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How much $ do you set aside for bills each fortnight? I'm talking gas, electricity, water, sewerage, rates, insurance, health cover, phone(s), internet, car rego.
We budget $520, but that doesn't include school fees or OSHC/vacation care fees, or anything like uniforms, clothing, actual medical expenditure, petrol or parking, etc. It's purely the $ for envelopes with windows
(LOLs @ #oldskool reference).
I couldn't put a price on it. I have a permanent part time job that covers the bare essentials (insurance, petrol, food, rates, school fees, daycare and after school care) and then a casual job that gives me extra for leisure activities and then other items that are not exactly essential right now like clothing, hair dressers, beauty and extra activities. We are only fairly low income earners with my part time status and DH's business. I elect to get no Family tax benefit during the year so have always got a return at the end of the financial year which has helped with house renovations, holidays etc.
I pay the phone, rates and insurance where as DH pays for electricity.
When big bills are coming up like rego I try and pick up a few casual shifts in a pay so it doesn't hurt as much. I have been lucky that the work has always been available when I am available.
I use YNAB (is like an electronic version of envelope system)- so can give you a monthly figure when I get home, but have a category for each of those things. In the beginning I just had to guess but now I get it to tell me based on actuals over the past year.
Ours is about $1000 or thereabouts each month. Each amount goes into its envelope for whichever expenses it is going towards. This doesn't include food or health insurance.
I pay $60 a fn in electricity. Being in wa with gas hot water my bills are actually quite low.
All other bills are direct debited monthly. Phone & insurances are around $200 a month.
Gas bottles as they come up. It was around $140 a month. The plumber just turned up my hot water, so hopefully the bottle will last a little longer now.
I live basic though. Only have comprehensive car, fire & teft contents & life insurance. My phone bill, power, water & gas are all the utilities I pay. No pay tv, only one vehicle, public schooling, no rates etc.
I generally allocate $1500 a month to bills. Some months we don't use it all, others we may need a bit more... It usually balances out.
I do $450 a fortnight. This covers electricity, water, health insurance, mobile, broadband, swimming lessons, Rego, ctp, car insurance. I should really have contents insurance....
I put everything in the home loan and then redraw when a bill comes up that our pay cannot cover.
Using the redraw is really what we do - because our 'envelope' system is electronic.:
Bills allocation per fortnight
Mobile Phone x2 $45.00
Internet $50.00
Electricity $70.00
Water $37.50
Natural Gas/Propane/Oil $12.50
Body Corporate $75.00
Bupa $100.00
Rates $42.50
Car Insurance $35.00
Home Insurance $20.00
Rego $32.00
$683.50
About $500 a fn but I pay car rego and insurance (x2 plus a caravan) up front so they aren't included in that. I'm guessing that's about an extra $100 a fortnight.
I put ours into a high interest account fortnightly, and then pay on the credit card, and pay off the credit card before being charged interest
FORTNIGHTLY
Mobiles x2 $30
House phone $15
Internet $30
Water $10
Gas bottle $10
PHI $100
Rates $80
Car Insurance x2 $50
House Insurance $20
Rego x2 $50
~$400 a fn