Search

To move or not to move: is it cheaper to find a new place or stay when your rent increases by 10%?

<a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/park-thaichon-175182">Park Thaichon</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/university-of-southern-queensland-1069">University of Southern Queensland</a> and <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/sara-quach-175976">Sara Quach</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/griffith-university-828">Griffith University</a> Your landlord has just raised your rent by 10% and your mind starts running the numbers – should you cop it sweet or look to move? It’s a familiar scenario in today’s unpredictable housing market. Understanding the real costs of staying versus moving is essential for making informed choices: renters must consider hidden expenses such as moving costs, deposits and changing rental rates, giving them tools to handle rising rent pressures more effectively. <h2>A grim time for many renters</h2> National median market rents have hit record highs, reaching $627 per week, with an average annual growth rate of 9.1% during the past three years, according to real estate giant <a href="https://www.aph.gov.au/About_Parliament/Parliamentary_departments/Parliamentary_Library/Budget/reviews/2024-25/Housing#:%7E:text=Based%20on%20April%202024%20CoreLogic,the%20past%203%20calendar%20years">CoreLogic</a>. <a href="https://www.corelogic.com.au/news-research/news/2024/rent-growth-picked-up-in-the-start-of-2024,-taking-rents-to-new-record-highs">CoreLogic</a> also reported annual rental changes (houses and units) in regional Australia are not far off from the big cities: annual rent changes were 9.4% for combined capital cities, 6.4% for combined regional areas, and 8.5% nationally. So, is it better to stay or move if your rent is raised by 10%? Let’s examine the costs and benefits of each option. <h2>A breakdown of typical moving costs</h2> We’ll start with the most obvious expense: moving costs. Professional moving services aren’t cheap. For example, moving a three-bedroom house in the Gold Coast costs <a href="https://www.muval.com.au/removalists/gold-coast">$1,095.25 on average</a>, with an hourly rate of $158.26. In a bigger city like Melbourne, the cost is slightly higher at <a href="https://www.muval.com.au/removalists/melbourne">about $1,118.46</a>. The moving costs between states or cities will be more expensive if you move further away. You could choose to handle packing yourself and hire some help with a truck – a common option with businesses such as “<a href="https://www.gumtree.com.au/s-removals-storage/gold-coast/2+men+and+a+truck/k0c18643l3006035">Two Men and a Truck</a>”, which typically costs around $100 per hour. Be aware, though, that the hourly rate often starts from the moment the truck leaves the company’s warehouse until it returns. Alternatively, you can rent a van for a lower price, such as $87 for a 24-hour <a href="https://www.bunnings.com.au/for-hire-handivan-24hr-first-100kms-inc-_p5470402">Handivan rental at Bunnings</a>. Don’t forget the cost of moving boxes, too: Bunnings’ 52 litre <a href="https://www.bunnings.com.au/bunnings-52l-light-duty-moving-carton_p0517130?srsltid=AfmBOoqCYAWT0P5apPiJpoOLRAIpUCHNi63ztvIZrG5CxCoNOv45G0TV">moving cartons</a> cost $2.66 each. End-of-lease or <a href="https://firstcallhomeservices.com.au/service-menu/bond-exit-end-lease-cleaning/">bond cleaning</a> is another common expense. For a typical three-bedroom property, internal cleaning can range from $365 to $500. If you have pets, or kids who love drawing on the walls, your cleaning costs might be a bit higher. Now, let’s look at utility connection expenses that can catch people by surprise. Cancelling your internet service can be costly if you don’t meet the exit or cancellation policies. With <a href="https://www.telstra.com.au/internet/5g-home-internet">Telstra Home Internet</a>, for example, if you cancel within the first 24 months, you must return your modem within 21 days to avoid a $400 non-return fee. Most providers charge a cancellation fee or require final device repayments, typically ranging from $100 to $500, depending on the remaining contract period. As a renter, it might be wise to choose a no-lock-in contract plan to avoid these fees if you need flexibility. Electricity and gas connection and disconnection fees are usually minor but can add up, often costing about $40 to $60 for <a href="https://www.energyon.com.au/fees-and-charges/">connection and disconnection fees</a> for electricity alone. If your house uses gas for hot water or cooking, you may have to pay additional fees for setting up service. However, there are also non-financial costs, like the time spent searching for a new home, attending inspections, and putting in applications. Moving takes effort and energy for packing, transporting and unpacking. Some people feel emotionally attached to their current home, which can make leaving harder. Older renters <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S1353829218311304">seem to draw strength</a> from their familiarity with, attachment to, and enjoyment of their place and community. This is something to be considered. Plus, moving can take <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41537-023-00349-w">an emotional toll</a>. <h2>The benefits of not moving</h2> The clear benefit of staying is avoiding the hassle of relocating. Staying means saving on moving expenses and avoiding the time spent searching for a new place, packing and unpacking. This may also save some people from needing to take time off work. Changing and updating an address is also another tedious task that can be avoided by staying. Moving can hit the hip pocket with “after moving costs” that people may not initially consider. For instance, a new location might mean a longer commute. If each trip adds just 15 extra minutes, that could amount to an additional 11 hours per month over 22 workdays. For drivers, increased fuel and parking expenses might also come into play. Is the current or new location closer to a supermarket, hospital, and school? This proximity could be beneficial or detrimental, depending on the surrounding environment and available services. <h2>To move or not to move?</h2> One point to note is that overall, moving costs are likely to be similar between big cities and regional areas if you get moving supplies or rent a van from a large company such as Bunnings. In the end, moving costs will be around $2,000 based on the figures above, and it can be around $800 to $1,000 cheaper if you opt to rent a van instead of using a full-service moving company. Therefore, if the current rent is $600 per week and is about to increase by 10% to $660, the additional cost would be $3,120 per year. So is it cheaper to move or stay when your rent increases by 10%? The answer is moving may save about $1,000 to $2,000, but comes with the hassle and emotional toll of relocation. Staying will be more expensive, but with less hassle and emotional strain. The right choice depends on your situation.<img style="border: none !important; box-shadow: none !important; margin: 0 !important; max-height: 1px !important; max-width: 1px !important; min-height: 1px !important; min-width: 1px !important; opacity: 0 !important; outline: none !important; padding: 0 !important;" src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/243155/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" /> <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/park-thaichon-175182">Park Thaichon</a>, Associate Professor of Marketing, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/university-of-southern-queensland-1069">University of Southern Queensland</a> and <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/sara-quach-175976">Sara Quach</a>, Senior Lecturer in Marketing, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/griffith-university-828">Griffith University</a> Image credits: Shutterstock This article is republished from <a href="https://theconversation.com">The Conversation</a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/to-move-or-not-to-move-is-it-cheaper-to-find-a-new-place-or-stay-when-your-rent-increases-by-10-243155">original article</a>.

Money & Banking

Food and exercise can treat depression as well as a psychologist, our study found. And it’s cheaper

<a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/adrienne-oneil-268324">Adrienne O'Neil</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/deakin-university-757">Deakin University</a> and <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/sophie-mahoney-1557294">Sophie Mahoney</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/deakin-university-757">Deakin University</a> Around <a href="https://www.aihw.gov.au/getmedia/6b19e493-0ebe-420f-a9a3-e48b26aace9f/aihw-aus-249-ib.pdf?v=20240628145747&inline=true">3.2 million</a> Australians live with depression. At the same time, <a href="https://www.aihw.gov.au/getmedia/6b19e493-0ebe-420f-a9a3-e48b26aace9f/aihw-aus-249-ib.pdf?v=20240628145747&inline=true">few</a> Australians meet recommended dietary or physical activity guidelines. What has one got to do with the other? Our world-first trial, <a href="https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lanwpc/article/PIIS2666-6065%2824%2900136-6/fulltext">published this week</a>, shows improving diet and doing more physical activity can be as effective as therapy with a psychologist for treating low-grade depression. Previous studies (including <a href="https://link.springer.com/article/10.1186/s12916-017-0791-y">our own</a>) have found “lifestyle” therapies are effective for depression. But they have never been directly compared with psychological therapies – until now. Amid a nation-wide <a href="https://www.health.gov.au/sites/default/files/2023-10/national-mental-health-workforce-strategy-2022-2032.pdf">shortage</a> of mental health professionals, our research points to a potential solution. As we found lifestyle counselling was as effective as psychological therapy, our findings suggest dietitians and exercise physiologists may one day play a role in managing depression. <h2>What did our study measure?</h2> During the prolonged COVID lockdowns, Victorians’ distress levels were <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.5694/mja2.50831">high and widespread</a>. Face-to-face mental health services were limited. Our trial targeted people living in Victoria with elevated distress, meaning at least mild depression but not necessarily a diagnosed mental disorder. Typical symptoms included feeling down, hopeless, irritable or tearful. We partnered with our <a href="https://www.barwonhealth.org.au/mhdas/">local mental health service</a> to recruit 182 adults and provided group-based sessions on Zoom. All participants took part in up to six sessions over eight weeks, facilitated by health professionals. Half were randomly assigned to participate in a program co-facilitated by an accredited practising dietitian and an exercise physiologist. That group – called the lifestyle program – developed nutrition and movement goals: <ul> <li>eating a wide variety of foods</li> <li>choosing high-fibre plant foods</li> <li>including high quality fats</li> <li>limiting discretionary foods, such as those high in saturated fats and added sugars</li> <li>doing enjoyable physical activity.</li> </ul> The second group took part in psychotherapy sessions convened by two psychologists. The psychotherapy program used cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT), the gold standard for treating depression in <a href="https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamapsychiatry/article-abstract/2730724">groups and when delivered remotely</a>. In both groups, participants could continue existing treatments (such as taking antidepressant medication). We gave both groups <a href="https://link.springer.com/article/10.1186/s12888-022-03840-3">workbooks and hampers</a>. The lifestyle group received a food hamper, while the psychotherapy group received items such as a colouring book, stress ball and head massager. <h2>Lifestyle therapies just as effective</h2> We found similar results in each program. At the trial’s beginning we gave each participant a score based on their self-reported mental health. We measured them again at the end of the program. Over eight weeks, those scores showed symptoms of depression reduced for participants in the lifestyle program (42%) and the psychotherapy program (37%). That difference was not statistically or clinically meaningful so we could conclude both treatments were as good as each other. There were some differences between groups. People in the lifestyle program improved their diet, while those in the psychotherapy program felt they had increased their social support – meaning how connected they felt to other people – compared to at the start of the treatment. Participants in both programs increased their physical activity. While this was expected for those in the lifestyle program, it was less expected for those in the psychotherapy program. It may be because they knew they were enrolled in a research study about lifestyle and subconsciously changed their activity patterns, or it could be a positive by-product of doing psychotherapy. There was also not much difference in cost. The lifestyle program was slightly cheaper to deliver: A$482 per participant, versus $503 for psychotherapy. That’s because hourly rates differ between dietitians and exercise physiologists, and psychologists. <h2>What does this mean for mental health workforce shortages?</h2> Demand for mental health services is increasing in Australia, while at the same time the workforce <a href="https://www.health.gov.au/sites/default/files/2023-10/national-mental-health-workforce-strategy-2022-2032.pdf">faces worsening nation-wide shortages</a>. Psychologists, who provide <a href="https://www.aihw.gov.au/getmedia/6b19e493-0ebe-420f-a9a3-e48b26aace9f/aihw-aus-249-ib.pdf?v=20240628145747&inline=true">about half</a> of all mental health services, can have long wait times. Our results suggest that, with the appropriate training and guidelines, allied health professionals who specialise in diet and exercise could help address this gap. Lifestyle therapies can be combined with psychology sessions for multi-disciplinary care. But diet and exercise therapies could prove particularly effective for those on waitlists to see a psychologists, who may be receiving no other professional support while they wait. Many dietitians and exercise physiologists already have advanced skills and expertise in motivating behaviour change. Most accredited practising dietitians are trained in managing <a href="https://link.springer.com/content/pdf/10.1007/978-3-030-67929-3_38-1.pdf">eating disorders</a> or <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41572-020-0200-2">gastrointestinal conditions</a>, which commonly overlap with depression. There is also a cost argument. It is <a href="https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/1355819616668202">overall cheaper</a> to train a dietitian ($153,039) than a psychologist ($189,063) – and it takes less time. <h2>Potential barriers</h2> Australians with chronic conditions (such as diabetes) can access subsidised dietitian and exercise physiologist appointments under various Medicare treatment plans. Those with eating disorders can also access subsidised dietitian appointments. But mental health care plans for people with depression do not support subsidised sessions with dietitians or exercise physiologists, despite <a href="https://dietitiansaustralia.org.au/sites/default/files/2024-04/Dietitians%20Australia%20Mental%20Health%20Evidence%20Brief%202024.pdf">peak bodies</a> urging them to do so. Increased training, upskilling and Medicare subsidies would be needed to support dietitians and exercise physiologists to be involved in treating mental health issues. <a href="https://foodandmoodcentre.com.au/academy">Our training</a> and clinical <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/15622975.2022.2112074">guidelines</a> are intended to help clinicians practising lifestyle-based mental health care within their scope of practice (activities a health care provider can undertake). <h2>Future directions</h2> Our trial took place during COVID lockdowns and examined people with at least mild symptoms of depression who did not necessarily have a mental disorder. We are seeking to replicate these findings and are now running <a href="https://foodandmoodcentre.com.au/projects/the-harmone-trial/">a study</a> open to Australians with mental health conditions such as major depression or bipolar disorder. If this article has raised issues for you, or if you’re concerned about someone you know, call Lifeline on 13 11 14.<img style="border: none !important; box-shadow: none !important; margin: 0 !important; max-height: 1px !important; max-width: 1px !important; min-height: 1px !important; min-width: 1px !important; opacity: 0 !important; outline: none !important; padding: 0 !important;" src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/235952/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" /> <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/adrienne-oneil-268324">Adrienne O'Neil</a>, Professor, Food & Mood Centre, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/deakin-university-757">Deakin University</a> and <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/sophie-mahoney-1557294">Sophie Mahoney</a>, Associate Research Fellow, Food and Mood Centre, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/deakin-university-757">Deakin University</a> Image credits: Shutterstock This article is republished from <a href="https://theconversation.com">The Conversation</a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/food-and-exercise-can-treat-depression-as-well-as-a-psychologist-our-study-found-and-its-cheaper-235952">original article</a>.

Body

5 tips for getting off gas at home – for a cleaner, cheaper, healthier all-electric future

<a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/trivess-moore-12580">Trivess Moore</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/rmit-university-1063">RMIT University</a>; <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/alan-pears-52">Alan Pears</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/rmit-university-1063">RMIT University</a>, and <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/nicola-willand-441807">Nicola Willand</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/rmit-university-1063">RMIT University</a> Burning gas in our homes to cook food or heat air and water has become a contentious issue. Gas is an expensive, polluting fossil fuel, and there’s mounting evidence to suggest it’s also <a href="https://www1.racgp.org.au/ajgp/2022/december/health-risks-from-indoor-gas-appliances">bad for our health</a>. Five million existing Australian households will need to <a href="https://grattan.edu.au/report/getting-off-gas/">get off gas</a> within the next 30 years. But for homeowners, the upfront cost can be a major barrier to action. Renters rarely get a say over the appliances installed in their homes. And apartment owners can struggle to make individual changes too. In most cases it’s worth making the switch, for the energy bill savings alone. For example, analysis suggests a household in Melbourne switching from gas to electricity can save <a href="https://theconversation.com/all-electric-homes-are-better-for-your-hip-pocket-and-the-planet-heres-how-governments-can-help-us-get-off-gas-207409">up to A$13,900</a> over a decade. If you’re contemplating upgrading gas appliances in your home, or even disconnecting from the gas network altogether, here are a few handy tips and resources to cut through the confusion. <figure><iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/2JuZgXz6zNo?wmode=transparent&start=0" width="440" height="260" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe><figcaption>Homes must switch away from gas by 2050, says policy think tank (ABC News)</figcaption></figure> <h2>Tip 1 – Find trusted, independent information</h2> There is no shortage of information on how to make the switch from gas to all-electric appliances. The challenge is finding <a href="https://theconversation.com/we-need-a-lemon-law-to-make-all-the-homes-we-buy-and-rent-more-energy-efficient-204369">trusted and independent information</a>. Not-for-profit organisation <a href="https://renew.org.au/">Renew</a> has compiled a range of <a href="https://renew.org.au/resources/how-we-can-help/efficient-electric-homes/how-we-can-help-going-off-gas/">presentations, guides, case studies and research</a>. <a href="https://www.choice.com.au/">Choice</a> provides independent reviews of household appliances, including operating costs. The Australian government’s <a href="https://www.energyrating.gov.au/">Energy Rating website</a> provides information on appliances to help consumers compare performance. Some <a href="https://www.yarracity.vic.gov.au/services/take-climate-action">local councils</a> and <a href="https://totallyrenewableyack.org.au/">community groups</a> also provide information, support and bulk-buying schemes. You could also visit some of the all-electric homes open to the public for <a href="https://sustainablehouseday.com/">Sustainable House Day</a>. This can help you learn what works from people who have already made the change. The <a href="https://www.facebook.com/groups/MyEfficientElectricHome">My Efficient Electric Home</a> group on Facebook is another active and helpful forum. If you are going all-electric as part of a wider retrofit, consider an independent <a href="https://www.homescorecard.gov.au/">Residential Efficiency Scorecard assessment</a>. This will help you understand what to else you can do to maximise <a href="https://theconversation.com/the-other-99-retrofitting-is-the-key-to-putting-more-australians-into-eco-homes-91231">thermal comfort, environmental benefits and financial outcomes</a>. <h2>Tip 2 – Plan your approach</h2> Once you understand what to do, the next step is planning how to go about it. Think about what is most important to your household. What is driving the change? If it’s your health, you might like to start by eliminating indoor air pollution from the gas stove. Or if you want to save money, start using reverse-cycle air conditioning to heat your home, rather than gas. There are three main ways to go all-electric: <ul> <li> Replace all your gas appliances at once. Making the change quickly minimises disruption to your home. You may save money on installation costs by doing everything in one go. You will avoid ongoing fixed gas supply charges once you disconnect from the gas network, but you may be required to pay an “<a href="https://energy.act.gov.au/switching-off-your-gas-connection/">abolishment fee</a>” for permanent disconnection. That fee can vary significantly, depending on your location and gas provider. Costs <a href="https://www.smh.com.au/environment/sustainability/would-you-pay-1000-to-get-off-gas-consumer-dismay-over-disconnection-cost-20230223-p5cmw9.html">could be up to $1000 (or more)</a> but some states like Victoria have capped the price a <a href="https://reneweconomy.com.au/fossil-gas-death-spiral-regulator-sets-exit-fee-to-socialise-cost-of-mass-disconnection/">household can be charged at $220</a>. Renters wouldn’t be able to permanently disconnect without permission from the landlord, so they would still be open to paying the daily connection fee even if they found alternative electric options for everything else. </li> <li> Replace your gas appliances one at a time, as finances allow. However, there will come a point where <a href="http://www.ata.org.au/wp-content/projects/CAP_Gas_Research_Final_Report_251114_v2.0.pdf">financially you will be better off</a> replacing all the remaining gas appliances. This is largely because it will not be affordable to keep paying the daily connection cost for gas if you just have one gas appliance remaining. </li> <li> Just stop using gas appliances in favour of existing electric appliances that do the same job, such as a <a href="https://reneweconomy.com.au/the-traps-laid-by-the-fossil-gas-industry-for-uninformed-households/">reverse cycle air conditioner for space heating</a>. You may have – or can buy – plug-in electric alternatives, such as a microwave ovens, portable induction cooktops, air fryers and heaters. These can be a good option for renters when landlords won’t make changes. </li> </ul> You could even borrow portable appliances to see how they work before committing to buying your own. <figure><iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/tLjWZicC4mE?wmode=transparent&start=2" width="440" height="260" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe><figcaption>Households share their electrification journey (Renew)</figcaption></figure> <h2>Tip 3 – Access available rebates and resources</h2> Most states offer various rebates for households to reduce the upfront cost of replacing gas appliances. These could reduce costs by thousands of dollars. Some rebates also target rental housing. Here is a list of key rebates available in different states: <ul> <li><a href="https://www.epw.qld.gov.au/about/initiatives/household-energy-savings-program">Queensland</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.energy.nsw.gov.au/households/rebates-grants-and-schemes">New South Wales</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.climatechoices.act.gov.au/policy-programs/home-energy-support-rebates-for-homeowners">ACT</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.energy.vic.gov.au/for-households/victorian-energy-upgrades-for-households">Victoria</a></li> <li><a href="https://recfit.tas.gov.au/household_energy/energy_saver_loan_scheme">Tasmania</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.sa.gov.au/topics/energy-and-environment/using-saving-energy/retailer-energy-productivity-scheme">South Australia</a></li> </ul> Some not-for-profit organisations (such as the <a href="https://www.bsl.org.au/services/energy-assistance/">Brotherhood of St Laurence</a>) offer financial and other support for lower-income households struggling to pay their energy bills. <h2>Tip 4 – Wait for a sale or negotiate a better deal</h2> It might sound simple but you can always save money by waiting until these electric appliances are on sale. If you are buying multiple appliances you can try to negotiate a better price. Factory seconds outlets offer lower prices as well. <h2>Tip 5 – Know the issues</h2> While the shift to all-electric will likely provide many benefits there are some things you need to consider: <ul> <li>The carbon emissions from electricity are falling fast, and many homes have rooftop solar. Combining <a href="https://grattan.edu.au/report/getting-off-gas/">all-electric with solar panels</a> will maximise returns.</li> <li>You may have to adjust to how new technologies operate and perform. For example, you may need <a href="https://www.theage.com.au/goodfood/tips-and-advice/do-you-really-have-to-buy-new-cookware-all-your-burning-questions-about-induction-cooking-answered-20230810-p5dvd0.html">new, metallic cookware for an induction cooktop</a> and become familiar with their fast response. Additionally, some people find heat from reverse cycle air conditioners to be drier and/or draughtier than gas heating. Floor-mounted units heat more effectively.</li> <li>It is not just the energy performance of appliances that matters. For example, noise from heat pump hot water services can vary across different brands. They can also require more space for installation.</li> <li>Undertaking a wider energy retrofit (for example, increasing insulation in walls, ceiling and underfloor, upgrading windows to double glazing) may mean you can buy a smaller, cheaper reverse cycle air conditioner when replacing gas heating.</li> <li>Electric appliances also need maintenance to make sure they perform optimally. For example, reverse cycle air conditioners have filters that must be regularly cleaned. While this can be done by households, it can be hard for people with mobility issues.</li> <li>Depending on the capacity of your electricity switchboard or wiring, extra electric appliances may require upgrades.</li> <li>For renters, while you could use portable appliances, you may not be able to disconnect from gas completely, meaning you would still have to pay a daily connection fee.</li> <li>Gas and electricity prices can change over time, for many reasons. For example, if fixed gas distribution costs are spread over fewer customers.</li> </ul> <h2>A worthwhile investment</h2> Australian states and territories have started banning gas in new builds. Victoria and the ACT will soon require <a href="https://theconversation.com/cooking-and-heating-without-gas-what-are-the-impacts-of-shifting-to-all-electric-homes-210649">new housing and major renovations to be all-electric</a>. Others are likely to follow. For people in existing housing around Australia, it can be daunting to make the switch. Many of us have grown up with gas in our homes and when one appliance breaks, the easiest thing to do is replace like-for-like. But the weight of evidence shows it’s worth taking the time to look at the alteratives and invest in upgrading to all-electric appliances. The benefits far outweigh the costs. <img style="border: none !important; box-shadow: none !important; margin: 0 !important; max-height: 1px !important; max-width: 1px !important; min-height: 1px !important; min-width: 1px !important; opacity: 0 !important; outline: none !important; padding: 0 !important;" src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/211261/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" /> <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/trivess-moore-12580">Trivess Moore</a>, Senior Lecturer, School of Property, Construction and Project Management, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/rmit-university-1063">RMIT University</a>; <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/alan-pears-52">Alan Pears</a>, Senior Industry Fellow, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/rmit-university-1063">RMIT University</a>, and <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/nicola-willand-441807">Nicola Willand</a>, Senior Lecturer, School of Property, Construction and Project Management, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/rmit-university-1063">RMIT University</a> Image credits: Getty Images This article is republished from <a href="https://theconversation.com">The Conversation</a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/5-tips-for-getting-off-gas-at-home-for-a-cleaner-cheaper-healthier-all-electric-future-211261">original article</a>.

Home & Garden

Coronation Quiche anyone? You’ll need to fork out A$38. Here are cheaper and healthier options

If you are a monarchist, or just enjoy the tradition of the royal family, you may have heard about the Coronation Quiche – made with spinach, broad beans and tarragon. The idea is for us to make it and share it with friends and family during the coronation celebrations in May. King Charles and Queen Consort Camilla have just shared a <a href="https://www.royal.uk/coronation-quiche-0">recipe</a>. <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> Introducing… Coronation Quiche! Chosen personally by Their Majesties, The King and The Queen Consort have shared a recipe in celebration of the upcoming <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/CoronationBigLunch?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#CoronationBigLunch</a> taking place up and down the country. <a href="https://t.co/aVcw9tNarP">pic.twitter.com/aVcw9tNarP</a> — The Royal Family (@RoyalFamily) <a href="https://twitter.com/RoyalFamily/status/1647917367798939648?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 17, 2023</a></blockquote> As dietitians, we’re interested in the quiche’s nutritional value. So we analysed its contents and found that although it’s quite a healthy dish, we could make a healthier version. Spoiler alert: the original recipe contains lard (pork fat). We’ve also found we could make the quiche using cheaper or more easily available ingredients. <h2>What exactly is a quiche?</h2> Today, most people consider quiche a French dish that’s essentially a savoury pie. It typically consists of a pastry crust filled with a mixture of eggs, cream and cheese, plus various other ingredients such as veggies, meat and herbs. Quiche can be served hot or cold. You can have it for breakfast, lunch or dinner with salad or veggies. <h2>How much does it cost?</h2> Quiches are usually quite economical to make. Most of the basic ingredients are cheap, and you can adapt the fillings depending on what’s in the fridge or left over from recent meals. Let’s see if this applies to the Coronation Quiche. We split the costs into typical quantities you can buy at the shops (for instance, six eggs) and the costs to make the quiche (which only needs two eggs). If you make the quiche from scratch and have to buy the ingredients in quantities sold in the shops, this will cost you almost A$38. Although this may seem a lot, you’ll have some ingredients left over for another meal. So how much do the ingredients cost for one quiche? We worked it out at $12 for the entire quiche, or $2 a serve. Quite reasonable! <h2>Can you make it even cheaper?</h2> Busy lives and the rising cost of living are front of mind right now. So here are a few things you can do to save time and money when making a Coronation Quiche: <ul> <li> buy pre-made pastry. Keep any sheets you don’t use for the quiche in the freezer </li> <li> use <a href="https://theconversation.com/are-home-brand-foods-healthy-if-you-read-the-label-you-may-be-pleasantly-surprised-189445">home-brand products</a> where possible </li> <li> consider vegetable shortening as it is a little cheaper than lard </li> <li> buy vegetables in season and from a farmers’ market </li> <li> can’t find tarragon? Try seasonal and cheap herbs such as parsley, basil or rosemary </li> <li> can’t find broad beans? Try cheaper pulses such as edamame or cannellini beans. </li> </ul> <h2>How nutritious is the Coronation Quiche?</h2> We also looked at the Coronation Quiche’s nutritional profile. We expressed quantities for the whole quiche, and per serve. <img src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/2023/04/quiche-nutrient.jpg" alt="" width="1280" height="720" /> <h2>The healthy … and the not so healthy</h2> This quiche has high amounts of healthy protein and fibre that come from the broad beans and eggs. One serving of this quiche gives you about 18-25% of your daily protein and about 10% of your daily fibre requirements, which is great. But the quiche has high levels of saturated fat, mostly from its high amounts of lard, butter and cream. Saturated fat has been linked to an increased risk of <a href="https://www.cochranelibrary.com/cdsr/doi/10.1002/14651858.CD011737.pub3/full">cardiovascular events</a>, such as heart attacks and stroke, because it raises levels of LDL cholesterol (the bad kind of cholesterol). This LDL cholesterol can build up in the walls of arteries and form plaques, leading to arteries hardening over time and increasing the risk of heart attack and stroke. So, high amounts of saturated fats is something we want to avoid eating too much of, especially if we have cardiovascular disease. It’s also something we want to avoid if we’re trying to lose weight. For an average Aussie consuming roughly 9,000 kilojoules per day, the recommended maximum intake of saturated fat is about 24 grams. Just one serve of this quiche has about 17g of saturated fat, which means there’s not much wriggle room for other foods after you have a slice. You may be better off trying <a href="https://nomoneynotime.com.au/healthy-easy-recipes/clares-rolled-oats-quiche">this quiche</a> instead, as it has half the amount of saturated fat as the Coronation Quiche. You could even try a <a href="https://www.wellplated.com/crustless-quiche/">crustless quiche</a>. <h2>4 ways to make a healthier quiche</h2> Here are a few swaps to help make this recipe healthier: 1. Use low-fat options. If you’re watching your weight and looking to reduce the kilojoules of the quiche, swap the full-fat cheddar cheese, milk and double cream to low-fat products. This will reduce the total fat content per serve from 29.6g to 15g and save 112.2 kilojoules per serve 2. Ditch the lard. Swap the lard for butter to save 15g of total fat per serve. This may change the texture of the quiche slightly but it will reduce the kilojoules 3. Use feta. Swap the cheddar cheese for feta cheese, which has fewer kilojoules per gram 4. Add extra veggies. This increases the fibre content of the quiche and adds loads of extra nutrients. Image credits: Getty Images This article originally appeared on <a href="https://theconversation.com/coronation-quiche-anyone-youll-need-to-fork-out-a-38-here-are-cheaper-and-healthier-options-204100" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Conversation</a>.

Food & Wine

Private island on sale for a price cheaper than most homes

A private island is up for grabs in Queensland, for a price that is cheaper than an average home in most Australian cities. Poole Island, situated in the Whitsundays, comes with two homes that were built in the 1800s and 1980s, and has an asking price of just under $1 million. This comes after a contract fell through when a would-be buyer couldn’t be contacted, so the 20ha island is back on the market. “I can confirm that we have not been able to contact the purchaser,” Private Islands Online Australia’s Richard Vanhoff told 7NEWS.com.au. “We have tried ourselves, and we are also going on advice from the purchaser’s solicitor, who has also not been able to contact him.” The island is now accepting offers over $995,000. Other features of the island include a handmade rock swimming pool and a 215m runway to cater for small aircraft or a helicopter that flies in from Airlie Beach or Bowen. According to the listing, the pool itself is equipped with a new windmill pump that continuously pumps water into the pool so there’s “no need for chemicals or cleaning as the crystal clear water is in abundance”. The island also has a slipway for any boat owners or those who love to fish, and a stone shed where you can store various machinery including tractors and slashers. Images: Private Islands Online Australia

Real Estate

Cheaper gas and electricity are within our grasp

Virtually every country in the world is facing a crisis in energy costs, yet while other countries can’t do much about it, Australia can. Australia could get its east coast gas producers to supply the domestic gas market for less than A$10 a gigajoule. Earlier this year, prices were more than $40 a gigajoule, and now sit at $25-30 a gigajoule. Tuesday’s budget factored in retail electricity price rises of <a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/492030/original/file-20221027-18797-tg4woh.JPG">more than 50%</a> over two years. The increases in retail gas prices exceeded 40%. Outlining the budget on Tuesday, Treasurer Jim Chalmers said any responsible government facing these kinds of price hikes needed to “consider a <a href="https://ministers.treasury.gov.au/ministers/jim-chalmers-2022/transcripts/joint-press-conference-main-committee-room-parliament-house">broader suite of regulatory interventions</a>” than in the past. Chalmers had “more work to do” and would work with the states. Here is the key step I think should be taken. To restrain electricity prices, cut gas prices The quickest way to get electricity prices down is to significantly lower the cost of gas. Gas generators come online after cheaper forms of generation have already been pressed into service, and so help set the final price charged. Getting gas prices below $10 a gigajoule would also help households that are facing crippling gas bills, as well as industries that rely on sensibly priced energy for their existence including Australia’s glass, paper and fertiliser industries. Once those industries close, they are unlikely to return. Here’s what’s been done so far. The Turnbull, Morrison and recently the Albanese governments have each reached agreements with the three liquid natural gas producers operating out of Gladstone in Queensland that together control around 90% of east coast reserves. ‘Sufficient supply’ isn’t affordable supply The agreements require the supply of sufficient gas to meet the needs of east coast gas consumers. For a while they worked to reduce then-high domestic prices to sensible levels, because international prices were low. But now international prices have climbed to multiples of usual levels, agreements to supply without specific reference to prices are no longer enough. An agreement to supply “sufficient” quantities of gas at $25-40 per gigajoule is an agreement to not supply much. After industries close, supply will be “sufficient” for the remaining users who can afford it, but it won’t be what we want. We need to get the east coast liquefied natural gas (LNG) producers to supply sufficient gas to the east coast at prices below $10 a gigajoule. They would continue to make a profit at those prices, albeit much less than otherwise. As it happens, the Commonwealth has the power to get such commitments, because it has the power to stop exports. That power gives it complete leverage. We need to be clear on two points. First, there is no suggestion here that the LNG producers’ long-term contracts are at risk. Asian buyers need not be concerned. All three LNG projects were underwritten by long-term contracts at fixed prices. What we are talking about is the gas the three producers have available beyond their need to service these long contracts. This gas can either be exported to the spot, or short-term, market at very high prices or sold domestically. They should be told they can only export gas to the currently lucrative international spot market if they sell sufficient gas domestically to get prices clearly below $10 a gigajoule. Other exporters reserve gas Second, what I am suggesting is akin to what all other gas exporting countries do. Australia has by far the highest domestic gas prices of any gas exporting country. No other country would tolerate its gas being exported while its domestic market is paying the same high prices as international customers. The gas companies need to come to the party, either to earn their “licence to operate” or to avoid the threat of export controls. If they know the threat of export controls is real, I believe they will do what’s necessary without the need to actually control exports. A final point: there can be no argument about “<a href="https://sersolutions.com.au/what-is-sovereign-risk-and-how-does-it-affect-australia/">sovereign risk</a>”, the idea that foreign companies will no longer do business with Australia if it changes the rules. The long-term gas exporting contracts would remain intact. Australia would simply be aligning itself with all other gas exporting nations – and, by the way, with <a href="https://www.wa.gov.au/government/publications/wa-domestic-gas-policy">Western Australia</a>, which has long looked after its residents and businesses by reserving gas to ensure reasonable domestic prices.<img style="border: none !important; box-shadow: none !important; margin: 0 !important; max-height: 1px !important; max-width: 1px !important; min-height: 1px !important; min-width: 1px !important; opacity: 0 !important; outline: none !important; padding: 0 !important;" src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/193388/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" /> Writen by Rod Sims. Republished with permission from <a href="https://theconversation.com/cheaper-gas-and-electricity-are-within-our-grasp-heres-what-to-do-193388" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Conversation</a>. Image: Getty Images

Money & Banking

Cheaper in Oz: One Kiwi shopper’s savvy way to save on groceries

A New Zealand woman has shared the unusual way that she saved 35 percent on her usual grocery bill - and it involves and it even comes with free shipping. The woman, who asked not to be identified, told the <a href="https://www.nzherald.co.nz/lifestyle/kiwi-shopper-saves-35-per-cent-ordering-groceries-from-australia/BL3RATPOZGLJQASWDRVY3DC4O4/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">NZ Herald</a> that purchasing her usual groceries from Australia and shipping them to New Zealand ended up being significantly cheaper than shopping at her local supermarket. The Otago woman ordered 13 items from the neighbouring country, including pasta, nuts, dried fruit, rolled oats, toothbrushes, shampoo and hair dye, via Amazon. She told the publication she received her goods within five days, having paid just $AUD 93.30 ($NZD 100.59). “I only bought items that were included in a free shipping promotion, so I wasn’t charged for shipping. According to the receipt, shipping would have added $15,” she said. When she compared prices using the Countdown online shopping app, she found that the same items would have cost her an upwards of $30 more, totalling $NZD 139.96 ($AUD 129.82). She found the best deal was on toothpaste, which she paid $AUD 2.50 ($NZD2.69) for. “All the items were long-shelf life items. I don’t think ordering from Australia would work for fresh food,” she said. Though she made a significant saving, the savvy shopper says she might not repeat her “crazy little experiment” due to the carbon footprint that came with it. Image: Getty Images

Money & Banking

Why COVID-19 means the era of ever cheaper air travel could be over

After its worst two years since the second world war, 2022 is looking brighter for the global airline industry. For passengers, though, the chance to travel at low cost again may prove short-lived. In 2020 international passenger demand was <a href="https://www.iata.org/en/pressroom/pr/2021-02-03-02/">less than 25%</a> that of 2019, according to the International Air Transport Association. 2021 data isn’t yet available, but the hiccups of the Delta and Omicron variants make the association’s forecasts of 50% of 2019 levels look optimistic. With international and domestic routes reopening, airlines are offering a range of special deals on airfares. These deals are partly to entice back uncertain travellers and partly to compensate passengers for costs required to travel internationally, such as fees for COVID tests. But don’t expect the cheap fares to last. They are likely to have a brief lifespan, as the industry come to grips with post-pandemic realities minus the government support that enabled so many, <a href="https://theconversation.com/once-the-pandemic-is-over-we-will-return-to-a-very-different-airline-industry-134124">contrary to predictions</a>, to survive. Now comes a reckoning, as surviving airlines seek to return to viability, repair their debt-laden balance sheets and future-proof their operations, with no guarantee they’ll get the same government support when the next crisis hits. What this may mean is abandoning the business model of wafer-thin profit margins that delivered ever cheaper airfares from the 1970s until the beginning of 2020. <h2>Regulation and jumbo jets</h2> Up until the 1970s the airline industry was highly regulated. Domestically, this was often done by governments to protect state-owned airlines. Australia’s “<a href="https://www.taamuseum.org.au/TwoAirlinePolicy/">two-airline policy</a>”, for example, restricted competition on major routes to just two airlines – the government-owned Trans Australia Airlines and a private competitor (Ansett Airlines for most that time). Internationally, airfares were kept high by price cooperation through the International Air Transport Association (IATA), often described as a cartel. There were two ticket pricing levels – first-class and economy. Until 1970 the biggest commercial jet aircraft was a Boeing 707, which could accommodate 180 passengers at a squeeze. Airfares had to be high to cover the high cost of operations (especially jet fuel). Most airlines accepted the IATA fare levels. Discounting was rare. Then in 1970 came the Boeing 747 jumbo jet, which more than doubled flights’ passenger capacity, from 180 to 440. <a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/436818/original/file-20211209-136652-1tkvgop.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/436818/original/file-20211209-136652-1tkvgop.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" alt="" /></a> A Boeing 707-138B alongside a Boeing 747 at the Qantas Founders Outback Museum, Longreach, Queensland. <a href="http://www.airliners.net/photo/Qantas-(Qantas-Foundation/Boeing-707-138B/1569939/L/" class="source">Wal Nelowkin</a>, <a href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/" class="license">CC BY-SA</a> This led to many changes in aviation operations and costs. Jumbo jets also enabled greater seat-pricing flexibility, with the introduction of business and premium economy classes. <h2>Airfares plummet</h2> When I began work as a travel consultant in 1981 the regulation of air fares was beginning to unravel. The official IATA economy return fare from Sydney to London was about A$3,500. But you could find fares on selected airlines for about A$2,500. (This was still several months’ wages for most, with Australian average weekly full-time earnings in 1981 being <a href="https://aifs.gov.au/media-releases/families-then-and-now-how-income-and-employment-changed-australian-households-between-1980-and-2019">A$311 for men and A$241 for women</a>.) In the 1980s and 1990s, travel agents began to set themselves up as “bucket shops” specialising in offering discounted air fares to fill empty seats on less popular airlines. This was how Flight Centre started. It opened its first shopfront <a href="https://www.fctgl.com/our-brands/leisure/flight-centre/">in Sydney in 1982</a>, followed by stores in Melbourne and Brisbane. (It now has more than 650 shops in Australia, and more than 550 in 10 other countries.) Lower costs and plummeting air fares made the IATA’s fares increasingly irrelevant. With the global rise of low-cost carriers, many of which were not IATA members, the IATA finally abandoned <a href="https://www.iata.org/en/pressroom/pr/2017-07-06-02/">so-called “YY” fare-setting in 2017</a>. Government regulation was also unwinding. Australia’s two-airline policy <a href="https://www.bitre.gov.au/sites/default/files/report_073.pdf">ended in October 1990</a>. Deregulation permitted more competitors, and airfares were driven by the market rather than set by regulatory bodies. By 2019, a return fare between Sydney and London on a reputable airline could be bought for about A$1,250, less than Australia’s average full-time adult average <a href="https://www.abs.gov.au/statistics/labour/earnings-and-work-hours/average-weekly-earnings-australia/nov-2019">weekly earnings of A$1,658</a>. A Sydney-Perth return fare that cost about A$1,100 in 1981 could be bought in 2019 for less than A$300. <h2>Why the cheap fare era may end</h2> These price falls depended on airlines embracing a business model based on lower profits per customer but flying a lot more customers, cutting fixed overheads by using larger-capacity aircraft. This business model contributed to the number of global tourists increasing from about 166 million in 1970 to <a href="https://ourworldindata.org/tourism">1.5 billion in 2019</a>. But it also meant airlines needed planes full of passengers to make a profit. By 2019 the average pre-COVID profit margin per passenger on a long-haul international return flight was <a href="https://www.ainonline.com/aviation-news/air-transport/2019-12-11/iata-again-cuts-airline-profitability-outlook-2019">about US$10</a>. It’s difficult to see how running on razor-thin margins can continue to be the industry model. During 2022 it is likely we will see consolidation within the industry, with the airlines that survive looking to diversify into other businesses, such as catering or insurance. Low-cost carriers may still be viable, but only by convincing customers to pay for “ancilliaries” beyond the airline seat, such as in-flight snacks, extra luggage capacity or a booking a hire car. Although most airlines are committed to limiting price increases, there is no escaping the fact they have two years of massive losses to make up and the continuing extra cost of COVID-related regulations to absorb. Higher margins with lower passenger volumes looks the more probable model.<img style="border: none !important; box-shadow: none !important; margin: 0 !important; max-height: 1px !important; max-width: 1px !important; min-height: 1px !important; min-width: 1px !important; opacity: 0 !important; outline: none !important; padding: 0 !important; text-shadow: none !important;" src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/172149/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" /> <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/david-beirman-4852">David Beirman</a>, Senior Lecturer, Tourism, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/university-of-technology-sydney-936">University of Technology Sydney</a> This article is republished from <a href="https://theconversation.com">The Conversation</a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/why-covid-19-means-the-era-of-ever-cheaper-air-travel-could-be-over-172149">original article</a>. Image: Shutterstock

International Travel

The new food revolution: How dining on a cruise just got better and cheaper

Michelin-starred or celebrity chef-run restaurants are not hard to come by on a cruise anymore – because they’ve come to you. Cruising the ocean can, believe it or not, be where you find incredible food for reasonable prices. With dinner options that aren’t available on land and a range of food that will leave your wallets as well as your belly satisfied, maybe a cruise should be your next holiday destination if you’re a foodie. Here are some reasons why you should dine out on the seven seas, so your taste buds love you even more. Michelin-starred choices The exciting factors that are coming into play for cruise lines is their increasing range of food for affordable prices – and the best part is the quality is so good it’s award winning. At the restaurant Harmony which can be found on the Majestic Princess cruise ship, it’s one of the only restaurants off-shore that has a Michelin-starred menu and chef. In fact, Harmony, run by a former chef for Wing Lei – the first Chinese restaurant in North America that has a Michelin star – has created a list of food that appeases your cravings for Cantonese dishes as well as seafood, mouth-watering noodle dishes and soups. Food is fun As demands for more creative and delicious food on cruise lines increases – the more fun cruisers will see from restaurants and experimentative chefs. On one cruise line, dishes are presented on porcelain plates decorated with Sodamin’s Food Faces culinary pop art, produced by the French brand Bernardaud. This restaurant featured on Holland America’s cruise line headed by Rudi Sel De Mar and launched in 2016. 24-hour pizza restaurants are proving popular as well for their ease and accessibility for cruise passengers. All types of options for your cravings One of the best factors of cruise food is there are endless options to satisfy all your cravings on board. If you’re feeling a craving for a plate of fresh sushi made to order, then carnival cruise lines have that for you. If fresh fruit with a side of yoghurt is calling your name after a great workout then head down to the breakfast bar on your cruise’s food hall level. The best part is, most of the food is free, delicious and fresh. What more could you ask for? What is the most memorable you’ve ever had on a cruise? Let us know in the comments below.

Cruising

Cheaper alternatives to popular meals

Looking to save a few dollars in the kitchen? These dishes will taste just as good as the originals. 1. Filet mignon One of the most expensive cuts of steak around, filet mignon is known for being tender and full of flavour. But if you’re on a budget, there’s a neat hack that makes any cut of steak taste like a million dollars. Put your steak in a baking tray and cover the entire surface (yep, all of it) with coarse grained salt. Leave it to marinate for at least an hour, then rinse it thoroughly and pat completely dry with paper towel. Voila! A tender, juicy, salt-aged steak worthy of filet mignon. 2. Indian curries Meat is generally what nudges the price of a meal up, so going vegetarian could save you plenty. Indian is one cuisine that is almost better when it’s meat-free. Experiment with masala, rogan josh and pilau using just chick peas, lentils and seasonal vegetables. Plus, you can usually just chuck everything in the one pot and let it bubble away, so you’re saving time as well. 3. Lamb cutlets Lamb cutlets are often eye-wateringly expensive – think upwards of $35 a kilo, which gets even worse when you consider how much of it is bone. Swap them out for lamb forequarter chops, which are usually less than $15 a kilo. You can grill them in much the same way as cutlets, though the meat can be a little tougher so slow cooking or marinating beforehand is a great option. 4. Spaghetti marinara A spaghetti dish full of seafood is delicious, but can also be pricey to make. But here’s a little secret – if you are cooking seafood (as opposed to serving it fresh) then frozen works just as well. You can pick up frozen marinara mix for much cheaper than the fresh stuff and the taste will be exactly the same. You can also scale your dish down and just go for a prawn pasta, as small frozen shrimp are usually very good value. What’s your favourite meal to enjoy on the cheap?

Money & Banking

5 destinations where cruising is cheaper than being on land

You'd have to be a maths genius to work out exactly what your holiday will cost before you actually take it. Comparing the better deal between land and sea is even harder. What standard of hotel matches a ship's cabin? Are you really going to eat four-course meals every night on land, or will you be reduced to a quick hamburger? Do shore excursions represent good value? Not always at first glance, until you take into account transportation, queue-jumping privileges and the insights provided by a guide. Similarly, you may well be able to save money organising your own holiday, but what you won't save is time, organisational headaches and energy. You can get around the lovely capital cities of the Baltic in a week on a cruise ship and never have to worry as you're wafted from place to place overnight. You'd be hard-pressed to achieve the same tour on land in a similar timeframe, and much of your holiday would be spent navigating airport lounges and finding your hotels. A cruise won't always save you money, even if it provides a different and wonderful experience. But sometimes it really does, and you might want to think carefully about the cost of cruising versus independent travel in some of the world's most expensive destinations, especially if the whole family is on the move. A pity we can't cruise in Switzerland, therefore. Still, here are some examples of destinations where cruising can provide better value than a do-it-yourself visit. 1. ICELAND In the latest holiday hotspot, even a McDonald's meal will cost you A$20 and a beer A$13. You'd better have a hefty budget – and book well ahead in a country seeing soaring visitor numbers. Reykjavik is one of Europe's most expensive capital cities. And it's getting worse, with the krone at a high against the Aussie dollar and the government set to hike hotel and tourist taxes. On land, as an example, an upmarket Natural Wonders of Iceland tour with Insight Vacations (<a href="http://insightvacations.com/" target="_blank">insightvacations.com</a>) costs from A$5350pp for nine days. A 14-night journey on Aurora with P&O Cruises (<a href="http://pocruises.com/" target="_blank">pocruises.com</a>), departing Southampton in June 2018, is priced from A$2569pp, leaving you ample change for shore excursions, which cost extra. As a bonus, you'll also visit Dublin and the Norwegian fiords. That works out as A$183pp per day, which you could easily spend just on three meals in Iceland. Alternatively, an active small-ship cruise with Peregrine Adventures (<a href="http://peregrineadventures.com/" target="_blank">peregrineadventures.com</a>) costs A$4650pp for eight days, inclusive of daily activities such as visits to waterfalls and lighthouses, guided walks and a city tour. It departs on July 7, 2018, and sails the west coast of Iceland between Reykjavik and Akureyri on the 49-passenger Panorama. 2. THE CARIBBEAN Bermuda, the Bahamas and the US Virgin Islands all feature in the top 10 most expensive countries, according to price-monitoring research site Numbeo (<a href="http://numbeo.com/" target="_blank">numbeo.com</a>). Yet Carnival Cruises (<a href="http://carnival.com/" target="_blank">carnival.com</a>) has short six-day journeys out of Port Canaveral near Orlando that visit Nassau, Amber Cove and Grand Turk (plus two days at sea) from an average A$637pp for an inside cabin – a price which wouldn't even get you motel rooms, never mind food and transportation, in the Caribbean. With the money you save, you could add on a three-night Orlando hotel package from Flight Centre (<a href="http://flightcentre.com.au/" target="_blank">flightcentre.com.au</a>) that includes admission to theme parks and airport transfer from A$1049pp. For something less mainstream, Star Clippers (<a href="http://starclippers.com/" target="_blank">starclippers.com</a>) will take you on a seven-night Grenadine Islands cruise that visits chic Martinique and Barbados as well as remote islets for swimming and exploration. It comes in at A$2905pp plus A$280pp in port charges, or A$455pp per day – a pretty sweet deal for an experience of cruising under sail. Similar do-it-yourself transportation between the islands would be highly costly, if not impossible. 3. NORWAY Norway is famously expensive: you'll wince at the price of coffee (A$7) or beer (A$13), never mind a mid-range meal (A$70). Even a dorm bed in an Oslo hostel might sting you A$70. Independent travellers will have to book repeated scenic cruises to see the fabulous coastline for which Norway is most renowned. A three-hour fiord cruise from Stavanger alone costs A$78pp (<a href="http://rodne.no/" target="_blank">rodne.no</a>). Fortunately, Norway is a top cruise destination with ample opportunity to bag a bargain that will save you hefty transportation costs and provide you with spectacular scenery almost 24 hours a day in summer. Norwegian company Hurtigruten (<a href="http://hurtigruten.com/" target="_blank">hurtigruten.com</a>), for example, cruises almost the entire coast from Bergen to Kirkenes from A$1233pp, which works out at A$176pp per day over a seven-day itinerary that gives you a wonderful close-up encounter with remote fiords. 4. FRENCH POLYNESIA Paul Gauguin Cruises (<a href="http://pgcruises.com/" target="_blank">pgcruises.com</a>) has seven-night Tahiti and Society Islands cruises which stop in the classic French Polynesian islands of Tahiti, Moorea, Huahine and Bora Bora over seven days, and also at private islet Motu Mahana for a beach barbecue. Cruise Sale Finder (<a href="http://cruisesalefinder.com.au/" target="_blank">cruisesalefinder.com.au</a>) is currently offering cruise-package deals out of Sydney or Melbourne for $6607pp, including airfare and two nights' accommodation at InterContinental Tahiti Resort. That isn't the cheapest cruise, but consider this: the InterContinental is A$593 per night on Trivago (<a href="http://trivago.com.au/" target="_blank">trivago.com.au</a>), while Le Meridien Bora Bora is A$1505 if you want to nab the sort of overwater bungalow that gets you a prime ocean location. A domestic Discovery Pass with Air Tahiti (<a href="http://airtahiti.com/" target="_blank">airtahiti.com</a>) links you to the same islands for A$461pp. Food costs in French Polynesia are shocking. That makes even a luxury cruise a reasonable proposition. You can do it on more of a budget with cruise-freighter Aranui 5, which sails from Papeete in Tahiti on a 14-day itinerary around Bora Bora, Rangiroa and the Marquesas Islands. The custom-built, dual-purpose vessel delivers cargo while passengers disembark and explore on included excursions such as snorkelling, village tours and visits to archaeological sites. The cruise costs from A$4700pp or A$335pp per day. You can also get shared dormitory cabins from about A$2900pp. 5. THE BALTIC Two issues make the Baltic an expensive place for individual travel. Many of the cities on its shorelines are among the most pricey in the world. In Copenhagen, Helsinki and Stockholm, a mid-range hotel goes for around A$220 a night and a meal costs about A$80. Circling the Baltic by land is a logistical challenge that will take you a long time by land or have you resorting to the air. A single flight Stockholm-Helsinki costs A$136pp on Expedia (<a href="http://expedia.com.au/" target="_blank">expedia.com.au</a>). Just about every major cruise line offers Baltic cruises that link its city highlights. Celebrity Cruises (<a href="http://celebritycruises.com.au/" target="_blank">celebritycruises.com.au</a>) has itineraries that operate between May and August, departing Southampton on Celebrity Silhouette and Amsterdam on Celebrity Eclipse. An example is the 12-night Scandinavia and Russia cruise on Celebrity Silhouette, which departs on June 19, 2018, and costs from A$3188pp twin share in an inside cabin, or A$265pp per day. True, shore excursions cost extra, though Scandinavian cities are small and easily navigated, so you could always explore yourself. Note, however, that you'll save on museum and palace entrance fees and the cost of a Russian visa, which is waived if you book official cruise shore excursions in St Petersburg. The writer has travelled as a guest of numerous cruise companies. Written by Brian Johnston. Republished with permission of <a href="http://www.stuff.co.nz/" target="_blank">Stuff.co.nz.</a>

Cruising

10 ways to eat cheaper at restaurants

Dining out doesn’t have to mean blowing the budget. Here are 10 ways to eat cheaper at restaurants. To see them all, scroll through the gallery above. What is your favourite restaurant to eat at?

Retirement Income

Expensive attractions with cheaper alternatives

You don’t need to spend big to get a million dollar experience. BridgeClimb vs Pedestrian walkway Many people (Sydneysiders included) don’t realise that there is a pedestrian walkway running alongside the road on the Sydney Harbour Bridge. It offers stellar views over the harbour and Opera House, is completely safe and doesn’t cost you a penny. Start from the stairs near the pylons at either end and don’t forget your camera. The Shard vs Sky Garden If you want a view of the London, there’s no need to pay the £20+ fee to get to the top of The Shard. Instead, head to Sky Garden at 20 Fenchurch Street, just across the River Thames. It’s an incredible space that spans three storeys and gives uninterrupted 360-degree views across the city, complete with landscaped gardens and open observation terraces. Entry is free – you’ll just need to book a ticket online before you go. MOMA vs The Bronx Museum of the Arts (and others) The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City (better known as MOMA) has a suggested admission price of US$25. Jump on the subway and head to the Bronx, an up and coming neighbourhood that’s also home to a seriously cool museum. In fact, there are a dozen or more New York museums that you can see for free, so get your fix of arts, culture or history without having to pay a thing. Hong Kong Philharmonic vs Street concerts in Wan Chai To see some of the best musicians in Hong Kong, you don’t necessarily have to pay big bucks to sit in the concert hall. The Wan Chai district is known for its lively restaurants, historic buildings and buzzing nightlife, but a few nights a week it’s also the spot for free outdoor concerts. Composer, performer and music activist Kung Chi-Shing organises free performances on different nights of the week outside some of the district’s most famous buildings. It’s an immersive, raw, authentic experience that money can’t buy. Hundertwasserhaus vs Kawakawa toilet block Bet you didn’t expect to see a toilet block on this list, huh? Iconic Austrian-born architect Friedensrieh Hundertwasser has created hundreds of buildings around the world, but the Hundertwasserhaus apartment block in Vienna is his most famous. If you can't afford the plane fare, head over the pond to New Zealand’s Bay of Islands and visit the most famous toilet block in the world. In 1998 he redesigned the small toilet block in this remote rural community, the only building he ever designed in the Southern Hemisphere and a bona fide international icon. Have you experienced any of these attractions?

International Travel

How to fly cheaper thanks to airline mistakes

Travellers are scoring flights that are thousands of dollars cheaper than usual thanks to simple mistakes and errors made by airlines. A “mistake fare” is when an airline sells a ticket at a price they did not intend to sell it at. When the mistake is picked up by customers, airlines will usually honour the price – despite not being obligated to by law. There are a number of reasons why mistakes happen – human error such as when someone types in the wrong price. It could also be a currency conversion mistake or system error. Last year, Virgin Australia advertised a round trip from Melbourne to Paris for $607. A number of customers purchased the tickets before it was quickly taken down. The same flight is currently selling for $2231. Most airlines will admit to the error, rather taking on a small loss instead of risking reputation. However, it’s still a risk to buy “mistake fares” as airlines can cancel them at short notice. But it just goes to show pays to research your airfare. Use sites like <a href="https://www.skyscanner.com.au/" target="_blank">Skyscanner</a>, <a href="https://www.google.com/flights/" target="_blank">Google Flights</a> and <a href="https://www.kayak.com.au/flights" target="_blank">Kayak</a> to try and find the best deal.

Travel Tips

6 secret tips to secure cheaper flights

It's that cooler time of year when many of us start to plan uplifting summer breaks for the months ahead. Airlines say the internet has made pricing transparent and air travel is a bargain, but do they make it too hard to choose the most affordable options? Consumer advocates try to counter the confusion by comparing fees for things like baggage and extra legroom - a growing part of the cost of a trip - but this can be difficult, especially when travellers don't buy their ticket directly from the airline. Now changes are coming in the short-term, leaving travellers to plot their own strategies for finding the best prices. As always, it helps to plan ahead and consider whether you need extra services that might add to your cost. And some old strategies are losing value due to changes in the way airlines operate. The notion that Wednesday (or Tuesday) is the best day to buy your ticket, for example, isn't always true anymore. As more airlines base loyalty programs on how much you spend, not how many miles you fly, it has become harder for many leisure travellers to earn free flights. Here are six tips from the travel experts: <ol> <li>Know what comes with your seat by reading the fine print on the airline website. A cheap ticket that doesn't include checked baggage might not be such a bargain.</li> <li>Be flexible with dates and destinations. Flying to tourist destinations will almost certainly be cheaper and less crowded out of school holidays. That is of little help, however, to families with school-age children.</li> <li>Check the budget airlines. They may not be the most convenient or comfortable, but they may offer some attractive savings. If you want lots of optional services, however, you may find it cheaper to stick with the older, more familiar airlines.</li> <li>If you haven't done so yet, follow the Twitter accounts of the airlines on your intended route and sign up for alerts from fare-tracking services - there are several of those. That way you'll learn about a flash sale before it ends.</li> <li>Families should confirm free seat assignments right away when booking. However there is often an extra fee for advance seat assignments when flying on the discount airlines, which won't let you pick seats for free.</li> <li>Know that fees for certain seats and other items can vary widely - or be waived - depending on whether you belong to an airline's loyalty program and whether you're an elite member. Even using the airline's branded credit card can make a difference. Your fees might be waived on one airline but not another.</li> </ol> Do you agree with these tips? Are there any secret hints you would give to people looking to secure cheap flights? Let us know in the comments. We’d love to hear from you. Written David Koenig. First appeared on <a href="http://Stuff.co.nz" target="_blank">Stuff.co.nz</a>. Related links: <a href="/travel/travel-tips/2016/07/the-real-reason-your-luggage-is-lost-in-transit/">The real reason your luggage is lost in transit</a> <a href="/travel/travel-insurance/2016/06/5-tips-to-get-through-airport-security-quickly/">5 tips to get through airport security quickly</a> <a href="/travel/travel-tips/2016/06/10-tips-to-save-your-holiday-from-jet-lag/">10 tips to save your holiday from jet lag</a>

Travel Tips

It’s cheaper to live on a cruise than in these cities

If your least favourite part of a cruise is the feeling of stepping back on dry land after your holiday is over, we just might have some good news for you. A cruise comparison website has crunched the numbers and worked out that it’s actually cheaper to live on a cruise ship than in a number of major cities. In research designed to highlight the affordability of cruising, <a href="http://www.cruisewatch.com" target="_blank">Cruise Watch</a> compared the price of an extended cruise to the cost of living expenses associated with major areas around the United States. And the results will surprise you! Cruise Watch found that people who chose to permanently live on a cruise ship compared to these major cities would actually make huge yearly savings: <ul> <li>New York City – saving of $10,328 (NZ $13,713)</li> <li>San Francisco – saving of $7,052 (NZ $9,363)</li> <li>Los Angeles – saving of $1,956 (NZ $ 2,597)</li> <li>Honolulu – saving of $7,416 (NZ $ 9,846)</li> </ul> If the sailor’s life wasn’t for you before, surely that’s changed now! It’s amazing really to think that you can (theoretically at least) travel around the world continuously and actually end up saving money. And as you can image, these figures also say a lot about the state of the rental market on that side of the world! Cruise Watch co-founder Britta Bernhard said, “To go on non stop cruises and save some money is an impressive proposition. It demonstrates the value you get out of a cruise compared to the relatively high cost of living at home. And not to forget that going on a cruise means to enjoy amazing ports and different countries. And all you have to do is to wake up at morning and look out of the window.” What’s your take on the figures? Could you ever see yourself embarking on an extended cruise in retirement, and if so, where would you go? Share your thoughts in the comments. Related links: <a href="/travel/cruising/2016/04/cheaper-to-cruise-than-live-in-london/">It’s cheaper to live on a cruise ship than in London</a> <a href="/travel/cruising/2016/04/titanic-compared-to-modern-day-cruise-ships/">The Titanic compared to modern day cruise ships</a> <a href="/travel/cruising/2016/04/princess-cruises-husky-puppy-program/">Princess Cruises husky puppy program</a>

Cruising

10 ways to get free (or cheaper) drinks on cruises

When you’re on a cruise the price of drinks can quickly spiral out of proportion if you’re not careful. Here are 10 ways to get free (or cheaper) drinks. 1. Stay loyal to a line Cruise lines operate frequent flyer-style programs that reward frequent cruisers. This can mean a discount off drinks, free drink tokens or invites to private parties – with free drinks. 2. Join the party On many cruises you’ll find a welcome party or the captain’s party on the first couple of nights. They are generally open to all guests and will include drinks of some kind. Be aware that they are usually formal, so you’ll need to dress up. 3. Hit the sales Art auctions or special jewellery sales are held a number of times during a cruise and you’ll get a glass of champagne (or two) while browsing. Look for them in the daily planner or for flyers in the shopping areas. 4. Have a taste All ships sailing international routes have duty free alcohol for sale and will host tastings to encourage people to buy. You can sample a few wines or whiskies for free, and you might even find a new favourite you want to buy. 5. Get happy at happy hour All bars across the ship will offer some sort of happy hour during the day. You might get a set discount off drinks, buckets of beers or two for one cocktails. These times are often staggered across the bars, so you can move between them to get the best deal. 6. Have a flutter Ask for a loyalty or players card at the casino and then use it every time you play the pokies or a round of blackjack. You’ll build up points that you can use at the bar. Also, there are often cheap drinks on offer while you’re gambling. 7. Buy in bulk Wine by the glass is always more expensive than by the bottle. If you’re drinking it in the dining room, your waiter can put your name on the bottle and put the remainder away for you to drink another night. You can also look at bulk packages of six or 12 bottles for even bigger savings. 8. Get the package If you know you like a drink, then a drink package could be the way to go. They start from around $60 per day and, while that may sound like a lot, if you add up all the alcoholic drinks plus soft drink and bottled water, it can be very economical. 9. Choose the drink of the day Each day bars around the ship will offer a special ‘drink of the day’ (usually a brightly coloured cocktail) for a much cheaper price than usual drinks. They also often come in a fun glass you can keep. 10. Take advantage of bottle service Many lines will deliver bottles of spirits directly to your room, along with ice, mixers and glasses, for you to drink during the cruise. They cost more than you would pay in a bottle shop but are a lot cheaper than buying individual drinks at the bar. Then you can start (or finish) your evening with a couple of quiet drinks on your private balcony. Related links: <a href="/travel/cruising/2016/05/5-things-you-must-do-to-avoid-seasickness-on-a-cruise/">5 things you MUST do to avoid seasickness on a cruise</a> <a href="/travel/cruising/2016/05/10-things-you-must-never-do-in-a-cruise-cabin/">10 things you must never do in a cruise cabin</a> <a href="/travel/cruising/2016/05/po-ships-first-new-zealand-cruise/">P&O’s first cruise around New Zealand</a>

Cruising

5 insider tips for cheaper flights

Booking flights is one of the most expensive parts of planning an international or domestic holiday. But there are ways that you can make huge savings, without having to perform complex algebra. We take a look at some of the easiest way to save money when you’re booking an airline flight. 1. Book flights on Tuesdays For whatever reason, Tuesday is the day to buy plane tickets when you’re more than a few weeks from the point of departure. Travel industry insiders have long touted this as the truth, which was even backed up by a report released by popular comparison travel website Expedia, stating: “Expedia data indicates that when buying an air ticket more than 21 days before the date of departure, Tuesday still offers travellers the greatest likelihood of finding a good deal.” 2. Book flights early to save A little bit of planning can go a long way if you’re looking to save on air travel. Travel industry experts recommend you buy flights for domestic trips as least two months in advance and for international travel at least six months in advance to help you secure the best possible fare. 3. Book packages for overall savings A great way to cut down on your overall travel expenses is to book your flights as part of an overall holiday package. Tickets that are often combined with a hotel and other travel services such as a rental car for when you get to the airport or activities you may enjoy at your destination can score you a cheaper airline fare which will add to the bottom line of your savings when all is said and done. 4. Select cheapest seats On plane flights not all seats are equal. Different types of seats on the plane are worth different amounts of money, so make sure you request the cheapest available and if you’re travelling as a group on a busy aircraft be willing to seat separately to make bigger savings overall. 5. Compare fares, but book through the airline Travel agent sights are a great way to figure out which airlines are offering the best bargains to destinations, but often have their prices advertised at a slight mark-up when you book it through the system. While this is the simplest way to do it, to save even more money search for the corresponding flight through the airline’s website (most of these are now pretty intuitive and easy to navigate) and secure the discounts that you need directly from the source you want.

Travel Tips

Over 60

News

Shop

Catalogues

Travel

Health

Lifestyle

Finance

Entertainment

Property

Information

Keep up to date

Search

To move or not to move: is it cheaper to find a new place or stay when your rent increases by 10%?

Food and exercise can treat depression as well as a psychologist, our study found. And it’s cheaper

5 tips for getting off gas at home – for a cleaner, cheaper, healthier all-electric future

Coronation Quiche anyone? You’ll need to fork out A$38. Here are cheaper and healthier options

Private island on sale for a price cheaper than most homes

Cheaper gas and electricity are within our grasp

Cheaper in Oz: One Kiwi shopper’s savvy way to save on groceries

Why COVID-19 means the era of ever cheaper air travel could be over

The new food revolution: How dining on a cruise just got better and cheaper

Cheaper alternatives to popular meals

5 destinations where cruising is cheaper than being on land

10 ways to eat cheaper at restaurants

Expensive attractions with cheaper alternatives

How to fly cheaper thanks to airline mistakes

6 secret tips to secure cheaper flights

It’s cheaper to live on a cruise than in these cities

10 ways to get free (or cheaper) drinks on cruises

5 insider tips for cheaper flights