the Waiting Game

Tuesday 25th August '09

Those who know me, know that I'm very organised and like to know what's going on and to be on top of things, which makes for the next few weeks to be a difficult time for me.

Waiting.It's going to be at least a three week wait until Keystart even get around to looking at my application, so I've been told. In the meantime, I'm trying to make sure I'm preparing myself with other things that I need to organise and just trying to not go insane with the wait.

So...let's talk BUDGETS.

I've never really prepared a proper budget and adhered to it. However, I do know my spending patterns and it doesn't take me long to save. I just don't seem to be able to retain any of my savings because once I get to a substantial balance, it gets spent on a holiday. Things are about to change.

Being on a single income means that I have to be diligent with adhering to my budget. I've spent hours working on it to try to get it right. It took a few hours to just get comfortable with using Excel again! Much to the amusement of friends, I've come up with a budget spreadsheet that I'm very happy with and am really excited to see it in action. Over the past week I've been working on it a little each day to try to iron out the kinks and to plug in numbers to make sure it's working as I want it to.

With my budget in place, I won't be forced to live on instant noodles, but there will be a change in my spending habits, especially when it comes to food. This won't mean that I will be sacrificing on quality or quantity though. It just means a few less lobsters and bottles of wine, and more dining at home rather than going out for expensive degustation dinners *sniff*

Being one of the last of my friends to finally get into real estate, I have a huge resource of people in various situations to go to for advice and help. It gives me a boost in confidence knowing that in a way I am not alone in doing this, that my friends are eager to help me and to watch out for my best interests. I really appreciate all the help I've received so far - and I've still a long long way to go!

So...I am feeling really good about my decision. Yes, it does mean that Europe is on hold for the time being, but my priorities have changed for the time being and can only benefit me in the long run.