fuchsia fragments

Very tough savings plan in place. It leaves me with about $1,500 per month for mortgage repayments & everyday living expenses & any funding that my be required by my business. It is going to be a huge win for me if I can achieve this. I sure hope so and I also hope that I will have a tenant in there for the rest of the year. This will make it very achievable. If not, then I will pretty much have to give myself $50 a week for food, travel and leisure to try and make it. In other words, not going to happen. Goodbye two coffees a day, it was nice knowing you. And the guys and girls at the coffee shop!

In other news, I found out that my new credit card offers a FREE bottle of wine at many Sydney establishments that I would frequent if I paid by card. That is definitely going to be put on the list!

(Ellie Goulding - How Long Will I Love You)

This time last year, I was in-between jobs! And cruising Cairns and Melbourne. I never realized how much of a burden and what a dark place my previous role was and what it did to me until I started here.

So much has changed. . . Said goodbye, lived a lot and in general decided that I could do a whole lot more. Made an effort to catch up with many people who have been instrumental in my life and the choices I have made. Spent a lot of money. Saved some. Baked and baked some more. And even got better at baking. Met lots of new people. Learnt to take the good with the bad. Finally learnt to kill them with kindness, to bite your tongue and to shine when you can. And to never hold back.

Can't say I'm absolutely loving it at the moment but definitely a far cry from where I was a year ago and there is so much potential and opportunities and ways to blow them out of the water ;)

Most importantly... I'm happy and I feel like I belong. There are days that I still feel lost but this new family is something that I want to be a part of for a long time.

On another note on which I am EXTREMELY proud of myself... halfway through the month and I've only spent a couple of hundred dollars. Whoop that means an extra 2 or 3 grand in savings this month! HELLO mortgage offset account! I haven't done so in ages (3 months) so I am sooooooo proud of myself. I'd said time and time again, I have a mortgage but I don't act like someone who has a mortgage and this is completely the wrong mindset. Each additional dollar you spend is another brick on your home loan and its pricey and one day, it's going to be painful.

I consider myself to be a numbers person and I love to crunch numbers but sometimes, seeing the numbers in your bank account... you don't see it as dollars. I should have more self-restraint.

Missed the flash sale today where my Mulberry Double Zip Bayswater was on sale at 35% off. Feeling rather blue about it. Not sure what I want to do now. Happy Friday the 13th!

11th day of the month.

for those of you who don't know me, i really really limit my spending and usually i put all my expenses including transport and going out on my CC for the month. it usually is around the same amount.

there's something wrong with me this month.

i have already spent over 1.5 times my monthly "limit" excluding the visit to Hong Kong.

2 big cake supply orders and a new phone will do that to you... but a lot of 'incidentals' too. stop me...

Whoever said getting paid fortnightly would mean cashflow would be more manageable? I feel poorer than ever before . . . ??!!?!?!

Living off my last $42 in my bank account until next pay with $5 in my wallet. go me...

It doesn't help that i got a haircut today, bought a $30 stamp and have groceries to buy. i also have almost maxed out my credit card (because was paying for sisters' uni fees and haven't transferred money back, not because i was actually reckless and spent a few grand).

Continuing on with our brunch series today. Vivian and Donna and I went to Kitchen by Mike in Rosebery. A bit pricey. And coffee was smooth and a little different but lovely atmosphere complete with courtyard and adjacent heck-expensive homewares shop. And a little market-style corner with a KISSING BOOTH!! lol..

I got jerk chicken with baby carrots and cucumber mirin salad. was good. clean, subtle flavours. Donna had a quiche and roasted sweet potato. and we each had 2 coffees. teehee.

Viv, with her very limited diet had sweet potato sans coconut yoghurt and this really nice tea.

Then we checked out another factory outlet place (just like grounds @ alexandria) but no purchases.

To do something beachy next time! and Kepos St Kitchen amongst other places!

so i (evidently not thinking clearly) thought i could do my tax return in my pooh bear costume... in under an hour.

lol. i am so silly sometimes...

or as nick says 'for a very bright girl, you are confused an awful lot'

anyway, just peeped through my bank statements and holy moly do i NOT save or what. it was pitiful. i deserve to be slapped around a bit or something. . . WHERE HAS ALL MY MONEY GONE??? EFF YOU CREDIT CARDS!!!!!!!! YOU HAVE NOW MADE IT 'X' MANY MONTHS LONGER FOR MY FIRST HOME!

on a more positive note, i saw a dress today - it was very pretty and would have been perfect for the wedding... and it was only $50. but then i thought about it on a deeper level and i didn't buy it because i can easily wear something that i already have. so proud of myself *nods* or as my mum says 'save up, one brick at a time...' =X

anyway, back to slapping myself around... i am actually really disappointed in myself because i think i am actually quite a BIG SPENDER. wow. it even hurts to say those words to myself. i now know where my parents are coming from. . .

need a new action plan.

all it took was one shopping trip.............................................

but i am making a conscious effort to save.

got my hair permed. rejoined the gym. bought some things off ebay.

you know.. typical daily expenses??? no, of course not.

we're all a little bit poorer today. i love homemaker supercentas. haha.

and had a bit of a problemo with ebay. fault on my part but it wasn't really because someone gave me the wrong egging info. but all fixed up. luckily the guy was a nice buyer. sigh, i feel like its cursed and just not meant to be sold.

expecting a big delivery in about 10 weeks time.

i'll let ya'll know when it arrives to celebrate.

no, no one is having a baby. or anything along those lines.

lol lol lol.
too bad its not mine to keep =( =(

and what's boxing day all about??
GAMBLING!!!!
and i am literally shaking and the adrenaline is about to kill me.
this arvo, was playing mahjong with the aunts and omg.. i lost big time and then i won it all back and then some.. all the spectators were like. omg.. yeah, shes gonna jii-mor and i kept doing it. HAHAHAHAHA YEAH!! =D won $42 there.
then dinner as usual
and after dinner was poker. haha $2 buy in and we were all joking that facebook "prepared" us for this. lol lol.
stakes got pretty high. half bluffed my way through.. played for like 5 hours.. and had to strike a deal with justin (we were the only two left) to split the jackpot cause its getting late and i need to work tomorrow at 8 and they had to go home.
and amy and andrew traded the monaro for a gti gulf. now tat is style. =)