I am not feeling very enthused, inspired or original today. I am struggling to understand how, as the one who is supposed to be caring and supporting me in particular at the moment, Husband does not realise how tight the finances are and how nothing is getting done ~ and I can't get me going without a struggle, let alone give him the directions, the incentives and keep repeating the same things over and over.  It's not like it changes ~ house is a mess, disorganised, cluttered and funds are low, minimal and sparse.

Tonight I started only with the finances, letting him know he must be aware of the amounts we have one hand and the money required to be paid out over this month. Most of this came about because he asked me how much petrol we could put into the car. All I wanted to say was 'nothing' because we have other pressing expenses. There are so many 'things' to pay. Yes, eBay or a sale will provide a few dollars but its not enough. 

Yes, I am tired ~ probably need a few days out by myself somewhere. It might only mean for a few days I can pretend there is nothing wrong to alleviate the negative in my head and come back refreshed ~ but its so not possible. I'd really like to have the chance to do one of those retreats to refresh and revitalise myself so I can return with positivity and direction. Any thoughts or suggestions are welcome people *smiles*

A very wise woman mentioned a quiz to show how well we understand our personal financial situation. I scored 12 ~ husband scored a lot higher. This quiz came from 'The Simple Dollar', one bloke who does know where his money goes and how to spend AND save in a way which doesn't put stress on the family budget. I've jigged it a little to be more Australian.

Do you know where your money goes? 

Are you really aware of every red cent you're spending, or does a lot of it slip right through your fingers, leaving you wondering at the end of the month how you're going to make ends meet? Knowing where every dollar goes is one of the key principles of living cheap. Take this quick quiz to find out how your dollars stack up.


1. WHEN YOU LOOK AT THE RECEIPT AFTER LEAVING THE SUPERMARKET, YOU:
A. Feel shocked at the total and express disbelief that you could have spent that much.
B. Feel alarmed at the rising grocery prices, but feel that you made sensible purchases.
C. Smile happily at your tiny total, knowing that you got the food you needed for the week at a minimal cost.

2. WHEN YOU SIT DOWN TO PAY BILLS, YOU:
A. Hope that there will be money in your account to cover the checks.
B. Get through the task as quickly as possible, but don't worry about having enough money to pay the bills.
C. Look for ways to trim a few dollars off every bill you pay.

3. WHEN AN UNEXPECTED BILL COMES IN THE MAIL, YOU:
A. PANIC!
B. Calmly take a little out of savings, a little out of the cheque account and pay the bill - then use the credit card to cover regular expenses for the next week.
C. Fire off that payment without thinking twice thanks to cheap living and an emergency fund.

4. IT'S SUNDAY AFTERNOON AND TIME TO GO GROCERY SHOPPING. YOU:
A. Jump in the car and head straight to the supermarket.
B. Make a shopping list.
C. Use the supermarket specials catalogue to plan your meals for the week and make a list from that meal plan.

5. HOW MUCH MONEY IS IN YOUR BANK ACCOUNT RIGHT NOW (WITHOUT PEEKING!)?
A. I have no idea.
B. I know within a few hundred dollars.
C. I know within a few dollars.

6. HOW MUCH MONEY DID YOU SPEND ON ENTERTAINMENT AND HOBBIES LAST MONTH?
A. I don't know - a lot?
B. I know pretty close to the amount, but it's more than is probably healthy.
C. Ten bucks or so.

7. A FRIEND CALLS UP AND WANTS TO DO SOMETHING FUN. YOU :
A. Go out with your buddy and drop at least $100 - or whatever the evening requires to "have fun".
B. Go out with your buddy, but just spend $20 or so.
C. Suggest twenty or so different things to do - none of which cost much, or anything at all.

8. YOUR KIDS ARE BORED. YOU :
A. Load 'em up and take them to the mall.
B. Load 'em up and take them to the park and then out for icecream.
C. Pull out board games, play catch in the yard, and spend the afternoon together at home.

9. WHEN YOU OPEN UP YOUR MOBILE PHONE BILL, YOU:
A. Grumble loadly about overage charges, extra text message fees, and out-of-plan calls, but pay the bill anyway.
B. See a few small additional costs, but pay the bill without sweating it.
C. Rarely see an extra cost, but if you do, call up the phone company and make sure it doesn't happen again.

10. YOU SEE A NEW TOY/GADGET/CLOTHING ITEM YOU REALLY WANT.YOU :
A. Whip out the plastic and buy it immediately.
B. Don't buy it right then, but go home and plan how you can afford it, then buy it next week.
C. Go home and see if it fits in your budget. If it doesn't, put it off until a later date when you really can afford it - if you still want it then, that is.

SCORING
For every A answer, give yourself 3 points.
For every B answer, give yourself 2 points.
For every C answer, give yourself 1 point.

DO YOU KNOW WHERE YOUR MONEY GOES?

25 TO 30 POINTS: Your money flutters through your fingers and blows away in the wind. Time to buck down and learn how to live cheap.

18 TO 25 POINTS: You know some of the tactics for living a financially sensible lifestyle, but too much of your cash still slips through the cracks. Time for a tactics refresher.

10 TO 17 POINTS: You're a thrift machine who knows how to save money - and knows the usefulness of discovering new ways to save a penny.

Take the test for yourself and see how you fare ~ be honest and not answer as you know you should be answering but what you really do. It's quite interesting to see how different males and females answer the same questions...

Night my friends ~ here's to sunny skies tomorrow :D

Wanted: One multi-millionaire...

You get to talk, create and share on the train 

I do love travelling on the train...

But jeepers-creepers, I have no idea how people in Melbourne's metropolitan areas can tolerate travelling the train network on a daily basis ~ scheduled trains change platform number and then simply disappear. Now you try racing to a train up and down escalators, with two bags and using a walking stick to balance in its peak hour. If people weren't intolerant enough (and with the stress levels gained while trying to catch a train regularly) they can get down right rude if slowed in any way! Where has patience and care gone?? 

I know - it was probably on the train which disappeared between platforms...

Watching the countryside go by 

Wanted:  One Multi-Millionaire

I read in some trashy online journal (because I am not buying magazines or newspapers this year) a chap in the US posted on a social network he wanted a million dollars ~ and got it. He offered nothing in return, has no idea how he is going to use it and, as far as I could tell, has no intention of repaying the money.

I want what he is having ~ only I know exactly how I would like to use it and it is not all for me! Seriously. I've always said, if I won a million dollars, charity begins at home and the first people to receive benefit from such an amount would be my nuclear family (Husband, MudGuts, SmallBoy and myself), followed by extended family (namely our Mothers) and friends. I'd even do it so most people would not know where the gift had come from and it would be without restrictions or rules on its usage.

Ten-fifteen years ago, one million dollars - or $1,000,000 - would have been more than enough to set up for life. Now-days, I think it is enough to set up the ability to achieve a good quality of life providing one still has an income and a house already. But with property prices increasing, food costs on the rise and basic utilities moving the way of expensive - it seems more sensible to set up a level of self-sustainability which will allow a person to lower their expenses over the long term.

What I would do with $1,000,000

First I would divide the moneys into four equal shares. One quarter would go into savings - preferably for a term to ensure it is not 'piffled' away or offered to others who may be opportunistic and creative enough to scam it away.  Ideally this could be used to move to a warmer state within 2-5years or at least allow us to be better set and less of a burden to society in retirement in 10-15years.

One quarter would be for family and friends. I hail from a very large family, Husband is one of two children. Both our fathers are not in need of any funds ~ one is financially wealthy and asset rich, the other is deceased. We would provide our mothers with $25,000 immediately in the hope both will put it toward retirement. Giving each sibling $10,000 would account for another $70,000 and the remaining $30k would be placed in trust for each niece and nephew to access on their 21st birthday. As most are under 5years old ~ $3000 should be a lot more by the time it can be spent. 

The remaining $100,000 would be for friends and charities ~ given in amounts ranging between $1,000 to $5,000 and accompanied with a 'ransom' styled note indicating it is being issued in recognition of friendship and family, to be spent as they wished. We would 'pretend' we also received one of these 'ransom' rewards and never disclose it was from us. The charities would include Camp Quality, Peter Mac Cancer Research, Royal Institute for the Deaf, Fred Hollow's Foundation, Cottage by the Sea with $10,000 aside for any disaster relief or causes we feel relevant over a two year period. Those with links are ones we have volunteered our time or been supported by in some way.

Half-a-million divvied up.

Another quarter would be used to cover outstanding accounts ($35k), paying down 50% of our current mortgage ($75k), purchasing a reliable car and repairs to ours (up to $25k), getting solar and wind power connected to our house ($12k), establishing a sustainable vegetable garden with water tanks ($10k), purchasing a 2br unit or cottage for MudGuts, who has disabilities himself, and paying 25%-30% deposit for him to repay the balance in a 'rent to own' arrangement ($50k).  SmallBoy's secondary education would be covered for six years and $20,000 would be put in trust until he turns 18 (or 21 if he continues into university education).

At $1mill each, not even a consideration! 

This leaves $250,000 and, ideally, this would cover my potential earnings (say $25,000pa) for 4 years and Husband for the same for 1 year, especially if there is no immediate employment opportunities and to afford him time off while I have additional 'non-urgent' surgeries. It would also pay for these 'non-urgent' surgeries on my back and hip to allow corrective measures to be made on my spine and knees; exploratory and required operations on my hip and neck - none of which are considered urgent within the public health sector but would enable greater movement and a higher quality of life - not just for me but my family as well. This has been 'ball-parked' at $50k-$75k.

We would then have around $50,000 remaining to be our 'emergency fund' ~ somewhat more than we had in reserve back in 2006 when I was made redundant and as we discovered there was a very real problem with my back. Much of this was gone before my operation in late 2007. Doctors, medication, therapy and the loss of income chipped any remainder away.

And there you have it. 

One million dollars ~ donated in kindness by someone who has it available and used by us with responsibility and care.  Even if half a million was forthcoming, much of this could still be fulfilled. Siblings and their spawn may not get as much and friends would probably be out of the financial equation, however the relief from stress, fear and falling further behind would be so highly valued and gratefully accepted.

"Tell 'em they're dreaming"

Yes ~ it was a lovely hour or two spent dreaming of the possibilities, imagining the potential and planning the course of a positive future. Seriously. It can be quite inspiring to pipe-dream - so long as one does not plan such a method to be the only option. It would be wonderful for such a pipe-dream to come to fruition ~ and just imagining it to be so has taken the burdens of debt away, if only for the evening. I'm not stupid ~ I know tomorrow the bills will still be there, the requirements and commitments are going to remain the same as they did before I started thinking about how simply asking the world via social media could actually result in the receipt of one million dollars from a stranger ~ this was simply a way to say should it happen the gift would not be frittered away or used for lavish spending, fast cars and overseas sojourns. *sighs*

Now to find me a multi-millionaire willing to offer the opportunity to fulfil such a dream.

If you know one ~ please ask him to get in touch via Mands on a Mission... *grins*

A handy tip for everyone...