Zoeeeeeee

Oh, definitely - I mean, Skips are nice, but I’m sure I can forgo them for proper burritos, with avocado that’s actually ripe, rather than the rubbish ones we get here! 😆
 
Forgot about mustard - need English mustard powder for piccalilli-making - will I struggle to get it there?

We find powdered mustard in both grocery stores we use. 

Hey, will you please let me know what your pension company say about withdrawing/transferring?
I'm with Aegeon and they’ve told me that I can’t do either and just need to keep my pension here and then I can withdraw it at earliest 55...that’s 25 years from now, I’ll have probably forgotten about it by then 😂

@Zoeeeeeee @LukeU
I’m with you both on this and I’m adding in vimto (potentially a northern thing!) and salt and vinegar discos 😍 
I love Branston pickle with cheese and crackers so may need to add that to my list! Haha

Hahaha, it’s funny how you start to really evaluate what products you can’t exist without 😆. I also took LOADS of spices over last year, as I spent 2017 Christmas at my future in-laws...I decided to make mulled cider and was horrified when buying star anise - it was THIRTEEN DOLLARS for one jar!!! 😳😳😳 I took several jars of it over after that, at 70p a jar 😆.
 
We’ve managed to find crumpets over there (and only around $3, so expensive, but not insanely so) - though I am going to miss Skips and Lilt Zero 😫😫. To be honest though, food-wise, LA is great - I’m vegan, and the choices I get there, both in restaurants and shops, is excellent.
 
 

I have some Typhoo decaf from the grocery store. Don't remember the price.
 
No coffee for me. My wife can't understand the instant coffee thing in the UK. We have to buy a jar when my Mum comes because she doesn't like the real thing brewed in the coffee pot. After my wife's first visit to me in the UK, she bought me a Keurig single serve brewer after she figured out this was going to be a relationship and she would be returning. 
 
Hopefully all of you will find new things you love. I'm all in for big steaks, beef fajitas, BBQ brisket as staples. But I still use Colman's on BBQ sandwiches. I call it my yellow BBQ sauce. 
 
 

"An army marches on its stomach" and all of that, right?! 
 
It's the thing I meet Courtney with every time off the plane, crisps and chocolate. A breakfast of champions! 

Haha, yep, been there many times...Herschell now reminds me (“that comes with crisps by the way”)...but anyway, this is all important stuff to think about when you’re packing and prepping to go...taxes...contracts...bank accounts...Nik Naks...😆

Courtney (fianceé) said the same last time I took her to heathrow regarding walkers prawn cocktail. She had packed a tube of Pringles but had eaten them way before boarding time....🤦‍♂️
 
I'll have to see what she thinks of nik-naks. Just to make sure she's as sad as I am when we realise they're not available! 
 
I'm sure LA will have decaff though! 

I just love how this has gone from:
 
"I've sorted my taxes and debts" , "Make sure you sortout your loans and banking details"  to "There's cheap tea, it's good tea, there's lots of tea....we need tea, oh and HP sauce too with crumpets, don't worry it's not all dark over here. But be warned their chips (i still get caught out at food places ordering a sandwhich and it comes with 'chips' so I don't order fries!) selection is poor!" 

I hate to break it to you...no Nik Naks! Introduced my fiancé (Herschell) to them last year and he fell in love - he told me at the airport that he missed me...and Nik Naks...already! 😆😆
 
I’m planning on taking a thousand - and yeah, $4 for 120 isn’t bad actually...though I am awkward and drink decaf, so guessing it’ll be harder to get hold of?

This feels like the most stereotypical Brit conversation ever, discussing our need for proper tea 😆😆😆

3 cups a day Mon-Fri (assuming a 5 day working week),
3-6 Sat-Sun.
 
780 for your working days, 
416 weekends (lets say 4 a day), knock some off for parties/weekend trips,  380 weekends,
1,140 a year.
 
Knock it down, a little summer gets a little too much for tea at times - 950 would do me I recon in a year, maybe 1050? 🤔
 

I worked out mine at a conservative 2400 in a year. 😂
 
I find Colmans mustard, Branston pickle, and HP Sauce in my regular grocery store. That's about all I need British anymore. I've found a good cheddar that's not at imported prices there too. I'm pretty much over the rest of it except I splash out at Christmas on sweets from the local British store or World Market.
 

How many teabags is a year's supply? 
 
I buy PG Tips at a store called Tuesday Morning. 120 teabags/$3.99. That's about 3 quid. You might have to eventually settle for that. Works for me. 
 
 
 

Hahaha, it’s funny how you start to really evaluate what products you can’t exist without 😆. I also took LOADS of spices over last year, as I spent 2017 Christmas at my future in-laws...I decided to make mulled cider and was horrified when buying star anise - it was THIRTEEN DOLLARS for one jar!!! 😳😳😳 I took several jars of it over after that, at 70p a jar 😆.
 
We’ve managed to find crumpets over there (and only around $3, so expensive, but not insanely so) - though I am going to miss Skips and Lilt Zero 😫😫. To be honest though, food-wise, LA is great - I’m vegan, and the choices I get there, both in restaurants and shops, is excellent.
 
 

I have done the same, unfortunately I had a few trips when I travelled standby with a transfer so I didn't want to bring checked luggage but I'd still max out the hand luggage and personal baggage and just leave it all! 
 
This will be my last big bag and then the next 2 when I move over unfortunately full of general junk (and food). 
 
That's the best, friends etc will often be in/around the states due standby travel so they'll always be bribed into bringing me things I'm sure. It's a staple, I need prawn cocktail walkers and I need Galaxy chocolate. 
We found Yorkshire puddings online and they were something like $9-12 for 18 of them or something crazy! Courtney is now a dab hand at making them 😂 At that price, I should get in to the import/export business of Yorkshire puds alone. 

I've called all of my previous employer pension ones and I thankfully never had one with any of them but my current one I have sent the request regarding withdrawing it due to emmigrating. 
 
I have deals set up with friends for Galaxy chocolate, prawn cocktail crisps and thankfully we've found HP sauce that I can live with. I do agree with tea bags, I only get tetley over there and that just doesn't cut it compared to Yorkshire tea! I think the extra bag of my stuff Courtney is taking back with her this time may well be filled with primarily food haha!

Ha, same here! I found a shop selling English products in a couple of places in LA, but everything was at least quadruple the regular price - and I’m way too stingy to pay that if I can take stuff with me instead 😆.
 
I’ve been relocating my stuff for the last 18 months (every time me or my fiancé visit, a full suitcase of stuff gets left at his) - so I don’t actually have that much to take with me, so have room for food and things.
 
I’ve already struck a deal with my family - they must all visit me annually (or I them) and they must bring teabags and pickle 😆. In return, I’ll bring them Jolly Ranchers 😆.

Yorkshire tea can be found stateside. It was one of a few my grandma always drank and it is a staple of my husband's. You can also find PG Tips, Taylors of Harrogate, and Twinings. Some friends tell me there are also a few British import grocery stores in Michigan, and there are plenty of online order stores too.

This is quite possibly the final little part of my concerns now squashed regarding this whole process!  
The online stores we''ve seen but I could not ever pay their prices, now it's time to search British import stores for sure. 

You car - are you selling or scrapping it? Either way, send off the change of ownership document to the DVLA before you go...

Oooh, what about your pension (if you have one)? 
 
I’m with Fidelity, who exist in the US and have confirmed my pension savings can be transferred over (which is very helpful) - so maybe worth checking with your pension company if you can do the same? Or withdraw the money?

Definitely worth checking it (mine’s a work-based one too) - and if you can’t transfer it, I think they have to let you withdraw, albeit, with fees I would imagine...
 
Another thing to think about is what you may want to take with you (outside of your regular possessions)...I’m visiting in March and am taking a year’s supply of teabags (American ones just don’t taste right to me) and loads of my favourite face moisturiser...when I visited last, I took several jars of Branson pickle and some chutneys 😆.
 
Don’t get me wrong, you can get British products over there, but the prices are waaaay inflated.

Depends on the plan.  Hubs has some he can choose from that have a $250 deductible, but our HDHP is 3k.  Preventative care is covered however and isn't out of pocket.  Some plans require you to pay a co-pay for every doctor visit. 
 
Lets be honest, USA health insurance system sucks big hairy monkey balls.