I would like to share this article I discovered on a great web site called simplesavings.com.au A fantastic site if you are looking for ways to save on expenses and start putting some savings aside.

I believe this was written by a lady called Penny Cooper

THANKS A BUNCH FOR FREE FLOWERS

My hubby gives me a beautiful bouquet of flowers every week – and it doesn’t cost him a cent!  When times get tough financially, the first things to disappear are usually life’s little luxuries.  As soon as we started living on a budget I could no longer justify buying fresh flowers to add a splash of winter cheer to our home.  So I was surprised and delighted when my husband arrived home from work a few months ago with a gorgeous bouquet of flowers! He works in a corporate building on the same floor as the reception desk. Every Monday morning there is a fresh bunch of flowers delivered to reception and as such the existing flowers are thrown out every Friday. They are still usually absolutely fine however, being only five days old and often contain lilies and other hardy blooms that last for three to five weeks.  Instead of leaving them to get thrown away, he asked at reception if he could take them home and they said no problem!

You could ask the same at any likely shop/reception area that has flowers each week.  It’s easy enough to call by and pick them up before they throw them out. While this hasn’t really saved us any money as we weren’t buying them due to their cost, it is a delight for me to be able to enjoy one of my luxury items for free.  It also allows us to be generous to our friends who are also all on budgets.  Now we have a constant supply of flowers for our own home, plus often enough to make up into bunches to give to our friends.
At least until Hubby’s colleagues catch on to what he’s doing and start asking to take them home too!

What a great idea Penny.

If you are looking for ways to save money, pay off debt and even start investing some of your saving, than you may want check out this free DVD and e-book.

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This article is out of the C Corp April news letter. C Corp is a property development company created by a friend of mine, Carly Crutchfield.

Great news if you are looking to buy..

A global economic downturn, a determined Australian Government, a robust banking system teamed with housing shortages and falling interest rates means it’s a pretty good time to be an Aussie right now….and even better to be an Aussie looking to get into the property market.

Housing Shortages Rising

Australia is getting close to having 9 million dwellings in the country by the end of this year, however this is still well short of demand. At the moment, we are building no more new dwellings than we did 40 years ago, despite having a population that has doubled since then.

In Australia, population growth is faster than the world average due to high immigration, which now exceeds the natural increase. Due to the continuing shortage state governments are being forced to create more development land and alternative opportunities such as the NSW Government’s move to eliminate
infrastructure levies.

Property prices are staying relatively strong in Australia in comparison to the hits taken by the rest of the world and the bottom hasn’t fallen out of the market as has elsewhere. ANZ recently stated that the present shortfall in residential dwellings is around 250,000 showing us an unprecedented level of under supply.

It’s not all Doom and Gloom….but is there the possibility of a BOOM?

The release of the RP Data-Rismark Hedonic Property Value Index heralds some exciting news for the Australian residential market.

According to the latest monthly indices, property values are experiencing a recovery from the modest 3 per cent falls seen in 2008. The findings confirmed that over the first two months of 2009, national dwelling values increased by 1.1 per cent with most of the capital gains coming in February.

A combination of low interest rates, softer property prices and government incentives make 2009 a great time to buy property, particularly for first-time buyers, according to mortgage broker Loan Market Group.

Capital city dwelling values for the 3 months to end of Feb ‘09 have been released by RP Data as follows;

* Sydney values up 0.5% to $509,900
* Melbourne values up 1.9% to $428,600
* Brisbane values up 2.2% to $413,700
* Adelaide values up 1.3% $389,450
* Perth values up 1.0% to $466,900
* Darwin values up 61% to $426,660
* Canberra values up 1.8% to $438,900

The average number of days on the market is at the lowest in Melbourne at 42 days and at the highest in Adelaide at 78 days for the three months until the end of February 09.

Demand for more affordable property has also helped property values in some regional areas. It is the properties at the high end of the market that are taking the brunt of the current financial situation. Properties in the $500,000 or lower price range have managed to defy the downtrend, whereas big drops have occurred in the median price of higher-end properties.

First Time Home Buyers Grant

John Kolenda, Executive Director of Loan Market Group says first homebuyers face an unprecedented opportunity and have already leapt back into the market since the Federal Government announced the doubling and tripling of the First Home Owners Grant in mid-October.

These grants have reinvigorated interest at the lower to middle end of the property market. “It is now clear that the boost to the first home owners grant has been one of the Government’s most successful policy measures – this price strength will hopefully encourage developers back into the market. – RP Data National Research Director, Tim Lawless

First homebuyers who purchased established homes received a boost of $7000 that doubled the grant to $14,000. First homebuyers who built a new home or purchased a newly constructed home received an extra $14,000 which took their grant to $21,000.

This has resulted in there being record sales to first homebuyers. Melbourne property prices fell more slowly than expected in the December quarter, thanks to lower rates and the First Home Owner Grant boost.

Stressed sellers and falling prices, housing shortages, 40 year lows in mortgage rate and government incentives make 2009 a year of opportunity by providing ideal situations for anyone wanting to enter the property market.

While the property boom of five to ten years ago may be well over for most states it is not over for property investors – not by a long shot. – Smart Investor

You can learn more about the exciting & profitable hobby of property investing by getting your hands on a FREE e-book and DVD (valued at $132) simply by following the link below.
http://www.educationforwealth.com/free-wealth-creation-dvd

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