Moving

[fatefulfortuity]

Looking for stories or advice about moving circa residency.

I'm moving out of state for the first time for residency and as a result leaving a lot of stuff behind to be donated or thrown away. It's not enough items to justify the cost of shipping/moving my stuff across state borders. I'll probably bring whatever I can fit in whatever suitcases I can carry with me.

After my residency ends, I anticipate moving again for fellowship, ideally back to my home state.

Then after fellowship, there's probably another move for my first job as an attending.

All of this moving is kind of stressful, and puts pressure to live almost a nomadic lifestyle. As in I'd probably purchase the bare essentials including a bed, desk, chair, computer peripherals (e.g. printer), and maybe a bookshelf/drawer for clothing but that's probably about it. Unfortunately this means I won't have a dining table or even a couch for visitors. I guess we just sit on the floor or on my bed (if I go with a studio)? I can't think of having to move out again with a lot of stuff to manage and although it's going to be at 4 years for residency I'd have to dump everything again prior to moving. Or is it worth the cost to have convenience items like a couch with the plan to dump/sell it at the end?

How have you guys handled such situations, or if you're facing a similar situation now, what's your plan?

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[DokterMom]

Looking for stories or advice about moving circa residency.

I'm moving out of state for the first time for residency and as a result leaving a lot of stuff behind to be donated or thrown away. It's not enough items to justify the cost of shipping/moving my stuff across state borders. I'll probably bring whatever I can fit in whatever suitcases I can carry with me.

After my residency ends, I anticipate moving again for fellowship, ideally back to my home state.

Then after fellowship, there's probably another move for my first job as an attending.

All of this moving is kind of stressful, and puts pressure to live almost a nomadic lifestyle. As in I'd probably purchase the bare essentials including a bed, desk, chair, computer peripherals (e.g. printer), and maybe a bookshelf/drawer for clothing but that's probably about it. Unfortunately this means I won't have a dining table or even a couch for visitors. I guess we just sit on the floor or on my bed (if I go with a studio)? I can't think of having to move out again with a lot of stuff to manage and although it's going to be at 4 years for residency I'd have to dump everything again prior to moving. Or is it worth the cost to have convenience items like a couch with the plan to dump/sell it at the end?

How have you guys handled such situations, or if you're facing a similar situation now, what's your plan?

Craigslist is your friend -- List the stuff you've got now and re-buy from Craigslist in your new destination. Incoming med students would be a natural market for your existing stuff, so a discrete 'Ask me Anything' thread (that happens to mention your moving situation but doesn't actively solicit in violation of SDN user terms) in your school's SDN page might be useful.

Don't undervalue your miscellaneous small items without thinking. A box of office, cleaning or personal care supplies may cost $30 to ship, but is easily $100+ to replace. Some shipping methods are much cheaper than others, so do investigate and compare. And of course, there's UHaul and 'Student Movers'-type companies that often cost less than you'd probably imagine.

For a few specifics like sofas, IKEA's EKTORP sofa at only $379 new is a steal and additional slipcovers are under $50. Their POANG chair is really, really comfortable at under $100. You'd have a hard time beating those prices with ugly used furniture.

Also check with your new program's exiting residents. Many will have furniture they're wanting to unload.

 

[DokterMom]

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[TraumaLlamaMD]

Do yourself a favor and get a couch - chances are you'll have people over sometime in four years. You won't be home all the time, but you'll be home often enough that you'll want it to feel like home when you are. And after 4 years, if your stuff is still in good shape, you'll find a very happy incoming resident or med student who wants to take it off your hands for some cash.

 

[BigTumor]

You can find nice sleeper sofas on Wayfair. Then you can check Amazon to see if they have the same item with a better price. Graduating residents are also sometimes looking to get rid of stuff so be nice to your chiefs next spring

 

[Helpful Troll]

Some resale and thrift stores are great! Especially those that are not for profit in support of charities. You will quickly figure out which ones are truly overpriced verses needing to sell quick to make room for more. Find out what day they have 30%/50% off furniture. Kitchen table and chairs - great quality $75.00. 1950's chrome table and chairs - perfect condition marked down to $75 from $150. Avoid fully upholstered furniture in all but rare instances. Chest of drawers, coffee maker, desks, side tables, lamps, dishes, utensils, shelving, and a picture/photograph/painting you like can make it a home for four years. Always buy a new mattress and box spring - even the thrift stores commonly carry inexpensive new ones.

 

[Donald Juan]

I think you're looking ahead and not considering the timeframe you will be there. 4 years of residency is certainly enough time to buy a couch and table. Moving 3x in 6-7 years is not "nomadic" as you say.

 

[mvenus929]

Moving every 1-2 years is a nomadic lifestyle. Moving after 4 is not. Most people will make their living space comfortable, because it's the place they'll spend the most time in outside of the hospital. I moved from med school to residency with 3 carloads of stuff (I moved 3 hours away). I moved to med school with 1 carload. I bought a couch, carpet, bookcases, and stools since starting residency, and I'll be moving next year for fellowship, across state lines. I plan to save enough to get someone to do the move for me, but I don't anticipate getting rid of all my things (maybe my bed--it's getting old), and actually anticipate starting to swap my 'college' lifestyle things to more durable, adult things.

Play it by ear. Get your basics, and decide how much you want to dress up your apartment, once you find your apartment (I'm unclear if you're a graduated med student now, or just starting your fourth year...). Even if you have to resell it at the end, you can probably easily offload it on Craigslist or similar.

 

[clausewitz2]

If you can save up enough scratch for movers, worth pointing out that if you are moving for the purposes of employment (and the IRS is surprisingly generous in how they define this, definitely applies to you) all of your moving expenses are tax deductible. Hiring movers? Check. U-haul? Check. Need to stay in a hotel for a couple of nights because your leases don't line up? Check. Meals because you don't have a kitchen for that time? Check. Keep receipts, but can be a serious chunk of change.

 

[Pisiform]

There is nothing in the world I detest more than. moving ... I have nervous breakdowns every time I move *sigh*