Brits from Amsterdam to Chicago
Sep 29th 2006, 12:17 pm
#16
I approved this message
Joined: Dec 2004
Location: Chicago
Posts: 2,425
Re: Brits from Amsterdam to Chicago
Originally Posted by Jenster
Amsterdam is not that great in winter and we've been to Toronto and Chicago in the coldest part of February before. I don't think it will be too much of a shock - we're from up north so we've little excuse!
Buy the biggest down parka you can find.
My main concerns are school - I'm having trouble finding out exactly when they're supposed to start what program
http://www.chicagotribune.com/classi...e/communities/
driving lessons - neither of us can actually drive (just never needed to learn!), so we've been trying to find out how adults get their licences in Illinois but it doesn't seem to be very clear. Is there actually anyone else out there who couldn't drive once?!
Oct 4th 2006, 9:06 am
#17
wax on wax off
Joined: Jan 2005
Location: Burr Ridge, Chicago
Posts: 42
Re: Brits from Amsterdam to Chicago
Hi
We are on the lump some relocate to Chicago route too - and I can go with the replies about the pot never being enough
Shipping from UK we have got a full pack deal for about £6500 delivered to a residence within 30 miles of port
We are moving to Western Suburbs (Hinsdale area) in January 2007
We have a son just 4 and daughter just six. Amelia will be in 1st grade which would have been her fist full time year in Chicago but she of course has been full time for 2 years. Adam (who has just started full time in UK) will be in Preschool and Kindergarten on a part time basis for 2 years. I think cost are around $300 a month for 4 or 5 half days. Adams school is free in the UK at 4 so we missed it out of our budget by mistake
You may find www.greatschools.net good as a base line but as always the school has to be right for your child and having a school full of straight A students can make it harder for you kids to get a college place (top % of school but they may be changing this - all seems a long way off I know.
Our tip is to shortlist then see the principle and see how much they talk about kids and not figures.
I still have not got the electrical item bit sussed as it is easy to say dump it all but it costs to replace. I am told that if it has an adaptor style plug it will work. Still dont know if my AER electro acoustic amp will work, or my playstation 2, or small music system, which are my priorities (boys and toys etc)
I do not now about you with no driving liscense but with one you have 90 days to pass Illinois test and you will find it hard to get tiltle of the car without insurance and insurance is easier if you have an Illinois license etc.
We have spent 12 months putting together budgets so if you need to know more just ask
Good luck - we are going through the madness of moving into rented in the UK whilst having stuff shipped and coming to terms with all the silly stuff like what clothes do you keep behind, what do you do with your bedding etc
If anyone has experience of the Retail Export Scheme let me know as I agree that furniture is not that cheap and if you get it right you can export new furniture without paying VAT but not sure what the duty on funrniture is in the US ??
best of luck
Heswallboy
We are on the lump some relocate to Chicago route too - and I can go with the replies about the pot never being enough
Shipping from UK we have got a full pack deal for about £6500 delivered to a residence within 30 miles of port
We are moving to Western Suburbs (Hinsdale area) in January 2007
We have a son just 4 and daughter just six. Amelia will be in 1st grade which would have been her fist full time year in Chicago but she of course has been full time for 2 years. Adam (who has just started full time in UK) will be in Preschool and Kindergarten on a part time basis for 2 years. I think cost are around $300 a month for 4 or 5 half days. Adams school is free in the UK at 4 so we missed it out of our budget by mistake
You may find www.greatschools.net good as a base line but as always the school has to be right for your child and having a school full of straight A students can make it harder for you kids to get a college place (top % of school but they may be changing this - all seems a long way off I know.
Our tip is to shortlist then see the principle and see how much they talk about kids and not figures.
I still have not got the electrical item bit sussed as it is easy to say dump it all but it costs to replace. I am told that if it has an adaptor style plug it will work. Still dont know if my AER electro acoustic amp will work, or my playstation 2, or small music system, which are my priorities (boys and toys etc)
I do not now about you with no driving liscense but with one you have 90 days to pass Illinois test and you will find it hard to get tiltle of the car without insurance and insurance is easier if you have an Illinois license etc.
We have spent 12 months putting together budgets so if you need to know more just ask
Good luck - we are going through the madness of moving into rented in the UK whilst having stuff shipped and coming to terms with all the silly stuff like what clothes do you keep behind, what do you do with your bedding etc
If anyone has experience of the Retail Export Scheme let me know as I agree that furniture is not that cheap and if you get it right you can export new furniture without paying VAT but not sure what the duty on funrniture is in the US ??
best of luck
Heswallboy
Oct 4th 2006, 9:19 am
#18
Lost in BE Cyberspace
Joined: Feb 2004
Posts: 14,579
Re: Brits from Amsterdam to Chicago
Originally Posted by heswallboy
I still have not got the electrical item bit sussed as it is easy to say dump it all but it costs to replace. I am told that if it has an adaptor style plug it will work. Still dont know if my AER electro acoustic amp will work, or my playstation 2, or small music system, which are my priorities (boys and toys etc)
1) Don't have an inbuilt transformer (laptops, and PCs normally have them)
2) Are cheap (it's not worth buying a transformer for a $10 can opener)
3) Are freely available (like a stereo system)
Every electrical item needs a transformer if it doesn't have one built in; and every electrical item will need a plug adapter.
There's some transformers here: http://www.dvdoverseas.com/store/ind...atalog6_0.html
Oct 4th 2006, 9:28 am
#19
wax on wax off
Joined: Jan 2005
Location: Burr Ridge, Chicago
Posts: 42
Re: Brits from Amsterdam to Chicago
Originally Posted by anotherlimey
In my opinion, dump/sell the electrical items that:
1) Don't have an inbuilt transformer (laptops, and PCs normally have them)
2) Are cheap (it's not worth buying a transformer for a $10 can opener)
3) Are freely available (like a stereo system)
Every electrical item needs a transformer if it doesn't have one built in; and every electrical item will need a plug adapter.
There's some transformers here: http://www.dvdoverseas.com/store/ind...atalog6_0.html
1) Don't have an inbuilt transformer (laptops, and PCs normally have them)
2) Are cheap (it's not worth buying a transformer for a $10 can opener)
3) Are freely available (like a stereo system)
Every electrical item needs a transformer if it doesn't have one built in; and every electrical item will need a plug adapter.
There's some transformers here: http://www.dvdoverseas.com/store/ind...atalog6_0.html
CHEERS most helpful
the guitar amps are an interesting one - I have been told stoies of people who have taken them and say they have no problems and exactly the opposite from others. An AER is the Mercedes of Acoustic amps and would like to keep. Anyway in the scale of things not a big risk as worst case you risk the cost of postage and an Ebay lisiting fee
Oct 5th 2006, 1:18 am
#20
Forum Regular
Thread Starter
Joined: Sep 2006
Location: Chicago, IL
Posts: 72
Re: Brits from Amsterdam to Chicago
Thanks for the tips - I take it you are moving everything from your house for that price. We've been living a pretty much temporary existence since a failed move to Brussels two years ago so we've not really got that much we want to bring apart from clothes, toys, books, cds and dvds and the wedding china. We'll be replacing our current IKEA furniture with more IKEA furniture!
For your PS2, my husband has both the European and US versions. He just plugs the European power lead into the US one to get it to work here in Holland so I'm sure if you get a US one when you get there you can do the same thing with your UK one, or just try to find the cable. The reason he has two is getting them chipped isn't easy here, so he couldn't play all the games he wanted that were only available in the US.
For your PS2, my husband has both the European and US versions. He just plugs the European power lead into the US one to get it to work here in Holland so I'm sure if you get a US one when you get there you can do the same thing with your UK one, or just try to find the cable. The reason he has two is getting them chipped isn't easy here, so he couldn't play all the games he wanted that were only available in the US.
