Job Discussion Forums

[spiral78]

I wonder what kind of household the OP imagines that expats have....it's not like most of us are living in a fully furnished 2-story house with 3 bedrooms and 2 baths and a garage stuffed full of things we haven't seen or used for years....

Don't get me wrong - I wouldn't want that for all the tea in China (though I could afford it if I did) - but I think most of us are living in sensibly-sized flats/aparments and I REALLY doubt that most TEFL teachers are enthusiastic collectors of anything much.

I counted recently and I've moved 24 times in my life so far. It's not really such a big deal. You keep the relatively few things that really matter to you, and otherwise you just don't accumulate a lot of stuff.

After all, IKEA exists pretty much everywhere these days:-)

[Gringo Greg]

We travel as a family and the best way to avoid problems of moving too much stuff is not accumulating it in the first place.

When it comes time to actually moving, I evaluate each thing. If I left it behind, would I replace it in the next place? If no then I sell it. If yes, then I figure out what would cost more, replacement in the new location or shipping it to the new location. If shipping is more expensive then I sell it.

When it comes to shipping, my first choice is extra luggage and my second choice is mailing.

[myownwoman]

Thank you all so much for your help. I will try to live simply and only keep what I need. I believe in traveling lightly and freely.

It's the best way to live actually.

[Steinmann]

I procure almost nothing that I couldn't live without, what I do acquire is minimal, and I abandon 95% of my stuff in place when I move to a new location. Much easier that way. It could get expensive for some folks, but I live a pretty spartan existence. I don't need much, don't have much, and don't lose much when I move on.