Well, the school holidays are finished and DS is back at school. He now has the Bumblebee transformer and he has taken that with him to school...

I bought a few things a couple of days ago:

1) toner for my laser printer - apparently I only have 28 pages left of toner so I better get a new one...

2) preordered transformers 2 DVD - I promised my son I would buy this...

3) 40 DMC floss for my cross stitch. I worked out how many extra I would need for my cross stitch as I restarted it on different fabric. I need 18 black threads! That's 144 metres!

4) Renew money magazine...I did this and got 13 magazines for the price of 11...I really enjoy this magazine...

5) Edward VII biography - I really enjoy reading about royalty and I found this book for $13 instead of $22 so I grabbed it...

6) I have also bought DS's Christmas presents, about 7 PS2 games plus I still have to buy a plastic ship model that he can build...

Hopefully that's it for now! On the 2nd November I will buy the 2009 stamp collection for Dad from the Post Office - that's about 80-90 dollars...plus I will buy him a couple of books...and I'm not sure what Mum wants...we will see...

My parent's bedroom really needs a new blind. The current one is made of material and is impossible to clean so it is in a sorry state.

I figure a new one will cost about $200. We have someone coming to quote next Thursday...

It's my parents 42nd wedding anniversary in a couple of days and to celebrate we are having a baked dinner together tonight. I am helping my Mum cook it and we are having dessert as well!

I admire them for staying together so long, they are still in love with each other and from my memory, there have been more downs than ups. Mum is my Dad's fulltime carer. He has periodic bouts of sickness where he goes into a dementia like state and then becomes fully well again. We can't get an explanation as to what it is so we just live with it. It's been happening since 1997.

But they are happy in their own way and we all have a good life together...

I got paid $2.39 interest on my savings account for the last month so I added a bit more and put $5.07 more to the mortgage. All these little bits add up over time...

We put in a solar hot water system in December last year and we were not charged for the frames to hold the solar panels up and we finally got the bill yesterday. $355. It is not due until the 24th June so I will wait until the 16th to post it back with my payment so it can go on the next credit card statement.

I am trying to put less on the credit card next month...we will see how we go...

I am doing the shopping today, I have to get a haircut as well. All up it should cost me $196...we will see how we go.

Next Saturday I am going to a comedy show and I am looking forward to that. I have gone to the same thing for the past 2 years. They have 4 standup comedians and I laugh so much, my stomach hurts! I love observational humour. To find humour in common things is a great skill.

I paid $1109 off the mortgage today. New Balance is $118,152.

It was so cold yesterday, my son is sick now, I think he has picked up a bug yesterday...

By the way, I live in Australia and it is winter here now and getting very chilly. I don't get snow where I live though...

The reason I called my blog, Low Income Lady is because my personal income is low. I receive 756.02 a fortnight. However I live with my parents and we share expenses so my costs are lower. Our combined income is 1737.62 a fortnight.

We are basically frugal people, we try and keep our grocery bill down. We don't have coupons here in Australia like in America. The 2 major supermarkets, Coles and Woolworths are getting more expensive by the week. Luckily I have access to an Aldi, so I can keep my grocery bill pretty low. We spend about $115 to $120 a week on food plus about $20 a week on red meat. We buy a hindquarter of beef every 3 months or so. Sometimes I can reduce this amount if we don't need as much!

Our electricity bill is about $180 a quarter. In winter this is about $230 for the quarter.

Our water bill is about $70 every 3 months.

Our council rates bill is about $175 a quarter. I predict it will go up to about $200 a quarter. We will start to pay that in August this year. We paid our rates bill in full last year so we haven't been worried by a bill for the rates this year.

Our insurance bill we paid for the year in full also. We recently raised our excess to $1000 as we figure if something major happens, $1000 will be not much to pay to replace a house. The insurance bill was $746 for the year till August this year and we will be getting an $85 refund because we raised the excess. Next time we renew it should be about $511 for the year. We will pay that by the month so that will be under $45 a month.

We don't drink alcohol, smoke, we don't go out much. Occasionally we will get home delivered chinese takeaway. It is my parent's 40th wedding anniversary this month. We already bought her a ruby ring in December last year because we had a $20 off coupon and we will get the chinese meal on the day.

I go to craft and a local weight reduction group. Craft costs us nothing, not even transport because we get picked up and we take our own food. The weight reduction group costs $1 a week plus $2.50 transport.

The rest of the time I spend trying to live with little stress. I have a disability that is triggered by stress and that prevents me working, which is why I am on a low income.

We have a mortgage offset account and every cent we have goes into there. The result being I don't know how much we have in each category of spending, it's just 1 big pot of money that can be withdrawn at any time. So we save interest but I don't know what we have to spend on things. So I have been thinking about it and I was wondering if it would be better to save for each category of spending. I have about 5 savings account available that I can save for different things. I'll just have to work out a budget and figure out the amounts I need to save. So do you think that would be better to separate the money out or should I continue just putting it into the offset? The savings accounts pay 6% and the mortgage costs 8.07%. What do you think?

I have lost interest in the finances this fortnight. The mortgage went up. I am so used to it going down every fortnight. We bought my Dad a new computer. That cost about $660 all up plus we have a $589 credit card bill. With the shopping on top of that, it means we have gone backwards. Which means I have to wait until June 14 which is next payday to start moving forward. I can't update the NCN Network because I have gone backwards. That's at www.ncnnetwork.com and I am known as Weight Money Life there, at least that's what my chart is called. So it will be a month between updates. Plus we just received the electricty bill fo $189 which means the credit card will be close to $500 next month as well. So, as I said, I will be happier next payday.

When I figured out the grocery budget it came to $185 for this Saturday's shopping but now it is $230 because I am going on the CSIRO Diet. That's not too bad!

Oh and I lost 1.7 kilos this week so I now weigh 110 kilos exactly! If I only I could have lost another 100 grams and I could have seen 109.9. Oh well maybe tomorrow!

Oh and my Dad's laptop has been playing up so he has bought a new computer, well its refurbished, not new but it will be fine. We bought it from www.bargainseeker.com.au I bought my computer from there, plus my friend bought it from there too and we are quite happy!

I got a call that my glasses are ready to be picked up so I will go tomorrow and get them. I would also like to buy sunglass shades to go over them too so I will see what they have!

We have just ordered a hindquarter of beef. The last time we ordered a hindquarter was on 30 January and it cost about $300 so I guess it has cost us about $20 a week for meat. We also spend about $10 a week on chicken so our meat bill is $30 a week. We are big meat eaters around here!

Well I have to go soon, I am going to buy some veggies and a packet of chips with those footy tazos in it for my son. the veggie prices are quite reasoable from the local shop, cheaper than the supermarket but you have to watch the quality.

I slept in so I couldn't get the papers. They are sold out by mid morning from the local shop. I went to the library yesterday so I have plenty of reading material!

I have made a cake and a chicken casserole with cheesy dumplings and now I am watching 'The Dish'. My son is being picked up from here soon to go on a sleep over at a friend's place.

So we haven't spent anything today, I have kept to my menu plan. I don't feel hungry and I am relaxing surfing the web!

The balance of the mortgage as of next Friday will be 107 139.23.

I did the shopping today and spent $239.93 on the groceries. I was hoping to spend $218 but we added more things since I calculated that.

I earned a $20 coles gift voucher a few days ago from a survey site. That should arrive next week.

I gave my son 2 weeks pocket money in advance today so he could buy a star wars lego toy he wanted. I hope it is as good as he hopes it will be as he will be without pocket money until the end of May!

I am enjoying this weekend, I rented Happy feet from the video store, we have watched it this afternoon and we will watch it again tonight. It cost $4.95 to rent.

I bought the Sydney Morning Herald and I will start reading it soon. I have already read the local paper. Better get to it!

I spent $2 on some lollies for my son this afternoon and also 70 cents on a banana this morning.

It is shopping day on Saturday. I estimate the shopping will cost $216. We need to get $156 dollars out in cash as well so altogether we will be getting $372 out of the mortgage.

I cancelled my Curves Gym membership yesterday. A $69 payment will come out on the 19 May and I can workout there until the 19 June. Circuit training doesn't seem to do me any good, I feel I get a better workout from a walk which is free! Well I will take advantage of the gym access until June anyway. I needed to try it out and see if it was for me. Just one of those things!

Wehn I get my pocket money back, I think I will start trawling the op shops and list the things I buy on Oztion, I really enjoy doing that. I will walk to town and do that. When I did a lot of walking a couple of years ago, my muscles firmed up and I felt great. Now the weather is getting cooler I might getinto the walking again.

God is wonderful, I won't need to buy any warm clothes for the winter as I have been given a lot of warm stuff and I have found odds and ends lurking in my cupboards. I have found a couple of beautiful jumpers that look really smart. I might go and buy a couple of pairs of jeans though. I have a couple and one is getting baggy and the other I don't like very much, it doesn't feel quite right!

Wow, I have had over 4000 hits on this blog! I love how there is a community feel to this blog...

I bought my son some new school shoes and they are rubbing so I will have to buy some cheap bandaids for next week until his feet get used to them.

I will be getting some glasses for use with the computer in 2-3 weeks. I chose some with rectangular frames, they look cool!

Well, I better think about going to bed, it is 10.43pm at the moment. I don't feel tired but I better make the efoort and try and get some sleep!

Well, I have worked out a shopping list and the total comes to $302, thats $157 for groceries and $145 for cash out.

I went to Curves today and also had an eye exam afterwards. I am getting distance glasses that will also double as computer glasses. She was pleased with how my eyes were, even though I can't see very well out of my right eye, I still managed to read the bottom line of the eye chart with it. She said I compensate well for it and that that was unusual for people who have had it since childhood. When a child is longsighted, they tend to get lazy and take the easy way out but I haven't done that, my eyes work well even though my right eye is fuzzy. I have read a lot as a child and an adult, I am very well read. I do most of my reading on the internet, hence the need for computer glasses. I already have reading ones but I don't use them often as I don't read actual books very often.

I also went to Aldi and spent about $15 getting fruit and bread... it was very heavy to carry home. My weigh-in and measurements are due on the 19 May at Curves. I hope I have done well, I know my weight has gone down, I hope I have lost lots of centimetres too!

My family is going on a holiday. Just a 3 day trip to Sydney staying in a luxury hotel where we can get the 2 bedroom apartment real cheap using quickbeds. We will also go the Sydney Aquarium, Centrepoint and Oztrek and a Captain Cook Cruise! The holiday should cost about $1000. I am so looking forward to it!

I am hearing rumours that the Budget next Tuesday will be a family friendly one. Maybe the family benefits will increase? And hopefully there will be a bonus payment for carers again...

I love Budget night, I watch Peter Costello's speech and listen to the analysis afterwards, plus read the paper next day. Plus it is an election budget too so they will try and get themselves voted back in!

And if I get anything, it won't influence my vote! Teehee!

I have watched the whole season of the Biggest Loser on TV this year. I have only missed one episode and tonight is the Finale. There are 3 people who are competing, Chris, Patti and Marty. I really hope Marty wins. At Curves today the trivia question was Who do you think will win? and I voted for Marty. He has the weight to lose and I think he can get the biggest percentage of weight lost!

I spent $2.50 on bus fare and $10.15 on cheese and fruit. That will get us through until Saturday. I was going to do the shopping today but my son got upset when he realised he couldn't come. He was trying so hard to be a good boy while we were shopping and he thought he was being punished when I told him we were going to go shopping today. So I got 3-4 things today so we can get through to Saturday and I think I will try and go shopping just with my son. My Mum gets stressed when she shops with my son as he is only 7 and mucks up a little bit as kids are prone to do so I will go alone with him and spend some time with him!

I went to town today and got my last DVD's from Video Ezy. The contract ends tomorrow so I will have to hand in my card and get an ordinary one. I had a lot of trouble finding movies today that I liked so I guess its a good thing that I can't get anymore now!

I caught a bus there and back today, I just didn't feel like walking. I went to Curves and when I finished the workout and was changing my clothes, I couldn't find my watch! So when I went home, there it was in my bag sitting in the one place I didn't check when I was frantically searching for it!

I went to Aldi and bought a bag of tomatoes for $3. It's pocket money day for my son so he got $4.

I also sold a book for $4.95.

Total spending for today is $9.50

Yesterday I went to a huge secondhand book sale and bought about 8 books for $23. One of them I bought specifically to sell on Oztion. Some of the others I will be able to sell once I have read them.

Payday was Thursday. The mortgage is down to 108 813.51. I estimate the mortgage should be down to 107 800 next payday but then of course interest will go on and make it about 108 400.

I received $21.50 from an oztion sale. I will transfer that money to the mortgage on Monday.

We should just be buying bread today. Bread costs a dollar a loaf so we should spend $3.00 today on it. We can get bread rolls at church for a small donation.

I joined a Curves gym last Thursday. This cost a $99 joining fee and $59 monthly. I really want to lose this extra 100 pounds my body is carrying and other people I know have had success with Curves so I will give it a go. There is a small fee to cancel the contract so I am not up for a huge amount if I decide its not for me.

My son and I walked to town and back today, which was about an hour all up! I bought some KFC chips for him for $1.95 and I only had one...

Yesterday Grandma, my son and I went to town. We spent &7.80 on the bus tickets, $7.70 on Maccas, and $37.50 at the Salvos getting some clothes including this beautiful leather jacket which I absolutely adore! It is too small for me but I hope to get into it when I reach my goal weight!

I developed an ear ache this morning so I thought I had an ear infection. So I rock up to the doctor, well after I had waited for 2 hours, as you don't need to make an appointment and just wait your turn. Well, he examined me and got me to open my mouth wide open while he pressed a spot near my ear where the jaw connects to the skull and it hurt like heck! So, I have something called TMJ Dysfunction... this means I have to do exercises to help the pain as I have a constant dull ache on one side of my face. The thing is I went to get the painkiller he prescribed and I asked for the generic version. So the chemist dispenses it and then she asks for $19.80! The charge for generic medicine is $4.90 and then she said there is no generic version. I mean shouldn't she have told me that there was no generic version before she bl**dy well dispensed the medicine? So I ended up paying $19.80 for 20 tablets. Thats $1 a tablet! AND they are no good, they do nothing to help the pain! What a rort! I am NOT happy!

We went to the corner shop today and got some hot chips and I didn't have any for $2. Also got an ice cream for $2 for my son and some sour chew lollies and some chewing gum.

We are getting some extra veggies this shopping for a couple of meals I am going to make then freeze. I am going to freeze meals and have them each night instead of cooking for myself every night. So I will have toast for breakfast, a sandwich for lunch and my meal for dinner. This will help me control portion sizes.

Walked to town and spent $6.34 on half price easter eggs. Also spent $2.80 on bus fares to get home for me and my son as he came with me. He rode his scooter down and we just carried it back on the bus.

My parents and I have come up with a plan to help me lose weight. I am going to get $20 for every kilo I lose. So for every 100 grams I lose I get $2. Monday will be the weigh in day and I was 112.6 kg this morning. I am going to transfer the money into my savings account. I can only lose the weight once, if I put on weight and then lose it again, I don't get the money again. We will see if this motivates me!

Well since the holidays started on Friday the only money I have spent has been $4 for 2 Saturday newspapers and $2.80 for a cabbage. And the shops are shut today because it is Easter Sunday. Hopefully the video store will be open so I can get some more DVD's. My DVD unlimited subscription runs out on the 24th April so I want to make the most of it while I can.

I am trying to lose weight, and my weight loss is not going well this week. I'll have to really try for the next 3 days if I have any hope of losing this week! My official weigh in day is on Wednesday.

Well, I hope you are all having a Happy Easter!

Yesterday, my son was sick so I spent his $4 pocket money for him at the fruit shop on some treats. I also entered Dad in another chess tournament for which cost $13.23. That went on the credit card. That makes the credit card balance $172.99 which is a whole lot better than previous credit card balances. Last months was nearly $800 which I will pay tomorrow.

Tomorrow, I am going to my diet group which will cost $8.50 including bus fare. Plus I have to buy a prescription which will cost $4.90. I am also going to the doctor but he bulk bills so it won't cost me anything. I am not going to lunch tomorrow so I will save $5 there. I ordered a garden salad last week and it was yum but my doctors appointment is at lunchtime so I will give it a miss this week. I have lost weight this week which I am pleased about! I made up a weight spreadsheet where I can put in my daily weight and it produces a chart automatically! I am very happy with it!

I went shopping yesterday. I only spent $185 dollars on groceries and that should do us for the fortnight.

The next credit card bill is looking good, there is only about $160 on it at the moment and hopefully it will stay that way. I have given my credit card to Mum so I don't use it for stupid stuff like takeaway food which I have been known to do. I still have a access to money but I don't tend to spend cash in the account.

We paid our council rates and insurance in full last year but we are going to pay quarterly for the rates and monthly for the insurance starting in August this year. The rates will be about $200 a quarter and tha insurance would be about $80 a month. I will know exact figures for the rates about June this year and the insurance in late July/early August.

Also I will be getting a $959.95 lump sum payment in July this year that will be going straight off the mortgage. I should find one of those lump sum calculators on the net to find out how much interest I would be saving by doing this.

I am going on an easter picnic today! We will spend a couple of dollars getting hot chips for my son and an ice cream probably! I am taking my own food and drinks. We should have a good time!

I went to the doctor today and asked him for a referral to a psychologist but it turns out I need a half hour appointment with him to do a care plan if I want to do that. So I have booked it in for Wednesday next week. I will just have to duck into my diet group, get weighed, then go straight to the appointment.

I went to the doctor with mum so bus fares cost $5. We also bought a bag of oranges at Aldi and they cost $3.

I am going to a major shopping centre tomorrow, about a 45 minute bus trip away. I have to get 2 batteries for the cordless phone as the old ones have worn out. The phone has 2 handsets and the new batteries cost $33 each! I can't get any cheaper ones as the $33 dollar ones are the generic ones. I also have to buy 3 tracksuits for my son but my mum will pay for those with her pocket money. I will also buy a draft stopper for the door but that should only cost 2 or 3 dollars.

To pay for the batteries, I am withdrawing $70 from the mortgage offset account, and I already have the money for the tracksuits and draft stopper. The bus fare will only cost $2.50.

So an expensive time tomorrow!

My Mum just bought some corn meat and bread rolls yesterday after she went to vote in the NSW election and the day before on Friday was just $2 for my son's kids club. I got a lift with the next door neighbour to go and vote, I was pleased as it's an uphill climb to where I had to go and it was a very hot day yesterday!

Today should be a no spend day as well, it's church today and there is a planning meeting afterwards which I am attending. I am bringing my son's Playstation to church so he doesn't get bored during the meeting.

Oh yes and I earned a $20 Coles gift card doing surveys for AC Neilson. I should receive that in the next couple of weeks.

Cheers

lowincomelady

My son had toothace so I booked him into the free school dentist and he needed 2 fillings! He was a brave boy and did exactly what he was told, I was so proud of him! The dentist was a lady, she was brilliant with him!

I spent $5.50 on a treat for him and a diet chocolate bar for me. The bus fares cost $8.30.

Also today was payday and I left $88.62 in my account for the school fees which will be taken out tomorrow by direct debit, Plus I left $20 in there as well for emergencies in case any of us get caught short of cash when we are out. And the $450 minimum payment comes out as well. The rest, over $1100 went to the offset account.

Everything is going well, the credit card is due by the 12 April and I will pay that on the 5th April. The amount that is due is about $789. We had an expensive month last month. Here's to a better month in April!