Saturday, November 27, 2010

Spending Habits: How much money I have spent this week (November 22-28, 2010)

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This is a weekly review of my spending habits for the week of Nov.22-28, 2010.

Date Amount
Monday Nov. 22 $24.50
Tuesday Nov. 23 $24
Wednesday Nov. 24 $15
Thursday Nov. 25 $43
Friday Nov. 26 $37
Saturday Nov. 27 $0
Sunday Nov. 28 $0

TOTAL: $143.50

The last 2 weeks I’ve made similar posts:

Spending Habits: How much money I have spent this week (November 8-14, 2010) 

Spending Habits: How much money I have spent this week (November 15-21, 2010)

This is week 3 of my expense tracking:

On Week 1 I spent $80.

On Week 2 I spent $189.

On Week 3 I spent $143.50.

 

Final Thoughts

I started this rigorous expense tracking 3 weeks ago to take a closer, introspective look at how I was spending my money. Very honestly and very openly. I’ve already had a couple of those “aha” or “Eureka” moments during  these weeks. I normally pay attention to what I spend, but when you’re living on around $537 a month after all fixed expenses are paid (not including phone bills, electricity, or food) , you not only have to pay attention…you  really have to control every single coin and bill that goes out of your wallet. Keeping a close eye on every cent you spend. So this expense tracking has really helped me get a clear and concrete overview (one that I realize I needed) of how much money I spend daily and weekly.

I realize that I spend on average $75 a week. However, this average is misleading as I was sick on the first week. So the average should be based more on the last 2 weeks, which should be $166.25.

So I realize I spend on average around $166.25 a week.

I realize that I should budget for $181 on average a week - to give myself a realistic buffer.

However, $181 a week would be $724 a month, and as mentioned above, I only have around $537 a month to spend. So no wonder I’m in the hole right now and having difficulty beginning my paybacks to my Dad. I really needed to see this black-on-white. I’ll have to take a good look at my paycheck next month, take a look at the bills I need to pay (because I know that there’s a $124 annual bill that’s coming up very soon), and then budget weekly. What I mean by that is make a budget for each week. And take an overview every fortnight, as well as weekly & monthly. Just to really keep a close eye -and close hold- on my spendings.

 

Well, that’s all for now. Bye, again.

Wednesday, November 24, 2010

25 FREE Things To Do When It’s Snowing

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winter-days-tree

Photo credit: Alexey

So it’s been snowing heavily these past few days, and I must admit, I thoroughly  enjoy the snow! :) It’s cold, yeah, but its’ cozy (indoors) and lots of fun (outdoors)! :)

Here are 25 activities that you can do for FREE in this wonderful snowy winter season:

 

OUTDOORS

Casual

1. Snowball fight.

2. Build a snowman.

3. Make snow angels.

4. Go sleighing down a hill.

5. Go for a walk in nature and enjoy the pristine, newly fallen snow in the fields or in the forest.

 

Hobby

6. Ice fishing.

7. Ice sculpting

 

Sports

8. Ice hockey.

9. Ice skating.

10. Go skiing.

11. Go snowboarding.

12. Go bobsledding.

 

INDOORS

Art, literature, music & film

13. Read a good book

14. Paint a picture

15. Curl up in front of the television and watch your favorite movie or tv-series.

16. Listen to some good music as you look out the window at the beautiful snowfall.

 

Drink

17. Drink hot cocoa – preferably with whipped cream.

18. Make a good cup of coffee to warm yourself up.

19. Make tea and make it a little extra special by adding honey, a lemon slice or other fruit like berries.

 

Food

20. Bake (and eat!) wonderfully warm bread, cakes, cookies, muffins or pies.

21. Eat delicious hot soup to get yourself warmed up again.

 

Love

22. (If there’s a fire place somewhere in sight) curl up with your loved one in front of the fire.

23. Sit down to a romantic candlelight dinner just the two of you.

24. Curl up under the warm sheets and watch a good movie together.

25. Drink a glass of wine each and sit by the window to enjoy the beautiful white cityscape, landscape or just the snowfall.

 

Disclaimer: For some of the activities on the list to be free would require that you actually have the necessary things at home already lying around, like say, for example reading a good book wouldn’t actually be a free activity, if you went out and had to buy the book first, nor would the skiing be free if you had to go out and buy a pair of skis first. So you get what I mean ;)

There you have it 25 free, fun and romantic ideas for activities to do when it’s snowing outside. I’ll be heading off again – to embark on a combination of activities #17 & #18 – I’m off to make myself a good cup of coffee with hot cocoa to warm myself up. And afterwards I think I’ll grab a chair by the window to enjoy the wonderful winter wonderland outside. Have a good, cozy evening everyone!

cup-of-coffee-heart-cozy-winter

Photo credit: coffee

What do you think? Do you have any good ideas for FREE fun things to do when it’s snowing outside? I’d love to hear some of your suggestions. Do feel free to leave a comment below.

Sunday, November 21, 2010

Spending Habits: How much money I have spent this week (November 15-21, 2010)

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This is a weekly review of my spending habits for the week of Nov.15-21, 2010.

Date Amount
Monday Nov. 15 $43.50
Tuesday Nov. 16 $0
Wednesday Nov. 17 $33
Thursday Nov. 18 $33.50
Friday Nov. 19 $39
Saturday Nov. 20 $40
Sunday Nov. 21 $0

TOTAL: $189

Last weekend I made a similar post  named Spending Habits: How much money I have spent this week (November 8-14, 2010).

I began only just last week to rigorously track my expenses everyday. This is week 2 of my expense tracking.

What type of gift giver are you?

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As the Christmas season draws nearer and the stores have already pulled out all of their Holiday decorations out of storage. I find my thoughts beginning to center around buying Christmas presents, and that age-old question “What should I give this Christmas?”

christmas_gift_giving

While wandering around the internet today I found these 2 informative and entertaining blog posts that each have their unique take on gift giving and gift givers. I’ll expand on them below.

In Elizabeth Barbour’s blog post 5 Types Of Gift Givers she demonstrates these different types of gift givers:

1. Creative Gift Giver - Gives the gift of art. Store bought or hand made.

2. Intellectual Gift Giver - Gives books. Gives educational games and toys that open the mind.

3.Wise Investor Gift Giver - Gives U.S. Savings Bonds and other gifts relating to learning the value of the dollar.

4. Experiential Gift Giver - Gives an experience. Gives tickets to a sporting event, the theatre, a concert - or a gift certificate to a favorite restaurant or local spa.

5. Green Gift Giver - Gives green gifts. Supports organizations and companies that protect the environment.

 

In Tony Connor’s post Gift Givers: How They Vary In Intent And Execution he outlines the differences between these 7 types of gift givers:

1. THE STOCKPILER: has been known to hoard gifts for several years.

2. THE ORGANIZER: tends to know by heart the birthdays, anniversaries and other significant dates of their relatives and friends.

3. THE OVERTHINKER: agonizes over every gift they give.

4. THE LAST-MINUTER: leaves gift shopping until the day before (or even on the way!) and refuse to think about the gift until then. They can be seen at the mall or large stores on Christmas Eve with numerous bags of stuff.

5. THE FORGETFUL ONE: forgets peoples birthdays and other occasions. If they do actually get a gift well in advance they will probably forget to bring it on the day. They are gleefully welcomed by the proprietors of mini-marts and gas stations, being their main revenue source for greetings cards, gift cards, boxes of chocolates and those dusty DVDs.

6. THE CRAFTER: doesn't believe that it's a true gift unless at least part of it has had work put into it.

7. THE DELEGATOR: knows when birthdays etc. are but has no interest in what they actually give. They pass on the choice of gift to their significant other, siblings, secretary etc.

 

So the first post focuses on the values behind gift giving, while the second post concentrates on the organizational skills behind the gift giving – or as he himself puts it, the intent and execution. So 2 different takes (or perspectives) on gift giving.

 

WHICH TYPE OF GIFT GIVER AM I ?

christmas-gifts

VALUES

Well, values-wise I am probably mostly a creative gift giver (especially, if gadgets count as “art” too ;), an  intellectual gift giver and an experiential gift giver.

  • I’ve given posters, art, decorations, etc. as presents, as well as electronics and gadgets (creative giver).
  • But I have also given books as presents (intellecual giver).
  • And on a few occasions I have given trips to the movies, and one time on a special occasion, also a trip to the spa (experiential giver).

If I was to categorize my own gift-giving values I guess I would say that I am an “enjoyment gift giver” rather than a “practical gift giver”. Meaning that I want to give people things that will give them enjoyment, experiences, or happiness in some form. I like to give people things that I know they want, but that they would not usually buy. In other words, I wouldn’t buy you a pair of socks for Christmas (even though I know it’s practical), but I would give you a trip for 2 to the movies instead. That’s just my philosophy on this. You’re welcome to disagree. Feel free to drop a line or two in the comments about it. 

 

ORGANIZATIONAL SKILLS

As for my organizational skills, well, let’s just say they leave something to be desired, lol.

I am definitely not a stockpiler, however, I know someone in my family who is. It’s funny, but I can see some of my friends and family members in these different types :)

No, I’m unfortunately an overthinker (hence this blog post!), however I’ve also been known to be the last-minuter and the forgetful one. I laughed when I first read the line about the last-minuter: “They can be seen at the mall or large stores on Christmas Eve with numerous bags of stuff.” That was definitely me, some Christmas’es ago. I once did my Christmas shopping the day before Christmas, and the following year I did my Christmas shopping on the day. Needless to say both times were stressful and expensive, so after that I started planning ahead. 

But on the bright side, I did all my Christmas shopping online last year (the organizer), so I’m getting better! And I’m thinking of doing the same again this year. That’s why I’m already juggling different gift ideas in my head.

So here was a little inside look (for me, as well as for you) at the different types of gift givers that are all around us.

So…

Which type of gift giver are you? Do you recognize any of these gift-giving types in people you know, like your significant other, friends or family members?

Thursday, November 18, 2010

Annual Overview Of Incoming Bills

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I decided to do a post on here with an annual overview of the bills that I receive during the year listed by month. This is to give myself a greater and clearer perspective. So they no longer come “unexpectedly”. Because some of my bills are paid quarterly and annually as opposed to monthly. This list will be a work in progress because I will continue to add to the list as the months progress, adding the “unexpected” items as they arise. But right now these are the “known” items.

 

October:

Public Service TV License: 1140 kr. ($207.50) (quarterly)

Unemployment Insurance: 1173 kr.  ($213.50) (quarterly)

 

November:

Electric Bill: 1051 kr. ($191) (quarterly)

Industry Publishing Listing: 625 kr. ($124) (annually)

 

December:

Real Estate Waiting List: 305 kr. ($55.50) (annually)

 

January:

Public Service TV License: 1140 kr. ($207.50) (quarterly)

Unemployment Insurance: 1218 kr.  ($221.50) (quarterly)

DN: 247.50 kr. ($45) (annually)

Real Estate Internal Waiting List For My Apartment Complex: 200 kr. ($36.40) (annually)

 

April:

Public Service TV License: 1140 kr. ($207.50) (quarterly)

Unemployment Insurance: 1173 kr.  ($213.50) (quarterly)

 

July:

Public Service TV License: 1140 kr. ($207.50) (quarterly)

Unemployment Insurance: 1173 kr.  ($213.50) (quarterly)

Tuesday, November 16, 2010

Off-Topic Link Love

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I just wanted to give a little link love to these two.

cat_money

 

BLOG POST

– he writes an extensive and well-researched post about getting quality backlinks to your blog (well, he is getting one from me now :)

 

BLOG

– the everyday life of a stewardess. The blog’s been around since 2006. A good read when you want a window into someone’s life that’s completely unlike your own.

 

So that’s about it from me today. Bye again.

Sunday, November 14, 2010

Spending Habits: How much money I have spent this week (November 8-14, 2010)

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This is a weekly review of my spending habits for the week of Nov.8-14, 2010.

Date Amount
Tuesday Nov. 10 $21
Wednesday Nov. 11 $15.50
Thursday Nov. 12 $8.5
Friday Nov. 13 $35
Saturday Nov. 14 $0
Sunday Nov. 15 $0

TOTAL: $80

As you can see in the post (right below) called Spending Habits: How much money I have spent today, Thursday 11/11/10 I began to keep track of my daily expenses here on the blog to keep myself accountable for my spending. However, I also kept a written record outside the blog, so I found that I was doing “double the work” because I was typing every single item AGAIN. So I decided to keep my daily expense trackings off the blog and just post weekly expense trackings instead.

Another reason for not posting daily expense trackings is because I want to keep the blog posts varied and fun to read – I realized that a daily expense tracking post like the one below would – in large numbers – begin to clutter up the blog with monotonous posts of just spreadsheets and dry numbers. But these are just my feelings right now. They may change someday. Maybe it’s just the way I present them. Perhaps with some cool graphics or design they’d be more fun to look at. Hmmm…I’ll have to give this more thought and keep this one open. But for now, weekly is the way to go.

A few notes about the past week in retrospect: I‘ve been sick since Friday and that explains why I haven’t spent any money this weekend. What a rotten time to get sick, but I guess that’s just the way the cookie crumbles. I spent a large amount on Friday for grocery shopping for the weekend.

That’s all.

Friday, November 12, 2010

Spending Habits: How much money I have spent today, Thursday 11/11/10

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My spending habits today on Thursday November 11, 2010

Amount What Where
$3 croissant, chocolate drink bakery
$5.50 lunch cafeteria

Total: $8.50

Tuesday, November 09, 2010

Dogs Using The ATM

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I thought that I’d share this picture with all of you that I found today while browsing the internetz. Here are some cute doggies that are capable of using the ATM-machines.

 

dogs_atm

 

They’re specially trained guide dogs for the disabled, and they’re trained in other tasks as well, such as loading the washing & picking up items from store shelves. Go check out the original story at Train Your Pooch To Withdraw Money. I must say, I think they’re very impressive.

Sunday, November 07, 2010

A Fast And Easy Way To Save Money And Lose Weight: Cut Butter Out Of Your Diet

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Here’s a fast and easy way that anyone can save money and lose weight at the same time without any effort at all - you just simply cut butter out of your diet entirely. It’s a fast, simple and surefire way. I myself have done this for years and I thought today that I would share this litte tip with you.

 

buttered_bread

 

You don’t need it in your diet

Butter is a saturated animal fat containing cholesterol, and it even contains more so than other fats. Butter is very calorie dense, to say the least, and so cutting it out of your diet completely will not only make you lose weight, it’ll also be healthier for you in the long run. Not to mention “healthier” for your wallet too!

On average you can expect to lose 4,5 pounds – just by cutting out butter! This is absolutely an easy, simple way of losing weight. And you don’t feel deprived because you feel like you’re still eating, like you always have been eating. So you won’t even notice that it’s gone from your diet.

 

gourmet_sandwich

Save money by cutting out butter

Simply deciding to eliminate butter from your diet will save you plenty of money in the long run. You’ll never have to pick it up in the grocery store anymore, meaning you save tens of dollars - and eventually in the long run hundreds of dollars. This is again a very fast and simple way to save money – and also in this instance, without at all feeling deprived.

 

delicious_crawfish_sandwich

 

For cooking

In the above sections, I primarily speak about not using butter on bread and sandwiches. But this tip can also be applied to cooking. I myself, have cut butter out of my diet completely, including using it for cooking, as it was the easiest thing to do. Then I wouldn’t have to buy butter at all, and it wouldn’t sit in the fridge and give me a guilty conscience: “If I’ve spent money on it, I better eat it.” Then it also doesn’t serve as a temptation in any way. So instead I don’t buy it at all. For cooking purposes you can easily add olive oil, sunflower oil, coconut oil, palm oil or other types of vegetable oil instead.

 

Final Thoughts

As a final note, I can add that this tip can easily be applied to any small, singular thing in your diet that you want to eliminate entirely, take for example mayonnaise, which just as readily can be swiped off you diet. The applications to this is tip are endless. And the reason why it works is because it’s such a small change that you hardly notice it.

 

However, I can guarantee you that your wallet as well as your body will be all the better for it.

Saturday, November 06, 2010

December 2010 Goals

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“It’s good to have your [financial] goals written down so you see them everyday and don’t lose focus on your ultimate objectives.”

I read this in a comments section, and my, doesn’t it ring true.

 

calculator_and_pen

 

Keeping in that spirit, I’m listing my financial goals for December 2010 right here. I’m going to keep them small, so that I know that I can easily accomplish them. Because there’s nothing worse than setting unrealistic goals for yourself and then failing at them. There’s nothing more demotivating than that. I know, because being the overly ambitious soul that I sometimes can be I often have a tendency to fall into this trap of setting too high goals (that were unrealistic to begin with) and failing -and then blaming myself afterwards for it. Not a very good, motivating factor. So I’ll start small now and then build this one up.

 

December 2010 Financial Goals
  • Pay $100 towards reducing my debt
  • Put away $100 towards savings

 

That should do it for now. These amounts, by the way, have already taken into account the the Christmas-presents-factor in my budget for December ;) So no worries :)

Back Into The Blogosphere

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warp-light

 

So I’m back from a long break from the blogosphere. Not from reading blogs – but from actually writing. There were a few reasons for my sudden disappearance from the online world. The reasons I’ll state below – in good ol’ fashioned lovable bullet points – ah, the wonderful world of blogging!

 

  • The Thesis.

    The first and most important reason for my disappearing act was my thesis. I had 6 months to write this thesis. But, somehow, I would always find myself on this blog instead. It was way more fun and fulfilling to write on this blog than on my thesis paper. This obviously wasn’t a good thing, since I found myself procrastinating on my thesis. So in the end I had to completely shut down the blog. I simply had to go “cold turkey” and not look at it at all for the next 6 months. In the beginning this was to avoid temptation, but as the months progressed I honestly didn’t have any time at all to write on my blog even if had it been open, since I was writing on my thesis for 12-14 hours a day everyday during this time period. The rest of the day/night I’d eat and sleep. Needless to say, I didn’t have much of a social life during those months. Had the blog been open, I seriously doubt that it would have made for a very exciting read anyhows, LOL. :)

 

  • The Aftermath.

    But then the thesis was finished, handed in, graded and DH @ The Money Blog Revisited graduated and got her degree. Now came 2 new obstacles to be overcome before she would decide to return to the blogosphere.

 

  • Sick & Tired Of Writing.

    The first one, was returning to writing – yes, rediscovering the fun and enjoyment of writing again. Needless to say,  after having handed in my thesis I was sick & tired of writing and swore it off for a very long time afterwards. It took me a while to get back on that wagon.

 

  • Being Unemployed.

    The second reason was the fact that immediately after having graduated I bumped into another obstacle – yes, unemployment. Being an optimistic, driven, ambitious, young person, I had a hard time dealing with this and was a bit down about it. So therefore the few posts that I did make to this blog during that time period were far and wide between. And, I have actually deleted them again, because reading them now, they seemed a bit depressing, LOL. But understandably so. But now I have a job, it’s not a very well-paying job (they’re taking advantage of the bad economy to use dirt-cheap labor and pay minimum wages, even if I have a university degree, and a masters, at that) but somehow I’m very happy. I’ve got a job after all, and I’m very fortunate to have a job in my respective field – as opposed to working in something completely different. As energetic, new, young graduates we do after all want to work in the specific field that we’ve spent years studying. And I’ve been very lucky to have been given the chance. So now that my life is somewhat stable again the creativity and the love of writing is coming back.

 

  • Time Management.

    However, I have to say, that now that I’m a full-time worker, there doesn’t seem to be the same amount of time and flexibility (meaning, freedom!) that there used to be when I was a student. (Man, there’s always something, isn’t there, DH.) But I’m getting used to it that’s for sure. And all I have to do now is just manage my time more reasonably. But on occasion I will disappear on and off of the blogosphere (hahaha, a disclaimer :), so please bear with me. Don’t remove me from your blogrolls, just yet. I’ll soon be back with lots of new fun, exciting and creative new ideas & posts to share.

 

So that’s it.

A lengthy story of the ups and downs of my life during the past year and a half, and how these events caused me to go AWOL and completely disappear from the blogosphere.

Hopefully, this will be the end of my writer’s block, and that the new year(s) ahead will have plenty of writing inspiration in store for me.

Thanks for stopping by for this quick read. I hope to see you again very soon.

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