The Rising Costs of Fresh Fruit & Veg

Oh what a beautiful morning... 

I don't think anyone hasn't been gob-smacked by the cost of bananas.

But $4 for a small capsicum? My youngest sister came to the conclusion its time to "drink more wine. It's cheaper, tastes better, and I look fantastic after a few!" after pondering if hers was a Magic capsicum. She decided it must be for such an insulting, exorbitant price. 

Most likely, this is the fall out from the crop poisonings last August which destroyed millions of tomato, capsicum, eggplant and other such produce when water was contaminated by unknown saboteurs. Another poisoning attempt was recently made on strawberry produces but thankfully that was stopped due to increased security against possible attacks.

Why are people at war with the farmers? It's not like farmers are the ones dictating prices at the supermarket and, from what I understand, they barely make enough profit to make ends meet themselves. Bananas for $15 per kilo ~ and I am positive the sellers would barely get a quarter that price. Especially know we have bought bananas for $4-$5 per kilo at the markets here in Bundy. 

It's been a tough year for our fruit and veg ~ hasn't it. There's been floods and cyclones, locusts and mice, and some parts of the country have had droughts for the past 10 years only to get washed away in the first year offering some opportunity to grow. Potato farmers striking, crops being poisoned, petrol/oil costs increasing and supermarkets bringing prices "down down, prices are down" ~ just not so much on the fresh, Australian grown goods.

What would life be like if we all had to buy locally. If the cost of transporting produce became so unreasonable that primary producers could not get their goods to buyers? Do you know how grow fruit and vegetables for your family if necessary? Can you milk a cow (if you had one), slaughter a chook, make yogurt or cheese, or savoury shapes? Imagine the cost of food doubled in September . . . and stayed at those prices for the next 12 months. Would you be able to afford your shopping habits as a consequence of economics ~ if you could afford to continue shopping the same way?

We've made our own bed... 

Making the Bed 

In light of that above, we have started to build our 'temporary' vegetable beds here. Mind you, the climate in Bundaberg is a mighty site different to that of freezing Ballarat. In fact, the veggie growing season appears to be coming to an end for the main bulk of crops. Things we plant now will be harvestable (if that is a word) around November and December with not a lot of the summer gardening we are used to - but I think we should be able to produce enough to freeze, pickle or preserve for the hot, wet, humid months to come.

We do already have basil, chives, oregano and parsley growing in a herb pot, plus some lettuce, strawberries and mulberry in other pots. We are about to fill a third pot (the old laundry sink actually) with some snow peas, wombok, coriander, mint and mustard greens. And, having met some wonderful local home growers, we've got ginger and yakon rhizomes to plant in next month.

The Laundry Tub ~ ready for herbs... 

Looking at Gardenate ~ there are quite a few of our favourite vegetables which can be planted over the next 4-6 weeks.  Vegetables like beetroot, celery, carrots, potatoes, onions, beans, lettuce, cucumber, pumpkin and radish. We can also start seed trays of leeks, capsicum, chilli, melons, cabbage, tomatoes and lots of different herbs.

Aside from building a raised garden bed and the laundry sink, we also have two concrete tubs and the inside barrel of a washing machine to use for growing produce in. Along with a few big pots and tubs, we hope to be able to share and exchange with others for things we don't have ~ like eggs. Oh we do miss our fresh laid googie eggs.

Miss my gerls...

Most of the manual work at the moment is being done by Husband, with a lot of advice, guidance and directions from moi! Our financial outlay so far has been zip and we hope to continue that way. Thanks to friendly local Freecyclers, we've also got some fresh, organic seaweed fertiliser - a wonderful surprise and a huge money saver.

We will be sharing the progress and hope to be able to get lots of personal tips from successful vegetable growers around the country. Saving money at the shopping end will mean more available to get rid of this debt and buy ourselves our own home here - ideally close to the high school SmallBoy will be attending for the next five years. Loving our new environment and already feeling part of a lovely community. *cheers*

Until tomorrow ~ keep that wallet closed (unless of course you want to contribute to our Spare Change Jar or Treasure Chest). All the little pennies add up and help us in more ways than you can imagine :D

Gifts to Give when the Purse is Empty

There are some who say "All you need is love..."

But try giving the gift of love to a four year old on her birthday and ~ trust me ~ it will generally end in tears. *cringe*  I do think children do have too much ~ too many things to play with, too much time involving screens, too great an expectation of 'I need' when its really 'I want', too much on offer and too much to compete with on a peer scale ~ mostly thanks to advertising, product placement and keeping up with the Jones' kids.

I know, I know ~ that's a very generalised statement which will cause some to rant "I don't do that", or "If I want to spend my money on my kids then I can", or "Blah, blah, Justifications, Who do you think you are making such judgments?" I'd like to say I don't yield to the pressures of modern life where 'every 10 year old' has either an mobile phone or ipod or laptop or TV in their room ~ or all four and more as the case may be.  Alas, with a Husband who loves 'toys', SmallBoy and MudGuts definitely benefited from Santa Claus*  over-ruling this poor mummy with 'family presents' of gaming consoles or other such electronic entertainment devices. 

(* also known as the Christmas Savings Account)

Still, sometimes there is diddly-squat in the purse to provide nieces and nephews or school mates birthday presents. And I really hate this current 'norm' of a card with $10 or $20 in it as a gift. Unless you are sending something by post, what is the 'joy' in getting $10 in a card? I see a 'couldn't be bothered choosing something for you, go get it yourself' attitude developing. Are we really all just so busy and harried we can't stop to get a gift for a child? There have been many times I cannot afford the frivolity of putting $5 into a card, let alone $10 or $20! So what do you do??

For the littlies, pop down to an OpShop (or look through your own bookcase) for an alphabet type book ~ you know ~ A is for Apple, B is for Ball...  Carefully take all the pages out, trim up the sides nice and neat and using a hole punch, make a hole in the top left and right corners. If you have ribbon or a long strip of material to thread through, great. Twine will do just as well. For under $2, or nothing but a little time if you have everything available, one home-made personalised Alphabet/Reading Frieze.

This one was made by the super creative Naomi D

Other firm favourites for gifts for the under 5s are homemade playdough or slime. $2-type-shops often have the fat pavement chalk which is great for using inside on a blackboard or outside on the driveway/concreted area in the yard. Colourful, messy and washed away with water!  

If you've never made Playdough before, I've put an easy Play-Dough recipe up on FaceBook. Dividing this into four portions, you can make four different colours to go into separate little containers (250ml or larger), add a few cookie cutters or a little rolling pin and you've got a fantastic gift. These last for ages in the fridge, can be used several times and (if you add the recipe to the package) the containers can be refilled as needed.

Older kids tend to have a plethora of cars, dolls, toys, cards, pencils and other nick-knacks its hard to be original. But a medium size pot, filled with a bag of potting mix and a packet of lettuce or flower seeds is a great gift - encouraging care and responsibility while ensuring a bit of outdoor time while putting their gift together and watering it. If you're a creative type - grab and old pair of pantihose and make a grass hair man kit for a child to make.  Using these instructions ~ Grass Hair Man ~ some grass seed, a pot, some potting mix, buttons for eyes and a red marker for the mouth is more economical (and more fun) than some of the $20 kits available in stores. Most of the items can be found around the house or on Freecycle. Make it a project kit with instructions and the gift will last longer.

Hey Dude ~ A green gift

There are lots of lot cost / no cost gifts to be made and most kids love mucking about with this type of present ~ especially if it is not homework or an assignment set from school. 

Of course you can always enter competitions and hope to win a prize to pass on as a present. So don't forget we are giving one reader the change to win a plush Koala and a tube of EukyBearub. You could gift them as a pack for someone you love coupling both the cute and cuddle with the useful and thoughtful bonus for when cold and flu strikes.  

More details are available here

Well, I'm going to pack up the bat and ball and head off to bed. It's been a long day and the housework did not get finished. Still, Husband has started the frame of our new veggie bed and I am on the hunt for about 200 newspapers to put at the bottom. Fingers crossed we can source these in the next few days. Been saying a little ditty to get me off to sleep at night, thought I'd share it with you :

Angels, Fairies, Spirit Guides, Gods

Please take me off to the Dreamlands of Nod

Help me to sleep peacefully all through the night

To wake up refreshed in the new dawning light

Night all :D

The Bounty of Barter

Hello chickens ~ sorry for being quiet.

I have been so busy after a super week of bartering, scuppering and trading - now stewing, freezing and bottling the 'fruits' of my adventures.  Oh - and eating them!  And I thought we were going to struggle not being able to budget for any food shopping this week. Heck - we had enough to go and get the chookies some grain today! $20 for 30kg of grain and 5kg of grit to help keep us in eggs to barter with! 

Because we have not had to spend (say) $50 on the fruit and veggies we've received, we free'd up cash to spend on items we can't trade through a retailer. And put money on the VISA to bring that monkey down even further. Along with the marked down meat and staples I've been buying, I've worked out we are feeding ourselves on about $1 per head per day and it's not 2-minute noodles! We've enjoyed eggs on toast (funny that!), a Chorizo, Zucchini strudel, Banana Bread, Apple and Rhubarb crumble and will have Chow Mien, Tuna Mornay and Pepper Steak as part of this weeks menu. Here are some of the yummy scrummy good food we have enjoyed, along with an approximate costing of the entire dish.

The Zucchini-Chorizo Strudel

Serves 4 - cost us $2.50

1/2 a whopper zucchini - Free 

(or 3 supermarket zucchs)

1 onion, chopped/diced - Free

2 gloves garlic, finely chopped - free

1/3 cup brown rice (makes one cup cooked) - 40c

1 cup grated cheese (I used 2/3 tasty cheddar, 1/3 parmesan) - $1ish

1/3 cup chopped chives - Free

3-4 chorizo sausages, cooked and sliced - $1.51 (or 100g pkt slices)

3 hard boiled eggs, halved - Free

1 egg, beaten - Free

Poppy or sesame seeds to sprinkle on top

2 sheets shortcrust pastry - 50c

Oven at 200C or 180C fan-forced

Greased, lined baking tray

Grate zucchini and squeeze out all excess liquid.

Heat pan with a little oil, soften onion and garlic

Add zucchini, cook and soften/wilt

Take off heat and stand to cool - drain off excess liquid

Add cooked rice, cheese and chives

Combine and add salt/pepper if required

Put the pastry sheets on the tray, over lapping by 2-3cms for length

Place sliced chorizo down the centre of the pastry - leave an 8cm border all around

Spread half the zucchini mix over the sausages

Lay the boiled eggs down the centre of the mix

Cover with remaining zucchini mix

Bring pastry up to cover - a bit like a strudel or sausage roll

If going for fancy, first cut the pastry at 2-3cm gaps on each long side

Fold the ends up over the mix and then criss-cross the side pieces over the mix to enclose it

Brush the pastry with beaten egg

Bake in the pre-heated oven for 30mins, or until golden brown

Stand for a few minutes, slice and serve

The Apple and Rhubarb crumble

Served 4 - cost us about 90c

Crumble ingredients

1/2 cup plain flour - 50c

1/3 cup brown sugar - 50c

1/2 cup oats - 50c

1/2 cup coconut - 50c

50g butter - 25c

Combine the first four ingredients

Rub through butter until like bread crumbs

Store in container in refrigerator for use

Will be enough for 4 x 4 servings of crumble

Stewed Rhubarb and Apples

2-3 apples, peeled and chopped - Free

3-5 rhubarb stalks, cut in 2cm pieces (NO leaves) - Free

1/4 cup brown sugar - 35c

1/2 cup juice (squeezed an orange) - free

splash of vanilla - 10c

sprinkle of cinnamon - 10c

Put it all in the pot, bring to boil and simmer until the fruit is mushy

Pour the fruit mix into a baking tin - I just used a loaf tin

Top with crumble mix (not all of it - about a quarter of the mix)

Bake in a med/hot oven for 15-20mins

Serve with cream, ice cream or custard

I've put the Banana Bread recipe on Facebook - just to share the love - but this is what it looked like. We had it for dessert one night, after school munchies, take to school munchies and I had a breakfast or two with this and a shake or coffee. All up - we got about 12 big slices. And I had requests to make it again!

A little about ME

I must say I do feel a little better than I have the past few days. Pain levels are definitely higher than I've felt for a while, but its not controlling me for once, the brain is a little clearer today and holding thoughts is a little easier. Sort of ~ I think I am out of practice on that side of things *laughs* I have a new found understanding, tolerance and admiration even for those on narcotic recreation drugs who choose to stop using ~ prescribed narcotic and opiates as pain killers are not much different and the withdrawal experience is really crap.

In the days of old, I would have been prescribed a pain medication called heroin. Because of its addictive properties and adverse effects, heroin stopped being used for medicinal pain relief. When I was in hospital post op, tripping off my nut on ketamine - often referred to as horse tranquiliser - the nursing staff commented a few times how much easier it would be if I could have heroin for a few days instead of other chemicals. Regardless, it was not available, and now I am experiencing the same type of withdrawal and hating every moment. Too often I have just wanted to say bugger this, put a patch back on, pop a few pills and relax in the foggy bliss ~ I can see why this is so hard.

My very clever friends have been reiterating to me just how strong they believe I am - how hard this must be to go through on top of other life struggles and today I think I can believe them. I am truly blessed to have the support and care and understanding of such people ~ no 'pseudo-professional' know-it-alls bringing me down, no-one making me guilty for focusing on me, suffering injustices through jealousy and making it all about them any more. Some losses hurt more than the back pain, but this too may heal - in time.

A good friend, Haych, sent me a little note saying: "You're stronger than what you think you are." In the past, I would have pooh pooh-ed that ~ today I reckon she's right. Thanks Luff - you rock!

And now I shall scoot and get dinner underway ~ peppered steak, steamed broccoli, honey'd carrots and something with silverbeet! Feeding friends tonight - should be about $6-$7 for the four of us. Beat that Mickey Dees - four for less than the price of a McValue Meal!!

Chat soon xx

Food Glorious Food

I am feeling very pleased and proud of myself!

Yesterday I was up nice and early - a great change from most of this week - able to get lunch made while eating breakfast, feed the chooks, take MudGuts to appointments and bake banana bread. Bit of a big day on the activity front, especially considering Wednesday's canteen fun had me wrecked! But it didn't stop with that!

Had a call from school to say he is fine, however SmallBoy has had an accident on the playground. After the heart settled, I was told he was sitting on a stair railing and fell backwards. Once I picked my stomach up from the floor, I learned he had missed the bitumen, missed the tree stakes and landed on the tan bark - on his head! He's grazed his arm, his back and his leg - and while everyone's concern was for his head, his main issue is the guaze bandage stuck to his underpants. Boys!! Still he is hurting but with a mate over for a sleep over and the school fete on, he's been a trooper.

The school fete was a blast ~ caught up with so many mums I've not seen for the past 2-3 years. Well, I might have on the odd occasion, however I've not got a huge recollection of specifics from the past few years and actually found it hard to remember names to faces to children. A few helped me along ~ some were great in noticing that I stand upright now!

Friday's Bartered Delights
Bartering eggs for fruit and vegetables has not only supplied us with some beautiful cherry tomatoes, celery, silverbeet, zucchini, squash, oranges, walnuts, rhubarb, parsley, cabbage, potatoes, onions - it's also allowed me to meet a very like-minded couple who mourn the loss of neighbourhood friendships and interaction. SmallBoy and I explored their delightful garden - meeting the rabbits and guinea pigs (who provide manure), the cats and dogs (who catch rodents), the worm farm's occupants, a cockatoo - and the amount of variety of vegetables they have and the abundance is truly magnificent!

F+G also share with their neighbours - exchanging between each other there is seasonal fruits and the box of goodies we received was mind-blowing. I said as much and almost felt two dozen eggs was not enough ~ especially knowing apples are up at the $12pkg mark, cabbage almost as ridiculous in price. I've only been looking at marked down produce when I do shop and have been truly stunned by the dramatic increase. It's ludicrous ~ and only reinforces my desire to have our garden producing and able to contribute to the local 'co-op'. I'd so love to share garden on our block - strangely others seem to feel they would be ripped off putting in effort with someone else.

We reminisced about the times when people kept an eye out for each other and the kids, knew each others' names and which child belonged to whom. Where the rule was be home by the time the street lights come on. Gone are the days a kid could walk out his drive with a cricket bat in hand, meet another kid with a tennis ball and find another group of smiley faces to pool together a haphazard cricket match in the side street or down someone's driveway. With a bin at one end for stumps and a garage door to aim at - who needed a wicket keeper!  Remember 'over the fence, you're out'? And then the batter had to get the ball if it did go over the fence.

Bigger, Better, Faster seems to be the desire of so many ~ all I desire is Appropriate, Operational and Cruise-y. *sighs* While standing in their wild, meandering vegetable backyard ~ we all reminisced and felt decidedly old...



Free Stuff 


Free YATES Vegetables
http://www.yates.com.au/vegie-challenge/autumn-2011
YATES is having a great competition and challenging everyone to plant some veggies, report how they grow and receive votes to win a share of $2000!  Sign up, register to enter the challenge and pick a packet of free seeds to get going. There's heaps to choose from - carrots, peas, cauliflower,

SmallBoy is mad keen on the idea and has selected Brussels sprouts and cauliflower to grow - this IS the child who requested lambs fry for his 'special' birthday dinner so this is as I expected. He did justify his choice with "well you've got carrot and pea seeds, you've got beetroot growing, I don't like beans and we haven't had Brussels sprouts for AGES!" Whatever floats his boat!!

Free NESTLE Baby Food
https://www.nestle.au.simplicitycrm.com/editors/content.aspx?config=sample-request-form-cerelac
Infant Cereals are the ideal foundation of a weaning diet. Each serving provides important nutrients needed to support baby's growth and development. Awesome to try - if you've got a baby. Or maybe even for the animals...

40% off at Spotlight
http://www.spotlight.com.au/exclusive-coupons/e14-spend100/
Spend $100 or more storewide and get 40% off ~ for all those Spotlight addicts (and I know there are heaps out there), this should get your haberdashery juices flowing!! It's even including items already on sale! Got to the link and print out the voucher ~ this one ends on Tuesday 22nd March 2011

Rossi had a secret

Pantry Poopers....

Always read the label...

Dinner last night was delicious, however in trying to add variety to the diet I used a packet of noodle chips as the base for the Butter Pork curry instead of rice. Both Husband and SmallBoy had not been impressed and eaten everything but the noodles saying they tasted funny. Having no sense of taste thanks to this stoopid cold/flu lurgy ~ I ate on with gusto.

Bad move... at least I can't complain about being 'bogged up' for quite some time! OK ~ not going to go into too much information, but I didn't think dried noodles could go 'off'. This packet did have a 'best before' date (as I discovered sometime around 630am when getting water after the third visit to the loo) and I should have looked before hand. It's not a good idea to go with something with a best before 2006 when it is 2010. Unless it is wine. Wine from 2006 is particularly good now it is 2010! *grins*

Today Husband mowed while I got more clothes sorted. Boy oh boy ~ how many clothes does a family need?? Not as many as we have ~ that is for sure!!  There are three sets to the sorting ~ things we are wearing, clothes to store for winter and stuff that can be sold either on eBay or at the garage sale for $1. Lots of $1s will make for at least $500 - the school uniforms SmallBoy has outgrown should account for $20 or so ~ goodness we are hoarders. No ~ goodness we were hoarders. No more ~ it all must go!!

Low Spend / No Spend 2011

We are all in to keep costs down as low as possible. Anything found for less than the budgeted amount will continue to go on the credit card first. It's a killer. SmallBoy has asked if his pocket money of $10 per week can be given as $5 in the hand and $5 in the bank. As we have been able to spend less each fortnight than our income, we feel if he does his chores and helps out around the garden then he should receive pocket money each Sunday. It was brilliant he wants to get savings together and his 'online' bank account is set up waiting for the first payment on Sunday. Just the clean up in his bedroom this week is worth the reward/pay ~ plus he has been emptying the dishwasher and helping with the chooks without quibble or delay.

There are so many areas we plan to lower our spending to increase the payment amounts going on bills, the credit card and the mortgage. It seems Wednesday is a bit of an illogical day to try and do the budget wrap up - especially as we receive income on Fridays and set the menu and budget for the fortnight over the weekend. So updates on the financials will be over the weekend, in readiness for reading bright and early on Mondays. This should make it less of a chore and more of a weekly review of our successes!

Earlier in the blog we set some ideals we hope to maintain. You can see those plans in the 'Notable Posts' section in the first post. This was more in the work in progress stage and as the months have progressed these are taking place or getting sorted. Other areas we are making 'the norm' for the next 12 months include: 

• Menu plan based on what needs using and specials 
• Bake each week to avoid the need to buy snack foods 
• Buy specials, meat and grains in bulk 
• No clothes or shoes unless from op shop 
• Freeze leftover vegies so they don't go off in the fridge 
• Set a 'birthday' present budget 
• No new appliances ~ source through Freecycle if required
• Plan car trips to limit quick shops/stops ~ walk to the supermarkets
• Heating/cooling on extreme weather days (rug up or strip down as required)
• Be eating 3 meals from our garden by end Jan
• No shop takeaways 
• Use up all the half bottles of this n that
• Home made cleaning products only 
• No books/magazines - hello library

With the pantry opened up and laundry cupboard empty, there will be plenty of places we can organise and store things that can be used up before we need to either buy or move to home-made varieties. Yes ~ if it is food, the date will be checked. If in doubt, it will be thrown out. I never want to feel this lousy again!

On Simple Savings there are lots who are planning a low cost or no spend 2011 ~ one thing we are not doing is buying and storing in advance. Mainly because we don't have the money to do so but also because it feels a little like false economising. If we had a spare $300 to spend in preparation it would go on meat, the garden or a dumper bin. As we don't ~ well, it ain't gonna happen *grins*

Enough for tonight ~ feeling drained in all senses of the word *pun*
The support through comments here on the blog and FaceBook, especially these last few weeks, has blown us away. I don't think we can thank everyone enough for the cheers! Hope you continue to join us on our journey.  Next year (hehehe - as in Saturday, tomorrow...) Mands on a Mission is going to have its first competition. More about that later.

~ Welcome to the Front Page ~

Hi there – my name is Mands and I am hoping you can help get me and my family out of a bind with debt.  Yes, we are asking total strangers for the gift of few dollars, even a few cents to help pay off our debt, stop the interest accruing, building and getting further out of control.

This debt did not come about due to lavish spending, over-indulging or financial mismanagement. Most was incurred due to medical expenses, assisted living charges, travel costs while I waited for and now rehabilitating from spinal surgery at the same time the single incoming wage under went restructure, reductions due to the financial crisis' impact on Husband's employer.

We are not asking for you to pay it for us ~ rather help contribute to pay it down with us.

*smiles*

Please... 

Back in 1997, after my first and only attempt at aerobic fitness, I was in this almighty car accident – another driver decided to cut across a six lane highway and collected me along the way (and a few poles, signage, a fence and a letterbox).  Watching the world through the windows of a spinning car is quite surreal ~ more so when the darn thing catches on fire while rain buckets down.  Luckily, I didn’t seem to be too badly injured.

A knight in a long brown dri-as-a-bone coat stopped, donned his akubra hat to keep his head dry before taking his trusty fire extinguisher from the back of his Jeep, kicking up the bonnet of my still running vehicle and slather it with white foam.   Sure did the trick on the fire, although the motor kept running without keys in the ignition.  She was a fighter to the end.

My BushMan knight hero hung his extinguisher back on his Jeep, tipped his hat to the small gathering of sopping, shaken survivors, jumped in his vehicle and drove off into the torrential storm, leaving me with a smouldering car and an excellent tale to tell.  There's more about this in Meanderings here.

The next day at work, my poor body went into shock and spasm thus starting the long journey to find for a decade I'd got about with spinal fractures.  I'd soldiered on to the point of no more with pain and leg numbness ~ 2007 started with a series of events heading a down hill slope.  More on that, starting with reference to 'that' MRI is here in Meanderings.

Unable to sit, barely able to walk and not remembering what it was like to stand up straight – that was the end of work for me.  An operation in September 2008 had the surgeon declare it was a ‘real dog’s breakfast’ in there but pins, screws, plates and all things gory were inserted for the slow road to recovery to begin.   The surgeon wasn’t wrong when he said to expect nothing for the first year, some improvement in the second year but plan on taking the next 5 years off.  You can read a little about the op here, I'll see if I've got some 'back' shots for those who just must have evidence this is real

Three months ago, my husband ceased paid employment to be my full time carer, reducing our income by $550 a week.  It ends 25years in a single industry with business relationships as strong at the end as the start. The gaining the time previously spent away from home working, we have productive home time, reliable help and physical changes for the better - physically, mentally and aesthetically.  No longer feeling we were doing it alone, now we enjoy a simple(!!) life on $628 a week from government payments.  Why no compensation you ask?  Because the other driver’s husband was a solicitor and the knight in dri-as-a-bone drove off into the night. The court awarded 50/50 no fault; TAC covered 13wks income in 1997, blah blah, legal stuff and that was that - all over red rover.  Darn it!!  Life goes on...

Today, October 6 2010, I sat down 
Actually I lay down - with the budget ~ and worked out what we have, what we owe and boy, we are on such a tight deal. Our mortgage is $276pw and we've not missed a payment.  This is not going to help clear our current debt if we still plan to eat, stay warm, put petrol in the car to get SmallBoy to school (not that he would be complaining). The repayment rates increase with the interest rate rises, the interest accrues ~ oh why can't we put all the interest/revenue raising/life expense increases on hold for a year or so and let us catch up, get things back to zero!?!?!

So, thinking outside the square and hoping to make this as entertaining as it is rewarding.  Be warned from the on-set : I tend to waffle, change thought mid-way, discuss our options 'aloud' to see how it looks. I will try to keep that process on ~Mands Meanderings. It's my personal blog, started while waiting for surgery. Please forgive me in advance for over-flow...

On a Mission to Find Change      

Aside from the mortgage, which is not part of the mounting debt we want to clear, we owe the following:

The VISA credit card (drastic plastic) ~ $5,836.33  (was $18k in 2005)

Outstanding Bills ~ $3,930.63 so far – sadly there may be more

Personal Loan (Wyndham) ~ $4,057.94 (was $11k in 2008)

Line of Credit (attached to the mortgage ~ $21,764.21 (was $16k with $7k available end 2008)

Frighteningly Scary GRAND TOTAL : $ 35,369.49

Hold on a tick ~ just need to scoop my stomach up off the floor and put my poor heart back in place.

I guess that's $1 from 35,370 people with $1 to gift to us ~ if you can't make the dollar, perhaps the 49cents then??

We've included where accounts were at the maximums and looking at the reductions already made - we think we have done a terrific job bringing that down on the reduced single income (plus ridiculous transport costs due to distance) Husband earned.  The personal loan is less than 2years old and we'd almost got that cleared. With some outstanding monies paid and Husband's tax sorted, this could be gone – completely – finalised. Or perhaps it is best in the LOC to keep interest down while keeping the mortgage paid with our benefits. While we are no longer using the drastic plastic VISA credit card ~ we reduce the limit each time we get $2000 down and plan to have it with a $3000 limit within 18mths with your help... 

Some of our debt has already had no interest applied, or been reduced down and bill repayment amounts are arranged or in the process of being so.  Our home line was averaging $45 per month, most in line rental fees – we had this lowered to $20 and use the mobile phone on contract for out-going calls, or email, or text. I'm about to find out if the home line be reduced if we make it an incoming only line. My mobile is incoming and will go onto recharge and not account now the contract is up. Husband is locked in for another 12 months.  Internet is under $50 and with more family and friends doing the Skype thing, we'll look at getting into that perhaps.

Had we not had income low enough to meet the threshold to receive government payments for the next 6-12 months, this shout-out probably would never have come to fruition.  I don't think we would have thought to ask for help through the kindness of strangers, especially when others might see as a crass grab for cash ~ but be assured the intention is not to have kind people pay all our debt for us.  Not at all ~ you can help by throwing your spare change our way; purchasing from the eBay shop or 'treating us' to a cafe latte  ~ and feel good knowing you have helped the Mission maintain momentum!!

We are hoping to achieve a few things while on our Mission:

• Clear the clutter we have gathered over the past 10 years 
• Provide new homes for items by selling on eBay 
• Stop wasteful spending on chemical cleaners, fancy footwear and pre-package pantry delights - - this might have to include chocolate *sobs*
• Simplify life so it is not such a stressful, unstable roller-coaster ride
• Show and explain what we do to reduce debt, make-do, become less wasteful, lower financial stresses, find happiness *blissful sigh* We can make something wonderful happen! 
• Encourage others to organise themselves so they never become 'that poor family you heard about who...' personally! 
• Become frugal with money and aim for our goal of semi self-sufficiency and environmentally friendly living

And primarily; reduce the debt to zero and maintain a lifestyle fitting within our means.

Thus ~ the journey begins.