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pudgy
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Joined: 16 December 2010
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Posted: 18 February 2011 at 6:46pm |
jazzy wrote:
I have just changed power companies so am waiting for the first bill. Usually about $150-180 in summer & around $300+ in winter but we use heaters. |
^^Ours is the same, and I turn everything off at the wall if not in use. I would love for ours to be $70
If we had to we could it would be a stretch and we'd probably eat a lot of mince but it'd doable. I wouldn't want to have to do it long term though.
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chickadeedoo
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Joined: 11 February 2011
Points: 151
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Posted: 18 February 2011 at 6:54pm |
boy $70 a month thats great - our last bill which was read was $255 and that was in summer!
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SMoody
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Joined: 09 January 2007
Location: New Zealand
Points: 1999
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Posted: 28 February 2011 at 6:59pm |
Ours is normally sitting at about $120 in summer and goes up to $160 in winter. But in saying that we dont have a dishwasher and I only use the tumble dryer in winter.
But then again we dont switch stuff off at the wall. We have a pc downstairs on permanently with a lot of other electrical equipment. 4 laptops on sometimes.
Hubby got some special kind of tools that need power as well. I bake quite a bit and use my stove a lot.
Dont have a heated towel rail.
Our power went up almost 200% when we had a visitor and when MIL was here with BIL is was nearly 300% more. Ouch.
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jem
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Joined: 13 February 2009
Points: 575
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Posted: 10 March 2011 at 11:35pm |
Wow!!! makes me feel good about our last power bill $54 we were home the whole time (didnt go away or anything) and that covers showers as well as we dont use any gas.
Insurance is about $20/month for 1car and contents, shopped around for insurance calling every insurance place in the phone book which we try to do once a year.
we used www.consumer.org.nz/powerswitch to choose what power company to go with.
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jazzy
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Joined: 16 January 2009
Points: 8858
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Posted: 11 March 2011 at 7:03am |
just got my first power bill from the new company $150 but $133 if paid early which I have done, not sure if much or any cheaper but you get fly buys
we need look at our insurances also
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AandCsmum
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Joined: 13 May 2008
Location: Palmerston North
Points: 8432
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Posted: 11 March 2011 at 7:18am |
Jazzy, what company are you with??
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Kel
A = 01.02.04 & C = 16.01.09 & G = 30.03.12
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jazzy
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Joined: 16 January 2009
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Posted: 11 March 2011 at 12:11pm |
just changed to Contact energy they do fly buys. Not sure if it will be cheaper & I never use fly buys as I forget about them but now I may get a few & can get something worth more than $5 lol
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AandCsmum
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Location: Palmerston North
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Posted: 11 March 2011 at 12:50pm |
Oh ok, contact is way more expensive than Genesis in this area.
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Kel
A = 01.02.04 & C = 16.01.09 & G = 30.03.12
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jazzy
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Joined: 16 January 2009
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Posted: 11 March 2011 at 2:09pm |
we needed to stay with Vector as they pay out yearly about $320 so did not want to miss out on it, Contact & Mercury are the only ones we can use so the fly buys & the %12 fast payment option was the seller to switch to Contact...time will tell if it worth it
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sarasal
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Joined: 24 December 2009
Location: chch
Points: 165
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Posted: 03 April 2011 at 6:43pm |
This is really interesting for me to read what others spend on stuff. Our power bill can be as low as $80 in the summer, but we hardly ever have showers at home ... we have an annual pool membership and go swimming every day so just use the showers there (figure the power savings just about pay for the membership!). In winter it's about $160 using one heatpump for heating.
My partner and I were able to live on a student allowance for 3 years - only $300 a week between us. We'd spend $80 on food, bake our own bread, grow our own veges, make everything from scratch. That meant no phone, internet, doctors/dentists, hardly any new clothes. We had a car but tried to walk and bike everywhere. But that was over 2 years ago and I'd say food prices have just about doubled since then.
Now having a baby, life is more expensive. I don't have the time to live so self-sufficiently with all the baking and gardening. I need to use the car more - we live in the far south and you just can't go out walking with a baby when it's wet and freezing. Now we have a mortgage so we don't have a choice about paying insurance.
We live on about $700-$800 a week and we are pretty frugal & make a lot of sacrifices so I can stay home with my son and so that my partner only has to work 4 days a week. We chose to buy a house in Invercargill, far away from our families, because we can afford housing here. We don't have a landline, spend almost nothing on alcohol, takeaways, entertainment, childcare, cosmetics. We make our own cleaning products and beauty products & go reusable as much as possible - nappies, mooncup instead of tampons. So yeah, I'd find it real hard to live on the amount of dole. I really don't know what else we could cut out.
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littleb
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Joined: 09 May 2011
Points: 57
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Posted: 20 May 2011 at 8:22pm |
Wow I have found this really interesting...DP and I are a little concerned about our budgeting skills with our pending arrival. We have a mortgage and we do live on two full time incomes usually (my income is a bit larger and that's the one we will be losing - for a little while). I think we are really going to need to focus on some intense budgeting between now and the end of the year in an attempt to get ready for this baby!!!
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jazzy
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Joined: 16 January 2009
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Posted: 21 May 2011 at 6:44am |
littleb wrote:
Wow I have found this really interesting...DP and I are a little concerned about our budgeting skills with our pending arrival. We have a mortgage and we do live on two full time incomes usually (my income is a bit larger and that's the one we will be losing - for a little while). I think we are really going to need to focus on some intense budgeting between now and the end of the year in an attempt to get ready for this baby!!! |
are you able to live off 1 wage & put the other away? I know that sounds hard to do but if you are having a long time off work after baby is born then you will be basically living off 1 wage. The more you can save now the easier it will be then.
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littleb
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Posted: 21 May 2011 at 2:42pm |
Jazzy that's what were going to attempt to do...I should be doing it right now actually
We are not very good with budgets and it's going to be tough but it's going to be worth it having hopefully 6 months worry free at home with new bub. I don't think we could handle longer.
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littleb
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Posted: 21 May 2011 at 3:54pm |
OMG Jazzy have just been through everything with a fine tooth comb and it's looking a little scary...hopefully I have budgeted on the generous side and we can trim some fat off as the months go by...might have to opt for a mortgage holiday?? I'm sure we will survive it's just going to be a bit tighter then normal.
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jazzy
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Joined: 16 January 2009
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Posted: 22 May 2011 at 6:32am |
littleb I think the thing is you learn to live with what you have. It can be a shock to drop a wage but with a good budget & a bit of shuffling you will cope.
I used to pick up up few extra things at the supermarket to put away & paid extra on things like power, phone, sky, water so they were in credit.
I put money in to Bonus Bonds as you don't notice it gone. You could also have do a Christmas club at the supermarket or get the gift cards they have.
There are lots of little changes you can make now to help later
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amalyse
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Joined: 26 April 2011
Location: North Shore City
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Posted: 02 June 2011 at 9:00am |
Nope I couldn't do it. I work out all of our stuff each month and how much we spend and we spend $4,000 per month roughly...
We could get cut the fat in a lot of places, but I doubt we could get down to less than $3,200 per month.
We have a lot of insurances that we need to pay, including cover for if my husband looses his job because of illness. Because if we had to drop down to a beneficiary wage we would not survive!!
I don't know how people do it? I used to be a student and survive on $200 a week too!?!??!
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amme_eilyk
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Joined: 30 September 2009
Location: Feilding
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Posted: 01 July 2011 at 2:44pm |
We managed it... just for 6 months but it was hard. but too be honest dh is only in part time work so we arent living on much more most weeks.
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....
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Joined: 28 October 2010
Location: Timaru
Points: 270
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Posted: 01 July 2011 at 9:44pm |
Eek, you guys can get $300 accommodation supplement? The most we can get on top on a benefit in Timaru for accommodation is $55, which really sucks since the Christchurch earthquakes, heaps of people have moved down here, either temporary or permanent, which has made rent skyrocket.
Really sucks having to go on DPB as BabyDaddy and I intended to still be together when he is born (due Monday) and now he'll be contributing $14 a week child support, and will never have time spare to have shared-care so I can work.
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jazzy
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Posted: 02 July 2011 at 4:32pm |
BecBarrer wrote:
Really sucks having to go on DPB as BabyDaddy and I intended to still be together when he is born (due Monday) and now he'll be contributing $14 a week child support, and will never have time spare to have shared-care so I can work.
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how can you get the DPB if you are still together?
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....
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Joined: 28 October 2010
Location: Timaru
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Posted: 03 July 2011 at 4:50pm |
@Jazzy We're not.
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