Another update. New salary is in, a bit bigger than I expected (hurrah). I spent €100 more than budgeted last month, on train tickets to get to my job. Will be refunded next month with my salary. Other income: I sold some dvds that had been laying around for way too long, plus I did some online questionnaries and was rewarded with a little bit of money. Income was €2550, expenses €1220. I'm happy. Due to paying my library membership and a semi-annual contribution to a charity, this month I expect to spend €1300.
DutchGirl's journal
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setiramisu
- Posts: 18
- Joined: Sat Jul 09, 2011 7:27 am
Thanks, I'm flattered 
. I use Euroclix. You get emails (send to whatever emailaddress you like) and clicking them gives you one point, worth about 1-1.2 cents. You can regularly do surveys, they go for 75-100 points so 1-1.25 euros and take about 5-10 minutes. Especially worthwhile if you have nothing else to do. Also you get some discounts when shopping online, something like 1-2% discount (so definitely only do this when you were planning to buy this item anyway).
There are several people out there who provide a link, if you use those they get 1,50 euros plus 10% of the points that you get. And this one is mine: EuroClix .
. I use Euroclix. You get emails (send to whatever emailaddress you like) and clicking them gives you one point, worth about 1-1.2 cents. You can regularly do surveys, they go for 75-100 points so 1-1.25 euros and take about 5-10 minutes. Especially worthwhile if you have nothing else to do. Also you get some discounts when shopping online, something like 1-2% discount (so definitely only do this when you were planning to buy this item anyway). There are several people out there who provide a link, if you use those they get 1,50 euros plus 10% of the points that you get. And this one is mine: EuroClix .
Doing well this week! I'm focussing on reducing our expenses on food. We usually will buy food at the last moment, or go out to grab a bite. This month I'm trying to plan ahead, so far with good results. Always had food prepared/available, even that day when I was called in the early morning to come in and work instead of a colleague with the flu. (extra income, jay!).
We spent €80 for food for two last week, this week I have already spent €70, but the food should last until the end of the week (Friday). Normally we would spend about €500 for two for the month, so now we're on schedule for about €360...
Otherwise I'm also on track with my spending, so things are going a-ok.
We spent €80 for food for two last week, this week I have already spent €70, but the food should last until the end of the week (Friday). Normally we would spend about €500 for two for the month, so now we're on schedule for about €360...
Otherwise I'm also on track with my spending, so things are going a-ok.
I did less well last week. Spent 120 euros on food for the week! Wow... This week I hope to do a bit better again, also because I did buy things for the pantry last week, so I don't have to spend anything on food at least until Tuesday (week officially ends on Friday ).
I am going to negotiate for the salary on a new job this Friday. I'm thinking about it a lot, I would like to earn a decent salary (as much as possible?), yet I also want to make sure I get the job. Ha. And that they still like me, too .
The new job will start soon, being 2 days a week. The old job (about 2-3 days of work per week) lasts until the end of December. So it's going to be a busy couple of months. The new job is supposed to last at least six months, with hopes for a permanent job if they get a certain subsidy.
).I am going to negotiate for the salary on a new job this Friday. I'm thinking about it a lot, I would like to earn a decent salary (as much as possible?), yet I also want to make sure I get the job. Ha. And that they still like me, too
. The new job will start soon, being 2 days a week. The old job (about 2-3 days of work per week) lasts until the end of December. So it's going to be a busy couple of months. The new job is supposed to last at least six months, with hopes for a permanent job if they get a certain subsidy.
Congratulations on the job! My idea was that once you get to the point of salary negotiations, things can't go wrong unless you make a really preposterous demand. They already made it clear (for themselves also) that they want you for the job. But I don't have much experience doing salary negotiations, so who knows? Good luck either way
Thanks
Turns out they want to give me the exact same conditions as I now have in my current job (where I just got the annual raise this month). They are affiliated to the old job, so they can probably see my salary there. Maybe I can still ask for one more step up, due to the fact that the work is different (but not more challenging or demanding, I think). Or maybe I can negotiate an extra step up six months from now when I've finished my PhD and when they've had a chance to see my work.
The other perks really aren't negotiable. You get a certain reimbursement for travel, a certain pension plan etc. One thing could be they allow you to buy a good bike (& bike insurance) from pretax money if you use that bike to travel to work. That could work, now!
Turns out they want to give me the exact same conditions as I now have in my current job (where I just got the annual raise this month). They are affiliated to the old job, so they can probably see my salary there. Maybe I can still ask for one more step up, due to the fact that the work is different (but not more challenging or demanding, I think). Or maybe I can negotiate an extra step up six months from now when I've finished my PhD and when they've had a chance to see my work.
The other perks really aren't negotiable. You get a certain reimbursement for travel, a certain pension plan etc. One thing could be they allow you to buy a good bike (& bike insurance) from pretax money if you use that bike to travel to work. That could work, now!
I'm going to change the way I track my finances. I used to track them from payday until payday; and payday is somewhere between the 21st and the 25th of each month. Now I want to change that to tracking per "natural" month, so 1st to 1st.
So last month I tracked 1.5 month in one month, which included paying rent, household-money and health insurance twice. Subtracting that, I spent about 1800 euros, of which 400 went to our upcoming holiday in december (it's my share of the B&B and the air travel). Some money went to charity and also some money was for the membership of the library (annual contribution) and for insurances (quarterly contribution). 200 euros were spent on traveling for work, I worked lots of hours and also at distant locations (the furthest away is half an hour by train, costs 17 euros for a return journey). I will be reimbursed for this with next month's paycheck.
My income was 2400 euros, my expenses were 1800, so I put about 600 euros in my savings account, a savings rate of 25%. I hope to do better again this month, the month that starts today. I should be okay, because I'm planning to spend 1250 euros and my salary received on Oct 23 was 2874 euros...
My father told me about a week ago that he is not going to buy solar panels. I think for his financial situation this is smart. He is 63 and it is unsure where they will live in the coming years or what income they'll have. For them, having some money in savings will be better than having a solar panel that they may not be able to sell for what it is worth.
I bought into a fund that buys obligations last month. Besides my emergency fund (which is in savings) and my normal retirement funds (which I cannot influence since it is an inherent part of my paycheck that goes to one organisation that I cannot pick either, and it will invest the money to its liking, no influence from me there either), I want my investments to be divided as follows: I want 40% in long-term savings or CDs (currently at 3.7% fixed interest rate), 40% in obligations and 20% in shares (can you see I'm a very risk-aversive person?). Currently I have 55% in CDs, 30% in obligations and 15% in shares. So next month also the extra money will go to obligations and/or to shares.
So last month I tracked 1.5 month in one month, which included paying rent, household-money and health insurance twice. Subtracting that, I spent about 1800 euros, of which 400 went to our upcoming holiday in december (it's my share of the B&B and the air travel). Some money went to charity and also some money was for the membership of the library (annual contribution) and for insurances (quarterly contribution). 200 euros were spent on traveling for work, I worked lots of hours and also at distant locations (the furthest away is half an hour by train, costs 17 euros for a return journey). I will be reimbursed for this with next month's paycheck.
My income was 2400 euros, my expenses were 1800, so I put about 600 euros in my savings account, a savings rate of 25%. I hope to do better again this month, the month that starts today. I should be okay, because I'm planning to spend 1250 euros and my salary received on Oct 23 was 2874 euros...
My father told me about a week ago that he is not going to buy solar panels. I think for his financial situation this is smart. He is 63 and it is unsure where they will live in the coming years or what income they'll have. For them, having some money in savings will be better than having a solar panel that they may not be able to sell for what it is worth.
I bought into a fund that buys obligations last month. Besides my emergency fund (which is in savings) and my normal retirement funds (which I cannot influence since it is an inherent part of my paycheck that goes to one organisation that I cannot pick either, and it will invest the money to its liking, no influence from me there either), I want my investments to be divided as follows: I want 40% in long-term savings or CDs (currently at 3.7% fixed interest rate), 40% in obligations and 20% in shares (can you see I'm a very risk-aversive person?). Currently I have 55% in CDs, 30% in obligations and 15% in shares. So next month also the extra money will go to obligations and/or to shares.
Hey all. I tend to dislike keeping my money in a savings account, so I went ahead of myself and already thought about next month's salary and already put in money towards a CD (yes, again, silly me,but it was at 4% interest) and towards obligations. Now I only have €450 in my emergency fund, which is something like $550. Will get topped up again with the salary coming in.
(by the way, I only just now thought: "hey, they are called "obligations" for a reason..." . Duh...)
Somehow I keep telling myself, after topping it up, that I will not touch it again for non-emergencies. But then the next opportunity comes along... Maybe it is time for me to put the emergency fund in another savings account that isn't directly attached to my checking account!
(by the way, I only just now thought: "hey, they are called "obligations" for a reason..." . Duh...)
Somehow I keep telling myself, after topping it up, that I will not touch it again for non-emergencies. But then the next opportunity comes along... Maybe it is time for me to put the emergency fund in another savings account that isn't directly attached to my checking account!
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George the original one
- Posts: 5406
- Joined: Wed Jul 28, 2010 3:28 am
- Location: Wettest corner of Orygun
So I just did transfer 1300 euros to my new emergency fund, one that I would have to look up how to touch (I'm sure it can be touched, but I don't know how, yet). After the next salary, 800 more euros will be added and that will be my real-emergency emergency fund. (Remember that we do have things like health insurance here and good benefits for people who lose their job). It is in a savings account, 2.4% interest which is high-normal, and guaranteed by the national bank deposit plan.
I think I will keep the old, easily accessible, savings account for what I actually did with it: save money in there until I see a golden (?) opportunity and want to invest in something. Maybe keep a 500 euro buffer in there for when the next salary is delayed or so.
I think I will keep the old, easily accessible, savings account for what I actually did with it: save money in there until I see a golden (?) opportunity and want to invest in something. Maybe keep a 500 euro buffer in there for when the next salary is delayed or so.
My new salary came in and it was good: 3200 euros for the work I did in October. First time above 3000 euros in like, ever. It will not always be this good, but these last two months have been very hectic and also quite stressful, so I am actually looking forward to December when I have two weeks of holiday. Because I do get paid per hour, that'll mean my January salary will be around 1400 euros or so, but I think the free time is great, too.
I already used the money to get my emergency fund back up to normal levels (it now sits at 2200 euros in that new place where I can't be bothered to look up how to get it out again - I will when an emergency happens), I made a 500 euro buffer for my checking account (possibly to be used when a good investment deal pops up) and I did put in 500 euros towards a wind mill investment (after all, I'm Dutch - I went with http://www.windvogel.nl/). There's enough money left for next month's expenses of course, including the holiday to Edinburgh we'll take during the first week of December.
I already used the money to get my emergency fund back up to normal levels (it now sits at 2200 euros in that new place where I can't be bothered to look up how to get it out again - I will when an emergency happens), I made a 500 euro buffer for my checking account (possibly to be used when a good investment deal pops up) and I did put in 500 euros towards a wind mill investment (after all, I'm Dutch - I went with http://www.windvogel.nl/). There's enough money left for next month's expenses of course, including the holiday to Edinburgh we'll take during the first week of December.
Cool... In the ten months since I started tracking my expenses and income in earnest, I earned 26000 euros (posttax and post-retirement savings), spent 15000 euros (yeah, more than 50%...), saved 11000 euros and thus upped my net worth from 20k to 31k. I'm getting somewhere, at least...
Holiday starts tomorrow, am looking forward to it. Tomorrow we're probably going to travel and then crash at the apartment we rented That's us...
Holiday starts tomorrow, am looking forward to it. Tomorrow we're probably going to travel and then crash at the apartment we rented
That's us...OK, end-of-the-year overview.
At the beginning of the year I had 20,105 euros. At the end it's 31,827 euros. So I have managed to save 11,722 euros this year (of wich 700 was interest, dividend and growth from my assets); and I have increased my savings by more than half. And yes, that does make you wonder what the heck I did with my income in the about 8 years before that I have been earning money...
My income was 29,176 euros after taxes; thus I managed to save 40% of my income.
The future seems a bit insecure, as always, I would say. I have a contract at my work until the end of February, after that things are unsure. My immediate supervisors like my work, but there have been budget cuts and I have seen colleagues leave who had a contract until December. It might be that they tell me by the end of January that they're very sorry, but they "have to let me go".
I wish or hope I will still earn at least 2000 euros a month next year; of which I could at least save 500 euros every month. That would give me a savings rate of 25% and would mean by the end of next year I'll have 32k + 1k interest + 6k is 39k. Let's aim for 40k . If I'm lucky and keep my current work (with income often between 2500-3000 euros), I'll be able to save much more.
At the beginning of the year I had 20,105 euros. At the end it's 31,827 euros. So I have managed to save 11,722 euros this year (of wich 700 was interest, dividend and growth from my assets); and I have increased my savings by more than half. And yes, that does make you wonder what the heck I did with my income in the about 8 years before that I have been earning money...
My income was 29,176 euros after taxes; thus I managed to save 40% of my income.
The future seems a bit insecure, as always, I would say. I have a contract at my work until the end of February, after that things are unsure. My immediate supervisors like my work, but there have been budget cuts and I have seen colleagues leave who had a contract until December. It might be that they tell me by the end of January that they're very sorry, but they "have to let me go".
I wish or hope I will still earn at least 2000 euros a month next year; of which I could at least save 500 euros every month. That would give me a savings rate of 25% and would mean by the end of next year I'll have 32k + 1k interest + 6k is 39k. Let's aim for 40k
. If I'm lucky and keep my current work (with income often between 2500-3000 euros), I'll be able to save much more.-
George the original one
- Posts: 5406
- Joined: Wed Jul 28, 2010 3:28 am
- Location: Wettest corner of Orygun
Thanks!
Indeed, George, that 31k euros cushion does feel... cushy? And comfortable. If all goes down the drain, I'm pretty sure I can find a 1200-1500 euro/month job, first I'll try within my field of work, and if I can't find anything there I'll try the fastfood restaurant
By the way, to make my goal for next year more palpable while still allowing for the unknown future: I intend to save this much money: income after taxes minus 18k euros for expenses.
Indeed, George, that 31k euros cushion does feel... cushy? And comfortable. If all goes down the drain, I'm pretty sure I can find a 1200-1500 euro/month job, first I'll try within my field of work, and if I can't find anything there I'll try the fastfood restaurant
By the way, to make my goal for next year more palpable while still allowing for the unknown future: I intend to save this much money: income after taxes minus 18k euros for expenses.