whitestripe

Spent $32.50 on fresh fruit and veges today at the farmers market.

Menu for the week:

Spicy Lentil & Sweet Potato Soup
Grilled Veges & Tofu/Lamb for DF
Roast Tomato & Garlic Soup
Slow Cooked Rendang Curry
Potato & Leek Soup
Miso Soup, Udon Noodles & Steamed Veges
Thai Pumpkin Soup

Found an interesting soup recipe, broccoli and cauliflower soup with pinenuts and basil. I think I will try that one the week after. Also going to try a vegetable & bean soup, and a cauliflower, chickpea and pumpkin curry with rice.

Today has been a nice day, a bit busy but overall nice to be able to get some things done and then know that I still have the weekend off

It was 2 degrees celcius this morning. I wanted to get up and have a coffee with DF before he went to work at 6am, but it was so nice in bed that I just lay there until 8.30! I really need to get out of that habit I have been forming. Sleep ins are good, but only once in a while!

I had breakfast with my friend (pancakes with strawberries, which I am also counting as my lunch!) and totally forgot about the 15% public holiday surcharge. So all up coffee and pancakes was $20.85.

Then I went shopping for the baby hamper supplies. I spent just under $30 and got: and 80 pack of baby wipes, baby powder, baby lotion, nappy rash cream, a 6 pack of face washers, two pairs of newborn socks and two singlets. I decided to wrap everything individually and put it in one of those big gift bags. The $30 includes the gift bag and wrapping paper too

I bought myself two black long sleeved skivvys too, $20 for both. I realised the other day I don't have anything except t-shirts that isn't a V-neck!

Also bought another coffee for the drive home ($4.85) and a jewellery magazine for $19.95. It's about 200 pages so hopefully this well help me translate to the jewellery designer what I want.

I could have spent more money today, but I didn't seem to be in a spendy mood, which was good!

Also though, I realised that while I have been nagging at DF about him spending more than his allowance each week, I realised I have too, for the past two weeks! But I know that the next two weeks I won't spend much, and this will keep the average down.

Tomorrow is a public holiday (yes! I have had a three day week! It has been fantastic!) and I am having brunch with a friend. Then I am planning on going into town and buying a whole bunch of stuff to stick in a basket for SIL's babyshower.

IDEAS???

So far I have: babywipes, baby powder, little socks (sooo cute!).

So yeah. That's a pretty disappointing hamper. So I would love some ideas. Things that SIL will USE for the baby.

And, I am planning on buying a couple of long sleeved shirts with a higher neck. It's freezing cold in our new town, and I realised I don't have any long sleeved skivvy type tops, I usually just wear a Tshirt and a cardigan.

Aaaaanyway. So I am hoping tomorrow won't be too spendy. SIL and her fiance are staying tomorrow night, and they want to go to the movies before the baby arrives as they are thinking they probably won't be able to go for a while after she's born.

I have a late shift tomorrow, which means I work from 10.15am til 5.45pm (ok, not really late, but late for ME!). Problem is, it's a shift working out the front of the shop. I am the only one there in the afternoons so I tend to get a bit bored, and well, when you're surrounded by food and you're bored... lets just say it's not that great a combination!

I plan to get up reasonably early (around 7am), have a coffee, blog, do some chores, and eat a late breakfast of porridge, around 930am. That should see me through with a snack, until dinner time. I have taken some meals out of the freezer, lentil dahl for myself and a beef and red wine slow cooked meal for DF.

Last night we had grilled veges (eggplant, zucchini, capsicum, asparagus, pumpkin and haloumi) YUM. I made a dressing to pour over the veges, with chilli lemon and coriander, which just made everything delicious.

DF liked the potato and leek soup I made.

Tonight I think we will have a stirfry with flat rice noodles. I will make extra for DF's lunch. He told me he is trying to not take 2-minute noodles for lunch anymore! Finally, it is getting through to him. Just because the whole meal costs him $1.65 does not mean it's good for him in any way, financially or physically. I am NOT one of those people that say 'it's cheap, it's good' when it comes to food. There is NO WAY I would sacrifice health for a little savings at the checkout. DF sometimes doesn't think this way, but slowly it's getting through to him.

because that will have about the same impact as my constant lecture-type talking-tos I have been giving to the parents regarding their financial position. ARGH! I have not been this angry in a while.

(warning: rant)

It's a long running saga that a lot of you already know. I am not going to recount the whole story, only that my mum and her partner own a flooring business (DF also works there as the main tradesman). They are absolutely TERRIBLE with money. My mum has been terrible for ever with money, never having enough, I remember her borrowing money from ME, when I was 13, for groceries. Her partner has always believed he 'deserves' things, and thinks nothing of having massive debt. He banks everything on the fact that in a few years he will sell his house in the suburbs (yes, it is worth something, even in these times) buy a block of land in a cheap as chips area, build a house (he is a builder) and live self-sufficiently with my mum for the rest of their years. He doesn't take into account that if his debt equals what his house is worth ... there's no money left!

Anyway.
So it is a revolving door with money for their business (it is not a company), mostly the bills get paid, but they are so far behind that we are relying on jobs just completed to pay for bills one to two months old - there is no cash flow buffer, even though I have tried very hard to build one up, it just doesn't happen because, oh, they need a holiday, oh, they're buying a new car, oh, they need to buy this or that or whatever.

So, it has come to the point now, where even though I have literally been saying this for months, there is now no money to pay the bills. This week we are lucky in the fact that there are only a couple of bills due: $2072, $15.40 and $6.04 as well as the credit card $4333. But OH! There is only $32XX in the account, I find this morning. I get in a shitty foul mood and my mum runs around saying 'oh there's a cheque here for $1310, oh I guess we could call customer X and get them to pay, oh and there's that other customer Y who is three months overdue'. She then leaves for her acupuncture session ($100+ a pop, once a week), telling me 'oh, we are making a $50 donation to X charity'.

*sigh*

She doesn't seem to get that it's not going to make a difference really. Next week there are going to be more bills to pay. The week after that, more. It's all these little things that keep adding up, even though they say 'we are not spending money' they still do it. They don't seem to listen when I say 'don't spend ANY money except on-job costs'. Why is that so hard to understand?

Sorry, end of rant.

WHY?
Well, I made the worst decision *EVER* yesterday: I decided to BAKE.
(And yes, I do realise that it's somewhat odd that I have a day off from work due to a public holiday, and I spend the day doing ... what I do every day at work anyway...)

I made chocolate chip cookies, spicy pumpkin & herb scones and tomato chutney. We ate the scones with chutney and a salad for lunch. Then we decided to watch a movie (Con Air - I realised I have never seen it before, I was getting it confused with another movie... and anything with Nicolas Cage in it is fine with me...) so I made some popcorn. Then it started getting chilly so I made a cup of tea. Then I needed a chocolate chip cookie to go with my tea...and then another one...

I redeemed myself with potato & leek soup for dinner, but alas, my health kick died the second I started flipping through my recipe books with my morning coffee...

HOWEVER!

I have decided that this is just a minor stumble on my (long and weary, and sometimes chocolate coated) road to a happier and healthier body.

I have discovered SOUP.

Ok, so technically I didn't discover it. But generally my soup consists of throwing everything in the pot and waiting til its cooked. I hardly ever cook a proper soup, from a recipe, except pumpkin soup. But, this week I made a delicious spicy lentil and sweet potato soup. (I don't think DF was overly fond of it, but that's hardly the point here, because *I* liked it). Then I got all enthusiastic about it and made the potato and leek soup I mentioned before. So I think soup is going to be my answer in the battle against winter hibernation-weight-gain. Soup and herbal tea.

If anyone has any good vegetarian soup recipes PLEASE share! Or even soup-esque curries, etc. Next week I am going to attempt to make a roast tomato and fresh basil soup, and also a coriander, coconut and pumpkin soup (I have made that one before - I discovered coconut powder which you mix with hot water to make coconut milk, and it has ZERO cholesterol!)

Anyway, so yes please share your recipes. Or even just the names, and I can google it.

I was just thinking about this the other day. Sometimes when posting is slow here, or I am bored, I go and start reading some archives. It is so interesting to read someone's blog from the start - and I have read quite a few. Some of them started when I started my blog (or my blog before that, or my blog before THAT) and others had been here for a year or so before me.
It is easy to read someone's blog if you were already here to read their first post, but to go back and read entries that span a year is a bit of a commitment!

It's disappointing sometimes when someone stops posting too. There are so many bloggers who I really like and then they just disappear. But things happen, life gets busy and interests wane.

So back to my question, who's blog have you read every single entry of? Who's did you read an entry of and go 'they sound interesting, I think I am going to go back and read the whole thing!'???

Me, personally, I have gone back and read quite a few. In particular: Ceejay74, Brooklyngirl, Monkey Mama, Amber and Broken Arrow, Shiela, and Baselle. (There are so many more though. ) And those who joined around my time, who I have tried to make sure to keep up to date with entries: Gamecock, Cassandra, Smiley, North Georgia Girl, Frugal Texan...

There are more, but I just can't think of you all!

I just thought it would be interesting to see who goes back and reads the archives.

Today I am going to have lunch with a friend, and a few of her friends, at a local buddhist monastery. I have grown up going to things like this so while I am excited to go there, I really do not think it is that 'different'.
Her friends however, are of the 'normal' variety. And while I think there is nothing wrong with being normal, I am a little apprehensive about the whole thing. They are the type to point and laugh at things (should I be mentioning the fact they are in their mid 20's?) that they think are strange. Not only do I think it's rude and offensive, I also think it's very closed minded. But then I feel bad, because I am judging them on something they have not experienced, and have no understanding of. And THEN I think, why should I feel bad? They have the ability to broaden their horizons, knowledge, understanding, and yet they do not!

It makes me think about when the time comes to raising my own children. I want to expose them to as many different things and experiences that I can that will influence them positively. I think it's important to have a wide understanding of the world around you; to have cultural understanding and acceptance.

Does anyone else agree?

Different food, places, people, culture, area, lifestyle, religion etc. It is important to not get yourself into a rut. I am not saying I am going to bring my child up like a gypsy, quite the opposite. I did not have a stable upbringing, so that is something I will strive to provide for my own family. But at the same time I want them to understand that there is a whole world out there, and you cannot expect people to all be the same. And even if you don't agree with someone's lifestyle, it doesn't give you the right to judge them for it.

I just cashed in a $20 GC from one survey site (valuedopinions), and tomorrow I will be claiming a $30 cheque from another (emailcash). I deposited a $63.80 cheque from globaltestmarket on Tuesday as well (it was USD $50 but was converted to $AU63.80 - cool!).

And this was with me not really trying - I had lost a bit of interest in surveys lately and let a few expire. But now I am down a shift every three weeks I am more motivated to do them.

At a guesstimate, I would say it took me about 4-6 months to earn this amount. I am only a member of four survey sites, there is no way I could devote a LOT of time to them, but one every couple of days is good for me.

I will be counting them as income, and just using the money as normal, with groceries and bills etc.

I've decided to go on a bit of a health kick next week. Actually, starting tomorrow. I always go 'I'll start on monday, I'll start on the 1st of the month' etc etc. NO MORE!
Tomorrow is market day. I will be stocking up on fresh fruit and veges, and my aim is a week of super healthy eating, and atleast 40 minutes exercise per day.
This is my proposed eating plan (not really that different from normal, but minus snacks that I usually forget I eat )
Breakfast: (weekend) sourdough toast & scrambled egg (weekdays) Fruit & Yoghurt, Peppermint Tea
Mid Morning: Coffee/Tea
Lunch: Carrot/Cucumber/Celery Sticks with hommous.
Snack: Piece of fruit
Dinner: Steamed Veges, Soup, Stirfry, Salad etc.


I am not sure yet if DF will be doing it. He eats whatever I cook him, but if he wants something different I may make it for him, he works physically so I do not want him to get dizzy or anything. Wish me luck!

I haven't really thought about goals for June. It is a very busy month normally, both personally and professionally. It is tax time - so at work (work # 1) I have to prepare everything for the employees and the accountant, and at home I have to do the same for DF and I so that we can do our tax asap to get our refunds.

Financially, we are going quite well. I only have a few goals for June in that respect:
- Begin to keep track of my savings towards offsetting my day off every three weeks (I am beginning the $20 challenge! sort of...)
- Keep my personal spending below my alloted amount.
- Send any extra remaining to my car loan.
- Keep a watchful eye on DF's spending and let him know when he's close to the limit.

In other areas, my goals are:
- finding a present for a friends 28th, and attending her party at the end of the month.
- Making a baby hamper for SIL's baby shower
- Finding a teapot, hopefully at an op shop, before the 22nd (having some people over for tea - and I don't have a teapot!)
- Buying a front door mat.
- Continue with our compost plans.
- Revisit the jewellery store for first stage consulting and designing on my engagement ring (try to make DF come as well!)
- Clean out and turn off second fridge (from party - I don't want to get used to having a second fridge again!)
- 4 x sessions 40 min+ exercise per week.
- DOwnsizing meal portions, 2/3 then to 1/2 size of current.

Well, the housewarming went like a flash. It seemed to be a whole lot of organising, a whole lot of waiting around, and then BAM! it was 2am, cleanup time, and everyone was leaving, we were putting out the fire and making beds for those who were staying, and searching for a friend who decided to drunkenly go for a walk and didn't return (turns out he sat in a neighbours yard and threw up in their driveway - yep, glad we're making good impressions on our neighbour-folk).

We scored some good presents. 6 of our friends pitched in for a compost bin, which DF set up a day ago. We got about 6 or 7 plants and fruit trees from various friends, some chocolates, 2 x $50 gift cards, an old-style coffee canister, a faux-fur throw rug and a bottle of Borie De Maurel.

I was ecstatic that nearly ALL of the food got eaten! (it probably helped that I personally wasn't drinking, and was more focussed on hostessing and making sure everyone was having a good time).
There was also hardly any mess to clean up either which was good.
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So I have entered the middle stage of the engagement-ring process. I have decided, I think, on the place to get it made. I visited them today, after calling them about a week and a half ago, and the lady remembered me (from a phone conversation!). I just felt a little more valued at this place, than the last, even though I am in the lower spectrum of customers, price wise. They also offer a life-time warranty on the handmade rings, not 10 years like the last place, with free cleaning for the life of the ring as well.
And yes, we've decided to get it made. I am getting used to the fact that I will be wearing something the price of a second-hand car on my finger. It's a bit nerve-wracking.

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So I have figured out I am actually losing a shift every THREE weeks, not every month. Still fine, I had a sinking feeling that was what it was but another co-worker assured me it was once a month, until she rang me and told me she got it wrong. Oh well. It just means every three weeks I get a day off!

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I have not been very frugal the past two days. I spent a wopping $152 on groceries yesterday, stocking everything up after my pantry challenge. I bought lunch, which is something I never do at work, vegetarian noodles for $11.50. Today I got a coffee and a truffle while waiting for my mum to finish at the acupuncturist, and a brownie while getting the mail and banking at $4.50. (Note to self: eat breakfast!!!!)

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This week has been a blowout health/exercise/food/money wise. BAH! Must set June goals promptly! to be continued....

Well, after being reassured that I would not lose any hours at work, due to it becoming increasingly slower with less takings as the months go on, my boss came into work yesterday (he usually does not work on Mondays) and handed a piece of paper around. It first went to co worker J, then V, then me.

When he started handing it around, I was thinking 'oh, I won't have lost any'. But I had a sinking feeling in my stomach. By the time I got the piece of paper, my mind was screaming 'HOW MUCH HAVE I LOST!?'.

It took me about five minutes to read the paper, and my boss was watching me read it. So at first I had to concentrate on having an unemotional face. And then I couldn't read the numbers on the page. And I stupidly scanned it, and saw my name twice, scared myself and decided to read it from the top.
It had the average daily takings, compared to last years. It confirmed that coworker T had been taking out cash from the till for our boss (I already knew that, but two other coworkers have a problem with it) but also confirmed that it had been happening for a year, so it did not make any difference to the daily takings.
Then it had the weekly wages totals, which I scanned but didn't read.

Finally it got down to the cutting of hours.
The baker has already lost one day a week.
Coworker J has already lost one day a week.
Plus then, coworkers J, T, V and myself, all lose one shift a week on a rotating basis. So, it means I lose one shift a month.
The apprentices cannot lose any hours as they are full-time.
Then it went on to say, the retail workers (J, V & T) will have their absent shifts covered by Moi.

I can be thankful, as I believe we will be alright. While it relieves some pressure on my boss, it is really only a small amount for me personally to handle. Any more, and I would have been stressed about it. It works out to be around $160 a month that I lose, if worked out on an 8 hour shift. I think with some considerable effort, I might even be able to adjust things so that we save money on other things to make up the difference.

I called DF when I was driving home, and then we talked a little about it when he finally arrived home. He asked what I would do on my day off, and then suggested gardening. I am pleased he has a frugal response to the situation.

To tell you the truth, I always look forward to public holidays because I always have them off. So one day a month, I know I will look forward to. While I would most definately rather be working, it is something that I can deal with.

We recieved a compost bin for a housewarming present from a group of friends, so I know a few hours each month will be taken up with vege patch construction/upkeep. Once we start harvesting some vegetables, this will most definately offset the loss each month!

The cut has also made me more motivated to do surveys again. I have been leaving them in my inbox til they expire, as I can't be bothered. Now I have a reason to do them again. It will be similar to a $20 challenge to me now. Except it will be a $160 challenge, monthly.

So. Sorry for the rambling. I am just trying to get my thoughts in order. I knew that work was not going so well, but I truly believed my hours would be ok. Alas, I was wrong. So keep your fingers crossed for me that it picks up, or atleast does not get any worse!

-Begin to drop sugar-laden, processed and white flour products from everyday eating habits. (this is a long-standing goal)
(well - I did try. I was mostly unsuccesful with this goal but I probably have dropped around 30% intake compared with a month or two ago)

- Continue to drink teas and mineral water/juice in place of coffee and soft drinks.
(I have done really well with this goal - I am down to 1 or 2 cans of coke a week, only at work. I have been drinking water, tea or juice & mineral water at home. I very rarely have coffee in the afternoons at home, only when out meeting with friends.)

- Ensure that I drink 1-2L water each day.
(Did really well for the first 3 weeks of May but last week I probably drank about two glasses of water all week - just kept forgetting to keep my intake up. Must try harder!)

- Complete 12 sessions minimum of 40 minutes or more exercise each week (walking, jogging or yoga).
(Did well on this goal - approximately 16 sessions all up for the month of May!)

- Succesfully host our housewarming party at the end of May. This goal includes:
Sending the invitations
Making a large portion of the fingerfood
Cleaning up our downstairs area
Finding something to hold a fire in
(DONE! DONE! DONE! DONE!)

- Keep track of our stimulus money spending, so as to not overspend it.
(have been doing this. I only require a few small items, so the rest of the money will just be absorbed into our accounts, around $300 - I am going to allow myself $100 for some workout gear and new work shoes)

- Keep track of all expenditure through the month.
(DONE!)

- Formulate a plan for keeping track of extra payments and savings (I am thinking a spreadsheet for now)
(DONE!)

- Take weekly photos of my gardening efforts.
(unfortunately only took one photo, and haven't taken anymore)

- Take my ultrasound results to the doctor and get the results for my blood test.
(DONE)

Income: $5454.10

Expenditure: $5250.89

Mortgage Payments: $1572.46
Groceries: $498.81
Petrol: $246.74
Phone & Internet: $77.39
Car Registration (2 x 1 year): $1058
Electricity: $79.35
Car Repairs/Expenses: $63.00
Mobile Phone: $58
House Insurance: $69.56
Life Insurance: $53.67
Car Payment: $148.00
House Spending: $189.00
Work Expenses: $20.00
DF Fun: $413.83
WS Fun: $234.04
Clothes: $211.90
Dining Out: $78.60
Entertainment: $153.54
Misc: $19.00
Bank Fees: $2

Remaining: $203.21

NOTES: Groceries are higher this month due to our housewarming party - however, we are only $4 over 'budget' per week. This is probably due to me cleaning out the pantry at the same time. So it is good I decided to do that this month!

Car Registration is what really set us back this month. I mean, it didn't set us back, but, if we didn't have to pay it, it would mean we could have sent $1058 more to our mortgage or savings this month. As it is, we only have $203 remaining after all of our expenses. Which means, next month should be great. (SHOULD be).

DF is still spening more than his allowance per week. This month it was $23 per week. I said to him 'I have spent $2 less per week than I am allowed, and you have spent $23 more!' and he said 'yeah but you don't buy alcohol!' and I said 'yeah, but I get $20 less than you per week, and I have coffee with friends three times a week, buy my makeup and clothes and magaziens out of that too, remember!' Hrrrmmmmph!

Clothes expenses are actually out of my stimulus money - but it is an expense, and I added our stimulus money into last months income, so that is why I am listing the spending this month.

Dining out and entertainment aren't too bad, but could be better. $50 of that was for food for the party too (I bought it from work so it didn't really count as groceries).

DF got a cash withdrawal from another atm so we were charged a $2 fee, that's why we have bank fees this month. GRR! lol.

The $203.21 remaining will be paid into the mortgage. I am also going to start next week putting $180 into our E-saver account for bills. When I pay a bill I will just record it, and then transfer it back at the end of the month into our main account.

I am also going to start splitting the leftover money each month into two groups: mortgage pay off and EF fund. Even though it will be going into the same account, I will record it in a spreadsheet so that I have totals of how much we have put into each. Once things start settling down we will work out a buffer amount of how much we want in our everyday account (I was thinking $5k is a nice round number, but it's possible we could do $10k).

So, here's to June!

So I realise it's a rather controversial title. But I also realise there are a few people here who carry my line of thinking in the rewards aspect of credit cards.
There is NO WAY in the world do I ever advocate a credit card for anyone remotely irresponsible with spending. Let me just say that!
Credit cards are a very useful tool for many people. I have never had a problem with mine, and I currently have about 6. (I intend to close some and only have two or three very soon.) I also know that people get themselves in debt with credit cards over things that they can't help, like medical expenses or vet clinics or car repairs. That is unfortunate, but with motivation and a plan these things can be rectified.

Ok, so back to my title (just had to put a disclaimer in there!!! so that people realise I know what I'm talking about!)

I got our bill for the month. The past two months it's been roughly the same amount, so I would say our spending is pretty much the same as the months go along. We've managed to earn around 5300 points in just over two months. 3000 points equals a $25 gift card, so I can safely say that we probably earn around $50 every three months, or a bit more. Points are, I think, 1 for every $1. I am not quite sure. It could be $2 = 1 point... anyway. They have a lot of special offers that contribute to points as well, which helps. It's a good rewards scheme in our neck of the woods.

HOWEVER: THIS IS NOT GOOD ENOUGH!

My grand plan was to earn enough to offset our $395 annual fee ($395 for an everyday account, unlimited withdrawals, homeloan account, offset account, free redraw, free extra payments, free gold credit card, free debit card, free high interest savings account, free financial planning interview, 10% off insurance, 0.05% off the standard rate - ok so obviously NOT free, but $395 a year for all those ain't that bad here).

Anyway, so $50 every three months means $200 a year. Which means in the end our banking costs us $195. Take into account we probably earn around $5 in interest a month, so that's $135 a year in banking fees.

So, I have come to the conclusion that we do not spend enough on our credit cards - OR we do not earn enough interest. My problem is, to earn interest, we have to put our money in an account that does not SAVE us interest off our homeloan, so that is basically out of the question. I do not think we can spend enough to offset the entire amount, but I think with planning, we can utilise our cc's a bit better. Currently we do forget and pay cash/debit for a lot of things. So this is a bit of a wakeup call I guess! It will make me think when I pull out a card to pay for something - but not in the usual way!

So, as some of you will have read in my last post, I called two jewellers that I had heard good things about.

The first, quoted an approximate price of $1800 for the band, plus the gem price.

The second asked me to go in and look.

Yesterday a friend took me to a place she had heard about. They go to Thailand to buy their gems, and while they are reasonably priced, this is my issue with them:
The gems originally come from the gemfields IN AUSTRALIA, are sent to Thailand to be cut & polished (and I am assuming, sometimes treated). Then these buyers go from Australia to Thailand, to bring them back to Australia.
So, I really don't like outsourcing like that.
Also, they do not come with a certificate. They guy tried to lead us to believe that, if you're spending 'only $200' on a gem (which would be $500 in a jewellery store) you don't need a certificate. He said, as long as you like it, what's the big deal.
And I do agree with that. BUT I do not want to make someone else rich because they fooled me. I would rather pay $50 for a treated gem, and know it's a treated gem, than pay $200 for a treated gem that I have been led to believe is natural and untreated. I just believe in honesty. Is that so bad?

Does that make any sense? Or am I just being picky?

So, today in my lunch hour I went to the second shop I called.
The woman was quite helpful at the start. She even pulled out a band that had already been made, but someone had decided not to buy it. It was beautiful, very elegant and simple, in white gold.

I asked about the gems and she showed me some that are from the Australian gem fields. She asked why I wanted Australian only - and I told her 'oh, I just like to... you know, keep the money in the Australian economy...'
WHY did I say that? *sigh*
Is it really such a big deal that I do not want to buy anything that may have come out of conflict? I get people rolling their eyes at me. Like I should just not care where they come from. I am going to be looking at it every day for the rest of my life, it is meant to be a symbol of love, why would I want that symbol to make me sick to my stomach every time I look at it?
Is that too hard to understand?

So anyway, back to the story:

So I asked the lady a round about price for the ring, including the gem I had taken a liking to. She said it would be around $1800, because the ring was already made, and that is priced on 'old gold' prices, whatever that means. So we are getting somewhere. First shop, $1800 for the band. Second shop, $1800 all up.
I also get a 10 year warranty and lifetime service & cleaning on the ring, as well as having all the appropriate valuations and certificates, for both the ring and the gem.

You know, it is funny. As soon as she gave me the price and showed me some more stones, it seemed she either got bored of me, or decided that if I wasn't going to buy anything right then and there, she must latch onto someone who potentially would. And it is a shame, because everything was going great until she gave me the price (and I had a GOOD reaction to the price) and then all of a sudden her attention was on someone else who had walked in the door (even though she was sitting down with me) and then another worker of the shop. So I don't know, it's possible I mis read the situation, but I was trying to tell her when I would call, but she didn't seem to hear me, so I just took a card. Maybe it's something to do with the economy and sales? People giving up before they've done the full pitch now? I don't know. It was interesting. I am trying to not take much offense to it, they have a good reputation after all.

---------------------------

The next thing I need to consider is, in August there is a Gem Festival. It is about 11 hours drive from where we live. So, I could potentially source my own gem. But, it would be over two months before I even get it, let alone get the ring made.

And then I have to factor in the cost of driving there, staying over night, and then driving home. My friend has already offered to go with me (she is actually more excited than I am about this whole thing - it's odd - or maybe I am just the odd one). And then I got home and DF said he would go too.

But now I just dont know if I want to wait that long!

*sigh*

Anyway, sorry about my rambling. I am trying to get things sorted in my head, and it ends up being about as clear as mud in the end anyway. Blah!

So, I have begun the hunt for an engagement ring.

I've left it rather last minute seeing as we had an idea last week to announce the engagement at our housewarming party. I know it's possible, but I don't want to really announce it without a ring. It's a bit of an anti-climax.

And yes, I know we've both been slack. I just didn't know where to start, so I never actually started...

And yes, I also know that the boy is meant to go and get it and bring it to me, but we are really not very traditional in that sense. I think he would rather leave it to me so he doesn't have to worry about it. He will come with me to get it and try it on, but I already know he doesn't have time during the week to do anything other than work. And while they have work, they should be working! Especially in 'these times'.

So I have called two jewellers who I have heard good things about, and am already over it. $1800 for a plain band? not including the gem?

*sigh*

To be honest, the lady that quoted me that price was super helpful, and explained the differences between cast and handmade etc.
I am going to go in and have a look at the second place, as they have a wide range that are already made, and they said they have quite a few with sapphires. (what I am after)

Any tips?

haha. yeah right.

No, actually... it is the title of a movie that I saw last night at the cinemas with a friend. I do not normally like paying full price for a movie ($16.50) but after watching it, I am happy that I did.

In the US you probably won't have it at the cinemas(but I could be wrong), it is an Australian film. Very well done with quirky characters, about a lower-middle-class family who's mother suffers a brain aneurism. She is not allowed to do heavy lifting, hold in sneezes or have sex. It's a great movie, if you ever get a chance to watch it, do so. It's a great look at ordinary life in a family, and all of the characters are really endearing. The family goes through such a tough year, made worse by the fact that the mother isn't feeling as close to her husband, and seems to also be going through a 'revelation' type phase of her life, almost like a mid-life crisis. So, as I said before, it's a heartwarming story, see it if you ever get the chance.

We also went out for dinner before the movie, to a nice little vegetarian restaurant. I have been there a few times, it was originally run by hare krishnas but they have taken a step back. Their merchandise is still there, and they still play their music, though. They also give out over 200 meals per week to the homeless.

Anyway. So dinner was $13.50, movie was $16.50, and I also bought a coffee.

Yesterday I also went to the growers market for fruit and vegetables, and spent $27.50.

This morning I went to another market with the intent of buying marigolds to plant near my lettuces, so the bugs don't eat them, but about half the stalls weren't there! The weather has been very windy and rainy lately, so I understand. But they missed out on my sale! I spent $4 on a coffee.

I am planning on going to the supermarket for a few odds and ends. I think I may even be able to stretch this pantry challenge to the week after next week! Why? Because we will probably have leftovers from the party, which I would like to incorporate into our meals next week to use them up.

Oh I nearly forgot:
My exercise challenge for the month was to do 12 sessions of 40 minutes or more of exercise.
Well!
Week 1: 2 sessions (40 minutes yoga each)
Week 2: 5 sessions (60 minutes yoga each)
Week 3: 6 sessions (5x60 minutes yoga, 1x40 minutes pilates each)
Week 4: ?

So, I have done 13 sessions, and I have a whole week to go. I have exceeded my goal and have 7 days left to go!

Next week I plan to do atleast two sessions of pilates, as well as yoga. I know that I will be unable to do any on Saturday, and possibly Sunday, as we will have people over.
I know that yoga is meant to be relaxing, but the dvd that I have is actually really hard! (which I like!) DF snorts and says 'yeah, but I bet it doesn't get your heart rate up', and well, there are several sequences where I am out of breath, so ha!

I have decided it is about time I worked out our bills budget. Actually, our budget in general. I am not the type to stick to a budget religiously, but if I have a figure in my mind, I automatically factor that into things when purchasing or choosing to spend money. Of course we go 'over' in many categories, but who's making the rules anyway? We are. So we're breaking our own rules. And if we aren't hurting anyone, or going into debt, does it REALLY matter? Everything sorts itself out in the end.

Having said that, I like to be super organised anyway. I like to have everything written out, and planned. Not that I necessarily stick to any plans, but I like to have them!

I want to start putting away money each week again for our bills. While it will take away from our main account, and may mean a little bit more interest on our home loan in the process, the amount would only be very small, so I think peace of mind is more important in that respect. I just paid DF and my vehicle registration for the year, and it occurred to me that if we didn't have a nice balance in our account, the $1058 I had just forked over would worry me a bit. A year ago it would have not worried me, because I used to put a weekly amount into a bills account. Now we do not, as I wanted to have all the money in one account. But alas, I have realised I am not 'that' type of person. *sigh* I need to have atleast some things split up so I can relax a little in terms of money and accounts. It just makes me nervous to have all of our money together.

So, I endured the painful process of estimating our bills for a year:

House & Contents Insurance 69.56 monthly
Life Insurance 53.67 monthly
Phone & Internet 79 monthly
Mobile Phone 55 monthly
Electricity 240 3 monthly
Gas 100 6 monthly
Car Registration 1058 yearly
Car Insurance 478 yearly
RACQ Membership 62 yearly
Car Repairs 1000 yearly
Property Rates 1900 yearly
Bank Package Fee 395 yearly

I cannot think of any other bills at the moment. Is there anything missing???

At the moment, with the current amounts, that would mean that we spend approximately $9139.76 on bills per year. So if I were to put that away weekly, it would equal $175.76 per week. So if I rounded it up to $180 per week, that should cover everything.

I am doing well with the pantry challenge. I have decided to not make 'plans' for any meals for the rest of the week and just cook whatever I feel like for dinner when the time comes. Today I bought yoghurt, vege chips and frozen spinach. I didn't have to buy them, I was at the grocery store with a friend and thought 'oh, a new vege chip flavour!' (lime and chilli) and 'oh, that looks like a yummy gourmet yoghurt!' and 'oh i have a pizza base in the freezer, that spinach will do nicely...!'

anyway! I didn't do too much damage, $11.23 all up.

I may just buy the basic fresh fruit and veges at the farmers market on the weekend and stock up on VERY BASIC supplies, like milk, at the supermarket, and continue the challenge into next week.

I will have to start organising for our housewarming next week too. Eeek!

The food plans have been revolving in my head for the past couple of weeks. Here is what I have so far:

To be out when guests arrive:
- Chopped carrot & celery with homemade hommous dip.
- A couple of gourmet bought dips (cashew & basil, beetroot & pinenut).
- These nifty little parmesan dippers I am planning on making, made out of puff pastry and then sprinkled with parmesan and twirled, then oven baked.
- Some lavash bread sprinkled with olive oil and rosemary, then oven baked for a few minutes til crispy, for dipping.

- Some fruit. I was thinking maybe just a bowl of grapes, as I don't want anything that will go brown. (ew).

- A few packs of potato chips.

For a bit later on:

- A couple of bags of spiced potato wedges with chilli sauce.

- Mini guinness pies (DF's request)

- Mini quiches

- Mini cupcakes

- Mini spinach & fetta rolls.


I was thinking that would probably be enough. Then I might go with gamecocks suggestion and order some pizzas later on for who ever is still hanging around at about 7.30-8pm. I'll probably stock up on some soft drinks and ice teas for the non-drinkers. (I'm not planning on drinking myself except perhaps a glass or two of champers).

Does that sound like an alright plan?
So far I have had 13 RSVP's as yes, and 4 maybes, but the official rsvp date is on Friday. I am expecting a Yes from 8-10 more, and am not sure about another 10 or so. All of our friends are quite slack on rsvping, they assume we know they are coming. It's all good and well for laid back events where everything is BYO, but it annoys me to no end when you're actually planning the thing. GAH!

Well, DF and I went in and bought two. It was a $96 saving, and we only spent $69. We do not have a lot of blankets, but we do have 6 available places for guests to sleep (a double fold out sofa, a day bed, a single futon, a double blow up mattress and two single beds )- so it was a neccesary investment.

We also bought a book each. DF bought an antiques price guide. It was also on sale from $125 to $20. We would never buy it for $125, but $20 is a good price seeing as DF will actually use it. I bought a cooking book by Rick Stein, for $10, saved $20.

Today I have a doctors appointment. Fingers crossed for me everything is good!

In my last entry, I mentioned we bought a new fleecy cotton blanket as a guest blanket?

Well!

I opened the packet, and DF and I both immediately fell in love with it. It feels like cashmere, it's so soft!

So we have decided to use it ourselves, and go back and get another

It is just a perfect weight and softness - it is not too thick but not too thin, and has a heavy feel to it, perfect for winter. I washed it and we used it as a top-sheet instead of our flanellete one last night - it's like sliding into a little bit of heaven! *sigh* So soft on your skin...

So I better go back and buy another before the sale expires - I do not want to pay $55 for it, but $23 is a good price.

Well, that's what today felt like anyway.

We had to buy some new towels and a guest blanket. It took us about half an hour to decide what towels to buy in Myer. They were having great specials on Sheridan, Vue and Country Road towels, but in the end we opted for some organic cotton towels made by an australian made and owned company. And they were softer anyway! We bought 4 @ $15 each (2 beige and 2 x navy), and 2 x navy handtowels @ $10 each.
We also bought a beige fleecy cotton blanket that was marked down from $55 to $23. And then we decided to buy some flanelette sheets for our bed, marked down from $70 to $40, seeing as it is winter...
AND THEN we decided to have lunch out as well, @ $46.40.

Well, I have done the shopping for the week, so I thought I would type out a list of everything I have on hand. Not only because I like doing lists (), but I wanted to see what everyone elses ideas were for meals. Lunches and breakfasts are sorted out. I am interested in trying out the sachets for the slow cooker - so that I can do it from scratch next time

Freezer:
1 x Serve vegetable pasta sauce
1 x serve mexican beans
2 x serves lentil dahl
bag of frozen peas
1 loaf sourdough rye bread
1 loaf multigrain bread
5 sheets puff pastry
200g beef chuck steak
3 vegetarian sausages
3 packs of 6x beef sausages
1 x vegetarian patty

Fridge:
skim milk /plain yoghurt
plain yoghurt with fruit
butter / parmesan cheese /tasty cheese
feta/ricotta/filo pastry
coconut milk/ sliced beetroot
kalamata olives /sundried tomatoes
chilli/bbq/tomato/soy sauce
tahini/assorted jams/mustard
whole egg mayonaise/8 free range eggs
rice vinegar/balsamic vinegar
pumpkin/bok choi/carrots/brocolli
cucumber/grape tomatoes
mixed lettuce leaves/fresh spinach
green beans/unhusked corn cob
sweet potato/potato/zucchini
lemon/onion/garlic/ginger
plums/bananas/pears

Pantry:
large variety spices/herbs
risoni pasta/spaghetti/penne
flat rice noodles/vermicelli
lentils/ taco shells
white rice/arborio rice/brown rice
sultanas/currants/apricots
pinenuts/walnuts/ tinned peaches
chickpeas/kidney beans/cannelini beans
tinned tomato/tomato passata
wholemeal SR/Plain flour/rice flour
oats/semolina/coconut/yeast
golden syrup/honey/ chocolate chips
castor/brown/raw sugar
tuna/olive oil/bi carb
muesli/beef & red wine casserole slow cooker sachet/beef rendang sachet/garlic & herb lamb shank slow cooker sachet

I have had a pretty productive day today. We got up late (around 8am). DF worked for a few hours and I went to the market and did our weeks worth of grocery shopping. I think I must have been in a 'spendy' mood because I bought a magazine, some hair dye and a pair of jeans as well! The magazine and hair dye comes out of my fun money, and the jeans come out of my stimulus money. I have $428.62 remaining

So, when I got home I cleaned the kitchen and did the breakfast dishes, started cleaning the bathroom & cleaned the toilet, and did my 60 minute yoga dvd.

DF is restoring a table downstairs, so it will be shiny and newly coated for our housewarming party.

My list of things to do today:
- finish cleaning the bathroom
- tidy my desk
- tidy the rest of the office
- tidy the loungeroom & dining roomb tables
- bring in and fold clean washing, put away
- prepare dinner (freshly made ravioli )

So, I have decided to make next week "Eating out of the Pantry Week". I will still buy lots of fresh fruit and vegetables, but my aim is to clear as much out of the freezer, fridge and pantry as I possibly can. Why? Two reasons:
The first reason is, to save money. I'll save money by using up things and being creative, and by not buying things for meals I have planned, but rather making things out of what I have.
The second reason is, I am one of those rather odd people that like to empty their pantry and then restock it again, all fresh and new (with the same things). It's something I actually look forward to in a way. Weird? Yes.

Anyway. So one of the days I am going to eat some lentil dal I froze in single servings for myself, and will make DF a beef and red wine casserole in the slow cooker. I have most of the ingredients for this, just not the fresh vegetables. I am not sure what else I have in the freezer (I think I may have a pasta sauce I made from scratch as well), but I am looking forward to being inventive this week!

Does anyone else do this? What are some great recipes you've 'discovered' when being creative with cooking and cooking from what you've got?

Today in the mail I got a letter from the bank saying our mortgage interest rate has dropped from 5.21% to 5.11%! Which means our minimum weekly repayments go from being $430.15 to $380.77 which is a huge difference. That is how much we were paying in rent nearly a year and a half ago. The plan is to set up an automatic payment to make up the difference

Well, I thought I should do a mid-month review of my goals for May.

I have been eatin healthier. If not healthier, then the unhealthy things I have been attempting to make myself at home (I don't think it's any better - but atleast I am saving a bit of money right?) By this I mean primarily desserts like fruit crumbles, muffins and things like that. Better than nothing?!

I have been having atleast one or more cups of tea a day, and have stocked up on a few more varieties. I am liking a Green-Jasmine Leaf tea I picked up the other day on special. Very refreshing! I hardly drink coke now, probably once a week at work and maybe one glass a week at home.

There have been a couple of days where I have forgotten to drink water but for the most part I am doing well. At work I make sure I drink the entire 600ml bottle of water I keep in the fridge before I go home. I usually have a glass in the morning and a glass at home, as well as my cups of tea. My main goal is to have 8 glasses of water, and then an extra two glasses for every cup of coffee or cola that I have.

I completed two sessions of exercise last week, both were 40 minutes. This week I have done much better, one session was around 50 minutes and the other was 60 minutes. I plan to do one today, Thursday, Friday and Saturday, which will mean I have done one every day except Sunday! I would like to get DF to do the Saturday one with me - I know he is about as flexible as a board so it could be very good for him. I won't mind if every session I do is Yoga, but I would like to go for a jog atleast once this week.

I have sent out nearly all the invitations to the housewarming party, and ordered some of the food. I have recieved 9 rsvp's for Yes and three maybe's. Still tossing up whether to invite my boss, his wife and kids along. DF agreed to invite a few of his uncles and aunties so that they are not out of place (as most people will be under 32 - my boss is 38). Also undecided on whether to invite my mum and DF's dad. We are kind of leaning against it at the moment, even though they will be both angry about it.

DF has cleaned up a fair whack of the downstairs area for the party. I am going to have to get cracking on the inside of our house. Our pride and joy, the floor, has not been cleaned since we moved in!!! I have swept it but haven't given it a going over with a eucalyptus oil/warm water spray and a microfibre mop like we're supposed to every week or so. *sigh*

Still working on what to hold the fire in, and working on a snacks menu.

I have kept track of my stimulus money spending. I have approx $400 left to spend.

DF is getting better at remembering what he spends, so I think we have kept track of roughly 95% of our expenses.

I have started a spreadsheet to keep track of mortgage payments, with my measly $331 recorded for April.

I have taken the first weeks gardening photo, and will take one this afternoon when I get home. Something seems to be digging in my basil/coriander plant box! And the mint and rosemary have not germinated but the lettuce is going well!

I have made an appointment to go to the doctors next Tuesday - it's something I always procrastinate about. I just need results for my last blood test, my ultrasound for my leg pain and a regular checkup. I am thinking of doing an experiment: my blood pressure is normally a little on the high side, so i was thinking of doing a yoga session in the morning before the doctors appointment, and see how that affect my blood pressure. It does *make* me feel calmer, I wonder if it does actually calm my body?

Last week I bought a yoga dvd on eBay for $20.50, and it arrived yesterday. I got home late from work at 5pm (well, late for me!) but I used the slowcooker for dinner so technically dinner was already cooked, so I decided to try out the new DVD. I was a little apprehensive as I have heard some fitness DVD's can be crap, but I was pleasantly surprised at this one. It's called Power Yoga and I really enjoyed it.
It's quite challenging and goes for 60 minutes, with an option of another 20 minute version. It is a nice change from another one I have which is 40 minutes, and focuses more on relaxtion, basically a beginners-yoga-dvd. I also have a pilates one which is challenging, but I don't feel the love for pilates as much as I do for yoga.
Another one I have is an army routine which I have done a few times. I think it's good to mix things up. I think I will be purchasing a few more in the coming months. Seeing as it is approaching winter, I think indoor fitness aids are a good investment!