Laceshawl's Personal Finance Blog

and taketh away with the other. I was informed that anyone with an income of under $nz20,000 last year could apply for a $500 rebate on rates (property taxes). As this most definitely includes me, I hurried to get the forms. And waddya think was written on them?

*if your income last year came from a sickness benefit you must declare any rebate recieved as income.*

in other words, Work and Income is now going to turn around and deduct 70 cents in the dollar from me. And they wonder why people stay stuck in the poverty trap.

Never mind. Payday again tomorrow. I still have $8.40 in cash from this week, and food for a couple days.

Just before I stopped work today the boss said casually, let's keep taking it week by week, shall we? But the agency rep tells me he was very keen to have me stay on. They are coming up to their busy season, so i think I will be working until Christmas.

So my weekly income is now

Work $202 after taxes
Disability allowance $38

The first thing I did was increase the automatic payment to my House a/c to $30 a week. I am also going to put $20 a week aside for purchasing Govt Bonds for my Emergency Fund.

And I need to buy a new printer. I shall have to draw up a little list of things I need.

to hear whether i get more weeks in this job. The office supervisor keeps saying she wants me to continue, but the boss is away this week so haven't been asked yet.

Doling out the money s-l-o-w-l-y and carefully in the meantime. Today's spending:

prescription 17.00
busfare 2.60

made do with banana and oatmeal for breakfast, cheese sandwich for lunch, and zuccinni fritters for dinner. The same as I had yesterday.

I am having to go to dad's house this weekend. The financial matters are now in the hands of the Public Trust, and they say it is to be sold, so I need to go and make an inventory of the goods in the house and decide what is to be done with them. None of us really want the furniture, but the pictures and books have sentimental value for all of us.

for the encouragement. Today I decided to walk back from work to save money and because I need the exercise. On the way I found a dollar and two 10s! With a little bit of change I had in my jar, I now have $6.20 and I get paid tomorrow.

Woe is me. Announcing that I intend to save money is like announcing I'm going on a diet. When I try to cut food intake I start eating everything in sight. When i decide not to spend everyman and his dog is ringing me inviting me to all sorts of delightful places - at a price. I managed to blow $14.95 of my remaining cash at lunch with a friend and now have only $3.80 left. It's that blasted ATM card, i just keep thinking, I can get some more cash out.
I could go into all sorts of psychological reasons why I do this (I'm reacting to my dad who was always nagging me about wasting my money)but never mind Freud. I've just got to stop. Otherwise I'll be having to go without food for a week in order to save money.
I can do this. I know I can. Heck I've faced big challenges in my time. And if I'm smart enough to go back to college and get my BA at the age of 40, I'm not too old to learn new tricks.
Encourage me wouldya?

Having had the lowest income in the country and a load of family requirements AND repairs to be done on the house recently, I've been going backwards - using up savings.

This is what I have left
Check 28.88
Bill paying a/c 417.79 (electric bill of $nz134 to come out)
House 286.13 (this is the one I use for anything to do with the house - repairs, replacing appliances, linen etc) It is kind of a Freedom Fund for dealing with unexpected expenses)
Travel 163.34
Bonds 1180

Hmm, not terribly healthy looking, but at least I'm not in debt. I've got to tighten my belt and do some money building exercises. My goals are:

1. Get the House a/c up to $1000 by the end of the year. If I get this job permanently I'll build it up even more. I'd like to pay for all the repairs in cash and avoid taking out a home equity loan.

2. Hang on to the $1000 in Bonds as a Baby Emergency Fund, eg if I have to do any more travel because of sickness in the family, and then get it up to a full 3 months worth of expenses. $5000 would make me feel comfortable.

3. Start paying into my retirement savings again.

At the moment I have $22.90 in my purse, but I won't get paid until Thursday. I feel a challenge coming on ... can I get by paying for just milk and busfares and make it last?

Well, i got my first contract thru the temping agancy. 2 weeks of 20 hrs per week. I completed my first week this week, and the office supervisor said I fitted in well and she hoped the boss would ask me to stay on as there was plenty of work for me to do. So fingers crossed. I am getting my first pay next Wed, and will be getting about $50 a week more income after the cuts to the Sickness Benefit are made. My only current extra expenses are $2.60 a day busfare.

I got a quote of $960 to put up new spouting. Not cheap, but a new downpipe needs to be put in and scaffolding hired. I am concerned they may also find some of the facing board needs to be replaced. So I will probably need to take out an equity loan, but I'm not doing it until I have a permanent job.

My friend Dan came round and gave me a hand today stripping paint off the window frame. Nearly all the wood in the house has been painted over and i want to get back as it is lovely timber underneath. Then I will just paint the walls and put rugs on the floor and unbleached calico curtains. It will be a sort of Indian look. Stripping off the paint was really slow and Dan suggested I look at getting a carbide stripper, so I'm off to check out prices.

Well, I have had a lovely time with sis going round the 2nd hand shops looking for furniture. I bought
a lounge suite for $NZ249
a dining suite for $nz180
and a filing cabinet $70.
Some plastic boxes to store all ds comic and DVD colection in.
A couple rubbish bins.
A new single mattress
I also had to get some tools and some paint stripper so I could get started on redecorating. i am still waiting on the quote for new spouting.

I also had to pay Toastmasters subs, and buy a choir uniform and music folder. Plus a trip to see dad.

All this is necessary expense, but last month I spent over $nz1800, while my income was only $800. Time for another austerity month.

I have signed on with one of the agencies to see if I can get some temp work.

We are coming into spring here in southern land. My camellias and magnolia are in bloom. Today was a lovely sunny day, filling people with smiles and energy.

Sis has decreed that I should turn the spare bedroom into a hobby room. OK, so long as it can be done on the cheap. There is a horrible orange and brown carpet which I have never liked. It wasn't in very good condition, so we tore it up and found the boards underneath were in good condition, so decided to polish them up, and put down a nice rug. Our first step was to take the old carpet to the tip. We dumped it, then took a look at the recycling shop they have there which sells still usable goods. And wadda ya think! They had some offcuts of carpet, a nice beige, in perfect condition. And how much did the guy ask for it?

TWO DOLLARS!!

We grabbed it and whizzed back home with it. Looked great and matched the curtains beautifully. So now I have a totally recarpeted room at a price even a dyed in the wool skinflint like me can't complain about. I gotta start checking out the tip more often.

Okay, it looks like I am up for some big expenses in the coming year. I was lucky an old college friend who inspects State rental housing came round and had a look at my place. Here's what he told me:

There is damp coming down from the leaky spouting and it will need mending.

There are not enough vents in the basement and more will have to be put in.

The plaster should be painted with waterproof paint by next winter, and some of the boards need replcing.

The old logburner in the living room needs to be taken out as it doesn't conform to the new regulations.

I have to start getting quotes right away as there is a real shortage of qualified tradesmen locally and it can take months to get a job done.

As to paying for it, I have been told to ring Disability Information Services, as there are grants available to do repair work on health grounds. I have been in contact with the City Council which is running a Healthy Homes initiative, and will put insulation in the houses of people with disabilities. I will probably have to pay a third myself. So the problem is not insurmountable.

And I have applied for a couple of parttime jobs, one in a bookstore and the other at the library. I have customer service and library experience as a volunteer, so I hope that will help me get a foot in the door. The New Zealand academic year finishes in a month, and many students will be heading home, so I stand a good chance of getting temporary work over the holiday period anyway. Many of the employers here don't like to hire students as they have a reputation for being unreliable. So someone is sure to want a, umm, "mature" person.

I went to one of the agencies today, to see if I could get some temping. They were not terribly helpful as they didn't know of too many workplaces that would be modified for a temp. I am really not at all confident, as I did have good admin skills, but feel very rusty. I keep thinking I will only get minimum wage positions. My health is still not 100% so I can't manage the long hours the top positions demand.
On the plus side, I have a lot of volunteer experience with people from all sorts of backgrounds and good communication skills. The broker from Work and Income told me of a scheme called Straight 2 Work, which places people in work situations for short periods so they can gain experience and confidence. It seems to be more geared to school leavers, but I was told I will probably qualify.

When everyone seems to be demanding my money. I bought a few tools and some curtain material for the house, which I thought I could afford, then i got hit with this glasses bill, plus my dentist just sent me an appointment for the 22nd. I need to pay a $100 subscription for the choir and I have to have some spare cash for going to National Conference on the 25th. Next month I need to put aside $80 for Toastmasters and I was hoping to go visit a friend in another city. Okay, so they're not all necessities; I could just sit at home and count my money instead. However, the work broker just told me about a 6 month project I might be put to work on - data entry. Shall I spend the extra money doing the house up, or should I save for a new car? Ah the pain when there's not enough money to do everything I want. At times like these I am almost tempted to buy a lottery ticket so I can have a few pleasurable days of dreaming.

First, the bad news., because I'm the sort of person who likes to get it out of the way quickly. I decided to do some work on my house while sis was here to help me. Got some bright material and made new drape for the living room. The plan was to pull up the hideous carpet which I have hated since i moved in, polish up the floorboards, and have a nice colorful rug on it. Unfortunately, we found one corner of the room was very damp, and found the basement underneath that spot was also quite wet. What to do? I haven't got an estimate for fixing it yet, but I imagine it will be considerable. I don't know if I should use my Bond money, or take out a home equity loan. I'd rather owe $3000 and have $3000 than have no money at all.
I'm also debating whether it's worth my fixing it up at all, or whether I should sell it in its current condition and move to a more disability friendly house, as I will eventually have to do anyway. I love my little house, and I'm very proud of the fact I bought and paid off the mortgage all by myself, but maybe the time has come to let it go.

The good news is that 3 months ago I found a camera and handed in in to the police. Well, I just got a letter saying it hasn't been claimed so it is now mine. Honesty pays.

Because of all the close work I've been doing lately, on the computer and my knitting, I've been prescribed glasses. $NZ355 for eye exam, lenses and frames. Ouch. Just when I'd planned to do a little home decorating. (Sis offered to paint the walls while she's here)

I did ask about hobby glasses, but I have astigmatism too so need corrective lenses. Oh well, if I am going back into the work force and be spending my time at a computer, I'd better have them now. I have already received many compliments on my new haircut, there will be even more comment on my changed appearance with glasses. Must be either the new moon or the onset of midlife that brings about such dramatic change.

My doctor has okayed me for parttime work!! I lolloped down to Work and Income pronto and took a gander at the jobs notice board. There is a nice little job as receptionist which I think would suit me fine. But I had to make an appointment with a work broker who specialises in placing people with disabilities, so will be busy touching up my CV tomorrow. Also have to ring previous employers to update my references. Happy happy me.

I decided recently I spent a lot of time on my own and am becoming a boring person, too prone to talk about my ailments. So I decided to put more interests in my life.

I became the organizer of a support group, and have now been asked to attend a National Conference. Airfare paid.

I joined Toastmasters and have been recently inspired to start entering contests. This year a girl from our area won the New Zealand finals, so on Friday I am helping in her fundraiser to get her to the International finals in Washington DC. $nz20 to hear some great speeches and supper.

And last night I auditioned for the City choir and won a place in the first altos!
So when my dr tells me I am okay to get back to work (I am hoping he will ok me for parttime soon), I will have lots of interesting things to put on my CV.

Today I paid $85 into my Emergency savings and am slowly rebuilding it. I actually spent less money this month than last tho I wasn't particularly trying to save. $nz584.26, total savings this month $nz187.72.

Back in May my ISP was down for a couple days in some parts of the country. It didn't affect me, but I have just received a $3.72 rebate. Today I met with an old college friend who is going thru a difficult time and took her to the movies to get her mind off her troubles. The quickest way to feel rich is to be generous to someone worse off than you are. I was rewarded at the box office because it turned out to be a discount day.

We are nearing the end of winter Down Under and today is a lovely day with birds singing and crocuses blooming. I have not had the heater on all day and got the laundry dry on the line.

Just a few odds and ends to keep you inthe picture. Sis is going to be spending the next semester studying in our town and will be staying with me. I won't charge her rent, as she has a car and we will split costs. She is planning to get a parttimejob to cover her expenses. However she is also making alarming noises about all the renovations she thinks i should do round my place. I will have to be quite firm and tell her i only intend to do what I can pay cash for. Having a high earning husband herself, she doesn't realise I have to be responsible for my own future.

I rang ds for his birthday in England. He sounds very happy and was in the kitchen making pancakes for his girl cousins and a lot of their girlfriends. That's my boy!

This morning the dayold bread bin was very well stocked. I got a bag of savory scones and a fruit loaf for 50 cents each.

Today they are phasing out 5 cents and bringing in the new lighter coins. I read an article that it will be good for the economy as they cost less to make. The article said that money nowadays isn't actually worth anything; the reason people accept it is they know they can pass it on to the next person. I was more interested in the bank teller's comment there will be more people dropping the new coins. I will keep a sharp lookout! i found one of the old 10 cent coins today, and I have a jar of coins that I must bank.

One of our supermarkets packages up its near-their-use-by-date frozen goods and sells them in $NZ5 mystery packs on Tuesdays. After a friend told me about it I thought I would check it out. I got a huge bag of peas, loads of beef patties, and a box of raspberries. I was quite plaesed. but I'm going to have to get a hustle on to eat in all in time and i think I may get a little sick of peas and patties. it would be a good buy if you had a family, but for a single person it is rather a lot.

I admit it, I'm a yarnaholic. I have an entire hope chest stashed with yarn - which is why I signed up with Stashbusters till the end of the year.

But yesterday I caved, looking thru my patterns and thinking about what I could knit for friend's baby. I found the sweetest bootee patterns and - well, gulp, yes, I wound up buying a ball of baby yarn.

But only one ball! and this despite the fact they had a sale on! I bravely walked past all the boxes of novelty yarn and luscious mohair, found exactly what I wanted, paid for it plus a yard of ribbon, and walked out. No stopping to drool. HA! Will power!

Or maybe it's the fact I have a trip coming up next month and i know I have to save for it.

I also used some scrap yarn to knit an ipod cozy for another friend. Oh - wait I don't have any suitable buttons. What to do? Fear not, the local thrift store sells them. And walking into the thrift store what do I see? A whole BAG of baby yarn going for $2. Rats, could have saved $1.50 on my purchase. Never mind, just remeber to check it out first next time.

I read somewhere that the size of your income is related to that of your friends. Your income will be the average of the five people closest to you. So I totted up my closest friends income, divided by 5 and guess what? That's about how much I recieved last year.

It makes sense i guess. When I was working most of my friends worked and our income was about the same. Now I have mostly friends who are also on disability and our incomes are lower. I guess the way to increase my income is to get me some rich friends!

One of my friends just announced she's having a baby. I have a ton of yarn in my stash but no baby wool. So I will have to buy some to knit her a pair of bootees. I had hoped not to buy any until I'd used up all I had. On second thoughts, maybe I will use my scraps to knit a blanket.

I very rarely eat at fast food joints, but Burger King has been running a win-a-prize promo. A friend got a ticket for free fries which she gave to me as she was on a diet (I didn't ask her how she came to win the prize lol!). So I went to the mall for my fries. I haven't been to the food court in some time, and I was pleased to see a new Indian restaurant had opened up. I like Indian when i eat out. A curry fills me up nicely and is very cheap. I never want dessert after. So there is where I will go when I have my once a month splurge.

I admit I am not very techie. Until now I've relied on ds to do things like download freebies and generally fix things up when they go wrong. But with him in England, I'm having to figure out more for myself. A friend recently upgraded his computer, and he gave me a copy of Works Office Suite 2000, and - ta da! - I installed it all by myself. It has a copy of Microsft Money on it, and I've been busy entering all my info. Up to now I've had all these funny little spreadsheets I created myself. (OK I'm anal, I track to the penny)

I won $NZ20 this month. No I did not buy a lottery ticket. Let me explain.

When I was young mum bought me some Bonus Bonds. These are a type of Govt bond, but they don't pay interest. Instead, every month there is a draw, and the lucky winners get up to $NZ300,000 prize money. I have won a few small prizes in the past, nothing spectacular, and was thinking of cashing them in. But after all, mum gave them to me...

They are quite good for those with a gambling streak as you get to keep your wagered money. And....the prize money is not taxed. For people like me, who are on a benefit, they save endless hassles with Dept Social Welfare.

This weekend I attended a health camp arranged by my support group. It cost $NZ40 and I was involved in the organizing. $14 per person per night for accommodation, which left us $120 to buy groceries and cleaning supplies for 10 people for the weekend.

Breakfast: oatmeal, cornflakes, toast and jam, tinned fruit.
Lunch: eggs,cheese, tinned salmon, bread, baked scones.
Dinner: chicken, potatoes, pumpkin, coleslaw. Fruit pudding with icecream.
Snacks: bananas, kiwis, apples and everyone brought some cookies
Drinks: Coffee, tea, milk and powdered juice.

Everyone enjoyed it very much and there were no complaints. We even had leftovers for people to take home ( I got some margarine, kiwis and a pack of frozen mixed veg.) But it is becoming more and more difficult to find nice camps at a reasonable price. There are so many health and safety regulations passed by the govt, that it costs the owners a fortune to do the alterations. So increasingly, people are selling the traditional campground that families have stayed at for generations. There are a few left, mostly run by church groups for needy groups in the community, but I don;t know how much longer they'll be around.

I shopped for groceries today, mostly fruit and veg,potatoes, pasta, dates,flour and milk powder. It came to $18.25. as I will be at a community health camp this weekend, I didn't need so much. The checkout girl commented on how much I had for my money. The woman ahead of me had some diet coke and precooked chicken, then she wanted a carton of cigarettes, which took her bill to over $NZ50.

Time to inspect the damage caused by ds flitting the nest. Apart from the money I spent on him, this month's expenses came to $NZ646.61 Not bad, could be lower in theory, but since I live on a low income anyway, and have to watch pennies all the time, I tend to rationalise my treats.

Property taxes 87.40
Electric 101.00
Insurance 48.78
Phone 44.78
Internet 27.95
Grocery 113.25
Eating out 18.75
Church 58.25
Household 4.00
Prescription 4.00
Hobbies 5.00
Shoes 29.95
Travel 60.00
Misc. 43.55

However, I am above budget for the first 6 months of the year. To keep within budget I have NZ4,672 to spend for the rest of the year, or 778 per month. I want to see how much of that I can save into my battered Emergency account, so have decided:

Sign up to Stashalong for 6 months and not purchase any more yarn or materials.
Don't buy any more outer clothing.
Restrict use of ATM to one cash withdrawal per week, and pay for all purchases in cash. Once cash is gone, that's it for week.
Eat out only once per month.
Only one trip out of town per month.
Restrict long distance calls to family to once a week.

One week after ds left, what should arrive in the mailbox for him but a $30 check from Smile City (a New Zealand site) for answering surveys. He'd been trying to get me to sign up to earn himself more points, but I was a bit iffy. After I'd paid the money into his account, I rushed to sign up. i have already earned 127 points just for 5 minutes clicking on banners (over $1)

I went to the Fair Trade shop today and saw some earrings I liked for $12.95. When I took them to the counter, the girl said there was 20% off all jewellry. I then asked her what the symbol on the earrings meant. She said "Prosperity!" We had a good laugh, and she wished me a prosperous day. On the way home I found a half dollar by a parking meter.

My change jar is a clay pot in the shape of two begging hands (Sorry no photo) I got it from the church for the mission appeal, but liked it so much I used it myself once the appeal was ended. It holds about $30 in change, then I pay it into the bank.

This month the change jar passed a minor milestone: since the beginning of the year over $100 in found money has passed through its eager little hands - $NZ114.15 to be precise. I gave 10% of that to my church. Maybe I will find $200 this year if the second half is as good as the first.