Hi Chris,
I used this forum a lot while preparing for our move to Singapore (we just got here a little over 4 months ago). We're from the states as well, and to be more specific, we're also from Houston (we've met lots of expats from the US that are from the same area).
While this forum is a GREAT resource for asking questions, I have to say that in many ways it overly-prepared me and made me worry about a million things that I didn't really need to worry about in the first place.
So here's what I found: There are very few things that I can get in the states that I can't get here. After perusing the boards over and over, I ended up stocking up on shampoo, conditioner, toothpaste, lotions, cleaning products, medicines, etc. from Sam's Club and having it all shipped over. I don't necessarily regret doing that now since my husband's company paid for 1000 lbs of shipping (so it didn't cost us anything to have it sent over), but truth be told, we can get every bit of it here, including brand name stuff we're used to from the states. Yes, things are more expensive, but honestly, I've never suffered quite the sticker shock that others seem to. There are some items I refuse to buy here (certain cereals are really pricey along with things like American cheeses or like many others have mentioned, feminine care products), but the great news is that there are great alternatives to everything that has a high price. Anyway, by stocking up at Sam's Club, I probably saved us a good $300, but in retrospect, I added a lot to an already very full plate prior to moving here.
One bit of advice that I wish we HAD paid attention to before moving over is to buy a cheap grill from the US and have it shipped over with the rest of your stuff. Grills here are insanely expensive (thats one of the things I
have had sticker shock for) and we miss being able to grill!
Like I said before, there are few things we can't get here, but two of the things we miss and have our families send us are Crystal Lite packets and Cheeze-its!
Weather wise, you'll be just fine. Summer is actually hotter in Houston and even more humid at times than it is here. The difference between living here and there (and the very reason that it
seems hotter here) is that we walk everywhere here as opposed to driving a car like we do at home.
This was our first overseas job too and its already proven to be a fabulous experience. I think y'all will really like Singapore!
If you have any other questions for a young-ish couple (we're in our mid-late 20s) that are from your area, feel free to email me at
[email protected]