How much money to take?

[JoeandCarrie]

Hi all

 

Myself and my partner are looking to move to Adelaide in October 2015 (eeeekkkk!!!) and was wondering if anyone could offer advice on how much money we should plan to bring with us on arrival to make it a smooth (ish) transition...

 

I am a children's nurse and have been offered an agency job on arrival (This is not contraced hours but is a good starting point with lots of hours available so I've been told) and my OH is a plasterer hoping to secure work on arrival. We are going to stay with a friend for the first month or so until we secure jobs/rental and plan to hire a car for the first few weeks. We will both need to buy cars, and obviously need to secure rental so bonds etc and general cost of living, phones, driving licenses....we will also need to furnish a property, we don't mind this being a long term process and don't expect it all to be brought new, love a bit of gumtree second hand goods... (if anyone can think of other costs?)

 

Any recommendations of a ball park figure? Maybe someone who has made the move? Flights, dog and visas all funded separately!

 

Thanks for reading

 

Carrie x

[NicF]

How much do you have? We brought £10k but we already had some here and my OH was coming over to a job so we had money coming in already. We also had access to more money in the UK if we needed it. If you don't have much then bring it all (transferred electronically rather than in cash). If you have a large sum but don't want to transfer it all to start with then maybe transfer £15k to £20k to start with and you can always move more over later if you need to.

[flossybeth]

It's hard for anyone to answer for you - it very much depends on what sort of cars you'll be happy to drive (bearing in mind that cars hold their value here), what sort of housing you think you'll need - just small enough for the two of you or extra room for visitors? What areas you'd want to live in - near the beach, in the city, up in the Hills?

 

Like NicF says if you've got it I should bring it, or at least have it in an easy to access account.

[huggesy]

I sort of support what has been said, bring what you can.

we started on I would say no more than $4k, my oh had secured a job before hand and we had 10 weeks in a rental already paid for. We focused on trying to pay off our uk debt before coming over.

im not going to say we lived in the land of luxury but we both brought cars, secured a rental and I did a training course before getting working when it had finished. So you can survive with a bit of planning and pulling in your belt on a lower budget

[JoeandCarrie]

Thanks for the replies. Long term we would like a place with enough space for visitors but the first 12 months we would happily look into rental of a 2 bedroom place. We are very lucky to have the luxury of staying with a friend whilst we find something. Not neccesarily on the beach but a small comute there would be lovely. Definately do not want to live in the city. We are also not to fussy on cars...a little run around for me that is economical and something for the OH to drive to work so probably a Ute. We have already saved a fair bit so I guess we will just carry on saving. October can't come soon enough :-)

 

Carrie x

Edited March 2, 2015 by JoeandCarrie

[Ktee]

I agree with the others in that it's a bit like the "how long is a piece of string" scenario.

We had sold our house and brought that money with us. I've known a family come out with $5,000 and survive and I've known a family come out and spend $45,000 in the first month and struggle. It all depends on what your current lifestyle is and how long it takes to secure a job. To get a half decent car you would be looking between $5 - $10k manual cars are cheaper than automatics.

You will need a deposit for a rental and then a month up front. What about furniture? Are you shipping it over or buying here? I see you have a fantastic furniture in Adelaide a lot of people buy their house packages to begin with and then replace items as and when they have money. They have a package for $999 http://www.fantasticfurniture.com.au/Categories/Package-Deals/Living-Packages/Start-Up-Package-/p/STTLIPOOO_1

White goods are going to be your most expensive outlay, dishwashers are usually included in a rental but you will need a fridge/freezer and washing machine. You can get one from the second hand sites or look at good guys, where you could pick up a cheap small one for around $450 http://www.thegoodguys.com.au/fridges-and-freezers/refrigerators#facet:&productBeginIndex:0&orderBy:3&pageView:grid&minPrice:&maxPrice:&pageSize:&

[JoeandCarrie]

Thanks for the tips Ktee, its much appreciated. No were are not getting anything shipped out as we rent in the UK and would be looking to replace it all in the near future anyways so it doesn't seem worth it. We do currently have a nice lifestyle but we are more than aware that we will have to make cut backs at first. Thanks for the tips on car prices, we have 2 cars to sell here so hopefully that will fund a large chunk of replacing them. Thanks for the links, the fantastic furniture one looks like it will be very useful. I guess the sensible thing to do would just save as much as we possibly can!! Im optismistic we can survive and secure jobs (or delusional...haha!)

Edited March 2, 2015 by JoeandCarrie

[Ktee]

Thanks for the tips Ktee, its much appreciated. No were are not getting anything shipped out as we rent in the UK and would be looking to replace it all in the near future anyways so it doesn't seem worth it. We do currently have a nice lifestyle but we are more than aware that we will have to make cut backs at first. Thanks for the tips on car prices, we have 2 cars to sell here so hopefully that will fund a large chunk of replacing them. Thanks for the links, the fantastic furniture one looks like it will be very useful. I guess the sensible thing to do would just save as much as we possibly can!! Im optismistic we can survive and secure jobs (or delusional...haha!)

You will be fine, you sounds very sensible lol. I'm sure you will survive.

I know someone who came out as a backpacker with $100 in their pocket (not sure how they sneaked in with so little but they did) they ended up getting sponsorship whilst here and he met his wife who was also a backpacker. They are both rolling in money now, they worked hard and got far.

[Jessica Berry]

You may have already read this on one of my previous postings (apologies to the regulars who know the drill!) but Nov/Dec/Jan are generally the quietest times to find work due to the Christmas shutdown/summer school holiday period. As you are arriving in October and close to this period just keep this in mind when budgeting. With regards plastering work, many building/work sites will close for usually 2 weeks (sometimes more) over the Christmas period. Of course this isn't always the case and sometimes being in the right place at the right time is all you need to secure work. You say you are staying with friends, so ask them if they have any contacts for work, often a referral from a friend of a friend is all it takes to give someone a go.

[snifter]

Agree with the others only I'd suggest not chucking money at a rental car for a few weeks and aim to buy something asap after arriving, even if its just the runaround one you have mentioned. Its the sort of thing you can usually have sorted within a week or so if you put your mind to it.

 

If you want small apartment living for the first 12 months then perhaps look at the suburbs of Glenelg, Henley Beach, Grange and along there or a bit to the south and look at Brighton, Hove and Seacliff perhaps. Some of those are not the cheapest suburbs and you will probably pay as much in those beach suburbs for a 2 bed apartment as a 3 bed house with garden, garage etc in more suburban suburbs IYKWIM. But you'd have the beach lifestyle with apartment living and probably not as much fuss. Then you can see how you go, look at areas, where you end up working in the longer term and 12 months down the road you'll have a better idea of what you want from Adelaide.

 

I love Glenelg in terms of it has a bit of life to it, its got lots of cafes, some bars, places to eat, decent shops along Jetty Road (I miss having shops along a street so enjoy Jetty road for this sort of thing, else its all mini malls in the suburbs and often elsewhere. Plus from there you are on the tram route for the city if you want it, easy access to most areas from there including Harbourtown, Ikea, airport, Marion shopping mall, cinemas and lots of sports facilities close by too. There are lots of apartments in and around there, some close to the beach, some a few stops on the tram but easy to get to the beach and local shops etc when needed. We spent the first 7 months living there, just a couple of minutes walk from Jetty Road and I enjoyed being able to do the shopping on foot or on the bike, to meet friends for a coffee or lunch in one of the many cafes, having the beach so close by.

[JoeandCarrie]

Thanks, you have all been very helpful. Yes, Jessica we are aware that Nov/Dec/Jan is not an ideal time to be seeking employment. The difficulty is, as I've been offered agency work, they have said they would like me to arrive by October time & we feel that it worth the risk so I can hopefully get a foot in the door so to speak. Our friend is also a tradesman so hopefully he may know a few people that could help the OH out. Thanks for tips Snifter, that sounds like great advice.

[soo_the_panda]

I came with about $1200 plus a small overdraft in my UK bank account (400 pounds ish?)

 

Depending where you're living and working, you don't necessarily need a car straight away. I lived in Glenelg and worked in the city so didn't buy a car for the first 9 months, when I was offered my permanent job that wasn't on a convenient bus route, and knew I was staying beyond the initial year I'd planned.