485 Dirhams for a Friday Night!

And all I did was go grocery shopping! Seems everyone I know is out of town so I had nothing to do. The Mrs. had a night out with the ladies, so I dropped her off and made a move for Choitram's. I was hungry as hell and DYING for some bacon, and I knew I could get my fix at Choitram's. My covert pork-op led me to the infidel section around 9:30 last night. My vision was blurry from bacon withdrawal, but I knew I could make it. I was like a kid in a candy store there, but drew the line at 3.5 lbs. of bacon. Half a pound for dinner and the rest to stash in the freezer.

Last night's trip to the grocers was not a weekly "shop", but more of a sustenance trip. Like no combination of any items in the house could possibly pass for a meal, so I HAD to go. I walked in the door fully knowing that I was hungry and to avoid the impulse purchases, barring a small item to snack on for the trip home.

It is a little strange to go into a grocery store you are not familiar with, as you need to be on your guard. It is like you are on foreign turf, in a strange country and you literally need to keep your hand on your wallet. All those items you toss into the basket at your local, you need to double check for price on foreign soil. For example: a block of cheese that costs 12 AED at my cornershop is 26 AED here. Why? Back on the shelf with it. I was armed with a list, so if I stuck to it, I would be okay (other than the tin of cashews that were designated my drive snack)

I ended up with a total of 32 items...not all different, had some multiples of some but here is a synopsis with the Australian Dollar equivalent beside (as that is our next move), then the price for the same product available at Safeway in the US. (I'm not American, but we can all relate to the USD):
1. Toilet tissue AED 54/ AUD $23 (USD $7)
2. 1 litre milk AED 10/ AUD $4.25 (USD $3)
3. Butterball Turkey roast AED 60/ AUD $25 (USD $15)
4. 6 cans of cat food AED 30/ AUD $13.79 (USD $6)
5. 8-pack AA Batteries AED 23/ AUD $10.00 (USD $6)
6. 4 potatoes AED 02/ AUD $ 1.00 (USD $1)
7. Carton Marlboro lites AED 65/ AUD $26.50 (USD $30)
8. 4x 40w Light bulbs AED 8/ AUD $ 3.50 (USD $8)
9. Nescafe instant coffee AED 15/ AUD $ 6.50 (USD $4)
10. 3x1 lb. Bacon AED 93/ AUD $39.50 (USD $11)
11. 1/2 lb. Bacon AED 20/ AUD $ 8.50 (USD $3)
12. 250g Dutch Gouda chz. AED 17/ AUD $ 7.00 (USD $4)
13. 1/2 loaf white bread AED 4/ AUD $ 1.75 (USD $2)
14. q-tips AED 5/ AUD $ 2.00 (USD $2)
15. 4Xcans of baked beans AED 32/ AUD $14.00 (USD $8)
16. 4X sausage rolls AED 10/ AUD $ 4.00 (USD $4)
17. Doritos (small) AED 6/ AUD $ 2.25 (USD $3)
18. 5x peperoni sticks AED 16/ AUD $ 7.00 (USD $3)
19. Can of cashews salted AED 15/ AUD $ 7.25 (USD $5)

TOTALS-------------------> AED 485/AUD $206.79(USD $125)


You can throw out the items that are at or close to par, but the totals don't lie. take a look at the items, then think about it. The price of shit tickets is out of control, no wonder there are ass hoses in every bathroom. The bacon price is on par with truffles (I guess it IS a rare delicacy around here). Even things like the turkey roast and cat food are crazy. You can see by comparison to the USD prices, if everything is over priced, how quickly your grocery bill can get nuts. YES, rents are coming down to an extortionate level vs. murderous level, however, the cost of living is still crazy. After excursions like this, it makes me want to cut and run. In Australia, for 206 dollars, I could have a trolley filled to the top, not just a few random bags I can carry in one trip.

For those of you still considering the move here, be cautious. Don't let people trick you into thinking things are getting cheaper. I had a discussion with a recruiting agency last week regarding the cost of living and they have no idea. Hold your ground and let them know how it is just to buy groceries here.

BTW, the can of cashews I bought for the drive home never happened. I went to pop the top and the stupid pull-tab came off. I only bought them for the drive, but instead, had a 15AED passenger on my seat that now required a can opener. I should have just gone to McDonald's.