Here is an atricle from the BBC News, well worth the read. Australia has managed to come out of the global financial crisis without a recession. But as a result of its booming economy, the cost of living is extremely high. It was the limes that finally tipped me over the edge. In the sleepy Australian seaside village where my parents live, not that far away from several citrus orchards, I was in a supermarket staring at a sign: Limes: $2.25. Two Australian dollars, twenty-five cents. That's 1.50 (US$2.30). Not for a bag. Not for a pair. Each. One lime cost 1.50. Infuriated, I stormed out of the shop, limeless. "The country has lost it," I fumed to my mum and dad over dinner that night. "How can anyone afford to eat in this country?" "Darling," my father replied. "Look around. People here are rolling in money. We live in an unbelievably wealthy nation." The rest of the article is here; http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-21519050
The article still thanks the Rudd government for survival rather than the leftover money Howard and Costello saved on our behalf. But compared to the pain the UK is going through, like many places, we need to remember we have it good here. Even though everything costs more.
Official inflation 14% since 2008 according to The Australian. Relevant consumer goods and services probably closer to 25% I'd expect. But, yes. The Lucky Country.
AS, Imagine if komrade wayne had been handed back his $96 Billion of ALP red ink, when he got his job of treasurer. Instead he got a surplus of about $20 billion, the Future Fund, and NIL net debt to service. The socialists are too dishonest to admit it, claiming credit where it is not deserved. Not for much longer. OC
We live in a land of contradictions. I bought a toaster at Coles during the week, thick slice type - $4. 4 fucking dollars!!!!!!!!!!!!! WTF??? On a metal for metal swap I was the clear winner. :lol: A few weeks ago pedestal fans for $9!!!! Yet 12 x 600ml packs of bottled water $10. Then I bought a phone cable, 14 million shops later, $36. Whaaaaat? That's 9 x toasters, 4 x pedestal fans or 3.6 packs of water. Cigarettes - 20 odd dollars and you burn them?? They should be free.
Yeah i agree some things are ridiculously cheap & other things are over the top . Where i am electrical appliances & a lot of other things are out of whack with the rest of the economy here Im constsntly wondering how the local people afford things.. A few examples are an unknown brand chinese power drill that we would buy at bunnings for under $20 here start at $50 & in some cases get closer to $100 .The average wage here for a labourer is about $40 a week & a tradesman about $50. Imagine having to spend an entire weeks wages for a crap power drill that would last 3 months .& a lot of things have nil warranty even makita tools have no warranty in some of the bigger stores .I was shocked so not only are they getting ripped but have no warranty apart from the first couple of days At the supermarket 1litre of uht milk is about $1.80 & a box of cereal is 3 or $4 . So its like 1 days wage for a box of cereal & a litre of milk . .No wonder they eat rice While some things are cheap here a lot of stuff that westerners like are way above what you pay in Oz. People are always saying you can live like a king for nothing & in some cases its true but if you want western food you pay more than you would at home . Alcohol & smokes & basic foods are cheaper but thats about it .Although the local franchised pizza shop is a bargain 2 pizzas one large one small is only $5 .. Another thing is building materials while besser blocks are only 25c bags of cement are $5 the same price as oz . Sand is the same price as oz & its unscreened & you need to add the cost of the labourers to hand screen the rocks & shells out of it to use ..Paint is the big rippoff here Plain white paint is around $50 for a 16 litre pail in oz its that price for a 20L & in oz they tint it for free here it costs you another $50 to tint it what a rippoff .So for all those thinking you can live like a king think again . While many things are cheap many are a lot more expensive If you do nothing & drink beer its a dream place to live .I said it in another thread overall its only around 30% cheaper at times & other times its more expensive I will say that a lot of the westerners living here are here for that reason .I think they didnt have enough to live in their home country so the live here drinking beer & doing nothing ..great for some ......not my idea of life
About 10 years ago my in-laws planted a lime tree, I guess at $2.25 each it now makes more than they do in their coffee shop. I just planted a ton more fruit trees, rainwater and sunlight are about the only things you can get for free around here so you might as well make the most of them.
Someone will dream up a sun tax soon. If you get a sunburn, you'll need to report that to your accountant come tax time since UV will be charged at 5%. Because the government convinced us this was the only way to reduce our high instance of skin cancer. Tragic part is I don't think this is even a joke.
Most expensive Vegemate in the world is in Australia. Buying a local lobster in Australia is 5 times more expensive than the same lobster after exported to Hong Kong.
That lime example was so selective as to be ridiculous. Food's cheap: cold pressed olive oil, dried or canned legumes, rice, tinned tomatoes, tinned tuna, seasonal fruit and vegetables, tea or coffe, a few condiments, cut priced beer or wine. Home and hosed on a budget. I worked on vegetable and fruit farms and saw the costs: weather, insects, fungal disasters, massive packing shed rejects, and youse all get it fresh and beautiful without the sweat for almost nothing in season.
This is not going to be popular . I think that oz isnt such a bad place to live if you want a quality of life . We do have a decent lifestyle some exceptional food clean air & if you have a job you can live a good life & have most things in life you want Standards are very high in oz for everything . something we take for granted at times . Even if your on welfare you can survive & have better food & shelter than a lot of third world countries can have if they have a full time job . While i agree the cost of utilities taxes etc are over the top there is no reason you cant have a great life . Everyone on this forum has extra cash to buy PMs be thankful you live in a country where you have that choice. a lot dont even in oz .You are in the percentage of people that are smart enough with your money to have spare cash to buy luxuries .& if your smart enough to do that theres nothing stopping you from taking it to the next step it just wont happen overnight
Learn to preserve food or only eat what is in season, saves a fortune! We have limes all year round, frozen juice, frozen zest, salted limes, lime marmalade, limocello. But back to the cheap stuff, my visitors from the UK can buy Australian wine cheaper in the UK than I can buy it in my local budget off-licence. It is still not expensive to buy a bottle of wine in Australia but even with UK tax being about 20%, twice what the Australian GST is and the additional transportation costs to ship it over to the other side of the world, it is still cheaper in the UK. When we came to Australia about 5 years ago we could eat out at the RSL, all you could eat buffett including steaks with unlimited soft serve ice cream, for $9.99. That is no longer an option and the cheapest option is about $15 for a burger meal. Still not expensive but relative to what it used to be only a few years ago it is expensive. People notice that. I guess the grass is always greener on the other side of the fence, we see other people paying less for the same services and goods and feel cheated, its not as if the government or shops are providing the sunshine and lifestyle that they are charging extra for.
We're rich here, no doubt. Culturally bereft and ignorant, with shortsighted politicians overall, but rich compared to the rest of the world. But money and toys aren't everything. Source: Leunig
