Mama Money Maker | Personal blog
Mama Money Maker
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22.01.2022 Before I was all about the money making, I was all about the money saving. When I first deferred from university to get a full time job, I was on minimum wage. When I decided to buy a house and then go back to uni whilst working full time, I was still on a minimum wage.... These days, after years of saving, I tend to focus more on the making part as the savings habits tend to take care of themselves. I used to get the yearly subscription to Simple Savings so I had full access to their savings vault. I now just get the newsletters with some highlights and inspiration. If you're keen to focus on some saving after an expensive festive season, you can sign up to receive Simple Savings newsletters for free here (this is also where you'll find their archived newsletters): https://www.simplesavings.com.au/newsletter Cheers, Carly
21.01.2022 For a while now I’ve been trying to figure out what to do with our private health insurance. We had full hospital cover plus extras but were hardly using any of our extras. I’d heard a few suggestions that dropping extras was useful, but, I was a bit nervous of losing the security I felt with having it.... Then, a couple of months ago I found out I needed some dental work done. Phew, I thought, I’m all set with my health insurance. The cost of my two treatments was $1800 (ouch and ouch). And I got back..... $500. Yep, still $1300 out of pocket. So I thought about it some more. I have 2 young children and didn’t want to be in a position where I couldn’t get them the health care they needed. But, some time ago my little one hurt her arm. She was in extreme pain so we thought we’d make the most of our private health and rushed her to our closest private hospital with an emergency ward. They saw her straight away and was able to fix it quickly (a dislocation) but just to be seen it was $300 of which we got none back. I also found out whilst I was there that they don’t have a pediatric ward so, had she needed more help, she would have been transferred to a public hospital anyway after we paid the $300. Ok I thought. Just a bit of bad luck. It could still be really useful. Then my husband had severe abdominal pain. Off we rushed to that same private hospital (after all, they take adults). We pay our $300, go back for some tests the next day and they can’t figure out what it is. The tests cost $700 (yep $1000 all up) and you guessed it, none of it was covered by private health. I started doing some serious maths and had a really good look at our policy. Our incomes had gone up which meant we no longer received the discount we previously had from the government and we were paying around $7000 a year for cover we were barely using. You don’t have to be Einstein to realise that this isn’t a good deal. It still made sense to keep some private health as otherwise we’d pay extra tax which equates to the same cost of the cover, but, the extras policies weren’t serving us. So, on I jumped to the GOVERNMENT comparison website (the other comparison sites don’t include all your options and harass you with sales calls). We now have top hospital cover with a higher excess (this reduced the policy price and the excess is capped and doesn’t apply to children). No extras. We’ve saved $3000 per year and if we have work (like dental) that needs to be done we can pay for it with these savings or add on extras and wait out the waiting period. Here’s the comparison website if you’d like to check that you’re getting the best deal too. https://privatehealth.gov.au/ Have a great weekend Carly
21.01.2022 I’m not sunning myself on the beach at the moment. I’m at home with a cold and a couple of other sick family members thrown in for good measure. But I’m on fire ... This time of the year has been terrible for selling things on Facebook Marketplace in the past, but this year it seems to be red hot. I sold a coffee table on Christmas Eve and have listed a few things this afternoon and have had heaps of interest. I have a couple of pick ups scheduled for the morning. I’ve been watching Consumed on Netflix which has been providing endless inspiration Are you finding the same thing?
19.01.2022 Me trying to sell things on Facebook Marketplace, particularly when Facebook first introduced it It is definitely getting better but Geez Louise buyers test me at times. My all time favourite was someone asking where the item was located when I had the suburb listed in the title, description and on the map
19.01.2022 If you’re in the market from some extra cash at the moment, Q&A Market Research have the following coming up on 20th March. People aged 18-67, living in the following suburbs: - Avonsleigh, Beaconsfield, Beaconsfield Upper, Belgrave, Belgrave Heights, Belgrave South, Berwick, Clematis, Cockatoo, Dewhurst, Emerald, Ferny Creek, Guys Hill, Harkaway, Macclesfield, Menzies Creek, Mount Burnett, Mount Dandenong, Nangana, Narre Warren, Narre Warren East, Narre Warren North, Narre... Warren South, Officer, Sassafras, Selby, Tecoma, The Basin, Tremont, Upper Ferntree Gully or Upwey for a focus group on Wednesday 20th March 2019 in the evening in Pakenham. All participants are paid $80 cash as thanks for attending and giving their opinions/ideas. If you know anyone, please pass along our details and ask them to call Danyelle on 1300 653 560. I can’t make this one myself, so if you give them a call, let me know how you go. Carly x
17.01.2022 30 second book review. Girl tells story of being dissatisfied with life and changing to simple (cheap) living. Honest, a little preachy, a fair bit of irrelevant story telling.... General gist- most people don’t get happier by buying more stuff they don’t need and working a stack of hours in jobs they don’t like to afford it. So don’t do that. Cheers Carly
15.01.2022 If you’re a mother of young kids and are between 25-45 years of age, Casey will pay you for feedback on their offerings. Based in Narre Warren. 45 mins of your time, a casual chat and $50. 9th and 10th January.... Follow this link for details. Carly
12.01.2022 This is going to be a quickie. The recent Royal Commission labelled credit card insurances (and many other add on insurances) "junk". Australian consumers may now be up for up to $1 billion in refunds.... To find out more check out the Consumer Action Law Centre's specifically created website: https://demandarefund.consumeraction.org.au/
10.01.2022 Coles supermarkets are now on Cash Rewards! This is not a discount on their gift cards like other supermarkets which is awesome. 7% cash back + they have an offer for $30 off your online shop If you’re not on Carh Rewards yet, here’s a referral code to get you started.... http://fbuy.me/fyv_4 Carly x
09.01.2022 Have you got any unclaimed money? No, I’m not from Nigeria. I’m not suggesting you are getting an inheritance from a long lost relative. Trang (Thanks Trang!) contacted me today to let me know about a service by the State Revenue Office of Victoria. So I went and checked it out.... The State Revenue Office (I’m talking about the Victorian one but I’m sure other states and territories have the same thing) have an unclaimed money register. This register lists amounts of unclaimed money arising from an owner's entitlement to share dividends, salaries and wages, rent and bonds, debentures and interest, and proceeds from a sale. Businesses, gaming venues and betting agencies also lodge unclaimed amounts with them. It’s super easy to do a quick check to see if there’s anything there for you. There was nothing for me but it would make my day if someone reading this found some unclaimed money so let me know how you go. Website below. Cheers Carly https://www.sro.vic.gov.au/unclaimedmoneysearch
08.01.2022 Boxing Day sales- extra discounts. If you're taking advantage of online shopping to grab some bargains in the sales, don't forget to check if the retailer you're buying from is on Cash Rewards so you get extra cash back. If you're not already on Cash Rewards, here's a referral link to get you started.... http://fbuy.me/fyv_4 Cheers, Carly
06.01.2022 My friend Amanda gave me this tip a while ago. A pharmacist mentioned it again today when I said how expensive winter could be with young kids. Through teething, colds and the usually aches and pains this one has added up. Despite this Panadol being for 5-12 years, if you look in the back it also includes dosages for younger children. ... Compare it to the one for younger kids and you’ll soon see that you use a lot less of this product for the same weight/age. Even though this bottle is more expensive it’s still quite a bit cheaper over all once you factor in the lower dosage. Carly x
06.01.2022 Facebook Marketplace, Gumtree and EBay aren't just great for making money. They're also really great for getting rid of (rehoming) items you no longer want or need. There are some things that you just won't be able to sell secondhand. Or, the value would be so low it wouldn't be worth the hassle of trying to do so (I personally have a minimum of $10). ... But using selling platforms like Facebook Marketplace, Gumtree and Ebay to get rid of things you don't need is way easier than trying to sell something. Why? Because it doesn't require you to be present or negotiate a specific time- you don't need to collect the money so it really doesn't matter what time they come. Like, what feels like half of Australia, I've been doing a fair bit of decluttering lately. For things that aren't really worth anything second hand I take a quick photo and put them up for free on any of the platforms I mentioned early. When someone is interested, I pop the items in a tub on my verandah and they can come by and pick it up whenever. If they don't show, I just mark the item as available again (and give them bad feedback haha). Many charities with op shops (thrift shops) have put a stop to donations due to being inundated lately, so this is another easy option. Has anyone else got any great tips for making this hassle free? Carly x
04.01.2022 Book lists for next year. I just received this awesome tip from Trish (thanks Trish ). At lunchtime today she uploaded her daughter’s booklist to Officeworks. ... She just received an email saying it’s ready to pick up and she saved over 20%. She’d never used this service before but can highly recommend it. Quick, super easy and saves money She then went to her local book store (Campion in Berwick) for the two text books she needed so she didn’t have to pay stupid postage rates (text books are heavy!). Thanks again Trish
04.01.2022 Was shopping at Coles yesterday and went to buy some Vick’s Vapor Rub, when I came across this Coles brand option. Both smell similar and contain the same ingredients. Same volume in each jar. The one on the left $2.30... The one on the right $12.25 No guessing which one I bought.
03.01.2022 I love this idea of a fiver party but it’s the first I’ve heard of it. Has anyone else heard of this concept before or been invited to one? Would you be offended or relieved if you received an invite to a fiver party?... Carly https://babyology.com.au//fiver-parties-the-new-birthday-p
03.01.2022 The power of a good will gesture. Years ago I used to work for Consumer Affairs Victoria (CAV) in dispute resolution. Consumers would lodge a complaint with CAV and it was my job to talk to both parties to prevent escalation to a court or tribunal. I learnt very quickly that people rarely (never) change their positions during the dispute resolution process. The skill in dispute resolution is getting everyone to a point where they will compromise whilst still feeling like they... won overall. The goodwill gesture is often used by businesses that want to shut down a complaint without admitting they've done anything wrong. Basically, "We still think we're right but here's some money/credit/voucher to make you go away". I asked for one 30 mins again when placing an online order with Coles. They'd sent me an email offering a $10 off voucher. I did my ordering, went to apply the code, and was told that it had already been used. I got on online chat to be told that I'd used it in February (I was sent the email 7 days ago). I could tell they weren't going to budge. So I asked if they would offer it as a good will gesture on this instance given the email was the reason I'd planned to order. They did, reinforcing that I wouldn't be able to use it again. I thanked them, suggesting that they didn't email out codes that couldn't be used. They felt like they'd won, I placed the order. I felt like I'd won, I got my $10 off.
03.01.2022 Something awesome has happened over the last couple of days. My friend Amanda who is the bargain hunter of all bargain hunters has started her own insta account to share her knowledge with the world (and boy does she have a lot to share!). She’ll be sharing her money saving and making tips on Instagram at bargain.boss... I worked with this woman whilst she was planning her wedding and if there is a bargain to be found, she’ll find it! Really worth checking out. You’re welcome. Carly x
02.01.2022 Locking in the current cheap fuel prices. Manish messaged me today (thanks Manish!) to let me know about the money saving benefits of the 7 Eleven app. It's called 7-Eleven Fuel and it's an app where you can lock in a fuel price for the next 7 days. ... This seems like a no brainer to me if you a near a 7-Eleven. If you lock it in and it drops further or a competitor has a cheaper price, just don't use it. Given the current low fuel prices, this could be particularly useful at the moment. Manish said there are also a lot of freebies being given away all this month which you can claim when you walk into store. If you give it a go or have used it before, let me know how you go and how much you save/d. Cheers, Carly :)
