Tutorial: How to add a waistband to the Meringue Skirt – Useful! I think I need to make some more skirts.
Month: November 2011
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This 28-Year-Old’s Startup Is Moving $350 Million And Wants To Completely Kill Credit Cards – Busine
This 28-Year-Old’s Startup Is Moving $350 Million And Wants To Completely Kill Credit Cards – Business Insider – Pretty cool. So he’s basically just built a web service that sits between account transfers. People use direct account transfers a lot in Australia, but it hasn’t taken off as retail payment method yet.
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Tracking Finances
Tracking Finances
There was an article this morning on Get Rich Slowly called “The Many Ways to Control and Know the Flow of Your Dough”. It reminded me that I’ve been meaning to post about this too. It’s not a sexy subject, of course, but it’s actually something I’m quite proud of. We started tracking our finances last year and now have detailed data going back for more than 12 months about all of our expenses. I can tell you how much we spent on groceries, how much we spent on the cats, how much we lost to bank fees, etc. It’s pretty invaluable.So, how did we get here? The Snook and I have historically not been hugely organised with our finances. Since we’ve been together, we’ve earned enough to do what we want and that’s pretty much all we cared about. That all changed when we bought our house. I started reading finance blogs like GRS and The Simple Dollar. I knew we needed to have an emergency fund of a couple months’ expenses, but I had no idea what we actually spent. It was time to start tracking. I first tried out an iPhone app called “Cha-Ching” for several months, but they got bought out by Quicken and development stopped. I know a lot of people like online services like Mint, but support for Australian bank accounts is/was pretty crappy. (I’m wary of using the cloud for my financial data too.) Then I discovered MoneyWell, and we’ve been using that ever since.
I’m not gonna lie; there was a learning curve. MoneyWell uses the metaphor of envelope budgeting, which I had to get my head around. We also experienced some syncing issues between the iPhone and desktop versions, which have thankfully since been worked out. I’m sure I don’t use 70% of the powerful features in the app, but right now it’s perfect for our needs. For the first few months we used it solely for tracking, but once we had an idea of our monthly expenses, we started using it for budgeting as well. Here’s how we use it now:
- On the 1st of the month, I “refill all the buckets” (where bucket = envelope). Basically, I have a custom amount allotted for each budget category that gets put into virtual buckets. Some buckets I empty and start fresh each month (like Groceries or Dining Out), while others I allow to build up (like our Vacation fund).
- Throughout the month, we both use our iPhones to record expenses. Periodically, I check the online bank accounts and input things like bill payments and credit card expenses. We’re not super anal about it. Every now and then I check how much cash we have against how much we’re supposed to have, and it’s always out by $5-20. (I just chalk that up to Dining, since it’s pretty safe to assume it’s incidentals like coffee.)
- At the end of the month, I generate a report that shows the totals spent for each bucket. I then work out how that equates to the Balanced Money Formula. I have a shared Google spreadsheet where I record the totals for Income, Needs, Wants, Charity, and Savings for each month.
I know that sounds like a lot of work, but it’s actually not. The iPhone apps sync to the desktop app, and I probably spent maybe 2 hours on it per month. Now that I’ve got a system down, I actually look forward to the end of the month when I get to see the results of our efforts. I’ve learned that we spend slightly more than half our income on “Needs,” but that’s not too surprising given the high cost of living here. I’ve learned that we have a tendency to splurge on groceries, so having a set bucket amount is useful to remind us to rein it in. Seeing the amount we were spending on dining out each month persuaded us to start taking our lunches in every day. And it’s not all frugality – having some money allotted each month for Entertainment and Hobbies means you don’t have to feel guilty for spending it!
The upshot is: tracking your finances is a really, really good idea. You don’t have to be all high-tech about it. A pencil and some paper works just fine. (If you’re a data nerd though, I do recommend MoneyWell for Mac and iOS.)
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Shared today on Twitter
Trying to find somebody willing/stupid enough to see the Twilight movie with me. I think I’ve convinced @kunaal84!
@drkknits @kunaal84 The reviews actually make me want to go more. It’s better if it’s cheesy.
@kunaal84 BUT WHAT IF IT’S A VAMPIRE HUMAN HYBRID, HUH?
@drkknits @kunaal84 Okay, the “Kris is having a vampire baby” tangent is clearly my fault. NOT TRUE. RESCINDED.
@drkknits @kunaal84 Hm. I wonder if Viking Eric can have babies…
@drkknits @kunaal84 IT WAS MY DREAM FIRST. GET YOUR OWN, KYLIE
@drkknits @kunaal84 I think it’s understood that you get Jon Snow and any ensuing hybrid human-warg babies. Right?
@drkknits @kunaal84 I’m not in a rush. You wanna come up on the weekend?
@redambition @kunaal84 Because it was kind of hilarious seeing him scarred by Black Swan last year. His mental anguish is my amusement.
@kunaal84 @redambition NOT GONNA HAPPEN, DUDE. Besides, you’d probably just call it “Sachin” or something like that.
@drkknits @kunaal84 @redambition I figured you’d go with a number, like George Costanza’s “Seven.” Hm. “Ninety-nine Ramchandani”…? 🙂
@randomknits Ooh, I want tweets advising how cheesetastic it is!
RT @latikambourke: Picture of President Obama’s message to Australia in the PM’s visitors book. http://t.co/qhv7Afq6
@randomknits So wait, we get the birth in part 1? Where does the story break?
A soggy, grey day demands bright red tights (and matching lippie). @ MobileEmbrace http://t.co/uftehuBg
@drkknits You were right. It’s a very blue-based red, and it comes out quite pinky on my legs.
@Opheli8 I was tempted to go purple. I got purple too.
@kunaal84 Oh no! Get thee to a masseuse or physio, stat.
@gilmae @drkknits You’d think that, but no. Women often distinguish between “cool” (blue-based) reds and “warm” (yellow-based) reds.
@gilmae @drkknits It’s mostly mystifying to me. My mother-in-law thinks I should have my “colours done” so I know what to wear.
@drkknits @gilmae He’s being a computer nerd. 🙂
@drkknits @gilmae It’s the ones in the olden days that were considered safe to use on the web: http://t.co/21G59i4U
RT @sthcrft: How did I not notice Minecraft was out for iOS today????? http://t.co/r62rx1jF
@randomknits Ahh, okay. I actually stopped reading just past the imprinting scene. Just couldn’t take it anymore. So the ending will be new!
@randomknits @drkknits I have a different definition of “action” (i.e. I stopped when I finally got to them doing it as vampires). 🙂
@randomknits @drkknits I really have to see it, then. Unfortunately @kunaal84 has hurt his back, so he may not go. Or maybe painkillers FTW?
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Photo Post
A soggy, grey day demands bright red tights (and matching lippie).
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USAJOBS – Search Jobs
USAJOBS – Search Jobs – Wow. NASA actually posts “Help Wanted” ads for ASTRONAUTS. Unfortunately even if I had the required science degree (which I don’t), my crappy eyesight would rule me out. I guess the simulator at Kennedy is as close as I’m ever gonna get.
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Shared today on Twitter
@knitterjp @mrs_sockvictim That’s the place I was looking at last week. Amazon has it too; was going to work out which was cheaper…
@Gin_ev_ra @knitterjp @mrs_sockvictim The Swedish stuff you can actually sew together into a muslin to check fitting.
@randomknits Ooh. You know, when you sew things, you should link to patterns for us n00bs. 🙂
Arguing with the Snook about OS developers who don’t include good documentation. I think it’s a deliberate attempt to ostracise n00bs.
He thinks I should just be grateful for free stuff, and accept that I should have to tinker to get things to work.
I’m not saying there should be a law or anything. But if you don’t include good documentation, I’m allowed to think you’re a jerk.
RT @kunaal84: http://t.co/31S7rtps – Community off air indefinitely?! say it isnt so! // YOU GOT ME HOOKED, YOU PUSHER, AND NOW I’M SAD.
My tour of the Great Gay Icons with @gadgetgirl70 continues this evening with DOLLY PARTON’s concert in Sydney. Can’t wait!
@imdominating If she sings Islands in the Stream, Grandma Veva will be able to hear me squealing all the way back in Indiana!
@knitdra @knitabulous Gay icons everywhere, and it’s not even Mardi Gras!
On a packed, hot train to Olympic Park. Dolly better be worth it!
@DebTeakle Not yet. Bogans on the train blaring R&B and singing along. *sigh*
Made it to the Olympic Park train at Lidcombe. I am seeing a lot of fabulous gay boys, and a LOT of cowboy boots.
Kylie Kwong just passed me on the train. Wouldn’t have pegged her as a Dolly fan!
I got to see Dolly perform Rocky Top. Cross that one off the Bucket List!!
Dolly was amazing! Living legend all the way. @ Acer Arena http://t.co/fso1eGUi
@knitabulous Amazing. Exactly as you imagine.
Islands in the stream, that is what we are… (Amy: “You know ALL the words!” Me: “It’s my favourite song EVER!”) http://t.co/Ap2ukoAH
RT @nadinevoncohen: FUCK YEAH JUST WHEN I THOUGHT TONIGHT COULDN’T GET ANY BETTER DOLLY CHANGES INTO TASSLED WHITE SHORTS! #dollyparton
It’s too early in the morning to listen to an chirpy, uptalking Canadian talking about affiliate structures. #trainingcall #killmenow
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Shared today on Facebook
My tour of the Great Gay Icons with Amy Allenspach continues this evening with DOLLY PARTON’s concert in Sydney. Can’t wait! (Somebody better tell Grandma Veva for me.)
Islands in the stream, that is what we are… (Amy: “You know ALL the words!?” Me: “This is my FAVORITE SONG EVER!”)
Dolly was amazing. She sang “Coat of Many Colors,” and Amy and I cried. We miss our moms.
Also, one of the most surreal moments of my life. Thousands of gays, lesbians, and drag queens all held spellbound while a tiny sparkly woman from Tennessee sang about poverty in a place on the other side of the world…
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Coon Skin Man Tells All – YouTube
Coon Skin Man Tells All – YouTube – As one of my friends on Facebook put it, being from Indiana means that I can understand what the witness is saying perfectly. I cannot, however, understand why he is wearing a coonskin cap.