339 days ago

Managing the impact of rising costs in your home 🏡

Matt from Matt Wineera - Thats Real Estate with Matt Wineera

In the face of escalating living expenses, implementing strategies to stretch your dollar becomes crucial. Small savings across various aspects of your life can accumulate into significant financial relief. Let’s explore effective ways to manage the impact of rising costs in your home.

Start by scrutinising your home loan. Amidst increasing interest rates, reviewing your home loan is a prudent step. Beyond the interest rate, consider factors like the loan term, home equity, and how well the loan aligns with your financial goals. This assessment may unearth opportunities to save money and better align your loan with your future objectives. 💸

Examine substantial expenses such as memberships, subscriptions, and recurring costs. Evaluating these expenditures might reveal opportunities to switch to annual payments or temporarily scale back to optimise your budget.

Pooling resources with friends for streaming services is a smart move. Assess your subscriptions and contemplate sharing multi-screen services with friends to make efficient use of your entertainment budget. 📺

Trimming expenses on takeaways is another impactful measure. While convenient, frequent takeaways can strain your disposable income. 🍔 Consider deleting food delivery apps to reduce temptation and explore home-cooked ‘fakeaway’ alternatives for everyday meals, reserving the real deal for special occasions.
Crafting a meal plan can significantly impact your budget. Plan your meals for the week, including snacks and desserts, and cook extra servings for leftovers. This disciplined approach reduces reliance on takeaways during low-energy evenings.
Opt for online grocery shopping to adhere to your meal plan and avoid overspending. Be aware of the day supermarkets update their specials, on say Wednesdays. Make use of your Gold Card at the supermarkets who encourage its use, making it an ideal day to shop and capitalise on new offers.

Energy costs often go unnoticed, but comparing providers and switching to a more economical deal can yield substantial savings. 💡 Leverage your local government’s comparison website to assess providers against your usage rate. Some companies may even offer rebates for comparing and switching.
After optimising your energy costs, implement energy-saving practices. Make small adjustments, such as turning off heaters and appliances when not in use. Consider using fans instead of air conditioners and smaller space heaters to reduce overall heating expenses. An electric blanket can provide warmth on cooler nights without increasing your heating costs.

Review and refine how you organise your finances. Compartmentalise your savings and discretionary spending categories to stay on top of your priorities. Placing non-essential savings in an account with limited access can discourage unnecessary expenditures.

In times of rising fuel prices, comparing petrol costs becomes essential. Apps like Gaspy enable you to find the lowest prices in your area, helping you save on fuel expenses. ⛽️
As interest rates fluctuate, it’s an opportune moment to reassess your financial situation.

Good luck !
Contact me for more real estate tips 0274 951 536 📱

#realestatetips #mattwineerarealestate #tauranga

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More messages from your neighbours
3 hours ago

Live Q&A: Garden maintenance with Crewcut

The Team from Neighbourly.co.nz

This Wednesday, we're having another Neighbourly Q&A session. This time with John Bracewell from Crewcut.

John Bracewell, former Black Caps coach turned Franchisee Development Manager and currently the face of Crewcut’s #Movember campaign, knows a thing or two about keeping the grass looking sharp—whether it’s on a cricket pitch or in your backyard!

As a seasoned Crewcut franchisee, John is excited to answer your lawn and gardening questions. After years of perfecting the greens on the field, he's ready to share tips on how to knock your garden out of the park. Let's just say he’s as passionate about lush lawns as he is about a good game of cricket!

John is happy to answer questions about lawn mowing, tree/hedge trimming, tidying your garden, ride on mowing, you name it! He'll be online on Wednesday, 27th of November to answer them all.

Share your question below now ⬇️

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6 days ago

Poll: When should the tree go up? 🎄

The Team from Neighbourly.co.nz

From what we've heard, some Christmas trees are already being assembled and decorated.

What are your thoughts on the best time to get your Christmas tree up?

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When should the tree go up? 🎄
  • 4.7% Second half of November
    4.7% Complete
  • 43.6% 1st December
    43.6% Complete
  • 17.4% A week before Christmas
    17.4% Complete
  • 33.2% Whenever you wish
    33.2% Complete
  • 1.1% Other - I'll share below
    1.1% Complete
2322 votes
5 days ago

What's your favourite tomato recipe?

Mei Leng Wong Reporter from NZ Gardener & Get Growing

Kia ora neighbours. We know your tomato plants are still growing, but we're looking ahead to the harvest already! If you've got a family recipe for tomatoes, we'd love to see it and maybe publish it in our magazine to share with our readers. Send your recipe to mailbox@nzgardener.co.nz, and if we use it in the mag, you will receive a free copy of our February 2025 issue.

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