windsong

Well, now it really feels real. I am going home in three weeks! Today I sold my vehicle!!

I now have a home in the UK and recruiters working for me and now my vehicle is sold. I have started to pack and the pets are half-way "done". They have their Euro chips and rabies shots and paperwork completion begins next week. Airline tickets are booked for me and pets have space reserved on the plane.

I don't know what is finally hitting me - is it exhilaration, excitement, anxiety, fear, grief or all of it?? And can you believe it, I am grieving the sale of my vehicle, too. I loved it! Never mind, I will get one in the UK soon.

Anyway, what American size bed sheets best fit a UK 6 ft x 5 ft bed? I thought I'd buy some bed linens here to fit the beds in the UK.

Also, re down comforters, am I better/cheaper to buy them in the USA or in the UK?

What other items would I be wise to take with me from the USA?

rebeccajo

Congratulations on selling the car.

Regarding sheets:

http://britishexpats.com/forum/movin...usa-uk-813149/

Pulaski

You'll get more choices of duvets (assuming that's what you mean by comforter), in the UK - choices of weight/ warmth that you don't commonly see in the US, and also warmer ones than are usually sold in the US because most Americans seem to sleep with their heating system cranked up. ..... Then there's the size issue, so honestly I wouldn't buy any bedding with the intention of taking it across the pond.

windsong

Thank you. The link reminds me how long this move has been in the planning.

windsong

I was wondering about the duvet warmth levels so thank you for this. I feel the cold so I think I will get one in the UK.

Celticspirit

Did you sell to Carmax? I have heard they give a fair price and easiest sale.

Celticspirit

I agree re duvets and their sales are wonderful. My daughter and her husband are taking their bed in spite of my protestations. It must be a romantic thingy.....they are just married two years.

Vadio

A UK *king* bed - 5' wide - is roughly equivalent to a US queen size. Good, deep sheets from the US are far better quality and fit a UK king bed with no issues. Far cheaper in the US, and definitely something to take with you.

Duvets are another matter - different concept in the UK, with all the *tog* ratings, and the sizes are not really comparable to US sizes. Having said that, I have US king-sized down comforter that I bought 25 or so years ago that I still use. The cover is looking a bit ratty, but the comforter itself is fine.

Jerseygirl

I brought my UK king bedding with me to the U.S. The bottom fitted sheet and valance were too small. I also disagree with US bedding being better quality.

Vadio

well, all I can say is that the last UK fitted sheet I bought was <£20 for what was supposed to be 200 thread count all cotton, and was the best of a bad lot at the time. It was so skimpy it won't stay on the bed and didn't from day 1. The bed was new, and all I had was double bed sheets, so it was a desperation purchase. Never again.

By contrast I bought a SET - including 2 pillowcases, 700 thread count, deep enough to fit an 18" mattress for $59.99 in the US. That set has been washed/dried multiple times now, and still as good as the day I got them. If you buy K-Mart and Wal-Mart bed linens....you get crap quality. Go to Tuesday Morning or TJ Maxx, and there are great bargains to be had for unsurpassed quality. I go for long staple Egyptian cotton every time, and given that I've been buying bed linens for roughly 50 years, I've learned a bit.

A UK king valence will likely be too small for a US bed, mostly because they are made for a divan base, plus the metric sizes are not quite the same. But a US queen sheet fits a UK king bed nicely. The deep pockets more than make up for the slight variation between metric and standard measure sizing.

Pulaski

Apparently what you've learned is that shopping around for better quality works in the US, but then you compared that to a "desperation purchase" in the UK. I think the suggestion that bedding is of universally poor quality in the UK is utter nonsense. ..... Why would you expect a £20 purchase to be comparable in quality to a $60 purchase? At the usual price comparison of $1-£1, I think we'd all agree that you would not expect good quality from a $20 bedding set.

Jerseygirl

Of course US Queen fitted sheets fit a UK King with room to spare...that's because a U.S. Queen is larger than a UK King.

I am not referring to bedding from KMart/Walmart/TJ Max etc....but from reputable dept stores. I usually pay $100+ for a set of sheets. In the UK I usually buy from M&S...far, far better IMO in quality, fit and wearability.

It makes no difference how long you have been buying bedlinens...it doesn't make my argument any less valid than yours.

Vadio

That £20 desperation purchase at the then Fx rate of (roughly) $1.60/£1 cost me the equivalent of $32 for ONE sheet. Three months later, on my annual trek to see my elderly parents, I got 2 sheets (top and fitted bottom) plus 2 extra large pillowcases for $60. I'd say that's pretty comparable in price 'sheet for sheet', but the difference in quality was huge.

I could have gone to M&S and paid £45 ($72 using the fame Fx rate) for one of their "pure cotton deeper fitted" bottom sheets. And perhaps the quality would have been somewhat equivalent, but I still maintain that $60 for a set of 700 thread count Egyptian cotton sheets was a far better buy. Even at par - $1:£1 - a set @ $60 for good sheets is better value than £45 for one sheet.

Pulaski

So you have deduced that (some) things are cheaper in the US. Good work Sherlock!

Vadio

Wasn't that the point of the OP's original question? What would be better/cheaper to buy BEFORE leaving the US?