This week I earnt $70.25 more in total. I worked a few less hours at Job # 1 but worked more hours at Job # 2.

Yesterday I bought a magazine. It came with a free towel...? Lol. I know it's not an excuse. But atleast I got a couple of hours of entertainment and a towel for $7.20

Lately at work I have had a habit of buying a low fat iced coffee drink every day, for $3. I have realised I need to STOP this right now! It's starting to add up!

Also I have paid an extra $6 in bank fees the past two weeks just because I haven't been able to find an atm with my bank and needing cash! Must get organised next week!

hmm. wasn't able to make many meals to put in the freezer this week, only minestroni soup. I also have some spinach & feta rolls and a vege lasagne in there. Hopefully I can make something extra each week. I really need to think about getting a new fridge and a chest freezer. I might look into one of those interest free things. Maybe if we save up the money first, and then find a good deal, we can keep the money in a savings account for the length of the interest free period. Only IF the interest earned exceeds the fee, of course!

Just wanted to post a very big milestone reached today:

I just reached Goal # 2 for my home loan deposit account!!!

Current Balance: $2098.64

$2000 always seems to be the biggest hurdle for me. So here's hoping that my HD fund starts attracting money like a magnet from now on!

This is what I bought yesterday for $63.
Every single vegetable and fruit that I bought was fresh and 100% organic. (yessss... certified by NASAA for anyone who's interested) I just get annoyed sometimes when people use 'healthy food is expensive' as an excuse to eat rubbish. This will feed my boyfriend and I for a week, maybe needing to get some milk along the way.

Market expenditure: $30
1/2 pumpkin, kent
4 potatoes
1 large sweet potato
2 pears
10 bananas
2 mangoes
1 large grapefruit
1 punnet strawberries
4 apples
6 medium onions
6 medium carrots
500g green beans
4 medium tomatoes
1 bag mixed leaf lettuce
1 large coral lettuce
1 large cucumber
1 bunch english spinach
4 zucchini
2 beetroot
6 avocado
1 large red capsicum
1 large head of broccoli

Supermarket Expenditure: $33
2 800ml diced organic tinned tomatoes
2 800ml organic tomato passata
500g organic pasta spirals
250g packet rice noodle
1kg green lentils
1 tin organic coconut milk
12 free range eggs
1L organic milk
300ml organic butter
200g australian fetta
1 packet filo pastry
2 jars organic sundried tomato pesto
1 tinned pineapple
6 tins yellowfin tuna in olive oil
2 tins organic kidney beans
2 tins organic canellini beans
1kg blade steak (for the dog)


Not everything I can get in organic at our supermarket, but a lot of it I can, and I try my best. It really has only added a couple of extra dollars to the weekly supermarket bill. I usually spend between $50 and $70 a week - So far I have spent $31.50 of my share (the $63 is divided by two). This week I splurged with the 2 jars of pesto - I could make them myself, but they were discounted to $1.99 and I've had it before - it's delicious.

I already have meat in the freezer for BF. He probably spends about $10 a week on meat, and eats about 4 or 5 meals a week with meat.

For breakfast I alternate between muesli or an egg on toast, and BF generally just has an egg on toast.
For lunch BF and I usually both have a salad.
Dinners this week will be:
Roast vegetables (pumpkin, beetroot, zucchini, capsicum) & green beans & spinach, stirred through sundried tomato pesto & pasta.
Lentil Dal (with sweet potato, green beans, pumpkin, potato, carrot).
Tikka tomato bake with mixed vegetables and rice.
Homemade pizza
Spinach, fetta, brocolli, capsicum & onion filo pie with salad
Vegetable Korma with rice noodles and green beans.

Last night we had bean tacos with diced cucumber, capsicum, avo and tomato and grated cheese and yoghurt (instead of sour cream).

The weekend went past without much spending, which is always good!

On Friday night we went out for dinner. I spent $13.90 on a pizza and $5 on icecreams for dessert.

Saturday I spent $2.50 on some cherry tomatoes. We had a family gathering (BF's family) and were asked to bring a plate of food. I made a roast pumpkin & potato, rocket, sundried tomato pesto & cherry tomato salad (it all got eaten - so I am guessing everyone liked it). It was good that I had all the ingredients already, except for the cherry tomatoes.

Today I went to the markets and bought fruit and vegetables for the week. My portion was $15. I also bought the rest of the groceries from the supermarket, and spent around $22.

No other extra spending!

Today also, while BF and flatmates BF went to a car race/cruise thing, flatmate and I screenprinted some shirts. So I have five new shirts now. (actually I had the shirts before, obviously, but now they have prints on them! )
I just used prints that BF had already cut out. He has been doing them for 10+ years and they look much cleaner and better than mine. I did a ship on one tshirt, a mummy on another, a car (the model that my BF and his friends are all into) a cowboy on a horse, and a samurai. they all turned out really well too.

It's interesting watching the presidential election and all the associated news content - because i live in Australia i am not emotionally invested in it - but it's very very interesting all the same. Whatever happens, it seems like there's going to be a lot of changes.

It was the same not long ago when we had our election for Prime Minister - there was a lot of news coverage and people pulling at you from all sides.
I had my mum and her partner, and my boss, all pulling for Liberal, and friends rooting for the Greens/Labour. I actually found out after I voted (Green) that my dad went Labour as well.

I guess one important thing to remember is that times are still going to be tough for awhile, and people shouldn't take that out on a new leader.

The current 'financial crisis' is probably still going to be healing itself in years to come - so remember that later down the track when you are disgruntled with the new toy (the new president).

A new person in office/parliament, isn't going to magically make everything better straight away. I just loathe hearing people complaining about Kevin Rudd's choices and how it's his fault this and that and blah.

I inwardly laugh remembering one guy I knew, who criticised John Howard and how he did his job, how much money he made and something about how he doesn't work that hard to warrant a weeks holiday. And yet, this guy had just quit his job because they wouldn't give him a day off to go to an amusement park, and had been making absolutely no effort to find a new one. While employed, he would only do half, or less than, what was required of him.

What is it they say?

Walk a mile in their shoes...

(I don't know about you, but I wouldn't want to be up all hours of the night just so I could talk to people in their own time zone, having to stress about wars and oil trading, interest rates, having people yap at you about which choice you're going to make, getting backstabbed and then having it in the news etc)

This week I have different hours to what I usually work, and I'm excited because I also get MORE hours.
This pay-week I am doing 15 hours at Job #1 and 30 hours at Job #2. Then next week I am doing 15 hours at Job # 1 and 24 hours at Job # 2. Haven't gotten the roster yet for the weeks to come, but for the next fortnight it means I am doing 10 more hours. Which is... $197.80 more (gross). I will transfer 1/2 the take home amount to my Home Loan Deposit account and 1/2 to my 'new clothes' fund.

Over the next couple of days I have to make a screenprint shirt for a friends' sons 1st Birthday. He likes Elmo, so I am going to screenprint a little tie on a shirt with elmo in the tie, and then his name on the shirt on the pocket. I think it will look very cute. Total cost is the cost of the shirt, which I will try to find for under $5.

Tonight we are having a Sundried Tomato Pesto mixed through pasta with zuchinni, baked pumpkin, rocket and mushrooms.

I have taken some lasagne (pumpkin, spinach & ricotta) out of the freezer for tomorrow night as I will not be home til 6pm. We will have it with wedges and salad.

I am planning on doing some cooking this week some time if I can. I was planning on making some big batches and freezing them for meals ahead. It depends on whether flatmate goes away or not. I feel a little weird making all this noise and mess in the kitchen when she is here, because all she ever does is lay on the couch and watch television. So I feel a bit... domesticated? I don't know. I just feel weird! So I try to do it when she's not there.

So, if she does go away, I will probably try to make:

-Pasta Sauce (3 dinners for 2)
-Mexican Bean Sauce (4 dinners for 2)
-Minestroni Soup (2 dinners for 2)
-Silverbeet & fetta pie (3 dinners for 2)
-Pumpkin Soup (2 dinners for 2)

Also I want to make some more cookies for BF's & my lunch. I think he liked the chocolate chip ones, becuase there are none left, but there are a couple of the apricot and oat ones left. Figures!

Trying to have a not-so-spendy week in the groceries department. We actually haven't done that badly. First week we spent $9.42, second week $58.49, third week $68.55 and so far this week $9.60. Mind you, these are just my spending amounts, not BF's! But still did well.

BF and I had a think and a chat about what we are going to do when our lease runs out in January - and when flatmate (FM) leaves in November-December.

What we've decided is that we'll be happy to pay the extra once FM moves out (but she has to move EVERYTHING out!), and when it comes time to renew the lease, we will sign a 6 month contract if they offer it to us. Which I think they will.

At this stage we are unsure if a couple, who are good friends of ours, will move in with us. They are expecting a baby, and their families live close to us, but currently the couple live an hours drive away in the city. The husband has a job in the city, and once they move here (if they do) the wife won't be able to work.
They said they will let us know, and we have said that, we would love them to move in with us, but to not feel any pressure (they have enough stress at the moment - and it's not just the arrival of a baby). We've told them we'll be staying no matter if they say yes or no, so they can take their time to think about it. BF and I have both agreed we don't mind living with a newborn - she is due in March, and our lease will expire in July next year (when we hope to buy). So it will only be a couple of months, and a big saving of money.

So either way we'll be happy.
It will be good in terms of saving money to live with the couple and their baby. Everything will be split 4 ways. Rent will be just under $100 each, internet and electricity will be split 4 ways as well.
In terms of living just with BF, I don't mind the added cost if it was just both of us living together. We have actually never lived by ourselves together, only a week here and there when FM goes away. So while everything will be split two ways, it's probable that electricity will be less (as we work typically the same hours and won't need two fridges). BF has already said he will pay extra rent because of the two cars, and because he earns more than me. So it won't be a struggle, but it will just mean that we spend more. We'll still be saving like crazy though!

We had an announcement last week on television that interrupted the normal show. It was Kevin Rudd (our prime minister) announcing that they would be increasing the First Home Buyers Grant from $7000 to $14000, and the Builders Grant to $21000!
He explained that it was to counter what was happening in other countries where property prices were decreasing. It will help new home buyers and start to create a little more demand for property again (as it was starting to slow). At the same time it's now getting harder again to get loans - so there won't be anyone getting loans who can't afford it (well - there will be LESS people..) Despite what anyone says, I think it's a good move. I know that we can afford it, and I know that with the first home buyers grant, it will be going straigh onto the loan, or to help pay for any outstanding solicitors fees.
*sigh* if only we could build...
(that would be our dream, of course it won't be happening for many more years...you need a 20% deposit to apply for a loan to build, to get the $21000 grant. You technically don't need a deposit to buy a house at this stage, and you still get the $14 000.)

And yes, I do understand all the negatives on K Rudds move. However, my own personal opinion is that I like his choice. I think it's about time it was done. It will make it easier for some people, and it will help the country in the long run. Yes, it will push prices up. Yes, it will inflate the market. Yes it will make it harder to find a house to buy, because there will be many other people looking. Yes yes yes. I realise all that, but I think it's a good sign the our government is looking to change things, and is trying to get in early to make sure things don't go really bad, not just pay out heaps of money when things collapse and then hope for the best.

Just thought I would post my new savings balances - just because I am a little excited about them! I feel like I am actually getting somewhere!

Savings
Cash: $100.00 (in purse)
Everyday Account: $257.45
Bills Account: $1023.83*
Emergency Fund: $277.15
Holiday/Gifts Account: $160.63
Home Loan Deposit Account: $1858.64

Debt
CC1: $0
CC2: $625.39*
Personal Loan: $3741.82

*Amount owed on CC's is deposited into Bills Account as soon as purchase is made to earn interest.

All that I have to pay out of my everyday account is $20 for my home loan savings automatic deposit, and any groceries we might need. I withdrew $100 yesterday for the weekend - I am hoping that should be enough. We are only really going out for dinner and maybe breakfast.

I am hoping to transfer the remaining money next week into my home loan deposit account. This will be when my pay goes through for job # 1 on Tuesday. I will aim for atleast $100. I am hoping to have enough to deposit to make it up to my Goal #2 of $2000. Wish me luck!

Today I got to look at the roster for end of october (it's always the same for me, unless I am working in a different area like out the front, and if people are on holidays). I'm excited because three staff members are going away, so i have been given five shorter (6 hours) shifts for the last week of october, instead of my usual 3 x 8 hour shifts. So I am doing 8 hours extra. That's nearly an extra $160! I still have Saturday and Sunday off, and I will have to do my office work in the afternoons during the week.

Today I had a bit of a spendy day:
Drinks: $6.70
Food: $3.65
Groceries: $12.99
Clothes: $73.11

I bought underwear today. Elle MacPherson Bras were on special for $19.95 - usually they are between $40-$70. It's gorgeous and mostly made out of silk!

Today I transfered $50 to my home loan deposit account. Closer and closer to 2k! It has just been so hard to crack that $2000 mark. You know how sometimes after you reach an initial amount it just seems so easy after that, like money is attracting other money??? Well here's hoping 2k is that initial amount!

BF just transferred another $1500 into his home loan deposit account. Now he has $6k in there.

Sometimes I just kick myself wishing we would have started earlier. Although it's always been at the back of our minds, we've been concentrating on other things.

I guess my pay now has made it easier to save more - just the past month I have noticed I am able to save much much more compared with six months ago.
It is the same with BF, once he finished his apprenticeship and started earning more per week, he is more motivated to save because he can actually see it climbing, and quickly! ($6k in two months aint bad!!!)

Also I have to admit, I have a car, a laptop etc. I have been to see quite a few bands play. I wouldn't trade any of that for anything. Life is experience. If I had a house now, instead of experiencing all that I have, it would be a very different story. Would I even be ready to own a house? Having not gone through all those things? I doubt it.

Anywhoo. Now I just can't wait for the next pay day, and the next, just so I can put more money away!!!

Some bits and pieces:

- I was naughty and bought a donut today. I don't even like donuts! (okay... it had custard in it and was covered in lindt chocolate...) a weak moment... $3

- I bought a nice summery dress today. It was $35 marked down to $28. It's black, has a triangle type top part and flares from the waist. So that's another $28 from my Clothes Fund. $379 remaining.

- This morning I tried for something different and had a scrambled egg on two pieces of multigrain toast - I hit the three hour mark and had to eat something. I will try it again tomorrow, for my other job, and see how long it gets me through.

- I was thinking of starting a food diary. Does anyone else do this, or has ever done this? Is it easy? I'm trying to just basically be healthy, and lose a couple of kilos while I'm at it. I don't need to lose a lot. But I'm interested in seeing how much I REALLY eat - I've tried counting calories but it's just totally not my thing (I prefer counting money!). I'm fairly healthy, but I think I probably eat more than a normal person my sex/height/age.

- In relation to the above paragraph, I have a friend who is slightly larger than myself. She eats, in a whole day:
1x 250ml milk drink (for breakfast),
1x 300ml milk drink (for midmorning snack/lunch),
a yoghurt OR a salad sandwhich OR a snack/lunch meal out at a cafe.

Now I know that eating less slows your metabolism - I know! But anyway. So I sometimes just feel like an absolute PIG when compared with her.
In a normal day, I probably eat:
a bowl of muesli with 1/2 cup strawberries, 3 spoons yoghurt, milk & a banana, a coffee with 1 sugar and milk (for breakfast) a salad sandwhich and a juice OR 500ml flavoured milk OR 375mL can of coke (for lunch) plus another coffee and a piece of fruit for afternoon tea, maybe a biscuit, then dinner, a cup of tea and maybe a piece of chocolate.

So she thinks I eat a lot. Do I?

Eh.

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In other news, the couple in Cambodia I lent money to through kiva.org have repaid 50% of their loan! Because I lent $50 (you can lend in increments of $25) I was able to lend the $25 repaid to another man in Togo. How exciting. It makes me feel good to do that. I don't donate money often - for many reasons - so when I find something that inspires me and that I actually think is worthwhile looking into, I really feel positive about it.

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My parents just got their yearly tax return done. According to the records, they owe $15 000 and spare change. Payable in March 09. I also have to submit the BAS next week, which could be anywhere between $4k and $10k. I have currently $9k put away for tax - it would have been more but I had to withdraw money to pay the business bills because mum gambled over $1k away last month, as well as whatever else her and my stepdad decide to spend their money on, including a brand new vehicle they got finance for...
Even though it's potentially crippling news (the amount of tax due)- and a big stress out for me trying to scramble around for the money (which isn't there) and having to tell them every time they spend money on something that they can't afford it, I can't help but tsk tsk at them and tell them 'I told you so'. Actually, all I have felt like doing all day is dancing around singing 'you should have listened to meeeeeeee when I told you to put last years return of $8k into savingssssssss'.
I know it's childish and immature. But most of you would be aware of my family's business history and problems. So we'll just leave it at that.

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I have decided I am going to go for a walk this afternoon after work to work off that donut! I feel disgusting just sitting on my ass thinking about it.

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anywho. that's all my news for now! hope you enjoyed reading my rambles.

I promised this recipe months ago (well, one or two months) and finally have gotten around to posting it.

It's a mixture of two recipes I had, but I have just called it Lentil Dal. It is probably a little different in some aspects, but it worked out well the first time I made it, so here it is!

Lentil Dal - 4 medium serves
1 cup lentils (i used green lentils)
3 cups diced vegetables (i used pumpkin, carrot, potato, cauliflower, finely diced onion, celery)
2 tablespoons each of: freshly grated ginger, crushed garlic, extra virgin olive oil, brown sugar
1/2 cup lemon juice
1 teaspoon each of: ground cumin seeds, ceyenne pepper, cinnamon, turmeric, paprika, 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg, salt, black pepper, mustard seeds
1/2 cup chopped fresh herbs (coriander, marjoram, etc)
1 tin diced tomatoes


In a small saucepan, boil 3 cups of water. Rinse the lentils under cold water and add to the boiling water. Cook for 8-10 minutes.
Meanwhile, in a larger saucepan with a heavy base, heat the oil over meadium-high heat and add the garlic and onion. Sautee until transperant and add the ginger and spices, turn to medium heat and stir for 1 minute. Add the diced vegetables and stir for 5 minutes with the lid on. Once the lentils are tender, add them (including the water they were boiled in) to the larger pan with the vegetables. Stir gently and add the tinned tomatoes and brown sugar. Simmer, with the lid on, until vegetables are tender (about 20-30 minutes). Add the lemon juice and half of the freshly chopped herbs and cook for a further 2 minutes.

The dal should have a thick, soupy consistency, and should taste sweet/spicy/sour. If not, add a little more cinnamon/lemon/sugar/ceyenne etc.

Serve with plain yoghurt to make a complete protein dish, and sprinkle with the left over chopped herbs.

I joined another survey site yesterday and have already earnt $5. They deposit it into your paypal account at the end of the month. It's a Frucor beverages consumer panel thing. For anyone in Australia who wants to know which sites are good, here is a list of the ones I am with:

Emailcash (have gotten $30 from them so far - 1/3 of the way towards getting another $30)

Valued Opinions (have gotten $20 coles giftcard from them and am close to getting another)

WhatDoYouThink (a bit like emailcash - haven't gotten any $ from them but am probably 1/4 of the way there)

Global Test Market (haven't gotten any $ from them either, but am halfway towards $50 - I think they send a cheque)

That's all I can be bothered with - I don't use it as my income, just something I can do that might give me a couple of bucks here and there.

So anyway, I have gotten $50 so far, for doing pretty much nothing which is nice. I'm pretty close to getting another $50 in the next month or so.

On the menu this week:

(days already gone)
Sunday: toasted foccacia with beetroot, tomato and cheese
Monday: stuffed, roasted eggplant for me, chicken parmagiana for BF with wedges and salad.

(Menu Plan for the rest of the week
Tuesday: Laksa Soup
Wednesday: Spinach, Pumpkin & Ricotta Lasagne with salad
Thursday: Lentil Dal
Friday: Stirfry Vegetables with Noodles

Saturday we are going to a friends art exhibition opening, and eating out with friends after that.

On Sunday I will work something out with leftovers in our fridge.

We will be staying at a friends house on Saturday night, and won't be able to get to the markets, so we will be eating out of our freezer again next week! I have soup, red curry, pasta sauce and mexican bean stew in there for starters. That will completely clear out our freezer!

I'm still around, but just haven't been posting this week. Haven't really got a lot to write about at the moment. I went on a little shopping spree on saturday and bought:
three pairs of shorts
two nice shirts
a tshirt
five pairs of undies

and i only spent $93! I think I did well. That means there is $407 remaining for clothes expenses.

I have decided to get:
-a nice black, waist or longer legnth coat
-new blue jeans (probably skinnies)
-a couple of summery skirts
-a pair of beach pants (linen or cheesecloth material, wide-leg style)
-a pair of boots
-a couple of nice bras
-another sports bra

We will see how that goes. I am pretty sure I don't need anything else, so I should be right until at LEAST the end of summer, if not all the way til next summer. (If I get the jeans, coat and boots, it should take me through winter up to this time next year again for summer!)

I am nearly at Goal #2 for my house fund. I managed to whack another $100 in last week extra. This week I should be able to do the same. Yay!

Just wanted to say thanks to everyone for your input on what you eat for breakfast.

On my days off, I normally have a slow morning - starting with a coffee and sometimes not even bothering with breakfast. But on the days that I work - especially at the bakery - I have to have breakfast. The bakery-job not exactly a desk job - I'm working in temperatures from 30 degrees celcius and up, I'm doing heavy lifting, there is NO sitting down unless you have a break - (which I usually don't). Basically I need breakfast to get me through to the latest possible time. I then have a coffee, tea, juice or milk, which will then get me through til 2pm - home time.

I'm thinking of trying out having an egg on toast or something similar. We'll see how that goes.

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Last night I made the most delicious stirfry. I wanted to share the recipe as it's really simple and fairly cheap (and healthy!)

(Serves 2)

1 onion, finely diced
1 carrot, julliene or finely sliced
1/2 capsicum, 1/2 broccoli, 1 zucchini, squash, beans, all finely chopped
snowpeas
3 tablespoons freshly grated ginger
1/2 lime, jiuiced
1 tablespoon sweet chilli sauce
1 tablespoon olive oil
Rice noodles

Cook the rice noodles in boiling water (enough for two people), drain and put in two bowls, meanwhile fry the onion and ginger with the olive oil until soft, add the carrot & brocolli and stirfry for 2-3 minutes. Add the other vegetables and stirfry until tender. Mix the sweet chilli and lime juice together and add to the stirfried vegetables. Stirfry for 2 minutes and then serve with the rice noodles.

Well, this morning I tried the grated apple/protein theory to prolong my starving-ness. At 6am I ate:

1/2 cup organic toasted muesli
1/4 cup milk
3 tablespoons plain yoghurt
1/2 a grated apple

and

an espresso coffee with 1/4 cup milk & 1 sugar

I had to eat something (a mandarin and two homemade cookies) at 10am.

So that was four hours. I guess usually I last from eating at 5am to 7.30-8am. So it's giving me an extra hour. Is that good? I don't think I could eat any more, I felt a bit full this morning - almost that sickly full feeling.

What does everyone else eat for breakfast?

Just thought I'd share some updates for you guys - I've been lurking but haven't had the chance to post a decent entry for a few days.

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The festival was great - like I mentioned in my previous post, we spent a lot on drinks (water for me). I didn't actually spend much else though that weekend:
Breakfast (BF & I) $10.78
Tolls: $5.80
Water: $35
Bus: $5.80
Lunch: $9.35

BF's friend paid for our breakfast which was nice of him (actually - we forgot to give him the money - we will next time!) and another girl paid for my cab fare home and was gone in the morning so I couldn't give her any $$. It would have been $6.

Unfortunately they blocked off the stage that Diplo and Goldfrapp were playing at, so we didn't get to see them. Dizzee Rascal was dangerously packed and we got squashed, then pushed to the back so we left (and this was OUTSIDE, in a botanic garden area!)
Peaches was great fun. She can be a bit... forward... sometimes... just not the way I would be myself (even though of course I believe in female empowerment and all that), but I think she's great for what she does anyway.

Everyone else was great too, too many to mention!

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We have a house inspection next Tuesday. Everything should be fine, but I am a little annoyed because flatmate is going away today, and also on the weekend, so she won't be around to help - although she is unemployed so will be home on Monday and the day of the inspection, Tuesday - so she should be able to do some cleaning then. It worries me at the moment because she is moving in a few months to her BF's property that he owns. I hope that she doesn't not put in effort because she knows she won't have to deal with real estates for (the foreseeable) future. That would really suck, because what if BF and I did decide to stay on here? I don't want her to **** up our plans just because she's lazy and doesn't give a crap.

*sorry - venting*

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I have noticed lately (actually, for months) that even though I eat muesli or, in winter, porridge for breakfast, as well as a piece of fruit and a coffee, I am nearly starving in two-three hours. What does that mean? I thought porridge and muesli were low gi, shouldn't they be keeping me fuller for longer?
It's not too bad now because it's the beginning of summer and it's starting to heat up, so instead of feeling hungry, I am just too hot and sweaty to be thinking about eating anything other than ice-cold water. (working in a bakery does that to you). But I just wonder, why does that seem to happen to me? My metabolism isn't THAT great, well, I don't think. I'm not overweight, but I have a couple of extra kilos I'd like to shift (doesn't most?). It's not like I'm skin and bones, lol.

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I just checked my home deposit account, and I earnt $9.73 in interest last month, on $1668.00!!! yay!

I also just transferred $500 from my bills account to my loan account, to save a couple of bucks in interest fees. I also checked my interest on that account, and I earnt $1.95. I think I will probably be saving about that much on my loan too. I guess every little bit helps, huh?

In two days I will transfer the $500 back into my bills account.

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I have approx $90 left over from last payday this week (I get paid tomorrow, then again on thursday). Once my pay goes in tomorrow I will transfer $50 into my home loan deposit account, and an extra $40 into my Holidays account, to save up for some clothes I would like to buy soon.

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This week I am going to make myself phone the doctors to make an appointment for a checkup. I haven't been eating meat now for nearly 5 months, and I was told that your iron levels start depleting around 2-3 months, so if I haven't been eating healthily, they should be nicely depleted by now (or if I am as healthy as I think I am - they should be good, which is what I'm aiming for of course!).

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Well that's all my updates for now!

Because that's what I had to pay on Saturday at the festival we went to.

There was one water fountain - which we found once but didn't see again. The toilets had water but I wasn't quite sure if you should drink from them; they were port-a-loos after all.
You weren't allowed to take in unopened bottles of water; so BF and I both took 2L each at the start - but it being around 35 degrees celcius, it went pretty quickly. 10 hours walking around makes you pretty thirsty.
We spent $70 on... WATER. (BF also spent about $110 on alcohol - $11 for a CUP of smirnoff...???)

What's the most ridiculous price you've ever paid for something?