Pip
2nd March 2008, 04:35 PM
and I can't believe how quickly its gone. its been ups and downs, but on balance, its been mainly ups. Last night, we were chatting about whether we'd achieved what we were looking for when we moved which was
shorter commute
bigger house/more space
access to the outdoors
better work /life balance
and I can honestly say we've ticked all the boxes. We've gone from a two bed flat with a 1 - 1.5 hr commute each way in the UK, to a four bed detached house on four acres in a peaceful rural setting and a 30 min commute. We spend much more time outdoors (partly on our own land), but also at the beaches/mountains etc. For the same money as my new Peugeot 106 in the UK, I got a second hand low mileage japanese import MX-5 convertible, which I can do here because a) we can afford a house with a garage and b) no one is likely to trash it for the hell of it. On a sunny evening when I'm driving back from work with the roof down through beautiful wide green leafy backroads, it feels like a million miles from waiting for a permanently cancelled metropolitan line tube, knowing I've still got an hour plus journey on a train that will be packed to the rafters so will probably have to stand 90% of the way.
That said, life isn't perfect (is it ever!), once we've paid all the bills/living expenses, we probably manage to save about 20% of the money that we were able to save each month in the UK and its a taken a year for us to get a financial buffer, so that I no longer panic about a large unforeseen bill appearing. I probably buy a fraction of the clothes/stuff that I used to buy in the UK, but at the same time it doesn't matter and we don't want for anything. our priorities have changed and I get as much satisfaction from growing my veggie patch or finding a bargain on trade me, as I did going on a regular shopping spree in Reading or London. Looking back, I'm shocked at how much money we used to 'waste' in the UK on things that we just didn't need and the consumeristic lifestyle we led. Don't get me wrong, we still go out to eat quite regularly and go the movies/out with friends, but are just as likely to take a picnic to the beach or go out on bikes.
so, what would I do differently if I could go back in time:
- brought more stuff in the container, a tumble dryer, tins of paint (it is made with gold dust here ?), more M & S underwear and winter boots! that said, I did stock up and boy am I glad of it. just not enough!
- not shipped the audi, lots of hassles with MAF, moving co damaged it driving it off the container, couldn't drive it because it wasn't registered, and hard to find someone to fix it, as it couldn't driven to them because it wasn't registered. couldn't register it because it was damaged..aahhhh! eventually broke that cycle but its v.expensive to service and was a costly decision
- quit my first job here sooner. o.k it was only 3 months, but it felt like a lot longer and that made me really miserable and a lot harder to settle.
- sold our flat, rather than renting it. despite having an agency to manage it, it gave us a lot of headaches. its on the market now, and I'll be so happy when its sold and we're not paying out for council tax, bills, service charges etc.
What am I glad we did:
- had the courage to change from our original plan of renting for 6 months and bought a house 6 weeks after we arrived. best thing we ever did!
- brought all the stuff in the container we did bring, all our furniture, books, clothes, cd's, dvd's would have cost us a fortune to replace.
- brought the cat! for a nervy rescue cat who used to live indoors, she's taken it all in her stride and loves the outdoors. watching her charging round the garden chasing butterflies is so rewarding... certainly having all our stuff, our cat and being in our own home as made it much easier to settle.
- left my first job here, even though I didn't have another one to go to and had worked for my previous co for 9 yrs. within 48 hrs I had a job that I was far more suited to with shorter hours, more money and great people.
and finally - met you lot! not only did we come out with our eyes wide open to the negatives of life in NZ, but we learnt so much from this forum about every aspect of the whole process as well as making some great friends along the way. A whole bunch of people from this forum (you know who you are!) went out on friday night for chinese and by the end of the evening my sides ached from laughing so much . ( that image of Mark and Moorf's sheep...... - I'm saying nothing else!) Well that story and possibly too much food - we might have over ordered just a teeny bit!
so roll on yr 2 - with baby due at end of may, no doubt it will be another year of change for us, but hey......... she'll be right! (what age do they have to be before you can put them on a ride on lawn mower :D )
shorter commute
bigger house/more space
access to the outdoors
better work /life balance
and I can honestly say we've ticked all the boxes. We've gone from a two bed flat with a 1 - 1.5 hr commute each way in the UK, to a four bed detached house on four acres in a peaceful rural setting and a 30 min commute. We spend much more time outdoors (partly on our own land), but also at the beaches/mountains etc. For the same money as my new Peugeot 106 in the UK, I got a second hand low mileage japanese import MX-5 convertible, which I can do here because a) we can afford a house with a garage and b) no one is likely to trash it for the hell of it. On a sunny evening when I'm driving back from work with the roof down through beautiful wide green leafy backroads, it feels like a million miles from waiting for a permanently cancelled metropolitan line tube, knowing I've still got an hour plus journey on a train that will be packed to the rafters so will probably have to stand 90% of the way.
That said, life isn't perfect (is it ever!), once we've paid all the bills/living expenses, we probably manage to save about 20% of the money that we were able to save each month in the UK and its a taken a year for us to get a financial buffer, so that I no longer panic about a large unforeseen bill appearing. I probably buy a fraction of the clothes/stuff that I used to buy in the UK, but at the same time it doesn't matter and we don't want for anything. our priorities have changed and I get as much satisfaction from growing my veggie patch or finding a bargain on trade me, as I did going on a regular shopping spree in Reading or London. Looking back, I'm shocked at how much money we used to 'waste' in the UK on things that we just didn't need and the consumeristic lifestyle we led. Don't get me wrong, we still go out to eat quite regularly and go the movies/out with friends, but are just as likely to take a picnic to the beach or go out on bikes.
so, what would I do differently if I could go back in time:
- brought more stuff in the container, a tumble dryer, tins of paint (it is made with gold dust here ?), more M & S underwear and winter boots! that said, I did stock up and boy am I glad of it. just not enough!
- not shipped the audi, lots of hassles with MAF, moving co damaged it driving it off the container, couldn't drive it because it wasn't registered, and hard to find someone to fix it, as it couldn't driven to them because it wasn't registered. couldn't register it because it was damaged..aahhhh! eventually broke that cycle but its v.expensive to service and was a costly decision
- quit my first job here sooner. o.k it was only 3 months, but it felt like a lot longer and that made me really miserable and a lot harder to settle.
- sold our flat, rather than renting it. despite having an agency to manage it, it gave us a lot of headaches. its on the market now, and I'll be so happy when its sold and we're not paying out for council tax, bills, service charges etc.
What am I glad we did:
- had the courage to change from our original plan of renting for 6 months and bought a house 6 weeks after we arrived. best thing we ever did!
- brought all the stuff in the container we did bring, all our furniture, books, clothes, cd's, dvd's would have cost us a fortune to replace.
- brought the cat! for a nervy rescue cat who used to live indoors, she's taken it all in her stride and loves the outdoors. watching her charging round the garden chasing butterflies is so rewarding... certainly having all our stuff, our cat and being in our own home as made it much easier to settle.
- left my first job here, even though I didn't have another one to go to and had worked for my previous co for 9 yrs. within 48 hrs I had a job that I was far more suited to with shorter hours, more money and great people.
and finally - met you lot! not only did we come out with our eyes wide open to the negatives of life in NZ, but we learnt so much from this forum about every aspect of the whole process as well as making some great friends along the way. A whole bunch of people from this forum (you know who you are!) went out on friday night for chinese and by the end of the evening my sides ached from laughing so much . ( that image of Mark and Moorf's sheep...... - I'm saying nothing else!) Well that story and possibly too much food - we might have over ordered just a teeny bit!
so roll on yr 2 - with baby due at end of may, no doubt it will be another year of change for us, but hey......... she'll be right! (what age do they have to be before you can put them on a ride on lawn mower :D )