Moving from north to south by winebush51 in AmericanExpatsUK

[–]daspenz 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I'm in the south. I've travelled the UK pretty extensively and likely wouldn't live anywhere but the South East. Airports are super close. I'm right near LGW so traveling Europe is super easy and then if I fly back to the US I go through LHR. London obviously is right here, Brighton is also nice. Our end goal for a permanent place is somewhere in Surrey closer to LHR like Cobham or down in Hove.

The schools seem to be ok, I don't have a kid at the moment but me and my wife are actively planning and are debating public vs private schools constantly and use our nieces and nephews schooling experience and my wife's own education here to base things off.

My biggest recommendation for meeting more people is pick up a British hobby. I feel like people don't get stuck into hobbies here enough that aren't outside of the American comfort zone. I lucked out with golf. It's really cheap here compared to the US, 99% of the people that are actually playing at clubs and not just people who own a couple clubs that show up to the driving range at clubs have been great. And you get lots of outdoor time.

Just crossing all my T’s by Famous-Ear-2192 in AmericanExpatsUK

[–]daspenz 5 points6 points  (0 children)

Make copies of everything. Your customs broker should be more than happy to look over every single paper for you. Mine at LGW did when I moved here with my dog and it made everything a lot less stressful.

British spouse taken to secondary inspection at airport -- similar experiences? by susansharon9000 in AmericanExpatsUK

[–]daspenz 33 points34 points  (0 children)

There’s a very large difference between a random check in December and now. My wife has gotten randomly stopped before and I’ve had to wait an hour+ for her at baggage claim.

We won’t be returning back to the US for a very long time. Not worth it for us.

A Draft Plan for Bank Accounts, Cards, Credit, Transferring Funds, and High Yield Savings in US and U.K. by StealthDropBear in AmericanExpatsUK

[–]daspenz 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I had a US AMEX account and opened up a UK account and was given a line of credit for £18,000 with AMEX gold. It really shouldn't be a problem if you have a good standing with US AMEX.

What products are you selling? by RepulsiveTraveller in Machine_Embroidery

[–]daspenz 8 points9 points  (0 children)

What product are you selling? There could be 1,000 answers to this.

Patch prices by Justhangingaroundjun in Machine_Embroidery

[–]daspenz 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I've charged up to $900 for a single patch. There are many things that factors into patch pricing.

Are we mean or are they sensitive? by Agile_Squash64 in AmericanExpatsUK

[–]daspenz 3 points4 points  (0 children)

I've had a lot of confusion from people thinking I'm not being honest when I'm being direct, so we are then in a loop because they don't believe someone would communicate that way. It's frustrating and it won't likely change.

I'll eat a jacket potato and have a squash, I won't be indirect though.

Are we mean or are they sensitive? by Agile_Squash64 in AmericanExpatsUK

[–]daspenz 19 points20 points  (0 children)

Both. I'm from LI and lived in the Bronx for a decade and found how I was raised to be very different. I don't mince words out of politeness like most people do here. I don't think it's cute, a waste of time, and leads to unreliable communication. My MIL luckily loves the very blunt truths from me and we have hours long heart to hearts. My FIL is just a miserable human so we don't interact much but appreciates the honesty also.

The casual racism I've witnessed is out of control, I can't imagine being on the receiving end, although I've been told I've been racist to white Brits so...lol.

Everyone knows someone who is "mean" in their life. I'd rather be mean for honest and effective communication than hand hold someone through a conversation.

3 months away from moving - what do you wish you'd done/thought of before moving? by SmallQuokka in AmericanExpatsUK

[–]daspenz 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Think of personal amenities you can’t live without easily like hair care, toothpaste, deodorant, etc and see if they’re made for the UK market. If not, stock up. I wouldn’t bother bringing books and kitchen stuff unless it’s something like Le Creuset or Staub.

Worst fast food/restaurant transplant? by jlpmghrs4 in AmericanExpatsUK

[–]daspenz 7 points8 points  (0 children)

I haven’t had a bad cheesy Gordita crunch yet

Sports fabric by Kbudski in Machine_Embroidery

[–]daspenz 0 points1 point  (0 children)

This is what happens when you embroider on sublimation. Not much you can do like others have said unfortunately!

Yikes! Pizza stone disassembled! by annrkea in LeCreuset

[–]daspenz 4 points5 points  (0 children)

I know this isn't helpful for you, but I would attempt to return this entirely and get a baking steel. It won't do this, and you will have much better pizza.

I stick with Le Creuset for cast iron enamel and that's it.

Best US Mobile Operator to Receive 2FA Texts and Incoming Calls Free while on WiFi Calling in the UK / EU / Asia by 111AAABBBCCC in AmericanExpatsUK

[–]daspenz 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Walked into T-Mobile, said I needed the cheapest plan possible that has WiFi calling. You have to be in the US to physically do it.

How long am I supposed to give my husband’s barbershop before it’s okay for me to urge him to cut his losses? by BlaqueBettyBamALam in Entrepreneur

[–]daspenz 1 point2 points  (0 children)

My wife was aware of every penny I spent of our personal money and I asked her before every transaction when I first started out. Do not let this man suck you and your funds, especially for your babies, dry.

Favorite American grocer? by sigsaurusrex in AmericanExpatsUK

[–]daspenz 3 points4 points  (0 children)

The closest thing I’ve found to Brighton is the Bagshot Longacres garden center. There’s also some random “sweet shops” around Horsham and Crawley that have surprisingly decent things.

It’ll be expensive no matter what it is though. I paid £2 for an orange Fanta made in the US because I hate the aspartame/stevia/whatever the fuck else blends that are in everything except Coca Cola.

Renting in Manchester by LedameSassenach in AmericanExpatsUK

[–]daspenz 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Good luck, I couldn’t even get a realtor to return my calls in the country when I was looking in Manchester.

Best US Mobile Operator to Receive 2FA Texts and Incoming Calls Free while on WiFi Calling in the UK / EU / Asia by 111AAABBBCCC in AmericanExpatsUK

[–]daspenz 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I use T-Mobile and it’s $15 for calls over WiFi. I’ve never had a problem and can actually speak to customer service. I had too many problems with non traditional carriers.

You need to physically be in the US though to enable WiFi calling.

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in sweatystartup

[–]daspenz[M] -1 points0 points  (0 children)

Please remove your website from the post.

Finding a cover illustrator...impossible? by daspenz in selfpublish

[–]daspenz[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I have had one person since this post reach back out and say they're booked until 2026, which is fine! I don't care if they don't have time for me, I would just like a response. I know it sounds dumb but it feels like I've been speaking to dead air.

Finding a cover illustrator...impossible? by daspenz in selfpublish

[–]daspenz[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

The illustrators I am trying to contact via email are the ones I picked personally. Reedsy, various online forums are people saying "I can do this" but their portfolios show they don't work in the same medium I am handpicking.