I relocated from New York to Atlanta. Here are 5 things I’m glad I did to make the move easier, and 5 things I regret.

Instead of driving a U-Haul ourselves, we did a “consolidated move,” where professional movers loaded our belongings onto a larger truck with other people’s stuff headed in the same direction. It cost a little over $4,000. That’s pricey, but it would have cost closer to $10,000 if we had our items moved individually.

It seemed like a good deal, especially since my husband didn’t have to drive a U-Haul with all our possessions while I drove the rental car with our dog. We also felt good about the company we picked, as it had strong online reviews. The movers were prompt and careful the day they packed up our stuff. Their office said our items would arrive in two to 14 business days, but assured my husband that three to five days was more realistic.

Unfortunately, that estimate was way off. It took 15 business days (24 actual days), and my husband and I were frustrated, to say the least. It was difficult to get an update on the status of our belongings, even after calling and emailing to request information. To make matters worse, when our things finally arrived, our television screen was cracked, and we were only compensated for a small percentage of its value. In the end, the move didn’t feel worth the money we spent.

If we could do it again, my husband and I would have rented a U-Haul or gone with a different moving company that was more experienced with interstate moves.