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Topic: EXTRA Shipping Space!!! What would you bring?  (Read 3044 times)

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EXTRA Shipping Space!!! What would you bring?
« on: January 28, 2018, 06:33:39 PM »
Hello fellow expats :) My husband and I are shipping our stuff from Tennessee to Leeds at the end of next month- we've arranged for a complete storage container but as of now will only be filling about half! I won't bore you with the details of how or why but I am curious to know what my fellow expats would have brought with you if you could have?

If I had it my way I'd just fill the container with Topo Chico (mexican sparkling water...cult following in Texas) but I dont think thats allowed....








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Re: EXTRA Shipping Space!!! What would you bring?
« Reply #1 on: January 28, 2018, 06:43:55 PM »
Hello fellow expats :) My husband and I are shipping our stuff from Tennessee to Leeds at the end of next month- we've arranged for a complete storage container but as of now will only be filling about half! I won't bore you with the details of how or why but I am curious to know what my fellow expats would have brought with you if you could have?

If I had it my way I'd just fill the container with Topo Chico (mexican sparkling water...cult following in Texas) but I dont think thats allowed....
Dill pickles. Taco seasoning. Corel dishes. Cast iron pans.

I moved here with 2 checked bags and a carry-on. There's a lot I'd bring.
The usual. American girl meets British guy. They fall into like, then into love. Then there was the big decision. The American traveled across the pond to join the Brit. And life was never the same again.


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Re: EXTRA Shipping Space!!! What would you bring?
« Reply #2 on: January 28, 2018, 06:50:34 PM »
Dill pickles. Taco seasoning. Corel dishes. Cast iron pans.



All over the Cast Iron and Taco Seasoning! We've got a trip planned to go to the Lodge factory outlet next weekend!


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Re: EXTRA Shipping Space!!! What would you bring?
« Reply #3 on: January 28, 2018, 08:05:12 PM »
Is it a permanent move?  Are you bringing beds (mattresses and frames)?


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Re: EXTRA Shipping Space!!! What would you bring?
« Reply #4 on: January 28, 2018, 08:52:28 PM »
Dill pickles. Taco seasoning. Corel dishes. Cast iron pans.

I moved here with 2 checked bags and a carry-on. There's a lot I'd bring.
I moved here with 2 checked bags and a carry on.....the list I would love to have brought is wayyyyyy too long!

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Re: EXTRA Shipping Space!!! What would you bring?
« Reply #5 on: January 28, 2018, 10:54:26 PM »
Corel dishes.

There's a place online called World Kitchen that sells Corelle.  A 16-piece set is currently marked down to £49.99  :)


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Re: EXTRA Shipping Space!!! What would you bring?
« Reply #6 on: January 28, 2018, 11:10:39 PM »
There's a place online called World Kitchen that sells Corelle.  A 16-piece set is currently marked down to £49.99  :)

Sadly. We do not have the cash right now, I've been made redundant at work. Else I would totally get some. I miss plates that dont weigh a ton.

I used to drop Corel on tile and it only broke one in 3 or 4 times. It was awesome.
The usual. American girl meets British guy. They fall into like, then into love. Then there was the big decision. The American traveled across the pond to join the Brit. And life was never the same again.


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Re: EXTRA Shipping Space!!! What would you bring?
« Reply #7 on: January 29, 2018, 05:12:03 AM »
I'm another two-checked-bags-and-a-carry-on.

I never got to the setting up my forever-household stage in the US, because I was a student for so long, then I traveled a lot after that.  But I did have a small collection of tools/implements that I missed... things I picked up in specialty/craft shops, and either are difficult to find here (crafting is only now starting to become a thing over here, so if you enjoy a day browsing Michael's, bring everything you've acquired so far, and stock up on more!), or far more expensive than you'll be used to paying.

I see you're going to be set for cast iron.  I echo everybody else with the favourite foodstuffs.  Bring a case of pickles!  If you're shameless like me and drink Mountain Dew, ship it over (pro tip: cans keep longer than plastic bottles).  The formulation over here is not right.  I don't drink it anymore because it's only available for a small fortune from South African resellers on Amazon Marketplace.  Actually, just start weening yourself off of it now.  You'll associate the withdrawal with being in the US, rather than blaming the UK.

I think you could bring an amount of the water you mentioned if it isn't intended for resell.  But I don't know how you could prove that if confronted.

Clothes are cheaper in the US, and the weather is consistently cooler and damper here.  Go shopping now and ship your new wardrobe.  Oh!  But in my experience, people dress nicer here, so when you go shopping, buy comfortable cozy clothes that you would wear to a blind date at a natural history museum in late fall.

(Seriously, brain?  That's the social situation you came up with?)

I dunno.  I missed random things that I totally took for granted before I moved.  I didn't realize how different supplies would be over here, or how much more expensive things are.  Replacement costs are unexpected.
« Last Edit: January 29, 2018, 05:14:46 AM by jfkimberly »
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Re: EXTRA Shipping Space!!! What would you bring?
« Reply #8 on: January 29, 2018, 08:39:07 AM »
I don't agree that people dress nicer here but I think it's where I'm from in the US (NY metro area) versus where I am now (Kent).  I work at a theatre and see a lot of jeans/sweats, although obviously there are some shows that people get more dressed up for.

But yes........update your whole wardrobe right now.  If you don't know what your job will be, try to buy clothes for what you think you might have to wear.  I know that's insane but I have to wear a suit to work and it was hard to find flattering suits in the right color (black!) for women as when I started, navy was the color in fashion.  And all of the skirts are pencil skirts here for suits, which isn't really appropriate for some of the stuff I have to do at work, so I spent a lot of time looking on the Macy's website and debating whether international shipping and customs was worth having well made clothes for work here.

(And yeah, the clothes are made poorly.  Even at places you would expect them not to, like Marks and Spencer, I have found more shoddy workmanship than at the equivalents back in the US.)

Buy a lot of basics esp if you are a woman.  Jeans, sweaters, blouses.  Women's clothes here are VERY trendy and it is harder to find classic pieces that won't look dated in 6 months.
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Re: EXTRA Shipping Space!!! What would you bring?
« Reply #9 on: January 29, 2018, 09:42:20 AM »
Everything to fully kit out your kitchen (except electrical items).  Dishes, silverware, pots, pans, glasses, junk drawer, utensils, baking tins (especially a pie tin if you make a pumpkin pie around the holidays).  Do not bring your baking trays because they are not going to fit in your new oven.

I wish I had brought my bed from the USA.  You'll want to bring the box springs and frame too.  Then load up on sheets, duvets, blankets.  Load up on towels.  Nothing wrong with bringing your sofa if it's a reasonable size (not knowing what kind of place you are moving into).

I couldn't bring food in my shipping container so you may want to check that.


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Re: EXTRA Shipping Space!!! What would you bring?
« Reply #10 on: January 29, 2018, 09:49:25 AM »

(And yeah, the clothes are made poorly.  Even at places you would expect them not to, like Marks and Spencer, I have found more shoddy workmanship than at the equivalents back in the US.)

Buy a lot of basics esp if you are a woman.  Jeans, sweaters, blouses.  Women's clothes here are VERY trendy and it is harder to find classic pieces that won't look dated in 6 months.

That's funny. I would actually say the opposite about quality. But everyone has different experiences. Everything I've bought from Marks and Spencers has lasted a really long time, pair of leather booties, trousers, skirts, dress, tights. I still wear everything but the boots and tights but that's because my dog ate the boots and the tights... well they all eventually wear out don't  they? I would only buy work basics from them, they don't really have my style there.

I've bought a lot of pieces from H&M and  I've had them for several years now and they're some of my favorites. Some of the button ups are 4 years old. Though quality on individual items varies a lot. And don't get me started on their sizing...

I would totally agree that clothes are very seasonal and up to the minute style wise. But where I'm from you couldn't dress in the current fashion... darn middle  of the country. I do struggle to find the things I'm looking for here but that's usually due to my body type and I had the same problem in the US.

What I find really annoying is clothes I want simply aren't available here, like coloured tank tops (vests) to go under shirts. Both camis and tanks just aren't really worn much here and I could get seasonal colours at Maurice's in the US every season. I miss that.

I wish someone had told me to check out various retailers and see what you think and go from there.
The usual. American girl meets British guy. They fall into like, then into love. Then there was the big decision. The American traveled across the pond to join the Brit. And life was never the same again.


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Re: EXTRA Shipping Space!!! What would you bring?
« Reply #11 on: January 29, 2018, 09:52:53 AM »
If you bring your bed, realize you will always have to buy your sheets from America. A UK queen is a different size to a US one, UK beds are smaller. I was surprised and had assumed bed sizes were universal... They aren't.
The usual. American girl meets British guy. They fall into like, then into love. Then there was the big decision. The American traveled across the pond to join the Brit. And life was never the same again.


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Re: EXTRA Shipping Space!!! What would you bring?
« Reply #12 on: January 29, 2018, 09:57:05 AM »

What I find really annoying is clothes I want simply aren't available here, like coloured tank tops (vests) to go under shirts. Both camis and tanks just aren't really worn much here and I could get seasonal colours at Maurice's in the US every season. I miss that.



Primark will have vests in every color you can imagine when summer approaches.  :) 


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Re: EXTRA Shipping Space!!! What would you bring?
« Reply #13 on: January 29, 2018, 10:19:03 AM »
What I find really annoying is clothes I want simply aren't available here, like coloured tank tops (vests) to go under shirts. Both camis and tanks just aren't really worn much here and I could get seasonal colours at Maurice's in the US every season. I miss that.

I used to wear nothing but tank tops/strappy tops under cardigans in the UK and I've always been able to buy as many as I need in various colours.

You should be able to get them in lots of colours in Primark - they usually have about 3 big stands filled with vest/tank tops in many different colours and styles (between about £1.50 and £3 each), while the Next website currently has strappy tops in 16 colours and vest/tank tops in 12 colours (£5 each).


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Re: EXTRA Shipping Space!!! What would you bring?
« Reply #14 on: January 29, 2018, 10:41:22 AM »
I would go ahead and bring your favorite small kitchen electricals  - I did not, and wish I had my dehydrator and stand mixer. Toasters and waffle-irons are not expensive here.

I did bring my turntable and like 500 vinyl LPs, and the turntable is working just fine on a heavy-duty transformer I bought here for about 50 pounds. (Music is important.)  Didn't bring speakers, and regret that now. Had to get some locally and am a cheapskate, so the sound, while acceptable, isn't quite what it was. So if you are an audiophile, I'd bring it all along.

The Daughter brought her sewing machine and serger, and is very thankful she did. The machines she has found in the stores here are not impressive, when you can find them at all. To get a decent one the price shoots through the roof. (They are working just fine on the transformer.) If you need attachments for them (zipper foot, ruffler, etc.) buy them before you come over.

I was told to not bother bringing floor and table lamps, that they'd have to be rewired. Have since found that with an adapter at the wall plug and the use of LED light-bulbs, the one I did bring works just fine (no fire hazard thanks to the LED) and now wish I'd brought the others.

Linens. It's a killer to find good sheet sets here. You can find duvet sets, but not old-fashioned top-sheet/bottom-sheet/two-pillowcase sets easily. And then if you do find a high thread-count set, they are expensive. If you like American-style quilts, I have not seen them here either.

Someone already mentioned cast iron cookware.  We brought most of ours with us, thankfully, as it's pricey when you can find it here. If you use cookie sheets, they don't seem to have "air bake" sheets here, which are really the best for that purpose. We brought ours and they fit the oven just fine. Corel. Wish we'd brought it. I now have a set of look-alike dishes from Ikea, but they do break when dropped (we have a slate kitchen floor).

We brought our old-fashioned stove-top coffee percolator. Haven't seen anything remotely like that here, and are thankful we brought it.

If you are into decorating for Halloween, you won't find a lot in the way of decorations here.  We really regret not bringing our strings of twinkle lights and bubble lamps for the Christmas tree, as the LED ones here are just not as pretty.

American extension cords if you are going to bring anything that's going to plug into a transformer.  I have a tropical fish aquarium and brought all the electricals with us - pump, heater, light hood - and it's running off the same transformer that is powering the Daughter's Wii and Xbox, thanks to the judicious use of a long extension cord. I searched for quite some time and never did find an extension cord here that would work without the use of an adapter plug (and the cords are more expensive than they should be).

A spare computer, unless you are going to be traveling back to the States at some point and can pick up one then. I was thinking about buying and shipping one over when we moved as it was offered at a really great price on a Black Friday sale before I left. The same machine, with all the VAT and the exchange rate issues, would  be just short of double the cost here today. Definitely regret not doing that.

Large room rugs. I left a couple behind because we ran out of space. Replacing them is too expensive, at present, and I can't find anything remotely like them here anyway.

Basically, some things are cheaper here - food, for one. But durable goods are exponentially more pricey. If you have the room, I'd bring the stuff.

Oh. Telephones - landline ones. If you want just a basic phone, not a cordless, they are available but limited in options. You should probably not bring your cordless without checking to see if they are ok. Apparently it's against the law to import some electronic devices (cordless phones, radio transmitters, etc.) into the country. That might include things like baby monitors, not sure, so you might want to double-check.

Neosporin, Ace Bandages, naproxin. A couple of cases of Carnation Instant Breakfast (now Breakfast Essentials, I think).  Good hot sauce. Any peculiarly USA ethnic-type foods, like chili mix. (What they sell for chili here is more like spicey ketchup and tends to have a lot of vinegar flavor.) Things that have history with you or your family - framed art, figurines, flower vases, etc., will make your new home feel more like "home".

Enjoy your upcoming adventure!
« Last Edit: January 29, 2018, 12:51:56 PM by Nan D. »


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