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6th - Hard wired
12th - The 100 Mile Challenge
19th - Getting your priorities right
21st - Wellington here we come!
26th - The Big Road Trip!
27th - Doing it tough
Hard wired
Oct 6, 2009
It’s school holidays and all the boys are broke. Alex has recently become the proud owner of two very expensive acquisitions - a car and a girlfriend. The latter being expensive because she lives an hour away, hence he has to do a lot of miles in his car if he wants to see her! Still, he's happy and pleased as punch with his new wheels. We were wondering what on earth he had brought home when he excitedly announced it has a built-in TV screen and DVD player which pops up from the dashboard! I was picturing something frighteningly low to the ground with a spoiler and flames painted up the sides. Knowing how much in-car DVD players can cost I was also picturing a $1500 pop-up TV and about $300 worth of car. However to his credit, he did an excellent job and seems to have got himself a sound bargain, not to mention a nice, sensible looking car. Not that I would tell him that of course - what self respecting 17-year-old wants to be told they have a 'sensible' car?! There was just one problem as far as Alex was concerned - the stereo wasn't loud enough but a few minutes on Trade Me soon fixed that. Now we can hear him coming down the road 500 metres away, thanks to the 30kg boom speakers which have flashing green neon lights and take up almost the entire boot!
The moths have also flown out of Liam's wallet. Big time. We had been telling the poor kids for so long that they had to save their money for Australia that once everything fell through, they felt quite justified in having a bit of a splurge and they knew exactly what they wanted to spend it on - skateboarding gear. Ali has been into skating for a while now but Liam has only just got into 'the scene' and, as with everything Liam takes a shine to, it has become an all-consuming obsession. Which is rather inconvenient because where we live is surrounded by gravel and there is nowhere to skate for miles. Still, who cares about that small obstacle when you're 13 and have parents with cars and a skate ramp in town? His dad tried to talk to him about the impracticalities of the situation but Liam didn't care. He wanted a skateboard so he could meet his friends and hang out together in town and he wasn't going to be happy until he got one.
In the end even Noel gave up trying to talk him out of it and when I was having one of my rough days last week when I couldn't get out of bed, he kindly offered to take the boys to the city for the day so they could finally get their longed-for skate gear. Although he couldn't see what all the fuss was about - when Noel was a boy he made his own skateboard and couldn't understand why our kids couldn't do the same. Taking the boys shopping for skate gear was an extremely generous move for Noel as he is really not a fan of the modern skating culture and the whole 'hanging out in town' thing. I was anticipating a few fireworks on the trip and gently reminded him as they left to be nice, try and keep his opinions and beliefs to himself and let the boys buy what they wanted with their own money.
Within reason. Several hours later I could take no more and rang Noel to see how things were going. 'Pretty good', he said chuckling. 'We're in the middle of the skate shop, Liam is now broke. In fact, I think he's in shock that he's spent so much money'. 'But he's saved heaps! What do you mean he's broke? How much did he spend?' I asked. 'Oh, about $350', came the casual reply. 'WHAT?! You've got to be kidding! He spent that much on a SKATEBOARD?! Jeez, even I would have never let him spend that much in a million years and you reckon I'M the soft one!' 'Well I don't know anything about all this skateboarding stuff, I just let them get on with it!' came the reply. I could not believe it. I don't think Liam could either. It didn't seem too bad at the time he said. The actual skate deck that you stand on was only $150, which was about what I was expecting. But that was just the deck. The 'trucks' - the metal bits which hold the wheels, were another $100. The wheels and bearings to go on the trucks were another $80 and by the time the store assistant had put the grip tape on the deck (the sandy stuff to stop you slipping off), there was $350 gone just like that. Liam had made the mistake of not adding up how much he was spending as he went along and by the time the total was rung up on the till it was a fait accompli.
I couldn't believe it, I just couldn't believe it! There was no point berating him when he arrived home, it was too late. Alex was horrified when he heard and gave Liam heaps, reeling off all the different things he should and shouldn't have done which would have saved him a small fortune. Liam smiled sheepishly and said he didn't care 'cos his skateboard was so cool but you could see on his face that he felt a bit of a plonker. Still, what's done is done. Liam got his wish and spends many happy hours skating with his friends, all of whom think his gold plated skateboard is the bees knees. Talking of knees, I'll be glad when he gets a bit more proficient, I swear we must be going through a box of plasters a week!
I've been listening to a lot of Lily Allen's music lately and I had to chuckle to myself the other day when listening to one of my favourites called 'The Fear'. Lily sang 'I am a weapon of massive consumption, but it's not my fault, it's how I'm programmed to function'. It reminded me to sit down and finally watch something I had recorded ages ago and was only aware of thanks to the ever-savvy Forum members, called Consuming Kids: The Commercialisation of Childhood. If you ever get the chance to watch it, do! You can see it on the Internet, the links are in the Forum thread I've just mentioned; just be aware that you'll need to sit down for an hour to watch it but it's well worth it. It talks about how our kids are hard wired into becoming consumers from the moment they are born - and how they are manipulated into nagging us, their parents to consume also. It's pretty sickening really - show me a parent who hasn't watched it and thought 'oh my Gaaad, I wish I hadn't let my kids watch TV!'
Anyway, the very day of the skateboard incident I decided to sit down that evening and watch Consuming Kids with my boys. I guess it was a bit 'shutting the gate after the horse has bolted' for Master Liam but I hoped that at least the message would sink in and he may think twice before frittering away his savings on 'cool stuff' in the future. My boys are very different as you know and I found their reactions very interesting. They both snuggled up with me to watch the video, which immediately caught Liam's eye with its clips of The Simpsons, Hanna Montana, Transformers and other favourites. However as the video progressed and the clips became less and the serious talking more frequent, he pronounced it 'boring' and went off and did something else. Ali on the other hand, watched the whole thing and thought anyone who was influenced by the marketers to watch TV all day or eat junk food was a 'sad jerk'. He couldn't believe people could be so gullible. Saying that though, the one thing I have to keep an eye on with Ali is buying energy drinks when I'm not around. He knows how bad they are, yet they are so appealing with enticing branding and names like 'Demon' and 'Angel' and as he tells me 'his friends drink them all the time'. It was a good example to demonstrate to him how clever marketing can have everyone flocking to a product, even if it's really bad for you.
One thing that we can vouch is extremely GOOD is the recipe for 'Pasta with chicken, white wine and cream' recipe on page 148 of the brand, spanking new $21 Challenge book. In my wisdom I had got Noel to get a bottle of cream with the groceries, then failed to do anything with it and it was about to expire. I knew the book would help me find a way to use it up so I cooked up the last few chicken wings and drumsticks from the freezer and stripped off the meat. Noel and Liam were drooling. Ali, having polished off his THIRD helping said 'Mum, that was awesome. If I could only eat one thing every day for the rest of my life, that would be it'. Wow, praise indeed! I have to admit, I'm inclined to agree!
Getting your priorities right
Oct 19, 2009
We all have our deep, philosophical moments now and again and I have to say, I cannot believe how Simple Savings has shaped my life. Not so much in that I've written a book; to be honest I knew I was always going to write a book about something one day. After all, I'll have you know I've been a published writer since the age of seven, when 'Bunty' magazine for girls printed a poem I had written about our Labrador! Still, who would have thought this Sad Sally would end up writing a book on how to save money? Now that is something I would never have written about in a million years without Simple Savings. But more than anything, SS has shaped my life because it has changed the way I think. It has changed the way I do things. Probably most valuable of all, it has changed the way I raise my children. I did warn you I was feeling deep, but it's true!
By the age of three, Ali was the king of tantrum throwing. He wanted everything and by golly he knew how to get it. I'll never forget him screaming his head off in The Warehouse as the two of us played tug-of-war with a giant stuffed Pikachu. Whilst I agreed it did indeed look very soft and cuddly, I didn't really want to spend $24.95 on it and besides, it's not as if we had the money. But what Ali wanted, he got and as usual, he won. Liam was the complete opposite, he never threw a tantrum. Mind you, he never needed to. Why would he, when he already had everything a kid could possibly ask for? When other children came to play they used to run around the house in delight, yelling 'Wow! This is a wonderland!' At the time, I felt pleased as punch. Sad Sally that I was, I felt proud that my kids had so much more than their friends. What a good, successful mother I must surely be! Gaad, excuse me whilst I stick my fingers down my throat. What an idiot...
I wonder what things would be like now, if I hadn't found Simple Savings and honestly, I cringe. Would we be broke? Would we still have the house? Would my kids still be ungrateful brats? Who knows, maybe Noel would have got fed up once and for all with working his socks off only to have his wife spend it all on rubbish? I don't profess to be perfect now. There are still days when I kick myself for throwing money away - but at least I recognise it and find ways to make up for it.
Better still, my kids recognise it too! The change in my boys these past few years has been huge. They rib me mercifully for wasting so much money on them when they were smaller (although they're very grateful for it after all the money they've made selling it on Trade Me!) The best move we have made this year I think is making them responsible for their own money. We started doing this after reading the tip 'Bring out the Simple Saver in your kids' and it certainly lives up to its title. At 11 and 13 my kids now get more pocket money each week than their other friends - but a) they have to work for it and b) they are responsible for almost all their needs. They have to buy all their own clothes, with the exception of school uniform. They have to pay for all their own treats, entertainment, Christmas and birthday presents for friends and family, phone top-ups, just about everything you can think of. In the few months we have been doing this, they have become extremely aware of how much things cost!
Already they are becoming much smarter shoppers - with the exception of Liam's gold plated skateboard, which I hasten to add was mainly birthday money. It didn't take long for Liam to change his phone plan once he found he was forking out $20 a week on top-ups! He switched to Vodafone's TXT2000 plan which gives him 2000 texts for $10 a month. He texts all the time but only uses his phone to call when absolutely necessary so this suits him down to the ground. Ali loved the freedom of being able to buy his own drinks and lollies at first - until he realised how quickly your bank balance goes down if you do this too often! Surprisingly Ali is managing his money pretty well. He just bought himself a pair of new skate shoes online from overseas (for less than half the price they are to buy over here, even with postage and packaging!) and is inheriting 'new' clothes from Liam on a regular basis as he grows out of them, so he's looking pretty flush.
Poor Liam on the other hand is struggling. There are so many cool things he wants! But he can't buy any of them - he needs new clothes and is finding men's clothes are horribly expensive. He really does need them too; his trousers are half way up his legs and he can't do most of his shorts up any more! So he decided to go shopping for some new clothes a couple of weeks ago when we were at the beach - and got a shock. 'I'm not paying $40 for a t-shirt!' he spluttered. Shorts weren't any better, so he came home empty handed. His solution for the time being? Wearing his school uniform as much as possible! Mind you, he can only do that for another eight weeks before the summer holidays. Still, an important lesson was learned; he's not so worried about wearing the 'cool' brands any more since he's realised he can get three pairs of Kmart shorts for the price of one pair of Billabong ones! He's also keeping an eye out on 1-day for when the clothes he needs come up on special. It's been a great way for the boys to learn to prioritise what's really important and work out how much they need, against how much they have. They have also discovered one of Fiona's favourite mantras - 'everything comes on sale eventually!'
As for me, I love it! Honestly, it's like a weight off my shoulders. I love that they are responsible for buying their own stuff and I'm not. OK, I still give them the money for it but that's it; it's a one-off amount each week and it's up to them to make it last and make sure they have enough for what they need. No more things get snuck into my trolley (in fact they are eating less junk food now than ever before!) and I can already see the difference in the bank account. It has even helped with my impulse buys too - I was a great one for buying them treats when out and about, particularly clothes, whether they needed them or not, but no more! If I see something I think they would like I don't buy it; I'm happy that they know what they have and what they need and will buy it themselves if they want or need it. These days if I do get them a treat, it's a real treat which is hugely appreciated 'cos Mum doesn't do that very often any more!
They don't get money for nothing either! They have to do all their jobs - anything from mowing the lawn to filling the firewood basket or making their beds - and the penalties are big. If they leave clothes on the floor $2 is deducted. Liam is safe as he doesn't but Ali lost $10 in the first week! Failing to go and get the firewood before dark is a biggie - $10 gets taken off if the family has to go cold. There was nobody happier than Liam when it got warm enough to stop lighting the fire! Amazing that this one tip has resulted in us saving so much money. Not only that, but my boys are more responsible, helpful and above all, learning the true value of a dollar and smart shopping skills which will hopefully last them for life. Thanks a million Lisette!
Doing it tough
Oct 27, 2009
I have to admit, after all those hours stuck in the car last week it's lovely to be home, sweet home again. No rest for the wicked, however! There are tough times ahead and we are really going to have to knuckle down and get back to the business of saving. Every dollar we have at the moment is allocated and there's not a cent spare for Christmas, or anything else for that matter. It's just one of those things really - well, several of those things! My medical bills for the last couple of months have run into the thousands - it couldn't be helped but it wasn't exactly convenient! It used up just about all the money I made from my Trade Me selling frenzy. Still, shouldn't complain, I'm eternally grateful that I had that money put by in the first place. It was definitely worth all those laborious hours spent listing, wrapping and posting!
As I sit here I am also waiting in anticipation for two new 'babies' to be delivered. The first is a new oven. When we moved here six years ago the oven didn't work. Goodness knows how the previous family managed but we needed to be able to cook, so had to go and buy one! The mortgage was daunting enough so we bought the cheapest model we could possibly find - and have been paying for it ever since. Noel likens cooking with our oven to ballroom dancing; you just have to keep waltzing past it constantly, you can't possibly go away and leave it. It doesn't matter what clever trick we've tried over the years, things just end up burnt. If we try and stop them burning on the top, they just get burnt on the bottom! It's pretty soul destroying when you're trying to save money and half of what you bake ends up going to the chooks. I've put up with it for years but since I've been unwell and Noel has been doing so much of the cooking, lo and behold! He's sick of burning his creations too and announced enough was enough, we were getting a new oven. I really don't want to spend money at the moment but I know that doing this is going to save us a lot in the long run. Just yesterday I managed to burn 24 biscuits, 12 muffins and a fruit loaf!
The second new acquisition is *blush* - a dishwasher. After goodness knows how long of making do without one, we have reluctantly given in. Correction, Noel and I have reluctantly given in, the kids are celebrating. Again this is basically down to my rubbish health over the past few months. Noel works at night so it's down to the kids to do the dishes. With our daily schedule we don't usually sit down to dinner until 7pm or 7.30pm. By the time dinner has gone down, the kids have had showers and done their homework, they were still standing doing dishes at 9pm or even 9.30. Apart from making me feel horribly guilty (often guilty enough to would get up and help, then Noel would come out of his office and catch me and growl at me!), we found our family time together in the evening was just gone. We did it for as long as we could; we proved that we could live without a dishwasher and we can rest assured that the kids can now go out into the big world one day and do the dishes like a pro - but for now, they deserve time to be kids. Saving money on a dishwasher is not so important to me that my childrens' schooling could suffer because they were up too late doing dishes to get enough sleep at night!
So that's another large expense we would really rather not fork out for - but wait, there's more! I almost fainted the other day when Noel came home and announced he had been to the sale and bought 16 beautiful Jersey cows! 'With what?' I wanted to ask, 'Did you pay with beans, like Jack and the Beanstalk?' I guess he knew he'd be safe buying Jerseys; he knows I think they're adorable, with their eyes like melting pools of chocolate and their dear little Bambi-like calves. They were indeed a bargain, as far as cows go, and yes dear, they are a wonderful investment, especially this time next year when they will have tripled their value and all have calves skipping around - but it's NOW I'm concerned with! You see Noel's reasoning is that if he puts every last cent into buying something sensible like livestock, we can't waste money on anything else. Ain't that the truth!
So Christmas is weighing heavy on my mind this year, I have to admit. As mentioned, it's our turn to host and there could be anything up to 10 of us. Food isn't a problem, Noel has got our 'homegrown' Christmas well and truly covered. It's the present side of things which is concerning me. In that respect, this Christmas is going to be our most frugal one ever, it has to be. We're just going to have to sit the kids down and explain that Christmas doesn't always come at a convenient time of year for many households! I know it'll be OK and the kids will be fine with it. They are already decluttering their stuff and selling it on Trade Me to boost the Christmas coffers and we're just going to have to do the same. We've got a perfectly good trampoline sitting out in the paddock for starters that the boys outgrew several years ago, I'm sure a little one somewhere would love that for Christmas! I'm going to take a photo of it and advertise it on the notice board outside our local Post Office. Since decluttering the house a few months ago it has been so much easier to keep clean and tidy but there is still much more than can do if I look harder. I've never had much luck selling clothes on Trade Me and I have some smart ones I'm never going to wear so I'm going to donate them to Dress for Success. While they won't make any money for me, hopefully plenty of other women will prosper from them!
Apologies if I'm sounding a bit 'woe is me' about Christmas. The thing is, I'm actually quite looking forward to seeing what a magical Christmas I can make with next to nothing. Some of my most favourite tips and stories have been from SS members who have made the best of what little they have at Christmas, with wondrous results. They're so inspiring! So I'm going to scour the Vault and Forum and see what ideas I can glean. I've never been much of a 'crafty' type but I'm willing to give it a go this year and am going to get the kids to help me. It should be fun! I remember making Christmas bell decorations out of egg cartons with my mum in England when I was little. They were made of polystyrene back then and came in all sorts of colours. We had those bells for years! That was back when Christmas trees were an eclectic jumble of colour; before the marketers came along and said everyone's Christmas trees had to be stylish and colour co-ordinated. Well I don't care, I'm going to rebel against them this year! Our Christmas tree is going to be decorated with whatever we can find that will look festive and fantastic, I don't care if I have to cut stars from the shiny silver strip on the side of the toothpaste packet!
I do confess to cheating a little - well, not exactly cheating. I've just been looking at other people's ideas and working out how we can create the same for a fraction of the price. I've been looking through the Ezibuy Christmas catalogue and wondering how to replicate what they sell for megabucks. It's a great way to get ideas - I've already saved $54 on an ornamental Christmas tree, just by spraypainting a branch silver! Festive red glasses I will be able to pick up for a fraction of the price at The Warehouse. One thing I'm determined to have a go at is making my own crackers, or bon-bons. My mother in law and I were admiring some beautiful ones in the catalogue and toyed with the idea of getting them, until we saw the price. $40 for six - and we would need two boxes! And let's face it, they all contain the same old rubbish as always. I'm sure the kids would much rather have a 10c lollipop in their crackers than a bottle stopper or lipstick case!