Welcome to 2012

Hope you all had a wonderful New Year. Mine was quite possibly the best I have ever had, and there I was worrying I was in for another let down!

I've decided 2012 is the year in which I will save save SAVE to start the beginnings of a house deposit/ general lump of money. I'm not too bad with saving at the moment but I have gone ahead and drawn up a fabulous budget to work with this year. Helps so much to write it all down and set some serious goals!

Now there is another concept I am going to roll with this year . Instead of purchasing the things I want when I want, I am going to put money aside and get them when I have earned them. I hope this will help me stick to my budget and cull unnecessary purchases. And after all, I do enjoy buying nice things and this is a good way to continue doing that. 

I've got two things on my mind so far, the first being a Kindle. 

I am an avid reader and I love it dearly but the last few years between work, uni, seeing T and life in general I barley read a book anymore. This is so disappointing to me! In 2012 i'd really like to stop playing on my iPhone every night ( or waking moment.....) and read instead. As books are quite costly and I can't get to the library as often as I would like, I think this will be a perfect solution!

Won't take long to save for this one!

Secondly, I am in dire need of a new wallet. I have a Mimco wallet that is cream, or should I say WAS cream and has seen better days. Also, it is the type that fold into itself which I find quite annoying, I'd prefer a long style wallet. 

I have two contenders in mind, both fiercely biding for my attention. 

Large YSL CHYC Wallet

YSL Y-Mail Zip Wallet

These are certainly bigger ticket items which will take longer to save for, but as I stick with the same wallet for years I think it will be well worth it. I love them both which is the only problem!

I have certainly noticed a change with myself over the last year, I am less inclined to impulse purchase. I am hoping that by saving for the things I really want I will continue to make wise purchases and limit the amount of junk I bring into my life.

Are you saving for anything special? Do you have a Kindle? Which wallet do you prefer?

October Goal - Buy Nothing New

I stumbled across this initiative this morning , where you pledge to Buy Nothing New for the month of October 2011. The campaign aims to makes us sit back and think about why we buy things, where it all comes from and where it ends up when we throw it away.

I know I am constantly looking around my room at all my 'things' wondering how I managed to accumulate it all, buying a cheapie dress that I 'NEED!' for a girls night out and never wearing it again. 

Whilst Buy Nothing New is about raising awareness on consumption, I'm also really inspired to boost my savings at the moment so I am extra motivated to see this through. After all that spending on my trip which can only be described as a savings massacre , my bank account needs a little extra loving.

My biggest challenge will be that fact that it is my birthday at the end of October which usually is accompanied by shopping splurges. The way I view it is that I just brought everything I could ever need, using my birthday to go crazy is no excuse. I think that will be easier said then done.... but I will survive! I will also be actioning some major decluttering to donate what I don't use and to help me realise what I already have.

Luckily, all the good savings habits I have built up over this year are still going strong and I am already back into it. You can check out my post here for a few tips.

I've come to realise that it is imperative that I go to Paris ( amongst other places) in the near future and that will form part of my inspiration to stay away from the shops and buy nothing new!

Source: We Heart It

Check out the Buy Nothing New website here.

What do you think of this idea, and do you think you could do it?

Cheap Tricks

Thought I would do a quick post on some cheap little products that have helped make a marginal difference with my skin lately. 

First up, Vitamin E oil!

The skin under my eyes is shocking. Apart from the dark under eyes that was I was born cursed with, the skin around that area tends to get quite dry in winter and no amount of moistuiser seems to help much. As a result even thinking of applying concealer is a disaster as it settles into fine lines and looks awful. I've taken to applying some of this oil around the eye area ( not too close to eyes) each evening after cleansing/moisturising and have been waking up with noticeably plumped up and smoothed out skin. Winner!

Tea Tree Oil is my second cheap trick that's been helping out. As my skin type is quite oily and I am prone to blemishes I have been dabbing a bit of tea tree oil on spots at night and it has helped dry them up quicker. I would compare this to using benzac however I find that while it dries out spots it doesn't make my skin nearly as flaky as benzac tends to. 

Every now and then I steam my face before applying Dermalogica's Gentle Cream Exfoliant and I now add a few drops of this oil to the hot water for it's antiseptic properties.

So there you have it, sometimes it is the simple things that do the trick! Do you have any cheap tricks that work for you, I'd love to hear them!

Spending Ban Progress & Some Tips!

I am now into my FOURTH month of my spending ban! I say spending ban, but I guess it is more of a conscious effort to save more! I thought I would share a few of the things that I have been doing that have really helped me work towards my savings goals. I'm no expert that is for sure, but I try my best!

• Sit down and work out exactly what bills/expenses you will have for each month. For me this includes things like petrol, phone bills, car insurance payments, CC payments, gym membership and personal training etc. If you pay something weekly work out the monthly amount. Deduct the total amount from your monthly income and you will get a rough idea of that amount left you have to play with. I then aim to save most of the excess!

• I withdraw cash for things like petrol and personal training and keep it in separate envelopes so the money isn't sitting in my account and is less likely to be spent on an impulse purchase.

• Open an online savings account with a high interest rate. I use UBank and I find it to be extremely useful. UBank have the option to set up financial goals and watching your savings progress is totally motivating. Each week on pay day I transfer what ever money I have left over to save straight away.

• Be realistic about setting aside some money for entertainment. I learnt early on that it is unreasonable to expect that I won't go out and about on the weekend and might get a coffee, or see a movie with my boyfriend. I put aside a small amount for this each week and leave it in my everyday account.

• Birthday presents have always been a source of weakness for me. I love love LOVE buying people presents and sometimes go overboard. Spending less on presents has been a real challenge for me and I still feel quite guilty about it but at the end of the day it has to be done.

• If you are an impulse purchaser, stay away from credit cards! My biggest regret was getting a credit card last year. Looking back at the statements it is obvious that I spent it up on clothes and other crap that I barely use now. It is a lot harder to pay it off than it is to spend it. My CC is currently covered in layers upon layers of sticky tape so I can't whip it out and use it!

• Bring your own lunch to work. Enough said. Have also stopped buying the shitty coffee from the closest shop as a pathetic attempt of a caffeine fix! Easy money!

• Have goals! My goal is to save as much money as I can for New York, pay off my small CC debt and start up solid savings in general. Without a goal things get wishy washy quite quickly and it is easy to loose track. Think of the thing you are most passionate about achieving financially and strive for it!

If all goes continues to go well I will be buying  delicious things like this Alexander Wang Deigo Bucket Bag when I am in New York. Come to mama. 

That’s about all I can think of for now, but if you have any savings tips I would love to hear them! Is anyone else on a spending ban?