(edit title) Living cost in Sweden Please share Options

[skogsbo]

My Idea of fair price from direct sales, or sales through small establishments where these so called farmers get screwed by big companies buying in bulk is that the cost of a ... (show full quote)

My Idea of fair price from direct sales, or sales through small establishments where these so called farmers get screwed by big companies buying in bulk is that the cost of a good cut of meat should be in line with similar nations in Europe who offer a similar product. ... (hide full quote)

that's the whole point, products like meat sell at a fairly balanced european price as far as the farmer is concerned. Many EU farms have much lower standards than Sweden, or Northern Europe in general. Low standards mean low costs, which means things in general are tighter for farmers in Northern Europe. If you need convincing why don't you have a little holiday visiting some Southern or Eastern Europe farms and abbatoirs.

EU policy dictates many things, so Sweden can't control or influence it's market place anymore. It can't block imports even if it knows they haven't met EU standards and it can't even offer to subsidise it's own farmers, as this is also against EU competitions laws.

A Digression - The UK government is being taken to the EU court because it lowered the VAT on housing insulation and other green products that homeowners might want to buy, which is part of the EU policy for carbon emissions etc. But EU fiscal policy means a government isn't allowed to assist any market by lowering VAT etc.

Swedish farm overheads are higher, just like any other Swedish business, so you pay Swedish prices for your produce. It's as simple as that. Plus, you can't base prices here on what you see in Stockholm, it's a special place in so many ways.

[claudiacpc]

We spend about 2000 kronor(maximum) a month on food, for my partner and myself. But then we don't eat a lot of meat or dairy and we don't eat junk food.We save on meat ... (show full quote)

We spend about 2000 kronor(maximum) a month on food, for my partner and myself. But then we don't eat a lot of meat or dairy and we don't eat junk food.

We save on meat by having say half meat half kidney beans or chickpeas in our meals- it's healthier I feel...

Though we live like we are on a budget, we aren't poor, between us we are earning enough to live quite a good lifestyle I guess... But we put money into other things, like going to New York and I'm planning on taking my partner to Las Vegas for his 25th birthday ^.^ (I will tell him we are going to visit my family for a week in the UK and then let him work it out when we are boarding the plane )

So we like to save where we can. ... (hide full quote)

Whaaaaat?! I live in Stockholm too, and my partner and I spend about 4000sek a month on food. It's way more than what I would like to spend. Would you mind showing me a sample shopping list for a week please? (And any other tips?)

[Gina88]

Far from it, Sweden has a disgusting amount of long life canned food.Peas in a jar ... who the f*ck buy peas in a jar or mushrooms in brine? ... Last time I saw that I was wea ... (show full quote)

Far from it, Sweden has a disgusting amount of long life canned food.
Peas in a jar ... who the f*ck buy peas in a jar or mushrooms in brine? ... Last time I saw that I was wearing brown flairs and mum was listening to Elton John on the wireless.

And as for Swedens love of tinned sausages :: PUKE :: ... (hide full quote)

When was the last time you were shopping for food in the UK? Canned peas, mushrooms in brine, tinned sausage...every Tesco and Sainsburys sell these . Sorry to disappoint you .

So for instance we often buy meat from ICA or Hemköp, as this is something we cant scrimp on.I dont eat frozen meat or other forms of pink glue.Places like Saluhall have much ... (show full quote)

So for instance we often buy meat from ICA or Hemköp, as this is something we cant scrimp on.
I dont eat frozen meat or other forms of pink glue.
Places like Saluhall have much higher prices and usually slightly better produce, but again you have to juggle quality with price. We dont go for this ideal of just because it says oxfilet on the packet, that its good.

And again, for fruit or veg ... its not even a question of price anymore.
Its what can we eat that isnt super disgusting and half rotten.
So we judge this based on whats available, irrespective of store. ... (hide full quote)

All the same I can say about food in the UK...

About 28000. A big chunk is student loans and house loan amortization. We don't really skimp on food either.. as8

Thank you.

[JulieLou40]

If that was to happen, and we were to go back to old Sweden.Then you would be foreseen as the property of your husband, and if he is Swedish - then you would have nothing to w ... (show full quote)

If that was to happen, and we were to go back to old Sweden.
Then you would be foreseen as the property of your husband, and if he is Swedish - then you would have nothing to worry about as your welfare would be his responsibility and be protected under the umbrella of his national status.

As long as you are married and any children are deemed his.

A bit like a dog and its owner. ... (hide full quote)

He's my sambo, not my husband. Also, I moved here with my child-who is not his. Guess there's no point worrying about it until it happened-IF it happened. And by then, we'd probably be Swedish Citizens.

[mångk]

Well one unfortunate cost of living in Sweden is that you occasionally have to put up with others who suffer Swedophobia!

My definition of that would be a person with an irrational fear and hatred of all things or persons Swedish!



A classic example would be a person who ought to be able to answer a question of basic economics suddenly becomes nonsensical when the word 'Swedish' is inserted into the equation.

[byke]

that's the whole point, products like meat sell at a fairly balanced european price as far as the farmer is concerned. Many EU farms have much lower standards than Sweden, ... (show full quote)

that's the whole point, products like meat sell at a fairly balanced european price as far as the farmer is concerned. Many EU farms have much lower standards than Sweden, or Northern Europe in general. Low standards mean low costs, which means things in general are tighter for farmers in Northern Europe. If you need convincing why don't you have a little holiday visiting some Southern or Eastern Europe farms and abbatoirs.

EU policy dictates many things, so Sweden can't control or influence it's market place anymore. It can't block imports even if it knows they haven't met EU standards and it can't even offer to subsidise it's own farmers, as this is also against EU competitions laws.

A Digression - The UK government is being taken to the EU court because it lowered the VAT on housing insulation and other green products that homeowners might want to buy, which is part of the EU policy for carbon emissions etc. But EU fiscal policy means a government isn't allowed to assist any market by lowering VAT etc.

Swedish farm overheads are higher, just like any other Swedish business, so you pay Swedish prices for your produce. It's as simple as that. Plus, you can't base prices here on what you see in Stockholm, it's a special place in so many ways. ... (hide full quote)

Listen,
If I can buy a piece of Swedish meat in the UK cheaper than buying it from Sweden - then their is obviously an issue not with the overheads and cost of production. But plain and simple greed, because they can.

While I am fully aware that different farms can offer different levels of quality and subsequent price.
What separates the biggest issue IMHO is the ability of consumer choice through competitive pricing.

At present as you have pointed out, big Swedish companies are able to buy cheap s*ht products and due to the nature of selling such in Sweden allow themselves to control or have a very strong grip over sales in Sweden.
Essentially removing choice from customers. Now if Swedish farmers have found a way in and do a similar thing, how are they any better than those they complain about?

When was the last time you were shopping for food in the UK? Canned peas, mushrooms in brine, tinned sausage...every Tesco and Sainsburys sell these . Sorry to disappoint you .

Im in London right now.
However what separates Sainsburys, Tescos, Asda, Waitrose, M&S, and many of the other UK food stores compared to that of say ICA and Hemköp in Sweden is choice, Is the huge variety of choice. Including a substantial price difference.

[sometimesinsweden]

Sweden needs to embrace markets better - buy direct from the producers, then the supermarkets will take note. thats what changed uk supermarkets over past 15 years regarding meat supply.

[Kibiri]

Whaaaaat?! I live in Stockholm too, and my partner and I spend about 4000sek a month on food. It's way more than what I would like to spend. Would you mind showing me ... (show full quote)

Whaaaaat?! I live in Stockholm too, and my partner and I spend about 4000sek a month on food. It's way more than what I would like to spend. Would you mind showing me a sample shopping list for a week please? (And any other tips?) ... (hide full quote)

I am not in Stockholm but one thing I notice some people are not aware is these middle-eastern and asian shops. We have one not far from us, it is too small actually but still worth occasional visit. I wouldn't touch some of the stuff they sell, but quite a few things are both cheaper and fresher. For example, when they have it, tomatoes are fresher than what I buy at ICA and also half price (10-12 sek vs. 25-30 sek). Likewise they have better rice for cheaper price. You need to look around to see if there is such shop in your neighborhood. I have some friends, mostly Swedes, who don't ever go to these shops to see whats inside, I am not sure why.

Another thing, if you have a car, go to the big stores of ICA and Coop, instead of the ones in residential areas. You can check their website for store locations. Also see the weekly deals, posted on their websites. Other than Ica/Coop/Hemköp, check if there is any Lidl nearby - it is a bit cheaper. Get Ica card and coop card to enjoy the miniscule cash backs and occasionally reasonable rabatts.

[mångk]

However what separates Sainsburys, Tescos, Asda, Waitrose, M&S, and many of the other UK food stores compared to that of say ICA and Hemköp in Sweden is choice, Is the hug ... (show full quote)

However what separates Sainsburys, Tescos, Asda, Waitrose, M&S, and many of the other UK food stores compared to that of say ICA and Hemköp in Sweden is choice, Is the huge variety of choice. Including a substantial price difference. ... (hide full quote)

Of course in order to be able to come close to that Sweden would have to

- shrink its landmass to about the size of UK

- increase its population by about 6 times

- change a whole host of regulations

- drop what are its basic wages so that entry level and unskilled persons are paid roughly 68 kr per hour!

[mångk]

I am not in Stockholm but one thing I notice some people are not aware is these middle-eastern and asian shops. We have one not far from us, it is too small actually but still ... (show full quote)

I am not in Stockholm but one thing I notice some people are not aware is these middle-eastern and asian shops. We have one not far from us, it is too small actually but still worth occasional visit. I wouldn't touch some of the stuff they sell, but quite a few things are both cheaper and fresher. For example, when they have it, tomatoes are fresher than what I buy at ICA and also half price (10-12 sek vs. 25-30 sek). Likewise they have better rice for cheaper price. You need to look around to see if there is such shop in your neighborhood. I have some friends, mostly Swedes, who don't ever go to these shops to see whats inside, I am not sure why.

Another thing, if you have a car, go to the big stores of ICA and Coop, instead of the ones in residential areas. You can check their website for store locations. Also see the weekly deals, posted on their websites. Other than Ica/Coop/Hemköp, check if there is any Lidl nearby - it is a bit cheaper. Get Ica card and coop card to enjoy the miniscule cash backs and occasionally reasonable rabatts. ... (hide full quote)

Good ideas!

Compare weekly specials as well.. In Stockholm it may be worthwhile to look at ICA, Willy:s, Citygross, Lidl and so on. Weekly specials are usually available on their websites first thing Mondays!

http://www.ica.se/
http://www.willys.se/
http://www.citygross.se/
http://www.lidl.se

[Gina88]

Im in London right now.However what separates Sainsburys, Tescos, Asda, Waitrose, M&S, and many of the other UK food stores compared to that of say ICA and Hemköp in Swede ... (show full quote)

Im in London right now.
However what separates Sainsburys, Tescos, Asda, Waitrose, M&S, and many of the other UK food stores compared to that of say ICA and Hemköp in Sweden is choice, Is the huge variety of choice. Including a substantial price difference. ... (hide full quote)

Oh yes, choice. You can choose the cheapest mince in the UK, and get something that shrinks twice in size while cooked, and tastes like..hum..paper Yes, choice is limited in Sweden, but it's enough.

[skogsbo]

Listen,If I can buy a piece of Swedish meat in the UK cheaper than buying it from Sweden - then their is obviously an issue not with the overheads and cost of production. But ... (show full quote)

Listen,
If I can buy a piece of Swedish meat in the UK cheaper than buying it from Sweden - then their is obviously an issue not with the overheads and cost of production. But plain and simple greed, because they can. ... (hide full quote)

Exactly what 'swedish meat' are you buying cheaper in the UK? Ikea meatballs don't really qualify?

If you sell in Sweden your retail overheads are still higher etc. Abbatoir work and butchery take a much smaller margin that the retail, who employs many more staff, premise, heating, lighting, refrigeration etc..

What separates the biggest issue IMHO is the ability of consumer choice through competitive pricing.

And basic economics says the smaller the market, then their is less competition, but overall production cost are still high, due to a lack of ecomonies of scale. School boy economics.

. Now if Swedish farmers have found a way in and do a similar thing, how are they any better than those they complain about?

I agree, but slaughter regulations in the EU are tight and also very strictly enforced in Sweden, so home slaughtering and local production is tough to break even. Also given the size of Sweden, most farms are quite far from their major markets, so farms shops just wouldn't have the foot fall. I understand you seem to be basing all your thought on 2 capital cities, but life in both countries, including farming is happening beyond the city limits and it's very different to what you appear to understand.

Im in London right now. However what separates Sainsburys, Tescos, Asda, Waitrose, M&S, and many of the other UK food stores compared to that of say ICA and Hemköp in Swed ... (show full quote)

Im in London right now. However what separates Sainsburys, Tescos, Asda, Waitrose, M&S, and many of the other UK food stores compared to that of say ICA and Hemköp in Sweden is choice, Is the huge variety of choice. Including a substantial price difference. ... (hide full quote)

you think you get choice, what you get is different profit margins on different products, many of the above source their products from exactly the same place. Some will take the premium cuts, other the choss. Plus, many of the own brands are from the same place as labelled stuff. Tesco's jam = hartleys etc.. So you have or are just buying into the con, do you really think their are dozens of producers for the 1000s of different products the big chains sell?

Sweden needs to embrace markets better - buy direct from the producers, then the supermarkets will take note. thats what changed uk supermarkets over past 15 years regarding meat supply.

yeah, but it also drives down price for the farmer. Look what has just happened to milk in the UK. Farmers were on the brink of pouring it away. The same will happen soon with other products once the knock on effect of a poor global harvest spreads. Many Asian countries have had a very poor rice year, the USA has had a grain disaster... big hikes in all foods are coming soon.

[Elf_Moon]

@ClaudiaPC

Hmmm, a typical shopping list looks like this:

6/7 tomatoes, yummy fresh red ones
lettuce
The potted lettuce(because it's yummy)
4 onions
4 oranges
about 6 nectarines
4 onions
This weird vegetable that looks like a flattened onion but smells like liquorish (can never remember the name)
2 bulbs of Garlic
4/5 fresh chillis
some green peppers
1 kg of those cute little potatoes
Spinach
Broccoli
-----
1 or 2 of those lunch sausage things that taste so amazing
a packet of sausages
a large sort of joint of gammon or mince depending on whether or not we've run out of mince yet
(we usually buy 1kg of the good mince and eat about 500g of it in a week.)
2/4 cans of diced tomatoes(super cheap- like 4 kr a can)
2 cans of kidney beans
-----
A bag of flour(if we need it)
Fresh yeast (if we need it)
----
Soy milk.
eggs (if we need them)
1 small loaf of the yummy danish bread
--------------------------------------------------------

And every few months we will buy toilet tissue, hair stuff, other bits and pieces like a tub of butter and even sour milk. See? Normal food ^.^ But it never comes to more than around 450 if we buy the unusual bits. Last week the shopping came to 217kr because I was too tired to do a big shop, so I just got some fruit and veggies

I bulk cook as well. Saves money in the long run! I also make a lot of stews, slow cooked chilli and soups! So my shopping can range on average from around 350-400 I'd say. Once it was 480 and I nearly fell over with shock!

[Bender B Rodriquez]

This weird vegetable that looks like a flattened onion but smells like liquorish (can never remember the name)

Fennel (fänkål)

[Svensksmith]

While in Sweden, we found that, by going direct to the farmer, we were able to afford better quality meat. We bought lamb and 1/2 beef and put it in the freezer. We also planted a garden and built a greenhouse to help out with the lack of good, affordable vegetables at the store. We do the same here in America, and raise our own chickens for meat and eggs, and we're still paying too much at the grocery store. I guess I will have to cut down on the beer.