Thanks for all the encouraging comments people have left recently!
Quite amazing actually that people have taken the time to read my posts. Thanks!
So to the title of this post.
家計簿 (Kakeibo)
Or housekeeping notes. Very exciting stuff, I know! Ha!ha!
Lily mentioned that she uses one, and so do I. Have done so for a long time. Going into my 8th year now actually!! Writing things down really seems to help with spending, makes me rethink if I really need something or not, or whether I should hang on a bit longer to make that purchase. It started out as a bit of fun but has turned into an addiction!
Anyone who has visited a book shop recently must have seen the piles and piles of 家計簿 displayed. Is it just me who gets all excited by this? Does anyone else out there bother and buy one? Or stand there like me thinking oh this one looks nice, or wow this one even has graphs and envelopes!! What to do what to do... Decisions decisions... Which one shall I use next year?
And then, after 10 minutes or so debating on which one suits me the best, a purchase is more likely than not made. But for some unknown reason I can never seem to bring myself to actually use that new 家計簿. Instead, I end up using the same style of book every year (which comes free in a magazine)!!! So do I buy the magazine which comes out next week with the free 家計簿, or break the habit and use one of the other ones I've already bought. Hmmm, I'll have to get back to you on that one!!
I don`t use a 家計簿！ I know I should, and I might from next year after bub arrives to try and keep track of things. We have our budget written up in excel- We wrote it in Japanese together but I have it in English on my computer and Shun has the scrappy Japanese version on a piece of notebook paper in his wallet I think. HEHE.
返信削除I think you should stick with what you know- ie, the free one in the magazine. If it has worked for you up until now then stick with it.
I have seen all the new か敬慕in the shops- I choose my new diary for next year in Loft recently as I already have plans for next year to write down and I love that Japanese schedule books always start from the month you buy them meaning I just transferred the last couple of months of my old one into my new one and am using that now. It is pink with white polka dots and I love it! I get very excited about schedule books- the same way you do about kakeibo it seems!
How about some hints on how you keep it and what has worked for you in the past? Do you record EVERYTHING that you spend or do you average everything out. Like the month we wrote down our spendings I wrote everything I spent down- but I just did Shun`s with him when he came home at night and just wrote stuff like 500yen on drinks, 300yen on cigarettes etc and then he gave me his receipts for other things to write down.
These last two months is the first time we have done "お小遣い“for both of us which has been interesting!
Hi! I am a fellow 31 year old Aussie who just started a blog as well. I have also been in Japan for almost 11 years and am based in Yamaguchi.
返信削除I use a 家計簿 that came with our computer. I am pretty good at updating it but am a terrible spender so it's sometimes depressing looking at it.
I have tried several times to get into the habit of keeping and making use of a 家計簿. I too use the one on our computer. It is just that I am very 三日坊主 with just about everything I do, so I find the act of actually writing down everything every day goes to the sidelines fast, and so I am forever at the start of a new month thinking "this time will be different". Alas.... so I am still yet to find the loopholes of where we spend too much to actually curb the problem. Any hints on how to make it work??
返信削除Still not sure where I should be replying to comments. Sorry.
返信削除Lulu, I hope the new post answers your questions and hasn't confused you lol!! Feel free to ask more questions if need be.
I haven't bothered using a digital 家計簿 just because it doen't feel real if you know what I mean. The fact I have to write it down afterwards sometimes stops me from buying stuff. A bit like that write down everything you eat to diet thing that was going around a while ago.