High's and Low's
You know what, this week has probably been the craziest of them all - I mean it...
It started with a viewing...
You know how the last one went. Shit. This time? Not quite. Hopped on a train from Lidcombe, weather was pretty dull, a big wind followed, in general what I'd call a "dubious" day - didn't know how to feel. Morning coffee had me a bit on edge. Arrived for the viewing early, located in the city, no idea what to expect.
The landlord arrived a couple of minutes late. A nice, South African lady, maybe late forties/early fifties. Someone who knows Sydney's real estate market evidently - this room was one of 10's she had for rent!
The look-around lasted maybe five minutes? A walk through a locked gate to a delicate corridor, reminded me a bit of a friends house from when I was younger. Felt homely. Albeit a busy sharehouse, it still felt homely, and not crowded. Past the kitchen, my room, number 4. Polished wood floor, a sort of candy yellow interiror for the walls and a nice set of furniture - topped off with a mini fridge. Always wanted one of those. Some of my mates had them when we were younger. They'd be playing fortnite and cracking a can of coke fresh from their fridge -- jealousy was a huge understatement. I could've done the same, but who can be arsed to walk to the fridge? Anyway...
The room was nice. The price shocked me, only $15 (£7.50~) more than my one in Lidcombe. Better facilities, location, just with more people. Eleven to be exact. Yeah, busy, but liveable and affordable - for those not familiar with the cut-throat housing market of Sydney, it's pretty fucking awesome. The "F word" was totally justified by the way, because it really is a mess.
I often act on gut with these things. A phone call to Declan always helps to, after all, he's my best mate and I've lived with him for a while now. He pretty much sold the house to me without seeing it, the reassurance I needed was there, and before you know it the house was mine there and then. It was around 11:50pm, ten minutes before I started work, coffee in hand, bond paid, and just like that I was once again preparing to move house again, and thinking: "how on earth do I move all this crap to another house?!"
You'll be pleased to know, I moved it all, only took me around 7 hours, but we got there eventually. A nice, clean room, with 90% of my stuff. Just need to remember to pick up my predator football boots - remind me next week, will you?
The place is awesome. House is full of fellow travellers, mostly europeans, a couple for which I will be drinking beers with this weekend to celebrate the move. Plus, the area is nice, relaxed, quirky to say the least, and...there's a woolies. Now if that isn't the sign of moving to a good neighbourhood, I don't know what is!
So yeah, finally I got my move. Life moves quick and waits for no one, if nothing else teaches you that, Sydney real estate will.
Fighting wine glasses
It wasn't really a fair fight. Polishing a glass and it attacks me, pretty unfair if you ask me.
Jokes aside, a pretty standard Tuesday at work turned out grim. Super busy, I was asked to cover a break on one of the other three bar's where I work, and surely, it would be a bit of a disaster. Less than ten minutes in, polishing a wine glass, one hand on the glass top, other hand on the stem. Stem snaps, hands slip, glass slices my finger, clean up wasn't fun for my work mates. An initial rush for bandages managed to calm me down a bit, but it hurt a lot - been a while since I cut myself. Worked in a kitchen for four years, never cut myself once this bad.
I soldiered on, ended up doing food service instead, obviously with gloves on etc. A few hours go by, the pain gets more intense and overall I just feel sick. Work let me go, I ran to the hospital, four stitches, a tetanus jab, and some tests later, I'm finally able to go home. Did I? No. Stopped by work for a beer, after that bloody day I needed it. I think I underestimated how bad it was though.
I came into work the next day, bandaged up, hurt a bit but nothing crazy. Same as the next day. But come Saturday night, I knew about it. Couldn't sleep, pain all throughout the night, and in the morning I checked it - infected. Rushed to hospital, a few hours in Auburn medical centre, and a dose of the finest IV antibiotics they had. Not the start to my Sunday I wanted.
Shit happens I suppose, but because it's my luck, it happens in the run up to Xmas, the busiest period at work, and just as the staff party takes place. 0% Peroni and me don't really match. I set pretty high standards for myself, but I folded. 0% beer. Ffs. Antibiotics should be made to go with beer, bloody ridiculous.
Enough about my finger, I know you're probably squeamish. Wimp. Let's talk money, as a traveller...
Traveller finance
One good thing about working longer hours is that, well, when do you spend your money? The odd coffee before work, I try and use cash from tips for that. Bills, comes out automatically every payday. But since working, I've dealt with being impulsive far better.
Okay, first week was a write off. AC/DC and tattoo in one week won't happen for a while, lessons learned, but that was a mint week to be fair, so no regrets here.
When you travel on savings, your first - let's say - £1k-£2k, you just blow it. Clothes, beer, food, anything, you just see it like free money. It has to be spent at some point, right? I arrived in Sydney with around £1.5k. Housing deposit took £700 off me. Admittedly, did some shopping. I rushed into a job because, well, I was almost broke. The biggest regret, even thought it was largely out of my hands, was not having a job sooner, and just falling back on savings. My recommendation would be to try and get work early, and have the savings ready for travelling more or "rainy days". Then again, everyone views travelling budgets differently.
Coming to Australia isn't cheap. Your paid well, but things cost more - it's all relative. But in general, it isn't vastly different from the UK, it's just your paid better, sometimes taxed more. Bringing the £2.5k* that the Australian government recommend on their website is the absolute minimum you should take here. If you're charismatic, have retail or hospitality - 'hospo' - experience, you'll be grand. But even with higher chances of getting a job early, set yourself up nicely, there's nothing worse than stressing about money when you should be enjoying yourself, let me tell you that for one.
This week is my best week financially. Xmas round the corner, a week or so off work unpaid, you have to be smart. I've paid off my final weeks rent for my old property in Lidcombe, inner-West Sydney, and also paid two weeks rent for my new place, just to get ahead, and know where I'm at. I'm someone who hates the idea of having to owe someone, I'd rather be broke for a week and set myself up for the next few then spread it out over time. One week of suffering is better than 2-3 weeks of having an "okay" amount, if you catch my drift?
Budgeting lessons help me. There's no set method, and I don't sit on excel all week calculating shit, but this is what I stick to, as provided by someone online:
30% - Rent/Housing
10% - Utilities/Bills
10% - Food
20% - Savings
30% - Disposable income
I've tweaked it slightly, so I have 40% as property and utility together, because most rentals for travellers include bills in Sydney. For example, if my wage is - let's say - $1,000 a week, then the maximum I spend on property & bills is $400. But, to avoid being affected by any major changes (reduced work hours etc) I like to try and keep it around 30% of my earnings, so there is room for change in income, and the damage done is limited.
With savings too, I do a mix of 10/10 savings. 10% into a savers account in my bank, 10% into investments in index funds or, if i'm feeling studious and smart (rare) then volatile stocks - but I won't bore you with this.
Basically, have a bloody plan. Even if you're good with money, and have savings, prepare not to. Always have a budget, especially when travelling. You don't have to be religious with it, you will deviate from it, take the odd $50 from your savings for beers with mates, but just try to get as close to your plan as possible, it'll save you some stress. And, well, work hard. Living in a big city is ruthless, be prepared to work big hours, but as the saying goes: "work hard, play hard"
Once this shitty finger infection is cleared, I'll be doing exactly the latter. But anyway, that's my 'two-pence' on traveller money.
Sydney, come together
You'll see the blog is late, there was actually an entire other paragraph written here - my weekly feature of "What I learned this week," but it almost didn't feel appropriate.
As I was going to prepare this for publishing, a few work mates texted our work chat. Gunshots heard on Bondi beach, one of the most famous beaches in not only Australia, but the world. A staple for its relaxed, fun and welcoming nature. Celebrated by everyone, all colours, religions, orientations. Rocked by a horrendous, dark afternoon.
Cowardly, barbaric "men" opened fire on innocent people celebrating the first day of Hannukah. A Jewish celebration. Sat on the beach, enjoying one of the greatest places to be in Sydney, especially on a beautiful Sunday afternoon.
You know, nothing prepares you for an atrocity, especially one to this extent. To hear from work friends of gunshots, then to see the news, and the horrendous images that followed, honestly nothing prepares you for it. The world can be an evil place, and it's easy to feel unsafe at times, but Sunday was honestly the first time I've been afraid to leave the house. I couldn't even begin to imagine how those on the beach, and surrounding it must have felt.
Thankfully, colleagues and friends who were at the beach that afternoon were safe. They went after our staff party, I left early because of my finger, they went to celebrate, and enjoy their day. As traumatic as the afternoon will have been for them, thank god they are okay. As for those who we sadly lost, my heartfelt condolences go to them and their family.
I never thought I'd have to discuss something like this happening, especially here in Sydney, it breaks my heart.
One thing that warms my heart though is that, if any community would come out of this stronger, more united, and fearless in the face of extremism, it's Sydney. Australia is a proud country, and there is no doubt this will impact, and has impacted everyone here, but the community here has come together, and already supported those who need it so much. My heart goes out especially to the Jewish community, nobody should be targeted for their religion. Innocent lives taken by extremism.
I'm proud, and lucky to live in Sydney. It gives me goosebumps to write this. Rest in peace to all those lost, and to those who are injured, I wish the speediest of recoveries.
Take care, see you next week.
Jamie
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