>>(if you are able and willing, could you share your ‘clothing situation’ in Israel?…ie how much to have, to store away, what you had to buy extra once you moved, what is unnecessary to have etc.)<<
We moved here and brought only what we could take along in our suitcases, so this definitely minimized the amount of everything we brought, clothing included. If you’re bringing a lift, you have more flexibility.
We brought clothes for everyone for about the first year – I didn’t want to have to start shopping as soon as I got here. (Though I ended up less than two weeks after arriving needing to buy uniform clothing.) I didn’t feel everyone needed an extensive wardrobe – a few skirts/pants per child, a few tops for basic daily wear. Some dress clothes. What I made sure to bring more of were items that are significantly more expensive here, and not easily purchased used.
Those items included: shoes – very, very expensive here, and if I could have I would have brought more (I just didn’t have any more allowed luggage weight); underwear and socks – again, very expensive and the quality doesn’t match what you can buy from Hanes or whatever other company.
Coats – We brought a coat for each person, and in this area I’ve debated with myself if it was the best use of our space. Although we’re in the north, we’re actually in a pleasantly temperate area. Reminds me kind of Seattle. So it really hasn’t gotten very cold yet – I’ve worn my coat a handful of times. It might have been a better idea if we had brought our warm lined raincoats; it hasn’t rained much this year, but when it did, I was desperately sorry to have warm coats when what was much more important was being waterproof. However, once I bought umbrellas for every family member, this internal debate disappeared since we now have a way to be dry and warm.
If we hadn’t brought coats and had needed them, buying them new would have been an expensive proposition. (I was able to find a used coat for dd11, whose new coat I got right before we left somehow didn’t make it here, and paid just ten shekels for it. It’s a decent coat and I’m glad to have been able to find it, but it’s nowhere near as nice as the one I had gotten her.) But at least here in Karmiel, you don’t need a heavy down ski parka – that’s way overkill.
Boots – I gave away all of our boots, except for the littles. Again, this was due to space restrictions, not because I didn’t think boots would be useful. I’ve been very glad to have boots for the littles, since they have a fifteen minute walk to school and their sneakers would be soaked on rainy days by the time they got there. It would be nice for the rest of us, but since it hasn’t been very rainy yet, it’s easier to say that boots are somewhat a luxury here. But if you can bring them, it’s definitely worth it – even if it’s not raining, they keep your feet toasty when you’re inside. I kind of regret not bringing them, but again, I didn’t give them away because I wanted to, but because I had to be ruthless about making choices to stay within our luggage allowance.
Some parts of Israel are much colder than others. In Tzfat (Safed), just a forty minute drive, it’s noticeably colder than here. Jerusalem is much colder as well. But wherever you live, I think that layers are a very, very good idea. Often the outside temperatures aren’t low, but inside it’s freezing. It’s happened almost every day last week that inside our apartment I’m sitting in the afternoon with a light fleece blanket over me, and if I go outside, it’s sunny and warm, and all I need is a light sweater or sweatshirt on top of a long sleeved shirt! That’s because the buildings are made of stone and generally not well insulated – so they keep you nice and chilly, which is good if you run hot. Which I don’t.
Knowing this in advance, I tried to pack thermals or long sleeved solid shirts for all of us that could be worn under other clothing, warm fleece sweatshirts that could fit under a coat, and then a coat. Almost all of the older kids wear layers and sweatshirts on top of their uniform shirts while in school; the little kids are either moving around a lot more or their classrooms are kept warmer, because they don’t more than two layers. Our teenage girls have the longest walk to school and have yet to wear a winter coat to stay warm on the way, but are the most heavily layered when inside.
The only clothing items that I brought to store away were little kids shoes. I had a lot of clothing in storage that I had bought on sale, and donated almost all of this. But the exception were shoes for the littles; I brought most of the shoes I had in sizes 9 – 13 because I knew I’d use them even if it didn’t fit someone right now, and they were small enough that I could still keep to my limit of one suitcase of clothing per person.
I hope to build up my clothing storage again, since I was able to save significant amounts of money by ‘shopping in the attic’, rather than needing to go out to stores every time someone needed something. Some used clothing has come my way, and some of this is now in storage for when it fits someone it’s currently too big for.
For those of you who have made an overseas move (wherever it may have been!), is this similar to what your approach was? What did you feel was most important, and what did you think ended up being a waste of space? What recommendations would you have for someone moving to Israel?
Avivah
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