cellmoss

hi
Me and the family are due out end of october to christchurch, my husband has got a job and just waiting on visas at present.

We are coming out with 3 children 9,12,14.

going to rent a place for about $400pw

he will be on $82k per year, will be ok on that unitll i can find work myself.

can anyone give me a rough idea of bills etc

we are hoping to sell both cars in the uk and use the cash to replace them in nz. We also have our bonds for house all saved up.

Any advice would be great

thankyou xxxxxx

BEVS

Crike !

Well hi and welcome to our wee group.

I do hope we can help in some way & make your way here easier

chippy64

It's a bit like how long is a piece of string really .

You could do a trial shop on here http://shop.countdown.co.nz/?banner=www which will give you at least a rough idea. New World will normally be more expensive and Pak n Save less. There are also shops such as Mad Butcher for meat, Funky Pumpkin for fruit and veg and a number of independent shops.
Petrol is currently around $2.22. Bus service generally very good and you should get a Metrocard, which cuts your bus fare. Check it out here http://www.metroinfo.co.nz/metrocard/Pages/default.aspx.
There are several threads on here re phone/broadband/electricity. As houses are often badly insulated and double glazing rare, it costs a small fortune to keep your home warm in winter.

We are generally a friendly lot in ChCh, so ask away. Someone will know the answer

Persephone

Hi Chippy!

Welcome Cellmoss
If you search bills on the forum you'll get some relevant answers.
There's only me and Mr S and our bills are approximately:

electricity: hardly ever used for heating so quite consistent throughout the year. usually $90-120 per month
phone and broadband: $90-100 per month
Sky: $57 per month
Gas: we have bottled gas and have 2x45kg cylinders outside. We use this for heating one gas fire and cooking [hob only] cost is $107/ year rental plus $106 per cylinder. A cylinder lasts 7-9 months when not using the fire [and we use the hob daily] and about 4 weeks when the fire is on every night. Get through about 3-4 a year
Car Insurance: $400/year for my car
Doctor: approx $32 for a consult
Dentist: just paid $136 to have one wisdom tooth removed which I thought was good value

We're quite hardy and manage without heating any other rooms. Though as Chippy has said it all depends on what your house is like. Also on how cold tolerant you are.
You won't pay rates if renting and there're no separate water rates .

Also petrol has now dropped to 214.9c per litre!

chippy64

Hi Persephone - obviously I am driving around with my eyes shut.....or it could be that I just let Mr Chippy put the petrol in

Persephone

That's the best and cheapest way- get someone else to pay

chippy64

Could be why my weekly shopping bill is so low - I seem to buy just wine and chocolate and leave the rest to my OH

cellmoss

Thanks everyone x much appriecated x cant wait to get out there x

cellmoss

Whats the schools like in christchurch x preferably state x

Thankyou z

chippy64

Schools in ChCh are all a bit up in the air at the moment, with some earmarked for closure and some for merger. http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/educ...ls-merger-plan
Schools here are rated on a decile scale, which looks at basically the social/income grouping, with decile 1 lowest and 10 highest http://www.minedu.govt.nz/Parents/Al...leRatings.aspx. Where are you renting - it may be that there are people in your area that can give you a heads up on specific schools?

cellmoss

Not sure where yet x found a nice place in sumner near the beach x
Cant really make plans till we have our visa x is there any places they we need to avoid when looking at rentals x


Thanks for all your help x