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Browsing category: Uncategorized

  • September 11, 2010

    Link love (Powered by slouchy sneakers and omega 3)

    MONEY

    My Open Wallet shares an interesting graph showing how the percentages we spend on various things has changed over the years (VERY American-centric. By that, I’m pointing the finger at healthcare.)

    Her Every Cent Counts blogs about clashing fiscal values in a young relationship, something a lot of us will have experienced at one point or another.

    Blonde and Balanced explains why she always pays back her friends promptly. I don’t think I’ve ever borrowed money from anyone in my life, but I have been on the other end. I hate it!

    Homeowner Little House on the Southern Prairie offers her take on ye olde renting vs buying debate.

    Lastly….have you got a debt story to tell? Ashley is calling on readers to share their tales.

    WORK/CAREER

    Deadlines. Love em or hate em, most of us have to deal with them at some point. Riverboxx compiles a list of the nine worst deadline personalities – hopefully you’re not one of them!

    At Stratejoy, Alisha ignores her gut to take on a project, to her detriment, and realises money is not everything.

    FOOD

    This was too easy. SassyGirl is in Singapore and posted this delightful medley of food pictures, among other things. I am of the opinion that Malaysian and Singaporean food is THE BEST in the entire world, so click through!

    Melissa makes a pact to give up sugar, for health reasons. (Does that include home baking made from scratch?)

    And at Stone Soup, a recipe for the ultimate comfort food.

    LIFE

    We all have a story to tell. Usually, when you’re thrust into new situations and meeting new people, you have to boil it down. So you condense your entire essence into a few lines – “I’m from/I do/I live” – but as Chelsea asks, are you happy with your elevator pitch?

    With age comes change. Physical change. The Asian Pear asks what parts of your body you miss. (Answer: my pre-eczema skin, my knees – not that they’ve ever been all that great, I think they’ve always creaked – and my prepubescent vision.)

    Dana gives props to the single ladies (and men) out there. Which reminded me of that Boston Legal episode where they try to introduce a “love contract”, and Brad – the rather hot conservative, ex-military lawyer goes on a diatribe about how lonely he is and how it’s impossible to meet anyone working 60-hour weeks…

    Amanda wonders if living life without a set plan results in less stress…or perhaps less satisfaction?

    Aaaaand to wrap it up: Jenny at Dinner: A Love Story draws up an agreement with her husband. That’s all I’m telling you here, but I promise, it’s worth it.

  • September 10, 2010

    DINKS again!

    Nothing feels quite as sweet as returning to being a two-income household.

    I love it. He loves it. It’s not the most stimulating of work, but the culture is great, the boss goes above and beyond, and (touch wood) the plan is a fast track to a much more advanced position. The hours are long, so even though he’s not making quite as much as he once did, it evens out. There’s opportunity for more OT, and unlike when he worked as a fabricator, it doesn’t seem that if you work one extra Saturday morning, they’ll milk you for more and more and more until you collapse from exhaustion.

    So for the first time ever, we’re both saving regularly, paying ourselves first. He’s spending more than I think if necessary on, well, stuff (I have no idea what) but the whole idea of blow money is that he can buy whatever he wants and I don’t judge. And he’s handling that from his own account – also a first. I’m having to restrain myself from clucking over it  and checking in like a mother hen – as long as he doesn’t overdraft (or ideally, dip below $100), it’s his domain.

    Our money is not, and never has been, fully merged. I imagine once we’re married we will, but for now, our savings are separate due to the disparity.

    Instead, he’s contributing a percentage to our household expenses, enabling me to up the amount I’m saving. So far, it seems the easiest way is to reduce the amount I’ve been putting toward all our bills by his contribution. In effect, basically funneling it straight into my saving account. After all, I’ve been covering everything on my own up till now, so anything he puts in basically equals how much extra I can save.

    It’s a little scary for me, relinquishing total control. After all, the last time he had free rein over a bank account, he ended up nearly $1000 in the hole. I imagine it’s a little like letting your child ride a bike, or watching them learn to walk for the first time. Seeing them off to kindy on the first day. Wish us luck!

  • September 9, 2010

    Grocery breakdown

    Trader Joe's produce
    Image via Wikipedia

    This isn’t a post about reducing the cost of groceries. In fact, we’re more likely to be a little more lax about our grocery budget having returned to two incomes. What’s the point in living if you can’t buy feta or blueberries or garlic mussels or ice cream?

    Vegetarians often say they save a lot of money by not eating meat. I don’t know if that’s necessarily true (I guess if I ate lots of filling carbs with my veggies, it could be), but I was interested to see just what portion of our spend is actually on fresh produce and meat.

    I know that our total spend is about $130 a week, so this is definitely a smaller spend than usual. T didn’t go to the butcher/grocer when he was meant to, so I had to make do with the shops within walking distance on my day off. Also,  we had a bit of food left over from last week (and may run out a day early), but it’s a decent representation.

    Meat:

    $16 rib roast and two pieces of smoked hickory spare ribs. $11 also got us one massive size 20 chicken, which we’ll roast and use for several meals.

    Produce:

    $18 got a bunch of silverbeet, three onions, three apples, half a cauliflower, one capsicum, a couple of kumara, and 1.5kg of washed potatoes. (Okay, so the potatoes alone were $4.50. I wanted to make baked potatoes, so I paid for the convenience…)

    Supermarket:
    Vanilla essence – 1.39
    BBQ sauce – 3.35
    12 long rolls – 3.38
    Small tuna can – 1.59
    Canned pineapple – 1.29
    Dried shiitaake mushrooms – 2.29
    Canned lentils – 1.68
    Pizza tomato paste – 3.49
    Glass cleaner – 3.19
    Pasta sauce – 2.99
    Toothpaste – 1.99
    Aloe vera drink – 3.99
    10 eggs – 3.28
    Hokkien noodles – 1.99
    Rolling pin – 8.25
    Sour cream – 2.29
    6 pack yoghurt – 3.39
    Margarine – 1.99
    6 litres of milk – 10.35
    Parmesan (125g) – 3.79
    Frankfurters – 6.34

    That’s just over $70. About $13 of that is on household stuff that isn’t food. I’d say on most weeks we’d probably spend another $5, maybe $10, on splurgey foods, or more if we need to stock up on staples. At the same time, we’d probably also spend another $10 on meat.

    So at $45 for “fresh” vs just over $55 for “not”, we’re almost bang on an even split – which is about as good as I could possibly have hoped for.

    What does your grocery bill look like? Are you happy with the proportions?

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  • September 9, 2010

    50 questions that will free your mind, part 5

    21. Would you rather be a worried genius or a joyful simpleton?
    Depends on the day. I’d love a simple life, but OTOH, I’m a bundle of nerves usually, so the genius thing wouldn’t be too much of an extra burden.

    22. Why are you, you?
    Nature + nurture. Simple equation really.

    23. Have you been the kind of friend you want as a friend?
    Well, I’m not the kind of friend you call up for marathon phone conversations or nights of DH and wine. (I mean, if you wanted to do that, I’d oblige. But when it comes to friendships, I operate more like a guy. Which may explain a lot.) But I think that essentially, I know how to be a real friend. And I’ve been told so by my girlfriends, even though we don’t see each other often. I really do care about people – those who are important to me, at least – and get caught up in their ups and downs.

    24. Which is worse, when a good friend moves away, or losing touch with a good friend who lives right near you?
    I’m tempted to say the former: Nothing beats being able to see one of your best friends face to face. I don’t think I’ve really lost touch with anyone important to me (excepting a friend who drifted away after primary school but is now back in my wider circle), but that’s probably much more hurtful to experience. Hopefully I’ll never have to find out.

    25. What are you most grateful for?
    At this very second, health. Although that’s more like wishful thinking. For the last week or so, my wisdom teeth have been keeping me up at night (and preventing me eating normally); now, it seems like my entire face is suffering from eczema.

  • September 8, 2010

    Food diary: Week 1

    Various fruits, vegetables, nuts, and grains; ...
    Inspiration. Image via Wikipedia

    In the name of accountability.

    September 1
    Breakfast: Nutri-Grain with milk
    Lunch: potato and lentil dahl with rice, chocolate and almond muesli bar
    Dinner: Leftover eggplant/potato/pork curry-stew concoction, and breakfast for dinner (think sausages, hashbrowns, eggs)

    September 2
    Breakfast: Nutri-Grain with milk
    Lunch: potato and lentil dahl with rice, chocolate and almond muesli bar, apple muffin and sweet jam tart (I can’t resist freebies at the office)
    Dinner: Butternut squash soup with roasted butternut and wholegrain Vogels. Nom.

    September 3
    Breakfast: White toast with hazelnut spread/honey
    Lunch: Tomato soup with wholegrain bread
    Dinner: True blue Malaysian beef rendang, KK restaurant’s house special chicken and rice. Pretty carnivorous, but with a little bit of lettuce. (Dined out, obviously; review coming up!)

    September 4 (the work day from hell)
    Breakfast: Nutri-Grain with milk
    Second breakfast/Early lunch: Leftover butternut squash soup with feta
    Lunch/dinner: Pizza (three kinds: veggie, pepperoni, cheese. Courtesy of work)
    I also gave in to hunger pangs and chowed on a hash brown and a couple of sausages when I finally got home. Thought the pizza would sustain me, but it didn’t quite last.

    September 5
    Breakfast: Sausages, hash browns
    Lunch: Tuna and couscous, wholegrain toast
    Dinner: Pasta snack and dahl

    September 6
    Breakfast: Nutri-Grain with milk
    Lunch: Tuna and couscous, some ginger biscuits, strawberry yoghurt
    Dinner: Organic rib roast with cauliflower, followed by pub fries and apple cider later on.

    September 7
    Breakfast: Nutri-Grain with milk
    Lunch: Leftover roast and cauliflower, an apple
    Dinner: Chicken with baked potatoes, chocolate cake with yoghurt and sour cream.

    Sep 3 is a bit of a copout; I don’t really think tomato soup from a can can count, even when paired with a couple of lettuce leaves. (I count the squash soup, but that was freshly made.) So let’s say 6 out of 7 days…which is passable!
  • September 6, 2010

    Link love (Belatedly powered by long days and communal chocolate)

    MONEY

    After a big leap in income, Her Every Cent Counts questions what it means to be rich.

    Well Heeled asks if debt is a dealbreaker in a relationship – and if so, at what point? (I would’ve balked at $170k, too.)

    Financial Samurai suggests that we all have a natural spending limit, an amount we don’t feel comfortable about going over.

    My Pretty Pennies shares all the dirty details of her wedding budget.

    Meanwhile, Amber at Blonde and Balanced (ex-Carrie on the Cheap) chokes on the price of honeymoons.

    Newlywed Punch Debt hypothetises that we all make the average of our closest five friends’ salaries. Hmm. He’s also wondering exactly how best to handle moving towards fully merging finances.

    And lastly, Nikki at Stratejoy blogs about the artist’s conflicting attitudes towards money.

    WORK/CAREER

    Are you billing your time correctly? Email may be an even bigger timesuck than you think, writes Finance for a Freelance Life.

    In a similar vein, PR Working Girl says enough is enough and cuts loose a pro bono project that was sapping her strength without yielding any benefits.

    Crystal at Brunette on a Budget shares a glimpse into the mind of an editor.

    Print journo Mindy at Behind the Byline takes the plunge into PR and grad school at the same time.

    FOOD

    Corporette has the busy woman’s guide to saving money on lunch. (I often wonder if men bring lunch less often because they don’t bring big handbags to work. Not everyone carries a gym bag or suitcase. And wielding a plastic lunchbox only diminishes your street cred. Thoughts?)

    Young and Thrifty has some neat tips for buying organic food on the cheap.

    Despite good intentions, like me, Greer often tends to forget to look at – or even bring- her shopping list, defeating the purpose. Ah well, nobody’s perfect.

    Stone Soup has a super simple and hopefully super tasty chocolate peanut butter brownie recipe I’m itching to try.

    Ellen at Fired and Fabulous comes to some important conclusions about food.

    And finally, the truth about Italian food, with delectable pics…

    LIFE

    You’ve probably heard about the massive Christchurch earthquake (and no, it is a city, not a village. We don’t do villages here, dudes. We have towns, though. Actually, what’s the difference? Let me know.) Coincidentally, this week Nicole at Rainy Day Saver shared her tips on preparing for a natural disaster as Hurricane Earl swirls closer to the US.

    Emily Jane blogs about the emotional spectrum and the ups and downs of life.

    Amanda Lee shares her tips for successful thrifting (She puts time at the top of the list; I couldn’t agree more!)

    On a practical level, Being Ruth presents the two most common fixes for WordPress issues.

    Hyperbole and a Half returns with a bang-on commentary on the four levels of social entrapment.

    And Financial Samurai offers his take on how to get girls, even if you live at home with the parentals.

  • September 4, 2010

    August goal checkin

    I didn’t do a hell of a lot this month; I worked some crazy hours coordinating a project. Over that time, basically, my life consisted of work, coming home, eating and collapsing. The state of our house was a shocker at times, but I did my best to make sure we had semi-healthy dinners and daily showers. After that, I was a zombie for another week until my body finally caught up on rest.

    Save 20 per cent of my income. Done, in no small part thanks to my tax refund.

    Try one new (to me) dinner recipe each week. Fail.

    Run once a week. Of course, it rained on all the days I had off after the 12 days from hell. I hate the cold, I hate the wet, and get sick at the drop of a hat.  (In fact, I was sick the first day I took off after that stretch. Ugh). But thanks to the way the dates fell this month, I still got in three runs. Who knows, maybe I’ll step it up to twice a week come summer (I just know all you fit freaks out there are laughing at me. Thanks for keeping it to yourself).  I know it sounds like I’ll use any excuse not to run…but I can physically feel it when I miss one.

    Donate to charity. Done – at the start of the month. Now to decide on a cause for September…

    My baking challenge went decently well, by the way. Photos here if you missed it!

  • September 4, 2010

    Save – it’s for your own good

    There’s plenty going on in the political scene at the moment. There’s all the alcohol reforms (which I really don’t care about, given how much I drink and my age), tighter rules for the adventure tourism industry, and the talk about our abysmal savings rate and murmurings of compulsory superannuation.

    While I personally think that the choice should remain ours, I believe you’re a fool if you’re not in Kiwisaver. I realise everybody’s situation is different, but I think most people can manage the minimum 2 per cent, especially if it’s taken out before you get your paycheck.

    How can you not want to have the option to retire some day? I don’t doubt couples can survive on $24k NZ Super a year, but if you want to travel or basically enjoy anything but the basics, or don’t own your home outright, it’s going to be a pretty austere existence. And who’s to say Super will still be around for us in our old age? 40 years is a long time and many government terms away.

    I know a couple of retirement age who still rent, run their own business and work crazy hours, getting up before dawn. And hey, if that’s what you want to do, that’s great. But they’ve worked hard all their lives, and I don’t think it is. Wouldn’t it be nice to not be bound by the need to continue earn a living?

    I’m grateful that my own parents – as far as I know – are fairly secure. Because since I started taking an interest in personal finance, I’ve heard WAY too many horror stories of family bailouts, obligations and – worst of all – taking in ageing parents who have nowhere else to live.

  • September 3, 2010

    A day that’s all about ME

    So, August 31 marked the very last day of winter.

    Every year, the season feels longer, colder and wetter. We moved to New Zealand because my mother could no longer handle the tropics. I wonder if one day, too, I will uproot my family for warmer pastures. When my bones and sinuses and skin can no longer take it.

    I doubt it, because everything that’s important to us is here. But God, a milder winter wouldn’t go amiss. Those of you who endure snow and chains and salt probably want to throw icicles at me. BUT I WASN’T MADE FOR THE COLD.

    It also happened to be one of the nicest days in weeks. And the day that I finally felt refreshed and rejuvenated after a ridiculous spell at work. It was a day that put a smile on my face, that gave me hope, that saw me throw open the curtains and consider shaving my legs.

    I wanted to eat powdered doughnuts, rolled in brown sugar. So I did.

    I went for a stroll/jog around my neighbourhood. I messed around with my camera setting, snapping countless pictures of the cherry blossoms and attracting some strange looks from passersby.

    I wanted to read out on the deck, because our little basement flat doesn’t get much sun inside. So I did.

    And then me and my guitar sat down to learn this song.

    Make a date with yourself. Fill that well. And do it soon. It’s priceless.

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