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budget woes need shot of fun ► With rising interest, fuel and food prices, many people are having trouble balancing their budget, and there is no shortage of public discussion on the topic.  Rana believes one of the most overlooked issues is the question of fun on a budget.

“People are being hammered with household budgeting advice but it often comes across as a dire warning or a series of actions lacking in emotion. For many, this makes the whole budgeting concept filled with negativity and something to be avoided, so they are back to square one. They need to hear that is possible to have fun when there is little or no money for it.” Drawing on clients' comments and her own experience with her husband Paul, Rana has compiled a list of strategies to inject a bit of fun into balancing the budget. 

Share your 'fun on a budget' ideas and comments

Saving money usually ‘costs’ you time but in most instances it is time better spent! For example, Helen walked to her local hairdresser, taking 40 minutes rather than usual 10 minutes driving but she enjoyed the outdoors and saved money on petrol and gym fees.   Paul and I had no spare cash for a latte coffee out so we went home and made our own chai soy lattes at a fraction of the cost, turned off the lights, lit some candles and enjoyed the ambience, our drink and good conversation.  Sally does not have the money to take her family to the movies, so she pushes the pram to the video store on budget day Tuesday while her other children are at school. On the weekend she sets up the lounge room with cushions and mattresses and they all jump in together and enjoy movie time with snacks.   Snacks may be better appreciated when they are a bit special. We have a $20 air popcorn maker. Brenda buys a tub of ice cream and some cones and the family make their own ice creams. Sally only sometimes can afford a big bag of potato crisps from the supermarket. Debbie stews fruit and mixes it with yoghurt. Brian serves up nuts and dried fruit mix.  Last month Wayne and Barbara ran out of money and could not buy any pills or drops to test their pool water. Instead they walked to the local pool shop with a water sample for a free test.  Fortunately they did not need any chemicals, but if they did, they would know then to keep extra money aside on the next payday for these.   Sarah and Carl were disappointed they had no money for a family holiday. What is a holiday but a change in routine and scenery, they thought? They had a family meeting and pooled ideas for how they could stay at home and change their routine. Mattresses were moved into the lounge room and, just like camping, they slept in the same room for a week, turned off and unplugged the TV and computers, shopped for food in a totally different suburb to normal, read library books, played old and newly borrowed games together, went for long walks, used the barbecue most nights to cook and built a frog pond with second hand materials in the garden as their joint holiday project.  Another couple does house swapping for a cheaper holiday.  No money for take-away meals? With $20 spare and not enough for family take-aways, one family bought a packet of rice wraps ($1.77), and small amounts of chicken and lamb for stir frying. Everyone had fun making their own rice wraps, using what was in the pantry and refrigerator. They lit candles, sat in a circle on cushions on the back deck and had fun!

Tight financial situations can lead to serious depression and financial stress. Avoid the credit card wherever possible. Remain creative and search for ways to have pleasure—change your routine, read the weekend papers in the garden rather than in the lounge room, use the library, have baking afternoons to save money on bought lunches, involve your family and friends, and share your ideas with others. 

All contributions are published at Rana Jewell’s discretion. Posts may be deleted or not published if they are considered to be  unlawful in anyway. Please keep your posts brief - no more than 200 words.

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