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A week off
I didn’t do anything for my finances or house this past week; no countdown to retirement action, no reading up on super. Not a thing. It was first week of the term 1 school holidays and Mr Sans and I took off in our van. We didn’t travel far – just a two hour drive…
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Post concessional super payment
After attending seminars on super, I followed some advice: I checked on my ATO (Australian Tax Office) account to see whether I was eligible for post concessional super contributions. Each financial year, Australians can deposit $27,500 into super with the deposit taxed at a much lower rate than income tax. They are called ‘concessional contributions’…
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Thirty-three months to go
This is what happens when you set a deadline: you notice time rolling on, the numbers counting down, and you have things to do. The clicking over of another month forces me to look at what needs to be done and to reallocate that most precious commodity, time. Something for future finances (ie super), something…
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Cutting down on alcohol
Maybe this isn’t something that should be counted in my countdown to retirement. Except that I want to be healthy for the next three years. And stop the widening girth. And save a bit of money. It’s become a habit to have two glass of sparkling wine after work. And when the sun is out…
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Escape from life?
I saw an Instagram meme: live the life you don’t have to escape from. At first I thought it sounded to be a truth I needed to put in place. Have a life from which I didn’t need a holiday. But then I thought: I like holidays. I like short trips. I like adventures in…
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Volunteering/giving “back” vs owning my time
A colleague has been encouraging, nay pushing me, to run for a position on our professional association executive. A little part of me quite likes the idea of the kudos that flows. And I like the idea of being closer to the decision-making people of the bureaucracy. I did run last year but wasn’t elected.…
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Get a handle on your subscriptions
Doing a budget seems such a big task. So I’m breaking it down. First step: what regular payments do I have. Any subscriptions I can cut back? It is so easy to sign up for something. Seems like a good idea. A box of fantastic decorative items or cosmetics delivered to your door every quarter.…
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Life Insurance: yes/no
A comment from Sarah had me thinking about life insurance. When I was younger, life insurance as part of my superannuation was a no-brainer. The life insurance payout was more than my super savings. We had a large mortgage and my income was needed to pay it. So a life insurance payout was essential for…
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Putting work in a box
I want to spend much of the next 34 months smiling, happy and healthy. In the past few years, the stress of the job has literally weighed me down. My back slouches. My eyes droop. My face doesn’t shine. Motivated by the recently proposed legislation that will limit employers contacting employees after hours, I thought…
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In the garden
My “By Retirement” garden goal: I want a nice, easy care garden. One that can be left alone for several weeks or a few months, and won’t curl up and die. One that will be attractive to entertain in. One that will always have interesting things to look at – new blooms, unusual leaves. One…