Mumof2's Personal Finance Blog

Finally got our US taxes done..was a bit of a chore and since my itin number has been changed or whatever they are doing with it...I started the process oct last year to get a new number or update it...but it still hasnt been processed yet so more forms for that so god only knows how long it takes or what we will have to do for it to be processed...since we cant do online it takes 6-8 weeks anyway and last year they sent a check to us which takes 3-4 weeks to process over here anyways....but its not money we count on or add in to our budget at all...but glad it is done for now.

Was invited to another wedding today so have to put that into our budget...its local so should be able to attend and not have it cost much at all.

We changed our internet company and it costs us around $700 plus for everything (fetch box etc) and then we signed my mom up as well so paid for her box and first month as well...so we had to use the CC again..which I hate but the old company their internet dropped out constantly so far with this one no drop outs...so much nicer...so worth the expense in the long run.

So now we have the CC to pay off hopefully in march we can do that I hate owing money..other than that not much else going on here except waiting for my friend to get her passport so I can buy her a ticket to come over here...cant wait

Have been busy finding my mom and niece a place to live and getting them moved in...has been a long and tiring process but it is done now has completely worn me out. Last year I managed to help my mom get rid of all her debt by helping her budget...she paid for her move to the city and everything else she needed to do on her own..she is happy with that. My mom is one of those people who would give anyone her last dollar before helping heself and family can take advantage of that...but not anymore and she is better off because of it.
My niece left an abusive husband and took her son who took her to court so has lawyers bills, etc he wouldn't even give her their clothes or anything so for last couple years she has struggled financially, she has also been "dumped" with her grandson (who is 11 months) so has to pay for everything for him as well as her daughter won't look after him more than a day or so...and then my niece late last year was diagnosed with a heart condition so has made everything that bit more stressful...so they have moved in together and I have just written up their budgets this weekend and mom is still doing good and will be adding to her savings a bit more...my niece is struggling financially but she makes enough to cover her bills each month and by end of year she should be debt free and can start saving for the first time in a long time...will be a tough year but will get there.

my youngest DD wants me to help her with her budget as she wants to do a couple overseas trips that will help with her college(uni) degree and give her a step up into her field so have to get that done this week....so have been busy with budgets lately.

Now I am just trying to recoup my energy levels this week ready for some doc appointments, and my brothers wedding in march...and hoping my friend will have her passport by then and can get her butt over here...almost 4 month we have been waiting for her passport...it takes forever...not sure if it was affected by the shutdown over there or not but they need to get it done

I'm just wondering how people have learnt about money, when I was growing up we didn't have much money but I never felt like we missed out but we were never taught about money. Everything I have learnt over the years of being married and having kids is self taught and by trial and error...it works pretty well now for us (we still learn though) and we rejig our budget as we need to...we have taught our kids what we have learnt about money one is really great on saving and the other does ok but is a lot more social and like clothes so spends more but she does spend her own money so its on her and they both like to travel as well.

I actually do my moms budget now as it makes it easier on her and family asks me to help them with their budgets (how to do one) etc...so just curious on how others have learnt about budgets/money tc and do you help others?

We still have to do US taxes even though we live in Aust which is frustrating as it can be complicated and now they have changed a few things...in Aust we do the in july and january for US...so now we need to sit down and try and do them and I am still waiting for my new itin...so we are trying to get taxes done and in and signed off our list.

Still waiting for my friend o get her passport so she can come visit...it has taken 10 weeks already it takes forever over there it seems to get things done, but it gives me more time to save for when she is here.

Also have my brothers wedding in 3 weeks...but we have everything we need for except the money for their wishing well...

I put all my coins in a tin that I have...well in 1 month it was full so I took it to the bank and had $107 in the bank was going to save up till december but filled it to quick so I have added this money to the bank and now I have a jar to put coins in...

also we used the cc for hubby to buy some stuff..but I hated having money owing so used savings to pay it off!!

Took our cans back and made $33...was suppose to be $32.70 but the guy gave us $33 so not complaining.

In our state we get 10 cents back on all soda cans/bottles etc. we also collect them when are walking makes a few extra $ a year so money went into my tin but haven't decided what I'm doing with the money yet...probably just just go into savings but have till december to decide

was able to make a car payment today to our account, also add to our savings (although this will go down when we buy the plane ticket) and put some into our ice account as well as our regular bills.

Will update our side bar as most of these bills get done once a month have a couple of pays this month but will add to the ice account until its back to where I want it to be.

Next week is pay week and I am so glad that I will finally get some money back into savings...I have re looked at the budget and we are hitting our financial goals so far this year...can't believe it is already february...this year is going fast...

Have been eating lots of salad mostly from our garden so have been saving money there.

I have also started tins for both our girls for when they move out..just so they have money to do a big first grocery shop and all the bits and pieces they might need...not sure how much I am going to put in or how often yet as neither will probably move out for another couple years...so should have a good amount in there for them...

hoping to buy my friends ticket to fly over here soon...it is taking forever to do her passport over there

This last week has seen me with bad shopping habits...I really hate shopping but the last week I have ordered quite a bit of stuff...yes we need it and will use it but it has really left us behind where I want to be...I am really annoyed at myself but I do this on occassion...but have the budget back out today so I can see how far off track we are and get myself back on track with our goals...

Also no more spending other than my mad money..no matter what...I have told my hubby not to let me spend...his reply "you never buy yourself anything so when you do I am happy...so buy what you want"..its usually true but hate weeks like this...how do you stop yourself from doing this

I love to see what others spend on things like groceries, home decorations etc...and yes sometimes it makes me so envious...you have so many choices to buy in the US and prices for groceries are quite a bit cheaper than over here (aust) same with movie tickets we pay the cheapest $11 a ticket (on special deals) for one person...buying a econd hand car over here starts at $10,000 for a half way decent one...but then I think of our healthcare where we don't pay for surgeries (or we don't pay a lot) or scans etc...which is great when you have chronic illnesses and see doctors at least every couple of weeks...and our wages are much higher..my daughter worked in a grocery store while studying she was on $22ph...plus had sick days and annual leave paid for. so although I am envious of some of the things that you have I am also envious of some of the things we have and think of how much better some of you would be financially if you had our health system over there....I know if we were healthy and lived over there we woud have a much better life, we would have our own house, newer car and a lot more savings...but since I'm not healthy I would rather stay here...what do you think about the differences?

Well my mom lives 5.5 hrs away from us but is moving to the same city as us to be nearer to the services she needs (she is 80) she is also raising a 13 year old (great grandson) so better schooling for him...well she has been trying to do everything herself and she tripped over a piece of wood from her bed that had been taken apart and hurt her arm...when I called her she told me that she had fallen and hurt her arm I finally convinced her to go to the hospital...which she did and now it is plastered but so hard for her to keep packing and cleaning readu=y for her move...since I can't travel we are lucky that a couple of myy neices were able to go help her out...but not what she needs and she is hating it...she is so independant still and hates asking for help...hopefully we can get her moved this weekend and get her arm checked again by a city doctor..heres hoping nothing else happens as the kids starts school again next week (just finishing up summer break)...and just want her to be able to move and relax...will be easier to help her when she is down here in the same city

Really had to get a new cabinet for our dvds so went to my favorite shop only to find that they are retiring and closing down...they make really good heavy furniture so bought a cabinet instead...spent most of our savings but worth it I think and it will last for my lifetime...other than that no spending!

So yesterday was my birthday so decided that we would have pizza...thankgod as it was 113 here yesterday the hottest day in recorded history and just hot to do anything but sit in front of the air con...but it was nice...and cheap.

it was also payday yesterday so was able to add to my ice account (will update at end of month) so getting that heading back in the right direction I usually have $2000 but want to try and get it closer to $5000 but that will take time but that what I want it to get to...when we buy a house I would love it to be around 6 months worth of bills but that is a few years away.

Ordered a couple things online today but they are for my health/body so hopefully it works.

I know it's only the first month of the year but it's nice to see all of our accounts have money in them. It's a great to see that our goals are starting off...I know our savings will drop when we bought the tickets for our friend to come over to visit us...but everything else is looking good.

The weather here has been horrendous so have had the aircons and fans on a lot...its 113 here tomorrow...such a hot day its my b-day so just having pizza with a few family members but we are buying it not making it...its a splurge day but way to hot to cook or do anything else...but will hopefully get a good deal.

Ordered 4 blankets for winter...know its summer here but they are so thick and I know it will save us money in winter as we wont need the heaters as much and will last us a few years.

other than that we haven't been spending any money....feeling positive about this month...and the rest of the year

These are what I do try and save money

1. Have a written yearly budget, use what you know your base income is, also allow you to know best times to plan holidays etc

2. put money away in seperate accounts for annual bills, car, bills etc

3. always revise insurances etc before they become due for better deals

4. set an amount for groceries and gas and use cash each week - use only that amount, whatever is left over put in an envelope so you can buy things on sale etc.

5. menu plan and stick to the grocery list, this includes, dinas, breakfast, lunch and snacks.

6. Always turn electronics off at the wall when not in use.

7. if it cost over $100 use the 24hr think and then buy or forget about.

8. keep up with car/equipment maintenance to stay ahead of costly repairs.

9. have madmoney that is not accountable to anyone but yourself...you can spend on anything you like

10. use whatever rewards and coupons you can to save what you can

11. remind people that when you buy something cheap your not saving money unless you put the extra savings in the bank..its just a good deal

Just wondering what people do when they become debt free? I think there are different areas that people see as debt free from what I have seen some see that being consumer debt free (CC loans etc) but they still ahve a morg and then there is totally debt free where you have no debt at all. People may argue with this but it is just an observation.

We are debt free but are saving to buy a house and whe that happens we will pay it off asap to be debt free again....i'm just wondering what others have done when they have become debt free...

I hate shopping...I mean really hate it...if I need to get something then I am get in get it and get out...but I have to admit I do occassionally online shop when I am bored...I don't just buy anything but I do buy what I am looking for...so yesterday I bought a dog stroller...I know what you are thinking...a freaking dog stroller...WHY!!!

Well my daughters dog has spent the last 13 months at home with me all day everyday...he gets seperation anxiety when I leave the house for to long...but he also loves walks...now that I am able to walk a little more I want to be able to take him when I go but he has little legs and gets tired easily so I can't take him...so I decided that he could walk and when he gets tired he can rest in the stroller (and yes it is made for dogs) then walk again and I can walk further and he can come with me...might sound silly to others but when you have chronic illness you do what you can to make life easier for yourself...but it was only $62 (includes sipping) and I come out of my madmoney so not out of our budget...so spent money but not to much....but I don't like to spend money either

Got a surprise when I opened up our account today an extra $565...not a lot but every bit helps especially when it is unexpected. About 18 months ago there was a class action suit against neurofen (something I use often) about the way they mislead their consumers...I put my name on it...didn't hear back thought nothing more of it as it had been so long and then today it was sitting in my bank...so a nice chunk of change that I put into my ice account to get it back to where we want it to be...

In december I paid our water bill to the wrong company...the house we are renting was sold and we got new owners and when we transferred all data from my old computer to the new one the information came with it...so money went to the old company...I called them monday and the lady who does their accounting was rushed to hospital with for surgery but one of the ladies called me and got my bank info and put the money back into our account so that mistake has now been settled and was easy to get done...just a couple phone calls...so that went straight into savings again...so no more mistakes this year like this!!

I look at our grocery budget and we usually cook fairly healthy rarely eat take out (maybe once a month) and I was thinking that if I lived in places like the US that had coupons we could save so much more than what we do here...food is expensive here but damn I wish we could get coupons like other countries...what do others think..do you think coupons are worth it? I wouldn't go to extreme nad have a basement full of stuff or buy what we didn't really use much of...but I hink we would save I do love watching these shows on tv

last year was hard as we had a lot of medical tests that we had to pay for and I hardly ever left the house due to dizziness and I needed a babysitter 24/7...I hated it...I use to walk 50-60 miles a week which was impressive for me as I cfs and fibro...when I got this illness I couldn't walk to the end of the street.

although still dizzy I am improving and today I walked to the store and back to post a letter (around 2.5 miles) and I did it by myself..no help or anything...so feeling really positive about this year

I have also made our first car payment into our car account, first payment into our annual account but I do need to work on our ice account as it is low right now...but will get it where to we usually have it and hopefully can add to it this year as well.
I am going to update at the end of each month so hopefully they will all grow each month and by the end of the year will have some savings in them all

today only spent $6 (yes postage is expensive over here) but no other spending...although yesterday I did buy a tin to put my christmas money in for the year as I take it out monthly and hold seperately to buy gifts during the year..

Hi...just wondering what the ufmc is that people are doing?

My friend is coming over from the US in feb for a 3 month visit...to say I am excited is beyond belief...and we are paying for the tickets...but they are getting so expensive due to the exchange rates...but worth the price...I am trying to stay on budget while she is here so we will see what happens so far everything with the budget is going well and all bills are paid and savings have started...can't wait till our next payday....

One thing I have noticed on this website is that in Australia it is hard to be able to get any sort of credit unless you have a great income...if you don't work yu will never get a loan for a car/house or even a personal loan or CC....Our banks never offer any incentives to stay with them at all...so in a way I think it is a little easier to save and stay out of debt over here as we know we won't get all the credit you get in America....but in saying that it is so hard to save for a house over here as you need a minimum 3% so for a $300,000 home (which is a very basic home) you need $30,000 ($20,000 of which is fees) so that really sucks but I find it interesting the differences...what are your thoughts

Well last year they sold our house and we got new owners and new landlords...and everything has been good...well I was sick and trying to get the bills paid etc before christmas...I stupidly pay our water bill to the old account and not the new one...didn't know till we got an email saying it was late and I went back and checked it...well I made the mistake so paid the account in full to the new owners and have to wait till the 6th jan to contact the other group to get our money back...hopefully won't take to long...

It was my fault but a costly mistake...now to get it rectified...so savings down a little have now rectified and deleted the old people from my account which I thought we had already done...my bad...just need to do better

So this week is pay week to say that I am excited is beyond belief....I love payday to see everything being paid and savings grow a little each month but this year I have some set goals that I want to achieve and I am looking forward to starting them this week..I know it may sound silly to some...but it's the little things in life that make me happy.

So here is wishing everyone a great..safe and prosperous new years...may all your goals be achievable

2018 was a hard year healthwise...which added to our financial burden. Our goals were pretty basic for this year...we wanted to stay debt free, not add any more debt at all and to start saving for a house deposit.

WINS
we have no debt
we used the cc once but paid it off in full within 2 weeks
we updated a few things but paid in cash

FAILS
we ended up with no savings due to all the specialists we had to pay for this year...so our $5000 savings plan was a complete failure

our ice account is on 3/4 where we want it to be so $600 short there

Overall we are happy with this year...started off with no debt ended up with no debt...would love some savings but have moved that to 2019....now to stay on track in 2019 and achieve those goals

Can't wait to see how everyone else faired with their budgets this year

Christmas has come and gone and our cc is in tact (not used) and we have some savings and all bills are paid in full so none to pay till next year...we have plenty of food in the fridge/freezer and pantry...so ending this year on a good not and next year will be all about my health and savings...had a rough year healthwise but so grateful that we have what we have and that I have a supportive family to help me through it...hope everyone has a very merry christmas and a safe and prosperous new year

I took over my moms finances 20 months ago...she lives on a pension and is raising a teenager ( was 11 at the time) had a bunch sof appliances that broke and had to "rent to buy", never had savings as things always came up etc...we talked and set up a budget for her and I paid her bills online and she took cash for her groceries/chiro/fone.

This november she was completely debt free, she has her christmas shopping done (bought her great grandson a laptop ready for high school) and she has savings...we have written out next years budget and changed a few things and she said this is the first year she hasn't really stressed about things in a long time...so I am happy that not only have we been able to help our situation but also my moms and what is better is that she is use to living on limited money and wants to stay that way so she can build up some savings....she says she hasn't really missed out on anything either....so happy that next year will be a positive year for her as well....does anyone else help their family this way?

Rewrote my budget out today, so I could change and add our car account we opened in so we are looking at putting in a monthly "car" payment into the account and will hopefully save around $5000 next year towards a car...cars are expensive here so probably won't buy for a couple years and our car is fine right now.

Going to really try and stick to our budget next year which means we should hopefully save around $20,000 towards a home deposit but I have put $15,000 in my goals just to be realistic. We need approx $30,000 for a house deposit ($20,000 is just fees) but we want to save more so we can do solar panels and whatever changes we want to do to a house when we buy it...so will probably around 2 years before we buy now...longer than what we want but next year I am really focusing on my health so I can go back to work at least part time...but only time will tell. Also added in christmas, birthdays and paying for my friend to come visit us from the US early next year...so excited for that...

I am feeling positive about next year already