Baking is one of my favourite hobbies; as it combines two of my favourite things – being creative, and food! So what’s not to love? It’s also a great rainy day activity and comes in handy for birthdays and Christmases… Is it just me or does a homemade cake taste so much better? šš¤¤ But as much as I love baking, it can also be quite an expensive hobby to…
Budgeting
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Coping with Money Worries after the Christmas Period
Anyone else over indulge this Christmas? š Show of hands… ā Yep, me too. Whether it’s food, gifts, social events, or something else, I think we can all agree that Christmas can be a very expensive time of year. And that it’s all too easy to overspend. Like many people I set myself a budget on Christmas spending but more often than not go over it. I get caught up…
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Moving back in with your parents as an adult.Ā
Moving back in with your parents as an adult can seem like a huge step backwards, you may feel like you’re losing your independence and you may experience ridicule or teasing from friends or other family members. Luckily the latter hasn’t happened for me but I think I would miss living in my own place. In reality, moving back home maybe the last thing you thought you’d do, but you’re…
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Monthly budget and finance recording
We reviewed our finances recently and set ourselves a monthly budget; my aim is to be debt free (student loan, credit cards) in 12 – 19 months and we’ve talked about starting to save for a house deposit afterwards. I’ve previously spoken about some of the things I do to help budget (see my food shopping on a budget, clothes shopping on a budget and budgeting posts), which I still…
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Food shopping on a budget
In our house, we go food shopping each week, mostly for the perishable items e.g. milk, then do a larger monthly (or sometimes bi-monthy shop) including frozen foods, toiletries and house hold items e.g. cleaning supplies. I’ve been trying to properly budget the amount we spend on food shopping each week. Here are some of the things I’ve been trying and that work for me (some are recycled from my…
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Clothes shopping on a budget
When I decluttered and organised my wardrobe earlier this year I made a starter wardrobe list of items I wanted to buy. The items were to either fill in gaps in my wardrobe or to replace damaged items. I’m happy to say I’ve made a start on the list this month and it was easier than I thought it would be to stick to it. Typically I get caught up…
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Saving Money Tips
Saving money is something I’ve always struggled with. I love a bargain and spent a lot of my wages in my teens on DVDs in the bargain bin at Woolworths… or Blockbuster (showing my age here! š ). Since moving out of my parents house two years ago I’ve been cutting down on my expenses and saving money each month. Of course there are items that I have to pay for…
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2012 Goals Mid Year Review
At the beginning of 2012, I made a list of goals I wanted to achieve this year. So as we’re now over half way through the year, I thought I’dĀ have a look at whether I’ve stuck to those goals and how they’ve changed! 2012 Goals Review Goal set: Cook and Bake more often I have baked a few novelty cakes and some classic recipes, like a Victoria Sponge, but…