Question For Our more experienced members

680680

On Vacation!
Feb 18, 2005
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Hello I am planing on moving to the DR in the summer of 2006 and i am currently building a small house in the Sosoua area. I come down every second month and figure i only have about 4 or 5 trips more before i move there on a more permenet bases. My question is. Are there common household things i would be better to bring down in my suitcases over the next few trips or would it be better to buy everything i need when i get there.

Are they any itiems that are better to bring from canada that are either more expensive in the DR or not as good quilaty. I am talking mostly everyday house hold goods like dishes, electronics, linens, light blubs etc etc or anything small enough to transport via suitcase.

Thanks

Rick
 

jstnorv05

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Jun 13, 2005
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I think you are better off brining everything you possibly can and buying only what you have to here
 

juanita

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Apr 22, 2004
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I would bring all kitchen stuff, electronics...etc...and of course, Kraft peanut butter!
 

Criss Colon

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Jan 2, 2002
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I Moved Here From Boston Ma. Ten Years Ago

In the months before I bought my house I began to bring down "something" each trip.I brought things that cost a lot here,or were not available.One thing I brought was "Tools".If you got em,bring em! Hand tools,and small power tools too.Next I brought down "ceiling fans",light fixtues,the "Fancier" the better! I bought most on sale at "Home Depot",K-Mart,and other discount home centers.I brought down drawer and cabinet "pulls".It is hard to find what you want,and they NEVER have the quantity that you need!You could also bring the "Hardware" to hang your doors,and the "lock sets".They are very expensive here,and lots of "ChineseJunk" being sold.Sheets and towels are expensive here.Want good "Feather Pillows"?,bring them.I like to cook,so I brought good pans,trays,knives,etc.I wouldn't bring the knives in carry-on!
 

NALs

Economist by Profession
Jan 20, 2003
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680680 said:
Hello I am planing on moving to the DR in the summer of 2006 and i am currently building a small house in the Sosoua area. I come down every second month and figure i only have about 4 or 5 trips more before i move there on a more permenet bases. My question is. Are there common household things i would be better to bring down in my suitcases over the next few trips or would it be better to buy everything i need when i get there.

Are they any itiems that are better to bring from canada that are either more expensive in the DR or not as good quilaty. I am talking mostly everyday house hold goods like dishes, electronics, linens, light blubs etc etc or anything small enough to transport via suitcase.

Thanks

Rick
Since your move will not be for another year, I suppose you will be in the Republic some time between today and the day of the move.

If so, make a list of all the things you know you will bring down and then make another list of the things you are not too sure about. Don't bother making a list for the things you know you will not bring for the obvious reason.

With the first list, that is simply to differentiate what you truly don't want to let go.

With the second list, make educated guesses on the value and/or price of such items where you currently live. Take a trip to the store and get a rough estimate if you have to. Then, when you make a pre-moving trip to the Republic, bring the list with the estimates with you. Head to the stores like Americana, Hache, etc and compare your estimates with the cost of similar items here. Also, talk to people (which I can see you have already started by "consulting" with DR1!) and the answer to your question will be as clear as it can be.
 

Conchman

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Jul 3, 2002
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Hmmmm, I go to Santiago once per month and in places like Price-Smart (similar to a Cosco or Walmart), the International Plaza Mall, and Ochoa you can pretty much get everything you need. It might cost more but the possible aggravation at customs and extra luggage might equal that out. Selection is lacking sometimes especially in electronics - For example a stereo system I would buy in the US and bring over piece by piece, but larger power tools I would buy in Santiago.
 

Rocky

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Apr 4, 2002
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Clothing

Good quality underwear is near impossible to find here.
Teva sandals, maybe 2 or 3 pairs.
Kool shorts with lots of pockets.
Your music, in whatever form it is, CD's, tapes, hard drive.
Your favorite tools.
Top quality bedsheets.
 

shadInToronto

On Vacation....
Nov 16, 2003
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When in the DR, live like Dominicans

Moving to another country to live is quite a difficult experience and the key is finding a way to live there. If you plan to bring stuff, you'll more than likely want to continue getting the same, which will make you dependent on the 'old' country.

You should try to source the items in the DR as the savings may be minimal when you include all costs.
 

Rocky

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Apr 4, 2002
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shadInToronto said:
Moving to another country to live is quite a difficult experience and the key is finding a way to live there. If you plan to bring stuff, you'll more than likely want to continue getting the same, which will make you dependent on the 'old' country.

You should try to source the items in the DR as the savings may be minimal when you include all costs.
These are wiser words than one might think.
It's not like 15 years ago when you couldn't even find a flyswatter in the entire country.
Most things are available nowadays.
Finding them takes time and can be a bit frustrating at first, but, that's where DR1 comes in handy, as the members are always there to help out.
Nevertheless, as one might travel back to his homeland on occasion, there are certain things you can get in the industrialized world that are either better quality or way cheaper.
 

Ken

Platinum
Jan 1, 2002
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You can find just about anything in the DR if you look for it. You may have to go to Santiago or Santo Domingo. Much more is available now than when I arrived here 19 years ago, and getting to the sources is easier now than then.

But there are a couple of things that you might want to bring, such as good quality towels. I'm visiting the US right now, and that is one of the few things we are taking back. You will have better towels for less money than if you wait until you get here. Dishes, pots and pans, light bulbs, etc., you can get here.

I live in Sosua and know not much of what you need is here. Puerto Plata is a better source, but Santiago is the best. If you don't have a car, you can take a Caribe Tours to Santiago in the morning, do your shopping, and return on one of the Caribe Tours buses in the afternoon.

Whenever your are stumped for a source, let us know via DR1, as Rocky suggests. I laughed when I read his mention of fly swatters. A couple of years ago I posted a question on dr1 about where I could find one.
 

Rocky

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Ken said:
I laughed when I read his mention of fly swatters. A couple of years ago I posted a question on dr1 about where I could find one.
As the first house I lived in, had no screens, I set of to search everywhere for them.
Of course, my Spanish was almost non-existent at the time.
By the time I finally got the message accross to some guys in a ferreteria in Gaspar Hernandez, they were actually rolling on the floor laughing at such a preposterous idea.
They surely thought that I believed I could eliminate all the insects with this device.
Years later, when I finally found one in a store, I knew that we had graduated from "Third World" to "Developing Nation".
 

Escott

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Jan 14, 2002
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680680 said:
Hello I am planing on moving to the DR in the summer of 2006 and i am currently building a small house in the Sosoua area. I come down every second month and figure i only have about 4 or 5 trips more before i move there on a more permenet bases. My question is. Are there common household things i would be better to bring down in my suitcases over the next few trips or would it be better to buy everything i need when i get there.

Are they any itiems that are better to bring from canada that are either more expensive in the DR or not as good quilaty. I am talking mostly everyday house hold goods like dishes, electronics, linens, light blubs etc etc or anything small enough to transport via suitcase.

Thanks

Rick
100% cotton sheets. This polyester junk is hot. I also bring down towels and just about everything I need in my bags every trip.

Escott
 

rellosk

Silver
Mar 18, 2002
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Rocky said:
As the first house I lived in, had no screens, I set of to search everywhere for them.
Of course, my Spanish was almost non-existent at the time.
By the time I finally got the message accross to some guys in a ferreteria in Gaspar Hernandez, they were actually rolling on the floor laughing at such a preposterous idea.
They surely thought that I believed I could eliminate all the insects with this device.
Years later, when I finally found one in a store, I knew that we had graduated from "Third World" to "Developing Nation".
Why didn't you just make you own screens? Years ago when I rented an apartment, I also couldn't find any screens; I was amazed when someone offered to make me some. Resourcefulness is one of the things I love about the DR.
 

Rocky

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rellosk said:
Why didn't you just make you own screens? Years ago when I rented an apartment, I also couldn't find any screens; I was amazed when someone offered to make me some. Resourcefulness is one of the things I love about the DR.
Finding screens was harder than finding fly swatters.
 

Hillbilly

Moderator
Jan 1, 2002
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To the original poster

Many decades here have taught me that good kitchen equipment-ie. pots and pans- are essential.

So are kitchen tools, spoons, knives, cooking equipment. and a good cookbook-Joy of Cooking is always good to have. A lot depends on just who will be doing the cooking. If you have local kitchen help, you will not believe what they can break. Cast iron skillets-yup! Navy issue cooking utensels--bent to hell and back..Knives? Great can openers! What? My German chef's knife? Chipped? Oh, cutting beef or pork bones, yeah.....Oh stop crying, if you didn't want it broken you shouldn't have let her use it....

That said, all the other advice is accurate. For real quality, bring it down.

For your house, I would suggest that you bring down your kitchen and bathroom faucets....stuff here is expensive and generally speaking sort of crap..

Sheets a must, same for really top of the line pillows...

KDK fans work well here. Don't know how much they are in the states.

Good luck with the move.

HB :D:D:D