Welcome to the summer edition of Haven
Australia’s cash interest rate is currently at record lows. We delve into why the rate has fallen so far, and look at how you can make the most of the lowest interest rates in history.
Thinking about using your holiday downtime to do some DIY around the house? We’ve got some great ideas on how to pull off a bathroom makeover without breaking the budget.
Bathrooms are notoriously easy to spend big dollars on when it comes time to renovate, but if you’re on a tight budget, we have some clever ideas to help stretch your dollars.
As we move into the festive time of the year, We would like to take the opportunity to wish you a wonderful Christmas and a happy and healthy New Year.
How can you make the most of record low interest rates?
Many people believed that the low RBA cash interest rate, that had remained unchanged over the last couple of years, was about as low as it would go. But in the last few months the Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) has dropped it three times, taking the official rate from 1.5 per cent to 0.75 per cent. The question is, why has the RBA dropped it so much, and what does that mean for you and your mortgage?
Whether you’re embracing a meat-free day each week, living a vegetarian lifestyle, or just wanting to try some brilliant new flavour combinations, Veg ticks all the boxes. Jamie Oliver describes his new book by saying: “It’s all about celebrating really good, tasty food that just happens to be meat-free.” Up your vegie intake and widen your recipe repertoire – add an utterly delicious veg dish to your Christmas table this festive season. We can guarantee even your committed carnivores will be won over!
Penguin Books RRP $49.99
Australia’s Big Things
The Big Banana in Coffs Harbour, Woombye’s Big Pineapple, Ballina’s Big Prawn – according to a Wotif survey, 90 per cent of Australian’s have visited at least one over-sized Aussie monument in their lifetime. We’re looking for a ripper childhood photo in front of one of Australia’s Big Things. Dig into your family album and delight us with the nostalgia (we may award extra points for a yarn accompanying it!) for the chance to win $1,000.
How: send your Big Thing photo to
havencompetitions@afgonline.com.au
placing ‘Big Thing” in the subject line.
Include: your name, address, email, phone number and iCREDIT
Dates: opens on November 15 and closes on January 15.
Winner: will be decided on January 16 and notified by telephone after this time
Terms and conditions: email havencompetitions@afgonline.com.au to request terms and conditions
Why smaller lenders are making a big change in banking.
The history of Australian banking has always been dominated by the big four – ANZ, Commonwealth Bank, NAB and Westpac. But more Australians than ever are now turning to smaller lenders and non-banks to finance their home loans
Oink, oink – make sure you buy an Australian ham for Christmas
Did you know that over 70 per cent of the ham and bacon for sale in Australia is made using imported pork? While all of the fresh pork that you buy in this country (roasts, chops, steaks, fillets etc) is 100 per cent Australian-grown, unfortunately, most Australians have no idea about the origin of the pork used in their ham, bacon and pork smallgoods. But it only takes a few simple steps to ensure the product is made using Australian pork
If you’re looking to renovate or redecorate your bathroom there are lots of ways to get a great result without breaking the bank. Redoing your bathroom can be extremely costly but the good news is that it’s also one of the easiest places to make savings.
Redcurrant, spice & balsamic glazed ham
Prep time: 25 minutes
Cook time: 1 hour 15 minutes
Serves: 17 people
Ingredients
1 x 7-8kg ham leg, skin removed
We are a country of well-travelled folk, and an avalanche of entries to our aeroplane horror stories competition proves the wanderlust. Congratulations to Elwyn, his collection of stories from travel in Russia during the 1990s are incredible! With so many tales, he is the deserved winner of the $1,000
Living in Russia in the 1990s was a challenge, and air travel was one of the many situations where rules were flexible and safety optional. Some of my memories:
- Being dropped on the edge of the tarmac by the airport bus with dozens of planes to choose from, and joining the ranks of the crowd with everyone asking “which plane went where?”.
- Waiting on the tarmac while the plane got fuelled, while the crew stood by smoking. When safety was queried, the response: “well, there’s never been a problem before.”
- Rolling down the runway on takeoff, watching the burnt-out wrecks either side passing by. But not to complain – they were a great source of spare parts if the aircraft had a problem. Never mind the gun turrets for instant conversion from commercial to military!
- Foreigners generally had allocated seats and boarded after the locals. There were two seats left – one with no seat belt. My colleague’s wife refused to fly without a seat belt, so got the good seat. A wise choice, until liftoff when she discovered her seat wasn’t bolted to the floor!
- Sitting on a plane for several hours wondering about the man with a funny hat several seats ahead. Turned out it was a dog, with its two ears above the seat back being the funny hat!
- Refusing the inevitable “rubber” chicken meal and then being accused of stealing the plates and cutlery when another hostess returned to collect them!
- Return tickets could not be purchased in the regions, to discourage refugees from coming to Moscow. Airlines could not get credit to buy fuel. So the pilot would pass the hat around at the departure gate – if enough money was collected to fund the fuel, the flight was on. But this arrangement ended abruptly when a cashed-up pilot was held up at gunpoint! The next option in getting back to Moscow was to hitch a ride with the military, who always welcomed some extra cash. Miserably uncomfortable, but always reliable.
| TALK TO US If you have any feedback about Haven please email: admin@icredit.net.au.WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW Any advice/information contained in this newsletter is of a general nature only and does not take into account the objectives, financial situation or needs of any particular person or company. Therefore, before making any decision, you should consider the appropriateness of the advice with regard to those matters. These articles have been written for general informational purposes only, and are not intended to provide, and should not be relied on for, tax, legal or accounting advice. We encourage you to consult your own tax, legal and accounting advisers before engaging in any transaction. Information in this edition is correct as of the date of publication and is subject to change. |
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