Challenge at 36th week.

Kitty’s Real Spending Total $8216.73
+ 2007 Total $-t-r-e-t-c-h Savings Tally $8886.27
= Full Price (RRP) Income Challenge $17103.00

Opening CC Balance $120.00
Kitty’s Opening Balance Rollover $95 ($0.00 Bill A/C)
$$$Money in - $1035.00
= Total Income Balance. $1130
Bills Total $378.10
Other Spending & Groceries $456.10
$$$ Money out = $834.51
Cash Banked in other A/C’s $40
Kitty’s Rollover Balance $255.49 ($94 Bill A/C)
CC Balance $0 (Zero)

My son arrived at 7.30am just after dropping DIL off at her business breakfast meeting to pick up the cheesecake. So we went off to breakfast together, as there was a special of two for one deal at local fast food outlet that I get my free coffee at, instead of dropping in to DF-M place this morning. My time with him is precious as don’t see him enough and it was only for any hour. The only catch was that I had to buy him his drink as he only had enough for his meal. My meal came to $3.95 plus 2 free cappuccino’s saving $4.90 and then paying a $1.95 for his drink. Oh well! He took the cheesecake in the DIL work after 8.30 then went home to sleep. As he had just had just finish work when drove his wife to work. The cheesecake was enjoyed by all at the morning tea.

After I went down to DF-M place to see her and her grandchildren who had stayed for the week. I don’t think she is up to minding young children of school age any more it’s not much fun for them, if she can’t see them they can’t go anywhere nor will she take them anywhere even if I go with them too! So it’s just watching TV or read a book or using the colour pencils that I gave them for Christmas as I do know how boring it can be when the minder doesn’t understand some of basics of schooling that we can do now days. I have to do all her reading and writing for her if the family is not around. Anyway she is going back today with her grandchildren as a family friend is going back to they hometown at lunchtime and taking them with them.

My Medibank debit payment is due today, I do pay it in six month installments. So I have tallied this in my expense total.

As you can see from precious posts that I have a Zero balance on Credit Card at this time of the year and I hope to keep it at that into the future.

Today’s Full price Tally $205.65
Today’s Savings - $ 4.90
2006 Total $-t-r-e-t-c-h Savings Tally $8886.27

After having my morning coffee & toast with DF-M. I went home for an hour then was asked over to my Greek neighbor’s house for coffee and chat. Coming home with a plate of Greek goodies too!

Later I went shopping for DF-M to buy bread and I spent $5.47 saving $6.21
Gift packs x 4 @ 40c saving $ 3.40 on RRP price.
1L milk x2 @ .59c saving $2.42 as their were markdown, I froze one.
Some Organic Shaved Ham $2.69 saving 50c

Later in the evening my handyman friend arrived with belated Christmas gifts, one was Full size Gourmet Café Cheesecake (RRP $40.00 & 15000 calories worth). I had just one half slice and paid the price for that piece. Now find a home for it. oh my liveeeeeeer!

Will not count it in the tally, as I will have to give it away. I will ring my DIL to see if she can pick it up to take to work in the morning. It need’s a large group to eat that one and they are having a morning tea party at her work tomorrow. My DS will call in to pick up.

Today’s Full price Tally $11.68
Today’s Savings - $ 6.21
2007 Total $-t-r-e-t-c-h Savings Tally $8881.37

Well have I finished stage two of my gardening project, that is put all the cane mulch, along with digging and fertilizer the soil beforehand. This did take a few hours so it was done in two 2 hours lots over the course of the day. Then clean up the area and put away all the tools.

I have a strip bed garden that was laid out by my father over 35 years ago. Some of the plants were in the garden when we came here then or in neighbor’s gardens at the time. Seven large Crotons which take up most of front strip beds and is only 24inch wide,(these shrub should not grow there but they do) you only have a few feet between each for any others plants as my father had planned was to make a hedge of them. I have a liking for Geraniums and have five different dark reds & pinks colors and ivy geraniums two different colors in pots. These grow between the Crotons and in colors that blend with them. Also there are two Azalea, one is Red Wings. In one part of the front garden the crotons are have meet so I have bearded iris growing under them. I have a few gladiolus growing, I just leave them in the ground as we do have a warm climate here.

There are other bulbs in there too, Yellow Callas, Hippeastrum and Snowflake. I do let Italian Parsley grow wild if it take hold between weeding’s. In this area I have four small beds with one very old Gardenia that came from a neighbor’s yard when they going to make a office carpark of the backyard it was very sick at the time, now I have the best one in the neighborhood and ixora chinensis ‘Prince of Orange’ which came from this garden also. There are other plants in pots on the front porch including orchids and my herb garden.

As I don’t water the garden very much at time, just a light water once a week if it doesn’t rain and mainly its recycle shower water. These plants are the one that seem to grow well in this area without too much trouble as we will be going into level five water restrictions soon! I would like my water tank in before then as this the garden that I will keep going as it will be NO Watering with town supply. I hope you can still use rainwater Tank water & recycle water only. If it gets too bad than I will have to see what will be left in the end. The crotons have keep growing even when they were never watered. I like my Crotons as they do make a beautiful color show with all those red & yellow leaves and they are over six feet tall.

Lunch out today we again went to Sizzlers which is much better then what we had last month.

Today I had the manager’s special of firecracker prawns & (chips which I gave to young lad who was with one of the others) along with salad bar & dessert & drinks costing $13.65 saving $3.80 with my senior card.

I paid my visa card off yet again so it’s now back to Zero. That’s right I never put anything on Credit Card for Christmas, and haven’t put anything on in the post Christmas sales.

I spent more on my gift card today buying a special cookbook that was on my shopping list saving $5.75. I found some Lock n Lock Cereal Containers @ 50% off I bought x2 plus a smaller one 1L size, saving $23.00 here.

Today’s Full price Tally $85.40
Today’s Savings - $ 32.55
2006 Total $-t-r-e-t-c-h Savings Tally $8875.16

Note.
What happen to the white backgrounds? As I can no longer read it for long periods. If does goes any darker it will be not reading it at all.

Well after 3 weeks into this year’s budget, I better work on want I have to live with for next 12 months. My projects for 2007 are over budget by around $5000. I will have to see where I can cut back, so some can get done.

My living expenses at moment are around $420 and bills $530 per 28 days with some over estimates on bills by 10%. This only leaves very little leftover for these projects. Three projects need to be done this year, each costing around $1800 each. On a gloss income of under $13500, I will have to cut fat big time.

As you know I am getting a water tank in the next few weeks, that’s $1540 there will be a rebate on it too! But will have to wait anything up to six months for it. So that rebate will go to one of the next projects on the list. My handyman friend wants to put an exit door and security screen door in my computer room, YES does need doing if there were a fire in this end of the house I can’t get out full stop! About $1200 for that job, as he is returning to New Zealand soon, it will be fixed before he goes. I had another person quote on this job but he has died since. The other project is buying a new computer, as this one is now too old to update any longer. I have about 10 months before I need a new one. I have to have my termite spray this year as well and will put it off as long a possible. That one is expensive and may have to come out of my capital savings if necessary. All other projects will be on unable to be fixed needs replacement list only. That’s will be only way they will be replaced in 2007.

So you may see a lot of no spending days in the future, as I go looking for the fat in this budget.

I will start with my grocery and eating out budgets, and see what can be done to cut back here.
Normally I annual budget is these amounts in these areas so I will keep them at these amounts and see if I can go under.

Grocery $1500 (last year $1160), target of $800 (I will live off bulk assets for a while.)

Eating out $400 (last year $520), target of $350 (As known spending is 4 birthday’s dinners and 18 lunch dates this year.) As I don’t budget for other’s eating at my place other than what on that week’s menu. I have to spend money to go with them to eat out as this is they lifestyle and we all go Dutch. I do keep a float $40 for this kind of spending so I am never notable to go. $$$ Another Strategy

I had a quite New Year Eve and end up going to bed around 10pm. As I was going to sleep at the computer while watching TV. I have a TV beside my computer, I can see some of the programs that I may miss at times.

I did a bit of gardening this morning not much, but an hour of trimming the edges with scissors as I have more energy at 5.30am than any other time of the day. No power tools allowed before 7am and 8am on Sunday and public holidays a local council by-law. Don’t want to wake the neighbor’s do we!

This afternoon my DS & DIL arrived to go shopping at Target in my local centre. But it was closed so we went of, to the city Target store that was still open. They just bought some marked down Christmas cards @ 50% off. You can get a better range if you do buy some at 50% off mark down price, than waiting to buy it all at 75% off markdown. Here most is junk or broken packaging items or very slow selling lines when it gets down to that price. $$$Another Strategy

I didn’t buy a thing, so another No Spending Day for me.

Happy New Year to all.