I just realised that I didn't really post my fortnightly budget last week. Well, I budgeted $170 for each week. I've gone over $14 my first week so now I only have $156 left until the 11th of November.
Here's what the spending looked like:
Thurs (29th Oct)
$20 - manicure
$43 - treated friend out to a Thai dinner. We usually treat each other out and now it's my turn
Friday - (30th Oct)
$12 - groceries - I was recovering at home with a sore ankle so I needed supplies to last me through the night while watching DVD's and while J is at work all night
Saturday - (31st Oct)
$7.80 - guava juice & lemonade
$15 - liquor - my share for vodka & champagne
We had another engagement BBQ at J's parents place. It was good fun & there was so much food!
Sunday - (1st Nov)
$25 - wine festival entry - this came to about 3 full glasses of wine
$15 - food at the festival
I caught up with a friend of mine over the weekend and we went to a wine festival being held on the beach. It was a great day!
Monday - (2nd Nov)
$9.80 - lunch at work
$2.50 - giant cookie
$45.90 - groceries
Total: $196.00
There's too much going out & it's only going to get worse. I think we have somewhere to be every week this November & December before we leave for Japan that I don't even think I can contribute anything else to my savings. I guess all things considering, I would still be pretty happy to end the year with actual cash in the bank since I've only started saving in August and I've already got $4000 in there.
Monday, November 2, 2009
Friday, October 30, 2009
Expensive Private Health Insurance
Friday, October 30, 2009
0
One of my major expenses every month is my private health insurance for which I have a top cover - hospital + extras. I pay roughly $125 a month and I get 75% back of everything that I pay for provided it's below the capped plan. The main reason for this is dentistry. I grew up in a country where dental care and 6-monthly dental check-ups are for the rich. When I complained of a tooth ache when I was around 13, my aunt took me to a dentist for the first time in my life (that I remember) and he immediately took the tooth out. I didn't go to a dentist years after that. Until a couple of years later when it really started to hurt and I had to get two root canals. A root canal costs around $1200 to $1500 and without a health cover, I had to pay that in full (and J paid most of it anyway). That's why I decided to get the top cover - just in case!
I had a little mishap on Tuesday during a training session. I was jogging down a very steep hill when I twisted my ankle & could only shuffle the following day. I went to a physio & the bill came to $90. Very expensive! My insurance covered $67.50 of the cost so I only paid $22.50. Not bad for a long appointment!
I had a little mishap on Tuesday during a training session. I was jogging down a very steep hill when I twisted my ankle & could only shuffle the following day. I went to a physio & the bill came to $90. Very expensive! My insurance covered $67.50 of the cost so I only paid $22.50. Not bad for a long appointment!
Saturday, October 24, 2009
Need to stay on track...
Saturday, October 24, 2009
0
J & I just had a big weekend last week for my birthday trip to Melbourne. It was great and we ate so much. We did manage to do a little shopping but we mostly used gift vouchers that we've acquired over the year (also from our engagement party). J is away again this weekend to a Bucks weekend interstate. I guess this kind of bucks parties are becoming more common nowadays. As they say, the wedding is usually the bride's "thing" so the groom has to compensate with a large bucks party, most of the time with strippers (yikes!).
We both need to keep on track of our finances at the moment. And I haven't updated my expenses spreadsheet in a week. I didn't really overspend in Melbourne but I did think that I will go under my $500 budget but it was just right. Maybe I should set myself a lower budget next time?
My Week 2 budget is still on track but the next few weeks is going to be so busy leading up to the holidays and of course, Japan! It's going to be expensive but exciting at the same time.
We both need to keep on track of our finances at the moment. And I haven't updated my expenses spreadsheet in a week. I didn't really overspend in Melbourne but I did think that I will go under my $500 budget but it was just right. Maybe I should set myself a lower budget next time?
My Week 2 budget is still on track but the next few weeks is going to be so busy leading up to the holidays and of course, Japan! It's going to be expensive but exciting at the same time.
Thursday, October 22, 2009
Mmmmm....
Thursday, October 22, 2009
2
I really want one of these....
but I know I'll get sick of it after two weeks! I think I'll just wait for the Kindle...
but I know I'll get sick of it after two weeks! I think I'll just wait for the Kindle...
Friday, October 16, 2009
Off to Melbourne
Friday, October 16, 2009
0
Tomorrow morning, J & I are flying off to Melbourne for the weekend to celebrate my birthday. This is J's gift to me (the flight + accommodation for 2 nights) and a special birthday dinner. He is the best!
Yesterday after work, 2 of my work friends & I had our manicures done ($20) and one of my friends treated me to a yummy Thai dinner. Tonight, J & I are going to Night Noodle markets in the city to meet up with a few of our friends. I've really had a smorgasbord of wonderful food lately!
Budget for the next two weeks (Oct 15 to 28)
Income: $1970
Rent: $400
Family: $249
Personal Training: $90
Uni Loan: $146
Credit Card: $115
Japan travel fund (to J): $325 (paid to my CC)
Week 1 budget (15 to 21): $500
Week 2 budget (22 to 28): 150
I've severely inflated my Week 1 budget due to our Melbourne trip which would include copious amounts of eating out and hopefully shopping. What I don't spend I will insert in my credit card debt.
Our Japan budget is becoming confusing so I might document it now. J paid for our fares which is $1170 each so therefore I owe him that amount. Last pay, I gave him $450 so that would mean I now him only $720.
I booked our accommodation to Tokyo though for 5 nights which came to $650 or $325 each so instead of me paying him another $325 I just inserted that in my credit card instead.
So I now owe him $395 which I will give to him on my next pay!
Yesterday after work, 2 of my work friends & I had our manicures done ($20) and one of my friends treated me to a yummy Thai dinner. Tonight, J & I are going to Night Noodle markets in the city to meet up with a few of our friends. I've really had a smorgasbord of wonderful food lately!
Budget for the next two weeks (Oct 15 to 28)
Income: $1970
Rent: $400
Family: $249
Personal Training: $90
Uni Loan: $146
Credit Card: $115
Japan travel fund (to J): $325 (paid to my CC)
Week 1 budget (15 to 21): $500
Week 2 budget (22 to 28): 150
I've severely inflated my Week 1 budget due to our Melbourne trip which would include copious amounts of eating out and hopefully shopping. What I don't spend I will insert in my credit card debt.
Our Japan budget is becoming confusing so I might document it now. J paid for our fares which is $1170 each so therefore I owe him that amount. Last pay, I gave him $450 so that would mean I now him only $720.
I booked our accommodation to Tokyo though for 5 nights which came to $650 or $325 each so instead of me paying him another $325 I just inserted that in my credit card instead.
So I now owe him $395 which I will give to him on my next pay!
Wednesday, October 14, 2009
Expensive October
Wednesday, October 14, 2009
0
I've braced myself that October is going to be an expensive month for me. It's my birthday on Saturday (the 17th) and I usually celebrate all month long. I love birthdays and I couldn't resist - I never used to be this way. When I turned 20, I was hyperventilating because I thought I was "too old" but I'm turning 28 in 3 days and I just could not wait. Finally, I'm relishing getting older!
My $200 Week 2 budget just sufficed (kind of - I had to use the black card once or twice). Some major expenses include:
$23 - treated a friend at work to a birthday lunch on the 8th. She bought me lunch today for my birthday. Now we have a new tradition!
$50 - Sydney Harbour Island hopping ticket - my girl friends and I went on a half day cruise around the islands (4 in total) and it was fun albeit a bit cold. We bought drinks and food and just ate and chatted our way through out the whole day
$20 - wine & beer. We had dinner at J's parents place and we brought some drinks over.
The remaining was spent on groceries and more food! We've eaten out so much since last week. Last Saturday night, we had Spanish tapas for a friend's birthday dinner, we had the Indian dinner on Sunday night and I treated J to Thai on Monday night.
And I'm going out again for the next two nights... eep, that's another post in itself plus new budget!
My $200 Week 2 budget just sufficed (kind of - I had to use the black card once or twice). Some major expenses include:
$23 - treated a friend at work to a birthday lunch on the 8th. She bought me lunch today for my birthday. Now we have a new tradition!
$50 - Sydney Harbour Island hopping ticket - my girl friends and I went on a half day cruise around the islands (4 in total) and it was fun albeit a bit cold. We bought drinks and food and just ate and chatted our way through out the whole day
$20 - wine & beer. We had dinner at J's parents place and we brought some drinks over.
The remaining was spent on groceries and more food! We've eaten out so much since last week. Last Saturday night, we had Spanish tapas for a friend's birthday dinner, we had the Indian dinner on Sunday night and I treated J to Thai on Monday night.
And I'm going out again for the next two nights... eep, that's another post in itself plus new budget!
Saturday, October 10, 2009
On the job front...
Saturday, October 10, 2009
2
Due to my desire to be incredibly anonymous on this blog, I haven't really posted anything about what J & I actually do for a living. We both work for the government, the same government department although in different locations and definitely different roles.
J & I have the same degree which is Social Science & Criminology (we met at university) and our professions are related (kinda!) to what we've essentially studied which is a good thing. I started working for this government department in June 2008 as a Level 1/2 (civilian govt employees have levels which goes up to 11/12. A Level 11/12 would probably take me 10-15 years to achieve). In March and April of this year, I relieved in a Human Resources/Finance position which is a Level 5/6. The money was good but I don't think I could have done that job for very long. Towards the end of April, I started relieving as an Intelligence Analyst which is also a Level 5/6 and I'm still doing that role now. I got the opportunity in relieving because the manager (Level 9/10) had to go on holidays and the IA got to relieve in the manager position. It was only supposed to be for 3 months but then when the manager got back, she moved to another manager position in another location. Hence, the IA is still currently doing the manager position and I'm still in the analyst position.
This is the job that I essentially wanted to do when I applied. Since I started in April, I now have 6 months of experience which is enough for me to apply for an analyst position in another location. Everything at work is still kind of a jumble and it all depends on whether we're going to have a new manager by early December. If we do, then we all go back to our original positions and I go back to being a 1/2. I know that whatever happens, I would still definitely have a full-time job but I do want an analyst job.
Due to the GFC (or Global Financial Crisis, etc), government departments have frozen their hiring which means not many positions are being advertised so the chances of me getting a permanent job somewhere else is very slim. Although there are still analyst positions that are being advertised but in another location.
At this moment, we live very close to my work and since I don't have a car, that's very convenient for me. But 2 analyst positions has become available in the last week which I'm going to try and apply for. It's a bit out of the way and it would require me to travel about an hour and a bit more (2 buses and some walking for the other location & a bus and a train in the other) but I really don't mind the extra travel. The position is for 12 months. That means IF I do get it, then I would only stay there for 12 months then at the end of those 12 months, I either go back to being a 1/2 unless I could then find a permanent analyst position or some other job.
I feel like I've been playing musical chairs for months and I still don't know where I'm going to land. As a 5/6, I'm earning $400+ a fortnight than a 1/2 which is also one of the reasons I don't want to go back to being a 1/2. There's also the fact that I actually like being an analyst and it's a career path that I want to eventually pursue later on. J is helping me with my application so hopefully I get one of the two analyst positions.
*fingers crossed*
J & I have the same degree which is Social Science & Criminology (we met at university) and our professions are related (kinda!) to what we've essentially studied which is a good thing. I started working for this government department in June 2008 as a Level 1/2 (civilian govt employees have levels which goes up to 11/12. A Level 11/12 would probably take me 10-15 years to achieve). In March and April of this year, I relieved in a Human Resources/Finance position which is a Level 5/6. The money was good but I don't think I could have done that job for very long. Towards the end of April, I started relieving as an Intelligence Analyst which is also a Level 5/6 and I'm still doing that role now. I got the opportunity in relieving because the manager (Level 9/10) had to go on holidays and the IA got to relieve in the manager position. It was only supposed to be for 3 months but then when the manager got back, she moved to another manager position in another location. Hence, the IA is still currently doing the manager position and I'm still in the analyst position.
This is the job that I essentially wanted to do when I applied. Since I started in April, I now have 6 months of experience which is enough for me to apply for an analyst position in another location. Everything at work is still kind of a jumble and it all depends on whether we're going to have a new manager by early December. If we do, then we all go back to our original positions and I go back to being a 1/2. I know that whatever happens, I would still definitely have a full-time job but I do want an analyst job.
Due to the GFC (or Global Financial Crisis, etc), government departments have frozen their hiring which means not many positions are being advertised so the chances of me getting a permanent job somewhere else is very slim. Although there are still analyst positions that are being advertised but in another location.
At this moment, we live very close to my work and since I don't have a car, that's very convenient for me. But 2 analyst positions has become available in the last week which I'm going to try and apply for. It's a bit out of the way and it would require me to travel about an hour and a bit more (2 buses and some walking for the other location & a bus and a train in the other) but I really don't mind the extra travel. The position is for 12 months. That means IF I do get it, then I would only stay there for 12 months then at the end of those 12 months, I either go back to being a 1/2 unless I could then find a permanent analyst position or some other job.
I feel like I've been playing musical chairs for months and I still don't know where I'm going to land. As a 5/6, I'm earning $400+ a fortnight than a 1/2 which is also one of the reasons I don't want to go back to being a 1/2. There's also the fact that I actually like being an analyst and it's a career path that I want to eventually pursue later on. J is helping me with my application so hopefully I get one of the two analyst positions.
*fingers crossed*
Wednesday, October 7, 2009
Week 1 Budget Round-up
Wednesday, October 7, 2009
0
Week 1: October 1 to 7
Budget: $150
Thurs (1st Oct)
$3.50 - iced tea
$30.60 - groceries
$1.90 - bus home
$30 - charity (friend's bike ride for MS)
Fri (2nd Oct)
$1.90 - bus to work
$2.50 - Cadbury chocolate
$1.90 - bus home
Sat (3rd Oct)
$12 - 5 weekly DVD's from Blockbuster
Sun (4th Oct)
$20 - dinner at Sushi Samurai
Mon (5th Oct)
$10 - groceries
Tues (6th Oct)
$7 - can of V and carrot cake for a snack at work
Total: $121.30
Left: $28.70
I think I'm definitely going to be on budget for this week. I only have today left and I actually still have money to spend! Today, I'm meeting some friends for a Cate Blanchett play in the city around midday. Because it's a matinee, I really hope that Cate would be there instead of her understudy. And look at that! I haven't bought a single piece of clothing for the week, that used to be rare for me but now it's becoming normal!
Budget: $150
Thurs (1st Oct)
$3.50 - iced tea
$30.60 - groceries
$1.90 - bus home
$30 - charity (friend's bike ride for MS)
Fri (2nd Oct)
$1.90 - bus to work
$2.50 - Cadbury chocolate
$1.90 - bus home
Sat (3rd Oct)
$12 - 5 weekly DVD's from Blockbuster
Sun (4th Oct)
$20 - dinner at Sushi Samurai
Mon (5th Oct)
$10 - groceries
Tues (6th Oct)
$7 - can of V and carrot cake for a snack at work
Total: $121.30
Left: $28.70
I think I'm definitely going to be on budget for this week. I only have today left and I actually still have money to spend! Today, I'm meeting some friends for a Cate Blanchett play in the city around midday. Because it's a matinee, I really hope that Cate would be there instead of her understudy. And look at that! I haven't bought a single piece of clothing for the week, that used to be rare for me but now it's becoming normal!
Saturday, October 3, 2009
Rent Increase - Boo!
Saturday, October 3, 2009
0
Our rent at the moment is $450 weekly. In June this year, we've received a letter from the real estate agent offering us another contract,
I note from our records that your Tenancy Agreement is due to expire shortly. The landlord has instructed me to offer you a further Agreement for 12 months under the same terms and conditions.
I have pleasure in advising you that the rent is not to be increased.
The other day, J & I received this in the mail,
So they're planning on changing it on the 5th of December. And we have until before then to make up our minds on whether to accept it or not. J said that he's going to write them a letter. One of the reasons we decided to stay in this place is because they said they're not going to increase the rent and we understood that to be for the whole lease period which is one year. Our next lease ends in September and although J and I want to move to a cheaper 1-bedroom place late next year, we still want to stay here until our lease ends.I have been instructed by the Landlord of the above property to increase your rent by $10 per week from $450 to $460 per week... The rent is being increased to this level taking into account factors such as the current demand for rental accommodation in the area and the length of time you have lived in the property. I believe the increased rent to be in line with current rental market value and fair to both parties.
Thursday, October 1, 2009
Streetcar Named Desire
Thursday, October 1, 2009
0
Budget for this week: $150 (period from Oct 01 to Oct 07)
When setting up my weekly budget, I usually have a look at my calendar to see what my plans are for the week. Here is a play by play of what I have planned until Wed (of course, this could change at any minute).
Oct 01 (Thurs) - Work, stay at home for dinner as J is working night-shift
Oct 02 (Fri) - 10 hours of work today, straight home after a long week, J is working again
Oct 03 (Sat) - PT session in the morning, no plans for the afternoon, probably chill at home and watch a few DVD's, J is working night again
Oct 04 (Sun) - absolutely no plans - might go out for a quick brunch with J once he wakes up.
Oct 05 (Mon) - public holiday today. My friend has invited J & I to her new apartment for lunch. Her mom is also newly arrived from China and this lady cooks the best dumplings! I will bring some wine for my friend and a box of chocolates for her mom (she gave me a box a few Christmases ago). I'm budgeting $25 for this.
Oct 06 (Tue) - back to work, very very busy day - another 10 hours, hopefully J will cook me dinner so I can go straight to bed
Oct 07 (Wed) - I took a day off today because my gfs and I have booked a Cate Blanchett play back in January of this year - it's Streetcar Named Desire at the Sydney Theatre Company. The seats have already sold out in January so we could only get a 1pm showing and that's why I have to take the whole day off. My friends & I might have coffee afterwards but I definitely want to be back home for dinner. Budget for the day: $30 (Tickets already paid for)
You might have noticed how pedantic I am about planning my days. I live for my 30 Boxes and check it all the time. I used to over book before but now I'm starting to like being a homebody for a while. Let's see if I can make it through the week with $150.
When setting up my weekly budget, I usually have a look at my calendar to see what my plans are for the week. Here is a play by play of what I have planned until Wed (of course, this could change at any minute).
Oct 01 (Thurs) - Work, stay at home for dinner as J is working night-shift
Oct 02 (Fri) - 10 hours of work today, straight home after a long week, J is working again
Oct 03 (Sat) - PT session in the morning, no plans for the afternoon, probably chill at home and watch a few DVD's, J is working night again
Oct 04 (Sun) - absolutely no plans - might go out for a quick brunch with J once he wakes up.
Oct 05 (Mon) - public holiday today. My friend has invited J & I to her new apartment for lunch. Her mom is also newly arrived from China and this lady cooks the best dumplings! I will bring some wine for my friend and a box of chocolates for her mom (she gave me a box a few Christmases ago). I'm budgeting $25 for this.
Oct 06 (Tue) - back to work, very very busy day - another 10 hours, hopefully J will cook me dinner so I can go straight to bed
Oct 07 (Wed) - I took a day off today because my gfs and I have booked a Cate Blanchett play back in January of this year - it's Streetcar Named Desire at the Sydney Theatre Company. The seats have already sold out in January so we could only get a 1pm showing and that's why I have to take the whole day off. My friends & I might have coffee afterwards but I definitely want to be back home for dinner. Budget for the day: $30 (Tickets already paid for)
You might have noticed how pedantic I am about planning my days. I live for my 30 Boxes and check it all the time. I used to over book before but now I'm starting to like being a homebody for a while. Let's see if I can make it through the week with $150.
Budget: Period from Oct 1 - Oct 14
Income: $1970
Rent: $400
Family: $249
Private Health: $127
Personal Training: $89
Uni Loan: $146
Credit card: $150
Travel Fund to J: $450
Week 1 budget (01 to 07): $150
Week 2 budget (08 to 14): $200
My week 2 budget is larger because I'm going out with a few friends to celebrate my birthday. We're going island hopping ($48) and then I have another friend's birthday dinner coming up on the 10th.
Rent: $400
Family: $249
Private Health: $127
Personal Training: $89
Uni Loan: $146
Credit card: $150
Travel Fund to J: $450
Week 1 budget (01 to 07): $150
Week 2 budget (08 to 14): $200
My week 2 budget is larger because I'm going out with a few friends to celebrate my birthday. We're going island hopping ($48) and then I have another friend's birthday dinner coming up on the 10th.
Wednesday, September 30, 2009
New goals - JAPAN!
Wednesday, September 30, 2009
0
The good thing about goals is that they are flexible and ever changing. J & I seriously set down our goals in August of this year and the major one is to save up enough money for a home deposit so that we can get a mortgage by next year. Since August, we've saved up $8000 together. I've never been much of a saver so saving $4000 by myself in a short span of time (while still paying down debt) is an achievement for me. Now I know I can do it and I can do it easily.
Our goal to get a mortgage is still intact but there are other forces in play such as an impending wedding, paying down debt and travelling. Initially, we were going to save up 5% of our loan and get a mortgage immediately, now we've decided to save up a little bit more so that we would have more money to use for our mortgage. But that can change any minute as I'm quite impulsive.
J & I are going to have two weeks off for Christmas & New Years this year and we don't usually get to spend December holidays together because J has to work most NYE so we wanted to celebrate somewhere special. At first, we were planning on going for a 7-day road trip from Sydney to Queensland. I made a budget and it was going to be much expensive than I thought it would for an Australian holiday. And honestly, I don't think it was going to be worth it and I wasn't going to be happy with it in the long run. So we've decided to go to JAPAN!!! Yep, we're heading off to Japan for two weeks this December to celebrate Christmas and NYE in TOKYO! I'm so excited!!!
This will of course impact heavily on our savings. We already have $4000 each (plus J has an EF of $2500) saved up and we've decided NOT in any circumstances touch this money. So what we're going to save in the upcoming months from October to December will be our Japan money. I think it's definitely going to be worth it!
Our goal to get a mortgage is still intact but there are other forces in play such as an impending wedding, paying down debt and travelling. Initially, we were going to save up 5% of our loan and get a mortgage immediately, now we've decided to save up a little bit more so that we would have more money to use for our mortgage. But that can change any minute as I'm quite impulsive.
J & I are going to have two weeks off for Christmas & New Years this year and we don't usually get to spend December holidays together because J has to work most NYE so we wanted to celebrate somewhere special. At first, we were planning on going for a 7-day road trip from Sydney to Queensland. I made a budget and it was going to be much expensive than I thought it would for an Australian holiday. And honestly, I don't think it was going to be worth it and I wasn't going to be happy with it in the long run. So we've decided to go to JAPAN!!! Yep, we're heading off to Japan for two weeks this December to celebrate Christmas and NYE in TOKYO! I'm so excited!!!
This will of course impact heavily on our savings. We already have $4000 each (plus J has an EF of $2500) saved up and we've decided NOT in any circumstances touch this money. So what we're going to save in the upcoming months from October to December will be our Japan money. I think it's definitely going to be worth it!
September Goals Review
Financial Goals:
1. Savings of $1000 in personal ING account - DONE!
2. Pay off $292 in university debts (to tax office) - DONE!
3. 10 NSD Challenge - FAIL! I only had 4 No Spend Days in September. How sad is that?
4. Don't use the credit card - FAIL! Yes, it was used. Again and again.
5. Fill out green form and send it off to work's Financial Services so my HECS debt can be automatically taken off my tax pay each year - FAIL! Completely forgot to do this.
6. Record every spending for the entire month - FAIL! I'm pretty sure I may have missed (or omitted) a few days or items here and there.
Other Goals:
1. No Sweets Month - EPIC FAIL! This is not ever going to be a goal again because it's just not possible.
2. Exercise 3 times a week including PT session - FAIL-ish! Sometimes we went for 3, sometimes 2 or none at all. Must do better in October.
3. Drink alcohol only 2 nights a week - DONE! I probably only had 2-3 drinking days in September!
Next month I am going to have more greens!
1. Savings of $1000 in personal ING account - DONE!
2. Pay off $292 in university debts (to tax office) - DONE!
3. 10 NSD Challenge - FAIL! I only had 4 No Spend Days in September. How sad is that?
4. Don't use the credit card - FAIL! Yes, it was used. Again and again.
5. Fill out green form and send it off to work's Financial Services so my HECS debt can be automatically taken off my tax pay each year - FAIL! Completely forgot to do this.
6. Record every spending for the entire month - FAIL! I'm pretty sure I may have missed (or omitted) a few days or items here and there.
Other Goals:
1. No Sweets Month - EPIC FAIL! This is not ever going to be a goal again because it's just not possible.
2. Exercise 3 times a week including PT session - FAIL-ish! Sometimes we went for 3, sometimes 2 or none at all. Must do better in October.
3. Drink alcohol only 2 nights a week - DONE! I probably only had 2-3 drinking days in September!
Next month I am going to have more greens!
Tuesday, September 29, 2009
Eating out is awesome
Tuesday, September 29, 2009
0
but expensive - very expensive!
I've ate out a lot in the last week, probably more than I was expecting which really didn't help the budget (and even though J paid more for it anyway). In the past week, we've eaten at:
(1) Siam Square Thai - one of our local Thai restaurants. The restaurant itself is cosy and the service is always excellent. That is, if you're actually at the restaurant. We've tried their delivery service once and ended up waiting for almost 2 hours. It was a marvel that we still came back but their food is hard to beat. I especially like Mussuman Beef & their satay prawns are to die for. It's pretty cheap as well and it's BYO. For an entree & lots of main to share, expect to pay around $20 each.
(2) Sushi Samurai - J's sister & I had a dinner/movie night on Friday because J was at work all night. We had dinner at my fave Japanese restaurants. I ordered some karaage chicken to share and a chicken & avocado inside out roll and some green tea. The serves are generous and the price is a little bit more expensive than a typical Japanese restaurant. All that I ordered came to exactly $20!
(3) Ichiban Boshi - the best budget Japanese restaurant in Sydney, hands down! J & I have been going here ever since we started dating and that was more than 5 years ago. Since then, the prices have probably gone up less than a dollar but the quality has never wavered. We try and go here at least once every fortnight. On Sunday, we watched An Education (for free and it was a good movie!) and had lunch here. We both had drinks (Calpis water), had an entree to share (gyoza), had mains (karaage cheese curry for me & Aburi Chasu-men for J) and the bill came to less than $35.
I foresee no eating out until maybe this weekend. We're trying to rein it in as we impulsively planned a holiday in December (post on this later!). October is going to be an expensive month as it is because it's my birthday month. I don't have a birthday - I have a birthmonth. I actually celebrate for the whole month because I love birthdays and funnily enough, I actually welcome getting older now. November is going to be a tight-ass month for sure and half of December is too. I don't even want to think about Christmas presents yet!
I've ate out a lot in the last week, probably more than I was expecting which really didn't help the budget (and even though J paid more for it anyway). In the past week, we've eaten at:
(1) Siam Square Thai - one of our local Thai restaurants. The restaurant itself is cosy and the service is always excellent. That is, if you're actually at the restaurant. We've tried their delivery service once and ended up waiting for almost 2 hours. It was a marvel that we still came back but their food is hard to beat. I especially like Mussuman Beef & their satay prawns are to die for. It's pretty cheap as well and it's BYO. For an entree & lots of main to share, expect to pay around $20 each.
(2) Sushi Samurai - J's sister & I had a dinner/movie night on Friday because J was at work all night. We had dinner at my fave Japanese restaurants. I ordered some karaage chicken to share and a chicken & avocado inside out roll and some green tea. The serves are generous and the price is a little bit more expensive than a typical Japanese restaurant. All that I ordered came to exactly $20!
(3) Ichiban Boshi - the best budget Japanese restaurant in Sydney, hands down! J & I have been going here ever since we started dating and that was more than 5 years ago. Since then, the prices have probably gone up less than a dollar but the quality has never wavered. We try and go here at least once every fortnight. On Sunday, we watched An Education (for free and it was a good movie!) and had lunch here. We both had drinks (Calpis water), had an entree to share (gyoza), had mains (karaage cheese curry for me & Aburi Chasu-men for J) and the bill came to less than $35.
I foresee no eating out until maybe this weekend. We're trying to rein it in as we impulsively planned a holiday in December (post on this later!). October is going to be an expensive month as it is because it's my birthday month. I don't have a birthday - I have a birthmonth. I actually celebrate for the whole month because I love birthdays and funnily enough, I actually welcome getting older now. November is going to be a tight-ass month for sure and half of December is too. I don't even want to think about Christmas presents yet!
Saturday, September 26, 2009
sydney is in mars
Saturday, September 26, 2009
0
I woke up on Wednesday morning and the sky was bright orange. I thought the summer bushfires has started and that it was nearer to our place than usual. It turns out that it's just a big roll of dust from the country. The sky was tinged orange until the middle of the day. During the night, I went to the city and there was dust everywhere. [photos from sydney photographer tomhide - visit his flickr!]
Friday, September 25, 2009
End of the week
Friday, September 25, 2009
0
I can't believe I haven't posted anything since Monday night - this week has been such a blur of bad sleep & work.
Remember in my previous competitions post, I joined a magazine competition to win a free pass to a wedding expo. Well, I won and we went. And it wasn't anything special. I'm just so glad I didn't pay for it since the tickets cost $95 each.
Someone called me on Monday to say that I've won (yay!), I left work early on Wed and met up with J's sister in the city and we headed straight to the expo. This is our second wedding expo together and the first one was $10 and was tackorama all the way with a fashion lingerie show (in nurse's outfits!) but this one was held at the Tea Rooms in QVB which is a very expensive and popular wedding venue. The exhibitors were very good brands but I think it's just the whole wedding business that puts me off especially when I see the prices ($8000 for a one-day photography and video package?!) and the whole hoopla on just one day. It's just not me at all but anyway, they're good fun while you're there and you end up with a free wedding magazine or two and about 10,000 brochures and calling cards that goes straight to the bin once you get home.
On the money front, there have been no major dramas or purchases but I have been really lazy and haven't been preparing my breakfast for work. Here are the misses of the week:
Tuesday (22nd Sept)
$5 - breakfast usually consisting of a small coffee & huge slices of raisin toast
$32.50 - Groceries
$48 - ok, so there have been a major purchase. A friend of mine went to China on a holiday and is kindly bringing me back some DVD's - this is for 6 boxed sets.
Wed (23rd Sept)
$4 - yummy chocolate-covered coffee beans
$11.40 - expensive lunch at QVB in the city. This got me a spinach & feta filo with salad (which means 3 lettuce leaves) and a small coffee. Ah! The price we pay for living in Sydney. J, his sister and I went to an awesome Thai dinner though and J paid (thanks love!)
Thurs (24th Sept)
$5 - Breakfast
$6.50 - Lunch (the best chicken, avocado, sun dried tomatoes and other goodies on a huge brown roll)
Fri (25th Sept)
$5 - Breakfast - this time a bacon & egg roll
$32 - I treated J to lunch in a fancy cafe near work
$20 - Dinner with J's sister at Sushi Samurai (the best Japanese place in our area!)
$3 - my share for the ice cream which turned out to be really bad. How can someone mess up chocolate ice cream?
Total: $172.40
Remember in my previous competitions post, I joined a magazine competition to win a free pass to a wedding expo. Well, I won and we went. And it wasn't anything special. I'm just so glad I didn't pay for it since the tickets cost $95 each.
Someone called me on Monday to say that I've won (yay!), I left work early on Wed and met up with J's sister in the city and we headed straight to the expo. This is our second wedding expo together and the first one was $10 and was tackorama all the way with a fashion lingerie show (in nurse's outfits!) but this one was held at the Tea Rooms in QVB which is a very expensive and popular wedding venue. The exhibitors were very good brands but I think it's just the whole wedding business that puts me off especially when I see the prices ($8000 for a one-day photography and video package?!) and the whole hoopla on just one day. It's just not me at all but anyway, they're good fun while you're there and you end up with a free wedding magazine or two and about 10,000 brochures and calling cards that goes straight to the bin once you get home.
On the money front, there have been no major dramas or purchases but I have been really lazy and haven't been preparing my breakfast for work. Here are the misses of the week:
Tuesday (22nd Sept)
$5 - breakfast usually consisting of a small coffee & huge slices of raisin toast
$32.50 - Groceries
$48 - ok, so there have been a major purchase. A friend of mine went to China on a holiday and is kindly bringing me back some DVD's - this is for 6 boxed sets.
Wed (23rd Sept)
$4 - yummy chocolate-covered coffee beans
$11.40 - expensive lunch at QVB in the city. This got me a spinach & feta filo with salad (which means 3 lettuce leaves) and a small coffee. Ah! The price we pay for living in Sydney. J, his sister and I went to an awesome Thai dinner though and J paid (thanks love!)
Thurs (24th Sept)
$5 - Breakfast
$6.50 - Lunch (the best chicken, avocado, sun dried tomatoes and other goodies on a huge brown roll)
Fri (25th Sept)
$5 - Breakfast - this time a bacon & egg roll
$32 - I treated J to lunch in a fancy cafe near work
$20 - Dinner with J's sister at Sushi Samurai (the best Japanese place in our area!)
$3 - my share for the ice cream which turned out to be really bad. How can someone mess up chocolate ice cream?
Total: $172.40
Monday, September 21, 2009
Budget Update : Sept 21
Monday, September 21, 2009
2
This weekend has been heavy on the budget due to us hosting a BBQ at our place. I always over prepare for these situations. I shop too much and prepare too much and at the end of the day, there are a lot of leftovers. This time, there weren't so many and J & I are having what is left for lunch. I think that's the last BBQ we're hosting for the year at our place. October through to December are busy times and I'm still not sure if we're hosting a Christmas dinner/BBQ at our place this year since they all usually happen at J's parent's place.
Here's how I did starting
Thursday:
$7 - breakfast (I was not at work on Thursday, I was doing a course and I only had 4 hours sleep because I woke up at 3am for some reason and I couldn't get back to sleep so I had a very large double-shot coffee and a cake of some sort hoping that the sugar buzz will get me through the morning)
$3.50 - another coffee boost
Friday:
$14 - cake tin & A Long Kiss Goodnight DVD from Target
$11 - 1 kilo lamb mince
$20.75 - 2 kilos chicken breast
$28 - Groceries
$24 - 2 huge bottles of champagne & beer
Saturday:
$12 - Blockbuster
$5.60 - Groceries
Sunday:
$15 - Groceries
$7 - muffins
$10 - groceries from IGA (what a rip-off!)
$3.60 - bag of mixed salad leaves
Total: $161.45
That means I have $28.55 until Wednesday! Today is another day off and it's looking good to be another No Spend Day. I'm not going out unless it's going for a run tonight.
Here's how I did starting
Thursday:
$7 - breakfast (I was not at work on Thursday, I was doing a course and I only had 4 hours sleep because I woke up at 3am for some reason and I couldn't get back to sleep so I had a very large double-shot coffee and a cake of some sort hoping that the sugar buzz will get me through the morning)
$3.50 - another coffee boost
Friday:
$14 - cake tin & A Long Kiss Goodnight DVD from Target
$11 - 1 kilo lamb mince
$20.75 - 2 kilos chicken breast
$28 - Groceries
$24 - 2 huge bottles of champagne & beer
Saturday:
$12 - Blockbuster
$5.60 - Groceries
Sunday:
$15 - Groceries
$7 - muffins
$10 - groceries from IGA (what a rip-off!)
$3.60 - bag of mixed salad leaves
Total: $161.45
That means I have $28.55 until Wednesday! Today is another day off and it's looking good to be another No Spend Day. I'm not going out unless it's going for a run tonight.
Saturday, September 19, 2009
Cheap & Easy: Penne with Meatballs
Saturday, September 19, 2009
2
The ultimate cheap and easy meal is pasta - get a few grams of meat, a pasta sauce and you're set. Or if you have pasta, some olive oil, herbs, spices and some vegetables, toss it together and it makes a simple healthy meal.
J & I love our pasta. We try and not have it often (due to high carbs!) but it's definitely one of our fail safe meals. Tonight, I'm cooking a simple penne pasta with meatballs. The recipe called for frozen meatballs but I made my own tonight for the first time. The frozen meatballs are usually around $6-7, the home made ones are less than that and yummier. I usually get mince when they're on sale for around $2.50 per half a kilo. Most of the other ingredients you should have in your cupboard.
Meatballs
1/2 kilo pork mince
1 egg
breadcrumbs
1.5 cup tasty cheese
salt & pepper to taste
fresh herbs
Mix these ingredients together and roll them up into little meatballs.
Then fry them. Once they're cooked, add mushrooms and the pasta sauce of your choice. In a sauce pan, bring water to a boil and put your penne in. Mix together. Sprinkle with some more fresh herbs.
Eat with gusto and a glass of wine!
J & I love our pasta. We try and not have it often (due to high carbs!) but it's definitely one of our fail safe meals. Tonight, I'm cooking a simple penne pasta with meatballs. The recipe called for frozen meatballs but I made my own tonight for the first time. The frozen meatballs are usually around $6-7, the home made ones are less than that and yummier. I usually get mince when they're on sale for around $2.50 per half a kilo. Most of the other ingredients you should have in your cupboard.
Meatballs
1/2 kilo pork mince
1 egg
breadcrumbs
1.5 cup tasty cheese
salt & pepper to taste
fresh herbs
Mix these ingredients together and roll them up into little meatballs.
Then fry them. Once they're cooked, add mushrooms and the pasta sauce of your choice. In a sauce pan, bring water to a boil and put your penne in. Mix together. Sprinkle with some more fresh herbs.
Eat with gusto and a glass of wine!
Friday, September 18, 2009
Free... All Free!!
Friday, September 18, 2009
0
FREE MOVIE!
I scored two free movie tickets today to see An Education at Dendy Opera Quays cinema. It was from a ladies fashion company that I'm a member of (thank you David Lawrence!). The movie stars Peter Sarsgaard (who's brilliant in everything he's in!) and it won the Audience Choice award at the 2009 Sundance Film Festival. Can't wait. I'm taking J of course since it's on a Sunday and it's his day off. We might as well make a day of it and have a nice lunch afterwards.
FREE MOO CARDS!
Moo, the cute printing company that sells business cards, post cards, mini cards, sticker cards, etc are giving away a free 50-pack of business cards. You only have to pay for postage which in my case was about $6 (From the UK to Sydney). I've ordered from them before and I was very happy with the over all quality of the cards and their efficiency. This time, I had some picture of J&I printed with a Love Always message at the back. I'm planning on using them for Christmas gift cards.
Free stuff is awesome!
I scored two free movie tickets today to see An Education at Dendy Opera Quays cinema. It was from a ladies fashion company that I'm a member of (thank you David Lawrence!). The movie stars Peter Sarsgaard (who's brilliant in everything he's in!) and it won the Audience Choice award at the 2009 Sundance Film Festival. Can't wait. I'm taking J of course since it's on a Sunday and it's his day off. We might as well make a day of it and have a nice lunch afterwards.
FREE MOO CARDS!
Moo, the cute printing company that sells business cards, post cards, mini cards, sticker cards, etc are giving away a free 50-pack of business cards. You only have to pay for postage which in my case was about $6 (From the UK to Sydney). I've ordered from them before and I was very happy with the over all quality of the cards and their efficiency. This time, I had some picture of J&I printed with a Love Always message at the back. I'm planning on using them for Christmas gift cards.
Free stuff is awesome!
Wednesday, September 16, 2009
$4964
Wednesday, September 16, 2009
0
New Networth updated on the right side bar! Yippeee... That's another $530 added in the last two weeks.
Leaking Money & New Budget
My CC debt went up from $387 to $620 in the last week. Yikes! We were short while paying for the groceries so I had to pay using the black CC. J sent me $50 by direct debit for his share but silly me, spent the money instead. Oh well, my savings are still intact and I'm putting more on my CC for this pay.
J also had an unexpected expense this week. He wears monthly contact lenses and on April this year, he got an ulcer in his eye from a cut possibly from his contacts. So he had to go to his optometrist then to the eye hospital to get eye drops. Last night, he came home and his right eye was really red and looked infected so he had to go through the same process again this time. The eye drops and the consultation are expensive but hopefully he can get some of it back on Medicare (public health system) and on NIB (our private health). Contact lenses are a bitch and he's planning on getting LASIK next year. I got my eyes done in 2005 and it was the best thing I've ever done! More on this later...
Payday tomorrow so here's the budget for the next two weeks. I thought I was going to be short of my goal to save $1000 this month as I had to send extra money overseas to family but it turns out that I got paid a bit more than anticipated.
Income (next two weeks): $1965
Rent: $400
Family: $359
Personal Training: $87.55
Uni Loan Payment: $146
Credit Card: $175
Home Deposit: $450
Week 1 Budget: $190
Week 2 Budget: $150
Week 1: Sept 17 to Sept 23
Week 2: Sept 24 to Sept 30
My week 1 budget is about $40 more because we're having a party at our place on Sunday. J & I are going halves so our budget is going to be around $60 for food & drinks but I budgeted extra anyway, just in case.
P.S. That black card is going to be locked away again! It's just too dangerous to be around.
J also had an unexpected expense this week. He wears monthly contact lenses and on April this year, he got an ulcer in his eye from a cut possibly from his contacts. So he had to go to his optometrist then to the eye hospital to get eye drops. Last night, he came home and his right eye was really red and looked infected so he had to go through the same process again this time. The eye drops and the consultation are expensive but hopefully he can get some of it back on Medicare (public health system) and on NIB (our private health). Contact lenses are a bitch and he's planning on getting LASIK next year. I got my eyes done in 2005 and it was the best thing I've ever done! More on this later...
Payday tomorrow so here's the budget for the next two weeks. I thought I was going to be short of my goal to save $1000 this month as I had to send extra money overseas to family but it turns out that I got paid a bit more than anticipated.
Income (next two weeks): $1965
Rent: $400
Family: $359
Personal Training: $87.55
Uni Loan Payment: $146
Credit Card: $175
Home Deposit: $450
Week 1 Budget: $190
Week 2 Budget: $150
Week 1: Sept 17 to Sept 23
Week 2: Sept 24 to Sept 30
My week 1 budget is about $40 more because we're having a party at our place on Sunday. J & I are going halves so our budget is going to be around $60 for food & drinks but I budgeted extra anyway, just in case.
P.S. That black card is going to be locked away again! It's just too dangerous to be around.
Sunday, September 13, 2009
Free books & magazines
Sunday, September 13, 2009
0
A trip to the library got me these 12 books for free for three weeks! I should probably finish half of these by three weeks and the rest, I just renew which is another three weeks (also for free). I'm a really fast reader though so I don't have too many renewals.
Our check-out lady from the supermarket also gave me these for free - two cookbooks! The big one usually retails for around $12.95 so I'm really happy with that. Free stuff is awesome!
Yikes : Groceries!
J & I went to our local supermarket, Woolworths today to get some groceries for the week. The bill came to $95.57! Definitely more than what we've budgeted for, I thought it was going to be around $60. It's ok since we should have dinner until Thursday and this also include lunches and snacks. This will help me have a couple of NSD's next week, especially Monday and Tuesday!
We don't have a set budget yet for groceries but at our next pay which is this Thursday, we're going to start putting money in a kitty just for grocery shopping. We'll probably start with $50 each a week and see how we go.
Here's some of what we bought that made a big dent in the total price:
$10 - 10 tins of tuna (good for salad lunches, we bought some springwater and some flavoured ones)
$7 - 5 tubs of yoghurt (they're bigger than a normal pot-sized so this should be a good snack to bring to work)
$5.99 - extra virgin olive oil
$8.94 - 1 kilo chicken breast fillets (should be good for a few meals and left over lunches)
We're having a BBQ party at our place on Sunday with about 6-8 people coming over. They're bringing their own drinks and a plate to share but I still want to have everything pretty much covered. I'm going to come up with a summery menu later on this week.
We don't have a set budget yet for groceries but at our next pay which is this Thursday, we're going to start putting money in a kitty just for grocery shopping. We'll probably start with $50 each a week and see how we go.
Here's some of what we bought that made a big dent in the total price:
$10 - 10 tins of tuna (good for salad lunches, we bought some springwater and some flavoured ones)
$7 - 5 tubs of yoghurt (they're bigger than a normal pot-sized so this should be a good snack to bring to work)
$5.99 - extra virgin olive oil
$8.94 - 1 kilo chicken breast fillets (should be good for a few meals and left over lunches)
We're having a BBQ party at our place on Sunday with about 6-8 people coming over. They're bringing their own drinks and a plate to share but I still want to have everything pretty much covered. I'm going to come up with a summery menu later on this week.
Competitions
I've never had much luck with competitions unlike my friend who won two competitions on the same day to win 4 Harry Potter premiere tickets on the other and 2 of the same on the other competition she entered (both in magazines). Or colleague at work who regularly wins DVD's from entering competitions online. I haven't won anything!
So lately, I've been entering a few competitions. After all, I'm bound to win one someday right?
1. Helga's Bread A Taste of Europe competition - prizes are holidays at the Whitsundays, a road trip on the Great Ocean Road or a trip to the Hunter Valley by private jet. Not bad at all. But I didn't win. Maybe I should buy more bread.
2. Myer One's 5th year anniversary competition. The prize is a 5 day Fiji holiday!
3. Hoyts birthday free tickets. This is not really a competition, more like a free give away on your birthday. As I've posted before, movies here are so damn expensive at $16.50 and it increases by 50 cents every year. As my birthday is coming up next month, this is a good idea for a night out. We just have to buy a ticket for J. Score!
4. Optus. Optus is my mobile phone company and I buy a $30 re-charge card every month which gives me $150 worth of calls and text messages. Handy when calling my family overseas. Everytime I buy a recharge card, they send me a code to enter a competition and most of the time, I win prizes such as 25 free texts or $40 worth of calls. Today, I won 100 free texts!! I just have to use it within 14 days.
5. Madison Magazine are giving away 2 double passes for the Wedding Establishment event this coming Wednesday. The tickets are $95 for two people and it would be a great night out if I win.
From now on, I'm going to start entering more and more competitions. And as my birthday is coming up, I know there are companies there that offer a few birthday free goodies. Nothing wrong with a free goodies on your birthday!
So lately, I've been entering a few competitions. After all, I'm bound to win one someday right?
1. Helga's Bread A Taste of Europe competition - prizes are holidays at the Whitsundays, a road trip on the Great Ocean Road or a trip to the Hunter Valley by private jet. Not bad at all. But I didn't win. Maybe I should buy more bread.
2. Myer One's 5th year anniversary competition. The prize is a 5 day Fiji holiday!
3. Hoyts birthday free tickets. This is not really a competition, more like a free give away on your birthday. As I've posted before, movies here are so damn expensive at $16.50 and it increases by 50 cents every year. As my birthday is coming up next month, this is a good idea for a night out. We just have to buy a ticket for J. Score!
4. Optus. Optus is my mobile phone company and I buy a $30 re-charge card every month which gives me $150 worth of calls and text messages. Handy when calling my family overseas. Everytime I buy a recharge card, they send me a code to enter a competition and most of the time, I win prizes such as 25 free texts or $40 worth of calls. Today, I won 100 free texts!! I just have to use it within 14 days.
5. Madison Magazine are giving away 2 double passes for the Wedding Establishment event this coming Wednesday. The tickets are $95 for two people and it would be a great night out if I win.
From now on, I'm going to start entering more and more competitions. And as my birthday is coming up, I know there are companies there that offer a few birthday free goodies. Nothing wrong with a free goodies on your birthday!
Friday, September 11, 2009
The weekend ahead...
Friday, September 11, 2009
0
I went over $38.70 in my Week 1 budget (which was $145) which I've borrowed from my Week 2 budget which is $145. I could probably that on the phone recharge card I had to buy which was already $30.
Today I spent:
$20 - new shower curtain from Target. We have to replace our shower curtain every 6-7 months or so because it gets super mouldy.
$8 - chicken & pesto salad from Sumo salad for lunch. J bought us drinks & sushi.
$5 - groceries
$50 - Country Road top (from black CC - I have a $30 gift voucher but I couldn't find anything I liked within that price range so I finally picked an $80 top... oopsss)
$58 - Natio skincare & make-up from my previous post to get the GWP's. For Free as I used a gift voucher!
Total: $33
I have a total of $80 until Thursday! The weekend hasn't even begun yet!
Tomorrow, J & I are going to an open day for Macquarie University because I'm still deciding on whether to pursue a Masters degree in 2010. And we don't really have any plans for Sunday other than a dinner here at home with J's sister. I'm hoping to get all my groceries done for breakfast & lunches on Sunday afternoon and get a few more NSD next week!
On Wednesday, I have to attend a training day for work. The fare would probably cost me around $15 but I would be able to get that reimbursed from work but not until the week after so I have to leave around $25 on me for Wed. So that means $55 to spend between Saturday & Tuesday which will most definitely be spent on food. No more clothes shopping!
Today I spent:
$20 - new shower curtain from Target. We have to replace our shower curtain every 6-7 months or so because it gets super mouldy.
$8 - chicken & pesto salad from Sumo salad for lunch. J bought us drinks & sushi.
$5 - groceries
$50 - Country Road top (from black CC - I have a $30 gift voucher but I couldn't find anything I liked within that price range so I finally picked an $80 top... oopsss)
$58 - Natio skincare & make-up from my previous post to get the GWP's. For Free as I used a gift voucher!
Total: $33
I have a total of $80 until Thursday! The weekend hasn't even begun yet!
Tomorrow, J & I are going to an open day for Macquarie University because I'm still deciding on whether to pursue a Masters degree in 2010. And we don't really have any plans for Sunday other than a dinner here at home with J's sister. I'm hoping to get all my groceries done for breakfast & lunches on Sunday afternoon and get a few more NSD next week!
On Wednesday, I have to attend a training day for work. The fare would probably cost me around $15 but I would be able to get that reimbursed from work but not until the week after so I have to leave around $25 on me for Wed. So that means $55 to spend between Saturday & Tuesday which will most definitely be spent on food. No more clothes shopping!
Wednesday, September 9, 2009
No Spend Day
Wednesday, September 9, 2009
0
Finally, I have finally have something to show for the NSD Challenge (or nothing to show?). Yesterday, I brought my breakfast to work (PB&H sandwich), had a cooked pasta for lunch and had 2-minute noodles for dinner! I did went grocery shopping today though and it was $41.30 with nary a sign of meat. Why are groceries in Sydney so expensive?
This what I have to show for $41.30:
1kg cous cous - $4.49
Marinade 160g - $3.19
Maltesers x 4 small packs - $3.96
Girly pads - $5.74
Grain waves chips - $2.99
Moroccan seasoning - $2.93
Greens Pancakes mix - $2.99
Pepsi Max 1L - $1.09
Schweppes Lemonade 1L - $1.09
3L milk - $3.66
1kg Jasmine rice - $2.49
1 loaf of bread - $3.99
12pk eggs - $2.69
These items are also mostly on sale except for the pads and the milk. Some of them are supplies that will last for a while like the cous cous, the seasoning and the rice and the bread should last until next week.
Tomorrow is going to be another NSD. I'm not even bringing cash to work so I don't get tempted. That brings my total to 2 days out of 10 and it's already the 10th tomorrow.
This what I have to show for $41.30:
1kg cous cous - $4.49
Marinade 160g - $3.19
Maltesers x 4 small packs - $3.96
Girly pads - $5.74
Grain waves chips - $2.99
Moroccan seasoning - $2.93
Greens Pancakes mix - $2.99
Pepsi Max 1L - $1.09
Schweppes Lemonade 1L - $1.09
3L milk - $3.66
1kg Jasmine rice - $2.49
1 loaf of bread - $3.99
12pk eggs - $2.69
These items are also mostly on sale except for the pads and the milk. Some of them are supplies that will last for a while like the cous cous, the seasoning and the rice and the bread should last until next week.
Tomorrow is going to be another NSD. I'm not even bringing cash to work so I don't get tempted. That brings my total to 2 days out of 10 and it's already the 10th tomorrow.
Monday, September 7, 2009
Spring Shopping
Monday, September 7, 2009
0
The black Visa card went in my greedy little hands this morning and this is all I came up with, my first purchase in more than a month! And it's only $35! I went into so many stores and before I would have just gone away with hundreds worth of clothes but my self control is getting stronger. This just means I have to forego a dinner out for this top but it's worth it cos it's so pretty.
I know I'm on a shopping ban at the moment but I really need skincare. Not want but NEED. I haven't been taking care of my skin for a while and I can tell, I'm getting breakouts every week. I hardly even moisturise which is a sin in winter. There are some sales going on at the moment with GWP's (Gifts with Purchase) and I'm thinking of getting these. If I spend $49 on Natio products, I get the following products for free! They include an SPF15 Daily Protection Face Moisturiser (badly needed and oh look, it has SPF 15 just in time for spring!), Illuminating Primer, Brightening Eye Cream (wouldn't hurt), Lip & Cheek Tint in Blossom, Spa with Organics Pep-up Body Cleanser, Spa with Organics Heavenly Hand Cream (always needed!), mirror, Tinted Moisturiser, Gentle Foaming Facial Cleanser and Ageless Hydrating Mask. I'm getting this on Saturday - I have a voucher to cover it so it will be free!
Sunday, September 6, 2009
Increased Net Worth
Sunday, September 6, 2009
0
My Net Worth has increased by $860 in two weeks. Yippee! At this rate, I would be closer to my goal of 8K by the end of this year. I still don't think I'm going to make it since I have to dip into my savings for travel (more on this later) but I'm also not taking any ridiculous loans soon.
Out of my $150 budget for the week, I have $45.80 left. Friday was a very bad day food-wise. I don't even want to think about it. On Saturday, J's sister and I had a day out at the markets & the city. Tally below.
Friday
$10 - breakfast at work. Yeh I know. B&E roll & a large coffee makes everything better
$30 - recharge card for my mobile - this would be good for a month
$3.70 - chicken wrap for lunch
$4 - large V Berry drink
Saturday
$10 - Fare
$9 - chicken roll for lunch
$3.50 - a giant Belgian chocolate cupcake!
$5 - iced mocha. We were so tired from all the walking. And yeh, the eating.
$12 - 3 movies from Blockbuster
Total for 2 days: $87.20
I also got a new MAC Studio Fix using a $50 voucher. If I didn't have a voucher, that would set me back $48 but they're the best and they last more than 6 months on a daily use so they're worth it.
Tonight, J & I are having dinner at a Chinese restaurant with J's family for Father's Day. And tomorrow, I'm having a cheapie dinner out with the girls after work. So much for my NSD Challenge! I'm still on a 0 out of 10 days.
So far today, I've spent nada since I've been home all day. J's brother moved out yesterday so I've been hauling furniture around and tidying up our place since 6 in the morning. I am going to do some grocery shopping to last us until Wednesday though and I have to cook some lunches before we head out for dinner at 7pm!
Out of my $150 budget for the week, I have $45.80 left. Friday was a very bad day food-wise. I don't even want to think about it. On Saturday, J's sister and I had a day out at the markets & the city. Tally below.
Friday
$10 - breakfast at work. Yeh I know. B&E roll & a large coffee makes everything better
$30 - recharge card for my mobile - this would be good for a month
$3.70 - chicken wrap for lunch
$4 - large V Berry drink
Saturday
$10 - Fare
$9 - chicken roll for lunch
$3.50 - a giant Belgian chocolate cupcake!
$5 - iced mocha. We were so tired from all the walking. And yeh, the eating.
$12 - 3 movies from Blockbuster
Total for 2 days: $87.20
I also got a new MAC Studio Fix using a $50 voucher. If I didn't have a voucher, that would set me back $48 but they're the best and they last more than 6 months on a daily use so they're worth it.
Tonight, J & I are having dinner at a Chinese restaurant with J's family for Father's Day. And tomorrow, I'm having a cheapie dinner out with the girls after work. So much for my NSD Challenge! I'm still on a 0 out of 10 days.
So far today, I've spent nada since I've been home all day. J's brother moved out yesterday so I've been hauling furniture around and tidying up our place since 6 in the morning. I am going to do some grocery shopping to last us until Wednesday though and I have to cook some lunches before we head out for dinner at 7pm!
Thursday, September 3, 2009
Epic Fail
Thursday, September 3, 2009
0
Misses today:
$5 - breakfast
$7 - lunch
J gave me $5 before I left for work this morning and I just managed to scrape enough coins for lunch. That means my weekly budget is still intact!
Hits today:
$556 - savings which brings the total to $3600!
After a very long and tiring day from work staring at the computer for hours, crunching up stats and hours of reading, I really needed a break and a dinner out so we're heading out to our favorite cheapie Thai restaurant tonight, Wock Bar! Because the last thing I want to do tonight is cook. I just want a big curry with rice. I still have a long day of work tomorrow with a 20-page report that I have to finish by the end of the day (I'm probably halfway).
Tomorrow night J is going to cook dinner! Off to Thai!
$5 - breakfast
$7 - lunch
J gave me $5 before I left for work this morning and I just managed to scrape enough coins for lunch. That means my weekly budget is still intact!
Hits today:
$556 - savings which brings the total to $3600!
After a very long and tiring day from work staring at the computer for hours, crunching up stats and hours of reading, I really needed a break and a dinner out so we're heading out to our favorite cheapie Thai restaurant tonight, Wock Bar! Because the last thing I want to do tonight is cook. I just want a big curry with rice. I still have a long day of work tomorrow with a 20-page report that I have to finish by the end of the day (I'm probably halfway).
Tomorrow night J is going to cook dinner! Off to Thai!
Wednesday, September 2, 2009
Free Money
Wednesday, September 2, 2009
0
While transferring contents from one bag to another this morning, I found $15 in one of my bag's pockets! And yes, I've spent all of it. Good thing it's pay day tomorrow! I don't have lunch for work tomorrow either. The dinner that I cooked tonight was loved and finished by all. Not a great start to September. My No Spend Day September challenge is still at a lovely 0! But with enough preparation, hopefully I would have 3 NSD next week!
Tuesday, September 1, 2009
Budget : Period from Sept 3 - Sept 16
Tuesday, September 1, 2009
0
Income: $1965
Rent: $400
Family: $259
Private Health Cover: $127
Personal Training: $87.55
Uni Loan Payment: $146
Credit Card: $100
Savings: $550
Week 1 expenses: $150
Week 2 expenses: $145
Week 1 - Sept 3 to Sept 9
Week 2 - Sept 10 to Sept 16
Alas! My new budget for the next two weeks. I think this will work better than separating my expenses into categories. Now, if I buy a $100 dress, then I have to make do with $50 for the rest of the week.
Rent: $400
Family: $259
Private Health Cover: $127
Personal Training: $87.55
Uni Loan Payment: $146
Credit Card: $100
Savings: $550
Week 1 expenses: $150
Week 2 expenses: $145
Week 1 - Sept 3 to Sept 9
Week 2 - Sept 10 to Sept 16
Alas! My new budget for the next two weeks. I think this will work better than separating my expenses into categories. Now, if I buy a $100 dress, then I have to make do with $50 for the rest of the week.
Budget Recap
Period From: August 20 to September 2
Rent: $200 ($200)
Family: $259 ($259)
Personal Training: $86 ($87.55)
Uni Loan Payment: $146 ($146)
Credit Card Payment: $100 ($100)
Savings: $800 ($800)
Gifts: $30 ($40)
Groceries: $85 ($111.40)
Entertainment: $100 ($120.60)
Personal Items: $20 ($0)
Shopping: $50 ($0)
Misc: 34 ($35.95)
Too much red! As I said before, category budgeting is not working for me at the moment. I just end up using money from the other categories. My next budget will be a set amount weekly. I'll withdraw the money allocated at the start of the week and see how I go from day to day.
New budget coming soon!
Rent: $200 ($200)
Family: $259 ($259)
Personal Training: $86 ($87.55)
Uni Loan Payment: $146 ($146)
Credit Card Payment: $100 ($100)
Savings: $800 ($800)
Gifts: $30 ($40)
Groceries: $85 ($111.40)
Entertainment: $100 ($120.60)
Personal Items: $20 ($0)
Shopping: $50 ($0)
Misc: 34 ($35.95)
Too much red! As I said before, category budgeting is not working for me at the moment. I just end up using money from the other categories. My next budget will be a set amount weekly. I'll withdraw the money allocated at the start of the week and see how I go from day to day.
New budget coming soon!
Monday, August 31, 2009
September 2009 Goals
Monday, August 31, 2009
2
Financial Goals:
- Savings of $1000 into personal ING account - J & I are back to paying $450 a week rent starting this week so fingers crossed I can still save $1000 a month.
- Pay off $292 in university debts (to tax office) - already included in my budget. The tax office has given me coupons to take to the post office to pay every fortnight so I don't conveniently forget.
- 10 NSD Challenge(No Spend Days) in conjunction with High Class, Low Income - as long as I have breakfast & lunch during work days, I don't really need to spend.
- Don't use the Credit Card - highly unlikely since J hid it (but I think I know where!). Anyway I really want to pay this sucker off so I can save the $100 I'm allocating to it per fortnight. $487 to go plus interest!
- Fill out green form and send it off to work's Financial Services so my HECS debt can be automatically taken off my tax each pay - if I don't do this, I would be continually paying the tax office and not getting a major return at the end of financial year!
- Record every spending for the entire month
Other Goals:
- September is No Sweets Month except for 1 day of the week - stick to it! J & I have been exercising but our diet is shite so we're not losing any weight.
- Exercise 3 times a week including PT session - I have a lot of credits on my PT sessions so I should really try and sign up for more classes
- Drink alcohol only 2 nights a week - I've been having a lot of wine lately. Not good.
Sunday, August 30, 2009
My Weekend Recap
Sunday, August 30, 2009
0
I have 4 days off this week from Friday to Monday - so good!
Here are my expenses for the last 3 days:
Friday:
$25 - dinner at our favorite Japanese restaurant - Sushi Samurai
$2.99 - Knowing DVD
Saturday: NO SPEND DAY - J bought me lunch and we had a BBQ dinner at J's parent's house.
Sunday:
$35 - groceries at the markets
Total: $62.99
September 2009 goals coming soon.
Here are my expenses for the last 3 days:
Friday:
$25 - dinner at our favorite Japanese restaurant - Sushi Samurai
$2.99 - Knowing DVD
Saturday: NO SPEND DAY - J bought me lunch and we had a BBQ dinner at J's parent's house.
Sunday:
$35 - groceries at the markets
Total: $62.99
Not bad. I did make a massive change to my budget though. I don't think the categories are working out for me because I just end up substituting the shopping money, for example, for entertainment and everything just becomes one big blur. At the moment, I'm over in the Groceries, Entertertainment, Misc and Gifts category and I've had to use my Shopping money for that. I'm re-doing my budget for the next pay and instead of categories, I'll just use a weekly tally and I can pretty much spend on whatever I want as long as I have the cash for it (no more credit cards!).
September 2009 goals coming soon.
Market Haul
J & I went to the markets in the city today since we're already headed there for lunch. Can you believe we bought all these vegetables for only $7.80? If we bought it at our local supermarket, it would probably be around $20! Avocadoes in our supermarket are on average $2.50 EACH! In the city markets, they're .60!! The breakdown:
2 x pakchoy baby = $1
2 x avocado = $1.20
1 lettuce = $1
6 tomatoes = $.70
half pumpkin = $1
sweet potato = $1
2 x green capsicums = $1.20
1 x eggplant = $.70
We also got some cheap meat from the butchers ($24) that will probably last us a few days for dinner for three people and maybe some work lunches. We still don't know if it's worth it travelling to the city every week or every other week to go to the markets. The prices are 50% off and the vegetables and fruits are fresh however, we need to travel to go there. It's not very far but parking is already $10 on Sundays and a bus there would be $16 both ways for the both of us and $8 if I'm going by myself which I don't really want to because the haul is heavy! We need a strategy so we can shop there maybe every week - maybe I can do the shopping myself and J can pick me from a corner or on Saturdays we can pay $5 in parking but we have to do the shopping in an hour. We'll see but so far, we're very happy with what we got today and for a very cheap price.
Friday, August 28, 2009
10 Things Challenge
Friday, August 28, 2009
1
This challenge was actually harder than I thought - I definitely had more crap lying around than this but I finally assembled 10 Things to either throw out and give away.
1. Old Grazia magazines from 2008 - instead of putting this in recycling, I'm taking it to work so it can be read a couple more times before being recycled (better their trash than mine).
2. Yellow and white knee-high socks with pom poms - free from a magazine. To be donated. Someone will be happy with this.
3. An inflatable plane pillow. Painful and ineffective.
4. Gift boxes that were given to us on our engagement party. I was saving them up to used for Christmas but I don't think I'll be using them. Straight to recycling.
5. Three CD's that comes free from the newspaper - a pasta recipe one, a space 3D and some classical stuff. To be donated.
6. Tofu toys. My friend got me these from Japan. To be donated.
7. White pillowcase with MOULD! To be thrown out.
8. Bangles. Nothing wrong with them, I just don't like them anymore. To be donated.
9. Scraps of fabric from Cambodia. To be thrown out.
10. Some paper & magazines that are just plain clutter. Recycling!
I'll be doing this challenge again next weekend until we're just left with the bare essentials.
Article: Things we've ditched since the financial crisis
According to this article, " AUSTRALIANS have taken the financial knife to dry cleaning, expensive dinners and donations to charities – and it’s all thanks to the global financial crisis."
Apparently, shoppers are shopping more in Target than high-end boutiques, they're ditching fine dining restaurants in favour of eating at home, taking domestic holidays rather than international ones, opting for cheaper brands of wine and are foregoing expensive dry-cleaning costs.
Here's my take on all of those (True or False):
1. I've always shopped at Target and K-mart. Although I can drop $300 for a dress, I'm not a shop snob. But now that I have a shopping budget, I'd probably go for more good quality items say a $50 top that I would wear for a year compared to three $15 tops that will probably disintegrate after 3 or more washes. FALSE
2. I don't think I've ever finely dined actually and I'm thinking of restaurants like Tetsuya's ($195 per person for a degustation meal), Aria, Pilu or Quay which would probably be around $150 per person for a three-course meal and not including the wine for which the cheapest bottle would be around $80. So no, I'm not a fine dining person.
J & I don't mind having a good meal out though for about $50-60 per person if there's a special occasion. Lately though, we have eating at home a lot. Just a year ago, we would probably eat out 3 or 4 times a week but that was probably because we didn't have a proper kitchen. We had 2 burners on top of a table where we also ate but now that we have a good kitchen, we cook more and eat out only once a week (around $25 each). TRUE-ish
3. Travelling in Australia is expensive! It's such a big country that is far remote from anywhere else. That being said, if I was going travelling for 2 or more weeks, I'd rather go to Asia or any of the other Pacific Islands. Three weeks in an Asian country (not Japan) would probably be comparable to one week of travelling in Australia. In other words, travelling here is a rip-off! And the service overseas is also a lot better. FALSE
4. We're not big wine drinkers and we only get a bottle when we're going out for dinner with friends or visiting someone else's house for dinner. We do have a friend that can give us a dozen wines for $30 and they are high quality wines worth $25+ each. He gets them from an auction site. FALSE
5. Coats and blazers and sometimes pants are the only things I take to the dry cleaners and that's probably a once a year occurence. After winter, I get all my coats drycleaned so I can store them for another year, that would probably cost around $50. FALSE
I guess we're not the average Australian then! Probably because the average Australian is broke!
Apparently, shoppers are shopping more in Target than high-end boutiques, they're ditching fine dining restaurants in favour of eating at home, taking domestic holidays rather than international ones, opting for cheaper brands of wine and are foregoing expensive dry-cleaning costs.
Here's my take on all of those (True or False):
1. I've always shopped at Target and K-mart. Although I can drop $300 for a dress, I'm not a shop snob. But now that I have a shopping budget, I'd probably go for more good quality items say a $50 top that I would wear for a year compared to three $15 tops that will probably disintegrate after 3 or more washes. FALSE
2. I don't think I've ever finely dined actually and I'm thinking of restaurants like Tetsuya's ($195 per person for a degustation meal), Aria, Pilu or Quay which would probably be around $150 per person for a three-course meal and not including the wine for which the cheapest bottle would be around $80. So no, I'm not a fine dining person.
J & I don't mind having a good meal out though for about $50-60 per person if there's a special occasion. Lately though, we have eating at home a lot. Just a year ago, we would probably eat out 3 or 4 times a week but that was probably because we didn't have a proper kitchen. We had 2 burners on top of a table where we also ate but now that we have a good kitchen, we cook more and eat out only once a week (around $25 each). TRUE-ish
3. Travelling in Australia is expensive! It's such a big country that is far remote from anywhere else. That being said, if I was going travelling for 2 or more weeks, I'd rather go to Asia or any of the other Pacific Islands. Three weeks in an Asian country (not Japan) would probably be comparable to one week of travelling in Australia. In other words, travelling here is a rip-off! And the service overseas is also a lot better. FALSE
4. We're not big wine drinkers and we only get a bottle when we're going out for dinner with friends or visiting someone else's house for dinner. We do have a friend that can give us a dozen wines for $30 and they are high quality wines worth $25+ each. He gets them from an auction site. FALSE
5. Coats and blazers and sometimes pants are the only things I take to the dry cleaners and that's probably a once a year occurence. After winter, I get all my coats drycleaned so I can store them for another year, that would probably cost around $50. FALSE
I guess we're not the average Australian then! Probably because the average Australian is broke!
Tuesday, August 25, 2009
Mid-week Budget Update
Tuesday, August 25, 2009
0
A quick update of where I stand in my 2-week budget with 8 days to go until the next pay day!
Remaining monies in my variable categories:
Gifts - $0 (over $10)
Groceries - $13.60
Entertainment - $29.30
Personal Items - $20
Shopping - $50
Misc - $8.85
Depending on what the weekend will bring and J & I are going to have a 4-day weekend (Friday to Monday off!!), I think I will be short in the Entertainment section. Since I'm not planning on buying any personal items, I might transfer my $20 over plus I still have the $8.85 in Misc. I don't really want to touch my shopping budget if I don't have to. I'm in dire need of black work shoes but I'm looking at buying an $80-90 pair so I might add this week's shopping budget to next week's which will also be $50. As for groceries, I'll probably buy lunch stuff with my $13.60 for next week (Mon - Fri), J still has to do a mini shop for the weekend and remaining days.
No Spend Day tomorrow - I have a bus ticket to go to work and I have breakfast & lunch (and I'll rummage around in the cupboard for snacks). J will pick me up from work tomorrow as well!
Remaining monies in my variable categories:
Gifts - $0 (over $10)
Groceries - $13.60
Entertainment - $29.30
Personal Items - $20
Shopping - $50
Misc - $8.85
Depending on what the weekend will bring and J & I are going to have a 4-day weekend (Friday to Monday off!!), I think I will be short in the Entertainment section. Since I'm not planning on buying any personal items, I might transfer my $20 over plus I still have the $8.85 in Misc. I don't really want to touch my shopping budget if I don't have to. I'm in dire need of black work shoes but I'm looking at buying an $80-90 pair so I might add this week's shopping budget to next week's which will also be $50. As for groceries, I'll probably buy lunch stuff with my $13.60 for next week (Mon - Fri), J still has to do a mini shop for the weekend and remaining days.
No Spend Day tomorrow - I have a bus ticket to go to work and I have breakfast & lunch (and I'll rummage around in the cupboard for snacks). J will pick me up from work tomorrow as well!
Monday, August 24, 2009
To Do: 10 Things Challenge
Monday, August 24, 2009
0
I just saw this 10 Things Challenge in the Simple.Organized.Life blog and it's such a good idea. I have so much clutter at home that I would probably need to do this challenge every week for a year. This is on my to-do list for Friday! Pictures are forthcoming.
Cheap & Easy: Mango Curry Wings with Vegetable Rice
I made this easy chicken recipe for dinner last night and had the leftovers for lunch today.
Ingredients with approximate cost (bear in mind that food prices in Sydney are probably twice more expensive than other cities):
1.5 kilo chicken wings - $4.15
1/2 cup mango chutney - $3.30 (there's quite a bit in the bottle - maybe enough for 2 cups)
1/4 cup raisins - $1.99 (only a big bag is available - will have the rest as a snack)
2cm fresh ginger, grated - $.20
3 tsps mild curry powder - $1.75 (in a medium tin - this will be used for a long time)
salt & pepper to taste
rice (should be on your cupboard)
2 cups frozen mixed vegetables - $2.20 (again, there's a lot in this bag)
Total: $14.00 - serves 4 but most of the ingredients can be used three or more times
1. Place chutney, curry powder, raisins & ginger in a large bowl. Stir. Add chicken. Toss to combine. Season with salt & pepper.
2. Place chicken mixture in a single layer in a large baking dish.
3. Cook in a hot oven (200C) for about thirty minutes, or until lightly browned and cooked through.
4. Cook rice in a pan of boiling, salted water for 7 minutes. Add vegetables. Return to boil and boil for a further 5 mins until cooked.
5. Divide rice among four bowls. Top with chicken and cooking juices.
This will be a staple part of our menu!
Ingredients with approximate cost (bear in mind that food prices in Sydney are probably twice more expensive than other cities):
1.5 kilo chicken wings - $4.15
1/2 cup mango chutney - $3.30 (there's quite a bit in the bottle - maybe enough for 2 cups)
1/4 cup raisins - $1.99 (only a big bag is available - will have the rest as a snack)
2cm fresh ginger, grated - $.20
3 tsps mild curry powder - $1.75 (in a medium tin - this will be used for a long time)
salt & pepper to taste
rice (should be on your cupboard)
2 cups frozen mixed vegetables - $2.20 (again, there's a lot in this bag)
Total: $14.00 - serves 4 but most of the ingredients can be used three or more times
1. Place chutney, curry powder, raisins & ginger in a large bowl. Stir. Add chicken. Toss to combine. Season with salt & pepper.
2. Place chicken mixture in a single layer in a large baking dish.
3. Cook in a hot oven (200C) for about thirty minutes, or until lightly browned and cooked through.
4. Cook rice in a pan of boiling, salted water for 7 minutes. Add vegetables. Return to boil and boil for a further 5 mins until cooked.
5. Divide rice among four bowls. Top with chicken and cooking juices.
This will be a staple part of our menu!
Sunday, August 23, 2009
Weekend Recap
Sunday, August 23, 2009
0
I had a very eventful weekend with a lunch and dinner with friends on Saturday and a kids birthday party today. I also had a farewell lunch for a work colleague and friend on Thursday. Here's a recap with their respective categories.
Thursday:
$5 - Breakfast (entertainment)
$10 - contribution for friend's farewell gift (gifts)
$15.20 - Lunch at cafe (entertainment)
Friday:
$20 - Aldi (groceries)
$30 - gift card (for 1st birthday present - gifts)
Saturday:
$5 - The Big Issue Magazine (misc - I would soon put a category under Charity - more on this magazine later)
$7 - Drinks for friend & I in the city before lunch
$7.50 - share for lunch (both entertainment)
Sunday:
$5.20 - Boost Juice (entertainment)
$4.60 - McDonalds Mcmuffin & hash brown (ent - I don't usually eat McDonald's apart from sundaes. This is probably my first McDonalds breakfast for the year!)
$3.20 - Bus to party (ent)
$34.90 - Groceries
$9.25 - Magazines (misc)
Total : $156.85
Not bad at all considering I went out 3 times over the weekend. J bought me dinner on Saturday which was very nice or that would have been another $25 and I still had left over bus tickets so the fare wasn't as bad as I thought.
Thursday:
$5 - Breakfast (entertainment)
$10 - contribution for friend's farewell gift (gifts)
$15.20 - Lunch at cafe (entertainment)
Friday:
$20 - Aldi (groceries)
$30 - gift card (for 1st birthday present - gifts)
Saturday:
$5 - The Big Issue Magazine (misc - I would soon put a category under Charity - more on this magazine later)
$7 - Drinks for friend & I in the city before lunch
$7.50 - share for lunch (both entertainment)
Sunday:
$5.20 - Boost Juice (entertainment)
$4.60 - McDonalds Mcmuffin & hash brown (ent - I don't usually eat McDonald's apart from sundaes. This is probably my first McDonalds breakfast for the year!)
$3.20 - Bus to party (ent)
$34.90 - Groceries
$9.25 - Magazines (misc)
Total : $156.85
Not bad at all considering I went out 3 times over the weekend. J bought me dinner on Saturday which was very nice or that would have been another $25 and I still had left over bus tickets so the fare wasn't as bad as I thought.
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