Boxes, boxes everywhere

[Jaylen Brit 0]

Well I got all my flat-pack boxes from baggageexpress.com today - around 14 of them - and about 3 miles of bubble wrap (which i will need to remove unless I want my daughter gaily poopping all the bubbles later), and 3 rolls of packing tape.

And a whole bunch of customs forms that I flicked thru while my brain ran off screaming...

I hope on the 2nd read they are less confusing/scary than they looked about 5 mins ago and a lot easier to complete than my panic chip/shrieking brain cells expect.

I don't know if its just me, but when presented with a huge REAM of paperwork, governement type stuff, my entire system yells OMFG and makes me retreat to the coffee cup.

So far I have looked at the flat packed boxes about 3 times, and moved them about 5 inches once, before coming back to the PC..

I still have to sort out my UK bank accounts and work out how to use PAYPAL to send myself cash in the US..

Maybe I need a nice lie-down..

[munchkins 0]

Don't be lazy Jay, get that packing done

[Jaylen Brit 0]

Im not leaving for about 3 weeks!!

I'm not packing it all YET

[Melo 1]

Oh lord Paypal is one sure way of losing money... I had a paypal account with an Indian address - wanted to change it to an English one lost over 100 USD in the process... be prepared to lose money if you change addresses to that of another country. I would counsel you to not do it via Paypal.

[Jaylen Brit 0]

ah see Im going to have TWO paypal accounts - one in UK, linked to my UK bank, and one in US, linked to my US bank account, and the idea is xfer money between them - if I can get hold of Jay-Jay she can help with tips for that one, lol

I want to leave cash in UK to take advantage of the exchange rates AND so I can have money when I come back for visits - right from my own account in £

[Toledospod 0]

ah see Im going to have TWO paypal accounts - one in UK, linked to my UK bank, and one in US, linked to my US bank account, and the idea is xfer money between them - if I can get hold of Jay-Jay she can help with tips for that one, lol

I want to leave cash in UK to take advantage of the exchange rates AND so I can have money when I come back for visits - right from my own account in £

We've done exactly what you're talking about Jaylen and it works perfectly. We used it to transfer moneymy wife's UK bank account to her US Checking account and even though Paypal charge you a small fee for transferring the money across, we had no problems at all and the money arrived in her checking account 4 days later(the only delay is waiting for the money to go from Paypal US to the US checking account).

[Jaylen Brit 0]

oooh validation! lol Thanks a heap londonspod! Is ther a limit for sending money to yourself? Right now I just have hte UK verified PAyPal account - it is linked to both my UK credit card and UK bank account, and shortly I'm going to link my UK checking account to my same bank savings account, and going fully online for both..if you follow! lol

[Toledospod 0]

oooh validation! lol Thanks a heap londonspod! Is ther a limit for sending money to yourself? Right now I just have hte UK verified PAyPal account - it is linked to both my UK credit card and UK bank account, and shortly I'm going to link my UK checking account to my same bank savings account, and going fully online for both..if you follow! lol

Good question! I don't know the answer, as I normally transfer small amounts anyway(less than 400 UK Pounds). However, Paypal knows the answer -

Q: What is the maximum amount I can send with my PayPal account?

A: You can view your Sending Limit on your Limits page.

Here's how:

Click the My Account tab.

Click the View Limits link next to the yellow Balance box (if there is no View Limits link, your account has no Sending Limit)

Your remaining Sending Limit is listed under the Sending Limit heading

[Jaylen Brit 0]

hehe yeah - apparently I receive £500 a month (in the UK)..but I can send as much as I want - so maybe if I send using my UK paypal direct to my US bank account - that will get around THAT little issue

BTW _ I just put a box together and half filled it with books

[Ban Hammer 13,333]

isn't that how boxing day was started in the uk?

[Jaylen Brit 0]

haha - no

The Boxing Day tradition began in Britain possibly as early as in the Middle Ages; with regards to its origin, there are two main schools of thought. Some historians maintain that it began as a holiday tradition where house servants, who always had to work on Christmas days, were rewarded the day after. Their employers would put gifts such as food, clothing, or money in “Christmas boxes,” which the servants would then take with them as they departed for family visits. Others say that Boxing Day is so named because churches collected money for the poor in wooden boxes and usually opened them to hand out alms on the day after Christmas. Today, Boxing Day is celebrated in most of the other English-speaking countries that include Canada, Australia and New Zealand, the United States being a notable exception.

The spirit of generosity surrounding this day is best exemplified by the fact that December 26 is also St. Stephen’s Day. St. Stephen was one of the seven original deacons in the Christian Church. He was stoned to death by an angry mob for his devoted piety and faith in Christ. As he expired in a slow and painful death, St. Stephen uttered a powerful prayer in which he begged God to forgive his persecutors. Many consider him to be the first martyr.

[Toledospod 0]

Blimey, I never knew that last bit about St. Stephen!

[Elizabethnhenry 0]

haha - no

The Boxing Day tradition began in Britain possibly as early as in the Middle Ages; with regards to its origin, there are two main schools of thought. Some historians maintain that it began as a holiday tradition where house servants, who always had to work on Christmas days, were rewarded the day after. Their employers would put gifts such as food, clothing, or money in “Christmas boxes,” which the servants would then take with them as they departed for family visits. Others say that Boxing Day is so named because churches collected money for the poor in wooden boxes and usually opened them to hand out alms on the day after Christmas. Today, Boxing Day is celebrated in most of the other English-speaking countries that include Canada, Australia and New Zealand, the United States being a notable exception.

The spirit of generosity surrounding this day is best exemplified by the fact that December 26 is also St. Stephen’s Day. St. Stephen was one of the seven original deacons in the Christian Church. He was stoned to death by an angry mob for his devoted piety and faith in Christ. As he expired in a slow and painful death, St. Stephen uttered a powerful prayer in which he begged God to forgive his persecutors. Many consider him to be the first martyr.

i love boxing day - lots of great british caribbean traditions - sigh

[Jaylen Brit 0]

Blimey, I never knew that last bit about St. Stephen!

ooh for shame!

Where did you think the line in the song Good King Wencelslas came from?

'...looked out, on the feast of Stephen...'

BTW - havent packed any further boxes yet

[Jaylen Brit 0]

I can't believe I put 'baggageexpress' in the first post Its actually excessbaggage How stressed was I when I wrote that?

OK so - I'm on my last box!! Box #19 (I can't believe I have 19! But its not all my stuff - its my 10 yr old's as well; games, toys, books. Actually about 5 of MY boxes are just books alone!)

They come tomorrow to collect em all - then I'm down to suitcases that need packin before next weds when I fly.. omg..its less than a week now - this time next weds I will be airborne and en route..

Doesn't seem that long ago I was waiting for my NOA2...