WE need to halve our living expenses - can you help?

[pinkboy]

What are you saving for? Find out what your wife wants. Make the goal tangible and achievable. Oh..and include the kids.

I like this and will add to make the kids informed of the general achievement you are getting to. Nothing worse than the kids in the school yard pulling out the sanga and apple, turning to their friends and saying 'We're poor - I've been down graded from caviar and chocolate to this $h!t'!



pinkboy

 

[BayView]

Delete lunches for work and gym membership for starters.

Eat left overs like me, or pack a tuna and vegemite sandwich, etc.

My favourite; left over rice, heated up with a tin of corn kernels, and chuck in a tin of smoked tuna in oil. Salt and pepper...yum.

Home made spag bog and so on - way cheaper than the shops to eat if made at home. Shop at the markets for price.

You don't need a gym to get in shape.

There are legs you stand on, arms you can swim with (fast swimming - not the "nanna stroke").

Bikes are good - ridden fast; not wandering along in a dream state..

Not on a $5k featherweight Lance number either; a heavy as a brick $150 clunker that makes you get the heart rate really up. Find hills to ride it up.

And so on.

 

[IinvestinIP]

Nobuyvember

We are having a similar goal, so trying to reduce our living expenses and simplify our lifestyle. After losing my father in law recently we are rethinking what is important to us. So, I started a " No buy November" where we" Pledging not to buy any new items for the month of November, apart from basic food and hygiene and medications. Using the month instead to declutter." (see facebook page nobuyvember if you are interested.) It has been an empowering journey so far. Spending time on decluttering life and finances. Reduced our phone/internet bill enough to pay by almost $900 a year by bundling. Spend on hour yesterday on the phone to bank and reduced all our home and IP interest rate by a lot. (now either 5% or under. Ask about the credit card as well and reduced this down to 9% for 6 month and got some balance transfered for 0.99% for 6 months. This will save us and we will be able to create more equity. Also, having fun preparing a garage sale and sell stuff from cupboards and shed we haven't used in ages. We are enjoying it so much, will go a bit further and keep doing it for longer. Not for everyone, but you need to find what works for you and get the whole family involved, make it a interesting journey, not a chore!