Since Britton is going down to Rincon in a little more than a week for a short trip to check on the property, get a little work done and help our friend in his search for a Puerto Rican property, we thought we should take advantage of this trip to send some of our stuff with him.
So we went down to the Arc, a local Greeley second hand thrift store, to look for a suitcase that we could fill up and then just leave there AKA our first moving bag to Puerto Rico.
We found this suitcase (now filled and ready for PR) for $1.25!
It was a little hard to decide what to put in the suitcase because, after all, we still need to live here for another 9 or 10 months. But we filled it with stuff that we thought would be handy there and that we could live without here (and that weren’t really that exciting for possible thieves). For instance, our juicer, waffle maker, some glasses, some plates, our fish platter, an extension cord, hammer and screw driver and a few knick knacks.
Britton really just wants to start out fresh down there and buy everything, but I reasoned with him that for everything that we bring and don’t have to replace at retail price we will save a lot of money. One checked $25 bag full of $200 worth of stuff saves us $175 in replacement cost. Plus, shipping 50 lbs of stuff via mail would be a lot more than $25.
So if you see someone sporting this exciting and fashionable 1980s brown luggage with a red racing stripe, you can say ‘hi’ to Britton. ha!
Also, while we were at the Arc he also just happened to spy this pair of Doc Martins, that fit him, for just $8! Awesome deal and he loves them!
Doc Martins
when is he leaving? also, I have to tell you, stuff goes bad down in the tropics. So much of what I leave in my house rusts, gets funky or just wears out quickly.
Clothes really take a beating. I know I’ll be doing A LOT of washing friday.. but I’ll be in SUMMER CLOTHES! can’t wait.
Linda is right – don’t leave leather or anything with elastic or plastic. Clothes are super cheap here (as in under $10 bucks for stuff and famous $3 shirts) so don’t bother with that stuff. Tools can go in priority boxes at the last minute – they will rust or be attractive to thieves here. Dishes are a good plan. Garden tools maybe. Books and paper stuff will get stinky/moldy. Exciting!
I just got some great dishes (really.. do I need more?) at Target.. on sale.. cute blue and kinda tropical. I’m taking an extra suitcase this trip because I have been collecting stuff again for my house. I MUST STOP doing this (hahaha). I always take more books down to leave in the house, although they do go funky like Katrina said. I wish we had Target AND Ikea in PR. I’d even do a San Juan run if they were there.
I am leaving on the 13th. Only a few days.
The old wood house has a ton of books in it and they all seem to be in fair condition. Well considering they’ve been there for 10+years and are still bound and readable!
I am surprised there isn’t a Target in San Juan?
No Target or Ikea on the island, I think your books are probable fine because they are in a wood house. Ours is concrete and we have it shut up in the summer with hurricane shutters and a dehumidifier, but stuff still gets funky.
Have a safe journey and plan on meeting us while you are here. Maybe cocktails at calypso or if the weather and waves permit, on the beach!
Britton, Target has been trying to get into PR for years–who wouldn’t? All major stores have their highest grossing stores here. Puerto Ricans are shoppers! But, there has been a long established local car rental company here named Target, and the owners don’t want to relinquish the name. The Target store has offered them an undisclosed amount of money, but it was apparently a refusable offer! Also, I’ve heard there may be an IKEA store coming somewhere around the San Juan area. I’ve wondered if IKEA furniture is a good idea here, since I believe they use soft woods, which are not appropriate in the tropics. As far as books…. although we donated lots of boxes of books, I couldn’t get Steve to part with many of them, so here they are. In a usually air-conditioned room, but I still get itchy when I open one (mites, I guess). I invested in a Kindle, which is much more practical here–as long as you keep it in a zippered cover.
I absolutely loved started fresh by leaving almost everything behind when we moved to PR. We came with a couple of boxes of clothes (not worth it. I brought my vintage fur coats and heels. Ha. Big mistake…), our computers, dogs and one piece of art.
Score on the Docs for $8! Definitely bring those…I mow/weedwack exclusively in Doc Martins here. Good grip for getting up/down precarious hillsides. 😉
Fran,
That’s an interesting story/situation with Target! I am thinking of getting a Kindle. The library system in PR seems to leave a lot to be desired (where I usually get most of my books in CO). My aunt is a librarian and may have some connections to library grants which would be awesome. I may have to take that on as a goal to help improve the area.
Summer,
We will be selling/giving away or throwing out most everything. But I was thinking that little things like plates and glasses and kitchen stuff would be nice to start with so we didn’t have to buy them again right away. And some sentimental stuff. Was there anything that you didn’t bring that you wish you had? THat’s pretty funny about the vintage fur coats and heels. Probably not much use for them in the tropics! 🙂
Plates/glasses/kitchen stuff is heavy (expensive to ship) and easily/cheaply acquired. I would leave it, if you haven’t already sent it out. As a matter of fact we have a set of plates and a couple of kitchen gadgets you can have. There is not a single thing I wished that I hadn’t left behind. Definitely bring sentimental/heirloom things, but also be prepared to have them possibly destroyed by the heat and humidity. I’ve had things framed down here that have mildew growing on the mat within a year.