We just got the settlement notice in the mail yesterday, which included everything that had been paid on settlement day - which was indeed EVERYTHING. For some reason I had in my head that we still had to pay the solicitors. (By the way, our budgetted amount for solicitors? $1200. Our actual spend? $592!)
So that means everything that is left in our savings account is indeed ours. The balance is $8401.56.
That will be a nice start on our emergency fund, as well as all the other things we have planned. I have realised March is going to be a very big washout in terms of keeping track. While I am still keeping track of my own expenses, it is going to take some getting used to recording DF's as well.
Still not really sure how I am going to do it. I mean sure, it's easy in theory if you have a plan, but sometimes in reality it doesn't work out like that. I have been doing it for years, so my brain works at storing those numbers away so I can remember them. If I go away for a weekend I can remember three or four days of expenses without writing them down. DF has trouble remembering how much he spent at the shop ten minutes ago.
How do you guys do it???
$8401.56 left!
March 10th, 2009 at 10:43 pm
March 10th, 2009 at 11:07 pm 1236726474
March 10th, 2009 at 11:44 pm 1236728657
Good luck!
March 10th, 2009 at 11:45 pm 1236728725
and yes, we are going to be using our credit cards for hopefully 90% of purchases, so it should be easy to keep track. i just don't want the 10% to go untracked though. it adds up!
March 11th, 2009 at 01:57 am 1236736624
March 11th, 2009 at 03:01 am 1236740473
I can't remember anything, so I always get a receipt.
March 11th, 2009 at 03:19 am 1236741544
March 11th, 2009 at 03:22 am 1236741750
If I do it one week at a time it just doesn't work as well. Takes too much time, not as accurate, easier to forget tiny cash purchases like a bread roll or fruit from street vendor (they don't have receipts).
DH gives me his receipts each evening. He does not spend much (he is a better saver than me). But he will only remember cash purchases for 1 day, so he tells me each evening. He likes to see raw data recorded neatly on spreadsheets and later organized by categories, so he is on board with tracking.
March 11th, 2009 at 04:11 am 1236744689
March 11th, 2009 at 01:39 pm 1236778746
March 11th, 2009 at 01:54 pm 1236779650