Thank goodness for technology!
One of the many ways I use technology to help keep track of my finances is by using the calendar function on my iPhone. Each day when money is earned or spent, I make sure to type it into my phone. I also use a colour coded dot, that quickly lets me see if money is coming in or out on that particular day without having to read the full description. For example, I use a red dot for expenses and use a blue dot for income.
The lifesaver of my finances would have to be my Numbers document (it's like Excel for Mac). I'm a big believer in Gail Vaz Oxlade's way to financial freedom using a budget and jars to organize your money. Thanks to Gail, I've been able to sleep easier not having to stress about where all my money is going. However, I'm not about to keeping jars in my house and I really like having to do things electronically instead. Plus, living in a condo the security has access to your home and strangers do come in occasionally when you're not home to vacuum vents for your dryer and air ducts etc. A downfall to my method, is that you can over spend in one category and have to make up for it with another. This tends to happen to me a lot in my food budget. And if you own your own business like I do, spreadsheets really helps with your year end tax calculations. Also, taking the H & R Block course helped me a lot too!
If you've never used Numbers before, you can have multiple sheets in one document. Just as you would have different pages in a book. The titles I use are Expenses, Income, Emergency Fund, Vacation Fund, Downpayment and Budgeting. Each one will be explained in more detailed below. Of course, you can use whatever titles you want to fit your needs better, whether you need to add a children section, home maintenance, or even credit card or car payments.
Expenses
Here is where I track all my fixed expenses. I don't include my day to day expenses since they are usually part of the budget section. I have columns for my credit card, OSAP, Cell Phone Bill, RRSP, and Rent. I don't have any overdraft because I refuse to pay for it, so I have to be extra careful about not going over what's in my account. I also write down all the cheques I've written for business expenses and what not. Since everything is paid online be sure to add the date and reference number of when things are paid in case you have any problems in the future. As for cheques, I have an extra columns so I know what the cheque number is and if it has been cashed or not. I also highlight all my cash columns to make it easier to read for quick reference.
Income
This is pretty self explanatory, but because I'm self employed I have to write all the days and hours that I've worked and for whom. This is a big lifesaver if you ever run into trouble and a company you worked for goes bankrupt. Long story short, I had the unfortunate experience of working for a company that went completely bankrupt and had magically lost all the records of my hours, not to mention faking payments on their records to make it look like I was paid in full. I worked tirelessly with a trust company that was overseeing the bankruptcy and gave them a record of all my hours up to six months prior to bankruptcy and was able to get almost all my wages paid back. Thanks to the Wage Earner Protection Program (WEPP) from the government and google for showing me the way. This sections is also great for tax season as well, since I have multiple agents I also have a separate column for the name of the agency and the commission I have to pay my agents.
Emergency Fund
I'm very strict with my emergency fund, I strive to aim for at least six months of living expenses saved up in an event of an illness or some other reason I can not work. I don't rely on employment insurance, since I've only been in the full time work force for a few years. Money always goes in each week and never comes out. Well, unless theres an emergency, but fortunately there has been no such situation yet. Yet, because shit happens and it gives you peace of mind that you're ready for whatever life throws at you. I put this into my tax free savings account (TFSA), so I make sure to write the amount, date, reference number and total. My washer and dryer is starting to crap out on me, so I throw my Washer/Dryer Fund in my TFSA as well. If you don't have a TFSA, go and get one now! It's honestly the best savings vehicle for your money that the government has given you. I highly recommend that you fill up your TFSA then your Registered Retirement Savings Plan (RRSP). Whatever interest you earn is yours tax free in a TFSA because it uses after tax dollars, but with an RRSP you get a deduction now which lowers your income and you get taxed later when you retire and your income is much lower. Right now, each year the government allows you to save up to $5000 in your TFSA. Since, it started in 2009 it accumulates every year so I can save up to $15,000 tax free! Oh, and some people like to be forced into saving and set up an automatic money transfer. However, I really take joy into being able to transfer money myself each week and seeing the fund grow as time goes by.
Vacation Fund
Winton totes this as one of my greatest ideas for us. When I first met Winton, I loved to travel and still do but at the time I was still in school and wasn't about to go into any further debt. I suggested that we put together a small amount each week so when it came time for our anniversary, we could take a trip using that money to pay in full. Believe it or not, if you are diligent this money will grow pretty fast! We've been able to go to Paris, Berlin, and twice to Cuba with this fund! Of course, we stuck within our budget and didn't have to stay in fancy hotels and eat the fanciest foods. We waited for seat sales and rented apartments on AirBnB, with fully furnished kitchens, free long distance, free internet etc. I collect and deposit this amount for the both of us, so I make sure to note the date, amount each person paid, reference number, total, and total amount deposited.
Downpayment
Pretty simple enough. I'm aiming for a twenty percent downpayment on a home and since there are two of us I need to save ten percent. We haven't looked into specific houses/condos as yet but they are around the $600,000 mark in the Toronto area. Probably more in a few years from now, so I need to save about $60, 000. This number is really just a guess and a goal to aim towards. It's a start to help me save, I don't intend to look at house at least until 4-5 years from now. Hopefully, we can save as close to twenty percent as possible to save on the mortgage insurance premium. If you don't have it saved you can end up paying hundreds of dollars more each month, which really adds up over the lifetime of your mortgage. Imagine all the other things you could buy with that money.
Budgeting
Last but definitely not least! Here is where I list Gail's percentages that should be allocated and what I have allocated (I know mine adds up to 99%, but every penny is allocated). Your budget is probably the most important and is the longest to figure out. This stuff can't be picked out of the air, as much as you'd love to. It's simpler to start with your fixed expenses and then focus on your variables. So, if you have to pay rent and everything else and have $100 a week for food. Then a $100 a week for food it is. Unless, you can lower your rent by moving or find money elsewhere. Or the best is to make more money!
Housing 35% My Housing 28%
Life 25% My Life 38%
Debt Repayment 15% My Debt Repayment 19%
Transport 15% My Transport 1%
Savings 10% My Savings 13%
In this section, I write down what my total income is monthly and weekly from all my fixed income. Variable income from extra jobs and such I usually add directly to my OSAP and spend a bit on myself. Then I write down all my expenses monthly and weekly. This way I know when money comes in each week, how the cheque is divided up so that I will have that money at the end of the month to pay all my bills and such on time. Sometimes, I find it ridiculous to save X amount of dollars plus 33 cents so sometimes I will pay OSAP in full near the beginning of the month to save on interest and then use the remainder of my income to spend on the rest of my expenses. The great thing about credit cards is that there is a grace period where you can charge stuff and pay no interest for almost a month. I tend to make a habit of paying credit card charges soon after I buy something to avoid a big shocker when the statement comes. I also have a President's Choice MasterCard which allows me to get points so I can get free groceries in the future. This is honestly a lifesaver during Christmas time and after vacation when funds are low. Not to mention their chequing account is free too! It's also great for my little business when I have to write physical cheques to people, since they are free as well.
Well, I hope this info helps you to find your path to financial freedom! I've definitely made my share of mistakes a few years ago and have been working my way back to being debt free. Honestly, who hasn't when you're in school full time and are handed a credit card to spend freely as you like. It's not about mulling over what's happened in the past, it's about learning and moving on. What are you going to do about it now? I believe it takes lot of courage and discipline to dig your way out of debt. Just stay focused and remember to spend a little money on yourself to avoid debt fatigue. People can call you cheap or whatever they like, but when you're debt free you can say a big "F*** Y**" to all those naysayers still paying the minimum on their credit cards. Because that feeling of owing nothing to nobody is well worth all the blood, sweat and tears you have to go through to get there.
P.S. I don't get anything from mentioning these companies. I am simply writing this article to let you know the tools I used to becoming financially savvy.
Good Luck to you all and Happy Saving!
Eros and Pookie
