Transformer

The best tip we received when moving overseas was to buy a few transformers off Amazon and pack a few American extension cords. We are here for 2 years and therefore didn't want to buy all new appliances. We bought a 500 watt and 2000 watt transformer. We leave our 500 watt in our office and the 2000 in our kitchen.

The 500 easily powers all the office items at once with an extension cord including computer, monitor printer and silhouette machine. It is nice to always have these plugged in. We can also move it into the living room to watch American DVDs since we had no desire to upgrade our stock for the European version.

We use the 2000 watt transformer in the kitchen and don't move it as frequently as, dang, it is heavy. This powers everything from our toaster to kitchenaide to crockpot and waffle iron. It sits on our counter taking up some space which isn't ideal but it is so easy to use and we are so grateful for this tip as it has saved us money and allowed us to use many appliances we otherwise wouldn't have invested in for a 2 year stint!