-=[ Durlabh ]=-: Coming to US

Some of the learnings:

Web is the key! Search for info on the net... that'll save you from lot of hassles, time and money
Don't bring too many clothes. Mostly clothing including jackets, belts, shoes etc. are cheaper and better quality over here. Bring minimal clothes. Instead bring lots of food items - specially masalas etc that you might need. These items are costlier and initially you might save a lot of money by not having to purchase these from US. It's not necessary to bring items such as Salt and Sugar in big quantities as those are common ingredients but masalas are not common. So I suggest bringing things like Indian Masalas, Snacks etc. in more quantity. Next time on my trip, probably I won't bring more than 2-3 sets of clothes and everything else will be food and some basic utensils :)
From utensils perspective, bring steel bowls, glasses, parat, belan, spoons, knife, chimta, karchi, chalni, pressure cooker and a knife. Usually steel utensils are not available here and even if they are available, they are costly.
Get the International Driving License online. Don't pay in India. One obtained from Authority in India is valid for only 1 year and costs around US$20. In the same cost, you get IDL online that's valid for 20 years!! No tests, no hassles. (http://www.idlid.com/)
Look for a driving instructor even before arriving in US. Finding appointment is not that easy in many places. For me, wait period was more than 1 month. Though driving is not that tough if you get some idea about rules and drive slowly initially. However, if you go in big city directly - it's quite tough considering the speed and rules.
Apply for SSN the very first day you arrive in US! You'll need a SSN almost everywhere.
Open a bank account the very first day. Search for a credit union if it's available nearby. You can use www.cuswirl.com to find the nearest branch. They will open account without much troubles and deposit (usually no deposit). Once you get your SSN, you'll need a credit card and usually Credit Unions give you credit card without any deposits with a good limit. I got one with a very high limit. You need credit card to build your credit history and that counts almost every where. You can also get good finance rates for your Home Loan/ Car Loans etc. from Credit Unions. I liked their services too. I opened my account in First Tech (www.firsttechcu.com).
Get a Credit Card as soon as you get your SSN. Get from the bank where you opened your account (preferably Credit Union as suggested earlier).
Build your credit hitory: Try to use your credit card for all the payments. Also - remember to maintain your credit history by always paying on time. Without credit history, you'll get hurdles almost everywhere. I couldn't get a Dish TV network, electricity connection, phone connection etc. without a deposit.
Prices vary like anything: Here, the key word for purchasing is "Deal". You'll find almost everybody talking about deal and offers. For example, I got my internet connection with Basic Cable for US$37.99/ month for first 6 months and after that it'll be $54.99. If I would have chosen the other option, Internet was at introductory rate of US$29, but after that without cable, it'll cost US$52.99. So this was a good deal. I subscribed for a magazine. Official subscription coupon in magazine is US$57.99. Most of the sites offered US$36.99. Then I got the offer through another site for just US$19.99. So the key word is deal. Even for gasoline (petrol) you'll find that gas stations across the street also have different rates. Be careful even for grocery. For example, in one store 1 Gallon Milk is US$3.50 and in another it's US$2.50. Look for rebates, mail-in rebates. Some of the good sites to keep track of all these are: www.fatwallet.com, www.dealnews.com, www.deals2buy.com, www.dealsea.com
Stay in touch with friends for purchasing. Many a times, referrals help both of you. For example, when I opened my first bank account, both me and my friend got a US$10 credit immediately. When I opened my other bank account, I got a US$45 credit and my friend got a US$25 credit. For Dish TV, I got activation fee waived off and my friend got US$100 credit.
You can get almost anything used - in new like condition. Don't think of purchasing everything new. If purchasing new, try Sam's Club or Costco through your friends. Walmart is the king of discount but still try the online deals also. For old goods, look at www.iwanta.net, www.sulekha.com and also at donation stores like Goodwill Emporium.
Look for a temple nearby. Get bonded with your community. They can help you a lot and they can guide you for lots of deals etc. Don't forget the help others provide you... provide the same help to others.
Get a car. Unlike India, even 10-12 year old cars run very well. I myself got a Honda Accord 1995 Automatic, 4 Door with 128k miles on it for US$3200. After initial check up and service, it costed me US$4000. It runs great. Mileage is also great and I am sure the depreciation won't be much. As I had saved some money in India, I didn't even take a loan, saving some amount on Interest.
Since you won't have driving history or even insurance, getting Auto Insurance might not be that easy. Go to www.progressive.com and you'll get it online for a competitive rate. Having a US driving license will reduce your insurance rate. I chose not to purchase the comprehensive insurance for the car as the cost of insurance for 2 years = cost of car. So I took only liability insurance. That's what most of the Indians do.
For moving around, get maps and routes online through google or yahoo maps. Directions can get you anywhere in US.
Search for Indian stores around. Most of the cities have Indian stores. You can get most of the snacks and different stuff from these stores. We usually purchase only Masalas, Ghee, some specific vegetables and flour (Atta, Maida, Suji) from these. Most of the vegetables and usual stuff such as Sugar, Salt etc. are also available at stores such as Walmart and are comparitively cheaper.
Always check your bill details at Indian stores. You might be surprised that usually these stores do not have details on bill whereas all other stores have. That's the reason you need to double-check.
For home phone, company was asking a deposit of US$180. Instead I chose to get Vonage. It gave me first month free, no equipment cost and just US$15/ month for 500 minutes and no deposit. Deposits like these may eat up money quite fast initially and it's also a hassle to keep a tab on all the refundable deposits.
Don't get ill. Getting an appointment to a doctor is quite difficult. I got an ear infection in Jan end. I went to emergency care but after that getting regular appointment has been a pain. Usually the waiting period is 2-3 weeks for primary care and 4-5 weeks for specialists.
Read instructions carefully. Even small mistakes can cost you dearly. Here, everything goes by rule. For example, due to my bank's mistake my rental payment was delayed by 1 day. My renting agency, immediately levied a late charge of US$75 and did not hear anything i told them. Then I contacted bank that this is due to their mistake and they immediately refunded it. So - be careful and never miss a payment. It hurts both financially and from the perspective of credit history.

To stay connected with India I did the following:

Purchased an http://www.internetcalls.com account for my family in India. They have a broadband connection. So now, they can call most of the countries in the World for free for upto 20 hrs/ a month - including USA. They call me frequently as they need.
I purchased comcast internet to interact/ chat with them.
Got DishTV equipment installed with South Asian Mega-Pack. It has more than 10 Indian Channels including Zee TV, Sony TV, SET Max, Zee Cinema, B4U Music, B4U Movies, Asian FM, Aaj Tak etc.

Some of the key stuff for Vegetarians:

There are various things to note if you are vegetarian. Most of the food ingredients for ready-to-eat food contain non-vegetarian stuff. Beef and gelatin are common. So read ingredients carefully. Even flavoured curd contains gelatin. Usually you'll like Mexican food to suit your needs. You'll find Taco Bell all around and it has some dishes such as Chalupa that you can have without cheese and meet and added beans. For more options/ details, refer to:

http://www.vegetarian-restaurants.net/OtherInfo/FastFoodRest.htm

I miss my favorite McDonalds burgers and fries as those are not suitable for vegetarians.

Key people whose help was beyond imagination in my settling down in US

Vishal Doshi (Medical College of Georgia)

Sunil Joshi and Ratanmani Joshi (Medical College of Georgia)

Karan Singh Bakshi (My best friend)

Rahul Tripathy (Rapidigm)

Prosenjit Sinha (Rapidigm)

Ram (Rapidigm)

Mohan Wakhade (Medical College of Georgia)

Sharad Purohit (Medical College of Georgia)

Kenneth O'Brien (Morris Communications)