VICTORIANS LIVING ON THE EDGE!
72% are worried about making ends meet. Well that is most people. Who hasn't wondered this at some time?
If you don't have a plan or keep track of income & expenditure then it really is left wide open to worry...or action. My suggestion would be to get a plan, track your spending even for a little while so you know how much is going where and where you could make changes. Peace of mind is valuable and a plan is simple, there are loads of good plans out there or you could make your own. I follow Dave Ramseys 7 Babysteps and have found it is working very well for us.
66% say they have cut back. That is a vague statistic. What have they cut back and by how much or how often? Does cutting back on spending mean one is living on the edge? There is not enough information given here to really make any statement.
46% may avoid the movies. I personally don't like the movies much. I don't want to be entertained I would rather be learning or be active in some way, even if it is only intellectually. No great loss unless you work at the movies I reckon.
39% will cut back on driving. Petrol has gone up in price in my short 41 years. I remember driving when it was 45 cents a litre and think I can even recall paing 30 ents, but I am yet to pay $1.30 as I buy it on cheap days with a discount voucher. I bought a small car and try to use it as little as possible, but that is my choice. But hey! I don't like driving either. Aren't we supposed to drive less with all the talk of carbon emissions etc. ?
35%could stop buying new clothes. Another vague one. I don't buy many clothes but I do buy them for my kids and i have bought a couple of items in the last few months. They last quite a long time so as long as no one is naked I don't see a problem with forgoing new clothes.
23% plan to avoid the doctor. This is weighted and lacks specific information. If my kids are unwell I can take them to a clinic that bulk bills, so I am not out of pocket and no one is at risk.
22% have struggled to put food on the table. I don't believe this at all!
19% would stop buying meat. That may have something to do with the push to say that a vegetarian diet is healthy combined with living on the edge. I sure won't be giving up my eat but I do watch the prices closely.
15% are considering dropping private school. We have already done this and it hurt for a time but it was necessary. We have public school options and no one will be without an education. Not a huge deal.
10% are considering getting rid of pets. That is fair enough I think. If you have limited finance, which we all do, people are more important than pets & only one in ten are 'considering' getting rid of them at this stage, I think that is wisdom.
Today's wrap up. I noticed a $10 fee on my home loan account so I set up a direct credit each month to cover it. I cancelled direct credits that are beyond Baby Step 3 until we get this emergency fund completed. I sat in Rosebud library and read the latest Time magazine and borrowed some interesting books. I love libraries, they are awesome. I took the boys to a school holiday activity at another library this afternoon & that was by far the best $4 I have ever spent. They had Wild Action come with real animals to the library and the kids got to touch them, hear them and learn about them, it was excellent.
I also made a batter using the last of the juice from a tin of peaches and a black banana. It was OK and was more of a sweet craving on my part and the family thought it novel. I tried.
My home made splint was a success. I made a few modifications, I trimmed it a bit more, but it worked perfectly. I ma y put off buying one for a while yet. I just needed something that I could do myself & this works well, the meat tray & sock.
I also took down a note from Time where they asked an architect a question about how you could spruce up any house & he said to cull some furniture, paint it all white & clean the windows. I like that. According to him "It's all about luminosity". A thought worth capturing I felt.
I'm off to continue reading "The Moneyless Man"...very interesting!
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