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Archive for August, 2012

Empty car parks in shopping centres

August 29th, 2012 at 09:58 am

Over last few weeks I have notice many of the shopping centres car parks have plenty on spaces in them and lot of empty shops that I have been too!

As they have started to charge for car parking in some shopping centres you would think others would be full or fuller that do not charge but here this is not the case. Yesterday at lunch time I stopped at one to go to just store, normally in the past it was very hard to find a car park but I found around 40 car parks in the one area. Same when I went to the next shopping centre empty car parks.

Are consumers cutting back on their spending here? One person I spoke to thinks so, as our state government is cutting back on staff by 15000 to 20000 for next 18 months or so! It could be 'I may not have a job next month; I better stop spending full stop' feeling.

Update on My Monthly Financial Summery for Period 9 - 2012

August 28th, 2012 at 10:44 am

It’s time that I posted, before others things do get in the away again.

I only just updated my Excel so here are the figures for past month not posted so far.

This for period of 28 days each as I looks like I missed one somewhere. As I work on 28 day cycles, my dates may be out to calendar months so here are the figures that will bring it up to date as its every near the end of next 28 day cycle.

Reviewing my monthly daily living allowance

These are the categories for this challenge.
Items === Approx. Budget===Spent
Eating out===$35=====$43.20
Groceries===$125=== =$116.37
Non-Food===$15=====$26.54
Clothes ====$35
Grooming===$20=====$17.00
Gas======$25
HH items===$40
Fares== ====$15 ====$10.00
Entrainments== $15 ===$66.35
Garden =====$15
Gifts & Donations ==$35===$40.00
Medical & Diabetes Expenses ===$56.20
Misc ======$10
Personal Allowance =$90 ===$69.15

Note only one amount is a no spend

Budgeted for this period $ 540 spent $444.91 so under budget by $95.09

No spending days 9 of 28 days

Personal allowance covers confectionery, lotto, books, stamps, craft & hobby supplies.

Eating out including meals out with family and friends, we all go Dutch.

As for Medical & Diabetes Expenses - this is the extra out of pockets amounts that came up over this period just on medicine that is not covered be refund claims.

My credit cards are still paid in full each month.

I do keep my bill money separated from this summery. This year I will be budgeting around $650 per period month to cover all my bills and for this period it came to $606.88

The grocery bill came in over budget for this period.
If any changes to my spending habits will need to come out of my daily living allowance categories of my budget as my bill categories are very tight now. I was very tight in some areas of this daily living allowance over this period but I did work out in the end.

Still need to work on a Grocery category.

Strategy: - Track your daily spending down to the cent by writing it down daily.

Now back to trying to SAVE for a new Kitchen next year.

Update on My Monthly Financial Summery for Period 8 - 2012

August 19th, 2012 at 09:57 am

It’s time that I updated here before others things do get in the away again.

I only just updated my Excel so here are the figures for past month not posted so far.

This for one period of 28 days each as I looks like I missed one somewhere. As I work on 28 day cycles, my dates may be out to calendar months so here are the figures that will bring it up to date as its every near the end of next 28 day cycle.

Reviewing my monthly daily living allowance

These are the categories for this challenge.
Items === Approx. Budget===Spent
Eating out===$35=====$22.15
Groceries===$125=== =$76.11
Non-Food===$15=====$3.00
Clothes ====$35====$54.85
Grooming===$20=====$45.00
Gas======$25
HH items===$40====$2.00
Fares== ====$15
Entrainments== $15 ===$455.00
Garden =====$15
Gifts & Donations ==$35
Medical & Diabetes Expenses ===$70=====$13.05
Misc ======$10
Personal Allowance =$90 ===$50.89

Note only one amount is a no spend

Budgeted for this period $ 540 spent $757.05 so over budget by $217.05

No spending days 14 of 28 days

Personal allowance covers confectionery, lotto, books, stamps, craft & hobby supplies.

Eating out including meals out with family and friends, we all go Dutch.

As for Medical & Diabetes Expenses - this is the extra out of pockets amounts that came up over this period just on medicine that is not covered be refund claims.

My credit cards are still paid in full each month.

I did buy a new camera and paid the deposit for the painting $1000, this period one is under bills and the other come in under entertainment spending.

I do keep my bill money separated from this summery. This year I will be budgeting around $650 per period month to cover all my bills and for this period it came to $146.00

The grocery bill came in under budget for this period.
If any changes to my spending habits will need to come out of my daily living allowance categories of my budget as my bill categories are very tight. I was very tight in some areas of this daily living allowance over this period but I did work out in the end.

Still need to work on a Grocery category.

Strategy: - Track your daily spending down to the cent by writing it down daily.

The painter has finished

August 17th, 2012 at 09:46 am

Early this week the painter finished his job and was paid in full. It was a good job and some of the neighbours ask for his card so he may get more work around here later on. I did pay him as planned with the final payment in the form of a bank cheque and got him sign to say that he has been paid in full, this is now filed way. The new awnings will arrived next week hopefully this should complete the job on the outside that I can’t do myself. I will look at doing all the gates and poles on the front fence over next few months. I may need to buy another can of green paint to finish this job off.

My next major project is a new kitchen which I will need to save for now! I will still keep money aside for a replacement of my washing machine when it breakdown next. Planning my money around need not wants have kept me on a level playing field just by knowing that the money is there to buy things when they are needed and not have go out get a loan that I can’t afford to repay.

It has been quite here and I am still reading my list of books more have arrived in the Thursday post all four books on order arrived together.

I will need to update cost of living figures here soon as I am a month behind!

Painting update

August 1st, 2012 at 10:42 am

Well I paid my next progress payment of $1500 to painter today. I did have a bit of the run around to get the money. I went to one shopping centre to make a withdrawal but that branch closed last month so had to drive to another branch to get the money. It goes to say that I don’t withdraw money out that often via a teller. Will need to make the final payment with a bank cheque as I don’t like having large amounts of money around the place. This will prove that I did pay him if it ever came to that.

The job is looking good and very clean should take another week and a bit to do. He is on the final side but for 10 foot area near the stairs. I will need to get new awnings which will be an extra cost, the one I do have are too old and unrepairable to make them look good. They are on the sunniest side of the house. If I sold the house I would need to replace ASAP and area where they are would be not painted this time too! At 60 years old they are ready to go. I have someone calling Monday about them and will get a quote.