We are bringing no more than 8 suitcases on our adventure, though it will probably end up just being 6. Each passenger on overseas flights gets 2 free bags to check. Each of us has about a suitcase or duffel bag's worth of items we want to bring, but we'll probably bring two extra bags full of home school books and other household items. We have not completely decided just how much we'll bring with us, but Taiwan is a very modern, westernized country and if we forget anything, we can order it on Amazon.com and have it shipped to us for about $8.
I have, however, gotten our luggage ready! Our suitcases were all but destroyed from our last big move - Hawaii to the mainland - so I needed to get us a few new ones. Thrift stores are a great place to get big suitcases on the cheap. I got one over-sized, $120 suitcase new with tags for $12. I also got two large suitcases at our local Airman's Attic. I realize this isn't an option for everyone, but if you're a lower-ranking military family, take advantage of this fantastic service if you can. Finally, I kept an eye on local for-sale websites and picked up a matching 2-suitcase set for $5. That's 5 suitcases for less than $20.
Luggage doesn't have to be expensive, but you do have to be flexible. One of these days I plan to cough up the $160 for a set of nice, hardside luggage, but for now, our second-hand used, mismatched luggage will do.
Saturday, February 2, 2013
There it goes!
We have finally gotten rid of almost every "big" item. The only thing I have left to even worry about selling is our car.
I mistakenly thought that our appliances and sporting goods would be the easiest things to sell.
They weren't.
My dozen bookcases, all priced between $10 and $20, were the easiest to sell. Each bookshelf sold within hours of me posting it online.
The washer and dryer we purchased new a few years ago sold in 10 minutes.
The guitar, amp, and keyboard took about a week to sell.
Finally, our treadmill. Ah, the bane of my existence. This darn thing took TWO MONTHS to get rid of! We purchased it new 2 years ago and I asked 50% of the original price. I ended up going down to 30% but still walked away with just over $300 in cash and our load is a little lighter. I did get several offers of "I'll take this tonight and can pay you $100 in cash," but I wasn't quite desperate enough to resort to that.
One thing I read from fellow expats is that when you decide to move, start getting rid of stuff at least 6 months prior. This will enable you to actually get the price you want for items since you'll have time to wait out the cheapskates. If you wait until a few weeks before your move and then try to get your money's worth out of an item, you'll usually end up getting either far less than you wanted or nothing at all.
As far as how to sell your items, I've used Craig's List and Facebook. I have not had great luck on Facebook "for sale" groups, but I have posted individual items on my own timeline and had friends want to buy them. Craig's List is fantastic for higher priced or "big" items. We sold our treadmill and my son's bed on Craig's List and I got close to my asking price for each item. For smaller items, such as books, baskets, and clothes, I don't even waste my time trying to sell. Those get donated. If you want to get something out of them, ask for a donation receipt and claim them on your taxes next year. Otherwise, just let it go. It's amazing how little we really need to be happy. I honestly haven't missed anything we've sold so far with the exception of my keyboard. I didn't even use it very often, but every once in a while I get the urge to tinker out a little tune, and I can't because I did sell it already.
I mistakenly thought that our appliances and sporting goods would be the easiest things to sell.
They weren't.
My dozen bookcases, all priced between $10 and $20, were the easiest to sell. Each bookshelf sold within hours of me posting it online.
The washer and dryer we purchased new a few years ago sold in 10 minutes.
The guitar, amp, and keyboard took about a week to sell.
Finally, our treadmill. Ah, the bane of my existence. This darn thing took TWO MONTHS to get rid of! We purchased it new 2 years ago and I asked 50% of the original price. I ended up going down to 30% but still walked away with just over $300 in cash and our load is a little lighter. I did get several offers of "I'll take this tonight and can pay you $100 in cash," but I wasn't quite desperate enough to resort to that.
One thing I read from fellow expats is that when you decide to move, start getting rid of stuff at least 6 months prior. This will enable you to actually get the price you want for items since you'll have time to wait out the cheapskates. If you wait until a few weeks before your move and then try to get your money's worth out of an item, you'll usually end up getting either far less than you wanted or nothing at all.
As far as how to sell your items, I've used Craig's List and Facebook. I have not had great luck on Facebook "for sale" groups, but I have posted individual items on my own timeline and had friends want to buy them. Craig's List is fantastic for higher priced or "big" items. We sold our treadmill and my son's bed on Craig's List and I got close to my asking price for each item. For smaller items, such as books, baskets, and clothes, I don't even waste my time trying to sell. Those get donated. If you want to get something out of them, ask for a donation receipt and claim them on your taxes next year. Otherwise, just let it go. It's amazing how little we really need to be happy. I honestly haven't missed anything we've sold so far with the exception of my keyboard. I didn't even use it very often, but every once in a while I get the urge to tinker out a little tune, and I can't because I did sell it already.
Friday, January 25, 2013
But how will you tell the kids?
One of the questions I hear most often is "What do your kids think about moving?" or "How are the kids doing?"
My boys are 3 and 5, and will each have birthdays before our boy. We measure the time until our move by that. "After you turn 6, we'll move to Taiwan."
To be honest, my kids don't really care that we're moving. They aren't sad to miss their friends yet and they aren't scared. They'll be able to bring their favorite toys and we can replace the ones they leave behind once we're safely in Taiwan. I think the biggest downside, so far, is that they'll miss being able to talk to my mom on the phone all the time. Although she lives across the country, the kids are very close to her and will miss that regular chatting. Fortunately, there is always Skype!
To prepare the kids for the trip, I started telling them a few months ago that we'll be moving soon to Taiwan and can't bring very much of our stuff. We are not shipping anything with us and instead will be only bringing checked luggage. Each child will have a suitcase of toys and clothes, so they'll have some of their special things from home and hopefully will be more excited than sad about our adventures in Taiwan.
My boys are 3 and 5, and will each have birthdays before our boy. We measure the time until our move by that. "After you turn 6, we'll move to Taiwan."
To be honest, my kids don't really care that we're moving. They aren't sad to miss their friends yet and they aren't scared. They'll be able to bring their favorite toys and we can replace the ones they leave behind once we're safely in Taiwan. I think the biggest downside, so far, is that they'll miss being able to talk to my mom on the phone all the time. Although she lives across the country, the kids are very close to her and will miss that regular chatting. Fortunately, there is always Skype!
To prepare the kids for the trip, I started telling them a few months ago that we'll be moving soon to Taiwan and can't bring very much of our stuff. We are not shipping anything with us and instead will be only bringing checked luggage. Each child will have a suitcase of toys and clothes, so they'll have some of their special things from home and hopefully will be more excited than sad about our adventures in Taiwan.
Wednesday, January 9, 2013
New Year Resolutions
To celebrate the new year, a lot of people like to make up a list of resolutions. New Year Resolutions can be something as simple as "I'm going to make an effort to be kinder" or as complex as "I'm going to move to a new place this year."
Obviously, in my own life, I'll be moving to an entirely new place with a new set of social customs and cultural differences that I'll have to learn to deal with. I'm incredibly excited as our move date gets closer, as the bags get packed, and as we keep getting rid of our excess "stuff." We still have quite a few things to get rid of and quite a few things to store, but we're getting there slowly.
And while I'm sure it sounds cliche, I really do want to "dump the plump" before the move. At the start of this year, I weighed more than I ever have (excluding pregnancy) and I'm ready for a new body and a new start. I want to go to Taiwan without the excess! My goal is to lose 50 pounds this year. I just had surgery so while I can't exercise or do anything too strenuous for a few weeks, I can focus on eating healthy, small meals and making choices that are good for my body and for my family.
From my own experience with New Year's Resolutions, it seems like most people choose resolutions like finally tackling that weight loss, improving their fitness, saving money, getting a new job, being a nicer person, or spending more time with their family. If you have resolutions like this, there are plenty of easy, non-stressful ways you can manage your weight, improve your fitness, save money, and spend more time with your family. Regardless of where you live, what your financial situation may be, or what your current fitness level is, you can take steps to ensure that you meet your New Year's goals this year!
One of the simplest ways to cut back on stress and time away from your loved ones is to shop online from home. I've posted before about mygofer and I still really enjoy that this website enables families to shop from the comfort of home without the stress of fighting traffic, battling parking lots for a space, and standing in lines for lengthy periods of time. That's all time you could be spending with your family if you shopped from home.
Whether you want to shop for weight loss shakes, fitness products, inexpensive snacks, or vitamins, you can do this from home at mygofer online. I personally use this website for things like cat litter and pet food. I'm not a tiny girl by any means, but juggling two kids and a heavy bag of cat food isn't an easy task, so I have it shipped to my home. It's not any more expensive and in fact, saves me gas money, time, and stress that I would normally spend at the store. Plus, mygofer regularly offers sales and discounts that means shopping online will save you even more money.
Obviously, in my own life, I'll be moving to an entirely new place with a new set of social customs and cultural differences that I'll have to learn to deal with. I'm incredibly excited as our move date gets closer, as the bags get packed, and as we keep getting rid of our excess "stuff." We still have quite a few things to get rid of and quite a few things to store, but we're getting there slowly.
And while I'm sure it sounds cliche, I really do want to "dump the plump" before the move. At the start of this year, I weighed more than I ever have (excluding pregnancy) and I'm ready for a new body and a new start. I want to go to Taiwan without the excess! My goal is to lose 50 pounds this year. I just had surgery so while I can't exercise or do anything too strenuous for a few weeks, I can focus on eating healthy, small meals and making choices that are good for my body and for my family.
From my own experience with New Year's Resolutions, it seems like most people choose resolutions like finally tackling that weight loss, improving their fitness, saving money, getting a new job, being a nicer person, or spending more time with their family. If you have resolutions like this, there are plenty of easy, non-stressful ways you can manage your weight, improve your fitness, save money, and spend more time with your family. Regardless of where you live, what your financial situation may be, or what your current fitness level is, you can take steps to ensure that you meet your New Year's goals this year!
One of the simplest ways to cut back on stress and time away from your loved ones is to shop online from home. I've posted before about mygofer and I still really enjoy that this website enables families to shop from the comfort of home without the stress of fighting traffic, battling parking lots for a space, and standing in lines for lengthy periods of time. That's all time you could be spending with your family if you shopped from home.
Whether you want to shop for weight loss shakes, fitness products, inexpensive snacks, or vitamins, you can do this from home at mygofer online. I personally use this website for things like cat litter and pet food. I'm not a tiny girl by any means, but juggling two kids and a heavy bag of cat food isn't an easy task, so I have it shipped to my home. It's not any more expensive and in fact, saves me gas money, time, and stress that I would normally spend at the store. Plus, mygofer regularly offers sales and discounts that means shopping online will save you even more money.
Happy New Year
I hope everyone had a great, relaxing, and fun New Year's Eve. This year, I spent the evening at our local bowling alley and lounge with a close friend. I was the designated driver, but still managed to have a lot of fun. Throughout the course of the evening, we had quite a few conversations, but one of the things we discussed was the important of mixing things up, taking the time to make yourself look nice, and feeling better about yourself.
If you want to try new things in the bedroom, dress up to feel more confident, try out new makeup, or even just spend some time curled up with an interesting erotica novel, Eden Fantasys has a wide variety of different items that you can order discreetly online and have delivered to your home. This is great if you like to take your time shopping or don't want to feel embarrassed buying something erotic or sexy at your local bookstore. (There's nothing like running into your conservative neighbor while you're out buying a copy of Fifty Shades.)
Another fun perk about shopping at Eden Fantasys is that there are regular sales, discounts, and promotion codes you can use to save a few dollars. At the moment, you can get free shipping on orders over $25, and don't forget to take a look at the clearance section of the website for even greater savings!
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