DO NOT, whatever you do, drive south-to-north through Indiana. Go through Ohio, go through Illinois or Michigan, whatever, but if your route would take you on the I-65/ US 31 corridor (even just one or the other), take a huge detour or fly. It's nothing but flat soybean and corn fields. I'm not talking pretty bucolic farms and big sky, I'm talking a horrible twilight-zone type of existence for a good 250 miles. DH grew up near South Bend and agrees with me.

Tightwad Gazette is great, but remember we have resources now that didn't exist in Amy's day. Craig's List and Freecycle come to mind.

Edited to add: of course living in South Bend you'll drive on US 31 a fair amount. It's the Indianapolis-to-South Bend drive up on 31 that you want to avoid. Even Louisville to Indianapolis on 65 isn't so bad as that.