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OK folks, dear nephew is starting a new job in a tiny little town 2000 miles away. Because this is a tiny town (nearest larger shopping centre is over an hour away) and he will begin work right away he will need everything necessary to set up his home shipped, and we are having a hard time deciding just what to send. Any thoughts?

Just to add, since he shared a home with his GF and she is not moving (at least not right away🙄) much of his/their stuff is in limbo, it would have been much simpler to just pack and move their whole apartment.
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Maybe waiting until his girlfriend can join him....
He can rent a furnished room, temporary.....Or try air BNB rentals.
If he will have transportation, he can drive/shop one hour away.
Time to not help too much, ask him what he needs, send that via Amazon.
Bachelorhood is so temporary, a true learning experience not to be missed if one is to become a man. Imo.
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This is a small town, like 1000 people small.
Housing is already arranged and one time shipping is paid for by his employer. There is no telling if GF will ever join him and we don't want him sleeping on the floor without so much as pillow and a sheet to cover him while he waits for her to make up her mind. Basically he needs everything, but we are trying to assemble the bare necessities.
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Laughing about the tech here.. Yes I watch DVDs, and I get my new stuff from the library,, they have a great selection. Even the new releases you used to get from the Blockbuster! And we still have things on VHS,, guess we will until the machine dies.. LOL We live out in the boonies, and all our tech is satellite , so heck I have never even checked out streaming.. but I know I can on my laptop and phones, kindle, etc. I already pay through the nose for sat TV, so mom can watch her shows.. but hubs and I only watch about 4 channels..LOL So I guess I am just too cheap to try out the other pay services. Plus our library also has a service called Hoopla, I get the british dramas from it, and it is free too.. I just download while at work and watch at home.. you get 3 days and 12 "rentals" a month .
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If he is not sure GF is coming, and they can't divide the furniture, hit the local goodwill, etc and get some furniture in time for the free shipping! My daughter did get some decent things at these places for her first apt. And have the relatives see what they can donate to his cause. I know I can always come up with some kitchenware , sheets, towels etc. Take full advantage of the free shipping! Look on your local online "yard sale "sites,, they have tons of things!
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CW, I'd recommend buying one of those mattresses in a box and half fold metal box springs from eBay or Amazon and having that shipped to him. They are shipped usually within about a week or so and very easy to set up. I bought a memory foam mattress that came with two free memory foam pillows included in the price. They are very reasonable and surprisingly comfortable and sturdy. When you first get the box, you're thinking, "No way is there a full size mattress in there!" But it is vacuum sealed and expands very quickly once taken out and set up. Frames can be found there as well as Walmart.com or some place similar like Costco, etc.
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Someone has a bed they will donate. Sis has been storing his couch. We've been scrounging small housewares and linens. But that's pretty much it. This is so dysfunctional because he assumes GF will be shipping her/their stuff and it seems clear to us she has no intention of sending much of anything - why would she if she has no intention of ever joining him.

An added stress is that all communication goes through GF, so we are scrambling to know the shipping details.
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cw - so he took the posting and she isn't going with him. Good for him.
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Can you get his cell phone number?
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He's too busy to talk. And he can be sent home right up until he is sworn in at graduation on the 1st of April, so he needs to mind his p's and q's.
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The men in the family think we are making a mountain out of a mole hill, but he has worked and saved so hard that it hurts to think of him having to start over again with nothing, especially when he's so far away.
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I understand the women's concern for him. Maybe after he moves, he will meet someone more suited to him. GF sounds like a drama queen, to put it nicely,
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Allow him the satisfaction to make friends with his buddies, and be asked to couch surf for awhile. Friends for life are made this way. Imo.

Oops, I see that you said housing is arranged.

He can also learn to talk in person on the phone to his benefactors and family, if he wants their support.

This is coming from a mother who once gave her son everything.

Sorry you will be missing him, and there is a possible breakup.
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I stream with ROKU. Cut the cord. Subscribe to YouTube TV, the only streaming service that carries the local news channels. I am loving it, Bill is half of what directv was for the base plan. My internet is also satellite l, rural area, so had to be very careful about streaming service selected. Tried directv now and Sling, neither carried local news. Yes sometimes the streaming will spend some time buffering, but has a built in DVR, don't miss any of a show. And it doesnt happen too often.
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CW, I don't know if this is helpful but I thought about what makes household goods "essential." You know those hotels that focus on long term stays...? They have the essentials there. Microwave, hot plate, basic cooking and eating utensils. Bed and dresser. Iron and board. Towels and soap. Anyone with a laptop doesn't need a tv right away as they can access Internet on the laptop to watch whatever he'd like to.

It's nice your nephew has his family to help him start off a new chapter in his life.
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Glad, I'm trying to figure out what streaming I want/need. I upgraded my cable/Internet provider to get some channels, including local news, on the TV. It's a bit of a pain to navigate to those channels as they don't simply appear when the TV is turned on, but it's better than not having an option to watch the local channels, and it's not much money. I also ordered a digital antenna after seeing one in action at my brother's house. It's a one time purchase of about $40 and I can see what channels that will pick up. I haven't installed it yet but it's on my short To Do list. Fingers crossed that I get a lot of free over-the-air channels that way.

I purchased a modem for around $100 online at Walmart to replace the one the Internet service provider was charging me $13/month for. I feel pleased with myself for that penny pinching measure.
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Cwillie

any chance you can travel to the tiny town and get his placed settled in for him ?
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I need to cut my cable bill - it's ridiculous how much it is and I can rarely watch tv, although I did pay per view to watch bohemian rhapsody over the weekend

I see a little silhouetto of a man
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MsMadge,
Have you been following the closure of the horse race track?
Hope they get it fixed.

Yes, the auntie needs a vacay, 2000 miles away.
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Yes, so much rain this year - have plans to go end of the month so hope they find a solution
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I haven’t watched the news, read a newspaper or followed politics for a few years. I realised there was nothing any of us can really do. It’s so depressing and the evening news isn’t really news anymore who cares if someone crashed their car into a house two states away or someone was caught on video with their child unrestrained in the back seat? As far as politics goes we only have the illusion of free speech and democracy As Billy Joel says in Angry Young Man, “I found that just surviving was a noble fight”
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I keep thinking I really ought to take more interest in local news. I still feel like an outsider, still know more about what's happening where I used to live than I do about the lead issues and personalities round here.

But they're all so hopeless! The little store I go to daily has a stand for the local newspaper; this week's headline is: "Failing School Gets Worse." It's not what you'd call enticing, exactly, is it.

Kettle
Combi microwave oven
Nesting glass/Pyrex dishes for use with same
Stand of four chopping boards - JosephJoseph does a good one for not much money

Iron (good one, feeble ones are a false economy)
Ironing board (big enough or he'll waste time juggling)
Towels and bedlinen - Rule of 3 (one on, one spare, one in the wash)
Capacious and portable laundry bag so he can haul it easily to the laundrette (which might do service washes at a fair price if he asks nicely)

That's my two cents on the 'Bear Necessities' - but CW you know what? This is his comfort and economy, and erratic GF is his chosen point of contact, and it isn't reasonable for the rest of the family to be chasing their tails trying to compensate for poor communication on their part! If you can nail the girl down on one thing, make it the inventory for the house he's being given - then you'll know where the gaps are.
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Oh [expletive deleted]!!!

I have just received an invitation to my ex's stepdaughter's wedding in June.

I know this sounds nice. Tchah. What it actually is is a giant sign that reads "Danger - Minefield ahead."
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For those of you wanting to see local news, if you are in an urban area or in any way within range of one consider an over the air antenna, you can watch a lot for free.
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Next door, there's a cathedral tower you can climb up for a panoramic view of the city from its roof. What visitors don't know is that people on the ground (innocently weeding their flower beds of a Saturday morning, for example) can hear every word they have to say about it - it's one of those acoustic freaks you get in architecture, I suppose.
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That reminds me of the time long ago when a group of us were visiting friend and chatting on their eight floor balcony, some in our group went down to retrieve something from their care and when the returned told us they could hear every word.
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First tried an over the air antenna, that is really all I need. But closest metro area is about 60 miles. Why would the local Wal-Mart even have antennas on their shelves without a notification that they will not work in this area? How many people do you think would buy an antenna here if they knew ahead of time that it will not work?
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I hope you could return it Glad. I'm right at the edge of possibility so I've been reluctant to try. On the farm we relied on a tower and rotating antenna and were able to pull in the closest city, in the summer we sometimes could pick up Detroit which doubled the number of channels.
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Stuffed rabbit, pillow, and a blankie.
Chocolate, popcorn, and chips.
Espresso machine, coffee grinder, and 4 cups.
Fruit-of-the-month Club delivery, bottled water delivery.
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Is that your personal list of essentials Send?😂
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