Re: Cost of living.
 

Of course, I could take the more risky route of bringing my £'s over and sending them back to the UK when the exchange rate drops below 1.5 ... 1.4 ... 1.3 ...

Re: Cost of living.
 

This is a stupid question, but could a person in the UK cashed up with £££'s just buy some gold and then sell it when they arrive in NZ?

Re: Cost of living.
 

No not definitely, havent had a job offer (after the last one) and still not sure its the right choice, dont want to think "what if" though but at the same time dont want to have no money and feel regret at coming and being stranded. Hard one!

Orkney looks nice, i dont know about employment, just wouldnt of assumed there would be much work. I couldnt afford to live in london either or anywhere nearby. Its a fortune compared to scotland

Re: Cost of living.
 

This post reminds me of all those cash for gold adverts/shops that we have here lol

Re: Cost of living.
 

I don' think you are negative, have you been back for a holiday? There are lots of areas for you to consider where there is a small/smaller population, and being a nurse you will be alright getting a job. I am going back to a lower wage, but i am certain we will be able to manage. The exchange rate for taking money back to the UK is Brilliant and with the 'recession' in the UK houses do a appear to be decent prices. Go for it, you may as well be somewhere you like and be unhappy there than be unhappy somewhere you don't like

Re: Cost of living.
 

Agree with this. Lots of areas you could consider in the UK, lots of countryside. Or what about certain parts of australia. I know you said your wife said its a no go with snakes but most people say they honestly arent a problem, a lot of people havent even saw one in the wild, same with spiders. I have family in melbourne and they've never mentioned snakes or spiders being a problem and thats after 8 years.

If the negatives are starting to outweigh the positives then thats not so good. House prices here are good, well in scotland and the north of england

Re: Cost of living.
 

[QUOTE=TommyLuck;10548770]I don't see any reason to berate you. You might be negative at times but offer salient, personal reasoning as to why you think and feel what you do.



Cheers, some people do not like it when the truth be spoken. Nice to see some people like it how it is, all the best to you.

Re: Cost of living.
 

Genesis, with the way things are going here with the exchange rate, Europe is becoming more and more attractive to us. Was back there for a while and felt really unsettled when I returned to NZ. Europe has its problems sure, but the things I miss (small things, perhaps) make me realise that at heart I am a European.

Re: Cost of living.
 

Home is where the heart is! Hopefully things will improve sooner rather than later for europe/uk. We're still a lot more lucky than a lot of countries. Id move to europe in a flash if we could both find work there and didnt have the language problems! Where do you think you'll head to?

Re: Cost of living.
 

Our dream has always been France. Love the culture, food and the place is just so beautiful. I also love hot weather and blue skies. But, alas, there is the language problem. In a way, NZ is not exotic enough for us, too much like parts of the UK. Used to live in Oz which we liked very much. But, it has become so expensive there that it is out of the question now. Also, the older I become the more I want to be closer to Europe.

Re: Cost of living.
 

There seems to be a lot of people in france who dont speak perfect french so i wouldnt worry too much, its fairly easy to pick up the basics. Saying that ive forgot most of mine since i left school almost 7 years ago lol.

Ive never been - which is ridiculous since its so close by! Looks a lovely place to live. Dont give up on your dream :)

Re: Cost of living.
 

We were going to go to France and had plans to do so (I am half French but alas not fluent). We chose NZ over France in the end for the sake of Kate's nursing career. I am pretty much NZ'd out now and I am here purely by dint of happy kids and Kate who loves her career.

But who knows what is round the corner?

Also I will get a better pension here than in the UK where obviously my NI payments are well down having been here for the last 8 yrs! I am 55 this year and have to think of these things eh?

Re: Cost of living.
 

It may not be as bad as you thought ...

https://www.gov.uk/state-pension/eligibility

To get the full basic State Pension you need 30 years worth of contributions or credits. These are your ‘qualifying years’.

Re: Cost of living.
 

I'm pretty sure you have to declare a pocketful of Krugers. But why would you want to do that anyway?