A plea for your help

Saving money is really hard. It really is.

Until very recently, I lived from pay to pay and was always broke several days before pay day. Hell, I was actually usually broke several days after pay day. Shut up, you're not perfect. In any case, recently I've had to undergo a bit of a strict budget regime in order to be able to afford to move later this year.

Just a side note on Sydney real estate, these rental prices are nothing short of straight up extortion. The going rate for a two bedroom apartment 20 minutes from the city is somewhere between my left nut and my first born. Okay, it's more like starting from $500 + per week for a place that doesn't smell like arse and has doors on important places like the bathroom. If I used that same amount of money in Tasmania, I'd live in a freaking mansion.

Now that we're putting away as many possible dollars as we can spare, we're realising how much socialising costs. To head down to the pub for a few drinks between us, we're looking to spend in the region of about $60 for an hour and a half. C'mon now, that's just silly! As a direct result of this realisation, we've had to curb our habits a bit in order to allow the facilitation of saving.

Earlier this week, we were invited to go out to dinner with some friends. While I'd absolutely love to attend (the proposition was to go to Hurricane's, and I'd just learned that I love their ribs), we decided that we couldn't afford to go for now as to go out to dinner, have a couple of drinks and taxi home, we'd burn through $160+ like butter. Wait, does butter burn? Probably does, yeah.

Being the new-found tight-arse, I had to politely decline. I really hate that, too. I've never been a miser, and clenching on to my dollars so tightly my hands bleed is a new experience for me.

I used to be the guy that would shout a round, and when you went to pay me for your share I'd shrug it off and say "It comes out in the wash." I have news for you: It doesn't come out in the wash. Some people are more, or less, generous than others and this will always be the case. Anyway, I digress.

Seemingly immediately after having to make to sensible but difficult choice, we are hit up again for another occasion; Our work social drinks down at the local bar. Luckily, I've already popped the cherry on this and again send my apologies with the promise that I'll catch the next one.

Just then, we get a text from another friend that will be in Sydney at the end of this week and would like to catch up. As it turns out, I don't know them myself so I suffered no emotional response whatsoever when I suggest we bail on that, too. By the lord, we would not attend a social gathering this weekend!

That is, until we were invited to farewell drinks of a former colleague of Katie's. We caved on this one, and accepted. We were on the home stretch, dammit! We almost made it to the weekend without making plans that cost us money... and we failed. I am disappoint, I feel like I failed the test.

We're having to put away a sizeable sum for the rent and bond, however it doesn't stop there. Unfortunately, as I currently live in a furnished place, I current own no furniture. Between Katie and I, we collectively own a TV, computer, couple video game consoles and a bed. That's it, when you really boil it down.

So, we're in need of some pretty fundamental things:

• Fridge
• Washing machine
• Pots and pans
• Crockery
• Cutlery
• Lounge suite
• Coffee table
• Entertainment unit
• Bedside table
• Chest of drawers
• Book shelf
• Modem
• Toaster
• Kettle 
• Iron
• Ironing Board
• Microwave
• A countless amount of other things that I, as a male, am completely oblivious to the existence of until I no longer have one to rely on.

Or to put it another way; An entire house worth of stuff. Since our recent engagement, I'm sure that you can understand that we want to move in together as soon as possible, however due to the financial strain that day just seems to be so far away.

Anyway, time for the plea. Friends, co-workers, family, strangers, everyone else. I am putting it out there that we are trying to round up some of the items on this list, and I ask of you: Have you got any of these things you don't need? Have you got an old fridge in the garage that you promised yourself you'd take to the tip one day? Or, maybe you just upgraded your old iron and were about to throw out the old one?

I come to you, hat in hand and ask, "Can I please have it?" It would really help out, and I whole-heartedly believe in paying it forward. Do your karma a favour, by helping me! It's the perfect plan!

A secondary request, in addition to asking so much already. We have nowhere to put it yet. Can you hold on to it for a month or so? Then, when the time is right, Katie and I could whiz around in a hired truck and take it off your hands.

For those who do have some of the bigger ticket items and are in the market to sell them instead, you too can make a difference! If you would let me know what it is and how much you're asking for it in the comments below, it will be really helpful to have that information on hand when we're in the position to buy.

So... are you looking to sell or donate some of your unused possessions? Pretty please?