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Archive for July, 2018

do you help others with budgets?

July 27th, 2018 at 02:47 am

I have learnt to budget when our circumstances changed dramatically and we had to adjust...it took a long time but we are doing well I have taught both our daughters about budgeting as well one does better than the other, but they both do well with it.
My mom who is 80 this year had a few things break down over a year and she didn't have the cash to buy them so she did a rent to buy and her budget went out the window...so for the last 15 months I have been doing her budget, I tell her how much money she needs to take out of her bank for food etc and I deal with the rest, she will have no debt again by nov...she loves it as she has no hassles anymore and just takes her cash and does what she needs to with it (she is also raising a 12 year old that she has had since birth - long story) so she still has school related expenses etc.
Today my step son is coming over so I can help him write up his budget and help him menu plan as he is pretty bad at it (his words) so can get him back on track (he is getting a divorce and is raising their daughter)....I love budgets and helping others with them...I do think its important to show them how to work out debts and a budgets so they don't get back into bad habits, if I do it all then they won't learn or do the hard work. I do my moms as I pay her bills via my computer but we sit down and hash it out together so she is doing it as well.
Does anyone else teach their kids/spouses/partners etc how to budget or sit down and work it out together??...my budgets are written out annually so by sept/oct next years budget will be hashed out and written out ready to go

credit cards

July 26th, 2018 at 04:36 am

I am just wondering after reading many posts on here (and I'm not judging just curious) as to why some people have so many CC? I have one and it has a limit of $5000 and that bugs me that if it was maxed out that I would pay so much interest.

I just think in Australia it isn't easy to get a CC so I don't know many people who have more than 1 so I'm just wondering why some people have several? if you have 1 can't you increase the limit if you need it? if you have several and max them out why would you get more? Is it easy to get credit in America?

As I said I am just curious to why people have several, I'm not judging at all...it just seems credit is so much easier to get in America than most places I wish our home loans were as easy to get as yours, that would make life over here so much easier

update 1

July 26th, 2018 at 04:30 am

Well it is payday today, which I love (who doesn't right) and even though we had a medical expense come out of our house savings and we also filled out 4 jerry cans of gas while it is around 30c cheaper than it normally is...our savings dipped to just $36...but it's payday and it now up to $371 although not a lot it will grow steadily and it's better than not having any at all...

Have not been well last last week so menu planning and next years budget has gone out the window but will get to it in next few weeks...hubby has his cash for groceries and gas so don't need to worry about that for a couple of weeks...I love a cash budget makes everything so easy.

Does anyone use cash for their everyday expenses such as groceries, gas etc?

do you use coupons?

July 21st, 2018 at 07:58 am

I love watching the coupon shows on tv over here and I always said if we lived in America that would be one of the first things I would learn to do. It is amazing how much money you can actually save by doing that...I wish here in Australia we had coupons...we have nothing like that here.

Does anyone on this forum use coupons? Food over here is so expensive and would love something like that here

no debt

July 21st, 2018 at 07:54 am

Although we have no debt now we have had debt in the past and lived pay check to pay check, no-one really taught me about budgeting, saving etc. Although our bills were paid on time ( for the most part) we did struggle.

Everything changed 13 years ago when our daughter got really sick and I was at college and my husband had to give up work to take care of her (needed 24/7 care), we sold our house but still had debt and I was really over living pay check to pay check, so I sat down wrote out our bills/debts etc and figured out how we were going to pay it off and have it gone. We had no savings and so the journey began. Believe me it was a long process and it took a long time to get where we wanted to be but I researched, called companies for better deals paid our debts off 1 by one and then snowballed the rest, started trying to save a little...although I was more focused on getting rid of debt then saving and this hurt us a lot along the way when something came up.

My husband was quite sceptical at first, but I put us on a budget, menu planned and shopped with lists and watched our debt disappear....even now with my current illness and not being able to do anything much at all we are still on track and starting to save for a house again. I think he is a bigger cheapskater than myself now.

We also are saving for a new car, I don't want debt other than a morg so we will save for a car and when we need to replace it we will use the cash that we have and that is all...its a tool and not something you have to have the latest and greatest of..

remember when you get discouraged that you didn't get into debt overnight and you won't get out overnight but if you stick to it you will get there and all the stress and pressure that is alleviated is amazing and you can live life again...and on your terms...living to work not working to live

christmas shopping

July 21st, 2018 at 07:41 am

It's august in a week and half so its time to start my christmas shopping for the family, I have been doing the charity one all year and its looking good for all the foster kids that they will go to.

I have a set budget that I put away each month for christmas and everyone is giving me ideas for what they would like so I will carry my money and list and see what sales I hit along the way to save more money.

How does everyone else do their christmas?

I'm a newbie

July 21st, 2018 at 07:14 am

Hi, I'm new to this site and blogging in general. I have been reading some of the stories and blogs on here and I'm hoping to get some hints and tips and support along my journey.
We have no debt, and we are just starting to save for a house deposit..we need around $30,000 for a 3% deposit so that is our goal and I am hoping to achieve that in the next 18 months...we have accounts for seperate things which are as follows

daily account - for money to go into

splurge acct - "mad money" to spend on what we want

ice account - this is for emergencies (usually sits at 2000)

annual bills - this is for all our ins etc that come out yearly we put monthly amount away for these

house deposit - where we put our savings for our house

we always have bills paid on time and we live on a cash budget for petrol (gas) and groceries.

we have 1 CC but we only use for emergencies and owe nothing on it.

we currently have approx $900 in our house deposit acct

that is a general run down, hope i haven't forgotten to add anything