Sunday, October 31, 2010

Monthly Budget

My monthly budget will be as follows for the rest of 2010:


Income
$3,068.00
Rent
$870.00
TTC Pass
$111.00
Food
$320.00
House Fund
$100.00
Emergency Fund
$1,300.00
Clothing/Gifts
$60.00
Phone/Cable Internet
$120.00
Entertainment
$60.00
Gym
$76.00
Other
$40.00
Left Over
$11.00


You'll notice that there is no line item for future vacations - I have embarked on a second job as a Mystery Shopper.  I am hoping that will bring home $200/month, which will be allocated to the travel fund.  Because of my low income (by Toronto single girl standards) I won't be taking any travel money out of my tight budget, it'll have to be financed creatively.

My house fund will be on the backburner until January 2011 when my Emergency Fund will be at goal ($5,000). 

Here's how I stay on track budget-wise:

Gail's Magic Jars!

10 comments:

  1. Big City...Beer BudgetNovember 2, 2010 at 1:53 PM

    I love them too - Ikea, $3.99 for a 4 pack. I love my label maker too! It really comes in handy for files, herb jars, and flour/sugar containers too.

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  2. I love those jars! So inspiring to see someone actually using them on a regular basis. I like the piggy bank on there too. It's great to have the visual reminder that saving is a priority.

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  3. Thanks! What I do at the end of each week is put the quarters/loonies/toonies into the piggy bank and cash it out when it gets heavy for fun money!

    Two weeks ago I had about 3 months worth of change that totalled $68 and I used it towards Christmas Gifts.

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  4. I didn't see a "comment" button on your posts, but I thought I'd show you the lunch bag I'm planning on getting for next week when the jars are replenished: http: //www.kitchenstuffplus.com/shop/product.php?d=&sd=&pid=W017978

    p.s. I added you to my blog list - I've enjoyed reading what you've written so far!

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  5. Thanks for the lunch bag tip! I'm loving the blog. I have a thing for the hyper organized (because I aspire to be that way too!) and just seeing the picture of the jars and of your filing system thrills me. I think I'm becoming a PF geek (hooray!). You're on my blog list too. Thanks for the great reads!

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  6. Wow you did a really nice job on your jars.
    Makes you want to save even more!
    Really like you blog, I use to live in T.O. so I know how expensive it really is to rent let alone buy a house.

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  7. I just discovered your blog and I think it's great!
    I grew up in Toronto too, but moved away after university.
    I just had to comment because I noticed your monthly budget with a take home of just over $3000. I am a teacher (who works 80% of full time) and I take home just about the same amount, but my gross income is $64,500! Isn't that crazy?
    I look forward to tracking your progress with your house purchase.

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  8. Wow, such a gap between our gross incomes.

    I don't have deductions for a pension, health insurance, union dues, etc. so I think that's where the difference lays.

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  9. Yes all of those deductions add up - but I am (usually!) happy to pay them.

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