Today, I just finished the mowing the lawn it take me twice along to do it now but I get some exercise doing it and save money as well! In fact $35.00 each time. I am putting this money in my new mower fund and very soon I will have enough to buy new one. I am lucky that this one is still going. I had the motor recondition a few years back but other things are breaking so I will get a new one when I need to pay any money out on it. The fund is now at $280 so I can afford to buy new one any time now! The goal price is around $450. I will get a new one for next summer if it doesn’t breakdown before hand.

BREAKFAST Muesli & Milk Pancakes & Maple Syrup with Whipped Cream 80c
LUNCH Crackers with Chutney, Home-cooked Corn Beef & Salad Coffee $1.00
DINNER Devilled Sausages Orange $1.00

Today’s Full price Tally $35.00
Today’s Savings - $35.00
Bulk Food Replacement Fund - $21.25
2006 Total $-t-r-e-t-c-h Savings Tally $1180.84

I am feeling a little better today, so long walk is need here! Paying my phone bill will do the trick! WRONG, it just gave my “I am feeling low mood” free rein to spend a little money more than I did yesterday too! I saw in the flyer for local sight & sound store here that DVD were on sale for three DVD titles that is on my want to buy list, not on my need to buy list. Oh it’s was Mother Day last Sunday and didn’t get a present Boo-hoo! (I am getting it in June, when I my DS & DIL come home from their trip to Europe.) Two of the titles were still there, so what did I do Yes, bought both to view later, if I ever get off the computer. One was new movie version ‘Pride & Prejudice’ $39.95 - SP $16.95 and the other ‘Paradise Road’ Reg. $14.95 - SP $6.95.

Why did I buy ‘Paradise Road’ DVD. Here is a little tale of my childhood growing up in suburbia. My favourite radio serial as a child on Sunday night was the ‘White Coolies’ about Australian nurses that were prisoners of war in WWII. Out of all radio serials of that time and listening to Voice of America and BBC on short wave in Dad’s Garage is all that I can remember now! Today, children have their Game boys, X-boxes, Play Stations 3 etc. I had my radio and a short wave one at that! And for girl of ten that was rare then to sit for hours listening to short wave. Even if your distant cousin was a radio presenter on the local radio station and your younger sister listened to rock & roll on house radio and record player and worn out the carpet dancing to it too!

So much for musing of my childhood, back to my walk & shopping trip. After that I went to pay my phone bill and buy some Yogurt and apples for the week. Both were on special too!

BREAKFAST Muesli & Milk Apple 80c
LUNCH Crackers with Cheese and Tomato Orange Coffee 70c
DINNER Corn Cob 3 Chicken Kebabs & Salad $2.00

Today’s Full price Tally $100.32
Today’s Savings - $35.26
Bulk Food Replacement Fund - $14.25
2006 Total $-t-r-e-t-c-h Savings Tally - $1080.00

I balanced my budget today. I did buy a few extra luxuries this last period but still came within the budget. It is on track but could have been better. I can over spend on books so I need to track everyone that I do buy. Food eaten outside the house was on the high side again but I do get value for my money when I do spend. Mainly Two for One Deal’s, as I only eat half & eat the other half next day for lunch. (Doggie Bag Strategy) These areas and my gift giving were my highest this period. When you just have $1000 to budget with for the month it can be tight. That’s why I am $$$ stretching and not saving, I do save if I can some months. I still had $85 left in my budget A/C when I got paid which is rollovered into next period. All my bills came out of this amount this month and not out of Bill A/C, (Freedom account) any surplus bill money does get banked until needed too! Banking the balance and not paying it out the Bill A/C allows for extra interest by depositing and not withdrawing.

I also did some shopping today, I went for a walk up to the chemist again, to get the right prescription filled this time. Liptor is ($82.31-RRP), general public NPS - $25.00, health card holders & pensioners $4.70 … saving $20.30. If I had to pay RRP I would never get the prescription filled. Never went and got a free coffee today as this is only a rare treat and I don’t need an ice cream cone everyday!

Popped into two thrift shops on my way, found a cute metal basket & another item for my baby gift basket both for $1.00…saving $8.00. So that baby gift basket has come under $15 value around $28.00. I have wrapping paper in my storage. At the supermarket I bought milk that was markdown today and 2 pens… saving $2.59 on RRP

BREAKFAST Muesli & Milk Coffee 40c
LUNCH Devilled Sausages Coffee $1.00
DINNER Poach Fish & Vegetables for dinner… $2.50

Today’s Full price Tally $38.14
Today’s Savings - $30.89
Bulk Food Replacement Fund - $5.15
2006 Total $-t-r-e-t-c-h Savings Tally $991.29

Needed to buy milk for my DF- M, so I had to go the supermarket where I am paying my bills today. As I had to go Transport office to update my information after buying my new car so that I would get my pensioner discount, its worth over $52 for ½ year off the regular car registration. I paid local rates & water bill at the Post Office where we can pay most of our bills in person and it’s agent for some of the banks too! If you would like to pay something, you just look on the back of your bills and it will tell you if can pay them at the post office. (I am claiming pensioner discount on Rate’s Bill that’s a saving of $161.28 a ¼ year) + by due date % $15.04 Saving $52.00 + $161.28 + 15.04 = $228.32

As usual I gravitate to the markdown areas of any store that I go into. Today was not any different I got two tubs of Hummus with 6 week to go on used by date, its just not readable. Reg. price $5.89 tub markdowns price $1.99 saving $7.80 there! I also bought some ‘T-Cut for scratches on cars”, as last night my DS, back into my car with his wife car and marked and scratched both cars. We’re not happy about that one. I tried the stuff that I bought when I got home and got the marks off first time on my car! It cost $7.15 – 50% off plus a lot of peace of mind all round. As I used just the tinniest amount, there is enough for the whole family to use on their cars too!
Saving $7.30 here or saving on $300 x 2 excess car insurance.

Full amounts on Bills ($477.92 + 284.32) = 762.24 – 228.32 = $533.92 paid

Today’s Full price Tally $788.47
Today’s Savings Tally $243.32
2006 Total $-t-r-e-t-c-h Savings Tally $357.38

Today is my lunch date, meeting up with my old ex-work friends each month. As I need to make sure that I get out the house and talk to people other than my neighbors only. We go to a restaurant that has salad bars and gives discount to seniors too! This is part of my food budget each month, as I do believe in a healthy mind & body as well as healthy wallet. As these friends stop coming to this luncheon then I plan to join a local senior group. But I don’t think I am ready to start play cards, bingo or doing jigsaw puzzles just yet!

I spent every little today other than what was budget for. Monthly Visa card balance paid off. Lunch & monthly lotto ticket. The only item that I bought was a car duster -$6 that was on my shopping list to buy. (I budgeted over $20 so I saved $14 here.) Bus fares were pre-paid for this month. I buy ten trips ticket this is saving money, as two of the trips are free. It’s cheaper to go by bus to the city than pay for gas and parking when you are on a pension here. Around trip cost only $2 for pensioner and Car parking is between $4 to $10.00 hour.

While out today, I paid my credit card balance off so I am back to $0.00 again this month.

Today’s Full price Tally $32.25
Today’s Savings Tally $16.70
2006 Total $-t-r-e-t-c-h Savings Tally $97.18

I finally have decided that I need to work on fine-tuning my budget. My Question is “What is the true value of my lifestyle now that I am living on a pension?” This is what I wish to find out the difference, than that of someone single paying full price for everything and what I am doing now! My pension is around $13000 per year before tax. What is the minimum income of someone single paying full price for everything, doing the same things and having essentially the same lifestyle? Mirror Image Challenge

I can save very little in the way of cash, but I can certainly stretch my money a lot more than most of those around me can! If I had to pay for what I do use in the way of goods & services at full price I would need a lot more money than my pension allows. I want to find out what is the difference. So I plan to tally up what the full prices might be and then find the difference between the discounts found or/and saving made by $ stretching and frugal strategies. Naming the strategy used if possible.

2006 Total $-t-r-e-t-c-h Savings Tally is the amount that I would need to find or earn extra to live at this level. My challenge is to find what my true cost of living would be, I will be using every frugal and saving tip or discount that is available to me! All will be in Australian dollars. (Exchange rate is around 75c to US dollar)

Example of my Tally list is:
Today’s Full price Tally $150
Today’s Savings - $80
2006 Total $-t-r-e-t-c-h Savings Tally $80

“It's really hard to come up with $1000 but it’s easy to find 1000 ways to save a dollar or two!”

So let’s go and find those 1000 ways to save a dollar challenge and see what the amount is at the end of 12 months.