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Final Monthly Financial Summery for 2012

December 31st, 2012 at 09:05 am

I's time that I posted, this Financial Summery for the year.

I have updated my Excel so here are the figures for past month.

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=====$86
Groceries===$125=== =$147.05
Non-Food===$15=====$12.27
Clothes ====$35
Grooming===$20=====$7.49
Gas======$20=======$35.56
HH items===$40
Fares== ====$15 ====$10
Entrainments== $15
Garden =====$15
Gifts & Donations ==$35===$62.10
Medical & Diabetes Expenses ===$70====$66.49
Misc ======$10
Personal Allowance =$90 ===$43.20

Note only one amount is a No Spend

Budgeted for this period $550 spent $ 471.16 under by $78.84

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, it was $710

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 $637

My 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 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.

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.

Logging in after being offline for a few days!

December 28th, 2012 at 08:05 am

I hope everyone had a lovely Christmas and seasonal holidays where ever you live!

I went to a five star hotel for Christmas lunch this year. It was a nice smorgasbord kind of thing about 200 people for lunch. There were eight of us in our own group seven were relations and one family friend. We had turkey, ham, chicken, all hot plus baked vegetables and lot of salads, prawns and large oysters just to name a few things you could eat. There were lots of little cakes and mini plum puddings and custard along with Christmas candy. Drinks were what you paid for when bought your ticket months ago. At our table there six were non -drinkers as we had two children. Drinks were non- stop for over two hours all house wine and beers and non- drinkers we had diet coke and lemonade or other drinks. At the end we had coffee for those who wanted it! Children under 12 got a gift from Santa and if under seven they meal was free too!

I am now looking forward to watching TV on New Year eve. Two of my favourite shows will be on then. Both are English reply plays Edinburgh Tattoo and Night at Proms –Vienna that are show on New Year Eve here.

As for being offline, I was downloading some ebooks and my anti-virus failed twice and I got a page saying that I use up all my Gigabits for the month. As I only have a small amount I still didn’t think I should have used that much as I have never use it in the past year when I was paying for higher amount. So I went offline for an few days then retried my internet Wi-Fi and found I still had over 2G left so will go easy on downloads until next middle of month.

Strategy for my annual pair of glasses

December 19th, 2012 at 09:36 pm

I have order them and paid for them then will pick them up in the New Year.

As I may have to get a new pair when I see the Eye Specialist next year!

I always allow 11 months for emergency replacement glasses then get replacement pair that I fancy having in last month each year. You can only do this with Health cover that has one new pair each year and you can afford the difference. This year cost was $179 glasses and will out of pocket cost just $44 as these will be basic ones around the house pair.

Review of my spending plan for Bills!

December 14th, 2012 at 09:51 am

I wrote about this in this blog

Text is Starting over with budgeting and saving again! and Link is http://tightwadkitty.savingadvice.com/2012/09/01/starting-over-with-budgeting-and-saving-_97160/
Starting over with budgeting and saving again!

Here’s a list of some things that was planned and how I went so far four months in.

Trips - Sydney wedding and visit to my sister later next year but fare need to be paid in this period. (both are interstate.) Estimate $2000
Still waiting to book air fares for June visit to my sister so only air fares will come in this six spending plan not the holiday expenses. Sydney trip cost was $920

Out of pocket dental that can’t be put off. Estimate $2000
Dental - I paid the first out of pocket bill today - $1375and second bill should be $540 = $1915

Car service that is well overdue so approx. $500
Paid $189 for car service card but still need pay for parts for major service? I will have this done mid- January.

Rates and water bills, power, medical fund annual fee, phone & internet fees, car rego. Approx. $5500
So far I paid medical fund annual fee $2320, first rates and water bills $456 car rego $515, first power $53 = $3344 with and will have extra Chiro Bill coming of $560 in February that not on this list. Another rates and water bills $456 and power $65 to come yet! = $521
Phone and internet will be around $500 for 6 months. I have reduced this cost by $30 per month.

House & Car Insurance due (these are the ones that I am worried about) Estimate $2700 but could be more.

Planned expenses for next six month estimated about $12,700
Age Pension over this time frame under $10,000


So living expenses will be almost nil for next few months, it’s lucky that I do have savings to fall back on if I need too! I will try not to spend too much of it though.

By estimates I am within reach of the target but still living off my savings for Living day to day expenses. So far I have shaved off $2070 off the original total with around $650 will need to come out savings also!

I will have a few months to recoup this money before the next around of large bills. I am still a little worried about that House insurance bill coming in February or early March as some households have gone through the roof by thousands.

Strategy - Review your bills every six months that you are still saving money with your changes that you made since renewed or changed bill companies. Change your habits if you can’t change the company.

Car Service VIP Card

December 12th, 2012 at 04:06 pm

The other day I got a door to door salesperson drop by here. He was selling Car Service VIP Cards for local garage. As I am in need of a major car service in the New Year past, I thought I buy one as the price was cost of this service only, the deal is I don’t pay for labour but I do pay for all parts.

As my car has very low mileage and is now 8 years old. My car hasn’t had a major or minor service for almost two years now so it’s long overdue for one. I may need most of jobs on offer as there are 2 minor services plus heaps other little jobs that can be done.

The card cost $189 with $1009 man hours’ worth of jobs to be done over next 18 months. I am allowed to have three jobs each time off the VIP card.

It should be interesting to track whether I get good service or not with this deal and how much extras parts will cost etc. I know I may need a new tyre for a start.

Last time I had one of these VIP cards years ago, I stayed with that garage until I sold that car six years ago and got this one.

New Glasses and Christmas Shopping

December 5th, 2012 at 10:35 am

I had a spending spree of sorts today I had to order some new glasses at certain shopping centre as my optical store closed down and the staff move elsewhere. I paid for them via cash and medical benefit refund they cost $179, I will pick them up in the New Year as I am in no hurry for them. I get a new pair each year so I have enough pairs around the house. I handed in 5 old pairs of glasses so they can be recycled for those who can’t afford them in poorer counties. It’s a system that optical store do here.

While I was out I posted a Christmas parcel then did my grocery shopping for the things that were on special that I wanted for December. After having Subway sub and coffee I went to find some Christmas ideas and presents for last few on my list. I got a comfort and toiletries gift for one person which I thought I was paying full price for but it was on special as was the other gift that I bought for the other person which was grocery hamper and both of them had 20% off, I was happy about that!

Also I bought tins of biscuits and candy for other gifts as shocking fillers or extra gifts.

I had a very long walk today so my exercise of walking took hours today. Medical research is now telling us ‘we are sitting too long now these days and this not good for our health’. Well I walked and stood for over 5 hours around this shopping centre today. I struck at it until I got all on my list finished so I wouldn’t have to go again to the shops as the school children finish up this Friday for their annual summer holidays. No parking or very little park in shopping centres after this date or at least none in the shade at 39 degrees C. I was very tried by the time I got back to car to drive home.

I will only shop locally from now on until they go back to school.

Monthly Financial Summery for Period 12 -2012

December 1st, 2012 at 08:10 am

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.

Included is my trip to a wedding which I took earlier in the month.

Reviewing my monthly daily living allowance

These are the categories for this challenge.
Items === Approx. Budget===Spent
Eating out===$35=====$72.75
Groceries===$125=== =$30.35
Non-Food===$15=====$11.00
Clothes ====$35=====$95.75
Grooming===$20=====$175.5
Gas======$25
HH items===$40=====$200.45
Fares== ====$15 ====$310.75
Entrainments== $15 ====$56.47
Garden =====$15
Gifts & Donations ==$35===$173.5
Medical & Diabetes Expenses ===$70.00====$144.75
Misc ======$10==========$8
Personal Allowance =$90 ===$16.89
Note only one amount is a no spend

Budgeted for this period $550 spent $357.64 at home then $800.00 for trip and holiday and wedding came in at $938.52
Total $1350.00 budgeted for month and spending came in at $1296.16 under by $53.84

No spending days 8 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 $150.00

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 $1220.00

My grocery bill came in well 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.

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.