WATCH: Keeping up with the Van der Walts – we talk finance
Unveiling the last category, finance, we took a closer look at how the Glen Marais family tackles their finances.
For the past five weeks, Caxton has been introducing five content categories to its websites, and Express was unveiling each one through the lives of the Van der Walt family.
Today we unveil the last category, finance, and take a closer look at how the Glen Marais family tackles their finances.
Watch:
The content pillars are lifestyle, kids, motoring, property and finance.
Q: Is your budget the same every month?
“Every month has its own challenges with things that pop up here and there, but there are items that are always on the budget such as food, petrol, cars and the house,” said Hannes.
“We make sure that we draw up our budget, we buy our groceries at the end of the month and don’t go much to the shops during the month unless necessary…we plan ahead,” said Natasha.
Also read: WATCH: Keeping up with the Van der Walts – on the road
Q: Are savings important?
“Yes. Unfortunately, we are at a point in our lives where we can’t really save as much as we would like because we have a lot of things to pay for like the house and the car. I think later on in life, you have more to save. But it is important to finish paying off things such as our house; we try to save as much as possible,” said Natasha.
Also read: Keeping up with the van der Walts: We take a tour of the family home
Q: Have you had to review your budget as a result of the lockdown and what extra financial measures did you have to take as a result of the lockdown?
“It taught us to work better with our money and realise that you don’t need everything. We were reminded that not going to the shops and malls unnecessarily saves money. We learnt to work much wiser with our money going forward,” added Natasha.
Q: Which bank do you bank with?
“We bank with FNB and the main reason is that we like the way the app works and how they do their transfer payments and ‘pockets’ options where you can save,” mentioned Hannes.
Also read: What are the Van der Walts and their KIDS up to this week?
Q: Do you educate your kids about money and savings?
“Yes, we give them pocket money and teach them to use money wisely and save it. We also teach them that although we buy them the things they need, they have to save for the extra little things they want, which teaches them responsibility that you have to save for things they want,” advised Natasha.
Q: What do you save your money for?
“I save my money for vacation so that I have money to do my nails or buy shoes and accessories that I like,” said the charismatic Leané.
“I enjoy games and usually buy games with the money I save,” added a confident Jovan.
Also read: Meet the van der Walts: Caxton introduces new content pillars showcasing local family
Q: How do you deal with unplanned expenses during the middle of the month?
“It helped that my parents taught us that we must have extra savings for unplanned expenses,” said Hannes.
Q: What advise do you have for a family to help ensure their money sees them through the entire month?
“We realised, during lockdown that money is not everything and that family is more important. At the end of it all, you still have a family,” said Hannes.
“You need to be happy with what you have, you can’t always have something new and have it at the time you want it. This is also something we need to teach our children.”
