WHERE'S BEST TO LIVE IN NZ AND WHAT DO WE NEED TO KNOW:PART 3!!!!(HOLY SHIT!)

[AngryBeaver]

Can you believe we've finished finished off another thread? Jeez we can talk!!
Just an update..we've found a nice double glazed,4 bed house,with nice garden. So that's one stress off the last.
Hilongwhitecloud

AE, we cross-posted

We started investigating shipping about a year beforehand but I'm a bit obsessive so I wouldn't follow my lead on that.

We spend about $200 a week on groceries, but could probably reduce it a bit (there's always a few things for the freezer and a few 'treats' in there). That includes nappies but no formula.

vvvviola

Thanks for that. We'll be bringing over all our cloth nappies because I heard nappies Are expensive out there. No formula either.

I know nothing o the education system in NZ but as my boys aren't school age yet, I'm going to concentrate on just getting there first.

AE I try to keep it to about $200 a week for groceries (2 adults, 2dcs and a dog), I could easily spend a lot more than that - I do quite a bit of buying stuff on special etc. We do have some treats/alcohol in there as well though.

vvviola Anecdotally, I've heard Porse are better than Barnados. I actually know some people who work for Porse and they are ex-daycare workers who want to do home-based care instead. Also, a lot of mums do it to earn some money while at home with their own dcs. In general, daycare staff will have higher childcare qualifications than home-based carers (though I don't think qualifications are necessarily the be all and end all). Daycare will be cheaper than Porse (I think).

Ratios in daycares will be higher i.e fewer teachers to children than nurseries in the UK - e.g. for under 2's the legal ratio is 1 adult to 5 children whereas in the UK it would be more like 1 to 2 or 3. This can make for some very busy daycares (I used to work in one) though a good centre with a strong team can be a great place for a child. There are some great Porse carers too though!

I spend approx $70/wk on fruit and veg. I then go to Pak n Save every 2-3 weeks and spend $5-600. I buy meat when on special either at the butcher or supermarket and freeze. That does include wine and beer. 2 adults and 2 boys (1 teenager who is eating me out of house and home). Fish I rarely buy, we usually catch our own and once I get the veggie garden going in this house the veggie bill will go down. So I am guessing $300/wk + which is alot less than when we first came and I threw alot of things away as I couldn't get used to it going off so quickly.

I think we spend about $200-250 a week for two adults and one toddler. I grow veggies, salad and herbs at home but we still buy some veggies and fruit. I eat most of my lunches at home and that would include 2/3 bottles of wine and beer for OH which is quite expensive IMHO.

I've been thinking of trying one of the wine clubs to save a little. I try to buy cheap milk too. Thanks to Nosh it seems to have come down a lot in price.

Thanks WhatSheSaid. Good to get your thoughts. I'm going through that stage of not being able to imagine leaving her with anyone... so having a feel for the system helps a bit.

My advice would be look round places (daycares) and talk to Porse/whoever and go with your gut instinct - if a place seems good, it probably is. Daycares all have ERO reports too, though they're a bit generic.

I've got nanny sorted thru Porse. She's level 5 qualified. Not started yet but Porse have been great. She's costing $18 per hour so $175 a day but I get my 20 hours thru her plus a porse top up of 50 cents and a wee subsidy of about$40 per week. Nanny is defiantly the cheapest option with 4 but when I'm at 2 in school and Ds3 hits 3 I may be better if with daycare. Can't fault Porse so far as they're sorting it all for me. I just with random folk would stop asking me if I really 'need' to work. I'm finding folk a bit direct about airing their views.

So we have landlords cat who has sort of moved in. Random socks have been turning up in' the drive -4 today! So I took them back to landlord thinking they were from her DHs collection (cat has sport sock fetish) but no - he is stealing from the whole neighbourhood apparently. Littlest - let me know if DH is missing some.

So this week my boys have eaten about 30 bananas (I'm not joking btw). I can't keep up. Found stonefields Sunday Market for fruit plus veg - seriously cheap - half price of pak n save.

I actually do have to work to afford the bloody bananas!!

takes notes on porse v. Barnardos

also takes notes on cheap veg market

Yes, definitely on for tomorrow Justabout. Anyone else want to join us (see meet up in Auckland thread)?

Hey, socks are expensive. Why don't you put them an trademe?

Where is the Stonefields market? Is it at the ASB stadium? I'm a bit lazy about going to lots of places for different things. Otara market is interesting for a visit and cheap. I keep meaning to try the farmers market at Britomart but we're not very good at getting places early on the weekend.

Hey, socks are expensive. Why don't you put them an trademe?

Where is the Stonefields market? Is it at the ASB stadium? I'm a bit lazy about going to lots of places for different things. Otara market is interesting for a visit and cheap. I keep meaning to try the farmers market at Britomart but we're not very good at getting places early on the weekend.

Yes the netball stadium on morrin road. It's a car boot sale with lots of veg stalls. It's not boutique (at all) but it's cheap, cheap, cheap.

Maybe I could sell the socks to fund the bananas and then I wouldn't have to work. But what of my sanity??

I need a dryer - my clothes have been wet for 2 days now and are starring to smell.

longwhitecloud My In Laws are awesome, about twice a year they send a MASSIVE parcel of Pumpkin Patch clothes for the kids (they drive past the factory shop daily) and enough kiwi treats to sink a battleship! We got a parcel last week with marshmellow easter eggs, toffee pops, mint creams, whittakers choc + peanut slabs, kingstons, kato bernaise sauce (my absolute fav), watties apricot bit on the side sauce, onion dip... I think that covers it! It costs them about $120 to post the box but they say they would spend more than that on taking us out to dinner so they are happy to. I LOVE IT :) I still only use stuff.co.nz for news and have two sets of NZ based forum friends who I treasure and have all met in person, chat daily etc. My last and best kiwi friends went back to NZ in Oct 10 and Nov 11 respectively and I'm the last one standing as it were. My parents came over when I was expecting DS in 2008 and have been working and travelling over the past four yrs but they are nearly ready to go home and the thought of being 'left' all on our own makes me terribly sad so I've just started talking like moving back is a done deal to DH, he's reneged a couple of times on the move back and Ive never really been overly bothered but this time its a done deal as far as I'm concerned, it will take a few years to organise it properly but he's quit his job and is going contracting to earn the big money short term so he's on board with the idea :)

I've been really lucky past two years to have had trips home, before that it was two visits in 7yrs, one of which was to get hitched. In 2010 DS and I went back for 3months while I was pregnant with DD, DH came for three wks at xmas, during that holiday my brother got engaged and set date for following January so just DD and I went back as was too expensive for all of us. I think the two trips close together really made me see what I was missing, the weather wasnt even that great it just all felt 'right' and 'normal'. There is talk of the In Laws going halves in all of us going home for xmas this year :):)

I mentally pack up the house for shipping on a regular basis LOL however I'll probably freak out when the time comes for real!!!!

I'm very impressed at your $200 a fortnight justabout. I thought I was good at budgeting but you beat me by a long way.

We go through loads of bananas too. Though kiwifruit are 2kg for 99c at our local shop at the mo so we are eating loads of them too.

Wow,$200 justabout?? You have got to post your budget shopping list on here!!
I am soooo disorganised,we could save loads if I just did a meal planner and list to match. We eat healthily,but do buy far too many treats. And lolly I'll match our bananas and add applea,satsuma and oranges!!! They never stop. Dh goes mad "where's all the fruit gone??!" eeeeerm

same in our house - fruit lovers which is why I find it hard to believe that the average household spend on fruit and veg/wk in NZ is meant to be $15 - what can you buy with $15!

Maybe 'cos lots more people have their own veggie patches? I know someone that grows all sorts.
The place we're moving into has some fruit trees in the garden...bonus!
We are going to the veggie shop later and I know it will cost a lot more than $15!!
Can't wait til we can buy our own place and I can start a veggie garden and be all Mother Earthy!!
I'm very excited...my mum has just skyped me and told me that she has flights booked for 4 weeks time! She was only due to come in November,but said she is too unhappy and needs to see us...I cried when she told me. I block out how much I miss everyone,but when things like that happen it all comes flooding in.

lolly (or anyone else with lots of kids!) what car have you got? I want a slidey door one with plenty of space for everyone. But not a pertol monster. Any ideas?

I have a Holden captiva - it's not slidy door thing and we get Phil and teds in back with one seat down but I then have to sit in back between ds2 and 4 and ds1 is in booster in front. I'm wee so it's fine. DH is car snob so this seemed to be the only acceptable model after the ford territory which was too expensive. It's fine but I'd drive anything really - I couldn't care less about cars.

Wow kiwidreamer that parcel sounds amazing! My sister sends over treats too and I usually stock up at the kiwi shop from time to time.

How amazing to have your parents over for so long, must be hard to have them go home.

I haven't been home since 2006 (arrrgh). Got married in 2007 (family all came over), had DD1 in 2007 (dad came over at Xmas) and for one reason or another just haven't managed to get home since. I feel really sad as my brothers and sister haven't met my children yet. I was really homesick for a while after DD1 was born and we almost planned to go home then, but we stayed through recession (DH job was really affected.) We battled on through it, friggin' hard but we made it through. I think it would have felt like I was running home then, now it feels like a much more thought out process. DH and I are sick of living in London, it is so stressful...we just can't hack the pace anymore!

On a good note I just got my ILR through today, YAY!!!. Been really lazy not applying until now, and so glad that is done now, just have to apply for citizenship and then seriously look at applying for DH's visa.

I literally break out into a cold sweat thinking of shipping our stuff over. Bloody nightmare. I guess the one thing that makes up for having no support on this end is that we have the support on the other end.

My stuff docks in Auckland today. I get it Tuesday. It's not going to fit but we have 3 garages here so I think it's going to have to go in there.

I have to buy a dryer - I've never had one. Any tips?