gina and danny

i normally just just browse the boards but the comments on " you need a 100 thousand dollars wage" and be nearly mortgage free to get by in nz really do bother me, i mean we are a low earning family and i mean in the region of $60000 per annum thats both our wages put together, we have a 9 year old lad and we live in wellington, we never struggle for food, clothes or anything like that we live in rented accomodation, its nowt flash but were comfortable and its in a good area, all our bills are paid on time the little one does karate and football and we go out quite alot, we even have a jetski that we take out when its nice,
we do watch what we spend but we definately do not go without, so that leaves me thinking what on earth do these people who earn over say $60000 spend there money on that leaves them thinking they are struggling??

i am not saying that i am better off financially in nz than in the uk, and i am not saying that we are really well off on $60000 a year, what i am saying is that we do not struggle and we are not on the bones of our arse which seems to be the case displayed on this forum lately,

just wanted to put out my view to those people who will bw comming here on what is considered around here to be a not very good wage.

strawbie

Well said, its about time someone hit back and brought some positive vibes around here!! I like to know the facts but when you are in the position of about to give up everything in the UK to move over its very disheartening to hear how expensive, etc it is to live there. Its a huge move for anybody and i'm sure everyone who has embarked on the journey has done some 'research' to some extent on how they will survive financially. With the recession etc I think people living in the UK could probably have similar experiences of living within a budget too, as those that live in NZ have shared with us.

love30stm

Yes agree we have a annual income of $75,0000 plus bonuses, not a bad wage for NZ standards we have a small mortgage, go out alot, eating out, cinema, I buy clothes have my hair done monthly, spend alot of food a week, and wine .

We have one Car which I have most of the time, so that helps. and also have two Girl Teenagers that cost a fortune!

im sure if we was more careful with our money we could save also
and hopefully when I get a job with more hours we will be quids in, and no you dont need over $100,000 maybe that applies to Auckland!, but some people i know in the Uk have to have two 'new' cars, lots of things for there house, etc etc.... and they lived on debt, so i guess its them type of people who complain they cant live comfortably in New Zealand

Our quality of life is better if a little boring at times...but have i have said before that's probably Wanganui, hopefully the future looking at Wellington or Napier, but for now I like it...some days

just want to add i dont want to go back to the UK

Genesis

Good for you guys!! You provide positive balance for the negative stuff on the board (some of which I do to provide balance). If you didn't mind perchance you could give a kinda breakdown of your monthly expenditure to give those yet to come some meat on the bone. You guys are doing REALLY well in Wellington!! I would not have batted an eye lid on your comments if you lived in cheap old undesirable Palmy but to do all what you do on 60K in Wellington is really eye opening stuff. All the best.

strawbie

Awww, now i'm feeling excited again!!!!!

Genesis

There is LOTS to be excited about coming to NZ..if its your cup of tea it can provide an almost perfect existance long term. NZ is a very safe place in world terms, we have great water supply, loads of room and excellent amenities. Personaly there is no where on earth I would rather live. Mind you I could do 2 months a year in Italy..6 weeks would do actually but I would always want to come back here. So long as you have a secure job and a reasonable salary NZ is bloody marvelous!! Even after almost 5 years here I am still really excited about living here. And I am almost 51!!!!

Wiz'n'Ton

Good on ya for the post. It's good to hear there are people who are happy. In my experience of both kiwi's & expats, it is the mortgage payments that take their toll on income, and so renting would probably help with this being an overall lower outlay per week/ month than a mortgage.

Thing is, most expats are familiar with home ownership having sold or released equity from property elsewhere to fund their move to NZ. Therefore, we look to re-establish that sort of long term investment here whilst also getting the 'dream' house thus making the whole emigration thing 'worthwhile'.

And this is where the wheels can fall off, when the 'dream' costs more than an NZ salary will easily allow, and penny pinching becomes a way of life. Of course dissattisfaction is then liable to set in.

I reckon all expats should take a good couple of months to settle before making ANY purchases over and above a car, just to let the shine wear off and the 'must have' impulse give way to a little more common sense when it comes to finance.

It would have stopped us buying a section I am sure, which we recently had to sell so making a big loss (when mortgage repayments are taken into account). You live and learn!

Despite this, we are getting there financially, and overall feel happy with our lot. And it feels good

gina and danny

well i have definately had my ups and downs and do i dont i moments since getting here, i mean just look at my previous posts and i am complaining too that its hard on a low wage etc etc etc, thats cos i am a true whinger, but then you just seem to get a moment where it all clicks together, i was really looking at what everybody else had and thinking that because i didny own a huge house and have 3 cars and two boats and didny live on a beach then i must be struggling, but then i realised that i am 28 have a healthy family, savings, not in any debt, can afford to go get that nice jumper for my boy if i want, i am really comfortable here and i enjoy it,
i think the people struggling are the ones who are trying to keep up with the jones the ones who think you need to have all the huge house and all the trappings to be living the kiwi lifestyle they dreamt of, when in fact the main rule which gets overlooked is that just live within your means and you will be fine. sorry for the rambling!!!!!!

love30stm

Yes well said!

MnB

Thanks all for balancing the books!!

The big move is a traumatic time, and as I've said before we need to hear the good & the bad ....we've had some of the bad so it's refreshing & heartening to have some of the good!!
B x

gina and danny

i do my bills as a weekly breakdown, so here goes

Rent 350
Food 160
Petrol 40
Sky 20
Phone and internet 25
Electric 40 ( thats in winter and is actual meter reading)
Gas 25

Thats $660.00 a week which leaves us roughly $500.00 a week for anything we like sometimes we dont touch it sometimes we do that means that when we need stuff like doctors etc we have the money there, when the car needs wof etc the moneys there, when we want to go out the moneys there. We have savings from the sale of house in the uk but we have not touched it, we have money in a savings account here which is made up of a little put in there from the current account sometimes. Hope this helps as you can see we dont budget these are a rough guide with the gas and elec we use st the top end of our bill, so when summer comes it will be less again, when we take the ski out it costs us about $ 60.00 to fill it up but when we go out on it we make a day of it and friends come along and bring their kids and we all picnic and play at the beach and we all put in so it costs us about $20.00 really.

Bo-Jangles

Who's to say what constitute a small mortgage? Each individual has to reckon up their own idea of income, costs and comfort levels, if you look at this thread:

http://britishexpats.com/forum/showthread.php?t=635580

It's pretty even-stevens from those who say they are doing well to those who are struggling, only you yourself will will know where you're happiest being and whether you can balance the books or be better or worse than your current situation.

Renting a property is way cheaper than having a mortgage in NZ.

This is 'what on earth' we are doing with our money and I really don't think it's anything exceptional:

We paid around $550k for our house (fairly basic and not a mansion by any stretch), with $200k deposit and took out a mortgage for the remaining $350k

Amount - $ 350,000 @ 6.29%p.a.
Payment amount $ 2,164 monthly or $998.35 fortnightly
Term of loan = 30 years

So we're looking at $500 per week, plus local and regional council rates, maintenance etc.which you do not pay on a rental property.

Other things which people hardly mention, such as parking in Auckland CBD $8 per day soon adds another $2,000+ per year.

I object most strongly to assumptions that people like me who do struggle, are living the high life with flash cars and all the latest designer gear. That' s so far from the truth, it's not funny.

Charismatic

I made a similar comment but qualified it since, of course, you could get by on less but the things that I feel are reasonable to desire as a professional moving to a new country:
- Holiday once a year.
- A house that is pleasant to live in.
- A few long weekends away in a seaside house.
- New TV/car/computer/cell phone once every two or three years.
- Redecorating the house once every couple of years.
- Save a bit for the future.

In my view these are not very reasonable things for people to expect and by no means extravagant if you are a professional who works hard .

luvwelly

Karma to you, couldn't agree more....it is easier to be happy in NZ if money is not a struggle...whether the move works for you will ultimately depend on what you are leaving behind in UK.
Under the terms of our posting, life is not a financial stuggle for us, but I look around me: I hear middle class Kiwis say they can't afford a takeaway coffee and that they haven't had a holiday in years etc and that they can't afford a dental appointment and that they have to shop in Pak n Save as New World is too expensive; and I have been reading this board for 3 years or so, and seen people full of hope and then doom and gloom and even announce that they have been misled with comments such as 'don't think in pounds think in dollars' thinking it is so much cheaper to live here...I may have been one of the first people to point out the lack of a tax free allowance (no maybe it was Lardyl)..it makes such a difference the less you earn whereas the UK system is more equitable and allows low earners to keep more of their income tax-free.
It is a big deal to 'burn all your boats' because it will cost a lot to undo if you don't happen to like it, so
I don't think that I as someone who has not 'burned my boats' should be encouraging others in arguably less favourable circumstances...to 'come on in the water's bluer' because unless they have done their calculations correctly it may not be.
Happiness is being able to live within your means in any country in the company of your nearest and dearest.
I truly think the hoops NZIS makes would-be migrants jump through also give a misleading impression about how marvellous it must be here...if only you can get in....I remember thinking this myself when waiting for visas and we were only being posted by an existing employer. If your other half is a Kiwi though then the hoops are not such a hindrance so I am told.

Kiwiprincess

I hear middle class Kiwis say they can't afford a takeaway coffee and that they haven't had a holiday in years etc and that they can't afford a dental appointment and that they have to shop in Pak n Save as New World is too expensive

I wonder though how much of that (in addition to the genuinely hard up) is a case of people moaning or just the way they are in general.

People make comments on this site (and others) about how, to kiwis, a new car isn't that important. I wonder if the flip side to that is that they can't afford something because they don't prioritise it? If the dental work was prioritised above other things (and I'm not saying good or bad things btw....just different) then I wonder if they could prioritise it.

I'm being unclear, I don't mean that they cant afford anything - just that the reason they can't afford that particular item is because they have spent their money (for genuine reasons) on other things.