Skip to main content

Five Ways to Reduce Your Living Costs While You Study in New Zealand


The 2016 Mercer Cost of Living survey rated Auckland at 98th and Wellington at 123rd out of a list of 209 cities. That makes them much cheaper than cities like Shanghai (7), New York (11), London (17) and Sydney (42). 
Within New Zealand, the cost of living varies according to where you live. Some cities have higher accommodation and transport costs than others.
Check out these tips on how to keep your costs down while you are studying in New Zealand.

1. Save money on food

It’s much cheaper to buy fresh fruit and vegetables at local markets rather than the supermarket. Most towns have at least one weekend market and larger cities have several. You’ll also save money by buying New Zealand-grown produce when it’s in season rather than splashing out on expensive imported produce. That means no strawberries in the middle of winter! 
Sharing food costs and cooking meals with your flatmates is another way of cutting costs – and it’s a nice way to get of getting to know each other.

2. Use your student ID card to get discounts

Most New Zealand tertiary education providers offer discounts to students at local stores, restaurants and entertainment outlets. You’ll need to use your student ID card to get the discounts, which range from cheap movie tickets to discounts on books and bank fees. Don’t be shy about asking for a discount – you won’t get it unless you do. 

3.  Buy secondhand 

Buying household goods and clothing secondhand from charity shops – or op shops as they are called in New Zealand – is a great way of saving money. And it’s fun too, especially if you go with a friend. Many New Zealand charities run op shops. They include the Salvation Army, St Vincent de Paul, the Red Cross and local hospice services. 
If you prefer to shop online you can find secondhand bargains on Trade Me – New Zealand’s answer to eBay. 

4. Save money on power

If you’re living in a flat you’ll have to pay for your power. Usually you will share this cost with your flatmates. Power costs vary according to which energy retailer you use. You can compare the costs of different energy providers using Consumer Powerswitch.
Not many New Zealand homes have central heating – instead we use stand-alone electric or gas heaters. The Energy Efficiency and Conservation Authority (EECA) has lots of useful tips on how to keep your heating costs down.

5. Buy a bike – or start walking

Transport costs can eat up a lot of your money. Some cities, such as Christchurch and Hamilton, are very easy to cycle around so it’s worth buying a secondhand bike to use while you’re here. 
Many New Zealand cities are relatively small and very walkable. Even if you’re not used to walking, now is a good time to start!


Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

What Would Happen If The Sun Disappeared ???

If the sun suddenly blinked out of existence, you'd have nothing to worry about.—for the first eight minutes, anyway. After that, all hell would likely break loose. Still, it wouldn't be the instantaneous end to life on Earth that you might think. When The Lights Go Down Light takes roughly eight minutes to reach Earth from the sun. For that reason, if the sun disappeared, we'd still see it in the sky for another eight minutes. But what about gravity? The sun is the anchor point of the solar system—at 333,000 times the mass of  Earth, it exerts a hefty pull that keeps the planets locked in their orbits. If all that gravitational force disappeared, it would still take us eight minutes to feel it. That's because, according to Einstein's theory of relativity, gravity travels at the same speed as light.   Chaos Creeps In Slowly After that, though, Earth still    wouldn't be snuffed out. Electricity would still w...
Post a Comment
Read more

I Am Convinced That Humans Need to Leave Earth : Stephen Hawking

Back in May, renowned physicist Stephen Hawking made yet another doomsday prediction. He said that humanity has 100 years left on Earth, which knocked 900 years off the prediction he made in November 2016, which had given humanity 1,000 years left. With his new estimate, Hawking suggested the only way to prolong humanity’s existence is for us to find a new home, on another planet. Speaking at the Starmus  Festival   in Trondheim, Norway on Tuesday, Hawking reiterated his point: “If humanity is to continue for another million years, our future lies in boldly going where no one else has gone before,” he explained, according to the BBC . Specifically, Hawking said that we should aim for another Moon landing by 2020, and work to build a lunar base in the next 30 years — projects that could help prepare us to send human beings to Mars by 2025. “We are running out of space and the only places to go to are other worlds. It is time to explore...
Post a Comment
Read more