Emm

It is looking like we will be moving to the US this year, so I am gettting on with preparations.

Can you help me out?

I would like to know anything that you found that you couldn't buy in the US when you got there and you wished you'd taken with you.

My mother says that medicines in the US are not very good?

We will be having stuff shipped, so space will not be a problem I just don't know what I will want to take and what I can/cannot buy when I get there.

Thanks.

Englishmum

Bras & knickers from M&S. Bring lots with you. The Hanes stuff here is dreadful!

I'm actually going to get one of those metal balls that you put inside a kettle to collect the limescale - we can't find them in the US.

Duvet covers. Selection here is small (they prefer to use 'comforters'), mostly plain designs and *very* expensive. Unless you're lucky enough to have an IKEA where you're moving to. Duvets here don't come in tog numbers. I bought my goosedown ones in IKEA.

Believe it or not, a plastic bucket with a sieve to squeeze your supermop! I did find one in Target, but they seem to have stopped stocking them and I've never seen them on sale anywhere else; they have these silly contraptions where you turn the handle but they're useless. You can buy Velida supermops or similar US brands easily though.

Vanish stainbars.

Yorkshire pudding tins. If you make jam tarts, then tart cases too (my mum calls them patty tins for some reason).

Lots of bottles of orange or lemon squash. It doesn't exist here - they have fizzy soda pop instead and love grape juice.... (You can't buy soft-scoop ice cream either!).

I wish I could bring in non-drip paint. Also they don't have those 'matchpots' complete with brush here - you have to use a tiny chip and get your paint mixed. It never seems to come out the same shade as on the chip.

I'll post more if I can think of any.

Where are you likely to move to?

Emm

Thanks, I would never have thought of those things. A lot of them I already have (duvets, squeezy mop bucket, y.pudding tins) but it never occurred to me that they wouldn't have things like squash. That's not so good for me as I don't allow my kids to have fizzy drinks due to the damage they do to their teeth. I guess I'll have to stock up!

We are probably moving to the Raleigh area of NC.

Thanks again, now I'm off to make a list...

Vicky88

Actually you can buy the sieve thing for the bucket at Linen n Things. They also have a good selection of duvet covers as does Strouds.

Pulaski

We bought one in Walmart.

What's with bringing orange squash into the US? I was glad to get away from the stuff!

Emm

My kids like orange squash!

Jan Alaska

I would prefer my kids (17 and 21) to drink squash than fizzy pop (soda) they went thru about a dozen cans a day last summer V expensive. And fresh oj is out of the question as they drink it like water, umm water yep you try getting a 17yr old to drink plain water.

Jan

ps .....bring polo mints ... lifesavers arent quite the same

faybees

Don't know where your mum got the idea that medicines in the US are not very good, they are as good if not better than UK. I have lived here for 15 years and had no problems.

Pulaski

I did when I was a kid, in fact right up to when I was at university. During the summer, when I worked 12-13 hour shifts in a warehouse, I was drinking upto 3 liters of the stuff. Now I wonder what I thinking (drinking)?

I'm glad that any children we may have will be growing up in a country without orange squash.

lairdside

If you buy goosedown duvets here they tend to be categorised by ' fill' as opposed to 'tog' value. The same rating system as is used for goosedown jackets, 550 power fill, 600 power fill etc. For discounts checkout smartbargains.com and sierratradingpost.com.... if you have lots to spend Scandia does good ones but they aren't cheap

Patrick

Lemsip - they have nothing like it here and its really annoying.

Aqueous cream (if you have bad skin) - again nothing like it

Coloured toilet roll - how the hell are you supposed to colour co-ordiante your bathroom with only white toilet roll!

Patrick

Vicky88

Try Theraflu in lieu of Lemsip.

For your skin a good moisturiser is Cetaphil.

Patrick

I have tried theraflu and think its crap (especially compared to lemsip)

Thanks for the heads up on Cetaphil

Jan Alaska

HaHa Patrick .... coloured loo rolls .... i had my mum send me some over for special occasions .... hubby wants to know what kind of special occasion would warrant green loo roll ?

*sigh*

Jan

Englishmum

Just thought of something else:

US teaspoon sizes are *much* larger than British-sized teaspoons! This could play havoc if you're using recipes from any any British cookery books! Or if you have a teaspoon of sugar in coffee or tea.

Actually I would definitely bring a set British spoons to use when you're cooking. I may be wrong, but what we Brits call a dessert spoon is called a tablespoon in the US. A UK tablespoon of course is quite large.

In the States (and I guess, Canada?) all recipes are in cup sizes, not weighed in metric or ounces on scales that one would use in the UK. You will almost certainly acquire some American cookery books and buy some measuring cups, but will probably also use your British cookery books too. I still constantly refer to my Delia Smiths or Marks & Spencers recipes! Be sure to bring some kitchen scales too! Oh, and a measuring jug in metric and/or imperial (eg. with pint or half-pint markings). I much prefer measuring this way this compared with quarts!

Actually I still can't get the hang of weighing myself in pounds only! I'm still used to either kilogrammes or in stones. Next time I'm in IKEA I'm going to take a look to see if they have metric scales, if not I'm going to buy some weighing scales from Argos or Woolworths in the UK!

I don't think the US will ever go metric......!