Laceshawl's Personal Finance Blog

I have finished one of the cabbages. I lasted 2 weeks. For a change I dug in the back of the cupboard and found a can of asparagus, which I had with macaroni.

Today I took some money from my change dish and bought
sultanas 1.79
lentils 2.15
tomato paste .79
I knew saving change would come in handy.

I also bought a Film Festival ticket for $12.50. There are several movies I'd like to see, but I narrowed it down to one: an Australian documentary about an aboriginal choir.

And I weighed myself. I am down to 79 kilos. I'd like to lose weight a little faster, but they say if you lose slowly it's more likely to stay off.

I wanted somethng dfferent from apples so bought 4 bananas for $1.36. I also bought some oats for $1.69 and peanut butter for $1.99.

I have received some free yarn. 4 balls of crochet cotton and 12 balls of fun fur. Not the sort of yarn I usually knit with, but at least it's vegan.

Payday. I picked up my prescription, $15.

I want to change my broadband plan but can't ring the 0800 number from my cellphone. Today I got to a landline but forgot to bring my account no with me. They couldn't find me under my name or cellphone no, and their system doesn't search for addresses. So I'll have to ring back next time I get to a landlne.

When I pay bills I enter the amount rounded up to the nearest dollar n my checkng register, for ease of math. This morning I balanced the account and realised I have $28.86 more than I budgeted. Think I'll leave it in there as a buffer.

Another big box of apples for the taking at Artsenta today. It's a good thng I like them.

My friend gave me the knitting needle, so I gave her the $6. There go my hopes of a no spend week. But since it was ordered last week I guess you could call it deferred spending.

And I found a half dollar by a parking meter.

Zero dollars spent on food this week, I lived out of my pantry and fridge. Left in my cash envelopes:
food $4
misc $100
medical $135
go card $11.17
mta vouchers $80

Doing pretty well so far, I think. I'm looking at rewarding myself with a trip to the Film Festival next month.

Meals today the same as the last 3 days:
breakfast: porridge, apples
lunch: tortilla with chutney
dinner: rice, lentils, cabbage, potatoes

The sugar and oil are getting low but I think they'll last till Friday.

I forgot I had to renew a prescrption this week, so I spent $25 from my medical envelope to pick up a script from the doctor. I will drop in the pharmacy on Monday, when it will cost me $15.

Icouldn't sleep last night so watched YouTube videos on how to make perfect tortillas. Mine always turn out too thick.

And I'm out of peanut butter. Never mind, I can do without it for the next 6 days.

Payday. One seventh through my year challenge. Also DS's birthday. I offered to take him out to lunch but he spent most of the day snoozng. Hard to believe 35 years ago I pushed out a 9 pound pumpkin. The memory of the pain fades; the joy remains.

My goal for this week is to have 7 NSDs. That's right, a complete no spend week. I passed a couple of op shops today: one was advertising a dollar of everything, the other offered 2 tops for $2. I didn't go in. I already have 65 tops - ok, some of them don't fit but I'll lose weight I promise.


I still have lots of oats, rice, canned beans, cabbage and potatoes. Looks like I'll be eating the same thing everyday but that's ok.

The only thing bought today is toilet paper. Normally I buy 12 rolls for $3, instead I bought 24 for $5.90. A saving of 10 cents!

Found another 10 cents today: a total of $8.30 in my Trans Siberian fund.

Spent $8 on food this week. In my cash envelopes:
food $4
misc $88
medical $140
mta vouchers $80
change dish $8.40
house maintenance a/c $2,765

Today is Bastille Day so DS invited me to share his baguette. He had his grilled with chicken and cheese, and I had mine with marmite and a cup of cocoa.

Lucky Friday 13th for me. I was given a book of knitting patterns, plus I found 10 cents. Also I was intending to buy a 5.5mm circular needle which costs $9.90 at KnitWorld. I mentioned it to a friend and she found one listed on TradeMe for $3 plus $3 p&p. So she has put a hold on it for me until it closes next Wed, and if she gets it I will give her the money. Wish I could save $3.90 on everything I buy.

I have been looking at this website

Payday. A whole $289.61 into my account. The electrician's bill finally arrived so I paid it right away, $222.63. Still left with well over $2,000 in the House maintenance a/c.
I had almost $500 in my check a/c so transferred $400 to my FFEF. I now have $2.082 in there.
I went to Knit Squad this afternoon and made a gold coin donation. I also put a dollar from my misc money into my Trans Siberian trip money tin. If I put a dollar in there every week I'll get there in a hundred years! But if I don't start saving something I'll never get there.
And I bought another cabbage and 4 cans of beans at a dollar each. It's a good job I like cabbage, and it can be cooked in so many ways.

New World had whole cabbages at $1.99 which is the cheapest I've seen in years. I bought one and I think I'll get another one, as it lasts for ages.

I put $20 on my bus card and spent $3.84 on bus fares, apart from that it was a no spend day.

Today was the monthly vegan pot luck, but as we were having a combined church service I thought I should go to that. It turned out there was nothing for me to eat, but they were giving away - yes! more apples.


So at the end of week 6 the financial situation is $16.70 spent on food and in my cash envelopes:
food $12
misc $90
medical $120
change dish $8.40
mta vouchers $80

My name is Tina and I am a breadaholic. I bought 2 loaves on Wed and finished them in 3 days, bought another one today and it is already 3/4 gone. I love pbj sandwiches, no wonder I have difficulty losing weight.

I was born on this day 60 years ago, but owing to the number of birthdays I have missed celebrating I am really only 39. Artsenta put on a morning tea for me. The cake probably had some eggs and milk in it, but since they'd gone to so much trouble I had a small piece. Sometimes not hurting people's feelings is more important than an ostentatious display of principle.

I bought some carrots at Veggie Boys for 70 cents.

"Everyone has the right to a standard of living adequate for the health and well-being of himself and his family, including food, clothing, housing and medical care and the necessary social services, and the right to security in the event of unemployment, sickness, disability, widowhood, old age or other lack of livelihood in circumstances beyond his control."

United Nations, Universal Declaration of Human Rights, Article 40.

New Zealand is a signatory to this declaration.

For the months of July, August and September I am recieving an extra $20.45 a week to cover increased heating costs. I have the heat pump on pretty much permanently in winter, it is bad for me to be cold.

I went to the Caltex gas station today and bought bread and pasta for $8.60. I paid with one of my vouchers and got $1.40 in change. I will buy carrots with some of my cash on Sat, apart from that I don't need anything.

And I found 50 cents on the way home. I now have $5.20 towards travelling the Trans Siberian.

For lunch I made a batter with peaflour and curry powder and added the struggling bean sprouts to make vege pancakes.

I had a look around a couple of service stations today and found some food I can buy. Not much and it costs more than the supermarket, but if I spend $20 in vouchers there for the next 5 weeks, I can put $100 of food money into my FFEF. So that's what I'll do.
This means I have $80 in vouchers and $17.80 cash to last me to the end of the month. Hopefully I'll get some change from my voucher purchases (not all the stations give change)

It was raining this morning so I caught the bus into town, $1.92. I could have stayed at home and saved the money but I don't intend to be a rich hermit. Part of the reason for having money is to enjoy spending it. The extreme belt tightening is only till my FFEF is built up again.
There was another whole box of apples at Artsenta today so I took some to make applesauce.

This morning at church I was given a jar of homemade relish so I ate some with the leftover communion rolls.
I looked in the Blacks Road greengrocer on my way back and they had bags of aging mushrooms for sale so I splurged a whole $3. At New World I bought reduced price bananas for $1.81 and a 1/4 cabbage for 79 cents.
DS went to a do this evening and got given a Motor Trade Association voucher which he handed to me as an early birthday present. Not sure what I'll be buying at a service station, but perhaps I can give them as thankyous to people who give me lifts.
So the situation at the end of the week is spent on groceries $15.20, in my cash envelopes:
food $11
misc $70
medical/dentist $100
change dish $6.80

I'm rather tired froom all the walking I've done this week so just lazed around at home today. It meant another no spend day.

Today I found 30 cents. At one stage I was saving all my found money for a trip on the Trans Siberian. I think I'll do that again.

I made some sprout scones from the recipe by Jack Monroe except I used kale. They were good; I'll definitely make more of her recipes.