A little background here, I'm originally from the East Coast, Washington DC Metro area. I moved out to California 4 years ago, and I left a bunch of my stuff with family. Now they are starting to ask me when I'm going to get the rest of my stuff so they can do something else with the space it's taking up. That's fair, I think. What doesn't seem fair is that they want to throw my beloved things away! So I need to get this stuff moved ASAP!

Tips for finding the best price: move in the middle of the month, or the beginning. The end of the month is the busy part of the month and you can end up paying more.

Problem: the majority of this stuff is heat sensitive. To be specific, we're talking vinyl records. A LOT of them. Somewhere along the lines of 2000 records. And I'm extremely protective of them.

Two possible solutions:

• PODS  - Maryland to California: $4,461.66
  • pros: they go from door to door (convenient), offer coast-to-coast moving, offer a lot of space (more than I need actually)
  • cons: more space than I need, high price, packing materials are extra, locks are extra, "content protection program" is extra
• U-PACK - Maryland to California: (door to door via "ReloCube") $2160
  • pros: they offer door to door or terminal to terminal service (slightly cheaper for terminal to terminal), the cost is 1/2 of PODS, they offer different sizes of shipping containers (from a "ReloCube" [approximately 6'D x 7'W x 8'H] to a huge trailer [28 feet long, 8 feet wide, and 9 feet tall]), prices are more reasonable, they offer expedited service for an additional fee, they allow you to track your shipment online or via phone
  • cons: hidden charges ("Gypsy Moth Quarantine", "Trailer Detention or storage", etc.), no insurance but you can purchase ($2/per pound per piece!) insurance for liability coverage for their negligence, not insurance for your goods
  • reviews:
    • 3 star rating this one is coming from DC to San Fran, and it scares me.
    • 5 star rating from Iowa to California
    • 204 more reviews

I've applied for more quotes, but from what research I've done I have found that PODS is one of the most well known options, and U-Pack is one of the cheapest. I'll post more when I get more quotes or information. If this is helpful, or if you have anything to add, please let me know! I'd love to hear about what others have experienced!

 

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So I've planted this Paulownia tree in my backyard in March and it's been having problems. I have it planted in full sun, and it came to me from Park Landscape as a bareroot tree. When it arrived, it was just a small trunk with no branches. After a few weeks, little leaves began to sprout from the trunk in pairs, about 4 of them. In the past month, all of these have turned brown and dropped off, starting at the top and the last ones at the bottom fell yesterday. The trunk has turned darker too, from the top and working its way to the bottom. I am starting to think perhaps I am treating it too well, having read that "It grows well in a wide variety of soil types, notably poor ones, but needs a lot of light and does not like a high water table." I have it planted where it is watered every day by the sprinklers that water our lawn. Perhaps I should move it to a location that does not get as much water, on a drip system that I can control the amount of water it receives. It was doing better before we had our sprinklers in... and sometimes I would forget to water it for a couple days. Any ideas?