[AngieP]

It'll be just three of us - the hubby, me and a 21 month old baby girl. We can only take the bare minimum since we're paying for the move. We're planning on taking the bed, clothes, some favorite books and toys, the WII system, and the computer. We're planning on stocking up on the essential toiletries we're picky about. I figure we can replace everything else on an as needed basis.

Other than that, do I bother bringing my Kitchenaid stand mixer? I *heart* my mixer and do lots of baking. Baking supplies - cake pans, sheets, etc? New food processor? What about pots and pans? I just bought a pricey set of stainless steel before I knew we were moving. Can you buy Corelle dishes there?


Anything else we should squeeze in?

[dropdedfwed]

I'd suggest that you didn't really bother with kitchen stuff too much. Most things you can buy here, and really, storage space is the issue in most units, as too is workable benchspace. you'd be sorely disappointed to spend $ to bring things over that you later had to discard or send back. and a lot of units don't have an oven.

as far as the bed goes, not a bad idea, but generally a large western queen size bed can be a little awkward to fit into the master bedroom in a lot of units, and a king sized bed - forget it. not sure i'd bother bringing the bed.

toiletries - great idea, bring enough for you to get here and sus out where you can source your favs from.

just my experience, but others may tell you different.

PS: maybe bring some shirts over - there was someone on the forum looking for Hawaiian shirts recently

[Meerkat]

if you are into baking, make sure your apartment has an oven. They don't necessarily come with one.

If you are paying for the move and insuring the goods you have to weigh up if it is easier to purchase here.

I am not sure if Hawaii is on USA style electricity 110v but here the power is British style. There are ways around the difference but sometimes it is a faff. You may decide not to bring electrics.

If you are large, you may prefer to stock up on clothing/shoes. Some larger sizes find it a little challenging to get the sort of gear they want in the right sizes.

They have sun lotion here but it tends to be weeny bottles. I would bring that especially for the youngster.


Have fun!

Be interested to see how you like the transition from Hawaii to Hong Kong. Never been to Hawaii but I imagine it being a little different to HK.

[ontheroad]

Yes, bring you Kitchenaid mixer and buy a 110-220v adapter here! Kitchenaids here are super expensive. So are most high-end kitchen supplies; Even when you get them from wholesellers (Mongkok).

Every thing that you don't bring you'll have to buy, so maybe it'll end up costing less to ship instead.

Don't worry about toiletries/medecine for the baby, Mothercare here has a huge choice of things, and you can get almost everything you need at the supermarket or pharmacy; including good quality suntan lotion for kids.

Kids clothes are easy to find too. I would just stock up on basics from Old Navy.

I also wanted to add that I haven't had a problem finding sheets for my King size bed.

[desmondng]

You don't need to bring too many things to HK. Just bring something that you really "need" here.
By the way, I studied in Hawaii before and I am a freelance worker, providing consultation varying from renting/buying apartment to teaching Cantonese. If you need such service, you're welcome to PM me.

[newstart]

Hi there, moving from New Jersey to HK in August. With two kids I trying to decide whether I should buy furniture for them from Pottery Barn kids etc or could I get that same thing (cheaper) in HK. Company is paying for move, so no prob there. But everyone tells me how cheap everything is there and all clothing labels are made in china so Im wondering if it would work out cheaper to wait and buy there

[via]

Originally Posted by newstart

Hi there, moving from New Jersey to HK in August. With two kids I trying to decide whether I should buy furniture for them from Pottery Barn kids etc or could I get that same thing (cheaper) in HK. Company is paying for move, so no prob there. But everyone tells me how cheap everything is there and all clothing labels are made in china so Im wondering if it would work out cheaper to wait and buy there

You need to consider the size of your apartment you are going to live in HK. HK apartments are much smaller than those in states, so some of your furniture may not fit into HK apartment.

As for clothing, yeah most of the stuff here are made in China.

Since your company is paying for your move I don't see the reason of buying everything in HK, just bring most of your stuff and buy what you need here.

[Brown_By_Nature]

I say bring an umbrella.. you're gonna need it!

[Sleuth]

Problem with a Kitchen Aid stand mixer is the amount of space it takes up. I doubt you will find anything much bigger than a galley kitchen here (unless you have a really large housing allowance). Remember that most people here have helpers that cook so the kitchen is going to be small and not necessarily climate controlled (after all, the owners are never in there).
Ditto with bringing furniture. A lot of places have built-in furniture and it limits what you can bring in.
Of course, you can bring it all and you owill find a place where you can fit it, but you will limit the number of housing choices you have. Big kitchen, bed must fit, etc....