I realised the other day that I had a heap of small denomination (we’re talking $950 worth) Coles Myer gift cards that are due to expire at the end of December. I got them from work for various things and from Flybuys and hadn't got around to using them.
They’re a pain to use as they are all $10 or $15 denominations, so I've been using them to pay for groceries mainly, and I really didn't want them to expire, they’re effectively free money after all.
So I took them all into my local Coles and asked if I could use them all to buy a one new large value card, and they said yes!
I now have a $600 Coles Myer card and a $350 card that I can also use at Coles Express petrol stations too, both with a 2 year expiry date.
Just in time for Christmas shopping as they’re also valid in Myer, Target and Kmart, plus Vintage Cellars for the booze, hurrah! They should last me for at least a few months food and petrol wise, so that’s a bonus for saving more money from my trip and paying down more debt.
The thing that made me laugh was the guy at the counter didn’t bat an eyelid, all he asked was ‘did you win these at bingo?’
Wednesday, 3 December 2008
Buying Gift Cards – With Gift Cards!
Monday, 16 June 2008
Starter Emergency Fund Sorted
I received my annual bonus late last week, so was able to complete funding my starter emergency fund to the $2000 I was working towards. Yay!
As a very pleasant extra I also receive the Superannuation Guarantee on the bonus payment, so got a nice boost into my retirement savings this month, on top of my regular monthly salary contribution, plus the 3% I'm contributing myself pre-tax.
For the non Aussies, the Superannuation Guarantee is our version of a retirement fund, the big difference to say an American 401K is it’s mandatory for employers to contribute on your behalf. Employers must pay a minimum of 9% of your pretax salary into your superannuation (retirement) account. As my bonus is considered part of my package, it counts toward that 9% total for the year. Sweet!
As for the rest of the bonus, I've:
- set aside $1000 to go into my First Home Savers Account once it starts here in October,
- paid a decent chunk off my focus card,
- paid a double payment on my personal loan,
- boosted my goal account to $1000 (I really need a new bed and mattress),
- bought a new outfit for work (from Target, 30% off),
- put $500 aside to start my 40th birthday 'UK tour' fund for June/July 2009.
July’s Ugly Truth is shaping up to be a very good news story!
Friday, 2 May 2008
Survey Site That Actually Pays
There are a lot of us in the PF blogosphere using surveys to generate some extra money to pay down their debts. You have to find your snowflakes where you can right?
I signed myself up for a whole batch of survey sites a few months ago, and from my perspective Pure Profile seems to be the only one I generate any real money from.
I seem to be ineligible for a lot of surveys unfortunately, maybe it’s because I’m single with no kids, or it could be that as an Aussie there aren't the same volume of survey opportunities as my US and UK colleagues enjoy.
Pure Profile pay out in cash (to your PayPal account) at $25 and it hasn't taken me that long to get there compared to other sites.
It may be worth trying out Pure Profile yourself?
There are some other great posts out there to locate the best survey sites available, here are my favourites:
Paid Twice: Surveys For Fun And Pocket Change
Money Blog Site: Survey Sites
Dead Set Free Stuff: Australian Survey Sites That Pay!
Do you use online survey sites to generate extra money? I’d love to hear if they work for you or if there’s something else I should be trying?
Have you got a post about surveys? I’d like to add it to my list here, so leave me the details in a comment!
Tuesday, 26 February 2008
The Mail Is In And The News Is Good!
I received my dividend cheques for my company shares in the mail today. I was expecting $678.14, so imagine my delight when I added them up:
- $137.10
- $89.19
- $109.93
- $194.68
- $60.99
- $54.81
- $64.53
- $56.80
- $157.35
- $39.02
and they came to $964.40. Nothing like a $286.26 snowflake to make a girl’s day! As soon as I get a chance this week, it’s off to the bank to bank them so I can put it all towards paying off debt.
I don’t think there’s anything more important when trying to eliminate debts (for me anyway) than taking full advantage of any windfalls that come your way to get yourself into a better position.
I also received a letter from one of my banks offering to switch me over to a gold card with a pre-approved limit that’s $3000 more than I have now. It was such a great feeling to not be tempted for even a moment.
Things are looking better than they have for a while now financially.
Tuesday, 22 January 2008
How I Received $678.14 With One Phone Call
As I was unpacking yet another box last night, I found a couple of old holding statements for shares in the company I work for. These were very old, 7 years in fact and to be honest I couldn't even remember if I’d sold the shares or not.
So I called Computershare this morning and found that I actually still have 1280 shares in my company and they've tripled in value since then – sweet! That’s not the only good bit, as I’ll hang on to them for now with the share market being as all over the place as it is.
The really good bit is I’d moved twice since these were issued and I hadn't received any dividend cheques during that time, so I’m having them reissued for the entire time I've held the shares, which translates to a cheque for $678.14! Which will of course go straight towards paying off debt.
It demonstrates yet again just how clueless I was about my money before I chose to become conscious of my financial position and do something about it. I've now updated my mailing address and should see future dividends come through (assuming the company does well), so I can also put them straight into debt reduction.
The move is unearthing all manner of goodies!
Have you been through your papers lately? Are you sitting on a potential windfall? It’s worth having a look just to be sure!
Thursday, 29 November 2007
Not Accepted Everywhere
It seems Australians traveling in the UK are having trouble spending money on their credit cards. It’s not because they are all being frugal and paying cash!
The problem is credit cards containing microchips with a PIN rather than a signature for authorisations have become the norm. Credit cards with magnetic strips are used here in Australia for the most part, and you don’t need a PIN, just a signature.
The UK moved to the chip and PIN security system in early 2006 in a bid to clamp down on its growing credit card fraud problem.
Some shops even have signs proclaiming "No chip, no PIN, no sale''. I do love a good catch phrase like that don’t you? It’s like going to a pub with a "no shirt, no shoes, no service” sign, you just know it’s going to be a classy joint. :-)
The problem is also affecting travellers from the US, where chipped cards are yet to replace magnetic strips. Seems you don’t even need a signature in the US in many cases, but that’s a whole ‘nother post.
As for the ‘Big 4’ banks in Australia, this is where they’re at with chips in cards:
- ANZ has more than 1.7 million chips cards in the market, and were the first to introduce products in Australian around 2001
- Commonwealth Bank is introducing chips on all replacement and new cards.
- The NAB is yet to announce when they’ll introduce chips
- Westpac has announced the introduction of chipped cards on their products
The Australian market has been slow to switch to chips due to levels of fraud, relative to other markets. It’s reassuring to know we’re not quite as dodgy as some other places, especially since we're the ones who were supposed to be the 'convicts'!
It’s worth checking your cards before you travel to ensure you’re not caught out, and to make sure you have a PIN for your credit card when travelling. That said, any shop displaying the Visa or MasterCard signage is supposed to take your card regardless, but it’s one less drama to have to deal with if your card is chipped.
I wonder if this also applies to Visa debit cards?
Tuesday, 6 November 2007
More Free Money!
Not a bad haul from the letter box today.
Got home to find:
Free Money #1 - a $20 gift voucher from Myer One,
Free Money #2 - a share certificate for the 700 NIB shares I received for being a member when they went public yesterday.
Nice! So that's $40 so far for Christmas shopping, and a new investment!
November is shaping up quite nicely so far.
