February Low Buy Haul

Hi lovelies,

So second month has been passed in 2020, so that means an other haul. But let’s start with the budgeting:

February was just a month to be finally over. I am nearly on a zero leftover now, as we had so many expenses this month, some of them was planed, others aren’t.

So we have bought our very first TV and my husband wanted a voice bar so bad for his birthday so that was his gift. I think we did send a lot of gifts for friends (dispute the budgeting) as we had 5 birthdays and a farewell party this month. I must not forget that my income was 35% lower than in January. I got sick and we had the opportunity to invest in a half pig, which would cover a lot of meats we actually eat so now it is an expense, but in a long term that was an investment…

Savings: only 34 %, but if I add that saved a bit more in January it convers to 51% of the planned one, so I will try to manage it next month somehow

Needs: Sent 16% more on my needs as it should had been…

Wants:

This month I have not bought any makeup or skincare as I am hardly trying to use them up. I went to my hairdresser as a treatment this month, which I only do like every 4 months. I had a few birtdays in this month, so did  purchased some gifts to my husband and to my parents- but these are counted to the need file. I also had to buy a new makeup counter and paper organizers as we have finally finished our glass wall and the oldies was not fitted in… + I had to clean a lot in the house so decluttered a lot too.

What I have purchased for myself:

Kazar shoe- for a while I was looking for a perfect pump, but all of the high-heels was so uncomfortable, and now I have found the perfect one with a blocked heel: elegant, comfy and easy to walk, made of a 100% leather- of course it is not the cheapest from a Polish brand, Kazar -BARI- shop it here.

Everlane– This sustainable brand, which I am eyeing on… it was coming in a paper packaging:

I wanted to upgrde my basics, these are their Basic Cotton Crew in S size and Oversized Alpaca Crew in Almond – S size.

So that is what I have decluttered in the middle of the month:

Expired Make up: Bobbi Brown Bronzer, Nars Orgasm Blush, The Balm Mary Luminizer, MAC Ruby Woo lipstick, ABH brow pomade were all so great and saved several decluttering, but some of them were over 5 years…

Then I had a looking to my jewellery box and found some never gonna use items which I was gifted to a thrift store.

Used up two parfumes and my Estee Lauder coral sun lippie.

On the wants I have sent 102% more than I would had been…. so failed.

xoxo and see you in March!

My wardrobe goals in 2020

Hi lovelies,

This is my year of low buy so I just want to describe what are my wardrobe goals for this year. It is going to reflect to my clothes, shoes and acessories too. This post might will makes you to understand why I did choose to have a low buy instead of a no buy year and why I am doing not just budgeting but also monthly hauls.

May main goal in a nutshell is to upgrade my wardrobe: to have less, but better quality items, from which I can make a use of.

That is my haul year about: to use up what I have, to buy better quality items from my budget, save for better items and declutter all which I just do not like, do not use.

1. Have better quality items, natural fibers to
2. Make a better and longer use of them,
3. buy items secod hand, more luxurious and from sustainable brands,
4. strick to my needs,
5. have capsule wardrodes, which I really use.

Soon I am going to post my current wishlist, which I just want to strict too, to be able to skip impulse purchases and inventoryposts to have a better overview of everything that I own.

Yeah I am still not a minimalist, but may my lifestyle are getting closer to it.

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Brands that I would or planning to purchase from:

• Levi’s
• Everlane
• Armed Angels
• &Other Stories
• Sezane
• Furla
• Kazar

Places that I want to try to purchase from…

• Vintage and secondhand shops
• Depop
• Asos market place
• Vestiare Collective
• Local designer Stores and fairs

I know I do really have to improve my bag and shoe selection too.

xoxo,

My financial habits- Savings

Hi lovelies,

I just want to update a few things on my budgeting in 2020 for you. I hope it will be a nice guideline and going to help you a bit. Usually I am writing about hauls, spending; make up, fashion and skincare. Yeah in a way I love to shop, but in 2020 I decided to buy less things , I cannot say it is a totally no buy year, because I know I have to update my closet in quality and we need still need some furniture to our flat.

I was always in the know of the financial independence, so even during college I was saving for my future flat in a fund, after graduation I did opened another one, so last year when we bought our flat we only had to get a loan for less than the 50% of the price of our flat.

As you have might read that I am considering at least 20% of my salary into savings, but it does not means that I have to spend all the rest of 80% monthly, like you can see it in my January Haul.  So now I try to make some funds and later on I will try to do some investments too, so this is my frugal side:

1. Retirement fund: I have been started to pay it 5 years ago, so this June I will have the opportunity to decide on if I am keep investing it or do I want to have it paid out, I think I am going to keep the money in and pay my ca. 35 EUR / month in.
2. Health fund: is also monthly collected, but I do have the opportunity to ask for bills after medicines, comfort shoes, private doctor etch. These 2 are having a tax back refund option.
3. Emergency fund: that is one of the most important to build up and now my focus on it and I think I will built it to my 2 000 EUR goal by July.
4. Holiday Fund: is a short term fund, where we do pay so EUR-s each month, because even we do have a lot of things to still buy to our flat and to pay back or loan but we do want to have some experiences, at least once in a year now.
5. Flat Fund: it is everything we wish to have in our flat,now our glass wall was on project, next is a TV screen (maybe Netflix, but no cable) and furniture to our living room (we only have an old coach). Later on we do want to have it as a fund to pay back our debt. Of course we will need to buy another flat or house, now our flat would be suitable for 3 persons only, maybe 4 if the 2 are little kids…
6. Investment Fund: Yeah it is not existing yet, but I am on the way of thinking that after reaching my 2 000 EUR Emergency fund goal, I am going to slow down a bit in it to built it to 3 000 EUR (it will be only a plan by the end of 2021) so it will have a bit of money to start an investment fund in a year.

Of course I am collecting the coins like last year, so many it will be enough for the next year Charity Bal too. We might need to save up for a new car so never knows…

Here is a good example for the US (I do not have credit cards, student and car loan):

If you wish to start I do suggest to first save up for a 1 000 EUR or USD as a base emergency fund and then start paying your debts off. Try to avoid negative credits on your credit card, personal loan or by items on a loan!

I hope it was helpful, how are you doing your financials?

Xoxo,

 

Money issue of 2020

Hi lovelies,

Happy New Year to everyone! I was thinking about joinning a “no buy” year than I was convinced that I am not ready for it and I would fail like in the first month for sure, which has no sense and would made me pissed off, so I want to make a sustainable low buy year. That would mean to try to use up, specially make up , however I do not have a crazy amount of it but still have more than an average people would need, so I want to decrease it a tiny bit (of course I had, have and will have a box full of makeup). Second reason is to keep my skincare and haircare routine as simple as it is now, because they do work for me. Thirdly is to upgrade my clothes, shoes and accessories in quality. The other main reason of course is to save for our future plans.

Budgeting:

Let’s start with the budgeting… I think the Atkins budget: 50-30-20 rule is not a new thing, but that is going to be the first year when I will start to follow. Yes it is more written for the USA and it is harder to adopt to the rest of the World, but I want to try.

Now let me to persolize:

Firstly it is the hardest thing to set what is the budget as my payment is comes from a fixed part and commissions after sales, so my monthly salary is changing months by months. Here in Hungary we do have quite low salaries, but there is a “cafeteria” system in which the employees can gain some extra money for extra spending: local restaurants, cinema, gym, spa, accomodation ect. I just will set a minimum, which would be equal my minimum net salary: 220 000 HUF (ca. 665 EUR). On the top of that I want to save for our flat goals, which we still not finished- specially our living room: no TV and its furniture, a rug is missing so much.

SAVINGS: (20%) 

Last year I had to pay off 38 500 HUF (ca. 120 EUR) per month to the taxation company as a sales tax after our flat, which is thanksfully over this year. Last year I was able to take only my retirement fund and my healthcare fund- these I would higher up a bit and take rest to my security fund. Yeah my first financial goal is to build my security fund upto 6 months. Now I only have it for 1 month, but by the end of the year I would love to have it for at least 3 months.

WANTS: (30%)

That is the category that I will totally need to change. Cut back on those impulsive purchases and carefully considering what I want before I pull the trigger on a purchase on things that I really love. This is were I should keep my annual budget the most. So I am settling the followings rules:

1. One fresh beauty products per month! Rather try to use up and enjoy my current items and panning them, specially my eyeshadows. I think it will have a seperate post soon about it.
2. One in and one out skin care, body and haircare products, that what I am already doing but it is better to remember myself I can only buy one if I completely finished it and do not have anything to replace it. At the moment I do have everything works for my skintype.
3. One new addition to my closet per month: including clothes + maximum 6  shoes and accessories! Probably will be the hardest to keep but I think I will be able to buy more of better quality stuffs or second hand (at least 3 of them should be that) and at least one from a local designer and 1 from an etnical brand!
4. Magazines and books: books I must not buy until of 6 will be read from my bookshelf, while magazines I will strict to one per month.
5. Gift cards and gifts are exceptions- finally I will have a wishlist for my birthday and nameday.
6. Only one treatment is allowed per month: beauty salon, massage, hairdresser ect.
7. Keep a no buy day per week.
8. Do decluttering per seasons.
9. do a month of no Buy like last year:

A month without extra spendings

NEEDS: (50%)

I mostly counted my fixed charges here: common cost, electricity, gas, water, mobil bill, internet and Apple. These would be already 60% of the needs budget. I am not sure that if I can fit my grocery into the 40% of it but we will see in January. Also at the grocery I have to be more mindful, but still do not want to suffer.

In the beginning I have written that this is only my minimal budget, so what about the rest? That what I want to use for our flat improvement, our common goals with my husband or holiday. Yeah my 2020 plans are just upcoming a few days.

Xoxo,