Help me prepare

I am a single 40 year old woman who has been offered a job in Oman. I have done a lot of reading on various forums and blog posts about life in Oman. Everything has so far been positive. My only experience of the ME has be a 2 week holiday to the UAE where I visited Dubai and Al Sharjah. I want to be realistic so a balanced view would have to include the negatives. Other than the heat and occassional floods I couldn't find much else that was negative. Please feel free to correct me on that. My mind is made up and I will be moving to Oman. I could do with a bit more help preparing for the big move so any advice will be gratefully received. Things that I'm unsure about include (this is not an exhaustive list lol)

1) Clothing - what exactly does conservative dress mean? I'm guessing no 'skinny jeans'!
2) Alcohol - although not a big drinker I do enjoy a glass of wine on occassion, would this mean going to a hotel each time I wanted one?
3) Social life- I think I'm a pretty laid back sort of person and will hopefully make a few friends. Do people tend to stick to their own? That is to say Brits stick with Brits etc etc.
4) Dating - I have read on some sites that this is frowned upon and can mean the local Omani people loose respect for you. I wouldn't want to offend but am not a hermit!
5) Banking - I noticed in the UAE @ Dubai airport mostly, HSBC adverts everywhere, are they the recommended for expats working and living in the ME?
6) Saving money - I guess this is the biggest issue for me. I want tocome over, work and save money, simple fact. Can anyone give me an idea of what percentage of my salary I can expect to save? I don't have any expensive tastes or habits (that being said I've not been let loose in the gold souqs yet!).
7) What to pack? I am being provided with single accomodation, I'd hate to get rid of stuff here only to have to buy it over there - defeats the purpose! Is shipping stuff over worth it e.g flat screen telly, kitchen utensils etc

Thank you all for your help in advance.