COST OF LIVING PRESSURES: Wonga Beach mum of two breaks down her weekly budget issues and considerations
BUDGET TALK
Wonga Beach mum of two, Ellen Ottenhof, who is expecting her third child in a number of months, is no different to any one of us. Each week she wanders into her local supermarket, conscious of trying to ensure she makes every dollar count during her food shop.
As Newsport joined her for her weekly shop, Ms Ottenhof provided some real insights into her weekly budget.
Ms Ellenhof lived in Cooktown for many years, then moved to Kununurra for a period of time, before recently re-locating back to the Far North.
“What I will say first off, is that food prices, in general seem cheaper here,” she revealed.
“In the Douglas Shire there are a number of places to go for your food shop compared to Kununurra, which is a smaller community and has less supermarket options.
“I am extremely mindful when food shopping to only get what I need, the brand type is irrelevant to me, I, like most people, try to make my dollar go as far as I can.”
Ms Ellenhof went on to elaborate about her other considerations.
“Another major expense is petrol, again, I’ll say petrol prices aren’t too bad in the Douglas Shire, in my opinion, to pay on average around, $1.75 - $1.85p/l is a blessing, compared to say $2.05p/l for unleaded back in WA,” she said.
“The other considerations budget wise that I regularly think about is electricity bills, school fees, phone, mortgage – you know, the usual stuff, but they all add up, and it doesn’t leave much at the end of the week.
“I think a lot of people are in the same boat. The prices of most things, even the smallest of items, for example, a chocolate bar, has risen – so you are constantly trying to make your money go further – it’s definitely a challenge.”
What about you? We’d love to know about your weekly budget considerations. What are your priorities? What do you sacrifice? What are you absolute musts each week?
Tell us in the comments below.