Squirreling Money

The holidays are over, the days shorter and the sun not so warm.  We wait for the winter to come and go before the warmth and promise of summer reappears.

It's the time of hibernation, not for us but for our finances.  As a squirrel stores nuts we likewise begin to put away surplus dollars, storing them up for promises to come.  This is the bit when I tell Merv and myself how grateful I am that we own our house, our new car and have paid off loans and credit cards.   It's also the time I feel for people who struggle to pay their loans or rent.  It wasn't always so easy for us.  As young marrieds Merv was our only breadwinner and brought home an unskilled labourer's wage.  Both children had chronic asthma and we spent much of our money on medication, doctor's bills and keeping the house warm.  It was years after our family and friends had purchased microwaves that we could finally afford one! I went to work part time when Mel was eight.  I worked full time after she left school by working multiple jobs.  I also spent time volunteering.   We had a mortgage which we regularly increased, car loans and credit card bills.  As we paid off one credit card we somehow applied for another.  We were able to pay our bills and loans monthly without much worry but I wondered how we would manage when Merv was no longer able to work.  In 2010 we found out in a hurry!  Fortunately Merv had been in the same job for thirty years, which is almost unheard of these days.  His sick leave lasted for two years while his superannuation and disability insurance paid off the home mortgage and most of the bathroom renovation.  When I retired from work last year my super paid off the credit card, my holiday last year to Mauritius and South Africa and I finished with buying my fabulous new Hyundai only a month ago.  Now it's time to squirrel away money for future plans.   We are already planning a family holiday in Albany, south west of Perth in March next year.  It's ten months away and plans are beginning to form in my mind, yes time for careful budget planning!