Badge

I remember you reporting your 400 dollar shops and the surprise it caused. The allergies don't help. I find we spend about the same, in real terms. I don't need to add to the equation that I earn more now so probably buy a more expensive 'basket'. Being married too, a women's influence gives you more variety.

Alot of groceries and clothes are more expensive, make no mistake but eating out is cheaper. The other things that are more expensive you only need to buy once in a blue moon so budgeting is the key. I only buy clothes once or twice a year certainly not every few weeks. A pair of trousers lasts me 3-5 years. I still have a pair from 1996. get this - I like them so much I wore them to the hospital for the birth of my daughter lol now I think about it. I did once spend 60 pounds on a pair of trouses but I expect them to last 10-15 years- and they have. I might wear them once a year for posh events.

Badge

PS edit - when I said the same, I didn't mean 400 bucks(!)

glittababe

Actually thats a really good tip re the vouchers. I might just do that as I have loads of nephews etc. Badge mate, a pair of jeans lasts you 15 yrs????? You are the original 1990's man in 1970's flares!!!! Shame on you! lol ah just kidding. Judging by most australians dress sense, the rest of the nation are doing exactly the same as you! I remember playing spot the shellsuit in Capalaba one day, it was funny as hell. Saw more shell suits in one day than when we spent a week up in Liverpool in the 80's! Unfortunately myself and hubby will still have to shop at least once a month, even if it's to buy a t-shirt! Regarding the cheapness of clothes in the UK, we love Asda's George range for the kids. School uniforms are so cheap. We're stocking up on shorts and trousers now as they're only £4 a pair and £2 for 3 polo shirts! Value socks are a £1 for 5 pairs and don't start me on the pants! I'm hoping some nice relative in the UK will be considerate enough to ship stuff out for us, have already told my sister its a third world place with no decent shops, that ought to do it!

woodyinoz

I hate to say this Badge but I am affraid that little Badge will need a lot of clothes to accomodate growing and pucking! I find that kids need new stuff every time I blink.... especially shoes, runners, sandels etc. Thank god I have 3 the same sex. Poor Becky is hand - me -down queen now even shoes :scared:

woodyinoz

I brought my kids school uniform in Wollies when I return for a holiday last year! Saves loads of $

For xmas my sister buys for her kids on our behalf and we do the same. This way there is no postage costs.

glittababe

even better idea! Problem is my sister wouldn't buy her kids anything!

DevMountain

I disagree - where can you go an get a Sunday dinner and a pint for the Aus equivalent of £5?
For 5 of us to go to the local pub for a meal costs just under $100 - remember when you earn $'s, $100 does not equal £40 it feels considerably more.

Badge

No shit sherlock. Seriously?! Since my housing cost is 1/5 of my salary, as aposed to 3/4 salary in the Uk, well I am not too concerned. Kids grow, and a change of size costs of course, I can wear a pair of trousers for a wee bit longer. I've planned for it already mate. Hand me down Queen - sounds like you are sensible then.

Badge

glittababe

We didn't eat out that often, but when we did we had to make sure we took sauces as they charged for them! In the end it got to a stage where we just did a picnic or got BBQ stuff together. We did have a nice thai one day but it came to just under $100! Here the most a chinky has ever cost us was £24.00. Nice food tho X

Badge

I know. I live here. I've been telling people how to work out the true cost of living here for ages. I used it when I first arrived, even on holiday, and never used the FX rate apart from working out how much money came out of my UK account.

Badge

glittababe

we have 3 boys which makes the hand me downs a lot easier, plus we never say no to folk that come to our door with big black bin liners full of their kids old cast offs! I find the biggest expense with the boys is their shoes! What do they do with them?????? Actually i already know my littlest one uses his to stop his bike, have shown him the art of using brakes, but apparently more fun to drag your feet (and shoes) behind you at speed! Bring back DM boots with steel toe caps I say! I bet Badge has already got a pair from his 'punk' days!

Badge

Not jeans, the clothes which last 15 years are the ones that never age or go out of fashion, that's the thing: A decent suit never goes out of fashion and looks better long after the fashion ones aren't being worn anymore.

Now...seeing as alot of jeans are flared now, and fashion comes around, its a shame I was not old enough to buy them originally in 1975. I could have made a killing. You could have bought them aged 18 and kept them to be worn again, new, aged 48.



Badge

Badge

or army days lol - hey DM boots went out with the Falklands war mate and Mt Longdon, June 1982. lol. The Paras got wet feet, the Nancy boy Marines had their artic boots the jammy sods.

Seriously, you're right about the feet, I do remember this was the one thing we had new on a regular basis - Granny used to buy them - it was kind of her treat - followed by a 'Mr Whoopsy' her name for the Mr Whippy ice cream. She used to buy them new, she'd get us home, and even give them a bit of a 'biff' on the pavement so the 'boys at school won't know they're new'. Then she'd give my grandfather the credit card statement and he'd make this funny sound, especially the time she bought my brother 2 pairs, as one pair was perfect fitted, but would have been too small a week or so later - or something.

jeez she was funny. She knew all the tricks.

Badge

tracey.d

I have never handed down my kids clothes despite there being only 19 months between my girls. It's not a snobbery or money thing just a throw back from my days as a kid when thats all I ever got and used to get picked on at school (by the way, I'm not slating anybody for doing it or suggesting that all their kids get are hand-me-downs!!!!!).

I am just putting my situation across! I am now reaping the rewards of such behaviour whereas my middle daughter wont even look at anything if it hasnt got a label on it (I dont mean Gucci and the like, but it has to be Top Shop, Morgan, Playboy etc. etc ). I now find it extremely stressful to shop with her as I might try and show her something I think she will like and she just pulls a face, which I admit I would sometimes like to wipe off .

As a result I have decided that when we get to Australia she will be getting an allowance each week and from that she has to but anything that she needs from clothes and make up to magazines and sweets. It will make my life a lot easier and save me a blooming fortune whilst (hopefully!!!!!) teaching her how to budget.

She isnt bad really in fact she is the most sensible of the lot of mine. In fact, she is insisting that she doesnt want a party for her upcoming birthday as she knows moneys a bit tight for me at the moment. I know I am a bit soft in some respects. I took my 9 year old son to a party last weekend and his friends Mum was saying how she had told her son that this was his last party as he was getting too old and here's me trying to persuade my nearly 15 year old that she should have one

What I am trying to say in a log winded way is that you do need to look at ways you can save money or stick to a specific budget which is what I am going to have to do as a single-parent. I am however determined that I will manage.

.....and if I were to have had a 4th child, all they would ever get would be hand-me-downs

Tracey

Badge

allowances are a good idea, I remember, the 'boys at school' who were on allowance were always the organised ones. They were also the ones who were also often skint having spent aforementioned allowance too soon-in-the-month.

Badge

PS got to go and see how the girl is. Still sleeping.

arkon

Looks about right to me, Your car insurance seems a bit low. I've got a jeep and its a couple hundred more than your quote. Also your rates could be higher depending on where you are and the size of the land if you choose to have some land that is. We pay a rural rate ontop of the council rates. Also our water is much higher but then we have a farm so my usage is a bit higher.

Your holiday figure doesn't seem too high to me, the misus just got back from a month in the UK and here costs were not a million miles from $10k, had we both gone it would have been higher.