Saving - Food Bills, Environment, Health

Planting your own food is a good way to save:
- money
- health
- environment

A few websites with tips on growing your own food
Sustainablehouse.com.au
Diggers.com.au

According to Money Magazine Nov 2013,
- a house in Chippendale saves 100,000 litres of water a year.
- diet of Australians uses 100,000 litres of water for its production every 10 days

Online Tools - Sharing, Exchange, Swap, Save

This is a collection of websites that enable people to SAVE MONEY, by sharing services or things. Some allow people to rent out their stuff, others is about sharing some services. Instead of buying something to use for a while, people can rent it. For those who have the things which are not used except occasionally, they can rent their stuff out.

The names of some of these sites are quite self explanatory about what they offer.

www.airbnb.com - peer to peer intenational travel rentals
www.airtasker.com - task and errand services.
www.anyhire.com
www.clothingexchange.com.au - swap or exchange clothes, shoes, etc.
www.divvy.com.au - renting car space.
www.findacarpark.com.au
www.findauniform.com.au - for school uniforms
www.friendswiththings.com.au
www.goget.com.au
www.greensharecar.com.au - sharing cars
www.jayride.com.au - sharing cars
www.openshed.com.au - rent out things in your garden shed, like ladders, wheelbarrows.
www.popupbrands.com.au - for those needing a temporary business space, you can rent spaces and shops from here.
www.rentoid.com - rent out things in your garden shed, like ladders, wheelbarrows.
www.ziilch.com - free recycled items

Mobile Apps - Free apps for Call, Text, Video

Here is a list of a few Android apps that allows the user to make free calls, text messages and perhaps even video. Feel free to add comments to let others know of similar apps.

These apps may require both parties to have the same apps:

• WhatsApp Messenger
• Skype
• Tango
• ooVoo 
• Zello Walkie-Talkie

These apps may not require the receiver to have the same apps:

• Viber - free texts and calls to other Kakao Talk users.
• Yuilop - require points
• Kakao Talk- free texts and calls to other Kakao Talk users.
• Nimbuzz - http://www.nimbuzzout.com/en/nimbuzzout/index.
• Free calls and texts to other Nimbuzz users
• Need to buy credits for calls to mobile and landline
• PC or tablet apps avaliable to use Nimbuzz

Manythings - turn your old mobile phone into security camera. Streams video onto the phone.

Travelling Money Tips

Notes on tips to be money wise when travelling.

28 Degrees MasterCard  http://www.28degreescard.com.au/
A new kind of MasterCard with no fees. Here's what it says about itself:
"No international transaction fees for globehoppers and globeshoppers.
28 Degrees MasterCard is the award winning Australian credit card that offers no annual fee, no currency conversion fees and no international transaction fees. Whether you’re travelling the world or shopping online, it always pays to have the 28 Degrees MasterCard."

Note however, that there may be no rewards program associated with this.


Receipts Management and Budget
https://docketbank.com/features/
This is what docketbank says about itself:
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DocketBank is a new and simpler way to stay in control of your finances.

With DocketBank you have a straightforward 24/7 solution that allows you to track your spending and easily store your receipts and warranties ... all while you quickly and simply work towards your budgeting goals.

We offer two versions of DocketBank - Free and Professional.
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Pension

These are notes on the Australian Pension system.
Note that these are NOT financial advice. They are just personal notes which others may find interesting.

From Money Magazine 2013,
Age pension has two test- income test and asset test (own house is excluded). The one that results in the lowest pension is used. Assets for single person test is $730,500, for couple is $1.086m, above which no pension is given.

Saving - Kids

Notes and tips on how to be money smart concerning raising children in Australia and perhaps elsewhere too.

Child care rebate available for care outside school hours, such as "before school care" or "after school care". Rebate is not means tested. Up to 50% of fees up to $7500 per child per year can be claimed. See www.humanservices.gov.au