Unexpected Savings

I am in the process of switching everything from my married name back to my maiden name. Fortunately some things were really easy such as my passport. I never changed it to my married name so when it was due to be renewed this year I simply renewed and it was fine.

As I have been going about it I saved a few bucks unintentionally. I popped into the library with my daughter last week. I lost my Canberra library card when we moved back to Sydney and have not actually been to the library since moving home to Canberra in June.

In there I asked about getting a new card. It was going to cost a few bucks, which didn't bother me. I said I didn't know if my card was under my married name or maiden name, as I lived in Canberra as a teen as well. I happened to have my passport on me so she checked my maiden name first, but it wasn't so she checked under my licence for my married name.

If I wanted to  keep the card under my married name there would be a fee. I did not want to keep it under Kylie Ofiu, I wanted to change it to my maiden name, so it was free! Because it is a name change, not just a lost card then.

There's been a few instances of this as I have switched my name over and while it's not big bucks I am saving, it's a few dollars here and there. Since my kids and I have a big goal of saving to go to America, those small amounts add up.

Have you had any unexpected savings lately?

Money isn't everything - Experience life!

I went to San Francisco last week. It was a whirlwind trip and I loved it. I had a blast meeting new people and one of my new friends helped me tick some things off my bucket list.

One thing I have always wanted to do is shoot a gun. Someone very close to me likes to say "It's the best fun you can have standing up with your clothes on." And oh my goodness, he is so right! I LOVED it and am looking into getting my own licence here in Australia, which is nowhere near as easy as it is in the USA.

This was in the traps. I managed to hit the disc on my 4th shot!

 Shooting a revolver. I love this, it was so smooth and easy. Not as much kick or force as the handgun or shotgun. 

 Handgun - this is what we started with.

 See??? The gun is burry because I just fired it. 

 The bottom target is mine. I have good grouping apparently.

On the way home we stopped at a gun store for my friend to purchase another gun (he ended up getting 2). How cool is this shot? He took it for me. I kept laughing, he told me to pull a serious face and the timing was perfect. 

This is a gun I thought was cute and would own.

I know not everyone is into guns. If you have never shot one, I definitely recommend giving it a go. When used correctly, guns are great.

Of course being in San Francisco I went on a Ferry to see the Golden Gate Bridge and Alcatraz. Unfortunately, due to the USA government shutting down I didn't get to tour Alcatraz, but at least I saw it. The bridge was really pretty and I got the ferry back at sunset so it was simply beautiful.

I saw pumpkin fields where people go and pick their pumpkins for Halloween. Another friend took me to the beach at sunset and it was lit up beautifully. Amazing rock formations and things too.

Another friend cooked me a full 3 course French meal. He is French Columbian and grew up in France, so it was all authentic. It was delicious and a first for me as well.

I tried a few different foods and drinks while away, learned a lot about a few different cultures, met amazing people and just had a blast.

Money isn't the be all and end all. I am really grateful to have set my goal to be a millionaire by 30 and to have created the life I have now, enabling me to experience more out of life. For a while money was my focus, to the detriment of everything else I think. I am much more balance now and while I could be earning more, it is more important to me to live life.

What have you done lately to experience life instead of just live it?

Making money, fundraising and reducing expenses

This week I managed to do a few things to make more money, raise funds for the homeless and reduce my expenses. Since moving to Canberra I have been a little lazy with my finances. I had a budget but hadn't really been sticking to it. I have the knowledge but wasn't applying it.

I have posted before about ways you can make money but this week I did something I haven't done before - I flipped a car. I've always been interested in property and flipping houses, but cars is not something I really thought of doing.

I posted about it on my other site. Essentially, I got the car for a great price, I knew it was valued higher. I used it a bit then sold it this week for more than what I paid, which was the plan. I bought it specifically to sell it at a higher price. This would normally be quite a risk, but it was a calculated risk.

I sold a few other items. I had a couple of boxes of stuff I just didn't want to deal with and they have sat in my office since I moved. I finally got around to sorting them out and sold a couple of things, but most of it will be listed when I get back from San Francisco next week.

Also this week I have been focusing on fundraising for the Centenary Sleepout being held here in Canberra on October 25th. My goal is $1,000 and currently I am sitting on $325. I've had some generous donations plus been doing hair cuts for friends and family with all proceeds going to the fundraising. I get back on October 10th so not a lot of time to raise the money but I am determined.

I am passionate about helping the homeless because of my own personal experiences in recent years, especially earlier this year. I have a few ideas, but would love to hear any of yours?

How saving energy can save you money at home

Just about everyone is keen to save money at home, freeing up funds for doing the things that they love. Sometimes we are willing to make sacrifices in order to meet certain financial goals, but it’s usually preferable to make savings which don’t have a negative impact on our quality of life.

One such way of saving money is saving energy.

Here, we look at several ways you can save energy at home, making life easier for you financially.

Invest in energy efficient appliances

Sometimes it can be worthwhile to spend a little money in order to make savings in the long run. When it comes to household appliances, this is particularly true. Dishwashers, air conditioning units, washing machines and boilers are key parts of many households but that’s not to say there’s no money to be saved in their use.

Older appliances are typically very inefficient, using far more resources than they need to in order to get the job done. Today’s appliances are not only a lot more efficient but retailers will generally make a point of displaying their efficiency, making it easy for you to compare when buying a new appliance.

Don’t laugh off small changes

Your home can save a considerable amount of energy simply from switching all the light bulbs in your property to newer, energy saving ones. The change might seem small but relative to the tiny investment, it’s a move well worth making.

Switching off unused appliances

Saving energy at home isn’t only about using energy efficient devices; it’s also about making a conscious effort to remove waste. You might be surprised to learn how much energy you spend powering devices that aren’t even in use. Not only does this include leaving electronic items on standby, but it also covers leaving chargers plugged in.

This is something which you’ll probably be keen to discuss with the other people living at home. It can be a great opportunity to get your kids involved in helping to reduce the energy consumption of your home. Encouraging others to switch off unused electronic devices, again, might seem like a small change but it could save you a large amount of money over the coming months - not to mention the benefits to the environment.