I heard recently that I can't expect the world to become more open and truthful if I am not like this myself. "From little things, big things grow," as they say. Well I know I'm pretty secretive, mainly about how miserly I am, but I'll give it a go.
By anyone's standards, I'm not exactly poor. I live alone in a four bedroom house that I own, on a 40 acre property in the bush. With my superannuation, a few years ago I bought an adjacent 40 acre property and started to build a bit of a shelter, just as a hobby. I also fully own a rental property, most of which is intended as inheritance for my youngest child, who has not yet received the inheritance the others have had. I also own a 20 acre property in New Zealand, in an area known for its scenic beauty.
Were I to sell these, I think I might get $250-$350,000 for the first, $60-$120,000 for the second, $180-$200,000 for the third, and $750-$950,000 for the last property, a total of $1.24 - $1.62 million.
My bank accounts are as follows:
Personal - $20,150.80. I will need a car upgrade very soon and want to attend my son's wedding in Poland
Rental property - $1974.01. The annual income covers the rates for the first three properties, plus $6-$7000 per year to my youngest daughter to support her study.
Hobby property - $7,104.97. This is used to pay for materials as I go.
New Zealand property rental account - $1940.30. As I have had some people paying to stay there in the last few months, I will need to pay tax from this account.
NZ personal account - $766.52
My income over the last nine months has been as follows:
Rental income in Aus - $3549 (rates have been subtracted)
Rental income NZ - as yet undetermined, likely a loss
Tutoring - $3114
Gardening - $1200
Bank interest - approx $400
Capital investment - approx $400
My expenses over the last nine months have been as follows:
Electricity $519.66
Phone and internet $239.54
NZ rates $116.67 (most is paid on my behalf)
Car fuel $1000.67
Car insurance $82.80
Car repairs $428.75
Trailer registration $99.15
Groceries approx $1087.68
Other (eg clothing, household needs) $660.30
Study support to daughter $6000
As it is not a full 12 month period, some expected expenses, such as car registration, further needed repairs, and the income statement for the new Zealand property are not yet available to me.
Some might say that my income and expenses are modest. The truth is that I am a miser. I eat food I have grown when I can, I buy fruit and vegetables that are in season, I buy most of my clothing and books at op shops, and I rarely buy takeaways. I sleep in the car or in a tent in preference to more expensive accommodation and I minimise my car trips so that I spend less time driving and pay less in fuel and repairs. I feel very uncomfortable with waste of any kind and will re-use or re-make or hoard rather than discard.
While I have plenty in my bank accounts, I am not exactly the basis of a strong economy if this involves circulation of money. I suspect that my miserliness is not a good thing, for me or others. When I sense it in others I can feel that they care more about money than about people; conversely, the truly generous people among us feel very good to be near.
Well - that's my thought for today anyway.
Wow, thank you for this. There is a lot to be said for being transparent, but you have just been really open. How much detail did you want us to know about your bank account? Having said that it is interesting to see what goes into expenses, including essentials like car insurance.
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