The debt consolidation survey 1: How old are you?
a) 15 – 19 b) 20 24 c) 25 – 29 d) 30 – 34 e) 35 plus
2: What is your relationship status?
a) Single b) Attached c) Engaged d) Married e) Civil Union
3: How much do you earn?
a) Below $19,999 b) $20,000 - $39, 999 c) $40,000 - $59, 999 d) $60,000 - $79,999 e) $80,000 - $99,999 f) $100,000+
4: How many loans do you have (including credit cards, overdrafts, hire purchase, personal loans and store cards)?
a) 1 b) 2-3 c) 4-5 d) 5-7 e) 7 +
5: Do you own your own home and have a mortgage?
a) Yes b) No, but planning to in the future c) No and I have no such plans at the moment d) I own my home and have no mortgage
6: Do you have a credit card and/or store card?
a) No b) 1 store card (eg Farmers Card) c) 1 credit card d) 2 cards e) 3 cards f) 4 + cards
7: Do you have a personal loan?
a) No b) Yes, I owe less than $1,000 c) Yes I owe between $1,000 and $5,000 d) Yes I owe between $5,000 and $10,000 e) Yes I owe between $10,000 and $15,000 f) Yes I owe $15,000 or more
8: Do you have a budget (that you stick to)?
a) Yes b) No c) Sometimes/most of the time
9: Do you regularly save?
a) Yes b) No
10: When you need/want extra cash, you… (tick all that apply)
11: Do you ever dip into your savings account?
a) No, I’ve got big plans for that money b) Yes, but only in cases of real emergency. c) Yes, when I really, really want something (even though it’s not what I originally started saving for) d) Yes, I sometimes use it to pay bills
12: How often do you pay back your credit card balance?
a) Straight away b) Every pay day c) On a regular basis d) Only when I receive my credit card statement e) I’m pretty slack and get numerous reminder letters and late fees f) N/A
13: How would you describe the payments you make on your credit cards?
a) I try not to let the debt get too high and pay it off before the interest free period ends. b) I pay as much as I can towards my credit card balance. c) I make the minimum monthly payments and make extra payments when I can. d) I only pay the minimum monthly payments.
14: Which option best describes your bill payment habits?
a) I set aside the amount of money I’ll need to pay my bills each month, when I get paid. E.g. automatic payments/direct debits b) I keep a rough idea in my head of how much I’ll need for bills each month, and it pretty much always works out. c) I try to always have enough money to pay my bills but often have to dip into my savings. d) I’m currently using credit cards and/or loans to pay my bills.
15: Do you give much thought to the interest you pay on debts?
a) Yes, I pay back debt as quickly as possible to avoid too much interest b) Yes, but there’s not that much I can do about it c) No, I hadn’t really thought about it
16: Have you thought about ways to reduce the interest you pay on debt?
a) Yes b) No
17: Are you happy with the amount of debt you have?
a) Yes b) No, but I try not to think about it c) No, and I really want to do something about it
Take our survey to tell us about your spending and savings habits. The good, the bad and the ugly - we want to know!