moneypenny20

You've wasted it on crap food and a McMansion, boat, jetski and pissing off the Australian public. I think, I could be wrong but I think that's how I've read it.

Beedubya

I knew buying that mansion and my toys was a waste of money, but I just couldn't help splashing the moolah around as I glugged on my Moet.

themerlin

When we moved out here in 2001 it was cheap as but a bugger to find work.
Now the UK is cheaper but a bugger to find work.
Can't have your cake and eat it.

BadgeIsBack

Wrong focus me old mucker! I've said it starts in the home partly because so many people wring their hands over the 'system' for perceived failings. I've always said we'd probably go private for secondary - I've cited subsidised church education in the past - it's just that an opportunity has come up to aim higher. I've also said that private schooling is not about results, it's about experiences which is more productive than forum speculation on snobbery and uniforms worn in shops.

Whilst we are talking about focus - back to COL.
It's meaningless. My 1992 guide to living in Australia I saw at a friend's house made me laugh the other day: it stated that prices had changed excessively in the 80s. Anyone who has lived as an adult from 1980 would have seen doubling etc in prices several times over. I would not expect prices to be anything like 2000 in 2011...was 1980 anything like 1990? food for thought...this forum will wring it's hands...

ABCDiamond

That's supply and demand for you. Even at $20kg there will not be enough for those that are prepared to pay that price for them.

It got close to those prices when Cyclone Larry also wiped out the banana crop, but then, when they were replanted, the prices dropped right down again. They were 69c a kg round here last week. I've got used to anything over $1 a kg being a high price !

These big price adjustments, caused by the flooding, will only be a temporary thing, assuming the floods are only a temporary thing.

ABCDiamond

I think I know which butchers were buying that in The ones who didn't increase their prices

Just glad that Woolworths and Coles don't have a monopoly in Meat, Fruit and Veg

ABCDiamond

And your many examples are ?

If it really was double or treble, how do the average people manage so easily, when wages only rise about 5% per year ?.

One of the most commonly talked about highest increased costs is electricity, yet the real increases are not that high.

northernbird

My electric has doubled. The rest of of my bills have perhaps increased by 35%. My husbands salary sure as hell hasn't gone up that much. As much as I love it here if I was coming now with the knowledge I have about the price of things, I wouldn't definitely not be coming.

sonlymewalter

Agree mate. We've been here a lot of years and have managed to establish ourselves but we have also struggled over the past year. Electric has gone up massively and rates are now seperate to water rates and they've gone up as has car rego and insurance, food etc. Not to mention the bloody mortgage rates:curse: Basically almost everything has gone up substantially and most people are struggling, and more this year than last I reckon

I'd hate to think we were coming over now with the lousy exchange rate from UK to Aus and the hike in costs that we've experienced. Aus is fantastic but the cost of things is shite

ABCDiamond

Just looked at the bookdepository top editor picks and this book is number one:

The Ancient Guide to Modern Life, By: Natalie Haynes
Published: 04 Nov 2010 Format: Hardback

UK price £11.94 (AUD$20.24)
Aus Bookshop price $ $22.95

The top listed book in the Best of 2010 was:
The Help, By: Kathryn Stockett Published: 13 May 2010, Format: Paperback

UK price £7.91 (AUD$13.41)
Aus Bookshop price $10.97

ARE books all massively more expensive in Australia, or do people think that this has not changed recently ?

HelenTD

I don't know about works of fiction, as I never seem to have time to read them. If I'm on holiday I go to a paperback exchange for a book, or sometimes get the kids a book from Big W. I did use Book Depository for my uni textbooks, though, and it cost about 50% of the Australian price for them.

hevs

I got my kids their english novels from BD and they were cheaper than 2nd hand ones. However that said e bay is great for second hand books

ABCDiamond

Wages
2003 average male full time wage $1,034.10
2010 average male full time wage $1,414.50
That's a 36.7% increase over 7 years

Consumer Price Index
Sep-2003 142.1
Sep-2010 173.3
That's a 21.2% increase over 7 years

My Council rates
My 2003 rates were $888.90
My 2010 rates were $1,228.74
An increase of 38.2% over 7 years

My electric costs (Average Kwh unit)
2003 was $0.114
2010 was $0.175
An increase of 53.5% over 7 years

We arrived in QLD in 2003.

Car Rego
2003 Rego on our Daewoo was $584.80
In 2010 it was $655.25
An increase of 12% over 7 years (same car)

ABCDiamond

A year ago I did the same for some books for my daughter, but I am finding things different now.

sonlymewalter

It's all academic mate. Do you really think people are not struggling at the moment compared to years ago

the above show an average wage but a lot of people are not on that so they are already on borderline wages. Any increase in costs can cripple them. Also interest rates for mortgages have increased substantially, petrol has gone up so has food and household bills - it has really made a difference, much more than the increse in wages...

At one time every other car seemed to have a boat attached as they all went out fishing for the weekend but these were the first luxury that people got rid of. The boat yards are now empty yet at one time the boats were overspilling onto the roads cos they couldn't get them in the yards and there were always people buying. Not no more.....

Forget what it says on paper mate. Lots of people are struggling big time