http://www.avalonsguide.com/anab There is no "One True Path" to emigrating. Tue, 07 Feb 2012 17:00:30 +0000 en hourly 1 http://www.avalonsguide.com/anab/2012/02/january-financial-challenge-the-results/ http://www.avalonsguide.com/anab/2012/02/january-financial-challenge-the-results/#comments Wed, 01 Feb 2012 23:14:41 +0000 Avalon http://www.avalonsguide.com/anab/?p=4906   Hmmm. Well, I count this as a pretty epic fail. 11 out of 31 days not spending unnecessarily. Leaving 20 days when we spent money that we really didn’t have to. I am thinking we could do better, so we are going to try again this month, but making a real effort, and see [...] Related posts:

1. A financial challenge
2. Avalon’s Money Thread: Am I a Big Spender?
3. The Mortgage Pig

]]> http://www.avalonsguide.com/anab/2012/02/january-financial-challenge-the-results/feed/ 0 http://www.avalonsguide.com/anab/2012/01/amazon-now-charging-postage-to-new-zealand-boo-hiss/ http://www.avalonsguide.com/anab/2012/01/amazon-now-charging-postage-to-new-zealand-boo-hiss/#comments Sun, 22 Jan 2012 06:16:09 +0000 Avalon http://www.avalonsguide.com/anab/?p=4855   Argghhhhhhhhhhhh.   The “trial” that they were doing which gave us free postage to New Zealand if we spent over £25 has ended. With bugger all notice. Which is really stupid, because I would have put a bloody great big order if they had given me some notice. Now though, they will have to [...] Related posts:

1. A Dance With Dragons – Half price
2. I really love Amazon.
3. Attempting to use the Whitcoulls “sale”

]]> http://www.avalonsguide.com/anab/2012/01/amazon-now-charging-postage-to-new-zealand-boo-hiss/feed/ 6 http://www.avalonsguide.com/anab/2012/01/finance-challenge-not-going-so-well/ http://www.avalonsguide.com/anab/2012/01/finance-challenge-not-going-so-well/#comments Mon, 09 Jan 2012 02:35:07 +0000 Avalon http://www.avalonsguide.com/anab/?p=4807 “Could do better” I think Related posts:A financial challenge Kiwis don’t know much about Finance. Who would have thought? Why is it that the Media is the best place to challenge INZ decisions? Related posts:

1. A financial challenge
2. Kiwis don’t know much about Finance. Who would have thought?
3. Why is it that the Media is the best place to challenge INZ decisions?

]]> http://www.avalonsguide.com/anab/2012/01/finance-challenge-not-going-so-well/feed/ 2 http://www.avalonsguide.com/anab/2012/01/a-financial-challenge/ http://www.avalonsguide.com/anab/2012/01/a-financial-challenge/#comments Wed, 04 Jan 2012 09:26:32 +0000 Avalon http://www.avalonsguide.com/anab/?p=4790 As I am gearing up to tidy up my end of year budgets and accounts, I thought it would be kinda interesting to set ourselves a little challenge. I want to see on how many days of the month we don’t spend money. And I want to see if tracking that actually means we spend [...] Related posts:

1. January Financial Challenge – the results.
2. Avalon’s Money Thread: Am I a Big Spender?
3. 50 reasons to just be sensible

]]> http://www.avalonsguide.com/anab/2012/01/a-financial-challenge/feed/ 5 http://www.avalonsguide.com/anab/2012/01/the-47-rules-of-money/ http://www.avalonsguide.com/anab/2012/01/the-47-rules-of-money/#comments Sun, 01 Jan 2012 17:00:23 +0000 Avalon http://www.avalonsguide.com/anab/?p=4786 This appeared in the Herald on New Years Eve, written by Diana Clement. I really like her articles about personal finance, and shes well worth a read. Unlike Mary Holm, she writes about general finance and makes an awful lot of sense, rather than just bleating on about how wonderful Kiwisaver is and how bad [...] Related posts:

1. You don’t save when you have debts to pay.
2. Avalon’s Money Thread: Am I a Big Spender?
3. Paying off debt – still too hard for most people :(

]]> http://www.avalonsguide.com/anab/2012/01/the-47-rules-of-money/feed/ 0 http://www.avalonsguide.com/anab/2011/12/charging-for-bonus-fly-buys/ http://www.avalonsguide.com/anab/2011/12/charging-for-bonus-fly-buys/#comments Tue, 20 Dec 2011 03:39:24 +0000 Avalon http://www.avalonsguide.com/anab/?p=4739 Fly Buys – the ubiquitous “loyalty” scheme that gives you points for spending money, that you can then in theory swap for flights. You need to spend about $25 in New World to get 1 fly buy – which is worked out generally to be worth 15-20c, depending on what you buy. If you get [...] Related posts:

1. Do you want Fry buys with your combine harvester?
2. Applying for a new credit card.
3. Charging 5c for plastic bags. The cheek of it!

]]> http://www.avalonsguide.com/anab/2011/12/charging-for-bonus-fly-buys/feed/ 0 http://www.avalonsguide.com/anab/2011/12/how-far-would-you-go-to-save-money/ http://www.avalonsguide.com/anab/2011/12/how-far-would-you-go-to-save-money/#comments Fri, 09 Dec 2011 06:09:44 +0000 Avalon http://www.avalonsguide.com/anab/?p=4710 While browsing the online Dom Post last week and reading the articles about Occupy Wellington, I saw a comment that talked about the protesters running a workshop on how to make your own Moon Pads. For those who need to ask – those are Sanitary Towels. Which got me thinking – as much as I [...] Related posts:

1. Where to save some money.
2. You don’t save when you have debts to pay.
3. ANZ saved the day :)

]]> http://www.avalonsguide.com/anab/2011/12/how-far-would-you-go-to-save-money/feed/ 0 http://www.avalonsguide.com/anab/2011/12/would-you-spend-30-to-avoid-losing-16/ http://www.avalonsguide.com/anab/2011/12/would-you-spend-30-to-avoid-losing-16/#comments Thu, 01 Dec 2011 19:52:10 +0000 Avalon http://www.avalonsguide.com/anab/?p=4687 I hope not. But that’s what the people at ThinkGeek were expecting me to do, and as I am sure you can imagine I was a bit peeved. So whats the deal? Well, Think Geek is one of my favorite online stores. They sell Lightsabers. And a myriad of other geeky good things: the coolest [...] Related posts:

1. Making the most of the crap exchange rate – Lightsabres are cheap :)
2. How much to spend at Christmas?
3. Why are Credit Cards still charging such high interest rates in New Zealand?

]]> http://www.avalonsguide.com/anab/2011/12/would-you-spend-30-to-avoid-losing-16/feed/ 1 http://www.avalonsguide.com/anab/2011/10/are-you-the-99-53-1-or-who-cares-what/ http://www.avalonsguide.com/anab/2011/10/are-you-the-99-53-1-or-who-cares-what/#comments Sat, 15 Oct 2011 04:56:14 +0000 Avalon http://www.avalonsguide.com/anab/?p=4453 The “Occupy Wall St” protest has hit New Zealand this weekend – “occupying” Auckland, Wellington, Christchurch and Dunedin. I have tried to get my head around this – and I have to say I am failing miserably. When I started seeing “We are the 99%” posts coming up on my Facebook feed – I took [...] Related posts:

1. Taking on more debt is not the way to deal with debt problems.
2. And New Zealand Interest rates come down yet again.
3. What do you do just in case things do go to hell in a hand basket?

]]> http://www.avalonsguide.com/anab/2011/10/are-you-the-99-53-1-or-who-cares-what/feed/ 1 http://www.avalonsguide.com/anab/2011/10/pharmacy-savings/ http://www.avalonsguide.com/anab/2011/10/pharmacy-savings/#comments Thu, 13 Oct 2011 03:40:35 +0000 Avalon http://www.avalonsguide.com/anab/?p=4446 So after the debacle trying to buy some Ibuprofen without having to take out another mortgage, we finally put together an order at on online UK Pharmacy. It took us a while because we had some concerns about ordering from OneClickPharmacy as they get a lot of bad reviews (and the good reviews are classic [...] Related posts:

1. I really love Amazon.
2. Rip offs and lies from NZ Pharmacies.
3. Making the most of the crap exchange rate – Lightsabres are cheap :)

]]> http://www.avalonsguide.com/anab/2011/10/pharmacy-savings/feed/ 0