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| What one item in OZ gave you a "Sticker Shock"? | |
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| Topic Started: May 15 2011, 08:57:49 PM (2,118 Views) | |
| RachaelK | May 20 2011, 03:28:50 PM Post #41 |
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True Blue Mate
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It's because they're cheap. REALLY cheap compared to some ducted systems - you can get them for $100 plus the cost of the hole in the glass. And they work to bring places up to regulation where you can't get ducting in - a lot of older apartments have them in bathrooms where there's no space between the ceiling and the floor above to run ducting. Ugly as though, aren't they? |
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| Bindie | May 20 2011, 07:16:24 PM Post #42 |
True Blue Mate
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Try to find a farmers Market. Petrol is 1.42 here. Fruit is cheaper, too. Red capsicum is about $5ish a kilo and grapes $3. I think. It's also good to buy in season. Mandarins are really cheap right now. |
 The future is no place/to place your better days, DMB Canberra, ACT since 2004 | |
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| incognito | May 20 2011, 08:09:36 PM Post #43 |
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Chatterbox
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Once I moved to Oz I totally started buying produce in season and just would NOT eat certain things at certain times of the year. Bindie is right - it makes a big difference. I also agree on farmers markets - the food is usually better, and you get a really good feel for what is in season based on the prices. |
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| elzzzz | May 20 2011, 11:29:23 PM Post #44 |
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Anklebiter
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No kidding... I haven't bought a single item of clothing since we moved here. I just can't get over the prices. But it does make the stuff I really liked but wouldn't buy in the US before seem affordable in comparison! |
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| Toriaballet | May 20 2011, 11:53:37 PM Post #45 |
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True Blue Mate
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Yes, I do go to farmers markets quite regularly because I love them but if I can't make it on a weekend morning, then I am stuck with grocery store prices and they give me sticker shock. I agree about buying in season....I did that in CA as well because I love to cook and nothing tastes better than ripe seasonal produce  Unfortunately, i came from one of the produce capitals of the world so the differences in price and variety are much more striking 
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| incognito | May 21 2011, 02:05:37 PM Post #46 |
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Chatterbox
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Yeah, if we cannot make it to markets on the weekend we are stuffed. I HATE buying supermarket produce here. It's yuck and expensive. I'm a former CA girl and I cannot WAIT to get to San Diego next year!! And Trader Joe's!! |
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| Kuningan | May 23 2011, 12:56:40 PM Post #47 |
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True Blue Mate
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Ok y'all - so I'm in the states right now. I haven't done much shopping yet, but Mr Kuningan has gotten a years worth of undershirts and underwear, 5 pairs of really good shoes, socks, and about 5 pair each of jeans and slacks. He likes Wrangler jeans - $15/each at Target. We were packing for his departure today and he was all "hey, if I'm over the weight and we have to mail some of it we're still at least $1000 ahead already on what I've bought!" How sad is it that today I bought some Tampax to bring back - 2 boxes of 40 and saved $23 alone on those compared to Perth prices. |
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| surfermomkelly | May 23 2011, 07:17:49 PM Post #48 |
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True Blue Mate
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I could go on and on. 60" HD TV (and anything electronic) 3xs as much New Landcruiser (double) Horse Float - UGH that one was a lot Strawberries $5.99 a pack....now reaching 6.99 Putting AC & Heating in our house $12,000 (3800 i nthe US) I find that most things are 3xs as much if not more on some days. Oh I had to get rubbing alcholo, it was $9.00 in the US it would of been .99 Petrol |
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| surfermomkelly | May 23 2011, 07:18:36 PM Post #49 |
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True Blue Mate
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Tampax LOL every time I go to the US I got to costco and buy 3 boxes of 100 each, they are sooo much cheaper! |
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| AmbroseChick | May 23 2011, 11:22:39 PM Post #50 |
True Blue Mate
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I about fell over the first time that I saw the price of rubbing alcohol - the gal at the Chemist saw my reaction and I said sorry - its just a lot more then I expected. And she said how much does it cost in the US and when I said 99 cents she said 'oh'. Yeah OH! |
| Check it out! Facebook page: Americans Living in Queensland | |
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| MikeS | Jun 2 2011, 12:51:06 AM Post #51 |
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Piker
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Running shoes. I never spent more than 45 bucks for a pair of Nikes in the states. I can't get anything for less than 80 here. I get tired of my father inlaw saying"well when you look at the exchange rate its about the same" |
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| Stinky1138 | Jun 7 2011, 09:41:47 AM Post #52 |
Yacker
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alcohol has a 10% tax on the abv. that's why it's expensive. but duty free is always great, and the 2L import limit is fantastic. i'm dissapointed by the price and selection of cookies and candy bars. $3/bag of M&Ms is a bit silly. >.< i get my burt's bees sent over for me. paid the $7 at DJs once and almost told the woman to get stuffed, i don't want it. |
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| mvsfx | Jun 10 2011, 10:39:22 PM Post #53 |
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Piker
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 Bananas at 55 cents a pound!!! I remember bananas back in Brooklyn at less than that and that was only this past August. Do any of you (baby boomer age) remember the Banana Man from back when we were kids? He was able to hide hundreds of bananas in his clothing. I'd like to make a visit to the States and attempt a Banana Man Custom's shakedown. "Wowwww!!!!"
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| mvsfx | Jun 10 2011, 10:57:12 PM Post #54 |
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Piker
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Here is a buying tip for right now to get around the overpriced books in Australia. Amazon.co.uk is offering FREE shipping to Australia until mid August (and probably beyond, they've already extended once). Their book pricing (in most cases) is actually a bit better than Amazon in the U.S., so it is a great deal. The free shipping is only on books and DVDs. Be aware though that the British have a different disc coding on their DVDs which is NOT compatable to DVD players here. You need either a region free player or any Blu Ray player and the movies will play just fine. The one catch is that the order must be more than 25 British Pounds which is about $38 here. Great if you want to stock up. |
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| Cimexus | Jun 11 2011, 03:44:21 AM Post #55 |
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Chinwagger
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It's not just that Australia is expensive, but also that the US is incredibly cheap by global standards. For consumer goods your prices are by far the cheapest in the developed world. Australian prices, although a little above the norm for some items, aren't far off those in most European countries, or Japan etc. (especially when the AUD is at a more normal level than it is at the moment). Part (not all) of that is because we have a small market (population) and live a long way from everywhere else. As an Australian I cannot understand how things are so ridiculously cheap in the US. Seriously - the cost of some things makes me wonder how it can be manufactured, shipped and put on a shelf by a paid employee and still have a profit made on it. I suppose the sheer size of the market there helps. Oh and as for the in-sink-erators: I'd never seen one before I went to the US, though I did know they existed. They are very unpopular here for a variety of reasons: 1. Environmental concerns: food down sinks is kinda frowned upon (particularly by the older generations) as they say that it adds too much nutrients to the water and harms the environment. Also people like to keep compost heaps - food goes here rather than down the sink. 2. Concerns about safety ... to those that aren't used to them and didn't grow up with them (like me), the thought of a series of spinning blades in the sink is scary! Not to mention it's yet another thing that can break and cost money to repair. 3. Water restrictions have been very tight in many areas of Australia in the last decade. In my own city, the average water use per day is HALF what it was in 1990, despite the population being 25% larger, and despite currently not being under water restrictions. There's been a huge and permanent shift towards using less water in the home in these areas, and this is another reason I don't think garbage disposals would catch on here. Having lived in the US in a house with a garbage disposal for a few years, I will say it's very handy on occasions but I honestly don't see it as a necessity and couldn't care less if I didn't have one. Wouldn't have to worry about random cutlery falling down the sinkhole anymore either 
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| (provocateur) | Jun 13 2011, 03:56:06 PM Post #56 |
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I'm not a big fan of garbage disposals, either. I've spent about half my life in NYC, which is expensive by US standards. Melbourne makes NY look cheap. There was a recent cost of living study put out by a consulting firm. Lots of Aussie cities in the top 30. If you figured in housing costs plus utilities and cars, etc. I think that Australia would be even more dear. If I'd known how bad it would get, I might not have come down here. |
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| Jennie | Jun 13 2011, 08:06:38 PM Post #57 |
Chinwagger
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This is definitely true. It's more like the US vs. everywhere else when it comes to prices. Europe (especially the UK and France) are very expensive too, but salaries are also lower than American salaries so we get screwed twice! The cost of everything was a big shock to me when I arrived in France, so I'm hoping it will be less of a shock when I arrive in Australia. My rent will be higher in Oz since I'll be in a bigger/furnished unit in a capital city (at least for the first year), but other prices seem the same to what I'm paying now. The major difference is that I will be earning more money in Australia. Even though I'll just be receiving a living stipend from my university, it's 50% more than what I ever earned in France. |
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| (provocateur) | Jun 13 2011, 09:19:34 PM Post #58 |
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http://www.theage.com.au/travel/blogs/travellers-check/australia-land-of-the-pricegouge-20110613-1fztb.html?comments=95#comments Australia is dearer than Europe. Prepare to be shocked. |
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| Kuningan | Jun 13 2011, 10:44:49 PM Post #59 |
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True Blue Mate
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Sadly true. The cost of living has gone up hugely in just the 2.5 years we've been here. Perth moved from like #60 on the worlds most expensive city list to #26 in that time. It's pretty much a topic of conversation everywhere you go these days. From the article I read this weekend: Most expensive city article "Australia, former penal colony, home to the Great Barrier Reef, and producer of world-class shiraz, has never exactly been synonymous with a high cost of living. Yet because of a strong economy and proximity to the booming Asia Pacific region, many overseas visitors might find it more expensive to slip an extra shrimp -- or just about anything else for that matter -- on the barbie here than in most other countries around the world. In fact, in a recent survey, six Australian cities placed among the top 30 most expensive in the world, according to global human resources firm ECA International. Just two years ago, not a single Australian city ranked in the top 100." |
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| incognito | Jun 14 2011, 12:20:00 PM Post #60 |
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Chatterbox
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Wow!!! This is just nuts. So glad we are leaving next year, even though it'll be tough going in the US for a while. I also think things have to get better here someday, somehow... but I am happy to be heading back to we can hopefully get grounded and ahead for our young son. |
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