March 2012 Budget Challenge
March 2012 Budget Challenge: :money: $ $ :tshirt: $ $ :money:
Dear participants, please post below, thanks.
All the best as you work through your goals!
:wav:
:icon_sunny: :toothy4: SPRING IS ON THE WAY! :icon_flower: :happy3:
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My March 2012 Budget:
Expenses:
Rent (+ utilities): PAID (as per rate)
Phone & Internet: $77.13 (I cancelled my Internet and phone long distance, which should save about $500 per year; library internet access is now free)
Water: $8.91 (reverse osmosis: cooking/drinking)
Food & Stockpile: $59.91 (1 milk, 3 Puffs, bananas, 1 Dr. Pepper FREE/w/fpc/paid taxes $0.24, 1 milk, 2 bags apples, 1 bag brown rice, 1 pk. coffee filters, bananas, 15 lb. potatoes; popcorn, A&W burger, w/FPC's: Kashi cereal, Liberte yogurt, 5 x Bistro Sliders, 1 x McD juice; w/Christmas Gift Card: 2 x eggs, Oasis juice, 2 x Purex LD, 2 x milk)
Miscellaneous: $9.63 (postage; 2 pectin; fridge light bulb)
Other: $43.24 (1 parcel tape; A&W burger; Bus Fare; 2 x $5 Long-Distance Phone Cards)
Hardware: $13.42(broom, 2 laundry detergent)
Total March 2012 Expenses to date: $212.24 (plus Rent)
Coupons Used: $43.60
Extra Money: $0.11
Tax Refund: $231.14
SPEND Days to date: 10/31 :cool:
NO SPEND Days to date: 21/31 :smile:
Goals: :smile:
- maximize work
- essential expenses: rent/utilities, basic phone, R.O. water
- spending cuts on everything else, including phone LD, internet? Cancelled Internet & Phone LD (now using library internet & phone cards)
- exceptions: stockpile additions, emergencies, DS birthday gift postage
- stay within budget this month Not Possible, due to unexpected changes & expenses
- add to Emergency Fund
To-Do List:
- work
- send birthday gift to DS COMPLETED
- utilize all my resources
- spend spare time on crafting for gift-giving:
- OAMC&B (Once-A-Month-Cooking & Baking): COMPLETED: beef roast, potato wedges, turkey-veg-rice soup, cornbread, blackberry jam, stewed apricots, boiled eggs, apricot sorbet.
- Income Tax COMPLETED
- get a fishing license this spring
- start seeds for tomatoes, herbs, flowers, etc. COMPLETED & they are now sprouting
- wardrobe organization, tailoring and alterations: COMPLETED: button alterations on 17 blouses; repaired 1 bathrobe zipper, 1 nightgown; altered 2 button-down sweaters, sewed 1 missing button on a shirt; made table linens from 2 skirts, sewed 2 dishtowels & 4 dishcloths, hemmed 1 t-shirt for DS. Cut out 6 more dishcloths from flannelette. Hemmed 12 more dishcloths today.
- some long visits with Mother Nature: so far, only during errands. IN PROGRESS, due to spending time on the patio, and necessary walks to the library computer. :cheesygrin:
Living within my Budget: (updates)
- Mar.3/12: lots of cooking and baking done in the past few days; got the fridge re-organized and replenished, used up some frozen odds n' ends from the fridge-freezer. Haven't been out much this week, so chalked up many No Spend days at end of Feb. & beginning of March.
- Mar.5/12: Income Tax completed; paperwork completed; more apricot sorbet made for freezer.
- Mar.6/12: Baked bread pudding, potato wedges; sliced roast beef thin, froze some slices, made gravy, cooked last few carrots in fridge, prepped lettuce head by taking apart the leaves and storing all in plastic ice-cream pail in fridge crisper.
- Mar.7/12: Found homemade recipe for cheese/cottage cheese using skim milk powder; working on it to convert it using my thawed milk, after skimming off the cream for coffee; the whey is also used for bread, muffins or biscuits, so if I can get this recipe right, I'm utilizing a small jar of milk for cream, cheese, cottage cheese and the base liquid for several baked goods, and that's a very significant saving of $, and makes 1 jar of milk go a very long way in the kitchen.
- Mar.7-9/12: Wardrobe alterations in progress! Annoying interruptions!!
- Mar.9/12: My work hours/pay got cut back this month...groan.
- Mar.11/12: Kitchen faucet wand disintegrated at the couplet, spouting water, can't use till fixed. Neighbour barbecuing with propane gas right against my kitchen window & under my kitchen fan exit, filling my unit with propane gas fumes, making me sick. Have to report all this tomorrow. It's been a week of trouble of all kinds.
- Mar.12/12: Reported the problems as necessary. Worked on sewing repurposed fabrics: 6 dishcloths & 3 dishtowels made from 2 heavy cotton skirts. Sewed a missing button a shirt. No sign of the plumber yet, and I have to work soon. Plumber came later & fixed spout.
- Mar.13/12: Continued sewing and completed 7 articles for DS's birthday parcel.
- Mar.14/12: More sewing done today--12 dishcloths; work went well, kept student on track and every lesson-minute counted; they talk too much these days, should listen more and follow instructions.
- Mar.15,16/12: Very sick from asthma-related illness caused by gas fumes & smoke from neighbour's barbecue, placed beside my kitchen window & stove vent.
- Mar.17,18/12: Planted all indoor seeds into 12 6-packs. Did accounts. Moved rug-frame to basement to free up office/den space again. Baking DS's birthday goodies today & packing box to send out.
- Mar.21/12: Shopping Trip: Returned Internet modem, cancelled Internet & Phone long distance, which will save me about $500 per year; bought 2 long distance phone cards; used some FPC's at Safeway & McDonald's, used Christmas gift card at SDM to buy groceries. Bought food, household and office essentials. Feeling pretty shaky giving up my Internet, but it had to be done, and I'll get used to it; have since learned that library internet is now free.
- Mar.22/12: Feeling the home-internet withdrawal right now, but trying to adjust. It's so different to get up in the morning, and not go right to the computer & internet with a cup of coffee to start the day. But I did have my coffee on the patio this morning, the first time this year, so that was very special too. And it was a lovely, soft, quiet, misty morning with all the awakenings of springtime happening right in my own backyard. The body-muscle exercise is good for me too, just making my way to the library to use their computer. I'm thinking that this year I may be able to improve my balance and try to make progress walking alone, without my walker. Spring is stirring in my body, soul and spirit, and I feel invigorated and renewed, and up and ready for the challenge.
:sunny:
- Mar.29/12: Worked out a budget for the next few years, based on my savings, which I put into a TFSA last week, earning me $50 per year interest. I wish I'd done this a year or so ago, because I would have been able to foresee my spending trends better, and check myself on over-spending habits. Feeling quite grumpy since I saw the figures on paper, couldn't sleep one night, so next day made a list of all the things I can do to improve my finances, including sell-off of my posessions. If things get any worse for me financially, I will be cancelling my phone, and just using my long distance phone card at a pay-phone, and otherwise using snail mail and library internet (of course). I'm giving myself a few weeks to a few months to make that decision, but if necessary, the sooner the better, because it would save me about $400 per year, which could go for rent/food/water/misc. essentials. The federal government budget comes out today.
Will update the figures of my March budget asap, when I have more library time available, and will post the April budget thread then.
Bye for now!
Apr.4/12: Well, my Income Tax Refund saved my budget for March, and gave me a surplus for my emergency fund too. Whew!
March 2012 Budget Balance & Update: + $151.08
March Budget surplus allotted to Emergency Fund: + $151.08
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February/March 2012 Budget
Mortgage and Fixed Expenses: PAID
Variable Expenses:
Hydro: $101.08/$105 +3.92
TV/Internet: 118.57/118.57
Cell Phones: $120.08/$120 (changed plans - got double bill this month)
Home Phone: $33.03/$22.59 -$10.44 (oops! went over plan mins again!)
Visa: $85/$85
Line of Credit: $465/$465
Emergency Fund: $4481.28
Groceries: $834.29/$640 (Feb 12-Mar 13 CC statement) -$194.29 (groceries needed for march break ended up being charged on this month's cc statement)
Gas: $425.03/$340 (Feb 12 - Mar 13 CC statement) -$85.03 (gas needed for march break ended up being charged on this month's cc statement)
Miscellaneous: $1002.67/$409 -$593.67
Misc Cash: $107.76
Stamps: $7.47 (for trades and mir)
Trip to Toronto Zoo (incl meals): $239.00
Utility Trailer: $240.00
Paid off HBC cc:
- Tablet: $112.99
- Clothes for DH: $45.46
- BBQ on deferred payment: $249.99
My Extra Income this month: $45
DH's Extra Income this month: $5216.48 (Annual profit sharing bonus)
DH's Carpool income: $60 (save for for vehicle expenses next month)
Refund for Cat Adoption: $231.28 (deposit into Emergency Fund)
Refund for new furnace: $250.00 (deposit into Emergency Fund)
Credit from EI: $100.00 (used towards zoo trip)
Coupons Used: $215.18
PC Points Used: $20
Zellers Promo Card: $15
SDM GC (from Health Survey): $10
SDM Optimum Points Earned: 12180
Spend Days: 23/31
No Spend Days: 8/31
Actual Budget Results: +5131.06 (thanks to DH's bonus :) )
$4481.28 Deposited into Svgs Acct
$649.78 balance of cash and chqing account to use towards next months budget
Goals:
- work towards being debt free in 4 years (must pay at least $550 on visa + line of credit per month to achieve this)
- build up emergency fund by saving at least $200 per month
- tighten up grocery spending for next month. Canned/Dry goods stockpile in good shape. Will be looking for meat deals to restock freezer.
- use cc only for gas and groceries. Use cash and keep better track of misc spending
- make more meals from scratch and eat healthier while staying within budget
- work on advertising so I can build my home daycare business (I would like to make an additional $800 per month)
- get paperwork organized for income tax and buy tax software
- try and resolve issue with EI regarding their claim I owe them $1850.
Mar 14 update: Issue with EI has been resolved. It has been determined that there was a data entry error made and they actually owe me $100 - will use to take kids to Toronto zoo :)
Mar 27 update: DH received his annual profit sharing bonus this month which we used to cover the overspending this month. The balance of DH's bonus will be deposited into emergency fund. We went over our grocery and gas budget because of March Break (had to have a full tank of gas and full fridge of groceries because I had 3 boys full days for the week). Grocery and gas spending will be less next month and the extra surplus will be added to the emergency fund. For now I am going to continue to keep adding to emergency fund instead of increasing debt repayment. I am still trying to build my daycare business and need a cushon in case I lose the only family I have.