Organization for making the move

[Badvixen]

Ok, so normally I am not this organized, but I am putting together a spread sheet of expenses, and things to do or remember as I make this dream into a reality. I am trying to think of everything. Basically I am trying to get a handle on what to expect and in an attempt to have a goal of what to save for/work towards. So far I have on my sheet: Shipping of Animals, Shipping of household things (Antiques) Visas, jobs, tickets, rent, ......I feel like I am missing things Any thing you thought of in the process or after the fact?

[JandM]

You may well find this old thread useful. http://www.enz.org/forum/showthread.php?t=10641

[kiwieagle]

The cost of living while waiting. We left 2 days after we shipped our things so we had to budget for 2 days of meals etc... And then when you get to NZ however long it takes until you are in your rental etc... The cost of getting around to and from airport, hotel or rental.
Power bills. If you have a logburner, wood.
Car or transportation. Every 6 months your car needs to be checked for Warrant of Fitness (WOF). You'll want to estimate what kind of car will need what kind of work in the budgeting of purchasing a car. We save $40 a week for our 17 year old car and that has worked out pretty well.
Petrol. You'll probably be eager to explore on your days off. Where, what and how far is determined by how much you budget for this.
Replacing basic household items. Blenders, food processors, hair dryers, alarm clocks, microwaves, mixers etc... All of those things aren't that expensive but they add up if you have to replace them all. If you include them in your budget you can slowly and painlessly replace them. I had the frizziest hair for the first year here!
Add 15% to the cost of food as all food is taxed here.
Insurance (contents, car).
Health care. It's not free but it's not expensive. It depends on what kind of services you will need.
Do you have children? School is not free. It really varies but we pay a very small donation $60 for a family, $100 for stationery, $20 for mathletics supplement, and there are lots of little costs over the year for field trips, fundraisers etc.. My kids go to a school where they wear mufti clothes but when we first arrived my son went to a school that had a uniform. I found the price of uniform clothing to be outrageous. $40 dollars for a size 6 long sleeve polo, $45 for a fleece jumper.
Clubs and activities. . Do you want to join a sports club or an activity club? They are very reasonable but not free. Events and outings usually have an additional cost. There are lots of things that are "gold coin donation". This is a $1 or $2 coin. Personally, I budget this because you can $1 and $2 yourself to death. NZ has lots of cool little festivals that can be pricey if you spend a day at one. If you like sports events there are a lot to choose from and relatively inexpensive. Do you like to camp or tramp? Gear is pricey here and if you need to replace anything it can set you back a bit.

Honestly, if you are shipping antiques from the US, you are going to get more for your money if you stock up on things you know you'll need and ship them over. I saved heaps by having a year's supply of toiletries etc... The cost of replacing my mattress in NZ would have been about 1/2 the cost of shipping my entire household from the US. People will say that you eventually have to purchase NZ items when your shipped supply runs out. While that is true, by the time you run out of that stuff, you have figured out where and when the deals are, you've replaced your household appliances and you've got a handle on your everyday budget.

Good luck and happy planning!

[Badvixen]

Thank you both! Luckily I don't have kids.....yet....I don't even have a boyfriend, which I think makes my move a little bit easier, it is hard enough to say good bye to friends and other family! But I will have some of those expenses put into my spread sheet. I figured I would make/save enough money to get me through finding a job and then renting. I think it would be wise to rent first to know exactly where I would like to be. But I also need to make sure things here are taken care of until I move the rest of everything/everyone else!