EXTRA Shipping Space!!! What would you bring?

Don't forget that your destination house might be tiny.  With no storage space. 
We had some neighbours once who moved from America into a house that was in the middle of a row of houses, what the British call a mid terrace.  Their bar b que was so big it would not fit through the front door!  And being mid terrace, there was no other way into their back yard other than winching it in with a helicopter. 

Don't forget that your destination house might be tiny.  With no storage space. 
We had some neighbours once who moved from America into a house that was in the middle of a row of houses, what the British call a mid terrace.  Their bar b que was so big it would not fit through the front door!  And being mid terrace, there was no other way into their back yard other than winching it in with a helicopter. 

Don't forget that your destination house might be tiny.  With no storage space. 
We had some neighbours once who moved from America into a house that was in the middle of a row of houses, what the British call a mid terrace.  Their bar b que was so big it would not fit through the front door!  And being mid terrace, there was no other way into their back yard other than winching it in with a helicopter. 

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).

*grins*

https://www.maurices.com/product/scoop-neck-tank/1207#color/C4045

Slightly different style then usually available here. Soft stretchy tee shirt fabric and a wider strap.

Good to know about Next! I never saw all those in store. I'll have to check them out.

Oh, yeah, the Daughter would tell you that if you do any gardening, that involves a shovel, buy a nice shiny new one before you leave. Because what passes for garden shovels here are more like spades and will just kill your back.

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.

THIS! I had such difficult time finding clothes to wear the first few years I lived there. It's especially rough because we moved back to America thinking I would finally be able to update my wardrobe a bit and now we are turning around and going back! I've been hitting up Nordstrom Rack a lot. My husband wants to wring my neck 

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.

Oh my! I hadn't ever realized of that. Thank you!!!!!

Don't forget that your destination house might be tiny.  With no storage space. 

Right?? I'm imagining a shipping container and it's like, probably bigger than our whole flat, if I'm estimating the side correctly.

I definitely fell for the flat we live in now because of the closet space.  After our old flat with its one foot by two feet closet, it's a dream.

On the flip side, our flat here is 1/3 larger than what we had in the States. 

Ikea supplies inexpensive furniture (and delivers) so unless you have furniture that is of sentimental (or monetary) value, I'd leave it behind if you're coming for a relatively short (only a few years) time. If it's a permanent move, Ikea furniture will serve but you may want to get something a bit nicer down the line, and it'll cost you through the nose here for good-quality furniture.   

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.

Yeah, a US queen size is a UK king size in width, but the US queen size is 2"/5 cm longer than the UK king. Bring your sheet sets.

What is wrong with the beds in the UK?

What is wrong with the beds in the UK?

I found the answer to my question. Very interested in this thread. I am thinking about a shipping container (20 or 40 foot) and am wondering what all people brought if they used a shipping container. I have no idea if I could fill a 40 foot shipping container though. The thought of selling all of our stuff and then rebuying is stressing me out so thinking about shipping container. DH is sad that I don't think we can bring the king sized bed though. We do have queen and full sized beds we could bring though.

OK. I did one of those volume estimators and I definitely don't need a 40 foot container! I didn't think I would, but it isn't much more expensive so I was like well maybe?! Anyways, it looks like maybe I will fill 1/2 of a 20 foot container. Ugh. Is that worth it I am wondering.

Looking at our couches, I am worried that I won't be able to get them into a UK house. How wide are the doors there? I don't recall how wide our door in the UK was. Our doors here in the US are 36 inches wide.

Newer homes require 36 inches on ground floors for wheelchair accessibility.  Older homes... no idea.

I think 30-32 is more standard.