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$8401.56 left!

March 10th, 2009 at 10:43 pm

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???

10 Responses to “$8401.56 left!”

  1. Dido Says:
    1236726474

    I'm not so good at recalling the numbers either--I try to get a receipt for everything and keep the receipts. Stick them on a restaurant check spindle until they are recorded.

  2. creditcardfree Says:
    1236728657

    My husband is trained to give me receipts...well, sometimes I have to ask or dig in his wallet. Because he uses the debit card almost all the time, I can also look online to see the transaction. But he does save all his receipts, so they aren't out there blowin' in the wind.

    Good luck!

  3. whitestripe Says:
    1236728725

    hey that's a good idea! i might get DF to make one with a nail and a block of wood. (well, i guess i could do it myself...)

    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!

  4. smiley2009 Says:
    1236736624

    Sounds like a great plan whitestripe I find that "tracking" spending through my debit card works out great for me as well.

  5. cptacek Says:
    1236740473

    Oh, DH and I had about 2 big blowups in our first year about him not getting receipts for the debit card, with one resulting in him sleeping on the couch for the night. But, now, he pretty much gets a receipt for everything. I just grab his wallet, my wallet and all the checkbooks every Sunday night and balance the 4 checking accounts we have every week.

    I can't remember anything, so I always get a receipt.

  6. whitestripe Says:
    1236741544

    lol cptacek: i don't think it would ever come to that with us (sleeping on the couch).

  7. Nika Says:
    1236741750

    I enter expenses into excel every day - that way it only takes 2 minutes.

    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.

  8. whitestripe Says:
    1236744689

    nika i do the same at the moment - though if we go away for a weekend i can easily remember all my purchases. DF not so much though.

  9. North Georgia Gal Says:
    1236778746

    My DH and I keep seperate accounts. We have a joint account for household expenses. I check my bank account several times a day for debit card expenses, as I don't use cash for very much.

  10. Caoineag Says:
    1236779650

    We have one credit card account (he is a user on it) that does most of our expenses. Cash is tracked as cash since its so rare and always spent for entertainment and the few bills that don't take credit cards come out of my bank account.

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