A lot of times, the big reason is generous to us all know, but for is the minutiae small matter, but often cannot start. Today we talk about some of the little things in life that may only be of little help to friends who have just arrived in Australia to start their lives.
1, phone card processing
Maybe when I get out of the airport, I think I need a network and a phone. It is very important to apply for a telephone card. In fact, there are a variety of methods, for example, a certain treasure can buy Australian phone cards, for example, to endure the inconvenience, and then go back to the relevant outlets to buy, this is not a problem.
It is important to remind you that if you want to buy it at the relevant outlets in Australia, you must bring your passport with you. The card numbers in Australia are all real names, and you can't buy a phone card without a passport.
There are three larger mobile operators in Australia:
Telstra is the best signal, but the relative price is the most expensive. Now, Australia's calling card is almost 30 knives/ month, so the so-called expensive means that the same 30-knife, the resulting flow, the phone, the number of short messages will be less, and I have not compared it.
Relatively speaking, the Optus signal range is smaller, and the price is also cheaper.
Vodafone is the cheapest, the same 30 yuan a month, you may be able to get a lot of traffic, you can also get about 150 minutes to call back home, the demand for the network, will often call home friends, this price is very high. However, the Vodafone signal range will be smaller, if you often travel to small towns, it may not be convenient to use.
As long as the three companies have very good network coverage across the city, Australia's broadband may not be very good, but 4G signals are definitely carried, better than domestic ones. My husband and I separately applied for Optus and Vodafone cards, just to travel, to see who has the signal, if one has no signal, the other can open a hot spot. After a few months of using Telstra, I didn't know whether it was the Telstra card or whether I didn't set it up myself. In short, I couldn't open a hot spot to share it with others.
2, shopping for daily necessities
If you live in Australia, you may need to buy groceries from the first day you get off the plane.
Australia's city division is very clear, residential areas are basically no shops, restaurants or office buildings, each community has a business district, there are supermarket chains, bakeries, coffee shops, and so on, to meet your daily life. And several communities will have a relatively large business center, there will be cinemas, supermarket chains and so on. You can basically meet all the things you need as a new home.
Australian supermarkets are also very clear, if some of the daily buy salty vinegar, eggs, meat and vegetables, frozen food, snacks, laundry powder toilet paper and so on, you can choose Colse,Woolworths basically every community has one or two such chain stores.
ALDI is a German brand that is basically available in big cities in Australia, where things are relatively cheaper, and in addition to everyday things, the family will introduce panel furniture, chairs, or clothes from time to time according to the season. Ski supplies and other things you can not imagine, occasionally visit to find a surprise, but the number of stores is not as many as the previous two.
IGA is a relatively small local supermarket that sells about the same items as Colse,Woolworths, but always feels like it's in order. I rarely visit the store, so it's not good to comment.
When I first arrived in Australia, I went to the supermarket to buy the salt and run for four or five times. I didn't find the salt, I could not open the face to ask the person, and finally found that I was blind and there was a row over there. Only their packaging is different, and in China, the salt should be a bag of bags, but it is not expected to be a bottle of bottle in Australia, so even the shelf of the salt is always a blind eye.
If you want to buy home clothes, quilts, small appliances, pots and pans and so on, choose supermarkets such as Big W, Kmart, Target, Myer. Of course, the three supermarkets also have their own subtle features, more stroll, and then self-summary, overall, Kmart positioning is the lowest, the price is the cheapest, Target and Big W in the same grade, slightly higher; and Myer positioning is the highest.
Costco must also mention that by early 2019, the legendary supermarket from the United States had stores in Sydney, Melbourne, Adelaide, Canberra and Brisbane, Australia. Friends who have been to the United States and Canada should be familiar with Costco, known for its large packaging and annual fee of A $60 a year. Not members are allowed to enter the door. Some stores in front of the door there is a member of the self-service refueling service, usually cheaper than outside about 5%, if the family is more, or a membership card is very cost-effective.
JB Hi-FI,DickSmiths,Ted Camera,Harvey Norman,The Good Guys all sell electrical appliances, of course, mobile phones, computers, and so on, when I lived in Australia for four years, I especially want to buy a higher-grade oven. The so-called advanced, that is, the kind of liquid crystal display time, it is best to like the domestic, can have the function of steamed, but I almost visited all the larger electrical stores, did not find, I was still thinking, am I blind, How can these foreigners be so fond of baking that they don't have a good oven? Finally, select a liquid crystal display time, circulation wind, heating up and down the small oven. Although I have not found what I want, but I believe it must be my way of looking, after all, only four years of life is not familiar with Australia ah.
After buying my own house in Australia, Bunnings became my favorite supermarket. Building materials and garden items are sold here. This week to buy 5, 6 pots of flowers, next week to buy a swing, anyway love this supermarket, feel their life will be filled.
3, buying or renting a house
A new home in Australia usually starts with renting. Even if you want to buy a house, you have to settle for this period of time.
Go to a regular intermediary to make an appointment. They need to rate you according to your income in the last six months or a year, current status, previous rental records, and so on. Only if the score is reached can they be eligible to see the house. The scoring process is no less than an interview for a job. Even if you find house, you'll have to sign a contract for at least one year. I tried to follow the path of the regular Australians, went home to the Australian intermediary, and was finally frightened by the tedious, eventually chose to find the Chinese landlords in the Chinese website forum to send rent information.
Looking for a landlord in the forum can be risky, for example, the other person is not the real landlord, deceived your money and the depositor ran away, so you need to open your eyes and choose. Anyway, I rented a total of three times, did not encounter 2 landlords cheat money to run away.
It is important to remind you that Australian rents are settled weekly, and don't bother to pay them for three months in order to avoid being tricked. Pay a week, even if it's unfortunate to meet a liar at least to minimize your risk. There is also a deposit, basically a two-week rent, if the other house is particularly good may have higher requirements.
If you're co-renting with someone else, it's much easier to ask your neighbors who have been renting here for years, so long as they do rent house with their landlords, they're basically not fooled.
When the rent is refunded, you have to clean up the house for each other. It really needs to be clean, just what you give it to you and what you give it to him. Including the wall do not drill holes, fixed nails, and so on, if there is, to restore. Otherwise the landlord will have authority withhold your deposit.
If you need to buy a house, you must be especially careful about the future. I had a lot of friends buy a house, and then for a variety of reasons to change hands. Why do you say that? The risk of future housing is very large, first of all, the uncertainty of the delivery time, the agent told you can get it in two years, but this is not the case. Secondly, the banking policies of different periods are different. For example, in the first two years, Chinese foreign students can buy housing loans. If you buy a prospective house, you can really borrow at that time, but now you can't lend. You will have to pay the whole sum on your back. Otherwise, it would be a default. Finally, there was a friend, at that time, the purchase of the house, the effect of the picture is particularly beautiful, the intermediary blowing this is what a large construction company, the quality of house must be very good, the result of the end of the house found that all the materials in the room are not satisfied. I feel deceived.
Australia's real estate is really not as hot as China, there are a large number of current homes to choose from, so I personally preferred the current house, at least see that all aspects of satisfaction will be bought, there are not many possibilities to be disappointed. Most buyers of existing homes, after signing the purchase contract to pay the deposit, for a variety of reasons can not lend money, is protected (the contract has written), not a default.
All right, that's it for today. Tomorrow, I'll sort out some of the necessary things before and after buying a house, and I'll take it out and talk about it.