diff --git a/src/diary/entries/220113 b/src/diary/entries/220113 index 57da0be..50e12d1 100644 --- a/src/diary/entries/220113 +++ b/src/diary/entries/220113 @@ -7,16 +7,16 @@ This blog is my gamedev diary, but it's fun to use it as a real diary, too.

Last year's resolution was to have fun experiences with the things I have at home, since the pandemic drastically restricted my ability to have fun with other people outside. The new year lifted my spirits and encouraged me to get back into learning, growing, and expressing myself. This year's resolution will once again be about making the most of my resources, but this time I want to approach it from the angle of frugality and money-making.

-I always make a budget for everything and enjoy tracking my finances and investments. Honestly, I just really enjoy spreadsheets and incorporate them into every game I play, including the petsite I've been playing lately. I was also always the treasurer in every club I joined and made all their spreadsheets and budgets. It's more than just fun for me, though. I feel like it clears up a lot of uncertainty when you know where your money is coming from and going, and how long your savings will last. Even when I barely made minimum wage, my budget covered
+I always make a budget for everything and enjoy tracking my finances and investments. Honestly, I just really enjoy spreadsheets and incorporate them into every game I play, including the petsite I've been playing lately. I was also always the treasurer in every club I joined and made all their spreadsheets and budgets. It's more than just fun for me, though. I feel like it clears up a lot of uncertainty when you know where your money is coming from and going, and how long your savings will last.

-Buying our first house ate up my family's savings. I've been paying for all the repairs, bat removal (ew), and routine maintenance, too, when I never had to worry about expenses like that before. Also, towards the end of last year, the grocery stores have been getting hit with meat and produce shortages again, so we've been eating out more frequently. It's not even like it's been fun ordering out, either, because most places are closed, only have 2-3 employees, or are out of most menu items, but it's another rising expense.
+Buying our first house ate up my family's savings. I've been paying for all the repairs, bat removal (ew), and routine maintenance, too, when I never had to worry about expenses like that before. Also, towards the end of last year, the grocery stores have been getting hit with meat and produce shortages again, so we've been eating out more frequently. It's not even like it's been fun ordering out, either, because most places are closed, have 2-3 employees total, or are out of most menu items, but it's been another rising expense.

-Between the shell shock of covering all those closing fees and the higher cost of living, I need to rework my budget. My resolution involves identifying the most effective money saving methods without making my family uncomfortable and trying new ways to make extra cash this year. The money will go towards savings, investments, and buying furniture for the house.
+Between the shell shock of covering all those closing fees and the higher cost of living, I need to rework my budget. My resolution involves identifying the most effective money saving methods without making my family uncomfortable and trying new ways to make extra cash this year. The money will go towards savings, investments, and buying furniture.

cutting spending


My husband and I don't have entirely separate finances since we share everything, but I usually pay for groceries, we usually split furniture, and we buy some fun things for ourselves independently. I'm not very aware of his bank account, so this is more of my own personal resolution.

-It's easy to cut out most luxuries. I'll read my old books or free ones from Project Gutenberg, play my old games or whatever free giveaway game from whatever Steam competitor, pan my beauty and skincare products, and lean on free entertainment like nature walks. Honestly, I don't deviate too far from that anyway these days.
+It's easy to cut out most luxuries. I'll read my old books or free ones from Project Gutenberg, play my old games or whatever giveaway game from whatever Steam competitor, pan my beauty and skincare products, and lean on free entertainment like nature walks. Honestly, I don't deviate too far from that anyway these days.

The food budget is more important but more difficult to tackle. I try to maximize the nutrition and wholesomeness of ingredients, so I don't necessarily save money when I cook at home. With every place raising their prices, there aren't really any cheap restaurants to order from anymore, either. Using more canned food and meal kits would save a ton of money, but even finding cheaper versions of my existing recipes and planning each week around more overlapping ingredients would help. Since food is one of my family's largest expenditures, even small but consistent savings in this area would have a noticeable impact overall. Also, our dinnerware was inadequate for having his giant family over, but my husband already promised to shop for that so we can be ready next time.

@@ -29,21 +29,21 @@ My favorite color was named the itch.io instead of working on this game until the sun explodes.

I've also never tried buying or selling things online. I'd like to see what furniture is being sold in my area, but I have some things I could try to sell, too. Apparently Facebook Marketplace is the end all be all. I don't like Facebook and would rather not have an account there, but I can try it for my resolution. The local used clothing store is too swamped to accept clothes, so I might have to try Depop or Poshmark or something like that for those. If everything sells, it's not like it will be big money, but every little bit helps.

-Another weird thing, but I've never had a credit card before. Debit cards have poor protection against fraud, so I might as well have a credit card even if I'll only buy things I can afford. Some of them have pretty good rewards. It could be worth choosing one based on rewards rather than rates, but I'll need to do more research. I wouldn't mind cash back or cheap vacations just from buying gas and groceries.
+Another weird thing, but I've never had a credit card before. Debit cards have poor protection against fraud, so I might as well have a credit card even if I'll only buy things I can afford. Some of them have pretty good rewards. It could be worth choosing one based on rewards rather than rates. I wouldn't mind cash back or cheap vacations just from buying gas and groceries.

let's get to work


-If only I could be like a sim and trap myself in a desk for 3 days and write a completed lucrative novel, email it to a publisher, then get enough royalties every week to live comfortably for the rest of my life, despite eggs costing §11. If I had access to spamming motherlode, I might even tolerate the frequent house fires and aliens abductions.
+If only I could be like a sim and trap myself in my desk for 3 days until a lucrative novel is completed, email it to a publisher, then get enough royalties every week to live comfortably for the rest of my life, despite eggs costing §11. If I had access to spamming motherlode, I might even tolerate the frequent house fires and aliens abductions.

Last updated January 11, 2022