| FINANCE BUDGETING |

Many people wonder how I manage my finance being a single parent with 4 kids living on our own and still able to support my parents as well as living life like I have no other worries.

Honestly, I'm still in debts left behind by those who's no longer a part of my life while some still does but acting like as if they owe me nothing in life despite knowing how I struggled back then, still.

But if I were to keep pondering about it and sulking over what have happen, I should be dead by now especially with all the suicidal thoughts I have always had. YES! I am no angel!

Like in my previous posts, depression is not a joke but I fought it and pulled through.

You may see my life as easy as you want it to be yours but when you go through them, i bet you would cry and beg to get out of it in mere seconds. You wonder how I do it, I wonder how you do it too.

Life is unfair, never was and never will.

All you gotta do is go through it, overcome it and enjoy every little bit of it. Be it happy moments, sad moments, angry times, heartbreaks and so on. They make up who you are!

As a Muslim, I am a strong believer of this quote thrown at me once,

"Allah (God) will not put you in a situation you cannot handle because he loves you!"

Lately, I have seen many anonymous writers in Facebook asking about how we manage our income and stating that they're earning $5k to $10k per month yet still struggling.

I was talking about this with my colleague yesterday and he was saying, "They are just seeking attention."

Part of me says - maybe. Part of me says - HELP THEM because you can.

YES I CAN!

A motto Mary Kay have thought me for the past 2 years or so.

So you wonder how still huh?

So basically eversince 2015, I have been using this simple excel format I created so I could plan my entire year budgeting.

Yup, entire year and following year(s).

It works for me so I do really hope it works for you.

Click the link below to download a copy.

https://static.wixstatic.com/ugd/a7916c_914edb6056ff48728407b7895842e2fa.xlsx

If you're unsure how it works, you may drop me an email or chat with me through the chat box found in this page at the bottom right hand corner. I'm always there to communicate with you - so do sign up so I may reply to you via email eventhough you're already offline from here.

Hope the template I've been using will help you too.

Here's a guide for you to read through too.

So the top is the year you are doing the financial planning for. This template you can basically use for anything. You can use it as a savings plannings whereby you segregate your saving plans into different areas such as school, entertainment etc.

Then its followed by the loans or outstandings you have and you separate them into different sections so you can clearly see what are your debts and how much is needed for you to clear. Set a target to by when you wanna clear them all so you then may plan how much each month you wanna pay up.

First, you will input the TOTAL OUTSTANDING AMOUNT.

The second row is a combination of the total amount you paid (in green - follow through next photo for more details) and plan to pay - therefore you are able to foresee how much you plan to pay each month too.

Then the last row is the balance outstanding amount by the end of the year which you will carry forward into the next booklet (bottom screen 2020).

This portion is a bit challenging if you're not sure of how to use Excel Spreadsheet but don't you worry! You'll get the hang of it like I do. Everyone starts somewhere and nowhere.

BE PATIENCE AND NEVER GIVE UP!

So 'Organizations' means all the bills and people you wanna pay up or contribute monthly.

Here you can see I have 2 Singtel as I am paying for 2 household.

TC & HDB too as I am paying for my own home rental as well as my parents home (add-ons to the amount they are paying too).

And yes, I still give my parents (Mum, Dad & Step-Mum - she raised me too so technically, I 'owe' her too).

Then I have a part for the Pets too, our 2 lovely #kats and fish!

There's also for Ezlink too which I love to top up a lump sum so I do not have to think about it anymore. Pros and Cons. Once you lose it, that's it - BYE BYE! But then again, if there's still alot more balance, the following month you can top up lesser by half and keep the other half till following month end before you spent it - I call it EMERGENCY CASES.

I put Boys and Groceries together because I always buy from NTUC, CK Department Store and Value Shop for a whole month grocery and the #kbrothers' neccessities such as breakfast cereals, diapers, milk, toiletries and so on.

Why $300, so cheap!

Because I have another $200 to $300 worth of vouchers from doing surveys online as well as provided from my Mary Kay Senior Sales Director for doing team challenges too!

That's how I survive.

I do not depend solely on my salary and the maintenance given from the boys' father - I do so many other things despite I am tired, fatigue and in need of SLEEP! How I do it? I take quick naps during lunch. I sleep in the bus to and from work.

I can basically, cook while doing laundry and teach homework at the same time too. You just have to get the hang of it Mummies!

Talking about cooking, I'm lucky that my boys are not the fussy types.

When days are bad and we run out of groceries, they can survive on sardines with rice or just maggi. Call me a bad mom for feeding maggi to my boys but as long as they're being fed, your opinions don't matter to me at all.

I have a cupboard full of food just for the boys to tuck in whenever they want to. I do not restrict what they wanna eat and when they wanna eat at anytime of the day but when lights out, they know that all they could ask for is warm plain water - nothing else.

Okay back to the finance...

I have Birthday Party, Raya and CDA at the bottom which is a yearly affair for me to settle for before the festive month comes all over again. I mean, this is a yearly thing, how can you not prepare for it when you have 11 months to do so?

In Yellow I have SALARY + MAINTENANCE which is my salary after CPF without OT - I just take my basic - and the boys' maintenance.

Then below it, I have TOTAL PAYMENT in red which means money goes out (fly money fly, you're free to go).

Followed by BALANCE ALLOWANCE which means I can do whatever with it and I choose to have the 3 MAIN YEARLY AFFAIR TO SETTLE!

Followed by BALANCE AVAILABLE meaning that's all I have - NOT - for me and the boys to spend on.

So little, how to?

Did you forget that I have The Wedding by NAWF I am running still?

And also doing sales in Mary Kay?

Duuuuhhh! Obviously I have side incomes too.

I know some will say - of course lah can manage coz have side incomes blah blah blah.

I gave you choices and you give me reasons, how else can I help you with if you refuse all the help I am able to share with you?

What are the choices?

1. Do online surveys daily - 10 to 20 minutes

2. Do online sales - be a reseller, dropship, agent (So many bosses out there looking for you!)

3. Come on board with me to do Mary Kay and at the same time, look beautiful, be gorgeous and earn an income from the sales you are doing too

Why you can't?

I don't have time for surveys - You can do it during lunch, on the way to work in the bus, cab, Grab, before bed time

I cannot do online sales - Why not? You post online, chat with customers, make payments to your agent and agent will deliver it for you.

I have no confidence to do Mary Kay, do classes, sell products.

Well, I too started just like you do. But I want to look beautiful and earn an income be it small or big, I want it. Cannot do classes? You don't have too. Just come and attend, listen to the talks - one day you can do too. I know I did.

You cannot attend classes coz no one to look after your little ones?

Darling, I bring my baby to class and conduct class. It may not be as professional but i explain to my customers that I have to bring my baby along and if that's okay. At the end of the day, I need to bond with my customers and break the ice.

Sooooo. You may ask, how come no insurance?

Who say not?

You got bonus? YES?

I pay off my insurance a lump sum yearly during bonus month.

Raya outfits are also bought early of the year to get all the sizes and colours, send for alterations so on. Cheap cheap, Good good!

I got the boys' dad to settle all the birthday cakes for the in class celebration (his bonus in March and birthdays are in June/October - don't care, we settle once and we're worry free for the rest of the year - Hahahaha!)

He also settled their school bags and shoes (school necessities) as soon as he got his bonus.

I'm very kiasu kiasi and always plan plan plan ahead when it comes to spending though at times I do have splurge moments too. Heeeeheee!

So when you have your bonus, and you spend like crazy not thinking of all the events you wanna do or have for your kids, yourself - you can say BYE BYE to your big bucks and by that, when the event is nearer, you will panic looking for vendors and plan like mad.

For me, I plan a year before, location, pax, food, decor, cakes, goodie bags etc.

This is for me to get affordable rates and have a piece of free mind too when everything is settled.

Other plannings are considered impromptu monthly like Zoo trips, outings etc.

Ouh, the boy's attend tuitions too and its paid by their dad - also told him to put aside a year's fee during bonus.

So that's about it. How I manage every single day!

Ouh, if you're tired to do all the above, I think I am crazy since I sleep at 1.30am and wakes up at 4.30am to prepare breakfast, calm myself for another hectic day, clean the house, wash the toilet when the boys are asleep every single day!

Its hard to adapt I know but you'll get use to it one day and it shall be a routine for you at a breeze!

Good luck everyone!

Love,

N.A