# how much personal stuff should we take?



## lizzie anne (May 15, 2012)

We are planning to move to the US later in the year and have been clearing out our stuff gradually over the last 6 months. We have come to the point where we have to get our house in show home condition & ditch everything we dont want to ship when we move. 
My husband and I can't agree on how much stuff to take - he is a techie minimalist, he wants to sell the lot & re buy what he wants when we get there. I am more sentimental and want to keep baby clothes, toys & various memorabilia. 
Anyway, my question is: how much stuff have you/will you ship? Is it helpful to have familiar things in a totally new place (particularly for a 3 year old) or can it be better to have a completely clean slate? 
I would be really interested to hear other people's experiences. Thanks


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## mamasue (Oct 7, 2008)

When my husband and I moved to the US we moved with 1 suitcase each.
We started a completely new life.
Everything is reasonably priced here, and readily available....
For us it worked out a lot cheaper than shipping stuff.


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## Bevdeforges (Nov 16, 2007)

Having moved the other direction, I can say that it's always nice to have a few familiar items with you when you first arrive - particularly, I would expect, for a three-year-old. But that can be a suitcase full of favorite toys.

Ship some sentimental things - but limit it to a couple of boxes that can go through the mail. As mamasue says, most day-to-day things are readily (and cheaply) available in the US. And the items available there are more suitable for US tastes and style.
Cheers,
Bev


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## twostep (Apr 3, 2008)

Appliances and some electronics will not work without transformers and have-nots. Closets are generally built in. 
Your little person will be the one with the least adjustment problems:>)
Make three piles - cannot live without, would love to keep, will make soneone else very happy.


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## Pinkjellybean (Aug 5, 2011)

We shipped a 20ft container over with as much as we could fit into....it's amazing how much can be packed into one of those! It was the best thing we did! It would have cost us well over $20K to replace the things we brought over but instead cost is £3800 to ship it.

We did consider just bringing what we could carry but we had a few things that were sentimental and a few things that were irreplaceable so decided to look into shipping those, then it wasn't much more to get an entire container and bring more stuff so we went that route. It has definitely made settling here a lot easier  We would still have a pretty empty house if we had to replace everything, quality furniture seems a lot more expensive over here


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## wbannan (Jun 14, 2012)

Pinkjellybean said:


> We shipped a 20ft container over with as much as we could fit into....it's amazing how much can be packed into one of those! It was the best thing we did! It would have cost us well over $20K to replace the things we brought over but instead cost is £3800 to ship it.
> 
> We did consider just bringing what we could carry but we had a few things that were sentimental and a few things that were irreplaceable so decided to look into shipping those, then it wasn't much more to get an entire container and bring more stuff so we went that route. It has definitely made settling here a lot easier  We would still have a pretty empty house if we had to replace everything, quality furniture seems a lot more expensive over here


I think this is a good way to think about it. Even though things are reasonably priced in the US, replacing a lot of items will still cost more than shipping your current belongings to the states!


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## cheeser (Jan 22, 2012)

When we move in November we're taking a suitcase each. Everything else had been or is being sold. What few sentimental objects we have will easily fit in our cases.

There's no way I was going to run all our electronics on transformers over there, plus I get to go shopping mad when I arrive.

All in the interests of building a credit rating... Honestly.


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## Asian Spirit (Mar 1, 2010)

Speaking for myself and I'm a guy; I'd say bring as little as possible to save on shipping costs etc. You will find antything you could possibly want in the states. Everything is available. Maybe a few small toys for the young child but nothing more. Three year old's adjust very quickly.

Gene...


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## Davis1 (Feb 20, 2009)

i arrive with a tescos bag with a few clothes and my slippers 
I left behind all the stuff accumulated over 20 year 

20 years later 
i have another house full of stuff


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## Nomadic_Family (Jun 30, 2012)

We moved from Aus to Chile 18 months ago, with an almost 2 year old and an almost 4 year old. Having familiar items such as toys, books, dvds of their favourite kids shows, even bedding, made the transition easier for them. Yes, children adapt eventually, but I think if you can make it easier for them, then why not do it?


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## mfowler (May 29, 2009)

*Shipping companies?*

We're moving over to Chicago from London in October and are currently making our piles of what to keep and what we can live without. It's a hard choice for some items but we'll be shipping a few boxes no doubt.

Can anyone recommend any decent shipping companies they have used?

Thanks,
Megs


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## aleyse (Oct 13, 2009)

We are moving over in December and we are selling everything, including the kitchen sink. For me and my husband it is a brand new start in life.


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## Asian Spirit (Mar 1, 2010)

*Sinks and other things*



aleyse said:


> We are moving over in December and we are selling everything, including the kitchen sink. For me and my husband it is a brand new start in life.


Yep, that is exactly what I did nine plus years ago when moving from the states to here in the Philippines. It was hard leaving so much behind but better than trying to haul it all along. Now so many years later I do realize it was the right choice.

Good luck on your move and enjoy


Gene


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## aleyse (Oct 13, 2009)

Gene and Viol said:


> Yep, that is exactly what I did nine plus years ago when moving from the states to here in the Philippines. It was hard leaving so much behind but better than trying to haul it all along. Now so many years later I do realize it was the right choice.
> 
> Good luck on your move and enjoy
> 
> ...


Thanks Gene and Viol. Really looking forward to it.


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## clangrid (Oct 3, 2010)

I just recently made the move myself and thought it not worth shipping anything, apart from clothing and a few sentimental bits, but electrical stuff left totally behind. I've bought quite a bit of furniture from IKEA (at least you know what to expect) and strangely enough the bedroom furniture is exactly what I had in the UK but significantly cheaper!!!


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