bristolman Posted April 23, 2015 Share Posted April 23, 2015 ^^^^ Perhaps lastonealive has solar panels. Our bills are very low too as we have solar. Yes solar panels would do it otherwise you would never be at home, the daily standing charge could be close to that a month. I do need to look at solar panels this year I think. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HelensvaleHoward Posted April 23, 2015 Share Posted April 23, 2015 From memory we used to pay around $700 a year for water BUT they have gone up a fair bit since then (4 years ago).We didn't have gas but again from memory electricity was about $200 a month, again prices have risen steeply. We've been here over 4 years and in that time prices have changed dramatically Old info not much use tbh Go post in the those living in Aus thread it definitly isn't you but yet you do so sighs and walks away Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RNB31 Posted April 23, 2015 Share Posted April 23, 2015 Dont want to take over the OP so if you are a family in Melbourne suburbs and want to share your Utility costs with me then see my post in Victoria Category...[h=1]Utlitily Bills Families and post in there[/h] Thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted April 23, 2015 Share Posted April 23, 2015 Do you actually use any electricity ? Do you live alone in a small flat ? That is a remarkably small bill for a month. 2 bed 2 bath Apartment, No AC and out at work all day. Bills have varied from 40 -100 for a month. Dryer rarely used. Have LED lightbulbs (not sure if helps) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bristolman Posted April 23, 2015 Share Posted April 23, 2015 2 bed 2 bath Apartment, No AC and out at work all day. Bills have varied from 40 -100 for a month. Dryer rarely used. Have LED lightbulbs (not sure if helps) Ah OK, so you really are paying little more than the daily standing charge. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted April 23, 2015 Share Posted April 23, 2015 So a scan back on the year says my average is 180 a quarter. Actually I told a lie I paid $43 last month. 5.6kwh average daily usage. Must save loads not needing AC. Luckily place stays cool most the time Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bristolman Posted April 23, 2015 Share Posted April 23, 2015 So a scan back on the year says my average is 180 a quarter. Actually I told a lie I paid $43 last month. 5.6kwh average daily usage. Must save loads not needing AC. Luckily place stays cool most the time Wow, 5.6kwh is quite literally nothing. It makes such a huge difference when there is no one home all day. You really do pay more in daily standing charges than actual usage which is crazy. lol Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
physicsteacher Posted April 25, 2015 Share Posted April 25, 2015 Hi, great to see all this information but was wondering if anyone could answer in terms of a weekly/ monthly budget rather than cost of specific items. I'm just worried we won't be able to afford it when we get there. How much do you think you would spend on average per month for everything excluding rent/ mortgage ( I no this will vary dramatically depending where we live)for a family of five with three children under five? If that family really budgeted. We're happy to not eat out, will send our children to a state school, really cut on the costs for the first few years to get settled. But don't want to be struggling to pay the bills and feeding my children. Cheers Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RNB31 Posted April 25, 2015 Share Posted April 25, 2015 Hi, great to see all this information but was wondering if anyone could answer in terms of a weekly/ monthly budget rather than cost of specific items. I'm just worried we won't be able to afford it when we get there. How much do you think you would spend on average per month for everything excluding rent/ mortgage ( I no this will vary dramatically depending where we live)for a family of five with three children under five? If that family really budgeted. We're happy to not eat out, will send our children to a state school, really cut on the costs for the first few years to get settled. But don't want to be struggling to pay the bills and feeding my children. Cheers Physicsteacher, I am after similar info and have put together a budget from looking over forums, internet, ect but in the first 2 years I think we will have a joint income of $95k and that is going to be tight prob not impossible but very tight. The problem we have is in 2 years one will start school and another 2 years till the other one starts so our income will drop again to fit around school hrs and childcare, it could drop as much as $20k for those 2 years unless of course I do well in my first 2 years! The cost of the visa, shipping and flights out will be about £15k and I plan to have a £12-15K nest egg to get through the first few months, so in total the cost will be £27-30k with the hope that we retain some of that nest egg and find work quickly. We are lucky enough to have that cash in savings, and no debts with the exception of mortgage, we plan to rent our house as we have a fair bit of money the house. Its a tough one as we want to do this, we want the adventure and lucky enough to be able to arrive with no debt and still retain a good amount in our uk property but my worry is our income in Oz will not cut it, I will keep an close eye on this post. We are a family of 4 (2 adults, 2 kids under 5) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
physicsteacher Posted April 25, 2015 Share Posted April 25, 2015 Hi, thanks for for the quick reply. I'm assuming it's 92 before they take tax? Can I ask how much you have put aside for rent/mortgage? I'm hoping to live outside a major city. Which will have a big effect on house costs. Were the same as you. We want to keep our uk house and see where we are after three years. Thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RNB31 Posted April 25, 2015 Share Posted April 25, 2015 Hi, thanks for for the quick reply. I'm assuming it's 92 before they take tax? Can I ask how much you have put aside for rent/mortgage? I'm hoping to live outside a major city. Which will have a big effect on house costs. Were the same as you. We want to keep our uk house and see where we are after three years. Thanks Yeah the $95k would be top line before tax, the figure would also be +super and not package (Hopefully anyway!) We have looked at $400p/w and that was staying 25km out of Melbourne is some of the newer developments, if we were to stay in the more established suburbs then we would be looking at more. If we want to make it work and get through the first few years then we cant go much over $400p/w. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
physicsteacher Posted April 27, 2015 Share Posted April 27, 2015 Hi rnb31, been speaking to some teachers on another thread and I think you might be over estimating. Have a look at what there saying. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RNB31 Posted April 27, 2015 Share Posted April 27, 2015 Hi rnb31, been speaking to some teachers on another thread and I think you might be over estimating. Have a look at what there saying. Whats the link? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
physicsteacher Posted April 28, 2015 Share Posted April 28, 2015 (edited) Here look at the last three pages http://www.pomsinoz.com/forum/jobs-careers/204248-teachers-oz.html Edited April 28, 2015 by physicsteacher Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DaveS Posted June 22, 2015 Share Posted June 22, 2015 (edited) Removed items I wasn't sure about :-) I live in Kirrawee, which is Sydney suburbia. Price of a Beer? $5 Price of a 4 bed rental? $800 Prive of a 4 bed house to buy? $1Mil Internet? $80pcm Food costs per week? $incredibly high Edited June 22, 2015 by DaveS Added location Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Playghirl Posted August 8, 2015 Share Posted August 8, 2015 I'm a teacher, I struggle. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Anya Posted August 27, 2015 Share Posted August 27, 2015 I can't grow roses- the bloomin' possums like 'em. Though I have one survivor in a pot- they obviously don't like the feel of crocks on their bots. Luckily, they leave my roses alone although the possums love to eat all the leaves and rinds of lemons and mandarins of my citrus trees. If anyone wants any rose cuttings or bulbs (irises, loads to give away) then give me a shout Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Anya Posted August 27, 2015 Share Posted August 27, 2015 (edited) Hi, great to see all this information but was wondering if anyone could answer in terms of a weekly/ monthly budget rather than cost of specific items. I'm just worried we won't be able to afford it when we get there. How much do you think you would spend on average per month for everything excluding rent/ mortgage ( I no this will vary dramatically depending where we live)for a family of five with three children under five? If that family really budgeted. We're happy to not eat out, will send our children to a state school, really cut on the costs for the first few years to get settled. But don't want to be struggling to pay the bills and feeding my children. Cheers Family of 4 (2 adults 1 "kid" in Uni and another 12 yo) - excluding all discretionary expenses (overseas holidays and shopping, gifts etc) and accommodation, we live VERY comfortably on A$30,000 p.a. in Melbourne. This includes $3000 that was spent on Council fees and $ 800 on Water Rates (that you won't pay if you rent). Also, includes a huge spend of around $800 on gardening (bulbs, new plants, manure, fertiliser etc).This includes $110 a month for our Telstra cable internet+landline (you can find much cheaper plans). $18 a month for daughter's mobile (Vaya) and 3 other mobiles are on Aldi's PAYG (not used much so does not warrant a fixed plan). Includes Indian takeaway around $650 p.a. ; secondary school fees of around $ 1600 (includes own netbook) Some of the reasons for this: 1) We spend very little on processed food/ready to eat meals. No canned food either (e.g. we buy kidney beans, chickpeas, rice, pulses, spices etc) from an Indian grocery store instead of Woolworths. 2) We are teetotallers, non smokers - so you may budget more accordingly (but from what I hear, alcohol is not too expensive here ) 3) Hubby works from home - so don't spend much on travel. Large SUV is used for for short drives daily - spend around $50 a month on petrol, $288 on maintenance. Daughter uses the myki to travel to Uni - $ 530 last year. Budget more accordingly. 4) Buy clothes online or when we have really good sales (e.g. 70% off. I got 2 pairs of Levis for $35 each at Myers recently) 5) Since we own our home, we have installed more energy efficient heating and cooling units. If you rent then you may not have this flexibility, so budget accordingly. Make sure you rent a place with gas ducted heating or reverse cycle ACs. 6)Stock up on non-perishables when they're on half-prices specials (detergents, fabric softener, cereals, frozen veggies). Buy in-season fruits and veggies (they're much more expensive at the tart of the season). We buy mainly from Woolworths and the Indian Grocery store. You could save much more if you shop in Aldi. 7) Can't remember, but will update this post as and when I remember :-D Here is some more info copied from another post of mine: Our home in Melbourne is not wall-insulated but has some kind of insulation in the roof cavity. We keep the curtains drawn in winter (as our windows are not double glazed) and light bulbs are all energy efficient. We never use the dryer and clothes are always washed on cold cycle, 1hr 25 min cycle, everyday. We have a very high energy efficient gas ducted heater (Brivis Star-pro, I think it has a 5.7* energy rating) for heating the ground floor and we set it at 20C, running for practically 12 hours a day. Then we have very energy efficient (5.5* rated) reverse cycle ACs in all the bedrooms upstairs. Kids set it at 20C and run them for about 4 hours a day on weekdays and 10 hours a day on weekends. Our average electricity consumption is 12 Kwh a day in winter, which costs us 21.5c/unit (this includes supply charges!!). Our highest quarterly electricity bill was $240. Our highest gas bill for 2 months (just received today!) is $234. Very pleasantly surprised considering we used both, gas and electricity a lot this winter We use Powershop for electricity (send me a pm if you want $75 off your first bill) and Lumo Energy for gas. You can live comfortably for a lot less - you just have to become money wise (and you do get smarter once you receive a few "bill shocks"...lol). Edited August 27, 2015 by Anya Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
robfromdublin Posted August 27, 2015 Share Posted August 27, 2015 You say $30k includes accommodation, but that you own your own home. How much of that $30k includes mortgage payments? We're in Brisbane and couldn't live on anything like that. Mortgage alone is ~$2k per month for a 3bed,1bath 10km from the CBD and there's no way our family of 3 would live off the remaining $115 per week left over from that. If you have to pay for the roof over your head, I don't see how $30k is possible. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
robfromdublin Posted August 27, 2015 Share Posted August 27, 2015 You say $30k includes accommodation, but that you own your own home. How much of that $30k includes mortgage payments? We're in Brisbane and couldn't live on anything like that. Mortgage alone is ~$2k per month for a 3bed,1bath 10km from the CBD and there's no way our family of 3 would live off the remaining $115 per week left over from that. If you have to pay for the roof over your head, I don't see how $30k is possible. Doh! Sorry, I should read properly. You said EXCLUDING accommodation. No wonder I can't live off my salary if I can't even read Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hames Posted September 9, 2015 Share Posted September 9, 2015 Interesting. Can I just add that not all insurance companies will have offices open on WA time. And there is some big names out there that only operate on EST. something to thing about. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gough Whitlam Posted September 9, 2015 Share Posted September 9, 2015 Sounds very sensible. It's amazing what you can save when you really try. I spent years wasting money and than had a major financial problem. I have since learnt how to live on a shoestring budget. I dont drink, smoke or buy processed foods. I buy all my shopping on 90% reductions from supermarkets and live on, wait for it, £15 a week for food! I live like a king eating salmon, a lot of other fish, sirloin steak, paw paw, mangoe and all the fresh fruit in the world. I am an extreme case but it's amazing what you can save by making the effort and looking around and asking, above all, asking! Trips to Europe cost me £200 all in for a week. Theatre can cost as low as 20 pence - yes 20 pence ie standing tickets. I have never been fitter and am almost 60. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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