With that in mind, I thought I'd open a topic, regarding stuff that is worthwhile freighting in with you from your respective home country. My personal focus is small everyday staple items, that are impossible, hard, or relatively very expensive to get locally. It's not about sweating the small-stuff, more about having familiar trusted products, and saving potential hassle and saving significant $.
On the shopping list in Europe right now, (all of which bar the Barilla and cooking stock cost peanuts, most under e0.50 each here):
Tubes of tomato puree, mustard, and mayo [e0.30c each?]
Pots of powdered quality beef, chicken, and veg stock powder. [e1.00 each?]
Tetrapaks of good passierte. (tomato puree, for cooking DIY pasta sauce). [e0.50 each]
A dozen+ under-arm deodorants. [30c each]
Half a dozen bars of soap [25c each]
Two big boxes of ear-buds. [50c each]
Barilla pasta [don't recall, but it is great pasta and not expensive in Europe]
And so on and so on. These are just obvious things I know will save money as they will all get used within year #1. Importantly they won't add to freight costs, as they'll all tuck into part-filled packing cases.
There are so many possibilities you tend never consider until you're in-country, marinades, herbs, shoe polishes, DIY tools, clothes.... ... ...
All of this said, I just know that we'll get back to Singapore and then still go 'Oh damn we should have brought.... ' all over again....
