LIST: Things you SHOULDN'T have brought with you

 ;DLOL

We had something like that happen to us. We were doing a move while my husband was in the Navy and I had two garbage bags full of paper, ect sitting in the middle of the living room. I went into the bathroom to get some of the toiletries before they started in there and when I came back the bags were gone, I thought DH had thrown them out. Well, when we get to our next destination and I'm unpacking boxes guess what I found! I'm glad it wasn't garbage with food or something gross in it. But it isn't their fault, they are supposed to pack EVERYTHING, and they did. LOL 

We DID have something like that happen!  We told them to pack NOTHING sitting on this far side of the kitchen, beside the washing machine.  What was sitting there was a cooler and a grocery sack of food for lunch/dinner that night. There was also a box of pantry items that a friend was coming to collect.  When I went to make lunch, I couldn't find the tomato I thought I'd bought for sandwiches.  I didn't worry too much, thought I hadn't bought it afterall.   

Luckily, for dinner I needed an item, and new exactly which box I'd seen him put it in.  I opened it up, and there was the tomato and a few other things I would have missed in the next few moments as I tried to make dinner.   He'd taken items of fresh food out of the grocery sack in the don't pack pile, and stuffed them into random corners to fill out the carton!

What we didn't find, was the bottle of Thai fish sauce (and some other random jars and bottles) he'd pulled from the box of items my friend was getting.  Luckily, the box it was in had nothing absorbent, it was in with pots and pans.  The packing paper had dried on after it's fish sauce soaking, but it all came off with a bit of a scrub.  Smelled to high heaven, but no lasting damage to anything except the labels of the other random items were stained.

Oh!  All my sunny California clothing, and fourty pair of stilettos.  I've bought three pairs of flats since I've been here.  The first time we went into town my boyfriends mum looked at my stilettos and sundress and said "you'll regret that."  I told her I walked around San Francisco all the time in heels, so I reckoned I'd be fine.  Well, I was WRONG!  I think it's the cobbled streets here, but my feet haven't hurt that much ever.  And I froze my butt off.  Who knew August could be so ridiculously cold.  I also shouldn't have brought my flat iron or curlers.  Waste of dang space, the convertor will blow the power out. 

I brought a TON of food products, thinking that I wouldn't be able to get those things here, and low and behold, most items were available, and I felt silly bringing a huge box of Nature Valley granola bars when I saw the exact same box for roughly the same price at a local grocery store in UK, knowing that I wouldn't have had to pay for an extra bag if I had left that stuff behind.  Some people miss American food more, but honestly, I don't miss it nearly as much as I thought I would.  I brought 20 packages of ranch dressing mix, and I have only made it twice in 2 months, and find that I don't like it as much as I remembered... maybe my tastes have changed?  I certainly never thought I would swap ranch for brown sauce!  And anyway, there are bottles of ranch at the local grocery store, so there you go!     I also brought brownie mix, cookie mix, etc, and most of that stuff is available.  (Betty Crocker, even!)
Also, I brought a few baking pans that I didn't really need to bring, they fit in the oven and all, it's just that you can usually find this stuff here and it's not terribly expensive for the regular cookie sheets and stuff.  The only pan I brought that I really was glad I brought is a square griddle pan, like for pancakes and such.  For some reason, the ones here always have ridges in them.  Or maybe its just the ones in this area...
Anyway, ditch the 20 lbs of food, I wish I had.... 

And anyway, there are bottles of ranch at the local grocery store, so there you go!   

Really?   What local grocery store?  When DH and I were visiting his parents last year we looked everywhere in Manchester/Bolton for Ranch and could not find it.  Maybe in the past year they have added it... I was planning on bringing a lot of the Ranch/Vesty Italian packets myself! lol  I think the only thing I'll really miss are our variety of salad dressings.

Really?   What local grocery store?  When DH and I were visiting his parents last year we looked everywhere in Manchester/Bolton for Ranch and could not find it. 

Most supermarkets sell Cardini ranch dressing. 

Cardini Schmardini.  I'm still waiting on my care package from home with the good stuff- Hidden Valley.  I've looked in several stores in the Cambridge area, and have not found it anywhere.  The good news is the sweets and chips are better here.   

I found Cardini's to be a disappointment, and I still have the bottle unused in the fridge...I used Hidden Valley or Kraft ranch in the US and Cardini's doesn't taste like ranch to me at all...

I found Cardini's to be a disappointment, and I still have the bottle unused in the fridge...I used Hidden Valley or Kraft ranch in the US and Cardini's doesn't taste like ranch to me at all...

Well, they all taste nasty to me - I'm a non-ranch-eater - so there you go. 

I found Cardini's to be a disappointment, and I still have the bottle unused in the fridge...I used Hidden Valley or Kraft ranch in the US and Cardini's doesn't taste like ranch to me at all...

Cardini Schmardini.  I'm still waiting on my care package from home with the good stuff- Hidden Valley.  I've looked in several stores in the Cambridge area, and have not found it anywhere.  The good news is the sweets and chips are better here.  

I have to 3rd that I didnt like Cardini's either, I'm a ranch snob I only like Kraft but Hidden Valley packets will do if I don't have any Kraft available. 

Well, they all taste nasty to me - I'm a non-ranch-eater - so there you go. 

I think Ranch dressing is like coffee either you like or you dont no in between thats just my 2p.   

I'm a ranch lover, crazy about the stuff, which is why Cardini's was such a let down...

Having withdrawals from that, and also, haven't managed to make myself a decent cup of coffee since I got here! It's a long story...

I shouldn't have brought some of the books I thought I would need for my uni courses (a dictionary, thesarus, style guides).  I don't think I ever used them.  My uni provided a style guide that was sort of a bastardized APA so everything I had was useless. 

Also, I shouldn't have brought as many shoes.  I was the queen of the slides and quickly realized that walking around London in slip-on shoes was the fastest way to a blister.  I wore the same shoes (comfy ankle boots from Rockport) or some other leather shoes all the time.  I always wanted to be one of those girls who could wander around in heels but the size of my ass makes that uncomfortable for my feet!

I also shouldn't have brought my flat iron or curlers.  Waste of dang space, the convertor will blow the power out.

Really?  My curling iron works fine with a voltage converter.  I want to bring my hot rollers this time, I hope they work as well.

I also shouldn't have brought my flat iron or curlers.  Waste of dang space, the convertor will blow the power out.

Really?  My curling iron works fine with a voltage converter.  I want to bring my hot rollers this time, I hope they work as well.

They should be fine with a proper transformer.  If you're using one of those transformerless converters which purports to offer something silly like 2000 watts for $10, it's best to toss it in the trash though.

I have to 3rd that I didn't like Cardini's either, I'm a ranch snob I only like Kraft but Hidden Valley packets will do if I don't have any Kraft available. 

I think Ranch dressing is like coffee either you like or you don't no in between thats just my 2p.   

It's settled then.. I'll have to bring some packets of Hidden Valley with me.  Will go to Sams before we head out to see if they have the bulk package of it! lol     Also the Zesty Italian packets as I usually use that when I make Italian Beefs in the crock pot..

Really?  My curling iron works fine with a voltage converter.  I want to bring my hot rollers this time, I hope they work as well.

They should be fine with a proper transformer.  If you're using one of those transformerless converters which purports to offer something silly like 2000 watts for $10, it's best to toss it in the trash though.

Hmmm... I went to buy a converter for the voltage of my super-serious flat iron and super serious curlers- and the only one that would work was £35!  If I just use my adapter, I hear it'll blow the fuses.  I just bought a new flat-iron for 20 quid, and am looking for curlers.  Although, the wet weather here is much more conducive to letting the natural curl be free.