the end of the semester.</p>
<p>Is that economical? I imagine UPS would be mega expensive. Has anyone known of other shipping companies that might be less $$$?</p>
<p>We donated it and found other students who could use the items. Between shipping or renting a truck…it was a lot cheaper to just replace items.</p>
<p>I’d sell the books back, decide what clothes she wants to keep and give the rest away. How much stuff besides that did she buy in a semester?
Didn’t she plan on going back home?</p>
<p>How much “stuff” is there? Does she really, truly need to hang on to it, or is it just that she’d prefer to do so? How much of the gear that she took with her at the beginning of the term is things she can ditch now? Any resale value among her friends/contacts there? Any way your family could use a donation to Goodwill or another charity shop as a tax deduction? How close to two suitcases and a carry-on can she get?</p>
<p>Are these things mailable? Have her investigate USPS, UPS, and other carriers. Sometimes it works out best to ship as air freight or to pay for an extra suitcase. If there is no furniture involved, could you fly out with just a carry-on and use your baggage allowance to get everything home?</p>
<p>Check prices on Fed Ex ground. According to sources on CC it is the most cost effective service. My Fed Ex also has shipping boxes avail.</p>
<p>You can also see what the price of an extra piece of luggage would be (if the dorm room “extras” will fit in a suitcase) when she flies.</p>
<p>Are you helping her move back? If so, then that’s an extra luggage allowance. This is one of the reasons people love Southwest – two free checked bags per person, plus your carry-on.</p>
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<p>That’s what we did when our west coast D was attending school on the east coast. If you fly Southwest Airlines, you can check two 50 lb. (or less) bags for free. I own four 29 inch “spinner-type” bags and two 25" spinner bags. You’d be amazed at what you can pack in luggage. Obviously, mini-refrigerators aren’t going to fit…</p>
<p>You can also ship stuff via amtrak/greyhound, I believe</p>
<p>Box up the books and send them USPS media rate. Bring back the stuff that’s actually important as luggage. Donate the rest.</p>
<p>We went the donate route when D graduated. We conveniently were staying in a Hotel next door to a Goodwill (not planned). The frig was given to someone who was still at the school. It was an interesting experience. There was stuff piled outside the dorm, and people from Goodwill were going from dorm to dorm picking things up the evening before she left. We fly Southwest a lot because of the free checked bags, and took full advantage. The suitcases weighed a ton, though because of books. But she managed to distribute everything among all of our suitcases so that they came in under the weight limit, and then carried on possible the world’s heaviest backpack.</p>
<p>S gave away and sold stuff on Craigslist. D donated stuff to Goodwill and friends. They all accummulate way too much. Have your DD start giving things away and/or selling it now before the term ends. At the end of the term, folks are NOT in the mood to buy, while now they may want to get things as holiday gifts (by then, everyone just wants to finish exams/papers & head home). Rolling duffels hold the largest cubic footage of “stuff,” if you want to get as many loose things as possible (clothing, bedding, linens, etc.)</p>
<p>DD went to college on the opposite coast. At the end of four years, we gave her a suitcase limit (happened to be six suitcases because three of us flew southwest to her graduation). We were very clear that anything that didn’t fit, didn’t come home. She sold some stuff on Craigslist, some by posting an ad on Facebook to her friends, and some to the new residents of her house. The “profits” were used to replace the essentials here at home.</p>
<p>I think when I checked a couple of years ago USPS Parcel Post was a bit cheaper than FedEx Ground or the cheapest UPS method.</p>
<p>Just be sure the box is not so big that it incurs an oversize charge, which can be very high - I think this is true w/ all three shipping services. It can be cheaper to ship 2 medium size boxes rather than 1 big one which weighs the same as the 2 medium combined. Check the rate charts.</p>
<p>Also, remember that books can be shipped via USPS MediaMail, which is quite a bit less than other methods.</p>
<p>This may help compare rates from different shipping companies: [Compare</a> Shipping Rates - Shipping Sidekick](<a href=“http://www.shippingsidekick.com/getrates.wml]Compare”>http://www.shippingsidekick.com/getrates.wml)</p>
<p>I have a kid at boarding school across the country, so have tried all of the above except fed ex, which doesn’t ship from our area. USPS these days is nearly always less expensive than UPS. Books (but only books and yes they check) can be sent very inexpensively by media mail. Paying the fee for extra baggage is nearly always cheapest, though we never go above two bags. Southwest Airlines, with 2 free bags can really be a bargain.</p>
<p>Sent S’s golf clubs from West to East coast via Fed Ex. $48. He did have to go to Fed Ex office to pick up. Was worth it to us, as he was flying American I think, using up some of H’s miles. If he would have taken the clubs, it would have been the 3rd bag–and $150 for the bag! </p>
<p>UPS quote was nearly double Fed Ex.</p>