RichardContents
Regular readers might be forgiven for thinking that things have been a little quiet around here during April. However nothing could really be further from the truth…
While I may only have published one blog post during April, much of my time was taken up producing an epic practical guide to reducing food waste at home.
Did you know, for example, that the average family throws away $1,000 of food every single year?
For those of us wanting to live more frugally, as well as doing our bit for the environment, figuring out how to reduce the food we throw away is a great step.
Why not spend a few minutes checking out the guide here?
Life Updates
April started off with so much optimism, as the weather finally seemed good enough to get the vegetable seeds in. That said, it was a difficult from from an “expenses” perspective, which has rather blown the budget.
Up until a few weeks ago I was struggling along with my old iPhone 4, refusing to upgrade in order to conserve money. I’ll admit that the battery was less than reliable, and the phone ran so slowly that I could happily throw the thing out of the window sometimes. But when you’re trying to live frugally compromises must be made.
That is until something like this happens…
Yep, my trusty iPhone, which I’ve had for roughly 5 years, finally met it’s maker. Quite how I don’t know. I got out of my car and it dropped about 60cm onto some grass. Hardly anything to worry about. I picked it up without a thought, popped it in my pocket and carried on with my day. It wasn’t till a little later when I went to make a call that I discovered what had happened!
In April, then, I finally bit the bullet and bought a replacement phone. I’ll tell you more about what I chose (and why) in the coming weeks, but for now lets just say that this month’s budget is shot as a result.
That’s disappointing. But the key is to get back in the saddle and keep going.
In better news, you may remember all those seed trays I showed you just a few weeks ago…?
Well now the greenhouse is filled with rapidly-growing seedlings, many of which I’m slowly planting out.
After a very cold month (light snow last week!) everything is a little behind the season, but I’m crossing my fingers and hoping for some good weather now!
I’m looking forward to freshly grown peas, tomatoes, sweetcorn and more in the coming months!
Goals Update
Back in January, for the first time ever, I revealed some goals that I had set myself for 2016. There were two reasons really for revealing my goals and then updating you on a monthly basis.
The first of these it to keep me accountable – after all if I know I’m going to be reporting to you all in a few weeks time it’s a great motivator to keep me focused.
On the other hand I think it’s very easy to be overwhelmed in the personal finance world. You see all those people who have paid off huge amounts of debt, or own their house outright, or are earning five times what you are.
And you just wonder how on earth they got to that stage?
The other reason for revealing my progress here is therefore to make personal finance a little more “real”. You get to see both the highs and the lows of my year.
While I hope to succeed, I appreciate there are going to be obstacles in the meantime. Being honest about these (like breaking my phone) gives a more “realistic” view of personal finance in the real world, and hopefully makes any dreams you might have seem a little more realistic.
Project 10K
Of all the goals I’ve set myself in 2016 the very most important is saving an additional £10,000 by the end of the year. This is ontop of my normal savings and represents quite a healthy chunk of my salary. I chose this goal – affectionately known as “Project 10K” – for two reasons:
a) Its going to be a real stretch of my finances, so will keep me constantly on my toes.
b) Such a sum of money opens up all sorts of possibilities for next year.
So how did we do this month?
Well, not good is the answer. As of right now we’re actually behind where we need to be, which is a worrying state of affairs.
By this point in the year we should have £3,333 put aside, but in reality that balance sits only at £3000. This is some way behind what I was hoping, thanks to a number of belongings having to be replaced in April (such as my phone).
It gets worse. In a week’s time my car goes into the garage for its annual maintenance, and I have no idea how much I’ll have to spend to keep it legal and roadworthy. I’d like to think it slips through easily for less than £100 but it could be several times that. May, too, could therefore be a bust!
Keep an eye out next month to see just what it cost me in motor maintenance, and whether we manage to pick up the slack. Of course, by the end of next month the pro rata target is £4,166 so that’s going to be a massive stretch! I’ll keep you posted…
Start a New Blog
It’s no secret that I love blogging, and I maintain a number of blogs on subjects that I’m passionate about. In 2016 I’m keen to take my blogging reults to the next level, and so I have launched a new blog this year, as well as having a second one in the planning stages.
I’m pleased to report that this month I saw the first noticeable increase in traffic. While visitor numbers are still very low, partly through a lack of promotion and partly because its in a very small niche, it is quite rewarding to see traffic finally starting to pick up!
Indeed, in April traffic increased by just over 10% in comparison to the previous month – so let’s hope we can keep things moving in the right direction during May!
Goals Summary
April has been a very mixed month for my goals. On the upside my new blog is growing, the vegetable seedlings are going well and I managed to publish my first really “chunky” post here so far this year – all about food waste.
On the downside, April was a tough month for expenses, with the worry of my car going into the garage putting a question mark over May too.
How will things go? Well, you’ll have to tune in next month to find out… 🙂
Top Posts
Lastly each month I like to report the top personal finance articles from the previous month. I subscribe to over 300 blogs (no exaggeration!) and share on Twitter those articles which really speak to me.
Then, at the end of each month, I like to gather together all the data to see which articles got the most engagement from my followers.
Below, therefore, you’ll find a list of the top articles published across the web last month, based both on my own personal opinion and the number of clicks/retweets from my followers. If you’d like a regular supply of the best personal finance posts sent to you via Twitter then please remember to follow me!
1) Living Below Your Means: The Complete Beginners Guide
2) 5 Expenses You Can Easily Cut {Even If You Think You Can’t}
3) 6 Spending Areas You Can Cut if You Really Need To
4) 5 Ways Side Hustles Have Changed My Life
5) How to Overcome These Common Financial Worries
6) When You Have That Financial Epiphany…
7) Developing Financial Resilience
8) Crossing the Line From Frugal to Cheap
9) 10 Outrageously Effective Ways to Spring Clean Your Finances
10) The Financial Benefits Of “Small”
That’s it for April’s round-up. How did your month go? Please leave your progress in the comments section below…
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