The next step of our adventure.
The wait for our first family home to sell, this felt like a right age.
A feeling of been in limbo and the constant house cleaning to ensure the home was ready for viewings was a lot, as many of you will have experienced, be experiencing or going to go through at some stage.
This part of the move Is one of the hardest, because how long is a piece of string? It is completely out of our control for when that sale comes through.
While we waited for our sale, we got stuck into the shorting of the shipping with what we wanted to take and boy what a BIG mistake we made with shipping everything we did.
We used the company of PSS to ship our worldly belongings over.
They came out to our home and walked through the house with us, to see our items we wanted to ship.
We practically shipped the kitchen sink and what a waste of time that was.
But we didn't have the knowledge and support there is now out there, wish I found something like this 6 years ago.
Why was what we did a BIG mistake?
Because by the time it arrived to us in Australia, we had been out and bought all the things we needed to get us started.
We also realised when the belongings arrived, our UK style looked completely wrong for the home style here, we thought we were trying to save money when actually we spent more money and threw away half our UK items.
Some advice, just be ruthless and ship the essentials, or really make sure you can make do without something one end, whether that is in your home country or Australia.
An example I always use when talking to my clients on my Down Under Centre relocation calls is, if you love your bed frame, send that ahead in shipping, sleep on the mattress on the floor until you leave and then grab a new mattress in Australia for your bed frame.
Simple things like this may save a few of those pennies.
The shopping for a new home though, gosh I LOVED it, us women know how to shop and some good shops to start you off are listed below.
Enjoy having a little look, so you can plan and get excited before arrival, or even just take a look so you can plan the expenses.
Ikea
The Good Guys
Kmart - Thank me later for this one if you're moving over.
Target
Big W
Amart
Fantastic Furniture
Freedom
Craig and Harry, well they just came along for watching my spending and to help with any undeciding I had.
The only thing we did do right with shipping was, the shipping of Craig's tools, Harry's toys and some clothes.
Children's Shipping
When it comes to the kids, let them help, especially with their belongings whatever age they may be, they need to feel a part of the process, and it will help with the understanding of what is happening.
We gave Harry one box that he could choose to fill with his toys which we would fly by air. This is so he knew in his new country he would have some of his toys on arrival, telling him they will be going on a Big, New Adventure just like him.
We made it very clear the rest of his chosen toys, would follow on a BIG boat or the ones we were choosing to not come to Australia would be going to other children to be able to enjoy them.
Craig's Tools
He chose his essentials, which were some hand tools and a drill which he cleaned and packed into a box which was also sent by air, so he was able to start working as an Electrical TA on arrival.
The rest he cleaned up well and they followed by boat. Craig got rid of anything covered in rust and sold what he could to start new once arrived.
Anything 110 volts went, they don't use that volt here, so let your husbands and partners know if they are in the field of trade work.
When everything was on its way across the water and the home sale was secured, we could breathe some relief.
The house sale eventually happened in the June 2019 and we had to be in Australia to activate our visas by the December 2019.
The next part of our adventure was The Time Before We Fly....
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