Karl and Nanette Posted September 4, 2006 Report Share Posted September 4, 2006 Hi everyone,A question I’ve been thinking about is do we bring our possessions in a container (Will it be cheaper?)or do we start from scratch? I have been receiving mixed information regarding this, some say it is cheaper to take everything in a container and some say sell everything.What's a man to do?Your input will be much appreciated.Dankie tog!!!Cheers!Karl Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shandell Posted September 4, 2006 Report Share Posted September 4, 2006 I know it's hard to make that choice, what to bring and what to leave......... so here is my two cents worth.... TV's work over here (most of them I believe), We brought all our stuff with us - which was a bit overboard, but our things eg fridge, microwave etc was all fairly new, so we did not need to replace them. If I can suggest, bring newish stuff and replace things that need replacing when you get here.Hope that makes sense....Good luck Shandell Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DesertDaisy Posted September 4, 2006 Report Share Posted September 4, 2006 We're going the halfway route... taking some stuff in a container, but buying other stuff new. We are taking very little furniture with us, the bulk of it is household goods, linen, kids things, personal items etc etc. I doubt we'll fill a container.We're relocating via Abu Dhabi, and have stuff in both countries... so we're trying to limit costs.Plus because we lived in a semi-furnished place here in Abu Dhabi, we don't actually own much furniture anyway! We sold it because it was too expensive to store. Not worth the value.So furniture wise and big appliance wise we'll buy new. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest colton Posted September 4, 2006 Report Share Posted September 4, 2006 I was in the same boat, decided to take EVERYTHING just to make the surroundings more familiar but once you start clearing out your years of clutter you realise how much unneccesary stuff you actually have that you never use. We have decided to take a full container, I have 3 teenagers and they want most of their things so for their sake I will allow them, but the rest of the household stuff is a case of "is it something that I definitely CANNOT live without?" It is actually quite liberating to get rid of things, we donated alot of good stuff to underprivileged organisations, and once you get ruthless you start to experience a great freedom from being bogged down by "things". They are after all only temporary, you begin to realise what's really important: family, love, happiness, etc. It's actually alot of fun once you start, you are going to start afresh, there are more important things than "should I take my african wood collection" or "do I HAVE to leave my grass placemats behind". Those were the kind of stupid things I asked myself as well until I realised NOBODY CARES! You have a great opportunity to start again, grasp the bull by the horns and leave the rest behind with the JONES', life is MUCH simpler in Australia don't complicate it unneccasarily.Sorry if I offended anyone, I have just received a revelation and realised only I am complicating something that should be quite simple.Good luck. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ystervarkie2006 Posted September 4, 2006 Report Share Posted September 4, 2006 Tyler Durnan once said: "The things you own, end up owning you."We've pretty much sold everything, except our car, which we'll sell just before we go. It's incredibly liberating to get rid of all the non-essentials, very Ghandi-style but I recommend it. We find ourselves too easily attached to stuff that we can't put in a container when we immigrate to heaven anyway.Whatever you need you can buy in Australia, including biltong.Good Luck on whatever approach you choose. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sa2auz Posted September 4, 2006 Report Share Posted September 4, 2006 Hi therePersonally I would bring as much as can fit in a container. Get rid of stuff you don't need or havent look at or is broken but bring everything else, its nice to have your own stuff around and I do find replacing all the little things adds up, photo frames, mixers, sieves, table clothes etc etc. Its all the things that you don't often use but need. I find linen here expensive and clothes. Also remember if you have lots of money you might want to replace certain things and also generally the houses are smaller depending on where you stay or plan to settle. I have one friend who has brought over a years supply of cleaning stuff as well as toilet paper, shampoos etc they had enough space. Another friend of mine has rented a really tiny house so she is having to spend $130 a month on storage. I live in an older area on the north shore in Sydney and I have found that alot of the houses don't have bics in all the rooms so if you have an extra set of draws or a wardrobe that you are humming and harring about I would say bring it. We were laughing the other day saying that we had virtually given away our stuff in jhb and we would have got more for it if we had bought it over and sold it at a garage sale here. So if you have any space in your container fill it, but don't bring any junk. Also just be aware that if your whites are getting on they might not make the journey and you might not get spare parts here for your make. If you want prices on whites look at productreview.com.au and also there are second shops which have whites without boxes etc so bear that in mind if you think you might need to replace somewhere down the line.Most houses come with a dishwasher so bear that in mind and also most have a laundry and I have seen very few that would fit a top loader so bear that in mind also.Its a really tricky situation but good luck with whatever you decide its a very personal decision. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dreamcatcher Posted September 5, 2006 Report Share Posted September 5, 2006 Hi Karl,I have to agree with most if not everything that sa2auz has pointed out. We brought some of our stuff, and I am glad I did. I am very sad about all the stuff I left behind. I would have gotten more for it, had we filled the container and sold it here. We brought our old whiteware (tumble dryer and toploader) and they are still going, even though I thought they would die in 6 months. Every month they last, is a month of saving for us. It is the best thing in the world when your container at last arrives, and you can have your own stuff around you. Specially if you have children, it makes them feel more at home. Bring lots of clothes and linen, and if your wife likes sewing, as much material as you can, it is extremely expensive here. Don't worry too much about curtains, most houses have curtains and blinds in them as a fixture.If you can afford it, bring as much as you can. For me it was worth every cent we paid. When you start earning dollars, the $8 500 it cost you to get your stuff here, is not so bad. It will cost you much more than that to refurnish a house. Greetings,Dreamy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Leon. Posted September 5, 2006 Report Share Posted September 5, 2006 We have sold everything that can not be folded and fitted into a suitcase. Apart from 1 computer and 1 TV all our stuff was old, so it would not have been worth it for me to pay appr. R40 000.00 to move furniture that is worth the same or less.All the small stuff, including old clothes, I dropped of at the hospice shop. We now live in a furnished apartment and as soon as we get our plane tickets, we are out of here. All I still have to do is sell the car and get rid of my pistol and reloading equipment. We want to start fresh in a new country so, that is what we are going to do. We know that it will take some time to build up to what we had, but we are all OK with that. We are going over with enough money to get the essentials when we land.RegardsLeon Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
minette Posted September 10, 2006 Report Share Posted September 10, 2006 HiGo to superamart.com.au. There you will find prices for anything that you may need! Then you can make an informed decision of what to bring and what not!Good luck!Minette Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chatterbug Posted September 11, 2006 Report Share Posted September 11, 2006 Hi Karl, I'd say bring as much as you can. It depends on how old most of it is and how "tired" you are of it I suppose, but if it can last a couple of years still, rather bring it over. You'll not have the pressure right away after arrival to start buying the basics all over again - especially if it is with your precious Rands converted into dollars. You'd not be able to easily replace a household in Aus(assuming you use a 20ft container) for the R35-40K it would cost to bring things across. A couple of good white goods bought over here like a fridge, dishwasher, washing machine and tumble dryer ( could add up to about $5000 X 5 = R25K)would almost make up the whole lot. After a couple of years over here we are tired of many things, or they and are now starting to replace them, but I'm glad I don't have to and I'm not under pressure to buy in a rush. Some things we brought across are priceless however.Good luck C'BUG Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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