[Sue Bailey]

I’ve had to rely on a Pension (SPP. DSP, now Age) since 1994. It’s extremely hard to ‘save’ anything from the Pension, as sometimes it only just covers your living expenses, sometimes not.
It’s even harder if you can’t work, and have no super to fall back on.

‘Something MUST change, and it’s the percentages of the Male Total Average Weekly Earnings benchmark percentage. Currently the couple rate is benchmarked at 41.7% and the single 66.33% of the couple. This has been the rate since 1992! It ‘should be’ updated to reflect the current inadequacy of the Age Pension. This benchmark %age ‘should be increased to 50% for couples, and the current rate of 66.33% for singles. This still means that the couple rate per FORTNIGHT will be 25% of the above fortnightly rate!

Then, and only then, can we who rely solely on the Age Pension be able to save anything, especially for a ‘rainy day’, eg breakdown of whitegoods, major repairs to our ever-aging motor vehicles, etc.

Don’t even get started on saving for a holiday – what holidays can we take if we’re already on ‘the bread line’? It’s near impossible!

[Sue Bailey]

I’ve never visited the USA, or Africa, so I know that if I receive an email from either of these countries, I know they’re scams.

And ‘odd’ text messages telling me that I have an unpaid toll that needs to be paid are also ‘scams’, as I know where my car is all the time, and it’s certainly not been on any toll roads, as I only drive locally, and if I need to travel to relatives, I go nowhere near Sydney, or Melbourne to do so.

I’ve even had a voice message from the ‘supposed’ taxation office advising me that there’s an outstanding warrant for my arrest due to an unpaid tax bill. I know that all my tax affairs are up-to-date.

I’ve even had emails/texts from ‘other’ banks, asking me to log-on to their ‘internet banking’ and change my passcode and password and I just ignore & delete them.

I’m not scared of these ‘threats’.

[Sue Bailey]

I’ve been around Australia, and have found Tassie the best state to visit.

I’ve also been to the UK & Ireland, and agree with Donegal being on the list – it was amazing! Did it on a Sunday, and want to go back and spend some more time there.

In my opinion, Ben Bulben in Ireland (a little further south), was absolutely spectacular. Drove around the inside of it before going to visit WB Yeates’ grave. A stunning part of the Irish west coast.

[Sue Bailey]

Although I receive my pension thru direct credit, I pay my major bills – rent, electricity, etc by internet banking, I will ALWAYS withdraw my general spending and food funds from either the bank or ATM. No excuses!

I’m a qualified bookkeeper and keep an eye on my cash expenditure by using MYOB, a bookkeeping/accounting package. I refuse to have my every spend listed on my bank statement, as it’s none of anyone’s business what I spend my money on.

My bank account has no fees for anything (except for overdrawing the account), and also pays interest on the balance monthly.

Just so long as cash is ‘legal tender’, I’ll keep on using it!

[Sue Bailey]

How can you not reverse out if you’re made to drive in when arriving home or at a place where there’s no way to ‘turn around’ and drive out?

There’s only one way to drive out, and that’s to pull up (with indicators on, of course), and reverse in, which could hold up traffic just the same way as reversing out would.

Some major roads (eg Bourke St Wagga) have ‘local’ roads beside them where there’s freedom to enter/exit your home, shops, etc, and then join the through traffic at designated intersections.

[Sue Bailey]

My son’s name is Allyn, which in Welsh means ‘Exit’, but it’s also my father’s name (Alan), but my ex didn’t want such a ‘plain’ name.

My friend’s son has recently become a father for the second time and they have called the boy Kit. Imagine what nick names he’s going to get.

[Sue Bailey]

I love ‘bloody beetroot’. I’ve been eating it for as long as I can remember. Mum’s home-cooked was the best.

I definitely have it on sandwiches, burgers (whenever I can), and in salads.

Forget all this ‘green’ stuff, and dressings! I detest it (it bloats me so much that I feel like I’m like 9 months pregnant), Give me a salad of tomatoes (still pink, and definitely not as red as it gets- too acidic), beetroot (and lots of it), carrot, celery, pineapple, corn, boiled egg, cold boiled potatoes (not with any dressing), cold peas, and sometimes (when I feel like it), asparagus.

[Sue Bailey]

I rarely shop @ Woolies, but when I do, a reusable shopping bag is taken with me, so this won’t impact me at all.

What’s going to happen to home delivered goods?

[Sue Bailey]

I’m certainly not doing any DIY this Easter, as I rent and can’t do any changes to the property.

I will, though, be working on my craft items, and maybe even starting a new one. There’s nothing like having 3 or 4 WIPs on the go just to keep my mind working and hands full, so no eating chocolate & hot cross buns isn’t in the plan.

[Sue Bailey]

If AP is going to get rid of the daily letter deliveries, then Service NSW will ‘HAVE TO’ bring back the in-store photo ID printers. They used to have them, but opted to have a separate office set aside to process them, so now we have to wait up to 3 weeks for our ID to be posted out.

[Sue Bailey]

I don’t touch alcohol! Never have liked the smell of it, let alone the taste, so why should I spend money on it?

[Sue Bailey]

If I don’t wash my hair daily, then I get these great big lumps of dead skin on my scalp and they can get very irritating! Also when it’s hot, this makes the hair ‘nasty’ and greasy, too.

[Sue Bailey]

How can scientists predict the day you’ll die of you’re killed as a result of a car/plane/train accident? They can’t.

[Sue Bailey]

Baking, yes, I’d love to be able to do more if it, but standing to do the prep is no good for my back pain.

[Sue Bailey]

Wayne Rose,
I don’t pay anything to visit my local branch. If you do, then you may want to think about the bank account that you have your funds in. There are many banks that have accounts that don’t charge to transact in-branch.

I’ve just done a web search to Compare Everyday Bank Accounts with Westpac. I assume you’re 55+, which will make you eligible for a Westpac 55+ and Retired Account, which charges NO fees (except foreign transaction fee and overdrawn fees), and actually gives you .3% interest up to $9,99, .6% $9,999 – 49,999, and more. It’s the same with other Westpac co-horts, eg St George, Bank of Melbourne, BankSA.

[Sue Bailey]

I live in a northern suburb of Albury, which is around a 40 minute bus ride into Albury, and there’s no bus stop convenient to any of the major banks that I can use to withdraw funds, making me have to drive all that way and then have to find a park near the bank, which are like hen’s teeth – extremely rare to find.

Our local Westpac closed it’s doors 4 weeks ago, and now the only bank between us and having to go into town is NAB, which is closing it’s doors in late October.

I refuse to Bank @ Post, and the only other ATMs we have close by are the Hume Bank across the street from the plaza and WAW in our local library building up the road away from the plaza, and third-party ATMs in the plaza. These all charge a fee for withdrawing at the ATMs, and I won’t have any of that.

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