Non-motoring > Setting up for a new life in USA Miscellaneous
Thread Author: Falkirk Bairn Replies: 0

 Setting up for a new life in USA - Falkirk Bairn
One of my boys left 1 month ago for a "long stay" in USA. Things have gone well, others less than good.

The BIG things, getting a house, organizing buying 2 x new cars went sweetly. The difficult matters are paying for the items he is buying easily - he has a US bank Acct but Debit cards limited to $2,000 for any sale. Credit card hard to get - despite an immaculate credit records in UK and the Branch of the bank being in his employer's building.

Only acceptable payment for cars was cash / certified bank cheque. Furnishing the rented house was tricky with the Debit card limits. Setting up electricity, water had issues - he had to go personally and pay cash for the 1st monthly water bill - they did not accept cheques or DD instructions for the 1st payment.

Kids are like pin cushions with a wholes series of injections in addition to the recommended UK injections before they left. No injections and it was no entry to the school - fee paying but you still have to budget $500 per year for paper, books etc and he only 6 yrs old.

Rubbish - no green lobby there - BIG bins emptied 2 x per week and if you have extra, stack it neatly at the side and it is uplifted - no questions - no brown/blue recycling. Mind you the "Council Tax" is just under some 2.5% of the valuation band = $12K / year.

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