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Archive for October, 2012

Update on My Monthly Financial Summery for Period 11 - 2012

October 30th, 2012 at 09:12 pm

It’s time that I posted, before I do the next month’s Financial Summery.

I have 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=====$20.95
Groceries===$125=== =$111.83
Non-Food===$15
Clothes ====$35
Grooming===$20=====$9.00
Gas======$25
HH items===$40=====$44.00
Fares== ====$15 ====$10.00
Entrainments== $15
Garden =====$15
Gifts & Donations ==$35===$5.75
Medical & Diabetes Expenses ===$14.05
Misc ======$10==========$2.50
Personal Allowance =$90 ===$121.87

Note only one amount is a no spend

Budgeted for this period $550 spent $329.95 so under budget by $220.05

No spending days 15 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 it was $90.00.

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 bills for this period it came to $136.69

My 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 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 and personal allowance as I got to stop spending money on books, I think this is my biggest downfall most of my personal spending is spent on books.

I am still donating some old books to a number of charity stops around the place that I will never read or never read again as I need the plastic containers that they are stored in as this will save money by recycling the plastic containers that I own.

Strategy - Do remember what you have stored before you go and buy more of the same.

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

Another recipe

October 16th, 2012 at 07:52 am

Beef and Pineapple Casserole

2.2lbs (1000g) blade steak or beef -cubed
Seasoned flour -see below *
2 tbsp oil
2 sticks celery- sliced
2 onions -chopped
1/2 green pepper- sliced
1 cup beef stock
1/3 cup vinegar
440g can tomatoes
450g can pineapple pieces
1/2 cup sultanas
1 tbsp brown sugar
*Seasoned flour
Mix together in plastic bag -2 tbsp flour, 1 tsp ground ginger 1/2 tsp paprika, 1 tsp salt and a good grind of black pepper

METHOD
Drain pineapple and reserve 1/2 cup liquid and soak sultanas in this until required.
Cut meat in cubes if you haven't bought them cubed. Then toss in seasoned flour.
Heat oil in heavy frypan and brown meat all over then remove and place in casserole dish.
Add celery and onions to pan and cook for a minute or two to soften Stir in beef stock, vinegar, undrained tomatoes, sugar and mix well.
Pour over meat, cover and cook at 300F for 1- 1/2 hours.
Add carrots, pepper and pineapple and sultanas in liquid adjust seasoning and cook for a further 30 minutes.

Another no spending week here + recipe

October 16th, 2012 at 07:49 am

I spent time in the city today paying bills and keeping appointments that I made last month. Not much going on here at the moment so will posted some more recipes. Most of the week was a no send one!

As I am still typing up some recipes from my friend's booklets so I will post a few over the next weeks, I trying to find some interesting ones.

Tuna and Herb Pie
8 slices wholemeal bread- crust removed
1/4 cup milk
1 tbsp lemon juice
2 shallots or 2 small onions - finely chopped
1x425g can tuna- drained and flaked
4 eggs
1/4 cup natural yogurt
1/2 cup tasty cheese- grated
1 tbsp fresh dill - chopped
Freshly ground black pepper
METHOD
Line base of a lightly greased baking tray (about 13in x 9in x 2in) with bread.
Whisk together eggs, milk, yogurt, lemon juice and pepper.
Spread tuna over bread, sprinkle with cheese and dill, and carefully pour over mixture over tuna.
Bake in moderate oven 25- 30 minutes or until set.

What's interest about this one is using up stale bread.

Had to get an electrician in!

October 10th, 2012 at 09:44 am

Last time I used my washing machine the power point wouldn’t work as it stopped in the middle of a cycle. As my washing machine is 1985 vintage I thought that I would need a new one, I do have that money invested so was just about to start looking for new one! Then I decided that I should put the washing machine on power lead to another power point to check if it was still working and it was. So no need for a new one just yet!

I phone my Home Assist Service for pensioners which will pay part of the bill for you that‘s $88 off bill. Today he came to check my power points in the laundry and fix a light there too! I had the light fittings so only needed to pay for the new power points he had replaced two, I don’t like iffy things if there’s a problem its gets fixed with too many house fires with faulty electrical around the place. The total cost of out of pocket expensive was only $36.50.

He also set my mind a rest on the power spikes that I get from time to time. It’s my solar hot water power unit starting up it only goes for a few minutes and not all day at 3500 kWh I will have to learn to live with that.

Strategy - If it can be fixed then repair it, but use the less than half rule on replacement costs rule.

No spending days here + recipe

October 7th, 2012 at 09:38 am

I haven't not been near the shops for over 5 days now! I will need to go tomorrow thorough with my friend but I am hoping not to spend at all.

I had some free pizza given to me today as my friend decided to have pizza for lunch. When she does this she buys 3 of them, one to share with me for lunch, one for her freezer and one for my freezer too! I put this pizza into Gladwrap with 2 pieces at time then freeze I do get 4 lunches out of this.

I think she is lonely and tries not to cook in hot weather as it was 35C today here and no rain.
I do other things for her so it's her way of paying me back I think.

Here is another Vegetarian recipe that I found.

Sri Lankan Vegetable Curry

Mix together in large saucepan
1 cup coconut cream
3 cups vegetable stock
10 curry leaves
1 -2 stalks lemongrass
1 cinnamon stick

Boil up for a few minutes then simmer and add -
1 tbsp curry powder
1/4 tbsp turmeric

Simmer and stir for approx. 10 minutes.
Chop up bigger chunks
1-2 carrots
6-8 small chat potatoes

Add cook 15 minutes then add-
2 chopped zucchinis
Cook another minute.
Then add in
1/2 cup frozen peas
1/2 cup cashew nuts
2-3 tbsp coriander
lime juice to taste.

Cook further 2 minutes.
Serve with boiled rice.

Update on My Monthly Financial Summery for Period 10 - 2012

October 1st, 2012 at 09:23 am

It’s time that I posted, before I do the next month’s Financial Summery.

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=====$10.90
Groceries===$125=== =$76.47
Non-Food===$15=====$4.99
Clothes ====$35===== $24.00
Grooming===$20=====$14.97
Gas======$25=======$6.95
HH items===$40
Fares== ====$15 ====$10.00
Entrainments== $15 ===$66.35
Garden =====$15======$7.00
Gifts & Donations ==$35===$45.60
Medical & Diabetes Expenses ===$6.05
Misc ======$10
Personal Allowance =$90 ===$85.34

Note only one amount is a no spend

Budgeted for this period $550 spent $292.27 so under budget by $252.73

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 this period I finished paying off my painting and awning that were put on Credit Card it was $937.00.

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 bills for this period it came to $173.41

My 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 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 and personal allowance as I got to stop spending money on books, I think this is my biggest downfall most of my personal spending is spent on books.

I am donating some old books to a number of charity stops around the place that I will never read or never read again as I need the plastic containers that they are stored in as this will save money by recycling the plastic containers that I own.

Strategy - Do remember what you have stored before you go and buy more of the same.

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