Moving out and in to a new flat

The newly introduced expat levy and the upcoming value-added tax of certain goods and services in Saudi Arabia finally pushed us to look for a cheaper housing unit. Well, we did not plan to move out of our former flat until we encountered a recurring plumbing problem that the owner didn't deal with quickly.

In a span of a week, we looked for a cheaper flat that is close to Michael's office. Fortunately, we found one that is old but a lot more affordable. We moved in to the new flat after a few days of cleaning and packing our things. It seems that housing units are getting more affordable since more and more families of expatriates opt to go back to their home country resulting in more vacant flats and villas. I guess that plumbing problem in our previous flat had been a good thing somehow.

While packing and organizing for the move out, I realized that we own a lot of stuff already - clothes, shoes, and some random things. It has been a reality check to keep us from buying anything that we do not actually need, not that we splurge when shopping but tempting promos and sales are always around the corner. So far, we're doing good and just buying basic necessities.

Few weeks have passed since we moved and we don't have problems in the flat so far. There are still some fixings to do but it feels homey already. Let's see how long we will be staying here (in this flat and in KSA) as prices go up next year. Still hoping for the best.☺