[3littlepikes]

just read a thread about redirection post and it got me thinking . those of you who have made it to NZ - what do you do for birthdays ./ xmas gifts for those family members back in the UK - does it cost an arm and a leg to post things , do you have a uk bank account and swop money .

I know it is a silly question in comparision to lots of others - but I will ask it whilst I remember .

we have 3 small kids and 2 birthdays approaching and it has got me thinking .

Interestingly my 6 year old daughter siad when we told her house going on the market soon as we are moving . she would like to live somewhere warm , sunny and by the beach ( she does not know our plans as yet - bit too far off to worry ) said she would not miss her friends !!! for beach location :roll
thats 6 year olds for you

thanks sarah

[shakyle2906]

Hi Sarah

We have been here just under a year, and have done both really on buying presents, etc.

Its probably a lot easier if your family pop some cash into your UK bank account, and vice versa, although it feels like its not 'personal' then!

My parents in law insisted on buying some pressies for christmas, as did my sister, which were pricey to send, but not 'through the roof'. As did i send some pressies back, mostly i bought some NZ things they wouldnt get anywhere else and some things that didnt weigh too much. Its good, especially at christmas if you can catch the economy post, as quite a lot cheaper, but you have to be prepared to be bought, wrapped and ready to post stuff by mid november for christmas. Also, theres always the chance that some things will go astray, but touch wood, ours all got there safe.

The rest of the family pop money into our UK bank account and i bought pressies out of that, and packed them, which felt like an age!

MIL sends things over from time to time and certain things cost her a fortune, which i wich she wouldnt do as she is on a pension, but as Kyle is the only grandchild, and its hard for them, i just keep tight lipped! (easier)!! She sent some marshmallow ice cream thingys over which cost £7.50 for box to buy, but she paid £9 to post...........had to bite my tongue!! She has sent some little cars out which havent cost too much to post, but know christmas time he had wanted some Dr Who stuff and it was well pricey to post, so i told her to give me the cash instead and bought them over here. I think the most she has paid is about £20 for a medium size parcel (bag if you get my meaning), which ok looking at it, you probably cant get a great deal of stuff in..........i have said to her to take it easy, as as i said earlier, they can ill afford it, but understand they want to be able to post him some things from time to time!

I have found though, both hubby and I have our birthdays in April as well as our anniversary, and just recd 3 cards from SIL, who has sent them mega early (!!) and they cost her £3.72, which is quite pricey, but she says its becasue she said 'cards' and not 'card' , as well as the length of them, as as you know UK measure everything in length, etc now.

I do hope i havent rattled on too much, just wantd to give you a few examples.

Also, good news about what your 6yr old says, even though, like ours, probably doesnt understand exactly whats happening. I am sure it will work out for you! Kyle has settled so so well since we moved here, and we are so happy. He loves it and has settled well in school, and is blossoming!!

Keep in touch.

Sharon
xx

[3littlepikes]

thanks Sharon

think we will do the same kind of thing . My 8 year old is aware of our plans - and has kept it a secret for a year . my 4 year old is none the wiser . I think the 6 year old looked at the computer when I was researching .

[mgbridges]

We moved to NZ last August and Christmas snuck up on me way too fast, it all ended up costing me a fortune to send stuff home, the box to my family alone cost $114.00! However, I'm trying to be more organised this year and have already started purchasing for Christmas, if I see something appropriate, so that I can get everything posted Economy mail in Oct/Nov. I'm also getting quite good at spotting items that don't weigh too much and/or aren't too bulky.

For the birthdays of UK relatives that have happened so far this year we've used the M&S website and its all arrived really well presented (gift wrapping is £2.95 I think). However we've paid for it using NZ credit cards so it could end up quite expensive given the exchange rate. For Mother's Day in the UK we just sent cards but may well use Clare's Florist next time as everyone on here speaks so highly of them.

Not quite sure what we'll do going forward, we do still have some cash in an account in the UK but its there to cover for other things and we're trying not to dip into it. I'm trying to encourage family to put money into our son's savings account back in the UK but I'm not really succeeding as both sets of Grandparents both like him to 'have something to unwrap'! I'm also just going to have to cut back on how many people I send gifts to, I really enjoy finding and giving presents and get a lot of enjoyment out of it but needs must - I'm sure OH will be pleased!

Sorry to ramble, HTH
Anneliese