Well we had to buy a lawn mower yesterday...the grass is growing so fast and ours broke and I didn't want to keep borrowing one so we decided to buy one...so more money out of our house account...hubby also needs to update his hearing aids, he has a lot of damage done to them from his radiation treatment they think...so not sure what that will cost us...so probably won't hit my target goal of $5000 this month but that is ok..somethings are more important. 

Our daughter has started her fertility process and she is super excited...she has been saving for a long time...so hopefully everything works out for her....

Other than that not much else happening here been pretty cold and wet here to do much also not trying to go out to much (except appts) until we are all immunised....and hopefully that will be soon and we can enjoy the beach and outdoors more...and some good weather

Well my daughter had her 2nd vaccine so she is fully vaccinated against covid (as well as you can be) and is now starting her fertility adventure...she is so excited...she put it off so she could get vaccinated...just in case...but she is good to go now!!

I should be fully vaccinated on the 21st I get my last shot...hopefully I do better with this one than the last one after 12 hrs ended up in hospital with uncontrollable shaking and complete body pain...I could barely move but still couldn't sit still as I hurt so bad...so I am hoping this next one is fine.

Hubby since he had to get the AZ one won't be fully vaccinated till 2 oct as they have to have 12 weeks between them...I hate that one and I'm pretty sure thats what brought on his shingles.

Other than that not doing much hardly going out only to appointments which all had to be rescheduled due to the lock down so slowly getting them done.

I think I have finally figured out a lot of what is wrong with me so this week when I go to the docs can have a good chat to her and hopefully figure a plan of attack.

Stay safe everyone 

Well I have paid the bills for the month already we will keep some extra as we did a monthly shop a week ago that should get us through the month other than milk/bread and fresh fruit/vege...its a new thing we are trying to limit our exposure to the outside world as much as we can.

In our big order we got free delivery but it also came with extra, 2 buches of kale...but you can't return it so made my daughter some kale chips that she loves..so they were free. Our lemon tree is full of fruit so this weekend will robably pick a bunch and squueze and freeze ready for summer as I put it in hubbys ice tea...and that makes lemon juice free as well.

Had my first pfizer shot on sat...didn't go to well was fine for about 12 hrs then I had uncontrollable shaking and all over body pain...so ended up in the er... wasn't there to long around 5 hrs total...they got it all settled down, so hopefully the next one won't be to bad...it was weird I didn't even get a sore arm....that is 3 weeks away...my daughter gets her 2nd one thursday so hopefully she does ok...they say most people get more of a reaction with the 2nd one...I have to say it was such a fast  efficient service that they run...very quick and professional and cater to everyone...it is a big building...and with so much noise (lots of kids around), the lighting my head when into melt down with all the stimulation, they saw that I was stressed so took me back to another area that had a bed and was quieter and I just had my shot there....they did a great job

my goal this month is to save as much towards our house deposit as possible...I am hoping to have $5000 saved by the end of month!!

So we have just come out of a week lockdown in our state....but since the delta strain has been in the community and we haven't been vaccinated I am doing things a little differently...so we sat down and wrote out a monthly menu of what we all wanted and what we needed for the meals...and I ordered it online and got it delivered (free delivery as it was over $300) and then we put our meat order in and did a couple of errands in the shopping centre and then went and picked it up...so when we need to go to the store it will be quik trips for fresh produce (we usually go to the markets) and milk/bread thats about it...so less time in the community with people until we get vaccinated, my daughter will be fully vaccinated next week, hubby has had his first shot but they have to wait 10 weeks before the next shot and I have my first one on sat and by end of aug I will be fully vaccinated...

I have also started my christmas shopping, the last couple of years I have wanted to do 3 things for my hubby and I just run out of time and energy to get them done so I am starting early so i can get them done, it will make kind of an expensive christmas but things he will cherish for years...and he is so worth it...

So I am hoping with changing a few things that it will work a little better in the long run

I know it's not the end of july yet but all our bills are paid and we don't get paid again so can finish up julys budget...so I wanted to save at least $2500 a month towards a home deposit and we did that this month, we also used the CC and paid that off in full (so debt free again)...my goal is to save around $50,000 in next 16 months (including this month) to buy a house...it's a hard ask and probably won't make it but something to work towards...if a goal is to easy to reach then I don't work as hard...it's just how my brain works...so working towards that goal.

Finally got a hold of the IRS in regards to our refund as we paid so much and got like $67 back...it didn't make sense...we had someone help us do it online..someone we have never used and won't again...so after 1.5 hours on the phone we figured out the 2 main problems...they put about the stimulus payments the first 2 we never got...but they actually left off the  federal tax that we paid...so thats why we were getting so much less...so now I have to do an amendment which I will mail in...any extra money we get will probably go to the house account...so lets hope this is the last time we have to deal with this...it took 2 years to get 2019 done, and now 2020 has just been done and needs to be amended...lets hope next years goes much smoother because we will be doing them ourselves

On a positive note hubby is doing much better, and on sat we are having a cake for our daughters birthday...she is also excited to get her 2nd dose of vaccine next week so then she can try for a baby she wanted to do this month but didn't want to risk with the vaccine...which we understand...so here is to us getting vaccinated and hopefully some warmer weather...this cold wet windy weather has been horrible...it has seriously been raining everyday..about every 5-6 days we will get  a non rain day...so we are a little over it...had the coldest day last week since 1989...and I hate the cold

Ok time to go look at next months budget and see where I can save more money

Well we have been in lockdown since tuesday so nothing much to write about as we have't gone anywhere or eally done anything...hubby has shingles and its on his head and face it was quite painful and it looks horrible but I got him to use cbd oil on it and he is feeling much better...funny her went to the hospital, they didn't diagnose it..then to the doc still no diagnoses finally the 3rd doc diagnosed him..and put him on meds...although he is healing it looks horrible...but most of the pain is gone...our groceries are being delivered today so that will be good...

The weather here has been shocking its been cold, wet and windy...I can't wait till spring...on a better note I will be able to have my first pfizer shot on the 31st...then 3 weeks later then will be immunised...can't wait till we all have some coverage from covid

So as of 6pm tonight our state is in a 7 day lockdown....we have 5 cases of the new delta strain in the community so we go into complete lockdown except for essential services and shopping, getting covid tested...all school closed and most people will work from home...fun times...NOT!!, lets hope we get on top of it and if everyone is using the QR codes then it should make it easier to contain...and then hopefully in a week we can open back up.

What is hard is that not many are vaccinated..only like 10% of the population is fully vaccinated...I have been waiting for 3 weeks for mine and can't get in till the 31st..my oldest and hubby have both had their first dose of vaccine...so we will be staying home...we have enough groceries and today I ordered my moms groceries to be delivered so she didn't have to go out...but if you are under 40 years old (and don't have a medical condition) you can't be vaccinated yet...so we have a ways to go

So our US taxes have finally been processed...we were suppose to get around $1800, but we ended up getting $67, not sure why, I tried to call the irs to find out why but the guy I spoke to said basically they were charging us for one of the stimulus payments that we didn't get...but that doesn't make sense and it wouldn't be $1800 they haven't made payments that high....so going to try and call them this week again and see if I can find out more as not sure how long it will take to come through the mail as to why they have changed the amount....just wish it would be over and done with...it is so frustrating...and whats worse is we can't do it online...and they always send us checks and I complained as they have our bank details so our $67 went into our account so I know it can happen...so hopefully this week we will have it sorted...has anyone else has hassles like this?? or have taxes changed so much over there?

So been a busy week...hubby got his first covid vaccine on saturday...we didn't like that one as it can cause blood clots but its the only one that he can get...he gets the next one in 10 weeks...so far he has only been really tired from it but you can get symptoms after a month...so we will keep an eye on him and hope for the best...my daughter and I can get the pfizer one, she had her first shot today and her next one in 3 weeks...I get mine on the 31st then 3 weeks later...so hopefully in the next few months we will be vaccinated completly...they say we might get a booster shot in 6-12 months....although I did find out from the doctor but unless you have a medical condition or work in aged care/disability or with vulnerable people...(also evryone who works in the medical/police or firemanetc) you can't get vaccinated if you under 40 yet...due to not having enough vaccine...and we have had a few outbreaks in the several states...so hopefully they get it rectified soon.

had a house inspecion today we passed with flying colors and told him about a few things that we would like fixed but doesn't need to be fixed...so glad he came early have a big storm coming through today and tomorrow...one thing we have trouble here is we have a large washing machine so we can wash blankets etc...but this laundry room it has a big overhead cabinet so it is impossible to use and walk around it etc...so we decided to sell it and get a front loader...it gets delivered tomorrow...I hate front loaders but it's whats better for us now and in the future...so was an added expense we didn't expect but that is ok.

We are sticking to the budget and saving each pay as well...and with the crappy weather we aren't going anywhere so not spending any money either...so feeling good about the budget and our finances 

I can't be left alone due to my dizziness and our daughter went hiking today so just me and hubby...he needed to go do some banking which we need to go to a bank to do...but couldn't as I'm not having a great day to be going out etc...and it was nice to say don't worry about it it doesn't need to be done it can wait till tomorrow....I know people on here have quite a bit of money and some live pay check to paycheck...but it is nice to not have to worry about having to go out and do it now...a few years ago that wouldn't have been possible...we already have our bills paid for the month except groceries and gas...so it is a great feeling and probably not one tht many people worry about or think about but one that I am happy to be apart of!! 

We are going to splurge on ourselves and buy a treadmill...all 3 of us will use it...I think it is something that will get a lot of use...I know they can be expensive but we just need a basic one we don't need one with all the bells and whistles...a couple of reasons why we need it...since my hubby cancer treatment he lost a lot of muscle and can't walk far so it will be easy for him to walk for a little bit then rest then do more if he wants to...he is real shaky on his feet at times so be easier to get some walking in with us around...again with my dizziness it is hard for me to walk any kind of distance...i have trouble walking more than 10 mins and I am someone who use to walk around 10 plus miles a day..I loved walking....still do I just can't do it and I am gaining weight as I can't do much exercise...so this way I can do more walking and if I feel dizzy then can just get off and lay down and they can keep an eye on me without stressing cause I am dizzy and out walking with them as I can go downhill fast....also our daughter who has chronic fatigue, fibromyalgia and bipolar as well as a couple other things like to do charity walks so it will help her get more in shape as well....on top of that this winter so far has been cold wet and windy and hard to go anywhere...so this weekend we will do some research and hopefully order one that won't use all our savings...

US taxes have got to be so complicated it isn't funny not sure they know what they are doing...so I have spoken to the tax office 3 times and ever time it is completely different...so we paid over $1700 in federal taxes and we get $67 back which is the lowest ever...but they said we should have gotten the 2nd stimulus payment (which we didn't) and so they put it on the taxes as something..I said we never got it and that last years taxes had only just been done so they had nothing to go by anyways...then he said that they were going to charge us for some recovery payment even though we didn't get the payment...so we have no idea what they are talking about then the guy says that he isn't a tax preparer so he isn't sure what is going on...so now we are trying to get someone to look at it and try to figure it out we paid double tax and get hardly anything back and they want to charge us for stimulus payments that we didn't get and why they are charging us for that is beyond me...really thought when we saw it was being processd this saga would almost be over...but no it isn't...and so hard living in a different country and trying to get answers...everyone there has told me completly different things...so frustrating...damn by the time they get it done it will be time to do it again...not looking forward to that... 

seriously where has this year gone it seems to be speeding by...which is nice in some ways (like summer being here quicker) but then it will be christmas before we know it LOL!!

It is pay week this week so will pay bills and start adding to our house savings...

We have had a couple cases of community covid here (well 1 guy who was from interstate working and his family) they have been quarantined in the medi hotel and so far no other cases but not risking it so did a bit of a shop today so we don't have to go out much and will start to get our groceries delivered instead...we aren't vaccinated and until we can get a good vaccine we don't want to risk the one they are trying to give us...hopefully later in the year.

Our state now has 5 cases of covid in the community in 200 days...all because our govt opened up our borders a bit....the family is now in hotel quarentine and will stay there till they test negative..it is frustrating so we now have restrictions and people are panic buying which is ridiculous....hopefully things will be back to normal soon...I actually have the doctors tomorrow and one thing I was going to discuss with her is the covid vaccine...so will see what she says.

othr than that nothing much is happening here its sunny here for a change but still cool...managed to get some stuff sorted in the garage so feel like I achieved something.

So we have been waiting for our taxes to be done...and about 10 days ago it said that it was being processed so we checked over the weekend and now it's saying that they have no info so not sure what is going on...geez just want it over and done with...by the time they get it done will be time to do it again...can't believe it's almost july.

It's pay week this week so it will be nice to pay the bills and start adding to our house saving account again.

Covid is starting to hit australia again..we still haven't been vaccinated as we don't like the one that is provided for us it has to many issues...but i might be able to get the pfizer one so will talk to the doc this week when I see her and see what she says..if she says it's ok then will book in to get it...and hope for the best....our state doesn't have any cases yet but we have border closures again...hopefully it will stay that way.

The weather here is cold wet and windy and I am really over it...have been sick for a month now and have not left the house except for a covid test (because i was suppose to have a procedure but was to sick) but it was negative...

I have a fair few doc appointments this month so medical will be a bit of a cost but we should have that covered..other than that no other expenses....YET!

I love paydays....not that they are very exciting but we only need grocery and gas money this week all our bills are paid at begining of the month...but will be able to add to our small savings and make it grow a little more!!

We have menu planned and written out grocery list for what we need for next week or so...will just need to get basics like milk/bread/fruit etc...

Weather here has been cold and wet and tonight they say we will have high winds, torrential rains and flash flooding...god I hate winter and I have been sick for 3 weeks so that doesn't help

No endoscopy today they will reschedule for july hopefully as i am still to sick to have it done...so hopefully by then I will be okay.

Our US tax check finally cleared today so that $300 plus went into our house account so it is building up slowly again and we get paid this week so can add a little more to our savings. 

They have a big toy sale on right now where you can layaway till christmas (they do it every year) was going to do for a charity we support for foster kids but have decided to just put money away each month and buy as we see sales between now and then...think that works better for us right now.

Good thing about me is I don't like shopping at all so even though I am sick I don't go online and shop which means we don't spend much money...hubby does but it is his mad money so he can do what he wants for it.

So we were doing great with our savings but then we had to buy a bed that cost over $3000 plus bedding (so almost $4000)  and we had to use the CC...I was going to keep saving and just pay off the CC but I hate having debt so used our savings to pay it off and now only have $700 in savings...was hard but knowing we are debt free again fills me with peace of mind more...so we are debt free again.

Hubby loves to do prospecting as a hobby but has been unable to due to me being sick as I can't be left alone and I don't travel well but where he buys his stuff from they also sell gold dirt so you can actually get some gold out of each bag...usually not a lot so today so taday i say in my bed and went through the bags and found a bunch of gold in them..all total 1.1 ounces which is about $2600 but we need to go interstate later in the year to cash it in as we can't do it in our state so it was so fun to do and made my day since I haven't been able to get up and around....hubby is thrilled

Nothing else has been going on..my covid test came back negative which we knew it would..so hopefully I am well enough for my endoscopy on monday!

Well some good news today..first my friend in the US who had surgery a month ago is finally stable enough to go back to her rehab hospital...she had lots of complications but is doing much better today...so glad was able to speak with her.

Then got a call from my mom our family friend that they thought had a stroke he didn't it was his heart they put in a pacemaker and he is being discharged today...he will be staying with my mom as his kids won't stay with him and he needs someone around 24/7 for now and he is like a son to her.

Today I got an appt for next week for my endoscopy, I have antibiotics as I have a sinus infection and I went for a covid test (my doc said to) she doesn't think I have it but that way if I go in and say that I have been on antbiotics and have the sniffles they know I don't have covid and cancel on me....just hoping I am well enough to have it done the last couple weeks have been rough health wise.

We now have $4600 in our house savings...I am hoping to reach $5000 by end of month...fingers crossed

First off some good news..I finally got my bed yesterday so it was nice to finally be able to sleep in a bed again..all new bedding...the dog wasn't so sure LOL.

Went over today to put our dishwasher at moms house and of course I went down hill when we went to the store...really wish they would find a cause for it...so hubby took me back to her place so she could babysit me and hubby could get back to get what he needed to finish it up...while there we got a call a family friend who is more like family had a car accident...his daughter managed to get the car stopped and call an ambulance the ambos said it looks like he had a major stroke...they weren't sure...so had to call hubby to come take her to the hospital...still not sure what happened as it was only an hour ago..sure we will be updated as they find out more...hopefully will get some good news...

On a financial note everything is ticking along nicely so far this month no unexpected expenses have come up...so hope it stays that way....it has been real cold here so plenty of slow cooker meals...

Over the last few months with moving and couch surfing I really found budgeting hard, all our savings went into moving and we didn't have much left...all our other money went into our bond and rent (over $4000).

When we moved I was happy but bummed out and just thought do we just keep renting for the rest of our lives or stick to our budget and save what we can and just find what we can for the deposit we have....deposits over here are super expensive as you have around $25,000 in fees that you have to pay up front on top of the deposit...and it just seems so out of our reach at times.....so I decided that I would stick to the budget and see what we can save in the next 16 months and then see if we can buy...and hope in the next 15 months house prices drop!!

So I have been rejigging the budget and saving what we can and we are now up to $3900 in the house deposit acct in 2 months...and should be able to save a little more this month so our focus till sept 2022 will be saving as much as possible but also trying to live a nice life...wish me luck going to need all the good vibes I can get to stay on track....what do others do to stay on track...I know many of you have a lot of money but for those who don't how do you stay on track?

Sold my bed today...love my bed but hubby can't use use it so had to get one like him to be able to sleep together...so another $300 to put into our house account...should be around $3900 saved for the house deposit..but they paid cash so have to go put it into the bank before can put it into the account....but every dollar counts.

I know this might seem like a weird question...I am one of those people that use to shop all year for christmas gifts (had a monthly amount to spend for christmas) now the kids are adults I just do it in nov/dec...but one charity we support here is backpacks4 sakids...it's a place that provides backpacks for foster kids so they have their own stuff...they have also expanded into displaced teens that no longer live at home and DV families...so they have all the basics when they move as they found that was the issue that they couldn't cook for the kids, have plates to feed them etc...so now they have everything basic to get started...which has helped out a lot....but the reason I am asking is they also do christmas presents for the foster kids so they all get something...and our kmart here does a 6 month layaway begining july so we get a bunch of toys and donate to the charity...so our christmas shopping starts july....when do others do theirs?? Just curious

I can't believe it is june already...this year is flying by...and it's the first day of winter here...and it's cold...well for us anyways

We are doing good with the budget, all june bills are paid already and I have been real good with not buying any extra...going to work on that this month...menu planning is going well so we have been sticking to the food budget...gas prices have stayed down a bit so have saved some money there...between may/june so far we have saved $3500 in our house acct...will continue to add to it over the month

Hopefully getting my bed in the next week or so...so that would be great....trying to stay positive I feel the cold wet weather makes me a bit depressed but staying positive and trying to get things done

Only expenses today was my neurophysio...but had that in the medical account...hope everyone is enjoying the heat while we are freezing here

We got last years taxes back...so irs checks in a week...one was unexpected but so glad the taxes are done...I just don't understand why they ask for your bank details and then send you a check in the mail...which we then have to put in the bank and wait 4-6 weeks for it to clear...but so nice to finally start to get finished up and completed...the money is not much but will go into our house deposit account...every bit counts...can't believe that it took so long to process...just have this years to have processed then will be done

Anyone who lives on a fixed income knows how frustrating it is and can be...I haven't been able to work in 8 years and I hate it...hubby is retired and had a stroke and 17 tias and just finshed cancer treatment a couple months ago and I have spent thousands on specialists which haven't really done much I am getting better but not a lot...we are wanting to buy a home...which is so hard here with all the fees you have to pay up front...and our oldest daughter also has a chronic illness and will live with us for the rest of our lives...which is fine for all of us..she will be having a child next year (getting pregnant this year) and yes she will be doing it on her own (her choice)...she has her own income and helps pay bills etc....it seems like everytime we get a bit ahead something else always comes up...my issue is...with me and my daughter not being able to work (right now hopefully in the future) and with my hubbys age it will be hard to buy a house in the long run (I'm hoping in 17 months) or we just won't be able to due to lending guidelines and they have become stricter since the pandemic and people struggled....sorry I'm just rambling probably but I will show you some figures and see what your thoughts are

home loan will be around $500,000 (aust $ and no that isn't a great big house either)

so for a low deposit (3%) you need $15,000 deposit

on top of that you need to pay $29,526 in fees 

so that equals $44,526 deposit to begin with....

That is where the hard part is saving $15000 isn't to bad its the fees that are hard to save but you have to pay up front....so do we just keep renting and just hope we can save and buy or just rent for the rest of our lives...although we hate that idea...

Also looking into how to make extra money from home but not that much opportunity here in aust that I can see

I used the credit card first time in 13 months and it was for a bed $3000 (including bedding), yes it is a lot and I hated buying it..I have a dark wood queen bed that I love and a matress that is so comfy...however about 3 years ago my hubby has some serious health issue and now has to sleep half sitting up and have his legs raised when he sleeps...so we got him one of those motorised beds that moves the head and tail of the bed...I hate them but I hate not sleeping with my hubby more so finally decided that I would get the same one so it will be like 1 bed same size and all...so worth it in the end and I do like to use the CC once a year if I remember just so they don't close it...so now will work that into my budget could pay off all at once but then savings would be low...so will pay off over a couple months

other than that we did well with the grocery and gas budget...menu planning has been helping out big time..and although the weather has been horrible and I have been sick there are others to pick up the slack and do the cooking etc...so I am hoping to try and cut back on our groceries but the prices have sure gone up and we only get our meat from a butcher which costs more...but you get better meat

We received a stimulus check in the mail today from the US treasury...very unexpected...didn't think we qualified but also they haven't done our last 2 years of taxes either but they did send it to our last address  so they have updated that...so that was a nice surprise...however we have to deposit it into the bank and then they send it back to the US and wait for it to clear (usually 6 weeks) so who knows how long it is going to take for it to actually clear...but its extra money that we didn't expect.

So far in Australia we only have the pfizer and astrazeneca AZ as we call it)...unfortunately the az causes blood clots so many people won't use it and it's the only one that is available to over 50's, the pfizer one is available to under 50's so me and my hubby have decided not to get it...as we don't trust the AZ one...now they have said that they have ordered the moderna one from the US and it should be here sometime this year...so maybe we will get that one...I know there has been so much more vaccines given in the US so wondering what others have thought about the moderna one..we haven't heard about much of it...it's so funny we are a country of 26 million people and have ordered 195 million vaccines...guessing they will be sending the AZ one to some 3rd worl country as they won't want them....let me know what you think of the vaccine please.

This week went pretty well...stayed on track with the budget/groceries/gas etc...although a friend of mine who lives in florida has had major surgery and I hate the we can't be there so I did spend around $200 (aust) on flowers/cookies etc as gifts to her while she is in hospital..I am hoping she gets them okay...so that will come out of my mad money...other than no spending.

Today is the family meeting day, it's where we discuss anything that people have issues with or need help with etc, put our menu together and sinc our calendars up, just so we all stay on track with each other.

The weather here has been cold so not able to do a lot outside but did manage to finish up the cat cage outside and this coming week I will get the back rooms done which are my daughters jewellery business, she has another couple orders to get out and the othe one is storage...so thats this weeks tasks.