Living in Sydney is very expensive. I have to say it was quite a shock when I first arrived nearly two years. Although rent, food, and petrol is expensive, I found that my money goes further. I don’t have to pay for cable. I don’t have monthly car insurance payments. I pay once off yearly and then I don’t have to worry about it. I purchased a car with cash. It’s an old car and costs were low and in the end, it was much cheaper to buy an old car because a new car in Australia is just too expensive. Basically, I pay my rent fortnightly, pay for internet every month, and pay for electric and gas quarterly.

I found shopping at Aldi has cut my food costs significantly. I also buy from the cheaper food stores. I found that Coles has the some of the best prices when sales occur. I’ve cut out soft drinks from my diet. Holy Cow! $25 for a case of diet coke. It’s just ridiculous. But it has made me think about what I am purchasing.

I love not having to pay for cable. The free to air television is  nice. I found a few shows that I love to watch. The Aussie drama, Neighbours, is one of my favourites. We do get quite a bit of American TV here, but you do have to wait days to weeks to see it.