Jonathon Wardman

Finance: April 2012

With April now done and dusted it’s time to see if I managed to keep to my plan to reduce my monthly spending and increase how much I save. I have turned April’s spending into the same pie chart as February and March’s spending with the same groups of outgoings. If you compare this chart to the previous months you can see that it’s quite different — housekeeping is (slightly unexpectedly) noticeably larger, as it travel. Purchases around half that of the previous two months, while food is higher than either of the previous months. Overall spending was roughly the same as the previous months so it makes a good comparison. [read more]

Finances: February / March 2012

My housemate made a comment with regard to finances the other day and it made me think. She commented on how I should be able to put a certain amount of money into saving each month. While I do save money, and I have a salary-sacrifice pension too, I don’t think I am saving as much as possibly I could. I was also thinking recently about a possible future change to my outgoings and wondering what I could afford. So I decided to do some analysis on my spending over a few months in early 2012. The following is a break down of February and March, and I will take a look at April once the month is complete.

I have broken my spending down into 10 broad categories: housekeeping, basic outgoings for rent, electricity, home insurance, TV license, etc. (I think it’s worth noting that I don’t pay 100% of these expenses, they are generally split 50/50 with my housemate, but as they go through my account they are all included in this analysis); entertainment, including going out, books, DVDs, music, games, etc.; cash, as I have taken this information from bank statements I can’t define what cash is spent on, it is most likely a mix of the other categories; purchases, general material purchases such as clothes and camera equipment; [read more]

Wedding

Now I know I haven’t finished with the second half of the stag weekend posts so forgive me, but I wanted to write this now before I go away.

I’m heading back from Scott and Jess’ wedding this weekend. They had a handfasting ceremony and asked me to do their photos for them. While I was, of course, honoured that they would ask me and trust me to shoot such an important event, I was more than a little nervous. While I’m comfortable shooting live events and theatre, I had actually never previously shot a wedding. Wedding photography is not something that I have ever really wanted to get into, but I have known Scott since we were very young and Jess a few years now, so I agreed on the understanding that they know my style and they knew what they were getting.

I travelled up on Friday morning and stayed with my dad for the weekend. (I’m not sure how long I will have that luxuary now my mum has started her new job. Their house is up for sale and I guess it all depends on how long that takes to sell.) [read more]

Scott’s Stag at The Bunkhouse (part 1)

Excuse me if this doesn’t read too well, I’ve had around 5 hours sleep since I woke up on Friday at 8am. It’s not like I didn’t expect it but it’s really on just catching up on me sitting here on the train. The past two days I’ve the pleasure of watching the sun make it’s early morning crawl across the sky over rural north Wales.

Judging by the posts on Facebook Scott’s stag weekend seems to have been a success. In all honesty I thought that perhaps this little review would be a little less positive after the first night but in my opinion things got better the second night even if I did end up falling into my (not uncommon) “responsible adult” role at three in the morning.

The weekend started off when the advanced party, Ben the best man, Neil Ben’s father, Alyx who we met in Chester because he lives there, and myself arrived at the Bunkhouse to the news that the other building had been let for the weekend to a Hen party.

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Race for Life

On the 26th June 2010 one of my friends, Laura, ran the Race for Life in Richmond park.  I went in support and took my camera with me. These few photos have been sitting around on my desktop for a while, so I thought it was about time I posted them here. [read more]

Friendly hugging

Something’s been eating at me for the last month.  Something someone said at my friend’s housewarming party.  Just as she was leaving, Jess, who I haven’t known all that long, said “I won’t hug you, I know you don’t like it”.  I know she was just trying to do the right thing — she didn’t want to invade my personal space if I didn’t like it — but it made me start thinking.  It’s not true and don’t want people to think that about me. [read more]

Friends' House Warming

Tiara: £10; return train ticket: £62.75; party supplies: £33.00.  Total: £105.75.  Not really too bad for a weekend spent at the other end of the country with my friends, although I could have saved the £33 given none of the supplies were actually used.

Last weekend a couple of friends, Ben and Emma, had their house warming party.  They’ve been living together for a couple of months now, but hadn’t had chance to get around to having a party until now.  When I first found out about them moving in I asked when the party was going to be.  I was told they weren’t having one.  Of course that meant that when I received the invitation I couldn’t exactly say no.

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A Week in the Grim North

It all went off pretty well really, all in all.  And, as I said in a slightly drunken state at the time, “New friends, that’s what it’s all about. There was a play in there somewhere too, but that’s what I’ll come away with in the end.”

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The Year of the Tiger

The following weekend saw the annual Chinese New Year celebrations in London and another day out with my camera.  This one proved to be much more successful and significantly less painful.

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Resolutions for 2010

It’s that time of year again when I can look back at what I said at the start of last year, see how I faired with the resolutions I made way back then, and have a think about what I’m going to try to do this year.  Last year’s post is here.  I know I was supposed to come up with more than the one resolution last year, but never ended up putting anything down. So that’s the only one I can look at. [read more]