pixiewink

Hi,
just my 10 pennyworth...or 19cents worth based on current exchange rates

There is only a"basic standard of living" available in Geraldine...I love it think its a great place & would live there if I retired as its too far away from stuff for our kids...

Basic living expenses are expensive here....and unless you travel into Ashburton or Temuka for your groceries you will have very basic food stuffs available to you - I found the supermarket in Geraldine is more expensive than the larger supermarkets.

We are a family of 5....me & my OH plus 3 teens...we spend minimum $300per week on food...plus extra for bread and milk during the week...(decent bread $4 a loaf..plastic bread $2 a loaf.....Milk $4-6 for 2 litres) and I still leave the store without some of what I would call basic items that I would have brought in the UK....I only buy personal items as and when I need them or stock pile if they are on special...

Utilities electric: the last 2 months bills have been $430-$450 a month...the rest of the year will be about $200+ per month...

We have one heatpump to heat the bedroom end of the house...(its takes off the chill but doesn't heat like radiators do....ooh I miss them)

Our other heating is our log burner, which doesn't stay alight over night due to it being a new clean air burner required by our council.. so has to be light every morning otherwise the house is freezing when we get home for lunch..then relight it again so when kids come home the house is warm..we have been through 3 trailers of wood so far...at $200 a load...we hope we only will need to get one more before winters out...it has been fairly mild so far....

We have survived on under $70k with the help of Child Tax Credits...but there was no money left for extras.... things are a little easier now...but have no more money left over as our kids just keep getting more expensive and so does NZ....

We don't have any money left over to save to go on a proper holiday...or to take the family back to the uk for a visit to see the grandparents...my kids have not seen them for 8 years....we priced up going home for my sons 18th birthday next year....$15,000 just for flights....

We own our home...well the bank own it, we just live in it....currently we have a very good fixed rate so are trying to pay more than the minimum payment to try to off load the mortgage burden! I am glad not to be paying the overinflated rents locally....

Well that's all from me....I try to be honest without being too hard on NZ but it is an expensive place to live...especially with growing kids.....

Good luck

moving2NZ2013

Thanks for your message. I was expecting something along those lines. we wont be living in Geraldine as it is too far out the way. it'll be mMethven or Rakaia.

When the kids go to school or at least one does ill be out working and iv worked as a housing officer so any real estate type job would be great.We will probably be either offered a house free with the job or highly subsidized by his empolyer



You sound negative about the place or are u just telling us how it is in terms of money ect........
how long have you been there? are you going to stay there? are there positives for you?

People keep saying about the price but honestly if you havent been back to UK for 8 years you would get a rude awakening about the cost of living here too.!

At the moment i don't see my husband he works all day everyday.The kids wont even know who he is at this rate!
We don't go out spending money here anyway. We go out for a meal every month. Dont spend money at weekends,budget and juggle bills constantly which i'm happy to do if it means i have more family time

moving2NZ2013

Our parents have money they can visit us,if they can be bothered. to be honest im not close to my family atall and i can go 6 months without seeing them and we are only 120miles away. i have alot of family in OZ which i know flights arent cheap but cheaper than going to UK.

MrsGreen2013

All these posts are really helpful - sorry I have been snooping in on your conversations!

I completely agree re the UK, I currently work in London and by the time I am home of an evening I eat on my own, shower then sit down to chat and sometimes my eyes are falling asleep as hubby is talking to me!

I am completely sure that although I am convincing myself we can live on a lower salary - I will have a rude awakening, but I am prepared for that as long as I get to see my husband and spend time together.

We are going to rent for a while - not looking forward to the winter chill then !! oh how i hate heat pumps!

BEVS

Threads are for everyone to contribute in, so feel free

Hi there moving2nz2013.

We live at the top of the South Island but have no children and ,these days, no mortgage.

I read your OH is in agriculture and has a job offer with an accredited employer.
So, are you coming in on a 2 year Work To Residence visa which would mean a salary of $55 k pa or more. Perhaps if his work is agricultural you will be offered a rental house to go with the job , so no rent, which will be a huge bonus .

I ask as it is hard for anyone to input with their own thoughts about what is a survivable NZ take home wage without some indication of expected salary , $$ brought over and all that kind of thing. You know what I mean.

I don't think Pixiwink is being 'negative' as such ----- ( I do so hate the two words 'negative' & 'positive' on posts as it puts a spin on what has been written - unless a troll of course ----- ). She is simply letting you know her actual experiences and findings . When all is said and done , if money is too tight, then it is incredibly restrictive in every day life unless there is a goal in mind for living frugally.

FWIW , we have been back to the UK in recent years and from what we have seen for ourselves & from younger relatives there, the cost of living is not as troublesome as it is made out to be . They have young families. Are buying their own homes. Have their holidays etc. There again, none of them live in the London area.

I'll tweak the title to better reflect where you are settling. Different areas of the South Island have differing cost of living. Where we are , Top of the South , is considered sunshine hours for instance, although the Christchurch area appears to also have become quite expensive since the quakes.

BEVS

..and to add.

If you are rural, farming people, you will love it.

pippalonghorn

Hi there. We left England over 2 months ago. The cost of living here is more than double. The are 3 of us. My hubby is only on 48,000 dollars and I've just started part time so that may be our problem. We have no money. I say we are poor but hubby hates that word. Your hubby is on a better wage so things won't be as tight for you. We pay 365 per wk rent. Around 160 per wk on food. Put 50 in the car, money for electric and we have around 25 dollars left per week.

pixiewink

Hi
As another poster said what I write is not negative but my own account of how it has been/is for us...it's not quite as it was painted at the expo's we went to and after having done our 3 years research, which included my OH coming for a visit....at which time he did say living expenses seemed high!!

NZ has lots of hidden costs....that we didn't expect or get told or manage to find out about......paying to transfer ownership of cars, GST (like uk VAT) is added to household bills, food, veg, milk etc....you pay tax on every dollar you earn....these things don't seem like much until you start adding them up...

We are pretty average joe's, live quite a humble existence, we don't drink or smoke or have expensive taste & I cook from scratch....I have always juggled bills in both the UK & here. Saying that I feel ripped off having to pay 4 to 5 bucks for 2 litres of milk...$10 min for a block of cheese...$16 for a fresh chicken -when I first came here I could not get over that I would have to work nearly 1 hour to pay for a chicken

I frequent op shops/sales & TradeMe to buy clothes for us all...except for school uniforms....I have a school savings account for uniform & school fees- oh yes another hidden cost.

Rakaia & Methven will offer you the about the same as what I said about Geraldine.....Methven is a tourist town & priced accordingly...at least you may not have to pay rent so that will definitely be a bonus.

The Positives for me are: Cold Frosty Canterbury mornings that turn into the most fantastic sunny days...Milo....Working 5 mins from home......apprenticeships for kids in trades...10mins morning & afternoon tea breaks....driving up the road and seeing Mount Hutt in the distance.

We have lived in the same part of NZ for 8 years...We live in Ashburton, the diary farmers keep the towns businesses afloat...any issues with dairy farming & the town knows about it...

Will we stay??...If it wasn't for the ages & stages in life that are kids are at...then probably not.....NZ doesn't feel like home...it feels like the place where I live...its quite transient....people come and go in & out of your life, friends seem to move on....both Kiwi & one or two Brits we have met..but most of all I miss a sense of belonging...historical places...& having choices....

I would advise anyone contemplating on moving from the UK to consider other parts of the UK before leaving...We are from the SE of England, I would not go back there but up North, if/when I return.....

We have friends who have just gone back to the UK and they can't get over how cheap food is...compared to their income...its interesting hearing different peoples view points....

Basic living has gone up since we moved here as you would expect...but not everything has moved in the same way...the biggest shock for me recently was; I am looking to go back to work full time & I was offered a skilled accounting job but the wages were the same as what I earned in my first job here 8 years ago, I withdrew my application at that point.....I am hoping that was a one off....but I have heard similar stories....

Most people I know work a standard 40-50hours per week, but those in the farming industry work longer during busy times.

Don't know if you have looked into working in NZ Real Estate, but so you know agents need to be NZ Licenced with the REAA..you may find this link helpful....

http://www.careers.govt.nz/jobs/prop...-enter-the-job

Remember this is only my view point...I wish I had found this site before moving here, it would have been good to have got some real life experiences from real lifers before embarking on such a journey!

pixiewink

"we have around 25 dollars left per week" ..then you will have one of those...little hidden extras come along & $25 gone...never to be seen again...

pippalonghorn

Hi pixie wink, you spoke too soon, that little hidden extra has popped into my life 10 mins ago. 52 dollar connection fee added onto my Internet bill. Oh I'm laughing because if I don't I will cry..

Woodlea

On $48k a year your hubby should take home $764 a week

https://interact2.ird.govt.nz/forms/payecalculator/

Have you / can you get working for families tax credits? This will provide another $110.

http://www.workingforfamilies.govt.n...ent-table.html

Can you apply for a Community Services Card

http://www.workandincome.govt.nz/ind...l#Whocangetit2

I hope this helps.

pippalonghorn

Thanks for the info wood lea. I've had a look on the web and it says that we have to be permanent residency holders and we are not yet. We don't qualify for anything. Am I right?

Woodlea

I think if you went along to WINZ and told them your circumstances I think they would be sympathetic, it would be worth a go anyway, good luck

pixiewink

I don't even know you but want to send you big hugs!

Bo-Jangles

Me too, I have every sympathy for anyone trying to live here on $48k. We've been there and done that for a while and I know how bloody hard it was.