Cost of items other than basic goods (Sterling, Soldotna: housing, rent)

[ulsterscot]

I'm considering moving back to Alaska. (lived there for 1st through 4th grade) I am wondering about the cost of items such as furniture, home furnishings, vehicles. Would it be more cost effective to sell as much as I could to save on the move to AK? Or would I just end up spending more money to refurnish my home?

I live in a two bedroom townhouse now, so I don't have a ton of stuff. And I wouldn't be looking for anything fancy in the way of furniture or appliances, just basic and clean. I'm probably going to sell my truck either way, as it is 13yrs old. I thought about flying in and purchasing a new one in AK to save on the mileage.Thanks in advance for any replies

[Rance]

If you can get rid of it there I would. You can shop around here, garage sales etc to refurnish.

[DannyL]

Depends on what's important to you. First off, research the cost of shipping your "stuff" up here with you. If it's 4-5 thousand dollars, well, 4 grand will buy "stuff" up here also.
But then, priorities are different up here.
If you're moving up here "green", show up with $$$$$, not "stuff".
Just my 2 cents.....

[Alaskagrl]

Depends also, on where in Alaska you are going to...if you are going somewhere REALLY rural...might want to hang on to anything more expensive or special to you that you own. If you are not much for decorating...you can buy some decent looking bookcases at Wal-mart, whereever...I just finally got a decent apartment and put a couple small pieces of furniture in it. Decent futon: 250.00 at Walmart (plus price of a ferry ticket with vehicle to bring it back...120.00 plus hotel for a night. Then, a small table with bar stools...nice but not spectacular...300.00 and they killed the taxes cause I had to ship it over...so 20.00 for shipping on a barge. (Ha, you'll save some $$ if you DONT live on an island ) Anyway, that's my advice...anything special that you can't replace...bring it with you. Otherwise...buy stuff here...travel to here is expensive, as we all know.

[ulsterscot]

Thanks for the replies. Alaskagrl - Sounds like you had quite an adventure to pick up your furniture. I have a Target, SuperWal-Mart, KMart, and a Meijjers within five minutes of my house. I feel spoiled, lol.

As I said, I was just curious if there was a huge markup on bookshelves, computer desks etc; things that I would have to replace. I have wall to wall bookshelves over most of my home now, so that is something I couldn't do without. If I do come up, I'll probably just put my stuff in storage here until I figure out where I'll be living and what the cost would be to move it.

Off topic but I just looked on google earth and the house I lived in from 78 to 82 is still there! They changed the street names though, took me a while to find it.

[rotorhead]

Don't forget to bring the essentials...rusty old fillet knife, extra snowmobile drive belts, one show shoe, eleventeen greasy half-used bottles of DEET, tacklebox full of dangerously large treblehooks, you know....stuff like that.

Gotta have something to leave in the back of the truck so people won't think you're a newby.

[mal_flisk]

Don't forget the back seat half-used roll of duct tape, and a roll of baling wire (rusty). Couple of ratchet straps might help too.

[Rance]

Duct tape...never leave home without it!

[sarahh]

That's really funny, but so true for alaskans !!! I made the move up from Calif. about 4 months ago....... LOVING IT !!! I have found however, that housing is much, much cheaper, but food is oh, sooooo much more expensive and quality of produce is for the most part terrible. I still am contemplating on weather or not to spend the $3,000.00 it will cost to ship my furniture, but for now I am living in a furnished place. The area around Soldotna and Sterling is absoultely breath taking !!!!

[Rance]

Glad you like it! Maybe our paths will cross one of these days...