Re: Why is second-hand stuff here so expensive?
 

+1

I missed your post lyn1972 (until now) but I tend to agree with bats. Britain can be expensive, but as many on this forum will attest to, so can Canada. Edmonton is generally more affordable than some other centres (Vancouver, Toronto) but it would be good to not "over-expect" on your lifestyle gain in the short term. School uniforms can be pricey in the UK, for example, Butfashionable and new clothes become a necessity at the start of year in Canada. Gas is cheaper in Canada, engine sizes and typical mileage is higher. It really is much of a muchness. Having said that, if you can get good work in Alberta and build a new life there you have much to gain.

Re: Why is second-hand stuff here so expensive?
 

No we are still here. While there are aspects of Alberta (Red Deer) we love, there are many we don't. We have lived here for 8 years already and know this is not our forever home. We are currently researching a move to Ontario, with a 5 year lead into it. It has become apparent in our opinion that unless you were born in (central) Alberta/married to an Albertan with family around then you come, make your money and go away again. We have found it hard to replicate our interests sufficiently and find the winters just that little bit too long. Winters are OK, don't mind the cold etc, it's just the tedium that gets to a person. Whilst looking into Ontario we are also going to look into a return to the UK but that is honestly unlikely, we just want to move somewhere with a little more diversity.

Re: Why is second-hand stuff here so expensive?
 

Not fair after 6 posts....lots of us on here have come here for all sorts of reasons, that were anything but simple! But we are still here, mostly supportive, other than the odd outbreak of chucking the toys from the pram, and I think in the big holistic picture' (yuck) we are a happyish breed.

Anybody who moves here and thinks it is immediately great is young and inexperienced (and I'm jealous) or very naive.

It can be good if you want it to be...but it won't be easy! Best of luck

Re: Why is second-hand stuff here so expensive?
 

When I first visited as an adult back in 2007 I knew within hours of stepping off the plane this was the place for me. Hasn't changed in the 6 years since.

Re: Why is second-hand stuff here so expensive?
 

I've been here 7 years and have recently decided it's ok.

Re: Why is second-hand stuff here so expensive?
 

But that doesn't actually solve the problem which is my point. In fact it creates more problems.

My point was more along the lines of complaining but never changing anything. A perfect example is the liquor laws in ontario. The whole idea dates back to the post prohibition era but it's the year 2013 and I have to go to the government run shops to buy booze. Only recently are these shops open on sundays or extended hours before holidays so people can stock up. Or the Beer Store which is privately owned by the big boy beer companies which means you are hard pressed to find any craft beers. What do people do? Nothing. They continue paying the prices or drive to the US if they want decently priced booze or a good selection of craft beer.

Re: Why is second-hand stuff here so expensive?
 

I don't disagree that you can have a sense of 'this is the place for me' because from the first day I came to Canada (also initially on holiday) I felt totally at home. However, feeling 'at home' and then actually trying to make a life here are very different.

Coming over 'cold' with a work permit and zero experience of Canada can be challenging and a shock culturally, financially and climate wise. Even with research, you cannot know a place until you live in it - and having expectations that are too high can be the downfall.

Being realistic, acknowledging that life may be different and difficult at times and being open to change are key elements to having a successful transition.

The grass isn't necessarily greener - it just might look nicer from a distance!

:)

Re: Why is second-hand stuff here so expensive?
 

Every part of the world has its good points and its bad points. Before moving to a country and while living there it's important to understand both sides and discuss them openly.

Re: Why is second-hand stuff here so expensive?
 

How is this possible? Every car in Ontario is required to pass an Emission test every two years. Tests are not performed and licences are not renewed if the car is unsafe to test i.e excessive rust, defective brakes, leaking fluids, visible exhaust smoke, etc. I would support a more stringent safety test as it appears to be necessary in the UK as safety should be more important than the emission test which has an extremely high pass rate.

Re: Why is second-hand stuff here so expensive?
 

But even if your car fails the emission test they don't stop you driving it. If it costs more than a threshold amount, something like $500 to repair they just give you a different piece of paper and you are good to go. You can't sell the car though unless you get the work done and it passes the test.

Re: Why is second-hand stuff here so expensive?
 

UR welcome ... I had only read the first page and hadn't realised it had gone off-topic! :rofl: in a hurry to sell I will decline offers. The thing is I don't set the "market price", so if people are daft enough to pay close to the new price, that isn't my problem, and I am not going to ask a lower price just so that the buyer gets a discount to the new price.

I sold a lightly used two year old baby seat for exactly the same price I paid for it, and if the buyer can't work out that she could have gone on line and bought a new seat for the same price, which happened to be about 75% of the local brick & mortar store price, then that really isn't my problem! :rolleyes:

Re: Why is second-hand stuff here so expensive?
 

Thanks for getting it back on topic.

:D

Reminder..

Title of topic:

"Why is second hand stuff here so expensive"

:p

Re: Why is second-hand stuff here so expensive?
 

I enjoy reading all these battles of the (milk) bottles, cheese choices, rusty cars and people bending over backwards to manipulate numbers to prove their points. When comparing countries and prices one has to keep in mind some important factors: transportation costs (the UK would fit into Southern Ontario with room left over for Denmark, Belgium, Iceland, etc.); farm products are subsidised obscenely in the UK, USA and EU, more so than in Canada; there are huge price differences across Canada from rural to urban, from East Coast to Ontario to West coast to the Far North; payroll, government local taxes in all these countries vary significantly and make true coast of living comparisons almost impossible; social services are costly and direct and indirect charges vary immensely. The bottom line: all the writers appear to be living in Canada so overall it must be as great a place to live as most Canadians think it is!

Re: Why is second-hand stuff here so expensive?
 

we just can't afford to go back home having spent all our money on car insurance and cheese.

Re: Why is second-hand stuff here so expensive?
 

You'd be surprised how many people on here are only in Canada for employment opportunities that offer higher salaries, while wishing they were still in England and as such happily criticizing every aspect of Canadian life.

Re: Why is second-hand stuff here so expensive?
 

I saw an ad on Facebook for Birki sandals, second hand for $80. Hoping to get the price downI pointed out you could get new on Amazon for the same price. No go, someone else paid the asking price.

Re: Why is second-hand stuff here so expensive?
 

QED! :)

Re: Why is second-hand stuff here so expensive?
 

Also those who used to be married to a Canadian, but now are stuck as they can't afford to move.....;)

Re: Why is second-hand stuff here so expensive?
 

Not to mention the cheese insurance.

Re: Why is second-hand stuff here so expensive?
 

I don't think that's fair. Who do you think is in Canada purely for money and wishing they were still in the UK?

I can't think of one forum member. I can however, think of numerous forum members who would love to return to the UK but can't because of other reasons such as being married to a Canadian that doesn't want to leave, having adult children or grandchildren that they don't want to leave behind, or who can't afford it.

Re: Why is second-hand stuff here so expensive?
 

If you're seeking a bit more diversity, you could always try Calgary too. There's a world of difference between Red Deer and Calgary, certainly less tedium.

Re: Why is second-hand stuff here so expensive?
 

Thats what I thought :D I know its not going to be easy, but my husband been offered a job 3x his wages here in uk and with the way the uk going its not getting any better. We are terrified but excited too and its going to be hard first few months im sure.... but we want to give it a go, new life, new culture and new ways. So thanks :thumbup:

Re: Why is second-hand stuff here so expensive?
 

And thanks to everybody else that has taken the time to respond to you presumably. Orly may have encouraged you, but others such as bats have also shared their experiences, which is invaluable.

So I'm sure you meant to thank them too right? ;):lol:

FWIW, I think Orly's statement that those who aren't happy in Canada didn't do their homework and are 'clinically insane' is insulting and misleading. Most who aren't happy did a huge amount of research and visited many times, but until you live in Canada you've no idea how homesickness will affect you, or how you'll cope in an unfamiliar environment. Everybody is different, and Canada isn't for everyone, but just because somebody doesn't like it, they're not 'insane'. Different strokes for different folks and all that.

Re: Why is second-hand stuff here so expensive?
 

+1

That is so true, and everyone's situation is different. The one phrase I often hear on BE and in lyn's post is that the UK is going down the plughole ... it may be for some but for millions of others it isn't. Great to move on, try out a different culture and mindset, but there's no need to assume that negative circumstances in your own situation apply to everyone in the country.

Re: Why is second-hand stuff here so expensive?
 

I don't know how orly copes with living in a country where same-sex couples are routinely seen holding hands in public. It doesn't seem like a country for him.

"only in Canada for employment opportunities that offer higher salaries"

is close to being true for me. Were I not in Canada I don't think I could earn enough to pay the alimony. I didn't come just for the money but also for the bilingualism and, of course, I then had family ties here. After the children grew up and emigrated there was a phase when I was sorely tempted to move on, financial constraints prevented that.

I don't dislike Canada, but I can see lots of reasons not to live here. I don't think it's especially cheap and, as noted repeatedly, it's not well suited to lovers of cheese and wine.

Re: Why is second-hand stuff here so expensive?
 

Thought you said $20 an hour?

Re: Why is second-hand stuff here so expensive?
 

So true :) and yes lots of people have given great advice so thanks to you all :thumbup: for us this is an exciting opportunity but its still very scary and a huge up heval but we are looking forward to experiencing new things :thumbsup: not sure about the cheese thing I LOVE Cheese :)

Re: Why is second-hand stuff here so expensive?
 

No lol thats in english pounds :) what it works out ...........sorry :) confusing

Re: Why is second-hand stuff here so expensive?
 

Infact its a bit less than that lol ........ $28 per hour , plus ...........enough for us to live a normal life and see some beaufiful places too ........

Re: Why is second-hand stuff here so expensive?
 

prime example of this is I bought a snowboard secondhand, used it for 6 years and sold on Ebay for more than I paid for it. Bearing in mind the new owner would be the third owner of the board I thought it was crazy economics but if people are willing to pay I am willing to accept the cash.

Re: Why is second-hand stuff here so expensive?
 

Well, maybe, but it's a long haul to beautiful places from Edmonton and most workers don't get much time off. I'd set my hopes no higher than seeing some snow.

Re: Why is second-hand stuff here so expensive?
 

$60k a year in Edmonton, family of four? Would be tight in Ontario.

Re: Why is second-hand stuff here so expensive?
 

Maybe 50-60k for a couple but for a family of four it sounds tight

Re: Why is second-hand stuff here so expensive?
 

That doesnt include overtime and at present in uk we live on 16k which is bad..... we know talk tooo families that are doing ok out there who have more than enough to live a normal canadian way of life .......

Re: Why is second-hand stuff here so expensive?
 

16k for a family of four, wow that must be very tight. Do you get any tax credits or other support?

Re: Why is second-hand stuff here so expensive?
 

You say this a lot. Are you a French speaker? Were you at the time you arrived?

Why did Canada tick that box when most of Europe (while not officially bilingual) has more than enough speakers of more than one language that, one assumes, the requirement could have been satisfied by a move to Europe?

How does Canada's bilingualism affect your life here when compared to say, London, other than being able to read your cereal box in French each morning?

Re: Why is second-hand stuff here so expensive?
 

We do but not a lot .......system has all changed in uk and tbh we just want to be able to live nothing flash just comfortable.... I looked into going out to work ..... child care for my 3 year old full time is £175 PER week :ohmy: rents in uk very high so are bills its just getting silly ...... so canada it is..... although im a bit confused if Canadians need over 60K to live with 2 children...... minimun wage must be a lot out there ;)

Re: Why is second-hand stuff here so expensive?
 

No. My then wife spoke French, I spoke English. (There was some overlap).

The jobs advertised in the trade paper on the day we decided to move were in the US, Australia and Canada. At that time I had the English fear of the lack of socialised medicine, that ruled out the US. We were flat broke, Australia seemed an expensive place to fly back from if things didn't work out so we didn't go there. We thought they spoke French and English in Canada so we came here. In turned out that we expected the linguistic climate in Toronto to be as it then was in Montreal (also the architecture, we were stunned at Toronto's ugliness).

The idea of working in Europe is an interesting one but where would one go? Since being in Canada I've worked in Amsterdam, you need Dutch there, Dusseldorf, you need German there and Madrid, Spanish required. An English speaking country seemed easier. A recent parallel is the case of my daughter, French/English speaking, took up with an Italian/English speaker, they looked for somewhere in Europe to go and found London was easiest so there they are. I think it's very difficult to move to a place where neither half of a couple speaks the language as a native.

Affirmitive action programs favouring francophones in education provided my children with free access to schools of a quality I would have had difficulty funding had they attended school in the English language.

Re: Why is second-hand stuff here so expensive?
 

Minimum wage is not a living wage. At best someone living on minimum wage counts as working poor and would likely have to use a food bank.

Re: Why is second-hand stuff here so expensive?
 

:D

OK

Is that particular to Toronto? I appreciate that FI can operate as a selection process but I haven't noticed a huge difference between those that are clever and attended regular schools, and those that are clever and attended FI schools (with the exception of being bilingual) in and around Calgary.