In my quest to live more simply I want to focus on cutting down my spending. I find it really difficult to keep a spending diary so I thought that if I made myself a beautiful way of tracking spending I might keep to it!!
This is the way I came up with! The papers I used for the project are First Edition- Hideaway.
I took two double sided 8×8 papers. I joined them by cutting a small piece of 8×8 paper, scoring it in the middle and taping it to the papers.
I then scored half way across each page and about 1/3 from the bottom. I folded the bottom section up to make a pocket and cut a slanted edge to each section.
The outside was made from an 8×8 card scored in half and then a small section of card taped to the end and also scored.
I sponged pearlescent green ink around the inside of the card. I taped the paged inside.
I made tags using scrap paper. I will use scrap paper to do this every month. I am going to record spending on these tags. I’ll keep a record of no spend days, essentials,
luxuries and money spent on hobbies. I use the no spend days challenge on Money Saving Expert as an incentive not to go near the shops unless I really need to!! I thought by recording essentials versus luxuries it will help me to think about what spending is related to wants and what is related to needs. Ideally I want to minimise wants and put that money towards the mortgage.
When closed I will secure the wallet with a ribbon. I used Soft Green Promarker to colour the ribbon so it would match.
At the end of each week I’ll record the spends in a spreadsheet and at the end of the month I will put the tags together with a ribbon. I’ve made a folder to keep the tags in and will also keep receipts in there.
I took a piece of green card and scored every cm and folded it like an accorian. I then put tape all along it and taped 12 envelopes in to it. (I always have tons of envelopes as I bought lots of card blanks with envelopes and then I make the cards too big to fit the envelopes!!) I alternated yellow and green envelopes.
This is the finished accordian of envelopes.
I scored a piece of green card for the cover and cut papers to stick on to the outside
and to the inside
I then used tape and book binding glue to attach the accordian envelopes to the cover.
I used magnetic tape to hold the cover closed and added a flower embellishment. I wanted to keep it simple as the papers are quite glitzy!
I used spray varnish on both projects to give tham lovely shine and a little added protection.
Hopefully with the lovely wallet and folder I will keep better track of my spending so I can analyse it and see where I can cut costs. It should also help me to think carefully about the things I want versus the things I need when I shop.