Utlitily Bills Families

Also, if you leave the country before October you will have been out of the country for over six months of the UK tax year and will therefore be able to reclaim any tax paid you have paid up until then. Extra dosh!!

Thankyou, I am a bit of a geek so had already calculated this for both me and hubby. That will be going towards the 'extra' fund that we are hoping will go towards our deposit! I can also reclaim student loan payments back for 14/15 which are over £600 due to only working for 6 months. Every little helps!

I don't quite understand the need for people to be so aggressive in their "advice" on this forum. Jac has quite clearly done extensive research and consulted the numerous professionals on this site and elsewhere.

Constructive advice is fine but yet again, it seems that people feel the need to spout their opinion without knowing all the details.

I can quite see how Jac will manage. Yes, costs are expensive, but there are ways to live cheaply. As a student, my husband and I lived on £14 a week for food (I am sure that people will now say that this was in the UK so impossible to do in Australia!!). You make do.

Frankly if it is all a disaster then so be it, but it seems to me that Jac has things very well planned out.

I think this is one of the reasons people frequent the forum less and less... I never said, that you can live an extravagant lifestyle but with one income earner and a reasonable salary anything is achievable. How do all the people on here who have commented expect the australian born folk who live in Australia earning less than the average wage to survive?

we believe that we can buy food for $800pm

As I pointed out elsewhere, for a family of 5 that equates to $5.25 per day. By way of comparison, Corrections Victoria spends over $7 a day per prisoner on food. If you can do it, great. But be aware of just how threadbare that looks.

Looking at the Coles website, the everyday value stuff looks reasonably priced...

Here is a sample daily diet for five people that comes to $26.50 (= $800 per month)

[TABLE=width: 234]

[TR]

[TD]bread (1 loaf tip top)[/TD]

[TD=align: right]3.5[/TD]

[/TR]

[TR]

[TD]6 eggs[/TD]

[TD=align: right]2.5[/TD]

[/TR]

[TR]

[TD]milk 3l[/TD]

[TD=align: right]3[/TD]

[/TR]

[TR]

[TD]5 cheese slices[/TD]

[TD=align: right]2.5[/TD]

[/TR]

[TR]

[TD]butter[/TD]

[TD=align: right]1[/TD]

[/TR]

[TR]

[TD]pasta[/TD]

[TD=align: right]2[/TD]

[/TR]

[TR]

[TD]pasta sauce[/TD]

[TD=align: right]3.5[/TD]

[/TR]

[TR]

[TD]onion[/TD]

[TD=align: right]0.5[/TD]

[/TR]

[TR]

[TD]mince[/TD]

[TD=align: right]5[/TD]

[/TR]

[TR]

[TD]5 apples[/TD]

[TD=align: right]2.5[/TD]

[/TR]

[TR]

[TD]sundries (oil, salt, pepper, tea)[/TD]

[TD=align: right]0.5[/TD]

[/TR]

[/TABLE]

I'm thinking this looks very meagre.

The reality is that this is what people on a low income eat. I have been there. Fortunately I am now in a much better financial position , but to be honest, I am envisaging that my shopping basket will look a lot like this while I am working out exactly how much I can afford longer term. People on benefits in the UK have to manage on a lot less.

You can eat cheap.

I buy some of the home brand stuff from Woolworths and most of them are fine.

I like the single homebrand lasagne. Oftne have one for dinner and they are only $2.29.

It can be done many of us have done it. Now leave the woman alone, it's her experience, hers and her families lives. She's clearly an intelligent woman, with a good job to go to.

Thanks Gbye grey sky's.

 

We are not expecting to live and be 'rich' off one salary but we know we could survive. From what I have read on this forum almost all families migrate with only one income earner initially and there are a hell of a lot of nurses doing this and to more expensive places. I think, anything is possible if you want to make things work enough, we are realistic, we don't want materialistic things until we are in a position to afford them and as long as we keep our feet on the ground and take things one step at a time I think families can survive off one income. Yes, this will scare those with a higher cash flow but this thread will also scare others who were tempted to come but will now believe that a nurses salary is not enough to live off.

 

I will be back in a years time to tell my story, and I will feedback on the negativity of so many posters on this forum. Initially when I first joined (different user name which I forgot) I worked in finance and I did query whether I should migrate. I was basically told as i had children with an ex-partner 'NO' I could not. A few years later I came back querying my options as I was considering retraining as a nurse... I was told this was a ridiculous idea and that by the time I had retrained I would probably be not entitled to a visa. I was told I wouldn't find a permanent job offer before arrival. I did.

 

In my home life, I was told being 9 months pregnant during an interview at uni, I would never get offered a place on a nursing degree due to all the competition for places... I did, despite no healthcare experience. I was told a mum to three children (one young baby) could not complete a degree... I did, with my husband working 140 miles away and not living with me for 6 months. We were told we were ridiculous in renting a lovely 4 bed detached house with gorgeous country gardens on a student bursary was unrealistic. Not only did we rent that house, we paid off all our debts and saved up money for the visa process. I was told I would not get a UK nursing job until near the end of my degree. I did, 10 months before I qualified and I got one of the highest salaries of my entire cohort.

 

So, forgive me when I continue to fight my cause when people tell me it is not achievable because I know what I am capable of, I have done hours of research each week since 2008 and I have helped so many people also pursue this pathway due to the knowledge I have gained. I believe life is about your outlook. Life in Australia is not about a large house, fancy furniture or meals out. It is about being financially comfortable in the long run, having space for my children to run around and a place we can call home.

I have been following your journey (in a non-stalker type of way lol) largely because I recognised a kindred 'can do' spirit in you. For what it's worth I not only think you will be OK, I think you will end up doing very well.

Also, if you leave the country before October you will have been out of the country for over six months of the UK tax year and will therefore be able to reclaim any tax paid you have paid up until then. Extra dosh!!

That's not correct. You are still liable for tax on your UK earning. However, if you do PAYE you will have withheld tax based on your projected earning from April to April. Therefore, your total earning up to the date of departure would have overpaid your tax bill at that point (as your free pay amount would have been calculated on 12 months not 6 months).

Tax residency in Australia will apply after six months, so the AU tax liability will get backdated to the date of entry (October), which will be no problem as there are no UK earnings beyond this date. So, when she submits her tax return to HMRC in 2016 she a rebate of some of the tax paid. She will also need to declare her overseas earning on the AU tax submission in 2016 and have them credit back the tax paid in the UK.

Tax is an absolute nightmare here in Australia. Completely ridiculous and bureaucratic and best done through a good accountant.

You can eat cheap.

I buy some of the home brand stuff from Woolworths and most of them are fine.

I like the single homebrand lasagne. Oftne have one for dinner and they are only $2.29.

Much cheaper (and healthier) to make your own though... Ever wondered where those two horses from last year's Melbourne Cup ended up?!?

Thanks everyone! Nice to know some of you realise that where there is a will there is a way! Many of us have been there and many of us have learnt from it.

I am no longer in a position where I have to spend so little on food, I do because I know I can and I know my children eat healthier than a lot of people I know. My slow cooker will cook a healthy meal 5 days a week, full of beans, lentils, lean meat, veggies (no salt or preservatives) and I also add things such as nuts and chia seeds to improve the nutritional value. We regularly have home made smoothies, where the only sweeteners my children will add are natural sources such as honey. My children again will add things such as walnuts and chia seeds without question. we buy carrier bags full of strawberries and raspberries at the moment on a Saturday afternoon for £5 per bag which we portion up and freeze for our smoothies. For breakfast they have shreddies, weetabix, porridge or fruit and fibre. We make our own flapjacks, again with nuts, seeds and honey. We bake our own breads. So yes for the budget I have in the UK we live pretty healthy. My children haven't an ounce of fat on them between them. They are also bounding full of energy. It may take a few weeks to work out which ingredients are in season, and where to source certain foods in Australia however, we certainly wont be living on supermarket bought breads or on beans on toast each day.

Much cheaper (and healthier) to make your own though... Ever wondered where those two horses from last year's Melbourne Cup ended up?!?

I said home brand not Findus.

I do cook better meals a few nights a week. but I can't always be bothered and go for a frozen option sometimes.

Having said that there probably isn't much difference between eating cow and horse anyway. Only in your head.

Much cheaper (and healthier) to make your own though... Ever wondered where those two horses from last year's Melbourne Cup ended up?!?

Actually, one of the surprising things in Australia is that, unlike in the UK (at least as the UK was in 2010), pre-prepared food and highly processed food is cheaper than home cooked food. I'm not sure how this comes about - perhaps there is a lot of wastage of fresh food that is unsold in supermarkets - this being reflected in the costs of the food that is sold. Generally, the high cost of food was my biggest price-related cultural shock when I moved to Australia.

We used to get the occasional ready meal from Waitrose on a Friday night back in the UK. However, we took one look at the ones in Coles and Woolies and were determined we'd never buy them. I work in the food industry and you'd be surprised what junk goes in to the cheaper end products. All starch, fat and salt.

Good for you.

Much cheaper (and healthier) to make your own though... Ever wondered where those two horses from last year's Melbourne Cup ended up?!?

My brother knows all there is to know about horses............................................................................he worked in a French restaurant for 5 years:laugh:

Hey,

 

Just looking for some Melbourne families to share their Utility Bill costs, I would be hoping my monthly calculations are on track but suspect they might be way off!

 

Family x 4, 3-4 bed house suburbs

Water $70

Electricity $90

Gas $50

Have you made the move yet ? Did you ever reach a realistic idea of costs ? I

Moving in your exact position (family x4) looking in western newer build suburbs.

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Have you made the move yet ? Did you ever reach a realistic idea of costs ? I

Moving in your exact position (family x4) looking in western newer build suburbs.

 

 

 

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This may help, its up to date this year.

http://www.pomsinoz.com/forum/money-finance/244744-cost-living-melbourne-2016-a.html

Have you made the move yet ? Did you ever reach a realistic idea of costs ? I

Moving in your exact position (family x4) looking in western newer build suburbs.

 

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

please dont think newer build means a good house, as has been previously mentioned almost all houses here (especially rentals) are just shite.

they look nice but there are massive performance issues.

new houses need to be 6* standard.

however this is achieved at the design stage.

there is no testing of the built house, independent or otherwise.

so from a good design, a company and builders can pretty much build what they like and call it (and charge for) 6*.

therefore a cheap house, built from the start to be a rental will be a rather steaming dog egg rolled in glitter.

a house for an owner will be better, but with an industry completely used to and geared to slum type construction even their best is subpar by even uk standards.

best to seal up some window architraves with plastic and live in a small part of the house during winter.

we did this in point cook and stayed warm, and are doing the same here in east melbourne.

you can also eventually build a real house, but its expensive!

This may help, its up to date this year.

 

http://www.pomsinoz.com/forum/money-finance/244744-cost-living-melbourne-2016-a.html

This is awesome. Thank you so much

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Thanks @flybyknight that's the plan for the long term , to build our own home. But I'll be happy with a mcmansion

For now

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We moved to Melbourne sometime middle March, and the entire residential area have had the entire system reinstalled with some new condensing boiler system, in order to obtain energy efficiency and reduced emissions.

We were kind of being prepared for the winter time and Melbourne being different from Australia's sunnier states. You know things like...winter is coming and apparently staying for the next nine or so months :)...and to be pale, blast heater and have dry skin for the most of the year...as a matter of fact I read an article that has described many Australian homes as nothing more than ''glorified tents'' which makes it harder to keep homes at livable temperature.  find this really unusual for the ''sunburned country''. a land known for its asphalt-melting heat waves :)

Out of curiosity, I did a bit of research on the condensing boilers mentioned above and this article goes into it in great detail.