Starting from scratch

OK, so when we left the States, we got rid of most of our stuff and decided to start from scratch. This wasn’t so much a ‘decision,’ as it was a simple matter of reality – it would have cost thousands to ship everything, and it was only worth a couple hundred. But here’s the problem – the cost of housing jumped 20% between when Ben got the position and when we arrived, our income dropped 60% since Ben no longer had a lucrative position with pharmaceutical company, and thanks to the market, our savings diminished 175%. :( So how do you furnish an entire household as cheaply as possible? Especially when essential items include a refrigerator and a washing machine?

1) E-bay
E-bay is kind of like Craig’s List, here, although you still bid on things. But many of the items are ‘pick-up’ only, so it has a very local feel. If you’re patient, you can find some really good deals – we’ve gotten almost all our furniture through E-bay. You have to add the cost of a rental truck for big items, but you get to check out some really nice houses! And if you happen to be picking up an item from someone moving overseas, then they might give you a bunch of kitchen supplies, too!

2) Dumpster diving (well, council clean-up days)
All the different neighbourhoods have designated days when you can put out big things for them to take away. If you go to the nicer neighbourhoods, you can find great tables, chairs, bookcases, etc. Julie got most of her furniture this way, and when Sam was living near a posh neighbourhood, he got a few great couches this way. We haven’t gotten anything from council clean-up days, yet, but we’re keeping our eyes peeled for a TV table and a bookcase.

3) Dollar store
This option works just fine for some things, but not for others.
Perfectly fine for: hangers, coffee machine (Grandma might not believe it, but we swear it’s true!), pots but not frying pans, dish towels
Marginally acceptable for: silverware, spatulas, wine glasses
Not worth it for: umbrellas, q-tips, 2-cycle motor oil

4) Garage sales
So theoretically, this would be a great place to get stuff, especially because in the newspaper, people will say “moving overseas – getting rid of everything.” So you find ads for some garage sales in nicer neighbourhoods and develop your plan of attack for the weekend. But here’s the problem: there’s all these professionals who will go to the house with their big truck before the garage sale starts – even the day before – and they’ll take anything they can refinish and resell. So by the time you show up (even if you show up exactly when it’s supposed to start), all the nice stuff is already gone. We did get several little things from an unadvertised garage sale in the neighbourhood, though.