Boy, working 30 hours a week, especially leading up to holiday season, is really tiring for me. Never mind, got paid $303.03 after tax, of which $80 got paid into my EF and $20 into retirement. Yay for me saving over 25% of wages. Office party was on Friday, so didn't have to cook dinner that night. No gift exchange, instead the bosses donated a bottle of wine and we had a draw for it. I didn't win, but as I can't drink wine with my medication anyway it didn't matter.

Today I am cleaning and doing my laundry. I started to tidy up my closet. Boy, do I have a lot of clothes. I have decided not to buy anything new except socks and underwear in 2007. If I have to buy anything - from the thrift store! - I will throw out some older stuff.

I also tidied up my glory box, where I keep all my craft supplies. I decided I have enough yarn to knit out of my stash all year, and there are some neglected crossstitch projects I can work on to. So instead of going out to the movies or eating out with friends, I will invite them round to my place for a "stitch n bitch".

The other thing I will do next year to save money is work on my garden - planting veggies.

As New Zealand is ahead of the rest of the world, I have finished the working week before everyone else!

Today I found 30 cents at the bus stop, and spent $nz1.20 coming home from work.

I went out for a potluck tea with some friends tonite. I made my lazy cook's fudge;

Melt 4 oz butter, stir in 2tbs sugar and 1 tbs cocoa powder. Cool slightly and beat in 1 egg. Crush one packet Girl Scout cookies and mix the butter with the crumbs. Press into a foil lined baking tin. Refrij for several hours (overnight if poss). Next day cover with chocolate icing and cut into squares.

As I had all the ingredients at hand it didn't cost me anything.

Since I have been working for one month and the boss says I will be staying to Christmas, AND I have put another $nz100 into savings, I thought I would look round the shops to see what little holiday gifties I would get for people. I had an idea that the best thing I could get for everybody would be piggy banks.

Well, I went into this new gift shop that's recently opened and saw these very eyecatching glittering silver and gold pigs. Big ones. I thought they would be just the thing for my goddaughter, but when I looked at the price I nearly died. would you believe $nz45.95? I thought the idea of having a piggy bank was to save money. Spending all that dough on something to put your pennies in is ridiculous.

So then I thought I would make some myself out of old plastic containers, and glue pictures of flash cars and fancy houses on them, with some glitter. What do you think? Will my loved ones get the message or will they think I'm cheap?

Last night I found another $1 outside the theatre, and this morning I found 5 cents on the way to church (I dropped it in the plate)

The play last night was about some climbers tramped in a hut, and there were some interesting observations about the kinds of things we think we can't do without. It got me thinking about how much i would be able to cut back if there was a real crunch. So I am going to try it for a month, just spending on the bare essentials. I wonder if I can get it down to $NZ500.

I'll be keeping the Internet connection, as email really is essential for me to keep in touch with my family all over the world. Now I'm thinking toothpaste? Cheese? Plenty of people all over the world manage without all sorts of things. However as it's coming on to winter here I don't intend to do without electricity for heating, and the local council would take a dim view of my walking to the reservoir with a bucket on my head and helping myself to water.

So it will be a basic Western amenities existence, but no frills like dining out, movies, and buying knick knacks.

This morning I walked past a store which was advertising, buy $100 worth of clothes and get a free pair of jeans. In another shop window there was a poster which read "My life changed since I got my Grab jeans." Well, I have had some events that changed my life: death of a parent, birth of a baby, moving to another country, developing a major illness, but I honestly can't say my life has ever been altered by buying clothes, regardless of what I believed as a teenager.

So I walked on to the Red Cross opportunity shop and they were having a $1 a bag sale. I got 3 pairs of trousers, 2 skirts, 2 blouses, 3 jerseys and 1 dress for $2. I don't think I'll need to buy any more outer clothes for a year, only socks shoes and underwear.

Oh I've got the wants real bad. I volunteer one morning a week in this nonprofit store, and they've got a new range of abalone jewellry in. My absolute favorite color is turquiose/aqaumarine, and this bangle has been enhanced with dyes so the bluey green really comes out. It is just lovely, and only $10.75.

Reasons for not buying:
I have veganish tendencies and don't want to wear animal shell.
I already have several lovely bangels
I already have several turquoise blouses, vests, etc in my wardrobe.
I could use the money to get to another goal sooner.
I need to build up my emergency fund.
It's not on my planned buying list.
I can buy it later if I really want it.
I don't need it.

Reasons for buying.
Other people will admire it.
I have a credit card.

So I asked the manger if I could put it aside until my next volunteer morning. She was agreeable, and now I have a week to think it over and decide where in my budget I will draw allocated money from if I still want it next week.

A cooling off period is a great idea. I should use it more often when I get the impulse to buy - I'm just not sure it would work when I get the munchies ("Can I put this hamburger aside for a week please?")

Today I was in town changing my library books. When I walked past one coffee shop, I was given a coupon for a free cappucino. Then I walked past one of the opportunity shops I don't usually go to because it's more expensive than the others. Well! they had closed for the day because it was the end of the season and they were getting new stock in. And get this: they'd put all the remaining unsold stock out in boxes with a sign saying FREE HELP YOURSELF. So I got some things in my size: a navy skirt and 2 cream blouses which will do for work if I get this job, a pair of grey trousers and a casual sweatshirt. They still had the price tags on them and I would have had to pay $30 otherwise.

Then as I was walking home I found a dollar by the parking meter. It went into my change jar, in which I now have $8.40 (I bank it in my "Travel the Trans Siberian" account every time I get to $10)

To top it off my neighbour came over and asked me to feed her cat for the weekend as she was going away. She had some food in the fridge which she said wouldn't last till Monday, so told me to help myself to the milk and vegies.

If only every day could be like this!

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?