But then I realized that I've just been saving to spend in the short term. Aside from the Emergency Fund, I'm planning to spend all of my money in the next 2 years. When am I going to save for real stuff, like a house and retirement and that Europe trip I want to take??
And a vague 'slush fund' isn't going to cut it: it isn't a SMART goal.
So I haven't been doing so well after all. My budget is helter-skelter: if I feel like spending, I spend. I don't even try.
So I made my new budget, loosely basing it on All Your Worth's 50/30/20 scheme.
| NEEDS: | ~$1400/mo | 912.5 | Rent |
| 300 | Groceries | ||
| 100 | Electricity | ||
| 60 | Medical | ||
| 25 | Misc (toilet paper? a must!) |
Needs make up ~41%.
| WANTS | $680/mo | 120 | Internet |
| 100 | Eating Out | ||
| 50 | Charity | ||
| 50 | Cell Phone | ||
| 360 | Misc (allowance, dance classes, stuff) |
Wants make up 20%.
| SAVINGS | $1300 | $430/mo | Long Term Savings |
| 10% | RETIREMENT | ||
| 86 | 2% from me (kiwisaver) | ||
| 2% from work ($86 but not my own money) | |||
| 200 | Pretend Roth | ||
| OTHER LONG | |||
| 70 | House Downpayment | ||
| 70 | Europe | ||
| 870/mo | SHORT TERM SAVINGS | ||
| 335 | Travel to US twice/year | ||
| 135 | 5K in US EF | ||
| 150 | Oz travel | ||
| 250 | Mom and Sister Trip to NZ |
So, there you have it. I have my work cut out for me. $2080/mo to live. I have been averaging about $2200/mo thus far this year! Granted, a lot of that were one-off things like the $1500 immigration fees, $300 medicals, $300 migrant levy, etc., but still...not good.
3 comments:
That looks good to me but forget about the charity. You are playing plenty of tax and (unlike your IRA back in the states) you are evening paying a wopping amount of tax on your retirement savings. So your more than making a contribution, sister.
So put the $50 towards a Snickers bars after your dance class (do you remember the snickers advert "after Dance I'm feeeling relally hungry" I think it also featured a drummer. Or better still some kiwifruit. I love the website www.whfoods.com, by the way. Great advice - kiwifruit a re as cheap as chips at the moment. I eat 10 a day sometimes and spend quite a lot of time in the toilet as a result.
That is a different way to look at it: taxes as charity donations.
The problem with that, for ME, is that taxes are MANDATORY and I don't get to choose where/who that money goes to (ahem, Iraq War). The charity allotment makes me feel good cause I'm CHOOSING to help AND i get to choose who it goes to...in that case, since I feel good about giving, I could put it in my misc or allowance categories, but wherever in my budget it ends up, i think i'll always give!
I would love to know where are paying $50 for a snickers. have you seen the cadbury ad with the gorilla? I lurrrve it. kiwifruit gets a big 'Eh' from me, esp. after hearing what it does to your toilet!
no I meant a case load of snickers. Anyway who needs snickers when New World is offering two 250gm bars of Whittakers for $5.00 at them moment.
The great thing about kiwi fruit is they are high in vitamin and magnesium. Also they're not a dirty food (I don't buy organic, too expensive but am guided by clean/dirty foods). Unlike apples, kiwifruit do not suck up the toxins.
http://www.foodnews.org/fulllist.php
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