Set Up Costs
 

Hi All

Been hiding for a while (well working like crazy), getting serious and ready to work on this move now. I have put together some costs to try and budget for a setup in a new house. I basically used the Brick and Walmart for prices, but would love some feedback from people that have been there and done that!

Small spreadsheet attached which has given me $50k budget to setup from scratch (not including cars or living costs, just house setup). Shipping from Oz costs a fortune and I'm thinking that buying new there will help my family in the big move so far away from grandparents etc. Plus I can sell my stuff here and that will finance some of the new setup in Calgary.

Next budget is cars and living costs, but I've already had some idea on that from everyone on BE which is a huge help!

Thanks :thumbsup:

Re: Set Up Costs
 

Forgot to add it is myself, my wife and my two kids (aged 3 & 5)

Re: Set Up Costs
 

Most prices appear that you are buying everything new. We picked up lots of the bits we didn't bring with us on kijiji which saved us $1000s!

You're bound to have other expenses saying that that are not budgeted for and that's where we spent a lot.

It's amazing how it all adds up. Just the first couple of trips to the supermarket costs so much as you have to start from scratch. Changing your driving licences over. Having trouble with examples but there are loads of bits that we have bought since here unexpectedly...:o

Re: Set Up Costs
 

It's really impossible to say. For example, we have a baby and a 3 year old, and haven't spent $2000 on clothes for the pair of them, let alone each. But I'm sure you could if it was all designer label, it depends what and how much you buy. Same with everything. You could get set up for much much less, but if you want the best brands for everything, the sky's the limit really. Also check out ikea.ca for stuff too, I especially like their kids stuff. And the fact that they don't spray furniture with the same chemicals as North American manufacturers.

Re: Set Up Costs
 

Budgeting for a bed to place in a spare room. I think that's as far from my world as it's possible to get.

Re: Set Up Costs
 

Phones for your house? Shredder for confidential docs, extension cords, rugs?

Re: Set Up Costs
 

Surely shipping can't cost as much as $50k!

We first came on a 2 year Visa so weren't sure whether we were staying in Canada or not so didn't ship until we bought a house after a few years. Initially we ended up spending $20k to furnish a 2 bed apartment including PC, TV, sofa, 2 beds, kitchen stuff, and most of what's on your list (except the $6k in clothes). We didn't shop at Walmart or Ikea for most of that stuff, but we didn't have kids at the time so were able to splurge a little which was fun.

Are you flying with no luggage at all, maybe you'll need to spend a bit on some winter stuff when you get here but not $6k. Paying to fly with an extra suitcase or 2 would surely be cheaper.

All the electronics are also priced high, $1,000 for DVD etc - are you buying your whole movie collection again, if so I wouldn't class that as essential moving expense - maybe budget $100 for a DVD/Blu-ray player. PC & Laptop you shouldn't need to spend more than $1k on each and even then you can easily spend less, if you've a laptop already bring that on the plane.

Re: Set Up Costs
 

Absolutely buy new or slightly used here. I arrived with OH and 2 yr old and 6 x suitcases.
Although budgeting makes sense some of your figures might be over your projected costs so I think you might be in for a pleasant surprise on some but might be shocked with others.

Re: Set Up Costs
 

I tend to agree with Hobbess. No doubt you can spend $50,000 setting up a house but you don't need to.

For example, you have $4,000 for a PC/printer/laptop. You could do this for $1,000. $1,500 if you like bells and whistles.

They give DVD players away free with the beer. (OK, not quite, but $30 is ample.)

For furniture there are two markets in Canada. Cheap crap and expensive high quality stuff. The Brick and Walmart sell cheap crap. So does IKEA, but at least IKEA furniture does not look too old fashioned for your Grannie's front parlour. You have a very comfortable budget for virtually all the furniture pieces. You can spend a lot less. Seriously, you need to go to IKEA for a big shop. $1,000 is waaaaay more than you need for pots and pans. You can get all the other kitchen stuff you list separately for that.

We have always bought mattresses from IKEA. Perfectly comfortable and much less than you are budgeting. The budget for the bed frames seem excessive to me as well. For the kids beds and frames you might be a little on the low side.

You can get a very nice TV for $1,500.00.

A basic fridge/freezer about $750. It is all you need. A side by side with ice maker about $1,100. I have not bought a stove recently but we paid less than $300 for a dishwasher (ex-display) 6 years ago and it works just fine. Appliances often come included so you may not need to buy these straight away. Do you really need a Dyson?

$6,000 is several years budget for clothes, isn't it?

Most people (self included) spend way too much when they arrive because they don't know what is good value or where to go for it. In your situation I would concentrate on buying functional basics and expect to gradually replace them over the years. Most of the furniture we bought when we first arrived is now in the basement. I still look at some of the stuff and think, "OMG did I really pay that much?"

Re: Set Up Costs
 

Gas, five burner, Kenmore or Maytag comes to about $1,000 installed ($750-$800 on the sticker) + tax.

Re: Set Up Costs
 

The Brick is expensive price but cheap product!:thumbdown:
IMHO the furniture is old fashioned and WAY over-priced because it is like MFI etc - they have "sales" all the time and you can have X years to pay for it. Their staff work on commission only, so they have serious strong-arm selling tactics. Avoid at all costs.

Ikea is like Ikea everywhere, so you know what you will be getting there - wouldn't be my choice but each to their own.

Most of the obvious places to buy furniture here are poor quality and I find them very expensive for what they are selling.

I don't know about the cost of shipping from Oz but we shipped a 20ft container of our best furniture, good quality pans etc, clothes and personal items and have not regretted the cost one bit.

To get good things here, you need time to find the good places.
I can see that if I had been on a short time frame to furnish my house (which the OP probably will be with two small children) I would have probably been forced to buy things I didn't really like and I would have regretted that.

Even now, nearly 18 months after my OH came over to start work, we are still only just beginning to discover places where we can buy similar good quality items to what we shipped.

I wouldn't have wanted to fill my house with the sort of stuff that I didn't really like and then have to replace it all in a few months time, either for the expense or the bother of it.

Sometimes the shipping can seem expensive but I would say that it is worth it if you have good stuff to bring.
It saves time in the first place, when you will probably have a ton of other stuff to do (like cars, driving licences, banks, utilities set-up etc).
You will have to shop for white goods and electrical stuff anyway and that will be enough of a job at the start with two small children.
It is cheaper in the long run as you don't buy in haste and want to replace it all later.

I didn't bring beds and mattresses, as they aren't the same size as in the UK and mine were old anyway.

Re: Set Up Costs
 

We furnished a large chunk of a four bedroom house (aside from fridge/freezer, dishwasher and stove that came with the house) for under $5000 in 2005 from Leons. Sofas, Dining set, Washer/Dryer, beds, futons...I still have the receipt :rofl:


Other sample prices: Paid about $400 for a Dell computer that arrived a couple of days after ordering.

Small fridge and chest freezer for $300 total from Home depot. Tall Bookcases from Canadian Tire @ $30 each, smaller ones for $15 from Walmart. Decent stoves can be bought from Future Shop for $450 or less in sale (we paid $400 rather than repair the one that came with the house) - if you don't mind coils instead of fancy tops. 32 inch TV for less than $400 same price now for a nice one as we paid for a bulky one. 22" for around $200.

Patio furniture, lawn mower from Canadian Tire under $600.

Our bedrooms have walk-in closets with shelving already in place so nothing was needed for those and we did have some other units but we'd have paid a few hundred for something good enough.

Re: Set Up Costs
 

Kijiji is where its at for furniture, I wouldnt touch the Brick with someone elses 10ft pole.

Re: Set Up Costs
 

These figures are not realistic. You will need to set aside at least $10k for the bed in the spare room.

Re: Set Up Costs
 

I didn't know this until I got here but in Canada, a room cannot be described by a Realtor as a bedroom unless it has a closet built-in, so if it says it is a bedroom, forget wardrobes.:)

A couple of those wire racking things with drawers to put under the short hanging stuff like jackets and shirts are a good buy (get them in Ikea and JYSK) and as they are in a closet, they don't need to look pretty.

I also agree with iank - either kijiji or craigslist (I used this quite a bit) are great for getting good stuff inexpensively.
I have bought a beautiful Thai style wood cabinet, two lamp tables, my Hoover, freezer, a bed and bedside tables, computer desk and chests of drawers for the bedroom all from craigslist and they are all fantastic and much cheaper than I would have paid new for similar items.
I also bought my bike, my OH's bike and bike trailer.
The only drawback with these sites is you have to wait for things you like to come up and then be quick to catch the best things.