Category Archives for Finances

January Recap & Next Month Goals:

It’s the last day of January 2012 already – boy, time has flew by! I’m starting believe the fact that time passes faster as you get older.  Doing recaps and a goal list at the end of every month is me being totally crazy-organizational-freak but it’s always good to see what I’ve done and what I’d like to do in the future months to come.

Recap:

  • Started a 30-day shopping ban… It’s so much harder than I thought!
  • Ottawa trip
  • Packing Lunch as much as I can

Goals for Feb:

  • $100 budget for dining out all month (includes coffee, lunches, dinners)
  • Take an interesting course
  • Finish an online course for Finance

Go on and try your own Recap/Goal list for January & February and link to me – I would love to see them!

Brown Paper Bag Lunch: An initiative to saving $

So this year, I am changing a few of my “ways” of spending in an attempt to grow my savings and get my personal finance in order.  Looking back at my bills and transaction summaries, I spend a huge chunk of my money on buying lunch, drinks, and dining out way too often for my liking.

If I spent around $10 on lunch every day I come to work, that’s around $300 a month and that doesn’t include my coffee breaks, going out for dinner or dining out on weekends!!

To change this, I’ve been packing myself lunch for the past week and limit myself from dining out by having meals at home.  I’m excited for this to work out – I hope I can keep to it.

Today, I brought a couple of slices of bread and aged cheddar to make grilled cheese at the office. :)

I need some yummy & delicious lunch ideas… any suggestions?

 

MPP: Weekly Money Check-Up: 1/23

One of the blogs I follow called My Pretty Pennies has a weekly Money Check-Up.  Basically its a recap of the previous week’s spending.  Here’s mine:
*NOTE: this is before my shopping ban started (24th)

1. The most I’ve spent this last week was a bus ticket on Greyhound for $92.00.

2. Today I am thankful for a sushi & wine lunch party at work! I love sushi & I love wine. That i all.

3. Money can’t buy happiness. One free thing I did last week that made me happy write little surprise notes in my bf’s bag.  It’s cute, right? lol

4. I will consider this week a success if I complete an online quiz for my Finance course.

5. The craft I am currently interested in right now is jewelry making! Anyone know of any jewelry crafting courses/clubs/classes in Toronto?

Try a money check up for yourself & link to myprettypennies.com!


Going on a Shopping Ban…

I’ve come to a realization that I waste a lot of my hard-earned $ on unnecessary things and things I really do not need any more of!  You know you’re shopping a little too much when someone says, “You’re always shopping”, “You’re shopping again? What else do you need?” or the very blunt, “Stop shopping”!

Another reason for this is that I recently starting reading a blog called Give Me Back My Five Bucks, and I can’t get enough of it! The blogger, Krystal is really inspiring and motivating and so informative.

So yes, I’m going to challenge myself with a 30-day BAN on shopping! I know it’s not going to be that hard since I know I don’t have a problem and I can minimize my spending. With all the $ that I’m spending, I’ll instead put into my savings account.

It can’t be THAT hard… right?