Update: spending-only-$50-from-my-pay budget

Hello everyone!

Well, its almost the end of my pay fortnight (21 July was my deadline) and I'm afraid to say I haven't quite made it.

So the whole thing about this little challenge of mine was to put the brakes on my mindless consumption. As many of you know, I'm going through a pretty tough time. Despite everything I have learned over the last few years, I have reverted to trying to buy normality rather than accepting that my life at the moment, is not normal. The lure of buying "what I wish my life to be" - even if it only gave me that illusion for a few hours - is hard to resist!

While I didn't make it, my challenge did put a stop to my mindless consumption and I managed to get rid of some stuff! So here's a little list of my spending:

$75 - social/entertainment spending - eeek! Though $50 was in one night when I went out with friends. It was a case of me needing to blow-off some steam after a hell week...and yes, buy normality for a few hours.

$35 - petrol. The weather got too cold and too rainy for me to ride my bike to work. Still, I normally spend $50 in petrol a fortnight so a $15 saving is pretty good. I did walk/ride my bike for short trips to the shops rather than drive.

$25 - takeaway food (yes after that one slip-up, I didn't buy anymore takeaway meals).

So total expenditure $135.

Now what I did to top up my "income":
- sold: coffee percolator = $10
- sold: my vinyl record bowls = $15
- sold: a not-being-used hot curler set = $5
- scrounged change: $18.60 (yes I found more change when I cleaned out my car and spare room)

Add my $50 budget, my total incoming was $98.60.

So there you go, I ended up spending an extra $36.40 from my pay than I meant to.... Which is not too bad. Strangely enough it's not the social/entertainment spending that worries me. Connecting with others socially and easily was exactly what I needed to do. I'm learningthat buying normality doesn't necessarily have to be a bad thing - all things in moderation is okay.

The other thing is that, now I am once again in a comfortable position to pay the big bills that have come in AND still have money left over for savings. I haven't added to my savings for quite a long while so it feels nice to get back on track.

Photo by Alan Cleaver

I think this weekend, I will go through my house and identify more stuff to sell/get rid off. I know I have a study table and some chairs that can go.

ooooh, there you go, a declutter challenge! Anyone want to join me?

Spending...

Hello everyone,

I hope you have all had a good weekend. Just starting off with a little update with my spending-only-$50-from-my-pay budget....Since Thursday, I have spent:

$11 - social/entertainment spending
$10 - petrol
$25 - takeaway food (yes, I know I know but I had one of THOSE days on Friday)

Eeek! yes, I have already spent $46 of my $50 limit. Now, I am adding to my spending limit (that's not from my pay). That is:

I have scrounged for change around the house = $9.40
I decided to sell my coffee percolator (which I wasn't really using 'cause I like the plunger) = $10

Add that to my previous $4 and I can report that I have $23.40 back to my spending...

My $23.40 ;-)

...Yes I know I'm cheating....then again, creatively generating money from other sources (aside from my job) is one of those skills I have not used for awhile so in some way this is still part of the plan to kickstart me back into simple living habits.

I am hoping that I can curb my spending though. I am trying to get back to being organised. The takeaway food (which accounts for a significant chunk of my self-imposed limit of using only $50 of my pay for things that are NOT bills) was the result of me losing my focus. Something that I know will probably happen over the next month or so until I can finally resolve my personal situation.

I did get a question in my previous post as to how long my fortnight actually is. Just to clarify, the period of this challenge is Thursday, 8 July to Wednesday, 21 July.

Anyway, I have better go. I am cooking 3 nights worth of dinner so I don't succumb to takeaway again.

I hope you are all well.

That's not a tough budget...THIS is a tough budget

Hello everyone!

The last month or so, I've been watching the news and listening to many countries all over the world announcing "tough" budgets in an effort to rein in record-high debts.

...and in the last month or so, I'm afraid my mindless consumption has...while not exactly placed me in debt, it has certainly eaten a significant chunk of my nest egg. For the first time in almost 2 years, I am finding that after bills, I don't have any left over for savings....all of it has gone into spendings.

Photo by Stuart Pilbrow

Today is my pay day. As usual 65% of my pay will go towards bills (eg. mortgage, electricity, rates, car rego etc). As for the rest....I have allocated a total of $50 for spendings. Yep - that's right. For the next fortnight, I will only have $50 to cover any food, petrol and entertainment.

I have already gone through my pantry/fridge/freezer and made a menu plan that will cover me and my family for the next fortnight (so no real need to buy food). This will also have the effect of using up all my excess food (accumulated by mindless consumption).

I have packed my coffee percolator and coffee for work so no real need to buy my coffee. Having said that, I have promised to have coffee with a few people during work but this will come out of my $50 spending.

I know that I'll also need petrol (which in itself is normally $50 for the fortnight) but next week, I will be able to ride my bike to work a few times. (I just hope that I'll be able to brave the cold).

And hopefully, this tough mini budget will once again kick me back on to my previous savings habits. Please send me no-buget-blowout vibes!!

I hope you are all well.

Wearing second-hand...do you tell?

Hello everyone!

Firstly a big big thank you to all of you who commented in my last post. Your words truly encouraged and moved me. You are all so generous. Thank you so much for taking the time to comment.

Now that I'm back to finding and defining my path towards a simpler life, I am taking stock of things that I *didn't* let go of in the last couple of months. I realised that there was at least one sustainable consumption habit that I stuck to. I still sought to buy second-hand clothing for myself.

I only remember this after reading this post from Little Eco Footprints. In this post, Tricia asks: "Are you proud to wear second-hand or hand-made?"

And I can say that for the most part, yes, I am. In fact, when I am asked by others where I got my coat/outfit/shoes etc etc, I am honest and say "the op shop" or "bought it second-hand". (For overseas readers, op shops are thrift/charity shops).

Pic of me at work wearing a second-hand 3 piece suit (only $60!!) and op-shopped grey shoes ($5)

I have to say, there are times when my answer is met with an uncomfortable pause as people process the fact that I've just admitted to wearing second-hand.

The thing is, after that pause, its often followed by enthusiastic re-telling of their op-shop bargains or second-hand finds. In some ways this heartens me - because while not that many people tell you about it, my experience is that a LOT of people (and yes, even professional people from middle class backgrounds) do buy from op shops. Perhaps not as regularly as I do, but they still do.

Unfortunately, in my world, hardly anyone talks about it. Tricia says, in the past, wearing second-hand was something to be ashamed of. I believe that there is still that train of thought today.

I guess, by telling people honestly where I get my clothes (if they ask), I am trying to "out" a great sustainable practice that many people seem to do in secrecy. Indeed, at work, there are some of us now who openly op-shop together during our lunch hour every now and then. And the more open we are about our ethical shopping, the more open others (who have never op-shopped) are to the idea of op-shopping.

So tell me, do YOU op-shop? Do you have a favourite op-shopping story? Have you ever blogged about it? Please let me know!

I hope you are all having a good week.

Busy life - fell off the wagon...

Hello everyone!

Wow, its been a long long time. Firstly a big thank you to those of you who emailed me while I had my unexpected bloggy break. Thank you so much for thinking of me.

My life has taken a few odd turns lately and I'm finding myself busier than ever trying to adjust to these curve balls as well as my ongoing battle with finding a balance between family and work. The last few months I have really been feeling all the challenges of managing my life and nurturing my family all by myself!

With my life being so busy, I have to admit that I have completely fallen off my simple life. I have resorted to buying too many convenience meals, buying things and presents (instead of making them), and resorted to impulse purchases to make myself feel better. I even recently bought a TV!

Okay, I'm not sure why I bought a TV given that I rarely watch the thing - I suspect that I just wanted a semblance of "normal". ...but the fact that I'm not sure why I bought it has been a huge wake up call for me. In these stressful times, I have once again become a mindless consumer. I have opted for the quick highs and quick fixes rather than the quiet satisfaction of living according to my ideals.

Its been disheartening...especially as I know so much better. And once again, I'm feeling lost.

In some ways,I can see how its happened. I can see how much time I am expending at working through my divorce and how much time I am giving to my work. And this is giving me little time for the necessary planning it takes to live a simple life. I am responsible for how I choose to prioritise my time. At this stage, my need to resolve my past and my need to take the distraction and career fulfillment being offered to me by my work is top priority.

Unfortunately (or fortunately), I can see that focussing on these things is also leading me away from a life that satisfied me.

So its time to pull back the reins. Or at least re-adjust them. I'm SURE there is a way to do what I have to do but not lose sight of my simple life. And as always, I know that the first step is to take that huge mental re-adjustment. To stop making excuses and instead find sustainable solutions to the challenges that are before me.

So here's to me climbing back on the wagon. Over the next few weeks, I know I will need to make compromises. However, I also know that I need to stop seeking to buy normality and just accept that these are not normal times.

My son has recently discovered Michael Jackson...the last 3 days he has been playing this song over and over again...and thank goodness I finally heard it.

I hope you are all well. If you can spare the time please send me your well wishes, I know I'm going to need it.