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Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errorsFree Scan →Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitchesFind Drivers →Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problemsFix Now →A retired couple in Western Australia’s Wheatbelt told PerthNow they received a little more than $60,000 a year from pensions and superannuation. In a July 2024 spending diary, they reported spending $699.76 during the week; PerthNow’s adjusted figure was $573.26 after accounting for a Coles shop they said they made every fortnight. The account offers a snapshot of one household—not a current or typical budget.
Who are the couple, and what income did they report?
In Katie Hampson’s PerthNow Cash Confessions profile, published 26 July 2024, the husband said he was 83 and his wife was 82. They had been married for 59 years and lived on a five-acre property in Western Australia’s Wheatbelt, around 100 km outside Perth. Both were retired.
They said their combined pensions and superannuation brought in a little more than $60,000 a year. The interview also mentions Home Care support, a fuel supplement and bulk-billed medical help. The husband said he received a UK pension from earlier work there, which had been fixed while he lived overseas. These are details the couple reported to PerthNow at the time, not independently verified figures or a guide to what another household might receive. Read the PerthNow profile.
What did they spend in the diary week?
The couple’s reported total for the diary week was $699.76. That figure includes the full $253.01 Coles shop, although they said they made that larger shop fortnightly. PerthNow calculated an adjusted weekly figure of $573.26 by counting half of the shop, or $126.505, in that week’s spending. The two totals answer slightly different questions: the first records the purchases made during the diary week; the second spreads the fortnightly shop across two weeks.
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Neither total should be treated as a universal weekly budget. The diary describes one couple’s purchases and is not a complete annual accounting of every bill. The source does not establish a comparable current cost-of-living figure.
What shaped their household costs?
Several reported costs were regular or budgeted rather than confined to the diary week. The amounts below are the couple’s figures as reported in 2024, not current price guidance.
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| Expense or context | Amount reported | How to read it |
|---|---|---|
| Groceries, including cleaning items and dog food | $1,300 per month | Couple-reported monthly figure, PerthNow, 2024. |
| Fuel | $303 per month | Couple-reported monthly figure, PerthNow, 2024. |
| Car maintenance, including tyres | $2,000 per year | Couple-reported annual figure, PerthNow, 2024. |
| Health insurance | $950 per quarter | Couple-reported quarterly figure, PerthNow, 2024. |
| Home and contents insurance | $266 per month | Couple-reported monthly figure, PerthNow, 2024. |
| Dog food and medication | $476 per month | Couple-reported monthly figure, PerthNow, 2024. |
| Mortgage | $587 per month; $64,000 remaining | Couple-reported payment and balance, PerthNow, 2024. They estimated the five-acre, three-bedroom home was worth about $500,000. |
| Property maintenance | $300 budgeted per month; typically about $200 spent | Couple-reported budget and typical spending, PerthNow, 2024; included bushfire preparation and driveway maintenance. |
The husband said the bank had changed their mortgage from interest-only to principal-and-interest repayments, reducing their previous monthly surplus. Their account also included council rates and bushfire and rubbish management, vehicle registration, medical appointments and upkeep of the property.
Rural living meant transport and upkeep mattered
The couple said their car was important because of where they lived. For the larger Coles trip, they drove about 40 km to Northam. Their routine also involved trips to town and IGA, fuel and animal feed. That makes the transport and property figures part of a particular rural routine, rather than costs that can be assumed for every retiree.
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Utilities reflected their own property setup
They said they had no electricity bill after installing solar with a full battery, no water rates because they collected rainwater in tanks, and no regular sewerage bill because they used septic tanks. They said the septic system was emptied occasionally, around every eight or ten years. Those arrangements explain their reported bills; they are not an estimate of typical utility costs for a rural household.
What did their day-to-day routine look like?
The diary described routine stops in town and at IGA, a larger fortnightly Coles trip to Northam, and purchases such as fuel, animal feed, pharmacy items and newspapers. The couple said they looked for supermarket specials and froze food. A roast chicken and a beef joint provided meals over several days; they said they had frozen meals on weekends and pizza on Fridays.
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These are examples of how this couple organized meals and shopping, not recommendations or proof that the same approach will work for another household. Their diary also included prepared meals and pet-related spending alongside groceries and transport.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.How did they try to manage their spending?
The husband said he monitored expenses in spreadsheets for six months and reduced spending by nearly $1,000 per month. That is his account of the change in their own spending; the interview does not independently verify the amount or attribute the reduction to any particular budgeting tool.
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He described their outlook this way: “I feel we are managing.” He also said, “We live a very quiet life, but that is actually what we enjoy. We are very happy here.”
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