In a few months, we will be house hunting and setting up house once again but this time in a foreign country. There are times when I would get stressed thinking about everything that we need to buy to be able to live there. We would have nothing but our clothes there so aside from looking for a house we can rent we have to buy all other home stuff too.

Some of the items in my ‘must-have’ list are air conditioner, stove, refrigerator, table, mattress, washing machine, and a lot of kitchen stuff. I also told Ramil that a TV or maybe a Slingbox is a candidate in my ‘must-have’ list. Since Mateo might not be able to go to school for our first few weeks there, I absolutely need something to keep him busy at times.

Notice that the air conditioner is the first thing I mentioned. Well, according to my research, Brunei’s climate is pretty much similar to the Philippines but they do not get as many storms as we do so I’m thinking there would be more hot days than cold ones. I love it that we do not have to worry about electricity because most rents cover water and electricity already! So we can savor the cold air conditioning as much as we want to. As for the other stuff we would need to fully furnish the house we will be renting, I know that budget would not permit us to buy everything in one go. So our home stuff shopping list will be strictly on a priority basis. It’s okay though because Ramil and I have been through this five years ago when we were newlyweds. We had to improvise with big boxes by covering them with decorative cloth and using them as multi-functional tables. Hehe! I think as long as we have a decent set of tables and chairs for eating then we will not need a lot.

Notice also that I listed mattress and not bed. Again, since we’re on a priority basis, I think we can do without a bed frame for a few months. Also, Anika would be a happy crawler by then and I wouldn’t want her falling off the bed like what happened with Mateo several times. A big good sturdy mattress on the floor is more than enough. If the Japanese could sleep with just futons then I think a bed frame can be pushed farther down our list.

Even the washing machine is negotiable. If we can find a good and affordable enough laundry service near the house we will be renting then I’m all for it. Nothing beats the convenience of dropping off your laundry and getting them back all clean and folded especially since I totally hate hanging and folding the laundry.

I try not to get too stressed whenever I think about the whole thing. Unfortunately, unlike with our settling down phase when we were newlyweds, we do not have the luxury of being leisurely about the whole thing and always trying to make do with improvisations since we now have a preschooler and a baby. Somehow having the two of them has made us want more of the little comforts at home. I’m just being optimistic and hoping that somehow everything will just work out once we’re there already.