Tightwad Kitty's $$$ Stretching Blog

Well I am almost finished my garden in readiness for summer.

Just need to weed and munch the front garden before it gets to hot here. It's very dry so I may only just weed it for now!



Here are after pictures of my clean-up of those two garden beds. The dead vines on the tree had the main roots in the clean-up bed so died when cut. It's takes about two years to get back to the way it was. I think I may plant some sweet potato in that bed for now!



I have started on a new project here so more about it later.

Here is my Financial Summery for August-Sept period.

I have updated my Excel so here are the figures for last month.

This for period of 28 days each as I work on 28 day cycles, my dates may be out to calendar months so here are the figures that will bring it up to date as its very near the end of next 28 day cycle.

Reviewing my monthly daily living allowance

This is my review for last month's budget.
These are the categories for this challenge.

Items === Approx. Budget===Spent

Eating out===$35=====$36.30
Groceries===$125=== =$86.37
Non-Food===$15====$19.95
Clothes ====$35
Grooming===$20
Gas======$20
HH items===$40=======$59.30
Fares== ====$15
Entrainments== $15
Garden =====$15 =====$2.00
Gifts & Donations ==$35 ===$5.50
Medical & Diabetes Expenses ===$70====$42.34
Misc ======$10
Personal Allowance =$90 ===$38.65

Note only one amount is a No Spend

Budgeted for this period $550 spent $290.41 under by $259.59

No Spending Days 14 of 28 days

Personal allowance covers health drinks , lotto, books, stamps, craft and hobby supplies.

Eating out including meals out with family and friends, we all go Dutch.

My credit cards are still paid in full each month, it was $85.00 this period.
Grocery allotment $125 for each period under by $38.63 this period
You can see that I am saving for something! A dentist bill that is will show up in period 11.
Strategy - Do remember what you have stored before you go and buy more of the same.

My son has been in hospital and I had a lot of running around visiting him each day. He is home now but is unable to work few months as he has had open heart surgery. Spent 3 weeks in hospital now doing ok! He can't drive his car yet so the women of the family have driven him around so far.

I will get back to posting about my financial posting tonight. I am behind again.

Well I only have about two hours of work in garden then I have finished the pruning all the over grown areas in the back yard. It has taken a few weeks to do as I have to put it in the garbage bin each week as I can't take it to the dump for green waste. There are weeds that would regrow again if allowed too! As I say going slowly I will get there in the end. About 2 hours per period or until I fill the bin is all that I am doing. The garden patch is doing great and I will be picking my first lot of English spinach over the weekend. I have a good crop of basil in the garden now and self-seeding tomatoes are still growing around the place along Italian parsley in front garden.


this is the area I am working now! Minus the pumpkins



One of the areas that I have been working on.

I will be mowing the lawn hopefully this weekend to keep the weeds down not that the lawn need to be mowed as we are having a very dry spring this year. It's been very hot for September and now again in October too! The lawn is almost dead in patches but the weeds are growing like mad.

Over the past few weeks I have been working in my back garden trying to make a vegetable garden of sorts. I had to remove a lot of plants the could be planted else so I had to fix that garden first then add manure and potting mix to the bed as the was very little soil left after I removed a dying shrub that just broken apart when you put your weight on it. Then I moved all the tree roots as well. That done and the irises and bromeliads were planted out. I hope not have to do that garden for a while now.

Yesterday I planted out some vegetables in the new garden beds here is hoping it's no too hot for them. Next year I may have to plant them out in the last six weeks of winter as our weather has changed here. It's around 26 - 31C for early spring and very little rain. A good day in summer is 28-30C and it's our rainy season so here's hoping. Today I worked on my other garden bed to remove all the weed plants now I need to remake that bed as it's a Square foot garden bed. I am planning the remove everything and start from scratch again. Even digging out the soil and all roots from the old plants and composting it all and relaying that bed as it a removable bed.

This will be in the near future as I may just get it ready for my summer crop as like tomatoes and radishes may be silver beet as I have to find a good stop for this to grow.

But other things may take my time up over coming months so have to see how things go!

Here is my Financial Summery for July -August period.

I have updated my Excel so here are the figures for last month.

This for period of 28 days each as I work on 28 day cycles, my dates may be out to calendar months so here are the figures that will bring it up to date as its very near the end of next 28 day cycle.

Reviewing my monthly daily living allowance

This is my first review for last month's budget.
These are the categories for this challenge.

Items === Approx. Budget===Spent

Eating out===$35=====$32.09
Groceries===$125=== =$152.79
Non-Food===$15====$4.00
Clothes ====$35
Grooming===$20=====$19.00
Gas======$20=======$36.95
HH items===$40=======$8.00
Fares== ====$15 ====$40
Entrainments== $15 ====$50.00
Garden =====$15 =====$14.00
Gifts & Donations ==$35 ===$13.00
Medical & Diabetes Expenses ===$70====$146.60
Misc ======$10
Personal Allowance =$90 ===$32.36

Note only one amount is a No Spend

Budgeted for this period $550 spent $525.19 under by $24.81

No Spending Days 13 of 28 days

Personal allowance covers health drinks , lotto, books, stamps, craft and hobby supplies.

Eating out including meals out with family and friends, we all go Dutch.

My credit cards are still paid in full each month, it was $33.00
Grocery allotment $125 for each period over by $27.79 this period
This period we had our EKKA show and I went for one day only this year plus a visit to the eye specialist and now need to see him yearly.

Strategy - Do remember what you have stored before you go and buy more of the same.

Here is my Financial Summery for June - July period.

I have updated my Excel so here are the figures for last month.

This for period of 28 days each as I work on 28 day cycles, my dates may be out to calendar months so here are the figures that will bring it up to date as its very near the end of next 28 day cycle.

Reviewing my monthly daily living allowance

This is my first review for last month's budget.
These are the categories for this challenge.

Items === Approx. Budget===Spent

Eating out===$35=====$34.05
Groceries===$125=== =$105.74
Non-Food===$15 ====$4.60
Clothes ====$35=====$2.00
Grooming===$20
Gas======$20
HH items===$40=======$3.00
Fares== ====$15 ====$10
Entrainments== $15
Garden =====$15
Gifts & Donations ==$35 ====$2.00
Medical & Diabetes Expenses ===$70====$146.60
Misc ======$10
Personal Allowance =$90 ===$63.95

Note only one amount is a No Spend

Budgeted for this period $550 spent $371.74 under by $178.26

No Spending Days 13 of 28 days

Personal allowance covers health drinks , lotto, books, stamps, craft and hobby supplies.

Eating out including meals out with family and friends, we all go Dutch.

My credit cards are still paid in full each month, it was $480.00
Grocery allotment $125 for each period under by $19.26 this period

Strategy - Do remember what you have stored before you go and buy more of the same.

I just pull out a large roll of brown paper that we bought home from my late uncle's 22 years ago, I haven't pull it out of it bag for about 15 years. It was well sealed as it in great condition, I am planning to give to the local school for art classes at the end of the year.

It will make some great brown paper gift wrap. I will never use it now so I may as well give to the school to do something with it. I have a friend who does the art classes so I know it will get used, last month I gave them some old printing paper for printer of 20 years ago the kind that had holes in them. I had 3/4 of box of it. They used it for blowing paint with a straw on large sleets spread across a number of desks so that 10 pupils could use it at the same time, she had over 220 eight year olds pupils that today. There is still some left over for next time.

Our local Aldi store had rhubarb and asparagus bulbs for sale a few weeks ago so bought some to plant out for next year. As my soil is mostly clay and not very good for planting, I put them in large pots and will nurse along until I can get a good spot to plant them out in. I have never had these plants in my garden before but I will give them ago. They are coming along nicely in the pots. I did plant some seed of silverbeet in a pot too! These are now showing their heads above the soil. I will need get my only garden bed ready for them to transplant them in it soon!

I just cut down three trunks of a HAPPY PLANT that was growing in my garden here. They were getting too tall so every so often I will cut down part of this plant. They branch out and make new growth off each cutting so you dont lose the plant. Its been there for more than 20 years it about the third time I have cut some of it down. The local school may take some for their gardening class next week if I am lucky if not I will cut it up for the bin the following week.

With each bill rising, some by $36.67 per month, I think I will need to add an extra amount on to annual bill money and find saving elsewhere. That can only be from my daily living allowance area. By how much I will have to wait and see but it s over $700 for the year so far!

My last water bill was $148.25 but my water usage per was $4.80 for the quarter or 17 KL of water, not a lot by any standard, on this bill you have sewage charges too! Power has gone up by 22% on the last year. I have some solar panels so my cost are less than the norm but it will go up somewhat too! The list goes on so I will budget for around $1000 extra and put aside any extra for next year s hikes.

Today I had a senior coffee for free and penny pitcher Carmel Sundae for $1.20 at full price these would have cost about $6.40 for both, I ended up paying only $1.20 for the Sundae.

Well today I finely got to the mechanic to get my car seen too! It was due for an minor service this month so I rang up an booked it in to be looked at as I was having a feeling that my brakes weren't a 100% which turns out I was right, being told they were ok! I had a leak in rear wheels, drums replaced, its why they weren’t finding the problem.

So bill came to $562.26 and got discount $190 [via my service voucher, I got earlier this year] on $353.25 all up. They also drop me home and came and picked me as well! After I did fill my car up with petrol costing $36.95 for 25 litres its $1.51.5 litre here at the moment was $1.66.5 on the weekend. So an expensive day car wise of $390.20.

Spent on nothing else today.

Having a quiet weekend here! I have spent nothing over this weekend, on Friday I went up and paid my Rates which has gone up like most bills this one by $10.00 per quarter, and I bought a Sundae at the fast food outlet here “Hungary Jacks “ as they are have a penny pitcher specials at the moment. So I got a sundae for $1.20 instead around $3.25. One threat once in a while is ok in my book.

So far I have had eleven No spend days so far this period and still have one week to go! I have been spending time on my computer and working on a craft project as all is not lost time wise.

Here is my Financial Summery for May -June period.

I have updated my Excel so here are the figures for last month.

This for period of 28 days each as I work on 28 day cycles, my dates may be out to calendar months so here are the figures that will bring it up to date as its very near the end of next 28 day cycle.

Reviewing my monthly daily living allowance

This is my first review for last month’s budget.
These are the categories for this challenge.

Items === Approx. Budget===Spent

Eating out===$35=====$30.20
Groceries===$125=== =$55.80
Non-Food===$15
Clothes ====$35=====$11.00
Grooming===$20=====$33.00
Gas======$20
HH items===$40=======$70.65
Fares== ====$15 ====$10
Entrainments== $15
Garden =====$15
Gifts & Donations ==$35
Medical & Diabetes Expenses ===$70====$5.35
Misc ======$10
Personal Allowance =$90 ===$19.28

Note only one amount is a No Spend

Budgeted for this period $550 spent $235.28 under by $314.72

No Spending Days 15 of 28 days

Personal allowance covers health drinks , lotto, books, stamps, craft and hobby supplies.

Eating out including meals out with family and friends, we all go Dutch.

My credit cards are still paid in full each month, it was $450.00
Grocery allotment $125 for each period under by $69.20 this period

Strategy - Do remember what you have stored before you go and buy more of the same.

Looking at my food and supplies stockpiles, I think I can go at least until November without buying too much in the way of food and supermarket items. Just all the perishables will still need to be bought so I will see how much can get my grocery allotment in my budget down in the coming months starting with my next post. My next monthly summery is almost ready to be posted here.

I have been working on reading and editing on

trove this past few weeks so haven’t posted that much anywhere.

Here is my Financial Summery for May period.

I have updated my Excel so here are the figures for last month.

This for period of 28 days each as I work on 28 day cycles, my dates may be out to calendar months so here are the figures that will bring it up to date as its very near the end of next 28 day cycle.

Reviewing my monthly daily living allowance

This is my first review for last month’s budget.
These are the categories for this challenge.

Items === Approx. Budget===Spent

Eating out===$35=====$18.30
Groceries===$125=== =$113.61
Non-Food===$15
Clothes ====$35
Grooming===$20
Gas======$20=======$39.86
HH items===$40=======$10.00
Fares== ====$15 ====$10.00
Entrainments== $15 ====$3.00
Garden =====$15=====$1.50
Gifts & Donations ==$35 ===$2.00
Medical & Diabetes Expenses ===$70====$12.85
Misc ======$10
Personal Allowance =$90 ===$34.42

Note only one amount is a No Spend

Budgeted for this period $550 spent $250.64 under by $299.36

No Spending Days 16 of 28 days

Personal allowance covers health drinks , lotto, books, stamps, craft and hobby supplies.

Eating out including meals out with family and friends, we all go Dutch.

My credit cards are still paid in full each month, it was $160.00

[i]Strategy - Do remember what you have stored before you go and buy more of the same.

I have been working on another site of late but spending very little money too!
One of my hobbies is reading recipes that posted years ago, so as I have joined the Local History group, I was given a link to our National Library Australia digital archives

trove where they have posted most of our old newspapers and the Australian Women’s Weekly until under copyright periods. So anyone can read these online now.

I have been having fun reading and these old newspapers and Australian Women’s Weekly what I did is studying just one year and period that I am interest in. Copying and correcting recipes as I read them and other information as I found them.

With the newspapers I have been looking out for information for my local history group too!
It’s interesting to see how people lived and worked and died over this period, as I am reading World War Two year as I am interested in how to save money and cooking and rationing during that period.

NLA Trove

I am trying to use up some of the items that I have in my pantry that I have bought over the years.
Sago and tapioca are some of these items that I have to use up they are way past their use by dates by a number of years.

Its use it or bin it exercise. I am not putting on weight when eating this recipe so that is why I still have them in the pantry as other recipes I used cause a weight gain in the past.

Lemon Sago
Serves 4
2oz sago
1 1/2 cups water
Soak for 2 hours
Add pinch salt and boil.
Add the rind of half lemon and juice of whole lemon
Then add 1 tablespoon golden syrup and 1 tablespoon brown sugar (white sugar will do if you have no brown sugar).
Dissolve and mix this in the boiling sago mixture and pour mixture into basin to set.
I eat this cold when set with poached whole pears or stewed apples.

Do you have items in your pantry or kitchen cupboard that needs to use up?

Four days of no spending here.

Our city hall has been closed for restorations for past few years, and now is open to the public again. Today I joined my ex-work friends in going to the cheaper restaurant they have there, it's was known as Red Cross tea rooms but a company has been allow to put a coffee shop rest rooms there. It's been laid out just like the old Red Cross tea room without the clock rooms. We had our lunch there today, the menu is limited but eatable, I had feta and spinach quiche and salad plus a mug of coffee. This set me back $14.00 so it's not cheap by any means. Some of the others tried toast sandwiches or scones and cheese cake. Next time if we go again, I will have a chicken salad I eat a lot of toasted sandwiches or soup for lunch over winter so I don't wish pay for something I can make myself. Later we went to look at the other tea rooms that have been put into the city hall, "Shingle Inn" this is a 1920s style one that was pull down to make way for a new shopping centre and was to be put back in the same spot when finish's but never was so the council said they would allow room for it to go into city hall when it reopened and they kept their word on that one. It's so popular that you have to book in 24 hours ahead to go there just for morning tea or afternoon tea. This tea room is the same period as the city hall and all the old fittings have come out of moth balls only thing that not the same is the staff uniforms as old one were not up to safety standards of today. So they have changed them to old fashion 1920s black servant uniforms instead. The original one was colourful prints and long skirts. We worked next door to this restaurant for many years and saw these girls over the years.

Here is my Financial Summery for April - May period.

I have updated my Excel so here are the figures for last month.

This for period of 28 days each as I work on 28 day cycles, my dates may be out to calendar months so here are the figures that will bring it up to date as its very near the end of next 28 day cycle.

Reviewing my monthly daily living allowance

This is my first review for last month’s budget.
These are the categories for this challenge.

Items === Approx. Budget===Spent

Eating out===$35=====$36.10
Groceries===$125=== =$44.86
Non-Food===$15=======$10.88
Clothes ====$35
Grooming===$20=======$4.98
Gas======$20=========$5.65
HH items===$40=======$70.00
Fares== ====$15 =====$10.00
Entrainments== $15
Garden =====$15
Gifts & Donations ==$35 ===$3.00
Medical & Diabetes Expenses =$70
Misc ======$10
Personal Allowance =$90 ===$20.27

Note only one amount is a No Spend

Budgeted for this period $550 spent $205.74 under by $344.26

No Spending Days 15 of 28 days

Personal allowance covers health drinks , lotto, books, stamps, craft and hobby supplies.

Eating out including meals out with family and friends, we all go Dutch.

My credit cards are still paid in full each month, it was $590.00

[i]Strategy - Do remember what you have stored before you go and buy more of the same.

I have been living off my Greek food for most of the week but I couldn't eat the Easter bread fast enough so I had to bin it. Most of it I froze as I was given more spinach pie I now will have lunch for a few weeks. I have been putting on my new relish them.

I made tomato relish this week and will give away some of that as it's too much for me to eat within the time frame, as I can't eat a lot of it. 3 tablespoons of one lot had me going for ECG. As I took a turn going to the doctor's app. for annual check-up. Looking back it was the tomato relish as my blood pressure and ECG were ok! I had a feast on the tomato relish for 3 days and one has all the things I was food indolence (allergies) years ago. Tomatoes, onions, capsicum, and chilli since I haven't had any for the rest of the week I am ok. No weakness in limbs, chest pains, muscles pains, tiredness, back in pain and neck. I only had tomato sauce last night ok today.

So I will go back to my 5 day rotation of these foods again, see if I am off colour again next time, I eat it.

Here is the recipe.
Tomato Relish with Chilli
1lb ripe skinned tomatoes and chopped
1lb onions - finely chopped
1/2 red Capsicum - deseed and diced
1 long red chilli - deseed and diced or 1 tsp chilli powder or to taste
1 cup sugar
1 cup vinegar - malt vinegar used
2 tsp salt
4 tsp yellow mustard seeds or mustard powder
4 tsp curry powder
6 heaped tsp of tomato paste (optional)*
4 tsp Cornflour (for thickening) and little vinegar or plain flour and little water
Method
Chop tomatoes, onions capsicum and chilli.
Put all ingredients in saucepan and boil for 30 minutes or until texture looks right and you can smell the spices.

*Add tomato paste when you can smell the spices and cook for few minute longer then add cornflour.
Thicken with 4 teaspoons cornflour blended with a little vinegar.
Into a Sterilise Bottles and keep airtight.
3-4 small jars

'Favourite Recipes' Old Charity Cookbook circa - pre 1982- AUS Pre-metric recipe

As we are 4 teaspoons to 1 tablespoon here, I will make the whole recipe into teaspoons. In cups use 8oz cup (227.28ml) - Our cups now are 250ml.

I am having a large problem with small ants here that are coming from the gardens it is costing a lot to keep them under control. Some are coming into the house which I don’t want to happen as last year; I lost number electrical items because of ant nests in them. I did put ant bait down but they just go higher around outside the house. I paid few hundred dollars to have them removed last year and it didn’t work for very long just enough so that the painter could paint the outside the house then wet weather came and their came back. I am due for a termite check soon but the meantime I will keep up with my surface spraying that does kill for a short time but they go higher

I have been writing this blog for seven years now. Sometime I have missed a few months here and there but I have manage to keep update and on track with my budget and writing about some of the things that may help others along the way. It about seven years since these blogs started here so that may be why all the blogs having their Blogoversary around now!

I have been paying bills of late. Finished paying off my credit bill for Chiro annual payment so I am ahead on my credit cards so no more until next month. Paid the my rate bill last week and paid my water bill today these ones are quarterly bills and due have a price rise in next month or so when the local council does their budget. the only thing I can charge on these is the amount of water I use each quarter. Last bill it was 17KL about $12.00 worth and only because I am using the pressure hose cleaner about twice a quarter. I am due to do my garage this quarter as it needs doing. It hasn’t been done in 40 years so it about time I did it don’t you think.

As I am behind in my posting here is my Financial Summery for March - April period

I have updated my Excel so here are the figures for last month.

This for period of 28 days each as I looks like I missed one somewhere. As I work on 28 day cycles, my dates may be out to calendar months so here are the figures that will bring it up to date as its every near the end of next 28 day cycle.

Reviewing my monthly daily living allowance

This is my first review for last month�s budget.
These are the categories for this challenge.

Items === Approx. Budget===Spent

Eating out===$35=====$4.00
Groceries===$125=== =$176.17
Non-Food===$15=====$23.12
Clothes ====$35
Grooming===$20
Gas======$20=======$18.80
HH items===$40
Fares== ====$15 ====$12
Entrainments== $15
Garden =====$15========$65.00
Gifts & Donations ==$35
Medical & Diabetes Expenses ===$70====$125.00
Misc ======$10
Personal Allowance =$90 ===$41.21

Note only one amount is a No Spend

Budgeted for this period $550 spent $467.70 under by $82.30

No Spending Days 14 of 28 days

Personal allowance covers confectionery, lotto, books, stamps, craft and hobby supplies.

Eating out including meals out with family and friends, we all go Dutch.

As for Medical and Diabetes Expenses - this is the extra out of pockets amounts that came up over this period just on medicine that is not covered be refund claims.

My credit cards are still paid in full each month, it was $32.00

Strategy - Do remember what you have stored before you go and buy more of the same.

Strategy: - Track your daily spending down to the cent by writing it down daily.

It’s time that I posted, this Financial Summery as I almost ready to post my third one.

I have updated my Excel so here are the figures for February - March period.

This for period of 28 days each as I looks like I missed one somewhere. As I work on 28 day cycles, my dates may be out to calendar months so here are the figures that will bring it up to date as its every near the end of next 28 day cycle.

Reviewing my monthly daily living allowance

This is my second review for last month’s budget.
These are the categories for this challenge.

Items === Approx. Budget===Spent

Eating out===$35=====$21.55
Groceries===$125=== =$79.78
Non-Food===$15=====$7.96
Clothes ====$35
Grooming===$20=====$22.00
Gas======$20
HH items===$40=======$4.95
Fares== ====$15 ====$4.76
Entrainments== $15
Garden =====$15
Gifts and Donations ==$35
Medical & Diabetes Expenses ===$70====$38.50
Misc ======$10
Personal Allowance =$90 ===$54.15

Note only one amount is a No Spend

Budgeted for this period $550 spent $ 233.65 under by $316.35

No Spending Days 12 of 28 days

Personal allowance covers confectionery, lotto, books, stamps, craft and hobby supplies.

Eating out including meals out with family and friends, we all go Dutch.

As for Medical and Diabetes Expenses - this is the extra out of pockets amounts that came up over this period just on medicine that is not covered be refund claims.

Strategy - Do remember what you have stored before you go and buy more of the same.

Strategy: - Track your daily spending down to the cent by writing it down daily.

Its Easter weekend and we have two days with most things closed shops included. Today was one of them not that I mind as I not planning to do anything much in the way of going out. I visited two of my neighbours and had a visit from a lady who is a near neighbour asking could she have some greenery from my garden for her floral arrangements for the family gathering on Saturday it Hangi they are New Zealand Maori. I didn’t mind as I am pruning my garden and some of what she was asking for is going soon!

I am not going to Adelaide in May now! With family problems down that way at the moment so it better to go at another time.

I got my tests done so far cost $535.00, it will cost more if I need to pay doctors gap charge, so I will now wait and see. $500 of that money was my excess was for hospital cover. I need to go back in 5 years’ time. All was well but for small hiatus hernia so I just need change the way I do things at times and the new teeth will help too!

So happy Easter everyone!

I did pay my annual Chiro bill the other day and it was the same as last year $540.00 for 12 visits. The normal pensioner/ student price per visit is $50.00 so I'm saving $5.00 per visit now as I get a refund $19.40 from health fund whether I pay $50 or $45.00 per visit. That’s a saving of $60 per year or 10% off which no bank interest can match anywhere. So save money by paying early.

I had my heart value check again this year had to pay for specialist visit, ECG and Echo test. Total came to $337.00 of which Medicare (GOV) refund came to $252.90 and out of pocket cost $84.50. As there was no change in heart value and the doctor thinks I could have been born with this defect or have had it for a very long time. So I will need to budget for these tests each year to see if there is any change. So same time next year appointments have been made. More tests in a few weeks for something my mother died from. It's a test that I don't like having. Plus I have to see my eye specialist this year too! So more money to the medical sector is in the pipeline.

It's lucky that I can afford to do these tests but then I will pay kept myself healthy as I possibly can. Some pensioners here can't afford do them and are playing the price in pain and stress and years of waiting for free tests and operations.

Strategy - Ask about any discounts and don’t worry if you forgot to ask about it, worse they can say is NO if you go back and ask.

After reading this article

Should Income Be “Disposable?”

which I totally agree with, I don’t view any of my pension as Disposable Income at all! I doubt if I do have a Disposable Income. If there is any Disposable Income then I should putting it aside for my next project or holiday or funeral saving account which I sure that I will need at some point as I don’t wish to add one to my list of bills at my age. There are a lot of advertising for them here. But I don’t wish the pay then find I can’t afford it next year when they raise the price because of your age, I would paying heap any way. You lose any money put in it if you leave at any time so I think they are a money pit for insurance companies, I am better to save allow the family to get the some money at the end of it. So I think I will open an online account and add $25.00 per month to that fund plus any Disposable Income that I can.

Do you feel sometimes that advertising is out to get you and your Disposable Income, that they want your money at any cost and you made to feel that you are doing without or letting them down if you don’t spend whether it’s the company or local businesses or your state or country. You should not be saving but spending any money including your bill money on what they are selling at the time. Well I don’t buy that line at all these days.

Charities are a case in point here; I get heaps of mail asking for help with lots of freebie in them. If they need to send you these freebies to get you to send them money why do they have paid the advertising company for that deal? I have heard that these advertising companies get a large proportion of monies sent in the first year.

I do give the charities please don’t think I don’t but I never give to any who send freebies in the mail. What makes me mad is there is no address to send direct to the charities in question.

The Freebies they are sending, name and address tags, large blank gift cards and small gift tags, stationery and pens, just small stuff along a giving plan which I can’t afford ever. When you get that every week from different charities it does mount up to the point that I will never have to buy name and address tags again at this address.

So much for Disposable Income that I don’t have to give away any time soon! Even the ones I do give to send me requests for more money but I have a Christmas donation time slot that give and that it.

Strategy - Don’t spend your forward bill money on trivia, it’s been put aside for a purpose and keeps you stress free.

Strategy – Don’t believe all the advertising you see on TV or in the mail you didn’t know you wanted it 15 minutes before you saw that advertisement.

I wrote about this in these blogs

Starting over with budgeting and saving again!

Review of my spending plan for Bills!

Here’s a list of some things that was planned and how I went after the six months has pasted.

Only two things that I planned within this six month period are now held over until March -August period.
My chiro is not due until mid - March and fares for my trip to Adelaide $400 are still not booked yet!

Trips - Sydney wedding and visit to my sister later next year but fare need to be paid in this period. (both are interstate.) Estimate $2000

Estimate $1600 Sydney trip cost was $920 saved $680 here on estimate

Out of pocket dental that can’t be put off. Estimate $2000 - Dental - $1915
saved $85 here on estimate

Car service that is well overdue so approx. $500
Paid $189 for car service card but still need pay for parts for major service? Had my car service done and tyre fixed $254 = total cost $443 so saved $57 here on estimate.

House & Car Insurance due (these were the ones that I was worried about) Estimate $2700
Both insurances came in $2145 saved $555 here on estimate

Rates and water bills, power, medical fund annual fee, phone & internet fees, car rego. Approx. $5500
- Totals $4305 saved $1195 here on estimate

Over all I did estimated for around about $12,300 with my Age Pension over this time frame under $10,000 so where did I end up with my over estimates and removing air fare to Adelaide from the list.

September to February Bills
Item ====Estimate =====Cost ====Saved
Wedding - $1600 =====$920 ==== $680
Dental --- $2000 =======$1915====$85
Car service ---$500 =====$443=====$57
Insurances---$2700=====$2145====$555
General bills $5500======$4305 ===$1195
Totals ====$12300=====$9728====$2572

All bills are paid in full with credit on Credit Cards.

Daily Living expenses outside these bills came to $2547 for this period which had to come from savings.

To think I will need to do this all again at the end of the year but less the dentist bill this time.
Planned expenses for next six month estimates is a work progress.

Strategy - Don’t spend your forward bill money on trivia, it’s been put aside for a purpose and keeps you stress free.

Strategy - Review your bills every six months that you are still saving money with your changes that you made since renewed or changed bill companies. Change your habits if you can’t change the company.

Strategy - Put in writing what you are worried about and see the figures then work out an action plan.

I will try to answer these questions to my understanding of them.

Do ‘Our governments have ultimate control of utility and health insurance costs?’

Answer to this question NO to ultimate control and YES to some say in control of utility and health insurance costs?

We have three levels of government here. The Federal, State and Local councils as Federal government has input into these utility and health in some way by owing or rebates. They do have some say and can veto price rises but do allow some price rises once per year April for health and July for power. If there no request for higher price rise then does rise by level with the CPI which is around 3%. Of late each group is asking for higher price rises so governments have make the call as they do put money into these areas with rebates and owing the grids and power stations etc. It’s the same with water too!

Power grid in some States that they let the power stations rundown that money had to be found so Federal Government step in but has to be paid back.

The state government’s own the power stations and grids but the suppliers buy it off the governments sell it to us. Once it was all own by the state governments but sold it off now they fix the lines if broken with all these weather events and bush fires it’s costing a fortune. So 50% of the price rise is government inter-structure costs and they set the prices so each power retailers can work out pricing for next year. At first they wanted to up to 500% within five years.

Electric here costs slightly over .09 kWh, what is the rate there?

As for our tariffs we pay much more than you do. Most likely a different system, these prices are off the last bill and not the new ones which come due in July 2013.

Service to property charge (No days) 88 days @ 28.91c , anytime power 26.71c per kWh, off peck rate 22c per kWh (hot water power use to run it), solar power rebate 44c per kWh which is credit off bill.

On top of this I get a pension rebate from state government around $50.51 each quarter. Plus a 9% discount if I pay my bill before the due date. With interest rates at below 3.5% for the best online ones it better to pay before every time.

My usage and costs paid after all discount and rebates for last year

Bill for Dec $52.18 - Days 88 - Anytime 506 kWh - Off peak 9 kWh - Solar rebate 125 kWh
Bill for Sep $84.78 – Days 86 - Anytime 551 kWh - Off peak 95 kWh - Solar rebate 59 kWh
Bill for Jun $68.17 - Days 92 - Anytime 635 kWh - Off peak 16 kWh - Solar rebate 92 kWh
Bill for Dec $71.14 - Days 90 - Anytime 672 kWh - Off peak 5 kWh - Solar rebate 102 kWh

So if I allow around $30 per quarter I should have money left over for surprises.

Only in winter or wet weather do my solar panels cost charges hot water higher and power lower. I do only have one kWh x 6 panels unit and 2 panels x 400L hot water unit.

‘Is your chiro not included under the other health cover?’

Health Chiro costs is covered by health insurance but only to $232.80 per year. I paid annual fee for 12 visits at pensioner rates get 10% off the single fee charged for doing so but only can claim single rebate after each visit. Now you can’t get that interest from any bank for 10% so as I budget for it so I pay in advance. Only down side would be if I had to stop going then I would need to pay a cancelation fee.

My idea is to s-t-r-e-t-c-h my money so by paying early where I can to get rebates and discount or not incurring fines for paying late then I am saving on the overall costs in the end.

It’s better off in your pocket than theirs.