You’ll never guess how much I saved for #febusave

I know I swore I would keep track of all my spending, but… I didn’t.

I kept a mental list that I emailed to myself with the best of intentions… but even stopped doing that after a while.

I spent some money that I should’ve’ve. I was a LOT more conscious of what was coming out of my wallet, and what for.

And… drumroll please…

I saved…

I’m laughing as I put this post together, cause WTF? I didn’t think I did *that* much to change my spending habits in one pay cycle.

And now I’m fantasising about what I can buy myself with my savings. Ha, kinda defeats the purpose of #fubusave, doesn’t it?

Sharing my budget spreadsheet for #febusave

I’m a bit of a nutjob for spreadsheets.

I don’t know why.

But I like having my budget all lined up, accounted for, colour coded and formulae inserted.

Here’s a pie chart of the basics of my budget:

And here’s an overview of my budget spreadsheet:

I have one personal credit card and another that is shared with the fiancé. We’ve found the shared credit card has made life so much easier when dealing with things like electricity bills, groceries, insurance, etc. We pay off equal amounts each fortnight. We manage our salaries independently, cause we’re independent like that! We still have a ‘family meeting’ if we want to buy something big (like a sewing machine, or a new bike), but that’s more out of courtesy than being on a short leash.

I’m in charge of paying off my car loan while Dan’s in charge of improving our house deposit and paying for our interwebs bill. I put away the equivalent fortnightly amounts for regular bills like electricity, car registration and servicing, prescriptions, vet bills, etc into my ING Direct account to hold until I need it.

I chose not to get private health cover before I hit 31, but I do put away the equivalent amount into a separate ING Direct account that I have specifically for glasses, podiatrist sessions and whatever-else-hasn’t-happened-to-me-yet. I’m incredibly lucky that I have Dr Joe as my GP; he’s got me on a health care plan that gets me free dental for another two years and five visits a year to Traci, my nutritionist.

I keep track of the difference between what I earn now and what I earned 3-4 years ago and use that difference as a guide for what I can comfortably save each fortnight. This year I’m trying to add a bit more to it, roughly the equivalent of my old personal loan repayment.

I give myself a supply for ‘entertainment’ purposes (read into that as you wish!) and a bit extra cash, because not everyone is capable of keeping to an exact budget, right?

The fortnight just finished was a bit tight for the first attempt at this new, tightened budget. But I did do things like get my hair coloured and buy papercraft supplies from Spotlight (all for a good cause, I promise!). Hopefully this fortnight will be a bit easier since I’ll be keeping a closer eye on how I spend my moola.

(I just realised that this doesn’t even cover my business finances. But in a nutshell, I don’t spend what I make until after I pay the tax bill and I pay for anything I need out of my normal funds and claim it against my ABN. Seemed to work last financial year, so am trying it again this year.)

The Spreadsheet Nazi’s challenge for #febusave

I have a #febusave confession to make.

There’s been a lot of #febusave fluff showing how many people are giving up their takeaway coffee during #febusave. Or how many people aren’t driving their car to work. Or how many people aren’t expanding their shoe collection for a WHOLE MONTH.

Of the list of sacrifices on offer, there are the ones that have no relevance to me (I don’t buy coffee), and there are ones that are absolute no-go zones (no way am I giving up driving to work and doubling my travel time in my v. fuel efficient car!).

So I’ve been trying to work out what I can do for #febusave to make an impact on my spending habits. I already put away a chunk of money each fortnight and I’m working to pay off my car loan ahead of schedule.

But it’s occurred to me; that while I have a colourful spreadsheet that has been lovingly cared for, I don’t know if the amount I allocate to each of my little sections is a true representation of my actual spend.

So I’m going to track my cash flow like I’m running the office petty cash tin. I’m going to write down every dollar I spend/transfer/etc for my next pay run (which, luckily for my ADD-inclined head, starts tomorrow!)

I’ve got a pen and notepad in my handbag (they’re always in there, but) and I’m ready to go!

Oh god, this is going to be ugly, isn’t it?

Sharing my money history for #febusave

Then

• When I was growing up, I wasn’t taught how to deal with money. Whatever money I earned by working, claiming Austudy or taking from mum’s wallet, I spent it
• Within about three months of working full-time (about two months after I finished the HSC), I got my first credit card
• The first thing I properly saved up for was in 2000 (when I was 22) when I saved up $300 to buy a stereo from Grace Bros
• In 2001 I managed to save a whole $3,500, motivated by Dan and I planning to move in together. But we moved into a $320/week house that was too expensive for our crappy income and we eventually moved in with his mum instead
• I ended up having THREE personal loans. One was the outstanding loan for my first car (which had since become a credit card consolidation loan), the second was my holiday loan (I’d saved for the flights, but not the rest), and the third loan was for my new car

Now

• If I spend up on my credit card, I’m better able to pay it off (though I do have lapses)
• I’ve got ING Direct accounts to get higher interest on my savings
• I’ve paid off two loans ahead of schedule (one so early that the bank tried to slug extra fees with my final repayment)
• I’m down to one loan that’s due to be paid off by the end of the year, though I’m saving up to pay it off sooner
• I chose not to get private health cover, so have a separate ING Direct account and save the equivalent amount each pay. I tend to spend it if I have a bigger than usual credit card bill, but I’m improving
• I have kept a budget (a very colourful one) for a good couple of years that I have taken up a notch for 2010 and #febusave

It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to see that I’ve improved out of sight in the last few years. But I still find it too easy to stop my auto transfers and spend money. I also have a coke habit (the canned version) and can easily throw money away on useless crap.

For #febusave, my goal is to better control my spending, hone in on my budget and set definite goals for paying off my car, having a rainy day fund (like the ones mentioned in #febusave’s money confidence survey) and finally starting to contribute to our savings for our first mortgage.

That’s not graffiti. THIS is graffiti

I don’t make a secret of my fascination with street art. Or graffiti, if you wish.

Not tagging, where idiots practice writing their initials or their tag or childhood drawings of Snoopy.

Living in the inner-west, there’s a LOT of all of the above. But it’s the street art that I love. And so much of is stunning. There’s even a genuine Banksy stencil in Enmore.

We have an external wall that has been painted many times by a local guy. Don’t know his name, but every now and again he comes by and asks if he and his mates can re-do the space. They supply the spray cans, we provide the canvas. By us giving them permission, they’re not breaking any laws. We love talking to them as we come and go and while the smell of paint is gross, I like that we’re giving them a creative outlet.

But lately there’s been a hint of a turf war around Enmore. Nasty messages being left on walls that have had hours… days… spent on them. Creating something visually beautiful, often thought-provoking or funny.

This is the latest:

Technically the cat one is older, but it’s the same sentiment as all the new messages. Writing nasty shit like this just goes against the ethos of street art and street artists. This is tagging in its ugliest form.

Not noice.