Moving, What To Take And What To Leave

[Mr Lee]

Jake touched on this subject and since I have gotten many emails and phone calls from people over the years, asking me what I thought they should take and what they should leave, and my answer is always the same, it would be up to each of us as to what we can live without and what we cannot. So maybe some of you can discuss what items you took with you when you moved to the Philippines, what items you wish you would have taken,  what items you wish you did not take with you, and for those of you who have not moved yet, what items you are going to take with you when you move, and why? My wife and I have been slowly moving items over the years to our condos in Cebu, and the more we move there, the more we find items that we miss while there and wish we had brought them there, but large items such as TV's and furniture were items we easily purchased there in Cebu, and from what we have seen, would have been even easier to buy with the much larger selection in the Manila area. So anyone have any advice for others, mine is that beyond clothing and personal items, to just sell everything that cannot be put in a balikbayan box or easily shipped, and start over fresh once there, but some items might be hard for some to part with, and other items I have to wonder if they would be suitable for life in the Philippines? Comments?

[Jake]

Jake touched on this subject and since I have gotten many emails and phone calls from people over the years, asking me what I thought they should take and what they should leave, and my answer is always the same, it would be up to each of us as to what we can live without and what we cannot. So maybe some of you can discuss what items you took with you when you moved to the Philippines, what items you wish you would have taken, what items you wish you did not take with you, and for those of you who have not moved yet, what items you are going to take with you when you move, and why? My wife and I have been slowly moving items over the years to our condos in Cebu, and the more we move there, the more we find items that we miss while there and wish we had brought them there, but large items such as TV's and furniture were items we easily purchased there in Cebu, and from what we have seen, would have been even easier to buy with the much larger selection in the Manila area. So anyone have any advice for others, mine is that beyond clothing and personal items, to just sell everything that cannot be put in a balikbayan box or easily shipped, and start over fresh once there, but some items might be hard for some to part with, and other items I have to wonder if they would be suitable for life in the Philippines? Comments?

You know Lee, I must commend you for starting this important thread. I think Boss Man should give you a bonus or something. Anyway, my post regarding shipment of personal and household items via BB boxes or 20'/40' containers is an off shoot to this thread. So far, I found that it costs about 30-50 bucks each for BB boxes and at least 4-5 thousand bucks for a 20 footer. As far as custom duties on BB boxes, most are exempted provided you "declare" value under a certain amount?? Most if not all, have been promptly delivered and intact. It was suggested somewhere on this forum to label it "properly", meaning household effects vice brand new LCD. Returning Filipino citizens are exempted from custom duties, especially when that name is on the bill of ladens (shipment docs on containers). I'm in Southern CA and still researching all my options -- will post progress reports until my departure summer of 2012. Now let's get back to Lee's original question: if at all possible, I would bring everything which would mean a 20' container. But where do I get the money for that option? The other option is selecting smaller items for BB boxes. All kitchen items at least. Purchase new smoke detectors and home security system, pepper spray and other non lethal devices (baseball bat, 4 D cell Mag flashlight) first aid and water purification kits. Boy, the list gets longer and longer....... Respectfully -- Jake

[Art2ro]

When we moved to the Philippines 12 years ago, we just sold everything, paid all our debts and just shipped 20 BB boxes of essential items only for our normal daily use, to my wife's sister living in a Barrio, the out skirts of Olongapo City 2 months prior to our arrival in the Philippines. We just rented a fully furnished 2 bed room apartment for 2 years until we bought our new home in the province of Laguna and bought everything we needed to furnish our new home! 10 years later, we're still here in our humble little home! We've come a long way, but now, we're "Happy Campers".

[ancienrocka]

I wish I had brought more of my tools as in general they are quite expensive here and often not of good quality.

[Jake]

I wish I had brought more of my tools as in general they are quite expensive here and often not of good quality.

Excellent suggestion Ancienrocka!For personal security reasons as well as peace of mind, I would rather repair my own sh&t.I bought an extended Jeep Wrangler assembled in Pasig and within 3 months, I was underthe hood already. I had a small repair tool kit which is limited only to minor repairs. Next time, I'm bringing maybe a 40 piece tool kit. For home repair, basic stuff like duct tape, measuring tape, flashlights, extension cords etc. I don't have a warm and fuzzy feeling having a repair man in my home, especially when my wife and family are the only ones home.Respectfully -- Jake

[Art2ro]

With the humidity here in the Philippines, you're better off bringing your own U.S. made stainless steel tools that aren't prone to rusting and good air tight seal non-metal tool boxes, especially for your power tools so the humidity doesn't get into the motor armature copper windings preventing mildew build up. Only bad thing about U.S. made power tools, most are 110 volts, you'll need a good heavy duty step up transformer if your home outlets are all 220volts. Make sure you buy the correct transformer in the Philippines, (I don't think they carry them in the U.S) that is rated to handle your 110 volt power tools! BTW, most electrical cords in the Philippines are rated for 220 volt outlets. So, don't use your 110 volt electrical cords in a 220 volt outlet unless it's for low wattage type power tools! 110 volt cords sometimes gets hot fast or even melt using a 220 volt outlet! "METWRENCH" brand wrenches and socket tools are great because they are made to be used on metric and U.S. standard size nuts and bolts, without having to switch tools from U.S. to metric vise versa! Also buy an "easy out" screw extractor for those stripped screw heads, you won't regret it! Here's a few more things that should be on your lists of things to bring: 1) Assorted sizes, stainless steel nuts, bolts, washers and screws (common type slotted screws are worthless), just buy the cross head Phillips type and or the high torque kind. A lot of the assorted hardware sold in the Philippines rusts too easily! 2) "QUICK AND BRIGHT" cleaner is a versatile all purpose cleaner, nontoxic, nonflammable and biodegradable, it truly cleans anything, you name it! 3) Assorted rechargeable lithium batteries with a multiple battery size charger! 4) A dozen heavy duty pick proof door locks or complete set with door knobs and dead bolts with the same key pattern so you can have them re-keyed by a professional lock smith to use just one key avoiding to have to carry a lot of keys on your person! 5) State of the Art home alarm system (AC/DC current). 6) Two "quiet running" unleaded gasoline portable AC output generators for those long power outages in the Philippines after a calamity from mother nature. A water purification system also may come in handy! 7) A large heavy duty stainless steel out door gas or charcoal BBQ grill like the one on the "Bobby Flay" cooking show on TV, (pick proof lock and steel chains not included, a must in the Philippines)! You won't regret it! I'll be over as soon as you get it fired up! You'll be the talk of the neighborhood! Hey honey! We have a new neighbor in town, I hope they invite us for a BBQ cook out soon! No chicken feet please! :23_11_62[1]:Just got a :o, I'll let you know some more when my memory comes back!Let me know if you want to sell anything that I may be interested in! That stainless steel BBQ grill would be nice! :angry::-kiss::wave::yes:

Edited June 30, 2010 by MrBBtheFilAm