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The first Costco store in Australia opened recently in Melbourne, and has attracted a fair amount of hype. Someone I know has entertained the idea of buying a new freezer (maybe at Costco?) to store all the frozen goods that they will buy there. That defeats the purpose of saving money by buying in bulk: if you factor in the added expense of the $60AU annual membership fee, a new freezer and electricity to keep things cold, you probably aren’t saving very much.
Entertaining the thought of getting a membership yourself?
Read Are You Wasting or Saving Money with a Warehouse Club Membership? before you do so. There are some great points and excellent comments as well.
Here’s what they say:
1. Warehouse prices are not necessarily the best.
We realized that we could get cheaper prices at local grocery stores or stores such as Target if we just looked for weekly specials. When you pay a membership fee you expect that the prices are low, but that does not mean that you always get the lowest price. Many people just assume that the wholesale club has the lowest price and ignore other stores, and that could mean missed savings.
2. Quantities are too large.
Buying too much of something is a problem for small families. We live in a 1000 square feet apartment and large piles of paper towels had to be stored in the living room, and that was a bit ridiculous. We also do not have a large freezer so a lot of frozen foods just will not fit.
3. The fee is not always recouped.
In the past few years we visited the warehouse club less than 10 times, and we are pretty sure we did not save enough to cover the membership fee. This is because it is just much easier to buy foods at grocery stores that are close by.
4. Shopping at a warehouse is stressful.
A big reason why we do not like visiting the warehouse store is because it is so crowded every single time.
Warehouse clubs make a lot of sense for families with a lot of storage space and the ability to consume large quantities of food without waste, but for us it just was not working out. Interestingly enough most of these warehouses make a large part of their profits through the membership fees, and not through their merchandise. So it would seem that many members may be underutilizing their memberships.
I can also add another reason:
5. Petrol and time counts too.
If you live in the outskirts of Melbourne, you may spend more getting to and from Costco than you save shopping there: after paying for petrol, toll charges and the added time spent getting there and back rather than picking up that extra item during your weekly grocery shop.
Hope that helps, and happy shopping!
Ok, I love hot chocolate. Living in a house with a confirmed chocoholic (who else but my darling husband) can be fantastic, but he thinks I’m torturing him when I take a month (or more) to eat my share of TimTams/ choccy bar/ fudge/ cookies. Everytime he opens the pantry/ fridge there may be something yummy staring at him, beckoning him to eat them all (or so he says).
With hot chocolate however, we’re united in our gluttony. Joining us is the divine B, with her very yummy post on some yummy spots in Melbourne.
There’s a fantastic list of great chocolate places in Melbourne if you live here. I’m sure there are equivalents in every city – just google! And check out this chocoholic’s blog entry and follow her links to more delights (or critique, anyway).
One of our fave hot chocolate places is Xocolatl. This drool-worthy Melbourne Age review will convert any skeptics. And if you’re looking for a present for me, this is one place where you don’t have to spend too much money for me to be very happy!
Also see Chocoholic Tours, Melbourne.
If you are in Melbourne, this is your chance to enjoy excellent classical music with the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra without having to pay a cent.
In ABC Symphony Australia Young Performers Awards, the MSO shares the stage with three of Australia’s finest young instrumentalists, all competing for the honour of being named Young Performer of the Year. Under the baton of Arvo Volmer (Chief Conductor of the Adelaide Symphony Orchestra), this will be an event every music lover will want to attend.
Tickets have been available since July 1, so it might be a good idea to ring the MSO Subscription Box Office 9929 9600 to find out if there are any left. Pick up tickets in person from 3 Driver Lane, City (opposite the GPO).
Good luck, and see you there!
It’s time again for the Melbourne International Film Festival. In the past 26 hours (with a bit of sleep and 8 hours of work in between) I watched 3 films, and I’m loving it. It’s a great buzz to watch cool movies with a bunch of enthusiasts.
My 2 favourites so far:
- California Dreamin’ (Nesfarsit) | An intelligent, entertaining black comedy. My rating = 9/10 | IMDB | MIFF link | next session Tue 5 Aug, 12:20 PM
- Johnny Mad Dog | Intense, confronting and non-judgmental. My rating = 9/10 | IMDB | MIFF link | next session Sun 10 Aug, 3:15 PM
- The animation shorts selection was a dismal 5/10. There were some real gems, but more than half the offerings weren’t entertaining me, thus the low score.
Anyhow, feel free to check out my MIFF calendar. I’m attending many screenings alone, so if you’d like to join me, let me know. You’ll also notice I’m watching 13 movies in 13 days (yikes!). At the very least, I’ll be spending my time queueing up for interesting movies and striking up spontaneous conversations. Just what I enjoy. We’ll see how I survive.
It’s definitely possible to find great dessert in a food court in Melbourne. Even when the food court in question is disgustingly commercial, noisy and crowded.
1. Chocolateria San Churro, Eastland
On one of our rare forays to the far east, we chanced upon this gem in the Eastland food court. The churros are good (but the ones at Movida are a bit better) but I reckon it’s the best place in the area for your chocolate fix. Note the McDonald’s outside: this is real food court territory!
Eastland
Shop G014, Eastland Shopping Centre,
175 Maroondah Hwy
Ringwood 3134
Phone: 03 9870 8338Mon-Wed 9am-5:30pm
Thu & Fri 9am-9pm
Sat 9am-5pm, Sun 10am-5pm
2. Calatrava, Crown Casino Food court
If you walk past all the usual food court stalls, gamblers and tourists, you will be enticed by the window display at Calatrava near the river entrance of the food court. We absolutely adored the Lemon & Lime Tart. We only went in there to watch Ironman, but next time we walk past, we’ll try something else.
Calatrava
Ground Floor
Crown Casino Food Court
Ph: 9686 5757
24 hours, 7 days a week
We had a short visit from a friend who was driving through Melbourne on a road trip, and we took the opportunity to return to our favourite food places.
First up was Xocolatl, which serves beautiful hand made chocolate and hot chocolate, all made in-house. More about that in a later post. For now, a tantalizing teaser:
2 of the chocolates are hazelnut pralines, which are my new favourite. I don’t remember what the other two are, but I also love the macadamia and lime ones.
The hot chocolate there is also second to none, with just the right kick of flavour and a mild sweetness, it’s sophisticated and smooth rather than cloying and sickening (unlike the hot chocolate at another joint I won’t mention).
The other highlight was a French crepe place just down the road.
We went there for breakfast on a cold, windy morning, and opened the door to the warm, welcoming smells of honey and pancakes. I ordered a salmon and cream cheese crepe and J had the breakfast crepe with mushroom, bacon & eggs. Yum!
Then we all dug into a dessert crepe:
Where?
Brittany Blue – Gourmet French Crepes
79 Bay Street, Port Melbourne, VIC 3207
(03) 9646 7228
The service was warm and friendly, the food was divine, and we’ll definitely be back soon! It’s a great place for a light meal, some dessert or a healthy, yummy breakfast.
The La Mirada film festival opened this week. I missed out last year, and as a fluent Spanish speaker, I like watching Spanish films and keeping up my langauge skills as much as possible. This year, I emailed C & M so we could go watch a movie or two together.
We passed on Thieves, as it was opening night and tickets were a horrifying $45 each! We ended up choosing Death of a Cyclist and I bought our tickets the same day. Funny enough, I ended up winning tickets to Thieves and the opening night gala the next day!
I’d never been to a premiere before. It was quite exciting, with paparazzi and beautiful people working the room. Other than waiting 1 hour for invited VIPs to show up, and the cost, it was quite enjoyable. Best of all was the jamon iberico.. yum!!
The next day, we met C & M for Death of a Cyclist. The film has been hailed as a masterpiece:
photo via The Criterion CollectionSpanish cinema under Franco was a stifled and sterile industry, kept under strict government control. Bardem, the film’s director, was one of the few brave filmmakers to question the psychological and political oppression of the day and deal with the realities of contemporary life.
When watching a “foreign language” film, I’m always fascinated at what amuses the native speakers vs. the non-native speakers. I remember laughing inanely to The World’s Fastest Indian in Mexico City while the Mexicans were silent. Something is always lost in translation. This film was the same, and it was a privilege sitting with C & M and getting a unique perspective from them, even though we were sushed very loudly by the person sitting in front of us! C’s stories of his family during in Franco’s era deepened my understanding of the film, which I’d found merely good (rather than great) at first glimpse. Unlike many others, I didn’t mind the ending too much.
After a very yummy dinner with C & M’s friends at Chocolate Buddha, we walked 30mins back to the car. The irony is that the car was parked further away than home, thanks to the bloody footy and rugby games nearby. Thankfully it was a beautiful night, and a very pleasant walk back.
Sometimes I love living in Melbourne!
I love it when people come up to me and say: “That looks great on you”; inevitably it’s followed by: “Where did you get it?” and I am always proud to say: “At the op shop“.
Everyone knows I am an incurable op shop whore. I will invade any second hand shop with a vengance! On a good (or P will say BAD) day, I can stay in one shop for up to 2 hours and exit $60 poorer, with an armful of clothing, shoes, housewares, what have you. I love it for 2 reasons: I’m a tight arse and I’m a greenie. Recycled is better than new – even if they came from the same sweat shop.
Some of my favourite booty – Seven jeans: $6.50 (retailing at DJ’s for about AU$299) from the Slavos Salvos in St Kilda; wonderful silk tops from the Vinnies in Port Melbourne; Cole Haan kitten heels (with Nike air technology): about US$25 from Crossroads in San Francisco. There are some great op vintage stores in SF and the last time we visited I planned everything around food and shopping (poor P).
Actually, I buy loads of other stuff at the op shop. If you don’t mind mismatched plates, wineglasses and pre-loved garden and homewares, you’ll find treasure too. Just remember these tips:
- Go when it’s quiet, preferably when everyone else is working so that you have time to dig around.
- Find a store in a posh area. Goods are usually donated locally, so the smarter the neighbourhood, the smarter the stuff.
- Dress smart. Wear stuff that is easy on, easy off. Be prepared to get dirty.
- Sizing. Most of the clothes are either tiny or large. Therefore, it’s best to be an ideal op shop size of women’s 8 or 10 Australian. However, I have stuff from a US 2 to an Australian 14, so if you think it might fit, try it on. If you think it’s too small or large, try it on anyway. You never know!
- Take your time. If you’re the kind of shopper that loves to get in and out in 5mins with what you want, forget it. Be prepared to weed through a big bunch of duds, and try everything on.
- Quality Control. I look for any holes, tears or fraying seams. Think about where clothes tend wear out. When buying shirts, check cuffs and collars. Open and close all bags and check handles, zips and bottoms. Look at the hems of skirts, pants and jeans. Also ask yourself if it will cost you more to dry clean, fix or alter than the price of the item.
- Keep an open mind. You can try on that pink furry jacket and have a laugh. You can even buy it. The op shop is a great place to make affordable mistakes. If you don’t like it, just give it back.
- Visit often, because you never know what you might come across!
Some links:
- The Treasure Hunter’s Guide, Melbourne
- Tickets to trouble, theage.com.au
- BEST op shops in melbourne, Vogue Australia Forums
Good luck, and have fun treasure hunting. If you have a favourite op shop, let me know!
I hosted some CouchSurfers a while back, and showed them around the CBD. We wandered around the famous laneways, and took lots of photos of the graffiti. Check out my dphoto album.
Also, a quick Google Search found these graffiti links:
- SHIFT | PLACE | MELBOURNE – GRAFFITI ART, an excellent summary of the scene, with some great photos.
- There are also some photo examples in this photo gallery on About.com
- The writing on the wall | Guardian Unlimited Arts has scathing political commentary about the state of the art.
Enjoy!
It has been stinking hot here in Melbourne, according to this article in the Age:
After Victoria yesterday recorded its hottest end to its hottest year, Melbourne has today experienced its hottest start to a year on record – but relief is on its way.
(By the way, Victoria is one of the 6 states or territories of Australia (Wikipedia entry), and Melbourne is the capital of Victoria.)
Yesterday, it was so hot we went swimming (it was refreshing, since the water temperature was about 25C), had a cold shower, and came home to sit in the air conditioning. We slept in the living room overnight, because that’s where the a/c was! Being bloody Aussies (with thick skins and stiff upper lips) houses here are very rarely centrally cooled nor heated, and if you’re very lucky, you might get a/c in your rental house/ apartment. Obviously, the a/c is in the living areas. I don’t know anyone who rents with a/c in their bedroom. And I don’t know how people sleep without a/c when it’s 40C overnight. I certainly can’t!
Thankfully, it has finally cooled down:
A predicted cool change has already made its presence felt, with the temperature in the city falling rapidly following this afternoon’s peak. Between 1.25pm and 1.55pm, the temperature dropped from 41.2 to 28.5 degrees.
Basically, the temperature dropped 12.7C in 30mins. If that doesn’t tell you how unpredictable the bloody weather here is, nothing will! And if there’s one thing I miss about Mexico City (other than the food), it’s the predictable, civilised weather patterns.
Anyway, I have been in a heat-induced stupor that I’m slowly recovering from, and I’ll try to get more stuff about our trip to NZ online ASAP. It might help that tomorrow is cooler..
