Bite the Budget

Christmas Aftermath

2010-12-22T17:21:00.000+11:00

3 more sleeps 'til Santa comes!

I'm really excited, mostly because I know that, this year, my little boy will have a better understanding of the whole thing and I just can't wait to see him opening his pressies on Christmas morning.

That's where the excitement turns to a tiny pang of guilt... this is one spoilt little boy. At this age it's so easy to over buy, and we certainly have. I imagine all parents - especially those with only children, like us - tend to want to buy all those toys that we loved and all those toys that we always wanted too and that is how we ended up with a trolley load in ToysRUs... we managed to cull a little and shelled out a well earned and slightly under-budget $120 for our spoils.

The problem is, our little man already has soooooo many toys (even after cleaning out before we moved) and will be further showered with pressies and attention all Christmas day, and every other day. When we get back from visiting family and finally get to unpack our new home, some serious culling will occur in the econo-family household, all excess items will be sold or donated and the proceeds will be returned to savings where they belong.

There is tip #1 for surviving the new year - clear out all the old stuff that is no longer needed and sell, donate or toss it. This will not only earn you some pocket money but I've found that a good clean-up always leaves me feeling lighter.

The new year is a great time to get the finances in order, like most people, money always appears somewhere in my list of new years resolutions. I recommend, spending some time browsing around your favourite budget sites (if this is a new idea for you check out my previous posts and favourite websites) and working out your needs and wants, getting it all out on paper and then start enjoying a life free of financial stress!

Check out:

Simple Savings (particularly the free 2011 'war on debt' calendar in the downloads section)

The Basics

A Few Ideas

One Womans Trash

$/hrs rule and wish lists

Aus Gov website: http://www.understandingmoney.gov.au/

check out this FANTASTIC blog

2010-11-22T07:51:00.000+11:00

I'm so glad that I stumbled upon this blog.
Beth's 'slogan' is "ON A MISSION TO SAVE MONEY AND EAT WELL!", love it.

I think this blogger is in America, but the principles still apply anywhere, the numbers wont be the same but with these recipes you're sure to enjoy cooking and eating well AND saving money.

What more can I say? - just go and check it out.

http://budgetbytes.blogspot.com/

Christmas Shopping at home

2010-11-08T13:22:00.000+11:00

No, I don't mean online or from catalogues... I mean from your home!

In the last post I told you about my Garage Sale, well, before I opened up the sale, I walked around myself as a shopper and picked up a few items that were in perfect condition that will now be wrapped up and used as Christmas gifts!

You don't have to have a garage sale to find presents in your own home, how about the garden? If you've a green thumb (lucky you) what about re-potting some herbs or a decorative plant for someone from cut-offs. This is especially nice if the plant is not yet at it's peak, as the receiver will enjoy your gift for longer and then for years after will be reminded of your thoughtful (thought secretly frugal) gift.

Do some web surfing for DIY gifts such as gift hampers (can often use boxes or baskets from home etc.) you'll be surprised how cheap you can be!

One woman's trash...

2010-11-08T13:12:00.000+11:00

By the end of this year we hope to be in a new home. Well, new to us. The building is actually quite old. We've managed to find a place to save us a bit of rent. The only problem?... its much smaller.

Every cloud has it's silver lining, in this case, an opportunity to de-clutter our lives and maybe earn a little moving money in the process.

So, this past weekend, we hauled all the trash we could find out of our wardrobe, bookshelves and cupboards and into the garage... GARAGE SALE!

After a few hours of standing around pointing out all the uses for my useless stuff we came out $400 over richer!

There are several websites to help you organise or advertise your garage sale, I liked:

Simple Savings (Tipsheet download - "How to Host a Garage Sale")

Better Homes and Gardens Video

Street Garage Sales

Here's how we did it:

place adds in local paper, listing some of the item you'll be selling, for the week leading up to the sale
price everything, either with tags or coloured dots (each colour representing a standard price)
write a sign for the coloured dot price list
put a few signs out on the street
lay out all the items in a logical and appealing manner (toys with toys, books with books, kitchenware ... etc.)
have plenty of change and at least one helper to do the coffee run!

We also had some friends with stuff to get rid off so they went haves on the cost of the add and brought their things over and helped out with the sale too. A great day was had by all!

However, the garage is still FULL! ... I know, I know we have A LOT of trash! ... but we're going to give it one more shot at a local trash and treasure day in a few weeks time.

We it comes down to it we just want all this excess stuff gone so we'll be having each item at just $1 and anything that doesn't sell will be donated to a charity thrift store and books to the library or local book drive.

So if you're finding yourself a little over crowded and would like a little extra pocket money - dig out your trash and sell it to someone to treasure!

Cheap as ... muesli bars

2010-10-20T11:49:00.000+11:00

This recipe was originally from the failsafe diet - cookbook or website.

I have to share this as it is so quick and easy, even if you don't follow a specific diet you could make them and add some chocolate or dried fruit or nuts to taste (though you might want to take out some of the dry ingredients if you do add anything as they're likely to crumble). Best of all they are CHEAP!!!!!!

MIX:
2 cups rolled oats (or quick oats)
1 cup flour
1/2 cup sugar

MELT:
150g butter

STIR:
1 Tbs golden syrup (honey could be used if you're not going failsafe) into the melted butter

MIX:
wet with dry

PAT:
into slice try

BAKE:
in 200 degrees C for approx 15min

SLICE:
into bars WHILE HOT then allow to cool before removing from tray - this will prevent crumbling.

ENJOY!

As a side note for the budget conscious (and who here isn't?) - store in an air tight container and don't discard any of the crumbly bits, they're great for sprinkling on top of canned fruit (soft pears if you're following failsafe) and maybe some ice-cream for a quick, cheap and yummy dessert!

behaviour update

2010-10-20T11:32:00.000+11:00

Just a quick update on the 'failsafe diet':
As a family we have consciously removed the harmful additives from our diet. We've seen a dramatic change in not only our son's behaviour but also in our own health and mood.

We've found that excessive saliciates - generally found in fruits - tend to effect our son in a huge negative way. Thankfully we've discovered this and can now adjust his eating in order to minimise the 'demon child'!

With a little research I discovered that many of the foods that I've been eating for as long as I can remember to avoid eating 'naughty' foods - eg. diet soft drink, sugar-free chocolate drinks, and virtually any product with artificial sweetener - is known to cause depression in some people. Having suffered depression for many years these products were immediately removed!

Overall - the whole family feels much better, if you haven't already try it out.

Failsafe Parenting (?)

2010-09-08T17:43:00.000+10:00

Another big shock for me recently was during (and for a long while after) a presentation by Sue Dengate about children's behaviour and food.

Expecting to hear the usual - kids go hypo on red cordial stuff, I was surprised to hear that some people are affected by much more than just too much artificial colouring or flavours and that sugar has no effect at all on behaviour! In fact, according to Sue's extensive research and after seeing the effects in her own family, many people are actually affected by naturally occurring chemicals in fruits and vegetables.

I'm not an expert at all so I wont even pretend to give any advise except to point you towards the Food Intolerance Network and tell you that a quick look at the intro video and a browse can't hurt you and might just save you and your family.

I've already noticed a change in myself after loosing some foods and plan to limit and eliminate artificial food stuffs from my sons diet - if necessary a full 'failsafe' elimination diet may well be in our future.

Check out Sue Dengate's books at your local library or on your favourite e-store:

I can't believe I didn't find out about this until now!

2010-09-08T17:29:00.000+10:00

Seriously - with books in my blood and the fact that I'm always on the lookout for a bargain, I am totally SHOCKED that this is news to me.

Recently my other-half was boasting to some work mates about our beautiful and cleaver son (now two and very much into 'I can do it myself and if you tell me how or when I'll let you know just how wrong you are!'). Anyway, one of these mates told him about this great site and forwarded the link.

The Book Depository is 'Fantaculate' (as DS would say) - they have almost every book you could ever want, they are based in the UK and DH was even able to locate the Australian Master Tax Guide (are you as excited at I am about that :P ?!). Their prices are great and best of all - FREE DELIVERY - always!

To be fair - I haven't placed my first order yet, but I do have quite an extensive wish list going for when the budget allows. I checked with a friend of mine - equally interested in a bargain and into books far more! - she says she gets a delivery from them about every two weeks and can't recommend them enough.

I can't wait to get my first (free) delivery.

shrink the size of your waist without shrinking the size of your wallet

2010-05-26T11:57:00.001+10:00

Ok, it's been almost a month since my last post but I'm back and that's what matters!

I promised some advise on dieting on a budget so here we are.

First of all, I am not thin, I've never been thin, I will never be thin (it doesn't suit me), but I'm working on being fit and healthy - some thing I can only remember being once in my life. My point is, I'm not giving you a miracle weight loss solution here, I'm not going to tell you some ancient secret to cut out tummy fat forever (yes I've seen that ad too - and for the record, it's not a secret: change what you eat and you'll change the way you look...DAH!). I am going to tell you a few things that can help you on your weight loss efforts without breaking the budget.

In my opinion, all weigh loss programs are basically the same: make a commitment (usually involving payment), change your lifestyle, see results. As I'm sure we all know, many of us are yo-yo dieters, going up and down on the scales, constantly changing our lifestyle choices and spending money only to slip again.

This time, I've decided to rely on myself and what I've learnt over the years of yo-yo-ing to find what suits me best.

Following from the basic outline of a weight loss program (above) we can create our own program.

1. commit.

Before doing anything we need to know why we're doing it and what we really want to achieve. We need to set goals. You can do a google search to find goal setting techniques that suit you, try here for SMART goal setting. I sat down with my partner and worked out who we want to be in 5 years time - so my weight loss is part of a bigger goal, then we gave ourselves a time frame - we chose our son's 2nd birthday as a deadline, and I drew up a calendar that we check off every day that passes and what we want to achieve by that date.

so my commitment for weight loss became 12kg loss in 15 weeks. Notice no money was involved here!

2. lifestyle change.

This is the hard part. I know what I need to do to loose weight, I think we all do! use up more energy than I put into my body, ie. eat well and exercise.

Firstly, if its been a while since you've exercised, or if you have dietary concerns, see your GP or go to your local public health clinic before you make any dramatic changes.

Now, here is where I'm going to sound like a hypocrite, hear me out, I've justified this to myself and you can't make me change my mind!

I will give you advise on lifestyle changes that wont break your budget, and they have worked for me, but I invested in myself this time, knowing what will work for me and knowing that I've fitted it into our budget. Don't worry - I'm not going against everything I stand for, just the opposite in fact. I have paid, yes, but I've paid only what I think the goods and services are worth to me (no $7 'milkshakes' for me thanks!).

Free tips:

drink water. We should do this regardless of fitness goals! fill bottles with water and keep them in your fridge, at your desk, in your car, in your handbag, in the pram, EVERYWHERE! Cut down or out other beverages from your shopping list - save $$ and calories!

byo. I've started taking a thermo-cup of coffee with me to the playground where I am often tempted to duck into the coffee shop. I know that I can save a few $$ a week and I wont forget to take it skinny! I also buy the low-fat Jarrah coffees and hot-chocolate powder drinks when they are on special, meaning I'm not stuck with boring coffee while the other mums have something a little fancy in there take-away cups. (side note: saving the environment by not using paper cups too!)

use the www. there are endless sites for low-fat recipes (google came up with 5.2 million in 0.23 seconds!) and meal plans are available all over the place too (google go around 500,000 in 0.19 seconds). If you need to cut costs and your internet bill is the next budget cut, try your local library for free internet connections.

WALK!!!!!! the ultimate free exercise. walk anywhere and everywhere as long as you comfortably can, as fast as you comfortably can. Simply as that.

Things I've paid for because I believe they are worth the price:

fitness dvds - though I also borrow from my local library to save money and keep my workouts interesting - FREE! dvds are great for rainy days (like today!) when walking isn't a pleasant option.

fitness classes - my local gym offers group boxercise classes with a personal trainer for $10 each in 6 week blocks, I love this class and it gives me something to do just for me - without a toddler in tow, as they are held in the evenings when my partner gets home from work (gives him father-son time too).

Weight Watchers - I signed up for their online program to use their online tools for weight tracking and point counting, I've used this in the past and like their system a lot, the online is a cheaper option and suits my unpredictable schedule well. You can find a few websites that provide a similar service (weight tracking and calorie counting) for free - try http://www.weightcontrolsoftware.com/.

Wii fit plus - ok, I hear you, WOW big ticket item Economummy! I love this new toy of mine. My dad found a Wii console, brand new for over $100 off rrp on an online auction site because it was in a ripped box! My partner bought the Wii fit plus package to go with the Wii with our saved 'fun money'. We play a game of bowling or golf or try a new 'sport' every night after our son goes to bed. It's much more fun and active than channel surfing and it's great for our fitness, relationship and for relaxing! Search Amazon.com for Wii fit plus

3. see results.

This is harder than it sounds. It's not just a matter of looking in the mirror. Keep track of your weight once a week, preferably at the same time each week. I 'weigh-in' every Monday morning before breakfast and record my loss on our 15week challenge calendar as well as on my online weight tracker. The trainer for my boxercise class also reminded me that sometimes our efforts aren't seen on the scales but in our shape, so try to measure your waist and other 'problem areas' and actively take note of how your clothes fit and sit on you every week too. If you don't have a tape measure and scales at home you can have yourself measured and weighed at your GP's office or your local public health centre or you can print a tape measure here.

I think that's enough information for a full blown overload!

If you're interested getting healthy, the government has several campaigns to get us thinking about our health, try: Measure Up, go for 2 and 5, and (not government run) CalorieKing.

The Real Cost of Healthy Food

2010-04-28T09:29:00.000+10:00

My partner and I have set ourselves a personal health challenge to lose some weight and have a healthier lifestyle in play by our son's 2nd birthday. I've many ways to achieve this without breaking my own rule of 'thou shalt not spend ... much' that I'll discuss later.
First, I want to draw your attention to a publication from NSW Health, Dietitians Association of Australia and the Go For 2 and 5 campaign called "The Real Cost of Healthy Food". While the calculations were made over a year ago, I believe the findings are still relevant. Many people buy 'convenience' foods that are usually not the healthiest options claiming that they are better value. I know that my shopping bill seems to go up the more fruit and veg I put in my trolley, however, you'll find that if you plan your meals (a loose plan is better than nothing!) and actually eat the fresh produce that you buy, you'll have really yummy meals; a healthier, fuller family; and wont need all those little extras - you will be satisfied.
As far as giving up (or cutting down on) sugary or highly processed, unhealthy foods - I know its tough, I'm an addict myself.
Stay tuned, I'll fill you in on the best information I've found and the lessons I've learnt next time.

Maybe thinking of others can save you money.

2010-04-11T09:50:00.001+10:00

"There are starving children in Africa - finish your dinner!" (or some variation of that) was probably spoken at your family dinner table at some point or another. I personally think that if you are full, stop eating. Most meals can be put aside in the fridge or freezer for another time (this saves money too!) and teaches us to understand our body's needs better and prevents overeating issues in later life.
But back to the point here. I would like you to think of those 'starving children' when you shop or think of spending money. I received this powerpoint presentation via email this morning and tracked it down on Youtube for you.
Usually these things just depress me but this one just made me grateful.
Watch it then reconsider how important it is that you have that new pair of shoes or drive to work because the bus sucks. I know that my joggers (that I've had for about 8 years and worn most days) can probably last a few more months at least!

just something to think about

A useful freebie

2010-04-01T15:16:00.002+11:00

Ok folks, I don't often agree with the decisions of our mighty pollies but here is a product that someone managed to squeeze through the system that I like!
Understanding money is website full of information and a booklet that you can download or have posted to you for free from ASIC. I've just received my copy and it has some great tools - the people who put this together have been doing this a lot longer than me!
It's free and might be worth a look if you're struggling to get your head around bank accounts, loans, credit cards, taxes and insurance etc. it also has information about where to get specialised advice.

just a note - this isn't an advertisement, just some more advice about what I've found useful.

Family Entertainment

2010-03-31T09:41:00.000+11:00

Here in Aus we are at the end of the first month of Autumn (Fall - if you like to American-ise it) and it is perfect weather to get out and enjoy the wonderful park-lands that can be found all over the country. This is a great time of year to save money because not only do we not need the expensive heating or cooling systems running (seriously just put on a jumper if you're cold or a pair of shorts if you're still warm) but it's so easy to find free or inexpensive activities out and about in your local community. You can usually toss in a bit of exercise and 'quality time' for the family in the process!

For activities in my area (close to the ACT) I found the government publishes a site (as part of the Department of Territory and Municipal Services) listing "Environment and recreation facilities, including parks and reserves across the ACT".
Just do a google search for parks or community events in your local area, contact your nearest city council or tourist information centre (they're not just for tourists, locals can use them too!) to find some free or cheap events and activities near you.

On another note - enjoy the Easter weekend coming up, have a scout around the web for some fun (and cheap) ideas to celebrate the birth of chocolate and the hatching of bunnies from eggs!

good food = good budget?

2010-03-19T15:08:00.002+11:00

Forbes.com has listed Cheap Foods That Are Good For You.
The foods listed are: lentils, broccoli, carrots, oranges, bananas, white potatoes, milk, beans, tomato juice, yoghurt. The prices listed are U.S. averages, however, I'm sure that they are all reasonably cheap here in Aus too.

On another (yet similar) note, my new fav food blogger, Health Foodie, has started a series of healthy 'fast food'. Reading through the discussion I'm reminded that not only is take-out bad for your body its also pretty bad for your wallet. Have a think about how much you spend of convenience food and stay tuned for more money-saving food ideas.

attention budget conscious Melbourne!

2010-03-16T12:29:00.000+11:00

Penguin's released this new book of cheap places to eat out in Melbourne - not a great use to me here in NSW but it might be worth asking your local library to get in for you, especially if you visit there a bit and don't want to blow the holiday budget on dinner.

The $/hrs Rule and Wish Lists

2010-03-14T09:51:00.000+11:00

One of the best pieces of money-saving advice I've heard is the $100/48hour rule.

The concept: when you see something that you want but it costs more that $100 walk away and think about it for at least 48 hours before retuning to buy it - and only return if you decide that you still REALLY want it and can't get it from somewhere else cheaper and if you've saved enough for it.

I want to make a few changes to this rule for those of us who REALLY want to save money.
Change it to a lower amount of money eg $50, $25 or $10 or even $5, whatever seems fair to you and your budget (this might even depend on the type of product) and then try to extend the time further say 7days or a pay period. Basically the rule is flexible to your needs but don't be too easy on yourself eg. if your rule is $10,000/5min you're really not going to use it (and if you will I think you should leave this blog immediately and go to the Red Cross website or World Vision).

A good way to avoid impulse spending is to keep a wish list. You can then refer to this list when ever you are tempted to buy something that you don't NEED and see where it fits on you order of priorities. For example you might have a beautiful cookbook worth $80 that you'd really like and you're tempted to buy a $40 vase... priority? how much would you use the vase? how much would you use the book? If they are equal, add the vase to the list.

Note: don't be confused by sale prices, just because it says 50% off doesn't mean you need the vase more. If it wasn't worth $40 when you first saw it, it's not worth $40 when you know it used to be $80!

The wish list is also great when that time inevitably comes around that someone asks you "What do you want for your birthday/Christmas/mother's day etc.?" Just refer to your wish list and pick some thing of appropriate value - don't ask your uni-student sister to buy you a $600 stereo system! you might also want to consider the buyers taste, if you want something specific you might be best to leave that one for yourself to buy when you've saved for it - you might not want you uncle to buy you a new bedspread... at least not without some assistance!

You can make wish lists for different occasions, eg. new baby, new home, just because, gifts for friends/family whatever you want.

I've just installed a Google Chrome Extention for the Amazon Wish List feature which means that as I browse the net, I can add anything from anywhere to my list based back on Amazon.com.

I'm pretty excited about the idea - if you haven't worked it out already - I really like organisational gadgets!

See how you go with the $/hr Rule next time you're tempted.
xx

Revamp your old furniture and save $$$$

2010-03-14T09:15:00.000+11:00

My desk is UGLY.

I have to admit that after some mild (ish) complaining on my part my better half pulled some useless pieces off of it so that it was more usable, but it is still a boring piece of laminated ply-wood that I hide in the corner and cover with work (well I guess I would do that anyway - but this is my excuse for not uncovering it!).

So I think to myself, "how do I procrastinate today? - aha! I'll find out how to get a new desk, on the cheap." the obvious answer - paint it, but how? so a little bit of fluffing around on Google and I came across yet another wonder woman blogger (woman, we are good!) Lindsay (of Living with Lindsay was in a similar situation with a wardrobe in her house and decided to post a tutorial for us to learn from.

Budget benefit? - well this way I wont be tempted to spend money on a new desk at any point especially as this one is structurally perfect.

Special Note: DIY may not always be the cheapest or best solution, sometimes you might spend more time and money fixing up mistakes than you would have if you'd hired someone to do the job for you or just bought a new one. Just think your options through and do some research before you start any new DIY project.

My lovely better half is off for 2 weeks for work tomorrow so today is filled with organising for this separation and thus I doubt I'll get around to DIY shopping today (or this fortnight) but as soon as it happens you'll be one of the first to know!

Happy furniture 'shopping'!

slash your grocery bills by ditching the label

2010-03-13T07:55:00.000+11:00

Latest news on the brand-name vs no-name brands in the supermarket in this article (there are similar articles all over the papers today). I really love saying 'I told you so!'!!!!!!

"Super Cute" Freebies

2010-03-11T17:39:00.000+11:00

Just found this site. The Project Girl has heaps of downloads of her own (and others) creations to help with organisation and planning. Some of my favs are the menu planner and her storage labels. Being more organised will eventually save you money. The menu planner means knowing exactly what you need to buy at the supermarket before you get there and you avoid the mid-week, nothing-in-the-fridge-so-we'll-get-(expensive)-take-out issue and the labels mean that you know where everything is and avoid buying little supplies that you already have. I should take some of my own advise here - I still can't find my envelopes after we moved like 2 months ago! she also has downloads to help organising moving and travelling (avoid buying stuff when you get there because you forgot something).
A friend of mine did a big clean up of her sisters house not so long ago and was shocked to find that the family had 36 brand new glue sticks! 36!!! all scattered around the house, they could never find one when they needed it so would just buy a new one. I dare say that if they keep them in good spot they will never need to buy another one again!
She has so many freebies - and they are all so beautifully designed, do not spend money with Martha Stewart without looking here first!

a simply good (cheap) day

2010-03-11T17:05:00.000+11:00

Today I did some of my favourite (cheap) things:

Took my son to the playground and met up with some other Mums and Bubs. This is my favourite FREE activity because it is great exercise for both myself and the little man (we walk there and back and run around a lot while we're there) and I get to catch up with other adults!
I went to the local op-shop. This is my favourite way to shop, it is amazing what wonders you can pick up, all great quality and cheaper than chips. Today I picked up a new pair of PJs for my better half, 2 cookbooks for myself (including a Weight Watchers cookbook and "Good Housekeeping" Budget Cookbook I will make good use of these!), a storybook for my son and a wedding present for a friend all for only $13!!!!!! And I garantee that my friend will never guess that her pewter goblets only cost $5... well she will if she's read this! Don't worry I intend to have them engraved and packaged beautifully with a nice bottle of something too (I'm not that cheap!).
Ebay is also great for this but I love shopping because I find you get a rush from snapping up a bargain and having it to take home then and there.
Surfed the net for free competitions. I enter anything that I can answer, whether I want the prize or not, I usually find that someone close to me will like it even if I don't and it always makes me feel good to give somebody some thing just because I can. If nobody wants it it can always be given to charity or sold on Ebay.
Now here is something that I probably shouldn't mention on a budgeting site but I can justify it... today I bought a lotto ticket. I play the same numbers every week because if I don't my family will die... well that's not true, but I do believe in Murphy's Law, when I don't play those numbers they will come up! I do limit myself to just the one ticket a week and that $7-$8 is budgeted for in the weekly accounts. I really must point out that you shouldn't buy your tickets expecting that one day you WILL win and all your problems will be solved. That's like assuming that liposuction will mean that you will always be thin and continue to eat junk every day. If you take the quick solution without changing your habits you will not have a long term solution. If you answer the question "what would you do if you won the lotto?" with "spend it." even if it is disguised as "buy a new house, car, boat etc etc." you should think a little harder. My answer is "Invest it in high interest account and live off the interest for a year or two at least then spend it sensibly".

I'll leave you with that for now
xx

The Bigger Picture

2010-03-04T15:47:00.000+11:00

Ok, so we know that we are here to save money, but why?
Well money is nice to have more of so we can spend it, right? but why are we saving just so we can spend?
We want to be able to spend knowing that spending now doesn't mean suffering for it later.

In today's procrastination, I learned of a Mr Dave Ramsey a radio show host and personal finance guru in the U.S. This guy started at the bottom, rose to the top, lost it all and now has it all back and more.
So, I'm thinking, he might know a thing or two.
Davo recommends 7 Baby Steps to financial freedom:

Save $1,000 as your beginning Emergency Fund.
Pay off all your non-mortgage debt using the Debt Snowball method.
Save 3 to 6 months of expenses, completing the Emergency Fund from step 1.
Invest 15% of your regular household income for retirement.
Create an education fund for your children.
Pay off your home.
Build wealth and Give.

Now, I don't think Dave expects anyone to do this overnight or even in a year. I know that it might take me 10 years or more to get to step 7, but they are goals.

We can't just say 'I wan't to have financial freedom' we have to work for it, and these steps break it down into more manageable pieces. You can then break them down further if you need to - like save $50 a week for the next 20 weeks and you've completed step one!

The Debt Snowball is basically paying off you debts from smallest to largest. If you owe $100 on a layby, $2000 on Credit Card, $6000 car payments and another debt of say $800, you'll pay off your layby first (maybe in a fortnight if you can still save that $50 a week after completing step one), then the $800 in 18 weeks after that and so on. If you can save more per week than you'll get through this faster but the key is to not add more debt!

And that's where we keep up the everyday savings that I talk about here!

So know we have some goals for our money, you're goals might be different to mine but I think this list from ol' Davo is pretty much on the money (pun intended).

So I'll leave that with you - I fear I have a dirty nappy to change ... ah motherhood.

Checkout Dave's website, http://www.daveramsey.com/, I'll be spending some more time on it when I can find some!

How to Make Extra Money as a Stay at Home Mom | eHow.com

2010-03-03T10:29:00.000+11:00

How to Make Extra Money as a Stay at Home Mom | eHow.com

I found this short list of great ideas in my procrastinating this morning!
You don't have to be a mum to do it but the author has given advise on how to earn this money with kids in-tow.

a few quick ideas

2010-03-02T18:23:00.000+11:00

Hi there,

Just a few quick ideas that I use to save the moolah.

1. Make use of your local library.
I borrow books, DVDs, CDs, computer games and puzzles for my son. This way I always have something new to entertain him with, without having to shell out the cash.
For myself and my partner, I borrow books, magazines, CDs and DVDs. Think of how much you can save by cutting down on the magazines and borrowing movies from the library rather than a rental place. Not to mention the savings on time and money by borrowing exercise DVDs rather than going to a gym or fitness class. Don't get me wrong - I fully understand the joy of buying a glossy new magazine purely because it is there and that's what 'we' do and the benefits of exercising with a group - however, if our main goal here is to BITE THE BUDGET - these are the things we need to consider cutting down or out.

2. Change is as good as a Holiday?
Well it might take a while but it would be possible to pay for a weekend away just out of the small change left in you wallet at the end of everyday.
I put all but a few dollars of my spare coin into a cute little piggy bank - and I just LOVE that he's putting on weight!
With this savings you can choose to spend it on a special treat every week, like a coffee with the girls or that movie you've been DIEING to see or some nice wine and some scrummy cheese OR you can put it into that savings account and watch it grow or pay off a bit more of your debt and watch it shrink! - every little bit helps.

3. Invest in a set-top box for your T.V.
Australia FINALLY has proper Digital Television and I can tell you, as a Mum, this could not have been soon enough! With a one off cost you can get at least an extra 5 or so channels with more popping up all the time. I've never paid for television such as Austar or Foxtel but I've had the experience and I honestly don't see the point. With this new technology there is a children's show on almost anytime you could want it, network ten has a channel dedicated to sport and there is now more sitcoms, news blah blah blah - ok i'm not trying to sell television here.... stop the blabbering Economummy!
If you're trying to cut back, just give it a go - give up the pay-tv and go to a sports bar for the big game - its a better atmosphere there anyway!

4. Don't pay for the packaging!
It really makes me sad to know that some people are still spending too much at the supermarket simply because they refuse to try the generic brand. PLEASE just give it a try. When you find the product you usually buy, just take a look around the shelf and see if you can get it cheaper in a different brand. If you take it home, try it out and don't like it, don't buy it again - what have you lost?
Having said that, don't always assume that the generic brand will always be the cheapest, you might find that a top shelf brand on special is cheaper this week than the store's brand. All it takes is a few seconds to scan the shelf and those few extra cents do add up at the checkout.

5. Talk to people.
This might seem silly but if you just tell your family and friends or even co-workers etc. that you are looking for or need or would even like something you may be surprised what people could be willing to give away or sell to you very little. For example:

When my partner and I first moved into our own place, he happened to mention to a co-worker that I wanted a dining table but we had to save up a bit longer, next thing we knew he was dropping off an old 6 piece dining setting that he had made years ago that his wife has been trying to get him to toss since they bought a new one. That cost us a 6pack of beer!
The place that we moved into that time was owned by one of my co-workers and he rented it to us at 'mates rates'.
A neighbour of ours recently was given a lounge suite by a co-worker.
A friend of mine has sourced an outdoor play set for my son from her parents in exchange for a cuppa while we laugh at our significant others trying to set it up!

Thats just to name a few.
Don't feel guilty about taking this sort of thing, people wouldn't offer it if they weren't willing to give and always remember to pay it forward when you can (that dining table is now in another friends home).

Well that better be it for now - motherly duties await!
I'd love to hear some of your ideas if you want to share.

xx

The Basics

2010-02-28T10:15:00.000+11:00

I guess even though they are generally common sense, it's always good to be reminded of the basics of budgeting.

1. know what you earn and what you spend
2. spend LESS than you earn

Pretty simple right?

It might take 5 minutes or it might take hours, but it's really important to know where you stand and where you want to go.
IN: Write down any money coming in: wages, allowances, gifts EVERYTHING
OUT: Write down what you must spend every week/fortnight: rent/mortgage, bills, car payments/maintenance, groceries, school fees, EVERYTHING
subtract OUT from IN and find out how much you have left. If you're not happy with the answer you get, look back at your list and figure out where you can minimise the OUT list or maximise the IN list.
That's where things get tricky. This might be where we need to do some more research. Once you've cut the smoked salmon and caviar out of the groceries and you're still not left with much at the end of the week where do we go?
This is why we are here. This is what we are going to figure out.
My aim is to collect ideas big and small for those of us wanting to save a little from our spending to those of us wanting to cut right back to the basics of an era similar to that of the Great Depression!

I've worked out my INs and OUTs and I'm pretty happy, however, the more I can save, the sooner we can afford to buy our house. So... tightening the belt AGAIN!

My new blog

2010-02-26T18:06:00.000+11:00

Hello out there!

A big welcome to anyone who has stumbled onto my blog by accident!

No wait.... please don't leave, you might find this to be exactly what you're after...

If you struggle to understand why you're holding your breath at the checkout waiting to see the EFTPOS machine approve your card even though you've only put sale items and generic brands in your trolley, and why you feel that pang of guilt when you pick up your favourite glossy mag and put it back in favour of one of the floppy little mags promising revelations to save you money or to win your way out of the bargain bin, then welcome home my friend we are kin!

This blog is mostly a way for me to figure out in my own head what I'm doing right and where I can improve it keeping our household budget as small as possible.

I've spent a lot of time surfing around this great wide world we know as the internet (or even just the bloggosphere for that matter) and have found so much in relation to cutting your budgets but most of them seem really obvious to me!

It can't be just me that has heard enough of the great tip that 'taking your own lunch to work can save you hundreds over a week, month and thousands over a year!'... well dah. it doesn't take Einstein to work that out ($10/day, 5 days/week, say 48 weeks/year ..... um $50 a week, $2400 a year).

Anyway, I thought that here I could lay out what I like to do (or more over, what I try to do/want to do) to keep myself in check and then use this as a place to collaborate any good ideas I find in my research.

I'd love to get some feed back from those of you who have some good ideas or who might have found a gem either here on somewhere else.

Just one last point, if you're reading something on this blog and I've made a mistake, please let me know. I am not an uneducated dunce with nothing better to do than force my 2 cent opinion on the world.

I am in fact a young stay-at-home mum of an18month old boy who is studying part-time from home for my Bachelor of Economics Degree while running a pretty good household, with a full fridge and a healthy happy family all on a single graduate income. I'm quite proud of myself, when I put it like that! However, with all of this on my plate I'm sure you can forgive me the odd error or total ramble (like now) with the excuse of motherly exhaustion!

Anyway, enough blabbering, its time to BITE THE BUDGET!