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20 November 2016

South African Expats, what to buy in South Africa and bring back with you?



All the SA Expats, spending your hard earned money on trips up
and down, back and forth... to see family, etc.

Make your trips back home, count.
Buy and bring things back, which are cheaper.

Most people think that you earn 'BIG money' overseas. Ha. Ha.
So, you should all be returning as 'Dollar Millionaires'.
But, that's not really the case.

Fact: The average person in Europe does not really earn a lot.
Eg. average school teacher earns roughly 1.300 EUR p/m.
The 'middle class' in Europe is actually poor, many people are in debt and
don't have much savings. The cost of living is very high.
Don't forget, they pay a lot in EU charges, taxes, insurance, MOT, etc.

Fact: The cost of living in Paris is 100% more than in Johannesburg.
(www.expatistan.com, - The cost of living index, 2016.)

People in supermarkets in Europe also buy the 'no name' products to scrape by.
For example: Beef is very expensive and most people can only afford chicken
or pork.

Because of many high EU regulations and taxes, 1.00 Euro, can not buy
you a coffee in a café in Europe, now.



Bunny Chow. A real South African lunch for around 1.50euros.
A crepe with chicken and cheese in a restaurant in France, 8.50euros..
that's R150.00 for a pancake! 


Some examples: 20 Nov, 2017. - Regular Headache tablets
(only 8 tablets in a pack) in France is 2.20euros. Nov, 2017

A pack of 50x headache tablets (Grand-pa or Compral)
in South Africa is R45.00
A rough exchange conversion.. 1.00Euro is equal to 17.00 Rand.
This means...  8 tablets in France are R34.00   WOW!

Books and paper are very expensive in Europe.
Basic notepads / school exercise book cost around 3.00euros in a supermarket.
That's R50.00 for a 80 page paper notepad!
In South Africa you pay around R7.00 an school exercise book.

150g Tick & Flea Powder for dogs in France 8.50euros  = R120.00
150g Tick & flea Powder for dogs in South Africa R45.00

400g Peanut Butter (Smooth) in France 4.50EUR = R76.50
400g Peanut Butter (Smooth) in South Africa, is around R27.00

Yes, exchange rates, import duties, etc. are constantly changing.

Things to buy in South Africa and bring back with you:
-All basic Cold and Flu medication, is cheaper
-Tick & Flea powder for dogs
-Game Naartjie powder sachets (hard to find in Europe)
-Pro-vita Crackers (Not available in most countries in Europe)
-Peanut butter
-Chutney.
-Kiwi Shoe polish (Cheaper and bigger selection in SA.)
-Spices for food. (Larger selection of spices in SA.)
-Dried fruit and nuts (Guava rolls. etc)
-Books (Big book shops in SA have great specials)
-Paper notepads and school exercise books
-Aloe products. (Bigger selection and cheaper in SA)

You should all be buying and collecting Krugerrands when in SA.
(Customs allows you to have around 5 coins on you.)

Amarula Cream Liqueur 700ml, is now available in the big Carrefour
Supermarket in France for around 11.00euros.


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