The cost of everything...
...and the value of nothing...?
Can’t help noticing the number of posts about how EXPENSIVE everything is out here… so I thought I’d add my two penn’orth - or should that be four penn’orth, because IT’S TRUE!
We have been here a month and already money is getting a bit tighter than we would like.
Cheap things have included:
Car insurance
The car itself, bought from friends of friends for $700, but then it IS a 1987 Mazda with 207K on the clock, the sort of thing that would have been crushed long ago in the UK, lovely bronze metallic and car-sickness-inducing velour seats, mmm…
House and contents insurance
The equivalent of council tax
Petrol (it’s the equivalent of about 50p a litre at the moment)
Cheaper-end clothes (from the Warehouse – a bit like ASDA)
Housing (if you’re buying one, including costs of sale and purchase)
Expensive things include
Wine. NZ wine is cheaper in Waitrose, for heaven’s sake
Dairy products (why oh why oh why?).
Food. Like, everything. You can do a $40 shop at Countdown and still only come away with a couple of shopping bags of basics. And that includes the equivalent of the Tesco’s blue-stripe stuff.
Electricity
White goods. You’re looking at well over 300 quid just for a basic fridge-freezer. And because they’re so expensive new, second-hand ones are very expensive too.
Computers. Buy yours before you get here. From Dell. No, I'm not on a commission.
Furniture. Except garden furniture, now that summer's over.
Housing (if you’re renting one). Godawful places with NO white goods at all or heating are fetching $350 a WEEK plus in Sumner, Christchurch. Now, Sumner is quite desirable, but that ought to mean a good standard of housing, not merely overpriced tat with swirly wallpaper and damp carpets.
Now, don’t get me wrong. I think NZ’s great so far and well worth giving a go. It’s really, really nice here. People are very friendly. And it’s great for kids. These are things with real value, hang the cost...
I’m just suggesting that you bear these expenses in mind. We are fortunate in that we are very well set up with family, including Kiwi family, and new friends here and even WE were surprised at how pricey things are. So do your homework and count those pennies before you come.
Happy shopping!
Dan