The Spreadsheet Diva's MF Diary

SueP19

Well it didn't get any better with time, so here is February's budget and actuals :mad:


Total income 2,953.00 2354.28

bills 1,157.00 1333.02
food 300.00 449.92:eek:
fuel 260.00 304.51
e cig/tin 360.00 157.56
health 16.40 16.40
DD 50.00 74.11
holiday 558.00 558.00
clothes 150.00 173.47
car repairs 150.00 116.52
misc 50.00 57.45
lottery 32.00 20.00

Total expense 3,083.40 3,260.96



Balance -130.40 -906.68

op mortgage 200.00 80.00
1% fund 30.00 35.76
tilly tidy fund 20.0019.65



Balance left -620.40 -1,042.09

apple_muncher

Missed you! Happy you are back. Ya boo hiss to stingy (non)buyers!

A_Frayed_Knot

food 300.00 449.92:eek:

Wow :eek: your cupboards must be stocked to the brim

Hope DD has some luck with her interviews and exams

EatingTheElephant

Welcome back, sounds like a bit of a crazy time. Good luck to DD, I'm sure she will get something even better.

SueP19

apple_muncher wrote: »

Missed you! Happy you are back. Ya boo hiss to stingy (non)buyers!

:grouphug::grouphug:

SueP19

A_Frayed_Knot wrote: »

food 300.00 449.92:eek:

Wow :eek: your cupboards must be stocked to the brim

Hope DD has some luck with her interviews and exams

I know, wish they were.................planning and buying for the month is great, less stress overall BUT and it's a biggie, I found I didn't just get the essentials weekly, I got loads of fruit and veg etc so was spending about £20 extra on that. I think it will take a couple of months to get into the swing (she says hoping :rotfl::rotfl::rotfl:)

DD has 4th interview in the wings :T

SueP19

EatingTheElephant wrote: »

Welcome back, sounds like a bit of a crazy time. Good luck to DD, I'm sure she will get something even better.

I have a crazy life, I seem to attract it :eek::eek::eek:

DD has been treated badly, so I think she will get something and hopefully they will actually train her..................I'm a great believer in "what will be, will be" :D:D

SueP19

OK after a disastrous Feb, we move on without looking back to March :D

Here is the budget for march

Total income..........2930.00

bills......................1300.00
food.......................300.00
fuel........................260.00
e cig/tin..................360.00
health......................16.40
clothes.....................50.00
misc........................20.00
lottery.....................36.00
Total expense.........2342.40


Balance.....................587.60

op mortgage......................100.00
emergency fund..................100.00
1% fund.............................30.00
holiday fund......................300.00
tilly tidy fund......................20.00

Total saves........................550.00

Balance left.......................37.60

Not bad but not brilliant :D

Karmacat

Yep, writing a budget implies sticking to it, sooner or later :cool: you can do it!

SueP19 wrote: »

Fair wise it was a bit of a disaster as usual, worked like a beaver the week before hand (hence dare not come on here as I would lose myself) I was very pleased with what I took but as per usual I had lot of people coming back again and again, telling me how they "soooooo wanted that one" but they were short of funds (because they spent their money at another stand) It's always the same, I get lots of ooogh and aaaagh's but not many sales. I have consulted other artists and they can't explain it either. I miss the "cheap as chips" brigade as I am slightly more but I also miss the "monied" spenders as they buy more expensive bears. I tend to get the ones who like good bears but are after it cheap. It's not a recent problem, it's been happening for the last few years.......................so if anyone has any ideas they would be very welcome.

Erm, you have the solution right there! Either charge more for what you already do, or up the quality a little bit more to justify the higher price. Then you get the monied spenders after the more expensive bears. If you want, make a big splash of it on your website If you're outside of the conventional price ranges, you don't have a targetted audience, and you're sort of falling between two stools, if you get my drift? Your bears are obviously beautiful, but aiming at the right buyers is important too.

HTH - it's meant to, honest :kisses3:

SueP19

Karmacat wrote: »

Erm, you have the solution right there! Either charge more for what you already do, or up the quality a little bit more to justify the higher price. Then you get the monied spenders after the more expensive bears. If you want, make a big splash of it on your website If you're outside of the conventional price ranges, you don't have a targetted audience, and you're sort of falling between two stools, if you get my drift? Your bears are obviously beautiful, but aiming at the right buyers is important too.

HTH - it's meant to, honest :kisses3:

Thanks Karmacat
I am in the middle price and quality wise, big discussion with OH last night, despite driving a lorry he is very bright on these matters, when he isn't using the situation to his advantage ie. for me to stop :rotfl:

As he said I am my own worst enemy, I wait to the last minute to make them (put everything else first......did point out that was my fault, so the next time he says "why you making them, you not got a fair yet" I will remind him) I do very very little marketing despite knowing what I should be doing I just don't have the time. He did say I must be selling them as I don't have any before a fair, so I had to confess I sell them off after, to which he called me an idiot, he did come up with some clever marketing strategies so this year I am determined to market myself in the run up to fairs......................will do a spreadsheet of dates etc and plan it out at lunch.
As for my target audience, I know who they are but for some reason when they have a choice between me and a competitor they are choosing the competitor every time That may just be lack of presence before a fair, we have targeted all the other options, what we look like, what the stand looks like, every aspect of the bears etc..............so lets hope that's the answer...........................next fair bank holiday monday, so planning is a foot :T:T