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Post by cbman on Sept 23, 2014 9:21:30 GMT
Accepted my offer, BI investigation underway, and flying to Houston for medicals/orientation on Oct 1. Fingers crossed, but in meantime I'm debating the Cash In Lieu option instead of shipping all my belongings. I am wondering if anybody who opted for Cash In Lieu had any advice or regrets. Anything you shipped at your own expense and wish you hadn't, or didn't ship and wish you did?
For example my wife, daughter and I have 3 pretty decent bikes. Ship them at our cost or sell them here and then buy new bikes in Saudi Arabia? Bought an iMac last year with a nice big screen ... same thing, ship or sell/buy?
Thanks for all the great info on this forum. I spent days just reading through all the old posts.
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Post by morning on Jan 3, 2015 5:00:47 GMT
o! We are in the same position as you were in your post. We are debating shipping our Jeep and considering which furniture to bring or store here, as well as how the combination of eboxes and shipped weight. So, do you have any regrets or advice? Thank you in advance.
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Post by Shammal on Jan 3, 2015 19:16:50 GMT
This is Mrs. Shammal. For us taking the cash was a no-brainer because we didn't own any furniture. I knew I would have to re-buy things here, but what I seriously underestimated was how hard and time consuming it is to go to the store and attempt to find things. I also didn't realize that I wouldn't be able to replace my nice things I already owned with things of a similar quality. We have been here 7 weeks and pretty much every day I regret our decision to take the cash. I definitely think you should bring what you own. If it doesn't fit in your house here, you can always sell it for a lot more than you'd get for it at a yard sale. If you choose a shipment and don't have enough stuff to meet their weight requirement(possibly half of the total allotment), then they automatically give you half cash. Without a doubt, I strongly discoue taking the full cash-in-lieu option!
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Post by bamaster on Jan 4, 2015 4:55:50 GMT
Everyone I know elected cash in lieu. As did I. CIL paid me over $5k, and I paid $1k US to ship my extra baggage for things that I had to have. Things like my Blendtec blender, coffee machine, kitchen essentials (one good pan, utensils, knives), etc. There's an Ikea here so you can get most things for your home. The only thing to worry about are things that plug-in, because you can't buy 110v here. I should have brought my Dyson vacuum cleaner. I'll buy one and bring it back when I go back to the US.
One thing to consider is the possibility of being housed in small accommodations. If you have your stuff shipped, you may not have much room to put it. Expect a smaller place than you're being told you will have. Lower your expectations on this point.
My personal lesson... things are different here, so be prepared to do things differently too. You may not ride your bikes as you did before, maybe because of the camp where you live or the summer heat. You may cook a lot more because there's not a lot of restaurants or delivery options.
My advice is to bring less than you think you need then buy new stuff as you adapt.
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Post by morning on Jan 4, 2015 5:39:30 GMT
Thank you both for your helpful responses.
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Post by PCAFamily on Jan 5, 2015 15:38:23 GMT
Regarding Cash in Lieu and bringing your furniture, you have to consider a few things. First, if you are US Payroll, you will be moved from a fully furnished home onto main camp in approx 12 months. Homes on main camp are not furnished, so if you bring nothing you will either have to rent ARAMCO furniture which is less than desirable for a long period or pay to refurnish your entire home. There are places to purchase furniture here, but it may not be the type of furniture you are accustomed to. There is an IKEA and an Ashley Furniture which are both easily accessible. Next, if you have certain gadgets, bikes, bedding, etc you love then bring them. Yes, you can shop here, but often the items are not quite what you are looking for. If you take cash in lieu, consider some extra boxes on your initial flight with your computer and such. Hope that helps a bit.
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Post by crazycatlady on Jan 5, 2015 19:14:32 GMT
Psst - this is also good advice for Global Payroll, if you happen to like your own furnishings, 110V appliances, etc.
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