cheers

I live on a movie set!

jasper123

Cheers
weather forecast for Portsmouth British Isles today 8th July high 63 low 54,
overcast, mixture of heavy rain & showers throughout the day, 78% humidity, winds 45 mph,
AND I love it !!!!
I was actually walking around in the high street today doing a little spot of shopping with the old umbrella I brought from America, I have had it since my days when I was living in San francisco when I was renting a studio apartment on Geary street for $100 per month in 1981 I was a cook then working at original joes in the Marina,

cheers

The weather there sounds luvly!
I know Geary street very well. I went with a nurse who lived up by the Kaiser Hospital that was by the Sears Roebuck store.
You may know that there are so many Original Joe's restaurants around San Francisco that I don't which was the original. The one I went to was in the Tenderloin Area and the waiters there always wore tuxes.

cheers

I'm looking for the budget that Dunrovin made up for the cost of living in the UK. Does anyone know were I can find it??

jasper123

Yes cheers I think that original Joes in the tenderloin (WAS) the original ---- Original Joes, and the one I worked at also had all the waiters dressed in Tuxedos, they all made a lot of money in tips, and they looked after the cooks too, they would all put a small percentage of there tips in the pot, and all the cooks just split it up between us
I remember the restaurant was always very busy, ---- there were many tables but a lot of people mostly single folk used to like sitting at the counter watching there food being cooked, there were always 3 or 4 cooks --- each having our own station to work,
On our hour lunch break we were allowed to cook ourselves whatever we wanted even a nice steak, we sat back in the main prep kitchen at the back and ate it and we were allowed two glasses of house wine --- either red or white, I used to love that Job at that time in the 80's I think O' Joes only had 3 locations in San Francisco,
I was there for 3 years, I left so I could go back to Reno, something about Nevada, people who leave the State generally come back, a big majority do anyway, I lived in Nevada for a little over 30 years, but only 14 years in Las Vegas, the rest mostly in Reno but a couple of years in South Lake Tahoe, Nv too ---- now thats a nice place too, especially in the time share business at least it was years ago, before everything got tough.
Well it was raining most of the day, and all of a sudden like magic --- in the twinkling of the eye in just minutes as you are looking at the sky it just clears up, and after 10 minutes the sky changes from this grey sky, to a blue sky with the sun shining brightly, all this happened around 5pm today, that happens so often here, Its very unique indeed,
It was 63 here today and I think 112 in Vegas, ---- well I will take this climate over Vegas blistering heat anytime time

jasper123

Sallysimmons,
WOW I have never heard anyone paying that amount for health care, $750 each a month, wow, in Vegas you could rent (TWO) nice apartments in a nice area of town for that money, it doesnt make sense, --- are you both self employed?

sallysimmons

Yes, and that's why we have to pay the whole cost ourselves. When we started our business in 2003, our cost for 2 people was $650. It just goes up hugely every year. Starting in October, it will go from $1,400 to $1,700.We don't even use it that much! By the time we move home, the cost will be almost $2,000 per month - think how nice a place we can rent in England for that money!

But you have to remember that everyone's healthcare costs a lot - it's just that employed people never see the whole bill.

jasper123

I have just seen the new pics of Kirstie Alley she's somehow lost 90 lbs and looks fabulous at 60, Im amazed cause the last time I saw her, it was on the view, she was really heavy.

jasper123

Yes your right about that Sally, I have always had good affordable health care at my Jobs over the years --- except the last one where it was offered but sooo expensive nobody could afford it, but most Jobs my deductions were around $80 or $90 p.m. including the dental and the short term & long term disability, but I was aware that the companies share was in the hundreds per month per employee,
Sally all I can hope is that you & your hubby are making a substantial amount of money from your business, well obviously you are to be able to pay in health care each, as much as some people clear in there pay checks in one month these days, and I say that of course in the nicest way my friend, a lot of people are only making $200 net in there pay checks in USA, about the same as some were making over 30 years ago not too much progress there for the average Joe over the years in U.S. Im afraid.

Mallory

Originally Posted by cheers
I was doing some comparing of living costs between the UK and where I'm living in the US. The UK costs were submitted by Dunrovin. It is interesting how they compare and they are not scientific.

Council/Property tax £92 UKS / £107USMA in property costs
Home Insurance £30 UK / £32.46US - ditto-
Auto Ins £50 UK / £45.25US remove?
TV Lic/Cable £12uk / £33.24us
Auto Regist./tax £15uk / £16us
Electric £20uk / £88us
Gas £100uk / £38.45us
Petrol £40uk / £66us remove?
Water £30uk / £27.87us
Food £300uk / £129us adjusted to 450
Phone-landline £30uk / £20.77us

Notes:
UKS=UK, Scotland
USMA= US Mountain States area
First # is for the UK and the second is for the US

If you combine the gas and electic it comes out to be about the same in either place.

copy.

sallysimmons

I understand rodney. It's taken us a long time and a lot of risk, worry and 14 hour work days/7 days a week, but we are finally able to pay all our bills without eating into our small retirement savings (all spent during the first few years of the business). For years we were as you describe, falling behind further and further each year and it's a tough situation.

I'm really proud of all we've achieved but I'm also aware of how quickly it can all go again - that's why I'll never understand those "I'm alright jack" people who don't want to pay taxes to help people in need.

Since we will continue to run our business from the UK, that healthcare expenditure will just go away once we arrive - as will our huge property taxes (about 5x more than we'll be paying in the UK) but our income hopefully won't change. Even with higher income taxes, we will still be much better off in the UK and I hope we will be able to slow down a little bit and maybe just work 8 hour days - even have the odd weekend off. Now that would be luxury!

sallysimmons

Cheers, when you made this comparison, you forgot your $700 per month in Medicare costs. Wow, your property taxes are low - especially for such a big house!

Mallory

Cheers was looking for Dunrovins budget. This is a copy of Dunrovin's budget. Cheers had been asking to see it again. It's a bit confusing - but Dunrovin used to live in the US, and he was making a comparison for when/if he manages to get back to the US.

jasper123

I understand, thanks sally, yes I have known a lot of people in U.S. that told me how much work and all the hours you have to put in to a new business,
and then you have to still work so hard to keep it going for years,
WOW sally you wont know yourself when you finally get to U.K. no $1400 month health care costs, and no deductibles or co-pays, and no high property taxes, and I think your income taxes should not be as high as you think in U.K. cause just like the united states self employed people over here can and do claim for all expenses and right offs every year when they do there tax return,

cheers

Thank you for finding that for me. The US numbers are what I entered to just to get an idea.
I'm listening to a radio station in the Liverpool area called Smooth Radio. They have an American singer Neil Diamond as a guest and they are playing his music. How weird. Me in the US listening to a Brit station that is playing American music and they are interviewing an American artist. I love the music of this station. Now Bee will make it more weird and say she is listening to the same station.

Back to the budget. I don't understand why gas is so expensive there since I think they get the gas from the North Sea. My last gas bill was £10.72 ($17.06) for the month.
Water is another one, £30? UK is where they make water You can even go outside and steal the stuff there. This month my bill is £32.72 or $52.02 and remember I live in the desert so water is like gold. I am running the sprinkler system for the lawn and plants so its high now. Landline phone is high in the UK, £30 vs £15.09 here in Utah. Electricity is low in the UK. I'm not complaining, just saying. Jackie are you listening?

Maybe I should be posting in the Moving to the US forum?

I still like the idea of moving there.