Are we nearly there yet?

[Belinda-wales]

It has been a long road to relocation to the US and hopefully we are nearly there.

What are my expectations of our new life.

I have three small boys and a georgeous hubby and in the UK we never go to the pub in the evening and can only really afford one holiday a year this year we went to spain costa lotta as the DH calls it any way holiday was ruined by the drunken british who have over taken the costa but that is enough of that... The rest of our summer has been spent in our tent in uk getting wet.

Back to my expectations I hope to have a nice house with in pool in the garden which the boys will be able to use for at least six months. Be able to eat our dinner out side some evenings. Be able to take our children to eat out in good family friendly places. Able to drive to a ski resort of at least three long weekends a year and a few other long weekends exploring as to work me and DH want to work to live not live to work are these too high.....

[madwife2002, BSN, RN]

Yes, we've not sold yet and going in less than 3 weeks!!

That must be such a worry for you :uhoh21: What are you going to do? Have you family who will sort it out

[apriljan]

Yes it's a real pain in the butt! My hubby is coming back after a month, this is what we had planned if the house wasn't sold. The mortgage has still got to be paid and we didn't like the idea of the house being empty for ? how long. It's not ideal but we're hoping it won't be for long.

[Belinda-wales, RN]

Hi Guys

. Any one else having trouble selling??

We have waited so long for the whole visa process to be held up now by the blasted house is just my luck.:angryfire

The whole market in the uk has been very slow forover a year we are also having trouble selling so are loads of people we know I am told that the market is on the up fingers crossed that it is.

Otherwise we are considering an intrest only morgage and renting untill the market picks up

[cariad]

belinda, the mortgages over here are completely different to in the uk,,,,,,,,they will give you one by using your uk credit report, and you can get a 30 year mortgage straight away. the interest only ones are a good option, as you can overpay if you have extra money each month and it still comes off the whole amount. they reckon that the money that they lend you is in the value of the home and if you dont pay then they just foreclose on you and they sell it. usually as a resident of the us and a letter to show that you have a job for a contracted time you just have to pay a deposit of 10%

[RGN1]

I have several links to buying british in the US if you want can post them :wink2:

Yes please -they will be gratefully recieved. My "outlaws" live for their food!!! As for me I soooooo love Mexican etc I doubt there's much I'll miss. It would have been my local Indian take-a-way but they've just been bought out & the new chef is no-where near as good as the old. So I won't even miss them!

Of course I will have to find out how to get "Pataks" Tandoori paste for our homemade curry!!

[Silverdragon102, BSN]

Yes please -they will be gratefully recieved. My "outlaws" live for their food!!! As for me I soooooo love Mexican etc I doubt there's much I'll miss. It would have been my local Indian take-a-way but they've just been bought out & the new chef is no-where near as good as the old. So I won't even miss them!

Of course I will have to find out how to get "Pataks" Tandoori paste for our homemade curry!!

http://www.britsuperstore.com

http://www.britishcornershop.co.uk

http://www.madeinbritainltd.com

http://www.britishdepot.com

http://www.ukgoods.com

Wegmans also sell a good variety of UK stuff

Hope this helps :wink2:

[madwife2002, BSN, RN]

You can get most stuff from World Market such as Pakak's curry sauces. You will of course quickly learn that there are some US foods which are cheaper and taste the same.

The stores on line are very expensive plus the cost of P & P is very very expensive. We have adapted now and have found a lot of food which we enjoy in the local supermarkets and Safeways has lots of UK foods like Kerrygold butter, cheeses, crackers and Pate.

What I miss food wise is listed below

Crisps- cheese and onion

Extra strong mature chedder

Chips with salt and vinegar

sausages

bacon

bread, bread bread-though if you buy farmhouse home made bread in safeways it is good

Toasting bread

Rich T

Digestives (world market $4 a packet)

UK chocolate (world market $1.25 a bounty, kitkat etc)

Battered Cod

Robinsons fruit juice ($8-$12 a bottle in some british shops)

[RGN1]

Thanks for all your responses. I have passed over all your comments & links to my "outlaws", where I'm sure they'll be gratefully received.

As for bread, I'm getting a bread maker. We had a great one here but it broke & we never replaced it but I'll get one when we're in the USA for sure. I can't stand the regular bread in our local supermarkets in FL & the only decent stuff costs a fortune - $2+ a loaf!!

My Canadian friends, who lived in the UK for a few years, had to invest in a machine when they moved back to Canada because they didn't like the bread after being in the UK. Funny enough it was while on hols with them that we decided to get one ourselves. The bread is sooooo delicious & the smell as you wake up to your fresh loaf in the morning - can't be beaten!

We've always managed,like you MW, to get by with local options but the Pataks is going to have to be something we'll need to invest in, I think. Haven't found a decent substitute for that locally yet. It's a bit of a quiet, rural backwater where our house is!