Hello, two weeks ago I arrived in U.K. With my 15 months old son and my Fiancé. His Family is amazing and they love my son like their DNA. I've gotten over the Christmas & New Year celebration blues now "enjoying" the stay-at-home mum stage here in Birmingham where most people I see are Indians or Chinese lol Shopping is a struggle for me. I've been learning which product is good and which is a no-no. Tesco has no cashiers so I let my Fiancé shop for what I need which resulted to buying some products that I didn't like, sorry to say. He also bought me a liner instead of napkin..lol Still, he's amazing. We are currently in a hotel until next week because his tenant is still in his house and is scheduled to leave next week. Until then, I won't bother familiarising myself with the surroundings since doing so is difficult with a naughty toddler. Anyway, I have few questions and I would appreciate if anyone can answer.. 1. What are the common book stores where I can buy notebook, pens, etc.? I'm afraid that book stores here are really just "books" store. 2. What is a good 3-in-1 coffee brand you recommend which tastes like Kopiko brown? I'm dying for a taste of my coffee. 3. If I buy something worth £2 let's say, would the cashier be mad if I pay with a £20 note? In the Philippines, the smaller the note, the better. 4. What grocery stores are foreigner-friendly and not? 5. Is there a free tv channel for movies? My 6th question is about using the washing machine but I'll just YouTube it.
1. Staples, although you can also buy office supplies from the supermarkets. 2-5. I'll let the others reply. Enjoy the UK!
1. What are the common book stores where I can buy notebook, pens, etc.? I'm afraid that book stores here are really just "books" store. You need "W.H. Smiths" which is more or less the equivalent of National Bookstore 2. What is a good 3-in-1 coffee brand you recommend which tastes like Kopiko brown? I'm dying for a taste of my coffee. Nestle "Cafe Menu" packets... they come in a range of flavours some of which are close to Kopiko, but my wife is addicted to this one: 3. If I buy something worth £2 let's say, would the cashier be mad if I pay with a £20 note? In the Philippines, the smaller the note, the better. Same here 4. What grocery stores are foreigner-friendly and not? Most shopping for groceries is done in the big supermarkets but in any big town and most certainly in Birmingham you will find "Asian" food shops and if you ask around you will find one that carries Filipino delicacies. 5. Is there a free tv channel for movies? Not as such. But if you buy a Sky package you can get a lot of movies My 6th question is about using the washing machine but I'll just YouTube it. What make is it? Usually you put the detergent in the middle compartment of the drawer, with the water softener ("Calgon") if used, and the fabric conditioner in the left hand compartment, then select a 40 degree or 60 degree wash programme. DO NOT put his woolen jumpers in the washing machine!!!
2. Melody mixed a Nestle coffee sachet with Coffee Mate and said that the result was pretty close 5. You can get some of the movies on Sky TV, free of charge, but most channels are PIN protected. Every now and then though, you won't need to enter a PIN to view them
Thanks for the advise Andrew, I will google stores you mentioned. I got Nestle coffee packs here, tried the cappuccino, latte and double Choco mocha, none of them satisfies me I'll just wait till we get home so I can watch via Netflix. Gotta enjoy the cartoons for now lol Washing machine is Zanussi.. Too bad I can't attach a pic.
To illustrate, this is the shop in Ipswich where K gets all her Filipino delicacies and staples from rice to San Mig Light to every (and I do mean "every known") meat fish condiment and vegetable. It's actually run by a Gujerati, not a Filipino, but he asked his Filipina customers what they wanted and he tracked everything down from UK wholesalers. You will find lots of shops like this, when you look carefully. You may have to go to Church on Sunday and meet Filipinas to find the right one.
hi @joi1991 can i ask what area of Brum you will be living in ? Brum is what Brummies call Birmingham. often written B'ham for short. I'm a Brummie--born there..many years ago--in an area called Balsall Heath--but my parents moved to Handsworth Wood when i was 9 years old. i moved to West Bromwich when i got married the first time at 20...but then moved away at 23. i still have relatives there--but have not been to visit for 20 years now.
Mae used to drink Kopico back home which she can't buy here in Malta. She suggests you try either Gold Blend or Blend 37 - both made by Nestle - and use a non-dairy creamer such as Coffee Mate and soft brown sugar (not white).
Heya We are currently near the Bullring mall but will be moving to his house in Sutton Coldfield next week. Never been to the places you mentioned but will get myself familiar with the nearby places as Time flies. My question is, do you speak with the Birmingham accent?
i nearly ended up living in Sutton Coldfield--very appropriate--as my surname is Sutton. and--yes i still have a strong Brummie accent.
Ask your future mother-in-law about washing machine use ! If it's urgent, just set it to 40C 'medium' or similar expression, so you don't damage any man-made fibres, and use ONE of those little washing 'tabs'... sold in boxes in the supermarket and local shops, by putting it into the actual drum, underneath the washing. Don't stuff the machine too full, press the ON button, and go and drink your coffee for an hour or so. Oh and... check all the pockets in the clothes first ! These are on offer half price at Tesco at the moment... good brand: .
You can download and print your Zanussi washing machine instruction manual here ....and in which you will probably find everything that Graham59 just said.
I can tell you live on your own Graham, thankfully my washing days are over. Your post brought back memories of hours with my head stuck in a washer/cooker manual etc.
Good to see you finally made it to old Blighty, you'll soon get the hang of life in the UK, "you're not behind the door" as my mother would say, you will soon figure out how to operate the household gadgets I'm pencilled in to be in your area late next week and the week after, I will be stopping in Lichfield which is quite a pleasant place. Hope you get used to the Brummy accent, not one of my favourite accents but we cant all be Lancastrians
And just while I remember, my last electricity bill stated that we use %172 more electricity than a similar sized household, that's because the bloody washing machine is constantly on, the water bill is the same of course with filling the damn thing. Well, that's my moan for the day
