Moving back to the USA - Services to Buy (Cell, Internet, etc.)

[Billy B. Good]

So after nearly 14 years I am moving back to the USA. Will land and start out in St. Louis, Missouri, to get our feet on the ground.

I have made short visits to the USA over the years, but I am out of practice with consuming!!

I don't mind paying for things I need, but I hate overpaying and I hate waste. Can you help me be efficient with my spending as I move back?

Suggestions on the following products and services would be appreciated, as well as anything else you can think of. Thanks!!

Things I will need that I have not bought in many years:

 -  A car - my shopping indicates I am going to spend $15k to $20k for something decent and dependable
 -  Car insurance (no special circumstances, one mature driver with a clean record)
 -  Cell phone service (for myself and the wife)
 -  Internet for the apartment (I do not want to bundle with cable TV or land lines - I just want good, fast internet)
 -  Health Insurance - Unless and until I get a job that provides it (two adults, two small kids)

The above are highest priority. Some other stuff associated with starting all over are listed below.

 -  Bicycles for two adults and two small kids (already perusing Craigslist, but if there are bike places I would like to know)
 -  Other sports and recreation stuff for family (ball gloves, bike helmets, car seats, all that kind of stuff)
 -  I don't know what else.

Cheers!

[bacchi]

car - You can probably get away with $10k (there's one in the Marketplace right now that seems fine) but used car prices have gone up. $15k seems like a good goal.

car insurance - I use Geico with a BRK-B discount.

cell service - Mint or US Mobile or a handful of other MVNOs.

internet - Highly local. Comcast sucks.

health insurance - https://www.healthcare.gov/, watch for the medicaid level if Missouri medicaid sucks. Your premium should be close to $0 if you're unemployed.

[Daley]

Missouri is AT&T country, both cell phone and internet, but dealing with AT&T directly frequently stinks. Fortunately, it's usually cheaper dealing with AT&T services using a middleman to deal with them for you, with fewer hidden fees.

Toast.net for fiber/vDSL internet. Plans start at $60/month for 100/100Mbps, $50 install, friendly people from Ohio with support and sales, free router with a year contract, grandfathered pricing, no data cap, all in with no hidden fees. AT&T's direct promo pricing will look tempting, but read the fine print and how they handle pricing. The savings first year going directly with AT&T is minimal at best, and a losing proposition of constantly fighting to lower your bill to a reasonable rate after.

Red Pocket GSMA for cell service, plans start at $10/month $20/month (edit: correction, $10 plan is GSMT only as of this morning apparently - GSMA starts at $20/month or $15/month [$180/year] if annual plan purchase). Any AT&T branded VoLTE capable handset should work in theory, locked or unlocked. BackMarket is a good source for refurbished handsets these days. Swappa, Glyde and Gazelle are okay for used as well. If you go Android, Motorola and Nokia are decent. And yes, you'll probably have to buy new cellphones, because all our pre-4G-LTE common global roaming networks are being shut off next year, and LTE service bands are a shotgun of a hot mess with very little cross-network interoperability... especially with voice service.

[chemistk]

Listen to Daley ^ on the the Internet & Cell Phone front. It's not clear what country you're coming from, but just be prepared for a general downgrade in Internet service here. Broadband is way behind where it could be thanks to telecom giants dragging their feet through the mud in upgrading infrastructure - upload speeds are particularly appalling unless you can get into an area that has goof Fiber service.

As for the car, it really depends on what kind of vehicle your family needs. Obviously, get the smallest one that fits your needs, but used car prices are bonkers right now (our 2014 minivan has depreciated only about $700 since we bought it over 2 years ago, and that's with adding 20k miles). If I had to recommend anything, try looking for a Gen 3 Prius with under 150k miles - you probably can find a good one for around $7500 if you search.

With insurance, I'm not familiar with how insurance companies treat citizens returning to the US after a decade - I think you're going to just have to shop around and see who will give you the best rates. No one company is particularly better than the others but there are some that are terrible. If you haven't heard of them, probably not a great insurance co. if you ever need them.

I can't speak to health insurance other than, it's going to be pretty pricey if and/or until you can get on an employer sponsored plan.

The other stuff?

Craigslist is good but more stuff these days is being sold on FB Marketplace - I'd look around the area you're moving to for bigger stuff, smaller stuff definitely consider casting a wider net as a lot of sellers these days are willing to ship stuff. In your position, I'd just get it as you need it.

I assume you have a place to live lined up, don't forget about renter's insurance if you're renting.

[Billy B. Good]

Lots of great information here in the replies. Thank you all very much. I am grateful for the help.
Man, too many options on the communications - both the plans and the hardware. I thought technology was supposed to make life easier!

[ixtap]

For the insurance, be prepared for a surprise. If you haven't had US car insurance for awhile, you are automatically considered a higher risk (basically, an inexperienced driver).

For used goods, find out what is popular in your area. It may be craigslist, letgo, FB marketplace...take look at all of them and compare the volume and quality, you may be able to stop looking at some.

[the_hobbitish]

On cell service I used republic wireless for years and liked it. I recently switched to google Fi. We got 3 lines with unlimited data for $30 per phone. Let me know if you're interested in a $20 off code. So far the service had been good.
Bottom line is go for any one of the MVNOs as others have said and stay away from the large price gouging companies.

[draco44]

Good luck with your move! For kid's bikes specifically, I suggest posting a request on a Buy Nothing group or Freecycle. Especially Buy Nothing. Kid's bikes can be a pretty common give-away, and kids grow so fast I don't see that as an item worth investing in. You can ask for sports gear too.

When you were last living on US soil, Freecycle would have been my first recommendation for soliciting free stuff, but Buy Nothing has really moved into that space. It's also better suited than Freecycle for allowing the group to make a mass donation to another member. For example, a post on a Buy Nothing group from a college student (or expat family...) who just moved to the area and needs to outfit a basic apartment or dorm room may get a series of replies with different posters saying "here's a picture of a desk a can give you" and "pots and pans from me!" I've seen that happen multiple times on the group I'm part of.