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Original poster

A question for anyone who has emigrated (or moved to another country for a long time)

26 replies

BroccoliSpears · 25/06/2008 12:22

What did you take?
Did you take everything? Sofas, plates, glasses, highchairs?

Did you just take personal things? Pictures, ornaments, bits of furniture you love?

Almost nothing?

Something in the middle?

Did you leave stuff behind in storage or sell / chuck anything that you didn't take?

And (only if you don't mind answering) where were you moving from and to? And at what stage in your life (had you had time to collect a house full of lovely things)?

OP posts:
NotQuiteCockney · 25/06/2008 12:25

I moved from Montreal to the UK when I was 26. I brought books and CDs, and clothes, and a few ornaments. I didn't leave anything in storage because I thought I was moving indefinately (and I'm still in the UK, now, more than 10 years later ).

Shipping stuff by boat isn't that expensive, although you do have to wait for it.

sagitta · 25/06/2008 12:35

I would say it depends how long you are going for, and where you are going to. We put stuff in storage (mums' loft) and gave away/ sold loads of stuff when we left (had a flat's worth of furmiture etc - but no dcs then...)
We were away for 3 years, but moving every six months. It also depends where you are going. We were in Asia where it was very cheap to buy other stuff - we rented unfurnished flats but managed to buy/ borrow stuff cheaply which we then gave away when we left.
We took almost nothing.

On the other hand, my friend did something similar, but had a big job to go to, and was staying in one place for three years. She took almost everything, just leaving a few bits and pieces in a loft.

ib · 25/06/2008 12:39

Very much depends where you are going. We brought most of our stuff but then we only moved to France so it wasn't so expensive.

sandcastles · 25/06/2008 12:51

We took almost all our stuff....

Bed
Cot
Buggy
Some Baby stuff
Glasses/mugs etc

didn't bring plates etc as all miss matched & wanted a new set

Washing machine sold in house sale [although now wish we brough it here as white good expensive & it was a washer/dryer], as were wardrobes.

Did a car boot on some stuff...clothes that no longer fitted [you know...the ones you'll get into 'on day']

Gave TV to family [on last legs]

We came to Oz form UK & I needed as many 'home comforts' as possible, so we brought alot. Cost 3K all up.

sandcastles · 25/06/2008 12:52

Excuse typos..typing too fast!

WelliesAndPyjamas · 25/06/2008 12:53

We had a plan in place to take all our favourite 'stuff', some bits of furniture, tools, some electricals, and clothes we had for DS as he got bigger. It was going to fill our large vehicle. But we had to cancel that (long story) and moved just with essentials. We bought everything else out here. Some stuff is in storage in family lofts and some stuff we have sold by now. We moved out here 2 years ago and had been accumulating together for about 10 years - so yes, we had nice stuff that we thought we couldn't do without.

We quickly learnt that you don't need to have the furniture that you love with you in order to have a happy home. As long as you have your health and a roof over your head. And a working toilet. And running water. Posessions are not everything in life and sometimes a fresh start can be a positive thing. It's also expensive to move large amounts of things which ultimately you don't need and can buy in your new country, even if it isn't quite as nice as your old stuff.

Things like "Sofas, plates, glasses, highchairs" will probably be available in the new country, maybe even cheaper. IMO it would be better to either store or sell or give away what you have and buy new/2nd hand when you get there, saving on the disproportionate expense of moving them.

bamamama · 25/06/2008 12:58

We moved to Oz (admittedly only for a year) with a suitcase each.

We're coming back for 2-3 years and plan to ship a few bits and pieces - pictures, the odd sentimental piece. I'm finding that I'm missing some of my stuff and although this travelling light lark is all well and good I want some evidence that I existed before - even if that is represented by a rather nice fruit bowl .

Original poster
BroccoliSpears · 25/06/2008 13:00

These answers are great.

I need to get the whole concept comfortable in my head to think about it properly. This is helping.

OP posts:
WelliesAndPyjamas · 25/06/2008 13:04

agree with you bamamama about those little bits and pieces, and forgot to mention in my other post that anytime family visits us we ask them to stick a few small bits in their suitcase to bring out. So as time passes we have more of our familiar things to make the house more 'us'.

Josephnia · 25/06/2008 13:06

I agree with others that it depends where you're going - and who's paying the moving costs! We moved to Belgium and the international movers wouldn't move the fridge/freezer or washing machine so we left them behind. (DH's company paid the the bill) Generally we had a huge clearout and sold/donated lots of stuff. Dd was 2 so we sold loads of her baby stuff - cotbed/changing table/toys etc and bought her a new bed when we moved. My husband made me get rid of nearly all my books - hundreds which I had carted round for years. I found that really difficult. Everything else, bar some sef assembly shelfs that had had it went with us. We lived in a little 2 up 2 down cottage in UK and moved to a huge 3 bed apartment so issue for us was that we didn't have enough furniture to fill the new place - particularly storage. Thanks God for Ikea! We've recently moved house again after 2 years and I was amazed at all the stuff we have accumulated - and there are still some unpacked boxes from last time....

bamamama · 25/06/2008 13:12

It is amazing actually how little stuff you actually do need and I've certainly addressed my consumer habits this year as we were faced with shipping back to the UK anything extra we bought. We've got boxes back home we haven't opened for 6 years I suspect we have a date with ebay on our return

Work out all the stuff you want to take then decide you can only take half of it. You'll be suprised how much you can live without!

sandcastles · 25/06/2008 13:21

For me it all about what I needed with me to make my new home feel like home.

I needed my old worn out sofa, it was familiar & comfy. I needed my own bed etc...we are here for the long haul & I wanted my stuff with me. It was amazing getting all my boxes etc & the first night I sunk into my own bed, with my own linen after 4 months, I felt like I was "home" again. But I am a very sentimental person & "stuff" means alot to me!

It depends where you are going wrt replacing stuff. Here in Australia many things are cheaper, but many things are more expensive.

We woud have spent more the 3K replacing our sofa/chairs/beds/chest drawers/kitchen/baby stuff etc.

SueW · 25/06/2008 13:32

We moved to Australia for up to 2 years - 9 months in fact - with just a suitcase per family member. We came back with two suitcases per family member.

It helped me realise how little we actually need in our day to day lives and how much junk we have accumulated. Like bamamama, we have boxes in our garage that haven't been unpacked since we moved here - 10 years ago!!

olyoly · 26/06/2008 06:25

We moved to Spain before we had children. We only brought our clothes.

2 years later we moved to the US and brought just our clothes, again. We have been here for 2.5 years now. I don't miss any of the 'stuff' that is boxed at our Spanish place. If we moved again, I would take some clothes and a few of the kids favorite toys. Otherwise, nothing is too important.

Furnishing an entire house is fairly expensive, so it depends on the costs in your new country. I like a minimal, uncluttered house, so it is nice to really start fresh/clear out stuff.

SqueakyPop · 26/06/2008 06:28

We moved from the UK to the USA and took almost everything - the contents of a four bed house after 13 years of marriage.

stuffitllama · 26/06/2008 07:07

Can you give a ball park idea of where you are going and how long for?

Themasterandmargaritas · 26/06/2008 07:21

6 months ago we emigrated lock stock and barrel to Nairobi. Our house in the UK is being let out unfurnished so we sold the really crap furniture we had and shipped out the nice stuff/sentimental value pieces, all our knick knacks, pictures and photos. And the dc's toys etc. The rest we sold and had a great enormous clear out. It was very therapeutic.

Having moved 9 times in 10 years, I can say that take the things closest to your heart. Sell or put into storage the things you can get easily in another country eg beds, mattresses, coffee tables that sort of thing. Don't take white goods as they are better bought in the country you are moving to to make sure they are 'right' for that country, eg tropicalised, spare parts, easily fixed etc.

The best thing I found to do was contact someone already in that country and ask them what you could buy easily and get them to give you a rough estimate of costs for you to budget. They also told of what they would definitely bring with them if they could do it all again.

Where are you moving to?

stuffitllama · 26/06/2008 07:32

About half and half. Nothing your about. You can buy off school noticeboards and sell new stuff on school noticeboards if you're moving after a couple of years. I wouldn't bother with storage, unless you've got a secure place of your own. We just sold ours.

sweetgrapes · 26/06/2008 07:40

We moved 5 years back to the UK from India. We had our own flat there and has furnished it mostly.

Didn't bring any big furniture. Disposed off most of it. Some went to family lofts.

Went back and thought - "what the hell".

The only things that still matter are all our photo albums.

Decorations, furniture and dishes would mostly be out of place/style.

Original poster
BroccoliSpears · 26/06/2008 22:04

I think it will definitely be a good opportunity to take stock, declutter and work out what is important and what can go.

I wonder how important continutity is for children? My oldest is only 2 - I keep swinging between thinking it will be important to take her stuff so the move isn't too unsettling for her, and thinking that she'll be fine and probably won't even notice as long as we take the special teddies. I moved 16 times between 5 countries before I was 12, we never shipped things about the world.

Our move is not fixed yet - all we know is that we're definitely going (can't realistically plan to stay in the UK). We may do a 5ish yr stint in the Middle East, but will then end up long term in Canada or Oz.

Themasterandmargaritas - How are you finding Nairobi? I went to school there .

OP posts:
Themasterandmargaritas · 27/06/2008 13:26

Did you Broccoli? How funny! Where did you go? We love it here, dh born here and schooled at Kenton, so its like coming home.

IMO at 2 they are easily moved as long as you and dh are there and their essential special toys.

Original poster
BroccoliSpears · 27/06/2008 21:02

Hillcrest.
I was a border there .

I'm okay now.

OP posts:
ByTheSea · 27/06/2008 21:08

I moved to the UK when I was 33 to be with my British DH. I was a single career woman who had a 1-bedroom apartment in NYC full of furniture, electronics/computer, miscellaneous stuff and 2 cats. I gave away all the furniture and electronics and found homes for the cats. I took a couple of pieces of art I had acquired (cost a fortune to pack and ship, but I've not regretted it), clothes, important paperwork, and lots of my kitchen stuff as I had nice kitchenware. I took all my music, but gave away most of my books (which I regret a bit).

ByTheSea · 27/06/2008 21:09

I also took all my personally important stuff, including pictures and what DH jokingly refers to as my box of stuff for future biographers.

UnderRated · 27/06/2008 22:09

Moved from my lovely 3 bed house in the UK to the US, aged 25 with 2 suitcases of clothes/ personal things. Nothing else. No kids though, just my exH