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alicia@heaps.co.nz

By Alicia

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Goals are awesome. They motivate you and keep your on track to getting what you want. In heaps! we’ve made goal setting even easier by creating goal templates for you to choose from. Of course you can still set your own goals, but these templates come with a list of tasks that are filled out already for you and will keep you on track to achieving your goal faster. You can choose from templates like buying a car, buying a house, getting out of debt, saving for a medical procedure, going on holiday and saving for retirement. Check out the screenshot below for a taste of what these templates look like:

When ever you want to add money towards your goal you no longer have to go to the goals page first. Just click “I spent it on a goal” when you’re categorising a transaction and it will do it quickly for you. Check out our new goals tracking page below, it is full of milestones along the way to help you break up your journey.

Even better, now you can celebrate by seeing a goal completed in heaps!. Your completed goals are also kept on record so you can see past goals that you have achieved. Go you!

  • Add a new goal from categorisation – If you click on “I spent it on a goal” when you’re categorising a transaction you’ll be able to add a new goal without going on to the goals page first.
  • Goals progress display – your goals graphs will constantly update to show how much you’ve saved and spent on your goal.
  • Easier editing of goals – you’ll be able to edit your goals easier and faster, mark a goal as spend or investment, and see your goal picture instantly after uploading.

janelle

By janelle

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Up-cycling is basically recycling, except you end up with a really cool product at the end. By using your creativity you can convert old materials or ‘useless’ products into something you will enjoy and benefit from. Not only does this help the environment, it gives you cool new stuff without spending much, if any, money! Awesome!

You can up-cycle anything! Think about it; your clothes, furniture, art, and electronics can all be transformed from trash to something fun and new.

Who Up-Cycles?

New Dress A Day

“365 days. 365 items of clothing. 365 dollars. And the blogging begins…”

Marisa decided to quit shopping the traditional way, and challenged herself to create her own wardrobe (for an entire year!). She also decided to limit her spending to $1 a day for clothing items. Marisa has been blogging her activity, and providing photos of the transformations she is making.

Marisa’s journey shortly after being laid off from a job that was over-working her. She found herself in a creative crisis, but decided to take matters into her own hands. Her inspiration came from watching Julie & Julia; she wasn’t interested in creating french cuisine rather, she wanted to do something that would get her creative juices flowing everyday.

Marisa shares her experience on her blog, Facebook, and Twitter. Her money saving fashion and ideas are inspirational to many people. What kind of radical things have you done in order to save money, or just to boost your creativity?

How do I Up-Cycle?

If you are feeling creative but need a bit of inspiration, there are heaps of up-cycling ideas online.  Keep an open mind and make adjustments to personalize your projects. You don’t have to be an artist to up-cycle, just have fun and try new things.

A great up-cycling idea that I found online was to use your old scarfs to create vintage decorative pillows. Make your pillows whatever shape or size you like, use different patterns on either side, add a zipper to create a more finished look.  If you don’t have any scarfs of your own laying around, check out second hand shops, and garage sales.  Got any other creative tips? Share them here!

Make it an event: The big Shwop

Join other ethically-minded shoppers in Wellington on Sunday 25th of July.  The Big Shwop is a place where you can bring your unwanted, barely worn, quality, fashionable clothes, and exchange them for any of the other lovely threads on offer.

Simply put – bring along up to twenty pieces from your wardrobe that are barely worn quality clothes and exchange them for vouchers. When the shwop begins, you can ‘cash in’ your vouchers for any of the other lovely threads on offer. Guilt free shopping straight ahead!


So spend a day out with a bunch of your best friends, your mum, your daughter. Go home at the end of the day, with flash new threads completely guilt free, knowing that your fashion sense hasn’t been sacrificed for the environment, and the environment hasn’t been sacrificed for fashion either. For more information about The Big Shwop, check it out online!


janelle@heaps.co.nz

By Janelle

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Time for Change

When redecorating your spaces, doing it yourself is a fun and money saving technique. Don’t be discouraged by your assumed lack of creativity. Online you can find ideas, tips, and even step-by-step directions for many DIY projects. Purchasing new decorations, or hiring someone can be costly. Save your pocket change by choosing to do it yourself.

DIY projects are also fun for families to work on together. To get the family to spend more time together and create a space everyone will enjoy, have the members of your family create a space in your home that represents your style. Aim for a common goal by using similar colors and materials.

Jazzing it Up a Bit

In my case, my walls were completely bare.  I couldn’t afford to buy art, or decorations from the local shops.  However, I could afford paint and canvases. Keep in mind; painting is absolutely NOT my forte.  But with the tools and idea’s I found online, I was confidant that I could come up with something good. With the help of a couple of friends, my space went from boring and dull to fun and artsy. To finish up, I rearranged my furniture a bit to really give the room a change.

Reduce & Reuse

In order to save a bit more you could paint over old wall art. Recycling canvases reduces your waste and can also create really cool textures in your new decorations. Plants and mirrors make cozy additions to any space, bringing in life and light. (Not to mention they are reasonably cheap, you could even grow your own plants). Remember to have fun, and use your resources!

What types of projects have you done yourself in order to save money?