Balance Transfers – A Kiwi Microfinance Blog
Everything Micro Nothing Macro
I know that many people in Otaki are currently making the trip each week to Levin to refuel their vehicles because of the cheaper prices that are available up there.
So I’ve created a calculator so people can see for themselves whether the trip is really worth it.
Continue reading “The Levin Petrol Price Conundrum Calculator”
Recently a BP pricing manager wrote an email recommending that BP raise its prices across the Kapiti-Horowhenua region in order to combat flagging sales and convince their competitors to follow suit. This is just across the road from my motel, so how can I desist from writing about it.
I’ve recently adopted the habit of paying cash for just about everything in my everyday personal expenses. This came on the back of a conversation with a work colleague who swears by it.
Continue reading “The brilliance of paying cash for (just about) everything”
I was pleased to see on my bike ride the other day that two new small businesses had started up in Otaki Beach.
I live in Otaki – not quite regional enough to be regional, in my view, but certainly no less a town with a distinctive presence and a local culture. Traditionally Otaki has struggled with transportation issues, with many local town roamers unable to manage competing commitments of study and work so far outside of Wellington. In part, this has been remedied by more regular bus routes travelling through the town; but transport is still a major issue, and if it affects Otaki, it will no doubt affect regional areas of New Zealand.
Continue reading “How ebikes improve accessibility for regional NZ”
New Zealand is nearing full employment. The government has just announced a series of increases not only to the minimum wage, but to allowances and pensions as well. Fuel has jumped above $2 per litre for most parts of New Zealand, with a clear plan to increase the excise by 3c per litre per year. So why is now a good time, with all the money going around, to start to adopt some inflation-smart practices?
Continue reading “Why it’s a good idea now to start using inflation smart strategies”
This is a calculator to figure out how much you can save from incidental travel – ie all the short distance travel you make during the week, such as to the supermarket, to the beach, to the movies and to town.
You’re thinking about buying an electric car and toting up all the various cost savings and lifestyle change pros and cons. But wait – before you make such a large financial commitment, have you stopped to consider whether a car is even necessary?
Continue reading “Ebikes versus electric cars – pros and cons”
Here is a nice and simple calculator to help you figure out how much you will save in parking fees and fines by travelling to work and parking an ebike instead of a motorcar.
As part of my preparation for travelling to work each day, I hired a mountain bike to test out the voyage from Paraparaumu (where my new office is) to Otaki and back again. This was stage one in committing to an ebike to travel into work – I needed to check that the coast was clear and that there were no major obstacles on the route. I also wanted to get a sense of what it would be like to go there and back if my bike battery ran out, so I would know how it would be under the worst circumstances. And this is what I learnt…
Continue reading “Is the coast clear? Ebiking from Otaki to Paraparaumu Beach for work”