4 September 2012

Everyday budgeting means food on the table

Today is the start of Money Week – helping Kiwis learn about everyday money. Around the country a series of financial education events and activities are underway, by many different organisations, to raise awareness of how people can better manage their money and get help as they do that.

“Your everyday money is your household money; the money you need to pay the bills, feed your family, and pay your rent. It’s essential to learn how to manage this money, but it’s not always taught in school,” says Raewyn Fox, CEO of the New Zealand Federation of Family Budgeting Services.

“You can manage your everyday money through effective budgeting,” says Fox. “A lot of budgeting is common sense, with a mix of discipline. Fox example, one of the biggest household expenses is food. It’s possible to eat well without spending a lot, and a few simple things can help you keep your supermarket shop under control.”

Fox suggests these tips:
• Plan your weekly menu. Check supermarket mailers for good deals while planning.
• Know how much can be spent before shopping.
• Write a shopping list – and stick to it! Ignore nagging children, or leave them at home.
• Take a calculator, or use self-scanners.
• Use the cheapest supermarket in the area. Watch out for the specials and be aware that local convenience stores and service stations charge extra for the convenience.
• Don’t shop when hungry.
• Feed the kids after school. This will stop them scavenging in the cupboards and upsetting your planned menus.

“Essentially, if you plan well, you can stick within budget – and still eat well,” Fox said.

The New Zealand Federation of Family Budgeting Services is a network of community budgeting services offering free, confidential, non-judgemental budgeting advice. Find a free budget adviser on www.familybudgeting.org.nz or by calling 0508 BUDGETLINE (283 438).

ENDS


About the NZFFBS Inc:

The NZFFBS Inc is a collective of community organisations that share a common code of ethics, philosophy, and commitment to delivering quality, free budgeting advice to families/whanau and individuals. The current membership comprises 150 budget services throughout New Zealand that employ over 1500 predominantly volunteer staff, who worked with over 41,000 clients last year. For free budgeting advice call 0508 BUDGETLINE (283 438).

About Money Week:

The Commission for Financial Literacy and Retirement Income is proud to launch New Zealand's first annual Money Week. This week-long series of financial education events and activities will be undertaken by many different organisations around the country to raise awareness of how people can better manage their money and get help as they do that.

The Commission for Financial Literacy and Retirement Income is an autonomous crown entity and is responsible for New Zealand’s National Strategy for Financial Literacy, the review of retirement income policy and the Sorted programme.

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