Monday 7 February 2011

So what is the same and what is different?

Recycling? You’re having a laugh
Everything goes in a black bag and in the wheelie bin and that’s that, yet they charge you for carrier bags in the supermarket and everyone brings their own bags. However when we move things will change.....we compost in the UK so will be doing the same here. I will have bins for bottles, plastics, cans and papers as the larger Pick ‘n’ Pay stores have a set of wheelie bins for recycling outside.
The cost of things
I already own the largest collection of ‘Tupperware style’ pots and cooking all meals from scratch, I haven’t bought a single packet mix and the only tinned food I have bought was Heinz baked beans from the Spar shop, I’ve made my own gravy, tomato soup and puree. Individual ingredients are far cheaper than the UK but convenience food costs a lot more.
Toiletries are very expensive here at least double what you would pay in the UK for exactly the same product/brand...I guess that is due to the large supermarkets in the UK driving the prices down. Sun cream in particular, which I would consider a necessity is min £8 per 150ml and assumed it would be a lot cheaper. Tax is only 14% and it includes kids clothes and medicines.
Day to day living
Life is pretty much the same, but I cannot work for 2 years but I will be using that time to finish my degree with The OU in criminology, can’t think of a better place to study it can you? The school run is a pain, they start around 7am and I’m home by 7.30am everyday. I hang the washing out before I leave and it’s dry and ready to iron when I get back. The shops don’t open till 9am and close by 6pm...the larger supermarkets stay open till 8pm. There are no Sunday trading laws that I can see, some shops are open, some aren’t, some shut at 2pm others at 4pm so it’s a bit hit and miss at the moment.

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