Our place has a great view. That and saving almost $2000 a year are benefits of decluttering.
Later in conversation he commended my wife and I on recycling (by selling our excess possessions) rather than adding them to landfill.
He was also glad that we were making some handy money from it. But it's even better that he knows.
Today I'm talking property and how to save on what is probably your biggest expense.
This one has a great view. The other was in much newer condition. Those two things cancelled each other out.
The other place also had a slightly bigger second bedroom, a bigger kitchen and a double garage. We need none of those things now, but the bigger spaces meant a bigger price tag. 35 dollars a week bigger.
Instead we're now saving $1,820 every year. If we stay five years, we'll save more than $9,000.
(And did I mention the great view?)
Almost half of Australian homes have two spare bedrooms (75-80% have one). They're not really bed-rooms. More like 'stuff-rooms'. Often stuff we don't need that can be decluttered.
Looking at suburb profiles in my area it's amazing how much you can save by going one bedroom less.
For apartment living you can save $160 per week ($8,320 per year) by going from three to two bedrooms. For houses it's about the same if you go from a four to a three.
When you factor in tax, saving $8,320 is like getting a $13,000 pay rise at work. That kind of pay rise might be unlikely (unless you're a CEO) but we can achieve the same effect just by having less clutter.
If you're looking to declutter, check out Less Clutter More Cash - my free guide to downsizing by selling online. The money from selling comes in handy when moving.
PS. Here I've talked about renting, but the situation is true for home owners. In way it's even better, because downsizing can mean a cash lump sum, or much smaller mortgage repayments.
My visiting friend
Today, upon seeing the view, my friend's phone appeared in seconds. Not our first visitor to impersonate a tourist and definitely not the last.Later in conversation he commended my wife and I on recycling (by selling our excess possessions) rather than adding them to landfill.
He was also glad that we were making some handy money from it. But it's even better that he knows.
This is not about selling
Is this another story about how much you can make by selling your unwanted items? No. At least not this time.Today I'm talking property and how to save on what is probably your biggest expense.
How to shrink your rent
When my wife and I were looking around to find our current place it came down to a final two.This one has a great view. The other was in much newer condition. Those two things cancelled each other out.
The other place also had a slightly bigger second bedroom, a bigger kitchen and a double garage. We need none of those things now, but the bigger spaces meant a bigger price tag. 35 dollars a week bigger.
Instead we're now saving $1,820 every year. If we stay five years, we'll save more than $9,000.
(And did I mention the great view?)
How you can save even more
We made a good saving by choosing wisely between two 2-bedroom units. Far greater savings can be made by switching to a place with one less bedroom.Almost half of Australian homes have two spare bedrooms (75-80% have one). They're not really bed-rooms. More like 'stuff-rooms'. Often stuff we don't need that can be decluttered.
Looking at suburb profiles in my area it's amazing how much you can save by going one bedroom less.
For apartment living you can save $160 per week ($8,320 per year) by going from three to two bedrooms. For houses it's about the same if you go from a four to a three.
When you factor in tax, saving $8,320 is like getting a $13,000 pay rise at work. That kind of pay rise might be unlikely (unless you're a CEO) but we can achieve the same effect just by having less clutter.
Tools to help you save
If you're in Australia, enter your suburb name to see the rent comparison for your area.If you're looking to declutter, check out Less Clutter More Cash - my free guide to downsizing by selling online. The money from selling comes in handy when moving.
PS. Here I've talked about renting, but the situation is true for home owners. In way it's even better, because downsizing can mean a cash lump sum, or much smaller mortgage repayments.
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