MONTHLY SPENDING AND BUDGET REPORT-NOVEMBER 2014

To those new in this blog, This is my personal finance journal where I track my monthly spending. I just cannot believe that I last did this in June 2013. At the time my goal was to spend 60% and invest 40% of our income to help me (and hubby) to retire comfortably in our early 40s. Well that has changed a little bit. Retiring early is still our top priority but 60% has now become 50%.

It has been a very busy year. After paying up our last homeloan we went back to the banks and opened three new mortgages. And as most of you know, I am back at work and not miserable at all. Back in June 2013 we managed to live on 52% of our income. I really live well when I do this expenditure tracking stuff. I also enjoy it after a few months of starting because my spreadsheet is already set with fixed income and expenditure and formulas. November was a good month in that, we had a higher than norm income. We managed to live on 48% of our income.

Our November 2014 monthly spending and budget report:

INCOME	NOV'14	JUN'13	NOTES
Real Estate	11%	33%	Target is 25%. I only use NET (after costs).
Personal Income	49%	46%	We are working on growing other income streams to bring this lower.
Interest/ Dividends	0%	2%	Target is 10%. Our emergency fund interest was too low.
Online Income	2%	19%	Target is 10%.
Other	38%	0%	We got surprise money this month, skewing the results a bit.

Interest on my Emergency Fund is 5.25%, and the fund kept low. My stocks have been reduced by the huge sale we had to raise some funds.

SPENDING	NOV	JUN	NOTES
Real Estate	20%	34%	Still due to renovations.
Transportation	3%	0%	Fuel, insurance, hubby's tiny installment
Online	2%	0%
Internet/ Phones	2%	1%
Consumer	8%	4%	Includes food
Credit Card, Cash & Fees	7%	0%	Hubby used his credit card to fix the car.
Giving	5%	7%	This should be at around 10-12%.
Life Insurance	0%	1%	Fixed
Invested	52%	48%	We paid most of it into the Money Markets. I no longer top my Just Invest (Nedbank) savings up.

We lived on just above 50% of our income in June (comparing to 20% in May). Our Net Worth impressively well.

TRACKING 2013 GOAL PROGRESS (These are outdated; I will change these after setting new goals for 2015)

1. MAIN GOAL: net worth growth by at least 25%.-- 23% so far.
2. BUDGETING: invest at least 40% of income.-- 50.8% so far.  
3. EMERGENCY FUND: 3 months worth of living expenses.-- DONE.
4. GIVING: give of more than 10% of income.--5% so far.
5. REAL ESTATE: Construct at least 4 flats/ increase the rental income by 30% .-- not yet.
6. MORTGAGE: Pay up our home .-- DONE.
7. STOCKS AND DIVIDENDS: Get at least R12,000 in dividends.-- not yet.
8. EXTRA INCOME: Online income to R8000 per month by December 2013.-- +/-R3700 April.

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Monthly Spending and Budget Report-June 2013

To those new in this blog, This is my personal finance journal where I track my monthly spending. My goal for 2013 is to spend 60% and invest 40% of our income to help me (and hubby) to retire comfortably in our early 40s.

I spent a few months renovating one duplex. It took long because we it is not available to let anyway for another few months. Last month (May) we managed to live on 21% of our income. We hit a small ditch in June with 52% of income in expenditure. We are still smiling from ear to ear for having paid up our last mortgage.

Our June 2013 monthly spending and budget report:

INCOME	JUN'13	MAY'13	NOTES
Real Estate	33%	9%	Target is 25%, GREAT .
Personal Income	46%	86%	We are working on growing other income streams to bring this lower.
Interest/ Dividends	2%	1%	Our emergency fund interest.
Online Income	19%	5%
Other	0%	0%

Interest on my Emergency Fund is 4.65%, which is below the inflation rate.

SPENDING	JUN	MAY	NOTES
Real Estate	34%	10%	Still due to renovations.
Transportation	0%	0%
Online	0%	0%
Internet/ Phones	1%	1%
Consumer	4%	4%	Includes food
Credit Card, Cash & Fees	0%	2%
Giving	7%	3%	This should be at around 10-12%. It will even out during the scholarship payment months.
Life Insurance	1%	1%	Fixed
Invested	48%	79%	We paid most of it into the stocks. I no longer top my Just Invest (Nedbank) savings up.

We lived on just above 50% of our income in June (comparing to 20% in May). Our Net Worth impressively well.

TRACKING 2013 GOAL PROGRESS

1. MAIN GOAL: net worth growth by at least 25%.-- 23% so far.
2. BUDGETING: invest at least 40% of income.-- 50.8% so far.  
3. EMERGENCY FUND: 3 months worth of living expenses.-- DONE.
4. GIVING: give of more than 10% of income.--5% so far.
5. REAL ESTATE: Construct at least 4 flats/ increase the rental income by 30% .-- not yet.
6. MORTGAGE: Pay up our home .-- DONE.
7. STOCKS AND DIVIDENDS: Get at least R12,000 in dividends.-- not yet.
8. EXTRA INCOME: Online income to R8000 per month by December 2013.-- +/-R3700 April.

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Monthly Spending and Budget Report-May 2013

To those new in this blog, This is my personal finance journal where I track my monthly spending. My goal for 2013 is to spend 60% and invest 40% of our income to help me (and hubby) to retire comfortably in our early 40s.

Like I mentioned last month, the costs of the renovations reflect in May expenditure. We lived above 100% of our income in April. Yes, we had a shortage. The bulk of our money went to the renovations. Meaning, its an investment rather than consumption. We are back on track with 21% expenditure. We had to squeeze ourselves to pay up the mortgage off course. Its been a tough year.

Our May 2013 monthly spending and budget report:

INCOME	MAY'13	APR'13	NOTES
Real Estate	9%	37%	Target is 25% .
Personal Income	86%	56%	We are working on growing other income streams to bring this lower.
Interest/ Dividends	1%	6%	Our emergency fund interest.
Online Income	5%	0%
Other	0%	0%

Interest on my Emergency Fund is 4.65%, which is below the inflation rate.

SPENDING	MAY	APR	NOTES
Real Estate	10%	10%	Still due to renovations.
Transportation	0%	0%
Online	0%	4%
Internet/ Phones	1%	1%
Consumer	4%	6%	Includes food
Credit Card, Cash & Fees	2%	1%
Giving	3%	3%	This should be at around 10-12%. It will even out during the scholarship payment months.
Life Insurance	1%	1%	Fixed
Invested	79%	51%	We paid most of it into our homeloan. I no longer top my Just Invest (Nedbank) savings up.

We lived on just above 20% of our income in May (comparing to 134% in April). Our Net Worth grew well.

TRACKING 2013 GOAL PROGRESS

1. MAIN GOAL: net worth growth by at least 25%.-- 16% so far.
2. BUDGETING: invest at least 40% of income.-- 48% so far.  
3. EMERGENCY FUND: 3 months worth of living expenses.-- DONE.
4. GIVING: give of more than 10% of income.--5% so far.
5. REAL ESTATE: Construct at least 4 flats/ increase the rental income by 30% .-- not yet.
6. MORTGAGE: Pay up our home .-- not yet.
7. STOCKS AND DIVIDENDS: Get at least R12,000 in dividends.-- not yet.
8. EXTRA INCOME: Online income to R8000 per month by December 2013.-- +/-R3700 April.

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Monthly Spending and Budget Report-April 2013

To those new in this blog, This is my personal finance journal where I track my monthly spending. My goal for 2013 is to spend 60% and invest 40% of our income to help me (and hubby) to retire comfortably in our early 40s.

How hectic the renovations of one rental unit kept us. I couldn't escape to sneak more posts. The costs of the renovations reflect in our April expenditure and will hit hard on our May one again. We lived on an impressive 40% of our income in March. We stuck below our target budget of 60% spending and 40% investing. This month took us above 100% spending. I wish it was a joke.

Our April 2013 monthly spending and budget report:

INCOME	APR'13	MAR'13	NOTES
Real Estate	37	17%	Target is 25% .
Personal Income	56%	82%	We are working on growing other income streams to bring this lower and thus diversify risk.
Interest/ Dividends	6%	1%	Our emergency fund interest and dividends were good.
Online Income	0%	0%	Next month.
Other	0%	0%

Interest on my Emergency Fund is 4.65%, which is below the inflation rate. I took some money to the stocks in January. If the Governor and the Reserve Bank cut rates, I will be very sad.

SPENDING	APR	MAR	NOTES
Real Estate	32%	10%	Renovations.
Transportation	0%	0%	Paid mostly with cash left over from last month.
Online	4%	2%	Freelancers paid
Internet/ Phones	1%	1%
Consumer	6%	10%	Includes food
Credit Card, Cash & Fees	1%	7%	We used the Mr's credit card and paid it off over 50 days spread.
Giving	3%	3%	This should be at around 10-12%. It will even out during the scholarship payment months.
Life Insurance	1%	1%	Fixed
Invested	51%	61%	We didn't pay more into our homeloan like we usually do. This is only automated unit trusts and a small amount on the stocks. I no longer top my Just Invest (Nedbank) savings up.

We lived on just below 134% of our income in April (comparing to 40% in March). Our Net Worth grew by a tiny margin. For which I am grateful.

TRACKING 2013 GOAL PROGRESS

1. MAIN GOAL: net worth growth by at least 25%.-- 12% so far.
2. BUDGETING: invest at least 40% of income.-- 73% so far.  
3. EMERGENCY FUND: 3 months worth of living expenses.-- DONE.
4. GIVING: give of more than 10% of income.--5% so far.
5. REAL ESTATE: Construct at least 4 flats/ increase the rental income by 30% .-- not yet.
6. MORTGAGE: Pay up our home .-- not yet.
7. STOCKS AND DIVIDENDS: Get at least R12,000 in dividends.-- not yet.
8. EXTRA INCOME: Online income to R8000 per month by December 2013.-- +/-R3700 April.

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Monthly Spending and Budget Report-March 2013

To those new in this blog, This is my personal finance journal where I track my monthly spending. My goal for 2013 is to spend 60% and invest 40% of our income in order for me (and hubby) to retire comfortably in our early 40s.

I am very busy with the renovations of one rental unit, hence the silence. This is very costly but a story for the next post. How amazing is it that we lived on a mere 20% of our income in February. And yes we did double that to spending 40% of our income in March. But whats great is that we are still below our target budget of 60% spending and 40% investing. I am quite impressed with us, especially given the fact that we traveled a bit.

Our March 2013 monthly spending and budget report:

INCOME	MAR'13	FEB'13	NOTES
Real Estate	17%	13%	This is nicely toned down. I love it. 25% wouldn't be bad.
Personal Income	82%	72%	We are working on growing other income streams to bring this lower and thus diversify risk.
Interest/ Dividends	1%	1%	Our emergency fund has been reduced. Interest will be low. But we expect dividends to fill the gap..
Online Income	0%	14%	I received a small cheque and deposited it last week. It takes about 6 weeks to be cleared.
Other	0%	0%

One thing that makes me unhappy is that the interest on my Emergency Fund is 4.65%, which is below the inflation rate. I took some money to the stocks in January.

SPENDING	MAR	FEB	NOTES
Real Estate	10%	7%	Wish this would stay his low a contribution to total income.
Transportation	0%	1%	We live closer to Mr's work and I hardly ever drive.
Online	2%	1%	Laptop was fixed
Internet/ Phones	1%	1%
Consumer	10%	3%	Mainly food
Credit Card, Cash & Fees	7%	4%	We used the Mr's credit card and paid it off over 50 days spread.
Giving	3%	2%	This should be at around 10-12%. It will even out during the scholarship payment months.
Life Insurance	1%	1%	Fixed
Net Income (Left to Invest)	61%	80%	We didn't pay most of it to our homeloan like we usually do. We are using it to revamp one rental unit to hopefully get a decent rental. Thats one month delay in our mortgage pay-up plan. I no longer top my Just Invest (Nedbank) interest up.

We lived on just below 40% of our income in March (comparing to 20% in February). Our Net Worth grew by a tiny margin. Thanks to the misbehaving JSE. Being a newbie in stocks doesn't help either.

TRACKING 2013 GOAL PROGRESS

1. MAIN GOAL: net worth growth by at least 25%.-- 7.8% so far.
2. BUDGETING: invest at least 40% of income.-- 75% so far.  
3. EMERGENCY FUND: 3 months worth of living expenses.-- DONE.
4. GIVING: give of more than 10% of income.--5% so far.
5. REAL ESTATE: Construct at least 4 flats/ increase the rental income by 30% .-- not yet.
6. MORTGAGE: Pay up our home .-- not yet.
7. STOCKS AND DIVIDENDS: Get at least R12,000 in dividends.-- not yet.
8. EXTRA INCOME: Online income to R8000 per month by December 2013.-- +/-R3500 January.

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Monthly Spending and Budget Report-February 2013

To those new in this blog, This is my personal finance journal where I track my monthly spending. My goal for 2013 is to spend 60% and invest 40% of our income in order for me (and hubby) to retire comfortably in our early 40s.

Do you remember how we lived on 38% of our income in January and thought it cant possibly get any better? It did. Its an artificial jump due to the income I received for my tiny online business.

Our February 2013 monthly spending and budget report:

INCOME	FEB'13	JAN'12	NOTES
Real Estate	13%	17%	This is nicely toned down. I love it. 25% wouldn't be bad.
Personal Income	72%	82%	This is a new category.
Interest/ Dividends	1%	1%	Our emergency fund has been reduced. Interest will be low. But we expect dividends to fill the gap..
Online Income	14%	0.3%	I will get three months worth this month. I received a fat cheque and deposited it in January.It takes about 6 weeks to be cleared, I was told.
Other	0%	0%

One thing that makes me unhappy is that the interest on my Emergency Fund is 4.65%, which is below the inflation rate. I took some money to the stocks in January.

SPENDING	FEB	JAN	NOTES
Real Estate	7%	13%	Wish this would stay his low a contribution to total income.
Transportation	1%	1%	We live closer to Mr's work and I hardly ever drive.
Online	1%	0%	Laptop was fixed
Internet/ Phones	1%	0.4%
Consumer	3%	10%	Mainly food and clothing
Credit Card, Cash & Fees	4%	6%	We used the Mr's credit card and paid it off over 50 days spread.
Giving	2%	10%	This should be at around 10-12%. It will even out during the scholarship payment months.
Life Insurance	1%	1%	Fixed
Net Income (Left to Invest)	80%	62%	We paid most of it to our homeloan and some to top my stocks. Our debt-free days are fast approaching. I no longer top my Just Invest (Nedbank) interest up.

We lived on 20% of our income in February (comparing to 38% in January). Our Net Worth grew so so well again. This growth is from various sources. The unit trusts did quite well and so did the general JSE. I wish we would do this well throughout the year to be sure to hit our goal of R1M net worth growth by year end.

TRACKING 2013 GOAL PROGRESS

1. MAIN GOAL: net worth growth by at least 25%.-- 7% so far.
2. BUDGETING: invest at least 40% of income.-- 71% so far.  
3. EMERGENCY FUND: 3 months worth of living expenses.-- DONE.
4. GIVING: give of more than 10% of income.--6% so far.
5. REAL ESTATE: Construct at least 4 flats/ increase the rental income by 30% .-- not yet.
6. MORTGAGE: Pay up our home .-- not yet.
7. STOCKS AND DIVIDENDS: Get at least R12,000 in dividends.-- not yet.
8. EXTRA INCOME: Online income to R8000 per month by December 2013.-- +/-R3500 January.

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Monthly Spending and Budget Report-January 2013

To those new in this blog, I track my spending every month. My goal for 2013 is to spend 60% and invest 40% of our income in order for me (and hubby) to retire comfortably in our early 40s.

I am so excited about 2013. I now track the whole household spending. I also reduced our target to investing 40% of our income. I think we can do far better but we have a HUGE relocation that we need to embark on around mid year. Getting into the new house, painting, fixing, renovating, etc. 40 % is not bad too.
Do you remember how taxing December was, with close to R40k gobbled by my small online business?

Our January 2013 monthly spending and budget report:

INCOME	JAN'13	DEC'12	NOTES
Real Estate	17%	32%	This is nicely toned down. I love it. 25% wouldn't be bad.
Salary	82%	62%	This is a new category.
Interest/ Dividends	1%	5%	Our emergency fund has been reduced. Interest will be low. But we expect dividends to fill the gap..
Online Income	0.3%	0%	I will get three months worth this month. I received a fat cheque and deposited it in January.It takes about 6 weeks to be cleared, I was told.
Other	0%	0%

One thing that makes me unhappy is that the interest on my Emergency Fund is 4.65%, which is below the inflation rate. I took some money to the stocks in January.

SPENDING	JAN	DEC	NOTES
Real Estate	13%	12%
Transportation	1%	-%
Online	0%	65%
Internet/ Phones	0.4%	1%
Consumer	10%	2%	We had one of those expensive mini holidays.
Withdrawals&Fees	6%	0%
Giving	10%	18%	This should be at around 10-12%.
RA, Unit Trusts, Investments	3%	5%	Fixed for unit trusts and the rest of small investments. Some of which I regret.
Net Income (Left to Invest)	62%	-2%	Great start, 62% not spent!!! We paid all of it to our homeloan. Our debt-free days are fast approaching. I no longer top my Just Invest (Nedbank) interest up.

We lived on 38% of our income in January (comparing to 102% in December). Our Net Worth grew by about R105K in January. I wish this was sustainable. The unit trusts did quite well and so did the general JSE. If R105K was our average, we would be sure to hit our R1M net worth growth by year end.

TRACKING 2013 GOAL PROGRESS

1. MAIN GOAL: net worth grown by at least 25%.-- 2% January.
2. BUDGETING: invest at least 40% of income.-- 62% January.  
3. EMERGENCY FUND: 3 months worth of living expenses.-- DONE.
4. GIVING: give of more than 10% of income.--DONE.
5. REAL ESTATE: Construct at least 4 flats/ increase the rental income by 30% .-- not yet.
6. MORTGAGE: Pay up our home .-- not yet.
7. STOCKS AND DIVIDENDS: Get at least R12,000 in dividends.-- not yet.
8. EXTRA INCOME: Online income to R8000 per month by December 2013.-- +/-R4500 January.

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Monthly Spending and Budget Report-December 2012

To those new in this blog, I track my spending every month. My goal for 2012 was to spend 50% of my income in order for me (and hubby) to retire comfortably in early 40s. My December 2012 monthly spending and budget report is a bit late. I had an "end of the year" burn out and no blogging time. November was a great month. I spent only 46% of my income.

December has been taxing. I poured more than R30k into my small online business. It was actually close to R40,000 of my savings. I think I had to, to grow my online income for 2013. So naturally I overspent this month.

My December 2012 monthly spending and budget report:

INCOME	DEC'12	NOV'12	NOTES
Real Estate	32%	59%	Too high for my liking.
Hubby Allowance	62%	33%	I included the money from savings here which went to boost the online business.
Once Off	0%	1%	Interest free loan payment by my friend.
Online Income	0%	0%	I will get three months worth this month. I did. I finally receive a fat cheque this month. I only deposited it in January.
Extra	5%	8%	Interest on my Emergency Fund. Plus dividends, AGAIN. I so love Dividends. I wont lie about it.

One thing that makes me unhappy is that the interest on my Emergency Fund is 4.65%, which is below the inflation rate. I took some money to the stocks in January.

SPENDING	DEC	NOV	NOTES
Real Estate	12%	18%
RA & Unit Trusts	5%	7%	Fixed for my life insurance and the rest of small investments. Some of which I regret.
Online	65%	0%	A necessary and profitable expenditure I think.
Internet/ Phones	1%	2%
Consumer	2%	2%	Back to normal
Withdrawals&Fees	0%	0%
Giving	18%	16%	This doesnt seem to want to habour at around 10-12%.
To Invest	-2%	54%	-2% is DISMAL!!! I paid nothing to  my homeloan, but the Mr did. Like every month I didn't top my Just Invest (Nedbank) interest up. My Car Fund stroke stock picking is coming alright.

I lived on 102% of my income in December (comparing to 46% in November). Our Net Worth grew by just above R157K in December.
2012 was not a high achievement year if I may be honest. But I made lots of progress. My passive income grew. My intentions were to grow the dividend income, which didnt go as planned. The next post will be on what I achieved in 2012. I am so proud of myself because I never spent recklessly. Other than a few small holidays, we were good.
HAPPY 2013!!!

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Monthly Spending and Budget Report-November 2012

To those new in this blog, I track my spending every month. My goal is to spend 50% of my income in order for me (and hubby) to retire comfortably in early 40s. My November 2012 monthly spending and budget report is very late. October was a travel month for our family. Then the geyser (water heater) in one rental unit acted up leaving our income with a huge hole.

November has been much better. Every bad month is followed by a careful spending month. Thats why I love this reporting exercise. It keeps me on my toes

My November 2012 monthly spending and budget report:

INCOME	NOV'12	OCT'12	NOTES
Real Estate	59%	45%	Too high for my liking.
Hubby Allowance	33%	52%	What hubby gives to me.
Once Off	1%	0%	Interest free loan payment by my friend.
Online Income	0%	0%	I will get three months worth this month. I didn't. I finally received a fat cheque in December.
Extra	8%	4%	Interest on my Emergency Fund. Plus dividends, AGAIN. I so love Dividends. I wont lie about it.

One thing that makes me unhappy is that the interest on my Emergency Fund is 4.65%, which is below the inflation rate. I will be reducing that money this month, for better financial gain.

ITEM	NOV	OCT	NOTES
Real Estate	18%	24%
RA & Unit Trusts	7%	6%	Fixed for my life insurance and the rest of small investments. Some of which I regret.
Online	0%	7%	Yep.
Internet/ Phones	2%	2%
Consumer	2%	16%	Back to normal
Withdrawals&Fees	0%	4%
Giving	16%	16%	This doesnt seem to want to habour at around 10-12%.
To Invest	54%	26%	54% is GREAT!!! I paid nothing to  my homeloan, but the Mr did. Like every month I topped up my Just Invest (Nedbank) interest to a round R5000. then I started a Car Fund stroke stock picking.

I lived on 46% of my income in November (comparing to 74% in October). Our Net Worth grew by just above R21K in November.

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Monthly Spending and Budget Report-October 2012

To those new in this blog, I track my spending every month. My goal is to spend 50% of my income in order (for me and hubby) to retire comfortably in our early 40s. October 2012 monthly spending and budget report in one sentence... "Ridiculously high spending month". Last month was as bad with me going through 80% of my income for the month.

October was another travel month for my family. Add my breaking geyser (water heater) in the mix, plus a lost online income cheque in the post. See my spending report below .

My October 2012 monthly spending and budget report:

INCOME	OCT'12	SEP'12	NOTES
Real Estate	45%	46%	One unit had geyser repairs.
Hubby Allowance	52%	49%	Another bail out month for me.
Once Off	0%	1%
Online Income	0%	0%	I will get two months worth this month. I didn't. My money is somewhere in space.
Extra	4%	4%	Interest on my Emergency Fund. Dividends were ZERO again.Plus dividends, AGAIN.

One thing that makes me unhappy is that the interest on my Emergency Fund is 4.65%, which is below the inflation rate. I will be reducing that money this month, for better financial gain.

ITEM	OCT	SEP	NOTES
Real Estate	24%	13.6%	3 months worth of home owners association fees and taxes/rates.
RA & Unit Trusts	6%	8%	Fixed for my life insurance and the rest of small investments.
Online	7%	9%
Internet/ Phones	2%	2%
Consumer	16%	19%	High due to travel.
Withdrawals&Fees	4%	1%	Also due to the trip.
Giving	16%	21%	I also paid the last installment of the scholarship for my learner.
To Invest	26%	20%	26% is not bad. I paid nothing to  my homeloan, but the Mr did. Like every month I topped up my Just Invest (Nedbank) interest. Whatever interest I get, I top up to make it a round R5000 figure.

I lived on 74% of my income in October (comparing to 80% in September). Our Net Worth grew by R126K in September (part of it was bits and pieces of forgotten investments.) This is the growth in various investment vehicles and home equity. Keeping track of every cent is quite a lot.

I haven't heard anything from the agent nor from the lawyers regarding the rental property I am buying in a small SA town. It doesn't bother me at all.

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Monthly Spending and Budget Report-September 2012

To those new in this blog, I track my spending every month. My goal is to spend 50% of my income in order to retire comfortably in my early 40s. September 2012 monthly spending and budget report in one sentence... "High spending and low income month". Last month was not bad with me going through only 34% of my income for the month.

We had a mini holiday/ get away with the kids and a big trip for the two of us. I enjoyed the trip as we hooked up with my parents in the mix. That's always an amazing thing. Anyway, my miserable spending report follows.

My September 2012 monthly spending and budget report:

INCOME	AUG'12	SEP'12	NOTES
Real Estate	46%	40%	Rental income went really bad. One unit had doors replaced. I cant wait to have normal rental next month
Hubby Allowance	49%	53%	I must say he gave me a bail out due to the duplex repairs coupled with the legal fees on the new rental property transaction.
Once Off	1%	2%	Interest free loan I gave to a friend. She is paying monthly.
Online Income	0%	0%	I will get two months worth this month. I didn't. My one cheque delayed for some reasons and I had to just cancel it with the company.
Extra	4%	5%	Interest on my Emergency Fund. Dividends were ZERO again.Plus dividends, YAY!!!

Interest on my Emergency Fund is always a welcome addition. Two companies paid out dividends. The Mr did far better on the dividends.

ITEM	AUG	SEPT	NOTES
Real Estate	13.6%	20%	My one and only mortgage. I decided to pay all the home owners association fees and taxes/rates three months in advance so I dont pay them monthly. I will only pay these end of September/ beginning of October.
RA & Unit Trusts	6.2%	8%	Fixed for my life insurance and the rest of small investments and savings.
Online	0%	9%
Internet/ Phones	0.8%	2%
Consumer	1.8%	19%	This is high due to travel.
Withdrawals&Fees	0.3%	1%	Also due to the holiday and trip.
Giving	11.2%	21%	I have been a bit of a Santa Clause. From here, no Christmas gifts from me. I mean it.
To Invest	66%	20%	20% is not bad at all for such a hectic month. I paid nothing to  my homeloan, but the Mr did. Like every month I topped up my Just Invest (Nedbank) interest. Whatever interest I get, I top up to make it a round R5000 figure. The leftover amount was paid over to lawyers for the transfer/ registration of the rental property I am buying.

I lived on 80% of my income in September (comparing to 34% in August). I had to get a bit from our savings to add into legal fees. My Net Worth grew by R56,400 in September (yes, I decided to keep track of this too now.) This is the growth in various investment vehicles and home equity.

I said I will be paying all my extra income into my homeloan to fast track bond payment. I changed my mind. If things go well, I may use part of my emergency fund to finance the rental property I am buying in a small SA town. I am paying cash for it and have the tenants waiting for the registration already. It seems that the transaction will drag. But that gives me time to build into my emergency fund from October, in order to have my EF at 12 months expenses after paying the new property.

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Monthly Spending and Budget Report-August 2012

To sum up my monthly spending and budget report for August 2012 in one sentence... "Its been a great month with high earnings and low spending". You may remember that last month was the highest spend month with security bars fixed and the likes. .

There are no highlights for August. I just had a boring month as most may know, building wealth involves the same routine month after month, lonely at times but overall, its way to exciting to know you live at own terms. I wrote about my feelings mostly.

My August 2012 monthly spending and budget report:

INCOME	JUL'12	AUG'12	NOTES
Real Estate	63%	46%	The extra I got from hubby kind of toned this down. I really need to boost my other investments to catch up with my rental income.
Hubby Allowance	32%	49%	This month hubby gave me cash gift so I can spoil myself. I still am thinking of what I'll buy. Thinking along the lines of a gadget. Some tablet, I think.
Once Off	0%	1%	Interest free loan I gave to a friend. She is paying monthly.
Online	0%	0%	I will get two months worth this month.
Extra	4%	4%	Interest on my Emergency Fund. Dividends were ZERO again.

Interest on my Emergency Fund is always a welcome addition. Dividends were ZERO again.

ITEM	%OF INCOME	NOTES	NOTES
Real Estate	25.1%	13.6%	My one and only mortgage. I decided to pay all the home owners association fees and taxes/rates three months in advance so I dont pay them monthly. I will only pay these end of September/ beginning of October.
RA & Unit Trusts	7%	6.2%	Fixed for my life insurance and the rest of small investments and savings.
Online	0%	0%
Internet/ Phones	1.6%	0.8%
Consumer	1.6%	1.8%	Most shopping was done by hubby.
Withdrawals&Fees	0.3%	0.3%	Great
Giving	44.2%	11.2%	Back to normal. This is usually between 11% and 15%. Last month was crazy with loans to friends and more gifts. It got to almost half my income.
To Invest	20.2%	66%	WOW!!! My focus is paying up  my homeloan. I also top up my Just Invest (Nedbank) to grow by R5000 per month. Whatever interest I get, I top up to make it a round R5000 figure. This serves as my emergency fund account.

My leftover cash was 66%. I lived on 34% of my income in August. That's amazing. As usual I topped up my emergency fund by R3800, paid some in my home loan account. Remember in July I ended with a negative balance sheet statement with a - R2800 balance for the month? This month I ended up with lots to smile about.

I said I will be paying all my extra income into my homeloan to fast track bond payment. I changed my mind. If things go well, I may use part of my emergency fund to finance the rental property I am buying in a small SA town. I am paying cash for it and have the tenants waiting for the registration already. Its promising to be a brilliant deal.

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Monthly Spending and Budget Report-July 2012

To sum up my monthly spending and budget report for July 2012 in one sentence I'd write... "To say its been a high expenditure month is an under-statement of the year". But I achieved more this month than most months. I think when you have huge once-off expenditure items, you become more careful with your spending in other areas.

Remember that this is the month where I got a pleasant surprise of a reduction in levies for one unit, then security fees climbed up in two units, and my mid year goal review showed just how slow my progress is, but I'm not complaining. I spent a lot of money last month. But it was all responsible spending. Plus the interest rates dropped... which is never great news for savers.

My July 2012 monthly spending and budget report:

INCOME	% OF TOTAL	NOTES
Real Estate	63%	That's higher than I wish, meaning that my other income is too low.
Hubby Allowance	32%	This is not so necessary but I like it.
Once off	0
Online	0
Extra	4%	Interest on my Emergency Fund. Dividends were ZERO again.

On the expenditure front: it was my first overspending month for the year.

ITEM	%OF INCOME	NOTES
Real Estate	25.1%	1 mortgage & taxes/rates. I am not counting the barrier doors because they were not taken directly from my income.
RA & Unit Trusts	7%	Fixed
Online	0%	I did spend $50 on my online business but I made provision for it from my previous online income.
Internet/ Phones	1.6%
Consumer	1.6%	Groceries, personal care and all that jazz .Not realistic, I think most shopping was done by hubby.
Withdrawals&Fees	0.3%	Great
Giving	44.2%	Part of this is an interest free loan to a friend.
Invested	20.2%	Like I mention below, I paid some to  my homeloan even before I started spending. I also topped up my Just Invest which serves as my emergency fund account.

OVERSPENDING

-R2784

I ended in the RED. In reality I overspent by -R20,784 if we take the security costs of that one unit into consideration. But the money was from savings, not my monthly income.

My parents were in a tight corner and I helped them out with R9000, there goes my online income from last month. I then topped up my emergency fund by R6000, paid R3000 extra in my homeloan account, paid all municipal accounts until October and paid this quarter school fees for my one and only bursary recipient. I had to take funds elsewhere to pay for the barrier doors (R18000) for the ground floor of my biggest unit. This gave me a negative balance sheet statement with a - R2800 balance. Thats how little I overspent. My online income usually helps with occasional needs of my parents.

Interest rate cut means my interest on the emergency fund drops whilst my home-loan installment is in its lowest. I still cant believe how low it is. Since its not profiting me much to save at the moment, I will put all my extra income into my homeloan to fast track bond payment. Its my last home-loan standing. I cant wait to be home loan free.

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Monthly Spending and Budget Report-June 2012

My monthly spending and budget report for June 2012. It makes me glad to report on the highest income month this year. I had above R13,000 online income. I decided to only claim my online income when its above R10,000. It takes me 2 or 3 months to get that. I am happy with my online income for now. I am happy with my Nedbank JustInvest interest. I am happy with my property income. I am totally unhappy with my dividend income. I am working on it seriously though. Hopefully my discipline will pay off.

I’m not confident enough to continue picking stocks and want to go the Satrix Divi route. I am a beginner stock investor and should behave like one. I will get lower returns with the Satrix fund than if I picked the best individual stocks. However, I ma pick the worse stocks too. But the Satrix Divi is a good mix of stocks that are expected to perform well. Some will perform well but some may not. I am banking on the benefit I will get from the great performing ones. What I want is a boost in my monthly income through higher dividends. R5000 per month would be amazing. Below is my budget and spending in percentages.

My June 2012 monthly spending and budget report:

INCOME	% OF TOTAL	NOTES
Real Estate	36%	Down from 59% last month. I like it when my rental properties are contributing a lower percentage. This is partly due to my online income and to a lower extent, preparing one rental unit for tenants.
Hubby Allowance	24%	This is not so necessary but I like it.
Once off	2%	Interest free loan repayments by a friend.
Online	35%	This is not for 1 month. I keep a hold on my payments for 3 months or more.
Extra	3%	Interest on my Emergency Fund. Dividends were ZERO again.

On the expenditure front: we had a nice and short holiday. It started with a trip to my in-laws and ended with a short trip to Gauteng. What a cold piece of SA. It was so refreshing though.

ITEM	%OF INCOME	NOTES
Real Estate	15.8%	1 mortgage & taxes/rates.
RA & Unit Trusts	5.5%	Fixed
Online	2.6%
Internet/ Phones	2.9%	Broken 3G cards, contract upgrades, etc, very costly.
Consumer	12.5%	Groceries, personal care and all that jazz.
Withdrawals&Fees	0%	Great
Giving	13.8%	Part of this is an interest free loan to a friend.
To Invest	47%	A huge part of this went to my homeloan. A small part went to my Just Invest. I am thinking of dumping the rest on the soon to be opened Satrix Divi.

It’s been a great month. I have an opportunity to get back to work after years of a break. That's very confusing. Most of my investments are 100% passive, justifying my going back to work in a way. This is more so now that I decided to give all my properties but one to a property manager. Hiring a property manager makes a huge difference when you don’t want to run around fixing tiny issues.

This is the second semester of 2012. The first half of the year is gone. We are given an opportunity to do better. The question is: are we gona take that that opportunity and do right with our personal finances this round.

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Monthly Spending and Budget Report-May 2012

My very first monthly spending and budget report for 2012. Its so embarrassing that I never reported on this for four months. The result of that was me losing my focus and off course I'm back to my straight and narrow. In the news this past three months, we made an offer on an amazing commercial property and the deal fell apart. Then we decided to upgrade on our home, and changed our minds. Here we are now, happy with our smaller, cheaper to maintain home. Our son wanted a swimming pool badly but he'll live.

My May 2012 monthly spending and budget report:

INCOME	% OF TOTAL	NOTES
Real Estate	59%	I am hoping to reduce this by increasing other streams of income.
Hubby Allowance	31%	He is so cute.
Once off	9%	Money my sister used for her emergency.
Online	0%	I keep a hold on my online income until its reasonable. In June I am getting the online income for a few months. I will only record then.
Dividends	0%	2012 will be spent growing this and other interest.

My online income is growing at a healthy rate. I'm also pleased that when my sister had an emergency, I was able to be a lender of an interest free loan. She gave it back in a month. Its great having a family. You get these interest free loans. She was very grateful, making this loan so very worthwhile.

ITEM	%OF INCOME	NOTES
Real Estate	18.9%	1 mortgage & taxes/rates.
RA & Unit Trusts	6.6%	Fixed
Loan to Business	0%
Internet/ Phones	1.5%	I manage to keep this very low.
Consumer	9.9%	Groceries, personal care and all that jazz.
Withdrawals&Fees	0.4%	This was a cash month. I withdrew cash twice.
Giving	12.4%	Back down.
To Invest	50.4%	So proud of me! And indeed I started my emergency fund which will soon be spilling over to my CD which we are laddering. From the unfortunate deal that didn't work well.

I worked on an exciting plan of laddering a CD portfolio. I had some money which would be part of the down payment to the commercial property. I changed my mind on laddering this and dividing it into five pieces. My thinking is having it in my special savings account which will also serve as our emergency fund.  I got a great 5.15% interest. However, if this goes to retail bonds, I can get up to 9% for a 5 year investment. I am just growing this  amount so I can take anything between R100,000 and R200,000 by the end 2013 to retail bonds for 5 years, then another one in 2013, and another in 2014. This will leave me with 5 pieces for a period of 5 years each. The question is, will I be able to save that much in a year, going forward. I just have to commit to it.

I had a vacant property for 2 months. This the first for me in 10 years. Its a very horrible experience. However, I hated the problems with the previous tenant even more. We signed an agreement for her to pay me what she owes in affordable payments over 6 months. I'm not holding my breath to receive all of it but I'm very glad the whole tenant-landlord relationship is over. I gave that unit to a real estate managing company. I've had enough with it. Its time I realize I am a real estate investor and not a property manager.

Keep cool those in warm countries and warm to those in cold countries. I will try the weekly blogging thingy. I wish myself luck with that.

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Monthly Spending and Budget Report-December 2011

My monthly spending and budget report is what keeps me focused. It came very late again this month. We were away on a small holiday. I must say, we are blessed to have opportunities to travel like we do as a family. How nice is it that after all that I have to come and account to myself in this space. This tracking of my income and spending alone has made me much better at taking care of my personal finances. Being conscious of my spending proved to be healthier than I ever imagined. I still hate drawing a budget but I am very aware of where my money comes from and where it goes.I think I will fall in love with budgeting at some point.

My December 2011 monthly spending and budget report:

INCOME	% OF TOTAL	NOTES
Real Estate	56%	Our mortgages is set on some 3 tier interest rates. We have gone past tier 1 and 2 and we are now on 3 where the rates are the lowest. January is my first low mortgage payment.
Hubby Allowance	36%
Once off	0%
Online	8%	December is always bad in my online business. Its my dry month. January will be great, I know.
Dividends	0%	This is not monthly YET. 2012 will be spent growing this.

My online income was down by 33%. I was expecting the worst, which helped. Low expectations are really great in disappointment management. All I want in 2012 is to double my tiny online income. I am not quite in the league of people who live off of their online businesses. I just keep doing this at a slow pace to keep my mind active. The income also helps.

ITEM	%OF INCOME	NOTES
Real Estate	26.1%	1 mortgage, gas & taxes/rates.
RA & Unit Trusts	7.5%	Fixed
Loan to Business	0%
Internet/ Phones	1%	I keep this very low.
Consumer	26.5%	Groceries and all that jazz.
Withdrawals&Fees	11.4%	This was a cash month. I withdrew cash twice.
Giving	8.5%	Back down.
To Invest	19%	so proud of me!

Remember in October I had an extra 54% left over at the end of it all, then November saw me 15% in deficit. I dipped in my savings. In December, despite the holiday, I am back up. I have a challenge on the real estate assets. I have a very late rental payment, which I will do a post about, shortly. That unit will be vacant in March if I fail to get a tenant. Scary thought but that's how the real estate income goes. If you have one unit, a tenant default means zero income. It actually puts you on the negative because you pay for the property itself and then for its maintenance.

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Monthly Spending and Budget Report Nov'11

My monthly spending and budget report is what keeps me focused. You may notice this is very late. I struggled to post it here because of my ridiculously high overspending. I helped my baby sister with her college fees. I like it when I do that but I never got an opportunity to see it in black and white in my report. Anyways tracking my income and spending has made me much better at taking care of my personal finances. Being conscious of my spending proved to be healthier than I ever imagined. I still hate drawing a budget but I am very aware of where my money comes from and where it goes.

My November 2011 monthly spending and budget report:

INCOME	% OF TOTAL	NOTES
Real Estate	54%	It helps that all (but one) mortgages are paid off.
Hubby Allowance	35%
Once off	0%
Online	11%	I made my target. Its still tiny but I'm not complaining.
Dividends	0%	This is not monthly YET. 2012 will be spent growing this

My income is back down to where it should be, it was a very normal month. My online income keeps growing (close to $50 increase for November). December is usually a bad month, I'm not holding my breath. 

ITEM	%OF INCOME	NOTES
Real Estate	35.9%	1 mortgage, gas & taxes/rates. I overpaid somewhere.
RA & Unit Trusts	7.3%	Fixed
Loan to Business	0%
Internet/ Phones	1%	I keep this very low.
Consumer	12.9%	Groceries and all that jazz.
Bank Fees	0.9%	Shocking
Giving	56.9%	My contribution to baby sister's college fee. Its not a loan.
To Invest	-14.9

We had a trip in November. Unlike in October where I had an extra 54% left over at the end of it all, November saw me 15% in deficit. There go my savings. The real estate assets are doing well, all my properties are fully let, no vacancy. My handyman disappointed me though, some small work still needs to be done in my one apartment.

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Monthly Spending and Budget Report

Two months ago I started tracking my income and spending and that has made me a much better investor. Before that, I never knew how much of a consumer I was. Being conscious of your spending can be so healthy. I still hate drawing a budget but I am so aware of where my money comes from and where it goes. I am asking myself why I didnt start this blog earlier. I even decided to live in my house and stop house hunting because, for some reason my house is not that small anymore. Thats what this monthly spending report has done to me.

INCOME	% OF TOTAL	NOTES
Real Estate	50%	Percentage gone down because of increse in allowance.
Hubby Allowance	32%	Doubled, I took all the real estate responsibility.
Once off	9%	Gift from family
Online	9%	About $100 growth this month.
Dividends	1%	This is where I wana grow now.

My income went up but its an artificial growth because its all coming from my family. My online income is what is growing steadily. I got a good $100 increase this month. I hope to see another $100 increase in November.

ITEM	%OF INCOME	NOTES
Real Estate	22.4%	1 mortgage & taxes/rates
RA & Unit Trusts	6.5%	Fixed
Loan to Business	7.7%	Online income slowly taking care of business.
Internet/ Phones	0.9%	Glad I could reduce this.
Consumer	0.6%	Hubby took care of groceries. And I spent a negligible amount here.
Bank Fees	0.3%	Need to pay my bank a visit.
Giving	7.4%
Left for investing	54.1%	Never had 50% left over to re-invest  before.

I nearly had a trip in October, which is postponed to November. Meaning my spending in November will be higher. October has been great in that I had an extra 54% left over at the end of it all. This means my savings are getting a boost. My properties are fully let, no vacancy. I will be replacing some closet doors though, which means November will be a pricey month.

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Monthly Spending and Budgeting Report

Last month I started tracking my expenditure and drawing a budget, sort of. I am very glad I did. My impulsive spending has been tamed, remarkably. I even took over a few financial responsibilities from hubby's hands. Here we go:

Income

Real Estate = 64%

Allowance = 22% (I get this from hubby because all work from home spouses do, I think.)

Online =13% (This is growing, makes me very glad. The $500 per month target is so close)

Surprise Dividends = 1% (not worth talking about)

 Expenditure

Real Estate = 42% (about $300 more this month due to the added tasks taken from hubby's hands)

Gifts = 10%

Home Making = 6%

Small Investments/ Policies = 7%

Phone & internet = 2%

Loan to my small business = 9%

Left for Investments = 23%

I realized that other personal finance bloggers write the amounts. I don't think I'm ready to that for now. I am not frugal, I just work hard at increasing my income streams. I now have the luxury of working from home and spending a great amount of time with my daughter and son (after school). Nothing compares to that, but going back to work part time is an option that I never completely crossed off my list.
I did stick to my budget guide. Nothing beats writing stuff down to help one commit. I took over paying taxes and gas for our holiday place from hubby. Lets just say, we have to have this home. Its a necessary temporary expense.

I still cant believe I managed to remain with more than 20% of my income to invest or save. It makes me feel so responsible about my future and that of my kids.
A huge plus on the income front is that I got a tenant for the duplex that was to be vacant this month. Whoohooo! My new single mom tenant is happy and unpacking her stuff. Tomorrow is the day she sends me her wish list---SIGH.

I will be happy to maintain my budget as it is this month. I will be fixing minor stuff in the duplex which takes me a little out of my budget. This blog is my best time investment for the year.

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Closer Look at my Spending Patterns

Things went out of hand with my monthly cash flow balance in August, and maybe a few months before that. I think when you have no debt to fight, you lose track pretty easily. I decided to track my spending, for the first time ever in my life. Hope that goes well.

I had a credit card for a year in my 20s and I decided to get rid of it. I realized that I was happier without it. Indeed, I am. But I must say, it sounds kind of dumb not to have a credit card at the moment. I withdraw (5-8% of my expenditure) cash every month as I worry that my debit card wont work everywhere. I think it actually does work everywhere but I am always thinking of the worst that can happen. And yes, I did make a purchase from a Chinese shop last month and they only take cash. But I can do without that one shop.

See my spending for last month.

August Spending (not budget)

My gifts were also higher due to my niece's trip abroad for a school tour. She was too excited and for some strange reason, I was too. Talk about living your dreams through the kids. I love giving, but it seldom goes above 15%.

We also traveled to an island (on Mr's budget), and did another one week holiday as a family. That sent all my financial sanity out the window. Remember that I had no emergency fund too, and that's about to change in September. I have adjusted my emergency fund savings to a whole 11% of my spending. Anything left over is going to my planned investment trial.

September Spending

I also tried to do the weekly grocery shopping, instead of more often. That is going well so far. I can see some savings in that. What was I thinking going to the food store more often? I may have to take an unplanned trip too. That will be a bummer to my budget plans.

How does your spending look like? Where do you invest the most? What do you indulge in the most?

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