September 2024 Financial Checklist

“Hey Siri, play ‘September’ by Earth, Wind and Fire!” 

September’s here, which means spring has officially sprung! With Father’s Day, school holidays and property season all in the same month, thankfully, your fave monthly read is here to get you through.

Your September 2024 Financial Checklist awaits:

With Father’s Day coming up on Sunday, the 1st of September 2024, you might be scrambling for a last-minute gift idea for Dad. Instead of splurging on expensive gifts, consider budget-friendly options that show you care. 

Why not whip up his favourite home-cooked meal, go on a nice afternoon walk together or take him to see a movie (on “cheap Tuesday”, of course–hehe!)? The moral of the story is that you don’t have to spend megabucks to make your old man feel special!

With Spring in full swing, what better time to “spring-clean” your spending? Review your monthly subscriptions, memberships, and other regular expenses. What services can you cancel that you no longer use or need to give you some extra cash each month? 

Cutting unnecessary costs can free up extra cash that could be better put towards other financial goals. Check out Mozo’s free budgeting tools to help you track your expenses and identify potential saving areas. 

September (and Spring in general) is when the Aussie property market typically starts to heat up. So, if you’re hunting for a new home or investment property, now’s the time to get amongst weekend home inspections.

Here are some tips to help you devise a good plan of attack:

• Make a shortlist: Compile a shortlist of properties you’d like to visit in a spreadsheet or on apps like domain or realestate.com. That way, when Saturday rolls around, you’ll have a list of places to see and can build an itinerary based on the times and locations of each inspection.
• Work out your non-negotiables: It’s wise to make a list of the non-negotiable features you’d like in a property, plus some questions to ask the real estate agent. 
• Take notes: Take notes about each property during your visit (and maybe take some photos). Don’t wait until you get home to do this – after seeing so many places, they’ll start to just all blur into one, so it's better to take notes while they’re fresh in your mind.
• Compare home loans: It never hurts to be prepared, so why not start comparing home loans ahead of time so you can potentially be ready to go with a pre-approval if you find the ‘one’.

With the spring school holidays fast approaching, making some plans now could be a good way to avoid overspending later. Make a list of free and budget-friendly activities to keep the kids busy without draining your bank account. 

Budget-friendly school holiday activity ideas:

• Early bird specials: Hunt for early-bird specials on family outings or getaways. You’ll often be able to score a better deal when booking things in advance versus at the last minute.
• ‘Bring a plate’ picnic: You could arrange a picnic with other school parents and kids and have each family bring a food item to have a feast for a quarter of the price. 
• Community events: Check out your community's Facebook page (it’ll usually be named after your suburb or council area) and see if anyone has posted about any upcoming low-cost local events.
• Free activities: You can often score free or discounted entry into your local museum.

Virgo SZN is here! Happy birthday, Virgo pals! As the most organised and detail-oriented sign of the zodiac, you’re always on top of things and can generally spot any potential savings opportunities a mile away. 

This Virgo season, why not do what you do best and do a quick financial check-in to fine-tune your budget and ensure you’re still on track with your 2024 financial goals? Now could be a good time to check in with some often overlooked financial bits and bobs like your superannuation.

We’ll catch you back here next month for your October 2024 checklist, folks! Until then, go check out Mozo’s life and money hub.