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Cost of Living - Grocery Realities
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dynow



Joined: 07 Nov 2006
Posts: 1080

PostPosted: Wed Jun 25, 2014 12:14 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

dragonpiwo wrote:

Quote:

It's the sanctimonious tone and pseudo Zen wisdom of some people on this board I think is risible. I think some of them really need to go to the pub a bit more often.


regarding the drinking debate, what is enough and what is too much can be quite subjective.

One of my best Polish buddies did a 4 year stint in London and he worked at a pub. He told me that in London, it's quite normal for people to get off work and head straight to the pub. He said they'd typically have 3-5 pints and then head home. I've never lived and worked in London so I couldn't verify if that's true or not but it's certainly more than the average american drinks, especially immediately after work.

The Italians like their wine, often times have a glass or 3 with dinner, every night, like clockwork. Some of the oldest living people in the world reside in Italy so they must be doing something right.

I didn't think the Poles were extraordinary in their drinking habits and I didn't hang out with enough expats to judge how the average expat TEFL'er drinks on a weekly basis either. Nearly all my friends were Polish, they drank, but seemed to have it under control.

Is 2 drinks, every single night....OK? What about 3? 4 too much? Everyone's got a different opinion. At the end of the day though, one might say it's "easier" to drink on the regular while doing the TEFL gig in Poland because the average TEFL'er is single, young, male, no kids and rents a dingy little apartment with minimal upkeep and minimal responsibilities. It kinda leaves the door open for alcohol, just like when you were in your college years. You didn't necessarily drink a lot in college because you were 18-23 years old, rather, because you didn't have a damn thing else to do besides go to a couple hours worth of class and hang out with friends. Minimal responsibilities = going out, meeting people, and adults drink when they hang out. It is what it is.
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dragonpiwo



Joined: 04 Mar 2013
Posts: 1650
Location: Berlin

PostPosted: Wed Jun 25, 2014 7:53 am    Post subject: erm Reply with quote

Poles don't have the British pub-like-clockwork culture but they have a drinking culture.

I think you're right about young, single guys with little responsibility being omnipresent in Poland and Eastern/Central Europe as a whole and this has a lot to do with the drinking that goes on.

However, I would add to that. Poland is a beautiful place in the summer but in winter, especially a few years in when you've 'done Poland' and you're scurrying through the cold after an 8.30pm finish, it's just easy to go for a drink, some grub and hook up with friends. The alternative is going to your block and gawking at the net if you're single. In a relationship that's a different story. Poles drink at home more but do the weekend thing.
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dynow



Joined: 07 Nov 2006
Posts: 1080

PostPosted: Wed Jun 25, 2014 11:58 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

dragonpiwo wrote:

Quote:
The alternative is going to your block and gawking at the net if you're single.


I'll add to that, "or watching yet another cheesy Hollywood movie from the 80's trying to block out the annoying voice over."
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dragonpiwo



Joined: 04 Mar 2013
Posts: 1650
Location: Berlin

PostPosted: Wed Jun 25, 2014 6:47 pm    Post subject: erm Reply with quote

Only to be awoken at 6am by your upstairs neighbor tenderizing the 'schab' or doing DIY.
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ieltsteacher102



Joined: 24 Jun 2014
Posts: 37

PostPosted: Mon Jun 30, 2014 8:32 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

What about the big mac index, how much is a big mac in poland
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wojbrian



Joined: 13 Aug 2009
Posts: 178

PostPosted: Mon Jun 30, 2014 11:41 am    Post subject: Re: erm Reply with quote

dragonpiwo wrote:
Only to be awoken at 6am by your upstairs neighbor tenderizing the 'schab' or doing DIY.


I had to start sleeping with ear plugs because the Pani next door would start chopping up dinner at 530am.

They never invited me to dinner either! Wink
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ecocks



Joined: 06 Nov 2007
Posts: 899
Location: Gdansk, Poland

PostPosted: Mon Jun 30, 2014 12:02 pm    Post subject: Re: erm Reply with quote

wojbrian wrote:
dragonpiwo wrote:
Only to be awoken at 6am by your upstairs neighbor tenderizing the 'schab' or doing DIY.


I had to start sleeping with ear plugs because the Pani next door would start chopping up dinner at 530am.

They never invited me to dinner either! Wink


Seventeen months and I never had a problem with this sort of thing. loved the peace and quiet in my building.
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ecocks



Joined: 06 Nov 2007
Posts: 899
Location: Gdansk, Poland

PostPosted: Mon Jun 30, 2014 12:22 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

ieltsteacher102 wrote:
What about the big mac index, how much is a big mac in poland


Don't know the Big Mac price but the McDouble was 5zl.
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wojbrian



Joined: 13 Aug 2009
Posts: 178

PostPosted: Mon Jun 30, 2014 6:46 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

I think a combo bigmac combo meal was 15-16pln.
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dragonpiwo



Joined: 04 Mar 2013
Posts: 1650
Location: Berlin

PostPosted: Mon Jun 30, 2014 7:06 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Here's the 2013 Big Mac index, so the PLN is undervalued against the Dollar according to PPP.

http://bigmacindex.org/2013-big-mac-index.html

And yep Woj, the combo is 16 PLN ($6.5/4GBP) and as Ecocks pointed out the McDouble 5PLN, which is exactly what it costs in the UK. However, fast food isn't expensive in Poland as has been pointed out before, especially pierogi, zapiekanka and kebabs.
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delphian-domine



Joined: 11 Mar 2011
Posts: 674

PostPosted: Mon Jun 30, 2014 7:24 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

dragonpiwo wrote:
Here's the 2013 Big Mac index, so the PLN is undervalued against the Dollar according to PPP.


Yes, it's common knowledge that the PLN is ridiculously undervalued. There's absolutely no sound basis for the PLN sitting at 4.1/EUR - it should be somewhere around 3.6-7.
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dragonpiwo



Joined: 04 Mar 2013
Posts: 1650
Location: Berlin

PostPosted: Tue Jul 08, 2014 7:24 am    Post subject: erm Reply with quote

Incidentally re the burgers? they've got a lot better in the last few years. The days of the old train station burgers are long gone. There's a van on Piekary in Poznan that does a pretty good one for about 10Zl.

Oh and does anyone know a good site for log cabins by the coast preferably somewhere near Ustka? The ones I've found are about 550 Euro a week, which I think is a bit steep.
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delphian-domine



Joined: 11 Mar 2011
Posts: 674

PostPosted: Tue Jul 08, 2014 10:33 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Seems to be the going price, unfortunately. I guess the combination of Warsaw buraks and Germans going there contributes to the high price.

And yes, it is steep. You can get a log cabin in the mountains for 25 Euro a night - no way is it worth paying 2-3 times that for the unpredictable seaside.
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dragonpiwo



Joined: 04 Mar 2013
Posts: 1650
Location: Berlin

PostPosted: Tue Jul 08, 2014 5:35 pm    Post subject: erm Reply with quote

They START at that price. Some are 8-900 Euro.

Me and the missus have always been 'lucky' with the weather up there.
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Infinite



Joined: 05 Jan 2013
Posts: 235

PostPosted: Sat Sep 20, 2014 2:56 pm    Post subject: Re: erm Reply with quote

dragonpiwo wrote:


3-I love the Polish seaside but it is costly.

I just like normal stuff...nothing about being flash.


Just pent 10 days at the Polish seaside with a family of four. Total cost?
870PLN.
Got there by train, stayed in a camper about 200m from the beach.
Yes, shared bathroom at the camp site, I can deal with that "nothing flash". The camper was a nice communist era type thing which was a nice touch. We ended up making friends with a family next to us who were also heavy into fish. So mornings and afternoons at the beach, evenings with fresh fried fish and vodka. The real Polish experience.
It's possible to spend very little money in Poland on travels and vacations, just need to look for the "real Polish experience" and not tourist traps with kebab joints and Chinese souvenir stands littering every block.
South West of Poland is absolutely amazing and very cheap. Also, proximity to the border allows for a great opportunity to have beer nights. Czech beer - 3pln per 1l Wink can't go wrong with that when it comes with a nice portion of local fried cheese.
Our jobs allow us to find out about some of the best vacation spots in the country. Just run a lesson on your favorite vacation spot in May and take notes Wink Give it few years and you'll be telling your students where they should be staying.
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