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[grasshopper]

I'll check in as many bags as the airlines allow me and mail the rest to myself. I don't have too much stuff anyway: books and clothing mostly.

Books are very heavy. You may find it easier to have them moved by a moving company. Or if you don't go with a moving company, maybe you can send them by bus? When I moved cross country, I sent everything I couldn't fit in the car by bus. They will store it for up to a month, too, which is handy. I was even able to send it COD, so I didn't have to put anything on credit.

[new_to_forum]

Thank you all for your suggestions.

somebody on a canadian immigration forum mentioned that i should use  Canada Driveaway company to ship my car. I contacted the company and checked their website. The website looks authentic (but you never know), and they contacted me back with their quote promptly. They also told that I can put some of my personal belongings in the trunk of my car. The minor problem with them is that they might not be able to deliver my car on my desired day, but promised to do their best to meet my schedule. I haven't finalized anything with them yet. They'll charge me $ 950 CD for their service. I have to pay the deposit and pay the rest upon their delivery.

Now, since this is the first time ever I am shipping my car anywhere, I want to be sure that this is not a scam. I already posted my question on movingscam.com but haven't received any answers yet. Has any of you heard about this company: Canada Driveaway: http://www.canadadriveaway.com/

[smapdi_age_six]

Unless your furniture is so beat-up you know full well it won't survive the move, or you just hate your furniture and want an excuse to get new and you have a few thousand dollars you can't think of anything better to do with, in my estimation you're making a big mistake.

Buying furniture when you get there could be (or result in) nontrivial annoyance.

When you get to Canada, you're going to have no credit.  At all.  As in, you will likely be utterly unable to get any sort of credit card except a secured one.

Assuming you don't have piles of cash sitting around you can use, you could buy your furniture with your US credit cards.  They'll work fine.  But then you'll have to keep paying them off in US dollars, and you're not going to be getting any new US dollars.  And believe me when I tell you that US banks can be astonishingly difficult to deal with when you're trying to deposit money that originally came from Canada, even if it is already denominated in USD and even if it's actually being paid through a US bank.  All of the times we've had to do this, it's resulted in about USD50 in excess fees to make the deposit happen (eventually, through some manner of wire transfer).  FWIW, the reverse isn't true -- Canadian banks are able to deal with checks from US banks, and even US checks in USD, easily.  And not all US banks are that bad; I haven't put it to the test but our HSBC account promises that depositing a Canadian check is just a $3 or so fee (I don't know whether that's HSBC-wide or only for branches here in WNY).

So anyway, I would just move my furniture except for stuff I honestly expected to break anyway and stuff I can't stand, right up to the $7K the university is willing to spend.

[smapdi_age_six]

You don't say where you're moving in Canada.

If it's Ontario, then know that for an American, moving to Ontario mostly will have all the exoticness of moving from the south to Ohio.  If that.

The no-credit thing is about the only thing that will be a big difference in your daily life until you have credit built up (unless you're a gay couple).

Random differences:

Cable and cell phones are even more monopolistic and horrible than in the US.

The consumer/retail sector broadly just isn't as well developed as in the US, even in big cities.  If you want trendy neat imported stuff, they'll have you covered, but for boring normal consumer goods it's not uncommon for Canadian stores to have a noticeably reduced range of products from a given manufacturer.  It's not a big deal, but if the border is convenient you might find yourself (and Canadian colleagues) making occasional shopping trips to the US to hit Target etc.  Lord knows the ones around here (Buffalo) are half full of Ontario plates now.

If someone mentions a hydro bill, they don't mean water.  They mean electricity.

[anon99]

You don't say where you're moving in Canada.

She's moving to Saskatchewan and will probably have a credit history in Canada since she's a permanent resident and presuably has lived in Ontario before (her car was imported to the US from Ontario).

See if you can get your university to arrange for the moving company to do the pick up and bill the university directly.  I was able to do this and it helped a lot.  Moving in Saskatoon or Regina (I'm guessing, but those are the larger universities in that province) in the winter might be hit and miss depending on the weather.  Ask around and see if someone might be on a sabattical leave starting in Jan and has a place to rent for 6-12 months.

[new_to_forum]

I am moving to Regina, SK and my husband has a canadian bank account and credit card. So, I guess there won't much trouble for me to get furniture. I also checked furniture stores in Regina and it looks like i can get a nice 8 piece bedroom set for $1,500, with my new salary I'll be able to afford to finally get brand new sets. I have been waiting for this opportunity for almost 10 years. Of course, I won't go crazy and get everything at once.

The most important things for me to do right now are: 1. arrange for my car to be shipped to Regina and 2. look for an apartment to rent, and 3. book our tickets, and start packing-tomorrow.

[grasshopper]

I am moving to Regina, SK and my husband has a canadian bank account and credit card. So, I guess there won't much trouble for me to get furniture. I also checked furniture stores in Regina and it looks like i can get a nice 8 piece bedroom set for $1,500, with my new salary I'll be able to afford to finally get brand new sets. I have been waiting for this opportunity for almost 10 years. Of course, I won't go crazy and get everything at once.

The most important things for me to do right now are: 1. arrange for my car to be shipped to Regina and 2. look for an apartment to rent, and 3. book our tickets, and start packing-tomorrow.

You're moving to Regina?

Add a couple of hundred for a down comforter to that bedroom total.  You'll thank me when you snuggle in.

Moving in Saskatoon or Regina (I'm guessing, but those are the larger universities in that province) in the winter might be hit and miss depending on the weather.  Ask around and see if someone might be on a sabattical leave starting in Jan and has a place to rent for 6-12 months.

That is a great idea. I'm always hearing about faculty sublets around here. A bonus would be that it might be furnished, which would give you lots of time to shop around for furniture, instead of buying something quickly because you absolutely need a place to store your sweaters.

Oh! Speaking of which, add a sweater budget to your list.

[grasshopper]

Oh! Oh! Also: congratulations!

You must be just flying off the high!

[llanfair]

Regina is a great city.  Make sure you get to at least one Saskatchewan Roughriders game per season, as everyone knows the CFL kicks the NFL's sorry @ss.

My cousin's husband works at URegina, and loves it.  May you be as happy!