Running behind here. Update
.

Here is my Financial Summery for August period.

I have updated my Excel finally so here are the figures for last month I have been quite busy here.

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 August budget.
These are the categories for this challenge.

Items === Approx. Budget===Spent

Eating out===$35=====$24.50
Groceries===$125=== =$113.63
Non-Food===$15
Clothes ====$35=====$86.99
Grooming===$20
Gas======$20======$21.55
HH items===$40======$115.50
Fares== ====$15
Entrainments== $15
Garden =====$15
Gifts & Donations ==$35 ====$6.00
Medical & Diabetes Expenses ===$70====$15.00
Misc ======$10
Personal Allowance =$90 ===$85.14

Note only one amount is a No Spend

No Spending Days 14 of 28 days

Budgeted for this period $550 spent $481.31 under by $68.69 on general spending.

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 $30.00 this period.

Grocery allotment $125 for each period it was under by $11.37 this period.

Strategy - Try to drink water with your meals when you are dinning out and if you on a special diet try to stick to it as best you can.

One major purchase I had while offline, I had to replace my refrigerator. They sure don't make them like the old ones these days. As my rust bucket fridge downstairs is still working after 32 years.

It was only 10 years old and not worth spending a lot of money on getting it fixed either. So over $1300 was spent on replacing it. I had the money saved for new washing machine so I didn't need to panic about it.

Now I am saving money again for my washing machine replacement as I am not planning to have it fixed, just will replace it when its time it's almost 30 years old and there are no spare parts for it now!

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.

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.

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.

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.

Got a letter in the mail last week to say that my health cover has gone up by $210 for 2013 to be added to next year’s bill this is due this December. Then this week we were told that our electricity bills will be going up by 21% per year around $253 on $1205 bill. I am lucky that I put in solar panels and solar hot water a few years ago now! I don’t think my bill will that high but high enough that I will add 21% to my annual total as I have allowed about $100 to $140 per quarter I will allow about extra $30 per quarter so that’s extra $330 added to my budget from July on when these price rises take place. This is on top of my insurance price rise of around $400 last month. Next will be my chiro next one to go up that’s next month price rise.

Weather is bad here again; our ground is soaked from the January’s rain depression so it won’t take much to start flooding here.
More rain, flooding, high seas and 100km winds in NSW this weekend and we waiting for another rain depression for our area with about 300mm worth of rain.

It’s time that I posted, this Financial Summery for 2013.

I have updated my Excel so here are the figures for past 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=====$35.20
Groceries===$125=== =$50.67
Non-Food===$15=====$2.00
Clothes ====$35
Grooming===$20
Gas======$20
HH items===$40=======$203
Fares== ====$15 ====$10
Entrainments== $15
Garden =====$15========$9.00
Gifts & Donations ==$35
Medical & Diabetes Expenses ===$70====$44.14
Misc ======$10
Personal Allowance =$90 ===$72.26

Note only one amount is a No Spend

Budgeted for this period $550 spent $ 426.27 under by $123.73

No Spending Days 14 of 28 days

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

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

As for Medical & 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 $240

The high cost in the Household was for an electrician to fix my solar hot water element. $203

I do keep my bill money separated from this summery. This year I will be budgeting around $750 per period month to cover all my bills and bills for this period it came to $1313.47 part of this was Car major service$ 254.00

My grocery bill came in under budget for this period.
If any changes to my spending habits will need to come out of my daily living allowance categories of my budget as my bill categories are very tight now. I was very tight in some areas of this daily living allowance over this period but I did work out in the end.

Still need to work on a Grocery category and personal allowance as I got to stop spending money on books, I think this is my biggest downfall most of my personal spending is spent on books as half of it was spent on books.

How am I going with my finances in 2013, up and down once I get over paying all my major bills for this half year, I have about little over $1000 for next month then it’s back to saving for next few month until I need to pay these annual bills again.

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.

Both have a water theme, leaking water to be correct. One was just a simple tap washer that I was able to get my neighbour to fix, I do have a lot of taps washers here so I don’t have go out and buy some to do the job, as getting someone to do the job more of a problem. Hot water shower was dripping like mad when I came home yesterday.

The day before I had another drip but this one was a major one, water dripping from a power socket, on a weatherproof switch not good, I turn the switch off to see where the water was coming from and found coming out of the one of the socket for the power plug in part from my solar hot water unit this is the power that pumps the water to the roof for the solar panels the unit and it’s not 3 years old yet. I phone my Home Assist people to order an electrician to look at it. With the flooding it will be up to week before they may come out. I was told. Within two hours the electrical company was on the phone and they would have someone out that afternoon, the young guy arrived he looked a teenager to me mostly likely in his early twenty.

He never seen as much water either so we checked the tank and when he pulled on a cord from the switch water came running out of the tank element area it was rusted in so had to be replaced a long with the power switch unit. So it costed 2 hours labour $176 and parts $100 less my senior discount of $88 for one hour labour. Total came to $188.00 all up. That’s why I rang Home Assist so I could get my discount for how long this service will last I don’t know as our state government is cutting cost in all areas.

As had good and friendly service all round so I paid the bill next day. For bad service they would have had to wait full 14 days before I paid it!

I wrote about this in this blog

Starting over with budgeting and saving again!

Here’s a list of some things that was planned and how I went so far four months in.

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
Still waiting to book air fares for June visit to my sister so only air fares will come in this six spending plan not the holiday expenses. Sydney trip cost was $920

Out of pocket dental that can’t be put off. Estimate $2000
Dental - I paid the first out of pocket bill today - $1375and second bill should be $540 = $1915

Car service that is well overdue so approx. $500
Paid $189 for car service card but still need pay for parts for major service? I will have this done mid- January.

Rates and water bills, power, medical fund annual fee, phone & internet fees, car rego. Approx. $5500
So far I paid medical fund annual fee $2320, first rates and water bills $456 car rego $515, first power $53 = $3344 with and will have extra Chiro Bill coming of $560 in February that not on this list. Another rates and water bills $456 and power $65 to come yet! = $521
Phone and internet will be around $500 for 6 months. I have reduced this cost by $30 per month.

House & Car Insurance due (these are the ones that I am worried about) Estimate $2700 but could be more.

Planned expenses for next six month estimated about $12,700
Age Pension over this time frame under $10,000

So living expenses will be almost nil for next few months, it’s lucky that I do have savings to fall back on if I need too! I will try not to spend too much of it though.

By estimates I am within reach of the target but still living off my savings for Living day to day expenses. So far I have shaved off $2070 off the original total with around $650 will need to come out savings also!

I will have a few months to recoup this money before the next around of large bills. I am still a little worried about that House insurance bill coming in February or early March as some households have gone through the roof by thousands.

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.

Carbon tax is making some bills like Rates and water go up of late, I think next Power bill will be higher too!

Revamped my internet plan today as this bill was getting to high, it jumped in price by $20.00 this month so I change it to another plan saving $30.00 but I can get a higher G plan if I need too!

Another thunder storm is forecast for Thursday so we will wait to see if it does arrive.

Last time I used my washing machine the power point wouldn’t work as it stopped in the middle of a cycle. As my washing machine is 1985 vintage I thought that I would need a new one, I do have that money invested so was just about to start looking for new one! Then I decided that I should put the washing machine on power lead to another power point to check if it was still working and it was. So no need for a new one just yet!

I phone my Home Assist Service for pensioners which will pay part of the bill for you that‘s $88 off bill. Today he came to check my power points in the laundry and fix a light there too! I had the light fittings so only needed to pay for the new power points he had replaced two, I don’t like iffy things if there’s a problem its gets fixed with too many house fires with faulty electrical around the place. The total cost of out of pocket expensive was only $36.50.

He also set my mind a rest on the power spikes that I get from time to time. It’s my solar hot water power unit starting up it only goes for a few minutes and not all day at 3500 kWh I will have to learn to live with that.

Strategy - If it can be fixed then repair it, but use the less than half rule on replacement costs rule.

It’s time that I posted, before others things did get in the away again.

I only just updated my Excel so here are the figures for past months not posted so far.

This for Two periods 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

These are the categories for this challenge.

Items === Approx. Budget===Spent
Eating out===$70.00=====$22.95
Groceries===$271.00=== =$229.28
Non-Food===$30.00=====$21.43
Clothes ====$70.00====$7.18
Grooming===$30.00===$20.00
Gas======$50.00
Pets====== $100.00=== $171.25
HH items===$80.00====$11.94
Fares== ====$30.00
Entrainments== $30.00
Garden =====$30.00
Gifts & Donations ==$70.00===$42
Medical & Diabetes Expenses ===$140==$377.06
Misc ======$20.00
Personal Allowance =$180.00 ===$120.38

Note only one amount is a no spend in that category

Budgeted for this period $1200 spent $1023.52 so under budget by $176.48

No spending days22 of 56 days

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

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

As for Medical & 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.

I do keep my bill money separated from this summery. This year I will be budgeting around $650 per period month to cover all my bills for these two periods it came to $2867.85

My grocery bill came in under budget for these periods.

If any changes to my spending habits will need to come out of my daily living allowance categories of my budget as my bill categories are very tight now.

I was very tight in some areas of this daily living allowance over these period but I did work out in the end.

Still need to work on a Grocery category.

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

I had lunch with my friends at Casino, the meal was Fish with salad with chips but I asked and got green vegetables instead along with a vanilla slice and coffee all that for $9.00 for members and $14.00 if not! As I was in the city I got around and paid a few bills like Rates, water bill, my Credit card in full and another for my DF-M. I also got a top up on my GO CARD that I use for bus fares.

Would you believe I got all the bills paid and go card top up all within 45 minutes before I went to lunch so that I could be home on the early bus.

The places that I had go to were in four blocks of each other one place in each as I had to go to the bank first. It’s lucky that I know my way around the city as I was able use some of the short cuts to do this in time. It like go around in a maze I am reading a novel at the moment that has Mazes in it.
City trip all up costed $650.00 including bills.

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

Another milestrone past 800000 views

I said that we would have a heatwave here in my last post. Well while we were having a heatwave down south in Victoria, they were having snowstorms and Western Australia is having a Cyclone this morning. We just can’t win with this weather.

This week is one year on since the floods and the mud army some people are still in their homes yet and may never be.

I had my Air Con two days out of the three for about 8 hours non-stop. It used up power here normally I can get away with around 8 kWh per day plus 2 kWh from solar panels an selling back to the grid 1 or 2 kWh per day, both days I used 22 kwh plus 4 kWh from solar panels to run the Air Con on both day. I try to read my meters each day to see how I am going an note something I am doing different that normally here. I do chart it in excel over the years.
I drop down 8 kWh on line power since I installed Solar panels and 4 kWh in Hot water since installing solar hot water.

So I try to keep my utilities as low as I can.

I did a Phone around here for my Christmas present to myself that Digital Television Antenna I have been putting off for year or two now! I least I can afford it and I will need to get one soon. I rang up three installers and got one quote by phone and another company came out to do the quote. The third company I am still waiting for a call back but they the dearest one if past dealings with them it will be expensive. The quotes were very much within $10 of each other when I add in amplifier on the phone quote. I need this as I get no signals with antennas I got now, if I have any breeze as I am below the buildings around me. Some are three stories high.

And the phone quote is for only 4 points only. This will allow moving the TV around without worrying NO signals on some Channels. If I don’t have amplifier I can have only one point and drop outs. I own three TV and plan one into other rooms if I need too! These are the bedrooms that have no TVs if I was ill then I would need one.

$840 with amplifier with 5 points cost of on 3 points so 2 points, splitter free and discount on amplifier. Saving discounts are around $470.

They will be the mostly likely will get the job as it’s the one that my son had to do his.

Australia is going all digital TV over the next two years some areas are already 100%. By 31 December 2013 there will be no Analog TV signals are phrased out altogether. Our area will be complete by June 2013.

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.

With one thing and another I knew I was in for an expensive week but not that expensive.

All my large bills were due soon so I paid the Car Registration, Rates, and Water Utilities totalling $985.

Then getting a new mobile, accessories, prepaid card and then a new laptop and accessories totalling $1319
Then one of the cats had to go back to the vet for a check because a fur and food was compacted around a tooth so I found out later costing $45 with return visit & senior discount.

So far I have spent $2349 without dining out with family and normal cost of living. I am only two week in this month budget. It’s lucky that I budgeted for my bills each pension, and have a large emergency fund of $5000. So I will be saving to return cost of the new mobile and laptop so $1300 needs put back into emergency fund.

Now for a new washing machine this should be the next problem area as its 27 years old so I will be buying a new one when it gives up working.

I am a little late in putting up my monthly balance others things do get in the away at times, my cat is doing fine until his operation on next Wednesday to have his teeth removed so far its only two of them.

As I work on 28 day cycles, my dates may be out to a calendar months so here are the figures for my last period.

It’s time to start again on reviewing my monthly daily living allowance.

These are the categories for this challenge.
Items === Approx Budget===Spent
Eating out===$35.00=====$67.75
Groceries===$135.50 ==== $87.72
Non-Food===$17.00=====$26.43
Clothes ====$35.00
Grooming===$15.00=====$50.00
Gas======$25.00
Pets====== $50.00=== ==$607 less 500.00 =$107
HH items===$42.50=====$32.15
Fares== ====$9.00======$20.00
Entrainments= $12.00
Garden =====$10.00
Gifts & Donations =$35.00===$29.95
Medical =====$15.00======$10.00
Diabetes Expenses====$50
Misc ======$9.00
Personal Allowance =$85.00 ====$56.56

Note only one amount is a no spend

Budgeted for this period $580 spent $487.66 so under budget by $92.34

No Spending days over the 28 days = 11 days in total.

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

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

As for medical this is the extra out of pockets amounts that came up this month just on medicine
As for my medical visits out of pocket expensive if they are related to Diabetes then I will class them as Diabetes Expenses will come under this new category.

Diabetes Expenses – nil
A most will be one off items or once per year expenses. But I need to track these items on my small budget and pension. Each time I pay for some thing in this category I will need to cut something in other categories.

My credit cards are still paid in full each month.
Spending on books and papers $49.50 for the month including 4 papers.

I had to buy a birthday gift a watch last month, now I have paid for it to be engraved $29.95.
I do keep my bill money separated from this summery. This year I will be budgeting around $650 per period month to cover all my bills. This month bills were around $1005.12 so balance banked this month. These funds do cover all my fixed bills for the year if I can stick to this schedule as I have done for the past ten years or so. On my budget excel modelling chart I can pay the full amount this year. This amount includes the cat operation with the Vet.
As for food out, I dined out 4 times this month costing between $5 & $9 a time most were around the $9 mark as I can no longer eat at fast food outlets. That $9.00 meals at casino is still looking the healthiest and best deal in the city for now.

My grocery bill came in normal for this month.
Most of my social outing are dining out this is part of my social outings money and spending allowance.
If any changes to my spending habits will need to come out of my daily living allowance categories of my budget as my bill categories are very tight now. Still need to work on a few categories as you can see but over all I had a good month.

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

Late last year I changed to a cheaper plan with the same company that I was with.

Previously I was on a plan that allowed 7G internet and all free phone calls but I had to pay for any international calls if any. I don’t have very many so I don’t need international calls as I have only made 2 calls in 30 years. Both ship to shore internationals ones, now they are expensive. This new plan is for seniors and the lowest you can go at 5G internet and free local & national calls but all mobile calls are now changed. I have only a limit number of mobiles to ring and I use texting on my own mobile only with limited calls out for emergency or when lost someone in a crowd and I need to find them. I save around $40 per month on this plan and with adding in mobile calls saving still about $36. I don’t need any extra Gig on the internet as not using half of what I am paying for now. It’s a go back to dial up plan so if I watch my usage of mobiles calls and never go over my limit in the internet I will have around a fixed amount to pay each month. This is how I always worked my budget even if I am paying more than others I just don’t like bills that I just can’t pay because someone else has used up your limit for the month. On the five occasions that I went over on my limit some else used it on me and once at the beginning of the month too, I was not happy with that.

Our dollar Aus $1.07 to US $ at moment.

Strategy – Review your bills about every six months to see 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.

I just paid my water & sewage bill this morning, I know that I do get senior subsidy but when I looked at this bill, my water consumption was only 17 kilolitres for the quarter costing $16.89 and sewage and everything else around a $100 total bill that I paid was $111.19 for the quarter.

Our water & sewage access changes are $156.03 plus my $36.89 in water consumption changes then less my senior discount rate of $81.73 so comes out at $111.19 bill. For every kilolitre that I don’t use I save only $2.17 then get a senior water subsidy $20.00 off the total. So 17 kilolitres cost $16.89 for three months the balance of the bill was access fees. They are putting up these fees at alarming rate too! The only control on this bill is the water consumption. The city average per household is 360 to 400 kilolitres per quarter and most household are without any subsidies. The lowest I got my water consumption down to was 9 kilolitres per quarter when we were using bath water to keep our plants alive and at level 7 with dams level around 16%. This quarter I used some extra water to blast the slime off the steps and paths here. Will see what next quarter comes in at!

While the floods were on and having a blackout because of the flooding when one of the substation when under in our area. I wasn’t affected in the floods but lost of power for 4 hours and all the traffic lights were out around us and the businesses were on half power or rolling blackouts. Places went under water only 200 metres down the hill from where I live and the shopping centre is out of action for a number of months as it went underwater to the roof around 30 shops and businesses.

My 22 year old microwave decided to stop working and I had go out an get a replacement which I did when the rain stopped and some of the roads were safe to drive on. So I went looking at a large shopping centre not affected by the flood to price out a new one. My budget for a replacement was around the $300.00 mark for the largest and best in that price range. I looked at a number of models started to cross check pricing between stores. As I wanted 34L model with large inside cooking area. Most I found didn’t have large inside cooking area. It was between two models of the same brand that I liked LG - 34L 1100W - 3446 or 3448 models the only problem was, that they didn’t have any in stock to buy. One place was selling them for $226 (3446 model) and another $219 but no stock for 2 weeks but with all the microwaves that will be sold in the next few weeks, it could be months. So I came home without one. Later in the afternoon my DF-D was going out to drop off some items for the flood victims so I went with her and afterwards we went shopping for my microwave in a different shopping centre. I end up getting the LG - 34L 1100W - 3446W one for $200.00 cash. So I saved $26 on that model and $100 less than I budgeted for.

So far in my challenge to reduce spending in 2011, I have changed my

internet & phone plan and topped up my mobile plan for the year by $20.00, with the credit on it plus very limited use this amount will be almost all I will pay until December.

As for transport, as I limit the amount of driving that I do to planned trips with multi jobs, I can almost do without a car if I didn’t need it to travel across suburbs that don’t link up without a two hours bus trip one way then same trip back again or pay $60 each way in taxi fares to get there. We have a very large city so travel is on set routes but if you live or wish to travel outside these routes it can be a problem. Want can take 30 minutes around trip by car can take up to 4 hours and then you need catch multi buses to catch. So much about transport at least I do get cheaper fares with Senior discounts so that all helps.

My car with all it services, insurances and gas along with tolls does cost money that I could cut if things ever got out of hand. At the moment it’s my one luxury that I will live with for now. I do use the buses if I am heading for areas that I need to pay for parking as it works out a lot cheaper to do so.

Strategies
I don’t pay for parking unless I have no choice (unless e.g. hospital car parks or airports.)
I don’t use toll way unless I have no choice
I don’t drive in water across roads (my car is too low)

Eating out ----------$709.95--------over target by $289.95
Groceries -----------$1029.78--------under target by $596.13
Non -Food ----------$108.21---------under target by $95.79
Clothes -------------$510.54.--------over target by $90.54
Grooming -----------$169.80--------under target by $10.20
Gas -----------------$272.09--------under target by $72.91
Pets ----------------$612.40--------over target by $12.40
HH items ------------$578.33--------over target by $74.33
Fares ---------------$151.60----------over target by $43.60
Entrainment----------$330.25--------over target by $186.25
Garden---------------$145.70--------over target by $25.70
Gift & Donations------$426.77---------over target by $6.77
Medical --------------$173.85-------under target by $6.15
Misc -----------------$30.68--------under target by $77.32
Personal Allowance----$785.30--------under target by $234.70

Daily Living Allowance allotted amount for 2010 was $6354 and I spent total $5990.34--under target by $636.66
Even with being over in nine categories, I still just manage to come under my budget allotment for 2010.

This does give me the idea that I am subconsciously set myself amount to spend then holding back on some things if I think that I have to cut on my spending because I spend a lot one area that was needed like the medical.

By viewing

last year's Chart with this year’s one I am defiantly a subconscious budgeter.

Ok this Daily Living Allowance is the area that I will be working on to stretch and find any extra money I can. I also be looking at cutting back other on bills where I can. With utilities going up triple over next few years and with all these floods and storms, we have been having of late. My state is awash with flooding.

I phoned my internet & phone provider yesterday and charged my plan to a lower deal which is in more keeping with my usage. I don’t wish to charge provider but to get on a better plan. I will lose some services but with the amount I am using over all as I don’t use that much so if I allow about extra $10 to 15 per month on average above minimum charge then it may work out. I will have to be on a fixed provider for another 24 months but as I don’t plan to charge it’s not that much a problem. A lot of fees if I pull out before that all most better to stay put.

I was on 7G down & upload but using under 3G per month and phone cost with free national & local landline phone call plus free mobile use to provider’s mobile phones of which I was using around 4 calls per month. Now it 5G down & upload and landline phone cost with free national & local landline phone calls but I will be paying for all mobile calls plus 13 ….. numbers, these are at local call cost and mobile phones will be expensive if I get to make a lot of them but not as much as before.

What I like about these packages is it’s cheaper to have internet broadband and landline combines then pay for the landline on its own. My friend is paying over a $100 per month for her landline only. I have been paying the same amount each month so I do know how much I had to outlay each time.

Now saving around $40 per month is a lot on age pension.

Over 12 month’s $1078.80 average on the old plan
Over 12 month’s $606.60 average on the new plan plus extra $120 to $180 for mobile calls for that I was getting for free before. I will just have to watch that I use landline phone numbers if possible more often. So businesses that only have mobile or 13 numbers will miss out on my business from now on if I can help it.

While I was cleaning out some papers today, I found some old power bills from my parent’s time in this house. They pasted way in the early 1990’s so I do know they are their old bills as dates match that time.

My current power bills with 1kW Solar panels and solar hot water system are lower than that time by $60 and cost has risen somewhat. Same amount of power to run this house as then pre-solar.

I don’t use as much power now as then with solar and as there are not as many people in the house now. Four adult’s then and now only one adult.

Here are some samples
Winter - 1989 … 97 days … 2197KW cost $169.66
Summer - 1989-90 … 90 days … 1587KW cost $120.71

I haven’t got any bills since when the solar Hot water was installed.
Pre solar hot water bills
Winter - 2010 ….. 90 days … 898kW … solar rebate 42kW - cost $109.50
Summer - 2009-10 ….93 days … 1027kW… solar rebate 127 kW - cost $68.98

Rate now are very different to then. They now charge for service to property and as rates for anytime usage and off peak HW usage as well a solar rebate. These go up each year too!
Rates now around 20c kW and off peak 11.66c kW + service daily 24.55c then less solar rebate 44c kW

In 1990 it was about 11.51c kW and off peak HW 6.11c kW and no service charge.
(I have added them together here above) Both lots of bills do have Senior% in them.

Then you have now a Community Ambulance Cover at rate 30c daily per power bill in our state.
It’s good in one way we don’t need to pay for Ambulance if you need one. Just don’t own multiple properties in this state that all, pensioners are exempt from this charge.

I finely was able to pay my last payment on the Solar Hot Water as when I went to my online bank site I found that the Aus. Government rebate had come through and I could pay the state government for their outlay in this project. I was happy to get it over and done with; I went to the bank and had them transfer the money over to their account. My part of the project is now finish, the problem is if people spend the money before it paid over like mortgage payment. They never sent any email or mail that the rebate has paid, as you sign the right for the State government to take the money out of your account after 7 days.

Update on my Solar Hot Water

Our dams that were around 16% full 3 years ago are now overflowing and causing minor flooding as they can’t top up the only other dam that’s not full (25%) quickly enough but they can top it up so that part is good but they need to pump it up a mountain range. All our dams here now can fill each other I think.

The infrastructure was put in place to do this because of the long drought we had, now all four dams have all their gates open allowing water to run free into the rivers as we are having more rain in the coming days and weeks, yesterday was a fine day but more rain today.

The only thing I think should have happen is that they should have started filling the lowest dam when it got to 97% on the biggest dam as the flood plane is where they are worried about now. All four dams are over 100% full.

Water Leaks

Watering the garden at Level 5

Don’t you love water leaking somewhere at least I could pinpoint where this time. About nine months ago just before Christmas, I had my street redone while they were doing it the workmen cut the water pipe to my house and had to fix it. A few weeks ago now I found water leaking on my footpath so much that when I put my finger into the grass the water was up to my palm deep I rang the local water utilities and finely they came out to fix it up the new join had given way. After that was fixed a few days later I found I had rusty water leaking in my laundry down the wall. I had a hole in one of my pipes; a plumber came to fix it up yesterday this cost around $90 after a pensioner discount through a pensioner group I had joined. This is not bad after all the water leaks over 20 years I only had to pay for 2 repairs all the others were on the street side of the fence.

Four major water pipe bursts on street side and two minor pipes on my side costing me under $150 to repair over the past 10 years. If I have to replace the old pipes, this will cost around $1000 they are over sixty years old so I know that at some point they will need to be done. I will now budget for them and have this money ready for if or when that happens. All is working well at the moment so I am not in any hurry for it to be done now!

Our water bills are still going up whether we use to much water or not as the power to be are charging like a Bull in a China Shop, we now have to pay for all infrastructure of new dams and recycled water plants and Desalination Plant that doesn’t work after 2 years yet!

Update

desalination plant