(gratuitous pic of kids because they are so cute!)Yesterday I went to the grocery store...the end total did not make me happy! 1800 kr is what I paid...just divide it by 5 to get the US dollar amount. I can't do it...it makes me break out in a sweat! I swear that food prices are just going up. I sat down with the receipt so see if there were things on there that weren't necessary...just to justify the amount. Ok, I didn't need 4 cannisters of Silly String but our National Holiday is coming up and it is fun for the kids (as long as they clean it all up). I probably didn't need the popsicles but really...they don't break the bank. Our food tax is 25%, but it has always been that. My shopping habits haven't changed so I'm going to have to blame it on rising prices.
I just read in an article on CNN (I think) about gasoline prices. We pay about $8.50 a gallon here. I'm soo thankful that Reidar has a gas card thru work now because it is a big chunk of change! I really don't know how people do it.
When I first moved here, I was continually changing the kroners into dollars and then would go into a state of shock about how much things cost here. To hold onto my sanity, I just had to stop doing that. It is still in the back of my mind but I had to let it go. Right now with the exchange rate being $1 to 5kr...we will have a good summer vacation in Ca. I would feel sorry for anyone coming to visit us here though...it is pricey!
I have to add that even though we are taxed up the wazoo there are a lot of positives about living here. Dental is free for children until the age of 18. All dr. visits are free until the age of 12. And after that it isn't that crazy. I never had to pay a dime to give birth here (which was lovely after having to sell off possessions to pay for Ainsley!). We get a monthly stipend from the govt for each child until 18 yrs old. 5 weeks vacation, 1 yr paid maternity leave, 1 month paternity leave.... it really is a great place to raise a family.
By the way...this wasn't meant to discourage visitors! lol
2 comments:
It is amazing how much food is going up. Not until a couple of months ago did I really pay attention to the price of the food. If we needed it, I just bought it. When I started really looking at the prices of things, I was shocked! When did hamburger get so expensive?
But $8.50 a gallon for gas, Oh My! We are pushing $4.00 a gallon now and are complaining! I thank God I still have my little Honda and not the SUV I had been wanting!
I saw CeeCee and your Mom today at the school carnival. It was nice seeing them both! And I was in it for the snow cones too!
Don't the picture and your last paragraph make up for it? Did you take that near your house or did you have to drive 2hrs to a national forest to see that? A family box of fireworks goes for about $50, but the silly string is a great idea - I'll try that this year. :) The bright side of it all is that maybe we'll have less to cook! A summer garden is really sounding even better this year!
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