A few additions to link love

just a few I am adding to my list before I jet out the door to my year end staff party. I can almost smell the steak :-)

Check out the following


1) Middle Class Mom in Toronto

2) Milestones

3) Morgaine and Money

Enjoy!!

New budget - the savings/planned spending

Not a whole lot has changed on this end, but some, so I will just update it on here. Very little of what is here is long term 'never touch it' savings. Most has a designated target.

Monthly Contributions
Boys Expense Account - $300
RRSP - $125
RESP - $200
Emergency Fund - $100
Christmas/Summer - $140

The boys' expense account goes towards things like their school fees, school pics, registration fees for things, camp etc. Honestly with the price of DS1's higher level hockey fees and his equipment, this amount doesn't cover it but it does help.

The RRSP is growing, slowly. I am just glad I have one finally, even if it is late.

RESP - ditto above.

Emergency Fund - I am honestly not sure how big I want this to get. or how big I NEED it to get. For now I will just keep on contributing.

Xmas/Summer - I put all the money in this category towards one, then when it is full, I put it towards the other. Stays constant that way.

Now all of those are set amounts and I have been pretty faithful about each amount goes towards each category. However being close to finishing off Christmas, I may just take the EF, XMAS and RRSP money, throw it all towards one category each month so I can finish them off for the 2010 year. Example - when I get to the bank this Friday (if it is open) I will toss it $220 of it at Xmas to finish off that goal and the rest at EF. All the money next month will go to EF. When that one is done I will finish off my RRSP. I will still get to where I need to go ahead of schedule. I just felt like varying it up for the summer.

The new budget - the jars

Well technically my budget week/month started last Friday but it's never too late to get the facts out there.

I've tinkered it a bit in terms of the jars and savings but a lot of the bills and such remain the same. Darn bills only change for the worse.

For those who are newer to my world, I'm in smalltown Saskatchewan. There are four of us in our home: 2 adults and 2 teenage boys who eat like horses.

I have 5 categories for my jars:

1) Food and Household - $680 a month ($170 a week)
2) Spending Money - $80 a month ($20 a week)
3) Gas/Transportation - $200 a month ($50 a week)
4) Entertainment - $160 a month ($40 a week)
5) Clothing and Gifts - $100 a month ($25 a week)

I still need to make up new labels for the jars. I have got my budget binder all ready to go and I will give recording every expense (almost)  another shot.

Food and Household - This is everything from Groceries to Take out, cat food and toiletries to household cleaning supplies. This one will need some saving up if money is leftover because I like to buy in bulk at Costco if I am in the city. Those kinds of trips cost more

Spending Money - I technically don't keep this in a jar and I won't keep track of this. It will live in my wallet for whatever lil things come across my path: A cup of Tim Hortons coffee, the odd lunch out. Whatever works.

Gas/Transportation - Right now I spend about $40 a week on gas running back and forth to work and running the boys here and there. If I head out of town it will cost more. This actually will live in a special spot in my vehicle so it's there when I need it. There isn't enough leftover that I have to worry about leaving money in the car.

Entertainment - We don't do a whole lot entertainment-wise. In winter this might serve for entry fee to hockey games or the odd rink fries. In summer it may be a trip to get icecream. If we save it up and we're in the city we use it there, and it goes fast.

Clothing and Gifts - This is new and honestly, woefully underfunded. But it's what I choose to put in there for right now. I could always reallocate money in my extra debt repayment for the clothing category if I feel it really needs it. We shall see how it goes. I will withdraw the whole $100 at the beginning of the month. Just more logical this way.

I will try these amounts for July through to September. The summer is really a hard time to judge as spending is different. September will help balance what a 'regular' month is like.

I have internet again!!!

We had a storm Friday night and I woke up Saturday morning to find I had no internet. gasp!! panic!!

I called the help line and they took me through a few tests but nope, no internet. They sent me to the phone company to get a new jack and line to see if that was it. nope. They put me on a list to get a service call today. Sunday!!

The serviceman called this morning just after 8 AMA to say he was on his way and I was first on his list.

It was just a router, which I could have got yesterday too. Seems odd they didn't tell me to swap that one out.

anyways.... I'm back

Now to stop the DDT twitching LOL

Whew a big week over (and week 12 on the jars)

Well I made it through this week. Thank you to all of you for your messages of support. Mucho appreciato.

I literally ran all week from school activity to activity. I felt a bit like I neglected my kids to be honest. I hate that. My house is also a disaster. The school work is not yet over. Still have report cards and awards to get through but so far, *knock on wood* things are going smoothly.

Thank goodness for my mom. She did a bunch of cooking for me for my class trip as well as keeping DS2 at her house one night since I was gone with my class for two days. I really appreciate her and have told her so repeatedly.

It is nice to just curl up with a glass of wine tonight. let my fan blow coolish air across me and enjoy some BC cherries from the fruit truck (while watching the NHL hockey draft)

It is fantastic to have a weekend to get things done around home and at school. Already we are cleaning there and tidying and planning for next year.

As for the jars..I spent every cent this past week. Crazy expensive. I also spent the little bit I had leftover last week. I am literally starting a new month of a new budget with $0.

Have a great Friday night!!