Family Finances
2013 Federal Budget: Changes for families
MATT WADE With the scrapping of the baby bonus, changes to the paid parental leave scheme and family payment supplements, here is an overview of what some of the changes will look like for families.
How to raise compassionate kids
LINDY ALEXANDER Raising kids who care - how volunteering helps develop children's compassion.
Grow a surplus of your own
Nina Hendy The only way to get off the treadmill of living from one pay packet to the next is to commit to a household budget.
How to buy ethical kids' clothes
VICTORIA BIRCH Do you ever take notice of where your child's cheap outfit was made? The Bangladesh tragedy has highlighted the need for us all to be better informed but where do you buy ethical clothes that don't cost a fortune?
A new face of homelessness
RICK FENELEY Families such as these are swelling the ranks of people forced to seek help from Australia's charities.
Target, please help a mum out
ELISSA GRIESSER Do you struggle to make it through the checkout line without your kids having a meltdown over a lollypop?
11-year-old shaves her hair for a cause
KATIE CARLIN If you were to describe Claire Jurd in one word it would be selfless. The determined 11-year-old from Cessnock recently shaved her long golden hair to raise money for cancer sufferers.
Betrayed single parents will not surrender
Dianne Hiles I joined in solidarity with many single parents over the weekend to protest against Labor transferring 67,221 single parents from parenting payments to the lower Newstart allowance when their youngest child turns eight, a move that has pushed many families over the edge.
State schools face $390 million hole
Jewel Topsfield State schools would receive $390 million less in Commonwealth funding next year than in 2012 if the government fails to put in place the Gonski school funding reforms, new analysis shows.
5 steps to protect your child financially
NICOLE PEDERSEN-MCKINNON Here, in easy-to-understand terms, are the five steps to protecting your children’s future.
Are welfare cuts costing some mother's everything?
Lisa Martin Some single mothers hit by recent welfare cuts to parenting payments have turned to prostitution and strip clubs to bolster their income, according to brothel owners and advocates.
Bosses inflexible for single mums
TIM ELLIOTT The federal government's stripping of single parent pensions has forced mothers to look for work. But they're finding most employers are inflexible with hours, reports Tim Elliott.
Saving for your child's education
John Collett A very good way to save for children's education is close to home. Not all parents have a mortgage, but for those who do, the strategy is to make extra repayments and redraw the money when school fees are needed.
Working single parents to suffer under new parenting payment
DAN HARRISON Petra Hilton is doing what the government would like thousands of other single parents to do. She balances raising her son, Tobias, with working 20 hours a week in administration for a food manufacturing company, while studying logistics to carve out a career path for herself within the firm.
Why a 'fat tax' is not enough to save our obese nation
Suzie Ferrie It’s time to admit it – Australia is becoming an obese nation. Here Suzie Ferrie explains why a fat tax isn’t enough to deal with the problem.
Children hide poverty to protect parents
ADELE HORIN Children from poor families deny their own needs to protect their parents from blame and social stigma, a new study has shown. They claim not to like joining a sports team or going on a school excursion, which they know their families can't afford.
Become a savvy school fundraiser
Melanie Hearse After recently joining the school fundraising committee Melanie Hearse talked to the experts about how to get the most money from her fundraising efforts.
Car-free and carefree: making the most of an accidental lifestyle
Clare Barry Losing a car is not the end of the world: it's the start of a new one.
Kidman and Urban give $100K to sick kids
Nicole Kidman and Keith Urban have made a $100,000 donation to the Sydney Children's Hospital.
Anglicare needs lunch food for children
Julieanne Strachan Struggling Canberra families are sending their children to school without lunches because they can't afford to buy food, prompting charity group Anglicare to make a public plea for donations of snacks for youngsters' lunch boxes.
The carbon tax is coming: What you need to know
JUSTINE DAVIES Tony Abbott calls it a great big new tax that will touch every aspect of Australian’s lives, Julia Gillard calls it a pricing scheme that will transition our nation to a clean energy future – the truth is somewhere in between. If there is one thing that everyone can agree on about the soon-to-be-introduced carbon tax though, it’s that it is undoubtedly contentious.
Another dose of (undeserved) guilt
JUSTINE DAVIES Justine Davies challenges the media reports today that are labelling working parents as guilty of not spending enough time with their children.
How the Federal Budget will affect you
JUSTINE DAVIES Well, another federal budget has come and gone and the ripples from the various announcements will spread out through the economy for the next twelve months but what does this mean for your family?
School bonus a helping hand or voter buy back?
The federal government will rush legislation through parliament this week so 1.3 million low-income families receive a school kids bonus payment in June.
Heidi Klum: 'I worry for my kids'
Heidi Klum worries about her children's future, rather than "wrinkles".
Budget lesson for parents
There are many ways you can ease the stress of meeting all those back-to-school expenses, writes Bina Brown.
Gourmet on a budget
Make dough, save money
This mother-of-two proves making 14 family meals for just $120 can be done, writes Nick Kraegen.
The big decision: Public versus private school
What you'll learn in this step: Be aware of the costs in both public and private schools, including the hidden extras.
Step 2: Financing your decision
What you'll learn in this step: The sooner you start to put money away for your child's education, the better.
Watch them grow
It is never too early to teach young people about money. Here's some ways to get started.
