We fly one way from Stockholm to the DC area on July 27, so still nearly 3 weeks until the big move.
BUT our stuff leaves us on Wednesday. The cheapest option for overseas moving is to pack-it-yourself and send it on a boat, which we did on the way over here in 2009. We could have forked over nearly $4K to have a company pack us up and handle all the details, but I guess like pain. To be honest, in paying that labor, we would have been paying for someone else's time, and Stu and I have lots of time right now. And, bottom line, it costs almost FOUR GRAND! Our DIY option will be closer to $1500. Not quite the $700 it cost to come over, but what can you do? Thanks, crappy US dollar exchange rate!
Regardless who packs, the boat option generally takes a month for your stuff to find its way to your door on the other side, so we're sending it off a little earlier than we are sending ourselves off. We managed to get a ton of it done in the week after graduation and before our big trip to France & Italy. But these last few days have been our final take-it-or-leave-it decisions on what gets put on the boat, what gets crammed in our 4 checked bags & 2 carry-ons, and what just gets tossed/donated.
Hooray, moving! So far, we have 26 large boxes filled. We came to Stockholm with 15. And granted, Stu doesn't let me *do* any heavy lifting, but I still acutely feel the stress of moving and heaving boxes, what with the fact that they are TAKING OVER our apartment.
But after Wednesday, they'll be gone. I've sold a large chunk of our other stuff on Blocket (ahem, we still need someone to buy our lovely red pull-out couch...it sleeps real comfy! Promise!)
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| Stu, taking apart our 3 large wardrobes for a Blocket buyer. Now our bedroom is so empty. |
So Thursday, we'll have a pretty empty apartment to enjoy for a last 2 weeks. So sad.
I remember this part only we sent all our stuff from Alabama here. Well in 2006 we sent our home to the US and in 2010 we shipped it back to Sweden. I agree, it is soooo expensive to move overseas but the boat option is the best and the cheapest. I think you guys are doing a great job. We sold lots of stuff on Craige´s list in the US just before we moved here to Sweden. Very similar to Blocket. Worked great. By the time we arrive here I just wished we had gotten rid of even more considering this apartment that we have here is very small in comparison to the house we had i Alabama. Are you renting an apartment in the DC area to start with and then finding a house or do you have some other place to send all your stuff?
ReplyDeleteI was surprised at how much extra stuff we had accumulated here! I mean, it has been 2 years, so it was bound to happen, but it was still a shocker!
ReplyDeleteWe are moving in with mamma! Stu and I haven't gotten jobs yet, so until we figure out where that next step is, we'll be going the stereotypical unemployed graduate route and moving back in with the 'rents.