I haven't totalled up the exact amount of dollars and cents, but I'm pretty certain I'm better off than I was 12 months ago. So my New Year resolution is to keep going as I am. By December 31st 2010 I should have:

nz$5,000 in fully funded emergancy fund

be saving 8% of gross income into Kiwisaver for retirement

have saved nz$2,000 for airplane tickets to Britain

pretty grown up for the teenage decade.

So the pet shop down the road has baby alpacas for sale. They are so cool. I could have yarn for spinning while they are taking care of my overgrown grass.

Anyone got a spare nz$350?

If you're trying to cut out sugar so you can lose weight and someone gives you rhubarb which you love so you go and have to buy sugar, did you save any money? And since rhubarb is very good for you, will eating it stewed ruin your diet?

I'm haveing rhubarb crumble anyway.

Today I took nz$2,285.11 and paid off the last of my loan at the credit union. From today I am officially debt free! Hallelujah!

I have st aside $6,000 for house painting next year, and I'm still left with $2,199.96 in my emergency fund. I shall be earning extra money in the January sales, so aim to get it up to $5,000. Then I shall reward myself with a trip to Britain.

This morning I switched to a new package from my phone company. By combing my phone and ISP in the same deal I get twice as much Broadband, with no overage charges, and cheap calling rates to NZ and Australia any time of the day or night. Plus I'll be saving nz$1.30 a month. I decided to get rid of the call waiting feature too as I never use it - I think it's rude to ask someone to hang on while you talk to someone else - so that is another .50 cents a month saved. Yippee, 22.60 a year.