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Today, we're delving into the exciting world of snoozing and discussing a topic near and dear to our hearts: investing in better sleep.
We all know that catching those Zzz's is crucial for our overall well-being, but just how much should we be investing to enhance our sleep habits?
… View moreToday, we're delving into the exciting world of snoozing and discussing a topic near and dear to our hearts: investing in better sleep.
We all know that catching those Zzz's is crucial for our overall well-being, but just how much should we be investing to enhance our sleep habits?
Let's dive in and find out!
Understanding the Value of Quality Sleep
Before we break down the dollars and cents of sleep investments, let's take a moment to appreciate the incredible benefits of a good night's rest.
Quality sleep isn't just about feeling refreshed in the morning; it's about setting the stage for a healthier, happier life.
From sharpening our memory to reducing stress and even lowering the risk of chronic diseases, the benefits of quality sleep are truly endless.
Exploring Different Sleep Improvement Strategies
Now that we understand the importance of quality sleep let's explore some strategies for enhancing our sleep habits.
From simple lifestyle changes to cutting-edge sleep technology, there's a wide range of options to suit every budget and preference.
1. Lifestyle Changes for Better Sleep
Sometimes, the simplest solutions are the most effective.
By making small adjustments to our daily routines, we can significantly improve the quality of our sleep.
Try cutting back on screen time before bed, establishing a consistent sleep schedule, and creating a relaxing bedtime routine to signal your body that it's time to wind down.
2. Cost-Effective Sleep Aids
If you're looking for a little extra help catching those Zzz's, there are plenty of cost-effective sleep aids available.
From herbal supplements to soothing white noise machines, these budget-friendly options can help you drift off to dreamland without breaking the bank.
3. Investing in Sleep Technology
For those who are willing to splurge a bit more on their sleep habits, investing in advanced sleep technology can be a game-changer.
Smart mattresses, sleep trackers, and adjustable bed frames are just a few examples of the high-tech gadgets available to help you optimise your sleep environment and improve your overall sleep quality.
Making Smart Investments in Your Sleep Health
When it comes to investing in better sleep, it's essential to weigh the costs against the potential benefits.
While it may be tempting to opt for the cheapest option available, investing in quality sleep is an investment in your long-term health and well-being.
By considering the economic, emotional, and health-related impacts of poor sleep, you can make informed decisions that will pay off in the long run.
Sweet Dreams and Sound Investments
The value of quality sleep cannot be overstated.
By investing in better sleep habits, you're not just improving your nights – you're investing in a healthier, happier future.
Whether you're making simple lifestyle changes or splurging on the latest sleep technology, Beds4U is here to support you every step of the way.
Visit our website today to explore our wide range of beds, mattresses, and furniture and take the first step towards a better night's sleep.
Sweet dreams, sleep seekers!
Using your car is convenient, except for finding parking.
Cycling lets you leave anytime, but you might arrive soaked.
So, neighbours, if public transport had the perk of being free, would it be your main way to commute?
The winners of the $100 Westfield vouchers are:
Patrice Hamilton from Sunnyhills
Lorraine Heffernan from Wigram
Rodney Norris from Papatoetoe
… View moreThe winners of the $100 Westfield vouchers are:
Patrice Hamilton from Sunnyhills
Lorraine Heffernan from Wigram
Rodney Norris from Papatoetoe
Lucy Ayres from Richmond
If you're a winner, get in touch here.
If you're not a winner this week, check back next week!
Full set Slazenger Left hand golf clubs, bag & trolley. Includes 3 woods, 9 irons, 1 putter and brand new PGF Marksman Driver. Balls and tees. Pick up only.
This is a glass decoration.
It is a bird in a cage that swings on the hook.
The base of the stand is 10 cm diameter.
Height is 20 cm.
Collection is from Herd Rd, Hillsborough
Deep red / maroon handbag - Milleni brand.
It has a flat bottom so sits nicely.
Large handles to go over your shoulder.
Zipped compartments - 3 compartments. The middle compartment has a smaller zipped compartment within it.
Collection is from Herd Rd, Hillsborough
Width 63 cm, Depth 47 cm, Height 55 cm, PICKUP ONLY in Green Bay (we live opposite Green Bay High School), or if you are outside Auckland then maybe a friend of yours in Auckland can do the pickup.
We're proud to be named Best Provider Nationwide - for the fifth time - at the 2024 Aged Advisor People’s Choice Awards for Best Retirement Village and Aged Care Facilities.
The high ratings and reviews we receive from our residents and their families reflects the effort our team puts … View moreWe're proud to be named Best Provider Nationwide - for the fifth time - at the 2024 Aged Advisor People’s Choice Awards for Best Retirement Village and Aged Care Facilities.
The high ratings and reviews we receive from our residents and their families reflects the effort our team puts into providing the best possible experience for our residents.
Our passion is creating communities where our residents can thrive. Receiving this award for the fifth time tells us that we’re on the right track.
This is a collection of CD's and DVD's. A teaching series from Father's Heart Ministries, by James Jordan.
DVDs -
The restoration of the image of God.
God... our real Father.
Opening our hearts to Father
Dealing with Shame
The orphan spirit
The anointing on sons
… View moreThis is a collection of CD's and DVD's. A teaching series from Father's Heart Ministries, by James Jordan.
DVDs -
The restoration of the image of God.
God... our real Father.
Opening our hearts to Father
Dealing with Shame
The orphan spirit
The anointing on sons
Weakness... the power of sonship
The glorious freedom of sons
CDs
Experiencing Father's presence
Knowing Father like Jesus does
The false covering of fig leaves
Unveiling the cloud of love
God revealed in us... spirit, soul and body
Waves of revival and history
Collection is from Herd Rd, Hillsborough
A collection of books for childhood education and special education.
- Early Childhood special education - 0-8 years, strategies for positive outcomes. By Sharon A. Raver
- A practical guide to early childhood curriculum. Fifth Edition. By Claudia Ellason and Loa Jenkins.
- Understanding … View moreA collection of books for childhood education and special education.
- Early Childhood special education - 0-8 years, strategies for positive outcomes. By Sharon A. Raver
- A practical guide to early childhood curriculum. Fifth Edition. By Claudia Ellason and Loa Jenkins.
- Understanding Child development. Fourth edition. By Rosalind Charlesworth.
- Challenging behaviour and autism. Making sense - making progress. By Philip Whitaker.
- At the cutting edge. The importance of Phonemic awareness in learning to read and spell. By Tom Nicholson.
Collection is from Herd Rd, Hillsborough.
It’s easy to create your own colourful bird house from an old wooden box and some Resene testpots. Find out how to create your own with these easy step by step instructions.
I have a few boxes each containing twenty 250g bags of wood charcoal for $10 a box.
(The bags are small - but at 250g each that adds up to 5kg in total)
Stock up for your summer BBQ
Pick up Whitney Street, Blockhouse Bay
10 x retaining wall posts - H4 treated. Unused.
Size 1.8m tall - tapered - approx 150mm at the widest down to 120mm at the narrow end.
Have been stored outside for the past year.
Free - pick up from Whitney Street, Blockhouse Bay.
We caught up with people who made the move to Australia to ask how they've found it – and whether anything would make them come home.
Steve* had heard the stories. He knew many New Zealanders were taking the plunge and heading across the Tasman. Still, the publicist and musician was … View moreWe caught up with people who made the move to Australia to ask how they've found it – and whether anything would make them come home.
Steve* had heard the stories. He knew many New Zealanders were taking the plunge and heading across the Tasman. Still, the publicist and musician was sceptical about how good moving to Australia really could be. "I was definitely nervous," he says.
In May, Steve and his fiancée packed up their things, left Tāmaki Makaurau and made the move to Melbourne. Five months on, they have no regrets. "I'm almost having to stop myself becoming an Australian evangelist," he says. "It is so, so good."
They didn't know it at the time, but the couple have become part of a mass exodus, as record-breaking numbers of New Zealanders leave Aotearoa in search of more money, better opportunities and improved lifestyles overseas.
For Steve, he says almost everything he'd heard from others making the same move has come true. "It's awesome," he says. "I have no regrets."
'It’s day and night'
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A Consumer NZ investigation, published in May 2024, asked New Zealanders from all walks of life living in Australia how they had found their move. They told us they were enjoying cheaper property prices and rent, reduced living expenses, including cheaper food, transport and energy costs, and higher wages. Statistics backed this up.
Steve says he's already reaping the benefits of a much cheaper lifestyle, especially when it comes to food. "It's day and night," he says. "We've got this amazing Greek supermarket and we fill up two massive bags of fresh produce and it will be A$20 (NZ$22) ... Halloumi is crazy cheap."
The pair have found their transport costs have gone down too. With two trams and a bus stop near their home in Thornbury, just a short ride outside of Melbourne's central city, they have no need for a car. "You can get anywhere you need to go really easily," he says. "You can tram anywhere you need to go."
The only downside they’ve experienced is the demand for rental properties. While looking for their two-bedroom apartment (which costs them $A550, or NZ$605, a week), they attended open homes with queues of up to 30 people.
Other than that, the move has been entirely positive. Steve’s partner has been able to advance her career, and he’s enjoying more opportunities for his musical ambitions.
What the statistics say
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According to new data from Stats NZ, more people are leaving Aotearoa than ever before. Between August 2023 and 2024, 134,300 residents left the country, which is “provisionally, the highest on record for an annual period”.
The latest provisional statistics on those moving to Australia also remain high, with 28,600 New Zealanders departing for Aus between March 2023 and March 2024.
Why are they going? In May, Consumer spoke to Johanna Smith, who runs the website movingtoaustralia.com. She blames the exodus on variables people have always left Aotearoa for: a search for higher wages, a lower cost of living and more affordable homes.
“You've always been able to afford to buy a home in Australia, and that has not been a reality for the majority of New Zealanders for years,” she said. “Now that the food and the petrol is so high as well, it has definitely made people think, 'Oh flip, maybe I should actually do it.'”
Consumer’s Sentiment Tracker survey data from July backs that up. When asked how confident they were in our economy over the next 12 months, 39% of respondents reported feeling “pessimistic” or “very pessimistic”, while only 26% were optimistic.
Another 37% anticipated their savings would decline in the following year , while only 27% believed their savings would increase. And, 31% reported their standard of living had declined, while just 18% thought their standard of living had improved.
What about those we spoke to last time?
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In New Plymouth, Jose Litre, along with his wife Julieta, their son and their dog Rollie had struggled to save for a trip back home to Argentina, despite earning good salaries. So, 2 years ago, they moved into a near-new four-bedroom home in South Australia that cost them A$500,000 (NZ$551,888)
When Consumer catches up with Litre, he’s in Argentina, finally making his first post-Covid trip back home. Their circumstances have changed: his wife is studying after losing her job, but Litre says they’re still able to live comfortably on his income.
“We're very happy with our decision,” he says. “Our son is excelling at school, which is just a 15-minute bike ride from our home. The area we live in, about 30 minutes north of Adelaide, is growing rapidly with new homes and businesses being developed. The economy seems to be booming here – shopping centres are busy, and people continue to spend despite the rising cost of living and interest rates.”
Litre’s colleagues share stories about how hard it is to find a rental property, backing up Steve’s claim that demand is high. And he says the cost of living has increased over the 2 years they’ve been in Australia. “Overall, our circumstances are good, but I don’t want to give the impression that everything is perfect,” he says.
When Consumer last spoke to Amy Potter, she’d just lost her job in Australia as a publicist for a video game company . At the time, she admits a conversation came up about moving back to Aotearoa. It was quickly nixed. “At the end of the day I have bought a house, and now have a dog too, here in Australia and it would not be a good time to sell with the market and economy where it is.”
She also wanted to stay working in the video game industry. “There were still 10-times the opportunities in Australia than I was seeing listed in New Zealand in my industry,” she says. “The scale of Australia is just more conducive to opportunities than New Zealand within the video games space.”
Potter soon found a new job, working for New Zealand-based game asset publisher Synty Studios. The company lets her work from Sydney, and she’s very happy with her decision to stay.
Smith says that’s a new trend she’s noticed over the past few months, with New Zealanders taking their jobs with them when they move to Australia. “I’m definitely still busy [with inquiries],” Smith says. “I'm getting more enquiries from visitors who are planning on moving to Australia while continuing to work for their New Zealand employer.”
‘We're definitely here for good’
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In Melbourne, Steve says their move has been so successful he’s about to make it permanent. He’s considering applying for residency, and “closing my New Zealand bank account”. He says, “We’re definitely here for good.”
But there’s one thing he does miss, something that many who have made the move say: his friends and family. A recent visit from his parents helped soften the blow, and he and his partner will return to Aotearoa in January for their wedding.
“If I didn't have that thing coming up that would feel more distant and more sad,” he says.
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www.consumer.org.nz...
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