May 2025 marks an important time to reflect on the role budgeting plays not only in securing financial stability but in strengthening the bonds that hold relationships together. In Australia, where living expenses continue to rise, managing money effectively is more important than ever—especially for couples and families navigating the ups and downs of financial life.

We believe that for a successful relationship, a strong budget and strong money mindset is the key foundation for building a bright future together, and that understanding how to navigate finances as a team is an absolute game-changer.

Why Financial Harmony Matters:

In our work as money coaches, we often see the challenges that arise when partners have different ideas about how money should be managed and choose not to align their financial goals.

Strain around money matters can come from differences in spending habits, a lack of communication, or not having a clear financial plan set in place… But it doesn’t have to be this way!

With open, positive conversations around joint goal-setting, and a structured approach of working together, couples can work towards financial security without the tension.

Setting Financial Goals As A Team:

One of the first steps in creating a successful financial future together is setting shared life goals—not just financial.

Whether you’re saving for a home, planning a family holiday, or budgeting for your dream retirement—having clear financial goals gives you something to work toward. Always remember—team work makes the dream work.

To Get Started:

• Communicate openly: Discuss your individual financial dreams, and goals and come to a consensus on what you both want to achieve. This might involve compromising, but it will lay the groundwork for a unified financial approach.
• Write down your goals: Make them concrete by putting them in writing. This helps to track progress and stay motivated.
• Create a joint budget: A joint budget is the blueprint of your financial life. It helps ensure that both of you are on the same page when it comes to spending, saving, and investing.

The Importance Of A Joint Budget:

A joint budget isn’t just a number-crunching exercise—it’s a powerful tool for making informed decisions together. Here’s how it can help your relationship:

• Increased transparency: When both partners know exactly where the money is going, it reduces the chance of misunderstandings or surprise expenses.
• Strengthens teamwork: Budgeting together fosters a sense of partnership and shared responsibility. It shows you are both committed to working toward your goals.
• Builds trust: Financial honesty is key to any relationship. With a clear budget, there’s no room for secrecy or hidden spending.

Tackling Money Challenges As A Team:

There will inevitably be bumps along the road—unexpected expenses like car repairs or medical bills, or perhaps a change in income due to job loss or other factors. The way you handle these financial challenges together can make or break your relationship.

• Create an emergency fund: Having a buffer to draw from in times of financial difficulty helps reduce stress when things don’t go to plan.
• Be adaptable: Life is unpredictable, so be prepared to adjust your budget if necessary. Communicate openly about any changes and work through them as a team.
• Seek support if needed: If you’re struggling to get back on track, don’t hesitate to reach out for support! We’re always here to guide you through the tough times and help you regain control over your finances.

Seeking Professional Budget Support:

At Your Budget Mates, we understand the importance of a balanced approach to managing your household finances, where both partners are heard and respected.

As a neutral third party, we can help you work through any conflicts related to money and find solutions that work for both of you.

Ready To Take The First Step?

Your relationship and your finances deserve to thrive hand in hand. If you’re ready to start your financial journey together, book a complimentary discovery meeting with our expert team today.

Visit: www.yourbudgetmates.com.au

Blog: www.yourbudgetmates.com.au/blog

Let’s build a brighter future, together!

The cost of living has been steadily rising with no signs of slowing down.

Rates are increasing.

Home ownership is becoming more expensive.

Wages aren’t growing fast enough.

And this trend has been consistent since 2020.

So, do you honestly believe 2025 is going to be any different? If your answer is no, then it’s time to ask yourself: what are you going to do differently to rise above it all?

We’re often taught to look outside ourselves for the answers to life’s challenges, but the truth is, everything we need is already within us.

It starts with taking self-responsibility—in every area of our lives. When we take full responsibility, we empower ourselves to create change. When we give that power away, we invite chaos (and financial stress) into our lives.

Take Action & Thrive in 2025!

So, how do you take control in 2025? It starts by taking responsibility—one step at a time.

• Your Health: Make choices that nourish your body.
• Your Happiness: Focus on what brings you joy.
• Your Finances: Gain control by learning how to budget and manage money.

If you don’t have the knowledge, take this as an opportunity to learn and up-skill.

Whether it’s working with us, enrolling in a course, up-skilling, or learning how to cook, you can empower yourself with the tools and knowledge to take control of your future.

Breaking Free from the “Reactionary Mode”:

As you begin this journey, you’ll realise that for far too long, you’ve been living a life shaped by external forces—the life they want you to live.

A life of constant reaction, survival mode, and consumption.

But now, with self-responsibility, you can step back, see the bigger picture, and begin to make choices that align with your values and your true self.

The key to thriving in 2025 is to break free from the patterns that have held you back and to regain control of your finances, your health, and your happiness.

Embrace Your Authentic Life!

This is your year to take action and live authentically. Align your life with your values, make empowered choices, and create harmony in your relationships—no more financial stress holding you back.

Learn to budget wisely, cook nourishing meals, love yourself, forgive past transgressions, and rediscover the joy that’s always been inside you whist remembering to take a deep breath and step forward into a life that’s truly yours.

The courage to take control is already within you—waiting for you.

Book your complimentary Discovery Meeting today and let’s start building the life you deserve—one step at a time!

As the silly season begins, have you reflected on your year so far?

A trend heading into December is the slowdown which continues for much of January, which when you start to think about it you realise that many of us spend up to 2 months of the year in ‘slowdown mode’ with our ‘eyes off the prize’ off our personal goals doing bugger all.

Not don’t get us wrong, it’s great to look forward to end of year celebrations and take some time out with friends and family to celebrate the year that was, but if you are a small business or considering starting a small business in the new year, then why not utilise this down-time to start building your marketing plan, your service guide, and setting the intention for growth in the coming year?

You might also consider the problem you want your business to solve, the people you want to serve, whilst getting clear on your personal goals, and your income and expense targets to see whether your brilliant new business idea is a worthy pursuit or not.

If you discover that starting your own business is not what you want but that new role at work or an upskill in your career is more your cup of tea – outline that in more detail, and align with your personal goals. Why do you want the role? What benefit will it bring to you and your family and see yourself in the role, doing the work and reaping the rewards. This time of year is a wonderful time of celebration and much deserved down-time, and it can also be an incredible time of visualization to reflect on the year that was and focus forward on the year that is yet to be…

For those of you that have supported Your Budget Mates or Andrew Mates Coaching this year – thank you so very much. We will be ensuring that we are taking time for this slowdown period to reflect on our year on what we did right, what we could do better and above all else – how we can deliver an even better experience for our clients in 2025.

To Our Past Clients:

Thank you for allowing Alyssa and I to be of service helping you to achieve your financial goals. We truly appreciate that you placed your faith and trust in us and it has been an absolute privilege to walk in your shoes and help you to achieve such amazing success in your life. Keep moving forward and keep smashing your financial goals!

To Our Current Clients:

Thank you for allowing us to be of service! We are so grateful for your continued support throughout 2024. It is a privilege and a pleasure watching each and every single one of you grow, develop, learn and apply your knowledge to give you and your families better lives. We look forward to connecting with you all in the new year!

To Our Future Clients:

2025 is your year to thrive… but only if you choose to. If you want to thrive in 2025 please reach out. Isn’t it time you had your success story?

To The Universe:

Thankyou for allowing us to continue being of service and for allowing new clients to find us easily! We are so grateful to have the opportunity of being of service to amazing people from all over Australia with a common focus of self-improvement, and to continue doing the work we love to do. We look forward to the many years of service ahead and the many client success stories to come.

Merry Christmas to all, and a Happy New Years. Enjoy this festive break with friends and family and cherish your moments. When the dust settles take your focus forward into 2025… your year to thrive!

What Are You Going to Do About It?

The pressure is real. Life can feel like a never-ending cycle of frustration—payday arrives and you feel on top of the world, only for it to slip away, and before you know it, you’re back to square one. You work hard, but getting ahead seems impossible. The stress of living paycheck to paycheck, constantly battling with your finances, is enough to drive anyone crazy.

You watch as friends buy their first homes, land promotions, and live the life you dream of, but meanwhile, you feel stuck. Your goals seem out of reach, no matter how hard you try. The frustration is overwhelming, and it’s easy to feel like you’re running on a treadmill, putting in the effort but getting nowhere. Your dreams seem to be slipping away, and it’s hard to see how you’ll ever get ahead.

Then there’s the stress on your relationships. Arguments over money, never having enough, struggling to pay bills—those discussions seem endless. If you’re a business owner, the pressure is even greater. You’ve got your business to manage, but the stress never seems to ease. Exhaustion, overwhelm, and no downtime make it feel like you’re constantly fighting an uphill battle.

How long can you keep going like this? Do you feel like you’ve had enough?

The Trap of Feeling Stuck

They say insanity is doing the same thing over and over again, expecting different results. If you’ve been stuck in the same job, constantly broke, or running your own business while overwhelmed and exhausted, it’s time for a change. The same old cycle isn’t working, and you’re right to be frustrated. The question is: What are you going to do about it?

What’s the Answer?

For some, it’s not about working harder or earning more money—it’s about being smarter with what you have. It’s about getting strategic with your budget, making your money work harder for you, and using your resources more effectively.

For others, it might mean a complete career change. Moving away from that job that leaves you feeling undervalued and unappreciated into something that aligns with your goals and aspirations.

And for business owners? Maybe it’s time to step back and consider returning to employment for more stability, or it could mean tweaking your business model to bring in consistent income with less stress.

For some, it might be the perfect time to start that side hustle—the one that’s been brewing in the back of your mind for months or years. Turning that idea into something real could be your ticket to a more balanced life.

Whatever you choose, just remember this: none of it should come at the expense of your family time or your own well-being. Your future depends on you, and that means putting your own needs first.

Take a Hard Look at Your Life:

Take a moment to reflect on where you are. The good, the bad, and the ugly—you’ve played a part in creating it all. This can be tough to admit, but it’s also empowering.

Why?

Because if you don’t like where you are, you have the ability to change it. You’re not stuck in the life you’re living unless you choose to be, and the good news is that you get to decide how to move forward.

You can change your career, start a side hustle, revise your business strategy, or even launch something new. You have the power to take control. The question is: Are you ready to make the change?

Stop Staying Stuck:

It’s time to stop letting frustration, stress, and overwhelm dictate your life. You don’t have to stay in this cycle. You deserve better, and you have the power to create it. Take the first step—commit to making a change, no matter how small.

Get grounded and figure out what matters most to you.

Talk to your partner about your goals, and involve your kids in the process—they may learn something valuable from watching you take charge of your future.

Don’t let stress and exhaustion steal your joy. Rest when you need it, but always get back up. Rise above the challenges and keep pushing forward.

You’re capable of far more than you think.

With tenacity, courage, and a bit of planning, you can make real progress toward the life you’ve always wanted.

Your Choice, Your Future:

Remember, everything starts with being grounded and aligned with your values. Once you’ve got that in place, the possibilities are endless.

When you sort your budget, you sort your life.

Your future is in your hands.

The Hidden Cost of Convenience: Are You Giving Away Your Freedom?

Rewards points, loyalty programs, buy-now-pay-later services, fast food apps, and the latest trend—getting discounts at restaurants and bars by scanning a simple QR code—seem like great perks. Who wouldn’t want $10 off their meal or drinks, right?

But have you ever stopped to think about what’s really happening?

These seemingly harmless conveniences are all designed to encourage one thing: digital spending. With just a tap on your phone or app, you’re being conditioned to move further away from cash—away from the tangible experience of money—into a world of digital dependency.

Convenience or Control?

Look around. Life has been engineered for your ease: fast payments, quick meals, and effortless purchases. But behind the facade of convenience lies a different reality. Every small choice you make—to tap, to scan, to opt for fast food instead of cooking—slowly trains you to prioritize ease over self-reliance.

At the end of a busy day, you feel you deserve a treat (a belief you’ve been subtly trained to accept). You work out, get hungry, and instead of cooking a fresh, nutritious meal, it’s easier to grab takeout using your app, earning points and saving a few dollars. You feel accomplished, relaxed even, but what’s really happening?

You’re being conditioned to embrace convenience at the cost of your independence.

How We’re Being Trained:

• You’ve been trained to pay with points and apps, abandoning cash.
• You’ve been trained to scan your own groceries instead of interacting with people.
• You’ve been trained to see cooking as “hard” and fast food as a solution.
• You’ve been trained to outsource life’s essentials, relying on digital systems to manage your world.

The result? You’re losing vital life skills like budgeting, cooking, and even the simple ability to handle cash. Your children might never have seen real money, and budgeting becomes a distant memory as digital payments blur the line between what you earn and what you spend.

The Cost of Convenience:

The more you rely on digital systems, the more you surrender control. Digital wallets and rewards programs may feel modern and efficient, but they’re also creating stress and confusion. Why? Because the systems are designed to benefit them, not you. A stressed and overworked population is easier to control.

Ask Yourself:

• Do you truly know how your money flows?
• Can you track your spending without an app?
• Can you confidently budget for your future?

For many, the answer is no. And that’s by design.

Reclaim Your Freedom:

Convenience isn’t the problem—it’s how it’s used to separate you from your independence and self-sufficiency. You’ve been trained to depend on systems that strip away your sovereignty and vital skills. But it’s not too late to change.

Here’s how:

1. Learn to Budget: Take control of your money. Clarity is power.
2. Cook Your Own Meals: Rediscover the joy of healthy, homemade food.
3. Grow Your Own Food: Even a small garden can make a difference.
4. Be Self-Sufficient: Regain skills like managing cash, cooking, and planning.

Yes, learning these skills takes time and effort. But once you know them, you’ll have tools that no digital system can take away.

A Final Thought:

What happens when the internet goes down or the power grid fails? Will you and your family know how to manage without the digital systems you rely on?

Convenience may feel like freedom, but it’s a trap designed to limit your choices and keep you dependent. It’s time to break free. Take back control of your life, your money, and your future. Live with purpose, not by default.

The life you deserve is waiting.

Have you discovered the power of a ‘no-spend day?’ What is a no spend day you ask? It’s as simple as it says – it’s a day where you go about your life as normal but you do not spend a thing – nothing.

Whoa! That sounds crazy right, especially for this time of the year… you might think so but it isn’t really because this time of year is all about family and coming together and yes, whilst there is spending that comes in a major way this time of year it doesn’t mean that you need to spend like crazy and spend all the time, or spend every day.

Implementing a no-spend day at this time of year is a conscious effort of putting yourself first and respecting your money. And if you feel that implementing a no spend day this side of Christmas is madness then consider this a seed planted in your mind to develop a no spend day in the year ahead.

How does a ‘no spend day’ work?

The first step is to pick a day of the week that is an easy day for you to implement.  It might be a Tuesday for example, rather than a Friday, Saturday, or Sunday when you are more likely to be out socializing.

So, pick a Tuesday and stick to it. On this day choose to make conscious and decisive decisions that enable you to support your goal of a no spend day.

Things like making sure your petrol tank is full so you don’t sneak into the service station for your morning coffee or other sweet treats, and making sure you have packed your lunch so you don’t need to go to the local shops and spend money.

Simple right?

It’s easy to spend $20 per day on coffee and snacks and treats at work because quite often we are stressed and are seeking the next dopamine fix just to get through the work day. Being conscious of how your mind reacts, your body reacts, and setting a clear rule of a no spend day will give you back the power over your mind and purse or wallet to identify and reflect upon yourself for one whole day.

$20 per day is not a big deal anyway, is it? If applied for every single working Tuesday of your year it equates to a measly $960.

Here’s the kicker…

When you realise that a no-spend day is a game and that you can override your mindset or the want to purchase little things each day you regain your power, and before you know it you implement two no-spend days per week.

Now your $960 looks like $1,920 per year.

Being competitive and not wanting to be outdone on implementing two non-spend days per week you decide up your game so that Monday’s, Tuesday’s and Wednesday’s are no-spend days… a lazy $2,880 saved over the period of the year for you (double if your partner does this with you and has the same spending habits!).

Now you might say wow, just short of $3,000 no big deal right? Well, if you have been applying this rule and growing your days over a period of time you would be dead wrong in your assumption as what has actually happened is massive.

Throughout the process you have become ‘self-aware’ of your spending and you have made a conscious decision to not spend. You have created in your mind a what is called ‘cognitive dissonance,’ especially if you are utilising cash as part of a weekly spending with a focus on not spending.

Cognitive dissonance is something that your brain now cannot unsee (like a bell that has been rung, you can’t un-ring it), and as part of a de-programming of your consumer mindset it can be an absolute blessing for all spending going forward.

This new mindset is something that you will take forwards in all financial matters and the rewiring of your ‘spending’ brain will take a new calibration that you will take into your weekend endeavours.

You will find creative cost-effective solutions like never before and you will end up saving far more money than you could ever have dreamt of.

A no spend day is a quick way to flip your life from being about things, to being about experiences and a quick way to remove flippant consumerism from your mindset, which is why we believe the silly season is the perfect time to begin because if you can implement this small change in the busiest time of the year then you have no excuse to not implement it during the quiet times of the year.

A no-spend day that becomes no-spend day’s can grow to become a no-spend week. This does not mean that you get the end of the week and spend everything you have saved throughout the week (that’s cheating), it simply means that when you get to the weekend and do your grocery shop/socialisations for example, that you spend within your means and that the money saved during your week is saved or invested for your brighter financial future.

Will you consider a no-spend day or week as part of your financial management going forward?

We dare you…

Sometimes you just need to let it all go.

Take a deep breath and let it all go.

Affirm to the universe – ‘Not today universe! I’m adventuring today so everything else can wait!’

When was the last time you took the time to dream about how life could be?

The problem is that we are all kept so busy with so many commitments like work deadlines, relationship commitments, the kids, school activities, the dog, the cat etc. You name it you get it.

Sometimes life can feel like one distraction after another that you never truly get a moment to spend on your own, and the hard part is when you finally get to take some leave, or take a break, and finally get some time for yourself that you do not know what to do with yourself.

That’s a big problem because…

You don’t know what you enjoy because you haven’t practised a hobby in years.

You end up feeling guilty like you don’t deserve the time of rest because it’s just such an unusual feeling.

And worst of all you find your thoughts drifting back to all your responsibilities and end up spending all ‘your’ time worrying.

Getting time alone to do what you want to do can be an absolute nightmare for over thinkers or for those that spend every moment of everyday being of service to others.

But this isn’t how we were meant to live…

We were meant to dream big and aim high, yet so many of us are on the merry go round, going round and round on the same routine in the same habits even if we don’t like them.

To simply keep doing the things that we believe, or have been taught and programmed to believe, it becomes difficult to break the cycle on all the things that we ‘need to do’ that we have become accustomed to, all so we can put food on the table to live the ‘life’ we have been given.

But the only way out of this madness is through you.

It’s for you to decide to practice a new hobby and find things that create excitement in your life.

It’s for you to decide to start that new business and see what your endless possibilities could be.
It’s for you to decide to travel the world, see greener pastures and meet people from all around the world.

They have decided that you must conform and live a life of limitation, but it’s up to you to break the shackles and to rise above the hustle and grind of daily life by create a life worth living.

You have an amazing opportunity to break the cycle, to become your new best friend, to take yourself to the movies, learn to play guitar, to not do the housework, let your partner do the dishes – whatever it is that you want to do make it so and have fun doing it!

Throw caution to the wind and chase your dreams, we dare you to.

There is nothing worse than hating the life you are living now and through the universal law of attraction receiving more of what you don’t like. The only opportunity available to you is love and abundance and ‘what’s in it for me’ attitude when it comes to living your best life.

If you don’t do the inside work to find out what it is that you actually want for life then all you will be is the ball inside the pinball machine… being hit from side to side until you end up going back to the centre of the machine to be spat out by the spring and begin the same old process over and over again.

The definition of insanity is doing the same thing again and again and expecting a different result.

Want a different result?

Make different choices, have the courage to make it so, and rise above your limiting thoughts.

It’s time you lived the life you were meant to.

If all else fails… go to the beach, take your shoes off, step into knee deep water and take a deep breath and recognise just how damn it feels good to be alive!

Lately we have had a ton of new enquiries for people wanting help with their finances. It’s a position that we are grateful to be in because it allows us to meet with people from all over AUSTRALIA and from all walks of life and solve their problems.  One of our most recent discovery meetings was interesting…

The brief:

The person wanted to travel the world and had timelines and destinations in mind but no savings, or savings plan implemented to support their goals.

What they had tried:

They were working with another budgeting provider who took control of their finances, paid their bills for them, and provided them with all the tools (app etc) to help provide clarity on their budget.

What we discovered:

No savings plan in place, living week-to-week, had been with this provider for the last 5 years and had paid in excess of $10,000 for the privilege.

They then asked us ‘what do you think I should do with my money?’

Our response was simple, ‘you need to take back control of your money and learn how to budget yourself.’

Step 1 – Get clear on your financial goals.

Step 2 – Get clear on your budget.

Step 3 – Understand where your money goes.

Step 4 – Take back financial control and learn how to budget yourself (and save THOUSANDS in the process!).

Note: We can teach you how to budget and smash through steps 1, 2, 3, and 4 together!

If in the interim you choose to remain with your current provider, speak to them about a savings plan and ensure that you are ‘paying yourself first’ by taking at least 10% of your income and putting it into a savings account that you do not touch – not now, not ever and live off the remaining 90% of your income.

Say you are earning $1,000 per week… this strategy will provide you with $100 per week (not much), but $5,200 per year of untouched, genuine savings.

If your current provider is costing you $50 per week to utilise their service, then when you leave your current provider keep saving the $100 per week, and then ADD in your weekly fees to your savings account (further boosting your savings). This change would equate to $150 per week allocated towards savings, or $7,800 per year – simple changes that can have a massive impact.

These two changes have been applied without taking into account bills, weekly spending, lifestyle costs etc which would be the next area to focus on. The key is, it’s the little things that can be done to get us ahead if we know that we need to do them.

Cutting back another $50 per week within your budget would allow your savings to grow to $200 per week, $10,400 per year which would be a strong start to achieving savings for world travel. Small tweaks that don’t take much, only a little that goes a long way…

Stories like the above scenario of outsourcing your money to a third party to pay your bills for you (and have nothing left to show for it) are way too common, but sadly we come across them all the time.

It doesn’t need to be this way!

Since 2018 we have been helping people to take back their power, gain confidence, clarity and control of their cashflow and save THOUSANDS in the process.

If you are serious about your financial goals then give us an opportunity to show you what we can do for you.

Isn’t it time you reclaimed your power and learned how to manage your budget yourself?

So last Sunday our oven died.

Not a big deal for some, but for us a tragedy. As avid meal preppers we hadn’t realised just how much we used our oven to prepare meals ahead of time, but with it out of action we quickly realised just how much our productivity had slipped by needing to be creative and savvy prior to the replacement of our oven.

Have you ever seen somebody cook a roast chicken in a frying pan?

Well, that was the experience for Andrew last Sunday eagerly awaiting a beautiful roast chicken to come out of the oven, when at the hour mark Alyssa opened the oven and said ‘the oven is cold, the chicken is raw…’. A few expletives were said.

Quickly out the oven and onto the chopping board. A sloppy mess that was then cut into bite sized pieces to be cooked (one meal at a time) into the frying pan…

It took us back to our previous renovation where we did not have a kitchen for 12 months due to demolition and build, and operated out kitchen from our rear shed. A powered induction cook top from Ikea which ended up in the construction skip due to its half hour time it took to get water to boiling and the complete lacklustre of our electric frying pan which was also woeful at cooking consequentially also ended up in the builders skip.

Anyhow, I digress…

From knowing how to be creative when cooking, and from preparing ahead – one thing came to mind with our budget sense was ‘how do we replace our current oven, for as little cost as possible.’ What would be our best ‘bang-for-buck?’

Turns out this led us down the road to investigate air fryers. So, we pop into the car on a Sunday afternoon to the nearest JB HIFI to check out a new widget that would solve our problems for the low price of $349.99.

Arriving at 3pm on a Sunday (worst decision ever, but a necessary evil), we quickly found the make and model of the proposed Ninja XL air fryer and grill. I quickly picked it up, put it on a high shelf and started giving it the once over – front, back, sides, and inside. It was cheap, small, and expensive for what it was.

Most attachments were plastic (cheap and easy to break), and the boast of cooking 6 steaks for a family… well… I doubt it would have fitted two steaks at a time. We quickly realised that the bulk of this item, the cost of the product, and the bench space it would take up in our small country shack would NOT be any advantage for us. That and the fact it was nearly 100% plastic and the way I cook I would probably set it on fire, and as an avid fans of flame cooking on the weber, we are not fans of flame cooking inside the kitchen!

Alyssa also felt that cleaning every nook and cranny would be near impossible knowing the way Andrew cooks…

We came to the conclusion that air fryers are dumb, and we don’t know why people would buy them.

Our journey continued to find the right oven for us so that we could get back to preparing our meals and increasing our daily productivity – no more roast chicken in the frying pan.

Turns out the best option was a Westinghouse electric cook to and oven with grill, for just over double the price of an air-fryer at $849.  It was time to run the numbers…

Procuring the previous oven following a friends property reno for $100 (absolute bargain) following the move into our beach shack we released that this oven had lasted us just over 2.5 years, at a cost of about $40 per year. For our new oven at $849 to be competitive on cost-of-purchase, ‘return on investment’ at the same rate, we would need to have our oven in full operation for the next 21 years…

In review it turns out the initial investment for our ‘cheap’ oven from a few years ago was a savvy financial investment.  Who knows if the new Westinghouse will still be running in 21 years time. What’s the life cycle of an oven again?

Since receiving our new oven, cooking has been bliss, and our productivity has happily improved. Meal prep is back to normal and all is well with the world.

It’s amazing what something so simple, that is in all of our homes, can do to you when it is out of action.  The slight imbalance throws out your entire day and increases stress levels higher than they need to be.

When something goes wrong in your life it just goes to show that the quicker you get onto it and find what you really need, not what you think you need, that everything falls right back into place.

We are grateful and thankful to be back cooking in bliss and harmony and our life is so much better for it, and sometimes it’s the simple things that matter most…

Moral to the story is to eat well and be happy, and if there is a cheap ‘workaround’ that will ‘do-for-now,’ don’t be a tight arse seeking conventional methods, and bite the bullet to invest in what you need where it counts (if you can), and remember air fryers are dumb.

P.S – It was amazing watching Alyssa negotiate the price from the sales person. In store our oven was listed for $899 and I heard Alyssa ask ‘is that the best price?’  Sales person responded $830, then she said – without skipping a beat… ‘don’t suppose you could do $800?’

We ended up getting it for $800! It’s amazing to have such a master negotiator in my life.

When people come to us they come to us for a budget, and whilst this is what we do – the benefit of working with us is received as far more than ‘just a budget,’ and if applied correctly it’s a total life transformation.

Don’t just take our words for it, have a read of our latest client review below:

“Engaging in financial coaching with Andrew and Alyssa over the past 12 months has been a journey far greater than simply designing a budget and learning how to follow it. Andrew and Alyssa have helped us to recover our relationship from a very difficult place due to financial strain in which both of us were unknowingly working against each other, despite having quite similar goals.”

“We were supported to explore our personal values and goals, bringing us closer together as a couple, and to work collaboratively to achieve these life goals – no more fights about where the money is going or how we are going to afford this weeks’ groceries or upcoming school camps!”

“After working with Andrew and Alyssa, we have managed to structure our finances in a way in which we have equal responsibility and transparency, have achieved many of our short-term goals and continue to work towards our larger long-term goals.”

“Twelve months ago, we would never have imagined being able to have a calm conversation about our money or budgeting, let alone have worked out a reliable system of weekly spending and saving, in order to take our family on the overseas holiday that we had been dreaming of for many years!”

“Andrew and Alyssa are open, honest and down-to-Earth people who have supported us with empathy, professionalism and a good dose of humor to guide us towards a more abundant future, both financially and within our interpersonal relationships. They have equipped us with a financial plan and the skills to self-manage our finances, with the reassurance that they are available for consultation at any time in the future should we require a ‘check-in’.”

“Thank you for helping us to value what we already have, pursue the things we would still like to achieve in order to enhance our lives further, and to establish a pathway to achieve it!”

Our clients have experienced a truly transformational journey over the past 12 months. We assisted with mindset and guidance towards getting on the same team with money, setting and smashing financial goals, and removing money stress from conversations. The results from the hard-work our clients implemented has allowed a rekindling of their relationship to occur and love to return.

From day one of being in business back in January 2018 we have believed in handing the power to you so that you can manage your finances effectively and easily without the need for long-term third party interjection like other budget providers.

We believe that everybody has the power to manage their cashflow easily and effectively if they are given the tools, clarity and foresight in which to do so. You can see from the words of our clients above the amazing benefits that we bring to you from believing in yourself, and standing within your own power, to getting in your own drivers-seat and making informed decisions for your financial future.  Everything we do is about YOU.

We are a friendly, professional, and supportive team that is trusted amongst our clientele where ethics, values, and results matter.

If your unsure about your financial future due to mortgage rates rising, fed up with silly arguments about spending money with your partner, or fed up about handing over money to your current budget provider to pay your bills for you, then it’s time to make a change.

We welcome you to experience the Your Budget Mates way today.

Thought for the day…

Trends are an interesting thing. Take fashion for example. What’s trendy one day, is outdated the next and often replaced by the next ‘trendy’ thing that also becomes outdated. Like a cycle of seasons, or an economy… What is deemed to be great and amazing one day often replaced by the next shiny thing the next day as the cycle moves on.

And this leads into our satisfaction or dissatisfaction in life around our relationships and cashflow. One day we are happy living life to the fullest with our partner going out for lunch, buying that warm winter jacket, and taking advantage of all the good things that life offers without a care in the world, to the realisation of the next day when reality hits and our bills are due.

The fun we had with our partner the day before is reflected upon us in the present moment with an emotion of guilt, of disappointment, and of resentment. Conversations begin to start with ‘we didn’t need to spend that’ or ‘why did you buy that?’ and your relationship moves from love for one another, to blaming one another.

It is at this point that our happiness erodes, and we start stressing.

And as arguments around money enter your relationship, love exits.

Your mind attaches onto all the bad things that are happening in your mind – lack, guilt, disappointment all of which become your new point of attraction. The universal law of attraction recognises your point of attraction and begins delivering to you more of what you are asking for – lack, guilt, and disappointment, and the pain and resentment gets worse.

You wonder why your partner doesn’t look at you the same way anymore and why you feel so stressed, so anxious around money.

Eventually your relationship ends.

A new relationship starts.

And a new trend begins.

Lessons that you didn’t learn with your partner the first time around repeat themselves. Akin to a simple wash, rinse, and repeat…

New arguments begin.

New guilt emerges.

New law of attraction delivers your new reality.

You feel jaded, frustrated, stuck with no clarity of how to move forward and figure ‘oh well, that’s life, this is just how it’s supposed to be.’

It isn’t.

It is at this point that you may not realise it but you missed the point, and you have lost the lesson.

When you take a step back to recognise that you are in a loop that does not reflect the life you want to live you have an amazing opportunity to decide to make a change, and when you do magic happens.

Conversations with your new or existing partner can raise to a new level.

Arguments about spending money can become a memory of the past.

Love has an opportunity to reemerge in your relationship.

And achieving (and smashing) your financial goals can be your vision for the future.

But only if you recognise the pattern you are in, and only if you BOTH choose to take action and change your trajectory.

Happiness need not be conditional – but simply a state of being, and with cashflow and relationship stress out of the way it can be your reality.

Life is too short to be spent living in lack and arguing with your partner over spending money. Get it together. Bring love back into the room. Watch your life soar.

And most importantly if this resonates with you, get in touch!

Over the years we have seen so many people struggle thinking that life is just so hard, so unfair and that whilst others can seemingly get ahead easily in life that they feel they are stuck missing out and will never get ahead. The mind game starts from within with the lie that is told from the internal chatter of the mind in the subconscious that puts them into the frequency of lack, the untrue feeling/thought of not being able to succeed or get ahead in life.

What the ego mind doesn’t realise is that the difference between getting ahead, or remaining where we are today (which is 100% your choice) is as simple as identifying what is holding us back and instead of remaining frozen with the identity placed upon yourself, the belief that you cannot change.  What the mind needs to understand is that you need to start taking action on the ‘doing’ to create your change as it is the ‘doing’ that leads you forward.

The simple act of putting a budget together is overwhelming to many, yet if you wanted to achieve a savings goal of $100 per week, over $5,000 per year the process is as simple as ‘doing,’ yet so many people just don’t ‘do.’ They fumble they freeze and they panic.  They choose to go off and do something fun, and then judge others that are succeeding whilst beating themselves up that they will never get ahead in life.

It’s easier to watch Netflix than set a personal goal.

It’s easier to watch the footy.

And it’s easier to watch others succeed whilst wondering why it is that you can never seem to get ahead.

It’s easy to give up on yourself and live under the label of negative self-worth, rather than identifying what changes need to take place and implementing the ‘doing.’

These people who choose to reside within victim mode who continue to bleed over others that are succeeding are toxic in their judgement not realising that the same tool of ‘doing,’ and success is available to them and that they too could get ahead in life if they so choose to and if they choose to take positive action.

All they need is the courage and bravery to take the first step…

Step 1 – Love, Courage & Bravery:

It takes courage to reflect upon your life on where you are today and for some it could be a proud reflection, whilst for others the harsh reality it could be a massive slap in the face.

The key is to be brave regardless of where you are at and recognise where you are right now is your new starting point.

Everything in your life up until this point has been created by YOU – the good, the bad, and the ugly, and when you can learn to recognise and confront your life choices with love, courage and bravery, everything changes.

Step 2 – Learning & Self-Education:

You don’t know what you don’t know. That’s true. Also is knowing that you know what you don’t know (read that again).

Thinking that we know something when we don’t provides us with a false truth, a false reality, and for some this false reality keeps creating itself by the way we perceive life.  The more you think of something you don’t want (for example) you will often find coming into your life more and more as an experience via the law of attraction of what you don’t want.

When you take the step back into the ‘doing’ and begin learning again, and self-educating yourself, you will experience things in your life that you thought you knew, but you didn’t. Old patterns can drift away, new patterns can be imprinted upon you, your mindset can be opened and your life will change for the better. Whatsmore, you can begin to outline what you do want in your life and begin to attract the new into your reality.

It is from the ‘doing,’ the being brave and courageous, and learning to educate yourself that the letting go occurs and you begin an amazing transformation. Blame begins to cease and you step into the awareness that you are in the ‘doing’ that others ‘do,’ and realising that all those people who get ahead in life could also be you.

At this point you finally begin to believe in yourself.

You realise that the opportunities provided to ‘others’ who are in the ‘doing’ and getting ahead in their life, are the same opportunities that are available to you.

Your energy and point of attraction change for the better.

Step 3 – Taking Action & Doing:

Once you begin to learn again, your thirst for knowledge will grow and it is at this point where you can begin to create anything you want, if you so choose to. You can choose to unzip the victim suit and step into your own power – your ‘winning’ power from the work, from the ‘doing’ that you have implemented in your life.

You will notice that the people within your circle changes and that those that you used to think like will disappear from your life as your vibration changes along with your thought processes.

It is at this point that the victim suit comes off and the knowledge gets implemented to improve your life.

You start to have wins. Little wins at first, but then more, and more consistent, and bigger.

You begin to surprise yourself. Only a short time ago you saw others succeed and not you, but through your actions, choices, love, courage, and bravery you have developed a self-belief that you too are worthy of success within your life.

It is at this point that you realise you are now living your life, fully in the ‘doing.’

Step 4 – Being Consistent:

We have all heard the term falling off the wagon. Often referenced with someone that has had a relapse to addiction whether that be gambling, alcohol, drugs or others…

Falling off the wagon is often received by those experiencing it with a great level of humiliation and self-doubt. They think they have conquered where they were at, that they were in a better place (and they were), and now because of one tiny relapse that all the good work has been undone (it hasn’t).

There were 3 steps before the 4^th step here. Those 3 steps are some of the damn hardest steps any person could ever take. To look at their life, to go within, to learn, to grow, to reflect upon the life they most want to live.  No, you haven’t failed because of one tiny set back – you have learned, so long as you recognise this and that so long as you don’t lose the lesson.

You have learned that step 1, 2, and 3 are all possible only when you become consistent with your actions, and for anything worth doing (like creating a financial plan for a better financial future) is worth your investment in time, in education, in self-reflection to create a better life for yourself tomorrow.

The difference between you – stuck where you are, not being able to get ahead in life, and others that are buying their first home, travelling the world with their savings and living their best life is in the ‘doing.’

When you realise this, that you can ‘do’ too, you release that you can have the magical future you wish you had by doing the work that leads you closer to your goals today.

What ACTIONS are you choosing to take today that supports the future reality you wish to experience?

For those of you that don’t know, Alyssa has a particular fondness of crystals, healing, reiki, and all things woo. She is always on the lookout for her next unique crystal, book, or spiritually related nick-nack at any market or show to expand her spiritual development and awareness

This Easter we had the opportunity to visit the National Gem and Mineral Show Gemboree 2024.

Although not my thing (Andrew), Alyssa dragged me along and said we would have a lot of fun. Begrudgingly as a ‘good husband’ I complied.

Arriving at 9am to the first event in South Australia in 7 years as the event is rotated throughout each state of Australia each year, Alyssa’s excitement was enormous. As we walk in the door of the Willunga Recreation Park venue we saw wall to wall vendors showing their wares, competition winners, crystals, tools, gemstones, fossils – everything a lover of these items could dream of.

Alyssa had been especially saving money leading up to the event and couldn’t wait to see what she could find that was unique and special to her. It was kind of special like a kid in a candy store just looking for that one special item to lift spirits and feel good, to be placed somewhere at home to be cherished – a special memory, a special day, all for a special woman, Alyssa.

As we walked in the door she found it.

The special trinket.

The ‘one-of.’

It was amazing. A unique carving set in crystal unlike anything she had seen before, Alyssa knew it was hers.

She spoke to the vendor and asked how much the item was, it was $590 (not a small cost for something so unique). Upon asking the vendor if they took cash, they said NO, card only.

Alyssa said ‘sorry, I only spend in cash – not card.’

Vendor replied ‘sorry, I don’t accept cash – only card.’

The vendor then preceded to tell Alyssa that if she didn’t want that item she could have something else, but what the vendor didn’t realise is that they had already shot themselves in the foot by not accepting cash payments.

How would Alyssa purchase something different if the vendor still would not accept cash?

Alyssa’s response to the vendor were these words: ‘No thanks – what’s meant for me will not pass me by,’ as she turned around and walked away.

The vendor stood there, stunned and gob smacked.

They lost the $590 sale.

They scurried to offer Alyssa other items but the damage had already been done.

This was the first vendor we went to as we entered the building – our first experience of the event. Following this experience we looked around and noticed all the ‘square payments,’ ‘apple pay,’ ‘google pay’ signs and pro card payments. I asked many other vendors where there signs were for cash and they all looked at me puzzled…

A perplexing experience and so many disconnected business owners.  It made us wonder if the vendors were forced to accept card only, not cash… or if they had been guided this way due to ‘market trends.’

Seemed weird they would accept cash at the door (most people paid cash at the door), but not accept it at individual vendors. There was even an ATM hired for the event for people to take out cash, which come to think of it made absolutely no sense if all vendors were not accepting cash.

Weird.

The moral of the story?

Moral 1 – As a ‘business owner’ – If you are a business owner and want to INCREASE your sales and keep all your customers happy you must always ACCEPT CASH in a face-to-face environment.

Moral 2 – As a ‘consumer’ – If you want the freedom over your spending decisions then you must utilise CASH for your spending decisions and have it in your purse and wallet to do so. You must never be afraid to walk away from businesses (no matter how much you want what they offer) if they do not accept cash.

Stand firm in your choices and decisions that you make today for they create the future world you get to experience and do not lose the lesson. What did you learn from this experience?

Source: https://southaustralia.com/products/fleurieu-peninsula/event/national-gem-and-mineral-show-gemboree-2024

An element of our lives that is most often overlooked due to our busy schedules is time. We all think there will always be more time but what if there wasn’t? What if you only had a set number of days left in your human experience and then one day sooner or later, you are gone.

How would you choose to live life differently today with this being the case?

We fragment time into fancy words like days, weeks, fortnights, months and years… and many days it can feel like we just don’t have enough time available to us to get through our daily tasks, but that is simply not true. We are all given the gift of time to do as we will, but it is our free-will to decide how we use our time and that being – effectively utilising our time or choosing to throw our time away.

Over the Easter break I have been fortunate enough to take some time to reflect-back on the past years and the past 4,000 days with gratitude seeing just how far I have come in a very short period of time, that being – the last 11 years…

In this time Alyssa and I had purchased our first home, gotten married, travelled Australia, built and sold our first investment property, started our business, fought legal battles, sold our family home, and moved to the country to live debt free and mortgage free whilst enjoying a relaxed and stress-free lifestyle all by 39 years old…

I came to the realisation that we had had a lot of success along the way and that whilst some days were extremely hard and challenging that we were both grateful for the experience and grateful for the growth.

The key takeaways for me being that if you are serious about your goals you must put yourself first and you must back yourself.

On the hard days you push harder and keep going, remembering to rest but not slack off or take your eyes off the prize.

You must be tenacious in your endeavours and have the balls to go forth and make it happen.

You must be consistent, deliberate in your approach and not afraid of hard work.

You must have a non-apologetic approach of putting yourself first, whilst being humble and polite to others on their journey.

Above all else, you must help others on their journey.

When you break down your time into days rather than looking at the longer term key words that you begin to realise that you only ever have the present moment and the next day (if you are lucky) that in this very short time you must make every moment count.

If you are 21 years old today you have experienced 7,665 days, being you.

If you are 30 years old today you have experienced 10,950 days, being you.

If you are 50 years old today you have experienced 18,250 days, being you.

My question to you is what are you doing to make each day count?

In my opinion…

If you have a great day you must cherish it.

If you have a tough day you must learn from it.

If you have an average day you must find the gratitude in it.

But most of all you must make each day count.

None of us are guaranteed tomorrow, but each of us have the opportunity to find the magic in each day to go after our dreams to crush them without fear, and we must be brave enough to do so. We must have the tenacity and resilience within us – the deep fire of achievement burning as we head towards our goals with confidence knowing that it is up to us to bring forward what it is that we want to experience in our life.

If you are not happy with where you are now – CHANGE IT.

If you want to improve something in your life – DO IT.

If you feel you have failed – LEARN FROM IT.

It is up to YOU to put yourself first and make your life count.

It’s time to stop sitting on the fence.

Get up.

Take action.

Get it done.

What are you waiting for?

**Dedicated to Lily – forever in our hearts.

With so much fear and confusion pushed out by the mainstream media of consistent rate rises over the last few years, it may seem that buying a home in todays market is near impossible, and it just might be which begs the question…  Are you truly ready for home ownership?

For many renters that are considering the jump to home ownership there is an assumption that the costs of being a renter vs a home owner are ‘about the same’ just instead of paying the landlord each week you pay a mortgage each month – but this simply isn’t the case.

For example, when you consider the average mortgage loan amount as of today, Friday the 1^st of March 2024 you have national average loan balance of $624,000 as of December 2023 (the last reported average).

On a loan of $624,000 at 6.5% interest rate you would have a monthly commitment of $3,944.10 or $910.18 per week.

When you compare your mortgage payments to the average rent in Australia 2024 of $580 per week you quickly realise that the cost of being a home owner purely from cost of rent vs cost of mortgage, equates to an additional $330 per week out of your pocket where interest rates reside at 6.5%.

Couple this with the additional costs of being a home owner you could easily add another $6,000 – $9,000 of costs relating to council rates, building insurances and other associated home ownership costs.

In the above scenario, tenants paying the average $580 per week, seeking an ‘average mortgage loan balance’ of $624,000 would be in a significant worse-off position of $26,169.25 annually, over $500 per week.

Home ownership a few years ago made more sense when rates were lower, for example the average loan of $624,000 at 2.5% had a monthly repayment of $2465.55 per month, or $568.97 per week – on par with today’s average rent costs + home ownership costs.

So, what can you do in today’s market?

Well, you can’t dictate rates… But you can borrow less, and manage your outgoing expenses.  And remember:  Just because your lender or broker says that you can afford to borrow up to X amount, does not mean that you need to!  Always seek to borrow less where possible.

Consider the above example of a tenant paying $580 per week in rent seeking a mortgage with a loan amount of $350,000 at 6.5% interest.  Repayments would be approximately $2,212.24 per month, or $510.52 per week.  In this scenario you would be in a financially better-off position by reducing the debt level you seek to secure your property by $70 per week simply by reducing your loan amount!

You would still have home ownership costs of let’s say $9,000 on top of this which would bring your repayments + home costs up to an average of $683.59 per week.  Just $100 more per week than what you were paying in rent.

Another key metric to consider is your average nett household income vs your annual mortgage cost for example:

Scenario A:  Let’s say nett household income of = $130,000, vs loan amount $624,000 (national average), annual payments of $47,329.25.  When you divide $47,329.25 by your nett household income you come up with a percentage of 43% for your mortgage.

VS

Scenario B:  Let’s say nett household income of = $130,000, vs loan amount $350,000 (your reduced loan value), annual payments of $26,546.86.  When you divide $26,546.86 by your nett household income you come up with a percentage of 27% for your mortgage.

Scenario A is not sustainable long-term as 43% of your nett income goes out the door each pay cycle leaving you little to any money for fun or other lifestyle costs (groceries, bills, schooling, fun etc).  Scenario B fits well with just 27% of your nett income going towards your mortgage and an additional 16% of funds being available for lifestyle and savings going forward.

See diagram above:

In an ideal world where your budget is balanced you will be able to allocate:

• 25% to your spending.
• 25% to your savings/future wealth creation.
• 25% to your mortgage/rent/debts (ideally clear all debts).
• 25% to your living expenses (long-term bills).

To free up additional cashflow in your household budget, consider paying off your personal loans and debts prior to becoming a home owner and seek to reduce utility costs (insurances, mobile phones, and subscriptions etc).  If your spending is above and beyond the targets listed above do the same (meal plan, prepare for date nights, include fun but pull back if overspending).  Always seek ways to reduce the expenditure of your outgoing income as possible – but never at the detriment of your lifestyle (so long as your lifestyle is exorbitant – and if it is, consider if now really is the time for home ownership).

Purchasing your home in today’s market is easy when you know your numbers and do the work to lead yourself forward.  Sure, you may need to make some strategic changes in your lifestyle and purchasing decisions, or reconsider the area you most desire for ‘down the track’ once you have built equity in your new home, but the key is that yes you can become a home owner in the current market, but only if you are savvy and prepared on all fronts.

Crunch your numbers, do your homework and if you get stuck and need professional support please reach out.

Source – https://mozo.com.au/home-loans/articles/what-is-the-average-mortgage-in-australia

Source – https://mozo.com.au/home-loans/articles/what-is-the-average-rent-in-australia

Many of you may know that we are massive advocates for cash and for not ‘setting-and-forgetting’ your household budget. Having cash as part of your budget strategy is key to accountability of your spending and allows you to have greater foresight on how and why you choose to spend your money.

Cash unlike cards gets broken down in denominations when you spend money whereas cards don’t, and this can often lead to our brains not having the perception of reduced funds available. As an example when you make a digital payment on card or (heaven forbid) tap your phone, you have no visual clue how much you just spent or what your remaining balances are because your card and phone are still the same size. They haven’t had a chunk taken out of their phone or card like cash does.

It’s much harder for the brain to hand over a fifty dollar note knowing that that fifty dollar note is gone and you walk away with denominations from your purchase. If you hand over a fifty dollar note for a forty five dollar purchase you will experience the reduction of your cash denominations with a result leaving you with a measly five dollars. The effect on our brains is that we recognise we no longer have fifty dollars available and that our available funds have reduced – significantly. Having the perception of your money decreasing in real-time can present a ‘pause-point’ in our spending determining if we actually need the item we think we want, or do we want to hold onto our money more.

One of our clients that we have been working with for about 18 months now has moved from triumph to turmoil and back again. Win’s early on had led to defeat following job loss, then back to success with a new role (that they love) combined with overtime benefits boosting their nett income position and having a significant boost for their budget surplus.

For such a long time the managing the household budget had been a struggle. Constant overthinking with ADHD had meant that money set aside for longer-term goals was often eroded for ‘in-the-moment-spending,’ that later led to frustration with a budget that just didn’t seem to work.

Month after month we saw the same results – digital spending, tapping the card, overspending each month and zero build-up of back-up savings.

At each meeting we dropped the seed… ‘have you tried a cash strategy for your weekly spending?’ At each meeting it was blocked. ‘Cash is so hard.’ ‘I have to go to the ATM each week to withdraw it and I just keep forgetting to do it.’ ‘Digital is easier…’

A month ago we had come to a head with our accountability meeting delivering some very hard truths, and a breakthrough happened. Our client had decided to give cash spending a go for ‘one month only’ and report back.

The result?

They were SO ANNOYED that cash just worked so well for them.

Their savings had doubled, their back-up buffer for long-term bills and other related expenses had soared, and the loose change in their cash kitty was abundant. Not only that, they had made the decision to keep using cash going forward to replicate the results we have encouraged to date.

We are so proud of what our client had done because they could not see what we could see – how a simple tweak of process could have such a profound change on their spending, their savings position and their mindset.

It can be confronting to learn that we don’t know everything, and that to move forward in life different strategies are required for different times. So many of us keep living the same life day-in, day-out with the same mindset, the same thought patterns and the same behaviour expecting different experiences to occur. But the key is that what we wish to experience in our lives all begins with our thoughts and ‘what you think about, you bring about.’

If you want to change where you are at start with the inner work because nothing changes until we change.

And when we change – everything changes.

What has been holding you back from achieving your financial goals?

Just when you thought we had seen enough of rate rises from the RBA another one sneaks it’s way in for November 2023. It might be time you consider what the reality of future rate rises may mean to you and your family.

Novembers latest RBA cash rate increase from the RBA has been a real kick in the guts for families that have absorbed rate rises from May 2022 thinking that rates had finished rising. Mortgage holders that are still fortunate enough (for now) to be on their fixed rate with a 2% or less interest rate ending soon will be in for one hell of a shock and pain as fixed rate terms cease and rates flip to today’s average of over 6%.

It would be fair in saying that many Australians have been lured into a false sense of security knowing that when your mortgage were taken out originally that you could easily afford your loan, but as the RBA continues to raise rates it makes the ability to be able to afford your loan going forward far more challenging.

It’s probably a good idea to consider your financial future, your goals, your forward direction and where you want to be in the year to come.

Consider this:

What will you do if the RBA keeps raising rates?

How will you prepare your family, your mindset, your emotions in the event of more rate rises?

How will you navigate your way forward?

In recent times (pre May 2022) mortgage holders seeking a better interest rate would speak with their mortgage broker to get a great rate on their loan, and in a market where rates were going down often saw mortgage holders taking advantage of sharper rates available to them. Whilst you may still be eligible for a “hot-rate” on the market today, chances are the rate that is deemed as “hot” today, may actually be more than the rate you are currently paying.

Which begs the question… How do you think your mortgage broker will be able to solve the challenge of “best rate” for you?

Whilst we always recommend that you speak with your mortgage broker, there is always MORE that you could be doing.

During times like these it is essential that you have a comprehensive cashflow plan that leads you forwards. A plan that allows you the clarity to see the next bump in the road before it happens, so that you can prepare your mindset and hip-pocket in the event of future rate rises.

Adapting a strategy that is void of debt, paying off car loans, not using buy now-pay later services and ditching the credit card is key. Understanding where your money goes in every aspect and giving each dollar a job to do is also imperative going forward.

You have an opportunity right now to start 2024 off on the right foot. With the rate rise of November 2023 spots on our programs are filling up fast and we will be at capacity in the new year. If you would like support please ACT NOW.

Let us help you and your family navigate your path to success in 2024 and beyond.

Knowing that you need help your finances can often be a daunting process, but it doesn’t need to be. In fact, the reason that you have recognised this and are considering taking action is commendable. But where do you start? A mortgage broker, a financial planner, an accountant, or something else…?

Who does what, and what is the best fit for you? See our check list below:

Mortgage Broker:

A mortgage brokers role is to find the best loan for you at a set point in time, and by comparing the lender on the market and their policies, determine the right lender for you based on your conduct as a consumer. For example: If today’s rate is 7% and you want a rate that is 5%, the best your broker can do is offer a 7% interest rate “at this point in time.”

Getting the “best rate” all depends on your conduct, your credit score, your savings capacity and your ability to demonstrate you can afford your loan.  A mortgage broker works within established parameters and matches your situation depending to a range of conditions. Best rate is not always the best indication or the best option for a loan that suits you.

Mortgage brokers do not provide budget advice or cashflow counselling. If you don’t have your savings developed, or good account conduct there may be very little a mortgage broker can do for you.

Financial Planner:

A financial planners role is to review your superannuation, your investments, and your insurances (life insurance, income protection, TPD total and permanent disability, and trauma) to ensure you have adequate cover in the event of a life altering event happening to your life. They may also assist with setting up managed funds for you to deposit and grow additional savings and investments for long-term wealth creation.

Financial Planners can provide budget advice and cashflow counselling, but most do not and prefer to help you with your investments, insurances, and other related financial goals. We believe that your financial planner should be asking you if you have a budget when you meet with them. Has yours?

Accountant:

An accountant can help you with your end of financial year tax return for PAYG employees. They can also assist with how to start a business, the right structure, tax minimization, tax positioning and all other related tax matters. Understanding your business budget, your general ledger, your profit and loss, and your accounting software are key.

For business clients they can help outline a strategy for business growth, and answer any questions relating to tax law (amongst others), and some assist property investors in their tax positioning for negative gearing.

Accountants do not provide personal budget advice or personal cashflow counselling.

Your Budget Mates:

If you look at the above options you have three key areas of support structure available to you, but which one fits? Which one can help you with your overall cashflow plan? Which one can help provide you with the structure, the tools, the clarity and the mindset of improving yourself financially?

Having prior experience within mortgage broking and following a successful career as real estate investors now living a mortgage free and debt free lifestyle – we can help!

At Your Budget Mates we do more than “just a budget.” We provide holistic education around your entire cashflow position and align your cashflow with your goals. The below is a brief summary of what we teach, and what you can expect from us at a professional level when you become a client.

Finance Positioning

By working holistically with us and your mortgage broker, you will become knowledgeable of how much you can borrow whilst still maintaining your current way of life, and in the event of future rate rises.

• By working holistically with us and your financial planner you will have the capacity to contribute to your investments and savings accounts on an ongoing basis.
• As property investors you will be able to make informed choices around your current position to ascertain the timing of your next ventures.
• You will have a solid understanding of where your money goes in a broad spectrum, and a habitual, disciplined, yet simple system implemented on how to manage your money easily and effectively.
• Your bank statements will reflect your good consumer conduct, demonstrate your ability to save money easily, demonstrate that you live within your means, and demonstrate the capacity for you to be able to service your new loan to your mortgage broker or chosen lender.
• When you follow our process correctly your credit score will improve and your chances of securing your new loan will improve greatly.
• You will have the absolute clarity of your cashflow position and the ability to make informed financial choices.

Mindset & Goal Setting

• We help you to adapt an abundant way of thinking by removing self-doubt and “pause points,” by developing an attitude of gratitude and working with the law of attraction “what you think about, you bring about.”
• You will experience the changes from thoughts of “I can’t do this,” to “how can I do this.”
• Your confidence with money and with yourself on a personal level will improve greatly.
• You will rediscover your relationship with money by utilising cash as a mindset tool to curb unnecessary spending.
• You will have the mindset and determination of forward focus for your mindset success, initially financially but in time you will witness this positive mindset shift in other areas of your life.
• You will be able to set your own goals (and achieve them) with a mindset of “what actions will bring me closer to or further away from my goals…”
• You learn to trust your financial decisions by making informed financial decision and implementing positive changes to your plan.

Social Pressures

• Being in control of your money will allow you to rise above social pressures and develop your own guilt free spending to spend within your means, living your best life – always.
• You will stop owing, and start owning, not just “things,” but integrity and confidence of your financial position within yourself.
• The pressure of buy now-pay later products, or other “convenient” ways of spending will disappear when you have your own money to spend, coupled with a mindset that brings you closer to your financial goals.
• You will learn to say NO, confidently, to things that do not bring your closer to your financial goals.

Spiritual Development

• You will start to see money as a means of barter and exchange, and in an abundant world we always have exactly what we need, when we need it.
• You will understand that “more is coming” and “all is well” when it comes to allowing (not forcing) money to flow to you easily.
• You will be able to sleep easy at night not worrying in bed and having broken sleep over money worries.
• You will realise that life is more than money and your perceived limitations around money dissipate.

Family Matters

• We help you to remove judgement, blame, guilt, and bring you back to a baseline where all emotions are removed, and a non-emotional plan is implemented. Arguments on who spends what stops, immediately.
• We help you to develop a supportive and loving environment that allows you to work together on your goals and support one another during the process.
• You will experience the relationship with your partner becoming closer as money stress leaves your conversations and LOVE begins to re-enter. Your focus on “survival” shifts to “creation.”
• Your children get to grow up in a household without financial stress, and can learn positive financial habits from Mum and Dad.
• When following our process correctly and working together as a couple, arguments with your partner, or your children will dissipate, and you will begin to witness the amazing opportunities that lay ahead for your financial future.

Your mortgage broker, your financial planner, and your accountant all have a place as part of your financial team leading you forwards. Always lean on them when you need to.

If you are looking for something else and want to move from where you are, to where you want to be, give us a try. A complimentary Discovery Meeting with our team costs you NOTHING, and with over 45 five star reviews on the socials we must be doing something right…

We welcome you to experience the Your Budget Mates difference today.

Each day we make choices.

Choices that either lead us closer to, or further away from our goals.

It’s like auto-pilot, and when you take a moment to step back you can see it in action.

The first warm day in spring you see it at your local garden centre with the inundation of singles and couples who have a goal to start their veggie patch, or grow beautiful flowers during the spring time to enjoy their garden. The time spent investing into our garden building upon an abundant future can often lead to two destinations.

The first destination will see a beautiful budding garden that has been tended to consistently, in the months to come will be filled with birds, bees, fruit, veggies and an abundant of positive energy due to the hard work of tending to your garden.

The second destination could be a dirt patch full of weeds because life got too busy, or the weather was too hot, or that you just couldn’t be bothered getting into the garden because it wasn’t that important anyway.

Both outcomes are a personal choice. The result of which comes to you from the decision that you chose to make in prior moments. Your decisions can either to bring you closer to, or further away from your goals and what is most important to you.

The only way you can achieve your goals is if you really want to achieve your goals. When you get clear on what you want, and how you want to achieve it, everything falls into place. The people you need on your team appear, and your conversations begin to change. You start to realise that you can have, do, or be, anything you want in this lifetime but that it is your decision to make it so.

It is your choice.

The best thing about knowing that it is your choice and that where you are today is a result of the decisions you made yesterday, is that you have the amazing OPPORTUNITY to choose again!

Choose to let the past be the past, and let it go.

Choose to be in the drivers seat of your future and reap the rewards that you sow.

If you don’t like where you are today then forgive yourself for your past mistakes and move forward with the confidence knowing that YOU have got this.

That YOU have led yourself to where you are today.

That YOU have the keys to all the locked doors…

And that YOU have the power to choose again!

If you are arguing with each other over spending money, or not happy with how your financial future is tracking then you have the amazing opportunity to choose change. Take a moment out of your day to prioritise your financial future with one another. Set goals and work together as a part of your ‘dream-team.’

And remember… Your future begins and ends with YOU.

What will you choose…

Would you support a petrol station that did not sell petrol?

… a hairdresser that didn’t cut hair?

… a café that didn’t sell coffee?

… a pub that didn’t sell beer?

If not, then why support a bank that does not accept cash?

So many Australians love cash.  It is the foundation of their financial wellness, yet lately, there seems to be a major push in removing cash from our societies, and many people don’t really seem to care, but they should…

Why?

Cash is LEGAL TENDER in Australia.  Without cash we only have a digital option where every single transaction you make is recorded against your bank statement.

Big deal though, right?

Well, yes, it is a big deal when it comes to our privacy, our rights and our freedoms to purchase what we want, from who we want, when we want, without the banks or government being able to track, trace and monitor our spending.

Still don’t think it’s a big deal?

Ok… well let’s say cash disappeared tomorrow and we went about our daily lives as usual.  What would happen once cash is phased out and the powers that be determine that we all need a new digital system?

Would you blindly agree that because we are all using digital now, that an upgrade to the current system is warranted?  What if the new system doesn’t do what you want it to do, or discriminates against certain people for certain reasons?  What if the new system locked you out of your own money making you broke, unable to make ends meet?

What if you had zero freedom of purchase rights, and zero opportunity to use a system other than what you have been “told to use” and you don’t like it?

It would hardly seem fair if a system like this were implemented, would it?

We are in a time right now where we have an option of cash to USE IT, OR LOSE IT.  Future generations have the opportunity to either thrive or suffer based on the decisions that we are making as consumers on our spending today.  If we do not keep cash in circulation, and cash disappears from society tomorrow, our future generations will have NO CHOICE but to use a digital currency because there will be no other option.

They will be at the mercy of any future system, and it will all happen due to our compliance today.

Having cash available to all for spending is a basic human right that supports our freedom of choice when it comes to our purchasing power.

If your bank is promoting a digital future and you want to give future generations the freedom of choice on their purchases and the right to use cash when they need to, then you need to make a firm, moral and ethical decision.  Either support your cashless provider, or make the move to a cash positive one.

You wouldn’t support a pizza bar that didn’t sell pizza… so why support a bank that doesn’t support cash?

Our future generations depend on your actions.

Choose wisely.