You guys are right about the saving.
Ok ok I'm a big spender, I put $1000 in my Savings account every month, but I don't want to scrimp and scrounge just yet. I'm not desperate and not grasping the last straws yet. Let's see, based 4-weekly:
Tithe: $200
Gym: $92
Petrol: $150
ME savings account: $1000
Commbank fees: $10
Groceries: $200
Consumables at work: $80
Total =$1582 $1732 thanks Trees, I'm a terrible mathematician
Out of ~$2700/month
Leaving$1118 $968 damn that's worse
Just brainstorming here
1. Scrap buying food at work and try to remember to bring lunch, dinner, morning tea and arvo tea everyday. But when you forget, you have to eat something. Bring more food from home, but I can't give up my coffee, I neeeeeed it to work otherwise I don't have the energy to run on.
2. I tithe less than 10% already so I'm continuing at the same amount.
3. Considering I go big grocery shopping twice a month, I can't change that amount.
4. I need to make an appointment to quit the gym, or at least get the fee lowered. It's too much. And you have to give one month's notice before quitting, and of course during that time you have to pay for it anyway.
5. I like to have a minimum $1000 in the account for emergencies, and yes dammit random shopping. So I always have minimum that in the account. I haven't ventured below this year.
6. I owe my parents A$2500. Which will come out of my tax returns this year, oh yea, can someone pretty please teach me how to do my tax returns? I'm completely at a loss, ok not a complete loss. And no you don't get access to my tax file # but yes you get access to my payslips, also a homecooked lunch plus dessert.
7. I guess with me saving more, it'll show more commitment to the deed eh? I can up the deposit to my savings by $500 (just changed it now).
8. But you know, I never knew how much dating can cost, and there's no way in hell I'm gonna have Phil pay everytime, if PLC taught us anything, it's independence. And you know, it's easy to say "Don't go out so much" but I can't stay at home (otherwise I'd rather sleep), can't be at his coz you get no privacy, and winter's too cold to hang around outside. You tell me what to do whilst dating.
The sucky thing is, from next month onwards til January (or until I start working penalties again), I will be getting around a couple hundred less in my paypacket. Solely because I won't be working lates, nights, weekends, nor public holidays. 12.5%, 15%, 50%, 75%, 150% extra is a big change in $$.
Argh!!
So I recently had a my block of night shifts, I like night shifts on CCU, I don't have to get up every 10 minutes to wipe someone's butt. Truly. It's more relaxing but I was about to conk it on Friday. As a treat for a rushed and sucky last night shift I had Maccas for breakfast, Sausage & egg mcmuffin value meal, mmmm...
Then that Saturday, one of the gals had her 20th birthday party so it was a fondue night. Smelt like oil when I got home, had to take another shower and rub my hair gooood. Delicious though, definitely for beef. The chocolate fondue however was a bit runny.
Last Wednesday, Phil and I went to see The Hours, Latin American art exhibit at MCA. Not too bad, I wish I knew more South American history other than the bare basics. And yesterday was Kat's Kitchen Tea, Yays!!
Also noted, I will never ever ever do OT again unless they are incredibly desperate, we had 4 RNs out of 7 call in sick on Friday, so I volunteered to do OT, 0800 - 2000. Our Clinical Liaison nurse and our educator worked the floor as well, and our NUM was doing bed managing so we were still one RN down. And I took yesterday off coz I could feel the tickling in the back of my throat which means sore throat a-coming. Codral Day and Night to fend it off. But it's going around the ward so I have to be prepared for overload and OT this week.
In other news, ER is back on tomorrow night!! 2130 on channel 9! Yays! Must find video so I can tape.
I am looking forward to this week, especially Saturday for Kat's Hen's night. And of course out 6mth dinner. And our Double date Saturday lunch. So shopping has been changed to either Friday or Sunday arvo. There's been some miscommunication, sorry Kat!
Recent purchases:
- 2 dresses - and mind you they were cheap as in $35 for 2
- Janene's birthday present - Phil and I went shopping as well after MCA so picked up a present as well.
Tithe: $200
Gym: $92
Petrol: $150
ME savings account: $1000
Commbank fees: $10
Groceries: $200
Consumables at work: $80
Total =
Out of ~$2700/month
Leaving
Just brainstorming here
1. Scrap buying food at work and try to remember to bring lunch, dinner, morning tea and arvo tea everyday. But when you forget, you have to eat something. Bring more food from home, but I can't give up my coffee, I neeeeeed it to work otherwise I don't have the energy to run on.
2. I tithe less than 10% already so I'm continuing at the same amount.
3. Considering I go big grocery shopping twice a month, I can't change that amount.
4. I need to make an appointment to quit the gym, or at least get the fee lowered. It's too much. And you have to give one month's notice before quitting, and of course during that time you have to pay for it anyway.
5. I like to have a minimum $1000 in the account for emergencies, and yes dammit random shopping. So I always have minimum that in the account. I haven't ventured below this year.
6. I owe my parents A$2500. Which will come out of my tax returns this year, oh yea, can someone pretty please teach me how to do my tax returns? I'm completely at a loss, ok not a complete loss. And no you don't get access to my tax file # but yes you get access to my payslips, also a homecooked lunch plus dessert.
7. I guess with me saving more, it'll show more commitment to the deed eh? I can up the deposit to my savings by $500 (just changed it now).
8. But you know, I never knew how much dating can cost, and there's no way in hell I'm gonna have Phil pay everytime, if PLC taught us anything, it's independence. And you know, it's easy to say "Don't go out so much" but I can't stay at home (otherwise I'd rather sleep), can't be at his coz you get no privacy, and winter's too cold to hang around outside. You tell me what to do whilst dating.
The sucky thing is, from next month onwards til January (or until I start working penalties again), I will be getting around a couple hundred less in my paypacket. Solely because I won't be working lates, nights, weekends, nor public holidays. 12.5%, 15%, 50%, 75%, 150% extra is a big change in $$.
Argh!!
So I recently had a my block of night shifts, I like night shifts on CCU, I don't have to get up every 10 minutes to wipe someone's butt. Truly. It's more relaxing but I was about to conk it on Friday. As a treat for a rushed and sucky last night shift I had Maccas for breakfast, Sausage & egg mcmuffin value meal, mmmm...
Then that Saturday, one of the gals had her 20th birthday party so it was a fondue night. Smelt like oil when I got home, had to take another shower and rub my hair gooood. Delicious though, definitely for beef. The chocolate fondue however was a bit runny.
Last Wednesday, Phil and I went to see The Hours, Latin American art exhibit at MCA. Not too bad, I wish I knew more South American history other than the bare basics. And yesterday was Kat's Kitchen Tea, Yays!!
Also noted, I will never ever ever do OT again unless they are incredibly desperate, we had 4 RNs out of 7 call in sick on Friday, so I volunteered to do OT, 0800 - 2000. Our Clinical Liaison nurse and our educator worked the floor as well, and our NUM was doing bed managing so we were still one RN down. And I took yesterday off coz I could feel the tickling in the back of my throat which means sore throat a-coming. Codral Day and Night to fend it off. But it's going around the ward so I have to be prepared for overload and OT this week.
In other news, ER is back on tomorrow night!! 2130 on channel 9! Yays! Must find video so I can tape.
I am looking forward to this week, especially Saturday for Kat's Hen's night. And of course out 6mth dinner. And our Double date Saturday lunch. So shopping has been changed to either Friday or Sunday arvo. There's been some miscommunication, sorry Kat!
Recent purchases:
- 2 dresses - and mind you they were cheap as in $35 for 2
- Janene's birthday present - Phil and I went shopping as well after MCA so picked up a present as well.
posted by Minerva @ 14:26
7 witty remarks:
At 00:00,
tess said…
heya,
you brought up a lot of good points in your post. (though i think it adds up to 1732, not 1582).
Anyhow, in no particular order
- bringing food from home is good, it helps to put it into containers for the next day as you eat that night's dinner.
- you sure you need to spend $200/month on groceries? most of my uni friends seem to spend less. Write down everything that you spend in a month and see where it all goes.
- you can definitely argue your way out of paying lower gym fees, my friends have knocked the fees down $40 per month at fitness first, just by threatening to take business elsewhere. Ask at the end of the month, this is when they need to make their sales target, and are more desperate to retain business.
- tax returns aren't that bad. i do them through etax (just ask me if you need advice). Firstly download etax from the ATO's website and see if you understand it.
- good on you for saving more and increasing your monthly savings amount by $500. Remember that saving money (which only increases at 5 or 6% pa) probably won't get you too far compared to investing it. You could research managed funds and put in $100 or $200 per month. Look into the merits of dollar-cost averaging. (sheesh I know it sounds boring, you've got to start somewhere)
- dating costs: eat out once a week at most, go for walks in parks (now that weather's warming up...), I dunno, I'm running out of ideas here. Must be too late at night i guess.
good luck :)
At 17:01,
Minerva said…
Oh you're right it does.
i. Well I already do that, and considering I don't ever eat at home because I am frequently on late shifts, I have no food to put in plastic boxes and take to work. But mainly I cook bolognese & veg or roast & veg so I do shove them in when I do. Besides, hospital cafeteria food is yucky, urgh!
ii. Yea... including food for the freezer, fridge, pantry. Household needs like loo paper, soap, washing liquid etc.
iii. Yea, I gotta make an appt at Fernwood, ripping all the money outta me... *grumbles*
iv. I'm still confused, I d/loaded the program but I still don't get it.
v. ??? you will need to explain face-to-face. When you have the time :D
vi. We only eat out once a week if lucky. That's if we get to see each other once a week.
Now I have to count out extra money to give laisee to my grandma, and extra money for our anniversary this week. *sighs* Plus the pest control this year is my responsibility, another $185 gone.
At 20:19,
Catie said…
I dunno, $200 a month on groceries seems very reasonable to me. If you are living very cheaply and practically vegetarian and eating alot of pasta you can spend about $30 a week. But that's not really including toiletries etc. Of course there's always the possibility that I'm not very good at spending well...
And I hear dating is particularly expensive in terms of petrol... Yeah it costs money and I don't pay my share nearly enough really. *sigh* Good work with the budgeting though, I mean it's a good step to take in the first place. Doesn't sound like you're doing too badly though... The only advice I would have would be to cut down on shopping, and I'm sure you won't like that... :)
At 20:26,
Alicia said…
Yay for saving more!! Maybe we won't hear as many complaints now... :P
At 23:05,
Minerva said…
:P at Leach
Yea, my shopping habits are terrible. But you know, after a s*** week in a highly stressful workplace, I feel I deserve some retail therapy. Mind you I do shop too often yea... but I am a fulltime worker, not a uni student.
And I guess, thinking about it, and in discussion with others (church peeps), this is the kind of time to spend not-too-frivolously. I don't have a mortgage, house bills, kids' school fees, car, credit card debts, etc. to pay off.
At 23:11,
Minerva said…
Home cooked lunch + dessert is still on offer for the peep who pretty please helps me sort out ma tax returns ;)
At 17:00,
Catie said…
Sounds good! But I don't know if I'd be the best help at it... I sometimes struggle with mine... But I can try :) We could phone-a-friend if we got into difficulties
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