Re: Moving from UK to USA Part 2 Q
Originally Posted by nun
(Post 11850840)
Google this, there are lots of ways, wire transfer or FX companies
TorFX and Halo Financial are both companies I have used. Both provide professional secure fund transfers that are efficient in my experience. They are also pretty good if you mess up and need help with something. One of them, I forget which, has an online account access where you can do the deal without picking up the phone and that is good, though I found the rate I can get online to be less than I can get by calling them (which makes no sense to me since online should cost them less to enact? Hey ho) Hope this helps. Good luck, because you do need a bit of luck with such a change! |
Re: Moving from UK to USA Part 2 Q
Originally Posted by robin1234
(Post 11883150)
... But here in the UK, I've got Waitrose, M&S, Tesco and Sainsbury all within ten miles. Not to mention specialist Asian and Polish grocery stores etc. ... But in the U.S., huge swathes of the population are limited to second rate food stores.
I live in a suburb of San Diego, CA, and by driving for up to 15 miles, I can drive to two Whole Foods stores, two Trader Joes stores, several Sprouts stores, many Vons stores, three Costco stores, and several Farmers Markets and mom/pop farm stores. That's excluding Amazon Prime Now, which offers home delivery within two hours of items from Sprouts Farmers Market, Sprinkles Cupcakes, Bristol Farms, and Northgate Gonzalez Market. |
Re: Moving from UK to USA Part 2 Q
Originally Posted by cautiousjon
(Post 11883938)
.... I live in a suburb of San Diego, CA, and by driving for up to 15 miles, I can drive to two Whole Foods stores, two Trader Joes stores, several Sprouts stores, many Vons stores, three Costco stores, and several ..... yada yada yada.... .
What you describe might only be typical, I suspect, of no more than a couple of dozen metropolitan areas. The largest city in NC doesn't come close to what you describe even over a much larger area, perhaps a circle radius 20 miles centered on downtown. |
Re: Moving from UK to USA Part 2 Q
I'm fortunate I think.
We have, within 10 miles (metro Atlanta area): Trader Joes Publix Sprouts A farmers market store Ingles Target Kroger Walmart Neighborhood Market Walmart Supercenter Dollar General/Dollar Tree and an Aldi opening soon apparently Whole Foods is here somewhere and it is amazing (with amazing/shocking prices!!) |
Re: Moving from UK to USA Part 2 Q
Originally Posted by Hanco
(Post 11883950)
.... Dollar General/Dollar Tree .....
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Re: Moving from UK to USA Part 2 Q
Originally Posted by Pulaski
(Post 11883952)
What, exactly, do you buy at a dollar store other than soda, candy, salted snacks, cheap beauty products, and cheap plastic crap? :rolleyes:
They have basics like milk, soda, pasta, soups in tins etc and that packet pasta that you add milk and a knob of butter to for a snack... I must admit, it is not a weekly visit. More the occasional stop for snack things. It is next to the Growler shop (fabulous draft beers which can go with the junk quite well in an emergency) |
Re: Moving from UK to USA Part 2 Q
Originally Posted by Hanco
(Post 11883956)
Well... I don't go there with a list to do the weekly groceries
They have basics like milk, soda, pasta, soups in tins etc and that packet pasta that you add milk and a knob of butter to for a snack... I must admit, it is not a weekly visit. More the occasional stop for snack things. It is next to the Growler shop (fabulous draft beers which can go with the junk quite well in an emergency) |
Re: Moving from UK to USA Part 2 Q
What exactly is a no-chemical item? What kind of dark magic makes this possible?
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Re: Moving from UK to USA Part 2 Q
Originally Posted by scottyvisa
(Post 11883961)
What exactly is a no-chemical item? ....
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Re: Moving from UK to USA Part 2 Q
Originally Posted by Pulaski
(Post 11883952)
What, exactly, do you buy at a dollar store other than soda, candy, salted snacks, cheap beauty products, and cheap plastic crap? :rolleyes:
That said, they sell Silk Soy for a buck that's normally $2-3 for a small carton, which isn't a bad saving if one has a dairy intolerance. |
Re: Moving from UK to USA Part 2 Q
Originally Posted by Pulaski
(Post 11883958)
I'll shop at Walmart, but I still have some self respect! :rolleyes:
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Re: Moving from UK to USA Part 2 Q
Originally Posted by Pulaski
(Post 11883942)
Your experience in and around San Diego is FAR from typical across the length and breadth of the US! ...
Originally Posted by scottyvisa
(Post 11883961)
What exactly is a no-chemical item? What kind of dark magic makes this possible?
Hand wash: Tropical Traditions Virgin Coconut Oil Liquid Soap Natural Soaps - Tropical Traditions I use the lavender scented variety, and it's ingredients list is: - Saponified organic virgin coconut oil - Organic lavender essential oil Compared to a hand soap that can be bought in the UK from a company like Holland & Barrett: Faith in Nature Coconut Soap | Holland & Barrett - the UK’s Leading Health Retailer - Sodium palmate - Sodium cocoate - Water - Glycerin - Parfum - Coconut oil - Sodium chloride - Sodium citrate - Benzyl alcohol Another thing that I use every day is a Thai Crystal Deodorant Stone, which is basically just a big stick of mineral salts that you wet and rub on your body. You can buy this in the US and the UK. Compared to... pretty-much every other deodorant from pretty-much anywhere. |
Re: Moving from UK to USA Part 2 Q
Originally Posted by cautiousjon
(Post 11884060)
Oh, I genuinely didn't know. I'll consider myself quite fortunate then. :)
..... Technically, everything is made up of chemicals, but... what I am referring to is things that are not full of various natural and artificial chemical substances, but are simpler and (sometimes) more naturally-derived. :) I can think of two things that I use everyday. Hand wash: Tropical Traditions Virgin Coconut Oil Liquid Soap Natural Soaps - Tropical Traditions I use the lavender scented variety, and it's ingredients list is: - Saponified organic virgin coconut oil - Organic lavender essential oil Compared to a hand soap that can be bought in the UK from a company like Holland & Barrett: Faith in Nature Coconut Soap | Holland & Barrett - the UK’s Leading Health Retailer - Sodium palmate - Sodium cocoate - Water - Glycerin - Parfum - Coconut oil - Sodium chloride - Sodium citrate - Benzyl alcohol .... For starters, your "natural soap" almost certainly has more than two ingredients. ..... And "sodium cocoate" IS saponified coconut oil, and it is almost certain that not all the coconut oil was saponified so your "natural soap" is going to have some coconut oil left over. The saponification/ base hydrolysis necessarily takes place in water, so your fancy soap must have some of that in it. Then to make soap, because it doesn't occur naturally, you need an strong base to act as a hydrolysing agent. Then you need to neutralize the base (alkali), which is what the sodium citrate is doing in the British product - it's a pH buffer. I would be most intrigued to know how "natural soap" is made if they don't use a base and a buffer. ..... And the act of neutralizing sodium hydroxide (a commonly used hydrolysing base), necessarily produces a salt, so that would be the NaCl in the British soap. The Parfum is the "lavender essential oil" ..... and don't get me started on the BS of declaring something an "essential oil"! :frown: So it appears to me that the two soaps you contrasted are likely very similar in actual content and method of manufacture. :nod: |
Re: Moving from UK to USA Part 2 Q
Originally Posted by Hanco
(Post 11883950)
I'm fortunate I think.
We have, within 10 miles (metro Atlanta area): Trader Joes Publix Sprouts A farmers market store Ingles Target Kroger Walmart Neighborhood Market Walmart Supercenter Dollar General/Dollar Tree and an Aldi opening soon apparently Whole Foods is here somewhere and it is amazing (with amazing/shocking prices!!) Aldi - much nicer than UK ones Costco - the membership fee is well worth it, the gourmet salsa (mateo's) they sell in here is a particular favourite of mine. Haven't seen it anywhere else Devon Market - local market, very international but not as fancy as other places here Dollar general - mostly tat but I would recommend one thing in here - TFI Friday's crisps (jalapeño cheddar flavour) Fresh Thyme - farmer's market Jewell-Osco - 100s of these, bit like Sainsbury's but much bigger and more choice. Amazing beer selection Joong Boo Market - Asian local market, an Aladdin's cave if you're into Chinese cooking Local Foods - very pretentious local market, literally everything sourced from the surrounding area Mariano's - very fancy, bit like M&S but on a bigger scale Treasure Island - local and international stuff, some of which from the UK Stanley's - another local farmer's market, really cheap fruit and veg Pete's Fresh Market - fancy local market Potash Markets - fancy local market Save-A-Lot - local chain supermarket, bit like a UK Lidl Target - the only one in the country that serves alcohol on the premises Trader Joe's - fancy chain, huge beer selection Walmart Neighbourhood Market Walmart Supercenter Whole Foods - fancy chain Pretty much all of these are within a 30 minute drive of my house, my nearest 24 hour supermarket is a 10 minute drive away |
Re: Moving from UK to USA Part 2 Q
Originally Posted by Pulaski
(Post 11884067)
You've settle in nicely to the west coast "ivory tower mindset", I see. :rolleyes: ...
Originally Posted by Pulaski
(Post 11884067)
... You have swallowed the marketing hype hook line and sinker! ...
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