Slow Sunday

BUY:
2 x$3 - coffees
$4 - Pie

WHY?
Energy.

I was working on Sunday and we were sooo busy, people were queuing out the door! It's hard being that popular cos it means I didn't get time for lunch until afte the shop shut. And, I even had to ask one of my clients to order a coffee for me!

Saturday...

BUY:
$4 - train ticket to city
$30 - taxi from city to Marrickville
$9.60 - fish & chips

?? - maybe a lunch purchase??

WHY?
Because Saturdays are for socialising!

I rushed home from work, via the fish & chip shop, to freshen up before heading to a friend's birthday celebration. While on the train I realised I didn't have a ticket so jumped off at Artarmon where there is a ticket machine on the station, and did the right thing. Running late already and not being totally sure of where I was going, I hailed a cab from Town Hall station and watched as the traffic on King St gobble up my money. If I had caught the train I probably would have got there at the same but had a lot further to walk in my heels! It ended up being a lot more expensive than I had anticipated but was lovely to catch up with the girls from my singles' dinner, one of whom gave me a lift back to Central!

Free* Friday

*Free from work. There was nothing free about Friday. In fact, I should use the title "Fantastic Friday". Fantastic being defined as:

fan·tas·tic   /fænˈtæstɪk/ [fan-tas-tik] - –adjective. Incredibly great or extreme; exorbitant.

If I use it in a sentence: I spent a fantastic sum of money on Friday on everything from the doctor and associated prescriptions to a hair cut. I am going to refer to part of the spending in my 'themed' entries:

• Secret Women's Businesss
• Health

For the spending that doesn't fit neatly into those categories, I admit to it here:

BUY:

$15 - drinks at the pub for a colleague's leaving drinks
$5 - tickets to a meat raffle

WHY?

It seemed like a good idea at the time and I haven't bought a raffle ticket for ages! It paid off too cos I won a decent barbeque-sized tray...

Secret Women's Business

BUY:

I made an oblique reference on 9 May to a rather substantial purchase: $235 for Secret Women's Business.

 

Admission time... 6 sessions of laser hair removal. For obvious reasons, there is no photo!!

 

WHY?

"Western women have been controlled by ideals and stereotypes as much as by material constraints." - Naomi Wolf, The Beauty Myth

In her 1991 book "The Beauty Myth", Naomi Wolf presented a theory that women are enslaved by an idealised view of female beauty. That the pressue to achieve that standard increases women's insecurities, diverts their attention and limits their access to power and advancement in society.

It has been a while since I read Wolf so I will have to reread the book to see what she says about the economics of the beauty myth. I know one argument she puts forward is that the politics of beauty can potentially limit women's career progression and therefore capacity to earn. But my theory (and maybe hers too!) is that it is potentially responsible for women having less financial freedom and wealth generally than our male counterparts. I'm going to put it out there that the beauty myth underpins the society we live in. The desire to attain this high and somewhat impossible standard, I would posit, dictates many women's purchasing decisions. Women would easily spend more on goods and services that are directly associated with their asthetics than is really necessary. Even deeper than this though, is that many products and services only exist because of this beauty myth and so the capitalist cycle is complete....

So for me, the 'why' behind this purchase, wthout getting too personal, is all about self confidence and feeling good in my body. And I know that feeling good in my body is a direct result of the beauty myth I have bought into (literally and continually) because what I am changing about my body is completely natural and supposed to be there! 

BUY:

$22.40 - Oxford top (down from $79!)

WHY?

As a member of the Oxford Shop frequent flyer program or whatever they call it (the result of purchasing a shirt there straight off the plane last year), they send me a $25 gift voucher every quarter. At the same time the voucher is due to expire, there is often a 40% discount sale so I go shopping for things I didn't realise I needed!! I bought this top because I think it looks good on so it makes me feel good and again, the cycle is complete. It also falls under the Want. Take. Have. motto that I have a habit of following.

BUY:

$40 - Haircut

WHY?

Normally my hair cut costs a minimum $100 - double if I get a colour as well as a cut. I am trying to grow it out to what it looked like this time last year (see here) so my wonderful hairdresser Jade just trimmed the back so it didn't look like I was trying for a mullett but left the sides as they're the bits that need to grow!

I could probably have left it a few more weeks but by then the mullet would have been well and truly out of control and that's not the look I want to rock. Yes, I totally buy into the beauty myth. I am also self-conscious and want to look my best. My thought though is that I doubt very much whether guys would spend close to $200 every 6 weeks or so on their hair - not to mention the products that are required to keep it straight/curly/up/down. Or, if they have given any thought as to how much it costs their girlfriends to look as good as they do.

It's expensive for a woman to look good, but it's also expensive just being a woman!

BUY:

$7.78 - Pads and tampons

WHY?

Despite what the Australian Federal Government thinks, these are necessities. Every month I spend at least $10 or so on sanitary products and if you look a little closer at that receipt you'll see that 10% of that is GST. I'm being taxed for being a woman! Great, isn't it?

I'm going to get on my soapbox for a bit. Did you know that sunscreen, condoms, personal lubricants for men and women, and incontinence pads are all GST-free, on the basis that without the the Government believes one would suffer a 'disability'.... Umm sorry? How do tampons not fall into the same category? During the parliamentary debates back in 2000 when GST was being sorted, one minister likened tampons to shaving cream... Not quite the same thing. Periods are annoying enough and yet we have to pay extra for the privilege? Not happy, John. He's not even in power and he's still impacting on my life on a day-to-day. And, the Labor Party has no intention of changes this. Grrr.

BUY:
$82.50 - 4 months of the Pill.

WHY?

In my mind of the greatest inventions of the 20th century - providing women with control of their fertility and therefore their futures. I could go on and on about how I think this is important but most of you reading this will already know and benefit from its existence. But, as a lesbian, contraception is not something I really need to worry about! However, I need the pill to assist with a medical condition I have so this is a necessary (but ironic) expense! For me, this probably belongs in the Health section but really, it's only something a woman can use so that's why it's here!

 
BUY:
$3.49 - razors
 
WHY?
Despite spending a fortune on hair removal, these are still required!

Health

Clearly I need help on this front given that you've seen photos of my diet over the last couple of months!!

It's not cheap keeping fit and well - or getting well as I experienced while recovering from my cold. So, I spend a small fortune every month trying to not be sick...

BUY:

$58 - doctor's appointment on Friday, 28 May.

WHY?

Need a new pill as my old one was giving me too many side effects (see Secret Women's Business). TMI? Sorry. She took my blood pressure, typed a few words on her computer and 5 mins later I walked out with a piece of paper - $58 dollars poorer for it (not to mention $82 poorer about half an hour after that when I filled the prescription!).

Medicare covers $34.40 of that bill (and a cheque should arrive any day now which hopefully I won't lose like the last one) which I am grateful for. But even with private health insurance (below) there is still quite a gap when there shouldn't be. I totally respect doctors need to be paid for their expertise and time but should we be out of pocket? I believe health, together with eduction,  is an area the government should have a never ending budget for and access should be free. Less fireworks, more medical work!

BUY:

$292 - 4 months supply of Juice Plus capsules.

WHY?

A client got me onto these - yes, she's a franchisee and makes money out of promoting them but I am finding they work! My diet is terrible and I have food aversions that mean I don't get my recommended daily servings of fruit and vegetables and when I get a cold - it sticks around for ages and hits me like a tonne of bricks. It doesn't hurt propping up the immune system so I have committed to 4 months to start with and we'll see from there.

BUY:

$45.90 Gym membership - fortnightly.

(I'm torn as to whether this fits in the Health or Beauty segment).

WHY?

Because I'm locked into a contract until 23 June 2010. I embarrassingly admit that I have wasted about $490 since December of last year on 6 months of membership that I haven't used. Partly because my knee is really sore and I have to do something about it before I can get back into running/exercise and partly because I hate the gym and would rather exercise outside. Last year I was a complete exercise freak - I had a personal trainer for the first time ever (which was fantastic fun but expensive) and you have to be a member of a gym to use his services. I was at the gym at least 2 - 3 times a week even when I wasn't seeing him. I dedicated last year to getting fit (in much the same way that this year I am focussing on money) - to have the body I had always wanted, that i thought I needed to give me confidence in areas I was otherwise lacking it. I had the body for a while but unsurprisingly, nothing changed confidence-wise. It's not the outside that needs changing, it's the inside.

BUY:

 

$68.79 - Private Health Insurance

 

WHY?

Because I have medical condition that will probably require surgery (again). I don't want to wait for that surgery because it is considered elective. I want my choice of doctor where necessary. I want to be covered for the use of an ambulance in an emergency. And, I want some sort of rebate for visiting the physio which I am going to need very soon!!

 

I am currently on an older plan still offered to me by NIB for singles, but it doesn't cover me for things like knee surgery or hip replacements or pregnancy etc... I would like to update my plan but there are sooo many choices. I don't know where to begin! It's quite an investment - any suggestions of a good plan??

Recently

Okay - recent purchases:

$5.60 on trains - home from work and then to Newtown - I've lost my railcard somewhere meaning I had to buy tickets :(

$16.80 - dinner at the Happy Chef in Newtown and a beer with friends

$6.50 - beer at the Bank

$12.99 - bottle of wine to take to dinner at a friend's

$3 - towards parking for friend who drove me to work after I crashed at her place
$6.40 - razors and gum

$1.95 - donuts and bread for sandwich

Today...

I spent $2.10... WOOHOO!

I avoided buying a coffee and instead had cups of tea using the teabags in my drawer at work.

I spent $1 on 2 ciabatto roles to have with my lunch, enjoying the ham, cheese and pesto purchased last week.

The other $1.10 was spent buying a stamp to send a DVD of my Egypt photos to my travel buddy Cara which were long overdue. I received hers about 2 months ago!

Go me!

Entertain me...

I'm still trying to update you on the last week's efforts so bear with me!

The next broad category of expenditure probably falls IT/Communcations but that sounds way too clinical. A better description is entertainment!

BUY:
$29 - Pay as you go internet access

WHY?
Cos I thought my laptop worked and I didn't want to rely on my parents' connection. It turns out my laptop is still pretty sick, it's back with Dr Wally and I now have about 3 weeks left of connection to use or lose.

BUY:

$48.99 - phone bill for last month

WHY?

For $49 a month, I get $300 worth of calls I never quite use and 50MB of downloads that I have already exceeded! (Next month's bill won't be on plan!). I'd be lost without a mobile phone. I haven't had a landline number since 2004 so it's kinda necessary. But also dangerous cos, as alluded to previously, having an iPhone opens up a whole new world of spending: apps, music, internet... which is exactly what I have done during the last week.

BUY:

$1.69 - Song download from iTunes

"I kissed a girl" by Jill Sobule.

WHY?

Got into a discussion with a new friend in Uluru and we were trying to remember the tune and the words to this lesbian classic but only Katy Perry's total un-PC version came to mind. Jill Sobule's version is so folky and cute and in no way offensive (unlike Katy Perry's version but for some reason it still gets me singing along.)

BUY:

$2.49 - TripView app for iPhone

WHY?

Cos I need to know when the trains run! Annoying thing is though, I sat in McDonald's trying to download it for over an hour but each time the little bar at the bottom got close to complete it disappeared back to the beginning. Basically, the app is on pause til I get near some WiFi again and hopefully I will be able to use it.

Want. Take. Have.

I saw it. I wanted it. I let my friend's wife leave the breakfast table this morning still wearing it but I knew I had to have one.

BUY:

$34.50 including postage and handling from Cafe Press

WHY?

I love Buffy.

It's not love in the sense of "Wow, the show is really great and sure I love watching Buffy" (which is all true). It's more a "I've seen the show so many times I inadvertantly use quotes from it and so the Facebook group 'All my witty banter I owe to Buffy the Vampire Slayer' is sadly true". It's a "I own the whole series on DVD and I watch at least one or two episodes a week, I read fanfiction and I have even bought the crappy teenage fiction novels from eBay..." The Buffyverse is my version of comfort food and she has seen me through a number of broken hearts, boring jobs and city shuffles.

Also, watch this YouTube clip:

 

BUY:

$4.90 - Buffy comic.

WHY?

What many Buffy fans don't realise is that Joss Whedon continued writing a Season 8 after the show finished and this has been released in graphic novel form. And yep, I buy them. Religiously. I was one fan that didn't know about the Season 8 phenomenon for a while so I have since tracked down a lot of the earlier comic editions on eBay. I'm pretty much caught up now and now buy them as they are released. Both covers (where possible). As I did on Thursday.

WHY?

What I also did on Thursday that I have been wanting to do for ages is protect my collection. I have about 50 comic books which have been sitting in the paperbags that hid them from prying eyes as I left the Phanton Zone. So I bought the following:

BUY:

$13.95 - protective PVC-free plastic sheets to protect the comics from dust

$24 - 2 x magazine files to store the comics

Now you know my not-so-secret - I'm a geek.

Debt relief

Another pay day has rolled by, with a hard earned $1892.40 landing in my account. While it's a little more padded that the one that precedes it, it generally goes faster because I use it to pay big expenses likerent... Because I'm now one of the how-ever-many thousands of 30-somethings-who've-moved-back in-with-their-parents, I don't pay rent at the moment and I was able to whack a tidy $800 onto my credit card debt and reduce it from $3200 to $2400 - woohoo!

However, this excitement is dampened a little by the fact that two days after I put a large portion of my pay cheque onto the card the interest charges accrued.

BUY:

$24.35 - interest of purchases

$17.98 - interest on cash advance

$3 - account keeping fee on my savings account.

WHY?

I am being charged interest. I know why and it's expected. It's cos I can't stick to a budget and I was living beyond my means. What I resent though is having to pay a monthly fee to the bank to access MY actual money - not virtual money but the stuff I've actually earned. I try where possible to only use their ATMs and minimise additional charges but they really do make it difficult for me. They should be paying me (more than the piddly interest my account is awarded) for having access to my money! Particularly when they use it record a 30% profit increase to almost $3billion over the last year and they are taking an average $733 in fees from their customers...

Still, the little thermometre on the right there is getting higher which is nice to see!

My weekend...

It's not often my weekend coincides with everyone elses... this weekend wasn't supposed to be one of them either but an invitation to a baby shower-slash-birthday barbecue meant I rearranged my Sunday shift so I could enjoy Saturday night in a way the mother-to-be can't at the moment!

It was a lovely afternoon/evening catching up with friends from university and their partners some of whom I have met many times and others I met for the first time but there was some spending involved in partaking and preparing for such an event!

BUY:
$44.40 - Baby stuff

WHY?
You can't turn up to a baby shower without a present! Target was having a sale so I decided to also begin  stocking up for my niece or nephew's arrival in October.... (J & C, don't look too closely at the photo!) For such little people who don't use a lot of materials their stuff is kinda expensive... but it's so so cute!



BUY:

$5.65 - White chocolate bits and thickened cream

$2 - coriander

WHY?

The coriander was for Mum. The cream and chocolate because I wanted to contribute in a non-alcoholic way to the baby shower for everyone (which I did as well! $35.98 for 2 bottles of wine) They don't look like much but with extra ingredients they become quite delicious...

 I enjoy cooking cupcakes. Normally I have a rule that if the meal isn't complete in about 10 mins, it's too long! For some reason though, cupcakes don't fall into that cateogry dispite their preparation being quite tedious and involved - the process has been made simpler though by my Chef's Toolbox cupcake trays. They are these fantastic special rubber cooking trays that I was given for Christmas (as well as various implements to assist in the preparation). Sadly though, these weren't my best effort as I ran out of time to decorate them the way I would have liked.

BUY:

$6 = 2 x $3 train tickets to and from the Sutherland Shire

WHY?

Cos I had to get to the party! A friend very kindly came and collected me, then later dropped me at the station, which is a little awkward cos I hate imposing like that but I don't have a car so I guess there isn't much else I can do. The upside is too I don't have to worry about being over the limit - particularly the day after when a lot of people don't think their driving may be impaired from the alcohol still in their system and given that I stopped drinking at about 2am, this was a real risk!!

Work related expenses: Part 2

Okay, these are the boring work-related expenses since I got back from Uluru

BUY:

$31 - Train ticket

WHY?

I know I wrote about the benefits of long-term passes but I'm not ready to commit to one as yet. $31 is for a 14 day pass from my closest station to the city. Now, I only travel two stops to get to work but I do go into the city a bit so I'm trying to work out how often the full length of the pass gets used and whether it's money well spent.

BUY:

$11.15 - cheese, pesto and ham

$2.40 - bread rolls

WHY?

Trying to avoid spending money on McDonald's - it's helped for 2 out of my 5 lunches!

BUY:

$9 - 3 x coffees

64c - 1/2 dz doughnuts

$1.50 - Mars bar cookies

WHY?

Yum. I need food. End of explanation.

Oh, and I did earn my free coffee! Only 3 more til my next one!

BUY:

$9.40 - Beef teriyaki noodle stir fry

WHY?

Healthier than McDonald's and I get to choose the ingredients!

Other lunches have been about 2 x $9.60 for bacon & eggs with a cappuccino...

I have some ham, pesto and cheese left to start my week well...I just need more bread rolls and to limit the coffee intake. They really add up!

Work related expenses: Part 1

It's not often that you get to take a holiday and spend less away than you would if you were at home.

Somehow I managed it from Wednesday to Sunday last week when I went on a work trip to Uluru with 120 other travel agents....

I spent a grand total of $78.0 while eating, sleeping, drinking and travelling through the centre of Australia!

 

BUY:

$10.70 Rail ticket to the airport

$5.45 Breakfast at Hungry Jack's (I hear you)

$1.59 Packet of gum

$34.99 Sunglasses

$9.80 Salt & Vinegar chips and a Golden Gaytime ice cream (keep the quips to yourselves!)

$8 Beer (cos I was impatient waiting for dinner!)

$5 donation towards a book at School of the Air 

It's a tough job but someone's gotta do it! 

  

Just checking in....

to say I haven't forgotten you - I have been working ridiculously long hours and have no energy to post right at this minute but have some interesting things to share.... as soon as I catch up on sleep :op

Commitment

Ummmm, so I'm not very good at commitment as I have already blown my budget of $40 today which is going to have a long term effect ...

BUY:

$sum to be disclosed at a later date just in case the friends whose wedding present it is are reading!

WHY?

Suffice to say, it's more than my allowed rate but a necessary expense as their wedding was actually over a month ago and the present purchase was postponed along with their honeymoon - cos I was contributing to their experiences away. Now that the honeymoon is rebooked, I have had to pay for their present!

It hasn't come out of my account yet but means that I have to ensure the required amount is available when my card is charged! It reduces my budget to roughly $30 a day!

BUY:

$8.45 McDonalds. Again.

WHY?

Not really sure why I keep heading up to the food court when I know the only stuff there is completely unhealthy for me, and for the environment. There was a period in my life where I completely avoided Maccas on principle, not even using their bathroom on road trips. The principle being the environmental damage they add to - the clearing of large swathes of the Amazon rainforest to make way for cattle and soybean farming - the soybeans being used as part of the fattening up feed for chickens. Not to mention the waste and landfill added to through the consumption of their product.

Yet, here I am eating there nearly every day now. Sadly it seems that I only had principles when I had money. My excuse, as poor as I recognise it to be, is that sometimes it can be more expensive to buy socially responsible and environmentally conscious goods. Did I mention I'm not very good with commitment? I also recognise that it is also cheaper not to eat take away on a regular basis! 

Today I am adding another good reason to the list to get my shit together - so I can put my money where my mouth is because these types of issues are important to me. I do suffer a feeling of cognitive dissonance when I sit down to eat.

Because using the expense excuse is weak and lazy so I am making a commitment today. Come next pay, I am going to do a shop that will account for lunches so that a) I'm saving on this account b) I'm saving global costs!

Photo:  http://www.ethicurean.com/2006/09/09/sign-o-matic/ 

Easy come, easy go...

Woohoo for PAY DAY! A hard-earned $1247.06 was deposited into my account sometime between going to bed on Friday night and waking up on Saturday!

Now watch how quickly my money goes... (spending on Saturday and Sunday)

BUY:
$120 - my share of the post-move flat clean including having a cleaner come in for 3 hours and the carpets being steam cleaned. Totally justified in my book cos it meant I didn't have to do it!

$3.20 train to and from work

$5.45 McDonald's for breakfast. I was craving hash browns and post-mix Coke!

$8.95 KFC for lunch - I forgot to pack something from home. Won't be ordering a burger meal again for a while. Not only are they really small but it's damn expensive.

$2.97 - 3 packets of gum

$4.50 - card for Mother's Day

$65 - taking Mum for dinner at MuMu Grill in Crows Nest for Mother's Day. Mmmm, scotch fillet with mushroom and blue cheese sauce, 15 month aged jamon ham and chorizo topped in parmasen - need I say more?

$235 - Secret Women's Business :op

$3.20 - train to and from work

$8 - 2 x frozen Healthy Choice dinners - one of which is now thawing on top of the fridge at work cos I forgot to bring it home :o( The other one I ate as a late lunch cos I've really gotta cut down on the takeaway...

$4 - tin of tuna Mum emailed me at work to bring home. She made a tuna mornay-type pasta - there are definitely benefits to living at home and not having to cook is one of them!

And, the big one....

$300 - to reduce my credit card debt from $3500 to $3200!

It's a start and more than I could afford last month!

From my pay going in sometime in the early hours of Saturday to now, being Sunday evening, I have managed to reduce my account to $515.19 and this needs to last me 9 days until 18 May - 5 days of which are going to be in Uluru for a work trip where most of my expenses are actually paid.

That's about $57 a day and my anticipated expenses are: 
- train to and from work on Mon, Tues
- train to and from the airport on Wed and then Sun
- food and drinks while away, although most of this is included (have I mentioned lately how much I love my job?!)
- a 28 day rail pass starting from 17 May

Should I set myself a challenge and not spend more than $40 a day - total $360 by Tuesday, 18 May?

Raiding the cookie jar

I have been a little slack with the photos of late, largely because I'd be taking photos of the same things - boring for you and boring for me! I'm going to have to start getting creative.

But, in the meantime I admit to the following purchases on Friday - only possible thanks to Wonder Woman:

BUY:

$7.20 on trains - to and from work, then to and from Wynyard.

WHY?

I rely on the trains. I need to get sensible about my train tickets and ensure I have enough for a weekly or  monthly travel pass because they are much better value. As an apprentice I already have reduced rates but I just checked online and a 28 day pass is $62 - breaking down to $2.21 a day - much better value than $3.20 per return trip to the city.

Remind me to get ones of these starting from Monday week. Because I'll be in Uluru from Wednesday, there is no point buying a weekly or monthly and missing 5 days of it!

BUY:

$11 - a softdrink and a beer

WHY?

In an earlier post, I sought comments from the peanut gallery about whether I could justify tickets to contemporary dance ... I decided to say yes to the invitation as the show sounded really interesting and seriously, I need to get out more!! Lovely Kris, through her dance connections, scored us free tickets to Chunky Move's Mortal Engine!

While the accompanying music wasn't really what I would call music (a lot of it was a variety of sounds and noise) and I think I missed any messages in the movements, it was an amazing display of athleticism, strength and flexibility mixed with the most amazing use of light I have ever seen.

Because Kris not only sorted the tickets, picked me up on her scooter from Wynyard (after I was late!), then bought me a couple of drinks - it goes without saying or explanation really that the least I could do was shout her a coke before she scootered home!

(Photo thanks to Oz Arts)

BUY:

$3.50 - hot chips

WHY?

My poor excuse for dinner as I rushed from work, to home into the shower and then out the door again. I couldn't not eat as my stomach was disturbing my fellow commuters and me!

That time of the month...

This is the worst time of the month for me - and no, I don’t have PMS. Well, not right now anyway…

It’s the few days before pay day and as a general rule, until my account is replenished, I have just enough money to last me for the odd coffee, a train ticket if necessary and maybe a drink! But this is by good luck rather than design. I don’t have a budget and there is no room for unforeseen expenditure… like tonight.

The cold that floored me a week or so ago hasn’t really disappeared. I’ve been lethargic and still coughing up a lung so after a fairly slow day at work that totally exhausted me I realised I probably needed to see a doctor to get a prescription. The fee was only $30. I knew spending this would pretty much empty my account and cancel out coffee at work tomorrow but I was certain I at least had it. I stood at the counter while the receptionist tried to charge the full amount, then $20 then finally $10 to my eftpos card (which I had to confirm was in there by checking my account – did I mention how much I love my iPhone?). Okay, so I was wrong. To settle the account I handed over the $20 in my wallet I had been thinking to rely on til Saturday. As I did, I realised I then wasn’t even able to afford the antibiotics I had just been prescribed! With my pride hiding in the bottom of my handbag next to the $1.60 I was lucky enough to find to pay for my train ticket home, I called Mum to ask if I could please put my medication on her account at the local chemist.

If I didn’t have motivation enough, tonight is another reason to sort my shit out.

BUY:

$49.59 - antibiotics

$30 - doctor's appointment

$5.45 - pumpkin soup & bread rolls

WHY?

To get better.

p.s. BUY: $3.20 - 2 x single train tickets WHY? To get to and from work. Really got a get a weekly pass but can't afford it til Saturday.

More motivation...

On Tuesday I finally did it.

I spent a day without spending!

I was very excited, as you can imagine. I didn't open my wallet and there no expected or unexpected withdrawals from my account!

But, it was only possible because *blush* I have moved back in with my parents.

The lease on the gorgeous apartment I shared came up fairly quickly, I weighed up the pros and cons, looked at my bank account and realised that I didn't have a lot of choice - it was home or bust. Literally. With no savings for a bond and a debt over $5000, a couple of months back at Mum and Dad's will do me a world of good. Provided it doesn't kill us!!

So, if I didn't have a reason before, I do now. I have gone from this:

to this:

I just have to keep reminding myself that the upside is that I will be saving at least $1086 per month in rent not to mention the little things - internet, Foxtel, other random bills, food etc...

Because I'm not paying rent though, I need to play my bit in different ways. Today, I did the grocery shopping... 

BUY:

$48.65

WHY?
It's cheaper than rent!!

Another week begins....

BUY:
$1.50 Mars bar biscuits
(I eat them to quickly to remember to take a photo!)

WHY?
Snack time. I brought lunch with me but wanted something sweet in between...

BUY:

$19.90

WHY?

Post-work drinks welcoming a new team member and plotting our team getaway...

Wonder Woman

Some people have a piggy bank, I have Wonder Woman...
 
Given to me by my brother and his partner while I was living in London after their first visit to NY, she has at times been a life saver - the source of coins enough to buy a £2 take away meal from the local chippy, or my tube fare, a handy recepticle for those annoying coppers (seriously, the UK still uses 1p and 2p coins!).

She hasn't been as useful in Sydney as I tend to scrounge for every last piece of shrapnel but I hope to top her up habitually with my small change, a practice my dad has adopted his  whole life (well, my whole life anyway - having a change jar) reaping long term benefits. So, for now she sits amongst the other prized possessions on my bookshelf waiting for me to appreciate her assets what an asset she could be to my savings...

She currently contains AUD30.10, THB5 and sixpence!

Audience participation required - FOLLOW UP

It's Saturday and I now have $123 in my bank account and $10 in my wallet to last me until 8 May... Not really understanding where the extra $50 came from, although I did notice a random charge on my account that I was racking my brain to recall - I know I had a pretty big Saturday night but I know I didn't spend any money. I guess it must have been the hotel freezing a nominal amount on my card until they worked out I didn't buy anything from the mini bar....

Anyhoo - I left you with the following concerns:

1. Buying a 1st birthday present for the current love of my life?

Sorted. See left. Finally located a decent looking wooden puzzle that isn't majorly commericalised with with poor quality Dorothy the Dinosaur stamped on it. Randomly enough, I found it in a bookshop that I had wandered into looking for a book as an alternative present!

$3.99 + $1 for the card

2. Buying my Mum a Mother's Day present?

Still working on this but should be able to wait until payday for this spenditure.

3. Going out for drinks with work colleagues tomorrow night to celebrate our end of month?

Postponed to Monday.

4. Attending Chunky Move's production of Mortal Engine at the Sydney Theatre next Friday night with one of the girls from dinner the other night? (Tickets are $55)
 
Undecided.

The $5 spent on the birthday present doesn't account entirely for the depletion of my wallet...

BUY:

$3 coffee

$1.50 doughnuts

WHY?

Coffee was a moment of weakness. A half dozen doughnuts on the otherhand lasted me snacking through morning tea, lunch and afternoon tea!

BUY:

$4.75 - Pie Face Chunk Steak Pie

WHY?

No more chicken left-overs and no food in the house cos eating down the fridge before the move....

 BUY:
$8 - Fish and chips

WHY?
Dinner. After moving all day I had absolutely no energy to cook. This will be explained soon...

I know this is only $22.25 and there should be $17.75 in my wallet rather than $10.... I gave the shrapnel to Wonder Woman...