Packing into Suitcases

The only way I could afford to move over was basically to get rid of most everything I owned.  Because I had gone through a divorce two years earlier, I was already in the process of doing that (let my ex have lots of stuff--making a fresh start for me, etc.).

I moved over with two suitcases and whatever clothes I could stuff into my harp case around the harp, and my fiddle.  I mailed myself a few small boxes of books and art supplies and currently have about three boxes of stuff at my best friend's house (don't even remember what is in those boxes!).  That friend has also mailed me a big box containig my photos since I've moved.

I saved maybe like two knick-knacks with sentimental value and one broke in my suitcase.  I didn't bring food (waste of space!). 

It was hard getting rid of my costumes (used to do Renaissance Faires, etc.), but I did and my books (except for the few boxes I mailed to myself), but I did.  For the most part I'm glad I was so brutal because it made my move much less stressful and less expensive.  Plus stuff is mostly replaceable...

For the most part I'm glad I was so brutal because it made my move much less stressful and less expensive.  Plus stuff is mostly replaceable...

*nods*  I already did a pretty brutal clean-up of my clothing and donated EIGHT giant black trash bags to goodwill of clothing, shoes, and bags/purses.  I even donated all but one of my business suits since in all honesty, I don't expect to ever need them again.  I wrote an article for Associated Content about the clean-up if anyone wants to read it - http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/1683818/clearing_closet_clutter.html?cat=6

I'm just really concerned with moving the 12x12 scrapbooks and my crafting supplies.  I don't want to abandon ALL my crafty things, because some of the scrapbooking tools are kind of pricey, but I'm willing to ditch fabric, yarn, ribbon, and beads (but again, not the tools). 

Tim keeps telling me we'll get it all moved over and I shouldn't get rid of things for the sake of getting rid of things, but the $600 price quote from UPackWeShip for just 35 cu ft seems crazy expensive.  (and that's assuming the prices don't go up before we set my permanent move in stone)

Definitely keep your tools!  Can they be wrapped in clothes or towels and moved over in suitcases?  Oh, I forgot to add--check with your airline on the price of an extra suitcase.  The extra suitcase can even be a large (in my case very large) box.  That's how I moved my  harp over.  With the shipping company (I think it was UpakWeShip) it would have cost about $1,500.  In the end I padded my already padded case with clothes, and then wrapped it all in loads of bubblewrap and then that went into a huge triangular shaped box.  It counted as one extra piece of over-sized luggage and only cost me $80.00!

I'd totally do this, since I have all my photos digital, but I LOVE to scrapbook, and I have FIVE 12x12 scrapbooks. Fortunately, I also have a big scrapbook caddy they'll fit in....but it's HUGE.  and heavy. Especially if I put all my supplies in it, too!

I didn't leave a bag at Tim's, but I left about half my wardrobe, my winter coat, several pairs of shoes, and the books and craft supplies I accumulated while I was visiting.  I'm considering buying a cheap suitcase and having Tim check it when he goes home from visiting me this Summer with some more stuff.

I did this. I sent DH back ahead of time with a suitcase full of photos and sentimental items like the quilt my grandmother made for my sixteenth birthday, and some things that belonged to my father that I kept after he passed away. [/list]

I moved over initially with three suitcases and a bookbag.  One suitcase with work clothes, in vacuum bags.  One suitcase with other clothes, again in vacuum bags.  A third suitcase had bits and bobs - lotions, makeup, shoes, books, DVDs, cutlery - god knows what else.  The book bag had my laptop and other computer stuff.  I also had some pictures and photos that were flat in the biggest suitcase - kept flat by the vacuum bag weight.

My mom visited soon after and brought an additional suitcase, with my pot and pans and more books/DvDs.  And I have brought more books, in subsequent trips.  Now I don't have anything left at my mom's except for one box of baby stuff/yearbooks.

I got interrupted while writing that last post, so here is the rest of it:

Besides the suitcase DH took back with him on a previous visit, I brought 3 large suitcases - two weighing in at 70 lbs each, and one 50 lb bag which I paid extra for. Those were full of clothes, misc. kitchen items, food, cookbooks, and more photos and things like that. Then I brought my iMac in a big laptop-style bag especially made for it, and my huge digital camera bag with a few cameras in as carry-on luggage. When I go back for Thanksgiving, I will be bringing back my guitar and a big suitcase of negatives and books and other stuff my mom has been keeping for me that I didn't want to pay to have shipped over. Everything else was sold in yard sales or given away to friends.

Having ocean-shipped the books, clothes and other belongings, I took in suitcases on the plane only the stuff that I knew either I had to use during the two months I'd be without the shipment contents, plus items of sentimental value.

I even brought my bedding in Spacebags, because even though I know there are pillows and down comforters in the UK (!! ) I love my particular pillows and comforter and the sheets I brought from the US. So I put those in a suitcase. It was just as well, as I needed them in the months ahead here.
 
So on the flight with me in the hold in suitcases, there were clothes I'd need immediately, bathroom toiletries, but also things like my favorite coffee mugs (2), some books for immediate readings, five of my favorite DVDs for immediate watching while waiting for the rest to arrive in the shipment, and also the physical family photos even though I had digitized most of my photos.

I too jetisoned the albums and condensed the photos all into acid-free folders to put in my hand luggage. There are physical pictures going back to the 1930s and my parents' young years, so I was not about to let those leave my person basically, digitized or not ( I also had those discs in my suitcase.) Also have stacks of negatives. The rest of the photos were either in the suitcase or in the shipment depending on quite literally how willing I'd be for something bad to happen to them/loss etc.

Basically, things I took on the flight, either in hand luggage or the hold, were of those two categories --- practical-use items needed for daily life while the shipment was gone, or sentimental value I wanted to keep close rather than send on a mystery trip for two months. Wait, also a third category, electronics or digital data such as backup discs of my computer contents, etc. Wanted those on me.

This of course was not strictly an "all my worldly goods in four suitcases" move as I did have the rest of my junk in the ocean shipment too. But if you can get everything you want into your luggage limit without even doing an ocean freight shipment of other belongings, more power to you!

I packed 1 mega suitacase and 1 backpacker's backpack when I first moved over.  I also sent 1 M-bag of books (which doesn't exist anymore ).  In those suitcases, I packed mostly clothes but other little things I wanted with me.  I also prepped another box of my winter coats that my mom sent to me a few months later.  Everything else stayed with my parents.

However, in every subsequent visit back home in the following years, I would bring more and more back to the UK with me (plus parents got rid of a lot of stuff).  They're still storing a few things for me (mostly mementos that my mom wants to keep but I'm not bothered about), but after several plane trips it's all pretty much here!

Books were the hardest, but the some of ones I didn't bring with me I've wound up replacing the long run.  I was a student at the time, so the priority was my academic books.

Without M-bags, though, I guess you'd REALLY need to narrow down your book selection.

Oh, and for DVDs, I put mine on a spindle so they took up almost no space.  Didn't bring any CDs, as put all MP3s on my computer!

Definitely keep your tools!  Can they be wrapped in clothes or towels and moved over in suitcases? 

Possibly...but I also have a $50 Scrapbooking bag I keep it all in.  The bag probably is a checked bag in itself, but it's possible if I clean out the paper/replaceable stuff I might be able to fit in scrapbooking, knitting, beading,and sewing stuff in the same bag.  I hope. I also have one of those badge-a-minit makers (2, actually) that while it would be nice to have eventually, I don't think I need to move it over right away.

Oh, and for DVDs, I put mine on a spindle so they took up almost no space.  Didn't bring any CDs, as put all MP3s on my computer!

I moved my DVDs to a CD wallet a few years ago when I moved out to Michigan, so I have that kind of taken care of. I kept the cases though, so I'll probably do something like grab the cases on a future visit.  I don't have CDs anymore.  Well, I DO, but everything I currently listen to has already been ripped into iTunes, and about two years ago I stopped buying new CDs and only bought things via the iTunes store, so I don't think I have any CDs to move around. I have a small record collection, but it's nothing that couldn't be replaced as most of the records to begin with came from .25 sales!

Those books on the other hand.....Even if I JUST take favourites, we're talking the complete US hardback set of Harry Potter (and the US paperback set!), the complete Little House, and the complete Anne of Green Gables (2.5 sets - my original paperbacks from when I was 8, my replacement paperbacks when I wore out the first set, and several first/second edition original hardbacks).  Tim has the UK editions of HP in paper, so I'll probably dump my US paper, but I don't think I can part with the hardbacks (and have highlighted and made notes in the margins of mine...don't ask.). OTOH, since Tim DOES have the HP books, that's a set that could also be brought back later.

This of course was not strictly an "all my worldly goods in four suitcases" move as I did have the rest of my junk in the ocean shipment too. But if you can get everything you want into your luggage limit without even doing an ocean freight shipment of other belongings, more power to you!

haha I agree! That's why I wanted to hear from people who were able to to try to give myself a feel of if it'd be possible. I don't have any furniture worth bringing along other than some sentimental items that could be shipped later (because, well, a children's table my pappy made my mom, a children's rocking chair my pappy made me,and a children's bookcase my uncle made....don't exactly NEED these until we have kids!). All my other furniture is mostly IKEA, and IF we need/want can be replaced.

but I just look at all the STUFF I've accumulated in 30 years and wonder how the heck I'm going to move it all! 

One suitcase with work clothes, in vacuum bags.  One suitcase with other clothes, again in vacuum bags

Oh, I totally forgot about how useful those can be!

I think I have a pretty good start. I have the advantage of knowing the move is coming within the next year, so I have time to scale back my possessions....it's just hard. 

Tim is still telling me we'll move all my stuff over because he doesn't want me to just move into his house and feel like a guest in my own home.  Which is nice and all, and I appreciate the sentiment, but if I can save us $600....that's a trip back to the US for me!

We, too, are going to try and avoid having to use a shipping company.  We got a few quotes, and while they weren't unreasonable, they are still a little high for us, considering that we may be staring down a few months of unemployment once we arrive in the UK.   

Last time I moved back to the US from overseas, I sent a lot of stuff via "boat" (the best explanation I could get from the eastern European postal officials), but like many of you have mentioned, that doesn't seem to exist anymore as an option through the USPS.  I did see, though, that they still list M-Bags as an option on their international packages website (here:  http://www.usps.com/international/sendpackages.htm).  Is this just outdated information?  Has anyone had any recent success sending books through M-bags?

I know there's no way we could ever bring all of our books, as we both tend to hoard them, but at least a few boxes/bags would be nice...

  I did see, though, that they still list M-Bags as an option on their international packages website (here:  http://www.usps.com/international/sendpackages.htm).  Is this just outdated information?  Has anyone had any recent success sending books through M-bags?

I know there's no way we could ever bring all of our books, as we both tend to hoard them, but at least a few boxes/bags would be nice...

Duhh....that might have been my mistake, I was looking for "Media Mail" not "M Bags" on the USPS website.

But yeah, if anyone has done this recently...please speak up. Actually, you know what? I think I'm going to start a new topic about it since I doubt people who used M Bags will see this topic....

Be careful with vacuum - sometimes they're TOO efficient and make your suitcases overweight!

Be careful with vacuum - sometimes they're TOO efficient and make your suitcases overweight!

I didn't think about that...but that makes sense since the vacuum bag takes on more physical stuff and just sucks out the air. 

Will somebody please remind me that I will not need to lug over my entire wardrobe -- I need to seriously pare it down.  I have suits and heels and stuff left over from my previous job and I hate to throw anything away that I still like.  But why would I need suits in the UK -- I won't be working.

Will somebody please remind me that I will not need to lug over my entire wardrobe -- I need to seriously pare it down.  I have suits and heels and stuff left over from my previous job and I hate to throw anything away that I still like.  But why would I need suits in the UK -- I won't be working.

You could do that thing they do on the home organization shows, where you turn all your hangers around, and after you wear something, you put it back with the hanger the right way. After a few months donate everything with the hanger turned around. It's a good trick.