Laceshawl's Personal Finance Blog

Yay! my FFEF is completed, I have $10,000.89 in an online savings a/c, earning 3.15%, just for emergencies.

I walked to the library today, and on the way I found $3 in coins by a parking meter (hope no one was trying to raid it). On the way back I found another dollar. Also in the afternoon I visited my former neighbor, and she gave me a lettuce and some chard from her garden.

I found .20 cents today. Where to put it?

I have several things I am saving for. I am building up my EF. I have automatic payments going into my Travel a/c and House repairs/renovations a/c, as well as Retirement. I want to let a surplus build up in my bill paying a/c, and I am doing the 52 week challenge to save up cash. Anytime I get a bit of extra money I randomly throw it into one place or another. The problem is my efforts are scattered, so it takes me longer to see progress in one place. I have been focusing my efforts lately on the EF, and it is almost done. I think I need to concentrate on one goal at a time, then I will see faster progress. I will leave the automatic payments as they are, get the EF completed, then concentrate on building up cash. Just think, a jar filled with notes and coins!

When you make a determination to save, the money gremlins will throw more expenses at you, to see if you're committed. I went to pick up a prescription this morning, and learned it will now cost an extra $5 a week. Hmm, not too many areas left where i can tighten my belt ... I'll figure out something. Just have to focus on needs, not wants.

Anyway, I put another $10 in the Christmas Club. Now have $36.25

Had to go to the dentist for a checkup today. Bye bye $136. But now i'm all set to keep my fangs in my head for another 6 months, and thoroughly resolved to avoid sugar.

When I find money I generally just toss it in my change jar, which i bank when it gets to 6 or 7 dollars.(the bank doesn't mind me depositing that much in loose change). I don't know how much I've found over the years, tho I have found a $20 note on more than one occasion. i'm going to save it in a separate box to see how much it comes too. Starting with the .20 cents I found in the last 3 days.

Another no spend day, plus I found .10 cents. Need more days like this.

I was going to buy a new raincoat, but decided fully funding my EF took priority, so transferred $113. I am now tantalizingly close to my goal. What else can I postpone till nearer winter?

of Work & Income for medical certificates continue. Paid $44 for one this morning. Also paid an electrician's bill of $51.58. OTOH I found .10 cents, and a friend called round to see the new house bringing a big bag of veggies from her garden.

So I cleaned out my wallet. $5 to Christmas Club, $5.80 to House repairs/renovation a/c

This morning I dashed over to the store to pick up some bread, and I found $2 by the (empty) taxi stand. Nice.

Raining today so I caught the bus. Does it count as spending if you use a prepaid card? Apart from that I didn't spend anything.

I am down to 172 lb. a total of 10 lb lost. 22 to go.

Today I kept wanting to spend money so I could put some in my change jar. That's silly. I will bank what is left in my wallet next Wed. If I keep having lots left over I will reduce the amount I withdraw weekly, and transfer the surplus from checking to savings.

Anyway, I didn't spend any, but I did find .10 cents so was able to put something in my jar.

I am having such fun with the 52 week saving challenge and seeing the money mount up in my Ef, that I am starting another one. This time I will be saving cash, starting with $1, to spend on my trip to India. As I will be going in December, I won't be doing the full 52 weeks, but i should get over $1000.

I had some cauliflower that had a few brown spots and some milk that was getting old, so I made a curry cream sauce, added a can of creamed corn and some peanut butter with the cooked cauli. Tasted good, I shall make it again.

3 more days to the end of the month, and I have paid all my bills, stocked my pantry and fridge, and have money on my bus card. Shouldn't need to spend any more money for a week.

Another $8.40 into the House a/c. Total is now $3,338.70. Hoping to get up to $5,000 by the end of the year.

The Sally Army thrift store just down the road is having a half price sale. I saw some nice stuff but all I could think was where the heck do i put it? So I didn't buy anything. Spending money when you don't really need something is not saving, no matter how cheap the item.

Today was a good day for hanging out laundry, so I did two loads and saved on dryer costs.

The lawyer sent me a check for $5,998 left over from the sale of my old house, so I paid it into my EF. Soon be at $10,000!

...costs money. I renewed a prescription today. $25 for the dr's scrawl on a piece of paper and $15 at the pharmacy.

My new house is much closer to the shopping center. I am only 2 minutes from the supermarket, and there are various restaurants. i find I keep dashing over for food, a bottle of milk in the morning and then back in the afternoon for veges for dinner. This is not a good idea, the more I am in the more I am tempted to pick up bits at the deli, etc. Remember the saving rule is also the waistline rule; stay away from temptation.

All the moving is completed and the boxes slowly being unpacked. Owing to a glitch by the phone company I was without phone or internet for several days, but now all is well. I have paid all bills relating to the house and move and was left with $1000 which I have transferred to my FFEF. The lawyer tells me there will be about $6000 left over from the sale of my old house, so it should be up to $10,000 soon.

The supermarket down the road from me quite often sells its less than perfect produce at reduced prices. Today I bought a bag of precut stir fry veges for $2. I would never pay full price for that, but it's a good way for me to get a variety of veges, since if I bought all the carrots, broccoli, cauli, onions, mushrooms and zucchini there is a chance they would spoil before I used it all.

Also today I found .10 cents.

I had $15.30 in my change jar. I was going to save all year to see how much it added up to, but i don't feel comfortable keeping lots of money round the house. Someone my steal it, or I may steal it from myself. Besides, I want even the tiniest little bit of interest earned on my money. So i banked it in my House account, which is the one I use for repairs and renovations, replacing appliances and all the sort of thing. I currently have $2,298 in it.

This morning I put $5 into my Christmas Club. Never too early to start preparing for the holidays.

The Minister of Revenues has just said that with gas costs going down, people will spend their money saved on other things.

Not me, I'm going to save it. Apart from the fact it earns income, which buying stuff doesn't, our consumer based economy is bad for the environment. There is terrible pollution in China.

today I spent 0, and found .20 cents to put in my change jar. I now have $12.30 in there.

I went to the Post Office today to get a change of address form. Alas! user pays now rules and I had to pay $NZ25 to get my mail redirected. Grr.

Yahoo! I am down to 177 lb. 27 to go.