Fish n Chips 56

Well said Simon, youve got it right, Watch FOX and we'd all be depressed, Beck and OReilly are for the people who cant think for themselves.

Fish n Chips 56

Great Advice June and John...

callé

I've been back for five years, so if I can help with any advice...please just ask!
Re the bank issue; we just kept our account in the US open, to make sure we had some funds (although not much), whilst it took time to sort things here as far as opening bank accounts and waiting out any time period for jobs and money to start being available here. We were able to use our US card to draw out what we needed at any cash point. This gave us that safety net. We then opened an account here. We could have then closed our US account at any point easily but we chose to leave it open as we still have some family there and can easily transfer any funds for birthdays or whatever.
Lara- good advice about going to citizens advice, they are quite helpful.

oh...
I am in Cheshire if anyone in this area runs into an emergency needing some help. I'm a saggitarian...always willing to help my own.
I am also on face book. Under Trish Ashton.

aes1

Great idea Trottytrue. Here is my updated signature.

aes1

Re Banks: I still have my US account and debit card to use in machines. Before I left the US I had my sister open up a separate account at her bank (Lloyds) with my money but in her name. When I arrived in the UK we had that money transferred to a new account in my name. They knew her, she was with me, no problem at all. I was in the UK one month, now in Malta. I brought cash with me from the US (dollars and euros I bought before I left) in a money belt round my waist, just less than the legal allowed limit, and have been living on that here. Haven't opened a bank account yet here, haven't used machines, still have cash left. Will open an account when I get a job or need to convert more dollars from my US account. Waiting for euro/dollar rate to improve All I will need to open one here is my Maltese ID card (which I got very easily when I arrived, matter of days, only proof needed was a divorce certificate and passport ID).

Easterndawn

My goodness you were brave carrying that amount of cash with you, I was only carrying £1500.00 and that made me nervous.

Lara45

Dawn - at this point in time we dont even know where his cheque is. MY OH tried his best to understand what he was being told on the 'phone but eventually I had to take over the conversation. I was told the check was sent to the branch where it was paid in on 8th June. Yesterday, our local branch hadn't recieved it. What is so annoying as well is that my OH, when he opened the account, signed on for mobile banking. He didn't realise that it was a "paid for" service - and so now they have him on overdraft for the privilidge and it's costing £6 a day!! If I hadn't insisted my OH call them yesterday - we'd never have known anything about the cheque being returned.

Now I'm just hoping and praying that it is the local branch of Lloyds that the cheque has been returned to and not back to the States to his pension provider. And that's another thing - the pension provider wont send his monthly pension electronically as (apparently) they're not supposed to send payments electronically outside the US!!

Easterndawn

Did you close the bank account you had in US, if not can you have them deposit the cheque,(once you know where it is) into that account and access it that way. I am probable not much help, just trying to think of ways to simplyfy this process for you, it is different in Canada, so perhaps someone from US that has gone through similiar things could let you know

sallysimmons

I figured out once how they get that 60%. You pay 20% on your income up to a certain point in the UK, and then 40% on anything earned above that amount. Some bright spark - probably on Fox News - added 20% to 40% and voila!

As for same day Doctor's appointments, so true! I am lucky to get same week drs appointments where I live and yet people still spout that at me. The only time we needed a doctor the same day, we were told 'oh he's booked all week - just go to the emergency room.' I see a dermatologist for check-ups and I have to book that 3 months in advance. I had to wait 9 months for my first mammogram. What are these people smoking?

aes1

A question of necessity!!! Couldn't come up with any better solution not knowing if I needed euros/dollars/pounds. That was my best way to not lose out too much in conversion rates. I would do it again, perfectly safe.

charleygirl

haha I am also denise, not seen so many Denises in one place so I wonder if we are all about same age, I wonder who was famous and called denise in the 50s.

charleygirl

BTW For all those flying home, Lestagirl and who else??? Bon voyage and keep in touch once you are settled over the pond!!!!

Anyone heard from Relocateme??? She must have been in Aus for almost a month now........[/QUOTE]

Not yet but I know one of the girls here left couple of days ago I asked her to let us know, how she gets on. She was leaving her fl. hubby to go home.
Grandma leaves soon right? Tomorrow I think heading for Hong Kong,
I am planning a visit first in September. going to look at all ways to make it easier for me esp. the housing trust stuff and open a bank account.

charleygirl

hey thanks for the new thread will def. be over there.
Denise 3 hahaha

trottytrue

Calle... Could you update yourself, you are another successful ex-pat moving home. Lucky you.....
You could either put it at the bottom of your posting like some do or on the side under your name.

dgjamison

Hi Lestagirl, lovely to hear from you, my nephew lives in Leicester with his lovley scottish wife and baby son, with another on the way. They live in Queens Drive. He teaches over there and has lived there since graduating, he plays in a group at night so does a lot of gigs round leicester, has met a lot of friends there and loves it. It really is a small world. I am hoping to book my flights home to Ireland next week jsut waiting for money to arrive and clear to ship our stuff home. Will miss a lot about Toronto, but home is where the heart is. will talk to you again
Denise 1,2,3,