money

On August 29th, the office of the Hon Tanya Plibersek, Minister for Health and The Greens issued a media release announcing a $4b package, over six years, which is aimed at improving access to dental care for children, disadvantaged adults and remote communities. Dentistry hadn’t been in the news this much, well…never and the politicians filled dental clinics all across the country for some snaps with kids in dental chairs. The announcement was welcomed by the Australian Dental Association, the Public Health Association of Australia and many dentists, myself included, across the country. So, how has the benefit of a couple of weeks post-announcement affected my sentiment about it?

Fees at your dentist are much like the prices in your supermarket, at the hairdresser, at your local cafe. Just like you budget for your groceries, power bills, entertainment, you can also budget for your dental care. The best way to do this is to stop thinking of dental expenses as ‘unknown’, ‘unexpected’ or ‘miscellaneous’ […]

Most health funds will allow new members to claim immediately on preventative care items. Even though this sounds great and often comes with other ‘sweeteners’ in the highly competitive market, consider shopping around for a health fund which suits your dental condition, to avoid getting ‘stuck’ in a fund and then ‘adapting’ your dental condition to suit their rebates!

We are now getting to the exciting part where it becomes a lot clearer how almost everyone can afford best quality dental care for their whole family without worrying about the financial implications. If you have followed our advice thus far, you would have: 1. Understood and accepted that the business of private dentistry is […]

Knowing what we know about the cost of dental treatment should be an incentive enough for us to avoid any need for treatment. However, teeth and mouth are a part of the rest of our bodies and are usually the first organ to show signs of deteriorating health, unhealthy habits and unsustainable lifestyle. On the […]

Even if high quality dental care seems completely out of reach, there is hope. There are things you can implement in your daily life which can help you afford best quality dental care, whilst ensuring that you minimise any need for extensive treatment. You don’t need to ‘shop around’ for the cheapest dentist or wait until a painful problem appears, to seek advice or treatment. In this series of articles, we will give you some advice on how to take responsibility for your family’s dental care while keeping your bills and your dental problems at a minimum, which almost anyone can afford.

Before we get into today’s business, I should take a moment to explain my purpose in this blog. The name of the blog is a dead giveaway really…here we look at the world through the prism of a glass turnip; we see the world as it really is. We take on environmental and social issues […]

According to this story in the New York Times, the latest and greatest in yoga is pay-what-you-can. I haven’t heard of any donation-based yoga classes here in Australia (feel free to correct me in the comments), but having read this piece I’m not entirely convinced I’d want to try it. I like the idea of […]

The fear of dwindling finances is starting to affect many friends and family members. We don’t need to suffer, though, as there are ways to combat this anxiety and face the future with confidence.

The global financial crisis has brought into focus the not-so-almighty dollar. It’s a timely reminder that true safety and comfort comes not from the money in our accounts but the contentment in our hearts.

A rise in alternative currencies could close the gap and spread around some monetary prosperity.

No doubt you’ve asked this question, particularly if your experience with money and happiness has not lived up to your expectations. Everyone needs money to survive in today’s modern world, but how much or how little depends on your attitude, lifestyle, aspirations and financial future.