The ups, downs, and occasional sideways bits of trying to be mortgage free

armchairexpert · 4 May 2017 at 12:39AM

Thanks Cherry - the general SOA isn't very helpful for me because I'm in Australia and a) some of the types of expenses are different and b) many of the actual expenses are very different, by which I mean some things are a lot more expensive and some things cheaper. I'm pretty confident that I've got the groceries down to a point where any more cuts would diminish our quality, and I've shopped around for insurances and things. Mobile phones are too high, because I'm waiting for Mr Expert to call and switch us over to a sim-only plan. Both phones are in his name, so it has to be him.

I've been reading something called The Barefoot Investor, who recommends (in a broad-brush way) a 60:20:20 approach. 60% of your income should be spent on essentials: housing and bills and food: 20% on savings: 20% on frivolous things. Ours is a bit skewed towards the housing costs because we're also partially supporting my mother and therefore we pay two sets of council rates, strata fees on her unit, two water bills... so it's more like 70:15:15 but that's okay.

I've also been reading this link, which tells me what the average spend per family in Australia on various categories is (divided by age-of-children) and we're spending significantly less on things like clothes and entertainment, but more on housing, so that again is in line with everything else. On the one hand, I can feel alright about my decisions: on the other, it means there's not much left to slash!

armchairexpert · 5 May 2017 at 5:38AM

Nothing remotely MSE happening over the past couple of days: dinner out two nights running, which is completely out of character.

(It was my birthday)

Mr Expert is being considered for a new position as of July, which would be vastly more responsibility for a ludicrously tiny amount of money (an extra $2K a year! Before tax! That's about $100 a month! For managing a team of people!) BUT it would also mean a lot more travelling. He used to travel for work a lot, but as he's got more senior, he's been a lot more desk-based. Because he works for the public service, travel attracts significant overtime money, and also he likes being more hands-on, so this would be great.

(Also, if he's away I can eat lentil soup for dinner three nights running because I love it but Mr E doesn't consider it a real meal. Also also, I get the remote control).

The only thing remaining now is to see if they agree to award it to him internally or advertise externally.

Tahlullah · 5 May 2017 at 8:42AM

Happy belated birthday ACE! Everyone is entitled to celebrate in style occasionally and a birthday is a great reason.

And good luck to Mr ACE with the job promotion. Hope he gets his desire. Looks like more responsibility for less money to me, but as you say, the overtime will cover the extra travel costs!

Fingers crossed on his behalf!!

Tx

Cherryfudge · 6 May 2017 at 11:30PM

Looking at the spends in the link, I'm impressed that you can make anything of British figures - wages alone look like another world!

I suppose it is about knowing yourself and your household and how things divvy up for you.

I know there was another Australian lassy here not so long ago (she seems to have vanished which is a shame) but wouldn't it be useful if MSE had a board with threads for people from non-UK places? It makes it easier if you have a common frame of reference, though I was well impressed to see your Government has as section for financial education. They have obviously thought along the same lines as Martin.

armchairexpert wrote: »

I've also been reading this link, which tells me what the average spend per family in Australia on various categories is (divided by age-of-children)

Interesting how Tasmania is so different from the mainland!

Yes, having a higher proportion of your finances tied up in housing will be a constraint I guess... but if it enables you to support your Mum, you are doing the right thing.

Only take care you don't run yourself or your finances too low (easier said than done, sorry).

Well done to Mr Expert - and happy lentil soup days (and belated birthday!) to you!

armchairexpert · 7 May 2017 at 9:09AM

Yeah, if you divide everything by 3 (ignoring exchange rates) it roughly makes sense. Median wage here is about $75K, I think that's about what 25K will buy you in the sense that it's a decent, mediumish wage but you'd have to be careful on it if you were a single income family and it'd be impossible in the SE? I couldn't get my head around your figures at first but I've read enough now to get a feel for what's considered reasonable in various parts of the country and the 1:3 ratio seems to work!

Tallulah, you're absolutely right and it's a ridiculously small amount of extra money for the responsibility! But he misses the field work and I like the space so it'd be win-win.

Nice MSE weekend here. Child's birthday party yesterday - lots of standing around in the cold chatting over hot dogs and fairy bread - and a day at home today. The girls helped me make lemon cake balls, cheesy scrolls, rice pudding, peanut butter biscuits and a loaf of bread so that should take care of the next few days!

armchairexpert · 8 May 2017 at 2:10AM

Well, they're advertising the job externally so that means he can still apply but it's not looking as hopeful. He's been told his contract will definitely be extended for the next year (he's on rolling 12 month contracts that run 1 July-30 June) so that's good, but bye bye overtime.

Even more galling, he had an attack of an intermittent heart condition on the weekend. This has been ongoing for a few years, it's a racing heart thing, but every time we get him near an ECG it stops. This time he self-presented at the local hospital and they actually got a reading, which is great because we can finally get a cardiologist appointment and they'll probably put him on medication.

But it also means that his work is not letting him go on a scheduled two-week field trip later this month. Which I totally understand from a health&safety point of view - the work is remote, and in Australia, remote means remote, like 10 hours drive from the nearest building kind of remote. BUT that was going to net us about $2K in overtime that I was hugely banking on. Obviously health comes first etc etc I would not want him to go somewhere where he was unsafe but I am still allowed to be a bit pouty about this, I feel.

So generally feeling a bit grumpy this morning!

Tahlullah · 8 May 2017 at 5:56PM

Sorry to hear about the job, and the field trip and Mr ACE's health. Perhaps these are part of the - bad news comes in 3's - saying. That's 3 all at once, so maybe you are in for a run of good luck.

Always a shame when the best laid plans fall apart, but something always comes round. Stay positive, once you have exhausted your entitled grumpiness!

Hope they find the solution to Mr ACE's intermittent heart condition. Very hard to diagnose when any illness the symptoms come and go.

armchairexpert · 9 May 2017 at 5:30AM

Tahlullah wrote: »

Sorry to hear about the job, and the field trip and Mr ACE's health. Perhaps these are part of the - bad news comes in 3's - saying. That's 3 all at once, so maybe you are in for a run of good luck.

I blinking hope so! My dishwasher's gone bung and the guy who came out to fix it has declared himself baffled so it has to go back to the factory. It's only 10 months old, so still in warranty, but what a pain. And the water service started leaking and I have had a plumber out who confirmed it needed new hot and cold valves, so that's another $300 or so. Nothing major, but it feels like an officially Bad Week!

armchairexpert · 12 May 2017 at 1:55AM

Good morning! It's sunny and bright and I think I've pulled myself out of the doldrums. I'm in a rut of feeling like my life is just drudgery, so I'm looking at ways to get a bit of a break from that, maybe a cheap weekend away at a friend's place when I can work out how to fit that in.

In the meantime, the dishwasher is finally going back to the factory today and I will presumably get a working machine of some description at some point. DD2 is at my Mum's for a sleepover tonight and DD1 has her best friend over here for a sleepover at the same time, so I'm declaring a night off from budgeting and buying them a pizza. Keep on plodding, as Beanielou is so good at saying.

Tahlullah · 12 May 2017 at 1:50PM

Look! Sunny bright weather, a nice shiny new dishwasher (Potentially) plus pizza!

All this positiveness around you! Hope you pull out of the doldrums and embrace your inner happiness.

The ups, downs, and occasional sideways bits of trying to be mortgage free

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