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Archive for December, 2014

Eight days a week

December 30th, 2014 at 11:27 pm

Years ago when i was a struggling single parent I used to get paid on a Wed and would immediately make a cash withdrawal for groceries, gas etc. One day there was a bank glitch and my pay didn't go thru for 24 hours. We made it on baked beans and potatoes, but i decided thereafter I would always wait a while before pulling my money out. I started making a withdrawal every 8 days instead of weekly, so consecutive weeks were Thurs, Fri and so on back round to Wed with a week's cash in reserve. After a few months I got ahead of myself, with a buffer in the checking account that I kept in case i overspent in one budget category, I wouldn't have to borrow from another. It also came in handy at Christmas.

I think I will start doing this again.

Lose pounds, save dollars

December 30th, 2014 at 04:31 am

I am resurrecting this because I have been eating too much, I need to get down to 150 lb. Currently i am 179. I am giving up lollies, cake and cookies, all forms of dessert except fruit, snacks between meals, cheese (pizza!!), fried chicken, peanut butter and juice. I should save some money by not buying these things.

2015 Goals

December 29th, 2014 at 07:53 pm

1. save $5000 in my EF. (already have 2,449)
2. increase savings into Kiwisaver by $10 a week.

modest I know but my income is only $210 per week atm. Hoping my health will improve so i can take on pt work.

Insurance

December 29th, 2014 at 12:50 am

I am dealing with the insurance company abou the new place. House - no problem, but when it came to contents I realized I have got rid of so much stuff I am now overinsured. Most of my clothes and furniture is second hand, so the company would not give me much for it, and there is quite a bit I would not bother to replace anyway. Not yet a minimalist with only 100 things, but definitely simplifying my life by reducing my possessions.

So I'm working out a list of things I would replace in the event of a disaster and the cost of doing so, buying quite a bit at thrift stores and will insure for that. My plan is to eventually save up that amount in a special fund and self insure.

I think insurance companies play on the fear factor a lot of the time to get us to take out big policies. Yes catatrophes happen, but not that often, or they wouldn't be making a profit. I want to insure myself against reasonable risk, but not get paranoid about losing my possessions.

Mantra

December 28th, 2014 at 05:30 am

The only money that went out today was my church offering. I am adopting the Dave Ramsey mantra "Live like no one else, so later you can live like no one else"

Another no spend day

December 27th, 2014 at 07:12 am

I went to the library in town today, leaving my cash and debit card at home. I expected to be regretting it when the impulse to spend struck, but i just breezed past all the shops without a thought of buying. I think because i had made a determination I wasn't going to spend.

Habits

December 26th, 2014 at 05:32 am

The sales start today, so I avoided going into town as I knew I would be tempted to buy some bargains I don't need. Instead I went for a walk in the park. Unfortunately I came home by the supermarket and wound up buying 2 of my favorite Turkish bread rolls, even tho i have a fridge full of food at home. This makes me realise how much i have got into the habit of spending small amounts on impulse. I need to get back to budgeting and tracking expenses - and leaving my cash and debit card behind when I don't intend to spend.

Happy Holidays

December 24th, 2014 at 11:21 pm

whatever you celebrate. I found 20 cents on my way back from church this morning. Wishing you all lots of pennies in your stockings.

52 Week Savings Plan

December 24th, 2014 at 07:31 am

I'd heard about this but hadn't gotten to doing it. Today I got given some Christmas money so I'm doing it in reverse. Just made my first $52 payment into my EF, which got sadly depleted this year, but still had some money in it, so now I have $2,449. I also have almost $5,000 in my Travel account which will pay for India, and I'm putting some aside for renovations at the new house eventually, only $10 a week at the moment, so will add the loose change to that account, which is also just over $2,000.

No spend day

December 24th, 2014 at 04:38 am

plus I found .20 cents to go into my change jar. I was at the yarn store where I used to work today and the manager showed me what's going to be in the January sales. Possum/merino/silk laceweight for only $4 a skein. Me want. But I have over 40,000 yards of wool that I wanted at sometime, and i'm going to knit it all up before I buy any more. So I made a $10 deposit into my travel account instead and made a mental note not to go to the yarn store next month.

Saving change

December 23rd, 2014 at 07:04 am

I have this big jar, the kind bodybuilder protein supplements come in, and my intention is to fill it with all my change from today till next Christmas. This will not be easy, since i'm planning on cutting out all non-essential spending I won't be going shopping very often, so I shall beef it up by adding my $1 coins. I put $4.20 in it today, but as the house is now full of all sorts of goodies, I shouldn't need to buy anything until the end of the year. Wow, a whole week without spending anything, wonder if I can do it.

Eats

December 22nd, 2014 at 04:58 am

One loaf of bread ($1), one avocado (.90), one apple (.60), one tomato (.50) and cheese ($3) = one full tummy

Plans

December 20th, 2014 at 05:41 am

I didn't go out today, so a no spend day - just as well, I have only $7.40 in my wallet. I listened to Indian music and sorted out cupboards. I found my old recorder and some music, so spent a while tootling. Next year I am going to be making my own music instead of buying CDs. I also found a textbook on New Testament Greek which i started to study years ago. I'll spend time with that as well and read the Bible in the original.

Changes

December 19th, 2014 at 07:03 am

Wow, it's been over 2 years since i last posted. I've been pottering along, not getting any poorer, not getting any richer. Health a bit worse and i had to quit my job. I did get to make another trip to Britain this year, paying cash. Since then I've been saving for legal expenses and moving costs, since I planned to move.

Well, now the house is sold, unfortunately for less than i hoped, but I was able to buy without having to borrow any more. I will be moving on January 15. The house requires some renovation, so I will be saving for that and doing a little at a time, paying cash.

Now as to my saving plans, I have been overwhelmed with the amount of stuff I have as I prepare to shift, particularly my wardrobe and the amount of my crafting supples. I don't need to spend any more money on clothes and yarn next year, so I decided I would have a year long spending fast, only buying essentials, like groceries, underwear and busfares. No movies (I still have a ton of ds' dvds I haven't watched), no eating out, no gift buying (everyone is getting handcrafted).

Sound tough, but I know I can do it, because at the end of 2015 I'm planning another trip to India. I have seen how the poor people live there, and if I stay grateful for having enough to eat, a roof over my head, power and running water, and all the other things we take for granted, I'm not going to miss the stuff I don't have.

This is my resolution, but I'm not waiting until January 1 to start. All my holiday spending is done, so I am stopping spending NOW!!