Budgeting When Life Is Complicated

Hello, my name's Santasha Nabananga Bamblet. I'm a proud Order

Let's get into it.

She's on the Money, She's on the Money.

Hello, and welcome to She's on the Money, the podcast for millennials who want financial freedom. Today, my friends, is Beck's birthday. Who It's also Friday, but that means it is time to get our little team together and celebrate you, Beck and our incredible She's on the Money community. Today

Is that right?

Like why are you so excited about that?

It seems so like like wow, what do you do?

Like how does that work?

How does this all work?

I love it.

I'm excited, like I won't go into it too much.

Okay, okay, we'll get there. But first things first are happy Birthday and tells your day and week.

Then thank you so much.

I feel so I love, love, love my birthday. I try and extend it for as long as possible. House party on Saturday was beautiful. All my friends were around, and I just felt so loved. All my buckets were full. Today's the day, the day day. But it won't end there because I'm going to.

This episode comes out on Friday, so like people are going to be wishing you a happy birthday literally at the end of the week.

Exactly, how good, exactly I've got plans all the end of August. I love it. I'm just having the best time.

It's a genius. I love this someone who also loves a birthday week. Mister gretchy week, bean Goo ahead.

I haven't done anything very exciting. I've just been sitting at home working on my craft.

I've been working on my craft.

It's been like very except today it's been quite rainy and cold, so I feel like it's perfect weather to sit inside and do something crazy.

It's so cute craft.

Have you been ready through?

All right?

I'm ready.

It's like done the thing where I've started. I got really excited about many things, and now I have many half do things. So I bought a bunch of vintage stamps, just like randomly to store.

I saw that and I was confused.

Yeah, I'm turning them into a phone case, which is very fun. Oh okay, I'm collecting vintage stamps from countries that i've been So I bought like this big bulk a lot of stamps because they were really pretty and they were so cheap.

How many stamps did you get?

I think I got like two hundred or something like four dollars, and I.

Just that's a good deal. You can't use them though, you know that, right.

But I just thought they were very pretty and there was something about them that appealed, So I'm toying with the idea of either doing like all blue because I

And then could make a kindle case because you have so many so cute.

Well, funny you mentioned the kindle I bought a bunch of new kindlestickers, so you did freshing the kindle case. And then when I was doing sewing of I'm working on my new favorite hobby. I'm sewing a quilted tote. Okay, I love this. I've quilted it so far. It's not shaped like a cute it is really cute, and I love feasted the fabric, so if I cook it, it's not too bad. It's because fabric's expensive, so it was like four dollars or something.

Okay, but that's not the point. It's cute.

It's she it's fun. So we'll see how that goes. And then lastly I realized I was doing the little screen, medium screen, big screen at night, like I was watching TV and I have my laptop open and I was on my phone, and I was like, she's actually port screen. That is awes. So I bought a little crocheky and I'm trying to crochet a bag at like walle, So I watch TV and crochet so my hands are busy.

That's really really cute.

That's actually so wholesome.

That is so yes many a craft.

Yes question. When you were a kid and someone gave you like a box of Smarties, did you sort them my color and then eat colors in isolation?

Absolutely, certls taste better than others. They taste all the same, but the brown Eminem's taste the best. At double chocolate, that's what you are. I always not be argued with.

The red tasted better and also doubles the lip. What's that red steel?

It also doubles is that you're broke to.

That's incredible.

Yeah, just your smartest it's like made out of beetles.

I don't want to think about it.

Yeah, no one out of ten. I am, well, I think I told you last week that Steve decided to injure himself at soccer, so that wasn't really that fun. I think I mentioned it, But two broken ribs, are punctured lung, a broken scapular, and a whole heap of other stuff like separated a sea joint, like significant stuff. I've been his care this week, which has been really fun, because it turns out having a four month old and a husband who can't pick up your four month old

Now you're double caretaking, you've got two children.

Fun, but for everyone, so that's been really I won't say fun, it's just kept me really busy, and like in between that and work and like obviously we've spoken about this, Steve was the primary parent and I was back at work, so that's definitely put a spanner in

I want to crochet, you know, the sad Mouse. That's my assa like picture. No, the sad Hamster.

Yeah, the sad Hamster with their little.

The meme where it would be like I'm just a girl mirror and I was like the violin music of this hamster, like and people were making them look like themselves. So my slack picture fame.

Because you choose to work from home, which you know everyone in our team has the option. We actually do have an office and all the Zella girls they have those as key rings.

You know, yeah, you'd be that's so jealous.

I walked in and it was like is Jesse yah And they were like no, I would just be here and I was like, just looks like, Jess, it's been here.

I saw people crocheting the Sad Hamster, So that will be a project at some point.

You No, I do not put that on me. If you want to help learning how to use your sewing machine, I'm your girl crocheting. I still am pretty certain I'm going to throw that out the window real quick. But let's get into the crux of the show, and it's just Gricci. This week, you've been saying that there have been some pretty good money wins. Yes, what if people brought to the table.

Firstly, I've got a money win from Meg, who said she made a few purchases on deep hop. She had some great quality items at a bargain price. We love a secondhand cluthing purchase.

I bought a dress online Scanlon Theodore d Pop but I messaged her a couple of weeks ago and said would you take X for it because it was a bit expensive, and she said no, and then it didn't sell. It didn't sell, so I was like I'm still open and she said yeah, let's do it and I was like yes, sorry wins.

See that's the best feeling when you just wait and wait and the universe says okay, haven't Yeah.

Was like originally I was like, I'm not paying that for that, Like I do like the dress, but like I don't need the dress and then she made me need the dress, so that was nice.

Love that for you. Well done to both of you. Next, I've got a money win from kallany. I hope that I'm saying that correctly. She said that she switched her Netflix plan from Premium, which is twenty six bucks a month, to standard with ads, which is only eight, because she figured she's not really watching Netflix that much except for on the weekends. The standard plan with ads is apparently not too bad. It's barely one or two ads per episode, and she's now saving herself almost twenty bucks.

That's something you should do because you're not even focusing on Netflix. Literally, I'm just sitting I feel like an ad.

You need ads, And I was like, I actually should do that.

That's really so be for real? Did you just say that a Netflix subscription is now twenty six dollars? In my head? Netflix eight? Okay, so about the same. Yeah, what do you mean twenty six dollars with some ads?

We don't scam off our friends.

They don't let you anymore. But you still have my Disney logan.

I was gonna say, I definitely do not do any illegal password sharing.

No, we would never Moving on, Yeah.

Absolutely quick, quick quick. Next, I've got a money in from Rainer, who said she loves click and collect from Wally's. One time she ordered one tomato and one bunch of bccoli because that's all she needed. She unpacked it, she had five tomatoes and two bunches of broccoli.

Then someone was like, you deserve this. Literally.

She ordered bacon and ham for lunches last week and she says she doesn't know what happened, but they doubled it. She's only paid for one. They'd give it her as much as what she ordered. She said, money wins, click collect is the way to go, Oh my god, you're doing this.

Yes? Can I also add in a little bit of my own money win because it like is writing on the coattails of hers. Now, you would think that ordering groceries on Uber eats, that's ridiculous, right, like why would

Oh that's so good.

Is that not a money win?

Yeah?

Formula is so expensive too, and.

I feel like it probably doesn't go on sale that often, right.

Not that I've noticed. Yeah, I mean I've only been here for a short period of time, and in that time, I've realized it's obnoxious.

Right, I love that. Well done. Next, I've got money in from Jewels, who said she received her monthly power bill for one hundred and ninety dollars, which seemed higher than her bills normally are. She scrolled through the document and she noticed that it was an estimated figure, so she checked her own meter, and turns out once she submitted the correct reading to her company, it was actually only one hundred and fifty dollars.

Okay, that is something we all should be doing. Yeah, you can check the meta, you can take a photo of it, you can send it in and they will honor it.

So what you got to check your own meter? They don't send someone out. They do it usually once a quarter, and so that's your besh market. Yeah, I see, Okay, why they digitize that now, I don't know why they don't.

Like because I don't know how you digitize the meters. Honestly, they have those little ticking numbers, and I've always been like, what if I maxed out the ticking number and then I start again? Used one like the odometer on your car, like once you've reached a million kilometers, Yes, your car's brand new.

Light hack. Last, we've got money in this week from Aaron who said her textbook from UNI was going to cost her almost two hundred bucks.

Past obnoxious. I don't miss those days.

That is daylight robbery. I'm sor sorry. She found a copy that on Facebook Marketplace was brand new and she got it for thirty bucks.

Oh do you know what I wish Facebook, market Place and deepop existed. When I had to buy my university textbooks, getting them secondhand was incredibly hard. You'd have to like go to the library or like the secondhand shop at the UNI, and like everybody else had already done that, so there was nothing there.

Yeah.

Oh well.

Some are also commented right under Aaron and said a lot of unis now have a textbook exchange or their like. Student portals will often have like boards or Facebook groups where people are looking, you know, to on sell their last year.

Isn't it good to live in twenty twenty five? Life?

Being here?

It's so good?

On the flip side, maybe we're only here because the cost of living is so damn high. Literally, Okay, well, well I'm nice way to bring And since you've brought this up, just I'm assuming you're done.

Would you like to take sender stage? What if you got to bring to the table?

It's so negative, I don't know why it's literally and I'm just so bitter. I think maybe this is what happens when you hit two.

Like cozy libs.

I'm done, and I was bitter about something else before. I can't remember what it was, but anyway I do have that's.

The best way to be bitter about things that you can't even remember exactly exactly.

I really am putting into a boomer.

So apart from using Smarties as free lipstick, what if you.

Got beck is not a bad idea, though, I've got to say, do try do you reckon?

It's like a lip stain.

Dolly Parton used to do it with berries. Apparently. I just watched the DCC up Country and they had Dolly Parton was the guest that Super Bowl. She answered the DCC last year, Dolly Putton my co god her too as much as Dolly Parton.

Her lack of belly button is unnerving. Yeah, like, like do the maths don't work out?

Why?

Incredible? I just have a flashback of my mum in the bathroom trying to die hair with beetroot juice, like canned beetroot juice, and it does work. It's just music, organic be.

I have questions. I have so many questions.

It was very funny.

My mind is very funny, and you can't say it okay, But like my questions arise from the fact that you have naturally black hair. Color is your mum's, yeah.

I know, shockingly she's blonde. She actually yeah, with blonde hair.

I know.

See my mom's really blonde too, and everyone meets her and they're like, that is not what we expected.

Shocking happens.

Don't judge me exactly.

Don't judge a book by its mother.

They do say that, all right, what is your first broake tip.

Okay, so this person one comes from Andrea. This is actually really really cools as the thing, so Andrew says, I have kids, so do multiple loads of washing a week. I've started using the delay start setting on my washing machine so that will run wash cycle overnight during off peak electricity.

Then, very what the heck is an off peak electricity?

Oh my gosh, bell Oh, I can tell you all about it because my gas electricity bill was nearly eight hundred dollars the last two months.

Eight hundred dollars. That's close, honestly, Like she's asking for this.

Bea we've been dropped've dropped our temperature.

Oh okay, that Jess's house, Like if you walked into it, you'd be like, wow, this is a sauna. Like I'm pretty sure last time we were talking about this, you're like, yeah, we just have it set at twenty seven year round and I was like twenty four okay, okay, Richie, rich so what have you had to drop it to?

We keep it at like nineteen twenty now, and we really want i know, freezing and taf comeically Jessica. Yeah, we're actually in a talk to our landlord because we reckon, there's something wrong because our usage has gone up like significantly since last year, but we're we're using it anymore. I'm worried that anyway. Not the point.

No, we want to hear this because that's a fight. I'm willing to crazy listening on.

They charge you more for electricity during certain hours of the day. It's like on your bill. If you look at it, if you say, we're dissecting it to figure out why on earth your bill was eight hundred dollars, it will show you they charge you a higher rate during peak usage times, which is usually like middle.

Of the day when everybody else is using it.

Yeah, like through that, I think. I think ours is like maybe seven o'clock, eight o'clock something I remember. So it's actually a lot cheaper to run. If you're doing laundry, if you have to run the dryer or something like that, it's often cheaper to do it in the evening or in the very early morning.

Okay, And does it change daily?

No, peak time should be the same every day.

Yeah, Oh my goodness, that's sick.

I don't know. You could delay stuff.

I don't know. Now they do because you're putting it on the podcast.

Well, I hope everyone does. I'm gonna tell my housemates about it that it was just so like my mind was blown. Anyway, that's really clever and obviously, as you would have shared last week when I wasn't here, that if you use cold water it significantly reduces the we did share that incredible So thank you so much, Andrew, and thank you so much Fee for reading that one out lost.

Jess said that she always watches her stuff in warm water, and I was delicate, but then I was like, oh, are you also the girl that shrunk too really expensive jumpers in the recent past.

No, I would not to confirm on tonight.

All right, Beck, what is your second from the community?

Broke to Okay, So this second one, I don't know how you guys are going to feel about this, but personally, I love this for so many different reasons. This one comes from Michelle. She says that she's basically it's quite a long one.

You can see I'm not going to read it, and you're going to tell I'm going.

To summarize it. And I'm so sorry Michelle if in advance I kind of mutu it. Yeah, obviously, Jess, you're talking about pottery before off air, and we'll.

Kind of just pinner crafting era.

Yeah, painted pottery too.

I saw on Instagram. I was like, oh, what is that? And then I was like, that is a potter's wheel washing Jessica.

So basically personally, I love playing in dirt, and adults should be playing in dirt. I feel like not should nothing, No one should be.

I'm going to give you my kid and you can do the.

Exposure stuff, which absolutely I love it. I love it. It just makes you feel so silly and fun and close to nature. Anyway, it's so much fun. What Michelle did was she made clay or she did was have a bucket of water and a stick and got some soil from her yard that was rich in clay. I should give it. She literally made clay to do like pottery, which I think is so cool.

And I love that she's gone. I guess foraging for natural clay. Is that what you're saying.

I think she has like soil in her yard that's rich in clay. But you can also like I don't know if people listening to this or in Victoria where you are in the world, but in Victoria, would you have like red Hill on the peninsula full of like red beautiful clay, Like you can make clay from just clay playing in the dirt.

You couldn't make clay from clay, saying.

And I never thought about that before. You can make cute and then you can like make beautiful bowls for gifts or for yourself whatever.

Jess, did you forage for your own clay when you were playing Posha? Recently?

I foraged within the crater room that was provided at the place that I paid to reuced.

I really try, what do you bring to the table today?

This one actually happened upon this week, you.

Happened upon or your girlfriend happened upon No.

Genuinely mean yes. So I've been having to use ubers

To go find it, Yeah, to find it. I think they might.

Automatically apply it. If your trip does, you know, tick all the boxes for that particular thing, then will automatically apply it. Unless you know exactly what your promos are, you'll never get the opportunity to use them. I love that. Everyone, right now, go into you uber account and check out what your promos are and use them, because we're not getting our money's worth here, you know. So that's my broke tip for this week.

That's a good one.

That is a good one. I love it. All Right, guys, let's go to a really quick break because on the flip side, we're going to be talking about budgeting around a complicated lifestyle. And Beck is really excited to be talking about this week's DM which this week we're talking about sharing points with friends. So guys, don't go anywhere. Welcome back, everybody.

Let's take a listen to this week's money dilemma.

Hi, there, have you got a money dilemma you just can't solve? The Sheese on the Money Team is here to help. Every week, we tackle your dilemmas, both big and small, to answer your most burning money, career and life questions. To get involved, simply head to our website and leave us a short voice recording and you might just find yourself on the show. Now, let's take a listen to this week's money dilemma.

Hi, She's on the Money Team. I'm twenty five years old and currently a yoga teacher. I have a really complicated lifestyle at the moment, which I'm very grateful for, but it does make it hard when it comes to budgeting and saving money. I go Overseas regularly on a work exchange to teach yoga, which I don't earn an income, and when I come back home to Australia, I either go work up in the Minds at a cafe or

This feels very beck cooded.

That has been very back odd, But I do remember Victoria. Actually, like last year someone messaged us with a it was kind of similar. They were a freelancer and they were kind of like, some months I make X amounts, someons I make.

Some days I maybe good, some days maybe.

Shit exactly well. And I'm maybe be saying and this could be different now, but you said average it out over twelve months.

And I'm going to see myself out. I am not needed on this podcasting, Is that right? Yeah? I keep going.

I ridged it out over twelve months with your expenses, average your expenses over twelve months, and then average your income over twelve months. Yeah no, yeah, yeah yeah. And then if you make ten thousand one month, for example, but you your average is two thousand a month, you're only spending two thousand a month. Yeah, something like that.

No, no, no, that is absolutely on the money, which is money for most reasons here.

That's crazy effects on the money, which in the intro to bexs on the money.

Yeah that's fine. That's your birthday, so you get whatever you want. Yes, that is absolutely true. So what I would say is understand your budget. And I think that you you sounded like you're having the best life. I don't know, but did you notice Jess being like ooh, I'm like, are you pondering a career change? You want to go to be a yoga teacher? Like I wouldn't be surprised at this point she's become a pilates girlie.

And tricks, nothing to add other than you did a full episode a few years ago call budgeting for variable income, which goes into that, and you know a few other like systems and processes people could consider in like a whole episode. So if you want a bit more info, I would go listen to that because a really good YEP, I.

Did it, So I agree turn out of ten. Would you guys like to move on to this week money dilemma?

Absolutely?

So this week we got a dam sounded exactly like this, because guys, I am reading it verbatim. Hi, I need a vibe check on this. Every weekend my friend and I go out for dinners, drinks, and the occasional shopping spree must be nice. They always put everything on their fancy new credit card to rack up points, and I transfer them my share after Now we're planning for an overseas trip and they just announced that they're using those

This is really tricky because like, I get it, I get it. I guess if I had a card that I intended on like collecting or accumulating points on, but all my friends are like, no, no, let me get this one, And like if I sense that there was a bit of like sneakiness behind it, they're like, no, I want to pay for this, but you still pay me your share, but I just want to get the points. Then I'd be like, oh, I'm kind of bit dirty

Now you're salty that your friend was making the most of it.

Yeah, I feel like that's like maybe if you inquired early and everyone's like, don't worry about it, like this is you know, you don't need to worry, Like you just keep doing what you're doing then, I don't know if there's any sneakiness involved, which doesn't really sound like it is. Sounds like your friends are just like making the most of what they were trying to do, I guess. And they didn't know that a trip was coming up.

I feel like they did know. It sounds like a listener because they said like they knew they were putting the credit card on everything on the credit card to brack up points, so they knew that that was happening. I feel like, if you wanted the points, you get your own card. Like it's to me, it's a very black and white situation, like our friends do it. Like one of our like before I had a credit card, one of our friends had a credit card. If we

Us transferring them cash from your Like I'm.

Paying what I would pay regardless, you might as well get the points. Now that I have my own credit card, I just go, oh, like okay, because I want my points yeah, one hundred percent to me, it is such a non issue. Also, the amount of points that you get from like paying for dinner, even if it's every week, versus the amount of points it takes to upgrade to something like it's a huge.

Would be Yeah, like to upgrade to business which I have done recently, So I did that flying to Europe. It's hundreds of thousands of points. Like, you're not to be whole, not to be dramatic, but when she said I go out for dinners, drinks and the occasional shopping spree, that's not going to get your business class upgrade, Like that's not Like, I don't mean to be offensive. I get that you're probably contributing to the points, but like,

Yeah.

To me, I think it is kind of a silly thing. I think it's a little bit unreasonable to expect her to split the upgrade. I think there's a larger or.

She can't split an upgrade.

No, you can't. But I think that's a large question maybe around you know, is it okay if you're flying with someone and you agree that you're flying together to upgrade without inting them to upgrade or without you're ine, Like maybe the friend thought you were going to sit in economy together.

Like kges, I have enough points, I can upgrade me. But like yeah, and you'd be sitting on your own. I wouldn't ever do that to anybody. No, No, I wouldn't you.

Actually, we have sat an economy together many a time, so, like, I think that there's a conversation to be had around that. But I think if you separate that out, the points thing to me is like such a non issue. If you want points, you're very entitled to earn your own points, get your own cut, like you can't do you know what I mean, Like you can't really expect her to be Yeah, I just think it no to me, it feels a little bit unreasonable.

I agree, And I guess like if you flip it, if the person writing in was in fact the person who was being really savvy and linked all of their things and was trying to get points for whatever, first of all, exactly you sav like that amount of points wouldn't have gotten them very far anyway. I'm assuming it's like years.

Worth, unless you're spending thousands of dollars and months, like you're not going to get there, like Steve and I have recently, oh maybe in the last twelve months. He got a credit card and we have been putting all of our expenses onto the credit card and just paying it off every month because we knew that we wanted to do a Europe trip and we got like I think it was like one hundred thousand bonus points when Steve signed up for this card, and then every single

Yeah and yeah exactly. So with that in mind, if it was flipped and yeah, the person running in was in fact the one being savvy, I'm sure they would be like quite protective of those points that they accumulated over the years. And we're really intentional about and like, oh, I'm putting everything on the cards that I can eventually

But also be careful because it could be a slip gery slope. Like I said before, do you know if your friends her credit card like the business class upgrade I'm promising you is not worth it if you're not going to be responsible with your finances.

There's not It's not only credit cards right like you can get here it is. Oh, I was thinking Flybys something.

Yeah, like fly By. Jess is the queen of fly Bys. Like if I go shopping with Jess, I don't have fly Bys.

I'm that friend.

I have.

Fly Bys, I just never bring the card. So if I'm with Jess, I literally turned to her and go, I don't my card, and she's like, oh, let me grab mine. Like this woman worked so hard to wield up her Flybys points that she bought a whole lass kitchen aid mixer.

Yeah, that's at a dance in vacuum and AirPods.

Oh it's okay, it's been a while since we've had a little bit of an upgrade or updates. Sorry, Can I just break this down a little bit further? So let's pretend Jess and I are going on holiday together. We've been planning this holiday. Where do we want to go? Jess, We're and go Barley or something. We're so excited. If Jess then turned around to me and said, I've upgraded myself to business and we're not flying together.

You've been miffed.

It's not about that you're in business. It's not about the additional luxury. It's not about that. What do you mean aren't we going on holiday together? Why aren't we sitting together?

Like aren't we going to hang out?

Aren't we like keeping each other company on the long fly? Like aren't we aren't we going on a holiday together somewhere?

Like That's what I feel is the bigger problem.

Why are you avoiding me?

Like?

I find that's so strange, Like I don't know, Like when we go on a flight, like Jess and I, we make sure we're picking our chairs so they're close to each other because I want to be bored.

Yeah, Like what is that about?

I don't know?

Is that?

No?

I get that.

I get that. That makes sense, So it's probably like that's more the issue than the actual Yeah.

To me, that's more of an issue that your friends just went and upgraded herself like talking without Like to me, that's the red flag. The fact that she's been putting all of your expenses on points Like I kind of don't care. I'm like, okay, savvy girl is using her credit card and you clearly don't have one, But why don't you want to sit together?

Yeah, fan, what did the community have?

Right? So we had a chat with the community and we said, what's your two cents? Some of you had a lot of opinions that were very like ouse, and some of you did point out that the red flag was actually more about them upgrading without consultation, not because of the upgrade, but because they're moving to a different part of the plane. And some people had some cool opinions. So one person said, it sounds like a potential value

And also, do you remember that the holiday is not the travel there, I know it would suck to not sit together, but the holiday is actually the destination, isn't it exactly not the journey.

In that situation, in that particular situation, it's not about the journey. It's about the destination. I love that. All right, Well, that's a really good place to leave it. Have the best week, guys. I'll see you tomorrow for a Sneaky solo episode, and then on Monday, brianon Early for a money diary. Have a good weekend, guys, Hi, guys Bie. The advice shared on She's on the Money is general

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