Spring Has Sprung!

Well, sort of. Then it disappeared again underneath a layer of snow... The weather has always had an obvious effect on my mood and therefore my finances. If it's cold, dark and gloomy outside, then it's always tempting to try and cheer myself up by splashing out on a new outfit, a meal in some posh restaurant, a gym membership (that I will likely never use again) or some other random purchase that will put a temporary smile on my face and leave a permanent dent in my bank account. So Britain is probably the worst place I could choose to live, considering the 3-hour summers we get here!

Hence my lack of update for February. All my willpower and Jedi skills were focused on just getting through the month without going crazy with the salary. And I think I succeeded. I had a couple of birthdays to pay out for, but otherwise I've done well. I reached the maximum limit on my ISA for this year, so opened a high interest savings account to act as a spill-over. I've also organised all my accounts on colourful spreadsheets that calculate how much interest I'm earning per day (still in the pennies, but it makes me feel good at least). Have now surpassed the £5k mark.

Mid-January Update

Thank you Mr Tax Man! I had a nice surprise when I returned home last Friday to find a cheque from HMRC refunding the majority of my National Insurance from 2011-2012! I'm adding this to the total, as technically it was my money to start with and they have simply given it back. Very positive start to the year!

Merry Christmas!

December has been a ridiculously busy month, so I haven't had time to update this blog until now. Work has been extra manic with all the flu-induced staff shortages, uni deadlines have loomed, and somehow I've managed to organise everything in time for Christmas (although it's all a bit of a blur, so I may have Santa to thank for that). However, I have managed to rack up some extra cash from all the overtime (always a silver lining). The total now stands at £3733.87, which is a bit more than I was aiming for by this point.

Christmas is always a dangerous time of year for my bank balance. I've never had trouble talking myself out of buying pretty heels or new dress (although there have been incidents where I've bought a gorgeous pair of eskimo boots from French Connection with the sole (haha) purpose of spending the night parading up and down in front of the mirror in them only to get a refund the next day). But I get a massive kick from splashing out on presents for other people (unresolved control issues maybe) and it's a real struggle sticking to a budget. This year I've been good though. I had a list by November with prices and shops, and spent a couple of weeks looking for all the best deals (no last minute panic buying). I managed to find most of the gifts online, so got a few £££ back on TopCashBack (I've used it for 2 years now, so happy to link them - although they should really pay me for the free ad) as well as various online discounts (I'll add a link on the side for the website I use). I should also note the money saved on travelling around shops in person, as most items were free delivery. I actually came in £3 under the budget I had set myself, so feeling very smug! And everyone was happy, so declaring it a victory.

Hope everyone has a wonderful Christmas and best wishes for 2013! 

A New System?

Following on from a debate we had at work this week, I'm going to add a more interactive post this month. Mainly because I'm curious to know what other people think (partly because I only have a few minutes in which to update this blog)!

Is the current economic system broken? Does capitalism work any more in today's world? Is our current system even true capitalism any more, considering that many people start life with a huge advantage over other humans? What alternatives are there aside from a communist, socialist approach? What would you favour and why? Or would you do away with an organised system entirely and go back to anarchy in the wilderness?

(oh, and I've added a couple hundred £££ to the pot!)

November Update

It's been a very long month, but have managed to add another couple of hundred to the kitty and now nearing the £3k mark. December will be expensive so I'm not expecting the total to increase much until the new year, but any extra will be a bonus.

On the down side, we have just been informed that the flat we currently reside in is likely to be sold in the next year. So now we have even more reason to save like crazy!

Only The Selfish Give To Charity

This post does what it says on the tin. Only selfish people give their hard (or not so hard) earned cash to charitable causes. That includes buying gifts for family and friends, giving spare change to random strangers in public, that direct debit you set up a few years back donating regularly to the NSPCA, buying copies of Big Issue on the way home after a day at the office... All completely selfish acts!

Humans are biologically engineered to act in a way that benefits them the most. There is very little we do in our everyday lives that is not intended to bring us some kind of personal gain. You smile at people in the street hoping they will spread the happiness a bit (and make your local environment easier for you to live in, whilst assuming you must have a great life to be so positive first thing in the morning and feel just that tiny bit jealous). Known for your generous nature at work (more cakes = more positive gossip = more likely you'll get promoted, or at the very least find it easier to control your minions once you get that promotion). You go along to support that environmental campaign to save the earth (in order to feel like you might have some sort of control over the future and pump up your ego. Not to mention that small fear you harbour that if you don't help to fix things, then it might get inconvenient when you're in old age and have to live in a flooded, burnt out, crowded bio-dome with no fuel and diminishing food supplies). You choose not to have kids to help decrease the global overpopulation (yeah, everyone knows it's because the brats are so damn expensive, noisy, time-consuming and waaaaay more selfish than you are - can't have that). Bought shares in that sustainable tech firm (more likely to make a high profit: ethical-companies-make-more-money). Splashed out on expensive jewellery for your wife's birthday (hoping for kinky sex later on).

Everyone acts in a completely selfish manner. And for good reason. A human wouldn't last very long without the basic desire to survive, and everything we do involves some sort of calculated risk that gives us a sense of whether the action we are about to take will help to prolong our life or in fact decrease it. But it does have the knock-on effect of benefiting other people. So don't feel guilty.

Keep giving and keep feeling smug. Everyone's a winner!

October Update

Not much to tell in terms of finance. The extra hours at work have made it difficult to fit in degree study, but it will pay off at the end of the month when I see my pay-slip. Last week I sat down and calculated how much I was spending on regular non-perishable items every year and managed to get a year's supply at a massive discount. I can't fit much else under the bed now! I'll have to write a separate post on this, as it's something many people (especially women) would benefit from.

In the meantime, I've added a bit more to my total and have updated the Fortunometer accordingly.

Happy saving!