... MONTHLY BUDGET & SUBURBS ...

[belter]

Hi Guys,

Hope that everyone is well ...

Please forgive me with all the questions lately, but as my time draws near I'm turning to the Forum for your excellant advice. Just so you know we are on 175 PR Visa.

I'm drawing up a monthly budget for hubby & I to work out how much we can afford on rent. Below is the monthly expenses list and their cost (per month) that we would have, please note that these are just estimates and any "real" figures will help:

Home Contents Insurance $60

Life Insurance $60

Medical Insurance (for 2) $350

Food $900 (± $200 per week)

Electricity $100

Public Transport $200

Car Payments $560 (we've bought 1 new car)

Car Insurance $120

Petrol $250 (± $60 per week)

Foxtel $140

Internet $100

Cellphones (for 2) $80

Gym $140

I have not included any baby stuff as the baby is due in December and I have no idea on cost or brand of nappies, formula, baby stuff etc per month! Any help from the daddies and mommies here will be greatly appreciated

Also we are looking at the North-West suburbs for areas to stay; Hills District (Baulkham, Castle, Pennant), St Ives (if we can afford it), Hornsby, West Pymble, Wahroonga, Gordon, Warrawee, Lindfield, Turramurra. Anywhere else that you can recommend? Hubby is working in the city centre, off Kent Avenue.

Any help / advice is always MUCH APPRECIATED!

Thanks guys,

Belter

[Tsunabi]

Hi Belter

I can only help u out with some baby stuff info. Firstly, if your container isnt packed yet, put in as much boxes of pampers you can fit :-)

I am a pampers fan and was very happy when pampers finally arrived in Oz in Feb this year. You can buy it at Coles for around $60 a box containing between 80 and 100.

I cant help u with formula prices cause I'm breastfeeding, Oz is very breastfeeding friendly and you save a lot on not having to buy formula. Other stuffs like Johnsons products are around $8 to $10. O ja, just a piece of useless info... the Johnsons products here does not smell like the stuff in SA, it kinda smells like nothinv, I asume its because Oz has some rule against the perfume stuff that creates the smell and I guess if its better for bub( Oz for baby ) then its all good :-)

One other thing, baby and kids clothes are waayyy more expensive here than in SA but I guess its not THAT bad once you earn $$.

Hope this helps.

Cheers

T

[rozellem]

Hi Belter,

WARNING: SOME BORING BABY INFORMATION TO FOLLOW!!!

I have also entered this weird world about 6 months ago, so here goes. I had no loyalty to a nappy brand and chose Huggies for newborn nappies, worked good, they are $45 for 108 at Woolworths. http://www.woolworths.com.au/wps/wcm/conne...ite/Woolworths/ Go to the Woolworths website and put your post code in as 2047 and do your research. Sometimes Target or Kmart have sales and then they go for somewhere in the $30 range, cant remember exactly. Now that he is bigger we follow the advice of many Aussie friends and go to Aldi, they have a range of nappies called Mamia that they swear by, I too find it brilliant. Much cheaper than other brands. http://www.lasoo.com.au/search/mamia%20nappies.html There is very little reason that you should spend lots of money on lotions and potions. Also much better for the baby if he is not pickled in all sorts of perfumes and additives. We have never washed ours in anything but water, no bath stuff or shampoo (and I am a hairdresser). We wash him in straight water with a cloth. Olive oil from the chemist for massage or cradle cap if needed. There is a fantastic brand of baby creams etc. here developed by a woman who's child had eczema, it is available more widely now, chemists/some supermarkets. Its called Gaia. http://www.gaiaskinnaturals.com/ Their Soothing Lotion is available at Woolies at $10.31 a tube and it lasts us about 3monts as a bum cream. They have wet wipe style towels too. Be very aware that some of the ingredients in some wet wipes can be shocking. At home on the change station, we use a disposable gauzy towel that I dip in water. They are called Day Lee- All purpose towels and come in a big box for $24. I actually cut them in half and it lasts us over a month. Six months down the line he has never had a bum rash. Do join the Australian Breastfeeding Association, they are fantastic with classes, meet ups, 24hour help line.... http://www.breastfeeding.asn.au/ They do a invaluable afternoon information session for parents that includes a year membership (with magazine, discounts etc.) for about $80 and there is food! We both think we would not have been able to cope without their information and guidance. So really thanks to them, I have not spent a cent on milk. I sound like a tight arse but, there are way better ways to enjoy your money. Also a close friend, who is a GP in the UK, has a baby with severe eczema, and seeing pictures of him wrapped up like a burns victim scared me stiff when I was pregnant. All the best.

[SANZOZ]

I also use Pampers - I find it is not as "hard" as Huggies. Bringing a couple of boxes over would be great but I remember from being in SA a couple of months ago that nappies were ridiculously expensive there!

Formula depends on which one you want and where you buy it from. We use Novalac HA and it costs $21 from the You Save pharmacy, you cant get it at the shops but I think the brands at the shops are in the same price range. Although it always depends on WHICH chemist you buy from. The emergency chemist down the road charges $29 for the exact same thing! I buy about 6 a month. We also spend money on tissues, wet wipes (the huggies wipes with no perfume in them), cornstarch powder and sudocrem (bum cream). Cant remember values off hand but nothing to break the bank.

Rozelle has a good point regarding creams, shampoo and baby wash etc. If you have a bub with sensitive skin you will hardly use any of that. And just regarding cradle cap, our pediatrician recommended Head and Shoulders diluted and it worked wonders!

Regarding clothing, I dont know if its just me but I think Target is not badly priced at all! Especially if you shop during the times when they have 20 to 30% off the price you see! You definitely don't need to dress a new bub in fancy clothing because they will just puke all over it

I'm sure there will be forum members willing to help out with baby stuff when you are here as well. I have been given SO many things that I would not have bought for my boy. And my neighbour loans me certain toys/furniture until he outgrows them and then I give them back! It gets the stuff out of her house for a little while and it helps me not having to buy it, because lets face it, some baby things are only needed for a few months.

Oh and you will be put in touch with your Mothers Group in your area a few weeks after you have your bub so they will also be able to be a support system.... hmmm..... seriously digressing from the point of your post!! Happy budgeting.

[CandiceM]

Your medical insurance figure looks a bit high. We only pay $210 a month for 2 adults and 1 child. try www.iselect.com.au for a more realistic figure. Car insurance also looks a bit high we pay around $50 for each of our cars.

Candice

[SANZOZ]

Although its an annual amount, remember that you will also need to budget for your car's rego and CTP every year as well. Also perhaps things like having the lawn mowed maybe. And remember when you are driving your own car you will have to pay for parking and it is expensive. It costs us $23 to park at Manly for the evening if we take the ferry into the city to watch a show. Just little things add up. It helps to budget for them if possible.

[rozellem]

Oh, and another thing......

All the people I know in Sydney (various nationalities) are all fit, some extremely so (triathlon, iron man etc). And not a single person goes to a gym. Here most people do things in the open air, because it is safe to do so. People kayak, run, cycle to work, go to boot camps in parks, personal trainer in lunch hour in the park, running groups, out door "gyms" in parks, walking groups with prams, all sorts. I would hold back on the gym membership until you have checked out all the other exercise options Sydney offers.