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Original poster

Wanted Down Under

145 replies

jollyjester · 02/02/2019 12:44

I'm stuck on the sofa under a sick child so binge watching Wanted Down Under.

Current couple have a budget of £950k for a house. His salary was going to stay about the same as was hers.

How do they know how much they can spend on a house when they don't have jobs in Australia, still have a house in the UK etc.

Am I just naive as to how much people have in savings etc?

The last couple had a budget of £350k and uk salaries of £30k ish each and their own house was valued at £50k less than they thought.

OP posts:
nancy75 · 03/02/2019 15:53

Sparklingbrook to be fair, Australia does beat us hands down when it comes to beaches! My in-laws live on an island on the Sunshine Coast, when we go we have about 5 miles of amazing beach all to ourself (mainly because we go in autumn or spring & all the Australians are too cold to go on the beach - we wear our cossies while mil wears a jumper!)

ChesterGreySideboard · 03/02/2019 17:16

I'm now watching on iPlayer because of you lot. It's the one where its raining all the time and the woman is approaching the age where she would be refused a visa.

The house they have put them up in is Kath and Kim's house, I'm sure of it.

Sparklingbrook · 03/02/2019 17:24

I love the ones where the weather is awful. 😂

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Mari50 · 03/02/2019 17:29

I like WDU, it is a lot of nonsense but I’ve always wanted to emigrate and OH is totally uninterested so i’m the opposite version. I’ve taken him many times but just can’t sell the country to him at all. It’s actually quite a difficult thing to reconcile yourself to.
The lack of research that some people do is quite entertaining though, even more surprising are those people who’ve never been to Australia but are determined that it’s the place for them.

iklboo · 03/02/2019 17:52

I used to work with someone who emigrated to New Zealand because her husband wanted to. About 6 months down the line she'd left him for someone she'd met there. He came home, she stayed and remarried.

RollerJed · 03/02/2019 19:59

@Sparklingbrook it was 41 degrees here yesterday, awful enough for you? Grin

Sparklingbrook · 03/02/2019 20:02

For me personally that's really awful Roller I hate the heat. Sad Grin

SwimmingJustKeepSwimming · 03/02/2019 20:02

41 would be truly awful to me!

Sparklingbrook · 03/02/2019 20:03

It would make me feel ill.

Contraceptionismyfriend · 03/02/2019 20:31

@ChesterGreySideboard what's their surname??? Im trying to find their after story because she pissed me off so much!

RollerJed · 03/02/2019 20:42

It was awful! I love the heat, but I'm over the extreme now and it's only just Feb.

However last March in London I had no heat as the outside boiler pipes had frozen so I had to get up a ladder with a kettle of boiling water.

Both scenarios suck!

Sparklingbrook · 03/02/2019 20:59

Last summer in the UK was too hot for me. Blush

Focalpoint · 03/02/2019 21:26

My favorite bit is when they look at the dining table and talk about what a great place to entertain friends......err what friends ... you don't know anyone!?

They talk about the people they'd miss from home but no one ever considers the challenge of building a new network of friends when you move to a new place in middle age when you know nobody.

Original poster
jollyjester · 03/02/2019 21:29

No one seems to factor in the costs of trips back to the uk either. That cant be cheap.

OP posts:
Sparklingbrook · 03/02/2019 21:29

I always look at their parents, some elderly and some not fit enough to do the long flight and my heart goes out to them. Their DC and DGC are about to disappear.

The people always seem to have masses of family and friends at home and seem quite happy to just leave them behind and replace them with some new friends.

Original poster
jollyjester · 03/02/2019 21:34

Totally agree sparkling. My in laws can no longer make the journey to australia to see their other DGC and its hard to know that every time they visit the uk it could be the last.

DH and I are a bit worried about going away for a month in case something happens one of the ILs while we are gone.

OP posts:
Sparklingbrook · 03/02/2019 21:37

I just don't know how you can make that choice. You only get one family.

nancy75 · 03/02/2019 21:42

The family in uk & Australia is so hard. I’m close to my family & was always clear with Dp that if we had kids I wouldn’t live in Australia because I would want to be near my family - that does mean that his family miss out, they are getting older and the journey is hard for them, it’s also difficult for us going o EE there because of school/jobs and money. At least for my Dd she has never known any different - those grandparents have always been far away. I can’t imahine taking a child away from gps they ha e grown up with

Onandonandons · 03/02/2019 21:43

I watched an episode recently where their eldest who was about 18 or so didn't want to go, so they were planning to leave her behind!

Original poster
jollyjester · 03/02/2019 21:46

My BIL went to Australia in his 20s and met and married an Australian girl before they had DC. As a couple and a family they have never lived in the UK so ILs seem more accepting that one set of DGC are on the other side of the world.

While I'm not close to ILs I still dont think I could move and take DC away.

OP posts:
Schmoobarb · 03/02/2019 21:47

I just can’t imagine putting nice weather over my family which is what it comes down to in most cases when they wang on about quality of life.

I find the ones where they moan about their hours of work and having no work life balance here but because the cost of living is more in Oz they’ll have to work more hours anyway Confused

Original poster
jollyjester · 03/02/2019 21:47

No one mentioned spiders!!

I've never seen any while we've visited but DH saw a huntsman once on the side of the house we were staying in. Shock

That wouldn't be good for my blood pressure!

OP posts:
nancy75 · 03/02/2019 21:50

jollyjester last time we went there was a bloody great big snake in the back garden, I was ready to pack my bags and come home!

nancy75 · 03/02/2019 21:51

On the plus side, having an Ozzie living in your house is handy, if we have a spider in the house do just picks them up without batting an eyelid ( while I stand on the sofa screaming Grin )

Original poster
jollyjester · 03/02/2019 21:52

Snakes dont botther me too much as long as they are slow moving and outside, we camped in the dessert and saw a few.

Spider wise anything larger than 50p and I cant cope.

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