To Ship or To Replace?

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Sukerkin
Posts: 10
Joined: Fri Apr 01, 2016 12:42 pm
Location: England

To Ship or To Replace?

Post by Sukerkin » Wed Jun 08, 2016 12:20 pm

As the process of getting ready to leap from the UK to Finland progresses a question arises as to the relative cost effectiveness of bringing belongings with you and just buying what you need on arrival.

The logical assumption is that it must be cheaper to bring what you can with you and then fill in the gaps 'locally' - but is this true? I suppose it all hinges on what the prices are like for furnishings, for pretty much everything else is optional and can be obtained as and when necessary.

Does anyone here have any tales to share of the choices and decisions they made during their personal journey to the land of snow and trees?


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To Ship or To Replace?

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Rosamunda
Posts: 10650
Joined: Fri Jan 02, 2004 12:07 am

Re: To Ship or To Replace?

Post by Rosamunda » Wed Jun 08, 2016 6:06 pm

We have Ikea here and there is a reasonably good secondhand market for furnishings (at least around Helsinki). Most houses and flats have built-in storage ie fitted cupboards and wardrobes.

Unless you have a cheap solution for a removals company, it would probably make sense to buy what you need here (especially if you are talking in terms of a one-bed studio flat or similar).

Our move here was paid for by the employer, but if we had had to pay for it ourselves, I would have dumped a lot of our stuff at our previous port of call.

On the other hand, if you intend to have some personal stuff sent up by truck, an extra cubic metre or two might not make a big difference to the total cost.

Sukerkin
Posts: 10
Joined: Fri Apr 01, 2016 12:42 pm
Location: England

Re: To Ship or To Replace?

Post by Sukerkin » Wed Jun 08, 2016 6:52 pm

Thank you, Rosa.

Aye, there will eventually be some cubage coming across once our roots are firmly bedded ... and when I get some employment that is looking to be steady (this is a two year experiment to see if we can make a go of it and survive :D).

But at first what we *need* to bring over will be relatively modest in size terms, mostly being consumer electronics, some guitars, a selection of clothes et al :). If it starts to look as if the minimum price will be fairly steep and the space available relatively commodious then we might look at adding in some furniture and even some decent shelving timber that I'd rather not part with :chuckles:.

The house will be a little bare for a while, for it is a considerable property, but we won't mind too much about that ... especially given the nightmare task it has been to empty my house over here to get it to a state where it can be sold :eek:. My late wife was a collector and a 'shopper' so the place was bulging at the seams!
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Pursuivant
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Joined: Thu Mar 11, 2004 11:51 am
Location: Bath & Wells

Re: To Ship or To Replace?

Post by Pursuivant » Wed Jun 08, 2016 8:43 pm

Some stuffs like beds,bedding, pillows are "wrong size", so not much use bringing over. As well as furniture. And you know, clothing, styles are different... Then again you might find some "everyday" stuff "found everywhere" like a slow cooker or a hot water bottle bring forth an empty stare when you go try find one. It's 50/60 as they say :lol:
"By the pricking of my thumbs,
Something wicked this way comes."

Rosamunda
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Joined: Fri Jan 02, 2004 12:07 am

Re: To Ship or To Replace?

Post by Rosamunda » Thu Jun 09, 2016 12:39 am

Sukerkin wrote:timber
Yeah, don't leave your timber behind. Can't find it for love or money up here.

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rinso
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Joined: Fri Aug 25, 2006 7:22 pm

Re: To Ship or To Replace?

Post by rinso » Thu Jun 09, 2016 7:28 am

Rosamunda wrote:
Sukerkin wrote:timber
Yeah, don't leave your timber behind. Can't find it for love or money up here.
Indeed, nice hardwoods are hard to find.

Sukerkin
Posts: 10
Joined: Fri Apr 01, 2016 12:42 pm
Location: England

Re: To Ship or To Replace?

Post by Sukerkin » Thu Jun 09, 2016 11:45 am

Thank you for your insights :bows:.

It is those sorts of snippets of knowledge that you never find out usually until it is too late :).
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