personal finances Archives - Page 3 of 5

Complete cheapskate: How to conjure up money from nothing

13 August 2018

Do you want to conjure money up from nowhere? It can be done. Cheapskates spend almost NOTHING. They pop to the toilet when it’s their round to buy the drinks and trawl local free sites for unwanted pet bunnies to eat. Well perhaps not bunnies, even though it’s been done. But here are some cheapskate ideas to ratchet down your spending big time before your debts affect your credit score: Become a Freegan. It’s amazing how much free food you…

How to lose interest in presents (yes, it can be done)

By: Credit Simple

24 July 2018

It is a truth universally acknowledged that birthdays require delicious cake with lashings of icing and a complete lack of regard when it comes to calorie intake. However, it is a fib, unfortunately universally acknowledged as a truth, that birthdays also require presents – the rationale being that the more expensive the present, the more you love or admire the recipient. I have pondered this matter deeply, and after accidentally smashing my annual presents budget in six months, I have…

Wham, bam, thank you, scam: How to spot a holiday scam

By: Credit Simple

28 May 2018

If you like your money, don’t fall victim to a holiday scam. All too many Aussies do. NSW Liberal MP Gareth Ward escaped a “terrifying” attempt to blackmail him in a New York hotel, The Australian reported. He ordered a US$100 massage and was allegedly charged US$1,000. Fake “chiefs” in Fiji were trying to sell holiday properties they didn’t own to Australians, The Courier Mail reported. The offers were “too good to refuse”. News.com.au reported that a New Zealand man…

Budget Betty: What could you save by removing extras from your shopping?

By: Credit Simple

19 February 2018

Are you throwing money away every week on your shopping? Think online shopping for clothes you absolutely don’t need, or popping into a nice store because you like the look of something in the window and then walking out having spent $300. It’s okay – we’ve all been there. But putting thought into saving money on your shopping in Australia can help you to keep your bank account healthy, which means you’ll have enough money to pay your bills and…

How long does it take to recover from serious financial difficulty?

By: Credit Simple

30 January 2018

If you’re on the verge of a serious financial problem, you need to act quickly. Going bankrupt or having multiple defaults listed on your credit report can severely impact your future ability to take out a loan or open a new line of credit. Lenders will look at your financial past, see that you’ve been unable to handle your finances, and potentially refuse your application. Examples of a major financial misstep include going bankrupt, failing to repay multiple debts over…

You say you want a resolution?

By: Credit Simple

15 January 2018

For most of us, the New Year is a popular time to set personal goals and look back on the what we’ve achieved in the last 12 months. But with all the goodwill in the world, it can be hard to turn resolutions into results. People who study behaviour for a living reckon that for a resolution to actually work, it needs to tick five boxes. Happily, the five boxes spell “SMART,” making them not just easy to remember but…

Are your finances suffering from ‘excusitis’? Beat it, now

By: Credit Simple

20 November 2017

Liar, liar, pants on fire. We Aussies are masters at coming up with excuses for our spending and debt. I’ve heard it called “excusitis”. We convince ourselves that “we’re different” or that “we need it”, or “everyone else does it”. It’s that six inches of grey stuff between your ears that’s at fault. And it’s getting worse. A staggering 70.19% of Australians have a credit card and our balances have grown from $5.9bn in 1995 to $51.8bn in 2016. Ouch.…

Boost your savings with the Three Ts (track, trim, and target)

By: Credit Simple

18 September 2017

Saving is the worst. I cannot save money. I just can’t. I look at my payslip each month and take out the rent, the food, the car, the power, the water, the gas and there’s barely enough left to pay for the odd drink after work let alone save up for a deposit on a house or anything stupid like that. I know I was supposed to pay myself first but somehow that just never worked out. By the time…

Beat your brain (and better your bank balance) by understanding thought processes

By: Credit Simple

6 August 2017

Is everything you do with your money logical? Don’t fool yourself. Human brains were designed for fight or flight. There’s emerging research showing that even the smartest humans make stupid financial mistakes thanks to our prehistoric brains. Neuro-economists have found longs lists of “cognitive biases” behind why our financial decisions are so flawed. They’ve found that both amateur and professional investors alike are tripped up by inadequate evolution. So when you next fall into the needs versus wants trap, borrow…

Tap into the sharing economy and rent your way to success

By: Credit Simple

31 May 2017

Are you a part of the sharing economy yet? If you’ve used Uber or Airbnb, then you’re part of it. But there’s plenty of other sharing businesses springing up, and one that we think looks especially interesting is the renting business. The internet has made it ridiculously easy to rent your stuff and get paid for it*. Take Rentoid, as an example. It’s kind of like eBay, with one crucial difference: the stuff in the listing isn’t for sale, its…