Stuff

Recently I'm finding it harder to make time to write posts for my blog. Working takes up a fair portion of the spare time I used to have, but there are other less obvious obstructions. The first of these is I am trying to wean myself off using the internet at uni, as I am officially unenrolled now and it's only a matter of time before my internet account is locked. This means that I'm restricted to using the internet during public library opening hours which are mostly during the times I work. Also I'm now earning enough to have more than a bare bones survivalistic existance, which means I can actually go shopping in my spare time that otherwise could be used for blogging.

It's rather novel to be able to go shopping again. Ironically now that I can actually afford to buy things (well... within reason), I don't seem to have much spare time to go shopping. This is probably a good thing however as I don't want to get in the habit of wasting the money I earn. But on the other hand, I've been on a student sized income for so long, that I have a huge backlist built up of things that "I'll buy when I have some spare cash". For the kitchen alone:
griddle pan, proper chefs knife, bread knife, wok, salad spinner, second chopping board, another wooden spoon, more cutlery, a pan (or several) that can go both on the stove and in the oven, roasting tray, simmer ring, the list goes on...

Other areas of life have similarly long lists of things that cost money.
Clothing (all kinds)
Things to go to (So you think you can dance tour, Cinderella on Ice, the Da Vinci machines exhibition)
Things to do (ballroom dancing lessons, singing lessons, language classes, travel, massages)

Are these things absolutely necessary? Well clearly the answer is no, as I've lived without them so far, but...

It's really cool having a real income. I'm not quite used to it yet and in a way I hope I don't get used to it. It's nice to have this feeling of earning more than I need to survive (As a comparison measure, I'm earning a little under double what I used to earn from casual work while studying). However I know that it's very easy for one's "necessary" expenses to expand to fill up any increase in your income, that's why people (typically) find it so hard to save money. It's often quoted that people generally believe that the amount of money they really need is 10% more than they're earning, regardless of whether they earn $300/week or $3000.

To avoid falling into the pattern of spending everything I earn (or more), I'm following some of the recommendations laid out in the book The Richest Man in Babylon by George S. Clason. Excellent book - I highly recommend it. I'd also recommend How to get what you want in life with the money you already have by Carol Keeffe. In some regards, it's rather dated (ie the cost of a block of land in one of the examples she talks about), but most of the advice is timeless and excellent.

Every fortnight direct after getting paid, I immediately transfer a fixed percentage of my income into online savings account where the money is not immediately accessible. Another percentage goes directly toward paying down the credit card debt built up from periods when I wasn't working. It's not a big debt but as the interest on it is simply money down the drain, getting rid of it is a priority. (And for the record: if you don't have a credit card I don't recommend getting one, it's too easy to spend money you don't have, even when you're determined not to. Go debit mastercard or debit visa instead.)

Then I live off the rest of my income. While I still have the experience of getting to the end of the fortnight without any money left over, I'm not worried about that because I know I've already taken care of putting aside money for the things that are important to me.