Cheap living in New Zealand
So I just thought about how I could "cheap up" my living situation through my food shopping, and came to a number of things that aren't too much to ask for, and does make a change finacially speaking:
1. Soup
- for less than $2 I can get a 4 pack mushroom cream soup, that also is really good. That makes $0,50 per serving (2,50 SEK), and perfect for lunch every now and then. Just complete with some bread or veggies to make it last longer.
2. Skip the snack
- if you think about it, eating snacks and candy is really expensive. For an example, one pack of M&M's cost about $6, and for that amount of money, I could have bought a pack of pasta, cream and green onions which would be a good dinner.
3. Make a list
- before you go shopping for groceries, make sure you have a list for what you need the whole coming week. You should not have to go and buy something more, stick to shopping once a week. Besides that, if you stick to your list, you know you'll only buy things that you really need.
4. Don't shop when you're hungry
- it's a fact that you buy more when you're hungry, and fair enough; when you are, you want to eat everything! Eat, and then go shopping for the best result.
5. Use specials
- if there is a special offer on something, stock up! Say the mice is half the price, buy some extra and put it in the freezer. I usually go for canned veggies, whenever something is cheaper than usual, I buy a couple of extra, it does save money!
6. Use your freezer
- you can freeze in almost anything! It's more expensive to cook for one person, so whenever you do, make a lot of food and then freeze it in, but in portions. That gives you a pre maid meal and more money on your account.
7. Drink water!
- if you skip the carbonated drinks, juices and lemonades and stick to one glass of milk a day and then just water, I promise you, you'll save a lot of money! One can of coca cola (approx 350 ml) cost about $2. Once a day makes $14 dollars a week. Add one glass of juice to each breakfast and you're up at $20 a week. Water is for free, and the water here in Christchurch happens to be one of the best in the world. Enjoy it! If you don't like water, buy some concentrated lime or lemon juice (unsweetened) and add just a bit to the water, or just fresh lemon, lime or berries.
8. Cut the alcohol
- I'm sorry, students! I know this is the last thing you want to hear, and it is the last I want to write, haha, but we all know that alcohol is too expensive to consume (not even to mention unhealthy). If you stick to drinking a maximum of one day a week and stick to drinking while pre gaming instead of getting drunk at the bar, you'll save a lot! Also, make sure you buy your alcohol in a supermarket instead of the liqor store. At Countdown, you can get a good bottle of wine for $8, or a 12 pack of Corona's for $19,99 (right now at Countdown).
If you have any tips, feel free to share!
1. Soup
- for less than $2 I can get a 4 pack mushroom cream soup, that also is really good. That makes $0,50 per serving (2,50 SEK), and perfect for lunch every now and then. Just complete with some bread or veggies to make it last longer.
2. Skip the snack
- if you think about it, eating snacks and candy is really expensive. For an example, one pack of M&M's cost about $6, and for that amount of money, I could have bought a pack of pasta, cream and green onions which would be a good dinner.
3. Make a list
- before you go shopping for groceries, make sure you have a list for what you need the whole coming week. You should not have to go and buy something more, stick to shopping once a week. Besides that, if you stick to your list, you know you'll only buy things that you really need.
4. Don't shop when you're hungry
- it's a fact that you buy more when you're hungry, and fair enough; when you are, you want to eat everything! Eat, and then go shopping for the best result.
5. Use specials
- if there is a special offer on something, stock up! Say the mice is half the price, buy some extra and put it in the freezer. I usually go for canned veggies, whenever something is cheaper than usual, I buy a couple of extra, it does save money!
6. Use your freezer
- you can freeze in almost anything! It's more expensive to cook for one person, so whenever you do, make a lot of food and then freeze it in, but in portions. That gives you a pre maid meal and more money on your account.
7. Drink water!
- if you skip the carbonated drinks, juices and lemonades and stick to one glass of milk a day and then just water, I promise you, you'll save a lot of money! One can of coca cola (approx 350 ml) cost about $2. Once a day makes $14 dollars a week. Add one glass of juice to each breakfast and you're up at $20 a week. Water is for free, and the water here in Christchurch happens to be one of the best in the world. Enjoy it! If you don't like water, buy some concentrated lime or lemon juice (unsweetened) and add just a bit to the water, or just fresh lemon, lime or berries.
8. Cut the alcohol
- I'm sorry, students! I know this is the last thing you want to hear, and it is the last I want to write, haha, but we all know that alcohol is too expensive to consume (not even to mention unhealthy). If you stick to drinking a maximum of one day a week and stick to drinking while pre gaming instead of getting drunk at the bar, you'll save a lot! Also, make sure you buy your alcohol in a supermarket instead of the liqor store. At Countdown, you can get a good bottle of wine for $8, or a 12 pack of Corona's for $19,99 (right now at Countdown).
If you have any tips, feel free to share!
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