Until recently, I never thought much about organizing a pre-paid funeral. Like many people, I viewed it as perhaps a bad omen and was of the sentiment – “well, I won’t be here, so why would I care?”

And there’s nothing wrong with that thought. But now, after a rather tawdry personal experience with a funeral director, I’m beginning to see the value in pre-arranging my funeral. Not just because of the financial costs (although they’ve been a bit over the top) but because of the empty promises that are made by the funeral home manager.

Last year, my husband passed away. That was a very sad day. It wasn’t unexpected as he’d been suffering from a couple of degenerative diseases for a long time. He told me he was ready to go and he’d already given me instructions for his funeral service.

His requests were quite simple really – to be held at the local cemetery crematorium chapel; no clergy or prayers; show lots of pictures and only have people who knew him to say a few words.

When he passed away, I required the services of a funeral director to take him to the funeral home and prepare him for the service. Then, I needed them to have him at the crematorium on time so that we could hold a celebratory service.

Of course, the funeral director would also be able to assist by arranging for the notices in the paper, sell me a casket, order some flowers and do the obligatory paperwork for the government.

The funeral director was clearly unimpressed that we were using the council chapel and crematorium and not their facilities. The manager pursed her lips when told that the service would be conducted by friends and all sorts of obstacles were brought forward, to make it sound like I was asking the impossible. However, I stuck to my guns – because this was what my dear hubby had asked for.

The day of the funeral was miserable – cold and raining. The funeral director/manager didn’t turn up and nobody bothered to tell us why. The ‘B’ Team that arrived in her place had no idea what they were supposed to do, nor did they appear to have read the instruction sheet to see what was required.

They did, however, stand at the door and ask people to sign the mourners’ book. The chapel wasn’t ready and the staff members were wringing their hands. Thank goodness for a friend who arrived early enough to take charge, and everything went as we’d planned.

The account had already arrived and if I paid it within 3 days of the funeral, I could have a $500 discount. I was concerned – it was way more than I had expected. (over $10,000) Of course the account was itemized, and I could clearly see everything I was paying for.  That is, except for the item “our fee for arranging and conducting service”. That was billed at 30% of the total. And there was an administration fee as well.

Naturally, I queried the account.

It was quite simple, I wanted to know “what I got for that amount of money”. The manager said it was their standard fee but she’d get back to me after she investigated the issues I had with the company input. Suffice to say, she reduced the total account by 25%, yet I am still at a loss as to knowing what that money was for. I paid the account.

A month passed by and despite being told that Hubby’s ashes would be in my care within two weeks, I was still waiting. I got tired of waiting and I made a call.

I was told that “because it’s not our crematorium, they can do what they like, and they haven’t told us anything.” When I suggested that perhaps I could have rung myself I was informed “Well, they wouldn’t have told you anything because it’s under us. It’s the privacy crap that we have to deal with every day. So I’ll ring them first thing on Monday and get them.”

Once again, I was made to feel like a second class citizen for not buying the complete package from this company.  But I had already paid for a complete package and I’d been promised that his ashes would be returned to me no longer than two weeks.

My thought now is that all the details of a funeral need to be worked out and negotiated well before the death of the customer. By doing that, you can then be certain that there will be no mixed messages, no hidden meanings or extras. You will know that you are only paying for what you request and the fee will explain exactly what is included.

It also gives you time to arrange the things that the funeral director won’t do.

Pre-arranging a funeral gives everybody a chance to sort out the details when they all have a clear head and at a time when emotions are not running high due to the death of a loved one. I certainly don’t want my loved ones to go through a similar experience at a very sad and emotional time.

And maybe, just maybe if enough people stand up to them, the funeral industry will have a chance to clean up their reputation and get rid of the smoke and mirrors.

 

 

 

©   Carmel McCartin – Budget Bitch

And don’t forget – (The views expressed in this blog are the personal opinions of the author. Don’t rely on them to make financial decisions; you have to make up your own mind. If you don’t like the content – then either stop reading or send me an email)

 

 

Comprehensive car insurance certainly seems to be a necessary evil. And it appears that each year the cost becomes greater.  For many of us, to keep the costs down, we take the basic package and pray that nothing happens to make us rue the decision.

Of course, it also pays to check that you have the best price for the insurance and are not over-paying unnecessarily. I often ask for and receive quotes for all my insurances. Like you, I don’t want to be paying any more than I must.

In years gone by, many insurance companies offered windscreen insurance with their policies. With the enormous cost of windscreens for the new model cars that are available today, they have removed this option.

Almost three years ago, I purchased a new car and it was suggested that perhaps I should add windscreen insurance on to my policy. After a little investigation I discovered that a replacement windscreen would cost me around fifteen hundred dollars. I would also need to pay extra for installation.

It seemed like a no-brainer to pay an extra seventy dollars for some insurance.   

Well thank goodness I did, because over the recent holiday period we went out of town on a family picnic. Being an extremely hot day, I parked below a Norfolk Island Pine tree for some shade. A little time later we heard a loud bang from the direction of the car, but on realising it was a falling pinecone didn’t bother to investigate further.

It wasn’t until somebody was heading to the restrooms that I was alerted that the pinecone had hit my car and my windscreen had sustained some damage. A lot of damage, to be exact.

A call to my insurance company and they immediately arranged for it to be replaced at a local windscreen repair place. They also gave me some advice about driving home with such vast damage.

Thank goodness I had taken the extra cover. I am very grateful for that little piece of advice. My savings would have been hit rather hard, if I had to pay for the replacement myself.

I would certainly pay a little more for piece of mind. Would you?

 

 

 

 

©   Carmel McCartin – Budget Bitch

And don’t forget – (The views expressed in this blog are the personal opinions of the author. Don’t rely on them to make financial decisions; you have to make up your own mind. If you don’t like the content – then either stop reading or send me an email)

 

 

At the end of this month a new school year will start. It can be a hefty financial time for many parents, not only do they have school books and uniforms to pay for, but for some there is also the cost of school fees.

Perhaps the greatest tip for minimizing these costs is to be sensible about purchasing only what your child needs as opposed to what they want or what the back to school catalogues tell you to buy.

If you are new to all this and have a child starting school for the first time, perhaps you could ask other parents with school age youngsters for some help with discerning what the essential items might be. There’s not much sense in sending a first timer off to school with a bag full of items that won’t be used until secondary school.

Of course, there are many other helpful hints but here are my top five.

 

 

©   Carmel McCartin – Budget Bitch

And don’t forget – (The views expressed in this blog are the personal opinions of the author. Don’t rely on them to make financial decisions; you have to make up your own mind. If you don’t like the content – then either stop reading or send me an email)

It’s the start of a new year – 2018.

Now that we’ve got the past year and all its trials and tribulations behind us, we can start afresh and begin this year with a clean slate. Wouldn’t it be great if we had a crystal ball and could see what this year holds for us all!

Of course, at this time of year, we hear much about ‘New Years Resolutions’ – “have you made any?”, “did you keep the ones you made last time?”, “do you make different ones every year or do you trot out the tired old ones that don’t seem to make it past the first few weeks?”.

When the topic was raised at a family BBQ, it was interesting to hear the different explanations about the practice to the younger generation. It was summed up beautifully by one young nephew – “it’s really planning your goals for the next year”. 

According to some newspaper polls more than 33% of the population resolves to pay off their credit cards each year, but statistics also show that 60% of New Year Resolutions are long forgotten by June.

It’s a great idea to plan some goals for the coming year but if your list is very long you may find that you struggle to achieve too many of them. Sometimes it’s easier to just have three or four resolutions, make a plan that works towards the end result, and then you will find that you can conquer them all. There will be slip-ups along the way but if you stick to the plan you’ll soon get the result that you want.

Don’t forget to make a ‘family’ resolution this year, after-all they’re the important people that make our lives worthwhile. A ‘financial’ goal is also a great way to start the New Year.

If you’ve got your budget under control – keep up the good work! If you’d like a health check for the state of your finances – please don’t hesitate to give us a call.

 

(c)  Carmel McCartin – Budget Bitch

And don’t forget – (The views expressed in this blog are the personal opinions of the author. Don’t rely on them to make financial decisions, you have to make up your own mind. If you don’t like the content – then either stop reading or send me an email)

That headline made me sit up and look. “More than 50% of Australians are failing to save” was the title of a white paper that was sent to me from Mortgage Choice and I believe it’s important enough to share it with you….

More than 1 in every 2 Australians have said they fail to save at least 10% of their salary from each pay cycle, new data has revealed.

According to Mortgage Choice’s Australian Financial Savviness Whitepaper, 53.4% of Australians fail to save a decent portion of their income, with 26% stating that they save nothing each month and instead live pay cheque to pay cheque.

“Alarmingly, 6% said they actually spend more than they earn each month, which means they are forever trapped in a negative debt cycle,” Mortgage Choice chief executive officer John Flavell said.

“When we look closer at the data, those aged between 30 and 49 were the least likely to save at least 10% of their salary.

“We found 56.9% of Australians aged between 40 and 49 years failed to save 10% of their regular earnings. Similarly, 55.8% of Australians aged between 30 and 39 were in the same situation.”

Mr Flavell said he was surprised to see such a significant proportion of Australians failing to stash money away for a rainy day or unexpected expenses.

“According to the Whitepaper, 77.2% of Australians consider themselves to be ‘financially savvy’. Yet, despite this, more than 50% of surveyed respondents are also failing to save money on a regular basis,” he said.

“While it’s not uncommon for people to live pay cheque to pay cheque and spend everything they earn each pay cycle, this is incredibly risky financial behaviour.

“The reality is you cannot predict unforeseen events, such as losing your job, an unexpected medical emergency, or sudden and large bills.

“From time to time, unexpected expenses will rear their ugly head and Australians really need to have a financial buffer in place to pay for these expenses. Otherwise, they may find themselves having to take out a personal loan or use a credit card and this can result in added financial hardship.

“Where possible, it is critical that you consistently save a portion of your regular income if you aren’t doing so already.

“You can break the cycle of living pay cheque to pay cheque by having a plan in place. When you receive your regular salary, don’t save what’s left over, but rather, set up an automatic transfer and send some of your money into a separate savings account. Depending on your situation, you should start with a realistic portion that you can commit to, such as 10% of your regular income.

“Moreover, you should track your spending by having a budget in place. Take note of where your money is going and consider cutting out purchases that you no longer need or use, such as gym memberships and eating out. Be purposeful with your spending, so instead of purchasing items as soon as they arise, hold back and wait.

“That said, while it is good to be frugal in certain areas, you should still allow for discretionary spending by giving yourself a set allowance. Make sure it is a realistic figure that is in a range that allows you to save, while still enjoying your money.” 

As you can see, I’m not the only person who believes that a budget is fundamentally important. If you’re not sure how to get a budget started – please give me a call.

 

 

©   Carmel McCartin – Budget Bitch

And don’t forget – (The views expressed in this blog are the personal opinions of the author. Don’t rely on them to make financial decisions; you have to make up your own mind. If you don’t like the content – then either stop reading or send me an email)

I still have my first doll. Actually, it’s the only doll I’ve ever owned and it’s possibly stood the test of time because I didn’t play with it much. Why would you play with a doll when there was always a real live baby in the house to play with?

I got it for Christmas when I was a pre-schooler. I don’t remember actually ‘getting’ it but I know that it was a Christmas present.

When I think back through all those Christmas festivities in my life, I can’t remember too much about the gifts I received. But I do remember the games we played with the family members that visited.

As we grew older our games became a little more sophisticated and the laughter became louder.

There was no shortage of food and we always ate too much. As a kid, I always wondered why the adults always had to have a nap after dinner. As an adult, I’ve discovered the reason why.

They were happy times and my memories are filled with love and laughter. With all the emphasis that’s put onto gift buying these days, you’d think that I’d remember everything I got and who gave it to me. But I just simply don’t.

I remember the good times but I can’t remember the gifts.

 

Sometimes I think we’ve all forgotten that  the best Christmas memories are about people and events – the size and cost of the gifts are insignificant.

 

©   Carmel McCartin – Budget Bitch

And don’t forget – (The views expressed in this blog are the personal opinions of the author. Don’t rely on them to make financial decisions; you have to make up your own mind. If you don’t like the content – then either stop reading or send me an email)

 

With less than a month until Christmas Day, I thought I would share an excerpt from my book – “Money Tips from the Budget Bitch”

 

12 .  Don’t leave your Christmas shopping till the last minute.

There are so many of us that do this… and then we find that because we’re out of time, we dash about in a frenzy and actually spend more than we intended. Sometimes we even buy things that are totally unsuitable, either as gifts or refreshments.

How many times have you finished the festive season with almost half the foodstuffs that you started with? Sure, it means you may not have to shop for a week or two but are mince pies, nuts and pretzels really something you want to eat everyday?

A little pre-Christmas planning and thought will go a long way in making sure your budget parameters are met.

 

Do make lists well before December.

Buy gifts to suit the tastes of a particular person rather than buying a gift to suit a monetary figure.

 

You can also find more great tips and hints by clicking this link

 

©   Carmel McCartin – Budget Bitch

And don’t forget – (The views expressed in this blog are the personal opinions of the author. Don’t rely on them to make financial decisions; you have to make up your own mind. If you don’t like the content – then either stop reading or send me an email)

 

Soon it will be Christmas – one of the most financially stressful times of the year.

We all know how important it is to not have a financial blow-out, yet every year we hear horror stories about families that suffer terribly as a result of over-spending.

Whilst we all seem to over-eat and drink too much over the holiday season, it’s the money carnage that has the biggest impact.

It’s a crazy time of year for sure. Before you get too embroiled in all the celebrations, let’s take a moment to share some thoughts about the festive season…

Christmas is just one day of the year.

If Christmas is a time for your family traditions, then now is the time to talk about changing or adding some new ones that won’t break anybody’s budget. You’ll possibly find that there are some other family members who are secretly longing for this to happen.

Perhaps your family would benefit from a ‘pre-Christmas planning’ day which will give everybody a chance to plan for the event properly. Why only get together once a year?

Christmas is a time of sharing.

Not only do we share food and drinks but we also share time with our family. Some do that willingly; some do that because it’s expected of them.

It’s not always easy to get a family of different personalities together for a day of bonding. There are bound to be some frayed and jagged nerves by the end of the day.

If you’re hosting the family Christmas party and will have a house full of guests, then hopefully they’ll contribute something or share some of the chores. Let’s face it – it’s no fun cooking for a crowd and then having to wash all the dishes as well.

If this is what usually happens at your place (or wherever you spend Christmas), then maybe it’s time to change some of your Christmas traditions. You’re probably not the only person who needs to watch their money.

Perhaps your ‘traditional dinner’ could be divided into parts that each guest could provide (eg: somebody brings the turkey / ham, somebody else provides the veggies. The pudding could be supplied by somebody else, and the custard could also be made by another guest. Are you getting the idea here?)

• Consider keeping it simple – you could always arrange for a ‘buffet’ lunch, where everybody brings a platter.
• If you are cooking lunch at home, delegate tasks. You don’t need to do everything yourself.
• Share the cooking – ask guests to participate by contributing a part of the menu. Don’t forget that there are other people who would love to bring their ‘family favourite’
• Plan your menu in advance and also use a shopping list
• Store brands are great for side dishes and salads etc – nobody will even realise!

And of course, it’s not just the food costs that need to be calculated, liquid refreshments also need to be considered.

• A lot of money is spent on alcohol at Christmas. Try serving guests a festive glass of punch – you can even stretch out servings with apple juice.
• Christmas Punch goes a long way, and is less expensive (alcoholic and non-alcoholic).
• Use lots of ice – this also helps make drinks last longer when the weather is hot

Christmas is a time of giving.

When it comes to gifts, many of us tend to go overboard in that department. How many times have we heard people tell us that Christmas has become too commercial? Or – ‘it’s the thought that counts’ when it comes to gift giving.

Have you ever wondered why so many people seem to place such great importance on the price of the gifts from family members that they only just tolerate and hardly see throughout the year?

We’ve all heard many times, the complaint – “the stingy so and so only bought me a measly ….”

Of course, for those whom we love unconditionally, we’d accept the button off their shirt as a gift – if we knew that was all they could afford.

Maybe this Christmas we could give an extra gift of tolerance and understanding to those relatives who we find hard to love. It won’t cost anything and you may be surprised by the results.

When it comes to buying presents, the first thing to do is to make a list of everybody that you need to buy a Christmas gift for and stick to the list! Then –

• Work out how much you can comfortably afford to spend on each gift, and do not overspend.
• Consider a Kris Kringle (Secret Santa) for large family gift-giving events; where everyone draws a name out of a hat and buys a present only for that person. (You’re not the only one on a budget)
• Choose a theme for your gifts – Calendars, books, chocolates, home-made treats, socks, pens, glasses, pillows, etc. This works really well with a Kris Kringle because the focus is then placed on getting the most suitable gift to for each recipient.
• Give vouchers – lawn mowing; painting; baby-sitting; house cleaning etc. Nowadays people are time poor, not possession poor.
• Spending time with loved ones is the best gift of all. Consider a family day pass to the zoo or theme park. Movie tickets for a family outing will also be appreciated

If you are one of those people that just love to decorate the house to celebrate the season, then you may also need to keep an eye on those costs.

• Don’t over-spend on decorations. Recycle the ones from last year or just add one or two new pieces
• Wrap gifts in bright and glossy junk mail—it all ends up in the same place in the end!
• If you must have Christmas lights all over the place – get solar-powered ones and at least cut down on your electricity usage
• Buy inexpensive candles and decorate them yourself with a Christmas theme. Use tinsel, glitter and ribbons to decorate and save money instead of buying pre-packaged Christmas ones.
• When decorating the dinner table: Buy inexpensive glasses and paint each guests name on the side, or attach a tag with each name to a glass stem. As an extra gift for everyone this also helps with having heaps of glasses to wash. (each guest takes their gift-glass home)

 For lots of people, spending time with family and loved ones is the best part of Christmas and it’s important to remember that the best Christmas memories are about people and events. The size and cost of the gifts are insignificant.

If you haven’t already, it’s a good idea to start your Christmas planning now. Doing this will avoid a major ‘money melt-down’ due to lack of preparation.

Did you know that people who leave everything to the last minute will spend more money because they’ve run out of time?

So it doesn’t matter how much money you do or don’t have, you can fit Christmas into your budget. If you spend more time on the planning, you can make sure you spend less money on the event.

 

© Carmel McCartin – Budget Bitch

And don’t forget – (The views expressed in this blog are the personal opinions of the author. Don’t rely on them to make financial decisions; you have to make up your own mind. If you don’t like the content – then either stop reading or send me an email)

Christmas is Coming

How many times do you think you’ll hear that between now and December?

Well whether we like it or not, Christmas is just around the corner and now is the perfect time to start planning and get ready.

No matter whether you have a whopping big family get-together or just a small one, it’s wise to do some pre-planning for the big day (or days if it extends into Boxing Day).

Prepare a menu and if your whole family is coming – split it into manageable bits to share the workload around. If everyone helps, it’s going to be a whole lot easier; particularly on your wallet. Start stocking up now and look out for those specials at the supermarket, liquor shop or wherever. There are heaps of opportunities now to buy the things you need, at the price you want.

When it comes to gifts – start with a list of everybody that you have to buy for and then keep it handy every time you go shopping. Look out for bargains, cross them off the list and put them away for Christmas. It makes heaps of sense to do this gradually now rather than running around like a head-less chook a few days before Christmas.

It’s even better if you can spread the shopping over the next 2 months– that way you can pay for it more easily rather than leaving it to the last minute. Nobody likes getting that terrible credit card bill in January; it certainly takes the gloss off a wonderful event.

So get on your skates, get your list out and go for it. 

And by the way – it’s less than 90 days to Christmas.

 

 

 

©   Carmel McCartin – Budget Bitch

And don’t forget – (The views expressed in this blog are the personal opinions of the author. Don’t rely on them to make financial decisions; you have to make up your own mind. If you don’t like the content – then either stop reading or send me an email)