Guest guest30038 Posted July 24, 2009 Share Posted July 24, 2009 To add to my previous post. We only brought bedlinen and kitchenware with us. We bought mattresses before we bought beds, and slept on the mattresses on the floor for about 6 months. I made a futon from some pallets and cushions it was 12 months before we got our first sofa. The fact that our kids were rug rats and didn't know any difference, helped. We wouldn't break into the cash we brought with us in case we found that we wanted to return. Likewise, we rented for two years and didn't attempt to buy our own place until we were absolutely certain that Oz was the place for us. Warning! :idea: It wasn't until 4 yrs in that I started to have doubts, so even buying your own home isn't an indication that at some stage, you may want to return. Just make sure that if you commit to buying, it is on a growing market so that you don't lose out and likely will make a profit, if you later want to sell. kev Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest treesea Posted July 24, 2009 Share Posted July 24, 2009 I know $69K sounds like a lot, but if you don't want to put yourselves under a whole lot of unnecessary pressure financially, it's wise, imho, to come with a fair bit of money. You could get work straight away, in which case you probably only need day to day living costs for the first couple of months, until your pay starts to come through. But if you arrive without jobs, having enough money to cover for around six months is at least giving yourselves a good chance to get established. My list would be similar to the original poster's in many respects: One offs: Flights (family of 4, one at 75%, three at full fare (i.e. one over 12)....... AUD$5,000 Shipping ...........................$3,000 Car rental for first five or six weeks, booked online ..............$1,000 Hotel, also booked online, somewhere nice but budget and self catering, like the IBIS ......$3,000 Bond for flat/house - 4 weeks at around $400 a week ....$1,600 Furniture - new mattresses and fridge .......... $1,500 - second hand for everything else, through a newspaper like the trading post, and the bare minimum to start with ........... $2,000 Second hand computer, just to start and have something until your own stuff arrives ....... $500 Car ........... just something to start with, from an auction (guaranteed title) ..... $3,000 max Plus another couple of grand or so for the things that I haven't included but may crop up. So all up $20,000 to $25,000 Accommodation: If you can't get jobs straight away then you are probably going to have to pay the six months lease up front, so 26 weeks at $400 a week .....$10,400 Ongoing per week: Food, family of four, fairly budget......$250 Gas and electricity ............... $100 Petrol............$50 Phone...........$10 Cell phones (waste of money? Maybe, but it is going to be hard to get a job without one - when prospective employers call, they want to get in touch with a real person, not an answerphone) ...$20 Broadband (hard to find work without the internet) ..... $20 Car insurance.....$10 Plus another $40 a week for things I have missed, like newspapers - it all adds up - - so $500 a week. Even if you delay things like health insurance until you are working, those ongong costs would set you back $13,000 over six months. There's not much change there out of $45,000. (STG£20K to £22K depending on the exchange rate)And those costings are all pretty minimal. They are also based on based on a family of four, and taking enough to cover being out of work for up to six months, so if there's just the two of you migrating, £10K may well be enough. Put it this way, it's going to be a very expensive holiday if you run out of money and have to come back. Why not take enough to give yourselves a fighting chance, if you don't have jobs to go to? If it turns out you don't need the extra, it will earn more interest deposited in an Australian bank than a British one and will make a nice start to a housing deposit. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kabroom Posted July 24, 2009 Share Posted July 24, 2009 Did all those people who came out with very little money have jobs to come to or find work in the first couple of weeks? My husband didn't find work until 3 months after we arrived, I really don't know how we would have managed if we hadn't had money to fall back on. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
janine the party queen Posted July 24, 2009 Share Posted July 24, 2009 To add to my previous post. We only brought bedlinen and kitchenware with us. We bought mattresses before we bought beds, and slept on the mattresses on the floor for about 6 months. I made a futon from some pallets and cushions it was 12 months before we got our first sofa. The fact that our kids were rug rats and didn't know any difference, helped. We wouldn't break into the cash we brought with us in case we found that we wanted to return. Likewise, we rented for two years and didn't attempt to buy our own place until we were absolutely certain that Oz was the place for us. Warning! :idea: It wasn't until 4 yrs in that I started to have doubts, so even buying your own home isn't an indication that at some stage, you may want to return. Just make sure that if you commit to buying, it is on a growing market so that you don't lose out and likely will make a profit, if you later want to sell. kev :yes:With our kind of background(military) we do not mind "roughing" it.However for most people they would not dream of living without their luxuries. You are living proof that it can be done,through hard work and determination and you and your family have every right to be proud of yourselves.I take my hat off to your wife.I don't know of many women who would travel that far to work and uni on a BIKE !! That lady deserves a medal. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest30038 Posted July 24, 2009 Share Posted July 24, 2009 With our kind of background(military) we do not mind "roughing" it.However for most people they would not dream of living without their luxuries.You are living proof that it can be done,through hard work and determination and you and your family have every right to be proud of yourselves.I take my hat off to your wife.I don't know of many women who would travel that far to work and uni on a BIKE !! That lady deserves a medal. For putting up with me!:biglaugh: She's ex forces too, which helped :yes: kev Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest17301 Posted July 24, 2009 Share Posted July 24, 2009 Did all those people who came out with very little money have jobs to come to or find work in the first couple of weeks? My husband didn't find work until 3 months after we arrived, I really don't know how we would have managed if we hadn't had money to fall back on. Yes, we came out with me starting my job 2 weeks in. If I hadn't had a job lined up I doubt very much that we would have chanced it without a fortune behind us. I totally appreciate that if you DO NOT have a job lined up you DO NEED loadsa money...the more the better, after all who can afford to live on savings? Not many. I would think very carefully before making the leap if you have limited funds and uncertainty surrounding the job situation. On the other hand if you do have a job to go to then all you really NEED is enough to see you through till first payday and enough for cars/furniture. This could be anything from $5k to $50-how long is a piece of string! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest17301 Posted July 24, 2009 Share Posted July 24, 2009 Think I missed an insult on this thread..just as well eh! Cheers Jo for deleting before I saw it, saved me an hour or 2 on here, lol :hug: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tracy123 Posted July 24, 2009 Share Posted July 24, 2009 Think I missed an insult on this thread..just as well eh! Cheers Jo for deleting before I saw it, saved me an hour or 2 on here, lol :hug: Let it fly over your head Fiona, life is to short to worry about what people think about you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest June Pixie Posted July 24, 2009 Share Posted July 24, 2009 Thank you Sunseekers for your post – You done it one way and others do it another, you shouldn’t be lambasted for what choices you made with your own money. It might not be worth offering any personal opinions or actual experiences on here in future as you post gets quoted to hell all over the shop and ripped to shreds. We are coming from nothing and with nothing in the UK to nothing in Oz so no difference. Only going with £8k and 4 suitcases and leaving what little we have in the UK. Only want to ship my bike over separately – should be relatively cheap. I think we will manage as we only just survive here in UK. No luxuries, eating out, make up, no petrol at times. Things like SKY and pay per view stuff doesn’t even enter our vocabulary. I could live a very basic existence in all honesty and am quite excited about the journey. Everyone is different and needs for one family may seem extravagant and pointless just as my way of living might sound horrendous and basic. C’est la vie ! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest17301 Posted July 24, 2009 Share Posted July 24, 2009 Let it fly over your head Fiona, life is to short to worry about what people think about you. LOL, if I let what people said on an online forum bother me too much I wouldn't still be on here! No the only peoples opinions that matter to me are my nearest and dearest especially my OH (he hates me too, what the hell am I doing wrong:laugh:) Must be the nurse outfit, maybe it's wearing a bit thin now walking round Woolies with me in it....:err: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest JoanneHattersley Posted July 24, 2009 Share Posted July 24, 2009 You done it one way and others do it another, you shouldn’t be lambasted for what choices you made with your own money. It might not be worth offering any personal opinions or actual experiences on here in future as you post gets quoted to hell all over the shop and ripped to shreds. Thats right. Everyone does it their own way. Noones lambasting anyone, they are telling their stories. The trouble with internet and typing on here is that it never comes across how it is sounding in your own head!!!! Many a post are taken out of context purely due to how it is written Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest17301 Posted July 24, 2009 Share Posted July 24, 2009 great post !! ps if you can buy 2 cars in oz for 3k you are ****ing super woman x:laugh: Gee thanks xx Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tracy123 Posted July 24, 2009 Share Posted July 24, 2009 Thank you Sunseekers for your post – You done it one way and others do it another, you shouldn’t be lambasted for what choices you made with your own money. It might not be worth offering any personal opinions or actual experiences on here in future as you post gets quoted to hell all over the shop and ripped to shreds. We are coming from nothing and with nothing in the UK to nothing in Oz so no difference. Only going with £8k and 4 suitcases and leaving what little we have in the UK. Only want to ship my bike over separately – should be relatively cheap. I think we will manage as we only just survive here in UK. No luxuries, eating out, make up, no petrol at times. Things like SKY and pay per view stuff doesn’t even enter our vocabulary. I could live a very basic existence in all honesty and am quite excited about the journey. Everyone is different and needs for one family may seem extravagant and pointless just as my way of living might sound horrendous and basic. C’est la vie ! Hi June Pixie I agree Sunseeker should be thanked for her post it should of opened peoples eyes to the true costs of getting to Australia, but at the same time there are people like yourself on a low budget that may read the post and be worried that after everything they have gone through they still might not be able to get to Australia on a limited budget. So i think its good to show that it can be done on a limited budget aswell. Everyone does things differently and i guess its what people find acceptable, myself I'd be happy to buy an old car rusted out so i could get to work other people want a new car and Kev's wife was happy to ride her bike. Who is right and who is wrong? no one is wrong it all comes down to personal choice. Cheers Geoffrey Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest LukeSkywalker Posted July 24, 2009 Share Posted July 24, 2009 Isn't it the case that peoples expectations are just different? If you live is a fabulous part of the UK with great schools (private or otherwise) then moving to anywhere on a budget of £5k is just a non-starter. Likewise if you live in Somalia, you head for where ever offers you anything (the UK mainly). If you drive 2 new Mercs in the UK, then driving 15 year old cars in Oz is again unlikely to appeal. Personally I will not move to Australia unless I can have a better standard of living for either myself or my kids. Why bother? The sun is great but for £50 I can fly Ryanair to my house in Italy and get the sun. They are at great schools - both of them rated in the top 10 in the UK, so again for me if they cant get into MGS/Scots/MGGS then I am possibly making education worse not better. Beer prices are not a major factor for me when considering where to live - but for others it is clearly quite vital. What worries me is ..... what happens to my kids AFTER school. £25k of University debt? Jobs? etc. I say - each to their own. All of us on here are damnded lucky to have the choice in one respect, but in another that very availability of choice creates a kind of "looking over the fence at the green grass" torture. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest17301 Posted July 24, 2009 Share Posted July 24, 2009 Isn't it the case that peoples expectations are just different? If you live is a fabulous part of the UK with great schools (private or otherwise) then moving to anywhere on a budget of £5k is just a non-starter. Likewise if you live in Somalia, you head for where ever offers you anything (the UK mainly). If you drive 2 new Mercs in the UK, then driving 15 year old cars in Oz is again unlikely to appeal. Personally I will not move to Australia unless I can have a better standard of living for either myself or my kids. Why bother? The sun is great but for £50 I can fly Ryanair to my house in Italy and get the sun. They are at great schools - both of them rated in the top 10 in the UK, so again for me if they cant get into MGS/Scots/MGGS then I am possibly making education worse not better. Beer prices are not a major factor for me when considering where to live - but for others it is clearly quite vital. What worries me is ..... what happens to my kids AFTER school. £25k of University debt? Jobs? etc. I say - each to their own. All of us on here are damnded lucky to have the choice in one respect, but in another that very availability of choice creates a kind of "looking over the fence at the green grass" torture. You hit the nail on the head there Luke...I hadn't really thought about what it must feel like to go from a relatively afluent lifestyle to a more frugal one. Sun or not that must hurt! I suppose it depends just how much adapting you are prepared to do. To go from living hand to mouth in inner city UK to living hand to mouth in inner city Perth is, for me, a no-brainer... As you say-each to their own, that's why it riles when people accuse you of spouting rubbish. Everyones experience is different..why is it so hard to believe that people can and do make a decent life for themselves here on a budget!?:goofy: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest AndyandYvonneD Posted July 24, 2009 Share Posted July 24, 2009 Up the road from me which is why they find it so cheap...........the sponging b*stards! :biglaugh: kev Shut ya face ya misserable owld git!! Andy xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kabroom Posted July 24, 2009 Share Posted July 24, 2009 Isn't it the case that peoples expectations are just different? If you live is a fabulous part of the UK with great schools (private or otherwise) then moving to anywhere on a budget of £5k is just a non-starter. Likewise if you live in Somalia, you head for where ever offers you anything (the UK mainly). If you drive 2 new Mercs in the UK, then driving 15 year old cars in Oz is again unlikely to appeal. Personally I will not move to Australia unless I can have a better standard of living for either myself or my kids. Why bother? The sun is great but for £50 I can fly Ryanair to my house in Italy and get the sun. They are at great schools - both of them rated in the top 10 in the UK, so again for me if they cant get into MGS/Scots/MGGS then I am possibly making education worse not better. Beer prices are not a major factor for me when considering where to live - but for others it is clearly quite vital. What worries me is ..... what happens to my kids AFTER school. £25k of University debt? Jobs? etc. I say - each to their own. All of us on here are damnded lucky to have the choice in one respect, but in another that very availability of choice creates a kind of "looking over the fence at the green grass" torture. Yes I would agree everyone's expectations are very different. But I have to say if my children were in a private education in the UK and you have a very good standard of living then probably I would stay put. As for the 25k when they come out of uni, well if you have that much money then you can bail them out and if not then just sell one of the mercs. If they have a good education behind them then the world is their oyster and they do not have to stay in the UK. On the other hand if you are looking for something different then why not try Australia...if something is niggling in the back of your mind then you have to put it to rest one way or the other. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest LukeSkywalker Posted July 24, 2009 Share Posted July 24, 2009 You hit the nail on the head there Luke...I hadn't really thought about what it must feel like to go from a relatively afluent lifestyle to a more frugal one. Sun or not that must hurt! I suppose it depends just how much adapting you are prepared to do. To go from living hand to mouth in inner city UK to living hand to mouth in inner city Perth is, for me, a no-brainer... As you say-each to their own, that's why it riles when people accuse you of spouting rubbish. Everyones experience is different..why is it so hard to believe that people can and do make a decent life for themselves here on a budget!?:goofy: Ah. Fiona. The key to your question is: why is it so hard to believe that people can and do make a decent life for themselves here on a budget!? Thats a similar reaction to the one I get when I tell people I dont drink a lot!! "What? What do you mean that you don't drink?". A mixture of astonishment and disbelief. Likewise I have friends that are bemused when I say I had Sky TV turned off. They didnt understand it wasnt the £35 a month - its was the sh1t they were showing. We (all of us) live in a very materialistic society. We (all of us) make judgements on others based on our own viewpoint. We seek out people that will confirm how right we are. For many people money (and consumerism) are key drivers. Several years ago I was told something that I consider to be very true. Humans assiciate with people that compliment their own view of the world. Take for example the newspaper you read. A lot of "lefties" will say they "despise the Sun/Mail/Telegraph". BUT do they ever actually read them? the answer is usually no. Why? because by reading the Guardian/Mirror they actually read views that compliment their own. In effect they are patting themselves on the back and saying "how clever I am". In terms though of the question of moving on the cheap - I have no doubt what so ever that it is possible. Its just not enjoyable for many people!! That is why historically immigrants tend to be LARGELY from groups that have little to lose. Not exclusively, but largely. For example - the Irish influx to the US last century was not of the land owning gentry, it was of the poor (read what it says on the Statue of Liberty). Likewise not too many people in Calais climbing onto lorries to come to the UK are going to be of huge economic benefit to the UK (quite the opposite). The "brain drain" situation occurs when tax etc. rise to a point where the well educated and prosperous decide to move through FEAR OF LOSING WHAT THEY ALREADY HAVE (i.e. they fear life is about to become worse for them in their current country). That is where the UK is right now. I have a lot of friends now talking about emigrating. Largely quite well off - able to take in excess of £250k cash etc. They won't do that on £5k even if it is possible. The points system everywhere is being revised all the time to attract immigrants with more money, more qualifications etc. IMHO within a few years there won't be a concept of moving with only £5k - no country will want immigrants that cannot bring capital as well as qualifications. I'm not saying this is better incidentally, just that it will be what will happen. The only place that (in theory) you will be able to move around with little cash will be Europe, and ultimately that policy will be one that kills it (why do you think Turkey isn't allowed in?). I deeply admire anyone who has the guts/drive etc. to move with little money. I certainly dont have that ability. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest17301 Posted July 24, 2009 Share Posted July 24, 2009 How very insightful. Thank you Luke, an interesting and perceptive read.:cute: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest bowbrummer Posted July 24, 2009 Share Posted July 24, 2009 (why do you think Turkey isn't allowed in?). BTW an interesting post Luke, cheers. The issue on Turkey is pretty complicated, we have the Cyprus issue and Human Rights along with a few other factors before they would be contemplated. j Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest LukeSkywalker Posted July 24, 2009 Share Posted July 24, 2009 Yes I would agree everyone's expectations are very different. But I have to say if my children were in a private education in the UK and you have a very good standard of living then probably I would stay put. As for the 25k when they come out of uni, well if you have that much money then you can bail them out and if not then just sell one of the mercs. If they have a good education behind them then the world is their oyster and they do not have to stay in the UK. On the other hand if you are looking for something different then why not try Australia...if something is niggling in the back of your mind then you have to put it to rest one way or the other. Yes I agree with all of this. However, consider the following scenario ... To be honest the clincher will be if I get a offered a relocation to Melbourne. Its a huge job. Nice money etc. So that would allow us to try Australia with no discomfort and no financial risk (kids in private schools, 2 company cars etc). If I dont get the job, then we'll stay in the UK and see how it pans out I guess. The main thing for me now is to get to Afghanistan before I do any of this - thats a key part to my plan. Fulfill a life long ambition. Then after that ...... Australia with luck. Hm. Afghanistan, Australia .... if it doesnt work out I guess its Austria next (assuming I just go alphabetically on my quest). The irony is I am not all that materialistic in many ways (dont drive Mercs, but could afford to easily - my favorite car I have had over the past 10 years was a Nissan with 150k on it, it just felt comfortable). Then my company said it was bad for their image etc. Weird world - less worried about my work that the car I drive. I guess I want what we all want. To sleep well at night. To wake up each day and feel good. To do the right thing for my familly. In the last 2 weeks I have been really devasted by somethgn that has happened to a friend of ours. They are VERY wealthy (I mean seriously - at least £20m in the bank). But a couple of weks ago their son (14) was informed that the "niggling injury" he had from rugby wasnt. It was bone cancer. Chances? Maybe 50% as it has taken 5 months for the doctors to get it right. My friends would trade every penny they have, every house, every plasma TV for his health. Everything (and I mean everything) else is irrelevant. God blessed me with 2 lovely healthy kids, a lovely and healthy wife and gave me the gift of depression (I am bipolar, in common with many so called high achievers). I am grateful for what I have. Sometimes it pays to look around. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest LukeSkywalker Posted July 24, 2009 Share Posted July 24, 2009 (why do you think Turkey isn't allowed in?). BTW an interesting post Luke, cheers.The issue on Turkey is pretty complicated, we have the Cyprus issue and Human Rights along with a few other factors before they would be contemplated. j Yes, apologies I did over simplify it. But I think Cyprus etc would be forgotten (and Human Rights) rather more quickly if the average wage was closer that of France. Hate to be cyncial. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest bowbrummer Posted July 24, 2009 Share Posted July 24, 2009 Yes, apologies I did over simplify it. But I think Cyprus etc would be forgotten (and Human Rights) rather more quickly if the average wage was closer that of France. Hate to be cyncial. No eyes wide open, cant argue with that! Hope it works out for the lad, there by eh....... j Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Hearne_Family Posted July 24, 2009 Share Posted July 24, 2009 Not saying that some posts on here are not true as everyone has different standards of living. We are a family of 4, we came to Melbourne with under $10k and we are doing well on it, unlike in the UK everything we have here (apart from our home) is bought and paid for, it may not be the best quality but material things are not important to us anymore, we have a comfortable life and get to spend time together and that to me beats any car or LCD TV, its not just a jelous statement, we had all of that in the UK but I commuted 4 hours a day and spent no time with my young family. Its a struggle here sometimes, especially when I think how easy things were in the UK but its totally worth it. Im sure that if we came here thinking that we would be living the high life we would be back in the UK by now, but we did the sums and realised early on that we would have a lifestyle change and its all worked out for the best, Im proud that the 1994 Falcon sat on my drive is all mine...paid in full upfront with no finance or loans, Im proud that the 21" CRT TV Im watching is all mine, Im proud that here in Australia I owe no-one money and my simple life has made me a richer man in so many other ways. Terry Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest17301 Posted July 24, 2009 Share Posted July 24, 2009 Well said Terry..never a truer word... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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