I did some essential shopping today, went to Primark oxford street, London. Things are really cheap here!

Primark is cheap but doesn't last.

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Primark is cheap but doesn't last.

I hope that someday, I can shop at Harrods I am a dreamer!

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Primark is cheap but doesn't last.

not true. i have clothes from primark that lasted over 5years.

salford1:

not true. i have clothes from primark that lasted over 5years.

Those are the exceptions not the rule. Their towels are also quite good. But all else is cheap panda that looks flashy but doesn't last.

UKmigrant:
Got to London Paddington in less than 20 minutes. This would have taken longer if I used the tubes, moreso I didn't want to suffer too much cos I had quite some baggages!

Just look at how organized this place looks LMAO

Pidgin2:


Oga justwise, by family of five he meant two parents and three kids not five kids as you implied. Most likely such a person will be on welfare aka child benefit, let's assume he is not paying mortgage then what of rent? He might pay from 400 to 600 pounds per month depending on how he wants to live his life. In all, it's not a good thing to earn such per year while living in UK. This is the reason some people living in there cannot invite friends and family over because they are already a liability to the country so it has stripped them of their legal rights to host any possible visitors

Not really.

We've got over 4 kids (at different stages of schooling including private education), and we certainly aren't on welfare or receiving any help from the government.

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Those are the exceptions not the rule. Their towels are also quite good. But all else is cheap panda that looks flashy but doesn't last.

Depends on how often they're used / worn. True a lot of their clothing don't last especially on a medium wash of 40 degrees C. The colours will run. But I discovered you can beat that by washing (mixed colours) at 30 degrees quick, cold wash

Primark's good for kids as they quickly outgrow their clothes. I did go shoe crazy once but their handbags last a lot longer than their shoes.

justwise:




Average cost of bus pass in the UK is about 60-70 in most cities (London excluded), if you are earning £11,500 a year and spends £250 monthly on food alone then you will have serious problem saving a penny.

There's a myriad of options: single fare, 1 day, 1 week, 1 month, annual, Oyster 5-10, 10-15, 16-18, 18+ Adult, OAP (over 60's?), etc.

A one month oyster bus pass (I think for zones 1-4) is £81.50 and a zone 1-2 monthly travel card which can be used on the buses, under/ over ground trains, national rail, and trams is about £128.50 a month...

UKmigrant:
I did some essential shopping today, went to Primark oxford street, London. Things are really cheap here!

Nice thread @op

Nice fresh thread!

Primark is good for the essentials- vest. socks. even long johns!!!

Welcome to Blighty! don't forget to get a bed warmer from argos!

jt2010:


Nigerians! We want almost everything to be secret, even the smallest of all things.

Even pregnancy that everybody will see

I don't get it too jare

UKmigrant:
I did some essential shopping today, went to Primark oxford street, London. Things are really cheap here!

It's cheap but believe me it's not worth it Their things do not last at all

A truly refreshing thread, the working environment in a lot of settings in Nigeria is oppressive and abusive - one just has to assert himself to keep his sanity.

lovelygurl:


It's cheap but believe me it's not worth it Their things do not last at all

primark stuff can last at least a year, a lot of their clothing are tailored in Bangladesh.

Another nice Budget place is sportsdirect

EfemenaXY:


Not really.

We've got over 4 kids (at different stages of schooling including private education), and we certainly aren't on welfare or receiving any help from the government.



Depends on how often they're used / worn. True a lot of their clothing don't last especially on a medium wash of 40 degrees C. The colours will run. But I discovered you can beat that by washing (mixed colours) at 30 degrees quick, cold wash

Primark's good for kids as they quickly outgrow their clothes. I did go shoe crazy once but their handbags last a lot longer than their shoes.

It's good for kids, I agree. But for an adult that would want to get value for money, it's not worth it. I learnt it the hard way. That thermal wear was the worst. I bought a lot of it and had to rebuy all within a week.

Even though I live in America, there is something I so much love about London that I cant even explain. I think its just the historical feel about it. Europe in general if you ask me.

Choi.. Londoners done hijack the thread oo.. I wish I could contribute but no experience to share at all... Oluwa I want travel biko.. Biko, Answer your boy and grant my heart desires Amen!!

UKmigrant:
A little about my last UK trip a few months ago. It was my first time in the UK. I needed to go sort out my runs. I was to stay for a total of 6 weeks. To save cost of accommodation, I contacted my cousin in France who has a friend in the city I wanted to stay in the UK and he linked us up. We started chatting several weeks prior to my trip and I even called him a few times. He said there's no issue at all accommodating me. He even promised to pick me up at the airport. Told me how he is really close to my cousin and I have nothing to worry about.

He even asked me to send my flight itinerary which I did. We finally spoke before i departed Nigeria and he said he'd be waiting for me at the airport as I land.

When we landed, I started trying his numbers all to no avail! Called him on whatsapp but he didn't pick up. Sent him several messages on whatsapp and skype, they were delivering but he wasn't reading them. Later the messages also stopped delivering. I decided to chill a little for him thinking he probably had some delays getting to the airport, I no no say I don jonze!

After 4 hours I was still at the airport with no calls from him or reply to any of my messages, I called my cousin in France who also tried to contact him but also couldn't. I then knew that I was on my own. I booked airbnb and took a black cab to the place.

He never called me back throughout my stay in the UK. I tried to message him once, it was delivered but he didn't reply, even up till now. I wonder what was going on in his mind for setting me up to be stranded like that. Thank Jah I was fully prepped for my trip financially and all, so, I just had to spend the money I was trying to manage.

On speaking with some Londoners about it, I learnt that it is a common behavior amongst Nigerians in London. I say na waa o! Brothers behaving like savages to their fellow countrymen. Unless they see clearly that they have something to benefit from you, they avoid you like a plague. The rest na story for another day sha.

Dem don show you london style, my cousin whom we housed for years till he travelled abroad at our expense did same to my Dad.

UKmigrant:
Tomorrow, I'll be going to FRSC office to make enquiries about how I can speedily process my international drivers licence. I learnt that one could use it to drive in the UK in the first year of arrival. At least I'll have one year to practice driving on their roads before going for their ''not easy to pass'' driving tests. I currently still have a valid Nigerian driver's licence expiring next month. I hope I won't need to renew it first before my international driving permit can be valid.

Anyone with an idea of the requirements for obtaining an international driver's licence in Nigeria and how the whole driving thing works in the UK? Do I still need to register with DVLA first before I can use it?

Wow! just stumbled on this thread. Int. drivers license is not processed by FRSC it done at the police hqrs at obalende, it can be obtained same day, have done this a couple of times whenever am travelling but i always send the security attached to my office. Kai you for renew your drivers license online prior to you trip and someone would have been able to collect it for you with an authorization letter once its ready. I renewed mine 5 years validity for about N10k online and it was out within 2 months contrary to my thinking that it will take longer, i was surprised when i was called to come pick up my license that it was ready, i was quite impressed for the call.

Rolly83:


@op,i am kinda wondering why you had to expose your relocation plans to almost everyone in your office!!! That's not very wise.This is supposed to be something personal between u and maybe your family

Nigerian factor eeeeeeeee! Everything must be secret otherwise dem village people go....

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Those are the exceptions not the rule. Their towels are also quite good. But all else is cheap panda that looks flashy but doesn't last.

Maybe the quality of their stuffs has really changed, but a lot of my primark stuffs outlasted all the clothes I bought from Next.

My primark shirts outlasted my TM lewins.
A primark jean pant outlasted a similar Versace I got as birthday present.. They were all washed under the same conditions.

Even though i don't live in England anymore but I would surely be visiting primoney when next I visit ... lol.

Picked up my residence permit card yesterday at the designated post office. It also has my national insurance number at the back which is the most important thing I need to do almost everything in this country - open an account, register with a GP, process my driving licence e.t.c

.

.

UKmigrant:
Also, I was able to open an account with HSBC after calling to schedule an appointment, someone at the HR dept of my work place placed the call and introduced me before handing me the phone. The call lasted for almost an hour because they kept transfering my call to other agents and each of them was asking me the same stupid questions over and over again. They asked for my work contract, my passport, residence permit, and proof of address.

I finally got to the bank at the scheduled time and the whole thing lasted for about an hour. The customer service agent explained to me the different kinds of accounts. They also offered me a credit card and said I can borrow up to 1500 pounds with no interest if I pay up all I borrowed within a month and also that I can make an overdraft of 2500 pounds on my debit card. Told me all I have to do to avoid being charged interests on credit card spendings and overdrafts. He also advised that I use my credit card as often as posssible, but that I should always be paying up within a month to avoid being charged interests and to also improve my credit score in case I want to apply for a mortgage or car loan later.

I was given my account number there and then and also had my internet banking activated. He told me to expect my debit and credit cards delivered in 2 to 3 working days at my address.

UKmigrant:
I left the bank around 5pm was very tired and hungry, so I decided to visit a Nigerian family I met while on a train I took Liverpool Street Station on Monday who invited me to their home. They made me a feast, chai!. I finally ate my first naija food (apart from indomie) since my arrival. It was jollof rice with assorted meat and salad. I made sure I did justice to it and cleared the plate. I have a lot of naija food but I am yet to unpack them as I have been busy doing documentations and training at work. I intend to cook stew by weekend if I have the strength.

Unfortunately, I didn't take a picture of the food, sorry! Its all in my tummy now!

You are a good story teller

UKmigrant:
I left the bank around 5pm was very tired and hungry, so I decided to visit a Nigerian family I met while on a train I took Liverpool Street Station on Monday who invited me to their home. They made me a feast, chai!. I finally ate my first naija food (apart from indomie) since my arrival. It was jollof rice with assorted meat and salad. I made sure I did justice to it and cleared the plate. I have a lot of naija food but I am yet to unpack them as I have been busy doing documentations and training at work. I intend to cook stew by weekend if I have the strength.

Unfortunately, I didn't take a picture of the food, sorry! Its all in my tummy now!

That must have been in Peckham "little Lagos"

UKmigrant:
I hope that someday, I can shop at Harrods I am a dreamer!

It's a gradual process, everyone who relocates to the UK starts shopping at Primark. When you have lived in the UK for a while, you will slowly start to adapt to the average UK middle-class mentality that Primark sells trash. You will never set foot in Primark ever again. Try Next or Mark and Spencer for your corporate wears, they are both cheap but good quality.

ladylco:


Nigerian factor eeeeeeeee! Everything must be secret otherwise dem village people go....

You're quoting me out of context..That was my own opinion

Marriott1980:
Even though I live in America, there is something I so much love about London that I cant even explain. I think its just the historical feel about it. Europe in general if you ask me.

Yes u are very right.Most European countries have this calm and soothing feeling unlike the USA!

ladylco:


Dem don show you london style, my cousin whom we housed for years till he travelled abroad at our expense did same to my Dad.

God!! that's very bad of him or her

Rolly83:


Yes u are very right.Most European countries have this calm and soothing feeling unlike the USA!

well... I've been to either Europe or the US before.. but I think am obsessed with the US.. lol see me .. I don't even have an int'l passport yet

Thank you for the constant updates. I wish you well.

Hoping to relocate with my family by God's grace.

UKmigrant:
I left the bank around 5pm was very tired and hungry, so I decided to visit a Nigerian family I met while on a train I took Liverpool Street Station on Monday who invited me to their home. They made me a feast, chai!. I finally ate my first naija food (apart from indomie) since my arrival. It was jollof rice with assorted meat and salad. I made sure I did justice to it and cleared the plate. I have a lot of naija food but I am yet to unpack them as I have been busy doing documentations and training at work. I intend to cook stew by weekend if I have the strength.

Unfortunately, I didn't take a picture of the food, sorry! Its all in my tummy now!