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Submit your ideas for saving money Got a great tip or recipe that you would like to share with our readers? We welcome input from the public for the saving money and recipes sections on BettaLiving.org. General enquiry We welcome your feedback or questions. Subscribe to our free email newsletter Our free newsletter will keep you up to date on what's new at BettaLiving.org. Tips to save money, DIY projects, recipes, articles and more. You can unsubscribe at any time.

About BettaLiving.org

Welcome to BettaLiving.org, your guide to making the most of your income and living the lifestyle you want to live.  See about the authors for more information on our main contributors.

Take some time to explore the website, you will find:

• Everyday tips to save money and stretch that dollar further
• Information on growing your own food
• Recipes that won't break the budget, and utilise your home-grown produce
• Budgeting tips to help your reach your savings goals or get out of debt
• A range of DIY projects to help you put your free time to good use aroung the house and garden

There is an old saying that a dollar saved is a dollar earned.  Actually its better than that because you don't have to pay tax on money you save!!

But many people struggle to save money for different reasons.

• They may be on a low-income, so most of it goes on essentials.
• They may feel that spending money makes them happy (for example by having the latest clothes etc).
• They have never sat down and thought about how much they are spending.

Stretching a small income further

We believe that this website can help you now matter which of the above groups you fall into.  If you feel that you fit into the first group, fear not.  Many low income people are surprised to learn how much extra living they can squeeze out of their existing paycheck.  If you fall into this group you may find the section on saving money particularly useful.

When we first got married we survived on only NZ$200 a week for two years (approximately $US125).  Although our income is now significantly higher, these two years taught us valuable lessons about making our money go further.  We didn't get further into debt during this time.

Money can buy happiness

We personally think the saying "money doesn't buy happiness" is a myth.  We lead a much more interesting and fulfilling lifestyle now that we are on an average income, than when we were "poor" students .  But your level of happiness doesn’t always relate directly to your level of income.  How you manage your income makes a big difference to the kind of lifestyle you are able to live.

If you are the kind of person that tends to fritter away money on less important things, our section on budgeting may be of use to you.

Our unique approach to budgeting will help you set realistic goals, develop a plan, and most importantly stick to it.

Our guarantee

We guarantee that we have personally benefited form all the advice and tips you will find on BetterLiving.org.  We have:

• Personally tested every recipe
• Personally tried every technique in our gardening section
• Personally assessed every money saving tip
• Personally tried every tool and tip in our budgeting section.

Disclaimer What we cannot guarantee is what works for us will always work for you.  The advice contained in this website is of a general nature and should not be considered a replacement for professional financial advice or other relevant service.

Share your ideas

If you have you own tip that has helped you save money and improve your lifetsyle, please feel free to share it with us.  We will asses it and test it as appropriate.  If it passes the "test", we will put it up on our website for our readers' benefit. Please use this form.

About the authors

Nigel

Nigel holds an honours degree in management and economics and currently works as an information analyst and developer. He has previously held jobs in the construction industry. His hobbies include gardening, cooking, beekeeping, staying fit, and he loves to swing a hammer.

Nigel contributes primarily to the DIY, gardening, recipes, budgeting, and articles sections of BettaLiving.org.

Jade

Jade holds a degree in social science and has experience in community and volunteer work. She currently works in information management and systems. In her spare time she enjoys cooking, crafts, animals, beekeeping, and finding natural alternatives to commercial products.

Jade contributes primarily to the recipes, saving money, and articles sections of BettaLiving.org.