tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5089828552519076506.post7225294811056069652..comments2024-03-29T16:34:01.380+10:00Comments on down to earth: The temptation to spendUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger30125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5089828552519076506.post-27782982929386021622012-09-04T22:41:07.828+10:002012-09-04T22:41:07.828+10:00I like your ideas. very well put. especially the o...I like your ideas. very well put. especially the one with "how many hours you'd have to work for..". Wwhere i live there are some ads from a construction materials retailer and right now their new logo is "affordable even with small incomes" and they feature different types of workers + quotes, like "with my 3-days income i was able to buy a mower". I always wondered if I am the only one thinking "who on earth would work 3 days for a mower?!". keep up the good work! Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5089828552519076506.post-81472260030078183962012-09-04T14:18:05.959+10:002012-09-04T14:18:05.959+10:00My parents never had any money skills and still do...My parents never had any money skills and still don't. They taught me nothing whatsoever about money and kept everything money related a secret. It has taken me thrity plus years to become financially savy and it frustrates me to no end seeing my parents still unable to budget or manage on their income. I think the best thing we can do is talk about money and everything related to it with our children!! Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5089828552519076506.post-31203739689558170102012-08-31T04:58:27.930+10:002012-08-31T04:58:27.930+10:00My family was awful at savings and frugality. My m...My family was awful at savings and frugality. My mom was smart to do 401(k) savings when they came out, but she still had tough times making ends me here and there. <br />My hubby and I live in New Jersey which has very high property taxes. Thanks to the crappy housing markets the values of our houses have gone down and so have our taxes so it is a weird combo of blessing and curse. We do our best to balance our budget since we are on one income. We have a small veggie garden, but it was an off year for some of our produce like tomatoes but great for kale :)<br />Our cars are from 2002 (over 110K miles) and 2005 (over 75K miles) and even though the car deals are fabulous now, after much hemming and hawing, we have nixed the idea of taking on car payments. We will continue to maintenance our cars best we can until we absolutely have to replace them.<br />As my hubby says, "We are all just one paycheck away from going off the rails." That is why we do our best to save as much as we can for ourselves and our baby boy. <br />Your blog has been an incredible journey for me over the years and I commend you for sharing your stories and your knowledge with all of us.<br />Cheers!<br /><br />MissFifihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09948141818594611257noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5089828552519076506.post-3620591852595532292012-08-30T11:22:09.930+10:002012-08-30T11:22:09.930+10:00It is so easy to spend, even when being frugal, we...It is so easy to spend, even when being frugal, we just forget. I have learned quite a bit from the forum and your blog. All your saying is what I knew as a child and forgot when working as a single and now usually a two income home. ThanksDbrhH.https://www.blogger.com/profile/13052036567121618203noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5089828552519076506.post-29067487144666544152012-08-29T23:17:43.257+10:002012-08-29T23:17:43.257+10:00Thanks Rhonda. I needed to hear a speech like that...Thanks Rhonda. I needed to hear a speech like that. I first got on the saving train with the old book "Your Money or Your Life" which I found in a thrift store years ago. What a great book on this very topic but even with that we still need fresh inspiration now and then. erinshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08659932994901264281noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5089828552519076506.post-3769949084715593722012-08-29T20:17:11.502+10:002012-08-29T20:17:11.502+10:00Create dont consume!Create dont consume!Sanchiahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16780237451671744718noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5089828552519076506.post-19575669410067528682012-08-29T17:26:02.916+10:002012-08-29T17:26:02.916+10:00Great tips Rhonda - it helps to have a review ever...Great tips Rhonda - it helps to have a review every now and again :) One area that we really need to cut down on is electricity. With our wet and cold summer I haven't been able to put our washing outdoors as much as often and I'm really conscious of the energy and money we're spending on the dryer.<br /><br />One thing that really helps me save money at the grocery store is to always plan out the week's meals based on what's already in the garden, cupboards and refrigerator. Then I make a list of missing ingredients which I stick to when I'm going around the shop. It also helps to do your shopping on a full stomach!Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03861108457109878599noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5089828552519076506.post-54762745856419241832012-08-29T17:09:45.398+10:002012-08-29T17:09:45.398+10:00Unfortunately many people do not learn the importa...Unfortunately many people do not learn the importance of saving from their families. My husband comes from that sort of family. I've even heard my MIL complain about a BIL, who likes to have money in the bank - the words used were that it was a waste just leaving it in bank instead of spending it. <br /><br />Then she would complain how nice it would be to grow up "rich" like I did. My parents owned their own property with a big house. When we were young we lived very frugally, growing our own food, when there wasn't enough Mum went without dinner, Dad would work several jobs such as fruit picking, painting as well as his railway job. He built our house using mostly second hand materials, everything was saved for. As a result he had no credit rating, the one time he decided to get a loan for carpet, only because he wanted a credit rating, he was knocked back for not having one. He'd already saved enough for the carpet and stood up in the office saying "bugger this I'll pay cash" before walking out. Cherylhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13015650802709059282noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5089828552519076506.post-3734631484827322022012-08-29T16:36:21.648+10:002012-08-29T16:36:21.648+10:00A great post. We have pretty well always had to l...A great post. We have pretty well always had to live carefully, and I've always cooked from scratch, tried to bulk cook and have meals in the freezer for those busy days or when you are off-colour and cannot cook. The only things we have bought new over the years are electrical goods (e.g. cooker, vacuum etc) All furniture has come from auction. I've never been a "let's go to the shops" person since my teenage years were over when it was a Saturday ritual. <br /><br />For those tempted to shop on-line - with me it's those Amazon-moments (for books, which are my weakness) - I put it on my wish-list and although my finger is tempted to press one-click, I give myself a chance to sleep on it and the urge usually goes away! Now I try not to go to look at Amazon in the first place : )Bovey Bellehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13117332471600275100noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5089828552519076506.post-38412829793629402592012-08-29T14:07:04.072+10:002012-08-29T14:07:04.072+10:00I find it interesting how things of convienence of...I find it interesting how things of convienence often turn around to bite us in the butt. Take credit & bank cards for example. Has their popularity really been driven by consumer desire for quick easy access to money, or has it come from the fat cats that are laughing all the way to the bank, literally.<br /><br />My partner and I use to use cards and little cash. Despite being on the slightly fugal side we never seemed to get ahead. No matter what we earned it was always spent. It occurred to us the problem was the simple fact that neither of us knew how much money was available, so could the decision to spend or not to spend be made. To solve this we destroyed or locked away the cards and switched to cash. We now have our finances under control with no supposed inconvenience.Jason Dingleyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13332208335330160649noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5089828552519076506.post-72003999819214432812012-08-29T11:51:33.874+10:002012-08-29T11:51:33.874+10:00Wish I had read it before I sent off an order at a...Wish I had read it before I sent off an order at an online sale today. Though I must admit there was that nagging thought that maybe I didn't REALLY need them -- I removed a few things before checkout but some of the others were things to look nicer than the things I already have!! Why, why do I fall into this trap?<br />It is the credit card trap where we pay later, no budget and not using cash as you suggest.... Changes ahead for me!<br />Thanks again for great post Rhonda. Hadassahhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01199195698125154889noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5089828552519076506.post-54300360478990466922012-08-29T11:29:03.850+10:002012-08-29T11:29:03.850+10:00For those who mentioned being taxed on savings (I ...For those who mentioned being taxed on savings (I presume you mean when you have an interest savings account) stick it in the mortgage/offset account instead! Not only will you not pay tax on the savings you are saving yourself from paying extra interest on your home loan, the effects of which compound over time. Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5089828552519076506.post-51997729316112952562012-08-29T11:08:18.768+10:002012-08-29T11:08:18.768+10:00Hi Rhonda,
I find steering clear of shopping centr...Hi Rhonda,<br />I find steering clear of shopping centres is good for both my mental health and bank balance. When I'm at the shops these days I feel like I'm fighting an enslaught of temptation. There's 'stuff' everywhere, and I can sometimes leave feeling despondent, or stressed, thinking we can't afford a new this or that. Once I get home and remind myself, actually we could buy it but we don't need it, I feel much, much better.<br />I find Bunnings a lot harder to leave empty handed though :)<br />Rachael<br />PS I have a chook I need to cook - what's happening in that pic of yours?Balance and Blisshttp://www.balanceandbliss.com.aunoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5089828552519076506.post-68251579833316983512012-08-29T10:53:25.298+10:002012-08-29T10:53:25.298+10:00I have been living on a limited income for most of...I have been living on a limited income for most of my adult life. Sewing was a challenge so I collected (free) denim jeans, took them apart and made many projects (still a favorite activity to do). Before all the back to a simple life became well known we had a big garden and chickens in a big city, we found out later it was legal to have 3 (we had 7) and our neighbors loved to watch them. I have canned jams and fruit all my life even as a kid we "found" berries and fruit trees on public land. I don't buy quantities of chips, soda or sweets and they are not missed at all. Saving change has been a habit since childhood that never stopped, recently it almost paid for a new Mac computer but life got in the way again (loss of my job, as the main income). Oh well! These habits just never left so it was easy to adjust, again. We think that the dollar saved is good but the tax paid on the interest is a crime! Your words are great and brings back memories, thank you!simply livinghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15318689844578507680noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5089828552519076506.post-3975434496108728702012-08-29T10:50:45.592+10:002012-08-29T10:50:45.592+10:00I think by following these "tenets" one ...I think by following these "tenets" one could be on their way to the "good life". If we deeply think about it, the things we would be cutting down on simply don't stand up to the scrutiny that they genuinely make us happier.<br /><br />For example: "Stop buying food and buy ingredients instead. Cooking from scratch will save money and help you reduce the amount of artificial additives you eat." Save, eating out at a nice restaurant from time to time, buying packaged food makes us feel guilty - as it is usually over-indulgent - and makes us unhealthy. True joy can be found cooking from scratch, sharing your efforts with friends, and seeing their reaction. It gives one a sense of pride. <br />Paul - The Kind Little Bloggerhttp://www.thekindcleaner.com.au/blognoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5089828552519076506.post-74294069951459851912012-08-29T10:23:57.334+10:002012-08-29T10:23:57.334+10:00Some great tips Rhonda. It easy easy to caught up ...Some great tips Rhonda. It easy easy to caught up in spending - especially when your too busy to think about what you are actually doing. <br /><br />Whenever our spending gets out of control we go on a 'no spend' week or more (we once did it for a month) where we don't spend a single cent other than to pay bills. We do without and live on the food in our pantry and our vege box (which we pay for up front at the start of the year because we are a CSA farm member). I find its a great way to remind myself how little we truly need to be happy. triciahttp://www.littleecofootprints.com/noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5089828552519076506.post-51325782590616520362012-08-29T10:12:51.623+10:002012-08-29T10:12:51.623+10:00Hi if I have to buy something I always cheek on eB...Hi if I have to buy something I always cheek on eBay or green tree first then I hit the second hand shops or markets . Since I read your book I do a lot of things differently LindaAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5089828552519076506.post-67163991603764339582012-08-29T09:55:07.891+10:002012-08-29T09:55:07.891+10:00I'm trying all sorts of things about the house...I'm trying all sorts of things about the house to save money - some worth it (making our own bread) others not so worth it (homemade deodorant that lead to fungal infections!! hehe)... I'm still evaluating homemade laundry powder as I'm not sure it does as good a job as the commercial stuff. The garden is going to be good for our budget I think as I've stuck to a strict budget - regardless of that - it will all be good eating :-) Also, having young children is great for the budget because I'm pretty much housebound!Clairehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03293118986621010393noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5089828552519076506.post-53800892891817740012012-08-29T09:22:53.304+10:002012-08-29T09:22:53.304+10:00I love the statement " a saved dollar is not ...I love the statement " a saved dollar is not taxed" . Now there is something to think about and remember :)Eileenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17031688737964746427noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5089828552519076506.post-70917660790599326562012-08-29T09:09:34.788+10:002012-08-29T09:09:34.788+10:00I must clarify I meant its a necessity to live fru...I must clarify I meant its a necessity to live frugally with my 6 kids. I reread that. I think the hard part is that there are so many things that are necessities. But im constantly trying my best to not spend unwisely. <br />Thanks! ChristinaJulianhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00476350545165811489noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5089828552519076506.post-63935766289142545702012-08-29T08:07:22.820+10:002012-08-29T08:07:22.820+10:00Our kids worked when they were younger too. It'...Our kids worked when they were younger too. It's a great practical way to show them how to deal with money. xxrhonda jeanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08962112306968959985noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5089828552519076506.post-34794432214866119232012-08-29T07:42:28.021+10:002012-08-29T07:42:28.021+10:00Wise words as usual Rhonda.
However here in Franc...Wise words as usual Rhonda. <br />However here in France we do get taxed on our saved euros! How much incentive is there to save if after having paid all those other taxes there's even more to pay at the end of the year. However being of your generation we still manage to save and just have to put up with being taxed on our old fashioned habits.<br />Helen in FranceAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5089828552519076506.post-86261759593616601162012-08-29T07:12:46.106+10:002012-08-29T07:12:46.106+10:00Wise words Rhonda. I also think that if you have ...Wise words Rhonda. I also think that if you have put time, love and effort into making something from scratch, you will not only save money but enjoy it so much more.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5089828552519076506.post-91562408848362597382012-08-29T07:11:06.662+10:002012-08-29T07:11:06.662+10:00It's amazing the difference limited exposure t...It's amazing the difference limited exposure to advertising makes too. Whenever I feel like I'm overspending I stop looking at magazines or watching TV and my desire for unnecessary things just disappears. I don't feel like I'm missing out on anything because advertising isn't forcing that message into my head. <br /><br />If I need a pick me up I use an online calculator to see how many years that extra repayment has saved on our mortgage. I will quickly forgo that new dress when I see that compounded over time it will equal months off the loan! Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5089828552519076506.post-77871008309340326642012-08-29T06:56:03.951+10:002012-08-29T06:56:03.951+10:00I am a member of simple savings. It is an Australi...I am a member of simple savings. It is an Australian website and forum dedicated to helping people spend less and save more. It has really helped me with my budgeting and spending habits.Farmer Bechttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11970102657233101755noreply@blogger.com