What did you wish you brought with you (or brought more of) when you moved to your island?

Spices, batteries, fluorescent battery operated lights, shoes and clothing from anywhere besides k-mart.

Nothing. Amazon has it all and ships free with Prime.

Nuts. Ziploc bags. I find them to be very expensive here. We load up on every trip back to the states.

dumb as it sounds, clothes hangars... a dime for 20 dozen back there, 20 dozen dimes for one here...

Great feedback everyone! I love to cook & bake so I will stock up on spices and baking essentials. Batteries, ziplock bags and battery powered lights, good to know. And Left Coast, LOL< I was planning on bringing ALL of our hangers! When we moved from MA to CA I cursed myself for not bringing them! I'm not making the same mistake this time!

Sparty good to know about Amazon so we can stock up on what we miss, forget, or need!

Keep the suggestions coming!

The problem with bringing "more" of something when you move to the VI is unless you bring a container full of the same thing you'll eventually run out of whatever it is you desire and still have to get "more" at some later time.

We have a lot of items that periodically we have either mailed or shipped to us by the case
load but it's a never ending process and one of the trade offs you make to live in the Caribbean.

One has to be mindful that unless you have temperature controlled storage area many of those items your bring "more" of will have a shorter shelf life than they do back on the mainland.

spices-cheaper in the states. but really you can get anything you need and want whether it is here or online.

Airtight food storage containers. I find it better to have all of my food that isn't in a can in airtight containers. Spacebags....they are great for storing things that are not used on a weekly basis. Any specialty items for hobbies and interests you might have. I like to sew, but it can be difficult to get notions at times. Either because it's hard to 'match' things while ordering online, or hard to find someone to ship what I want at a reasonable price. And as weird as this sounds, undergarments. Buying a bra online is a pain in the butt!!! When I go to the states and find one that fits I buy a few and put a couple away (in a spacebag) for when I need to change out a worn out one. Same goes for underwear.

Ramen noodles are a staple here. I was behind a guy at K-Mart who was purchasing a case of them, macaroni and cheese and good ole white bread. No gluten-free there! 😉

I agree with Afriend. It is a good idea to get used to making-do. You can buy long life things like clothes, sheets and furniture from the States,but food items will forever be a changing wonder. I go to the store, see what looks good. If you think about the cost of every item you buy, you will drive yourself crazy.

And as weird as this sounds, undergarments.

Thanks for the chuckle, Julie! On my recent trip to FL and my first ever Walmart experience (!) the old thrift store suitcase I bought there to bring home "stuff" was crammed with enough bras and panties and tee shirts to last another lifetime!

Wait!! What?? Spartygrad, when did Amazon Prime start allowing free shipping to USVI? Site still says we're excluded.

Last I checked, I couldn't get Amazon Prime, either.

Hmmm I did last time I ordered. I wa salsa told if they charge you complain and they will remove shipping costs

Hmmm I did last time I ordered. I wa salsa told if they charge you complain and they will remove shipping costs

I think that's for the non-Prime free shipping for bill over $25?

No we have Prime. I ask my wife for sure, I didn't order it

According to Amazon Prime website:

Ineligible
Items fulfilled by Amazon Marketplace sellers that are not marked as Prime-eligible.
Magazine subscriptions.
Personalized gift cards.
Any item that doesn't have a message indicating that it's eligible for Prime on its product page.
Addresses in the U.S. territories, possessions, protectorates (other than Puerto Rico)
International destinations

"Spacebags....they are great for storing things that are not used on a weekly basis"

I stocked up on these when last in FL. Love them!
Wish I'd bought even more!

Great for storing extra pillows and bulky comforters and so many other things.

I stand corrected. I asked wife. It was order over $25. Now I need to cancel my Prime membership.

It's a bummer that PR can get Prime and we can't.
Same logistics in shipping.

I stand corrected. I asked wife. It was order over $25. Now I need to cancel my Prime membership.

Dang! You got my hopes up. I still keep my Prime because of Kindle, video streaming, and photo cloud storage "freebies". And I ship free to my kid in the states, then only pay regular USPS charges, when she forwards, (or pay nothing when we go back to see her, or someone comes here). Also, may want to head out to Amazon on Wednesday for Prime Day. Some deals may be worth the shipping you have to pay.

I stand corrected. I asked wife. It was order over $25. Now I need to cancel my Prime membership.

Dang! You got my hopes up. I still keep my Prime because of Kindle, video streaming, and photo cloud storage "freebies". And I ship free to my kid in the states, then only pay regular USPS charges, when she forwards, (or pay nothing when we go back to see her, or someone comes here). Also, may want to head out to Amazon on Wednesday for Prime Day. Some deals may be worth the shipping you have to pay.

I mentioned canceling Prime and got this exact response. I don't use a kindle so I don't know. I just pay for it.

I stand corrected. I asked wife. It was order over $25. Now I need to cancel my Prime membership.

Amazon is over $35 now for free shipping for qualified items. Ship your items to a single U.S. address in one of the 50 states.

I stand corrected. I asked wife. It was order over $25. Now I need to cancel my Prime membership.

Amazon is over $35 now for free shipping for qualified items.

Lol like I said, I just pay the bills. I just ask.. "Did we get free shipping?"

Amazon is over $35 now for free shipping for qualified items. Ship your items to a single U.S. address in one of the 50 states.

There was a whole thread dedicated to this very recently and you do NOT have to ship to a stateside address - simply contact Amazon by email or 'phone and they'll remove the shipping charges.