Tag: renting

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Saving Tips for International Students

Finding an apartment or house to rent in a foreign country is more challenging than you might think. Here are our tips for international students who want to find their new home!

 

Renting in a Foreign Country

Renting in a foreign country can be more complicated than signing a lease in the US. Most landlords expect tenants to sign year-long leases, which means you have to move out at the end of your contract. Landlords don’t want their property to sit vacant, so they often require that tenants pay rent on time and are prepared to terminate contracts if necessary.

In many countries where English is not widely spoken or understood, there is no grace period for paying rent (e.g., 30 days). Rather than waiting until month’s end before paying your landlord for his/her hard work, it’s best to let them know as soon as possible that you’ll be moving out soon so that they can plan accordingly—and maybe even give them some extra money!

In the United States is it standard to sign a lease for housing. When renting an apartment or house, tenants are responsible to pay rent every month as stated in their lease agreement and must abide by the rules listed in the contract. However, renting a house or apartment in a foreign country is more complicated than just signing on the dotted line. Some things international students need to know about renting include: contracts are usually written in the local language; there is usually no grace period to pay rent; most landlords expect tenants to sign year-long leases; and that finding housing before arriving is beneficial.  Heres a few pointers:

  • Contracts are usually written in the local language.
  • There is usually no grace period to pay rent as it’s due on the first day of each month.
  • Most landlords expect tenants to sign year-long leases, which means you should plan ahead about what you will need for your stay abroad and how long you’ll be there.

Living Expenses

Living expenses are one of the most important aspects of an international student’s budget. You’ll need money for rent, food, transportation and miscellaneous costs like laundry or getting a haircut.

The best way to budget for these expenses is by looking at your overall budget and then breaking it down into categories (rent; food; transportation). Once you have a rough idea of how much you need each month, look at what’s available in your area — whether that be on Craigslist or through word-of-mouth recommendations from friends who live there — and start shopping!

If it turns out that your budget is too tight or loose compared to what other students with similar financial backgrounds are paying on their own houses/apartments/condos around town, then think about ways in which you can save more money by cutting back elsewhere — maybe buying less clothing so as not go over clothing allowances? Or maybe taking advantage of cheaper utilities (gasoline/electricity) instead of going crazy with high bills every month?

 

Navigating Public Transportation

If you’re traveling by public transportation, it’s important to know how to buy a ticket and what your options are.

  • When purchasing tickets at a vending machine or station: You can use cash machines or credit cards.
  • When using the automated kiosks that accept coins and bills: You’ll need exact change (in U.S dollars) or only exact change if you’re paying with Euro notes; otherwise, select “credit card” and then enter your PIN number as instructed on screen (the default is 1234).
  • In order for this system to work correctly, make sure that all passengers have their fare before entering an elevator or escalator; otherwise, it will not be able to process the correct amount of money from all passengers’ accounts!

We hope this article helped you understand how to budget and prepare for living abroad as an international student.

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5 Things International Students Should Consider When Moving

Moving abroad is an exciting and terrifying prospect. It’s tempting to rush into it without giving yourself time to think about what you might need as a student, but doing so could end up costing you money in the long run. You’re going to be living in a new country for at least six months and maybe even longer, which means making sure that your move will be smooth and enjoyable is key. Here are five tips on how to make sure your international student experience goes smoothly:

The Country

  • The country you move to is important.

  • The country you move to will have a big impact on your life.

  • The country you move to should be somewhere that makes sense for you, and where people can be happy with their lives and get what they need out of it.

Weather and Travel
Weather can be a big factor in where you live. It’s important to know what kind of weather you’re getting into before making a decision, so do some research on the area and read up on their weather patterns.
Travelling can also be expensive, stressful and fun all at once! If this is something that interests you then make sure it’s worth the money spent on travel expenses (and don’t forget about your student loans). Be sure that whatever country or continent you end up living in has good public transportation systems which will help keep costs down while still allowing for convenience and ease of access throughout your daily routine as an international student living abroad.

Housing

  • Renting is often the best way to go for international students. However, it’s important to note that you may pay a premium for renting in your new city.

  • You may be surprised by how much space you need and what kind of furniture you need. Expect to spend more money than if you were living with roommates at home!

  • If possible, try looking at apartments before renting one of them; this will help make sure that everything works out like it should. It will also give you an idea of where things are located so that when moving day comes around (and there will be many), everything doesn’t feel like a huge ordeal!

Entertainment

  • Find a way to stay entertained.
  • Meet people, and make new friends.
  • Stay connected with family and friends back home.
  • If you’re going to be studying in a foreign country, it’s important that you learn some basic phrases in your host country’s language so that you can communicate with the locals when needed (like ordering food or asking for directions). This will also help keep up-to-date on local events and news—which might have changed since your last visit!

Food

Food is a huge part of the culture shock you’re going to experience when moving abroad. But don’t worry—it’s not as bad as it sounds! Here are a few things you can expect to eat in your new country:
  • French fries and burgers. These are staples for Americans and Canadians, but they’re also popular in other countries around the world (including Singapore). If you’re craving something salty and greasy, try ordering some deep-fried fish or chicken wings at your local restaurant instead of ordering pizza or pasta.
  • Curry rice with chicken/pork/bacon/chicken feet (if available). Many people enjoy Asian foods like this one when they visit their home countries; however, they might find them less familiar than their native fare because there aren’t many places where these types of dishes are readily available outside Asia itself (unless someone happens upon an Indian place while travelling abroad). However, even if there aren’t any such places nearby ,you can still try finding some authentic ones near where you live!

When you move abroad, it’s pretty hard to change things. Make sure you’re moving somewhere you know you’ll be happy!

  • You won’t be able to change things. This may sound obvious, but this is often overlooked when planning your move abroad. Try not to stress out over the fact that your life will be different once you leave home and start a new chapter of life in another country—you’ll have more freedom than ever before and can make decisions about where and how to live based on what feels right for yourself instead of someone else’s expectations of how things should be done. Plus, research shows that people who embrace change tend toward being happier than those who don’t (1). So if there were ever any doubt: yes—changing everything can lead towards greater happiness!
  • You should prepare for the worst case scenario by making sure all necessary documents are ready beforehand so nothing gets lost during the move itself (2). Then again…if something does happen along the route such as theft or loss…don’t worry; there are resources available online like PackingGuide which provides tips on packing safely while avoiding common mistakes people make when moving abroad (3).


In conclusion, moving abroad is a great opportunity for students to experience something new. It can be hard to adapt to a new culture and environment, but you can do it!

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3 Reasons to Consider Subscription Appliances When You Move to Melbourne

When it comes to sourcing electric appliances, there are many things one needs to consider. Whether you’re moving to Carnegie, Toorak or Melbourne City theres a bunch of considerations. New or used appliances? Which appliance manufacturer or brand (LG, Samsung, Fisher and Paykel and Electrolux are some top brands)? Would you save some money by going with a scratch and dent appliance? What capacity, and how big physically? Will you buy the appliance in store or on line (Harvey Norman, Appliances Online, and the Good Guys are some common stores in Melbourne to buy new, otherwise gumtree.com.au and facebook marketplace are a great place to pickup used appliances)? If you move a lot and have a changing lifestyle you also want to think about how you will move the appliances (A Hertz truck rental or a van from carnextdoor or Uber carshare?), and consider how likely they are to fit into your next place. If you have no idea about these things then renting makes these choices easy. If you make a mistake with your measurements, or your needs change in time, you simply cancel your rental or swap for something that suits you better.

1. Subscription Appliances is the cheaper alternative to get electric appliances that fit your lifestyle and budget

Subscription appliances are a great way to save money.

Subscription appliances means you don’t have the exorbitant cost of buying appliances new versus fully serviced appliances that you never spent a cent repairing.

 

 

 

  • Subscription appliances means you don’t have to bear the cost of breakdowns. After all as you’re paying for serviced appliances, rather than the physical electric appliance itself, why would you have to pay to fix it?

     

  • Subscription appliances means you don’t have to worry about the risk of getting scammed when buying appliances used.

     

  • Subscription appliances are a practical way to find appliances that suit your lifestyle and budget.
    Subscription appliances are an economical option when it comes to getting what you need or want to suit your lifestyle and budget, without having to spend thousands of dollars on new appliances or wait for delivery.

     

  • Subscription Appliances are the more sustainable option as minor issues are repaired allowing the appliance a longer life in line with the reduce reuse recycle philosophy.

     

2.  A lot of research is needed when finding the appliance most suitable for your lifestyle and budget.

When you’re trying to decide which appliance is best for your lifestyle and budget, many factors should be considered. With a subscription appliance, its easier, but if you are steadfast on buying appliances you have your work cut out for you! Make sure to check the model number of the electric appliances you are looking at online to see if its a lemon. If it’s got mostly bad reviews it’s usually a design flaw with the model and best to avoid. Make sure it will fit your space and allow a bit extra for mistakes. Check how long the warranty is.

When buying a new appliance, especially online, enquire how long delivery will be before you commit to the purchase to avoid long waits. If you’re buying used, you need to watch out for the scammers – we’ve written an article here to guide you, as well as the most common scams here. You might also need to clean and transport the appliance as well when buying appliances used so take that into account when calculating your savings.

If you want to save the hassle – subscription appliances is your answer. When looking into renting appliances, its more straightforward. Just check the online reviews both for the product and the appliance rental business you are considering, from other people who have rented these appliance before so that you can get an idea of what kind of electric appliances would work best for your lifestyle and budget as well as checking the rental fees.

3.  Subscription Appliances are the better alternative to buying appliances

Here are some of the benefits:

 Subscription appliances are usually cheaper than purchasing an electric appliance.

 

 

  • If you’re not sure about which electric appliance or how long you will be staying where you are, subscribing gives you time in which to decide which model fits best with your lifestyle and budget. If you leave in a hurry you don;t have the hassle of trying to sell your electric appliances

     

  • If you’re staying in Melbourne City long term, many rental businesses offer long term discounts. Whybuy has a gold membership which we recommend to customers who are sure they will be around for a year or longer, which has much lower weekly rental fees.

     

  • Subscription agreements allow access to different models so that they can try out various brands and models without committing themselves financially. If you don’t like them after trying them out simply return them!