Warning: Rage Ahead - Campbell Live and childhood poverty

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hangon

397 posts

Ultimate Geek

#1129205 15-Sep-2014 16:29

sir1963:
Bobdn: Sir1963 seems unhappy that you are living within your means. Not sure why.

Not at all, I just don't believe that maths.
6 people going on holidays but there is no budgeted item, even a DOC camp ground would be $420 a week
A Car to transport them was not mentioned , and to take all that camping gear, probably have a trailer for the vehicle is even bigger

And of course it all lies on the basis of no long period of illness or worse being laid off, and both of these things are common

that's not really math, just basic figures

there is something called saving isn't it

his budget expense is $695 per wk - and much like the speed limit, budget is a limit to abide not a target to beat.

his budget income is what, $800 per wk? that's $105 savings per week on paper, so a camping week can be saved under a month, provided the target is strictly followed, or shorter if they saved some be say, buying in season produces.

too many problems can be blamed to "I want it now".

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nunz

1421 posts

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#1129271 15-Sep-2014 17:37

sir1963:
Bobdn: Sir1963 seems unhappy that you are living within your means. Not sure why.

Not at all, I just don't believe that maths.
6 people going on holidays but there is no budgeted item, even a DOC camp ground would be $420 a week
A Car to transport them was not mentioned , and to take all that camping gear, probably have a trailer for the vehicle is even bigger

And of course it all lies on the basis of no long period of illness or worse being laid off, and both of these things are common

My budget is generlly as follows:

$400 rent
$ 145 food
$ 15 phone /internet
$ 45 power
$ 60 clothes
$ 30 petrol
$ 10 medical

That totals $705.

One weekend a year at farm yard holiday park - including petrol, spending, ice creams, food and accomodation in a motel standard cabin. $500 or $10 per week.
One weekend a year at arthurs pass - hawardon shelter area $200 if we really blow the budget. $4.00 per week
One weekend or two at least at coes ford - $50 - or less as its only a $40km round trip. $1 per week

My budget now looks like $720 per week still leaving me $80 per week.

The car sets us back around $1000 per year in repairs and WOF /rego ie $20 per week.

That still leaves $60 per week in the budget.
birthday blow outs 4 x $100 each = $8 per week Still leaves me $52 per week in the budget.

Long term illness - yup. i could have been on medical for at least the last three to five years if I wanted but wont go there.
Insurance for contents $10 per week still leaves me $42.

My kids sell chickens eggs for pocket money - it also covers their costs. For every $2.00 earned $1 for the costs of food etc, the other for profit. They have a regular wee industry going.
One of my kids washes cars occasionally. They have also been known to collect and sell pine cones, chicken manure etc. We encourage that.

Anything else in have missed in my budget? :) Just because you wil blow $420 for camping fees doesn't mean the rest of us will. Again - another example of the difference between poverty and supposed poverty. You say I cant survive on my budget because you fail to see the difference between needs and wants. Innovation and a do it yourself attitude, taking the lesser travelled route, skipping luxurys. These things all make a difference.

In the budget above I haven't taken into account that on fine days my wife will wallk the kids home 2.5km from school saving $1.50 in petrol every day / trip she does so. My son scoots 3km to his school most days. Some weeks there is extra petrol left in the tank so a once per month family outing to the beach, port hills walking, visit a river, go fishing at the pier, visit the museum, go to the gardens, go to country amp shows, etc etc. Every $1.50 saved buys about three Macdonalds ice creams so there is often a family round of ice creams on the way home.

We are planning a week long holiday. It will cost us about $250-$300 in petrol and about $200 - $300 in visiting shanty town etc. We are camping in a friends back yard, we will fish, walk, visit punakaiki <spelling>, go to Lake Kaniere, row rubber ring rafts, eat, laugh, look for fire flys, see arthurspass etc etc. It will blow about 10-15 weeks of savings. but it will be worth it.

Five years ago we did a trip to kaikoura and queen charlotte sounds . I did a relocation of a camper van - diesel costs only. I had a 4L ice cream container full of coins saved from the last year or two. Every time we went some where we grabbed a handful, handed therm to the kids and we all had a blast. it also cost us less than $250 for a week away including train trip, entertainment and diesel.

Sometimes we cant afford stuff so we trade. I need a bumper fixed on my car. My mate needs his computer repaired. We will put in about even hours, help each other and save hundreds in the process. All tax free and legal (mates are still allowed to help mates in NZ).

Poverty starts in the mind. My wife is awesome. one of my kids was wearing a brand new pair of sandals, leather and proper stitcing the other day. Cost $2.00 at the opp shop. Someone had given them away. Second hand clothes are often almost new if you buy right. We got the board game Puerto Rico, normally $80-$120 , for $5.00 at a second hand vinnnies store. The library takes a hammering from us and the local video store knows that $4.00 once a fortnight will get 1 video for each child on their $1. tuesdays. You tube is free entertainment, wood can be scavanged from pellets thrown away and turned into all sorts of things - just make sure it isn't treated. A mate had a lot of trees blow down in the big blow. this year we have a fire going, all cut by my mate and I. cost him nothing but a bit of chainsaw petrol. two - three days of hard work and he was sorted and we both had 2 cords of firewood each.

I could go on (and already have).

Change the way you think and your money will go a whole lot further.

nathan

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#1129280 15-Sep-2014 17:51

Great reply. Awesome family and role model for the kids, you have a winning attitude. Go kiwi.

nunz

1421 posts

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#1129283 15-Sep-2014 18:04

nathan: Great reply. Awesome family and role model for the kids, you have a winning attitude. Go kiwi.

Thanks - however if you ask the kids they will tell you dad is a grumpy ol begger at times and more pocket money would be a good thing :)

I know we are a bit different to most but i love being old fashioned.

Geektastic

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#1129318 15-Sep-2014 18:35

nunz:
nathan: Great reply. Awesome family and role model for the kids, you have a winning attitude. Go kiwi.

Thanks - however if you ask the kids they will tell you dad is a grumpy ol begger at times and more pocket money would be a good thing :)

I know we are a bit different to most but i love being old fashioned.

Old fashioned is good.

You should write a book and sell it - it's immensely refreshing to read of someone who does not just stick their hand out, but figures out the way that our parents and grandparents would have. There are many more who would benefit from the approach you have to teach. Share it and make some more cash from that.

Although I am amazed your children are so cheap to run that selling eggs covers their costs! Or do you have a lot of chickens?!

nunz

1421 posts

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#1129378 15-Sep-2014 20:25

Geektastic:
nunz:
nathan: Great reply. Awesome family and role model for the kids, you have a winning attitude. Go kiwi.

Thanks - however if you ask the kids they will tell you dad is a grumpy ol begger at times and more pocket money would be a good thing :)

I know we are a bit different to most but i love being old fashioned.

Old fashioned is good.

You should write a book and sell it - it's immensely refreshing to read of someone who does not just stick their hand out, but figures out the way that our parents and grandparents would have. There are many more who would benefit from the approach you have to teach. Share it and make some more cash from that.

Although I am amazed your children are so cheap to run that selling eggs covers their costs! Or do you have a lot of chickens?!

Only three or four really good layers. My eldest sells them at $5.00per dozen - free range etc. that's about $5-6 per week for him and the same for costs of chickens. The second son distributes on commission to the first.
We feed them lots of scraps, they love having a good scratch when the lawns are mowed. They product about 1-3 tons of dirt / manure / fertilised compost per year. It is really good stuff for growing and with the lawn clippings all scratched in, food scraps, straw from under their perch, wood shavings (non-pine and not treated )etc its well balanced. if you stick your hand in the ground in the hens area it is normally warm - lots of bugs etc. We bag that up and people buy it from the kids. Grand parents have bought a few, neighbours who garden, friends who need decent compost. Add pine cones, birthday money, etc they do okay (but not nearly at the same level as a lot of the other kids in their decile 9 / 10 school - arguments about lolly money do abound.).

One of the things we have found helps with that inequality is my boys ( 11, 9, 8) all enjoy cooking. The eldest makes a mean pavlova, add to that having friends around and doing things they dont normally do (like toasting marshmellows, making damper, making hokey pokey, cooking piklets on hobo stoves) and some times the envy goes the other way. The boys will also make home made sherbet, toffee etc and get to share that with friends.

I dont see us as the poster child for self sufficiency or anything. We get help from the state lioke a lot of people with tax breaks etc. Especially with two children with a recognised disability there is the occasional fund that can help. My daughter can do riding for the disabled as she is eligable for carer support funding. That's an extra for her outside of the budget and without the carer support funding it wouldn't happen. during the quakes we accessed a red cross fund to help one of our boys get some the speech therepy he needed. Our daughters OT suggested it and it helped.

In NZ there is a lot of help, but mostly lack of education and knowledge holds people down. I was discussing this thread with my wife, she made the observation that a lot of people dont know wherre to get help. there are a lot of church and other social organisations who will help with teaching basic skills, community gardens, knitting / craft skills etc but many dont know its out there. when they do get help it makes quite a difference.

I helped organise a course at one stage for migrant families. every week / fortnight one of the (often older) members from the church would come in and present a simple skill. Fixing fuses / changing light bulbs, darning socks, how to fill in your IR3/4 cooking with nz ingredients, budgeting etc. It is quite a shock to see how so many things we grew up with were foreign to overseas people. I guess though it is the same when we go over there. I remember my first night in India being faced with a hole in the floor, a jug and a tap and realising a two year old knew more about using the toilet than I did in that country. Education and community support can really help alleviate poverty. i am a strong believer in community gardens, mens sheds etc. It all helps make people less dependent, and decreases poverty.

Darn - i'm prattling on again. get me taling about community projects nad i can go on for hours. Thanks for your comment.

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