I wrote about this in this blog

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.

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.

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.

Last weekend outcome, Saturday it was raining here but I still went out as it was compulsory voting, at the polling booths the church had a street stall selling odd & ends and sausage sizzler, one sausage & onions on piece of white bread and sauce $2.00 each, I didn’t fall for that one I had eaten but I did buy a large brown handbag that has never been used $10.00.

Then we went down by car to the large fruit shop, my friend bought heaps of stuff. I bought bucket of mandarins, zucchinis, pineapple, pumpkin, cabbage, sweet potatoes, and fennel $12.45 all up then I got 10 chicken schnitzels for $10.00 at the butchers. Cost all up $22.45.


Large Brown Handbag

Come Sunday I had a problem with diabetic glucose machine that my diabetic educator lent me! I had to walk to the chemist to ask about that. New battery was needed so that cost $3.45 more about this in another post.

I did do the Washing before I went for my walk then came home to hang it out and do any hand washing. After morning tea I went the school fete as it had stopped raining. Normally they have Trash & Treasure in the school hall but as this was used for a polling booth the day before they went back to the old area before the new school hall was build. Having found the Trash & Treasure and second hand books area, I looked at these to spend my allotted money. I didn’t find anything interesting but saw most of the stuff I had donated was still for sale. So I may had made the right choice of donating it as it would never sold in any garage sale and I had three over time trying too! I had better luck at the bookstall I did find some cookbooks and two novels that I may read in the future.


$9.00 this lot of books

All up spent $44.90 Value of finds about $165

Money wise this has been an expensive 4 weeks with all the bills and medical expenses that I have laid out. Medical bills were over $1075 less any refunds over time about half that amount. Car and house insurances were paid along with power bill so the bills out goings were around $3500 before anything else but budgeting the way that I do the money is always there. So now I need just stop spending to save a little more to cover the medical costs.

I had to call the roadside assist while out Christmas grocery shopping today.

I opened my door because something was wrong with my foot pedals in the car so I thought. But I had trigged the door lock when got in and didn’t know it. This set off the car alarm which I had forgetting how to stop it. Now I was in a pickle with my DF-M 82 year old with me and all her groceries. Lucky that I had my mobile with me so I could phone roadside assist as I have been member for as long I have had my car licence now!

I ask some other ladies in the car park if they knew how to start the car now that had immobilise it and had on full set the lights across the dashboard and one I had never seen before a car with a key on it. Do you know what that one is? I never knew that my car had a car immobiliser and I had it for the last 5 years. The ladies couldn’t help but had this problem once before and no men were about either to ask. So it a job for road side assist, the lady on the other end couldn’t tell me over the phone how to restart the car as it just wouldn’t start. The service man will have to come out in the next 60 minutes.

Lucky we were in the underground car park and not in full sun. I had to get across to my friend that she couldn’t sit in the close car while we waited, I don’t speak Italian so this took a while in the end she decide get a taxi home instead of waiting with me. As I couldn’t stay with the car as I had to go to the meeting point in the car park. I had to fix up getting that taxi as she past calling for one herself, luckily it came quickly and I was able load most her groceries in the taxi and send her on her way. I sat on the taxi rank seats until I saw the mobile roadside assist car at the traffic lights and was able to direct him to my car.

With all the moving of the groceries and opening the door and locking the doors getting my friend to the taxi the car had reset itself and I didn’t need him after all. It started when I put the key in the lock again like normal. We had a chat about what happen and what does happen with these car immobiliser at times. All I needed to do was push the button on key ring and unlock the car then relock then unlock and drive away. Simple! I was told never to park under Fluorescent lighting in shopping car park or a power transformer in the street as this can them set it off too!
I got home about 15 minutes after my friend and she was still bringing in her groceries and I gave she the tray of mangoes still in my car.

Well I did have a learning lesson after all today of sort. Just uses that button on the key ring it may save money and time in future. My seventy dollars per year membership was worth it. I try to be as stress free as I can.

You can tell I don’t drive it that much!

Strategy - Park your car in a spot that you will get your daily walk done too!

I am a very late in putting up my monthly, others things did get in the away this time but that’s another story which you have been reading about lately here. I only just updated my Excel so here are the figures for last month.

As I work on 28 day cycles, my dates may be out to a calendar months so here are the figures for my last period.


It’s time to start again on reviewing my monthly daily living allowance.

These are the categories for this challenge.

Items === Approx. Budget===Spent
Eating out===$35.00=====$22.00
Groceries===$135.50 ==== $78.18
Non-Food===$17.00=====$7.72
Clothes ====$35.00=====$105.50
Grooming===$15.00=====$35.00
Gas======$ 25.00=======$8.00
Pets====== $50.00=== ==$63.19
HH items===$42.50=====$40.44
Fares== ====$9.00====$20.00
Entrainments= $12.00
Garden =====$10.00
Gifts & Donations =$35.00===$3.00
Medical =====$15.00======$37.15
Diabetes Expenses====$50
Misc ======$9.00
Personal Allowance =$85.00 ====$58.29

Note only one amount is a no spend
Budgeted for this period $580 spent $478.38 so under budget by $101.62

No Spending days over the 28 days = 7 days in total.

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 this is the extra out of pockets amounts that came up this month just on medicine
As for my medical visits out of pocket expensive if they are related to Diabetes then I will class them as Diabetes Expenses will come under this new category.
Diabetes Expenses – nil

A most will be one off items or once per year expenses. But I need to track these items on my small budget and pension. Each time I pay for some things in this category I will need to cut something in other categories.

My credit cards are still paid in full each month.

Spending on books and papers $38.80 for the month including 4 papers.

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. This month bills were around $ 378.80 so balance banked this month. This fund does cover all my fixed bills for the year if I can stick to this schedule as I have done for the past ten years or so. On my budget excel modelling chart I can pay the full amount this year.

As for food out, I dined out 4 times this month costing between $5 & $9 a time most were around the $9 mark as I can no longer eat at fast food outlets. That $9.00 meals at casino is still looking the healthiest and best deal in the city for now.

My grocery bill came in under budget for this month.

My clothes and grooming budget was well over this month I bought 4 new bras and only paid for 3 and had a watch battery replaced along a haircut.

Most of my social outing are dining out this is part of my social outings money and spending allowance.
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.

Still need to work on a few categories as you can see but over all I had a good month.

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

I had the morning at home and waited for my son to drop in. He wife is away with work so we could use both pass on Friday. He arrived at my place 15 minutes after he finished work. Getting dressed we were on our away by 2.30pm arriving to park the car near the showground Carparking was $15.00 so we found street parking for $6.00 for the last four hours on the meters. He waited until 3.00pm so we only had to pay for 4 hours.
Walking over to the

EKKA showground we used our pass to get in again. Then walked though Side Show Alley and the Show Bag Pavilion we never bought a thing here. We had afternoon snacks at a Red Rooster stand at least my son did cost him $15.00, I had a fruit drink and mandarin from home.

We went down to government pavilion for my son to look around then went over the Woolworth Pavilion and got some free food samples and two kid’s aprons and shopping bags for the junior members of the family as there are different offers each day.

Walked around companies show case pavilion never spent any money there, walk over to the wool pavilion and had a look at the animal nursery the cows and horses then walked over to find something to eat yet again. I had a bottle of water and steak sandwich $10.50 DS had coke & hamburger $11.00.

On the walk up to the grandstands, we drop in at RM Williams stand, I bought T-Shirt for $15.00 but I had a voucher for $10.00 so I was able to use this so only paid $5.00 for the t-shirt in the end.

We went to the member’s grand stand at around 5.30pm and stayed there until 8.30pm when we went home. My son bought some coffee and hot chocolate for both of us. I had my muesli bar that I had with me.

Friday night was the night at they open the show, so we were there for this once. I did take a few pictures, they had some different breeds of cattle & cows on the ground and bullock team while the grand opening parade matched on to the oval. The person opening the show this year was our first lady of the Australia the Governor General Quentin Bryce, I meet her when she was the State Governor for Queensland here in 2006.

Ekka 2010 pictures are back up


Bullock Team


Opening Honour Guard Parade & Cattle



Honour Guard


Opening speech and police horses


Just before blessing of the plough


Also we watched the camp drafting, HiLux Heroes (5 truck team), bike jumping, Monster Truck Mania, Jet Van and then the firework.

That’s my day trips to the Ekka for this year! Home by 9pm.

Strategy - Have a treat now and then!

Strategy - Park your car in a spot that you will get your daily walk done too!

It was Mother Day last Sunday, I went to have dinner with my family at their local Hotel Bistro I didn’t mind driving up to their place as I don’t spent that much time with them. I got a beautiful leather coin wallet and cookbook on Diabetes that I said I would like to get some day. What I had to eat this time, Chicken Breast & Prawns in a Mustard Sauce with Mashed Potatoes & Sweet Potatoes and water to drink. I got a Senior Card discount off the meal too!

On driving out my car hit a bump and I wondered why! I could fine a cause so I drove up on the freeway to their place went to the Hotel in they car so only had to drive home again on the freeway at 80km all the way home. The car drove as normal so I thought only to have that bump again as I drove into the garage. I had a good look this time and found tat my front tyre was almost flat. As the car just came from a service just a few months before it had to be a nail.

Next morning I rang our car club which I am a member and they charged the tyre and said I will need to get it fixed ASAP. Tomorrow will do fine as I was planning a driving the car then.

After doing what I had planned to do by driving my friend to the bus so she could go on a bus trip with Italian speaking friends. I had two recommendation for a place near son’s place so I drove up there to get the tyre fix as I am looking for a cheaper place to get my car service in the near further.

The tyre cost $25 to fix which is a good price and that price was on they price for that job. As for the next car service which is a big one I will be going there too I think! I was quoted around $1500 at the car dealership which has a car service department as well! Without all that overhead I was quoted around $650 for the same job. That’s an awful lot of money and I have just six month left on parts replacement warranty which I don’t think I will use. As the timing belt is due to the age of the car has to be replaced this time. My style of driving requires me to have things fix on timing scale not on mileage.

Strategy - Try to drink water with your meals when you are dinning out and if you on a special diet try to stick to it as best you can.

Strategy - Don’t believe all the sale talk, do your own leg work.

As I work on 28 day cycles, my dates may be out to a calendar months so here are the figures for my last period.

It’s time to start again on reviewing my monthly daily living allowance.

These are the categories for this challenge.
Items === Approx Budget===Spent
Eating out===$35.00=====$73.45
Groceries===$135.50 ==== $230.61
Non-Food===$17.00
Clothes ====$35.00======$8.45
Grooming===$15.00
Gas======$25.00=======$29.60
Pets====== $50.00=== ==$82.56
HH items===$42.50=====$158.98
Fares== ====$9.00 =====$20.00
Entrainments= $12.00
Garden =====$10.00====$28.56
Gifts & Donations =$35.00
Medical =====$15.00======$44.50
Diabetes Expenses====$50===$43.47
Misc ======$9.00
Personal Allowance =$85.00 ====$51.04
Note only one amount is no spend

Budgeted for this period $580 spent $811.27
No Spending days over the 28 days = 11 days in total.

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 this is the extra out of pockets amounts that came up this month, bought a Medicine and vitamins tablets.

As for my medical visits out of pocket expensive if they are related to Diabetes then I will class them as Diabetes Expenses will come under this new category.

Diabetes Expenses – Books $43.47
A most will be one off items or once per year expenses. But I need to track these items on my small budget and pension. Each time I pay for some thing in this category I will need to cut something in other categories.

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. This month bills were around $1125 so no balance this month. These funds do cover all my fixed bills for the year if I can stick to this schedule as I have done for the past ten years or so. This budget will be tight but just doable. On my budget excel modelling chart I can pay the full amount this year.

My food went up this month because I am stockpiling items that I will use over the winter months hopefully my food amounts will start to get back to a normal range but may be a little higher as I need to change to some more expensive range in a few things like bread is now $5.00 per loaf instead of $1.49 per loaf, and I need to buy more nuts and seeds as well special grains.

As for food out, I dined out a 7 times this month costing between $4 & $18 a time most were around the $10 mark as I can no longer eat at fast food outlets. That $9.00 meals at casino is looking the healthiest and best deal in the city for now.

Another large category is for the household section that was a once off purchase of Gerni (water pressure machine) costing $149.00. This was a need as with all the wet weather we are having slimy paths and steps are becoming an issue.

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. Still need to work on a few categories as you can see but over all I had a good month.

No Savings for this month over by $ 251.27 on budget for amount. This equals the cost of the Gerni and extra I laid out in food stuff this month in stockpiling both for my own and pets.

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

So far in my challenge to reduce spending in 2011, I have changed my

internet & phone plan and topped up my mobile plan for the year by $20.00, with the credit on it plus very limited use this amount will be almost all I will pay until December.

As for transport, as I limit the amount of driving that I do to planned trips with multi jobs, I can almost do without a car if I didn’t need it to travel across suburbs that don’t link up without a two hours bus trip one way then same trip back again or pay $60 each way in taxi fares to get there. We have a very large city so travel is on set routes but if you live or wish to travel outside these routes it can be a problem. Want can take 30 minutes around trip by car can take up to 4 hours and then you need catch multi buses to catch. So much about transport at least I do get cheaper fares with Senior discounts so that all helps.

My car with all it services, insurances and gas along with tolls does cost money that I could cut if things ever got out of hand. At the moment it’s my one luxury that I will live with for now. I do use the buses if I am heading for areas that I need to pay for parking as it works out a lot cheaper to do so.

Strategies
I don’t pay for parking unless I have no choice (unless e.g. hospital car parks or airports.)
I don’t use toll way unless I have no choice
I don’t drive in water across roads (my car is too low)

I am trying to add the cost of hospital cover to my bill budget, before I have pay a lot more as I get older if I don’t, as it is I have to pay an age surgechange of 40% now and it will go up by 2% each year that I delay. This will mean an extra $95 per month on top of what I am out laying now for all other bills.

This is because up till now I couldn’t afford to cover for hospital and we have a free public hospital here, but they are now over crowded with a very long waiting list for any surgery. This hospital cover I am thinking of getting is just for basic cover, so I may have to go to public free hospital if I need major surgery like hip or knee replacement. I will have an excess of $500 for hospital per year if need it but will have a float to cover this part.

By putting away around $300 each fortnight I can do this, but any car services will need to come out my personal living area of my budget. I am thinking that may be by buying a few less books and few other little treats at times when I do have to do something with the car, as I always have floats so I can borrow from these at pinch and pay back as soon as possible by cutting back on wants but not needs.

Yesterday I took my elderly neighbour to the hardware store the largest in our area, as she had to buy some plastic ground sheeting to cover her garden where she is not growing anything this year in it as she is going interstate for a few months this summer. Now the one she uses is a builder black plastic and you buy it by the roll, 20m $54.95, some cord to tie things up in the garden and around the house, you could buy this by the metre but no she wanted a roll of it $25.75. Another large plastic container $16.95, some garden supplies, odd and ends $48.35 worth so hardware trip costed about $146.00.

After I packed up the car it was off to the supermarket for just a few things and quick look at the new upgrade at this one or so I thought. She like the new upgrade and $66.00 later including a tray of 12 mangos @$3.48 each for her family she is visiting today. We are off the Chemist, bakers and the butcher at another shopping area closer to home. She picked up medicine, along with the 5 bread rolls that she likes. At butcher’s cooked chicken ham and egg all up around another $74.00. Now I wanted to go home but first I had to take her home then unpack the car with all her stuff that she bought before I could. I got given half the chicken for lunch and 2 slice of ham. So 3 hours later after we started out I got home and again I had a NO Spend Day.

I do know that she has to pay for taxis if she goes anywhere alike this on her own and where we live to and from the hardware store would have been around $40 each way. If I want to buy anything its best I go on my own that way I can fit it in the car.

Until next time!

Yesterday I took my elderly neighbour to the hardware store the largest in our area, as she had to buy some plastic ground sheeting to cover her garden where she is not growing anything this year in it as she is going interstate for a few months this summer. Now the one she uses is a builder black plastic and you buy it by the roll, 20m $54.95, some cord to tie things up in the garden and around the house, you could buy this by the metre but no she wanted a roll of it $25.75. Another large plastic container $16.95, some garden supplies, odd and ends $48.35 worth so hardware trip costed about $146.00.

After I packed up the car it was off to the supermarket for just a few things and quick look at the new upgrade at this one or so I thought. She like the new upgrade and $66.00 later including a tray of 12 mangos @$3.48 each for her family she is visiting today. We are off the Chemist, bakers and the butcher at another shopping area closer to home. She picked up medicine, along with the 5 bread rolls that she likes. At butcher’s cooked chicken ham and egg all up around another $74.00. Now I wanted to go home but first I had to take her home then unpack the car with all her stuff that she bought before I could. I got given half the chicken for lunch and 2 slice of ham. So 3 hours later after we started out I got home and again I had a NO Spend Day.

I do know that she has to pay for taxis if she goes anywhere alike this on her own and where we live to and from the hardware store would have been around $40 each way. If I want to buy anything its best I go on my own that way I can fit it in the car.

Until next time!

It’s time to review my daily living allowance for last month’s budget.

These are the categories for this challenge.

Items===Approx Budget===Spent

Eating out===$35.00=====$72.35
Groceries===$135.50 ==== $76.61
Non-Food===$17.00= ====$19.64
Clothes ====$35.00=====$5.00
Grooming===$15.00=====$18.00
Gas======$25.00==== ==$65.50
Pets====== $50.00=== ==$26.61
HH items===$42.50======$77.50
Fares== ====$9.00 =====$26.60
Entrainments= $12.00 =====$23.07
Garden =====$10.00
Gifts & Donations =$35.00
Medical =====$15.00=====$38.15
Misc ======$9.00
Personal Allowance =$85.00 ==$67.20

Budgeted for this period $530 spent $515.72

No Spending days over the 28 days = 10 days in total.

I didn’t bank any Money this month owing to paying my credit card off in full after buying the security doors $1600 worth now to replace my emergency fund over next few months by cutting back on the above where I can.

I have had a few blowouts in some of listed items but overall still came under budget just. All my bills are paid and up to date. All smoke detectors have to have new batteries along with some other batteries so the HH items budget was a little bigger than usual. Personal allowance was mainly books and only one was new. One was a collector’s item a craft book printed in 1918 on stencilling on clothes of all things. As for eating out I did dine out a few times this month and gas I was driving a lot in March too!

If you read in an earlier post I said that I still have a $100 worth of vouchers that I need to spend by the end of the year at one shopping center.

Well I did manage to get my son to take me there, but by the time I got to his place because he was coming off night shift and needed to sleep first, I got to his place around 2.30pm after getting caught up in Friday afternoon traffic with all the semi trailers (18 wheeler trucks) some doubles coming to the warehouses or depots near his house.

We changed cars and head off to the shopping center which he works at too! This is about 20 minutes from his house as he hadnt had any breakfast let alone lunch we first stop in Lunch hall, just leaving me one hour to shop. So the first shop that used the vouchers as not all stores did. I bought there.

Restocked my underwear & nightwear as I was 20% ahead with my vouchers in the first I think I did pretty well, 2 night gowns, 4 bras that fit, 10 pairs of pants all for $82.69. Now you know me, I like a bargain and yes they were all on special at 25% off for bras and nightwear and 50% off pants.

I end up with $15 worth of voucher left so as I was going out for dinner with son & DIL, I end up giving them the vouchers as part of my share of our meal plus the extra cash to make up the different. We had a Chinese Banquet for 4 but as only there were 3 of us, I got to take home any leftovers now I can see a least 3 meals this weekend will be Chinese leftovers, Chicken & Corn Soup, Fried Rice, Sour & Sweet Pork plus mixture of the chicken dishes. Its not everyday that I have Chinese banquets but I do like them. Normally my son would the leftovers for his next days meals but they are not working this weekend and have a party to go to Saturday.

As for using these kinds of vouchers again, I would not buy them again when you take in the gas and the time to get there. It wasnt worth gas to go back and spend that extra $15 worth of vouchers when the others go there 5 days a week.

As for saving on the day

$20 off the cost vouchers (paid $80 for them)
Underwear & nightwear save $34.50 of RRP
Paid $30 for the meal but took home $30 worth of meals
Snack 2.45 with coffee save $2.45 on free coffee (Senior%)

All up spent $115.14 for the day
Value RRP $152.09 plus $20 off vouchers & leftover food to take into account.

It is time to review my daily living allowance for the last two months of my 2009 budget.

As it is nearly time to post the next two months, I am getting a little behind in my updates

These are the categories for this challenge.

Items == Approx Budget==Spent

Eating out= $67==$133.25
Groceries=$271.00= = $209.17
Non-Food=$33.00= =$10.68
Clothes =$67.00==$0
Grooming=$25.00==$19.50
Gas=$50.00 ==$27.28
Pets= $98.00 ==$121.40
HH items=$83.00==$61.19
Fares= $17.00 == $20.00
Entrainments= $25.00 == $78.60
Garden =$17.00==$13.00
Gifts & Donations =$67.00= =$77.00
Medical Prescription =$30==$165.70
Misc =$17.00 ==$0
Personal Allowance =$168.00 ==$269.56

No Spending days over the 56 days = 23 days in total.

As I said in the last review of Daily living allowance which is my challenge this year, these are the areas which I dont have a fixed spending amounts but can go over board at any point. But can cutback quickly if the need does rise. Approx amount for the two months.

Here is a summery of this spending period. More medical out of pocket expenses not covered in the fixed budget. Along with bill up on pet food stockpile, going out a little more than normal and eating out a lot more than normal. Along with buying more books in personal allowance with a large portion of this amount is books.

It is time to review my daily living allowance for the next two months of my 2009 budget.

These are the categories for this challenge.

Items ==budget==spent

Eating out= $67==$82.25
Groceries=$271.00= = $134.77
Non-Food=$33.00= =$9.48
Clothes =$67.00==$25
Grooming=$25.00==$32.45
Gas=$50.00 ==$33.27
Pets= $98.00 ==$41.66
HH items=$83.00==$31.72
Fares= $17.00 == $22.20
Entrainments= $25.00 == $4
Garden =$17.00==$3
Gifts & Donations =$67.00= =$8.50
Medical Prescription =$30==$82.20
Misc =$17.00 ==$0
Personal Allowance =$168.00 ==$125.69

No Spending days over the 56 days = 32 days in total.

My eating out in this period included a few restaurant meals so its over budget but not a great deal this period. Grocery came in under by about 50% but I am cutting back so I can use some of my stockpile and near out of date stock. Pets were another one that I am under this period by about 57% but will be restocking some items over next few weeks. Medical is out of pocket medical expenses more still to come in this period too! Eye specialists are expense I hope to get the bottom of my problem soon!

On personal allowance front I am still ahead but this does include books which is my weakness as 65% were books. Some were new and some old antique ones that I found last month.

As for next period my Gifts & Donations will skyrocket as I do have a few birthdays coming soon.

It’s time to review my Frugal Challenge Year at the half way point.
I did use all my gift vouchers that I had received over past six month, even using one for part payment for my new stove & oven that I bought last month and paying the balance in Cash.

My credit cards are still at Zero balance but for the debit amount which is paid off each month.

My survival kit & resources are coming along nicely, only a few items needed to buy now. I will be able to stay out of the supermarkets if there is a food crisis in my area at anytime in the future. May go to the camping stores instead for extra items that I don’t want to stock to much of for now.

All bills are paid and up to date. I am able to go out when I like to as I have put money away for such outings.

Food and Gas prices have risen over the past six months but I am still able to manage as I have stockpiled some food items because of that I’m now living off last years prices and will only replace if I find a real bargain in that line only. I can afford to wait awhile!

As for Gas, I only drive on a need bases and limit the distance that I’m driving. Each time the gas is low in my area, I will fill up if I need too! But again I can afford to wait to see if the price does go down too! By shopping locally and keeping my driving to under a 50km around trips and staying off the troll ways this is helping with my budget, as time is not a factor for me.

Busy week this week I went to the Gold Coast and went up to 78 floor of Q1 building at Surfers Paradise it’s World Tallest Residential tower it’s 322.5 M high 526 Apartments 12660 sq m
You have to pay to go up in it too! After we went another Apartment complex and had lunch at one of restaurant there. I had corn beef and vegetables for a change. This must be my month this year for dining out. I am up to number three and still another few to go. I will need to cut back next month on eating out it can get a bit expensive.

I have been busy making vegetable garden beds, on my lawn. I have just finished doing mixing soil today. I will be planting some vegetable seedling & seeds on Tuesday as I will be going to my son place to work on his garden.

Weekly Main Meals Menu

Sunday ~ Mother’s Day Dinner at a Chinese Restaurant
Monday ~ Curried Sausage & Vegetables
Tuesday ~ leftovers
Wednesday ~ Omelet with salad
Thursday ~ Grilled Sausages with Onions & Grilled Tomato
Friday ~ Pasta with Tuna & Tomato Sauce
Saturday ~ Apricot Chicken with Rice

Today I found UHT Milk that was markdown with a few months still before best before date. I bought the 4 cartons there @ .50 each and being organic they were around $2.15 RRP each. There were some soy milk also but I did buy it as I’m not great lover of soy milk. I will keep some of this milk in stock so I have milk if we have a problem with our water supply at anytime. I can use about one carton per week normally so when they get to near use by date I work them into my normal week supply and replace with fresh supply. I bought my cat some more cat litter as I do need to stockpile more for them too! Prices are going up fast here, so it will be cushion against prices rises as well having more in the cupboards.

Weekly Main Meal Menu

Sunday ~ Roast Chicken & Vegetables
Monday ~ Stir Fry Beef with Rice
Tuesday ~ Beans & Rice with Vegetables
Wednesday ~ Apricot Chicken with rice
Thursday ~ Grilled Sausages with Onions & Grilled Tomato
Friday ~ Pasta with Tuna & Tomato Sauce
Saturday ~ Leftovers

I went shopping this morning, for pet food, some groceries as well gas for the car. On Tuesdays it works out to be the cheapest day to fill up the cars. Not cheap but a lot cheaper than most other days of the week today I got it for 122.5c per litre that was with the 4c off discount shopper coupon that I had to, $35.11 not bad for 8 weeks between refills. A few days ago it was 137.9c I did go and have a snack at Hungry Jacks with my free coffee.

So I spend money today
Total Money spent today $87.27 (my cash outlay)
Savings $stretch $10.19

I went to the city today. Visit to the Chiro and to pay my car insurance which is due next week. Went to Hungry Jack for lunch again, having burger, coffee and ice cream as the coffee was Free, so costing $2.40 only. I did buy some batteries that I need to replace. I went and bought some birthday gifts at chemist as they had them on for buy one get lowest price free, what you do when they do this, you buy both at same price so you getting at least 50% off. I got two toiletries gift boxes that were a great price $7.48 each so I only paid $7.48 for both.

So I spend money today
Total Money spent today $555.90 (my cash outlay)
Savings $stretch $9.93

As I am doing essentials only, No Spending Month for the whole month of February here, it’s going to be a little drastic in some ways. I do have a few large bills in the next eight weeks so it’s a good idea that I join in this challenge too! Two of our money saving sites here are having this challenge in February.

If you got the item already bought you use that and not go out buy it again. Some people do go the supermarket because it’s they normal shopping day but never write a list nor look in their cupboards pantry, freezer or fridge. Wants needed to this challenge is a full inventory of all non-essentials and essentials items that you use in a month. Looking for alternative ideas and methods to make do for the month, e.g. laundry liquid look for a recipe to make your own or look at over supply a shampoo that you don’t use because the family doesn’t like it. Run out of soap, how about that fancy cake of soap you have in underwear drawer. Food what is largest item that you have there, go and find recipes to use it up. One person had 24 can baked beans, 12 can of corn kernels plus 48 can whole tomatoes for two people.

What’s essentials like paying bills, medical & vets bill, food if you have not a stockpile, gas for car to work by using your car so that you using it rarely by multi-tasking and tripping.

This challenge is a bit like putting together all the tips and hints you have read using every one of them for whole month and making the frugal ideas work and looking for answers and ways to do them differently if they don’t. Thinking outside the box in the way we are doing things.

Weekly Main Meal Menu

Sunday ~ Apricot Chicken with Rice, Vanilla Sago Pudding
Monday ~ Omelet with Shredded Cheese and Salad
Tuesday ~ Kangaroo Steak with Mushroom Sauce & Vegetables
Wednesday ~ Tuna Salad Vanilla Sago Pudding
Thursday ~ Chicken Kebab & Salad
Friday ~ Tuna Pasta with Salad
Saturday ~ Beans & Rice with Vegetables

Gone shopping or bought something 10 times

Travel to the city by bus 2 times

Drove my car only 8 times

Had food bought or had for free away from home 5 times

And had 20 No Spending Days since the last count.

Let’s see what next month’s will be

A few weeks ago I told you that my paper shredder died. Well in yesterday junk mail there was a better paper shredder for sale, as it’s a new model they had an introductory price for it saving over $50 on it as well the staff discount that I get. With all the gift cards that I got for Christmas & birthday this month for this new paper shredder as had said this want I wanted to get this year, my cost came to just over $4.74. Oh and I didn’t buy any this else even though they had some very good bargains this time of the year with Back to School Sale on, as I had the car out yesterday.

Years ago when I had finish with any papers that I did want I would burn them now that we can't light fire anymore in our area but for BBQ's, and at time not them either. $$$ Another Strategy letting it go

Having a paper shredder is the nearest too burning, a letting go of the past feeling that use to get back then.

One of my friends had me drop off some dry cleaning during the week, so this morning I went to pick it up. It was very large lace quilt that was expensive to buy. It cost $30.00 to have it dry cleaned. I hand wash things like this and I do have the line space to dry it too! I don’t remember the last time I had anything dry cleaned.

I had to use my car to pick it up.

Found a tray of markdown chicken schnitzels saving $3.60 with 14 servings, along with a caramel mud cake markdown to $1.49 saving $3.00, and some fresh green seedless grapes for variety in my fruit intake. Along with some display books that were a faction of their true cost saving over $18.00 here. So in light of these saving I would have had to spend over $ 24.60 extra if I did pay normal regular price on all items I bought as some people do.

So I spend money today
Total Money spent today $18.62
Savings $stretch $24.60

I paid 124.9 a litre (less 4c discount off per litre 121.9) costing around $23.30 this week as I filled the lawn mower can also. Anyway this morning the petrol /gas was 139.9 a litre, that’s 18c a litre above what I paid two days ago. I thinking if and when it gets too around $3.00 all the time, I will stop using it all together. Hopefully I will be pasted driving by then. But then I said this when it was around 30c a litre, my limit then was around $1.00 - 20 years ago so only time will tell.

Oh it’s hot here, not because temperatures are high but for the humidity that is around! The dams have risen 4% so far and one on the Gold Coast is overflowing.

I did go shopping today, first to get some items on special at one supermarket then off to other one to get cat food that it stocks. Oh fuss cats don’t you love them! Grocery shopping for my cats was up in the range of $35.00 and I still need to buy cat litter which was out of stock today. I will try again next time; I do buy a month supply at time so I still have one week’s supply left which is my backup supply. Fruit & vegetables are getting expensive around here , just bought cherry tomatoes, bananas, pears, oranges coming to $5.20. All other fruit & vegetables were too expensive this week; I will use what I still have left instead. I do have a good supply of can tomatoes so use these in cooking.

The total today was more than I normally spend but some items were for my survival kit project in the way of extra powdered milk as I do use this item so I bought 2 bags extra than I would this time. More 2 bags BBQ heat beads giving me about 5 bags now, I don’t use gas bottles for my BBQ’s and I have two different sizes ones. I went to the Two Dollars store and bought my first item for my car’s survival kit pack, it’s a whistle with a compress, key ring & thermometer called a 4-in-1 whistle. I did see other items that I may buy too! I had lunch at my favorite local food stall for a hot dog and milkshake, price $2.50 elsewhere it would be around $5.95.

So I spend money today
Total Money spent today $80.02
Savings $stretch $20.08