Financial Tips
Paying those bills…..
Hint
Account for these bills separately by calculating the bills on a “per annum” basis then divide the total by the number of pay periods each year to find out how much to set aside each pay.
Example
Fred and Wilma have the following non-pay period expenses:
Rates
(per quarter)
$400.00 x 4
=$1,600.00
House insurance
(per annum)
$550.00 × 1
=$550.00
Car insurance
(per annum)
$500.00 × 1
=$500.00
Car rego & CTP
(per annum)
$600.00 × 1
=$600.00
Electricity
(per quarter)
$400.00 × 4
=$1,600.00
Phone
(per month)
$90.00 × 12
=$1,080.00
$5,930.00
$5,930.00 divided by 26 (number of fortnights per year) =$228.07 (to be set aside each pay period).
The financial counselling service has forms to make the process simple. If you would like to speak to one of our Financial Counsellors, please call 6643 4844 for an appointment.
Feeding the family...
- Never allow leftovers to go bad.
- Supplement with inexpensive foods.
- Shop in the produce isle. Shop for the inexpensive produce (usually seasonal).
- Only eat out on special occasions.
- Have substantial cereals for breakfast: rolled oats work out at approx. 5c per bowl!
- Avoid junk food.
- Avoid pre-cooked foods.
- Buy a basic paperback cookbook.
- Don’t buy beverages.
Special Bonus Tip. Use dried milk, it will save you $$. There are a few tricks to using dried milk:
- First, invest in a glass container. Dried milk doesn’t taste very nice in a plastic container.
- Second, chill it. Initially, you can add a portion of dried milk to your normal milk, increasing the amount every few days, so no one will notice the difference.
For more information on managing your money; reducing your debt; planning for the future; growing your wealth; with access to tools and resources please visit https://moneysmart.gov.au/