The real cost of starting over: Cassidy’s moving budget
Moving across the country is expensive enough — but what happens when you decide to sell literally everything you own and start completely over? That's exactly what Cassidy did when she moved from Washington to Minnesota after her divorce.
Instead of renting a $2,500 pod, her mom had a wild idea: What if she just kept what fits in her car and sold everything else? Three weeks later, Cassidy had somehow turned her stuff into $7,500 cash. But here's the thing — starting fresh meant buying everything new, from silverware to a $1,700 mattress.
This episode breaks down every dollar she spent (and made) plus all the feelings that come with these kinds of major money decisions.
Episode Timestamps:
[02:00] Why Cassidy scrapped her original moving plan
[08:00] Using ChatGPT to price everything on Facebook Marketplace
[16:00] Moving day disaster: kitchen scissors vs. memory foam mattress
[20:00] The emergency Home Depot van rental solution
[23:00] What it actually costs to buy everything new
[28:00] Why a $1,700 mattress was worth every penny
[32:00] The psychology of starting fresh and buying intentionally
[38:00] Would Cassidy do it this way again?
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Transcript
Emily: [00:00:00] Okay. So Cassidy just moved across the country after her divorce and somehow made $7,500 in the process. Of course you did.
Cassidy: I did, but also, uh, I've spent $13,500. So let's talk about that math. This episode specifically is all about how I moved from Washington state to Minnesota, what I chose to bring and leave, how I sold everything, what I splurged on, and how much it actually cost to start over.
Emily: Are you drowning in money questions, but too embarrassed to ask? Tired of scrolling endlessly through conflicting financial advice that leaves you more confused than when you started. Welcome to the Finance Girlies Podcast, your cozy corner for all things finance. I'm your host Emily.
Cassidy: And I'm your host Cassidy.
We're both finance [00:01:00] writers for brands like Forbes Advisor, USA Today Blueprint, and Yahoo Finance. Throughout our careers and personal lives, we have come to one realization: When we keep our money worries to ourselves, we end up feeling alone. That's why each episode, we tackle those burning questions you've been afraid to ask. With no judgment, no jargon, just real talk about real money. Ready to finally get answers? Let's dive in.
Emily: Before you continue, I just wanna say if anybody wants to hear about how Cassidy decoupled her finances with her ex, we go into a ton of detail in our most recent paid episode. So be sure to check that out.
Cassidy: Great little plug. Yeah, and for anyone who's like, planning a move, even if it's not the result of a divorce, you're just like, I'm gonna move five states over, whatever. If you're doing a post-breakup reset, kind of like me, or just curious how to make big life transitions a little less chaotic, I hope this episode is for you and just gives you, like, I don't [00:02:00] know, a few little tips to think about as you move. ‘Cause it can be real, real expensive, or real, real cheap. And I feel like I kind of landed somewhere in the middle. So we'll talk about that.
Emily: Yeah. And I truly think that once again, in true Cassidy fashion, you pretty much thought of everything, like going through these expenses. So I will say this is a very thorough analysis. A while back I found a moving budget from when I moved cross country about five years ago. And it was literally a scrap of notebook paper with like eight things written down on it, and I didn't think it was worth sharing.
So we're just gonna go all in on Cassidy's move and she will cover everything.
Cassidy: I hope you like math and numbers. 'Cause I'm sure there will be a chunk of this episode where you're just like, is she still naming the price of things? I don't need this much detail. But, I, maybe you are curious. I know I [00:03:00] would be, I'd be like, how much did you spend on hotels? Like, how much did you spend on gas?
I would wanna know those things. So yeah, we're gonna, we're gonna have all that math for you.
Emily: I know that your plans kind of changed dramatically in terms of how you were gonna tackle this move. So do you wanna kind of explain that?
Cassidy: Yeah, I'll set the stage a little bit. So I was living in Washington state with my then spouse, and as we started this divorce process, we were thinking about like, where each of us was gonna move to. He ultimately ended up staying in the state. And I decided to move to Minnesota, just kind of, clean slate. I've got really good friends here and every single time I would visit them, I would be like, dang, this is such an underrated, darling place. I love it.
And so I explored a lot of places in the beginning in, in true Cassidy fashion, I had a spreadsheet going. I had three cities in Washington state that I was considering, I had a city in Colorado [00:04:00] that I was considering, and then a city in Minnesota. And I had pros and cons going, and I had the average cost of housing and the average cost of all of this stuff. But at the end of the day, like if you've ever read the book Untamed by Glennon Doyle, she talks about like, trusting your knowing. You know, like there's just like, you can source out all of the information that you can, but sometimes your gut is just telling you something, and at the end of the day, like, that's the thing that you need to do. And so from the beginning, my gut was like, I could truly see myself in Minnesota. Like I could just see myself there.
And so at the end of the day, that's, that's where I decided to go. And so then the question became, how do I get my stuff there? I knew that I would be doing a road trip there in my car with my cat. But I am not the kind of person who will be pulling anything behind my vehicle. I am not the kind of person that will be driving a U-Haul with my vehicle on the back.
I was like, that type of move is [00:05:00] completely out of the question for me. Like I'll be driving my car. And that's it. So I was trying to think of other options. I was like, I could hire a moving company to essentially, you know, like do the semi cross country move for me. They pack it up, they drive it, they take it. That's like the most expensive option.
I was like, I could do a pod or like the U-Haul little cubes, like something of that equivalent. And so initially I was leaning toward a pod where like this thing gets dropped off. You pack up all of your stuff in it. Someone comes and picks it up, it gets delivered to your new place.
That was what I was originally set on doing, and then it became time for me to look into how much that would cost, and I had a little bit of sticker shock. So a pod was gonna be like $2,500 for like a little eight by eight by eight pod situation. U-Haul, like their whole pod [00:06:00] setup was maybe just like a hair cheaper, still around $2,000.
Even getting like the tiniest U-Haul trailer to pull behind your vehicle, like super tiny, like it fits eight to 10 boxes was $1,700. I just had complete sticker shock about how much it was gonna cost to move my stuff semi cross country.
And so I remember one night I was having a phone conversation with my mom about this, and she said, Cassidy, she was like, I've been to your house. I've seen how much stuff you have. You truly do not have a lot of stuff. She was like, what if you walked around your house, you gathered up everything that had sentimental value to you that you would be devastated to lose, and why don't you just see how much stuff that is and see if you could fit it all into your car and then just sell everything you don't wanna [00:07:00] take with you and then just buy new stuff when you get there.
And the reasoning behind this was like a lot of our furniture was cheaper. Like we did have a really nice couch from Room & Board. There were like a few little things here and there that were kind of, I don't know, more high-end I guess. But by and large it was like, this standing desk that I bought off Amazon, like, this TV stand from Ikea that was $50, like, this hundred-dollar rug from Wayfair.
But there just wasn't a lot of really expensive items. And two, like a lot of stuff we accumulated over years, you know? So it was like maybe not even necessarily my taste anymore. So I was like, I like this. Like she said the idea, and I felt a little spark in my gut at being like, ooh, that sounds fun and interesting. Like, I would never think to do that, but I like it.
And so. I did that, and I piled up everything in like, the [00:08:00] corner of my office and it was not a lot of stuff, and I'll go ahead and tell you. All of that stuff did end up fitting in my car and I could still see out all of the windows. The only thing that I did was I ended up shipping my clothes.
I packed them all up in six cardboard boxes and shipped them all through FedEx. And that ended up being $402. So yeah, it ended up being much cheaper than doing the truck route.
And so then the plan became to essentially sell everything left in my place. Our move out situation kind of took a little bit and my ex moved out about a month before I did. So, he took everything that he wanted to furnish his place. And then my mom actually ended up flying out. She spent an entire month with me, which is such a sweet and like, precious, it's already a fond memory. I'm like, it hasn't even been that long. And I'm, I'm already just gushing over the fact that we got to have that month [00:09:00] together. But yeah, she helped me organize everything into like, what do I wanna sell? What do I wanna donate? What needs to be trashed? And then she kept me organized and on a calendar and on pace to like start selling everything in our place. And then she helped me do the drive out here and then set up my new place.
Emily: So nice of her. As you were kind of like, you got this idea from your mom. It sparked your excitement. You started going through your stuff, figuring out, you know, what you wanted to sell, what you wanted to keep. Did you find that, that like, revealed anything about what you actually value, maybe versus what you thought you valued or maybe like you used to value?
Cassidy: Mm. Yeah, literally everything that was piled in the corner of my office, I would say, could be grouped into the category of, it was made locally by someone somewhere. Like it, like all of the coffee [00:10:00] mugs that I had picked up at, like, craft fairs over the years, you know, I loved, those quilts that my, like, great-great-grandmother had made, a jacket that, like I follow this gal absolutely love her. She's in the Seattle area and she has a whole business. I'll go ahead and shout her out, Playdate Vintage, and she collects all this fabric, like whether it's old fleece blankets from thrift stores or whatever, and she turns them into clothes. And so it was also stuff like that, you know, like my favorite jacket was from her.
And different things like artwork that I had gotten while traveling. Like, I had been to Paris. And so like one of my favorite pieces of art was like something that I got from a person on the street there. And yeah, it was just like everything that had a story behind it or that was like, made locally in some way. Like those were all of the things that I absolutely ended up loving, and I think it would be similar for you.
Emily: I think so. Yeah. I know you'll kind of talk about what [00:11:00] you sold and how much you made, but did selling a bunch of your stuff kind of change the way you think about buying things now?
Cassidy: Oh my God. Absolutely. It really shifted like what I think is a necessary item that's worth spending money on and what's not.
Doing that sentimental exercise, kind of retrained my brain to be like, how can we make sure that we're bringing more items into our life that feel like this? And less items that feel like, we just bought this random thing online, or like, you know. Whether it's like I just bought this random thing on Amazon because it looked cool versus, this is a really cool find that I found on Facebook Marketplace, and it's got like, this storied history and I'm gonna use it and love it and all of this stuff.
So I do think, not to say that it like, brought me back into like, a minimalist mindset, but it did bring me back into like more of a thoughtful mindset where I'm like, let's not buy something just because we need, we think that we need [00:12:00] it. And because we just want something like, whatever will work, but like, let's sit with it and let's make sure that we're bringing something in that's like actually gonna bring you a lot of joy and that you're gonna use and that you're gonna love.
Emily: Actually this is a topic I'm really excited to talk about with a guest we have coming on soon. So I don't wanna like, spend too much time on it, but, I just think that's such a good perspective to have and like, kind of a unique situation that you know, you're going through, to like, really sell off the majority of your things and have to start fresh, but in a way, like, kind like you said, it can be kind of exciting and, in that way to like, bring this perspective into your new place.
Cassidy: I also think it's easy just to accumulate so much stuff over the years, even if you're trying to be mindful about it. And then it's like, stuff that you don't really like or need anymore, but you still feel the need to hang on to it for whatever reason. And then to get to the point where you're like, well, it's not in my sentimental pile, so like, [00:13:00] I'm finally gonna get rid of it. To also be more mindful about that moving forward too.
And the clearest example I have of that is like. All of the little things that you collect just like in your bathroom under the sink, and I don't know if you can relate to this any way, but like I had still held onto like all the free samples that you get from the dentist, you know, when they like give you all the flosses and all of this and all of that.
And I had had them for years and never used them. Or like, some shampoo that I had tried and like, absolutely hated, but I like, got through half the bottle before I gave up and then I was still like, well, I can't throw away this perfectly good shampoo. Like I'll put it under the sink in case I like, ever wanna try it again.
And then over the course of however many years, you just accumulate so much of that. So then to go through all of the bathroom stuff and be like, no, this is what I actually love and use and I'll like, give away or trash the rest of it, felt very freeing and was also a sign for me to be like, let's not do this again. Let's be mindful about not accumulating these [00:14:00] piles.
Emily: I can 100% relate to that. And I actually have plans to go through those drawers and cabinets when, I'm traveling right now, so when I get home, um, and I think part of this came about from recently traveling to my sister's wedding, and I am the type of person who rarely puts on makeup. I don't really paint my nails or anything like that, but you know, except for these like, special occasions.
And when I was packing to go to this wedding, I couldn't find any of that stuff and ended up buying a few new products. But what I did find was like a bunch of crap that I never use and I was like, okay. One, I just like, have all this stuff I don't use, and two, I'm so organi — unorganized, I can't find the stuff that I do use. This needs to change. So, yes, I can relate.
Cassidy: Another mindset shift that I brought into this was like, let me see what's on Facebook Marketplace first for this thing that I want or need.
Um, and you already have this mindset 'cause like you've saved so much money by buying a bike on there, and a bike rack and, we'll get into this, but I feel like in a lot of ways I have saved so much money by finding like these really gorgeous pieces of furniture on Facebook Marketplace for literally a fraction of what they would cost if you went to like a high-end store to buy them. So that has also shifted my mindset. Yeah.
Emily: I have been like, re-inspired by you I think because yeah, we have bought things off of Facebook Marketplace before, but usually it's more like, what I would classify as like [00:16:00] outdoor gear or like recreational gear, not furniture. We have not had great luck. Because I think it's something you have to be like, pretty patient and diligent about to like
find that thing you really want. So you've inspired me to give that a try because furniture can be so expensive for like, you know, stuff that you actually wanna keep long term.
Cassidy: Yeah.
Emily: So with that, let's, uh, kind of dig into the numbers and maybe start with your grand Facebook Marketplace slash Garage Sale.
Cassidy: Yeah, so we, I say we, 'cause my mom helped me stay on track with everything. But I ended up making $7,500 over the course of, probably three weeks from Facebook Marketplace and yard sales. And there were kind of two things going on here. First of all, I started selling [00:17:00] things like three weeks before I started my road trip because I wanted to give the high ticket items enough time to like sit on there, be found, to like, not have to accept the first offer that came my way essentially, so that helped.
This was also a mom idea because I'm notorious for being like, this thing should only take X amount of time, and then I start doing the thing and I'm like, holy crap, it's gonna take 10 times as long as I thought.
So my mom, I remember like a week after she had been at my house, we still had several weeks before we needed to start our road trip. She was like, I really think you just need to like, list 10 things on Facebook Marketplace today or this week or over the next two days or whatever. And I remember being like, I don't wanna, but then as soon as I did it and the offers started coming in and people started being like, I wanna take this. And then I started getting money in exchange for those things. So I was like, okay, I think I can do this. This is nice.
But we sold way more things than I thought [00:18:00] I would. Like, I think too, had I been crunched for time, I would've donated more stuff versus taking the time to list it. And so all of those, like, I got $30 for this and $40 for this, and $20 for this. Like all of those little things added up a bunch over time.
And another thing too, as I listed things, I did use ChatGPT to help me, uh, like create the listings, and I told it essentially, I was like, I'm going to brain dump to you everything that I can think of about this product, like how much I paid for it, when I bought it, what I like about it, what I don't like about it, what its condition is, how long I had it, like all of that stuff. And then please just make me like a nice little buttoned up description to go with it and then also suggest a price that I should sell it at based on how much I paid and all of this information that I'm telling you.
And I think because of that, I ended up listing things for more than I would have if I was just trying to guess what people would be willing to pay for this thing. Which is [00:19:00] also something that I'm really good at, is just like undervaluing my, my work as a freelancer for example. My first few years, I greatly undervalued my work. 'Cause I was like, there's no way people are gonna be willing to spend X amount of money for my writing. And I could see that definitely playing through with selling things too, you know, to be like, is someone really willing to spend $300 on the desktop that I've had for four years?
I think someone might spend $75 and then Chat GPT being like, nope, sell it for $275. You know, little things like that definitely added up. So yeah.
Emily: That is so smart.
Cassidy: Yeah. Same with like, the couch. Even though it was like, a higher end couch from Room & Board, I was like, it's still a couch, like I personally wouldn't, I don't think would ever really buy a couch on Facebook Marketplace.
So in my head I'm like, other people probably aren't gonna wanna buy this couch either. But it suggested a price that was probably like double what I would've listed it for, and I was like, sure, I'll try it. [00:20:00] And someone ended up buying it for that price. So I feel like Chat GPT was the little, like…
Emily: Your hype guy.
Cassidy: The little thing in my corner being, yeah, here's what you should charge.
Me being like, no, no, no, no, no. And they'd be like, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes. But yeah, so. I can kind of go through some of the like, bigger ticket items I do have, I'm currently staring at a list of every single thing that we sold on Facebook Marketplace. We did end up having two yard sales. And the yard sales, let's see, the second yard sale I made $271. The first yard sale I made $262. So like in all, a little over $500 through yard sales.
And then everything else was by and large, Facebook Marketplace. And so the biggest thing was the couch. Like I ended up getting $2,500 for the couch, which was huge. And then I [00:21:00] also had a lot of other things that I sold, like I sold my crampons that I had used for hiking for a hundred dollars. We had like a shed with a bunch of storage equipment, like, electric mower, weed eaters, rakes, things like that. Sold, sold the storage shed itself, which was another thing. We had like, a catio out back for our cats. Ended up selling that for $120. Had a lot of area rugs and the most expensive area rug I think I got like $650 for, on down to like $20 for a runner. But you know, other rugs, I got like $200 for this rug and a hundred dollars for this rug. So that added up.
I did end up selling my desk and my desktop, like a bunch of artwork, a bunch of lamps, bookcases. And it all ended up being $7,500.
You want me to go into more detail?
Emily: No, I think that's okay. As you're like, listing all these things, then I'm just like picturing you. 'Cause I know, by the end it was like your mattress [00:22:00] and like two chairs.
Cassidy: Two outdoor chairs.
Emily: Yeah, I'm picturing the scene from like the original Dr. Seuss Grinch movie when, he is stealing everything from all the who houses and even like the fridge and pulls up the, the tree up the chimney.
That's just what popped into my head.
Cassidy: Mm-hmm. That's totally it.
I, there were some things too. I was like, there's no possible way someone would be willing to buy this. Like we had a bike rack. I was given to us. I knew literally nothing about this bike rack. I was like, if I don't have any information to tell people about this bike rack, surely no one's gonna want it.
But I just listed it and I was like, here's a two-bike bike rack for $15. Like, I don't know what vehicles it's compatible with, and someone paid $15 for it. We had like, some birch logs in our fireplace. Someone paid $60 for them. We had spent more than that.
But it was just like all of these little things that I've been like, surely no one would want to buy this thing. And then my mom would be like, just list it and see what [00:23:00] happens. And we sold everything except one weed eater.
Emily: Wow.
Cassidy: Like, yeah.
Emily: That's, that's really impressive.
Let's talk about moving costs and what you spent, now that we know you earned $7,500. but maybe start with, since we're talking about getting rid of all your stuff, maybe start with the slight hiccup you had on move-out day.
Cassidy: Yes. So. Like Emily alluded to, we had, by the end, a king size mattress and then some things that we needed to haul to the dump because they just, our trash can was full at this point. So a lot of it was just like trash from cleaning, trash from cleaning out cabinets. Just different things like that.
And so I had listed the mattress on Facebook Marketplace, like maybe two or three days before we were about to do our road trip, and I was [00:24:00] like, the mattress is in good condition. It was 10 years old, but like, it had a removable cover that had been washed and like, the mattress truly was like, still super, super comfortable. I absolutely loved this mattress.
I was like, surely someone will come and grab it. But they needed to come and grab it in this specific window from like 8:00 AM to 11:00 AM on this Friday. That's when it needed to, to get gone.
And I thought someone had snatched up immediately. Especially, this was at the end of like everything I had sold on Facebook Marketplace and was so shocked by some of the things that sold that I was like, surely someone will want this mattress.
And no one did. So that morning we woke up and my mom and I were like, how are we gonna get rid of a king size, like 12-inch-thick memory foam mattress? And so we first thought, this was actually my idea, I was like, let's take scissors, cut up the mattress, then it will fit in my car, and then we can haul it to the dump that way.
And [00:25:00] memory foam is impossible to cut through, I have decided, especially with kitchen scissors. So, yeah, that did not work and we were all outside, like, looking for what yard tools we could use and we had found like, pruning shears and those didn't do anything either.
And so then I started calling mattress removal companies like, College Hunks Hauling Junk. Have you ever heard of that? I was like, calling all around and I was like, how much would it cost to like come and remove a mattress today? We were quoted like $250. I was like, I'm not paying $250 for you to come and pick up a mattress.
So anyway, very spur of the moment. I was like, every time I go to Home Depot, I see these cargo vans in the parking lot that you can rent and they're advertised as being like $20 to rent for, 70 minutes or something. So I was like, let's go get a cargo van from Home Depot. Let's load this mattress and all the other stuff that we need to take to dump and like just go do it ourselves.
So we ended up doing that. The biggest car I have [00:26:00] really like ever driven in my life is like a Prius. I went from a super tiny car when I was 16 to like a, a Prius being the bigger car. And even now I have like, a mini, mini, mini SUV, like it's essentially as small as an SUV can be. And I was so nervous to drive this cargo van. But we did it and we hauled it all to the dump and returned it and it ended up being $20. So it was like, kind of a win and us thinking real light on our feet.
I also had a door that we had to get rid of, like an interior door. I'd gotten it all Facebook Marketplace to use as a tabletop. And then it was like really banked up, really scratched up. So I ended up just buying a new interior door from Home Depot. That's a part of the story that, that isn't really needed. But anyway, I also had this huge door that like, wasn't gonna fit in my car, and so I ended up using the pruning shears from outside to cut the door in half so it fit in my car. And then that's, that's before we decided on the cargo van.
[00:27:00] So like then we ended up putting that in the cargo van too. But yeah, it was just hilarious, like how my mom and I were bouncing off of each other being like, how can we get this thing to fit in the car? Like, let's think outside the box. How can we get this thing in the, to the dump? Like, how can we get this stuff hauled away for the cheapest amount of money possible?
And we did it, and it's such a fun memory to look back on.
Emily: That’s so funny. Okay, so you have the like $400, the boxes you shipped. $20 or $30 for renting that van.
Cassidy: Mm-hmm.
Emily: What else you got? Break down the move.
Cassidy: Yeah. We ended up renting a U-Haul the day of my move in. So just for a little bit of backstory, I mentioned earlier that I have some fabulous local friends here. One of those friends, shout out Katie, is like an interior design aficionado. Like, she is truly so talented at making a space feel really cute and homey.
And so before my move, she and I created Pinterest [00:28:00] boards of like the overall vibe that I wanted my new place to have and all this other stuff. And then she got on the, like, Facebook Marketplace hunt. So she was like my eyes and ears on the ground while I was still in Washington state, like helping me find pieces for my apartment.
And so, it was so cute, like multiple times a week, sometimes multiple times a day, I would just get these little like Facebook Marketplace listings, like, what do you think about this? Like, I can go pick it up for you if you want me to.
And so before I moved here, I had a handful of Facebook Marketplace finds at Katie's house, like waiting to be moved into my new apartment the day I could move in. And that consisted of a gorgeous, like, mid-century modern TV stand for $570, a lamp, like a floor lamp for $90. I had a little round side table for $45, an outdoor bench for my balcony for $90. A dining room table from West Elm with like four chairs for like $825. I had a little entryway table for $50, a sconce for my [00:29:00] entryway for $20, a mirror for $50.
And so all of this stuff was like at Katie's house, like her garage, living room, her house was like, taken over by furniture she had picked up from me over the course of like a month and a half. And so, on move-in day, we had ended up renting a U-Haul to like, pack everything that we had so far into the U-Haul so we weren't making like, multiple trips back and forth from like, her house to my apartment, because it, it would've taken at least four trips, I'm convinced, to do all of that.
So we ended up spending a hundred dollars on a U-Haul for move-in day. And every time I say we, I mean me, I don't know why I keep saying we, but, spent a hundred dollars on a U-Haul. My mom and I ended up splitting the drive over the course of four days, three nights.
And so we spent about $575 on hotels. And then we spent $120 essentially on gas, and then $115 on food while traveling. [00:30:00] And yeah, our food consisted of like, the drive through at Chick-fil-A. We went to Texas Roadhouse two nights. Like we picked up Texas Roadhouse and ate it in our hotel room 'cause we both love that and there's not one in Washington state. And then like one night we ordered room service from the hotel we were staying in, got breakfast at a coffee shop. Um, yeah, just little things like that. But in all, like actual moving costs, so moving costs, meaning FedEx, renting a cargo van from Home Depot to take things to the dump, getting a U-Haul on movie day, moving day, hotels, gas, food. It was like right at $1,344.
So then furnishing my new place was a different story. I had about $2,000 in Facebook Marketplace finds. It's like everything I just told you that Katie had found for me before. And then I also, once I moved here, I got like four bar stools for my island for $175 [00:31:00] total. Two nightstands for $85 total. So I ended up spending like about $2,000 on Facebook Marketplace for like, pieces of furniture and little odds and ends.
Emily: You got so much for $2,000. Like considering a dining table can easily cost $2,000, you scored big.
Cassidy: Yeah, the dining room table was honestly one of the cutest stories from Facebook Marketplace. So, it was from this older couple who lives in kind of like a historic area. And they had purchased this like, mid-century modern home and they, their like, long-term goal was to outfit it with like, vintage, like, one-of-a-kind pieces.
But they needed furniture when they first moved in. So the dining room table and chairs, for example, they had bought from West Elm, and I believe the whole set was like, over $2,500, like for the dining room table and the four chairs. And then, they had barely used it, and they were selling it because they [00:32:00] had finally found like the vintage piece that they loved, and I ended up getting it for $825.
Emily: That is a steal. That is amazing.
Cassidy: Yeah. And then same with the TV stand, like, I've looked up similar mid-century modern, like, vintage TV stands when I was in Seattle, for example, and they're like easily over a thousand dollars. Which, maybe it's just kind of the market in the area that you're in, but I found like the mid-century modern TV stand of my dreams for $570 and I kid you not, it will be a piece that I'll have as long as it will have me, like I will probably have it the rest of my life unless some unforeseen thing happens. It's so well-made and it's so cute.
Emily: That's awesome.
Okay. Moving on to new purchases, 'cause I know that is just the beginning of the things you need to move into a new place. So what else? What, what did you buy new, I guess.
Cassidy: I'll say, it's funny that you say, wow, you got so much stuff for [00:33:00] $2,000 because the price of the new items like, literally makes me want to vomit a little bit.
Um, I've spent just over $10,000 on new things so far, and that includes, I spent $5,000 on a bed frame, a couch, and an ottoman from CB2.
I spent $1,700 on a new queen size mattress, which, if that, if, if you were hearing that number and you were thinking, holy Jesus, that was a lot of money to spend on a mattress, let me be the first to tell you that I first bought a $380 mattress from IKEA thinking, this is gonna be great. I laid on all the mattresses at IKEA. I chose this one. It happened to be one of the cheapest ones in the store. I was like, this is fate. This is the mattress for me. I love it. I slept on it for about two weeks and literally every single night I was like, I hate this mattress so much.
So I ended up returning it. I just took it back to IKEA yesterday and I got a Casper mattress, which I know you have a Casper [00:34:00] mattress. We have another friend who has a Casper mattress. They're talked about and praised and, yeah. I've had this mattress for about a week now and I absolutely love it. And I justified the price to myself because I did the math in the store and I was like, if I have this mattress for 10 years and I sleep on it every single night for 10 years, I think it broke down to like 40 something cents a sleep. And I was like, this math checks out. I'm gonna get this mattress. 40 cents for a good night's sleep, I'll take it.
And then I just had a lot of little things to buy for my place that you kind of don't think of unless you're starting completely over. Like, I needed a vacuum and a broom, and I needed literally everything you could think of for a kitchen, like pots, pans, utensils, silverware, plates, cups, a tea kettle, spatulas, cutting boards. All of that stuff just adds up.
And then [00:35:00] also cleaning supplies. Like I needed laundry detergent, dish detergent, toilet bowl brushes to clean your toilet, sheets for the bed, pillows. I needed all of this stuff. And so I did do a few, like bigger runs to stores once I got here. So I ended up spending like $900 at Costco.
And I will tell you that half of that price was for a Dyson vacuum. And let me tell you, I've had a Dyson vacuum in the past. It was, it was one of the things that I lost in the divorce. I love this vacuum so much because it's, it's cordless, it's light, it's portable. It works like, really, really well. And I do have a cat, so I was like, if I'm gonna keep my apartment as clean as I want it to be, I need to just like, take the vacuum out and use it literally wherever and not worry about it. And I have already vacuumed probably 10 times more than I would if I had to get out the vacuum, unwind the cord, [00:36:00] plug in, vacuum that area, unplug replug somewhere else, vacuum that area.
It's like one of those splurges and I'm like, I will, I will splurge on you and have no regrets because I love you.
But yeah. And then I spent $720 at World Market and I got, my tea kettle, and an ottoman, and pillows for my couch, and towels for my bathroom, and soap dispensers, and a lot of home decor things like picture frames and candle stick holders, and just really like cutie little things like that.
And then I spent $600 at Ikea getting more like, kitchen things. I got some furniture. I have a list somewhere. Let me scroll back up here. Oh yeah. Lamps, pendant lights, candle holders. Trash cans, plants, picture frames. More bedding, like, that's where I got my sheets and my duvet and my duvet insert, and a laundry basket and spatulas. Like once again, all of those little things. And then I also spent $400 at Marshall's and Home Goods, getting more of the same stuff like silverware, [00:37:00] mixing bowls. Pretty much all of my kitchen utensils came from there. I did spend about $300 on a new TV. And then, because I know that I'm probably forgetting some things, I just threw in an extra $500 that I probably spent somewhere on some home good things. Um, so yeah, and it all ended up being like $10,150ish dollars that I think I've spent on new purchases so far.
And by and large, my place feels like home, like it feels good, but there are still some things that I need, like I, I don't have a desk yet for my computer or a computer chair, like I've just been working from the kitchen island or from my dining room. I still want some area rugs to like, cozy it up a little bit, but like, by and large, I feel like I have most of everything else that I want.
Emily: Yeah. Yeah, it seems like it. So what was the grand total for how much you spent?
Cassidy: I ended [00:38:00] up spending about $13,500, and that includes the total cost of moving, everything I bought on Facebook Marketplace, and everything that I bought new.
Emily: And then you made $7,500 from what you sold, and so your net spend was around $6,000?
Cassidy: Yeah, it was.
Emily: And how do you feel about it?
Cassidy: I think I feel pretty good. Like there's one part of my brain that's, that's like hearing that I spent $13,500 kind of makes me wanna vomit because that is definitively a lot of money. Inside story: When my mom first got to Washington, we were like, beginning to think about like, what to sell and all of this stuff. She asked me, she was like, how much would you want to make? Like at the end of the day if you were like, I made X amount of money selling all of my stuff, like, what would that number be that you would feel good about? And I was like, I think $3,000, like if I ended up [00:39:00] leaving with $3,000 to put toward my move, like that would feel really good.
And she was like, I think you're gonna get to at least $5,000. And I was like, there's no possible way. Like that's not gonna happen. And then it ended up being more than that. So yeah, I feel really good about it once I subtract everything, like hearing that I've spent $6,000 net so far, including moving and furnishing and all of that stuff, I feel better about that number.
Emily: What surprised you the most about the whole process, either financially or emotionally, in terms of like, selling all your old stuff and acquiring the new stuff?
Cassidy: I was so reluctant to begin selling the old stuff because I felt like once I started selling, like, I was just like, my home was no longer gonna feel like a home, and it wasn't gonna feel like a home until I got set up in a new state. And so, I was very reluctant to start that process and just kind of see [00:40:00] everything that I've used just kind of disappear. That felt kind of sad to me to start that process, but then once I actually started it and like I said, sold things and got money for those things, I was like, okay, this is actually kind of nice to be like, yeah, I no longer have my desk, but I have like $150. That feels good.
And so it kind of became almost like a game, like as the numbers started piling up and things accumulated that way. I will throw in, I just thought about this and I didn't write it on the spreadsheet but $700 of the $7,500 that I made was from like, store returns that I was able to do.
So there were some items where like I was able, they had like 365 day returns and I was able to get back. Like the full price of the thing that I had bought. And that was really like all the bedding that we had had. Um, I had just bought like, new bedding for our guest room, for example, through [00:41:00] Quince, Q-U-I-N-C-E.
And it's much cheaper than places like Parachute, which I know is a really popular place to get high quality linens. but it was still pretty pricey. So like, I ended up returning two duvets, two duvet inserts, two sets of sheets. But yeah, I ended up getting like $700 back from that, which definitely helped get that number back up there. And then two. Just how it like, shifted my mindset to want to only buy new things that I'm really excited about so I don't fall back into the trap where I'm like, I have all this stuff in my house, and like I could take it or leave it. Like it doesn't really do anything for me.
Emily: Yeah. So with that said, would you do it this way again if you moved?
Cassidy: Absolutely. Well, okay. Here's the caveat. If I moved again, cross country, I feel like I'm accumulating things that I would absolutely wanna keep. So it would be different moving forward. But if I could go back in time and do this move differently, the answer is no. I would not. Because I, I just love the way it's all worked out. Like every [00:42:00] single time I walk into my place, it fills me with so much joy. And I love it so much.
Another thing that I did not do in previous houses that I've done now is I have like, framed pictures a lot of places of like, me with my friends. It's only a matter of time before there is a framed photo of you and me somewhere in this house.
But yeah, it just, it brings me so much joy to like, see all of these memories that I've had, on my bookcase, on my bedside table, on the entryway table, in the bathroom. Yeah. It's just, it's been, it's been really fun.
Emily: Yeah. I love that. I do have one more question to just kind of wrap us up. What would you tell someone going through a big move or a life change like this?
Cassidy: Hmm. I would say don't be afraid to think outside of the box about, like, what your move looks like. I can very easily get stuck on a one track mind kind of thing. And I think once I decided, like, I'm gonna pack up my [00:43:00] stuff and pay to have it moved, like that was what I was gonna do. And then I was shocked by the amount that it was gonna cost, but I didn't really see any other way to do it, you know?
It wasn't until someone else came along, aka my mom, she was like, have you thought about doing it this way? I was like, no, I have not thought about doing it that way. Never ever would've crossed my mind. I don't think I would've given myself permission to sell everything and start over in that way.
But yeah, I would say, just don't be afraid to get a little scrappy and think outside the box. I, I know you and I have both had major moves, too, in the past. For example, I moved from Georgia to Seattle back in 2019, and I felt like we were also scrappy about that move in different ways. Like I drove the car and my ex drove the moving truck and we just tried to make it like, as cheap as we possibly could for a cross country move. And that really worked for us. And I feel like you've also tried to do your, like, cross country moves as cheaply as you can.
Yeah, there are ways to do it. But [00:44:00] also if you have a, a job or someone who's willing to cover the whole cost of moving and it’s the easiest way, even if it's the most expensive, take 'em up on it.
Emily: Yeah. One of my very close friends is doing a cross-country move in a matter of weeks, and yeah, her husband's work is paying for it, so it's super nice. Just kind of relieves that stress of the whole move.
But I think you're right. There are so many ways to do it, and I remember when we moved, too, we got rid of a lot of things. Some of it was easy to give up and some of it was like, I'm thinking in particular, we sold our canoe 'cause we didn't wanna haul that across the country on top of a vehicle. And we were really sad about that. But it just, like, made sense for us and we ended up selling it to good friends who we knew would really enjoy it.
So it all worked out. But you're right, there are a million ways to do it depending on your budget, your priorities, your values, all of [00:45:00] that.
Cassidy: Yeah, I do think the two things I was the saddest to let go of was the dining room table and the couch, but neither one of those would've fit in my apartment anyway. So even if I did move a different way, they wouldn't have been able to come with me. So that made it a bit easier. But I did really love those two pieces of furniture.
Emily: Well, shout out to your mom for her vision of selling all of your stuff and to Katie for helping you like, move into a beautiful, furnished apartment when you got there. That's awesome.
Cassidy: Yeah. I also had like, my new bed frame and couch delivered by CB2 the day I moved in. Like that just happened to be a delivery day option that was available and it was like all, um, white glove service, I think they call it, it's like, they come and set everything up and take the trash away for you.
So yeah, between like, that happening and then all of the stuff that like Katie and her family had found for me, I [00:46:00] had a nearly fully furnished apartment day one and moving was a breeze, so.
Emily: That's so nice.
Cassidy: Yeah, I think, kind of some key takeaways that I've learned from this is like, one, you don't have to take everything with you, just because you bought it once. Like, you don't feel like you have to hold onto that thing forever, even if you don't love it anymore. There could be people on Facebook Marketplace willing to buy it from you for more than you think. So give it a try.
And then also sometimes the cheapest move is a fresh start. Like, even though I know that I've had to buy some new things, I still would've had to buy some new things, even if I moved differently. 'Cause for example, like I never would've had kitchen stuff from the start because all of that went with my ex.
So I think regardless, like there would've been things that I needed to buy and this ended up being like, the most fun and like, fresh start kind of way to like, really create a space that brings me joy, lifts me up that I love and that feels extra cozy. And then also just to reiterate, don't sleep on [00:47:00] Facebook Marketplace for both buying and selling.
Emily: Good, good tip.
Thanks for joining us for this week's episode. If you missed last week's episode about decoupling finances, be sure to join us as a finance girlies insider to get full access to that episode, and we will see you next week.
Emily: That's a wrap on another episode of the Finance Girlies podcast. Nothing in this episode is meant to be taken as financial advice.
Cassidy: Please do your own research and talk to a professional if you need advice. As always, if you enjoyed this episode, don't forget to subscribe, rate and review. Love you. Bye.
