Is it really THAT different to the US??

  I always end up spending too much in a Sainsburys or Waitrose because I end up buying all the cool foodie things you can't find at the low rent shops (like Morrisons).

That is the trouble with those kind of places  DH has taken to toddling into town to the small Waitrose there to check out their past-sell-by-date items 

That is the trouble with those kind of places  DH has taken to toddling into town to the small Waitrose there to check out their past-sell-by-date items 

If he's going to the teeny tiny one in city centre, they don't have the full whack of Waitrose merchandise at least!  On the other hand, the full size shop in Meanwood isn't that far from you guys... 

If he's going to the teeny tiny one in city centre, they don't have the full whack of Waitrose merchandise at least!  On the other hand, the full size shop in Meanwood isn't that far from you guys...  

Yes, but he's getting into OAP mode and will only buy things that are cheap!   Evidently the teeny shop clears out their slightly past-it stuff more often.

Thread? To hang up decorations??? Surely that would take hours!! That's when I realized, it must just be a one-off family thing. I smiled sweetly at him...thinking "aw, it's a little tradition and he didn't know there were hooks this whole time"!

Interestingly, in my family, we've never actually bought hooks for decorations, but we used untwisted paper clips to hang them on the tree - I didn't even know you could actually buy them (although by 'thread' I would assume that the guy meant he hangs the decorations using the thread loops that are already attached to them) !

Interestingly, in my family, we've never actually bought hooks for decorations, but we used untwisted paper clips to hang them on the tree - I didn't even know you could actually buy them (although by 'thread' I would assume that the guy meant he hangs the decorations using the thread loops that are already attached to them) !

I usually use paperclips too - because over the years I've lost most of the hooks that came with my US decorations. Where do they go??

And the thread loops already attached tend to break over time, so lots of my old decorations have cotton loops made by my mother on them.

I did have a meltdown in the Super Market, but like everyone else was saying, it didn't soley have anything to do with the super market, but rather a build up of things and then not being able to do the most basic thing your used to in life (i.e. find your typical grocieries because they are labeled something else!) broke the straw on my camels back. But also, my situation may be a little bit different to most in the fact that I had to do a LOT of my adapting here in the UK alone as my husband works away from home leaving early Monday moring (at like 2am!) and doesn't return back home till Friday afternoons. So for 6 months I'm trying to get settled in on my own with no vehicle and no husband for the majority of my weeks. Thankfully my in-laws would come around once in a while to check on me and always said that I could call them if I needed anything...But it was all overwhelming for me to deal with on my own and that particular day at the supermarket I was already pre-stressed with an upcoming immigration meeting and wedding stuff, etc. I just took it out on the stupid little thing! LOL!

I'm amused that everyone gets overwhelmed with supermarkets--for me, going to a supermarket is one of my more favorite tourist things to do in different countries. I can wander up and down aisles of a supermarket for ages, looking at different things and observing how different things are in different countries. It does take awhile to learn to cook with ingredients that are available, etc in each country and know what you'll like but even looking at things that I'll never buy can be interesting. *shrug* I try not to eat a ton of processed food and honestly, vegetables and fruits are pretty much the same everywhere, and things like bread and pasta and rice and tofu and cheese aren't usually too different (and in the case of bread and cheese, pretty much universally better outside of the US). And like I said, I really enjoy the wandering process.

We're mainly a fresh food household here as well, but little things like for me, finding cleaner or soft drinks or random things im used to knowing where they are and them not being there frustrates me. Most of the time the breakdowns happen because of other stuff and just not having familiarity brings it all on

No, it's really not THAT different. Culturally, there are a lot of differences, but nothing major. I'm a pretty easy-going person, and adjust well to new situations, and I had no problems adjusting to life in the UK. I prefer the UK to the US, and wouldn't want to move back to the US. The only complaints I've heard from American friends about the UK is that they're far away from their families. I don't think a single one has complained about the culture.

I had been in the UK for 3 years without going back to the US, and when I did finally go back for 2 weeks, it was a culture shock. So, I suppose there are differences, but as for adjusting to life in the UK, it should be very easy. You may find yourself confused in the grocery store, but after a while, you'll figure things out. On a grocery shopping trip, I'd usually have to drive down to a large Sainsbury's, stop at Waitrose on the way back into town, and then walk over to the Mexican market to get everything I needed. If you're short on time, places like M&S will make dinner easy. You can get fantastic, fresh ready meals there that take minutes to cook. I like fresh, healthy, vegetarian food, and my husband likes fatty, meaty, processed food, so it's hard to cook a meal to please us both, and getting two one-person meals from M&S was always easy and went over well with him.

One thing that is annoying is that there isn't a one stop shop like there is in the US. Asda isn't anything like Walmart. You can buy groceries and maybe a few small home items there, but you can't get absolutely everything you'd need under one roof. You may have to go to several stores to find everything. However, the grocery stores are very good, and produce is usually fantastic. It's a small island with a huge population, so everything you need is grown there or shipped in; because it's so small and things can be shipped from the ports in the South to anywhere in the country in less than a day, everything is fresh.

If you're annoyed by US politics like me, you'll appreciate that the UK is the complete opposite of the US when it comes to politics. Elections are quick and painless, not a constant pain in the ars*, and no matter who's in power, everyone hates them. It's not half of the country against the other half at all times, like in the US. Another thing I appreciate is that religion is present, but doesn't dominate society. Religious holidays are celebrated and are even public holidays, but they're far more secular than in the US.

What's really great is the clothes shopping. You can get clothes that are much more on trend than you'll find in the US, and they're not too expensive. If you shop at Primark, they're ridiculously cheap. They may fall apart after a season, but a dress will cost you £8, and a pair of shoes, £4. I find that styles in stores in the US are a year behind what you find in the UK. When I was in the US, I'd see something in a runway show that I wanted, and it took a year to get anything similar in stores (unless you have money for the high end designer clothes, obviously). In the UK, you'll be able to get similar styles to the runway that same season.

The absolute best thing about the UK is cheap flights. You can get deals to many destinations in Europe and North Africa for as little as £15 return (not including baggage) on EasyJet and Ryanair. It's not like in the US, where a round trip ticket from a major city to another major city is $300+. I flew from Edinburgh to Brussels to visit a friend for £14 return on Ryanair. I wasn't picky about the dates, so I could pick the cheapest possible flights. It cost £30 to take a bag with me, since I had more than I could carry-on, but £44 is still a great deal. To go to Asia, it's only around £500 per person for return flights. From the US to Asia, it cost me $1800. That's why the British travel far more than Americans - it's actually affordable!

Nice post, Serena 

I'm late to the thread since I haven't been on here in aaaaaages. I've been looking for albacore tuna in water for the longest time. I suppose maybe I'll just get the oil one and rinse it well.

I found green tree hooks at Wilkinsons this year. They even had two different sizes!

I'm late to the thread since I haven't been on here in aaaaaages. I've been looking for albacore tuna in water for the longest time. I suppose maybe I'll just get the oil one and rinse it well.

Waitrose has it in jars.  Albacore in spring water.   

Yeah, I don't have one around me. Maybe when I move to Glasgow!

For me, it is extremely peaceful here, hectic over there.
The first thing I noticed is that I can see for miles.
No billboards cluttering the view.

For me, it is extremely peaceful here, hectic over there.
The first thing I noticed is that I can see for miles.
No billboards cluttering the view.

I always think that has to do with where you live in either place. Being from NH and moving to the little village I'm in here, I find both places similar. Its just a bit more flat here and a lot fewer trees as we have lots of farmland and fields which are nice too.

I'm late to the thread since I haven't been on here in aaaaaages. I've been looking for albacore tuna in water for the longest time. I suppose maybe I'll just get the oil one and rinse it well.

I found green tree hooks at Wilkinsons this year. They even had two different sizes!

Our Tesco and Sainsbury's both have tuna in water. Although they do appear to be playing the old "get you hooked on a product and then wisk it away" game currently.