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Posted
Hello,

This message is aimed at the people currently in Spain who have moved from the US or Canada. I will be moving to Spain and am wondering if there are specific things that you can't find in Spain (Madrid) or are prohibitively expensive that are very common in the US or Canada. As I am reading books about Spain prior to my move, I am seeing that there are MANY small differences in life in Spain.


Many thanks in advance.
 
Posts: 20 | Location: Madrid | Registered: 19 June 2008Reply With QuoteEdit or Delete MessageReport This Post
Posted Hide Post
Hello from a fellow Canadian and relatively new forum poster!

I have been in Madrid about 6 weeks now, and there definitely are many differences!

I have noticed that things like hair dryers, curling irons..etc are much more expensive here in Spain...actually most electronics come to think of it. If you are bringing electronic stuff and need plug adapters, make sure that the plastic part is either small, or round. I bought a couple that are large and square...the metal prongs are the correct size but the plastic part doesn't fit into the outlets because here most of them are round.

It took me a while to find peanut butter here too...but I don't know if that's a thing to ship overseas haha. As for other random things like household items...hangers, random kitchen utensils and other things like that, if you have room it's probably worth shipping them just to save the hassle of going to look for all of it. I'm not sure if there's much difference in price though. Going to Ikea is always fun for stuff like that smiler

Good luck! I'm happy to hear of another Canuck in Madrid!
 
Posts: 2 | Location: Canada | Registered: 15 January 2008Reply With QuoteEdit or Delete MessageReport This Post
jer
"the man!"
Picture of jer
Posted Hide Post
hey c_i_m.

i have been here for 11 years and am from nyc, u.s.a. and to this day (unless there is a GREAT deal here or a voltage issue) i buy my electronics in the u.s.a. either on trips back to see fam & friends or i have people visiting bring them over.

i can tell you that regarding what sammie said above, MUCH MORE IMPORTANT than the plug adapters is the voltage rating on your electronics.

check to see that any electronics that you plan to bring are rated for 110-240v. usually, you can see this on their power source itself.

if your electronics are not rated for world voltage, you will need voltage transformer (to step the current down from the 220v that comes out of the outlet here to the 110 that your electronics may be rated for. if you plug them in without a voltage transformer you will fry them.

textiles (clothing) is also MUCH more expensive here in spain. my wife and i had our first baby 11 monthsw ago and since then my mom has been either bringing over or sending boxes of clothes from the states. we have bought him very little clothing here in spain.

saludos,
jer...


- madrid nut, webweaver of www.multimadrid.com and keeper of the plazaCam.
- worlds biggest outdoor internet cafe --> www.plazawifi.info - GET CONNECTED!!!
--------------------
- rent or buy a cell phone from me for your stay in spain, more info at Onspanishtime.com.
- already have a cell phone, get a spanish SIM card for it at spainSIM.com.
 
Posts: 12224 | Location: ny, u.s.a. --> madrid, spain --> the plaza mayor ! | Registered: 30 June 1998Reply With QuoteEdit or Delete MessageReport This Post
Posted Hide Post
OK, thanks guys, this is awesome.

I was 99% sure electronics were a lot more expensive. A simple search on apple.com vs apple.es and the exchange rate convinced me that the prices were really off.

But peanut butter is a great example. I had actually decided that I will be bringing a large can of Timmy's coffee. Even though I don't drink it much here (but I guess I am trying to prevent being homesick). The shipping form has an area for non-perishable food, so I guess people do it!

The main reason I am asking is that I am shipping everything over by sea, so an extra box filled kitchen knick knacks and hangers is good to know. A few extra boxes actually won't impact much at all.

Thanks for letting me know guys. Any other small things that come to your minds would be greatly appreciated. I bet a lot of people would like to bring things back from home when they visit, but weight and size make that infeasible. I don't have that issue with the first batch of things I am shipping so I want to get it right.

Thanks!
 
Posts: 20 | Location: Madrid | Registered: 19 June 2008Reply With QuoteEdit or Delete MessageReport This Post
"The only normal people are the ones you don't know very well."
Posted Hide Post
OMG the coffee here is much way 1000x better in Spain so I wouldn't bother bringing coffee! (don't mean to offend Timmy's!)

When I go back to the US I bring over pancake mix and syrup because they just don't do dat here, at least not the way I like it. You can find them at Taste of America for 4x their usual price, however.

If you're not really proficient in Spanish yet, you might want to bring a stash of your favorite drug store products because there are no CVSs here, you have to ask for what you want in the farmacias and it's usually called something different. It's all here, and MORE, but it just takes a while to get up to speed.
 
Posts: 708 | Location: Madrid, Spain | Registered: 14 December 2002Reply With QuoteEdit or Delete MessageReport This Post
Ola
Posted Hide Post
I agree 100% with Juliette67. Bringing coffee to Spain is like bringing sand to the beach...
 
Posts: 195 | Location: Madrid | Registered: 02 November 2004Reply With QuoteEdit or Delete MessageReport This Post
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I totally agree with everyone else. Lotion, soap, anything else that you would get at CVS... those are great things to stock up on, because you most likely won't find any of your favorite brands here and it could take ages to figure out which is the equivalent (It took me four years to find the right lotion--but now that I have I would have to bring a case of it with me to the US if I ever moved back!)

Other stuff we stock up on when we go back:

--Pepto Bismol
--deodorant
--bar soap
--Q-tips
--Cheap sun screen
--Batteries
--Razor blades
--pin drives/blank CDs

Peanut butter is readily available now, thanks to Latin American immigrants, but I guess it would be worth bringing if you were really attached to a certain brand. I also bring stuff like good green tea, which tends to be a lot pricier here. Bring a good can opener (they tend to be different here) and any other stuff from your kitchen drawer that you use on a regular basis.

And any books in English that you might want to read...or cookbooks, dictionaries, etc.
 
Posts: 1066 | Location: Madrid | Registered: 10 December 2002Reply With QuoteEdit or Delete MessageReport This Post
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i´ll second (or third?) the advice on drug store products. i´ve been here two years but every time i go back, i nearly fill up a whole suitcase with my favorite lotions, soaps, beauty prodcuts from back home. one thing to be ready for here is that the selection is not as large as in the US. at least here in the center, becuase I never venture into those big hypermarkets that are generally outside of the center. but for example, you are not going to walk into the perfumeria (where you´d go to buy your shampoo) and see a whole aisle of hair gels. you´ll see maybe 5 gels to choose from and that´s it. so if you like your products from home, bring them!
 
Posts: 292 | Location: Miami FLA-->WDC-->MADRIIIID | Registered: 02 April 2002Reply With QuoteEdit or Delete MessageReport This Post
jer
"the man!"
Picture of jer
Posted Hide Post
hey mariposita.

fyi, you can get any brand blank cds you want dirt cheap at the rastro on sundays.

even cheaper if you know someone, pm me and i can give you my contact there as he has a stand and always cuts me deals.

saludos,
jer...


- madrid nut, webweaver of www.multimadrid.com and keeper of the plazaCam.
- worlds biggest outdoor internet cafe --> www.plazawifi.info - GET CONNECTED!!!
--------------------
- rent or buy a cell phone from me for your stay in spain, more info at Onspanishtime.com.
- already have a cell phone, get a spanish SIM card for it at spainSIM.com.
 
Posts: 12224 | Location: ny, u.s.a. --> madrid, spain --> the plaza mayor ! | Registered: 30 June 1998Reply With QuoteEdit or Delete MessageReport This Post
Posted Hide Post
Hey, cool jer. Next time I need a batch, I'll get the "hook-up".

P.S. We'll be back in the U.S. for a few weeks in August/Sept if anyone needs anything.
 
Posts: 1066 | Location: Madrid | Registered: 10 December 2002Reply With QuoteEdit or Delete MessageReport This Post
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Just wanted to share a tip for those of you who don't want to spend 4€ on a jar of peanut butter (at least that's what it is here where I live). Get roasted peanuts, stick them in the processor or process them by hand until creamy. Voila! Peanut butter! And, it tastes better than the sugary stuff you buy too.
 
Posts: 65 | Location: Soto del Real | Registered: 10 February 2003Reply With QuoteEdit or Delete MessageReport This Post
jer
"the man!"
Picture of jer
Posted Hide Post
4€ is highway robbery.

mercadona has pb for 2 euros a jar.

saludos,
jer...


- madrid nut, webweaver of www.multimadrid.com and keeper of the plazaCam.
- worlds biggest outdoor internet cafe --> www.plazawifi.info - GET CONNECTED!!!
--------------------
- rent or buy a cell phone from me for your stay in spain, more info at Onspanishtime.com.
- already have a cell phone, get a spanish SIM card for it at spainSIM.com.
 
Posts: 12224 | Location: ny, u.s.a. --> madrid, spain --> the plaza mayor ! | Registered: 30 June 1998Reply With QuoteEdit or Delete MessageReport This Post
Posted Hide Post
quote:
mercadona has pb for 2 euros a jar.


So do all the little Moroccan, Latin American, Chinese, etc. stores. I've never had any problems finding cheap peanut butter here in Madrid... maybe it's harder in the rest of the country.
 
Posts: 1066 | Location: Madrid | Registered: 10 December 2002Reply With QuoteEdit or Delete MessageReport This Post
Posted Hide Post
If your not picky than you can find peanut butter here, if your attached to a particular brand than I'd bring it over.

Another thing is priced like liquid gold is mouth wash, unbeliveably expensive here.

Also also have had a bunch of Americans from John Deere come over and all bought thier TVs in American and shipped them over, savings about 50% over what it would cost here.

Apparantly most Flat Screens are dual voltage as as well as NTSC and PAL


formerly timhortonsman
 
Posts: 381 | Location: Tres Cantos | Registered: 29 June 2006Reply With QuoteEdit or Delete MessageReport This Post
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the one thing I wish I'd brought over is my rocking chair. You don't see them here.
 
Posts: 385 | Location: a pueblo in Palencia, via Pittsburgh USA | Registered: 15 February 2003Reply With QuoteEdit or Delete MessageReport This Post
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