This past week ended up being a bit of a mess, so I didn’t quite get to do all that I wanted. Our air conditioner broke, so we spent time at my mother in laws as it has been incredibly hot. I also had my sister stay with us on the weekend (which was awesome) so we had take away. We literally just got back from my mother in laws when my sister arrived and I couldn’t be bothered cooking.
BUT I did do some things such as look for and collect coins. I am yet to deposit them, need to do that this week, but I have $12.75 so far and didn’t get to look everywhere yet.
I didn’t hire any DVD’s and I managed to avoid the tempting magazines, which was great. I sorted some of our finances out, still have a few more things to do, but overall it was a pretty good week.
We now have $648.07 saved, with much more to come this week.
This week our plans are
1.) Finish decluttering
2.) Garage sale (depending on weather)
3.) Menu plan
4.) Research more for the things we are saving this money for
5.) Finish financial overhaul
It looks like it is going to be another hot, hot week, but I am hoping we can handle it at our house instead of escaping to the air conditioning at my mother in laws. There’s too much I want to get done here!
Monday, January 31, 2011
Friday, January 28, 2011
Make or save money with a few habit changes
Sometimes we do things purely out of habit and if we changed those habits it could save us a lot of money, possibly even make us money depending on what it is.
Some of the habits I have been trying to change are:
Buying home magazines instead I now look at home/renovating blogs, most have tutorials and awesome before and after pictures plus many are done on small budgets, not $50,000 for a bathroom.
Shopping for fun always results in buying something. I have changed this by just not going, or going with someone who hates shopping so it becomes a chore, no longer fun. I have also created a list of things we need/really really want and can only buy off this list. We sat down, worked it out together and won’t be changing it on a whim.
Browsing eBay now if there is not something specific I need I just don’t go on there.
Sticking with what I know/have this applies more for bills/services such as insurance, internet and phone deals. I am working on this one, and have already put a few things in place that will save us money, but there is more to do. I have to convince my husband it’s worth it for some of it.
By looking for ways I can change my habits or feed them for free (such as swapping the magazines for blogs) I am saving a fair bit of money without feeling like I have to give up everything or deprive myself totally.
The above ideas are just a few of the things I have done but there are many, many more you could do. As well as saving money there are things you could do to make money such as selling cuttings. When doing your gardening instead of throwing away all the clippings you could pot them and sell them. Or you could offer co workers a lift and they put in a little for petrol money. If you were already driving and they are near you or on the way it can be an easy way to make a little and it’s cheaper for them too.
There are many things in our lives that we could make or save money with if we changed how we did it a bit (or sometimes a lot).
Some of the habits I have been trying to change are:
Buying home magazines instead I now look at home/renovating blogs, most have tutorials and awesome before and after pictures plus many are done on small budgets, not $50,000 for a bathroom.
Shopping for fun always results in buying something. I have changed this by just not going, or going with someone who hates shopping so it becomes a chore, no longer fun. I have also created a list of things we need/really really want and can only buy off this list. We sat down, worked it out together and won’t be changing it on a whim.
Browsing eBay now if there is not something specific I need I just don’t go on there.
Sticking with what I know/have this applies more for bills/services such as insurance, internet and phone deals. I am working on this one, and have already put a few things in place that will save us money, but there is more to do. I have to convince my husband it’s worth it for some of it.
By looking for ways I can change my habits or feed them for free (such as swapping the magazines for blogs) I am saving a fair bit of money without feeling like I have to give up everything or deprive myself totally.
The above ideas are just a few of the things I have done but there are many, many more you could do. As well as saving money there are things you could do to make money such as selling cuttings. When doing your gardening instead of throwing away all the clippings you could pot them and sell them. Or you could offer co workers a lift and they put in a little for petrol money. If you were already driving and they are near you or on the way it can be an easy way to make a little and it’s cheaper for them too.
There are many things in our lives that we could make or save money with if we changed how we did it a bit (or sometimes a lot).
Wednesday, January 26, 2011
Tips on selling your home
We have been renovating our home a little to sell it later this year. Depending on the property market in your area it might not be worthwhile for you to renovate. For us it is.
We are redoing the kitchen, floors and garden mainly and then focussing on presenting it well. We had a lot of work with cleaning and repainting when we first moved back into it, but it is slowly coming together. Fortunately for us we have been able to do much of the work ourselves.
For many homes simply tidying the garden and repainting can give it a much fresher look. The main things people look for though are kitchens and bathrooms. Often these are viewed as hideously expensive and large projects, but they don’t have to be.
Depending on your kitchen you may be able to replace the bench top and handles to give it a new look. If the cabinets are in decent shape but just a bad colour you can buy paint specifically for painting laminate.
In bathrooms a new vanity and painting tiles or even just re-grouting could be enough to lift it dramatically from old and dreary to more modern and clean.
I read an article recently (unfortunately I can’t remember where) about staging homes. This is where furniture, paintings, all the furnishings are specifically tailored to the target market of your house. Apparently studies have shown that staged homes can reach a far higher price, even as much as 30% more than unstaged equivalents. This is usually due to females.
Females tend to be emotional buyers and if a house is set up beautifully they are much more likely to buy it and apparently if a couple is buying a home it is often the female who sways the decision one way or another. Males tend to be very practical and see what works and what doesn’t and why a property is worth it or not, unlike the emotional buying of females.
If you are in an area that is not very expensive, full on staging probably won’t make much effect but still making the home as presentable as possible works to sell it faster. Here’s a few tips:
1.) Remove all personal things such as pictures of the family. It makes it harder to picture a house as yours when you are looking at other people’s family around it. Removing personal pictures makes it easier on buyers.
2.) Make sure the house is clean. Nothing messy in sight, everything dusted and wiped. A dirty home is unappealing and immediately makes the home less valuable in a buyers eyes.
3.) Mow the lawns and weed the garden. You don’t need to do a full landscape but a tidy garden is much more attractive.
4.) Make sure the house smells good. You don’t need plug in fresheners or to do some baking before hand (although fresh bread or cookies do smell great). Simply opening the windows and airing out the house well helps a lot.
5.) De clutter. If furniture is not needing in a room or detracts from the space, remove it. You need the home to look easy to maintain. Homes free from clutter also look larger. That said, make sure you have all the basics so people can visualize their furniture in your space.
Monday, January 24, 2011
$10,000 challenge
Last night my husband and I were talking about our house here, where we want to live (aiming for moving in 12 months), what needs to be done to the house to sell and what we think of quotes we’ve received for different things.
We worked out we need about $10,000 - $15,000 to do stuff to the house, buy some furniture we want and a few other things. So we have set ourselves a goal to make $10,000 in the next 6 weeks. It will be slow the first 2 weeks as we don’t have a lot of time to do much, but we think we can do it.
It won’t just be about making money it will also be about saving as much as possible. We discussed what the things we could do which we think would have the most effect such as selling what we don’t need, overtime at work, planning our meals and grocery shop really well etc...
Each Monday I will update you with what I have done and our tally. It will be slow at first, but I am sure if we really try we can do it.
This week we will be...
1.) Searching the whole house and car for any money, such as coins that may have slipped out of pockets and depositing it.
2.) Finish sorting our stuff to sell it.
3.) Sort out our banking. I’ve seen much higher interest on savings accounts than what we currently get. We’ve stuck with our bank because we didn’t know when we’d need it and there is a 2 day delay if we have it with another bank. Now we know what we are doing I can transfer the bulk of it to another bank for better interest.
4.) Look into doing a market stall with my mother in law.
5.) Go through all our food to create a menu plan for us and plan our shopping accordingly. (I’ve gotten slack at this lately)
6.) Stop hiring DVD’s. Whilst it only costs $1 for a weekly at my local store, we’ve been spending $5 - $10 there a week, which is completely unnecessary. We have not seen any movie we really liked and have wasted hours of our time.
7.) Do not go to the shops unless absolutely necessary.
8.) Reassess all our finances.
So I have got a few things we can do, which will help us get started and hopefully change some of our habits.
During this time we will also be on the lookout for things on our list which are on sale. We have worked out exactly what we want, how much we expect to pay and if we find something for a good price, we’ll get it, so we aren’t on a total spending ban, but if it’s not on the list it doesn’t get bought.
Anyone interested in doing something similar?
We worked out we need about $10,000 - $15,000 to do stuff to the house, buy some furniture we want and a few other things. So we have set ourselves a goal to make $10,000 in the next 6 weeks. It will be slow the first 2 weeks as we don’t have a lot of time to do much, but we think we can do it.
It won’t just be about making money it will also be about saving as much as possible. We discussed what the things we could do which we think would have the most effect such as selling what we don’t need, overtime at work, planning our meals and grocery shop really well etc...
Each Monday I will update you with what I have done and our tally. It will be slow at first, but I am sure if we really try we can do it.
This week we will be...
1.) Searching the whole house and car for any money, such as coins that may have slipped out of pockets and depositing it.
2.) Finish sorting our stuff to sell it.
3.) Sort out our banking. I’ve seen much higher interest on savings accounts than what we currently get. We’ve stuck with our bank because we didn’t know when we’d need it and there is a 2 day delay if we have it with another bank. Now we know what we are doing I can transfer the bulk of it to another bank for better interest.
4.) Look into doing a market stall with my mother in law.
5.) Go through all our food to create a menu plan for us and plan our shopping accordingly. (I’ve gotten slack at this lately)
6.) Stop hiring DVD’s. Whilst it only costs $1 for a weekly at my local store, we’ve been spending $5 - $10 there a week, which is completely unnecessary. We have not seen any movie we really liked and have wasted hours of our time.
7.) Do not go to the shops unless absolutely necessary.
8.) Reassess all our finances.
So I have got a few things we can do, which will help us get started and hopefully change some of our habits.
During this time we will also be on the lookout for things on our list which are on sale. We have worked out exactly what we want, how much we expect to pay and if we find something for a good price, we’ll get it, so we aren’t on a total spending ban, but if it’s not on the list it doesn’t get bought.
Anyone interested in doing something similar?
Saturday, January 22, 2011
DIY vs Professionals
It is often assumed that doing things yourself will save you money, so it is better to do it yourself. I agree with this for the most part, but there are times when it is better to get in professionals.
My home is currently under renovations. A new kitchen, floorboards, doors, painting etc... There is a fair amount of work involved. I have been asking around and getting different quotes on things to see what we are better off doing ourselves and what we may as well pay for and it has been a real eye opener.
Originally we were going to tackle the kitchen ourselves then I remembered when my parents did theirs, dad priced it DIY and got a quote for the bench top. The guy doing the bench top said he could do the cabinets for $xxxx if they wanted. The price difference between dad doing it and this guy doing it was not worth dads time. It was better to pay a professional. So I decided to get some quotes.
They came out yesterday, measured, sat down with me and spent an hour working out what would be best with what we wanted, what suits the area (since we are looking at resale value), how long it would take, the price differences in things (such as laminate vs stone, we went stone, price difference not much!) They had excellent ideas and the total price was way under what we thought and friends had paid. They do excellent work and we can have a custom made to our measurements (our kitchen has NO normal measurements in it) with a great lay out done and well within budget.
Sometimes it is better to just pay. Now we could still DIY and save but is it really worth our time? It would be quit stressful, there are other projects around the house we do need to do and it would not look as good. If there was a significant price difference I would DIY.
There are other things which have turned out to be cheaper to get a professional than DIY which was surprising, but then they do have wholesale bulk buying power I do not have.
Things we are taking into consideration with our renovations are
- Will it increase the value of the home?
- Will it mean there are other projects we have to do if we tackle this one?
- What will we get the most value from?
What can we do ourselves? Followed by quotes from professionals to see if it is worth it doing ourselves?
- How long will it take?
Our aim is to sell our house for a profit once it is finished and move. There are 2 areas we are considering, but won’t decide until late this year. They are about 4 hours apart and we have a busy year, so we won’t even be selling our house until then it looks like, but resale is always in our mind when deciding on any projects.
When thinking of tackling any DIY renos, consider your capabilities and if you really can do it, how long it will take you to do it and if it really will be worth doing it. For things such as painting for us, it was worth us doing it ourselves (not finished, but we have other things needing to be completed first). Other things it is not.
What is worth it to you?
My home is currently under renovations. A new kitchen, floorboards, doors, painting etc... There is a fair amount of work involved. I have been asking around and getting different quotes on things to see what we are better off doing ourselves and what we may as well pay for and it has been a real eye opener.
Originally we were going to tackle the kitchen ourselves then I remembered when my parents did theirs, dad priced it DIY and got a quote for the bench top. The guy doing the bench top said he could do the cabinets for $xxxx if they wanted. The price difference between dad doing it and this guy doing it was not worth dads time. It was better to pay a professional. So I decided to get some quotes.
They came out yesterday, measured, sat down with me and spent an hour working out what would be best with what we wanted, what suits the area (since we are looking at resale value), how long it would take, the price differences in things (such as laminate vs stone, we went stone, price difference not much!) They had excellent ideas and the total price was way under what we thought and friends had paid. They do excellent work and we can have a custom made to our measurements (our kitchen has NO normal measurements in it) with a great lay out done and well within budget.
Sometimes it is better to just pay. Now we could still DIY and save but is it really worth our time? It would be quit stressful, there are other projects around the house we do need to do and it would not look as good. If there was a significant price difference I would DIY.
There are other things which have turned out to be cheaper to get a professional than DIY which was surprising, but then they do have wholesale bulk buying power I do not have.
Things we are taking into consideration with our renovations are
- Will it increase the value of the home?
- Will it mean there are other projects we have to do if we tackle this one?
- What will we get the most value from?
What can we do ourselves? Followed by quotes from professionals to see if it is worth it doing ourselves?
- How long will it take?
Our aim is to sell our house for a profit once it is finished and move. There are 2 areas we are considering, but won’t decide until late this year. They are about 4 hours apart and we have a busy year, so we won’t even be selling our house until then it looks like, but resale is always in our mind when deciding on any projects.
When thinking of tackling any DIY renos, consider your capabilities and if you really can do it, how long it will take you to do it and if it really will be worth doing it. For things such as painting for us, it was worth us doing it ourselves (not finished, but we have other things needing to be completed first). Other things it is not.
What is worth it to you?
Monday, January 17, 2011
Refocussing
Recently things have been a bit rough throughout Australia in terms of natural disasters with ALOT of Queensland being flooded, parts of Western Australia, New South Wales and Victoria all having floods as well, things are not so great. One great thing to come out of all of it is the great community spirit and how everyone is pitching in, helping and getting things done.
This amongst other things has got me rethinking things in my life. Recently I have had a lot on my plate which has meant a lot of my time has been at the computer instead of with my family. I have been studying, working on a separate big project, researching for home renovations, trying to blog as well as family things.
The recent events have made me rethink my current lifestyle. I do not want my kids memories of me to be I am so busy and always at the computer. I am loving what I am doing and I am working towards deadlines, but if something happened to me, I am sure they would remember me working more than spending time with them.
As such, whilst I am still striving to become a millionaire and financially free, I am going to be spending more time with my family. I will be doing it as frugally as possible though, so I will be on the lookout for free activities and will post back when I have some.
I will also be taking my own advice and finding a balance between everything in my life.
So I will be taking a small step back for a little bit to refocus, reorganise and rebalance my life.
This amongst other things has got me rethinking things in my life. Recently I have had a lot on my plate which has meant a lot of my time has been at the computer instead of with my family. I have been studying, working on a separate big project, researching for home renovations, trying to blog as well as family things.
The recent events have made me rethink my current lifestyle. I do not want my kids memories of me to be I am so busy and always at the computer. I am loving what I am doing and I am working towards deadlines, but if something happened to me, I am sure they would remember me working more than spending time with them.
As such, whilst I am still striving to become a millionaire and financially free, I am going to be spending more time with my family. I will be doing it as frugally as possible though, so I will be on the lookout for free activities and will post back when I have some.
I will also be taking my own advice and finding a balance between everything in my life.
So I will be taking a small step back for a little bit to refocus, reorganise and rebalance my life.
Tuesday, January 11, 2011
Confessions of a Shopaholic
Before marriage and kids I would buy new things, usually clothes every pay. I absolutely could NOT wear the same thing to parties, clubs or any event, even if it wasn’t the same people at each thing. I felt less confident, less pretty, less everything if I wore the same thing twice. Silly, I know, but it was just how I felt.
Even during parts of my marriage I was like this. One year I had 4 weddings close to each other from 4 different social circles, yet I found the thought of wearing the same outfit unbearable. In the end I had to because I was 6 months pregnant for 2 of them and 1 of the dresses I bought was a bit too tight. Yes, I did still buy 2 dresses. But you know what, my world did not collapse because I wore the same dress to 2 events.
Shopping made me feel better about myself, but only for the short time of the purchase. Then I would feel guilty for spending money. It was a form of therapy for me. I suffered depression severely and shopping ‘helped’ but didn’t really.
Lately, I am not sure why, but I have been struggling with wanting to buy new clothes, new everything, and I want it all brand name. OK, I know one reason, but I can’t face up to that one just yet. It’s a little hard to deal with and write about.
I have always found it hard to pass up a bargain, especially one I could buy and resell for more, but its not always worth it.
Since moving back to my house and sorting things out, especially the garage that has been full of stuff we put in there 3 years ago I have realised how much money we have wasted. Almost all of the things were used at least once, but they were not worth it.
I have been piling things up and am scared to think of the money we have spent on things we thought we would use, but haven’t really. We have gotten much better in the past year especially and really thought about purchases before making them, but I know we can do better.
I know from personal experience, buy things doesn’t make you really feel better.
Thursday, January 6, 2011
My need for an emergency fund
Things do not always go as planned. Our plan when we moved was that my husband would work in his old job for a few weeks until his transfer was processed then he would go back to his old company. His company lost the contract he was going to be employed for so he no longer has a job with them.
The job he has been doing as his filler job pretty much dried up. He has got some shifts doing various things here and there but nothing stable. This for many would be cause to stress. I am not worried though. I know everything will be fine.
For starters we have quite an emergency fund. We didn’t want to touch it, but it is there if needed. It took a while to get it built up, but by adding bits here and there we did it.
Secondly I live in Australia where there is pretty good government assistance in comparison to other countries. Yes for many it is a struggle for many to live on and it only just covers my mortgage and food, but it is better than nothing. You also get a lot of discounts with everything from medicine to land rates and other bills.
Thirdly I have been studying and will have completed my studies well before our emergency fund would run out. There are a lot of jobs in our area for what I am studying and in similar fields, so I feel confident right now.
Also I have been diligently working on some big projects for this year, which if go as well as predicted will mean income is not a huge issue.
In the mean time I am trying to live as frugally as possible. I am actually kind of glad this has happened because things I would dearly love to have and do such as a vegetable garden and chickens are more appealing to my husband!
This is just what has happened to me, but I look all around at the moment and with the floods in Queensland and other parts of Australia, being drought stricken for years and the constant threat of bushfires here, I can see many reasons to have an emergency fund.
The job he has been doing as his filler job pretty much dried up. He has got some shifts doing various things here and there but nothing stable. This for many would be cause to stress. I am not worried though. I know everything will be fine.
For starters we have quite an emergency fund. We didn’t want to touch it, but it is there if needed. It took a while to get it built up, but by adding bits here and there we did it.
Secondly I live in Australia where there is pretty good government assistance in comparison to other countries. Yes for many it is a struggle for many to live on and it only just covers my mortgage and food, but it is better than nothing. You also get a lot of discounts with everything from medicine to land rates and other bills.
Thirdly I have been studying and will have completed my studies well before our emergency fund would run out. There are a lot of jobs in our area for what I am studying and in similar fields, so I feel confident right now.
Also I have been diligently working on some big projects for this year, which if go as well as predicted will mean income is not a huge issue.
In the mean time I am trying to live as frugally as possible. I am actually kind of glad this has happened because things I would dearly love to have and do such as a vegetable garden and chickens are more appealing to my husband!
This is just what has happened to me, but I look all around at the moment and with the floods in Queensland and other parts of Australia, being drought stricken for years and the constant threat of bushfires here, I can see many reasons to have an emergency fund.
Monday, January 3, 2011
January - Health month
As I mentioned here I am doing my New Year Resolutions (NYR) differently and focusing on one thing each month. The month of January is health. I would like to lose 10 – 15kg. I was 65kg when I got married and would love to be slim like that again. I was not healthy though, so my aim is to get there but be healthy.
There is so much advice out there about how to lose weight and I have tried various things before but I really need to get my butt into gear! I have lost almost 20kgs since having my daughter almost 2 years ago, which is good, but I seem to be hovering around the ‘10k heavier than I’d really like, but am sort of ok with’ weight.
Here’s my plan of attack
1.) Last year I discovered I am gluten intolerant which is great for limiting options but there are still too many unhealthy gluten free options! I have discovered that when I went off pasta, bread etc... it was easier to lose and maintain weight. Then I tried the gluten free options and my weight crept up a little. As such I am avoiding most bread/pasta/rice foods.
2.) I am using 7 day free gym passes. I have collected a few of these so am simply going to gym hop to get me in the exercise mind frame again. It is too hot for exercising outside here, so an air conditioned gym is much more appealing, but I do not want to pay for it so I have been collecting 7 days free coupons and will use them now we have more of a routine at home.
3.) In French Women Don’ Get Fat M talks about only taking 1 bite of something you really love such as chocolate cake instead of eating a whole slice. Savour that one bite. Have you noticed that the first bite of something is the best anyway? So why not leave it at that?
4.) I am going to attempt to go sugar free. This will be extremely hard since it is in virtually everything but it’s not impossible.
5.) No processed foods. I want to eat as close to nature as possible, so no chips, no readymade meals, nothing that has been processed. I will be eating simple foods.
6.) Eat organic where possible. Where I live it is not the easiest to find organic food in stores. I plan on trialling a few online fruit and veg stores that deliver. It is meant to be better for you, more filling and you eat less.
If I can lose 1kg a week or even 2 – 3kg a month that will be awesome. You can read about why health affects your finances here.
What has worked for you in the battle against the bulge?
There is so much advice out there about how to lose weight and I have tried various things before but I really need to get my butt into gear! I have lost almost 20kgs since having my daughter almost 2 years ago, which is good, but I seem to be hovering around the ‘10k heavier than I’d really like, but am sort of ok with’ weight.
Here’s my plan of attack
1.) Last year I discovered I am gluten intolerant which is great for limiting options but there are still too many unhealthy gluten free options! I have discovered that when I went off pasta, bread etc... it was easier to lose and maintain weight. Then I tried the gluten free options and my weight crept up a little. As such I am avoiding most bread/pasta/rice foods.
2.) I am using 7 day free gym passes. I have collected a few of these so am simply going to gym hop to get me in the exercise mind frame again. It is too hot for exercising outside here, so an air conditioned gym is much more appealing, but I do not want to pay for it so I have been collecting 7 days free coupons and will use them now we have more of a routine at home.
3.) In French Women Don’ Get Fat M talks about only taking 1 bite of something you really love such as chocolate cake instead of eating a whole slice. Savour that one bite. Have you noticed that the first bite of something is the best anyway? So why not leave it at that?
4.) I am going to attempt to go sugar free. This will be extremely hard since it is in virtually everything but it’s not impossible.
5.) No processed foods. I want to eat as close to nature as possible, so no chips, no readymade meals, nothing that has been processed. I will be eating simple foods.
6.) Eat organic where possible. Where I live it is not the easiest to find organic food in stores. I plan on trialling a few online fruit and veg stores that deliver. It is meant to be better for you, more filling and you eat less.
If I can lose 1kg a week or even 2 – 3kg a month that will be awesome. You can read about why health affects your finances here.
What has worked for you in the battle against the bulge?
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