Monday, October 15, 2007

The Price of Milk

What the fuck is going on in this country??

We constantly hear how flippin great the dairying industry is doing and how great some little towns are doing with the boom on due to milking their cows yet .....

the price of milk keeps going up.

We are now looking at around $2 a litre!! For fucken milk. You can buy a 2.25L of coke for bloody cheaper!!

and then I saw the price of cheese ..... one 1kg block was $12.25!! WTF!!!

And butter about $3.60 for a 500g block.

I'm over it. This fucken country is doing my head in.

And we hear that once again the government has over $8 billion in surplus. Yet they keep shutting country schools, old men keep waiting for cataract operations and the average household now needs to earn $1300 a week to afford an average mortgage!!

The point to all this waffling??

We can no longer afford to build our house. Our own home, which can be built on our $132,000 section for a cost of absolutely no more than $130,000. A mortgage of $260K and we can't afford to do it. We can get into it but we can't afford to service the mortgage, we could in November when we bought the section but nearly a year later the interest rates are so fucken high that a couple with four kids may as well kiss goodbye to ever owning a home. And it's not like we're going over the top in the amount we spend on it. The average two bedroom flat in the lower socio economic suburbs of Christchurch are now selling for about the same cost as we can build a brand new home here in Rangiora for. But .... we literally wouldn't be able to afford to live. The mortgage repayments a fortnight would be nearly $1000 and that isn't including rates, insurances and other unforeseens.

So.... what do I propose to do about this??

We are jumping ship.

We have fucken had it with this government and their lack of any action over anything other than outlawing the ability for a parent to discipline their own child. Oh that and digging into each other's personal lifes. And every now and then they pass a new dog law. Get a fucken grip New Zealand. It's time to stand up and be counted in the world.

Some of you may say, why don't you go to work??

If I go back to work we will be paying $80 a day for the two little ones to go to daycare, that and the $20 or so a day it would cost for the older two to be in after school care. I have the ability to earn about $500 in the hand a week as a PA! You do the figures. I would be paying just as much in childcare as i could earn. But, I hear you cry, the government would give you a childcare subsidy, surely? No they wouldn't because we EARN too much if I go back to work. What sort of country classes their citizens in the wealthy bracket at $85,000 a year but also has the bullshit housing market that demands that you bring home in excess of $1300 in the hand a week just to afford the average mortgage??

See ya NZ, we are off to the greener pastures of Aussie where their government encourages you to have children, gives you a helping hand of $7,000 to get into your first home and subsidises your childcare if you do go back to work.

12 comments:

Anonymous said...

Wow... I don't know what to say. I agree with you but hmmm living in Australia hmmm not sure I would like that either...only because me being me OMG I don't want to live in the stinking hot weather and the amount of floods and bush fires you hear about.. Yeah I know it probably doesn't happen that often...

Good luck hun and I am sure you have thought about this a lot and it is the right thing for your family.

OMG it was a mission to write my entry today... can imagine it must have seemed like a book to ya he he he thanks for reading.

Love Chubbymum

Chris H said...

WOW, and I do not blame you! I would love to go to Aussy too, but Stew is the problem... working on him still. I hope you find all your dreams come true over there and have a bloody fantastic life.

The Candid Bandit said...

Awww chubby mum, we have so many different climates, it isn't all stinking hot weather and bushfires. (for the record I have seen three in my entire life and I lived in the outback).

I agree with Chris, I hope all your dreams come true and that you have a bloody amazing life here.

As my dad always says "Home will always be there".

Mary said...

You know what, I don't think you'll find it any different over here hon. $7K to have a baby also doesn't really go far. I heard a young couple talking on a train once and the fella was telling the girl to get pregnant so they could buy "sh*t". Really sad. I'm not convinced the baby bonus is all it's cracked up to be. Lots of people talk about getting new TVs though.

Anonymous said...

Hi Jules, as the young mum of two boys and living on one wage I can tell you that I think our government are doing amazing things for us 'battlers'.

My huz earns well above the average, yet I still $220 a fortnight in Family Assistance payments, they even subsidise Ben's day at daycare even though I don't work! They pay about $14 dollars toward the $55 it costs. It is a lot more if you work.

The babybonus is fantastic, it covered all the costs of my first son and as we had another boy I didn't need to spend much at all so the money went on the mortgage.

The mortgage bonus is $10,000 I think in Victoria. A huge help.

Mind you, if Labor wins the election in November stay where the fuck you are - Australia will be fucked inside 2 years.

CaramelKitKat said...

The first home owners grant is a good thing if you spend it intelligently, but you would still have to be prepared to live a long way from a city to be able to afford a house. This in itself is not a bad thing (and good on you for not limiting your options) but with that can come less than great employment opportunities, overstretched healthcare services and a lack of childcare places. I am not saying don't come, but I bet you would come across similar problems here. Plus, I think one of the citizenship prerequisites is that you have to follow the Wallabies!

Rachel said...

WOW I mean W O W.

You do realise you have to live amongst Aussies .... LOL, just joking you Aussies, I'm one as well.

I have to agree with a couple of the comments, the grass isn't always greener and as I lived there half my life, I wouldn't be choosing to go back.

But at least the weather is better.

Middle Child said...

Find a large country town (on or near the coast - one with schools and a smal Uni...then when you get your house even if it is a few kms out of town you would be able to afford it -

I have to send this post to my brother in law and my sister who are down ojn the South island and think the Kiwi Gov is so much more Politically correct" than us savages over here in Australia

Anonymous said...

I can't really comment on what the Australian Government does for families as I am single myself but I am excited because we can maybe catch up for a drink!

Wanna_B_slimmer said...

Woooooooofknhooooooooo Yay.... come to Tassie... the housing is cheaper.. but dont knwo about work... what does hubby do???
up sude tho... we could get pissed on gluten free alcohol together!!! hahaha

Cinders said...

I'm sure you'll do your homework and figure what's best for you and your family Jules. Let us know if you need some good real estate links or local papers if you know what part of Australia you want to live in.

**Mellisa** said...

Come on over!!!! Aussie Aussie Aussie Oi Oi Oi!!!