For me, moving to New Zealand was a change on many levels. One of the ones I’m having the most trouble adjusting to is the higher cost of living.
High Cost of Living
I knew that moving here it would cost more to live. It’s an island which lends itself to much higher costs, and we live in the biggest city here which means things are even more expensive. Add in an exchange rate which is in my favor but makes prices seem higher and I find myself saying over and over again, “That’s expensive.”
I’m from Tennessee. Rent is cheap there, the housing market never was out of control, grocery prices are reasonable, and overall it’s a really low cost of living area. That’s what I’m used to and conditioned to want even though I’ve traveled and lived in other places. Everything gets compared to what is a “normal” price based on my past experiences in a low cost of living area.
I’m trying to slowly adjust my thinking to this new situation, but it’s hard. I’m still stuck on sticker shock and the crumbling of many dreams (we will most likely never buy a house here). Add onto that the fact that I’m relying solely on blogging income right now, along with trying to pay down my debt, and my new financial situation is causing me a lot of stress lately. A lot.
How I’m Dealing With Higher Living Costs
So I’ve decided to do some things to try and help myself out with the “expensive” things. (This post is full of as many questions as statements…)
1. I’m going homemade. Where I can I’m going to try and make things myself. For instance, I love almond butter, but it costs $8.60 for a tiny, tiny jar. So I’m going to make my own. The other day we found a store that sells spices and nuts by the kg:
The almonds were the cheapest I’ve seen anywhere, so I bought some and made homemade almond butter. I’ll save myself a ton of money doing this because I want almond butter but it’s something that is ridiculously overpriced here (because few people buy it). I’m also going to buy spices and nuts where they are cheapest and make my own mixes and things.
While I’m going to try to make more things myself, I haven’t made a list yet of what I can make.
Any suggestions? Do you make anything instead of buying to save money?
2. Use my free time to create.
I enjoy creating things. I loved writing my e-book. I love designing things (even though I’m not the best). I love to craft and make things out of nothing. So I’m going to spend more time doing that in my free time and then sell those things here and on e-bay. Hopefully that willhelp me both use all my extra free time and make some money as well.
Are there any things you would like to see? Anything you want me to create for you? Ideas?
3. Do fun free things.
The other night we were trying to decide what to do with ourselves for fun. Go to dinner? See a movie? Head into the city? The majority of the options available cost money that we just don’t have. But sitting at home doing nothing isn’t very much fun either! So instead we decided to pack a picnic meal and take a mini beach roadtrip for dinner.
I’m thinking we can find some more fun and inexpensive things to do together that will be fun and inexpensive and not just sitting around watching tv. So far what comes to mind are playing games, taking walks, reading.
Any other ideas? What do you for free that’s fun?
4. Limit meals out to once or at most twice a week.
It’s unrealistic to think we will never eat out. That would be really boring and we both LIKE to eat out. So I think as long as we limit it to just the weekends for a meal or two we will help out both our health and our bank account. Additionally, limit those meals in price. Some places here can cost so much it is overwhelming, so I’m thinking we can stick to less expensive places for a while except for special occasions.
How do you handle the expense of eating out? Do you budget for it? Or cut yourself off completely?
5. Keep looking for jobs. I guess transportation and lack of knowing where we will be living has put a damper on my job searching. My friend who lived in New Zealand before had a hard time finding a job, but she did eventually get one. That’s a success story of sorts and it reminds me that while it might not happen right away… it’s going to happen. I’m going to keep looking for online/writing jobs and for part time jobs here in New Zealand. I’ll take anything!
Those are just a few of the things that I think will help. It’s hard because it’s not like we are massive spenders. I don’t spend very much at all, really. But past mistakes and the saving for the future have me sort of stuck in the current situation where I’m struggling. I’m hoping to find a part time job here soon but so far nothing is working out since I’m not technically qualified (visa wise) for a lot of jobs.
I’m not giving up hope though. I will find something for work. Or maybe my blog will become a million time more famous and I won’t have to worry about money problems? One can hope. ;)
What do you do to save money? How do you balance wanting to have some fun and enjoyable things with a small budget?
If it makes you feel better, that sounds just like DC. My job is here, and I need to be close by because even moving 10 miles away increases my commute by an hour (traffic’s horrible here). But the cost of living is exorbitant. My husband and I really want to buy a house, but we don’t have $400,000 to drop on a shack.
The hardest thing for us in terms of budgeting is eating out. With my knees and feet, I can’t do much of the free activities—going for a walk/hike or anything. So the thing we do to get out of the house is go out to eat. That’s such a huge portion of our budget that we’re trying to rein in. Still, after being cooped up in the house all day, I start looking forward to the escape.
Yeah, the dream of owning a home in NZ is pretty much dead. We will just wait until we move back to the states, hopefully to somewhere with a lower cost of living with affordable housing.
In your situation I totally understand going out to eat more often as something enjoyable you can do.
I don’t know what is there in terms of art galleries or museums but that might be a possibility – especially if the weather is not good.
My hubby and I have been through a terrible year financially and have had to draw the purse strings in tight. We have pretty much given up weekly eating out or even take out. Instead we’ve tried to have folks come to us and create the atmosphere of a special dinner. A simple appetizer “happy hour” on our patio was one of the most fun things we did this summer. And we were able to do it several times with different sets of friends.
I’m sure as you get to know your area better you will think of many fun inexpensive/free things to do. Good luck!
That sounds fun Helen!
Somethings seem silly but a penny saved… I make my own chicken broth. I make a lot of soup in the cool months and quality broth is expensive ($3-5 a box). I can buy a whole chicken for $6-8. I roast it, use the meat for one meal, left over meat for another then boil the bones and make my own broth. So, I get 3 meals for little more than the cost of broth. I also control the seasoning and salt.
If you like going out to eat, start going out to breakfast instead of dinner. My husband I just got back from breakfast where we had a great veggie filled omelet, toast, fruit, potatoes (he ate those) and coffee for $13. We can rarely have a tasty, healthy meal for dinner for that price.
Have you found a good library there yet? I used to go to the library for books to read when I had downtime or wanted time to pass, but they also have dvds now so I stopped spending my money at Blockbuster. Some may even have whole season box sets, or you can go on the library’s site to request dvds. And though it’s wrong that I advocate it, downloading movies is fun too. Hehe sorry – just one of the free things we really enjoy is our movie time/nights. We’ve recently gotten into downloadng (well, Danny’s coworkers do the downloading and share them with everyone), so we’ve been able to see new movies for free right at home! And we love it. And I know you love making dinner already so we usually love having a dinner-and-a-movie night at home :)
We do download movies. And tv shows. And just about everything. I know it’s illegal, but being outside the US they offer no way to legally watch some of the things that we want to (tv shows). Since I still pay taxes and am a citizen of the us…. um, I feel like I’m justified in it. LOL. Dinner and movie at home for the win! :)
Are you allowed to work in NZ as an American? Or is there a lot of red tape to get through?
I have a working holiday visa which allow certain kinds of work, but I can’t get a full time job without a lot of red tape (switching my visa and stuff). So really I’m only looking for part time things.
I remeber how $$$ NZ was so I feel your pain :) and I had the same experience when we moved to the US from Africa – we had no $$ so unless something was on sale we lived without and like you I didn’t have a visa to work.
I stopped buying books a couple of years back (DD reads so many) so we started going to the library – saves $$ and space for books that are only read once.
I have cut down a lot on eating out and mostly go to places we have coupons for now.
I make my own ice coffee drinks instead of having them out, saves on $$ and calories :)
I haven’t bought books for years. The only books I own are ones people buy for me or give to me secondhand because they know I love to read. Otherwise I only read library books or things online. :)
I’m so glad I’m not a coffee drinker. I would be so screwed with how expensive coffee drinks can be! Making them at home is a good idea for others. ;)
Two words: community calendars. Our local newspaper has a calendar on its website. Local events, often times free events, are posted there. Granted, you have to sift through a lot of uninteresting things to do, but we’ve gone to festivals and open houses that were not advertised otherwise. Another thing we do is go to the library – ours has book clubs for kids & adults, kids activities, and they sometimes bring in speakers, too. If its a topic of interest, I make a point to go.
Oh! We’ve also finally graduated from construction paper Pokemons! Origami is the new Pokemon. Haha!
Haha, that’s awesome! Origami is such a cool thing to do and you can make so many awesome things. I still have one of the Pokemon he made me somewhere… ;)
I find that making my own meal is one of the very best ways to save money. Although I cringe sometimes when the bill comes up at the grocery store, I remind myself that is the only money I spend on food throughout the week.
And GST has just gone up today. Heh. You’re right: The cost of living is high here and it took me a while to adjust. It really sucks that coke is way cheaper than milk. Both my husband and I work, but I still try to keep our food budget under control and save money where I can.
Here are some of my basics: I’ve found that planning meals for a week helps with shopping and being able to use one ingredient for multiple meals/leftover meals. I use my OneCard (you get a savings voucher in the mail from time to time based on how much you’ve swiped with it). I buy basics from the bulk bin shops. I have stopped having cafe coffee every day ($4 a pop adds up quickly). I buy homebrand label for a lot of basics. I freeze bread when I buy it and defrost as needed.
Hmm. I’d certainly buy almond butter from you if you decided to go that route :)
I like going to the Hamilton Gardens, which are beautiful and free, and walking along the river gives us family time and exercise time. I check the online events calendar for upcoming events; the cost/non cost is usually listed.
We do have to work on the eating out thing, but I’ve limited restaurant fare to Saturday nights only.
Have a good weekend!
Yeah, boo GST increases! I’m trying to adjust, but it’s going to take a while. I’m just not used to it so I’m trying to wrap my brain around something that just seems so different and… wrong. Because really, it’s wrong that milk costs more than coke. Sad, even. Maybe I just think that because I drink milk not coke.
I’ve been planning meals for the week, but we still shop every couple of days. I find this works pretty well because I get discounted fruits and veggies which are still good but just need to be eaten quickly. Homebrand is my friend so far…yay! Where are bulk bin shops? I’m still sorta not sure where you can buy in bulk here…
Hey, after I make almond buttter more and perfect my recipe, I’ll definitely consider selling it. I just need to make it AWESOME first. ;)
Countdown and Pak ‘n Save do have limited bulk/bin sections. Pak ‘n Save is definitely cheaper for some cleaning things and toiletries. I just get annoyed by the narrow aisles and non packing of grocery bags. It depends what is on special at each of the supermarkets each week as to whether one or the other will be cheaper overall. Drives me crazy.
I get my bulk stuff from the Bin Inn, which isn’t really helpful since it’s out of the way for you, yes? I’ve seen some bulk spices and such in some of the small Indian dairy type shops. I’ve learned my lesson about going into the Health shops for anything. Ouch.
Oh okay. I’ll have to check out Pak ‘n Save better next time.
Yeah I got the almonds at a small little Indian shop. They had a ton of nuts and spices in bulk, so that was cool. The Bin Inn is out of the way, but I think eventually I’m going to try going there anyway.
I hear you! Everything’s more expensive here!!
We limit our eating out to weekends or once a week and it’s usually a case of going for lunch OR dinner or something like that.
I work on menu planning and cooking ahead so we’re less likely to be lazy and want to order takeout when we get done.
Another thing I’m doing when I get back in November is looking for temp jobs. There are a few temp agencies out there and that might be an option for you as well – the jobs are as temporary as they come!
Buying in bulk, shopping at Pack ‘n Save and checking out the circulars makes a difference.
Temp jobs are a possible idea. Once we decide where we are going to be living I might look into temp agencies. Having no transportation of my own has been a hindrance but once I know for sure where I am going to be living I can maybe figure out the bus system or something. ;)
Right there with you, Mary! It’s so easy to forget that just being together can be more fun than a fancy dinner. Love your little beach picnic!
Remember a couple months ago when you talked about your loose ring and I commented that I picked out a size 7 ring and was worried it wouldn’t fit when by bf popped the question? Well, he proposed this past weekend! And the ring fits perfectly, just as you predicted it would! :) Just wanted to let you know!
CONGRATS! That’s so awesome!! :) Thanks for letting me know too. I tend to remember things like that and always wonder how they worked out but forget to ask the people. I loooove that you came back to tell me. And that the ring fit perfectly! I knew it would. ;) Yay!
So far I don’t have any friends here so at least no one is trying to bust my budget with expensive activities! But at the same time I really want to have some friends, and that involves doing things that cost money so I can meet people and have some sort of a social life. So I have to cut back in other places so I can do those kinds of things because if I don’t at least have some sort of life and activities outside the house I’ll easily find myself depressed again (no fun!).
I’m looking around for unconventional work in addition to regular jobs. I think I’ve found a bakery that will sell some of my sweets, so that’s something! I’ll keep looking into other ideas. :)
Hey Mary!
I am a regular reader and a Geography teacher. To put in perspective can you tell us some of the prices of things? I live in Texas and experience a pretty low cost of living, but would love to know what things such as a dinner out, a movie, gas, milk, etc. cost. Thanks!!!
Wow!! That is insane. I totally understand the sticker shock you are experiencing. Thanks for the information…I will definitely be sharing this with my students when we study your region of the world.
Well with a situation that just developed me and hubby decided Tuesday that we’ll only get take out food once a month on a Saturday and not go out to eat at all anymore. We can’t afford it anymore. We have to save, not want to, but have to save for something else. Then we have some really big bills that must be paid down.
As far as giving you idea what to sell online or make, I’m at a loss.
I know you can do a search online for homemade mixes. I’ve seen them at times for homemade Chili mixes, Taco mixes, for instant flavored oatmeal packets, for instant cocoa packets. I’ve seen them for cookie mixes etc.., you’ll just have to do an internet search and you should find a lot of them.
I know if you make and sell anything geared towards children there are laws concerning having the items tested and meeting safety regulations.
I think if it’s anything food related their are laws and criteria you have to meet by the Food and Drug administration before you can sell it out of your jurisdiction or on-line. I’d check first before you do that.
Does New Zealand have anything like the swap meets here. That’s where a lot of people sell home made items like the fancy Aprons, or fancy pillow covers that are sewn, or polyclay figurines that hold pen/pencil sets. If you check your local health laws there you might be able to sell decorated cupcakes or cookies and such at a swap meet without having to have a whole bunch of okay’s by governmental agencies in New Zealand. I don’t know their laws there.
Is there a baby leggings trend there? Maybe if you sew you can make and sell those since the homes are damp and cool there like you put in one of your posts in the recent past.
Well, me and my husband are thinking next year we might start selling some things at swap meet that I can make with my scroll saw and paint up. Little cute signs to stick in the yard for the seasons and also for holidays. You know make up catchy sayings to go along with a figure you cut out and paint.
Example: Autumn (in stead of Ought To) give you a hug dear.
Make two scare crows hugging out of a scroll saw design on thin wood and paint it and put in on a pointed stick so it can be stuck in the ground. Maybe make smaller ones that can be hung on a front door.
Anyways that’s some ideas going around in our heads to maybe make a buck to help us out.
I make hummus at home as well. I also make my low sugar jam.
For dates we subscribe to the local college blog that tells about all the movie fests and stuff they have for the college kids but anyone is welcome to come.
with all sense that I kinda sound like an old fogie :)
do people BARTER at all??
when I was more strapped than I am now :) I did that a lot.
Hi! Found your blog recently and have really been enjoying it- I’m curious, are you guys planning to stay in NZ permanently? Any chance you might move to the US one day? Does your fiance prefer to stay in NZ, and that’s why you moved there? Hope you don’t mind my asking, your story is so fascinating!
I am so with you on making your own stuff. I have made my own almond milk and my own pumpkin puree before. I’ve made a lot of different stuff, actually… it’s hard to think of specifics right now.
Hmm I kinda know how you feel. San francisco has one of the highest costs of living in the US (I think, right behind nyc and right above boston (the last place I lived) and then LA). Its one of the reasons I stay in my office job, because I know that I need to make such a high salary to be able to afford to live here. My roommate and I live in a 1 bedroom. And yes, a house, even if I had a spouse, would be out of the question. But the way I see it, there’s a REASON its so expensive to live here (or there, in nz). It costs more because it’s worth more. I enjoy living here and I could move somewhere else and pay a lot less, but I woudlnt have as fun. NZ seems so beautiful, I can imagine why it costs so much. Its like how I pay more for good food vs junk food. Its worth it.. Ooh I saw on twitter today how to make sun dried tomatoes and I thought of u..then I forgot to save it..but I bet you could google it. And, that ketchup recipe I sent u before. I don’t make anything, well just regular food and desserts. I want to make some crafty things and sell them too I just havent figured that out yet.. We have an online website that tells local free/cheap things to do, maybe you have something like that? Usually for free things I just go for walks, go to the park, go to the museum (cuz my work gets me in free, but also there are free days), go shopping with friends (sounds expensive but generally I don’t buy anything), go to a bar (I don’t drink, so that’s another free activity), go to a club (ditto)… oh and I do a lot of the groupon type activities which arent free, but they are cheap. I don’t know if you have that in nz now.. Um wow this is a long comment but you asked a lot of questions.. Rightnow, When I have no $ I just skip eating out. When I first moved here and was trying to make friends, and they all went to brunch every weekend, id just go and say id already eaten, or just order a cup of tea. I still got to socialize and didn’t feel like a charity case. When I’m doing well, I have my checking account direct deposit $ into my savings every 2 weeks. Also, if I ever get rebates, etc, I deposit those into savings vs checking (I count it as I already spent the $). I take public transportation or walk vs taking a cab. I don’t drink those $ sucking coffees that everyone else seems to drink. Basically though, I am bad at $. If I want something, I usually do/buy/eat/drink/etc it. Oh, but I don’t have credit cards, so if I don’t have the $, I cant, and so I don’t get myself into debt. I tend to have a lot of fun with not really spending much at all.
Your plan seems to be a good one. I think a house is possible, even in NZ. You’ve got the right attitude, you’ve got a plan, perhaps you’ll surprise even yourself.
I think that your dreams of owning a home in NZ should not be pushed aside, its totally achievable, you haven’t been here long so it seems so far away but just think when you both have full time work and flat on your own it will motivate you to get where you want to be… NZ ROCKS!!
Thanks for the encouragement, but I really don’t think that is in the cards for us. Nor do I think it’s really something I want. But thanks anyway, NZ is a nice place!