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Archive for March, 2006

Spending Money

March 9th, 2006 at 07:54 pm

Today I went to lunch with a friend. I spent $7.20 - and I don't intend to feel guilty about it. Saving money is not about depriving yourself of things that give you pleasure, when you can afford them. There should be a balance between putting money aside for later and enjoying it now.

I had a relative, born in the Depression, who had a mania for saving every possible cent. Not only did he manage to alienate his family, when he finally got to old age, he was unable to relax and permit himself the things he'd promised himself he'd do when he retired. Although he was practically a millionaire, he lived like a renunciate in a cave. Finally when he died his children inherited his money and spent it all on things like trips which he would have enjoyed, but could never bring himself to do.

There is a difference between being frugal and being a miser.

Dieting on the cheap

March 5th, 2006 at 09:24 pm

Over the last 3 weeks I have lost 8 lb. I have another 40 to go (currently 173) My secret is a vegetarian diet and no sweet or salty snacks - at least i don't buy them. I slip up occasionally when I'm having coffee at a friend's. I also do a lot of walking. Not only is the weight falling off, i'm saving money because I'm buying less treat foods. I just don't understand people who say dieting is expensive. Eat lots of oatmeal and beans - they are low in fats and very good for you. And you don't have to buy expensive fruit and veges, potatoes are just fine if you eat them without added fat.

You have to be very skeptical of manufacturer's claims about low fat foods. Most of them have a lot more added sugar which increases the calories. A good site to check out is www.fitday.com You can put in the foods you eat and it will calculate the calories and nutritional value for you.

Trading

March 5th, 2006 at 03:17 am

I knitted a scarf for a friend using some yarn from my stash. She was so pleased she offered to take me to the theater, so I had a great night out for nothing. Hmm, who else do I know that might like to swap favors for nice hand knitted gifts?

$20 Challenge

March 3rd, 2006 at 07:53 pm

Because my money is scattered in different accounts (Can you tell I believe in compartmentalisation) it's difficult to keep track of where my savings are going. So I've decided to keep a total of all the accounts and sum up at the end of the year to see how much I've gained.

On Feb 1 I had

Cash 115.00
Cheque 299.51
Bill Payer 744.32
Travel/holiday 394.50
House Maintenance 790.07
House Alterations 40.00
Russia 515.50
Emergency fund 387.48 (I had an emergency, okay?)

Total 3,286.38

More money

March 1st, 2006 at 06:58 pm

And I just learned i earned $2.51 interest on my online account last month. So I had a think about what I could buy with that. I got some eggs, rice and veggies and made myself a stirfry. Just think, even if I lose everything else, I'll still be able to afford one meal a month.