TAKE OR LEAVE FURNITURE

[STIENA]

Can someone tell me if it is better to take your furniture (will cost plus minus R50 000.00) or take the money over to buy the furniture there and take only linen and clothes. What will be the best

[GerhardinOz]

Can someone tell me if it is better to take your furniture (will cost plus minus R50 000.00) or take the money over to buy the furniture there and take only linen and clothes. What will be the best

How much would it cost to replace your furniture? If it is more than R50-000, as it probably would, think it would be better to ship it over.

[Guest Vermeulens]

Defenately from a financial prospective, BRING ALL THE FURNITURE you possibly can. You will never get the monetary value second hand in SA and it is really expensive this side.

AND

You will miss familiar things, even if it is worthless financially.

[Eva]

Yeah, wait till you start trying to sell your second hand stuff - especially if people know you are leaving SA - they all want to get it for next to nothing. I am not kidding, there is a thread somewhere about this, same story for lots of people! It seems better to take your stuff if it is in reasonable condition, if old and tatty and you would need to replace some time soon anyhow, ditch it and buy new.

[Thys]

Fully agree, bring as much as you can. If you try to sell it in SA, it is worth nothing anyway and friends/family will try to get it at even lower prices than a pawn shop will pay you. BUT, keep in mind that you need to survive on this side until your container arrives. In our case, we made the mistake of assuming we will rent basics like beds, fridge, TV, etc, until the container arrives and found on arrival that it was cheaper to buy than to rent such goods. So in hindsight, what I probably should have done, was to buy some mattresses only (no beds), and try to buy a second hand TV, etc.

[BriteBlue]

Check out the Ozzie furniture websites & compare... Ikea is about the best value for us (www.ikea.com.au) - I think the furniture here is expensive for what you get, but then our SA furniture is also much bigger- the Glick couches don't really fit in the small living room!

One can also rent furniture here, also buy secondhand....

[Guest Vermeulens]

In our case, we made the mistake of assuming we will rent basics like beds, fridge, TV, etc, until the container arrives and found on arrival that it was cheaper to buy than to rent such goods.

We plan on renting TV's and Fridges etc. I thought it is cheaper than buying and it helps with the cashflow? Have not yet compared the prices though

[AllisonW]

We are taking a container with us. My reasons for that are multiple. Firstly, i need the comfort of all my belongings and i think for the kids it is important - if you can do it. I am a sentimental hoarder and have lots of family heirlooms that i would miss terribly. I also think that what i can bring over for $12 000 converted will be worth it. To replace the entire content of my home would be much more - furniture, books, appliances, clothing, linen, pictures, toys, kitchen stuff. then you get those silly things like xmas trees and decorations. Seem so little until you need to replace all of that the first xmas. So i say bring it if you can.

[polly]

We left the beds (except my son's bunkbed which his grandparents' gave him) and the tv. Also left the couches and diningroom set (couches - old and diningroomset too small). We brought over everything else (except the fishtank ) We bought beds here, a diningroom set and couches and tv. Also bought a new computer. We got a small barfridge to tide us over until the container comes. We tried rental, but the washing machine they brought us was junk, so we decided to buy and will hopefully be able to sell it second-hand (minus what rental would have cost us). The machine we got is so nice, I might sell the one we brought over

Just seeing what little things like glasses, plates, knives and forks cost, I am glad we are bringing everything. Those small things add up to quite a lot. So in a few months we will be able to have guests and offer them food on plates

(PS can't wait to put up our Christmas tree!!!! SO glad that is coming. A lot of the decorations are sentimental. Allison, sounds like we are quite similar )

[jaxmvr]

We had brought ours over - helped to lessen the home-sick feeling.

My idee is that to replace your house here is going to be much more that the R50000 -> $8500 (@ R6 to $1) - things here are not cheap.

[AllisonW]

We left the beds (except my son's bunkbed which his grandparents' gave him) and the tv. Also left the couches and diningroom set (couches - old and diningroomset too small). We brought over everything else (except the fishtank ) We bought beds here, a diningroom set and couches and tv. Also bought a new computer. We got a small barfridge to tide us over until the container comes. We tried rental, but the washing machine they brought us was junk, so we decided to buy and will hopefully be able to sell it second-hand (minus what rental would have cost us). The machine we got is so nice, I might sell the one we brought over

Just seeing what little things like glasses, plates, knives and forks cost, I am glad we are bringing everything. Those small things add up to quite a lot. So in a few months we will be able to have guests and offer them food on plates

(PS can't wait to put up our Christmas tree!!!! SO glad that is coming. A lot of the decorations are sentimental. Allison, sounds like we are quite similar )

Polly, i know isnt xmas great! I put ours up on the 1st December on my son's birthday. It is really just an excuse to have maximum xmas exposure! I have stacks of stuff. I would have fitted in so well in the US! I hope that Melbourne looks beautiful at xmas time. Lots of lights and magic so that you wont miss home at all!

[Bloubul]

We plan on renting TV's and Fridges etc. I thought it is cheaper than buying and it helps with the cashflow? Have not yet compared the prices though

I also had the idea of renting a fridge till my container arrives, but it worked out quite expensive it it is only for a few months. $50 for delivery and again $50 for collection. I bought a big fridge/freezer at a garage sale for $50 and I am still using it after 16 months. You can get a new Sansui 68cm TV from KMart for $150

[polly]

If you have kids, tv is a must to keep from going insane Or buy a pc and add a tv card.

[Thys]

With regard to TV, internet, etc. investigate the different options to find suitable for your circumstances.. We have a Telstra landline contract which includes Foxtel (cable tv) & cost-effective internet access. We use the landline very little though - we use Skype credits to make local & international calls. So far, prepaid mobile airtime worked best for us, but Telstra just offered us also mobile contracts at $8 per month for $20 airtime.

[Nats123]

Hi there,

We moved all our furniture and stuff over with the container.

But knowing what I know now I would do a few things differently.

There is no benefit of bringing your dishwasher or washing machine with the container. When we moved into our rental house we had to buy these items although it was still on the way. All rentals have dishwashers and how can you survive without a washing machine for a family of 4??????

We also bought a cheap TV for the kids as Polly mentioned.

So had I known what I know now I would have gone for half a container instead of a full one!

Nats

[polly]

Our rental doesn't have a dishwasher

Using hubby's laptop as a dvd player for the tv until ours comes

watching free tv

[Nats123]

That is weird!

[Leigh MC]

I did an interesting exercise recently, as I was wondering about this too.

I went onto about 3 online shopping sites in Aus and compared prices of basic household stuff.

I made a list of things we would need to buy initially - and I mean a BASIC list. (even forgetting some stuff - like a fridge!).

Turns out, to buy new, basic household stuff - and by no means fancy stuff either - it would cost about R50 000.

And that's not including all the little things that add up to quite a big amount, like hangers, pegs, veggie peeler, bin etc. I know those sound like non-entities, but they really do add up!

So - we're taking all the good furniture, bedding, kitchen stuff, sentimental stuff. The things we've had for years and that need some repair, we're selling.

We'll also buy a TV and music system there, as electronics are a lot cheaper. My boyfriend priced the new big screen HD TVs - for one that you get here for R20 000, you can get there for R13 000...

Just be aware of fridges - they must be CFC compliant, or you can't take them.

[Este11e]

We sold everything in SA.

We ended up sending only 5 boxes with sentimental stuff like photos, our CD’s, extra clothes, my wedding dress etc.

We have been in the process of buying everything from scratch.

Although it is heaps of fun refurnishing your whole house, it does cost a small fortune!

Keep in mind that we are a married couple with no kids and we didn’t have any family heirlooms, so this was possible for us.

I found it quite liberating starting from scratch – I don’t enjoy clutter and I loved getting rid of all those unnecessary things that end up filling the cupboards over the years

If I could do it all over again I would bring a container, but I would replace all my old stuff in SA – including upgrading my wardrobe!

Just keep in mind that many rentals have built in cupboard spaces for the fridges, microwaves, dishwashers, washing machines and dryers. We were very sad to sell our Fridge/Freezer set but it wouldn’t have fit into the space we have now anyway…

We rented a furnished apartment while looking for a house. It was a bit expensive but it saved us from having to buy/rent temporary stuff to survive with.

[Antoinette]

It depends on the value of your stuff, how much money you've got and how sentimental you feel.

It your stuff is of reasonable quality you will struggle to replace it with just R50 000. Probably impossible. If you've got lots of money and feel like starting new then do so. Getting rid of your stuff can feel like getting rid of the "hard evidence" of you'r life's existence. When you emigrate you loose your house, car, friends and family. Do you also want to loose the things that you came home to every night? If you like your stuff than take it with.

Edited September 17, 2008 by Antoinette

[Alibaba]

We brought a container (and the 2 dogs) and it is absolutely worth it.

It is going to cost you money no matter how you do it. We were lucky in that we took over the rent from a lady we knew who had to return to SA and we bought all her stuff over. She had the basics (IKEA bed, cot for baby, another children's bed, basic kitchenware, washing machine, linen, towels, etc). The rent was cheap. Then we had to move house 3 months later, and we struggled to find a rental we liked and which had enough space for all our furniture, so ended up paying more for rent than we initially though of doing. I work from home, so need space for a home office too. In any case, the move was VERY expensive, plus things like cleaning the carpets where we left, having the garden fixed up and an extra phone line installed at the new house.

We have 2 sets of friends who came over know. The one couple found a rental place after about 10 days in furnished rental, and bought the necessary like fridges, etc to pull them through until their container arrives. These they sold with their home back in SA. The other couple's work paid for accomodation for 2 weeks and they will be renting a furnished apartment until their stuff arrives. Some other forumites we know lived in a little cabin in the caravan park and brought only a few sentimental belongings, no container and bought a lot of stuff second hand for their new home.

All of this said, I agree that it will be more expensive to replace everything you have in a container over here. Are you aware that the cheapest washing machines go for about $599-$699. That is NOT cheap at all. I now have 2 fridges and 2 washing machines. I use both fridges, but the one washing machine is in the garage until I have either space to set both up or one brakes and then I have a spare. What I can say is that the washing machines over here use less water than the SA ones, which is good for this dry country.

Buy lots and lots of kids clothes for those with kids. I wich I knew kids clothes was so expensive and I would have bought more for the container.

I am happy with our choice.

And if anybody was wondering. We brought 2 of our 3 dogs, they are home for about 2 weeks now and a part of the family like they were never in quarantine for that long. But talk about expensive!

[Donne']

Hi everyone,

I am also in a situation .I would appreciate any advice ..........My belongings fill 2 containers! So now ....do I cut down or do I bring everything ? ( the one is a 40 ft and the other a 20 ft )We have some really large armoire's - is it worth bringing them ?They are quite tall ......

Thanks

D.

[polly]

Honestly, I would leave things like beds. Those you need here from the start and you feel much better and more settled sleeping in a bed, than on a mattress on the floor for two to three months. We left our tv, pc, diningroom set, couches and beds (except for a sentimental bunkbed my sun has). We replaced those when we got here and it was more than enough to keep us going comfortable until our container came. (granted our beds needed replacing after 10 years, we just postponed buying new )

Bring the armoires! I think you will find much use for them here! Houses have high ceilings, sure they will fit.

There is a post in General (immigration) with websited for shops. Use those to look at replacement value and decide that way what you want to keep. (Bring the armoires!)

[Legalbuff]

Wow Donne - 2 containers?? I thought we had a lot.... (only kidding...)

It depends:

1. How many people in your family? Only you and hubby? Sell, sell, sell... With a few kiddies... reconsider.

I honestly don't think it will be worth your while to bring over two containers, if it's only to keep things you are used to. Like said before in this thread - you ARE going to end up buying stuff to tyde you over till the container comes, and you ARE going to accumulate new things as time goes by.

It also depends on what size of house you are looking to get into. There are the big McMansion houses everywhere, BUT it costs a lot of $ to rent / buy them. So you may want to downgrade a little.

Keep what you need, and what you want to keep. What you can live without practically, and sentimentally, throw out/sell.

We brought over a 20ft container and got a 4bedr, 2 bathr to rent, with 2 huge living spaces. We bought a new couch to sit on, bed to sleep on and tv to watch, with barstools for the breakfast nook/kitchen area to keep us going, till Monday, (WHEN OUR CONTAINER ARRIVES!!! Hurray!!)

But I don't think 2 containers is financially worth it.

Hope that helps... And also a tip as an afterthought: when the container comes, the removals company moves everything into your house. Thereafter, when you move because you have bought a house, or to a new rental, you have to MOVE THAT FURNITURE YOURSELF. Doesn't sound so serious till you have to do it.... Keep it in the back of your head when making the decision....

Good luck!!

L

[Alibaba]

We brought a 20ft container + the stuff we took over here (which was only the basics) and it fills up a 4 bedroom house with 3 living spaces. We have huge bedrooms, one has the cot and single bed and one houses a double bed and a single bed with their side tables and a loose wardobe, the smallest room I use as my home office.

Personally I also think 2 containers are a bit much, you will struggle to afford a house that can take all that furniture. Space for packing things over here is also a bit less except if you have a big garage or storage room.

Edited September 19, 2008 by Alibaba