Smart Savings

Get a dream, get a life

2010-04-20T20:37:00Z

Ask your friends and colleagues what their realistic, long-term goals are - you'd be amazed at how many people turn out to be on autopilot. Sure, they're good and diligent people who are paying off a house, or putting their kids through school, but they don't' really allow themselves the space to think much beyond duty. Too scary, perhaps?

Try and imagine for a second that you can reactivate your deepest longings and make them a reality. Whatever it is that you've always fantasised about - material wealth, the shiny red Ferrari, or a different kind of life - a low-key, peaceful life in the countryside, perhaps? Being a successful business owner or a published writer?

Let me just emphasize that although I have a deep-rooted, cynical mistrust of what my partner terms "New Age flakiness", I do believe there's something to be said for creative visualisation. Interestingly, once you start researching this, it turns out to be ‘Old Age' rather than New Age. Visualization practices are a common form of spiritual exercise, especially in ancient, esoteric traditions like Vajrayana Buddhism.

So what is it, exactly?

It refers to the practice of seeking to affect the outer world through changing your thought patterns. Creative visualization is the basic technique underlying positive thinking.

According to one of the most well known studies on creative visualization in sports, Russian scientists compared four groups of Olympic athletes in terms of their training schedules:

Group 1 = 100% physical training;
Group 2 - 75% physical training with 25% mental training;
Group 3 - 50% physical training with 50% mental training;
Group 4 - 25% physical training with 75% mental training.

Group 4, with 75% of their time devoted to mental training, performed the best.

Think of it this way:

Having a map and a good itinerary worked out when you go to London might make you aware of some of the important local attractions, and help you narrow your focus on areas of interest that you would otherwise have missed.

What's a good way to stay on course?

A vision board might seem like a childish, unsophisticated concept, but it can be a very powerful tool to help keep your mind focused on what you want. By harnessing your creativity, you give yourself a framework for shepherding an idea into reality. Psychotherapist and author Lucia Capacchione believes that vision boards can be a wonderful catalyst for creative expression and goal attainment. Capacchione hosts a lot of corporate workshops, and says she's had great success using the collage technique.

How to make a vision board

You're a visionary - think of yourself as a designer, and according to the dictionary definition of designer, (one who creates plans for a project or structure,) that is definitely what you are: the project is your life, the plan is the vision collage.
Decide the main theme of your board. It may be based on something specific you wish to accomplish or obtain, or it may be a general idea of everything that makes you happy.
Find pictures that correspond with your theme, either from old magazines, photographs, or from the Internet. Your subconscious mind works in pictures and images, so make your project as visual as possible. You can supplement your pictures with words and phrases to increase the emotional response you get from it.
Glue your pictures to some poster board and pin them up in a place where you can see them every day.
Focus on your vision board at least once a day. Each picture should evoke a positive emotional response from you. The mere sight of your board should fuel your passion to achieve your dream every time you look at it.
Each person's board is obviously a deeply personal expression, and you might prefer to stick it up in your private space. Examples of people's personal vision boards can be seen on Google images - just type in ‘vision board' and click on images.

I like the story of Jim Carrey's cheque - it's possibly the best example I could find of someone who visualized success and made it real. (And yes, he discussed it on Oprah and showed her the cheque!) As a struggling young artist trying to make it Hollywood, Jim was just about ready to give up. He had just performed at a nightclub in LA and had been booed off stage by his audience. He sat alone at the top of Mulholland Drive and looked at the city below - the city that held his future success or failure. Impuslively, he pulled out his cheque book, wrote himself a postdated cheque for ten million dollars and made a note on it: "for acting services rendered." From that day onwards, he carried the cheque in his wallet, everywhere he went. By 1995, his contract price had risen to 20 million dollars.

All sound too good to be true? Let me know what you think.

Bouncing back from a financial crisis

2010-04-13T20:25:00Z

Who is to say you might not face a financial crisis at some point in your life? After all, as the hackneyed bumper sticker informs us, life is what happens while we're making other plans.

Lionel Shriver, author of the brilliant, unsettling ‘We need to talk about Kevin" has just published a new novel - So Much for That. It's no less riveting than her Kevin book, which dissected the apocalyptic devastation caused by a teenage sociopath. In a nutshell, her new book deconstructs with wit, charm and compassion the elaborate fantasy of protagonist Shepherd Armstrong Knacker, who believes his life will begin in earnest only when he quits the rat race and moves to Pemba, an island off the coast of Tanzania whose principal attraction is the low cost of living.

Shep, 48, has scrimped and saved, to the point where he has a nest egg of around 700 000 US dollars. (About R5 million.) He's going to Pemba on a one-way ticket, come hell or high water. He's going to live in a beach hut, eat bananas and watch the waves crashing on the beach... for the rest of his kikoi-clad days. He actually buys the ticket. Then, his wife's sudden discovery and announcement that she has a rare form of cancer brings the dream to a cruel, grinding halt. He feels compelled to do the right thing - medical bills are already piling up. Each chapter in the novel starts with a bank statement reporting the state of Shep's dwindling resources. He feels, he says, as if he's "haemorrhaging money." Not an enviable situation to be in. Bye-bye Pemba.

Hopefully if you find yourself dealing with a financial crisis, it wont be a terminal illness, but you could lose your job, have to support someone else, find yourself blindsided by a divorce, have to start again in a new country with limited resources - who knows? It might not be a situation that you have much control over. What will make all the difference is how you choose to confront the problem.

You need to take the following steps to survive intact:

An ostrich-like, head-in-the-sand approach is the worst way to go. You need to sum up how much money you do have. Sit down, with your supportive spouse or partner, pour a drink, add up everything you have in your bank accounts (cheque and savings), including your retirement plans or any other forms of income.
Work out exactly how much your assets are worth - like your car(s), house, furniture and jewellery.
Now comes the really hard part: face your debt and know what you owe. In order to effectively deal with the nightmare creature, you need to understand the nature of the beast to know what you're facing. (Does it have horns and a poisonous wart? Does it wear a Breitling watch, live in Sandton and shout "out, *** agent!" when provoked?)
Contact your creditors and let them know what your situation is now. Be proactive. You can request or negotiate lower or delayed payments in expenses so you can pay it. Don't hide from them; it'll just increase your personal stress levels and turn you unbecomingly, prematurely grey.
You need to change how you are spending your money right away, on the spot. You'll need to stop excessive shopping for overpriced items and can the repeated daily expenses (R25 take-away cappuccinos, for example)
Never eat out when you are in the middle of a financial crisis. It is so much more expensive than eating at home.
You should have an emergency fund for this kind of eventuality, but if you don't, see if you can free up some money somewhere. (In an ideal world, we'd all have that holiday house in Plett to sell in a hurry, but dream on, baby!) If your problem is a short term, cash flow issue, perhaps you could borrow from a close friend or relative, but tread very carefully, as poor handling of the situation could ruin your relationship. If you have any assets like early Kentridge etchings, great-aunt Gertrude's 18^th century silver thimble collection or a first edition Dickens that you can cash in, now is the time. Absolutely do not sell the house you live in, though, unless you really have no other choice.
Find something to help channel your frustrations. Many people, when faced with a personal finance crisis, despair and end up making things worse by spending more money. Instead of going on a shopping spree or eating out more, take up a hobby or exercise. Whatever option you choose, make sure it's a great stress reliever, free or very low cost.

Making more discerning choices

2010-04-06T20:22:00Z

Cresta shopping centre was packed with consumers over Easter weekend... I should know, I was there too! As I enjoyed a post-expedition cappuccino near one of the main mall exits, I was able to watch people's faces as they staggered out, pushing loaded trolleys. Most looked very relieved to be out of the madness, and hardly anybody looked happy. So why would we choose to waste a precious public holiday jostling for breathing space in a crowded mall?

Barry Schwartz's book The Paradox of Choice: Why More is Less sheds some light on why we have such a love/hate relationship with consumerism. He says, in a nutshell, that we're being driven quite bonkers by the staggering array of consumer goods from which we have to choose. Selecting something as (seemingly) simple as shampoo can force us to wade through dozens, even hundreds, of brands. We are, suggests Schwartz, overwhelmed by choice, and that's not such a good thing. He cites the example of a consumer choosing jam - research has shown that a consumer faced with five or six brand options is more likely to buy one bottle of jam. A consumer faced with 10 - 15 options is likely to buy more than one bottle.

His argument goes as follows: Objectively, more choice can only provide better opportunities and therefore better decisions. But in reality the more choice we have, (1) the longer it takes us to decide (and time is valuable!), (2) the worse we feel before we decide and the less likely we are to decide (because we fear that something else might be better) and (3) after the decision, the more choices there were the less we can enjoy the one we made.

The conclusions the author draws are already quite obvious from his arguments and the above: to be happier, we ought to diminish our choosiness, follow self-made or adopted rules for choice (buy the same breakfast cereal without thinking about it every time), should not focus (or even pay a premium for) the possibility to return products and should consciously cherish the good in what we have.

For the reasonable price of around R109, it's a good buy. Very insightful, an easy read and it doesn't distort facts. Even though some of his conclusions and arguments might seem a bit oversimplified or generalised, it'll definitely change the way you see and make decisions. It might even help you simplify your life.

And about all those price increases...

On a slightly different matter: everywhere I turn, people seem to be complaining about price hikes, and of course we have a right to voice dissent. The situation seems dire; it's not a figment of the imagination. Bitching doesn't really solve the issue though, does it?

Maybe it's time to accept the global nature of the beast?

We need to be practical, and to face the reality that there will be less disposable income, and to
Find ways of cutting back on non-essentials.
Try and focus on things that are within your control and find ways to up your income, so you don't feel so pressured.

My spouse said to me the other day that if it weren't for my freelance money, we wouldn't be able to buy food for the family or buy clothes for our kids. That's how tightly we're stretched. We rent a house; we have 3 kids and therefore 3 sets of school fees. (R7000 per term in total for school fees alone) There's hardly any fat left to trim - our budget is practically an anorexic. As many friends and relatives have said to me, baffled, "I don't know how I'm supposed to save when I can hardly make ends meet!"

The best thing you can do, in this situation, according to financial experts, is to:

Close some of your accounts and look at your credit card debt. There's always something you can do without. In our case, we've just changed our cell phone provider, and opted for a top-up contract, to give us more control of our spending.
Kill any debt and make saving for your future a priority, so that you do have crisis money when it's needed.
Save in products that return growth and have a good exit strategy (make sure that you can get the money when you need it!)
Put any extra cash into your bond or save towards buying your own house. Prioritise buying a house before buying a car.
It also helps to make the change to conscious spending, and to uncover spending patterns that are emotionally motivated.
You might have to endure discomfort for a while, to advance your lifestyle for the future.

What about you, dear reader? How do you save money when there's hardly any left to put aside? I'd love to hear your tips.

You and the new Consumer Protection Act

2010-03-31T11:41:00Z

On 24 October 2010, the new Consumer Protection Act will come into force - heralding a new era for consumer protection in South Africa. It is going to transform the way merchants conduct business, and put us firmly in line with UN guidelines for protecting consumers.

The purpose of it is to protect you, the consumer, against unethical business practices, and to facilitate the delivery of reasonable services and products at an acceptable price. Those who transgress could be slapped with a hefty fine, time in jail, or even both, in extreme cases.

It helps to educate yourself about your rights - that way, you'll at least know when you're being taken for a ride and how to fight back. And by the looks of it, we are being consistently ripped off. The National Consumer Forum, a few weeks ago, gloomily predicted that millions of SA citizens are probably going to slip further into debt, as living costs skyrocket. Electricity and petrol prices are going up in April, and although economists have noted a decrease in food inflation over the past 12 months or so, the NCF's Ina Wilken said that many food basics are still overpriced.

"It's not looking good for consumers. Food prices have definitely not come down. In view of the recession we've had in the past few months, consumers expected that it would be a bit lower than it is at the moment. Consumers are suffering," she told journalists.

So, in simple English, what is the new Consumer Protection act going to mean to both consumers and business practitioners?

In essence, it aims to protect the poor and vulnerable. If you're unhappy, you'll be able to speak up and speak out, and the law will be on your side, for the most part. Many business owners have said that they find parts of it absurdly draconian - in particular a provision that states that Section 61 applies to any goods supplied on or after the 'early effective date', which is one year after the Act was signed, namely 24 April 2010.

In terms of Section 61, a producer, importer, distributor or retailer of goods is liable to a consumer on a no-fault basis for harm, including death, injury, and physical damage or associated economic loss, which was caused by unsafe or defective goods. If Joe Smith's hammock clip snaps while he's lazily reclining in it on a Sunday afternoon, and Joe injures his back, it's very definitely the fault of the retailer who sold him the defective product, and he'll probably be able to sue that retailer quite successfully and lucratively.

Also note that:

If merchants shrink-wrap their goods, they could run into problems, because consumers now have clearly defined rights to inspect goods, including intangible goods like software. For example, about 6 months ago, I bought a firmly shrink-wrapped set of headphones (on the cheap side, probably made by kids in China) from a computer shop. To my great annoyance, when I got home and opened it, the cord for the headphones was only around 20cm long - completely useless. Under the provisions of the new Act, I would have been able to demand that the business owner open the product in the shop... something he actually declined to do when asked.
If business practitioners have fixed term agreements with customers, they may be required to give them notice prior to the expiry of the fixed term. This could place an administrative burden on merchants.
All agreements with consumers have to be in plain and understandable language. Terms and sale agreements will probably have to be redrafted. Failing that, customers could very well get out of such agreements, or business owners could be fined. .
If you are currently, for example, Fabians and sons (Pty) Ltd, trading as Aladdin Carpets, you will have to register the business name Aladdin Carpets.
Mechanisms are being put in place to enable consumers to enforce their rights.

Read a copy of the new Consumer Act here.

There's also a very good book available: former Banking Ombudsman Adv. Neville Melville has put together The Consumer Protection Act Made Easy - and you can buy it online. It should be compulsory reading for consumers and merchants. Melville notes in his book that it's no longer really a world in which the buyer needs to be aware, it's now the seller who needs to tread carefully.

If you own a business, how do you think the new law is going to affect you? And as a consumer, especially if you've had your fingers burnt in the past, do you feel that this new law will benefit you?

Rejecting the rat race

2010-03-23T15:15:00Z

If we all lived in rural Amish-style communities, living in harmony with our real values would be straightforward, but the reality is, most of us are not cut off from the rest of the world. And those of us with kids are trying to be good parents in a larger community that leads a much more materialistic and frenetic existence.

Yet we all know in our hearts how our children were meant to be raised. For most of us, nostalgic thoughts of the sweeter moments of our own individual childhood experience revolve not around the fact that our parents might have driven a fancy car, it's about special times - gardening with your mother, or retreating to a tree house over a two-week school holiday, doing no more than reading Anne of Green Gables, or dreamily watching the weaver birds building their nests.

Monetarily, it's not always easy to live in a city with kids - a trip to the Northgate ice rink on Sunday, with three kids and two adults, cost us R330, refreshments excluded. An outing to a child friendly restaurant the next day, grandparents included, cost another R400. It helps to remember that you don't have to fork out loads of money to entertain the kids. And it's not necessarily your job to keep them entertained all the time, either. Occasional treats, sure... it is their childhood, after all. R1000 every weekend? Not doable.

What are consumer culture values?

Marie Sherlock notes in her book Living Simply with Children that consumer values are insidious and hard to resist, as they are always packaged positively:

We should all aim for success - which is defined monetarily.
Happiness can be bought.
All you need is more... and bigger is better.
Keeping up with the van der Merwes is essential, whether they're your neighbours, or the glamorous Top Billing presenters on TV.
Being "cool" is more important than authenticity - that is, being yourself.
Getting, not giving, is the goal.
Instant gratification is our right.

What does a ‘simple living' family look like?

We're all unique, so, as the author of the book "Your Money or Your Life", Vicky Robin remarks, " People come to simplicity through different doors." One or more of the following concerns usually motivates parents: personal financial sanity, environmental concerns or perhaps the need for a stronger sense of community and a rock solid family life.

Our interpretations too, will be unique: from living off the grid in a Karoo village and home schooling your children, to simply cutting back on office time to go for a walk with your family in the late afternoon. Simplicity is a continuum, and somewhere along the spectrum, there's a way for all parents to live more sanely.

Some ways in which parents are simplifying

Working part time - it might be easier to afford than you think. By freeing up cash through perhaps cancelling your DSTV subscription, limiting restaurant outings and only making emergency cell phone calls, being at home a few afternoons a week could be possible.
Un-jobbing - If your profession allows for it, finding home-based work could be an option, perhaps as a freelancer or a consultant, a teacher, a tutor or a small business owner.
One or more parents working from home - Dependent not on gender, but on whose profession pays more and offers the best benefits. Some parents aiming for simplicity have even implemented a system of taking turns to work from home.

How to instill simple values in your kids

Communicate your convictions - Talk about your values, and how they pertain to the world: caring for the planet, other people, not wasting. Even very young children can be taught that kindness is good. Board books with themes of helping one another are a good way to start.
Practice what you preach - If you can't stay away from malls, your children will learn to value shopping as a worthwhile activity. The same applies to money management. They'll learn the important basics from you.
Show your children that living simply can actually be fun - having to think of your own entertainment can force you to be resourceful and creative. If there's no meaning or joy in it, your children won't want the same lifestyle as adults.
Teach them how to cope with peer pressure - this becomes especially important when they're older, and pressure mounts to be like everyone else.
Create a sense of community and show them the importance of family rituals - rituals ground a family, and give the children a strong sense of the uniqueness of their family. They can be as minor as a piggyback ride on the way to bed, or as elaborate as a special ceremony on a child's birthday. Family dinners, movie evenings, singsongs... the sky's the limit.

Life is just a box of broccoli-flavoured chocolates

2010-03-16T19:35:00Z

Why can't we just do what's good for us? Getting people to change their behaviour is always difficult; even if they know that making the change is going to save them thousands of bucks or save their lives. If it were easy, you'd have an enviable bank balance, no debt, and you'd be perfectly at ease with your long-term financial plans. You'd have a perfectly toned, slender body, and a tidy house. But you don't. None of us are perfect.

According to Ramit Sethi, author of New York Times bestseller I Will Teach You to be Rich, we all have passive barriers - self destructive thoughts that make us delay both minor and important decisions. I'll get to it late. It's too complicated. I'll get rejected. The sad part is that passive barrier thinking can prevent you from living your life effectively... and joyfully.

What are some important decisions that people put off? I should get a medical check up. I should invest in a retirement plan, I'll pay off my credit card this year, I'll phone granny tomorrow, and I'll lose weight from next month.

So why do we put these things off? In most cases we try to change too many bad habits at once, which will usually result in complete overwhelm and have a poor outcome. It's much easier to focus on one area of life instead of five, and to start by making one small change. This way we create a constant awareness of a life change instead of just putting it on backburner to simmer gently. The other common mistake is surrendering to instant gratification rather than being disciplined enough to commit to a long-term investment. You want the gorgeous shoes / expensive cell phone now, so you end up not being able to afford a Christmas holiday at the end of the year.

Predictably Irrational by Dan Ariely makes for interesting reading. He examines the different factors that influence our decision making... basically there are a bunch of different versions of you, who come to the fore under different conditions. We aren't cool calculators of self-interest who sometimes go crazy; we're crazies who are, under special circumstances, sometimes rational. Some of his quirky experiments are good examples of how people sometimes make decisions without really understanding their own reasons for doing so:

In a maths test where subjects were given a cash reward based on the number of problems solved and were given an opportunity to cheat, Ariely found that asking subjects to recall the Ten Commandments ahead of the test appeared to make them less likely to be dishonest. In taste tests, people preferred Pepsi to Coke when tasting blind, but preferred Coke to Pepsi when they knew in advance what they were going to drink. This suggests that we prime ourselves to enjoy something we expect to enjoy.

Managing your stubborn inner child

What the reasoning self should do, Ariely suggests, is set up guardrails to manage things during those many moments when reason is not in charge. If you have a problem policing your spending, take a limited sum of cash with you to the shops. If you're serious about wanting to shed weight, don't buy that giant bag of cheese curls.
Pick ten areas of your life that you want to improve. Force yourself to understand why you haven't made the improvements already. Use a notepad and a pencil. Don't let yourself cop out: "I just don't want to" isn't the real reason. To get to the bottom of a problem, you might want to try the 5 whys game.
Put simply, we're naturally inclined to avoid any pain associated with change. But by delaying making the change, you often end up suffering more than you would have. Ask yourself:
What am I willing to suffer through in order to reach my goals and dreams or will I give up on my desires because the cost is just too high?
When am I going to just pay the price and finally move forward towards the direction of my dreams, or will I be like the millions of others who just keep avoiding the issue and keep putting it off?
Reward your inner kid for a job well planned and managed, but not with any destructive behaviour. If you've managed to save R3000, don't reward yourself by impulsively blowing it.
Once upon a time, we all loathed broccoli. Not much has changed since childhood, but maybe adults eventually learn to like what green veg does for them. Ultimately it's just a case of finding ways to make the difficult but necessary stuff more palatable. Anyone for broccoli and cheddar soup?

Stand up for your rights

2010-03-09T15:08:00Z

It's World Consumer Rights Day on March 15^th - a great opportunity to talk about being assertive when you're unhappy with shoddy service delivery or products, and the correct way to lodge a dispute. The 2004 National Consumer Survey found that very few South Africans actually have a clue about their rights.

This has everything to do with financial savvy and making every cent count. Just as determinedly as we sweat blood to earn a salary, there are individuals and organisations out there, just as determined to extract their pound of flesh and wrench the moolah away from you. And the only thing more depressing than knowing you're being milked or ripped off, is feeling utterly helpless to do anything about it. What with all the recent price hikes, who can afford to waste a cent? It's your money. Fight for it.

So what recourse do you have when you open a water and lights bill for R6000? You know you weren't even at home for most of that particular month, how can this be accurate? Phone calls to council get you nowhere, they keep cutting you off, you're on hold for 47 minutes, get through, thank God, tell your whole story, get cut off, dial again, on hold for 25 minutes, finally lodge the complaint to disinterested, socially inept city council employee, she gives you a reference number, don't worry, she says, you've lodged a dispute, we won't cut you off. Two weeks later they cut your power, you phone them, they tell you they have no record of your reference number. It reaches a point where you don't want to have to deal with it anymore, you want a hero to gallop in, sword blazing, to slay the bureaucratic beast. But you can't live without electricity, so you swallow your bile, rage against the machine and pay the bill in its entirety, plus the reconnection fee, hoping that you can have your money refunded when the dispute has eventually been resolved.

Did you know, for instance, that you could approach the National Electricity Regulator to settle your dispute? Or that the government has set up Provincial Consumer Affairs offices countrywide to provide consumers with protection, information and advice. They do advise people strongly to first try and settle any dispute with the company concerned, before asking them to intervene.

Here's a quick guide to some of the organisations that offer you advice, assistance and protection:

Advertising and Media: Advertising Standards Authority of South Africa

Banking: The Ombudsman for Banking Services.

Broadcasting: Broadcasting Complaints Commission.

Competition: Competition Commission

Consumer Organisations:

Credit Bureaus: Credit Information Ombudsman: Also the National Consumer Forum

Government officials/departments: The Public Protector:

Harmful Business Practices: DTI Consumer Affairs Committee

Hospitals: Hospital Association of South Africa (private)

For a comprehensive list of consumer watchdog organizations, visit the National Consumer Forum's website, as mentioned above.

Finally, here are my top tips for complaining efficiently:

Stay calm, even if you are feeling murderous. When you're too emotional, you can't think clearly. Be assertive without being aggressive. Be clear about what you want while remaining polite. Try and get the call centre employee to see you as a person, not just a number.
Have all your ducks in a row. Back up your claim in writing wherever possible and keep records: this includes copies of all receipts, letters, emails and notes from phone conversations. Never send original documents - send photocopies.
If you feel that the person you're dealing with is incompetent, ask for a supervisor. "Skip the foot soldiers and go straight to the bloody general," as my irascible grandfather used to assert.
If you complain on the phone, make sure you keep records of who you spoke to, when the call took place and what was said. Always follow up your call with a letter.
Don't be put off. If you don't get anywhere the first time you complain, try again. Be the irritating, yapping terrier that won't let go.
Remarkable results have been achieved through the media. If all else fails, start your campaign for justice by writing a stiffly worded letter to the newspaper, start an email campaign, or try hellopeter. Some years back, a black customer was treated extremely shoddily in a well-known Johannesburg coffee shop. She launched an email campaign, telling people how racist the company was. Her email snowballed, and within days, the company had to scramble and grovel to rescue its severely tarnished reputation, as the story was all over the media and had been picked up in countries as far away as Switzerland.
Many companies, including SA's cell phone companies, actually have a call centre policy that doesn't permit their employee to put the phone down on you. Really! If they're not giving you what you want, stay on the line, and tell them you're not going away.

When things fall apart...

2010-03-02T20:56:00Z

The stark social reality is that one out of two marriages in SA ends in divorce, and the impact of these separations, particularly in hostile situations, is devastating for children. What's the best thing to do when your spouse starts resembling a Disney villain, rather than the picture perfect prince or princess you married? And how can you avoid being bankrupted by legal costs?

I'm not suggesting you stick around in an abusive or severely dysfunctional relationship, but If there's any chance whatsoever of working through your marital problems, it's probably best to do so, especially if kids are involved. And here's why:

In SA, the wheels of justice grind at glacial speed, and justice comes at a staggering price. If you're reading this blog, chances are you don't qualify for free legal aid, as offered by the numerous law clinics around the country. You're going to have to find a good divorce lawyer or attorney... and an experienced one will charge anything upwards of R1000 an hour. Only if there are no disputes between you and your spouse and you have no kids, no debts and no property should you consider a DIY, inexpensive divorce. If the situation is complicated, you absolutely need an expert on your side. And it costs.
By the time a marriage has broken down and each parent has appointed their "hired gun" divorce lawyer, gloves come off and people typically behave badly. Johannesburg attorney Roy Bregman says he's has seen the trauma caused to children in these situations many, many times. "I wish divorcing parents really understood the extent of the damage they do to their children when they behave badly. Those children are traumatised for life," he says. Also bear in mind that when divorce papers are finally signed, the money to educate your kids is going to have to come from somewhere. A long divorce battle could scupper your kids' chances of going to good schools. Would the money not be better spent on education?
The ‘system' currently set in place by government to assist with mediation - the Office of the Family Advocate, is woefully inadequate. Officials are supposed to help parents reach an agreement on disputed issues, namely custody, access and guardianship. If the parties are unable to reach an agreement, the Family Advocate evaluates the parties' circumstances and makes a recommendation to the Court with regard to custody, access or guardianship. In reality, it takes six months to get an appointment, and you are allocated 45 minutes to present what is frequently a complex case as articulately as possible.
Unfortunately when it comes to protracted legal battles, the parent with the most money wins. And there are money-hungry lawyers who will take even the most ridiculous dispute to court so that they can continue writing fees. There's no code of conduct to prevent unscrupulous legal practitioners from cashing in on protracted legal battles.

If you do end up in court, the Johannesburg-based firm of De Broglio attorneys suggests the following tips to keep your legal costs down:

Be realistic in your expectations- don't pressurize your attorney for instant results, to speed things up, or take extra steps to get things done faster. Let the messenger service take your summons to the court; don't insist that it gets done TODAY! Today costs extra.
Give your attorney, when you first consult, a detailed written break down of what happened in your relationship, all the material facts, and all the assets. Setting it all out on paper may well save a lot of time and allow your attorney to get to the heart of the matter faster.
Follow the advice of your attorney if you trust him or her. If you don't trust the advice, get another attorney. Everybody will give you information and advice - most of it wrong! You can run up your legal bill very easily by spending your weeks calling your attorney with queries about the latest incorrect "advice" given to you by a friend.
Settle the small things yourself. Make a list, or use your attorney's standard one - good attorneys will normally provide you with a list, to divide the small household goods. Getting an attorney to help you split furniture is costly.
Let your attorney settle the big things. Attorneys have experience, they know the law and they know your case. They aren't emotional, because they are not suffering like you are and that allows them to retain a perspective on your matter. Don't rush to settle the big things, just to get it over with, because the most expensive thing in any divorce is a bad settlement - so when it comes to resolving the big issues, keeping your costs down really means making sure your attorney drives the deal - and also, accepting that this often takes time.

Fuming about the petrol price hike?

2010-02-24T06:27:00Z

As we've been informed by Finance Minister Pravin Gordhan, from April 7th, beleaguered consumers will be coughing up an additional 25.5c per litre of petrol and diesel. If ever there was a time to become frugal with fuel, it's now.

The increase is made up of a general fuel levy increase of 10c per litre, as well as an additional levy of 7.5c per litre - apparently to help fund the new petrol pipeline between Durbs and Gauteng. The rest comes from an 8c per litre increase in the Road Accident Fund levy on petrol and diesel. He's also suggested that new passenger cars pay a flat rate emissions tax, effective from September 2010. Gordhan is quoted as saying, " the more fuel efficient your car is, the less tax you'll pay." Fair enough on that last point, Pravin... cars should be fuel-efficient.

However, we'd be less bothered by the increases if systems were run efficiently. Taxpayers are getting tired of being milked, for no discernible purpose, other than to fund other people's Breitling watches and Sandhurst homes. Is any upkeep being done at all? Half the streetlights in my road don't work... and potholes are rapidly becoming an accepted fact of life in Johannesburg: there's a humongous crater in Gleneagles Road, Greenside, the size of a large Nguni cow. It's obviously caused major damage to cars, because motorists have taken it upon themselves to plant a big, red warning flag right in the middle of it.

Do I sound grumpy? Despondent? It's probably a state of mind that's been exacerbated by all the media reports of young Julius Malema's lavish lifestyle, and his continued insistence that he doesn't have to answer to us, the taxpayers. Is this the future of government? What are your thoughts on the issue of how your taxes are or are not being spent? It is your money, after all, and I think we have the right to insist that the government uses it wisely and frugally. We're trying to spend intelligently - and so should they.

Meanwhile we have a looming fuel increase to contend with, so here are some tips on how to squeeze the maximum out of every drop of petrol.

Maintenance

Regular Servicing - Get your car serviced regularly to maintain engine efficiency. Check the air filter, ensure your spark plugs are in good condition, and change the lube oil at intervals specified in the manual.
Tyre pressure - Check tyre pressure regularly and before long journeys. Under-inflated tyres create more rolling resistance and so use more fuel. If you are replacing tyres then consider some of the newer eco friendly brands that are designed specifically to increase fuel efficiency.

Before you go-go...

- Lose weight - Extra weight means extra fuel so if there's stuff in the boot you don't need on the journey take it out and leave it at home.
- Don't get lost - Plan unfamiliar journeys to reduce the chance of getting lost. Check the traffic news before you go too. Get a GPS.
- Combine short trips - Cold starts are inefficient so it pays to combine errands such as grocery shopping and dropping off the kids into one trip rather than making multiple short trips.
- Consider alternatives - If it's a short journey (a couple of kms or so) consider walking or cycling rather than taking the car. You'll also be a lot healthier!

En route

Easy does it - Drive smoothly, accelerate gently and read the road ahead to avoid unnecessary braking.
Gear up earlier - Change gear as soon as possible without straining the engine. A car travelling at 60km per hour in third gear uses 25 percent more fuel than at the same speed in fifth gear.
Cut down on the aircon - Air conditioning increases fuel consumption at low speeds, but at higher speeds the effects are less noticeable. If it's a hot day it's more economical to open the windows around town and save the air conditioning for high speed driving.
Slow down, buddy - Drive at or within the speed limit - the faster you go the greater the fuel consumption.

When making the choice:

Yes, size matters

Choose a light, economical car - small cars use far more fuel-efficient and produce lower emissions than large cars. Or get a hybrid, green car. These combine a conventional engine with an electric motor and battery. Locally, a Toyota Prius is still really your only option here.

In the market for a brand new car? Take a look at this comprehensive breakdown of SA's most fuel efficient cars - both petrol and diesel.

Do you have any other good fuel saving tips? I'd love to hear from you!

I spend, therefore I am

2010-02-16T21:37:00Z

Imagine a world in which compulsive shoppers have themselves micro-chipped, (in the same way that morbidly obese people resort to gastric bypass surgery to prevent themselves from eating a trolley full of chocolate biscuits or crisps!) Any attempt to enter a shopping mall causes a siren to go off, and steroid-pumped, scary bouncers evict the micro-chippee from the premises, "for your own good, lady!" (Except of course the mall's management would rather roll out the red carpet for big spenders, and give them free drinks, like casino high rollers get!)

People who "shop 'till they drop' and max out their credit cards often have a bona fide shopping addiction. They believe that shopping will make them feel better. The reality is that compulsive shopping habits generally make a person feel a great deal worse. This impulse control disorder is similar to other addictive behaviours and has some of the same characteristics as problem drinking, gambling and overeating.

Research findings by Professor Tahira K. Hira at Iowa State University point to the fact that "low self-esteem appears to be related to impulsive spending. Couple low-self esteem with lack of knowledge of current personal financial status, combined with other savings barriers such as procrastination, stress and insecurity, and the result is a greater focus on paying for needs today and forgetting those for tomorrow."

Typically, the ‘spending cycle' works as follows:

The shopaholic starts with an emptiness, or a feeling of incompleteness. Signals all around them tell them that if they had some thing, an object of desire, (that Prada bag? The gorgeous Volvo convertible in the showroom window?) they'd be seen as more important, successful, loveable, or complete. The signals come from family, friends, co-workers, TV, radio, the Internet...anyone with any influence at all. Compulsive spenders spend to get that feeling of success, sharing news of their shrewd acquisition with anyone who will marvel at it. When the accounts start rolling in, the spender feels even more incomplete and powerless than before, starting the cycle all over again.

What are the warning signals of a serious problem?

Shopping or spending money as a result of being disappointed, angry, or depressed.
Having emotional distress or chaos in personal and family lives because of shopping or spending money.
Having arguments with others regarding shopping or spending habits.
Feeling lost without credit cards.
Buying items on credit that would not be bought with cash.
Spending money in a manner that resembles a reckless or forbidden act.
Feeling guilty, ashamed, embarrassed, or confused after shopping or spending money.
Lying to others, especially your spouse, about what was bought or how much money was spent, and hiding your purchases.
Juggling accounts and bills to accommodate spending.
Feeling overwhlemed and powerless to overcome the compulsion to spend.

How do you control and treat this condition?

It is best to seek professional counselling to deal with this problem. Addictive behaviours tend to come in clusters, so if you have an eating disorder, a problem with drugs, alcohol, or gambling, you may also be a candidate for shopping addiction.

How do I prevent shopping binges?

Don't have any credit cards.
If you do have to go shopping, take only a limited sum of cash with you - no ATM cards... and if possible, shop with your spouse.
‘Window shop' only after the shops have closed.

Four tips to help you kick the shopping habit

Make your commitment more tangible Using pen and paper, list the ways that your spending is causing problems in your life. Now confide in someone else. Pick someone that loves you, or that you view as compassionate. Sharing this actually helps to make the problem seem more manageable. It also reinforces your commitment to change your behaviour.

Stop using excuses or blaming others Marketing is not mind control and other people really can't force you to buy things. It's good to get to know your triggers and avoid them, but at the same time, you have to own the problem.

Get to the root of the issue Overspending isn't really about wanting material things. It's about masking anger, depression or anxiety.

Make some changes in your life Spend more time with friends, get a pet, volunteer, try new hobbies, take a class or get more exercise. You've heard them all before. That's because they really do work. You might find that something was missing in your life and discover new ways to feel rewarded, loved and complete without shopping. At the very least you'll have less time to shop!

Do you have a favourite shop that you find impossible to resist? A friend of mine's spouse has banned her from homeware shops like Mr Price and Home etc, because she can't resist the scatter cushions and gorgeous linen. I think she walked out with impulse purchases of around R2700 last time! For me it's Exclusive Books and Woolies end-of-season sales that are the fatal attraction.

Waste not, want not

2010-02-09T14:47:00Z

"Oops, I think this fuzzy grey stuff in the fridge used to be yoghurt..."

Sound familiar? We throw away around one third of the food we buy, (UK's WRAP statistics) and at least half of it is food that could still have been eaten.

Wasting is just not an option anymore: my estimate is that the average bag of groceries at Pick n Pay now costs around R250. Over 42 million cubic metres of general waste is generated annually across SA, with the largest proportion (42%) coming from Gauteng. (The most recent government statistics on this issue date back to 1997, so percentages could very well have increased since then.) The average amount of waste generated per person per day in South Africa is 0.7 kg. This is closer to the average produced in developed countries (73 kg in the UK and 0.87 kg in Singapore), than to the average in developing countries such as 0.3 kg in Nepal.

The vast majority of food waste ends up in landfill. As food rots in landfill it can produce methane, one of the most potent greenhouse gases and a significant contributor to climate change. When we throw food away, we also waste all the carbon generated as it was produced, processed, transported and stored. Of course recycling waste is of the utmost importance, but before we even do that, we need to start using less at the source. That means finding ways to be happier with less, be creative with what's available, and finding new uses for old things.

I think the waste problem is a many-legged beast:

OTT packaging. A plastic-sealed box of biscuits, for example. You tear the plastic and open the cardboard container, to find more packaging material snugly enclosing individually wrapped biscuits. In Germany, housewives launched a hugely successful campaign to force retailers to cut down on packaging - before leaving; they simply stripped their purchases of all excess packaging in the shop and dumped it on the floor. The campaign proved to be very effective - German supermarkets now have in-store packaging recycling bins, and manufacturers are under constant pressure to reduce packaging. Can't we do the same here?
We're out of touch with our food: Do you really need an expiry date on your cottage cheese to tell you if it's still edible? Look and taste... it's probably going to be okay for at least another week. Learn to trust your senses again. Just once, try making a batch of your own yoghurt - it's fun, ridiculously easy, and you'll probably be less inclined to consign it to a forgotten place in your fridge. You can make it for half the supermarket price.
Fairytale food: When did we become so insistent on perfection? If the strawberries aren't perfectly glossy, huge and unblemished, they don't get eaten. Maybe it's in our genes - I've noticed that the bananas in our fruit bowl at home get ignored when they start to show brown spots. What's wrong with a few little bruises? And use the brown ones.
Buying too much: The illusion of an abundant Garden of Eden is such an assault on the senses, when you shop. And retailers are so clever at this - enticing you with multi-packs, one-day-only promotions, two for the price of one, the aroma of rotisserie chicken or crusty, fresh croissants assailing your nostrils when you walk through the door. If at all possible, reduce what you buy. Be able to see what's in your fridge and on veggie shelves at all times. I'm notoriously bad with this when it comes to fresh herbs: I'll buy a plastic tub of fresh coriander, use a small sprig for a special recipe, then end up turfing the rest a month later. Apparently you can chop and freeze leftover herbs.
Efficiency, speed above all else: Yes, we're all on a treadmill, nobody has time to cook, and sometimes the McDonalds drive-thru is about all you can muster to feed the kids. Slow down, make a once-off R330 investment in a slow cooker and you'll never have to buy a junk food supper again. Turf your veggies, meat and wine or stock into the pot before you leave for work, then come home to a casserole worthy of Jamie or Nigella.
Wanting bigger, better, newer: No thanks, I don't need a cell phone upgrade, my old one is just fine. (And stop phoning me twice a week to offer me the upgrade!) What happens to all the old appliances we chuck out anyway? It's a horror story, but there is actually a planet-friendly way to dispose of electronics and batteries, it's really worth a look at this website. Or you can donate your old computers and phones on the Greater Good website - someone out there will love and appreciate the stuff you need to get rid of.

Outsource your mundane tasks

2010-02-02T15:22:00Z

New York Times best-selling author A.J. Jacobs outsourced his life to Brickworks, an IT company in India, for a month. His polite virtual assistant, Honey Balani, took over his diary, banking, shopping, and personal tasks such as arguing with his wife, nagging his boss for freelance payments, reading his son a bedtime story and worrying for ten minutes a day. (Jacobs also tried getting Honey to speak to his therapist, who cited ethical concerns and declined to participate!) The results make for very entertaining reading, and can be read in his book, The Guinea Pig Diaries: My Life as an Experiment. Or listen to the amusing free audio version.

What is outsourcing, and why do it? The subcontracting of low-level tasks is by no means a new concept - it became part of the business lexicon in the 1980s. The decision whether to outsource is often based on reducing production costs, making better use of available resources, focusing energy on the core competencies of a particular business, or just making more efficient use of labour, money and resources. Americans, in particular, can't seem to get enough of the concept. As Jacobs proved, you can apply the idea to both your business and personal life, with great success.

If, for example, you have no time to do your grocery shopping, or your time would be better spent doing something else, why not outsource your shopping? If you can spend the two hours or so you would have spent shopping on generating more income or leading a more balanced life, perhaps virtual shopping is worth the delivery charge. You'll also save on petrol costs, avoid the temptation of impulse purchases and find it easier to stick to a budget by selecting only the grocery items you really need from an online list.

In my case, I freelance from home, and shopping has become a total waste of time. Especially when there are only a few precious hours in the morning to work uninterrupted by demands such as ferrying of children etc.

The most cost effective and efficiently run such service in SA is through Pick ‘n Pay. It's not entirely without flaws: online shopper registration is mandatory, so I went in to browse, and soon realised that although a product range might seem extensive, it's still not as broad as in the actual shop. Yes, there are lots of crumbed and plain frozen fish options, but the one my kids like (smoked haddock, crumbed) is not one of the available online options. Still, you do seem to be able to select the bulk of what you would have been able to buy on a normal shopping trip. Even flowers and small kitchen appliances can be added to your grocery order. According to the helpful person at the other end of the tollfree helpline number, if there's a problem with goods delivered, they'll fetch and replace. Ice cream arrives frozen, eggs are transported gently and you get to choose your delivery time slot. Orders should be placed before 4pm to qualify for delivery the next day. According to an overworked, high-flying colleague, who has used the service for a number of years, it's bliss to arrive home from work to find your white bags waiting in the kitchen. The delivery charge is R60, and she pays it with a smile.

Woolworths runs a similar service, also requiring online registration and placement of orders 24 hours before delivery. Their delivery charge is lower - only R40 - but then again, you definitely pay more for the upmarket produce. The Woolies website is easier to navigate and better looking than the Pick and Pay one though. You can whip through the virtual shop in a flash.

For items other than just groceries, the sky's the limit. Take a look at this fabulous virtual mall - it's a local website, where you will be directed to specialised online shops to browse your product of choice - computers, cellphones, books, lingerie, gifts, kitchen gadgets, homeware... you name it. I found listings for 34 local, online computer shops, including Digital Planet, Digital Addiction and Mecer. For the most part, encryptation software dealing with credit card info has become highly sophisticated, and consumers can shop with confidence.

In many cases, online shopping is about more than just saving time. It's about reliability of service, and trusting that even though the book you've just ordered has had a sizeable R30 delivery charge slapped onto it, it's a sure thing. The nice company courier is going to bring it straight to your front door. You won't have to waste 30 minutes or more in a post office queue, then have to fight about a tracking number with someone who couldn't care less.

What's your favourite online shop, and have you had positive or negative shopping experiences?

Eat Better on Less

2010-01-26T21:53:00Z

Like everyone else who saw the movie, I salivated through most of the cooking scenes in Julie and Julia. Meryl Streep's portrayal of 1950's American icon Julia Child was quirkily brilliant, and the food was delectable. Realistically though, who cooks quails in red wine sauce at home? Sounds like a meal made in heaven, but it's not budget, family fare. (And my kids would probably wrinkle their noses and ask for macaroni cheese instead!) Is there room for the budget savvy food alchemist?

I refuse to accept that penny-wise grub has to be synonymous with bland sustenance... and nobody wants to live on lentils, either. The Internet is awash with fanatics advocating ‘twenty ways with a brown banana' and the like. Thanks, but no thanks. Even tightwads have a right to be fussy. Whatever gets conjured up has to look fantastic and leave your soul humming. Back in the early 80s, I spent a year in Dickensian misery at a really grim boarding school, where catering was managed by Tannie Bessie, who managed to completely destroy everything she touched. The veggies were reduced to an anaemic, watery pulp, the puddings reeked of Jik and oh, the unparallelled joy of lifting the lid off that metal serving dish at lunchtime, to see a boiled ox tongue, taste buds still discernible.

That said, where is the best advice to be found on eating well in a tight economy?

There seems to be a gap in the local publishing market specifically for this kind of book. The closest I could find to a suitable title was acclaimed local food editor Hillary Biller's fabulous new Great Meals Fast - written largely with the South African, budget conscious family in mind. She emphasises seasonality, fresh produce and the importance of good stock cupboard staples. The book has great tips on what to buy, and the attractively photographed recipes will appeal to most cultures in this country.

Another good investment is Economy Gastronomy, a UK title from Allegra McEvedy. It takes family fare up a notch, while still keeping things very affordable and stylish. Her Simple French onion soup is superb, cheap, and even my six-year-old daughter could whack it together. You don't have to use expensive, imported cheese for the grilled toast, and it has enough ‘wow factor' for even a dinner party. (Do people still have those?)

Great tips for eating well on a budget:

Plan meals a few days or weeks ahead and then write out a grocery list. Follow your shopping list and you won't miss items or make last minute changes. You won't need to make extra shopping trips, which can cost you time, petrol and money.
Plan your menus around sale items and wholegrain products, vegetables and seasonal fruit.
Go shopping when you're well rested and satiated. It's been proven that people who shop on an empty stomach spend a lot more.
Leave your kids and spouse at home if they are likely to add unplanned foods or expensive items to the cart.
Shop around the edges of the shop first. This is where you can usually find the basics: vegetables and fruit, milk products, grain products and meats. Avoid the convenience food aisles.
Buy the freshest possible. Check the expiry date to make sure that food won't go off before you can eat it.
Watch the cash register when food gets scanned. Sometimes mistakes can be made.
Buying in bulk saves packaging costs and can cost less. Save money on all your basic foods such as pasta, potatoes, rice, flour, oatmeal, dried fruit, nuts, seeds and beans by buying in bulk. Consider dividing bulk foods with a friend.
Use less tender cuts of meat, such as round, sirloin or flank in stews or sauces to make them more tender. Fill a crockpot or slow cooker with meat and veggies, let it cook all day and come home to an easy and delicious supper.
Peanut butter, tofu, lentils, split peas, kidney beans or other dried beans are good sources of protein.
Freeze bread for up to 4 months, milk for up to a month. Wrap it tightly in a plastic bag.
Store vegetables and fruit whole, unwashed for the longest shelf life.
Slow-cook several whole chickens at once, until the meat falls off the bones. This will give you boneless chicken breasts, plenty of meat for two or three other meals and chicken bones for soup stock.

Giveaways!

Who wants a beautiful book? I am giving away two new copies each of Allegra McEvedy's Economy Gastronomy, and Hillary Biller's Great Meals Fast. Post your best budget eating tip in the blog comments below, with an email address, and I'll randomly select four book winners.

Pamela's blog: World Cup 2010 - laugh all the way to the bank

2010-01-20T09:51:00Z

It's just a few months away: the Big Event, during which schools will be closed for a month, an estimated one million soccer fans from around the globe will be disembarking and we, the locals, have the choice of either taking part or going somewhere else for a month. Actually, going somewhere else might not be such a bad idea, if there's a sizeable chunk of money to be made out of your departure.

At the tail end of the recession, we could all do with a financial boost, and the soccer seems like a golden opportunity that's too good to miss. I think if you're fair towards the tourists, and realistic about your expectations without being consumed by greed, you stand to gain enormously. There's still time to make arrangements, if you act now.

v Rent your house out: Thus far Match, the FIFA agency tasked with finding around 55000 accommodation units for the games, hasn't really managed to do so. Looks to me like massive greed is the obstacle, as the organisation is playing hardball with the big guns around the issue of short-term rental contracts... they've also included an escape clause that doesn't exactly make the arrangement favourable for landlords. If you're a private homeowner, your chances of negotiating a fair deal with a middleman seem poor, at this late stage. Many small, keen agencies have sprung up, but they're not at all experienced. Your best bet at this 11^th hour would be to go it alone, and advertise your property, if you have a suitable one, on the Internet.

Isn't that really risky? Nobody wants to accommodate a frothing soccer hooligan who has been banned in 14 other countries. Use your personal judgement and trust your instincts - if the lessee can't write his own name, word an articulate email, indicate a willingness to pay upfront in full, agree to a decent deposit refundable on departure, and provide clarity on a travel itinerary, I would look for someone else. It might also be wise to have a trusted friend check up on your house occasionally, while you're not there, and store away your sentimental, precious things. Go through the house with your lessee and have them sign an inventory, before you hand over the keys.
What constitutes a suitable property? What are these guys going to be looking for when they arrive? Be as honest as possible while you're negotiating with them. Yes, carefully worded ads can obscure the truth... "Compact penthouse close to the city's vibrant hustle and bustle" could be a euphemism for your top floor bachelor flat - the one looking out onto the local taxi rank. But the truth will emerge eventually, and it's only going to reflect badly on you, and South Africa, more broadly speaking. If the place you want to rent out looks a bit run-down and grotty, you still have a few months to fix it up, work on the garden, paint the place and fix the leaking taps. Security is a big concern, too - we've all read the media report about the ludicrous "anti-stabbing jacket" that's being marketed overseas to soccer tourists. For many of them, it's The Dark Continent, where lions roam the streets. Make sure your house is secure, and without scare tactics, provide basic know-how on how to survive.
How much should I charge? It depends where your property is situated, and what amenities you can offer. A Top-Billing type house in Llandudno, with indoor pool, chauffeur and chef is being marketed for R30 000 a day. More realistically, and pertinent to us mere mortals, are well-maintained, superbly equipped suburban houses and apartments. A recent consumer magazine article highlighted the need for this kind of accommodation and suggested that for a good 3-bedroomed house with a garden, pool, access to main transport routes, a daily domestic service as part of the deal, and possibly DSTV, landlords could demand in the region of between R3000 and R5000 per day. Well-equipped flats in good areas would fall somewhere on the lower end of this spectrum.

v If I don't have a suitable property, how else could I make money? We're African, and there's no limit to our entrepreneurial spirit! If you can think of a way to make someone else's African adventure more pleasant, do it. They're going to need tour guides, interpreters, food and entertainment. You could make yourself available to cater, ferry people around, operate a hotdog stand, and deliver Prego rolls. Commemorative T-Shirts with catchy slogans is another idea. Unique African arts and crafts will be good sellers, too. The sky's the limit, really!

Any bright ideas on coining it during the World Cup? If it's not a big secret, share it with us.

Pamela's blog: back to school on a budget

2010-01-12T10:03:00Z

It's my little daughter's first day at ‘big school'... a huge calendar event for her and her parents. I was able to buy most of the very practical, golf-shirt-and-jeans uniform directly from her school, so my mall crawl wasn't too bad in the end. All I had to do was find unembellished, straight, plain dark blue jeans (easier to find the tooth fairy!) and white running shoes (odd, impractical choice!).

The big retail giants are all having enormous back-to-school promotions. For all those parents who have to dig deep into their holiday-depleted pockets for school uniforms, I looked at prices on clothes and accessories.

For the most part, you have a choice of five big retailers: Ackermans, Pep Stores, Jet, Edgars or Woolworths.

At all of the above-mentioned shops, I compared prices on the following items, all in the 5-8 year old size range:

- A short-sleeved white school shirt

- A standard pair of black leather school shoes

- A pair of grey shorts and

- A school suitcase / backpack.

Items:	Shirt	Shoes	Shorts	Backpack
Ackermans	R19.95	R139.95	R24.95	R49.95
Pep Stores	R19.99	R139.99	R17.99	R49.99
Jet	R19.99	R139.95	R17.99	R49.99
Edgars	R29.95	R139.99	R39.95	R49.99
Woolworths	R29.95	R99.95	R39.95	R69.95

The cheaper clothing items from lower end stores were all a polyester viscose blend. The ones from Edgars and Woolworths were a polyester cotton blend, with a built in stain repellent, so they'll probably be more comfortable, absorbant and cooler in summer. In addition, the Woolworths shirt contained a sunscreen - a UV ray repellent.

The backpacks were all entry-level packs, small, not really suitable for older kids. They range upwards in price, peaking at about R200 for a navy blue Woolworths trolley case. The shoes priced at lower end stores were all Toughees leather lace-ups. Cheaper, synthetic shoes are available at all the retailers, starting at about R60. The house-brand leather school shoes at Woolies seem like a particularly good deal.

Additional tips on buying clothes and accessories:

Make a list and stick to it

Evaluate your child's wardrobe and determine what still fits and what needs to be replaced. Figure out how many pairs of pants, shirts, socks, underwear and shoes your child needs to comfortably make it through the year. Check the school's supply list and weed through last year's leftover stationary supplies for anything that is usable. Crayons might need to be replenished annually, but lunch boxes; geometry sets, backpacks, pencil sharpeners etc are more hard wearing. It obviously also depends on the individual child, and how responsible they are. Also, no matter what the school tells you, you really don't need to buy everything. Less important items can be bought later in the year. If it is at all possible to stagger your purchases, do so.

Shop alone

Don't take the kids along for this particular shopping expedition - you'll end up being nagged for the Hannah Montana pencil case, the Pooh Bear backpack and lots of additional things you wouldn't otherwise have bought. Blitzkrieg in, and get out fast.

Buy school stationary supplies in bulk

A trip to an office supply shop or Makro will provide school supplies in bulk. You'll need them in the years to come, and it's nice to have a stationary / craft cupboard at home. The following items can often be bought in large quantities and distributed as necessary.

Paper
Pens
Pencils
Binders
Notebooks
Crayons
Poster paint

Mark everything clearly

I habitually lost my school blazer in primary school, which drove my mom crazy. My daughter looks like she might be veering towards being a chip off the old block. Invest in a good laundry marker from C.N.A or stop off at any dry-cleaning outlet (like Levingers) to order a pack of iron-on, customised laundry labels. It's a grind to have to mark everything, but you won't be sorry.

If you have additional tips, or you know of a really good promotion that's running on stationary or school items, I'd love to hear about it!