Worse than the stash ban!!

I've always prided myself in the fact that I've been able to save for what I want quite efficiently. When speaking to long lost relatives, my dad has often mentioned that I'm the good one, and my brother the silly one - and of course, being a little eavesdropper that I am, i've taken it all in and added it to my smugness hehe.

So, it was with much dismay when I finally worked out my budget for the next three months. You see, I was given a lovely payrise at the end of 2006 , but at the same time, I booked myself a 2.5 week long holiday out trekking in Nepal. At first my trip seemed oh-so-cheap with it's $850 fee (plus airfares) and the mighty australian to nepalese dollar currency was just winning favours left right and centre.

Then i sat down to work out how much I needed to budget for flights, visas, vaccinations, additional accommodation when I stopover in Bangkok, all that equipment and additional spending money.

... oh woe is me!!! Because I want to continue saving as much as I normally do, I budgeted only using my disposable income

End figure? I can spend a wholesome $150 EACH MONTH for leisure (this does not include transport, bills etc - only leisure)... which means, in the entire month, I am restricted to entertaining and KNITTING for a whole $150 each month.

I am already struggling. I have all these projects I want to do, but alas! the yarn will take at least 1/3 of my monthly extravaganza. So - my knitting is going to be minimal at best until the end of March and I'm praying that all this talk i've heard about himalayan silk and nepalese yarn is going to eventuate when i get there..

*cry*