Trying to make a list to move back to UK -input please

Gardener and house cleaners? :\: Are we talking real life here or are we trying to screw hubby royally? we'll be talking about champagne brunches next! ;) My cheeky gardener was 15 quid an hour in the uk so I'd certainly claim that from hubby! But yes, it would be screwing him for a bit more than he should pay...... I love doing my own garden in the UK... I'd never pay someone to miss out on so much fun! I loved it too but mine was hard work and with kids etc, my hobby couldn't always be fulfilled :(

Gardener and house cleaners? :\: Are we talking real life here or are we trying to screw hubby royally? we'll be talking about champagne brunches next! ;) My cheeky gardener was 15 quid an hour in the uk so I'd certainly claim that from hubby! But yes, it would be screwing him for a bit more than he should pay...... I love doing my own garden in the UK... I'd never pay someone to miss out on so much fun!

Gardener and house cleaners? :\: Are we talking real life here or are we trying to screw hubby royally? we'll be talking about champagne brunches next! ;) My cheeky gardener was 15 quid an hour in the uk so I'd certainly claim that from hubby! But yes, it would be screwing him for a bit more than he should pay......

Thank you~~~(I love the loosely comment) haha

Can anybody tell me what the abbreviations you use mean? DH. LL. GBP, AED.....Im lost~~~ LOL GBP = £ LL = landlord DH = dear husband (loosely) AED = dirham

Can anybody tell me what the abbreviations you use mean? DH. LL. GBP, AED.....Im lost~~~ LOL

Gardener and house cleaners? :\: Are we talking real life here or are we trying to screw hubby royally? we'll be talking about champagne brunches next! ;)

Gardener and house cleaners? :\: Are we talking real life here or are we trying to screw hubby royally?

Extra things if she needs it: window cleaner, gardener, homecare cover (e.g. British gas home care for boiler service and maintenance etc), curtains in a rented house/ furniture?, water/sewerage charges, congestion charges (if travelling in and out of London by car) - not the most obvious things or necessarily needed but just in case. If she's renting, then the LL has to keep the boiler serviced every year, so no need for Homecare. Home insurance, however, is important, contents only, since it's the LL's responsibility to keep the building in good repair. Gardener?! Window Cleaner?! Actually, we have a window cleaner come every 3 months - charges £10 for doing our semi. House cleaners charge £10-15/ hour, but again, I used to have one come in for 1h a week and that was enough.

Extra things if she needs it: window cleaner, gardener, homecare cover (e.g. British gas home care for boiler service and maintenance etc), curtains in a rented house/ furniture?, water/sewerage charges, congestion charges (if travelling in and out of London by car) - not the most obvious things or necessarily needed but just in case.

Transport i.e. car, car insurance, road tax etc or train/bus passes + Depending on age of children, School uniforms/lunches/back packs/lunch boxes New bikes/toys etc for children unless they are shipping back all of their things Cost of clubs for children (brownies/cubs/swimming/judo etc) to help them fit back in School trips (both day trips and if they are older, residential trips) Pocket Money (i.e. GBP 5 per child per week = GBP 40 per month) Winter clothes (coats, wellies etc) These may seem like small things in themselves, but the cost soon adds up to quite a hefty sum. Even if Dad intends to pay for the childrens flights to visit him in Dubai, cost of transport to and from airports needs to be added if Mum intends working and the children need to travel by Taxi/public transport.

With regards to renting, she will need 1 month's rent and the deposit will be the equivalent of 1 month's rent too. Rents on a 2 bed place are anything from 500 to 1200 depending on location. Utilities and whatnot generally don't ask you to pay upfront, so once set up, it'll be a month before the next bill. She should count around £25/ month towards internet and phone, about £12 a month for TV license (pay direct debit), and around £50 a month for elec&gas... and say £10/ month for water. Most utilities give discounts for paying a fixed sum by direct debit each month, so it's worth doing. uSwitch is a great website to find out what's cheapest in the area you're staying in. Council tax is the biggie (£100-150/ month) and depends on the value of the property, but as she will be the only adult, she will only have to pay 75%. She will need to contact the Council and arrange it. Again, they don't ask to pay upfront. She should also look into the information on directgov.co.uk (I think that's the site) for anything she may be entitled to. Certainly Child Benefit and quite possibly Child Tax Credit. If she's not working, or looking for work, she should also contact JobcentrePlus - she might not be entitled to anything, but if you don't ask... I usually budget £75/ week for food and sundries when I'm there on my own with my 2. As for actual set-up costs like furniture, pots and pans and things, well, it depends on taste and whatnot. However, Tescos, for example do all this and have a good loyalty points system which equates to money off shopping and is well worth taking out their card before any major spending! Points mean prizes! If she's really on a shoe-string, she should also look to get stuff from charity shops and friday-ads. I'm a great fan of both - the former for children's clothes and the latter for everything else! I hope this helps! <em>edited by Hello.Again.Kitty on 17/02/2011</em>