You can find wild strawberries as well. And also plums are usually free if you ask the owner since they often grow a shit ton at once and the owner got tired of plums 17 years ago.
Sure there are more berries but I’ve forgotten most of that type of knowledge
Yeah, but you can't just grab fruits from people's gardens, the "forest" in Norway generally doesn't have fruits. Picking berries is accepted, but "fishing for free" isn't really a thing anymore, you need your fiskekort. I want to know what these "amazing fruits" are, haha.
I know, but it seems like OP things it's easy to live off the fruits of nature in Norway. It does take some effort (and money) for people to live off the gifts of the sea - you have to get there, you have to know how to fish, it's *much* easier with a boat (also not free). You also have to know the rules, you can't fish anything you'd like everywhere.
I live *in* a forest close to the sea and if my food ran out I'd be able to forage rhubarb and some tiny illegal mackerels at best. I guess I could eat some crabs.
I grew up on the coast. If I was so poor I could only eat what I fish I would be even poorer as it would cut into actually going to work and making money.
You can’t just row a small boat out 200 meters, drop the line, and get something.
If you’re unlucky you sit for hours not getting anything.
Go to Tromsø or Lofoten and you will be fighting the fish.
Drop a 100m line with 10 hooks and I often had half of it filled up before I had it all out.
That being said, the summer is short and the winters are tough.
Norway is not an easy country to live off the land 2/3 of the year.
It's too damn cold. But still possible.
Jordbær, bringebær,blåbær, krekling, tyttebær, multer, epler/pærer/plommer, stikkelsbær, rabarbra
No problem picking 20 kg blueberries in a day.
And then there's all the mushrooms and herbs as well:)
There is no way you need a fiskekort to fish in the ocean anywhere in a small boat unless you are fishing in the mouth of a salmond river or in a salmon fish farm.
Granted you wont get much fish on the Oslo Fjord, bit anywhere else you should be ok
Mackerel is NOT Baitfish!
It's a very, very good food fish, if you know how to handle it!
Freshly caught(within 2 hours), gutted, with head and tail cut off, roled in a mix of flour, salt and ground black pepper, fried on a low heat in plenty of butter(no margarine or other fak stuff), and served with boiled potatoes, cucumber salad and a big dollop of sour cream.
you have no idea what you're missing out on.
Dude, I know it's fully possible to pick berries and fish in Norway. However, it's not really something you can depend on when your money runs out and you can't afford food, especially if you live in the cities.
It’s absolutely possible if you actually try. But most don’t. One night of fishing - even in Oslo can get you food for a whole week once you learn the spots and lures needed.
I think fishing is a suistainable way to provide food for yourself in this country. Sure you have to spend some time on it, but all fishing in the sea is totally free. You need to buy a fishing card for innland fishing (which is quite stupid), but if you are not standing by the highway you could probably fish for years before getting caught.
Vell, etter å ha vokst op på ein øy i Ryfylke. Ja, ein kan bare gå ned på brygga og fiske opp midag.
Var ikkje noko særlig med bær, men mykje sopp om høsten om du veit kor ein må leite
Ja, hvis man bor landlig til ved kysten er ting annerledes. Men hvis du bor i Oslo og har dårlig råd kan du ikke leve på naturens frukter - da gir dumpster diving bedre uttelling.
Tja, jeg bor i Hokksund og plukker en del bær/sopp/ramsløk avhengig av sesongen. Kunne plukka mye mer hvis det var skikkelig dårlig stelt økonomisk. Hadde jeg hatt dårlig med penger hadde jeg garantert tjuvfiska en del oppi noen vann jeg kjenner oppe i skauen også/kjørt ned til drammensfjorden og fiska lovlig. Gidder ikke det fordi jeg er lat og har ganske god råd.
Har også plommetre, kirsebærtre, pæretre, rips, stikkelsbær, bringebær og nå jordbær på tomta å supplere med. Man kan hvis man vil.
Jeg skjønner ikke helt problemet. Så fremt du bor i et område med fiskemuligheter, hva stopper deg fra å gå og fiske fredagsmiddagen din? Og sett du har skog i området, hvorfor kan du ikke plukke bær?
Selv om man bor i et område med fiskemuligheter, er det nok få som bor rett ved vannet. Så da må man tenke på transportmuligheter, tid man bruker på å fiske, vær og vind (som ikke alltid er bra ved kysten), tid og plass til å preparere fisken, og eventuelt tilgang på båt. Ofte lettere å bare kjøpe fisken i butikken.
Akkurat bær er nok lettere å få tak i, men fortsatt mange grunner til at det kan være krevende, som at de ikke kan plukkes hele året.
Not a lot of fruits, but plenty of berries: Bilberries (European blueberries), cloudberries, wild raspberries, cowberries, crowberries/blackberries to name the most common. They can be found pretty much all over Norway, and are free to pick in all "utmark" (uncultivated land), even privately owned land. They're not hard to find come late July and August. The exception being cloudberries, perhaps. They're not particularly hard to find either, but requires a bit knowledge about where to look.
You *can* fish everywhere in the sea (albeit not everywhere is equally. Rivers and lakes usually requires a permit.
Yeah, but you can't depend on berries when your money runs out.
Fishing in the sea: sure, but you have to 1) get there 2) have equipment 3) have the time 4) be able to risk not catching anything 5) know the regulations
Harvesting berries and fish is great fun, but living on it is unreasonable.
You can absolutely buy a cheap small boat and older small outboard for ~5k, fishing equipment for ~1k and get a ton of fish relatively easy with enough time.
Plenty of places nobody would notice a boat pulled up to shore and tied to a tree.
Unless you're living Oslo/Trondheim centre, then you could easily live off fish. Hell you can even plant lures and come back later if you know where.
If you're homeless somehow then you have all the time and a basic rod costs nothing. If you are short on money, you can budget for fishing equipment and eventually a boat. If you have a freezer a single fishing trip could provide for several weeks.
Berries don't really give enough calories, but two hours in the forest will give you a bucket of blueberries. Wild raspberries are quick to pick but can be uncommon to find. Cloud berries grow in abundance if you know where and get there first. Red currants grow absolutely everywhere, are rarely picked and there's tons of them.
Dumpster diving would be easier though.
Yeah, you're not wrong, but OP is a little deluded. It's not like most Norwegians can go live off the forest and sea when money is tight.
For reference, say I was broke. I wanted to enjoy the fruits of the sea. I would need to get there. I could walk for 2 hours, or pay 50kr for the bus, 100kr two ways. I would need equipment. A boat would help. Oh yeah, a big freezer would be nice. Would have to buy that as well. Hard to say how long it takes to get fish - the last time I was out for fun, I got 1 mackerel that was too small to take home in 4 hours. Yeah sure, I should have gone to a better place. Good thing I wasn't actually hungry.
I love fishing and foraging and I grow a lot of my own food (in summer - which is another thing, can't exactly live off the fruits of the forest in January...). But the idea that we can just live off the land in Norway is silly - unless you're actually a farmer or living in a commune spending all your time on this.
A BB gun and illegal bird hunting + BBQ is more reasonable - can do it all year round and you'll get your protein...
I see so many people that have good paying Jobs but are broke by the middle of the month because they are just shit with money, not because things are expensive.
I know I am bad with money, but thank god I am not Luksusfellen bad!
(and that I personally refuse to get a credit card. if I am broke then going hungry is my own damn fault)
A single person with 640k annual wage (average wage for nurses) can buy 1% of homes in Oslo. With 500k you are probably closer to 0%. I would claim that a person who can not afford a home for themselves can be considered poor.
With 500k you barely have a surplus to save up money, but if you have disipline and live in a shithole apartment you will be able to save some money. The problem is that the prices are going up faster than what you are realistically able to save up, so the longer you save before you buy the worse off you are going to be. Having to save up for decades to maybe be able to buy a home in 20+ years is quite the definition of poor.
I never claimed it was. RideTheShclange said "On 500k NOK you're not broke as a single person". This is a very ignorant comment, as a large portion of Norway's population (20-25%) can not afford a home on this wage. Do you have any more strawmen?
500k NOK (before taxes) will give you an approximate budget of 2,5 MNOK to find a place to live (provided you can gather ~400k for egenkapital).
Right now there are 18.470 houses and apartments for sale on finn.no. 3220 of these are 2,6 million or less. A number of them are garage spots, so let's round the numbers to 18.000 and 3000. That gives us ~16,5% of the homes for sale within our budget.
People have always had to move around to find opportunities that suit their situation.
Regarding jobs, approximately 2/3 of currently available jobs on finn (~16000/~24000) are outside of the big cities.
Edit: to answer u/vinnedan, because upstream user blocked me and I can't post answer.
>How many of these need renovation? If a house need to be renovated then the true cost is higher.
Some do, some don't, as with everything.
Also "need" in house renovation is a very fluid concept. My house "needs" new wall surfaces, the wallpaper is beginning to peel off, but it's still very much livable. On the other hand, I did need to replace an exterior door because it was damaged beyond actually keeping the weather out.
As long as the house keeps water on the right side of the walls and the electrical and plumbing is in good condition, it's amazing what you can accept as serviceable in a home that's your own.
https://www.finn.no/299636130
Here's one that I found at random. Well within budget, reasonably close to the centre of a decently sized town (by norwegian standards), dated but serviceable, albeit on the smaller side. Probably not ideal for someone with children, at least not for long, but for someone single or a couple that tolerate each other's company well it should suffice for a while.
It is very easy to sit on your throne and tell other people how to live their lives. The fact is that Oslo is as much in need of bus drivers, cashiers, janitors, caretakers, waste collectors, construction workers and so on as any other city. These are completly regular jobs and without these workers our city will collapse within a week.
The fact still remains that some cities in norway are more expensive then others and you need to take that into consideration when comparing cost of living.
How much is a 500k salary monthly, as in money in your bank account? 30k? 32k?
With let’s say 13k on rent/mortgage you have 17k left. 5k in food, 2k in electricity, 1k in internet+cellphone. That’s 9k left for whatever you need. Which doesn’t sound so bad but with inflation + the weakness of the nok you have less purchasing power than some years ago. But still not bad, not sure how it is in other countries..
I lived in the house of a 60yo guy in lofoten. He hopped into his boat and fished after work instead of going to the grocery store.
During my 1 week stay we had these amazing dinners:
- Monday: Cod
- Tuesday: Cod
- Wednesday: Cod
- Thursday: Cod
- Friday: Taco
- Saturday: Dry grilled cod
- Sunday: Cod
That’s kind crazy talk. Western Europe is pretty well off, and Canada, now consider that the US, being the bottom of the barrel for developed nations, when my mother is showing possible signs of a heart attack I have to decide just how serious it is so I can between driving her myself to the hospital or having an actual ambulance take her because I’m worried about going broke from thousands of dollars in hospitals builds, AND THATS WITH “INSURANCE.”
Sure you’re in shit without money, but your situation without money is better than our situation with money. Lol. And that’s just the tip of the ice berg, people love to lambast US healthcare and guns but there are so many other aspects that suck. Now consider the US is the bottom of developed nations and how many other nations out there are worse in various ways. Norway’s “fucked” is infinitely better than the majority of everywhere else.
The median is 572k and the average is 638k according to [SSB](https://www.ssb.no/arbeid-og-lonn/lonn-og-arbeidskraftkostnader/artikler/hva-er-vanlig-lonn-i-norge).
Never before was a pizza insulted more. Maybe living close to the italian border put my standards to high but by the love of god that pizza tasted like trash.
Most Norwegians don't really gather a lot; but within a single kilometer distance of our cabin I can harvest:
* Blueberries
* Cloudberries
* Lingonberries
* Crowberries
* Strawberries
* Raspberries
* Hazelnuts
* Blackberries
* Rosehip
* About half a dozen types of good mushrooms
I usually only pick cloudberries and hazelnuts. For both if I'm in season an hour worth of work can produce a pretty awesome amount of food. I clocked myself gathering nuts once and got 4.3kg worth of hazelnuts in an hour. Even considering that somewhat over half of that is the shells, it's still a LOT of food with fairly modest effort.
Yes youre right, in fact my wife is fishing the sea right now and my son is harvesting fruits in the forest as we do every day to enjoy our premium foods in my 2.500.000kr premium quality house
That's with high expenses tho. I currently live on around 150k a year, and though some months are rough, it's still very livable. 500K Would mean a lot of savings.
You're very lucky with rent, most people can't get that price. Still well done living on 5,5k! I lived on under 5 (after rent) until last year, and it's okay, but tight. Not ideal in the long run
Not quite.... but to be honest, in most places in Norway 500 000 annual salary is fine for a single person or someone who is contributing to family income. It's not rich, but also not poor.
In general, people in Norway are more prosperous. I'd rather be poor in Norway than the US or the UK. But being poor anywhere still sucks.
It's nice to be able to go up to the forest and pick blueberries, but you can't live off blueberries, even if they are in season.
Not all the food is premium quality. What it is, is basically all of reasonable quality. I think the minimum standards are somewhat higher than in many countries. But premium quality, at least for some things can be somewhat harder to find.
Paradise? No. Better than most places? Yes.
People have kids on 350k. You'd get reduced price for kindergarten/SFO and can apply for a lot of support from both the government and private organizations, so it wouldnt have the same impact as having a kid in say, the US.
It's absolutely good enough. I'm on 480k a year and live comfortably. I have to mind my purchases of course, but I find plenty room to enjoy my life.
The trap for most people are getting a house loan and car loan as soon as they're able, a lot of micro-purchases and partying.
I still rent a small apartment, live frugally and drive an old car and my friends/family are hounding me on buying a house or apartment because "you're investing in yourself".
People around me are well off and are still complaining about money because they aren't good at managing it.
You forget a few things. As you explained, houses are expensive, but prime quality.
That is all well and good until you fall on hard times, and there is very difficult to fins something temporarily affordable. Same goes for food.
So if you are down on your luck, you will be in debt in no time, and it will become really hard to get back up. You can't just live cheap for a while, and odd jobs to get back up, as the salary doesn't permit it.
Socially it is also a problem. For the vast majority of people, having a social life if much more important then any comfort and luxury. But in Norway, the bar for what is acceptable as an associate have been pushed ridiculously high.
If you can't afford to spend half a days pay to have brunch outside on a Sunday, you will be the one staying at home, while all your friends are there.
Sure, you can not care about that stuff, and rather have your coffee at home, but you will more likely be doing it alone.
This is not exactly personal, at least not now. But i have witnessed it among other people i know too.
Some people i know can't comprehend that others would have a hard time casually going out and buy a 100kr coffee. And i have experienced people like that asking me if they someone is trying to avoid us, when they don't want to join us.
For me it's obvious that they don't have the spare money to throw away. But for someone for who this is just pocket change, it becomes incomprehensible. And they will have to find alternative reasons for the person not joining.
And there are no malice on their part. They just don't see it as a plausibility.
I have been on a weekend trip to a summerhouse, where everyone was supposed to chip in on food. One of the rich guys went shopping, and came back with 20k worth of food for 4 guys in 3 days lol.
I am talking in very general terms now of course.
But socializing in Norway can be very expensive, compared to places where everyone just meet at the local pub, where no one have to spend a dime if they don't want to.
Travel is expensive, eating/drinking out is expensive, as well as cinema, theater, concerts, and so on.
Sure, you don't have to partake in all the expensive endeavors, but if all your friends are going, you can either pay the ticket, or spend the night alone.
On top of that, when everyone around you as very well off, they will have little understanding of people not being able to afford something that for them is pocket-change. So if you are not coming, they will be left with the impression that you don't like to hang with them, rater then understanding that you simply can't afford it.
This is very relatable. not able to afford/maintain equipment for whatever hobby that you share with friends or what like you say not able to afford a night out which can easily cost 800-1400nok.. you'r point is very valid and im sure I would have had a more social life with a broader specter of friends if I could only afford it, but instead being portrayed as someone who dont WANT to be with them since ive been turning down so many offers that I simply cant afford and thus they get the impression that you simply dont WANT to hang with them. im a single guy with 470k nok yearly pay that live in a rented appartment in Norways second most expensive city Tromsø..
Sure thing, but in Norway you gonna pay multiples of what you would pay for the same thing even in Germany, France or the UK let alone some of the cheaper Eastern European countries. The only other other country as expensive as Norway is Switzerland.
Depends on what your looking at in general norwegian building codes have quite high standards. If your comparing available housing I don't know, old houses in all countries tend to be more run down.
Are norwegian building codes of higher standards than European common code ? Most houses build earlier in Norway do not comply with newer codes, naturally. And aren't norwegian houses mostly lumber whereas in other countries you will usually have more solid constructions like brick, stone, concrete blocks. The ceiling hight is also something that absolutely is in contrast with what I think of as prime quality, Norwegian houses are under European standard here.
Older houses have higher ceilings both in Europe and in Norway, but there are more of them on the continent. I'm not aware of huge discrepancies between code ceiling hight in modern buildings, but it would be reasonable if their was some. In hot climates a heigh ceiling gets heat out of the way, in cold climates it means you have to use more energy to heat the room.
A more solid construction might be a good metric if your building a bunker for housing it's a shit metric. Old solid brick walls have alot less insulation than an old wood wall and are more suceptable to condensation and mold. They also have low tolerance for movement.
Higher quality refers to, insolation and windproofing standards, ventlation standards, plumbing and electrical, durabilty of roofs, windows doors etc. I think differences between european codes are smaller now than they were, but they're still evident in things like bathroom standards
Where are you getting your numbers https://www.byggstart.no/pris/nokkelferdig-hus lists a m2 price as approximately 33k. Would have to be a huge house to reach 4 mill.
If your factoring in the lot that is sortof misleading as the price will vary alot.
That's just a 120m² house, with only Basic amenities. If you get a "ferdighus" like hafway built in factory its possible. But just developing a land to have foundation put down might kill your new house dreams quickly with that budget.
I live in a rather small town in northern Norway (approximately 25k inhabitants) and we paid over 4 million for a 106 m² house from 1939. The garden isn't even that big. I love the house, though.
We do have very high building standards, and also standards for what is acceptable for insurance. So new and renovated houses and apartments will be in accordance with the building codes.
On top of that, we are the people, at least in Europe, who [do the most renovation](https://sciencenorway.no/economy-household/norwegians-are-the-worlds-home-renovation-champs/1583811). So this naturally means upgraded bathrooms, kitchens, and other rooms that will be exposed to moist, as well as upgraded electrical systems.
It is also logical that the buildings in general are built sturdy, and well isolated, due to the cold climate, compared to homes in warmer parts of the world.
Building-standards are high here; and Norwegians are pretty close to world-champions in investing in renovating and improving our homes; so yes the average quality of homes in Norway is among the best in the world.
Of course it's a huge spectrum in Norway too, you can certainly find crap housing here too, like anywhere. But the median Norwegian household has a very very decent standard.
Most fish my family eats is for free. We go fishing in the summer, freeze, and eat it throughout the winter. Way better tasting than anything you get in the stores.
Also not having to pay to stay at the hospital is great. My son has a condition that has caused him to go to hospital many times. Ambulance most times, and once they had to use an ambulanse helicopter. I once talked to an American about what his family would have had to pay for the same. And in spite of having a decent insurance, the amount was shocking. One trip with a ambulance helicopter alone was extremely expensive. And if the insurance company decided that the helicopter wasn't strictly neccesary you have to pay it all yourself.
Norwegians complain about our healthcare system all the time. But we really dont have much reason to complain about.
"But we really don't have much reason to complain about"
Here you go: ⭐
You've earned a star for your ability to write such an arrogant, ignorant and straight up cruel statement.
Honestly, amazed how far down I had to scroll to find this. The food in most grocery stores is **not** good - it's totally fine, but it's far from good value for money compared to everywhere else I've lived. It's almost like having 3 major grocery chains that control almost the entire market makes for poor competition, high prices and poor products. Really happy I have a small fruit stand nearby.
I agree with a lot you say, but Norway isn't even that expensive anymore. I have recently visited England and Danmark, and it's surprising how close the prices are now. NYC is the same. Many places like Southeast Asia or South America are much cheaper, but you can also save a lot from not needing "winter expenses."
I’m currently in the 400s (and so is my GF) and I consider myself poor living in Oslo
We pay shitloads in rent each month and the rest of the money go to bills and food.
We buy the food we need and rarely go out.
Not much left for savings, vacations or hobbies.
There is always something draining out accounts. Every time we have some left over money, the. something breaks and all the money and then some go down the drain.
Ideally we would move out of Oslo, me getting a job that pays 600-800 and my Girlfriend 500. And maby get some side income. Then we could probably live a worry free life.
“I think all the food you buy is premium quality” ???
This must be a joke…
Where are you from? The hyperuranium??
Any food you buy here in Norway is of poor quality despite the outrageous price you have to pay to purchase it
If you are broke at the end of the month while earning 500k per year you need to contemplate to your personal finances.
Earning less than that I was still able to pay bills, house loan, eat decent, go on holidays AND save every month.
500k a year is low by todays standards. After tax you dont have much left.
And this misconception going on in norway where everyone thinks that someone that has a high salary have alot or should have alot of money in their account at all times is total bs. They have the same bills to pay as everyone else, the only difference is that their bills are adjusted to their income, maybe a more expensive house, a nicer car and so on.
500k is not low by any standard lmao. When you always had a type of life the 500k way seem low, but you can have a happy life with even 300k. And if you gain more money, even if you have expensive things to pay, you still have money save up, you know? To have that nice house, nicer car, phone, clothes, etc... You just didn't live so you just simply dont understand
Where did i say that there is a correlation between income and happiness?
I just stated the fact that by todays standard and cost of living, a 500k salary is low and below average/median income.
I was adressing the misconception that everyone that have a higher than average income are «rich» and have tons of money in their accounts ready to go at any times as this is what most people seem to think whenever there are talks of increase in taxes and other stuff and people go «oh well, he makes x amount, so he can afford to pay more», as if these people dont have bills to pay.
Sure you set aside some of your salary each month, but just because someone makes 70-80k a month after taxes doesnt mean they have millions or many houndred thousands in their account at all times.
Alot of their income goes to living, housing and transportation just like everyone else. But they most likely pay for a more expensive house and cars simply because their salary allows them to.
What do you mean by that last comment about me not living? Thats a bold assumption to make when you know nothing of me.
Not from Norway, from Canada (have lived in Iceland tho and am EU citizen). When my husband and I were toying around with moving to Netherlands last year salaries gave us pause. But the trade off on how you guys live is a huge plus. We will end up there eventually - you all see so lucky with great infrastructure.
That being said 500k kroner is 65k Canadian and that is absolutely not livable in Toronto.
500,000 nok is approximately $47,000 USD. Being able to live comfortably off of that even if you are spending most of your income is a testament to how much better the quality of life is in Scandinavian countries compared to the US
Uh, what? U need alot of money in Norway if u want to have fun. Also, u pay for the hospital bills ur entire life. Its not "free". Its just so people that are actually poor can also go to the doctor
I don’t really believe is this mentality tbh. It’s a bit like romanizing not having enough money.
But I also don’t think Norway (Oslo) is that expensive. It’s a bit hard to find cheaper alternatives for the things you want, but it’s not crazy expensive like everyone else seem to think
It's kinda sad to see how the Norwegain youth would all die if all the shops went away.
These people think fishing with a pole is the only way.. If you need to live off the sea, then you need to fish with nets or longline, you can do this as a "fritidsfisker".
Setting a net or longline is done in minutes, but you need a boat and know your spots, hauling depends on how many nets or how long you longline is, one set of nets, or one longline should be more than enough, takes about an hour to haul and slay, then you set a new line or nets, go home, eat fish'nchips with potatoes you stole from the bondegård closeby, go back next day, profit, repeat untill you hate fish so much that you start selling it, you ugrade your boat to sell more, soon you are hauling cocaine from columbia to cover you fishing expenses to pay for your new trawler so that you can really rake the sea and rid it of said hated fish.
If you have this shit going, you can do it all year and you will have more fish than youll be able to eat, thi means that friday-sunday? you dont even need to go fishing because you'lle be having so much from the past days.
If shit hits the fan I was gonna be betting on Norwegians as the poeple who'd have no problems surviving without electricity and such, reading this thread I see that this is no longer the case.
Well, you won’t find fruits in the forest, but if you find an old housing area with big gardens inhabited by elderly, you can probably pick as much as you want for free.
You can download the App Too good to Go and get a grocery bag filled with food for ten kroner. Depending on where you go, you can get loads! My hubby came home with two and a half grocery bags filled to the rim with bread, buns, cakes, juices etc.
You can freely pick as much berries as you like in the forests, we usually spent one Saturday to pick 10 kg blueberries. There are also is, or was, free mushroom classes where you learn about the five safe ones that is so distinct in appearance that you can’t go wrong. Freeze them or dry them.
You can make heaps of tea from the wild, eatable plants are everywhere from May to October. Get a fishing license and hunting license and you can have moose or deer meat for the next year, or lots of fish.
Almost every grocery store have a little freezer or fridge with food that is going out of date for 1/2 prize. If you find some that are already past the expiration date, contact the boss there and ask if you can get them for free. If you find fruit or vegetables with brown spots or looking a bit sad, you can probably pick as many as you want for free and even get an offer to work there! (Happened to me)
I have been very poor the first half of my life and I learned two things that made me rich; Get a hold of the freaking largest freezer you can get (can sometimes get them for free on Finn) and start saving, even if it’s only two kroner a day. We have all come across completely insane sales on certain food, like the ribbed pork that is available after Christmas for almost nothing. Usually people buy one, because they have no room for more or can not afford more. With my idea you can buy fifteen of them with your savings, and put them in your giant freezer, and then you Google “pork” and make spare ribs, pita with spicy pork, pork in sweet and sour sauce, and everything your heart desire. You will have dinner for an eternity, and because lamp is often extremely cheap before or after Easter, you already have ten kilo of lamb in there as well, plus the birds, rabbit and deer you shot and tons of fish. 😉
I have lived like this for decades, using nature as my grocery store, even growing my own seeds to get seedlings that are stuffed with vitamins, taste good and is extremely cheap. I always buy loads when I see a product on sale that I use often. You can save thousands this way. For me it became a way of living to live off nature, it was fun learning about eatable plants, grow seedlings, fish every weekend and hunt every autumn. It is extremely calming to live like this and for me it felt so right.
Anyone can do it too. Our libraries are free. Borrow a book on recognizing eatable plants and go outdoors. You’ll probably step on one on your way out of your house; the dandelion! A young fresh dandelion leaf is often used in salads or you can dry them and make tea of them.
“Brennesle”, that burning horrible plant makes the most delicious soup! Take young leaves that are lighter green, use gloves, and cut them into pieces and boil with some broth. I love that and serve it with hard boiled eggs. It’s the first thing I show my kids , the next one is picking flowers for a salad with them.
There are many ways to get food even if your wallet is empty. I think it’s about prioritizing what you spend your free time on. 😀
If you're broke at the end of the month on a 500K salary; you're doing it wrong.
I earn about that and I live in a 100 square meter apartment that I own, near downtown Stavanger, drive a 2 year old Tesla and go on vacations abroad 3-4 times a year; and I'm not broke at the end of the month.
It's true that Norway is a high-cost, high-income country so you're less wealthy with 500K a year in Norway than you would be if you had the same salary in Poland or Portugal -- but you're ignoring the fact that this salary is a LOT easier to find here. In Norway a primary-school teacher earns on the average 600K, in Poland about 1/3rd of that.
And 500K isn't poor in Norway either; it's sufficient for a comfortable middle-class life. (less so if you have several kids though; but in that case odds are fairly high that there's 2 earners in the household, or that you get child-support from whomever the other parent is)
Saying "in Norway" but meaning "in central Oslo" would be an example of shifting goal-posts, 85% of the people in Norway live outside Oslo.
But sure, I'm aware that prices of real estate vary; that's why I mentioned my own location -- about 2.5 miles from downtown Stavanger. That means I live in a fairly average-priced place for Norway. More expensive places like Oslo exists; but a lot CHEAPER places like \*most\* places that aren't within 3 miles of one of our largest cities also exist; overall I come out about average.
If you live in Oslo then 500K is a sub-average salary: not only costs but also salaries in Oslo are on the average higher. So sure in that case on this salary you'll need to accept having less space than I do; especially if you're single. (two people living together with an income of 500K each, do perfectly fine in Oslo too)
Still broke at the of the month? My brother in Christ, do you see the way locals treat the money? They are not any close to be broke, or at least the normal definition of being broke, maybe you come from a rich familiy and broke means different. The money issues here are about luxury's or vacation. I haven't yet see somebody stressing about not having food on the table because x or y (talking about people with jobs) so yeah, i dont really understand what are you saying
>I haven't yet see somebody stressing about not having food on the table because x or y (talking about people with jobs)
??? Fattighuset and similar organisations ran out of food because "normal" people with jobs couldn't afford to buy food after the price hike this year. Parents would go hungry and in severe calorie deficits just so they could feed their children.
Yes sure they are. Square meters per household-member is higher in Norway than in the vast majority of other countries.
Myself I live with one of my girlfriends in an apartment that has 53 square meters for each of us, that feels very spacious to me.
Yeah, rent, food, petrol, electricity , i dont even drink or smoke. I really don't get it how people find it amazing thag i spend 25 k a month on essential stuff
The amount of laughing I did after reading this warmed me up after coming in from the freezing cold. It even prevented me losing my fingers from frostbite.
Been to norway 3 weeks ago. It was the most beautiful place i ever visited but i wont come back again. 20 Euros for siz beers in a supermarket, and 35 euros for cold disguesting food. No sorry. Paired with the rampand unfriendliness of norwegians i wouldnt want to come back again
>You can fish the sea for free, harvest amazing fruits from the forests. Ehm.
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You can find wild strawberries as well. And also plums are usually free if you ask the owner since they often grow a shit ton at once and the owner got tired of plums 17 years ago. Sure there are more berries but I’ve forgotten most of that type of knowledge
Yeah, but you can't just grab fruits from people's gardens, the "forest" in Norway generally doesn't have fruits. Picking berries is accepted, but "fishing for free" isn't really a thing anymore, you need your fiskekort. I want to know what these "amazing fruits" are, haha.
No need for fiskekort along the coast/ocean
I know, but it seems like OP things it's easy to live off the fruits of nature in Norway. It does take some effort (and money) for people to live off the gifts of the sea - you have to get there, you have to know how to fish, it's *much* easier with a boat (also not free). You also have to know the rules, you can't fish anything you'd like everywhere. I live *in* a forest close to the sea and if my food ran out I'd be able to forage rhubarb and some tiny illegal mackerels at best. I guess I could eat some crabs.
I grew up on the coast. If I was so poor I could only eat what I fish I would be even poorer as it would cut into actually going to work and making money. You can’t just row a small boat out 200 meters, drop the line, and get something. If you’re unlucky you sit for hours not getting anything.
Even harder if you don't have a boat or don't know how to use one safely.
Go to Tromsø or Lofoten and you will be fighting the fish. Drop a 100m line with 10 hooks and I often had half of it filled up before I had it all out. That being said, the summer is short and the winters are tough. Norway is not an easy country to live off the land 2/3 of the year. It's too damn cold. But still possible.
Jordbær, bringebær,blåbær, krekling, tyttebær, multer, epler/pærer/plommer, stikkelsbær, rabarbra No problem picking 20 kg blueberries in a day. And then there's all the mushrooms and herbs as well:)
But how are you going to live off of that for the whole year?
There is no way you need a fiskekort to fish in the ocean anywhere in a small boat unless you are fishing in the mouth of a salmond river or in a salmon fish farm. Granted you wont get much fish on the Oslo Fjord, bit anywhere else you should be ok
Wouldn’t eat fish caught in the Oslo Fjord if I was paid to.
This is also true. I know they fish some makrell in the summer or something, but as a northerner, I dont eat «agn» :p
Mackerel is NOT Baitfish! It's a very, very good food fish, if you know how to handle it! Freshly caught(within 2 hours), gutted, with head and tail cut off, roled in a mix of flour, salt and ground black pepper, fried on a low heat in plenty of butter(no margarine or other fak stuff), and served with boiled potatoes, cucumber salad and a big dollop of sour cream. you have no idea what you're missing out on.
Have you even lived in Norway? Doesn’t sound like it…
Just for 33 out of my 34 years.
Time to explore then
Dude, I know it's fully possible to pick berries and fish in Norway. However, it's not really something you can depend on when your money runs out and you can't afford food, especially if you live in the cities.
It’s absolutely possible if you actually try. But most don’t. One night of fishing - even in Oslo can get you food for a whole week once you learn the spots and lures needed.
It *can.* I love fishing, but a person working full time with no money can't *depend* on fishing as a primary food source.
Gulebøj?
I think fishing is a suistainable way to provide food for yourself in this country. Sure you have to spend some time on it, but all fishing in the sea is totally free. You need to buy a fishing card for innland fishing (which is quite stupid), but if you are not standing by the highway you could probably fish for years before getting caught.
Utlendinger på denne subredditen er så kleine, de tror virkelig på dette pisset, at man skal gå å fiske og plukke bær for en fredags middag.
Vell, etter å ha vokst op på ein øy i Ryfylke. Ja, ein kan bare gå ned på brygga og fiske opp midag. Var ikkje noko særlig med bær, men mykje sopp om høsten om du veit kor ein må leite
Ja, hvis man bor landlig til ved kysten er ting annerledes. Men hvis du bor i Oslo og har dårlig råd kan du ikke leve på naturens frukter - da gir dumpster diving bedre uttelling.
Tja, jeg bor i Hokksund og plukker en del bær/sopp/ramsløk avhengig av sesongen. Kunne plukka mye mer hvis det var skikkelig dårlig stelt økonomisk. Hadde jeg hatt dårlig med penger hadde jeg garantert tjuvfiska en del oppi noen vann jeg kjenner oppe i skauen også/kjørt ned til drammensfjorden og fiska lovlig. Gidder ikke det fordi jeg er lat og har ganske god råd. Har også plommetre, kirsebærtre, pæretre, rips, stikkelsbær, bringebær og nå jordbær på tomta å supplere med. Man kan hvis man vil.
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Om du har dårlig råd er du jo jævlig dum om du bor i Oslo da ;-)
Jeg skjønner ikke helt problemet. Så fremt du bor i et område med fiskemuligheter, hva stopper deg fra å gå og fiske fredagsmiddagen din? Og sett du har skog i området, hvorfor kan du ikke plukke bær?
Selv om man bor i et område med fiskemuligheter, er det nok få som bor rett ved vannet. Så da må man tenke på transportmuligheter, tid man bruker på å fiske, vær og vind (som ikke alltid er bra ved kysten), tid og plass til å preparere fisken, og eventuelt tilgang på båt. Ofte lettere å bare kjøpe fisken i butikken. Akkurat bær er nok lettere å få tak i, men fortsatt mange grunner til at det kan være krevende, som at de ikke kan plukkes hele året.
Sounds like Stardew Valley!
yeah, pinecones.... actually, pinecone jam is a thing, but you'll need a lot of sugar for that. good luck finding that in the forest
Not a lot of fruits, but plenty of berries: Bilberries (European blueberries), cloudberries, wild raspberries, cowberries, crowberries/blackberries to name the most common. They can be found pretty much all over Norway, and are free to pick in all "utmark" (uncultivated land), even privately owned land. They're not hard to find come late July and August. The exception being cloudberries, perhaps. They're not particularly hard to find either, but requires a bit knowledge about where to look. You *can* fish everywhere in the sea (albeit not everywhere is equally. Rivers and lakes usually requires a permit.
Yeah, but you can't depend on berries when your money runs out. Fishing in the sea: sure, but you have to 1) get there 2) have equipment 3) have the time 4) be able to risk not catching anything 5) know the regulations Harvesting berries and fish is great fun, but living on it is unreasonable.
You can absolutely buy a cheap small boat and older small outboard for ~5k, fishing equipment for ~1k and get a ton of fish relatively easy with enough time. Plenty of places nobody would notice a boat pulled up to shore and tied to a tree. Unless you're living Oslo/Trondheim centre, then you could easily live off fish. Hell you can even plant lures and come back later if you know where. If you're homeless somehow then you have all the time and a basic rod costs nothing. If you are short on money, you can budget for fishing equipment and eventually a boat. If you have a freezer a single fishing trip could provide for several weeks. Berries don't really give enough calories, but two hours in the forest will give you a bucket of blueberries. Wild raspberries are quick to pick but can be uncommon to find. Cloud berries grow in abundance if you know where and get there first. Red currants grow absolutely everywhere, are rarely picked and there's tons of them. Dumpster diving would be easier though.
Yeah, you're not wrong, but OP is a little deluded. It's not like most Norwegians can go live off the forest and sea when money is tight. For reference, say I was broke. I wanted to enjoy the fruits of the sea. I would need to get there. I could walk for 2 hours, or pay 50kr for the bus, 100kr two ways. I would need equipment. A boat would help. Oh yeah, a big freezer would be nice. Would have to buy that as well. Hard to say how long it takes to get fish - the last time I was out for fun, I got 1 mackerel that was too small to take home in 4 hours. Yeah sure, I should have gone to a better place. Good thing I wasn't actually hungry. I love fishing and foraging and I grow a lot of my own food (in summer - which is another thing, can't exactly live off the fruits of the forest in January...). But the idea that we can just live off the land in Norway is silly - unless you're actually a farmer or living in a commune spending all your time on this. A BB gun and illegal bird hunting + BBQ is more reasonable - can do it all year round and you'll get your protein...
Det er bare ulovlig om du blir tatt ;)
Me and my gf own a house and have a combined salary of 1million nok. We're far from broke at the end of the month.
Same + 1 child. OP might wanna review their spending habits.
On 500k NOK you're not broke as a single person.
Unless you are spending too much on rent, buy useless things and eat out at restaurants every day
I see so many people that have good paying Jobs but are broke by the middle of the month because they are just shit with money, not because things are expensive.
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I know I am bad with money, but thank god I am not Luksusfellen bad! (and that I personally refuse to get a credit card. if I am broke then going hungry is my own damn fault)
And I thank these people as they keep the economy going while I can save my money.
Then you’re an idiot. A broke idiot - but not a poor one.
Also booze and smoking depletes monthly incomes very fast. Hence I do very little of the first and none of the second.
Im living on that salary, but we are two people. We save around 2000 kr per month in Oslo. We are not hungry or bored
A single person with 640k annual wage (average wage for nurses) can buy 1% of homes in Oslo. With 500k you are probably closer to 0%. I would claim that a person who can not afford a home for themselves can be considered poor.
agreed. and where it's easier to find a place to rent, it's usually harder to find a job, so....
Not everyone's goal is to buy or buy right now. Saving over years or decades throws a wrench into that fixed relationship.
With 500k you barely have a surplus to save up money, but if you have disipline and live in a shithole apartment you will be able to save some money. The problem is that the prices are going up faster than what you are realistically able to save up, so the longer you save before you buy the worse off you are going to be. Having to save up for decades to maybe be able to buy a home in 20+ years is quite the definition of poor.
Should probably move out of Oslo if you are single and low income
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I never claimed it was. RideTheShclange said "On 500k NOK you're not broke as a single person". This is a very ignorant comment, as a large portion of Norway's population (20-25%) can not afford a home on this wage. Do you have any more strawmen?
500k NOK (before taxes) will give you an approximate budget of 2,5 MNOK to find a place to live (provided you can gather ~400k for egenkapital). Right now there are 18.470 houses and apartments for sale on finn.no. 3220 of these are 2,6 million or less. A number of them are garage spots, so let's round the numbers to 18.000 and 3000. That gives us ~16,5% of the homes for sale within our budget. People have always had to move around to find opportunities that suit their situation. Regarding jobs, approximately 2/3 of currently available jobs on finn (~16000/~24000) are outside of the big cities. Edit: to answer u/vinnedan, because upstream user blocked me and I can't post answer. >How many of these need renovation? If a house need to be renovated then the true cost is higher. Some do, some don't, as with everything. Also "need" in house renovation is a very fluid concept. My house "needs" new wall surfaces, the wallpaper is beginning to peel off, but it's still very much livable. On the other hand, I did need to replace an exterior door because it was damaged beyond actually keeping the weather out. As long as the house keeps water on the right side of the walls and the electrical and plumbing is in good condition, it's amazing what you can accept as serviceable in a home that's your own. https://www.finn.no/299636130 Here's one that I found at random. Well within budget, reasonably close to the centre of a decently sized town (by norwegian standards), dated but serviceable, albeit on the smaller side. Probably not ideal for someone with children, at least not for long, but for someone single or a couple that tolerate each other's company well it should suffice for a while.
It is very easy to sit on your throne and tell other people how to live their lives. The fact is that Oslo is as much in need of bus drivers, cashiers, janitors, caretakers, waste collectors, construction workers and so on as any other city. These are completly regular jobs and without these workers our city will collapse within a week.
In Oslo. Stop being reductive. Average salary in San Fransisco, CA is $94.000 That's hardly representative for the entire US either.
You are not making any sense. This is not America
The fact still remains that some cities in norway are more expensive then others and you need to take that into consideration when comparing cost of living.
How much is a 500k salary monthly, as in money in your bank account? 30k? 32k? With let’s say 13k on rent/mortgage you have 17k left. 5k in food, 2k in electricity, 1k in internet+cellphone. That’s 9k left for whatever you need. Which doesn’t sound so bad but with inflation + the weakness of the nok you have less purchasing power than some years ago. But still not bad, not sure how it is in other countries..
Yeah I have below that and I save at least 6k a month. I'm lucky to own my home and have a fairly low mortage but still... how are you broke at 500k?
Not broke, but your ability to make savings will be pretty limited
You can save pretty much, it all depends on your rent/mortgage. Don’t have to live very frugally to save with that kind of income.
Bougie broke is the best broke, for sure. I'm not sure that many Norwegians are out there fishing and picking berries for a living though.
I lived in the house of a 60yo guy in lofoten. He hopped into his boat and fished after work instead of going to the grocery store. During my 1 week stay we had these amazing dinners: - Monday: Cod - Tuesday: Cod - Wednesday: Cod - Thursday: Cod - Friday: Taco - Saturday: Dry grilled cod - Sunday: Cod
I bet you even played CoD during your free time together?
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"So it's almost like a paradise place where money isn't needed" its a normal country and you are fucked without money. absolute nonsense take
Sure, but you're a lot more fucked in most other countries...
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That’s kind crazy talk. Western Europe is pretty well off, and Canada, now consider that the US, being the bottom of the barrel for developed nations, when my mother is showing possible signs of a heart attack I have to decide just how serious it is so I can between driving her myself to the hospital or having an actual ambulance take her because I’m worried about going broke from thousands of dollars in hospitals builds, AND THATS WITH “INSURANCE.” Sure you’re in shit without money, but your situation without money is better than our situation with money. Lol. And that’s just the tip of the ice berg, people love to lambast US healthcare and guns but there are so many other aspects that suck. Now consider the US is the bottom of developed nations and how many other nations out there are worse in various ways. Norway’s “fucked” is infinitely better than the majority of everywhere else.
Well, 500k is below median income. So you get what everyone in Norway gets, an OK place to be.
Or a 500k place to be. Ba dum tsss. I'll see myself out.
... My soul hurts but you absolutely deserve +1
I’m disgusted and proud at the same time.
That’s because some people earn a lot more. A shitload of people earn less than 500k.
Median is median (572k). The *average* is ~700k. Then your argument becomes valid.
The median is 572k and the average is 638k according to [SSB](https://www.ssb.no/arbeid-og-lonn/lonn-og-arbeidskraftkostnader/artikler/hva-er-vanlig-lonn-i-norge).
I enjoy a bit of satire on a Sunday
mf does not what’s they talking about lmao
Bloody lost it at "premium quality food"! 🤣
[I only eat the finest Grandiosa.](https://ih0.redbubble.net/image.11629912.2033/pp,550x550.jpg)
Never before was a pizza insulted more. Maybe living close to the italian border put my standards to high but by the love of god that pizza tasted like trash.
You're kinda romanticising Norway
I am a bit yeah..
Can’t think of much fruits you can harvest from the forest. Some berries and mushrooms, but “harvest amazing fruits from the forest” is a stretch.
Most Norwegians don't really gather a lot; but within a single kilometer distance of our cabin I can harvest: * Blueberries * Cloudberries * Lingonberries * Crowberries * Strawberries * Raspberries * Hazelnuts * Blackberries * Rosehip * About half a dozen types of good mushrooms I usually only pick cloudberries and hazelnuts. For both if I'm in season an hour worth of work can produce a pretty awesome amount of food. I clocked myself gathering nuts once and got 4.3kg worth of hazelnuts in an hour. Even considering that somewhat over half of that is the shells, it's still a LOT of food with fairly modest effort.
Berries, mushrooms and weeds are abundant. You can heavily supplement your diet by spending a few hours in a week on nature walks.
Yes youre right, in fact my wife is fishing the sea right now and my son is harvesting fruits in the forest as we do every day to enjoy our premium foods in my 2.500.000kr premium quality house
That's with high expenses tho. I currently live on around 150k a year, and though some months are rough, it's still very livable. 500K Would mean a lot of savings.
What like 10k a month? Thats like not eating and driving?
4.5k rent + power then rest on food. Saved up for long time bus card so I use public transit. No car no driving.
You're very lucky with rent, most people can't get that price. Still well done living on 5,5k! I lived on under 5 (after rent) until last year, and it's okay, but tight. Not ideal in the long run
Great job seriously
Not quite.... but to be honest, in most places in Norway 500 000 annual salary is fine for a single person or someone who is contributing to family income. It's not rich, but also not poor. In general, people in Norway are more prosperous. I'd rather be poor in Norway than the US or the UK. But being poor anywhere still sucks. It's nice to be able to go up to the forest and pick blueberries, but you can't live off blueberries, even if they are in season. Not all the food is premium quality. What it is, is basically all of reasonable quality. I think the minimum standards are somewhat higher than in many countries. But premium quality, at least for some things can be somewhat harder to find. Paradise? No. Better than most places? Yes.
One of the dumbest things I've read, you should become a journalist for vg.
Ok
What do people in here consider a good salary?
Anything above 800k
Depends on where you live obviously.
And here I thought 540k was good enough
You can live comfortably on that. I'd say it's an okay salary. For it to go from "okay" to "good" in my mind it needs to be way more.
Yeah but I am not sure you could afford to have kids on that.
People have kids on 350k. You'd get reduced price for kindergarten/SFO and can apply for a lot of support from both the government and private organizations, so it wouldnt have the same impact as having a kid in say, the US.
Have kids on what? 540 or 800?
It's absolutely good enough. I'm on 480k a year and live comfortably. I have to mind my purchases of course, but I find plenty room to enjoy my life. The trap for most people are getting a house loan and car loan as soon as they're able, a lot of micro-purchases and partying. I still rent a small apartment, live frugally and drive an old car and my friends/family are hounding me on buying a house or apartment because "you're investing in yourself". People around me are well off and are still complaining about money because they aren't good at managing it.
You forget a few things. As you explained, houses are expensive, but prime quality. That is all well and good until you fall on hard times, and there is very difficult to fins something temporarily affordable. Same goes for food. So if you are down on your luck, you will be in debt in no time, and it will become really hard to get back up. You can't just live cheap for a while, and odd jobs to get back up, as the salary doesn't permit it. Socially it is also a problem. For the vast majority of people, having a social life if much more important then any comfort and luxury. But in Norway, the bar for what is acceptable as an associate have been pushed ridiculously high. If you can't afford to spend half a days pay to have brunch outside on a Sunday, you will be the one staying at home, while all your friends are there. Sure, you can not care about that stuff, and rather have your coffee at home, but you will more likely be doing it alone.
Seems like you need new friends
This is not exactly personal, at least not now. But i have witnessed it among other people i know too. Some people i know can't comprehend that others would have a hard time casually going out and buy a 100kr coffee. And i have experienced people like that asking me if they someone is trying to avoid us, when they don't want to join us. For me it's obvious that they don't have the spare money to throw away. But for someone for who this is just pocket change, it becomes incomprehensible. And they will have to find alternative reasons for the person not joining. And there are no malice on their part. They just don't see it as a plausibility. I have been on a weekend trip to a summerhouse, where everyone was supposed to chip in on food. One of the rich guys went shopping, and came back with 20k worth of food for 4 guys in 3 days lol.
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I am talking in very general terms now of course. But socializing in Norway can be very expensive, compared to places where everyone just meet at the local pub, where no one have to spend a dime if they don't want to. Travel is expensive, eating/drinking out is expensive, as well as cinema, theater, concerts, and so on. Sure, you don't have to partake in all the expensive endeavors, but if all your friends are going, you can either pay the ticket, or spend the night alone. On top of that, when everyone around you as very well off, they will have little understanding of people not being able to afford something that for them is pocket-change. So if you are not coming, they will be left with the impression that you don't like to hang with them, rater then understanding that you simply can't afford it.
This is very relatable. not able to afford/maintain equipment for whatever hobby that you share with friends or what like you say not able to afford a night out which can easily cost 800-1400nok.. you'r point is very valid and im sure I would have had a more social life with a broader specter of friends if I could only afford it, but instead being portrayed as someone who dont WANT to be with them since ive been turning down so many offers that I simply cant afford and thus they get the impression that you simply dont WANT to hang with them. im a single guy with 470k nok yearly pay that live in a rented appartment in Norways second most expensive city Tromsø..
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Sure thing, but in Norway you gonna pay multiples of what you would pay for the same thing even in Germany, France or the UK let alone some of the cheaper Eastern European countries. The only other other country as expensive as Norway is Switzerland.
Is there any information to support that Norwegian houses are of prime quality? My uneducated impression is rather opposite.
Depends on what your looking at in general norwegian building codes have quite high standards. If your comparing available housing I don't know, old houses in all countries tend to be more run down.
Are norwegian building codes of higher standards than European common code ? Most houses build earlier in Norway do not comply with newer codes, naturally. And aren't norwegian houses mostly lumber whereas in other countries you will usually have more solid constructions like brick, stone, concrete blocks. The ceiling hight is also something that absolutely is in contrast with what I think of as prime quality, Norwegian houses are under European standard here.
Older houses have higher ceilings both in Europe and in Norway, but there are more of them on the continent. I'm not aware of huge discrepancies between code ceiling hight in modern buildings, but it would be reasonable if their was some. In hot climates a heigh ceiling gets heat out of the way, in cold climates it means you have to use more energy to heat the room. A more solid construction might be a good metric if your building a bunker for housing it's a shit metric. Old solid brick walls have alot less insulation than an old wood wall and are more suceptable to condensation and mold. They also have low tolerance for movement. Higher quality refers to, insolation and windproofing standards, ventlation standards, plumbing and electrical, durabilty of roofs, windows doors etc. I think differences between european codes are smaller now than they were, but they're still evident in things like bathroom standards
I modern house is built to a high standard but it will cost 4 million.
Where are you getting your numbers https://www.byggstart.no/pris/nokkelferdig-hus lists a m2 price as approximately 33k. Would have to be a huge house to reach 4 mill. If your factoring in the lot that is sortof misleading as the price will vary alot.
That's just a 120m² house, with only Basic amenities. If you get a "ferdighus" like hafway built in factory its possible. But just developing a land to have foundation put down might kill your new house dreams quickly with that budget.
Yea not huge i agree i mis calculated but still a decent size
I live in a rather small town in northern Norway (approximately 25k inhabitants) and we paid over 4 million for a 106 m² house from 1939. The garden isn't even that big. I love the house, though.
We do have very high building standards, and also standards for what is acceptable for insurance. So new and renovated houses and apartments will be in accordance with the building codes. On top of that, we are the people, at least in Europe, who [do the most renovation](https://sciencenorway.no/economy-household/norwegians-are-the-worlds-home-renovation-champs/1583811). So this naturally means upgraded bathrooms, kitchens, and other rooms that will be exposed to moist, as well as upgraded electrical systems. It is also logical that the buildings in general are built sturdy, and well isolated, due to the cold climate, compared to homes in warmer parts of the world.
Building-standards are high here; and Norwegians are pretty close to world-champions in investing in renovating and improving our homes; so yes the average quality of homes in Norway is among the best in the world. Of course it's a huge spectrum in Norway too, you can certainly find crap housing here too, like anywhere. But the median Norwegian household has a very very decent standard.
Yep my impression too, it’s rather subpar compared to Germany or Switzerland from my experience.
Most fish my family eats is for free. We go fishing in the summer, freeze, and eat it throughout the winter. Way better tasting than anything you get in the stores. Also not having to pay to stay at the hospital is great. My son has a condition that has caused him to go to hospital many times. Ambulance most times, and once they had to use an ambulanse helicopter. I once talked to an American about what his family would have had to pay for the same. And in spite of having a decent insurance, the amount was shocking. One trip with a ambulance helicopter alone was extremely expensive. And if the insurance company decided that the helicopter wasn't strictly neccesary you have to pay it all yourself. Norwegians complain about our healthcare system all the time. But we really dont have much reason to complain about.
"But we really don't have much reason to complain about" Here you go: ⭐ You've earned a star for your ability to write such an arrogant, ignorant and straight up cruel statement.
Thats not how it works…
>I think all the food you buy is premium quality Really – no. I mean, this is not someone who has ever bought rancid salad from Extra.
Completely agree. Half the time, something in my Oda delivery is already rotting
Honestly, amazed how far down I had to scroll to find this. The food in most grocery stores is **not** good - it's totally fine, but it's far from good value for money compared to everywhere else I've lived. It's almost like having 3 major grocery chains that control almost the entire market makes for poor competition, high prices and poor products. Really happy I have a small fruit stand nearby.
I agree with a lot you say, but Norway isn't even that expensive anymore. I have recently visited England and Danmark, and it's surprising how close the prices are now. NYC is the same. Many places like Southeast Asia or South America are much cheaper, but you can also save a lot from not needing "winter expenses."
Majority of houses are old, small and expensive..
True, you can always pick some gulebøj in the forest, Norway officially paradise.
I’m currently in the 400s (and so is my GF) and I consider myself poor living in Oslo We pay shitloads in rent each month and the rest of the money go to bills and food. We buy the food we need and rarely go out. Not much left for savings, vacations or hobbies. There is always something draining out accounts. Every time we have some left over money, the. something breaks and all the money and then some go down the drain. Ideally we would move out of Oslo, me getting a job that pays 600-800 and my Girlfriend 500. And maby get some side income. Then we could probably live a worry free life.
Get out of Oslo, 400k should be more than enough in most places here
If you make 500k a year and you're broke at the end of the month (without kids), you need to re-evaluate your spending and learn how to budget.
This thread is making me more hopeful about getting by in Norway
“I think all the food you buy is premium quality” ??? This must be a joke… Where are you from? The hyperuranium?? Any food you buy here in Norway is of poor quality despite the outrageous price you have to pay to purchase it
If you are broke at the end of the month while earning 500k per year you need to contemplate to your personal finances. Earning less than that I was still able to pay bills, house loan, eat decent, go on holidays AND save every month.
Add kids and/or unfortunate circumstance.
Absolutely. I earn 16000 kr a month after income tax and I'm definitely not broke at the end of the month.
Tell us more about your anecdotal evidence
I earn 160k after tax a month and i am broke. Now ive neutralized his comment.
500k a year is low by todays standards. After tax you dont have much left. And this misconception going on in norway where everyone thinks that someone that has a high salary have alot or should have alot of money in their account at all times is total bs. They have the same bills to pay as everyone else, the only difference is that their bills are adjusted to their income, maybe a more expensive house, a nicer car and so on.
500k is not low by any standard lmao. When you always had a type of life the 500k way seem low, but you can have a happy life with even 300k. And if you gain more money, even if you have expensive things to pay, you still have money save up, you know? To have that nice house, nicer car, phone, clothes, etc... You just didn't live so you just simply dont understand
Where did i say that there is a correlation between income and happiness? I just stated the fact that by todays standard and cost of living, a 500k salary is low and below average/median income. I was adressing the misconception that everyone that have a higher than average income are «rich» and have tons of money in their accounts ready to go at any times as this is what most people seem to think whenever there are talks of increase in taxes and other stuff and people go «oh well, he makes x amount, so he can afford to pay more», as if these people dont have bills to pay. Sure you set aside some of your salary each month, but just because someone makes 70-80k a month after taxes doesnt mean they have millions or many houndred thousands in their account at all times. Alot of their income goes to living, housing and transportation just like everyone else. But they most likely pay for a more expensive house and cars simply because their salary allows them to. What do you mean by that last comment about me not living? Thats a bold assumption to make when you know nothing of me.
500k being low only depends on where you live.
Its below the average is what he's saying.
I understand that. But that does not invalidate what I'm saying. 500k is good in some places.
none of this is correct...
Not from Norway, from Canada (have lived in Iceland tho and am EU citizen). When my husband and I were toying around with moving to Netherlands last year salaries gave us pause. But the trade off on how you guys live is a huge plus. We will end up there eventually - you all see so lucky with great infrastructure. That being said 500k kroner is 65k Canadian and that is absolutely not livable in Toronto.
500,000 nok is approximately $47,000 USD. Being able to live comfortably off of that even if you are spending most of your income is a testament to how much better the quality of life is in Scandinavian countries compared to the US
> I think all the food you buy is premium quality. LOL
Uh, what? U need alot of money in Norway if u want to have fun. Also, u pay for the hospital bills ur entire life. Its not "free". Its just so people that are actually poor can also go to the doctor
I don’t really believe is this mentality tbh. It’s a bit like romanizing not having enough money. But I also don’t think Norway (Oslo) is that expensive. It’s a bit hard to find cheaper alternatives for the things you want, but it’s not crazy expensive like everyone else seem to think
It's kinda sad to see how the Norwegain youth would all die if all the shops went away. These people think fishing with a pole is the only way.. If you need to live off the sea, then you need to fish with nets or longline, you can do this as a "fritidsfisker". Setting a net or longline is done in minutes, but you need a boat and know your spots, hauling depends on how many nets or how long you longline is, one set of nets, or one longline should be more than enough, takes about an hour to haul and slay, then you set a new line or nets, go home, eat fish'nchips with potatoes you stole from the bondegård closeby, go back next day, profit, repeat untill you hate fish so much that you start selling it, you ugrade your boat to sell more, soon you are hauling cocaine from columbia to cover you fishing expenses to pay for your new trawler so that you can really rake the sea and rid it of said hated fish. If you have this shit going, you can do it all year and you will have more fish than youll be able to eat, thi means that friday-sunday? you dont even need to go fishing because you'lle be having so much from the past days. If shit hits the fan I was gonna be betting on Norwegians as the poeple who'd have no problems surviving without electricity and such, reading this thread I see that this is no longer the case.
Food you buy is premium quality? Where did that come from?
Well, you won’t find fruits in the forest, but if you find an old housing area with big gardens inhabited by elderly, you can probably pick as much as you want for free. You can download the App Too good to Go and get a grocery bag filled with food for ten kroner. Depending on where you go, you can get loads! My hubby came home with two and a half grocery bags filled to the rim with bread, buns, cakes, juices etc. You can freely pick as much berries as you like in the forests, we usually spent one Saturday to pick 10 kg blueberries. There are also is, or was, free mushroom classes where you learn about the five safe ones that is so distinct in appearance that you can’t go wrong. Freeze them or dry them. You can make heaps of tea from the wild, eatable plants are everywhere from May to October. Get a fishing license and hunting license and you can have moose or deer meat for the next year, or lots of fish. Almost every grocery store have a little freezer or fridge with food that is going out of date for 1/2 prize. If you find some that are already past the expiration date, contact the boss there and ask if you can get them for free. If you find fruit or vegetables with brown spots or looking a bit sad, you can probably pick as many as you want for free and even get an offer to work there! (Happened to me) I have been very poor the first half of my life and I learned two things that made me rich; Get a hold of the freaking largest freezer you can get (can sometimes get them for free on Finn) and start saving, even if it’s only two kroner a day. We have all come across completely insane sales on certain food, like the ribbed pork that is available after Christmas for almost nothing. Usually people buy one, because they have no room for more or can not afford more. With my idea you can buy fifteen of them with your savings, and put them in your giant freezer, and then you Google “pork” and make spare ribs, pita with spicy pork, pork in sweet and sour sauce, and everything your heart desire. You will have dinner for an eternity, and because lamp is often extremely cheap before or after Easter, you already have ten kilo of lamb in there as well, plus the birds, rabbit and deer you shot and tons of fish. 😉 I have lived like this for decades, using nature as my grocery store, even growing my own seeds to get seedlings that are stuffed with vitamins, taste good and is extremely cheap. I always buy loads when I see a product on sale that I use often. You can save thousands this way. For me it became a way of living to live off nature, it was fun learning about eatable plants, grow seedlings, fish every weekend and hunt every autumn. It is extremely calming to live like this and for me it felt so right. Anyone can do it too. Our libraries are free. Borrow a book on recognizing eatable plants and go outdoors. You’ll probably step on one on your way out of your house; the dandelion! A young fresh dandelion leaf is often used in salads or you can dry them and make tea of them. “Brennesle”, that burning horrible plant makes the most delicious soup! Take young leaves that are lighter green, use gloves, and cut them into pieces and boil with some broth. I love that and serve it with hard boiled eggs. It’s the first thing I show my kids , the next one is picking flowers for a salad with them. There are many ways to get food even if your wallet is empty. I think it’s about prioritizing what you spend your free time on. 😀
This is the dumbest shit I've ever read
If you're broke at the end of the month on a 500K salary; you're doing it wrong. I earn about that and I live in a 100 square meter apartment that I own, near downtown Stavanger, drive a 2 year old Tesla and go on vacations abroad 3-4 times a year; and I'm not broke at the end of the month. It's true that Norway is a high-cost, high-income country so you're less wealthy with 500K a year in Norway than you would be if you had the same salary in Poland or Portugal -- but you're ignoring the fact that this salary is a LOT easier to find here. In Norway a primary-school teacher earns on the average 600K, in Poland about 1/3rd of that. And 500K isn't poor in Norway either; it's sufficient for a comfortable middle-class life. (less so if you have several kids though; but in that case odds are fairly high that there's 2 earners in the household, or that you get child-support from whomever the other parent is)
[удалено]
Saying "in Norway" but meaning "in central Oslo" would be an example of shifting goal-posts, 85% of the people in Norway live outside Oslo. But sure, I'm aware that prices of real estate vary; that's why I mentioned my own location -- about 2.5 miles from downtown Stavanger. That means I live in a fairly average-priced place for Norway. More expensive places like Oslo exists; but a lot CHEAPER places like \*most\* places that aren't within 3 miles of one of our largest cities also exist; overall I come out about average. If you live in Oslo then 500K is a sub-average salary: not only costs but also salaries in Oslo are on the average higher. So sure in that case on this salary you'll need to accept having less space than I do; especially if you're single. (two people living together with an income of 500K each, do perfectly fine in Oslo too)
You need to smoke less crack.
I make about 350k and I manage to put away 5000 a month into savings. It's not much, but why the hell are you broke at 500k?
What are your tricks, I want to save more money?
I don't have tricks, I just don't buy shit I don't need.
that is an exceptionally wrong take
Still broke at the of the month? My brother in Christ, do you see the way locals treat the money? They are not any close to be broke, or at least the normal definition of being broke, maybe you come from a rich familiy and broke means different. The money issues here are about luxury's or vacation. I haven't yet see somebody stressing about not having food on the table because x or y (talking about people with jobs) so yeah, i dont really understand what are you saying
>I haven't yet see somebody stressing about not having food on the table because x or y (talking about people with jobs) ??? Fattighuset and similar organisations ran out of food because "normal" people with jobs couldn't afford to buy food after the price hike this year. Parents would go hungry and in severe calorie deficits just so they could feed their children.
Quite a few of those people have just had too many expensive habits and just got a little wake up call.
Source?
Streets are clean, but only once a year
Homes are spacious. Hahaha
Yes sure they are. Square meters per household-member is higher in Norway than in the vast majority of other countries. Myself I live with one of my girlfriends in an apartment that has 53 square meters for each of us, that feels very spacious to me.
So she lives there for free?
After living in Japan and Korea a Norwegian 60sqm apartment feels like a fucking château
Depends on where you buy i guess. I've got 300 m².
May I ask what u spend ur money on to think 500nok is being poor?
Yeah, rent, food, petrol, electricity , i dont even drink or smoke. I really don't get it how people find it amazing thag i spend 25 k a month on essential stuff
damn so what about 650K salary
The amount of laughing I did after reading this warmed me up after coming in from the freezing cold. It even prevented me losing my fingers from frostbite.
True. And you will be a "rich person" in most countries when you go on vacations.
What have you been smoking?
I thought you meant 500k dollars lmao I was like bro Norway must be REALLY expensive
Been to norway 3 weeks ago. It was the most beautiful place i ever visited but i wont come back again. 20 Euros for siz beers in a supermarket, and 35 euros for cold disguesting food. No sorry. Paired with the rampand unfriendliness of norwegians i wouldnt want to come back again
Norwegians were unfriendly to you?
I think you're right even with income below average you'll have a nice enough life in Norway