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If you knew then what you know now, what would you have brought to Barbados?

If you knew then what you know now, what would you have brought to Barbados?

Old Sep 14th 2007, 1:18 am
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Default If you knew then what you know now, what would you have brought to Barbados?

Folks,

Best wishes to all of you. I’ve been lurking on this forum for a few weeks, and I’ve found it helpful. I have a question and I’d appreciate advice.

My wife and I are moving to Barbados in late-November, and we’ll be there for four or five years (it’s a diplomatic assignment).

I’m a Brit, but at the moment I live in the US. I’ve been told that, on average, things are about 30% more expensive in Barbados than in big US cities.

The organization that’s sending us pays for the whole move. In effect, we can ship whatever we want to ship. But, of course, they only pay for that once.

So we could, for example, go out this weekend and buy a lot of stuff in bulk. We could buy a year’s supply of toothpaste, or bin-bags, or writing paper, or cartridges for our computer printers, or whatever. Whatever we buy will get shipped, and I’m given to understand that it’s more expensive to buy this basic kind of stuff on the island.

So my questions are these … What sort of stuff should we be thinking of buying in bulk here, before the move? Have any expats arrived and thought: “Dammit! We should have brought that stuff with us.”

What would have been your top three things to bring in bulk if you arrived in Barbados and found local prices for those things much higher than in the place you left?

Many thanks in advance for any decent advice.

JB
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Old Sep 14th 2007, 10:47 am
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Default Re: If you knew then what you know now, what would you have brought to Barbados?

I really wouldn't recommend that kind of panic regarding toothpaste, etc. It is about the same price as the states. The whole idea with moving to Barbados, for (I think) many people on this board is a wholesale change of lifestyle-- so I for one would say I am trying to back down from consumerism and change the way I do/buy things. You will see in Barbados that there are plenty of ways to live affordably, one amazing example is the price of great fish $4.00BB, in NYC I was paying a minimum of $6-7.00US a pound, that's $12-14.00BB. Housing too is much cheaper than the states. So that's my take on it.
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Old Sep 21st 2007, 5:00 pm
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Default Re: If you knew then what you know now, what would you have brought to Barbados?

Thanks for your message, Zanne.

It’s really less a matter of consumerism than of basic financial prudence. I’m talking about basic household stuff, not Lamborghinis.

On the many occasions when I have been on the island, it’s struck me how expensive are things that I use every day, relative to their price in Washington, DC.

So for example: if I know that we get through 10 cartridges for our laser printers every year; and if those cartridges cost US$70 in Washington and the equivalent of US$110 in Bridgetown; and if I can ship whatever I want from DC to BB, but I can do it only once; then it seems like common sense, before I leave here to go to the island, to buy 10 cartridges in DC for US$700 rather than spend the equivalent of US$ 1,100 when I get there.

And the same applies to a very wide range of basic stuff that I use every day.

So the point of my original post was simply to ask this: if (a) you moved from your home to Barbados for several years; (b) someone else paid for the whole move, but they pay only once; (c) you’d noticed that many every-day items cost at least a quarter more on Barbados than in your home town … what would you have brought?

As I said, it’s not panicky consumerism. It’s just common sense. And I’m not sure about your take on housing costs on Barbados. Two of my colleagues, on a slightly lower pay-grade then me, were slated to come to Barbados with me. They have pulled out and asked to be assigned elsewhere, for the sole reason that anything akin to their DC homes (in size, space, location and so on) would cost them almost twice as much on the island than here.

Thanks to you for the post, and to all posters with other suggestions.
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Old Sep 21st 2007, 5:20 pm
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Default Re: If you knew then what you know now, what would you have brought to Barbados?

Is your company paying the import taxes on your shipment?
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Old Sep 21st 2007, 5:23 pm
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Default Re: If you knew then what you know now, what would you have brought to Barbados?

It's diplomatic. There are no import taxes. I can ship a car tax-free if I want.
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Old Sep 21st 2007, 5:26 pm
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Default Re: If you knew then what you know now, what would you have brought to Barbados?

Then I would do it--I did do the same with our day to day "beauty" products my husband says our cupboard looks like a CVS Pharmacy. Ink Cartridges make sense, batteries are about the same...what else did you have in mind?
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Old Sep 21st 2007, 5:28 pm
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Default Re: If you knew then what you know now, what would you have brought to Barbados?

As far as housing...I have been in NYC for 11 years, I pay $2000.00US for a 5th Floor shoebox, our 4 bedroom in BB s $900.00mo it is definitely cheaper.
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Old Sep 21st 2007, 5:43 pm
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Default Re: If you knew then what you know now, what would you have brought to Barbados?

Zanne,

Thanks again for the very swift response. I really didn’t have much else in mind. That was why I posed the original question in my original post. Anecdotal evidence from other “internationals” on BB has confirmed what you say about “beauty products” – that that it might be wise to ship a lot (really, a lot) of basic stuff like shampoo and conditioner and (for me) paper for the printer.

If I can ship 15,000 pounds of stuff from here to there, and if my furniture and everything else weighs 12,000 pounds, I might as well buy 3,000 pounds (weight) of stuff if I know that to buy it here rather than there will save me thousands of pounds (in money).

But my original posting was an effort to find out how to fill those extra 3,000 pounds (in weight) for the shipment. I don't want to buy a year’s supply of batteries here, and then get to BB and discover that they cost the same as in DC. You understand what I’m trying to say?

So the original question was this: if you moved to BB from somewhere else; and if you knew before the move what you know now about basic costs; and if you could ship a lot of every-day stuff to the island cost-free … what would you have shipped?

Thanks again, Zanne. And best wishes to all posting on this message board.
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Old Sep 21st 2007, 6:25 pm
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Default Re: If you knew then what you know now, what would you have brought to Barbados?

hi,

re what sort of things to bring: am assuming you will be bring a family, so here goes;

toiletries from sunlotion, loo rolls, soaps, ladies personal items, most imported and brand names are a lot more than Uk, so coming from USA you definately would notice. clothes, suitwear, cotton shirts, underwear, ladies lingerie swimwear, sports shoes, sports wear, bicycles, beach parasols, sunloungers, choice and availability is less and again too, much more expensive and if you have the space - use it. wine, this is alot more expensive than you would be used to paying in usa. any 'favourite' food items, electrical items (usa stuff works in BB), again imported items can be alot more than in uk/usa. one of the bigest things ex-pats talk about it lack of choice and how much things cost in comparison.

one way i look at long trips to BB is, have a look at what i am currently living with, how long it will last, and its expected replacement date and make sure i take more than enough to last me throughout the trip. you can always pass it on to someone else when you leave the island - they wont say no!.

if you get items posted to you will more than likely have to pay a tax on collection and experience says it can range from one dollar to what ever! so reduce the risk of the unknown taxes and bring items for personal use with you.

think you have asked a good question and are approaching this is in a sensible way. only on my last long trip in summer, bumped into an expat, who moved family over for 'life' and was staggered at how much everyday items could be, realised posting items was not worth it, so was waiting for relative/friends to visit and wished they had brought a lot more items with them.

it might sound like one big shopping list, but lifes daily needs and expectation are one great list and money is not endless.

hopefully this will give you some food for thought.

mizzy







Originally Posted by Jack Bowman
Zanne,

Thanks again for the very swift response. I really didn’t have much else in mind. That was why I posed the original question in my original post. Anecdotal evidence from other “internationals” on BB has confirmed what you say about “beauty products” – that that it might be wise to ship a lot (really, a lot) of basic stuff like shampoo and conditioner and (for me) paper for the printer.

If I can ship 15,000 pounds of stuff from here to there, and if my furniture and everything else weighs 12,000 pounds, I might as well buy 3,000 pounds (weight) of stuff if I know that to buy it here rather than there will save me thousands of pounds (in money).

But my original posting was an effort to find out how to fill those extra 3,000 pounds (in weight) for the shipment. I don't want to buy a year’s supply of batteries here, and then get to BB and discover that they cost the same as in DC. You understand what I’m trying to say?

So the original question was this: if you moved to BB from somewhere else; and if you knew before the move what you know now about basic costs; and if you could ship a lot of every-day stuff to the island cost-free … what would you have shipped?

Thanks again, Zanne. And best wishes to all posting on this message board.
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Old Sep 21st 2007, 7:10 pm
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Default Re: If you knew then what you know now, what would you have brought to Barbados?

Mizzy,

Excellent post from you, and very good food for thought. Really exceptionally helpful. We'll keep all of this in mind when we move.

We'll be there in early December. We haven't got a place to live yet (arranging that in early October, when we visit the island for a few days) and we already owe you dinner. Do stay in touch, even if off-list. Would be good to talk to you again.

Again, thanks a million.
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Old Sep 21st 2007, 7:46 pm
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Default Re: If you knew then what you know now, what would you have brought to Barbados?

I have to disagree with toilet paper, as my husband (who is bajan) would say, "How do you think all these Bajans are wiping their a**..." I am a super frugal shopper and you can find replacements or stand ins at reasonable prices if you are willing to try, if you want to carry on as you did in the states that is a different story.
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Old Sep 21st 2007, 8:16 pm
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Default Re: If you knew then what you know now, what would you have brought to Barbados?

Originally Posted by zanne
I have to disagree with toilet paper, as my husband (who is bajan) would say, "How do you think all these Bajans are wiping their a**..." ... If you want to carry on as you did in the states that is a different story.
In this particular (and wholly essential) regard, I definitely want to carry on as I have done in the US. Anything less is extremely bad news.

To carry on in some other way would, without question, entail a serious deterioration in my quality of life.

As my wife (who’s Danish and beautiful) has said on our many visits to Barbados: “They seriously expect me to use this? This is a smear campaign."
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Old Sep 21st 2007, 8:19 pm
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Default Re: If you knew then what you know now, what would you have brought to Barbados?

Okay, have a good time there and make certain that you check the expiration dates on all that toothpaste before you buy it...
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Old Sep 21st 2007, 8:32 pm
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Default Re: If you knew then what you know now, what would you have brought to Barbados?

Originally Posted by zanne
Okay, have a good time there and make certain that you check the expiration dates on all that toothpaste before you buy it...
Zanne,
I had been thinking about exactly that, which is why I asked my first question in the first place, when I started the thread.
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Old Sep 26th 2007, 7:47 pm
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Default Re: If you knew then what you know now, what would you have brought to Barbados?

Jack:

If they are going to ship everything in for you, I would do a huge shopping at Costco or Sam's Club and ship everything in. I live here in Barbados and you can get get more or less evrything you want, but you will pay for it. Of course, you have to have storage space where you are going to live, but you will save a few thousand dollars and also have access to the products you normally use, some of which may not be available here.

John
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