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Cost of Living - Grocery Realities
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ecocks



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

PostPosted: Tue Apr 01, 2014 2:19 pm    Post subject: Cost of Living - Grocery Realities Reply with quote

So, yesterday I went shopping at a local grocery store.

Spent $16.30 and came home with:

500g of ground beef (good for three nice burgers)
1.8k of chicken, cut thighs pre-cooked BBQ style
255g cut of antrykot/ribeye steak
30 ct pkg of 35l garbage bags
130g pkg of Chocolate Cappuccino mix (pretty good add-on to a std coffee)

Everyone will have their own opinion whether this is expensive or cheap but the bottom line for me is that it is the main dish for six or seven meals along with a few additional cups of coffee and convenience in carrying out the trash.
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dragonpiwo



Joined: 04 Mar 2013
Posts: 1650
Location: Berlin

PostPosted: Tue Apr 01, 2014 9:35 pm    Post subject: erm Reply with quote

Biedronka and Tesco do steaks for about $3 a go right now.

The weekend I just spent in Kolobrzeg is another story tho'.
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dynow



Joined: 07 Nov 2006
Posts: 1080

PostPosted: Thu Apr 03, 2014 2:07 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

i always felt meat was reasonably priced in Poland, but that's assuming it's "made in poland". if you can stick to polish diet, food isn't all that bad. just don't stray.

good on you for saying "the main dish" because you can't just buy burger meat, drop it in a frying pan and call it a meal. there's cheese, the bun, lettuce, seasonings, whatever else you put on a burger, as well as a vegetable and starch or whatever else makes a meal for you. costs not mentioned. just sayin'.
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dragonpiwo



Joined: 04 Mar 2013
Posts: 1650
Location: Berlin

PostPosted: Thu Apr 03, 2014 5:49 am    Post subject: erm Reply with quote

Food is cheap it's eating out that is generally disappointing and costly.

That said, the cod we just had at the seaside was the best fried cod I've ever eaten. It cost the same as the UK.

Beer is cheap, so all is forgiven.
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Jeggs



Joined: 02 Apr 2014
Posts: 6
Location: Minneapolis, MN

PostPosted: Fri Apr 04, 2014 2:36 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Thanks for providing these examples, ecocks. This is information that potential newbies find valuable for determining expense calculations.

You've given me an idea to record grocery prices while I'm in Warsaw in a couple weeks. It would be an interesting comparison to home. I'll try to post what I find.
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ecocks



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

PostPosted: Fri Apr 04, 2014 11:07 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Jeggs wrote:
Thanks for providing these examples, ecocks. This is information that potential newbies find valuable for determining expense calculations.

You've given me an idea to record grocery prices while I'm in Warsaw in a couple weeks. It would be an interesting comparison to home. I'll try to post what I find.


That's the point.

I was pretty happy as I looked over my purchases. Pretty basic info on living costs and making decisions about life somewhere without speculative hype.

The burger place I favor still offers their beer and burger for 20 zl. Add the bucket of fries and it's right at 30 which leaves a fair tip for the pleasant server. Even better is when I tried their fish and chips which comes out at 30 although I usually pass on the fries and get a double portion of fish. With tea the dbl fish comes out at 35zl.

The French cafe which a couple of friends and I have been hitting is great as well. A 20 zl budget gets you a delicious Ham and Cheese galette and a tea . A beer with that might add 2-3 zl. They also served us a complimentary plate of small chocolate muffins as well.

Another spot has a garlic cheese bread the size of a pizza that I love (too much) for 9 zl. If I can find someone to go there with me and split it I have a grilled chicken salad and tea with it for 35 zl which includes my half of the pizza. Went there on a date once and her food and mine ran 75 for the garlic cheese, chicken salad, a beer, a tea and my date's had shrimp.

I've found a half-dozen spots in the area which are relaxing, good quality and reasonable prices.
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ecocks



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

PostPosted: Sat Apr 05, 2014 7:28 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

I was questioned on the places: Original Burger, A La Francaise and Four Sides of the World were the places.
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dragonpiwo



Joined: 04 Mar 2013
Posts: 1650
Location: Berlin

PostPosted: Tue Apr 08, 2014 5:01 pm    Post subject: Groceries Reply with quote

1-Groceries are cheap.

2-Rents vary. In Poznan, a small flat costs around the 1,500Zl/month mark plus bills. More for Warsaw obviously.

3-There are cheap studenty places to drink if that's your thing.

4-Public transport is cheap.

However.....

1-Restaurants generally aren't cheap other ttan the pierogi bars and the like. Whether you are in a place like 'Papaya' in Warsaw or 'Tapas' in Poznan, you'll pay over the odds for mediocre food.

2-Hotels aren't that cheap, even using Groupon our break by the seaside last week cost 1,200 Zl for 3 nights plus the petrol and what we spent there.

3-Electricals and clothes aren't cheap.

4-Medicines and medical treatment aren't cheap.

I guess you cut your cloth according to your means.
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Post Mortem



Joined: 01 Apr 2014
Posts: 22

PostPosted: Tue Apr 08, 2014 9:49 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

In the end, it all comes down to "how much time must I invest" (read, "work") in order to purchase said commodities and/or foodstuffs.
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ecocks



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

PostPosted: Tue Apr 08, 2014 10:09 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Post Mortem wrote:
In the end, it all comes down to "how much time must I invest" (read, "work") in order to purchase said commodities and/or foodstuffs.


For some.
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Post Mortem



Joined: 01 Apr 2014
Posts: 22

PostPosted: Fri Apr 11, 2014 6:21 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

ecocks wrote:
Post Mortem wrote:
In the end, it all comes down to "how much time must I invest" (read, "work") in order to purchase said commodities and/or foodstuffs.


For some.


For most?
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dynow



Joined: 07 Nov 2006
Posts: 1080

PostPosted: Fri Apr 11, 2014 7:23 pm    Post subject: Re: Groceries Reply with quote

dragonpiwo wrote:
1-Groceries are cheap.

.


assuming it's "Made in Poland", i can agree it's not bad.
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Master Shake



Joined: 03 Nov 2006
Posts: 1202
Location: Colorado, USA

PostPosted: Fri Apr 11, 2014 7:50 pm    Post subject: Re: Groceries Reply with quote

dragonpiwo wrote:
1-Groceries are cheap.

2-Rents vary. In Poznan, a small flat costs around the 1,500Zl/month mark plus bills. More for Warsaw obviously.

3-There are cheap studenty places to drink if that's your thing.

4-Public transport is cheap.

However.....

1-Restaurants generally aren't cheap other ttan the pierogi bars and the like. Whether you are in a place like 'Papaya' in Warsaw or 'Tapas' in Poznan, you'll pay over the odds for mediocre food.

2-Hotels aren't that cheap, even using Groupon our break by the seaside last week cost 1,200 Zl for 3 nights plus the petrol and what we spent there.

3-Electricals and clothes aren't cheap.

4-Medicines and medical treatment aren't cheap.

I guess you cut your cloth according to your means.
Generally, I agree.

Restaurants: Yes, normal, sit-down, table service restaurants are similarly priced to mid-west USA, making them rather expensive on a smaller PLN salary.

But what I like about eating on the go in Warsaw is all the cheaper eateries. A massive bowl of pho, stuffed jacket potatoes, slices of decent pizza and, of course, kebap can all be had in Warsaw for 16zl or less. Not to mention all the 'bar' orientalny scattered everywhere.
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dragonpiwo



Joined: 04 Mar 2013
Posts: 1650
Location: Berlin

PostPosted: Thu May 01, 2014 8:41 am    Post subject: ...erm Reply with quote

The thing is I don't reckon anyone thinks that living cheaply in Poland isn't doable, which makes it a good place to a-spend a few years as a younger guy (generally they are guys) and b-go there and have a pleasant time as an older person having first become financially secure. You will have fun there and you can have a pleasant life. However, for those without a family to back them up financially or savings made elsewhere, the 'grind' can become tiresome.

Most people earn say 60k a year PLN, some more some less but it's a ball park figure. If you want to put 20% down on a flat you'll need 60k plus transactions costs and tax on a small one outside Warsaw. If you want to get married, the dress will cost you 5k, the food 2-300/head, then the booze, photographer, flowers, car, suit and so on. It's really hard to pay for that kind of stuff when you're making 5k a month gross. These are just examples, I haven't even touched parenting costs.

In a country which is only going to get more expensive relative to wage increases, it's only going to get harder. There's also a lot more competition around these days from native speakers and excellent Polish teachers.

I'm only going back to work there (I live there), when I've got enough saved to make me financially secure whatever happens in the EFL market. I do Ok and the missus has a good job but life wouldn't be peachy if we relied on my TEFL salary plus her manager's salary. We'd exist of course but we'd miss out on so much we can currently afford.

But hey ho...horses for courses.
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gloomyGumi



Joined: 29 Dec 2010
Posts: 353

PostPosted: Thu May 01, 2014 11:23 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

that grocery bill is cheap for all that meat......wow.
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