Laceshawl's Personal Finance Blog

I went out briefly to the shop to buy some milk, nz3.20. I put on a jacket I hadn't worn for some time and was pleasantly surprised to find 1.20 in the pocket. Aside from that I was lazing around eating bananas on toast and surfing the net. I found this free pattern

http://cdevine.typepad.com/photos/lace_work/rosetrellisl.html
so dug out some vintage pink laceweight I found at the opportunity shop for nz6.00 and bravely cast on. So far so good. I hope to have a beautiful shawl in time to wear to England.

Didn't blog yesterday because I was late back. It was raining in the morning and I had some wet washing, but I didnt use the dryer - I put it all on the clothes horse, then lit the fire, using wood chopped from my trees, and also cooked lunch on top of the stove.

Im the evening I went to a barbecue, having made quiche and beetroot salad. After eating we watched Jailhouse Rock. Elvis plays a character who wants money above all else, but learns the hard way that love is more important. I have to go out more now that I live alone, but I'm keeping the entertainment down to such simple things, rather than big screen movies and restaurants.

Today was a lovely sunny day. My support group went for a drive to the Peninsula and looked round a historic town. I virtuously refrained from buying an icecream or soft drink. Then we went to someone's place with a lovely view of the beach for a barbecue. I paid nz12.50 for my share of transport and food. Yes I could have stayed home and not spent the money, but who wants to be rich with no social life? Not me! I'll enjoy my modest treats - after a meal at a restaurant could cost me 3 times that amount - and find other ways to cut costs. I find if I try to deprive myself too much I wind up having a backlash and going on a spending binge.

Last night in the enthusiasm of setting resolutions I declared I was going to cut out caffeine. Supposed to be good for my health, and I'll save money on tea and coffee and power by not boiling the jug to make it. I woke up with that familiar withdrawl headache and decided to rethink that idea. Too much like deprivation. I have to have my little treats to keep me happy if I'm to feel good about saving money.

I will probably be the first to bid farewell to the old year and see in the new, so time to sum up the year's achievements and consider what lies ahead.

Balance sheet
Cash 44
Check 22
Bill payer 385
House repairs fund 185
Online a/c 317
Emergency fund 3,400

Difference from 31 Dec 06 - saved 779. In addition I paid 1040 into retirement savings. So from a piddling income of just under 12,000 I saved 15%. I am quite chuffed with myself.

I didn't reach my goal to have 5,000 saved in the EF but that was because I had an emergency! Despite the difficult year, things have improved overall. Next year I will be wanting more liquid funds to cover expenses of selling and buying a new home and shifting. I also have 5,000 in the Credit Union for a trip to Britain. It looks like it will be a year of blackbelt tightwadding and one month of living it up in July. I am going to blog more often to keep me on track, maybe start listing my daily expenses. Today was a no spend day apart from .20 donated to a charity box.

Some of my friends have been complaining about not being able to contact me on the phone, so I decided it was time I finally sidled reluctantly into the 21st Century, like a little crab coming out of its shell, and got myself voice mail. i signed up for the standard Telecom package of call minder, call waiting and caller ID for nz$10 a month. Unfortunately my old phone is a very basic one I bought at The Warehouse 6 years ago and doesn't support caller ID, so I bought a new cordless Uniden for nz$89. Ouch! But I've been having fun programming it - now my best friend is trying to talk me into a cell phone. Sure I'd like to have all these wonderful things like digital cameras, but I noticed my new phone is only guaranteed for 2 years - the same length of time as the rechargeable battery!! It will take me that long to figure out how all the functions work. I guess by the time the warranty runs out there will be some new technological marvel I need to update to. What concerns me is what happens to all the now useless gadgets. I guess they get shipped off to China and some poor person gets exposed to toxicity while disassembling it. I try to reduce the amount of stuff I buy because of concern for the environment, but if I'm to stay in contact, especially now most of my family lives overseas, I have to have some of the new bells and whistles. So we are all dragged along by the pace of change willy nilly.

This morning I was listening to the radio and this Chinese herbalist said NOT to use shampoo to wash your hair. She claimed all that is necessary is to wash it in water in the shower every morning. Well, I'm always on the lookout for tips to save money, so I'll do as she suggested and give it a month's trial. I have very fine problem hair and have spent a lot on fancy shampoos over the years. I wonder if many other listeners will give it a go - there could be a dip in shampoo sales for the holidays!

I decided to turn ds' room into a hobby room/office, so today I sorted out my hope chest where I keep all my projects. I found some nice material I bought to make a skirt. My neighbor admired it and said she had some old patterns, so I had a look through and found one I liked. All I needed was a zipper, and I got one at the Salvation Army for nz.50 cents. Sewing notions are sooo expensive it's hardly worth making your own clothes nowadays. Patterns too. I found one pattern I bought years ago intending to make a top - you could date it by the power shoulder pads.

I also looked through my yarn. I can tell where I'm at in my life by how my knitting is going. At the moment I'm doing miles of boring stockinette in a neutral color, so the next project will be something a little more exciting. I have a big stash to keep me going for a looong time - in fact, I even gave some away. Gasp. But I asked myself the question, if I had the money again would I buy this? The answer was definitely not, so off to a group knitting blankets for Roumanian orpahnages. Crafts are wonderful outlets for creativity, and I think they are spiritual too, but hoarding supplies can get out of hand. No more impulse snapping up of this and that because "I'll use it one day." From now on I'll decide what project I want to do and then shop for that. Some of that yarn has been sitting in my hope chest for 5 years.

Today was a no spend day. I looked through my coin collection of foreign money I recieved in change or found under parking meters. I have

$16.85 Australian
6.03 US (plus a Kennedy half dollar - are those legal tender?)
2.70 Singapore
10 rupees Indian
1.91 Canadian
Stg3.50 UK
4.50 Fijian

plus coins from Austria, Falkland Islands, Samoa, Eire, France, Indonesia, Netherlands, Solomon Islands, Cook Islands, Switzerland, Hungary, Israel, Denmark, Malaysia and Sri Lanka.

Be nice if I could get to all those countries to spend the money.

Because I am using mental health services, I am entitled to attend the local art centre for therapy. I started today with a creative writing class. We looked through glossy magazines for phrases, and I wrote two poems.

Designer Life
It's that time of year to age beautifully
Take a basic quick mix hanging garden
Add an easy care formal contrast funky handbag
Avoid chandeliers - they cause skin damage
Elegant glasses and dramatic dresses
should not be left in direct sunlight
Team a stained glass window with a classic jacket
for squeaky clean tender barbecued asparagus
Look as young in your pergola
as you do in your silk shirt
Use your no hassle trimmer
to make a decadent golden cake
for a balmy climate


The other sounds quite depressed, but I'm slowly coming right.

The Last Shop
We retail black
You can call it burnt charcoal
or ethnic ebony
and we'll charge an extra $300
but when all's said and done
lie down in the box
in your black polyester work pants
or your strapless little black dress
There'll be no money in your pocket
just white bones in black earth

The mad whirl of Christmas parties has begun. Today my Bible Study group had an end of year function, also to say farewell to a couple who are moving. We went for morning tea at a cafe nz$7.00. I had some scrummy ginger crunch. I stopped at the supermarket on the way back to buy some eggs, nz$1.80, and on the back of my reciept was a coupon for a free coffee at the very cafe we'd been at. Hearty use of words that are in the King James.

Then I got home and in the mail was an invitation to a free lunch with a presentation on making money on the Internet. I suspect some scheme to seperate me from my money, but a free lunch sounded good. Then I looked at the available dates: 3rd, 4th and 5th of December. Hullo, it's the 5th already? What marketing genius in Auckland didn't realize it can take mail 5 days to get here? More use of Authorized language.

looks spectacular. I was very careful to spend only on needs, not wants, as I'm saving for Christmas.

Total Income nz$733.26
Expenses $491.24
Savings 242.02

Groceries 100.76
Donations 37.70
Clothes 3.90
Meeting friends for coffee 25.70
Medical 23.00
Local body taxes 90.67
Phone & ISP 67.74
Insurance 49.45
Power 75.00
Misc 17.32

When I go to the shop I feel like the Greek philosopher who went to the market and commented "who would have thought there could be so many things I have no need of." I have basically lost interest in spending money apart from meeting friends for coffee - and I'm reconsidering that expense. I'd rather save up and have a big decent trip than fritter it all away on little bits and pieces that give no lasting satisfaction.

I was out the flat end of town today and happened to pass by an open home, so went in and had a look. It was quite nice and I could afford it if my house sells at it's estimated value, but the agent told me nothing is moving in the housing market at the moment - since the collapse of several finance companies, everyone is waiting to see what happens. Well, they say real estate goes in seven year cycles and the last seven years have been pretty good, so we can expect a downturn. It's got me thinking about how much it's worth spending on doing up my place. I shall probably just repaint the interior walls and put some nice shrubs in the garden - I wouldn't get enough to make it worthwhile renovating the bathroom and kitchen. I'm fortunate because living fairly close to the University there are always buyers looking, so I can move out to the flat area where houses are cheaper. I will miss my lovely view of the harbour, but I won't be sorry not to have to climb up that hill anymore. I'll get the trip to Britain over first, and sell next summer by which time there'll be a clearer picture of what the market is doing.

The price of petrol must be pinching - I've seen a number of SUVs for sale. There is an Isuzu Bighorn parked just down the road with a sign in the window. They cost over NZ$40,000 new, and he's asking $5,000. Just behind it is a 1969 VW beetle which is asking NZ$4,500. I think I'd rather have the VW. They're really reliable and hold their value well. Besides, I have fond memories of whizzing around in a former bf's VW. But at the moment I'm better off managing with taking the bus or walking - I need to exercise.

Now I'm no pedantic English teacher, ready to jump on every little misuse of the language, but...

there is one radio ad that has me concerned over whether I should let the store know of their mistake. It's a furniture and appliance store that offers terms, as most do. In the ad, the announcer enthuses about "Smith City's infamous Easypay."

I guess whoever dreamed up that one thought that infamous was the same as famous. Not so - infamous means notorious.

At least people who get into trouble over their payments can't claim they weren't warned.

Today was a glorious day - the sort where you smile at total strangers and say lovely day, and they smile back and say isn't it. I spent the day idling round. In the morning I seamed the cardigan I knitted. Of course I ran into the Murphy's Law of the button jar, one button short of the 10 I required. I went to the thrift store on the corner and found a dress for $1 which I snipped the buttons off. In the afternoon I went out to the beach with a friend and we sat and watched the surfies doing their thing. My sandal broke as I was walking back, but I was able to fix it with superglue. Had a yummy chocolate icecream for nz$1.50.

This is a very nice town to be in if you are broke. There are free museums, parks and art galleries, and open lectures down at the University. I live a very simple life and am totally satisfied. I keep thinking about when I was in India. If I converted my assets to rupees, I would be a millionaire, and I certainly was compared to the people around me. Even though I was staying on an ashram, living out of one suitcase and eating simple meals of lentils and rice, I felt I had so much to be grateful for. When I got back I was so annoyed with people complaining about how hard life was. I have my little house and I can afford food, clothing and power, and I still have eyes that can see and legs that can walk. There are millions in the world who would love to change places with me. I think even if I won the lottery I would not change much. I could be very happy being financially independent on an income of say, $1000 a month. The one thing I would like to do more of is travel. Not only does it broaden the mind, you feel like there's no place like home when you get back.

There has been a lot in the papers recently about the increased cost of food, so I decided to take a careful look at prices today. Fruit and vegetables have gone up, but as it is spring at the moment you'd expect that. Potatoes are expensive as we wait for the new ones, but rice and pasta are still cheap. We have the ridiculous situation where we are exporting food to other parts of the world, and in return a lot of the stuff in the supermarkets is imported from US and Australia. I need to check out the local farmers' market.

I came to the conclusion that a lot of the price increase is due to packaging. Instead of say, a can of plain tuna, there are a whole load of little cans with all sorts of added flavors, often lunchables with a few crackers and all done up in loads of cardboard and plastic. But if you buy the regular can it's just as cheap and helps save the environment. I found no difference in the prices of basics like oats, lentils and eggs. I think people's eating habits have changed and they're buying a lot more convenience foods.

The one thing that is more expensive is dairy products, I guess cos the Asian market is beginning to use more. But I did notice round campus, judging by the trash, a lot of students can still afford plenty of pizza and beer. Hmm, if the price of cheese keeps going up, will pizza become less affordable?

This weekend I went to the Oamaru Victorian Heritage celebrations. Had a lot of fun, including a history lecture in the basement of a whiskey distillery. There were horse drawn carriages, people riding penny farthing bicycles and lots of people dressed up in 19th century costume. The highlight was a tea in the park, with tea poured from silver teasets, and cucumber sandwiches and scones with jam and cream. Yummy, and as it was an outing with my support group it didn't cost me anything.

Of course I know that back in those days it really was a lot of hard work, which is why most people were dressed up as ladies and gentlemen rather than servants, but it is fun to pretend once in a while.

Wow, it's been 4 months since I last posted. I hadn't forgotten - I had to be hospitalized in July and it's been a slow recovery. I keep reminding myself of all the things I have to be grateful for, like all the wonderful medical care I am getting, paid for under our State system. And having a paid for house in these shaky times. I had to spend $1100 on doing some alterations, but still have over $3000 in bonds to fall back on if needed.

I haven't given up on returning to work eventually but for the moment I'm back on the sickness benefit and have very little spare cash so need to be extra diligent about where my money goes. I'm looking at having to sell this place and moving to an apartment in a couple years. Also since I'm not guaranteed a ripe old age, I'd love to take a trip to Britain next year and see ds and other relatives in England and Ireland. No one can predict what the future holds, but I'll make plans anyway!

Kiwisaver is the name of the new retirement savings scheme launched by the Govt on the 1st of this month. I have been checking out info, and it seems worth joining. You can contribute up to 8% of your earnings, with up to 4% employer match, plus an initial boost of $1000 from the govt, and tax credits of up to $1040. Slightly more complex than letting it grow tax free, which would be my preference, but nothing is perfect in this world. Of course it would be perfect if I ruled it!!!

There is a range of approved schemes you can choose from; I picked one up from my bank this morning, which offers 5 funds, from conservative (mainly fixed interest investments) to aggressive growth (nearly 100% shares). The management fees are reasonable, around 1% in total, and investors who itemise claims can get reimbursement. I already have some retirement savings in a private scheme which is a growth fund, but now I'm in -erm, "late youth" - maybe I should look at starting a balanced fund. You can get an age appropriate scheme which will transfer you based on your expected retirement date, but there is a transfer fee. Still got to consider whether saving that is penny wise, dollar foolish. Also, all I have heard so far seems to be based on someone working a regular job for a single employer. Don't know where that leaves self-employed, freelancers and temps - much of my past working life was spent on short term projects, which is why I had to be careful to put a portion of all I earned in a private scheme.

It amazes me how many people seem to be so resistant to putting anything into Kiwisaver. There seems to be a feeling of "this is just another ploy cooked up by the govt and the big money interests to rip us off." Well, maybe it's not so generous as people expected, but if you put nothing into it, then you'll find what you get from the govt at retirement isn't very generous either - and you will have ripped yourself off. It is mostly the lower earning people who argue this way, the higher earning people are quite keen to join, and if they object, it's becuase they have other ways of investing their money, or they project earlier retiremnt and don't want to tie up their savings until they're 65.

The other big argument, of course, is I can't afford it. I have 2 friends who smoke; one is earning a low income but is doing his level best to quit so he can save money. The other argues that the pleasure she gets from it is worth "only" $18 a week, and anyway she has a high earning husband who she's sure will look after their retirement. That $18 a week invested in Kiwisaver would come to around $100,000 by retirement. Meanwhile she continues to buy clothes and lunch out whenever she wants - then complains she "has" to work at a cr@p parttime job in order to support her family. Her lack of logic drives me crazy, but maybe I'm a smallminded person - was it Emerson who said consistency is a hobgoblin of little minds?

In the meantime I'll be a patriotic Kiwi - so glad our govt isn't telling us we should spend more for the good of the country.

...saves nine, as granma always used to say. I was so peeved about that library fine, I took a couple minutes to sign up to

libraryelf.com. I'd been told some time previously this was available and kept meaning to get round to it. Procrastination has cost me money!!
Those of you bothered by returning books on the due date, check to see if your local library is linked to it.

I have been told of a free community college course I am eligible for, doing computing. i thik I'dlike to get my typig speed up to 60wpm with less errorrs!!! Owing to the lack of flexibility in all my joints and limbs this may be difficult, but there are good jobs out there for speedy typists. I also want to do web design, MYOB and payroll. that should get me a wider range of temping jobs. I found a free trial version of TypingMaster, the same one used by the college, so am practicing 30 minutes every day at home. The advantage of going down to college is someone else pays for the heating!!

I impressed myself with the end of the month's tally:

Income 1,005.33 (keep picking up all those pennies!)

Expenses 388.73
Household/toiletries 7.90 (Hurrah for vinegar and baking soda)
Groceries 64.70 (but now all staples in pantry are used up)
Eating out 9.80
Transport 10.00 (used only invalid's discount bus pass)
Clothes 1.20 (very happy about this - great pair of shoes, hardly worn)
Donations 8.00 (still have to make regular contribution to church so that will put total up)
Misc 39.50 (I wasted .90 on a library fine and 5.50 on bank fees because I let the balance slip below the required limit for free checking)
Power 119.00 (real frosty)
Phone/net 79.18
Home and contents insurance 49.45

If only every month could be like that! - but I did not have to pay some expenses this month such as medical and property taxes, or home repairs. However, now there is 616.60 safely stashed for future contingencies.

Woah, didn't realise time whizzed by so quickly, been waiting for something interesting to post about, as my daily spending gets mundane (milk, bread, busfare...)

Our local supermarket has one of those noticeboards where people can post ads. Today I was browsing it and I saw the following:

For Sale: Would your little girl like a walking talking Fifi doll? (unwanted birthday present) $20. Phone XXX

Well, I admit I've regifted a few unwanted presents in my time, but I'm usually careful to post them to the other end of the country. Selling a child's birthday gift seems a bit on the nose to me. Or - maybe the parents gave it and the child didn't want it? But in that case why didn't they return it to the shop? There's a story in there somewhere, any writers among us care to have a go at it?

Today was knit group. I walked in and behold! - a sale. If I had been armed with a credit card I could have run amok snatching up bagsful of gorgeous mohair for only nz$4 a ball. However I controlled myself and sat down to work on the project I had brought with me, firmly telling myself I had plenty in my stash. Even at the table I was not immune from temptation - of a different sort. There were chocolate coated cookies most ruinous to slim figures.

So I made myself some Catch 22 rules:
1. If I resist buying yarn, I am allowed to have a cookie.
2. If I resist eating a cookie, I am allowed to buy some yarn.
3. see rule 1.

My salvation came in the stash box. Our group keeps a box for people to donate their odds and ends, so I dug through and found enough to knit a couple hats for charity (we knit from the stash box for the Women's Shelter). That will satisfy my new project urge for a while.

So I made it through the morning without succumbing to the mohair siren call. On the way home I passed the freebie box outside the Sally Army - and Hallelujah! A whole stack of McCalls magazines, dating from the 50s, 60s and 70s, just chocka with vintage patterns. They are too tattered to sell, but I am having great fun going thru them. I had a sort of cross between a giggle and a sigh when I got to 1972 - I was at high school then, and all the girls were crocheting fringed granny square vests, batik dying skirts and all the rest of it. We thought we were so trendy - if you ever wanted to be assured fashion is a waste of time and money, look back to the clothes you had to have when you were young.

So another no spend day. So long as the freebies keep flowing, the going is easy.

I was looking for an alternative to MS Money, as I don't like it very much. I tried downloading pearbudget and a couple other freebies, but none of them would do all I wanted so I am juggling all these little spreadsheets whenever I want to update something.

Anyway, I'm going to check out this Lite version of AceMoney. it's supposed to do everything except multiple accounts, so as I am mainly concerned with my checking account, it might be worth a go

http://www.mechcad.net/products/acemoney/index_lite.shtml

I also found this online tracking site, which means you can enter your data from anywhere, instead of having to save all the reciepts and enter them on the home computer.
www.moneytrackin.com

The money plant cutting my friend gave me a few months ago has been growing really well.Last night I thought it was about time I gave it a bit of feeding and watering, so I stepped out onto the front porch - and it was gone! Not there! Missing! Somebody walked off with it!

It's a shame, because in general this is a good neighborhood - but some people who are otherwise honest don't seem to think it's stealing if they take plants (and books, but that's a whole 'nother story)

I hope they put it in the wrong corner and it brings them bad Feng Shui. I found 60 cents this morning so hopefully my luck hasn't altered.

The Public Library booksale was this weekend. It was so big, it was held in the basement carpark instead of the usual room. There was a barbecue and coffee for sale. I'm not sure how many tables of books there were, but I was a bit overwhelmed. Instead of the usual ooh-bargains-goody response, I was thinking to myself; these are all the must-have books of yesteryear - do I really need them now? OK they were 50 cents each instead of $10-15, but it's still spending money I could save for something else, and cluttering up my home with more stuff.

In the end I only bought 3 books, as gifts for other people (hint, if your friends don't like 2nd hand books, get some new friends). I am now resolved to become a serendipity reader; I will read the books that find their way into my life, instead of forever trying to find that ONE book that will transform my life. There will always be another bestseller and a new how-to-fix-your-life book.

Actually, I'm now into free ebooks and classics. The Gutenberg Project is great, and stored on my computer they don't take up space. Plus, it is the one way I can read and knit at the same time.

Brrr it's winter here in godzone. We have had a good frost for the last couple nights. Hard to make myself get out of bed and the power bills are skyrocketing

First bit of good news; I have qualified under the Healthy Homes scheme to have my house given more efficient insulation. given that my house is quite old and I have a disability and a low income. It will cost around nz$900, and I only have to contribute one third of this.

Second bit of good news is I am getting a tax refund of nz$380 - so that will pay for the installation of the insulation nicely

Looking forward to lower power bills

Goods news is I got my scarf back. And I have another interview tomorrow.

Sad news is an old school friend's brother has died. I went to look for a nice card - I cannot believe the prices. Just a blank with a nice picture so I could write inside cost up to nz$5. Well, how to do the decent thing as a human being without drinking milkless tea for the rest of the week? I have got Publisher so could make my own card, but
i) I don't like the cheap look of paper compared to heavy card
ii) I guess so many people have switched to making their own or sending ecards, that's why they're getting more expensive.
Then I thought of making some stationery with a pretty border and writing a sympathy letter instead. I turned up a webpage of quotes and found a Chinese proverb that says:
You can only go halfway into the darkest forest, then you are coming out the other side. I added some lines of my own about my memories of him, and went to print it -
oops, run out of ink. When I went to the computer store, the guy said for some reason the cartridges were hard to get lately. Bye bye nz$18.
Compared to losing a dear brother, it's nothing to complain about.

A while back I picked up a jersey in a thrift store for a dollar. I unravelled it, then spent the last couple weeks knitting myself a lovely warm bright red scarf. Today I wore it for the first time, and got some compliments. I thought I was pretty smart for a dollar.

And now I've lost it. Agghh, I must have left it in the lecture theatre. I was right! It's all Shakespeare's fault!

sigh, 16,000 students on campus. Will it fall into the hands of an honest one who gives it to the lost property office? Or will I see my scarf wrapped round someone's neck at the pub? Will it wind up draped around a lamppost, or used as a lampshade in a hall of residence? The possibilities are endless.

Fortunately I still have plenty of the red yarn left. I'm thinking of knitting a beanie, or maybe a bag.

One of the great things about living in a college town is there are regular open lectures by all sorts of visiting professors, to which members of the public can go - for free.
This afternoon I went to a talk on Shakespearean acting by a performer from the London Globe. It was fantastic. Not only was he a mine of information on the history and language of the times, he was also wonderfully entertaining. We were in fits of laughter - the Globe is now definitely on my list of places to visit when I take a trip to England.
I came out and had a dry throat, so thought I'd go to the Student Union for a cup of tea. Only a couple of years ago you could get a decent cup of coffee or tea for a dollar. Now - they've all gone upmarket and the barrista charges you nz2.80. I could live with that, but they also have these huge tempting slice of chocolate fudge, ginger crunch, and all manner of luscious muffins. So I wound up spending nz5.20. Agghh - that could have gone to my trip to England!
The groundlings in Shakespeare's day would never have stood for it - they'd be rioting and hurling nuts. Now all these wellmannered intellectual students study Shakespeare from texts and they don't realise how revolutionary he actually was! I was fascinated to hear the speaker from the Globe saying the hiphop artists are the true modern Shakespeares.