thanks chicas....I was beginning to think it was a full moon over me.

I make more gross income at the moment that in the UK, sure, but I believe there is a balance to things -- for example, the money suckage that is owning an automobile in the US. Things like health insurance...earthquake insurance.

I take home roughly the same amount of money as % of total income, and on balance, I have roughly the same disposable income

I was actually surprised at how much more expensive the US was when I returned than I was expecting -- rents and housing costs have gone through the roof. The cost of some groceries, the cost of going out for drinks, etc.

I like spending money on my automobile - I don't consider it a waste of money.

My employer pays for my health insurance, and the quality of healthcare here
beats the NHS any time of day (or night.)

HA, you've come to this forum loudly voicing opinions on things. That's all well and good - it's what the place is for. So when someone replies in kind that should be expected. After all, it's the mood set by the tone of your post. I myself am amazed that you seemingly can't take what you dish out.

There are pluses and minuses to living on both sides of the Atlantic. That being said, I do think you are in for an awakening upon your return to America. Many of the things you are looking forward to, such as well paying stable jobs, low cost healthcare provided by ones employer, affordable housing and a dependable low cost infrastructure, and lower transportation costs are at present not 'givens' in this country. Not by a long shot.

The US is a big country and there's room for lots of variance between areas. Things might be brighter in Texas than other places. I hope for your sake that they are. I have a feeling that if your bubble is burst in any way, you will be more sorely disappointed than the rest of us. After all, these things have been coming on us more slowly.





You should be thankful for that. There are many Americans, myself included, who aren't covered at all. And we are growing at an alarming rate every day.

I am thankful for that. But if they stop paying for it, guess what? I'm going to find another job that will.

Working on that. As I said, it's not so easy as it used to be.

And when it does happen, I'll still be mindful of those back there where I came from. There are agencies who could use the volunteers.

I've had NHS and I've had an HMO -- not much difference if you ask me, the HMO just costs more

I wasn't happy with the asthma treatment Wes tells me he received in the UK. What I don't know is whether it would have helped had he been more proactive on his own behalf. The drugs he is treating with here were available to him in the UK - for some reason they just weren't prescribed.

I had problems with the NHS when I had iritis, an eye infection - I had to be a lot more aggressive in asking for what I needed, at least in that instance.


But then, in the US, when I was diagnosed with a lazy eye (as a child) they insisted it needed to be operated on straight away to the tune of many $$$. A second opinion revealed that all I need was eye exercises (my eyes had to benchpress 100 lbs).

I guess the moral of that story is sometime you have to take healthcare matters into your own hands, no matter where you are.


I'd also add that "getting another job with better health insurance" is also an option in the UK -- a lot of companies offer private healthcare, such as BUPA. Mine did, and it cost me not one extra pence.

Absolutely. It's especially an issue with the elderly. My experience is many never question the physician's authority - probably out of respect (a more polite generation) or perhaps it's a feeling of helplessness. It's something my family struggled with as regarded my Granny, and amazingly an issue I see with my parents.

I did live in JA, but hubby lost his job so I came back to US and we started our visa process. The goal is to return back to JA within the next 5-10 years.

My husband and I MUCH prefer the UK to the US. There are good and bad points to both places, and at the end of the day wherever your loved one is ends up being home, but where you feel the most comfortable is really important. For us, the British lifestyle is our comfort zone. We make a lot of effort in making our small spot in the US our "little Britain" ie. downloading our favorite British tv shows and putting them onto dvd so we can watch them on tv at night, listening to BBC radio programs via the internet, getting our favorite newspapers and magazines at home such as the Daily Mail, my OK magazine, and his Volksworld, having our family send us the foods we can't live without ie. PG Tips and Tesco Salt and Vinegar crisps. It's not the same, but we're dealing til we can move back "home". Someone else mentioned hoping to someday own a home in both countries- that is our major goal- to be able to buy even a small flat in the UK so that we can get back onto the property market over there. My husband's biggest regret is selling his house in Scotland a few years ago. Wish more than anything we'd kept his house in the UK and my house in the US. Oh well, hindsight is always 20/20. Like a lot of people on this forum, we are in the US for my daughter's sake and will remain here until she graduates from high school in 10 years.

I wish I could have the best of both worlds all in one perfect place

I, too, wish we hadn't sold the house -- though paying 2 mortgages wasn't really feasible (or paying rent here, since getting a mortgage without hub's greencard while FBI checks are pending is a tall order) and renting it out was more trouble than it was worth.

That's us. My son was the reason for Wes' move here. As I told him when we first met - "I'm planted here".

This will make you sick - we could have purchased his rental house (3 bedroom semi) for - sit down first - 15000 quid. Granted it needed a boatload of work, but at that price it would have been worth it.

Stewart was living with his parents and had no "real" job.

I had my own place and a great job...

I guess that made the choice for us....but I would so much rather live there...my parents are getting older and I can't leave them...I'm pretty attached to my familly and Australia is REALLY far away....

one day

Sirius satellite radio has a Radio One channel it's time delayed to wherever you are, but it's a regularly streaming channel.

Good grief ..... that is a steal we are about to buy a house for 200,000 pounds ..... and it ain't nothing special

Tell me about it. On days when this immigration/adjusting crap gets me down, I wish we had waited till I could have moved over there, lived there about 5 years, sold it and come back to America with a wad of cash.

It could have been a nice home. I like the small efficient european homes. I know I could have scrubbed her up and made her shine.

Hindsight is a terrible thing.

Hehe, ours was valued at 192,000 and it's a four-bed semi at a whopping 1,000 square feet. It isn't anything special either. (Hope we sell it fast.)

I would have moved in a heartbeat-either to The Netherlands or back to the UK. We at least plan on buying property there later.

...Becca: 15000?????

I kid you not. It was a council house he had lived in 30 years. Could have been purchased under a scheme for long term renters.

ahhhh.....that's how I bought my first house 20 yrs ago bargains........

of the nearly four years we have spent with one another, we have lived one year in a long distance rel, one in the US and two in Germany (my home country).

Now it's time to go back "home" to the US, but who knows what the future will bring? We have Australia, Central America and a couple of other places on our list still

one thing I forgot to ask @homesick_american:

how does your husband like living in the UK?
How does he feel about your not only not liking, but hating life there?

I'm sure my husband would find it sad if I disliked his home country as much as you...

My husband has never lived anywhere else, so it's not a question he can answer.

He's disappointed that I don't like it here but he doesn't blame himself. He wants to move.

Us too. We are just in the US to get enough money and job experience to move elsewhere. We considered going to Canada first, but we are really on the line as far as points are concerned. I think we will have 68 and 67 is the cutoff? We will have to learn a bit more French and get some more job experience. If we're ridiculously lucky we will find an employer to sponser us. Either way we should be pretty good to sit around for a few years and see if our visa would be approved. Same deal with New Zealand or Australia (fat chance). We could also see moving to somewhere in Scandinavia. It is faster immigrationwise, anyway. I see staying in the US for at least the next 5 years, but after that? See what happens.

Hey, if you're going to the DFW area je peux vous aider avec le francais.

I am moving (back) to my SO's country......we have a child and for me and the position I'm in doesn't just being away from each other and him his daughter. I know not everyone can or has the same opportunities...but it's worked in the past for us and we're going to make it work again until his visa comes through. And, btw, I LOVE living in Lahore so it's not the worst thing in the world for me, although I'll miss my family and friends (again)

For financial reasons we decided the US was the better option. My husband's career here is very established and we are lucky enough to enjoy a very comfortable lifestyle. We do intend to go to the UK however in the future, maybe 5-6 years time, and hopefully stay there for 5 years. After that time, god willing, we would like to spend 6 months of each year in each country. I am very close to my family in the UK, with my parents now in their 70's. We are aware that our plans may need to change should family issues arise, so nothing is set in stone. I love the US but I also miss the UK, and thankfully my husband feels the same. Having the best of both worlds would be wonderful.