Bring or buy???

Old May 23rd 2011, 7:31 pm
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Default Bring or buy???

Evening everyone.

These questions are endless... OK, so job, house, visa all sorted. Next problem, furniture my employer is offering to furnish the accommodation for us. But we have a house full of furniture that we have bought over the years of marriage. Storage companies are asking £70-85 a week for storage, or we could bring it out and pay for transport instead of storage, that will cost in the short term but save eventually. However, don't know what the cost of furniture rental would be saved for my employer - could I ask him to contribute, or would that be frowned upon, so many questions thanks for your help... again.
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Old May 23rd 2011, 9:32 pm
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Default Re: Bring or buy???

BRING gets my vote. I don't know which country you're going to, but in Qatar the choice of furniture is woeful (expensive or hideous, usually both).

Furnished places have pretty naff furniture in too, and I am very particular about my bed being squishy (as opposed to rock-like)! You should be able to persuade the landlord to take the furniture out, or find an alternative place which is unfurnished.

What is the point of paying every month for your belongings to collect dust? Will you still like it in 5/10 years time? Will you go ever even go back to the UK, or maybe you will chase another expat posting? You just don't know.

It will cost you about £4k max to bring it all out and you will have the added bonus of it helping you to feel more at home.

If you bring a container load, you can cram it full of lots of lovely things, which might not be essentials, but will help you to settle into life here. I am so glad we brought our stuff out, and friends who had gone down the storage route wish they had done what we did and they resent paying the storage bill every month.
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Old May 24th 2011, 3:01 am
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Default Re: Bring or buy???

Originally Posted by 1967tazz
Evening everyone.

These questions are endless... OK, so job, house, visa all sorted. Next problem, furniture my employer is offering to furnish the accommodation for us. But we have a house full of furniture that we have bought over the years of marriage. Storage companies are asking £70-85 a week for storage, or we could bring it out and pay for transport instead of storage, that will cost in the short term but save eventually. However, don't know what the cost of furniture rental would be saved for my employer - could I ask him to contribute, or would that be frowned upon, so many questions thanks for your help... again.
Normally the company pays for the shipping of belongings, definately ask him to do that.
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Old May 24th 2011, 4:06 am
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Default Re: Bring or buy???

When we moved out here last year, we were given the choice:

Here's $5,000 - either use it to ship a container from the UK or spend it on household goods and furnishings when you get here. Since we already had virtually everything we wanted already, it was a no-brainer to go with the shipping option.

We ended up being $1,100 over budget since we had to ship a 40ft rather than a 20ft container, but it was still worth it.
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Old May 24th 2011, 6:58 am
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Default Re: Bring or buy???

Originally Posted by amy77
BRING gets my vote. I don't know which country you're going to,
Opps, sorry we are moving out to Jeddah, KSA. Thanks for the advice and thoughts, please keep them coming.
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Old May 25th 2011, 6:59 am
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Default Re: Bring or buy???

My original company wouldnt pay me a furniture allowance but would pay for shipping so I had a container and shipped everything over.

I had to wait around 6-8 weeks and in the meantime made do with the bare essentials - it was surprising just how easily I did manage without all my "stuff"! Now I have been here for 5 years and have added on to what I bought out and have enough furniture to kit out 3 houses back home in the UK!

i am glad I had my stuff bought over as it is very nice to have familiar things around you. If I had received a furniture allowance I am not sure I would have bothered shipping and might have been ruthless in getting rid of things back in the UK/farming them out to people to "look after".

Ask your company if you can trade your allowance for shipping costs. It comes down to personal choice - do you really want your own stuff, or can you make do with whats available locally and also via the second hand market.
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Old May 25th 2011, 7:16 am
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Default Re: Bring or buy???

Originally Posted by Tillybean
My original company wouldnt pay me a furniture allowance but would pay for shipping so I had a container and shipped everything over.

I had to wait around 6-8 weeks and in the meantime made do with the bare essentials - it was surprising just how easily I did manage without all my "stuff"! Now I have been here for 5 years and have added on to what I bought out and have enough furniture to kit out 3 houses back home in the UK!

i am glad I had my stuff bought over as it is very nice to have familiar things around you. If I had received a furniture allowance I am not sure I would have bothered shipping and might have been ruthless in getting rid of things back in the UK/farming them out to people to "look after".

Ask your company if you can trade your allowance for shipping costs. It comes down to personal choice - do you really want your own stuff, or can you make do with whats available locally and also via the second hand market.
Thanks Tilly, I am coming over in a little over a weeks time to sort things out, and this is I guess a conversation that I need to have with my school. I would happily manage with locally available furniture etc... but my wife rightly says that the kids will settle in better with familiar 'stuff' around them. What did you find the comparison local prices for price essentials in KSA?

Thanks.
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Old May 25th 2011, 8:03 am
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Default Re: Bring or buy???

I've moved three times in two years and each time we have packed up the whole kit and caboodle (+ whatever we ave obtained where we were) and shipped it. Ok when you are arrive you have little but that's what furnished / serviced apartments are for and once your furniture / effects arrive nothing helps getting you settled quicker than having your own possesions around you.

Last edited by Welivehere; May 25th 2011 at 8:06 am.
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Old May 25th 2011, 8:47 am
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Default Re: Bring or buy???

Originally Posted by 1967tazz
Thanks Tilly, I am coming over in a little over a weeks time to sort things out, and this is I guess a conversation that I need to have with my school. I would happily manage with locally available furniture etc... but my wife rightly says that the kids will settle in better with familiar 'stuff' around them. What did you find the comparison local prices for price essentials in KSA?

Thanks.
Sorry, am not in KSA but in the UAE so not sure of the prices.
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Old May 25th 2011, 11:44 am
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Default Re: Bring or buy???

Originally Posted by alphaeventsmgt
its up to you what do you want to do..
No shit Sherlock!

But the purpose of the bored is to find out what others may have done, whether there were any pitfalls, reasons that might prohibit or stop you doing it, or encourage you etc etc.

It's called research.

BTW - welcome to the bored. Can't wait for you to post asking for help, advice, guidance etc. :-)
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Old May 26th 2011, 7:19 am
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Default Re: Bring or buy???

Whilst the above comments are all valid in a happy world, also consider what happens should things go shite shaped where you are and you gap it back to the UK in a rush.
I am an advocate for storage. We packed up a 3 bed semi and garage full of shite with Pickfords again and it costs 130 GBP a month including insurance and taxes etc.
As it was, when we thought leaving Bahrain forever in a rush may be an option we were happy that we could walk away and not miss anything bar the Gucci TV, arrive in the UK and have Pickfords deliver a house full to our new place.
Its a small insurance policy for 1500 quid a year.

You can buy a housefull of 2nd hand furniture on the cheap from expats who are moving on or try the big businesses or banks who constantly rehouse people around the world. All our gear belonged to a HSBC high flyer who HSBC kitted out a 4 bed villa for. They then promptly moved him onto another high flying job in a different part of the world and offloaded everything for a song.

With hindsight I may have not packed all the shite we had and instead off loaded some of it at a car boot, auction etc but 75% would definitely be in UK storage
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