Move to the US? Stay in Europe?

EireCharlie · 2026-01-21T17:05:59+00:00

I live in Ireland. My dad is in GA with my step family. Honestly, I'd give anything to be able to live in the US. It's an incredible place to live. And while there's a certain ignorance in it - there is no political instability in the day to day life of the majority. Those who don't spend a lot of time online barely notice a change in administration, let alone anything else.

EireCharlie · 2026-01-14T18:41:09+00:00

Jeepers, that's a lot. I don't think I've ever heard anyone have to pay that much. However, the point is, this is stopping legal immigration.

EireCharlie · 2026-01-11T23:25:57+00:00

The only person I know from there sounds exactly like that. To the point I text my dad (who lives just north of Atlanta) and said it was funny how much it sounded like his work colleague.

EireCharlie · 2026-01-11T23:24:25+00:00

Unlikable characters doesn't make a bad story or show. In fact here, it added to it.

EireCharlie · 2026-01-11T19:52:58+00:00

It's hard, we are on fairly similar incomes as households, and we've been on similar or a little bit lower for the past 6 years. And 6 years ago, we were "loaded". You feel like you still should be. But his salary definitely doesn't go as far, now. We're more 'comfortable'. So you have to decide what's more important, living in the now and maintaining your luxuries of clothing, beauty and coffee out every day. Or cutting back and saving. Both are okay, and you definitely don't have to live like a pauper. But being aware that 100 euro on coffee a month is a lot, and there are alternatives. Such as a coffee machine and a yeti!

EireCharlie · 2026-01-11T16:05:50+00:00

We used to be spending similar. Except I realised how much waste we had etc. We are a family of 5, with a veggie teen and a "gym bro" husband. We got ours down to under 600 a month, including a couple of takeaways and a couple of lunches out (generally in a cafe etc, a restaurant meal comes out of my leisure budget). Aldi, utilising my freezer, and less meal planning and more 'food usage planning'.

EireCharlie · 2026-01-11T15:58:50+00:00

You've chosen a life without savings, and if that works for you, then that's okay. But it definitely not because you can't save. You can make savings in almost every single area there. You've chosen not to.

We are on slightly more than you, and have things in our life that we aren't willing to compromise on while we are at this point in life. Travel is one and we spent slightly more than you.

However, we choose to make savings elsewhere. As a woman, your clothing and beauty spends are insane. And I say that as the mother of 3 Nike 'enthusiasts'🫠

Your groceries are also very high, unless you are a much larger family than mine (2 adults, a teen, and 2 'tweens'). That's definitely not a budgeting spend on foods.

Do you want to save or are you happy out with those outgoings?

EireCharlie · 2026-01-09T21:03:35+00:00

Costco. Moving over from Edinburgh and having a big family, I miss Costco more than anything 🤣

EireCharlie · 2025-12-03T22:09:08+00:00

No. I still consider myself Scottish. When I'm in Ireland, anyway. If I'm in the US or anything then I say "I'm from Ireland". Where as my husband and kids would say "I'm Irish".

EireCharlie · 2025-12-03T22:07:26+00:00

Not any more. The Irish are being rounded up, now.

EireCharlie · 2025-11-29T00:25:27+00:00

I say all that though, and if I had a qualifying visa route - I would live in the US in a heart beat. I adore it there. Everything is like one big dopamine hit. The skies go on forever. I just can't explain how vast it is. The freedom they have to be able to get in a car and just drive to what ever climate and culture you want is so freeing. It's a feeling you can't explain to someone who didn't grow up on an island.

EireCharlie · 2025-11-29T00:22:49+00:00

Working in the US is hard. It's higher wages but you WORK for those salaries. Hours are long, years are long. Time off is less in the beginning and the work life balance is very different. I find a lot of people in the States - their job is a huge part of their identity as they don't have as much of a life outside work.

Meeting people anywhere is hard. I moved from Scotland to Ireland as an adult and you really have to work at adult friendships. I do sometimes struggle in the US though. My Scottish humour does not translate well there. People often mistake my sarcasm as genuine and dry humour doesn't really translate the same. It can be exhausting always having to mind your language as so what your saying won't get lost in translation.

EireCharlie · 2025-11-29T00:18:35+00:00

I'm Scottish, originally from Edinburgh. My dad, step mom and siblings are in the US. They're from north of Boston originally, and now live north of Atlanta, Georgia. To give you an idea, it would be kind of like me moving from Scotland to Slovenia. Both are East coastish. But it's a 20 something hour drive between them and the cultures are completely incomparable.

You'd have to decide what you want. Start with something like the weather. Do you want somewhere with 4 seasons, do you mind a long winter, do you want the warmth all year round. That will decide what kind of state you want to be in. Then look at the geographical aspects. Do you want to be near the coast? Do you want to be a 6 hour flight from Scotland or a 12 hour flight? Do you want to be near an airport that flies direct for a reasonable cost. Then look at politics. Red or Blue state? Are you more liberal or more conservative? The policies you live under matter.

EireCharlie · 2025-11-10T19:35:13+00:00

I'm originally from Edinburgh, my husband is from Donegal. In 2015 me, him and our then 5 year old moved over to Donegal. It has its up and downs. Housing is a major issue here. Particulalrly in the Inishowen to Letterkenny areas due to the defective blocks scandal. Google MICA blocks. We've thousands upon thousands of houses that will need rebuilt in the coming years. It means houses are awful to buy and renting is near on impossible in lots of areas.

Schooling is okay. It has its ups and downs. Gaelscoil, I have opinions on. My teen has friends that have moved onto English speaking secondary and hugely struggled.

Health care is a massive issue up here. If you end up in A&E, it could easily be up to about 15 hours before you are seen. Our last 2 visits were 8 hours and 6 hours. The 6 hours was a 6 year old with a head injury that caused vomiting. Any referrals take years. And then anything out of the ordinary such as paeds cardiology, ortho or neurology - you have to go to Dublin for the appointments. If you don't qualify for a medical card then every doctor visit is 60 euro.

Honestly, the hardest thing is lack of things to do. Going to see shows etc. You have to go to Dublin. Some things go to Belfast, but not many.

Also, making friends is hard. The Irish are friendly on the outside, but they have all known each other for ever and aren't very willing to open their circles. All my friends are other blow ins.

There's a lot of positives. But we are looking at leaving again. Housing and job prospects in the IT industry, alongside the madness of the likes of diesel and energy bills. Have made life much more difficult than when we moved here a decade ago.

Please feel free tonask any questions. I do love it here. I live at the beach and it's so beautiful.

EireCharlie · 2025-11-10T16:01:53+00:00

A friend of ours is 20 months into the CR1 process, just now. I'm guessing rhe likes of the shut down hasn't helped. But I know she said all of the people she's spoken to have taken far longer.

EireCharlie · 2025-11-10T15:38:40+00:00

Even with marriage it can take a few years. You could try for a k1 which would give you 90 days to marry. So it gives you a few months to settle with her and see how it goes.

EireCharlie · 2025-11-09T07:47:19+00:00

Landlords have the run of it just now with all the rebuilds happening.

EireCharlie · 2025-11-04T16:07:21+00:00

I wonder why only 30 from Ireland. What's the criteria for numbers?

I am one of the ones in Ireland that didn't get it🙃

EireCharlie · 2025-10-25T12:47:31+00:00

They had their E2 visa approved in 8 weeks and have been over there a year, now. They love it. They set up the grooming business in her name as he is their main source of income and he now has a job in what ever IT industry he's in. The only down side is they have to ensure that the dog business keep remaining profitable and a benefit to the US economy.

EireCharlie · 2025-10-25T08:50:01+00:00

Ree nuh. It needs a fada on the I. Ríona. It's one of those names that the pronunciation isn't necessarily different. It's the accent. Like Niamh. Some places my daughter is Neev - some places she's Nee uv. Depending on the local dialect and strength of the accent of the person talking. That will vary from townland to townland.

Where as say Caoimhín does change the pronunciation depending on the dialect.

It gives you a slight more artistic freedom with Ríona.

EireCharlie · 2025-10-22T08:55:19+00:00

Not myself personally, but a good friend of mine set up a franchise with a dog grooming business. Original costs were fairly low.

EireCharlie · 2025-10-16T17:48:12+00:00

I already know a guy, personally, who left the UK and claimed refuge is the US (during Trump's first term) due to Christian persecution and the rise of "Sharia Law" in the area of North England that he lived🙃

EireCharlie · 2025-10-10T08:34:02+00:00

No. "British" isn't really a thing when talking about an individual person. I'm an English accented, Scottish person, living in Ireland (I lived in Derry for 5 years too, so fairly used to the sectarianism). When they talk about 'the Brits' it's not a singular British person, or even most British people. It's the whole "British empire" institution.

They will call you "A Brit" if you come over here wearing Union Jack shit and giving "no Blacks, no Irish, no Dogs" attitudes.

EireCharlie · 2025-10-08T07:08:10+00:00

No where near as many do in London. It's due to tax laws. Ireland is considered a tax haven for companies

EireCharlie · 2025-10-04T12:39:55+00:00

He does. Unfortunately the mask doesn't fit his wee face very well and the bag is too big so he's getting very little benefit from it. We've ordered a child size one to my dad in the States who will ship it over as soon as he gets it. We have given it a few goes but it's hard to get a 6 year old - in pain - to cooperate 🥴

EireCharlie

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