British Expats

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-   Moving back or to the UK (https://britishexpats.com/forum/moving-back-uk-61/)
-   -   Over 40's Moving Back and Catching Up (https://britishexpats.com/forum/moving-back-uk-61/over-40s-moving-back-catching-up-701116/)

cheers Apr 24th 2011 1:38 am

Re: OVER 50's & 60's Chit-Chat & Daily Catch-Up Thread
 
[QUOTE=Fish n Chips 56;9322799]Well said and I totally agree with you, Goldcoast, as I said previously I worked in a 24 hours store, I think our front doors were closed 48 hours a year, of course now they open for thanksgiving too.

Actually once a store opens 24 hours others follow, scared they are losing sales to others, they certainly dont care about their employees lives, thats not an issue.


/QUOTE]

I was out shopping today and I was in Target and the cashier told me they were closed tomorrow for Easter. What a surprise.

Not related to the above buta lot of the nationally run Malls require their tenant stores to remain open everyday of the week.

jasper123 Apr 24th 2011 9:17 am

Re: OVER 50's & 60's Chit-Chat & Daily Catch-Up Thread
 

Originally Posted by bandrui (Post 9322739)
Your water is higher, phone/internet lower, tax about the same. Given that this is for winter months, your elec/gas would be less than what I pay for winter but mine drops down alot in the summer. I suppose it does there too.

Yes thats a good point really isn't it about power costs and how much they differ from winter to Summer,
And it depends on where you live in America or Canada, like your winters are extremely cold in east coast of Canada just like east coast U.S. so the power bills I would think would be higher, but Summers would be lower bills, ----- but if you compare Las Vegas where I Used to live in winter it was mild so electric bill small, but as soon as the hot summer started and the 112 temps were a daily thing that lasted for months well then the power bills would literally go through the roof, double to 3 times the winter costs, ---- so the reverse,
But living in England the power bills all over would be about the same in the winter, and wherever you lived about the same power costs in Summer, being a small country, and we dont need air conditioning in our homes or cars, just open a window:D but I would Imagine that the Summer months in UK will be lower gas bills at least cause most homes here are heated by gas and we rarely use the heat in the Summer,
But overall I would Imagine all the bills here in UK would be roughly the same throughout the year,

jasper123 Apr 24th 2011 9:31 am

Re: OVER 50's & 60's Chit-Chat & Daily Catch-Up Thread
 

Originally Posted by sallysimmons (Post 9322807)
Yup - and when we saw an accountant about a tax question last year, he said our taxes were cheap for the area :eek: We live just outside a very posh little town - if we were inside that town, our taxes would literally double.

Our utilities bills are equally insane. My house is nowhere near as grand as cheers' house, but it's old and so in the winter it's hard to heat and in the summer it's impossible to keep cool. The bills average out at about $700 a month although they're higher in winter and lower in summer. I'll be the first to admit I like to be warm, but even so, that's nuts.

We work our asses off and we run a pretty successful little business, but costs are so high here that we still have nothing like the lifestyle our friends in England enjoy. We rarely go out for dinner or to a concert. We buy very little for ourselves and the trip back to the UK last year was our first holiday in years.

This is why I keep saying that talk of 'US cost of living' is nutty. It varies so much from state to state. Cheers' house would cost $2.5M here (at least). His property taxes would be $20K plus and he'd have ridiculous heating costs.

We thought of moving somewhere cheaper, but having traveled around the US, we know that nowhere else suits us as well culturally. It's NY or England for us. (and thankfully it will be England! :D)

WOW Sally Im absolutely FLABAGASTED, one would have to make a lot of money to be able to pay the enormous property taxes in New York, and the enormous power bills too,
You see Im being educated now cause as Ive said before Ive never been a homeowner, although I have known lots of people that were, but then I have always mostly lived in Nevada,
Thanks Sally and Happy Easter to you ----- and to everyone Happy Easter.

windsong Apr 24th 2011 2:34 pm

Re: OVER 50's & 60's Chit-Chat & Daily Catch-Up Thread
 

Originally Posted by sallysimmons (Post 9320612)
How about raising taxes on rich people and cutting defense spending to the levels of other developed nations.

Problem solved :D

Totally agree!

windsong Apr 24th 2011 2:44 pm

Re: OVER 50's & 60's Chit-Chat & Daily Catch-Up Thread
 

Originally Posted by cheers (Post 9319443)
To DDL and Windsong and Eastener,

Some of the things I like about the US.
I think there is a lot of competion in the US and there are a lot of bargains but others have posted that the UK has come around and the race is on for bargains.
In the US I feel that I can change things to a degree politically if I don't like them. I've always felt since day one that money is easily come by for credit. Example, I see a nice shiny new car and I want it so I go down and sign my name and I drive off in it because I have enough money for the first payment:D
I want to see a doctor and I call up and I get an appointment and when I go to the doctors office it is nice and clean and cheerful and the staff are pleasant and it doesn't cost me anything! Well instead of paying £1.50 per litre of petrol for NHS I pay a reasonable amount for suplimental health insurance.

Downside to the US. I'm not going to say because some American people are too sensitive.

Things I like about the UK--we've covered that in our thread already.;)

Yes, Cheers, it is easy to get credit here especially for a car but those car payments . . . . as you say.

I do like the summer weather here, especially coming from Scotland. I love the number of sunshine hours we get, too. That's important.

I also like the coffee shops in the bookstores. I don't know if they do that sort of thing in the UK. (Doesn't matter if they don't - still going home :rofl:)

I like having little shopping plazas with places like Target, Home Depot just a few miles from home (suburbia). I think you have to go into town to find that in the UK.

The good weather in summer would be difficult to live without but the south of England is much warmer than Scotland and the south is where I will be going.

I'm still trying to remember positives about the USA but that's all I can come up with for now.

windsong Apr 24th 2011 2:47 pm

Re: OVER 50's & 60's Chit-Chat & Daily Catch-Up Thread
 

Originally Posted by cheers (Post 9319406)
I think of myself as a Christian but I don't think we made as big of a deal of Easter as they do in America. Comments anyone?
I was in Costco this morning and you would have thought it was Christmas by the mobs of customers who were in there and then coming home we passed by the Olive Garden restaurant and the parking lot was packed. Did someone say the economy was in the toilet? Not from what I see.

I think in America they find any excuse/reason to have a family get-together which is nice but the real meaning of the event (e.g. Easter) for most people lacks substance - but then again you can find this same sort of thing in the UK, too. Not every family celebrates the spirit behind Easter - or Christmas, for that matter.

windsong Apr 24th 2011 2:55 pm

Re: OVER 50's & 60's Chit-Chat & Daily Catch-Up Thread
 

Originally Posted by jasper123 (Post 9322231)
Yesterday and today have been so warm for England, today its now 78f and blue skies as far as the eye can see :D
What I have noticed here since I have been back is most of the big food chains here now have air conditioning in there stores, I was walking around Iceland and the co-op yesterday and I could feel it, and it felt lovely just like being in America in the summer, so thats a big improvement right?

If anyone is interested I have been home long enough now to report on the average utility bill costs now ----- thats if you take me and Mum as average,
Now these are for a 3 bedroom terraced house, ---- all the quarterly bills are in now with the latest coming in today which was the sewage bill, and so I have calculated all the bills down to monthly ---- cause thats how we pay our bills in the U.S. all these figures will be in GBP so you will have to roughly convert them to your currencies where you live,

Average Monthly Utility bills ----- 3 Bedroom Terraced, Hampshire, England.

Council tax/property tax (two people)
£121
Water & Sewage
£46
Gas & Electricity
£90
Phone & Internet (land line only) B.T.
£32
Total Per Month,
£289

Important Note,
Our Water & Sewege is on the Meter,

Now to all you House owners out there in other countries like OZZ or Canada or U.S. or else where ---- how do these figures compare to your own?

I guess these figures could help people returning home whether or not they rent or buy,
Hope this helps,
Rodney.
PS now as me and Mum split all bills in half then its quite affordable for each of us, ----- so if there are two people sharing all bills its much better in my opinion.

Heavens above, Rodney, those are dirt cheap compared to what I pay here in the USA.

Electric alone - $250 a month average
Gas - $200 - varies with the season - $100-$200

Phone (I only use a cell phone) $75

Land line phone I think is about $25 + your calls

Internet - normally part of cable TV package but if you buy alone it is $45 a month

Property taxes were $300 a month (three bed, three bath condo)

Pistolpete2 Apr 24th 2011 2:56 pm

Re: OVER 50's & 60's Chit-Chat & Daily Catch-Up Thread
 

Originally Posted by windsong (Post 9323490)
I also like the coffee shops in the bookstores. I don't know if they do that sort of thing in the UK. (Doesn't matter if they don't - still going home

Good News!

You can get Costa Coffee at many Waterstones the bookstore throughout the UK.

In fact the Glasgow area BE group looking to emigrate to Canada met up at the Glasgow Waterstones Costa Coffee.

windsong Apr 24th 2011 3:03 pm

Re: OVER 50's & 60's Chit-Chat & Daily Catch-Up Thread
 

Originally Posted by cheers (Post 9322245)
Point here. Tesco has been in Eastern Europe recruiting workers for low wages while people in England can't get work. It doesn't make sense. Yes it does really when you think 'bottom line'

Companies everywhere need to put the "human-ness" back into the bottom line. At one time, the size of monopolies was restricted in the UK. They ought to do it now - everywhere. It would stop a lot of the nonsense that has been going on, especially in the USA.

Companies profess to have a "code of ethics" and "mission statement" - what a load of BS. Their one mission in life is get the bottom line as high as possible. Well, that scrubs out any other possible ethics or mission that may be written because that's what it is, "written only".

Tesco must be the Walmart of the UK.

sallysimmons Apr 24th 2011 3:07 pm

Re: OVER 50's & 60's Chit-Chat & Daily Catch-Up Thread
 

Originally Posted by windsong (Post 9323490)
I like having little shopping plazas with places like Target, Home Depot just a few miles from home (suburbia). I think you have to go into town to find that in the UK.

These kind of shopping plazas are much more common in the UK now, as are big out-of-town malls.

Of course, it's stores like Target and Home Depot that are the big corporate behemoths you're all complaining about, so I'm not sure if this is a curse or a blessing ;-)

ldyinlv Apr 24th 2011 3:08 pm

Re: OVER 50's & 60's Chit-Chat & Daily Catch-Up Thread
 

Originally Posted by windsong (Post 9323510)
Heavens above, Rodney, those are dirt cheap compared to what I pay here in the USA.

Electric alone - $250 a month average
Gas - $200 - varies with the season - $100-$200

Phone (I only use a cell phone) $75

Land line phone I think is about $25 + your calls

Internet - normally part of cable TV package but if you buy alone it is $45 a month

Property taxes were $300 a month (three bed, three bath condo)

Humm landlines in Vegas always included your calls, Unless you didnt have a lond distance plan they where extra.

sallysimmons Apr 24th 2011 3:10 pm

Re: OVER 50's & 60's Chit-Chat & Daily Catch-Up Thread
 

Originally Posted by Pistolpete2 (Post 9323513)

You can get Costa Coffee at many Waterstones the bookstore throughout the UK.

Costa Coffee is one of the many new things that have made England a better place to live IMO. So much nicer than Starbucks and they make a fabulous pot of tea.

windsong Apr 24th 2011 3:11 pm

Re: OVER 50's & 60's Chit-Chat & Daily Catch-Up Thread
 

Originally Posted by bandrui (Post 9322611)
I agree with 99% of what Chriswinter and Pistolpete have to say on this subject but I would add that, rather than this be due to consumer demand, I believe consumers have been trained by the corporations to expect this. It's a huge subject with a long slippery trail.
Political power has shifted from the people and democracy to the greedy wealthy corporations. Rather than consumers saying this is what I want, or more accurately this is what I used to want, the corporations now dictate this is what you need, and what you need to want. The frustrating part of this for me is how the masses follow like a bunch of mindless sheep, never questioning the ramifications of the situation but complaining loudly when this system takes it's toll, as in the current economic trauma in the US.
When I entered the US in 1970 I noticed how much revolved around quantity, rather than quality, and was proud of how this was not the case in England. When I returned to the UK for my first visit after leaving in the early 70s and saw a Holiday Inn outside London, I was quite offended by this American invasive move. (Just telling like it was for me :(). Since then, of course, it has been an ever increasing trend, not only in the UK but Worldwide. People buy into an image of the US, rather than the reality. It is my belief that this is destroying native cultures everywhere and yes, the heart of towns and villages, BUT I take faith that this will not continue indefinitely. I take great pleasure in seeing small groups of people coming to their senses. Gradually people are realising how important it is to support local agriculture, crafts and industry, even if it means paying slightly higher prices. I don't have a lot of disposable income but would much rather buy fewer quality locally produced items than participate in the feeding frenzy for mass-produced chemical-based Made-in-China products. I cannot remember the last time I went into a shopping mall.
Ultimately, with the ever increasing price of oil, and resulting increase in transportation costs, returning to locally-based solutions will be the only option. It is why I am so interested in living in an area that has local food production, supports local arts and crafts and has seen the writing on the wall (as in the Transition Town movement).
We need to be concerned for future generations and educate consumers in this regard.
Good job this is on the Chit-chat thread! :D

p.s. ... and this is only addressing the monetary costs! The costs to personal and environmental health are another huge part of this.

I totally agree with everything you have said about the USA invasive movement. It sounds good on paper but when you live in a society like this for a long time you begin to see and feel the negative consequences, i.e. the very negative effects on society. People become greedy and selfish, expectations get higher and higher, they become more self-centered, etc. - I could go on and on.

Yes, this has invaded Britain but, thankfully, Britain is not so advanced in this respect (yet) as America is. I feel sorry for future generations, though.

Having said that, Britain may never get so advanced in this respect as the USA. After all, it is part of the EU and much of the EU travel industry is built on "small" and "quaint" and "ethnic". Large corporations like Tesco would throw these things to the wind and I think the EU wants to hold on to these things if only to protect the travel industry. All in all, I am just hoping that everything it means to be European may stop this from happening to such a degree in the UK. I might be totally wrong here, though.

windsong Apr 24th 2011 3:12 pm

Re: OVER 50's & 60's Chit-Chat & Daily Catch-Up Thread
 

Originally Posted by ldyinlv (Post 9323532)
Humm landlines in Vegas always included your calls, Unless you didnt have a lond distance plan they where extra.

It's been years since I had a landline but it used to include local calls. Long distance and "in between distance" (forget the term but it is a new level they introduced to bleed the public) were extra.

ldyinlv Apr 24th 2011 3:13 pm

Re: OVER 50's & 60's Chit-Chat & Daily Catch-Up Thread
 

Originally Posted by windsong (Post 9323521)
Companies everywhere need to put the "human-ness" back into the bottom line. At one time, the size of monopolies was restricted in the UK. They ought to do it now - everywhere. It would stop a lot of the nonsense that has been going on, especially in the USA.

Companies profess to have a "code of ethics" and "mission statement" - what a load of BS. Their one mission in life is get the bottom line as high as possible. Well, that scrubs out any other possible ethics or mission that may be written because that's what it is, "written only".

Tesco must be the Walmart of the UK.


Fresh and Easy are owned by Tesco in the US, they are everywhere. Also all the concessions in national parks (Yellowstone, Yosimite, etc) in the US are owned by a UK company. Burger King is owned by a European Country now too, I cant remember which, so alot of the things we think of as US corporations are actually not anymore.


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