Maybe you should pay for that extra bag?

When you are going to live in a far off land as a non vacationer, you have to think about daily life.  And in some instances it might be worth paying for an extra piece of luggage when you first arrive or when you go back to the foreign country after visiting home.  It all depends on the math.  

First of all, I think the maxim "Pack only what you need" still applies when moving abroad as a non-vacationer.  Packing light is less of an issue when you have found a place to live in the foreign country and you are returning to that place after visiting home. 

The math part is that you need to compare prices (with the exchange rate factored in) in the foreign country and your home country.  For instance, in the U.S., the sneakers I like cost $40 (US).  In Australia, the same pair would cost $90 (US). Lets say with normal use you go through 4 pairs in a year.  This might be an exaggeration as to the amount you would use but bear with me on this for illustrative purposes.  Bringing 4 pairs from the U.S. would save $200.  The cost of an extra bag?  $200-250 (you should add in the cost of the bag too).  With four pairs of shoes you'll probably still have another 30-35 extra pounds you can pack into the bag which hopefully you will use for items that are cheap back home but expensive abroad.  

I'd suggest that extra bag be a duffel bag that you can cram into your regular allowed luggage when you visit home (thus avoiding extra bag fees). 

I am not saying this technique or strategy works every time but it's worth checking out.