In a world of rising bills and expenses, it can be challenging to scrape enough money together for savings.
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It is the reason some Riverina residents are turning to resources like The Barefoot Investor, in a bid to improve their lot.
Thousands of Australians snapped up Scott Pape's self-help book last year, making it Australia’s best seller for 2017.
But Wagga finance experts say the solution to saving money is simpler than residents realise.
Accountant David McLachlan said most financial issues could be traced back to individuals spending beyond their means.
“Spend less than you earn,” Mr McLachlan said. “It’s pretty simple.”
He said writing up and sticking to a budget could have a big impact, as could learning the difference between a “need” and a “want”.
“Putting money aside is one thing,” Mr McLachlan said.
“Leaving it alone is another.”
His words come ahead of a free budgeting workshop in Wagga, assisting families and individuals with their finances.
The next Family-Support-Services-run workshop will be held at 129 Fitzmaurice Street on February 1, from 3pm.
Despite a reported rise in average household incomes across a decade, the Services’ financial counsellor, Nick Georgiou, said they had remained stagnant for a number of years, while utilities and other expenses continued to inflate.
It follows Bureau of Statistics data, that highlighted an increase in the wealth of Australian households.
In 2015-16, the average disposable income was $1,009 per week for each household, according to the Bureau’s data.
While, this was not significantly different from the average in 2013-14, it was a notable increase on the $843 per-week average of 2005.
In Wagga, more than 17 per cent of households earned at least $2,500 per week in 2016.
But Mr Georgiou said many clients he saw were having short or long-term money problems, and the situation was getting worse.
“The main thing I say is: ‘When it gets wobbly, don’t try and stick it out alone’,” Mr Georgiou said. “If (banks or companies) don’t know what’s going on, they can’t help you.”
To anyone finding financial management too overwhelming, he said free financial counselling was available.
