How can I save common OS X settings to be restored on a fresh install?

Question

I often reset my Mac to a clean state by reinstalling OS X. Unfortunately I do not have enough space or budget for a complete Time Machine backup.

OS: Mavericks

Is there a way to grab my current settings and create a script that copies the following information:

1. Common settings in OS X such as wallpaper, Dock, Language & Region, Keyboard, Network settings (several static IP settings as backup and for a NAS).
2. Specific application settings such Android Studio and other App Store applications such as Divvy.
3. Environment variables

Out of Scope:

4. Backup/Restore customized contextual menu settings file under Finder.app/Contents/Resources/Japanese.lproj/Localizable.strings (I learned how to change this setting on Super User, but if you have an idea on how to backup the setting, please let me know.)

Answer 1

The last time I did a clean reinstall I just copied the whole ~/Library/Preferences/ directory to the new installation, and I didn't run into any issues because of it. Settings for old versions of applications and machine-specific settings are usually ignored. ~/Library/Preferences/ is almost empty on a new installation, and if you delete all files there, the files are recreated when they are needed.

The settings for sandboxed applications are now stored in ~/Library/Containers/. Network settings are stored in /Library/Preferences/SystemConfiguration/ and settings for desktop pictures are stored in ~/Library/Application Support/Dock/desktoppicture.db.

It might be easier to copy only ~/Library/Preferences/ and recreate other settings manually.

If you don't have backups, it is also possible to do a clean install on a new partition. Start up from the recovery partition, create a new partition from Disk Utility, choose Reinstall OS X, and select the new partition. You can then use Migration Assistant to transfer data from the old partition.