Northern Living Allowance

Slacker Saturday

2012-02-04T14:16:00.000-08:00

I had grand plans for today - sort of. I was going to declutter the kitchen, but that hasn't happened yet. I was going to get to those long, long, long, etc. overdue emails that I owe people. That hasn't happened either. Where HAS my morning gone? Well, I've been reading all the updates on your blogs...um....okay, so I need a little motivation...

I DID however, do something I've never done before - write a letter to someone as the result of a TV show. I've discovered "Undercover Boss" (anyone?) and love it. The inaugural Canadian one was on the other night - the CEO of the Toronto Zoo, John Taragno, got to go undercover and clean gorilla poo! And penguin poo! And human poo! What a trooper. Anyhow, I was so moved by the custodian he worked with that I wrote a letter to Mr. Taragno. I hope he doesn't think I'm a total wingnut.

I have very fond memories of visiting the Zoo when I was growing up, and the show aired almost exactly 31 years to the date of my dad's death, in 1981. Mr. Taragno had recently lost his own dad and I must have got something in my eyes because they were tearing up at one point. The utterly, utterly lovely custodian had lost one of her daughters and she and her husband wrote letters to her to help them deal with their grief. She had written a beautiful letter to Mr. Taragno's undercover persona "Jim" to suggest that he do the same to help him with his grief about his dad. I have been struggling for a way to connect with my dad and as soon as she explained what she did, I knew that was what I had to do, too. She was Amazing.

I don't believe in coincidences, so I made up my mind right then and there that I would write a letter to let him know how much the show meant to me. My goal is to now spend a day at the Zoo when I'm there in July, and I will do what I can to make that happen. I have loose plans to spend my only full day in Toronto with a friend I haven't seen in 15 years and I'm going to suggest that she & I spend a day at the Zoo. I think she'd be okay with this.

Now I just don't really feel like doing anything else. I'll make a point of going through my kitchen and putting some things on the table where I'm collecting my items for sale/donation/disposal, but I feel a little bit drained to be honest. Coming to terms with the fact that I have feelings and it's okay to actually FEEL them (bad, sad, happy, angry, whatever) after 44 years of repressing them is a big deal. And a lot harder than I thought. I've only just made the connection, for example, that the reason I'm not a happy person is the fact that I haven't completely dealt with my dad's death so long ago. I was a happy kid, but then my dad died and we were left with my mum, who really couldn't cope and fun literally disappeared from my life, replaced with shame, guilt and condemnation. It's embarrassing and a bit shameful when people ask what I do for fun, and I don't really have an answer. Because I don't have fun. The depression I've been in and out of for the past 30 years stems from the fact that I wasn't allowed to grieve for my dad when I was a kid - everything else has just built it up, obscuring that fact and adding layers of untruths, repressed feelings and beliefs to it.

I'm just so afraid that if I start grieving (aka, crying) I won't be able to stop. I just don't know what to do with all that rage and sadness and grief that would well up and overflow. But holding onto it is just making me sick, depressed, unhappy, cold...

Wow...this post turned out much differently than I expected. That letter was obviously very cathartic at some level.

Thank you all for being so awesome that you'd listen to this, too.

A busy day!

2012-02-03T16:29:00.000-08:00

There was no decluttering going on today, unless you count a lot of recycling. I don't really as that's generally par for the course, although it did feel good to finally get rid of it. I have a corner in my office that's my Recycling Collection Point and it tends to build up for longer than it should. Once it reaches the point that the door won't open all the way, I transfer some to the truck...ahem...

Out of sight, out of mind, right? Ha!

I had a list of things to do and get today and I'm happy to say that I completed most of them. Costs associated with each are included.

Chiropractic appointment: check! $40 (actually I only had $38, so owe $2)

Groceries: check!
4L 1% milk: $4.69
Salmon: $18.22 (family size, will last me about a week!)
Ground turkey: $5.37
Bananas: $2.11 (1.090 kg @$1.94/kg)
Berry bowl: $5.65 (mixed fruit salad of strawberries, blackberries and blueberries)
6 Ambrosia apples: $4.94 (1.505 kg @$3.28/kg)

Officially adopting Fat Joey by FINALLY filling out the paperwork: check! $0 :)

Cat food: check! 12 tins @$1.56 ea = $18.77

Recycling: check!

And my naughty purchase (and the reason I owe $2 to the chiropractor): 3 books $22.02. There goes most of my allowance for the month, but really. I know...it was the 25% off signs that dazzled me, I'm afraid.

I went to the bank with all my rolled coin and US$. I deposited the US$ and now have $101.00 in that account. My rolled coin amounted to $205! I put $50 onto my LOC as an extra payment and the rest, $155, onto my VISA. This is technically an extra payment, but because I bought my plane ticket I'm not really counting it as extra, because it doesn't fully clear the ticket cost. Regardless, it's snowflake money and every little bit helps.

I have just sent off my first English essay thesis to my instructor and over the next few days have to sketch out my ideas for the completed essay which is due next Friday. I've also spoken with an instructor at the college in a certificate program I've decided to register for. I'll be attending part-time and it appears most of the course is online, so I can do it as and when I can. I'm quite excited as I think this is the right program for me. It "feels" right and I can get started before the end of February, so that's even more motivating.

It's begun...

2012-02-02T16:47:00.000-08:00

Well, as I stated yesterday, I have fairly little to purge compared to some (oh my!), however, I *STILL* managed to find a load of things that can be sold, donated or tossed. Amazing. I really don't have that much space, so where it all comes from, I have no idea.

First up: the TV/DVD stand. I don't even particularly like this stand, but it was basically free and keeps things tidy for the most part. Look at all the DVDs I've got! Ridiculous really.

Note the green flat thing on top of the DVD player. This is a green version of the little blue storage container in the top photo. So, after some "hard" work, I got this:

MUCH better! (Sorry about the glare). Most of the DVDs went into the green container on the right. I sorted a bunch of them out and removed them for selling or donating. And, er, yes, the stand does still need to be cleaned.

Next up were the bookshelves in my bedroom.

Bookshelf one. This actually looks almost identical after I tidied, except for the pile of books on the top left side. It was actually a pile of letters - half of which were unopened! - from 2006 - 2008. Wow. So the top is much neater now.

Bookshelf #2 before the purge. And after:

Again, not a big difference, but I actually pulled a surprising number of books off it. The little pile on the top right will be going to the library. They're German books (kids' books) that I got last year when we were decluttering our multi-lingual collection. I won't be reading them and they're just taking up space, so back they go.

This is the pile of books I got from the bookshelf:

There are a few cookbooks there, too, because who am I kidding? I don't cook, so there's no point keeping them around. I have a few left, plus a binder full of recipes I've collected. More than enough to use should I ever feel the urge to make something creative for dinner. So my cookbook cupboard is quite a bit tidier now, too! Yay! I also put a couple of crossword puzzle books in the purge file because I like to think I'm much smarter than I actually am. Those are NY Times Sunday crosswords - hard! I kept a couple of books, so these are going to be donated. I don't imagine I can get anything for these at the used bookstore. Everything else, however, will be taken in for evaluation and whatever is left will be donated to the library.

I'm not even sure it's worth showing you a picture of my bedroom closet before and after. In the 2nd bookshelf photo, there's a pile of stuff on the left hand side. That's what came out of my closet. I also threw out an old belt that was worn, torn and not worth keeping. I added a cooling rack (I have 3) to the pile and a pair of shoes I don't like, too.

I also did a declutter of my computer. This isn't something I can prove, but I cleared out some big files (photos) and some unused and unwanted documents and it just feels better to have cleaned out a little bit of space from that. Whether it makes any difference to the performance or not, I don't know. It just feels a little better for having done it.

My kitchen is tiny, so space is at a premium. I purged this spice rack because I literally have nowhere to keep it. This is the extent of my counter space - one of the reasons I don't like to cook. I have very little space to move around in. When the dishes are drying, as below, I literally have zero counter space.

Saturday I will be working on my kitchen. I have found a number of things I can get rid of, leaving me with more cupboard space at least. As well, the living room will be getting a very tiny purge - there really isn't much to do in there, but I can at least tidy a little and clear away a few things that just gather dust.

And this one is just because:

Fat Joey is still with me. Here he is, exhausted and resting on his blanket, from overexerting himself doing nothing today. Good Joey!

It doesn't look like I did much, but I was a busy bee for almost three hours!

Confession...

2012-02-01T17:37:00.000-08:00

Look at me. Day One of the February challenge isn't even over yet and already I've blown my budget and goals! I got an e-flyer from Air North in my inbox this afternoon and bought a ticket to Vancouver - for LESS THAN $300 RETURN! That's $99 o/w. I just about fell over. Never, ever, ever, EVER (!!!) have I seen a price that low before - it totals HALF of what it usually costs, so I'm helping my brother out a little bit and that's going towards my Ontario trip in July. Next step, Vancouver - Toronto.

Wow. I'm not even upset that I blew it. Not even a little bit. I'm still shaking my head. Plus I entered to win a return flight anywhere Air North flies, so who knows?

February challenges. Bring it on!

2012-02-01T12:05:00.000-08:00

Okay, Carla - here are my February goals:

Choose a financial goal for the month!

· $200 - $300 to VISA card

· $100 into my travel fund, $50 to vet, $50 tocar, $50 to EFund

How will you achieve your goal this month?

· Similar to last month: take lunches to work; usemy calendar, debit and notebook to track my spending; and use more cash. Thisis also so I can have more coins to roll, to put back onto the VISA card

· Shave some off the grocery bill where I can: $50- $60 week for food

· Shave the gas money to one fill per month - $80.This means *gasp* walking if it’s gettinglow. Easier now that it’s slightly warmer and staying light a bit later.

· Can I get away with putting $70 onto the hydrobill, rather than $90?

How will you allot your spending this month?

· Cats. They’re continually hungry (imagine!),plus Dinah’s specialty diabetic food. I’ve upped my budget for them from $80 to$100 per month.

· As above, cut the gas budget from $150 p/month –which I’m not sure I’ve ever hit anyway – to $80. I have a friend visiting fora few days and will likely use a bit more than normal, but hopefully I’ll beable to keep it to just one fill regardless.

· Be diligent about making lunches and breakfast daily.It’s working well so far, so I think lowering the grocery budget is feasible.Besides, how much food can one person eat anyway? (Answer: you’d be surprised!)

4. Track your purchases!

Doing well with this, so it shouldn’t be hard tocarry on. I now have a little notebook to mark my purchases in. It was an oldone hanging around at work, so I asked if I could have it. FREE! J

5. Are there any “exemptions” for the month

I have a $150 payment I need to make, plus atleast two dinners out with friends. I go out for dinner very rarely, so thiswill be a treat for me. I still have to make sure I don’t go overboard with themeal, though, so I'll budget $20 for each of those.
Chiropractic appointment(s). I will get 80% backfor these, so that money can get rolled back into a budget at some point.

Here’s how the Decluttering challenge will work:

1. There will be 4 main challenges for the month. I pick thetheme, you pick the challenge!

Week One: Personal Space Challenge

It’s all my personal space, but I will concentrate on the 2^ndbedroom as that’s where I spend a lot of time. It’s my office and there’s still“stuff” I can finally let go of cluttering a corner. Can probably also findmore stuff on the computer to delete.

Week Two: Family Space Challenge

As above, it’s all my personal space, but the living roomcould still use a declutter, although there’s not much left to get rid of. Oldmagazines, a board game I’ve never used, DVDs I’ve never watched…

Week Three: Productivity Challenge

What? The above isn’t enough?! I’m not really sure yet.I can improve productivity in many (most!) areas of my life, so perhaps it will show upon its own as I’m purging, cleaning, decluttering, etc. What I’d LIKE to see ismore time spent doing creative things: drawing, writing, knitting, etc., ratherthan sitting down in front of the computer or TV to unwind. Spend time withhorses?

Week Four: The “Dreaded” Challenge

Hmm. Kitchen? I have lots of stuff in the pantry andcupboards that I don’t use or need, so will count that.

2. Bonus Challenges!

Looking forward to these!

3. Purging!!

I’ve already started collecting a bag of things, plus a pileof books. This is a work in progress. I will be taking the books to the secondhand store for either credit or cash (or both – I don’t know what the optionsare). The “things” vary and I could probably sell at least some of them online, but is it worththe cost of mailing them. I may have to sign back on to Facebook and use thebuy, sell, trade site that has worked well for me in the past. This is not theideal option, so I may end up just donating it all instead. We’ll see.

4. The Proof is in the pudding!

Comparatively, I don’t have a lot of clutter, so not sure photoswould be all that useful as the only one who would really notice is me. But Iwill anyway, to stick with the spirit of the challenge.

So. I guess we're rolling... :)

February challenge, January update AND Sunday chit-chat

2012-01-29T11:44:00.000-08:00

I've committed to both of Carla's challenges in February because, why not? Why not challenge myself to another low/no-spend month PLUS a good old declutter? The biggest challenge for me will be to figure out what I want to tackle, savings-wise: do I want to bump up my EFund or continue to pay down my debt? Plump up the vet or travel accounts or focus on the VISA card?

The final week of January hasn't been a great no-spend, but it wasn't frivolous - at least, not for the most part!

Jan 25: Robbie Burns day! :)
$5.38 for tea & a cocoa macaroon
$3.85 tea & bagel at Tim Horton's
$10 co-worker for 5 tickets for fund-raising draw
$5 co-worker for another co-worker's good-bye gift

Jan 26:
$11.86, bag of nuts (organic and very delicious, but yes, very expensive. May have to reconsider these next month)

Jan 27:
$40 Chiropractor
$67.71 groceries
$51.35 16kg bag, dry cat food (for the boys)
$6.29 watch battery - now I can't get the back on again... >:(

These are the groceries I bought (forgot the 24-roll NN toilet paper, and picked up milk after this). Still can't quite get my head around the fact it's almost $70 worth and that's IT. Even with 30% off the meat. I have two packages of cheese there which is $13, so perhaps that's part of it. I love this PC extra-aged cheddar!

Let's see what the damage actually was:
1 kg NN hone - $8.98
2 pkgs cheese @ 6.79 ea: $13.58 (regularly $7.99)
Brown sugar: $2.99
Roasted red pepper hummus (400 g): $5.79
Sandwich bags: $2.98
50' aluminum foil: $3.79
2 pkgs rice cakes: $2.48 ea (I generally buy organic, so these are a couple of dollars cheaper)
chicken 1: $10.98 (less 30%)
chicken 2: $10.72 (less 30%)

So. I can definitely do better in some respects. And I'm sure there are those of you out there who are asking, "What? No fruit or veggies?" Well...I have a bunch of apples already at home, and I'm currently trying to eat my frozen veggies, but I'm really (!!) bad at actually eating what produce I buy, so I limit it. Comparatively it's cheaper, but sometimes not by much.

Sunday chit-chat.

What are you…

Reading? Finishedreading “The Girls Who Went Away” last night, so I have to figure out what Iwant to read tonight. I borrowed “Enough Already” by Peter Walsh from the library,so I think I might start that to get me in the right frame of mind for Carla’sFebruary declutter challenge. I’ve read a previous book of his and liked it –although parts weren’t applicable, like the chapters on kids - so I thought Iwould probably enjoy this one, too.

I gave up on the “Money Drunk, Money Sober” one and took itback to the library.

Watching? The usual –DIY/HGTV. J

Listening to? Nothing specialthis week.

Cooking/Baking? I’malready trying to decide what I’m going to have for dinner and haven’t hadbreakfast yet! :P

Happy you accomplished this week? The final exam for my writing course. I lost motivation about halfway through. It wasn’tawful, just not quite what I was hoping for. A good clean of the apartment.

Looking forward to next week? The start of the February challenges and figuring out what I want tostrive for! J Returninga book to the college and getting a $45 refund (need to find my registrationform for this).

Thankful for today? Dinah(my diabetic cat) is doing very well. I took her to the vet yesterday afternoonto get her glucose levels checked. They’ve fallen back into the normal range(13.5 as of yesterday, from a high of 20.8 last week), which I’m very pleasedabout. So two injections a day, plus her diabetic diet, is working well.

Whoo!! Finally - updatesfor “Angry Birds!” And free, so even better. J

After coming back from the vet, I spent most of yesterdayafternoon rearranging my living room. It’s a small space and my furniture is abit too big for it. It wasn’t an awful initial arrangement, but it seems youhave to live with something for a while before you see how it might workbetter. I moved a bookshelf, switched the sofa & loveseat locations, etvoila! It’s actually cosier than it was PLUS I can finally use the electricfireplace that came with the suite. Itworks great and I can hopefully keep the electric bill down a little by usingthat instead of the baseboard heating.

While I was at it, I swept and mopped the floors, vacuumedthe rug and the bedrooms and dusted (almost) everything. I still have to cleanthe bathroom, but that will get done another time. I was too pooped to do itall in one day!

I had a phone call from my brother in the UK, too. It’s mymother ‘s 80^th birthday this July and my brother and his partnerwant to make it special for her and her twin sister, who lives out east. I washaving a bit of an issue with this mostly because I feel obligated to attendfor obvious reasons, but was thinking it’s either this or the UK trip.Realistically I can’t do both in the short time I’ve allotted for travel. Mybrother - being the swell guy that he is - offered to pay for my flight toOntario so that I could attend the birthday and not jeopardize my UK trip nextyear in the process. I didn’t say yes right away, but I’m definitely consideringit. It would mean I could get Outside for a trip – perhaps spend a few extradays in and around Toronto visiting a friend or tagging along with him and hispartner to Montreal (I heart Montreal). If I do it, I can just add in the costof the ticket to my overall costs next year. Hmm. Really, it would be silly notto take him up on this wouldn’t it?

I’m looking into the deferred leave program through work andbrought home a couple of paystubs to play with to see if it would be a worthwhileundertaking. Then I had the brilliant idea of just trying this on my own to seeif I could do it for several months before I make the decision to officially signup. You can take a minimum of 6 months and a maximum of one year off and mostpeople take 3 years or so to put the money aside. I’m just not sure I can waitthat long, but it’s all a matter of priorities isn’t it? I’m playing with thepercentages (up to 10%) to see what would be comfortable for me. I have to alsotake into consideration my debt payments as well as my RRSP & EFundcontributions, so I have to take the maximum I can without leaving myself strugglingand “destitute.” If I start on my own, I can adjust as I go, save more or lessas the mood strikes, but once I make a decision with the work program, I’mstuck with the amount I choose, so a trial run, so to speak, might be a goodidea.

This might be my February challenge, actually...

One of those days...It's going around!

2012-01-24T18:27:00.000-08:00

Well, it appears several of us have had rather trying days today. Is it a full moon by chance? My day was a rather high-anxiety one and this bothers me because I never used to have anxiety.

I'm the focus of an unwelcome crush at work. The fellow in question is a homeless alcoholic and is more often than not drunk when he comes in. He never touches, never makes inappropriate gestures, but always has makes a point of asking me if the clocks are right and what the time is. This doesn't seem like a big deal, but it started last summer sometime. He'd been AWOL for months and one day lurched in, loaded to the gills, and proceeded to hover and harass and not leave me alone. Once bitten, twice shy, as the saying goes and just his presence now is enough to get my anxiety working overtime. Plus, because of the redesign, I have nowhere to hide - we're wide open to the public now. I mentioned this to my supervisor, but it's difficult to know what to do. It's a public building and anyone can come and go as they please. Banning people is next to impossible. I said I would really like an off-desk job, but it's not like you can schedule that around these visits because you just never know when he's going to be in. What can you do? I dislike having my heart race every time I hear the front door open and spending my whole day wondering when he'll arrive, leaving me anxious and tetchy with everyone else.

Perhaps my energy is focused on the wrong thing or the wrong way?

Anyway, that kept my heart rate at a high rate for most of the day, even though he was only in for a few minutes this morning. Like I said, I've never had anxiety before, but I don't like this feeling one bit. The feeling of having to look over my shoulder all the time (so to speak) does nothing to make me enjoy my time at work. This is part of the reason I'm continuing to look for something else.

It doesn't help that I've not been sleeping well for the past couple of months, either. Two or three solid nights sleep in the past 6 or 7 weeks. I'm just feeling exhausted and we all know that game, right?

Then when I stopped for milk this evening on my way home I saw my ex (I don't think he saw me; if he did, he didn't say anything). *Sigh* Rush of anxiety. Why? I don't know. It's been two years for crying out loud. He's moved on, blah blah blah...

There's something(s) I'm resisting or not doing.

But what good happened today?

bananas for my oatmeal for the next few days! $3.72
did the dishes when I got home. I'm doing well with getting them done quickly instead of leaving them for days...
back to one of my regular tasks at last! I've been desperate for something to do since we reopened and I'm so glad to have my main task back
the weather is at a balmy -17C. Lovely after a frigid week!
I'm going to enter a writing contest that could win me a trip to Frankfurt, Germany! :)

I guess it's all in how you look at it. I'm going to change into my pajamas now and watch "Consumed" on HGTV. Terrific show and I'm learning good lessons from it.

Have a good evening all.

Sunday night chit-chat

2012-01-22T15:22:00.000-08:00

What are you…

Reading? “Money Drunk,Money Sober” by Julia Cameron and Mark Bryan. A 90-Day program to get you“sober” about your money. You first identify your particular money addictionand acknowledge it, then work through the program day by day to repair theissues. I picked it up (at the library) because I thought it could help mefocus a bit better, but it’s just okay. I’m going to read the whole thing, seehow I feel about it, and then see if doing the program will actually help memore than I think.

“The Girls Who WentAway” by Ann Fessler. This was a book that came through the library as arequest from another library. It looked interesting, so I bought it from Amazonwith a gift card I got for Christmas. It’s about girls in the years before “Roevs Wade,” who were made to give up their babies for adoption and the shame,guilt and societal backlash they got in exchange – as well as well-meaning but misplacedadvice like ‘move on and forget about it.’ The author is herself one of thosebabies and it was a conversation with another woman – once one of ‘those girls’– that got her thinking that no one had ever asked these women how they felt about this. The focus hasalways been on the children who were given up. This book is Ann’s way of comingto terms with her adoption, the reasons behind it and meeting her birth mom forthe first time.

“A Beautiful Blue Death” by Charles Finch. A Victorianmystery set in London concerning a servant who dies after ingesting a veryunusual, but particularly deadly, poison. The (unofficial) detective is anupper-class gentleman who uses his connections to help solve the case. I’m onlyabout a third of the way in, but it’s beautifully written and very engaging.

Watching? DIY/HGTV. I love most things that concernconstruction (which, yes, includes cute tradesmen…*ahem*…sue me). I still havethe Jackie Chan movie to watch as well as “Bridesmaids.” I bought the latteroff Amazon for $10 with the gift card I got for Christmas.

Listening to? My usual“Top 25.” I am not brave when it comes to music, however, I’m glad I made thechoice to purchase Adele’s “21” from iTunes last year. She’s simply amazing andhugely talented. I haven’t heard a voice that beautiful for many years.

Cooking/Baking? I madeapple cinnamon bran muffins (a mix), so I will have a snack at work for thenext week or so. Otherwise, I’m trying to attack whatever is in the fridge andempty some containers and shelves. Not leftovers, per se, but stuff that needsto be eaten and done with so that I can refresh a few things after payday.

Happy you accomplished this week? My first English assignment (which wasn’tdifficult) plus I was one of a few to get an extra mark because the instructorhad posted to wrong assignment on the wrong week. J Despite quite a spendyweek, it was all – apart from my visit to Timmy’s – necessary stuff. I amfinding I spend a HUGE amount of money on food, so I need to look at that. Ihave, however, been shopping (mostly) to my lists, so that’s an improvement.Menu planning would help, but I’m hampered by the fact that I have a small fridge freezer (already stuffed) and it’s just me. A small, separate freezer would help, though,as it means I could cook less, which would be great because I don’t like tocook anyway.

I’ve started looking at things to declutter again. There’s alittle murmur out there about this right now, and I figured I’d add my voice toit. I did really well on this during the late summer/early fall last year, butbit by bit, I’ve started “collecting” stuff again and I can really use themotivation to get myself going again. I started with my fridge and got rid of afew things, but there’s still much to do there. This morning I cleaned anddeleted a few things off my computer that were cluttering that up. At thebeginning of the month I went through my emails and unsubscribed to quite a fewthings, helping keep that much tidier as well. That felt great!

Looking forward to next week? More of the same. Paying more attention to where I’m falling down withmy intentions as well (eating better, spending, making time for things I enjoy,etc).

Thankful for today? Thatmy diabetic cat seems to be doing a bit better. After her vet visit on Fridayafternoon, she’s up to 2 insulin injections per day to see if that helps theglucose levels balance better. Also, the other diabetic food that she was on – whichwas making her vomit (TMI?) – has been switched back to the original stuff andthere have been no problems so far. She’s even eating her proper diabetictinned food again, which is a real relief. So while it was an additionalexpense I wasn’t anticipating, I’m thankful for the skilled and caring vets andstaff at the clinic I take her to. There’s a reason they’re quickly becomingthe “go to” clinic in town.

That I met a good friend for coffee this afternoon. Itreated myself to a tea and a breakfast Panini (which was disappointing) andspent an hour or so in excellent company. She’s a lovely woman and I value thetime she takes to spend with me; she’s very inspiring and full of great advice.I passed along an item of mine that I thought her 5-yr old son would like. WhenI was down south last year I went to IKEA (DANGER! DANGER!) and picked up manythings, among them this item,which I thought would be really fun on my wall. Only it’s a ceiling light (theyhad it up on a wall at the showroom, hence my confusion). At any rate, it’sbeen sitting in my living room ever since, so I passed it along to my friend whosaid her son will love it.

A memory of Cornwall

2012-01-20T17:30:00.000-08:00

(photo courtesy of Cornwall Online Holidays)

This is a photo of Praa (pronounced 'pray') Sands, Cornwall, just outside of Helston, and about a half hour walk from where my grandparents used to live; down the lane, past farms and across the moors and finally past an old, collapsed tin mine. SFT has that beautiful photo of the Cornish coast on her page and it's just got me wistful and somewhat homesick the past few days.

My grandparents raised my dad and his brother here after moving from Portsmouth just before the war. My uncle remembers days when the two of them would be gone from home for hours, and a time when they discovered a fridge washed ashore and full of butter! A real coup at the time when everyone was restricted to rations.

After spending the war in the Mediterranean, my grandpa was the Reverend at Breage for thirty years - I remember going to church once when we were visiting - but the majority of my memories centre around this beautiful stretch of sand. As a family we'd spend hours and hours there, my grandma having baked goodies and made sandwiches for all of us. There was a shop just off the beach at the far end, where we'd buy ice cream on occasion (the "P" for parking at the far left of the map below), but we were happy to just swim, poke around the rock pools and play with abandon.

Breage Parish Church.

My grandparents are both buried here, but not together. :( As grandpas was a vicar, he was interred in a special area with the previous vicars. Grandma, apparently, was "just" his wife. I find this sad. Grandpa knew when he was 14 & grandma was 12 that he would marry her and they almost 70 years together. Not many can say that these days.

The last time I was here was 1993 and then only briefly with my sister. When I'm in the UK next year, I am going to make sure I visit and stir up some memories.

This is a map area:

We would walk down Rinsey Lane (they lived just south of Rinsey village) to the coast path (red line) and across the moors to the beach from there. Grandpa always insisted we stick to the path because the area is riddled with mine shafts from the old tin mines that dot the region and the earth is very unstable. There is actually an old tin mine at Rinsey Head.

(thank you cornwall365.co.uk)

The name of this mine - I've just learned - is Wheal Prosper. There are all kinds of photos of it on the web, some very lovely. From the looks of it, there are now paths down to the mine and around it, but grandpa never let us stray far.

I have been very homesick for the UK for several years now. I wasn't born there, but I have citizenship and am only one generation removed. Perhaps it's because all my memories of time spent there as a kid were happy ones with grandparents (except for grumpy grandpa Wallace...) and cousins and aunts and uncles, visiting the farm in Hertfordshire where my mum grew up, this beautiful area my dad called home...

This has nothing to do with finances, but it just struck me that I needed to keep focused on my goal for next year and this has helped with that. I hope you enjoyed the visit...

This is what ice fog looks like

2012-01-20T11:40:00.000-08:00

I found this on the Weather Network website. This was shot at the corners of Third Ave & Main St in down town Whitehorse. This is what it's been looking like the past few days. Brrr...Enjoy!

This 'n that

2012-01-19T10:08:00.000-08:00

I'm at home for a second day today with a sore back. This particular issue comes and goes and hasn't been a problem for quite some time, but it reared its ugly head yesterday just before I went to work. My back - "seizes" is the best word - from time to time between my shoulders, just at the base of my neck. I can't turn my head or lift my arms above my shoulders; particular movements seem to make it worse, like driving. It used to last for days regardless of what I'd do, but the past couple of times has only been a day or two, which is...better.

I took an Extra-Strength Tylenol but it didn't help, so I came home instead. Sitting, standing and doing lots of things that would just exacerbate the problem didn't seem like the best way to spend my day. I've been sitting on a ball at my desk at home for about a month and apparently it's been great for my back. It has helped my posture (which is poor) to the point that switching back to a chair the other day was, I believe, the root cause of my back problem yesterday. I'm back on the ball and it's helping immensely. I have a chiropractic appointment lined up for Saturday morning, and that should help as well. An unexpected cost, but not outrageous at $40, so I'm okay with that extra expense this month.

I'm certain a new bed would also help, so I'm going to start looking at prices for a mattress set. The Brick had an excellent Boxing Day Sale, but I don't want to finance anything unless I can put a dent in it right away, regardless of the length of the "Don't Pay" incentive. My bed is okay for now, but is already third-hand and its best years are long behind it.

The temperatures are doing some fancy footwork over the next couple of weeks. Environment Canada is generally more accurate, but the Weather Network has longer term forecasts posted - just to make us miserable ahead of time! And we've actually just gone DOWN a degree to -39C this morning...

Because we use more gas at this time of year, it's important to always have a full tank. I was down to a quarter tank by Monday and even though I don't venture out of town during the winter, you never want to get stuck without enough gas, just in case, particularly with frigid temperatures. I'm glad I got an oil change last week, too, and the fluids checked.

My spending since the 14th looks like this:

Jan 15: No spend!

Jan 16: Gas $62.69 (49.749L @ 125.9L). It generally costs me about $75 to fill from empty and I try to fill only once a month. Because I'm lazy, my "commute" to work is all of 7 minutes (= 40 mins walk). Once the temperatures go up and the light stays a bit later, I'll be walking. My goal is to drive as little as possible during the summer. I'll have to get my bike tuned up for that challenge, so will budget for that accordingly.

Jan 17: $6.96 4L milk (I was surprised, too. I generally pay about $4.59) and $3.80 for a bagel and tea for breakfast at Tim Horton's. My first visit this year! I decided I needed a treat.

Jan 18/19: No spend!

Tomorrow I have to take my cat to the vet for a glucose test to check her levels and see if an adjustment is needed for her insulin shot. She's doing "okay," but not great. She's still thin and listless, although her appetite has moderated, which is positive. She's vomiting a lot, though, which is not, although this may have something to do with her change in food...

One of my favourite book genres out there these days is the memoirs of those who have undertaken a year-long challenge of one sort or another. There's a particular name for it, but I can't remember what it is. Gretchen Rubin mentions it towards the end of her wonderful "Happiness Project," which I loved. "A Year Without Made in China" and "Not Buying It" were a couple of the first ones I read, several years ago, and there are a number of them devoted to not spending. This is something I would really like to do, so I'm going to have a think and see what I can come up with.

Stay warm out there!

YAY!

2012-01-18T17:38:00.000-08:00

We're all doing so well on our January challenge! I'm enjoying following everyone's progress, it's really motivating.

Looking forward to the same in February... ;)

Soooo...um...

2012-01-16T07:11:00.000-08:00

Remember how I said I prefer the snow and the cold to beaches? I got my wish, because this is what our week looks like:

http://www.theweathernetwork.com/weather/CAYT0019

It's supposed to go up a smidge and then right back down next week, too. What it doesn't mention for today is the heavy ice fog that's obliterating the valley. Most times it burns off by early afternoon, but sometimes it hangs over town all day. Terrible stuff for vehicles - and people! About midway down the page are some photos of what ice fog looks like - it's essentially just 'regular' fog, but frozen. Brrrr!

Stay warm everyone!

Sunday chit-chat

2012-01-15T16:18:00.000-08:00

My first "Sunday Night Chit-Chat" posting. What a great idea to wrap up the week! Thanks Carla. :)

What are you…

Reading?

“Love WillTear Us Apart” by Sarah Rainone. A Nick Hornby-esque book about a group of 4twenty-somethings reconnecting at a wedding for two high school friends. The collective dislike of the bride & groom – and their reasons behind it - comes out as youfollow each person’s story. Each chapter is a different character and "named" for a song.

Watching?

“The Return of Sherlock Holmes” on DVD (although not as enthusiastically as I thought I would, despite Jeremy Brett as Holmes) &almost anything on the HGTV & DIY networks. Since my new landlady got satellite installed when she arrived in October, I'm afraid I've been a slave to the remote...

Friday night I watched “Cloudy with aChance of Meatballs.” I love animated movies and hadn't yet seen this one. I have “Nice Guy” starringJackie Chan lined up for some time this week, too. I [heart] Jackie! Adorable AND a kung fu master.

Listening to?

“Top25” on my iTunes playlist. Not very interesting, as this is what I *always*listen to.

Cooking/Baking?

Butterchicken with rice (although this is technically leftovers). Plotting the best way to use up a bunch of overripe bananas.

My last creative effort was a raspberry lemonmousse cake for New Year’s Day. It's a fussy and slightly frustrating recipe, but well worth the effort once it's completed. I switched the gelatin for agar agar, the vegetarian/vegan alternative, as I'm trying to avoid anything that has to do with (dead) horses in that respect. That also means most yogurts are out, as many of them contain gelatin. This is ongoing, although how I would replace glue is a bit of a conundrum...

Happy you accomplished this week?

No un-necessaryspending, and a big dent in my VISA debt: almost $500 this month - already!

Looking forward to next week?

Much of the same: more no-spend days;continue making breakfast and lunch daily; keeping my “eyes on the prize” asthe saying goes and aiming for my base 2013 travel fund by the end of the year.

Thankful for today?

It’s -36C outside. I am thankful my cats and I have a warm, safe andcomfortable place to live. That I have the best landlady E.V.E.R. And that you guys have welcomed me back sowarmly after a lengthy silence. You’re awesome!

Spend/no-spend update, week 2

2012-01-14T16:27:00.000-08:00

Time for an update to stay accountable to this challenge! So far I believe I'm doing very well. I actually cancelled my attendance at a workshop I was going to take tomorrow because I thought the "suggested donation" of $30 would be better spent elsewhere - or not spent at all!

It's a chilly -23C here today (-34C with windchill, but let's not count that...), but the sky is clear and blue, and the wind has tapered off somewhat. The temperatures have dropped 20 degrees in two days and the next week or so look to be much the same. Our real winter has arrived at last. While warmer temperatures are nice, it's just not right. The North needs to freeze. Beaches appeal to some, but not to me. Call me crazy, but I prefer the snow and cold of the North, which is why I went up instead of down! At least for now, but I will never willingly go to a beach. That's just not my idea of a good time.

Anyway, what does my week look like this week? Let's see:

Jan 6: No spend!

Jan 7: Brunch with a friend (at her house), which was a lovely two hours spent in excellent company. I stopped while I was out and bought cat food (3 tins) and one box of cat litter for a total of $15.74. I also bought a package of rice cakes for $4.92.

Jan 8: I worked today, but have NOT bought lunch during the week so far. I've been making my own. It helps that there isn't anywhere particularly close-by to buy lunch. You essentially need to bring along lunch and snacks, so it's unintentionally helpful in that respect. On the way home I bought a bunch of bananas: $3.50. Yes, that's correct. It is a lot to pay for bananas. :(

Jan 9: No spend!

Jan 10: No spend!

Jan 11: Pay day!
Bills paid:
Hydro: $90 (I'm on equal payment plan and this, apparently, is my equal monthly payment. I could likely just pay about $60 p/month and still be in a credit over the winter, but I'll revisit this in the spring)
Internet/phone: $119.29 (Internet has gone up to $62.95 p/mth; phone is about $35. My internet is ADSL, cable is the same price and no, there's no other supplier)
Cell phone: $28.33 (I'm on the bare minimum plan)
Oil change: $75.60 (it was time)
Groceries: $47.75 (because I was smart and stocked up on dry goods!) What did I buy?

4L milk $4.59
2 loaves bread: $5.98 (for the two; separately $4.99 ea)
Pre-made salad: $3.73
1 english cucumber: $1.98
Baby spinach (lg container): $4.48
2 bunches green onions: $1.78 (0.89 ea)
Two yogurt parfaits: $5.98
6 Ambrosia apples (which are fabulous, btw): $5.71 (1.740 kg @ $3.28 kg)
6 Pears: $4.92 (1.330 kg @ $2.82 kg)
3 Baking potatoes: $3.33 (1.180 kg @ $2.82 kg)
2 red peppers: $4.78 (.545 kg @ $8.77 kg <-- not a typo if you can believe it! Outrageous.)

Plus I put $100 into savings!

Jan 12: Groceries: $17.51 (dark chocolate coconut ice-cream, frozen peas & corn)

Insulin needles: $39.95. I have a diabetic cat and decided that stocking up makes more sense. I bought a box of 100 needles, although it's not really a discount as the individual bags of 10 are $4 apiece. I also queried a charge for the sharps container ($7.25) and it was refunded to me. I have always been under the impression that you just exchange a full one for an empty one; I don't ever recall having to pay for these before, so I'm glad I asked. I put the $7.25 back into my jars and coin containers.

Jan 13: No spend!

Jan 14: Cat food (diabetic kibble, 8.5lb bag): $46.20

4 boxes cat litter (15kg ea): $31.96 (I get this from Cdn Tire, as it's the best deal out there, so I stock up when I buy. It's $7.99 for the box, and sometimes it goes on sale at $5.99)

8 tins cat food: $29.40 (Holistic Select, 13 oz cans @ $3.50 ea. This is a lot to spend on cat food, but they all eat the same stuff and this is the only type my fussy little Princess will eat anymore. The boys aren't quite so spectacularly fussy...each tin lasts 3-4 days)

Paper towels: 8 rolls for $4.97, which is actually a great deal! I'll have paper towel for months now.

My new VISA arrived with less fanfare than anticipated, as I forgot it was coming. The number is only 3 digits different than my last one, but I've put it in my wallet anyway. The urge to use it has not struck once since the beginning of the month, so I have hope that I'll be able to continue this no/low-spend challenge through February as well. That would be a huge accomplishment!

I've also adjusted the auto-payment on my LOC from $85 bi-weekly to $50, which is just over the minimum. This is so I can focus on paying off the VISA first and fast. I'm comfortable with this and will keep it low for as long as it takes to pay off the CC. Last night I rolled the coins in my piggy-bank and came away with $100! I still have lots of coin to roll and I plan to put it all on my VISA (except $80 US, which will go into my US account in case I visit Alaska again this year).

All in all, I'm pleased with my progress thus far. My frame of mind has adjusted itself from "lack/deprivation" to "nurture/plenty" and it's amazing what a difference it makes. I just have to stay organized and continue making breakfast and lunch a daily habit, as well as having snacks available so that I'm not starving by the end of the day. So simple, yet it's taken me so long to "get it." :)

English class starts on Monday; writing course finishes Friday. My sister has given me 2-weeks' homework as well (we're doing coaching sessions on Skype; it's something she's looking at getting into and I thought it would help keep me on track, structured and accountable for whatever I take on this year) and my brother is taking the first step of one of his challenges this year. While I was in Victoria over Christmas, we gave each other challenges to be completed by the end of the year, and we are accountable to each other for their success (or lack of). Mine are to save $1500 - 2K towards a trip to the UK next year and to write and send a book to a publisher in 6 months! My brother's are to take more initiative within his relationship and to audition/play music with people 3 times. We chose to give my sister a challenge to volunteer somewhere that rings true for her, but doing something she wouldn't ordinarily do. These have to be finished by the end of the year, so there's room for some flexibility, but the intent is to do things that are a bit scary because without that, you don't get the same feeling of growth or accomplishment.

Doing things because you can is fine, but to really push yourself to do better, you need a little bit of scary!

Update on no-spend January (+ more)

2012-01-06T11:33:00.000-08:00

I'm doing well actually. I've set up a simple calendar on the computer - one of those "fancy" downloadable templates - and am marking in whether I spend or not as well as keeping general stuff on it as reminders, etc.

When I got back from Victoria in December, and prior to reading Carla's blog entry about her challenge, I stocked up on groceries. I spent slightly over $250. This includes purchases like a giant bottle each of olive oil and balsamic vinegar, 3 bags of rice, 4 tins of beans, some frozen items, a selection of meats (a family size salmon & some ground chicken) and various other non-perishables that will carry me through, and hopefully over, a month. There's a lot of veggies in there, too, but those will obviously have to be replaced regularly.

My intention is to not eat out this month, or at least not as often. I whine about how I have no time for breakfast in the morning, but I actually have plenty. I distract myself and choose NOT to make it or lunch. I have no excuses now that I've suspended Facebook for a month. It's a huge time suck and I need to break my addiction. I'm hoping that by the end of the month I'll feel like continuing for another month...then another. I don't want to deactivate it permanently because most of my friends are Outside and overseas and it's nice to be able to drop a little 'hello' here and there to them. It's my own obsession with it that's become the problem, not Facebook itself.

So how have I done since January 1?

Jan 1: $6.99 for a bottle of Tylenol. I'm not supposed to take Ibuprofen - kidney-related - so bought a bottle of Extra-Strength at one of the only places open New Year's Day. Overpriced for a bottle of 24 tablets.

Jan 2: No-spend day. A visit and tea with a friend for a couple of hours.

Jan 3: No-spend day #2! I called Visa to claim I had lost my Visa card. This is patently untrue, but is a step to save me from myself. I had the Visa number on Amazon and on FB (I know...) and giving the card to my friend to look after was pointless as I had memorized the number long ago. This way I get a brand new card and once I activate it, I will give it to my friend ASAP to keep hold of. A bit drastic perhaps, but 2011 was a terribly spendy year - although I am very, very happy with everything I got, which includes the long coveted KitchenAid mixer...

Jan 4: My dad's birthday. He would have been 81. Another no-spend day.

Jan 5: $2.16 mailing a late Christmas present & $26.03 on groceries. This was a bit of a bust in the sense that I left the groceries in the truck while I was at work and the temperature dropped to -12C or so...the milk is fine, the strawberries too, the eggs? Not sure. I put them out on the counter this morning for about an hour, so hoping they're not (still) frozen. I'll find out eventually! The bananas, however, have turned a lovely shade of dark green/black, so instead of going in my porridge, they'll be made into loaves or muffins or something. Oops. Still, I'm happy with the costs as it wasn't outrageous (at least not for here) and the strawberries actually look edible.

Today I'm going nowhere and doing nothing but catching up on some things around the house: laundry, dishes, tidying, and completing a lesson in my writing course. Tomorrow morning I'm going for brunch at a friend's house. I need cat food and cat litter, however, so it won't be a no-spend day, and while I'm out I'll take care of the recycling.

I mailed off a reimbursement form for some physio sessions I've had through October & November and will be getting approximately $280 back. In October 2010, shortly after my last post, my back went out and I was off work for two weeks. That was about a month after I had my little meltdown at work. So my body was making me do what my mind was only telling me to do - you. need. to. stop.

I had some physio sessions but because of how my symptoms presented then, the actual problem didn't get figured out until THIS year when I went back FOR THE SAME PROBLEM. It turns out it's the L2 area of my spine - the nerves had pinched somewhat and the symptoms that took me back this year were different than the last ones. The reason? We moved the library in October & November and had over 3000 boxes to fill, stack, move and unpack; shelves to unload and reload; kitchens to clean, tidy and refill; items to be discarded, deleted and catalogued (and repacked). It was a HUGE job and it took 7 weeks from start to end. All the heavy lifting and twisting I did exacerbated the problem area again and caused me enough problems that I took time off to recuperate about once every 10 days or so. It's getting better, thankfully, in part to daily and multiple trips up and down the stairs at work. As long as the weather stays warm (nice, but definitely oh-so-wrong for this little corner of the world) I'm going to start walking to work by the end of the month, which will help both my overall health and my bank account.

This blog did wonders to keep me accountable for things and I've missed a lot by not keeping up to date on your lives & posts. I'm happy to be back.

PS: This is the link to the article that I got published last year. It's about my trip to the horse sanctuary in Oregon. So much for anonymity! ;) http://www.whatsupyukon.com/index.php/component/content/article/271-august-18-2011/3413-safe-in-their-final-years.html

Happy New Year!

2012-01-01T13:52:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year everyone! Here we are on the other side. Hope you all had a great new year's eve, doing what you wanted to do.

This is what I did:

It's my vision board. I did one back in June that's far more detailed, but that took me ages to finish. I gave myself half an hour on this one, using images from the ones I started collecting at the beginning of the year. There are similar images on the first one, but I thought this was a good time to do another one. I've just hung it up in my office, as I spend a lot of time in here. A perfect place to see it frequently, which is the idea.

These are fun to do and there's no recipe for them. Pictures, images and/or words from magazines or any other place that "speak" to you, bristelboard or foamboard or even a piece of construction paper, glue, scissors and about an hour of time. The first one I made took me months, literally, as I pondered and thought and finally gave up on it. After my clarifying road trip in May, I finished it quickly and it's hanging over my bed. The intent is to put some daily energy into looking at your vision board and really feeling these things that you want (e.g., money, a fancy car, a holiday, better health, love, etc), so your subconscious takes over and your wants come to be. Basically it's the law of attraction, visually. I ground mine with gratitude - "thank you" is in there somewhere.

Some times of the year are stronger energetically than others - the soltices, for instance. New Year's is a good time, perhaps your birthday or another significant date that means something to you. Give yourself an hour or two, or really challenge yourself with a 10- or even 15-minute run and see what shows up, but don't think too much on the pieces you're putting down. If it doesn't speak to you, put it back and try another one.

Don't think, just do, as the saying goes.

Health, happiness, joy, success and abundance to everyone in 2012!

2012 is here already!

2011-12-31T10:52:00.001-08:00

Where does the time go? Seriously? Here I was in October, 2010, minding my own business, and all of a sudden 2011 is over. Scary!

Anyway, this year was financially awful. Truly. Right from the get-go I was spending like...well, like I had a lot of money to spend. I was about $3K from being completely out of debt and I'm now more than $7500K in debt again. 2012 is going to be a challenge for sure. Where did I spend it all? Let's see...

Two courses, one each in Jan & Feb. Another in October.

A month-long, 8800 km road trip in May (although this was, mentally & emotionally, priceless). Best thing I E.V.E.R. did for myself. Also did a 4-day course during this time. But spend, spend, spend...oh my...

Books...generally. And many.

I'm currently registered for two more classes at the college, and although education is never a waste, it IS expensive initally.

Backed into a fence and had a $1400 bodywork repair bill to the truck, plus had to replace the taillight assemblies (one got broken on my trip in May, so they replaced that one for me too. The other got busted in the Fence Meets Car moment). *Sigh*

Joined, then cancelled, eHarmony (total waste of $) after less than a month.

One of my cats is diabetic and was at the vet 4 times in two weeks before I went away for Christmas. *Sigh* Poor little princess.

Physio sessions,

And likely a whole lot of other stuff, including a trip to Victoria for Christmas, which was mostly covered by a flight credit, so wasn't QUITE as bad as it could have been, but didn't account for all the other spending I did while I was there. Ahem.

Despite all this spending madness, I am feeling quite accomplished this year, actually. I've worked hard at decluttering the apartment and while that's still ongoing, I've made much progress. I had a wonderful visit from a friend I haven't seen in 13 years and a trip to lovely Juneau, Alaska with her. I've taken some really interesting courses: Reiki, BodyTalk, photography, am currently doing a writing course and taking an English class starting in January. I made my first Vision Board. Volunteered for a couple of days at a horse sanctuary and drove up the breathtaking Oregon coast with a friend. Spent a month driving from Whitehorse to Vernon to Victoria and Vancouver and Oregon and back. Reconnected with old friends and made several new ones. Got another cat. Stepped off the Humane Society Board. Was published. Moved an entire library. Read a lot.

Learned a LOT. (Not kidding).

I've had "awareness" bells going off like mad all year, so the work I've been doing since the beginning of the year is paying off (reading, energy work, paying more attention to things). Last January I gave myself a year to see what I could accomplish, like taking on New Year's resolutions. People do it because it's a significant time in the year and one that can be counted. By the end of March, I was once again feeling low, so instead decided that my birthday was going to be the start of this plan. It's a significant date - probably more so than New Year's - and so I have another 4 months ahead of me to accomplish things and be within my goal.

Goals for 2012 include:

Saving $1500 - $2K towards a trip to the UK in 2013
Paying off my credit card in full (again...did this once already this year...*blush*)
Paying my line of credit down to $2500 and capping it at this amount
EFund at $1000
Couch to 5K
Writing a book and sending it to a publisher within 6 months (this is a challenge my brother set for me)
Spending more time with my friends instead of alone
Practicing BodyTalk
Choosing 4 or 5 charities and contributing monthly to their work (PlanCanada, WSPA, WWF, that sort of thing)
Exercise more. But start slow.

Oh, yeah. I'm going to suspend my Facebook account, too. Starting tonight. It's a huge time suck and I need to break that addiction.

There are more, but I've got them scattered in several lists. They're all pretty good - I think - and some are ones that can be used as a springboard for next year (e.g. EFund can go to $2K or $2500 next year). I'm going to follow Carla's no-spend 2012 in January and see what sort of jumpstart that gives me on the year: http://halfdozendaily.blog.com/no-spend-2012/. Good luck to all those following along! :)

Anyway, that's a nutshell update for this year. Wishing you all a safe, happy, healthy and fun 2012 from the North!

See you on the other side! :)

Christmas Greetings!

2011-12-17T15:37:00.000-08:00

Happy Holidays everyone! Stay safe and warm and be sure to relax when you can.

I miss you guys...

Debt vs. Savings

2010-10-06T07:33:00.000-07:00

Furniture (Brick card):
Start: $1471.68, July 29
Currently owe: $500
Paid: $971.68

LOC:
Start: $4450
Currently owe: $3325
Paid: $1175

Visa:
Current: $0

Mum: $12,500 for new(er) car
She said to defer payment until next year, as most of this came out of her TFSA and she can't put anything back in until next year anyway. This also helps me in that I can pay down my interest bearing accounts before I start paying her back.

Savings

RRSP 1: $11,059.61
RRSP 2: $2200.00(ish)
TFSA (EFund): $1042.20

I'm still perusing the real estate website. Two places I've got my eye on are STILL for sale! One for going on four months, the other at least two. Both are now the same price. They're also in the same trailer park (court?), so are comparable properties, size-wise and cost-wise. I'm already thinking what I would offer: $10K less than current asking price which, according to the on-line mortgage calculator, would give me a monthly mortgage of between $250 & $420 (depending on amortization). I'd have to add in pad rent, plus utilities, plus maintenance costs, plus heating, so it wouldn't necessarily be that much cheaper than what my current costs are, but it would be MINE.

Until I'm out of debt, however, I can't take the risk to look. I'm a super-impulsive person (although not as bad as I used to be!) and I have a sneaking suspicion I'd walk away a new home owner if I went to look. So I'm going to stay away and just keep my eyes open. I need to have more money for a down payment, plus a more substantial EFund in place before I rush into something like that.

This & that

2010-10-02T11:00:00.000-07:00

I have a list of things to do today, my day off. This isn't technically one of them, but it's been a while since I've updated, so I thought I'd write up a quick post and update.

Got a steal of a deal at work yesterday! I saw a carpet that was destined for "scrap" (i.e. trash) and asked about it. It was a return for one reason or another (possibly defective?) and at first glance it looked in perfect shape, so I asked the GM about it. He asked if I was sure I wanted it, not (really) knowing what could be wrong with it. I said 'yes.' So he gave it to me for $10!! These sell for $125 - $150, so I'm thrilled. And it will go very nicely with the new furniture set. Perhaps all the reasons it was returned will show up once I get it unrolled, but it just seemed like such an enormous waste of goods.
Put the snow tires on the truck, too. We had 12cm of snow last weekend (!!) and although it all melted in a day or so, I decided to not press my luck this year and put the tires on early. It's going to be a cold one this year. It's been a gorgeous autumn, though, and the lovely weather is continuing, but you can definitely feel the chill in the air, particularly in the mornings.
The new position at the 2nd job is going well. I'm finally beginning to feel like I understand what I'm doing. Lots of details (and I'm not really a detail person), so it's been a quite exhausting few weeks while I get myself up to speed on all this. I like it, however, and being off the floor is a definite plus.
The new vehicle is on hold for the time being. I sent them the money to cover the truck cost last week and then heard from my friend yesterday that their son was in a car accident here and had to be airlifted to Vancouver. He had surgery for a broken neck on Tuesday. So, I sent them a note hoping things went well for him. The truck will be here when it's here. It's not important right now. I don't want to hear anything about it, actually, until their son is in the clear. Awful news!
My German class officially started yesterday, so I have to make sure I make & take the time to review, study and learn. At least I have the opportunity to practice, too. There are two others at work who speak German, so we said that next time we're all working together, we'll have a German night.
There's a knitting group that meets at the library - I think once a month - that I might look into joining. It's quite casual, but could be quite motivating.
Currently watching "All Creatures Great & Small" S4. Enjoyed the first three seasons, although it's a bit slow (comparatively at least), but now the actress who played his wife in the first three seasons has changed and it brings a totally different feel to it, as do the two children who have suddenly appeared. The last season ended with him going off to London to join the war.
Am going for a craniosacral adjustment on Tuesday afternoon. I slammed my hip against the service counter at work a couple of weeks ago and I must have hit it harder than I thought because last week I could barely sit, stand for long periods of time or lift things. I suppose it bruised the pelvis, or knocked it out of line or something. Anyhow, the craniosacral adjustment is supposed to help bring everything back in line. It's similar, I suppose, to chiropractic in that it's a physical adjustment, but it's far less...physical. Just subtle realignment using energy and gentle turns and realignments. It's more expensive, but I love trying new alternative medicine, so thought I would give it a shot.
I've been working too much and had a bit of a meltdown at work last weekend. I do have some time off coming up which will really help, but it confirmed that lack of sleep, poor eating, early starts, new jobs and not using my downtime properly does have a negative affect on the body. I need to take much better care of myself and get out of debt sooner rather than later, so that I can go back to one job.
The debt, however, IS coming down! I owe $625 for the furniture (down from $1500 in August) and am down to $3650 on my LOC. I stopped my auto-savings for the time being, allowing me to put an extra $240 towards the debt each month, so that's really helping. This month is a 5-paycheque month for me, so I will be able to make more big dents. It's very motivating to see the amounts drop so much each week.

I have to stop my procrastinating now and get this place tidied up, re-organized and cleaned. It's looking a bit thrown together and I need to get it organized, as well as do a vacuum, the dishes, some German, and a laundry. It's a lot to do in a day, but needs to be done. Grocery shopping will wait until tomorrow after work. I also need to try and get a little caught up with everyone's blogs...

Have a great weekend everyone!

New debt and old debt

2010-09-17T20:26:00.000-07:00

Today was payday from the p/t job. I got over $500!! I thought it was a mistake at first, but then remembered how much extra I've been working while I've been learning a new position.

Last month I was offered the chance to be a cash balancer and I jumped at the opportunity to learn something new and move off the floor. I'll still be a cashier, but the majority of my time will be spent balancing cash, entering invoices, getting change for the cashiers, etc. I am happy that I was asked about this, and happier that I can have some time away from the floor. It can get pretty overstimulating out there.

Anyway. Today's big cash infusion allowed me to bring down my debt by another $500! PLUS I deposited $176 the other day, which was also earmarked for debt. So definitely some good progress there! My furniture debt now stands at $750 and my LOC at $3650.

The new debt comes in the form of a loan from my mother. While she was visiting she was quite adamant that I get a new(er) vehicle. I was reluctant because a) that means more insurance, b) higher gas costs, and c) I love my wee truck! 30-yrs old and still running. That's impressive!

However, with winter looming - and it's likely to be a harsh one this year - I admit that safety and reliability are necessities, particularly when our temperatures sink into the -40s. My mother and I agreed that she would loan me the money for a new vehicle and that I would pay her back for it. There's no interest on the loan and I can start paying her back whenever I'm able. She wants me to focus on the interest-bearing loans first, so this is also motivation for me to get those gone as quickly as possible. I want to start paying her back as soon as I can.

Today I heard from Prince George, where I'm in contact with a car broker. They've found a 2003 Kia Sorento (135K km) for $8200. The amount of the loan covers this, delivery, registration, new winter tires (I'm hoping), and a chunk towards insurance. I believe the broker gets the car winterized and does a safety inspection. That would cost me about $500 if I did those once I got the car.

So, while I shouldn't really be celebrating going deeper into debt, it's not all bad. I can still pay down what I owe, and my mother will rest easier knowing I'm driving a safe vehicle around, instead of one whose heater might not even be working anymore. And I've been noticing that people are turning their heads more often lately - and believe me, it's not because she's some tricked out, sweet looking ride. No, I think the front grill is a bit loose and it "buzzes" while she drives. The brakes sound like nails on a chalkboard at every red light, stop sign and pedestrian crosswalk in town. There's an adorable 'rattle' in the engine, and she has the quaint habit of shuddering to a stop when stopped when the temperature dips too low. I need a new headlight; one of the rear light covers is broken; I can only get AM radio; I've had to replace the fuel pump, water pump, battery, a couple of hoses and the hosepipe. There aren't even cupholders!

But I really love that truck. She owes me nothing, but I couldn't bear to see her sent for scrap, so I'm going to ask around to see if someone will be able to care for her until I get property and need a little runabout for hauling stuff around.

But I'm sure there'll be things about the new truck that I'll come to appreciate, too. :)

Magandang gabi! ("Good evening" in Tagalog, the Philippino language)

Sold another one!

2010-09-09T20:10:00.000-07:00

I just mailed off another DVD box set today! It's a $50 (after shipping) sale for me, and one less set on my shelf. Hurrah! I've boxed up another 6 in anticipation of selling those shortly. I've been in contact with someone who was interested in all of them, so I offered a "bulk" cost which will hopefully be accepted. It started off a bit slowly, but I only have 3 left that I had offered for sale, so I might have to do some weeding again and try to let go of some other ones. It's a pretty straight forward way to make some extra cash for my debt!

Decision made

2010-09-08T17:56:00.001-07:00

I spent a little time thinking about my financial decision on Monday. On Tuesday I acted on it. I moved $1400 from my EFund (aka Savings) and paid off my Visa and 1/3 of my furniture purchase. The financing is 0% for 8 months, but why wait? I have a comfortable $1K left in the EFund which is sufficient for now - I have an auto transfer of $30 a month anyway, so I'll be building it back up anyway. I'm just very, very sick of debt.

I still have a couple of hundred dollars to figure out what to do with and I'm thinking I'll put in on my LOC and knock that down a bit. I don't want to leave myself entirely without savings - just in case - but I am really keen to get this debt gone now. I have a monthly payment that comes off the Visa, so once I've finished typing this, I will be calling to have that cancelled.

I've also finished my first afghan strip, so feel quite accomplished. :)

It's amazing what several nights of decent sleep will do for you!

Labour Day weekend...and decisons.

2010-09-04T20:03:00.000-07:00

A long weekend at last! For what it's worth at least. I'm working most of it, but I'm resigned to that now as I keep digging myself back into debt and it feels like I'm going to be doing it forever. Again. But no, I need to make some decisions this weekend (financial) that will hopefully force me to sit up and take more serious notice of my debt and its constant presence in my life.

Last month I bought new furniture. Did I NEED new furniture? Not necessarily and I most definitely didn't need to finance it. But I did that, too. I don't regret it, as I am far more comfortable and relaxed at home. But it took me a definite step backwards with respect to getting myself out of debt.

My sister is currently on her way to Edinburgh for school. She arrived in London today and is staying with my brother before she heads north. I am immensely homesick for the UK and this is just making it worse. Although "homesick" isn't necessarily the proper word, it feels like that, even though it's been almost 20 years since I've set foot in the UK. Way too long, but it's been very, very strong this year, this pull and now I'm more determined than ever to visit before much longer.

I'm just feeling very mixed up and frustrated with respect to what I want and what I need. Monday is my first day off in just over two weeks, so I have a lot of things to do. Some housework, some school work and lots of thinking. I know this has to do with the fact that I'm just tired from working 7 days a week, but I'm still going to do it because it needs to be done.

On a more positive note, I got my German class last week and have been looking it over all ready. It's going to be a challenge for sure, but I'm really looking forward to it and my friends are willing to help, too, so that's a huge bonus for me. I need to do well on this, as I've paid for it and if I pass, two-thirds of the course will be paid back to me through work! That's a huge incentive, too.

My mother was here for a visit, too, and while it rained the whole time she was here, she did accomplish something I never thought possible: she taught me to knit! We got some really lovely wool and needles from the knitting shop in town and after a few tries, I got the hang of it and am slowly working on getting my first ever creation underway. She & I are knitting an afghan, which is a simple project and one that will keep me warm during the winter to boot! I haven't knitted since I was a Girl Guide, and then only for a badge. My sister and I were terrible tomboys and I refused to learn anything remotely "girly" for years. However, since the knitting has taken hold - albeit a loose one - I am planning on learning to can next year! I know - whoa, Nelly! But canning time is basically past this year and I have a lot on my plate, so one thing at a time.

While my mother was here she also mentioned that she wanted me to get a new(er) car. I love my old truck, however, I realize that it is also not the safest nor the most reliable vehicle on the road. Plus I'm not sure the heater works anymore. Long story short, my mother offered me $10K - a loan! - and I would get myself a new(er) car BEFORE THIS WINTER. Eee! There are a couple at one of the dealerships here that I'm looking at, plus a friend's BIL is a car broker and may have something for me to consider shortly. Anyhow, the pressure is on, a bit, but I can't say I'm entirely unhappy about it.

I WILL PAY MY MOTHER BACK. That was the agreement.

And I have managed to save enough to pay for a proper will! :) Now I just have to find a lawyer to get it written up properly. I'm really pleased! It seemed to take forever, but I guess it was only about 6 months or so. I can at least cross that off my 2010 goals list! :P

I'm rambling now, but hopefully will have a moment to update after the weekend and let you know what I've decided to do. I hope you all have a relaxing, enjoyable weekend!

To sign or not to sign?

2010-08-21T17:05:00.003-07:00

I just read a terrific article over at Debt Ninja about signatures and credit cards. If you are one of those people who doesn't sign your credit card (and there are far too many of you), you'll be in for a surprise. If you are one of those who just signs "See ID", again, there's a surprise.

I was surprised - and I sign my card - about the actual reasons behind why you have to sign. As a retail worker, nothing pisses me off more than people shoving unsigned credit cards at me and then getting tetchy when I ask for a driver's licence. Apart from the fact that there is no signature to compare on the card, it says right on the card, right on the back, right above/below where your signature should be "CARD NOT VALID UNLESS SIGNED." They mean it, you know.

Anyway, read this. I found it interesting and am glad to know the reasons behind it. And it's not the one you probably think it is.

Sign here.

This is the link for the Creditcards.com article that was the basis for the guest post on Ninja.

http://www.creditcards.com/credit-card-news/sign-or-write-see-ID-1282.php

Recipe reminder!

2010-07-19T11:01:00.000-07:00

I just want to remind everyone that I'm still looking for recipes for the Humane Society cookbook fundraiser that I'm working on. We're taking recipes until the end of the month (possibly a bit longer, depending on how many we have collected to this point) and I would love to have more. I know there were a couple of people who were interested, so I just wanted to send a gentle nudge in their direction.

If it helps at all, I've got two recipes from Greta Podleski - one half of the "Loony Spoons" and "Eat, Shrink & Be Merry" girls - sending me two as well! I am also sending a letter off to the lovely & talented Sarah McLachlan. It's just recipes, right?

Many thanks to those who have already sent one or two! I very much appreciate them. :)

I will be doing a longer and more newsworthy update probably before the weekend. I've been sick, tired, sore, stressed and not wanting to write - never mind anything else - for the past while. Hence the long break. I shall be back, however, and am slowly getting caught up with everyone.

I Want Your Recipes!

2010-06-12T12:24:00.000-07:00

I'm looking for your favourite recipe(s) for a fundrasier for our Humane Society: a cookbook! It's not a terribly new or original idea, but it will hopefully bring in much needed funds. I've added my contact information on the sidebar, so would love for everyone (and your friends and family, and their friends and family, etc.) to send a recipe or two...or three...for inclusion. Your name in print! :) Advertisers and sponsers are being recruited to pay the production costs and it will hopefully be available for sale by the end of the summer. That's the plan, but as we know, plans do change.

Please note "HSY recipe" in the subject line, so I know what it's for and I'm not sending lovely legitimate recipes to the trash bin. Thanks so much!! :)

In other news, I'm finally feeling like I have a little bit of a routine going. I've been so exhausted the past couple of weeks that I've been going to bed long before 9pm. Although the second job is only 2 days a week, it's still a big adjustment to make from having so much time off (which was, ironically, a big adjustment from working 6 days a week! Funny how that works). On the financial side of things, 3 days a week would be better, but on the life side, it would suck, so I'm actually okay with the two days. I can pick up extra shifts here and there, too. It helps, too, that it's actually not an awful job.

The point of this, I have to keep reminding myself, is to PAY OFF THE DEBT. So I can buy a house. I've got myself trained to the point that not dividing up the paycheques into my savings accounts feels wrong - which in itself is not a bad thing - but the PURPOSE is to PAY OFF THE DEBT and I must see that through or I'll just end up in a quagmire of frustration again because it's still hanging around.
I did get a cheque for $97.68 from my old insurer, which went into the bank last night, so that's a positive thing. I'll probably put about $50 onto my CC, which is currently over its limit - BOO! -because I registered for a class at the college in the fall - YAY! The 'overlimit' aspect of it is once again making me question whether I should just pay it off in full with my EFund (which sits at a comfortable $2K). I'm not going to worry about it for now, but will make a final decision by the end of the month when I can see how much is left. If I don't have to use a full $1K, so much the better. I have 5 (!) paycheques this month, so I'm sure with proper planning I can reduce it a fair bit.

My spending hasn't been too bad lately, to be honest. I've been living (mostly) on my jar cash and only bought lunch once in the past couple of weeks. I do stop at Tim's for tea on most days, but it's once a day and I enjoy it, so consider it part of my bi-weekly allowance spending. I made a monster tuna casserole, too, which covered almost a week's worth of lunches. Having something that's hearty, (relatively) healthy and quick to reheat is particularly important when you only have a half hour lunch. I was having fruit smoothies for breakfast every day, but I've stopped as the influx of sugar (natural or otherwise) has made me break out like mad! Not fun...

But I've accomplished some things today and need to accomplish some more before I feel like I've done enough for the day. I met a friend this morning at the grocery store and if the weather holds we're going to go for a walk later on. It's been a bit iffy lately, cool and very windy, unable to make up its mind whether it wants to rain or not.

I'm also wanting to put up a photo post of my trip to Dawson two weeks ago. We saw a mama black bear and THREE tiny cubs! Awesome. Also managed to get to Tombstone Park, which is about an hour or two up the Dempster Highway - although 'highway' is a bit of a stretch for what it actually is. Regardless, it was wonderful and I had a great time, despite some awkwardness which had nothing to do with me. Weather: HOT! Company: Excellent. Drive: Loooooonnnngggg...

And, for Dawn, here are some random kitty photos:

Joey, current foster kitty, lounging in one of his favourite places.

One of my previous foster cats, the Utterly Fabulous Hank. You have never met a mellower cat.

The lovely Dinah, Princess.

Elmo, the most loving cat E-V-E-R. He died last January.

And my wonderful Bylaw.

Have a great weekend everyone! :)

A HOUSE!!

2010-05-27T16:40:00.000-07:00

Well...almost. Sort of. I made an appointment at my bank yesterday to go over my investments and whatnot with my account manager, who's a lovely lady. I made a small downward adjustment to my auto-deposit to my TFSA (EFund), inquired about laddering within my RRSP - she said it was a good idea, but not right now with the really low GIC rates, so stick with the mutual funds for the moment - and wanted her opinion on the chances of me getting a mortgage.

By myself. Alone. Solo.

Apparently, the chances are excellent. 100% to be exact. Now, I did post this over at Facebook yesterday and need to amend that a little bit. I had said "I can afford" a house. Not quite. I QUALIFY for a mortgage, which is entirely different. It's not a substantial one ($160K), but it's still a significant amount of money for one person to tackle. What would that get me here? Currently: a small one-bedroom condo or a comfortable 3-bedroom mobile. The mobile is perfect for one person, but most of the mobile homes here cost extra: up to $350 a month extra. That's the pad fee rent, which to me is kind of ridiculous, but there you are. I'm not sure I want to pay for the "privilege" of -technically - being able to pick up my house and move whenever I like. Most of the mobile homes these days aren't mobile. But the potential is there and that's what they're charging for.

Anyhoo, I'm just keeping my eyes peeled for something that looks worthy of attention although I've already started dreaming and wishing! I might even call up an agent. They are paid to help, but don't get any cash until you actually BUY something, so that's a bit of a bonus. Information is power, after all, and the more information I can get, the better decisions I can make when I'm finally ready.

Then of course there are all the maintenance costs, taxes, utilities, etc., to take into consideration, which would be challenging on a part-time salary, no matter how decent the wage happens to be. As it happened, however, that morning I had stopped at Cdn Tire to drop off a resume. They must be desperate for staff because I hadn't even had a chance to finish filling out the application form I was given before I was taken Upstairs for a chat. Ten minutes later, I was back in the parking lot with a new job (you can tell, although they said they would confirm by the end of the day), so things are looking up.

I spent $63 on a pair of black pants today, which I need as part of the Cdn Tire uniform (they supply the lovely red shirts) and have already put in a number which I think I should be able to earn every month. I need to use this money properly - to pay down my debt - and start saving for "house" stuff, whatever they may be; closing costs, legal fees, furniture, maintenance, etc. I start tomorrow with a few hours training and if I give myself a year, I should be well on the way to meeting my savings goals and, hopefully, a home of my own.

MOTIVATION!!!! :)

YUM! Grocery day

2010-05-14T15:12:00.000-07:00

Since Tuesday I've been on a bit of a smoothie kick, blending up all kinds of fruit and pretty much living on them, for at least the mornings. I make a lot and I have a glass for breakfast, then whatever is left accompanies me to work and I drink it over the course of the day until my break. Why since Tuesday? I'm not sure. I had a wonderful dinner with friends on Friday night (BBQ salmon, rosemary roast potatoes, potato salad, veggies & lemon lavender loaf for dessert) and one mentioned that she was having smoothies in the morning.

I have a blender. I have big glasses. I also had some fruit that needed eating, so Tuesday morning I decided to blend one up and take it with me to Day 2 of a course I was taking. I was surprised that it lasted me through the morning and filled me up quite as much as it did.

So today I went grocery shopping to replenish my fruit and I really stocked up! I took a $100 bill with me and here's what I got:

Shoppers Drug Mart (I love that Shoppers has such an awesome grocery section now)
Europe's Best: Frozen peaches 2 x $4.99 (sale): $9.98
Sugar (2kg): $2.69
Soy Milk x 4: $2.69 ea, $10.76 total

Total: $23.43

Extra Foods
Blackberries: $2.98
Raspberries x 2: $5.96
Cottage cheese (500ml): $3.79
Baking potatoes: $3.06 (1.560 kg @$1.96 kg)
Mango chunks (frozen, PC, 600ml) x 2: $10.96
Blueberries x 2: $5.96
Vanilla parfait (vanilla yogurt, berries) x 2: $6.58
Green grapes: $8.40 (1.125kg @ $7.47kg)
Ginger root: .23
Strawberries (2lb): $3.48
Yves veggie groundround (1 reg, 1 Italian, 1 Mexican): $11.97
Stevia: $5.69

Total: $69.78

Other
Dish soap (Eco-Max orange): $7.02

All total: $100.23

I'm very pleased with the total, as the fruit prices are actually reasonable, apart from the grapes, but grapes are always ridiculously expensive. I've paid over $5 for the same sized container of raspberries on most other occasions, so this is great. Here's hoping the prices will remain on the low side for a while yet! It's difficult to find produce throughout the summer when the RVers are here, though. They swoop in, scoop up most of the perishables and staples and disappear and leave us Whitehorsers cursing them as we stare at near empty dairy, bread and produce shelves.

Well, I guess they have to eat too, right? RV holidays are pretty tough...ahem...

The mail today didn't hold a cheque, but almost as good as one was the news from my old insurer that I'd be getting a refund of $97.38 and to expect a cheque shortly. Hurrah! That will go straight on the VISA card, as it's still hovering too high for my liking (albeit through no fault of its own).

Monday & Tuesday I spent at a course about pensions & retirement. Although I'm not close to either one yet (my retirement date, according to my paperwork, is "N/A" at this time), it was a very interesting and worthwhile course. It was offered through work. I was surprised, and pleased, to know that our pensions are phenomenal. Not one word of a lie, we have one of the best in the country; some aspects of it just don't exist in other places, so we are very, very lucky. The trainer, a CFP from Toronto, touched on taxes, financial planning and budgeting very briefly as well, which I was pleased about and I came away with some good notes in my book and some questions to discuss with my account manager at the bank.

Did you know that if you work you are entitled to claim $232 (2010 amount) to offset employment expenses? I had no idea. There's a line for it on the income tax forms - I don't know which one - so I will definitely be utilizing that next year!

When I got back to work on Wednesday I had a bunch of books waiting for me: 11 to be exact! How long it will take me to read them is anyone's guess, but I've managed to complete one already, so that's a good start. They're mostly "cosy" mysteries, which I find quite easy and quick to read.

Have a good weekend everyone!

April goes out with a bang!

2010-05-01T12:13:00.001-07:00

It must be contagious in the blogosphere this month - spending, I mean. Take a look at what I spent just yesterday!

$100.56 - Wal-Mart (my principles sell for $20, apparently)
$12.59 - Canadian Tire
$7.10 - cat milk
$9.00 - movie (and a BAD one at that!)
$16.00 - dinner (Chinese - lemon chicken)

I would like to state for the record, however, that it was all in cash. After a morning of finding various cat stuff around the place (vomit, butt-cleaning marks on the carpet), I decided that what I needed (wanted?) was a mini-steam cleaner, so I went online and checked out a couple of places. I decided on this particular model.

Sears - $109.99
Can Tire - $99.99
Wal-Mart - $79.99

Have I mentioned how much I hate Wally World? I was totally prepared to buy the machine at Can Tire, but went to Wally World, just to see. A $20 difference is significant and I wouldn't have changed my mind for $10, so I picked it up. Along with two packages of new undies, which I desperately need (all my favourite ones are full of holes or rips and the elastic is coming through). *Sigh* I did make myself feel better by buying the detergent for the cleaner at Can Tire because IT WAS CHEAPER. So there.

The dinner and movie was with friends. We went to see "Gunless," as a friend of mine L-O-V-E-S Paul Gross. It was opening night for it and there were perhaps a dozen of us in the theatre. Not promising. And while I loved "Due South," this was...bad. Really bad. And not in the good way - the bad way.

However, on the flip side, I have managed to save myself money in other areas, which I'm quite pleased about:

New cell phone plan! I cut my current package in half, so will now be paying only $30 a month instead of $60. This will start May 22. Savings: $360 p/yr!

I got an RRSP form from the investment group I have a plan with, but didn't get it until well after I had already filed & paid my income tax. I forgot to change my address with them. Anyway, with this added to my income tax, it means I actually get some money back for a change! Only $63 or so, but hurrah! :) Adjustment form filled out and mailed on Thursday.

I switched my car insurance over to a cheaper insurer on Thursday and will save myself $150 a year! I had to pay $54 for a safety inspection and $10 for a copy of my driving abstract from the DMV, but it's worth it to pay $337 a year for insurance. I could even save an extra $24 a year if I chose to remove "fire, theft, vandalism" from the policy. I will think about it for next year.

Despite the good news, I am once again very frustrated with myself for this spending spree. To the point that I am close to paying off the CC in full with part of my emergency fund as well as putting some of it onto my LOC. I'd leave $1K in the Efund as I auto-save $50 per month, so it would build up again without a problem. I can also move some money from my car account, my planned spends and empty my gift fund to cover some of the CC balance, so it's likely I won't need to use as much as I think from the Efund. This would leave me with a comfortable cushion in case something does come up, a clear CC, and a slightly lower LOC.

I like this scenario better than completely emptying my Efund and leaving myself vulnerable. Has anyone else done this?

**UPDATE: I've just listed 11 items on Amazon.ca! Wish me luck selling them!!**

Mid-April Update

2010-04-18T13:01:00.000-07:00

Blog-neglect. It happens for various reasons. Mine? I've got myself addicted to Facebook. Stupid Facebook! For whatever reason, I'm finding it ridiculously hard to simply pull myself away from it. From checking it once or twice a week, I'm now on it ALL. DAY.

It's insane. I know I have an addictive nature, so this doesn't surprise me, but I need to stop because not only is it eating up my days, it's very unhealthy - in more ways than one.

So, as I've needed to update this for a while, now is the time!

The weather is gorgeous! It reached 12C on Wednesday and is hovering around 9C today. Walking to work will be so wonderful from here on in.
Sunrise:6:32
Sunset:21:27 = 15 hrs of daylight!
Joey is settling in well. The other two have accepted him, although there is still a bit of territorial posturing going on - at least on Joey's part. He's such a big guy that he can intimidate quite easily, but otherwise he's a doll.
I saw "How to Train a Dragon" last night & loved it! I saw "Clash of the Titans" two weeks ago and didn't love it. It was fun and Sam Worthington is very easy on the eyes (sorry, Harry. You just don't measure up), but not amazing. Excellent special effects, though!
I got a quote on car insurance from a different company and can save $150 a year if I switch! I had to collect a few things, including a safety inspection because the truck is over 15 yrs old. That cost me $54.00 (comes out of the car account) and she passed everything! I figure it's worth it to get my yearly insurance below $350.
I'm looking for some p/t work and have dropped off half a dozen or so resumes. I've not heard anything yet, but there's still time. If I don't hear anything, then nothing changes, but it would be nice to get something at least once a week, just for some extra $$ to put towards the debt.
I had a meeting with my FA last week and made a couple of changes to my current investments. I'm auto-saving $60 p/mth as of May (up $10), and have put half my savings into something a bit more aggressive. She also said to expect a rise in interest rates, so GET RID OF DEBT sooner rather than later. I am taking this to heart, and need to work harder to get that gone.
Debating about getting rid of my cell, which would save me $60 a month. It would mean someone taking over the contract to do that, so I'm going to ask around. If not, I can always cancel, but that's a very expensive way to do it, although far, far less than they'll get from me just with basic monthly payments for the course of the contract.
Three weeks holiday was lovely! I went back to work for 2 days and then got sick! :( I am feeling much better now, but it sort of snuck up on me and knocked me flat for a couple of days. Very strange, but glad it wasn't longer or more serious. I'm actually looking forward to being back at work!
Decided I need to start a detox May 1. I did this several years ago and it was amazing! Mainly fruits and veggies (raw for the most part), not too much sugar (the uber-refined kind at least) and one cup of tea a day. I was feeling like a new woman after just three weeks! I loved it once I got into the routine of it. I went off the pill after I split with D in Feb and my hormones just went berserk - I had cravings for chips & coke like you wouldn't believe. Literally every time I looked at a bag of chips I bought it and ate it all! Fortunately (!) those have tapered off now, but I'm still eating very badly. I suppose this is part of my learning too - why do I eat so poorly? There must be a psychological aspect to it like "I feel I'm not loveable / worthy / deserving, so why bother doing good things for myself because what's the point anyway?"
But I AM loveable and worthy and deserving. If you don't love you, no one else will either. This is my basic lesson.
DVDs borrowed from friends: Quantum Leap, Gilmore Girls, Eureka, McGyver, Veronica Mars & Due South. I am loving Quantum Leap (wasn't one I watched with any regularity when it was on) and am looking forward to watching McGyver (was a regular). Eureka was a lot of fun, but my friend doesn't have S2, just S3 and I don't want to skip any of it.
A specialist appointment on the 22nd to touch base about my kidneys. Last blood test showed an improvement, which I hope will reflect in the latest one as well.
I've also read three more books this week (no kids & sick, remember!), all by Charlaine Harris: "The Julius House," "Dead Over Heels," and "Real Murders." That finishes off the Aurora Teagarden mystery series. I loved it! I didn't read it in order, but it didn't matter much. But Ms. Harris is a wonderful writer, and she is one of my favourite authors these days. This series was, I believe, her first.

And it's already almost 2:30. I've just decided what I'm going to make for dinner, so I think I'll actually sit back and read some more between then and now. It's quiet and I've got another good book on the go, and it's much better than being on the computer!

Hope you all had a great weekend!

Heeeeere's Joey!

2010-04-05T18:51:00.000-07:00

He is a very sweet natured boy, but needs to know his food bowl is available (& full) at all times. He obviously gets nervous when he can't find it. Bylaw and Dinah are less than pleased with this whole situation (they have both vomited twice!), but I really am hoping things will settle down over the next couple of days. It will take some getting used to, as he's quite a presence and has already made himself at home. He just loves everyone so much; he starts purring the instant you touch him. Apart from being hugely overweight, he was well taken care of and obviously quite loved at his previous home.

Joey can actually jump onto the sofa, which is a good thing, because I wasn't sure he'd even be able to do that. I have to lift him into the cat tree, so was happy that I won't be spending all my time trying to get him onto or into everything (i.e. litter box).

YUM!!

2010-04-01T15:38:00.000-07:00

This is my birthday cake. It's a 9" chocolate coconut, made especially for me from the new cake shop in town (plugplugplugplug). I cannot wait to taste it tomorrow! To tide me over, I got a pineapple coconut - seeing a theme? - cupcake, which was divine and lasted all of 10 seconds. This cake will see me through tomorrow's birthday potluck and also Sunday's birthday potluck (for a friend), plus, I'm sure, leaving me a little (a lot?) to just savour on my own. It's big, but resting beside it in the cooler was a 12", 3-layer raspberry ginger cake...OMG...The owner/baker has said she's going to make chocolate coconut cupcakes now, which is great!

This cost me $50 - she threw in the cupcake for free (!) which was initially going to come from the cheque my mum sent me, but because I bought art with that instead, I rolled some coin and voila! I had $50 exactly! I thought that was pretty cool (I exchanged the coin at the bank for a bill).

I also went to the shelter to fill out a fostering application for a cat called Joey. I sent an email to my landlords yesterday to ask permission for this and I got a very quick, positive response all the way from NZ! I'll be picking him up Monday or Tuesday, as I still have a week off and that will give us all a chance to at least get used to each other for a few days before I go back to work on the 12th. He's a monster! He weighs a whopping 24lbs and just needs somewhere to work it off and have his food intake monitored. I've been told the vet would weigh him weekly or bi-weekly for free so I can keep track of how he's doing. He currently has an appointment sometime in the next week or so to get checked out with respect to his kidneys and his inverted nipples (from the weight). Poor guy. He's a lovely, sweet boy who got overfed and needs some tough food love. You can see him here. He's the 5th one down.

Hope everyone has a lovely Easter weekend! :)

Uh oh! Look what I bought...

2010-03-28T17:28:00.001-07:00

Apparently I've decided what to do with the cheque my mum sent me...I went to the Yukon Artists at Work gallery today for the first time (!) and walked away with the following items.

"Racine Rapids, Tagish River" Yukon artist Stephanie Ryan

"Raver" Yukon artist Heide Hehn

"Blue Moon" also by Heidi Hehn

I love ravens and the two pictures I bought were from a group of 5. They are small (8 x 10-ish) and are acrylic on canvas, ready to hang.

The painting is over 20" x 30" and still in the plastic wrap, which distorts the colours a bit, but I'll need to get it framed - hopefully sooner rather than later. All the colours match my new furniture, and I feel I did really well. My place is so bare and bland that these will really perk it up!

Can I extend this holiday into forever?

2010-03-28T10:24:00.000-07:00

I am so relaxed right now. It's such a great feeling and I don't want it to end! The best part of a holiday is just not being at work, as far as I'm concerned. I like my job, but it's always nice to step away from it for a bit and just do things that you want to do; sometimes you need a holiday just to get things done around the house!

I don't make time for stuff like purging, big cleans, tidying, etc. when I'm working because the last thing I want to do when I get home from work is clean or purge or whatever. Part of my motivation last week was knowing I had a friend arriving and god forbid the house should be messy! :P

Anyway, I did a big old purge of closets, cupboards, shelves...most of it went to the Sally Anne, some to the free store at the recycling depot. I've cleaned the bathroom, dusted, tidied, vacuumed, laundered, sorted, washed the floors, organized...! Phew! It feels great but I dare say I can probably find loads more stuff to get rid of if I really took the time to sort more thoroughly, but I did amazingly well for short bursts. Sometimes that's the best way - then you can't really think about it and decide that you want to keep it after all.

My friend arrived on Thursday and it was SO great to see her!! We've actually been quite busy since she arrived and we have two more days to relax and poke around the city before she goes home. She's here for a knitting weekend, but it's been very busy for them. There are 11 attendees from Edmonton, Calgary & Vancouver and they're knitting gloves with a wool called Qiviuq - musk ox wool. It's frighteningly expensive ($90 a ball!) but she's very excited as it's a lovely wool to work with.

It's actually really nice to have someone around to talk to, too! I love living alone, but it's only when someone is here that I realize how much I miss having company. It's so convenient having the second bedroom, too, as she has her privacy & her own space to spread out in. She likes the cats, but if you're not used to pets, it can be very disturbing to have them wandering in and out of your room all night.

I got a birthday card and a cheque from my mum, too, which was a nice surprise. I'm having people over for a potluck on Friday and have ordered a chocolate coconut cake to share. Part of the money is going to pay for the cake, part is going to pay for a haircut and the rest is going into the bank so I can ponder the best thing to do with it! I was thinking I'd split it up amongst my savings accounts, but I'm not entirely sure yet.

Anyway, I have two more weeks of holiday ahead of me and I have lots of things yet to do. My list of 'to do' has only begun to be checked off! :)

Hope you're all having a great weekend!

A long time comin' - Link love!

2010-03-24T15:15:00.001-07:00

I have been meaning to do this for, literally, weeks and, in some cases, months. I feel bad that I've left it for so long, so before I get distracted again (easily done) here are some blogs I've been enjoying with sincere apologies to the owners for the lax post:

1) The Sassy Curmudgeon - hilarious! Seriously, don't read this at work because people will start wondering about the strange noises emanating from your cubicle.

2) Early Retirement the Middle Way - another Canadian PF blog! This is a woman who has it all (and a bit more besides) together. Balancing work and life while focusing on financial security, simple pleasures and living to the fullest without going into debt for it.

3) Distractible Jane - Another very funny blog. Jane is very curious (and distracting) and is doing really fun things like getting married, taking a stand up comedy course...

4) Half-Dozen Daily - Operation 'Jiggly-Bits' is a go! :) As are delicious recipes for morning shakes, weekly jar updates and shopping deals for a hard-working mom and her family.

5) Gotta Little Space to Fill - Baked goods, renovations, music, beautiful photographs...among many other things. She also has a delectable cooking and baking blog here.

6) Quest to be Financially Abundant - She is finding her voice and her way in her relationships, getting out of debt and balancing school, work and life in the process.

Several others I've only very recently started reading are:

A Mainland Streel - a Newfoundland blog!

April Fire

Check them out!

(I know I've missed some, but sometimes you stumble across blogs while reading other blogs you stumbled across while reading other blogs, etc. Thanks to everyone for writing them!!)

Que und quoi?!

2010-03-21T14:01:00.000-07:00

I have no Windows 7 on a computer that I thought had been loaded with it. Um...what? I distinctly remember a conversation about upgrading to Windows 7 when I bought it, but perhaps I misunderstood the entire thing. Well, not perhaps; obviously.

I went to Staples yesterday and spoke with someone about the "missing" Windows 7 CDs (with respect to the crash) and was told they should be in the box, in a thin CD case. I had doubts about this as I had been through said box twice already to make sure I had everything I needed. Anyway, I searched again when I got home, but the discs are definitely not there. I returned today with my receipt and spoke with the same employee who said that it wasn't actually included in the package that I got although I feel pretty sure that's part of WHY I bought that particular package.

What conversation was I having then?? I ended up buying Windows 7, but now I'm not sure I want to load it up, so will sit on it for a couple of days before making the final decision. Once it's opened, after all, I can't return it and that would be $140 wasted. Argh!!

Le sigh...

2010-03-19T18:10:00.000-07:00

I love my new computer. The whole touch screen aspect of it still hasn't got old and it's uber-efficient (with 640GB what else could it be?). It was a definite want and a rather impulsive purchase, but the timing turned out to be pretty good, as my laptop simply up & died in December. Off to hard drive heaven. It would have cost me approximately $300 to fix a computer worth maybe $100, so I donated it. Hopefully they'll be able to salvage parts from it to repair other laptops. Good-bye faithful friend!

But apparently even monsters aren't without their problems as I've found out the past couple of days. There I was, blithely playing a game yesterday morning, killing some time before work when C.R.A.S.H. Machine dies.

Nuts.

After it rebooted, I chose the 'safe mode' just to be, er, safe, but something had completely frazzled the poor thing (what do the experts call it? Corrupted). I imagine it was the game I was playing, although I was assured by the game people that it is absolutely virus free, etc. etc. Whatever the problem, I've noticed that since I've had this computer that the games aren't playing quite as they should be, mostly sound issues and they seem to 'drag' a bit when I'm playing.

I was on the phone for an hour with the HP helpline and what I ended up doing was using the recovery disks to return everything to normal. This is where I'm extremely grateful I forked out for an external hard drive! Everything I needed to keep safe was and everything else was wiped clean (I can recover iTunes). It took about half an hour to get everything back to normal, but I'm feeling slightly put out by the whole experience. I have to reload Windows 7, too, but as the discs weren't included in my package (just the installation of them), I'm considering purchasing the upgrade. To take it back to Staples would mean an automatic $40 "diagnostic fee," not to mention the fact they would probably have it at least a couple of days. It would be worth it to have it on-hand in case this happens again. The cost of the program is about $130, but I'll call them first to find out if they can reload it for me for free if I brought it in one afternoon. A phone call doesn't cost anything and I DID buy the two-year extended warrenty with them, so hopefully that sort of thing would be included under that.

But here I am at the end of my day, no worse off and thankful that someone knew what they were doing. The woman I spoke with did seem a bit surprised that the game I was playing (she even knew the one it was) could have caused this, as there shouldn't be any problems. The computer is more than capable of handling "little" things like that. Regardless, it's fixed for now and that's all that matters. The recovery disks did what they were supposed to do. It's just a pain to have try and remember what I had listed in my favourites bar.

Holiday day 1 of 24 is almost over and while I wasn't at all productive, I am quite pleased that it didn't end in tears, either! :)

Belated pay day updates

2010-03-13T09:06:00.001-08:00

I got paid on Wednesday and was quite delighted to see that my bonus was over $1600 - not by much, mind you, but nonetheless...I ALSO got an increment in my pay (as of Mar 1, I think), which I'd forgotten about and which works out to about $100 a month. I think I can expect two more of these (annually) and then that's it.

So, the designation of funds went like this:

Total pay: $2190.09

RRSP: $170 (10% of bonus)
EFund: $170 (ditto)
ING: $300 ($50 ea for 6 accounts)
Gifts: $75 (+ $221.91 on hold for my income tax payment because if I don't put it aside, it'll be gone)

VISA: $255.37
LOC: $75
Hydro: $95
M/C: $6 (I cut this up about 2 years ago; not cancelled it because it's my longest held card. As it's a secured card, this is the monthly fee. Not sure cancelling it will affect the credit rating, that's all)
Phone/Internet: $127
Cell: $57

Jars: $300 (2 weeks worth)
Investor's Group RRSP: $50
Car Ins: $40.83
Insurance: $10.95
Bank fees: $9.95

I should have a couple of hundred left over, some of which I'll transfer to the LOC. It's still far too high for my liking, and although that's entirely my own fault, at least I'm aware of it and have adjusted my bi-weekly payments accordingly. I got dinged $20 extra dollars lst month because the minimum payment amount wasn't met, and I don't want that happening again!

It's spring break up here - two weeks! - and it's been pretty busy at work. It's quite a stimulating job anyway, but adding more kids, parents and activity in the library makes it worse. Plus we have several new staff who are still learning. Two are doing very well. The third is a lovely woman but one who needs constant supervision, which is draining just on its own. I found myself getting wound up yesterday and it was a relief to go for a short walk with a friend at lunch. It really helped clear my head.

But I have three weeks of holidays coming up! I plan to do not a lot except visit with a friend who's visiting me for 5 days, LOTS of spring cleaning and purging, walking, photography, reading, DVD watching, maybe some writing...I don't think the hoped for Vancouver trip will happen. I don't have the funds. We can go later in the year, maybe closer to Christmas to shop for presents or something. The airline packages are always on. I'll just take my friend out for a nice meal instead.

Hope you all have a great weekend! :)

The real update!

2010-03-06T14:17:00.000-08:00

After yesterday’s debacle, in which I took about an hour to write a post, then lost it to some sort of error in Blogspot, I am going to try and recreate it using the sensible suggestion (thanks, T’Pol!) of Word and then cutting and pasting it instead. Part of the problem is that I get distracted easily and spent some time switching back & forth between windows, so it signed itself out, but then all it asked was that I sign in again. I got some kind of strange error message but didn’t worry that I couldn’t find it again because it was auto-saved as I wrote it up, but when I went to the Edit option to retrieve it, all that was saved was the first line. ARGH! :(

Anyhoo...

I am going to my favourite format to update: point!

I did my taxes (thanks to Studio Tax!) on Thursday and sent them off. I collected my last T4 and that took me from a return of just over $1000 to owing $221.91. I’m not complaining as that’s $2K less than last year and I’ll be able to pay it off in one go, so YAY!
I got a (gov’t) cheque for $150 in the mail yesterday, which was a nice surprise! I have no idea what it’s for, however. The description reads “Subsidy,” and I’m wondering if this has something to do with electricity or energy or something. Regardless, it’s a nice snowflake.
I’m going to update my resume. I’ve decided to at least think about getting a p/t job, hopefully just for the summer. I feel I still owe too much so an extra $300 - $400 per month would really help get rid of that, as well as plump up my savings.
I’m on ‘set 8’ of “Midsomer Murders.” Already. I’m addicted!
I went to a birthday party here last Saturday. The company was excellent, the food delicious, and it was a terrific idea all round.
The main emotion about the whole thing with D that I have right now is relief. Like a huge burden has been lifted off me. I don’t hate him; I can’t. Not only is that a terrific waste of time and energy, but I have these wonderful lessons to learn from it all: about anger & its expression, about self-respect & integrity, about understanding that the way I’ve been treating myself (very poorly) is the way other people are going to treat me.
Books that are filled with circumstantially appropriate content & titles finding their way into my hands
Joining a meditation group through a new co-worker
I thought I would try a version of “meal plan Monday” on my day off, which happens to be Friday. I’m thinking of calling it “Fix-It Fridays” or “Food Fixin’ Friday” or some such thing. Yesterday’s “Food Fix” was Hawaiian chicken in the crockpot. It was delicious!
My crockpot lid broke today as I was washing it!Good thing I have a second crockpot! :)
I get my bonus next week! It should be approximately $1600, so that’s where my income tax payment is coming from. The rest will be split between debt repayment and savings accounts.
I have a friend visiting me from Vancouver for several days at the end of the month, then am hoping for a long Easter weekend break down there, as I’ve taken two weeks off around my birthday. I’m really looking forward to the break.
I’m 93% complete on my 2009 RRSP! That’s a great feat, really. 2010 starts with this next paycheque, so we’ll see what happens from there.

Canadian Saver has posted an update of her 2010 goals to this point, which I’m going to shamelessly copy and do as well (thanks for letting me steal the idea, CS!). ;-)

RRSP 2010: This will officially begin on March 10. I auto-save $100 a month right now and the plan is to increase that as my debt goes down. My goal here is $5000.

Pay off existing debt. I wanted to be free of debt by the end of June, but I’m not sure this is doable. It would be really, really tight, so I’m modifying it to be debt free by the end of the year, which is less stressful.

I will pay off the computer by the end of January. DONE! PIF: Jan 15!!

Next up: VISA, then my LOC.

EFund. I’m aiming for $3000 by end December 2010. Bonus! $3500.
I’m just over halfway to this goal already. I auto-save $50 a month.

US account. I would like $500 US in here by end December 2010. I currently have $308. It’s just for fun and day trips to Skagway, so it doesn’t need serious attention. Because it’s just for fun, nothing has changed with this. I will try mooching USD at the hotel starting in April or May, when the tourists start trickling in.

Track spending. I still find money running through my fingers far more than it should. So I’m going to continue with this. Write it down, meal plan, make shopping lists, etc. Find an extra $50 a month to put toward debt until it’s paid off. Well, I have actually been doing this (apart from the meal planning part), with the colourful and particularly fabulous “Budget & Analysis Tool” that I got from Fabulously Broke. It is, quite simply, amazing!

Credit card spending. None, unless I can pay it off in full when due. Um...not doing that great with this, but neither is it ridiculous. I will be able to pay this off by the end of April, although I’ve started a monthly recurring purchase through my naturopath. That, however, is an amount that I am perfectly able to pay off in full each month.

Cash only. January. And I’ll take it month to month from there depending on how I do. This means leaving my debit & credit card at home, so the temptation isn’t there to use them. This should curb my spending, generally and otherwise. Hmmm...No. But I have been using my jars pretty consistently, and therefore working with cash a lot more, which is a definite start.

Make a will. This could also fall under ‘financial,’ as it costs money to do this, but I’ll aim to have this done by my birthday this year. I plan to have the funds for it by the end of April, which will be a month later than I stated (my birthday is at the start of the month), but still aim to cross this off my list this year. It’s not worth it to keep putting it off.

Photography. I have an awesome camera that I’m not using. I will use it. I’m actually doing okay with this. I’m making sure that I take it on my walks with me because even if I go to the same place every day to walk, there’s always something to see.

School. I’m looking into several online options for this. The college here is great, but the classes I need either aren’t being offered this semester or the times conflict with my work schedule, so I think online is the way for me to go. I’m aiming for a minimum of three classes this year. I’m still thinking about what I need to do and how I will pay for it. I have a list of several classes that I want to take, though, so could perhaps work on those while I figure out what I need.

Read. My goal is 100 books this year. 14 so far! And they are: (*recommended)

Field of Blood - Denise Mina
The Guinea Pig Diaries - AJ Jacobs
Rescue Ink - w/Denise Flaim (also see: RescueInk.com)*
Debt Free Forever - Gail Vaz-Oxlade*
Dogtown - Stefan Bechtel (Best Friends Animal Sanctuary)*
The Return of the Dancing Master - Henning Mankell
Tales From a Dog Catcher - Lisa Duffy-Korpics
Under the Paw: Confessions of a Cat Man - Tom Cox*
The Riesling Retribution - Ellen Crosby
Why Good People do Bad Things - Debbie Ford
The Guernsey Literary & Potato Peel Pie Society - Mary Ann Shaffer & Annie Barrows***
Fun Home - Alison Bechdel
A Bone to Pick - Charlaine Harris*
Three Bedrooms, One Corpse - Charlaine Harris*

So there we have it. Pretty much the same as yesterday's lost post, but of course I don't remember everything that I lost. I'm off for a walk with a friend in an hour and I'm looking forward to that. It's cold and bright here today; we have almost 11 hours of daylight now! It's quite wonderful.

Hope you all have a great weekend!

$$(&^*&&_))()+)++&^%!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

2010-03-05T15:06:00.000-08:00

An hour's work on a post and Blogger ate it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! ARGH!!!

Free tax software!

2010-02-25T17:07:00.000-08:00

I believe I got this from Frugal Dreamer last year, so thought I would post it this year. It worked great for me, so I'm going to play around with it this weekend and see what I might be getting back...or not.

Studio Tax 2009.

I'm late but I'm giving something up!

2010-02-20T11:07:00.000-08:00

I never remember when it is anymore (and am honestly not sure I ever remembered even when it was 'required'). My mother usually phones and asks what I'm giving up for Lent and I usually answer with "nothing."

This year, however, I am totally stealing Pam's idea (sorry, Pam & thank you!). It appears I'm not the only one having (ex)boyfriend issues and I think she's doing a wonderful thing for herself by spending the next 40 days and 40 nights doing nothing but what she wants, taking care of her needs first. Arual is doing something very similar (only without male impetus, I believe). This is awesome.

I have decided that I need this time with NO CONTACT between D & me: no texting, no emails, no FB, nothing. It was getting a bit over the top before he left for the mine on Thursday and he was sitting on the plane when he told me he got me a kitten!! "You wanted one," he texts. Sure I want a kitten. I'd love 100 kittens, but THIS IS NOT THE TIME. I don't want a kitten on a whim or as a tool of emotional blackmail. I want a kitten because I love cats, but there's just not room in my life for a little one right now.

So, I am going to send him a note to say that I am cutting off all communication until after Easter. I don't want to block him (not yet, anyway). I don't hate him, but I need time to work on myself because this has been a HUGE wake up & shake up for me. This is going to be my uber-selfish time where I do nothing but focus on what I want and what I need to work on so I can move forward.

Overall, I feel good. I really do (at least for now. I'm certain there's a surge of emotions just waiting to rise to the surface and blow). There is no doubt that I did the right thing and I'm feeling very clear headed about where I want to go from here. But I have a lot of work to do. And I'm ready for it!

Aaaaand......breathe...

2010-02-12T17:02:00.001-08:00

It's over. I honestly don't know if D really 'gets' it - that this is his fault. He says he's done a lot of thinking and, truly, the past several days he's tried hard, but I can't put myself through it anymore. I was literally making myself sick - not eating, not sleeping, clenching my teeth all the time, my emotions all over the map, having to get blood tests, etc.

I thought I could maybe work it out, but the more I tried, the more smacks upside the head I'd get from the Universe. I've had signs coming at me all over the place for over a week now! I can forgive (we're all human and have our flaws and faults), but I can't forget and that's the problem. I've already been more gracious and way nicer than 99.9% of other women would have been. Far more than he deserves.

With the decision made, I feel better. He's already sent me long, heart-felt texts claiming the 'other woman' kept crying when he tried to break it off with her (this is not something I can imagine her doing, to be quite honest). If this is the relationship that's meant to be, then I'll be back. If it's not, then I won't. I'm a big believer in things happening for a reason, particularly bad things. Maybe I'm not supposed to give up? I don't know. What I really hope is that he'll honest-to-god THINK about this, regardless. If I was that important to him in the first place, he wouldn't have done it, so all this is too little, too late.

So, I'm taking my lessons and will learn from them. I have my own thinking to do, quite a lot of it, as a matter of fact. My big girl panties go back in the cupboard and so I know where they are if I need them in future.

I'm lucky in the respect that I have no kids or mortgage with him, no ties - that would infinitely complicate things. It's still hugely shitty behaviour and there's no excuse, but at least I have my own place to be, my own space to take comfort from.

I want to say 'thanks' again to all of you for your support. It means a lot.

Things that make you go "HMMM!"

2010-02-02T11:35:00.000-08:00

Apparently D is a cheat. FB is a very small community within a community, so you need to be careful what you say.

She and I are having coffee tonight.

Discuss.

Updates!

2010-01-30T11:15:00.000-08:00

Biopsy: unpleasant, but quick and I could've been there for much worse
Result: Good news is that it's nothing. Bad news is that it's nothing, yet there continues to be an increase in creatinin levels, indicating there IS something going on. All tests, however, came back negative (lupus, TB, etc.). Now? Keep hydrated and continue monitoring.
Weird.
Vancouver was great: Lynn Canyon, book stores, Thai food, cupcakes, chocolate cake, friends, family, support, being cared for.
Spent too much on books, though. :P
Ate most of my cupcakes, as they made it back safely (i.e. damage confined to icing which, while squashed, is still icing).
Have one left for D for his return.
Lazy brunch with friends yesterday (pancakes!), then a lazy stop at Starbuck's to visit another friend. Lovely!
Belated Christmas gifts: sketchbook & pencils; photo frame with picture of Elmo and his Intuitive Portrait (go to gallery, bottom left picture, the one with the mouse)
D & I in tentative discussions about getting a place together
Fresh snow :)
December's hydro bill: $166.65!! Double what I normally pay, but I was doing an awful lot of baking & cooking over the holidays, so that makes sense, although I will have to watch that in future
D wanting a trip to Vancouver when he gets back next week; his treat, but it seems very extravagent. And I haven't requested the time off (my mind's been on other things), so not certain I can get the time off anyway...
Got a call from my FA to touch base and discuss my current investments
Tried to make coconut rice last night, but it didn't work out so well. Edible, sure, but nothing like I had at the Thai restaurant last week! I need to figure out how they made that!
Another relaxing, long weekend :)

Haiti

2010-01-20T10:12:00.000-08:00

I admit that I didn't even know that an earthquake had hit this little Caribbean country until two or three days after it happened (I don't have TV and I don't really read the papers anymore), but even then I felt no real inclination to help, although from what I've read over the past couple of days it appears that even those who have mobilized to help are having difficulties getting in because the US controls the airport and, well, they're holding things up considerably.

However.

I read on Saver Queen's blog yesterday and Frugal Dreamer's blog this morning about donations. Saver Queen has a link to CIDA, the governmental agency that assists internationally. They have promised to match any donation made through a registered charity (Red Cross, Salvation Army, etc.) up to $50 million. This caught my attention and then I read FD's blog a few minutes ago and she makes excellent points about the fact that we have more than enough and Haiti has nothing - and less now that a second earthquake has hit the region.

So I went straight to the Red Cross site and donated. I then went to WSPA and donated there, as well.

The reason I was hesitating? I just cleared most of my credit card and didn't want to rack it up again. Don't be (a ridiculous, selfish SOB) like me. Donate to Haiti. Give whatever you can, whatever you feel comfortable with. The Canadian government is matching donations. This doesn't happen often and makes your contribution that much greater.

I am safe, warm, employed, loved. I need to be grateful for these 'simple' things that are so taken for granted. I'm responsible for me being in debt (for buying 'stuff'), but the people of Haiti are not responsible for the earthquake that has levelled their country and devastated them.

I have to admit I'm not sure where this donation money will come from. I'll work it off I imagine. I have a secure job that pays me well and that I enjoy. That, for now, is enough.

TFSA article

2010-01-18T07:48:00.000-08:00

http://money.ca.msn.com/tfsa/insight/article.aspx?cp-documentid=23210323

This explains what it is, how it works, what's allowed, etc. Just a couple of pages, but to anyone who still doesn't have one (or for our US friends who don't have such things) it's a good introduction, in easy to understand lingo. And I wasn't sure how many you were allowed - according to Gail, in her new book, you are allowed to have as many as you like.

Grocery shop

2010-01-17T14:13:00.000-08:00

It's that time again! Food shopping - my favourite :) I don't know if anyone else enjoys this, but I find it holds me more accountable when I can see it all laid out every couple of weeks.

I didn't do too badly overall, and should have plenty to last until next payday if not beyond. Spent more than I would have liked to, but there you are. It seems food shopping is my Gremlin. I only wish I liked cooking as much as I like shopping!

So, the list is as follows: (items not pictured)

Tea: $3.99 (48 bags)
NN Applesauce: $1.98
NN Crushed pineapple x 2: $3.56

Total: $8.73 (incl. 80 cent Super Bucks!)

Parchment Paper: $5.29
Grated parmesan: $4.99
Bacon: $5.99

Total: $16.53

Items pictured:

Butter, 1lb, unsalted: $4.59
Basil pesto x 2: $11.90
Chicken breast: $7.57
Yeast free bread x 2: $9.98
PC Sausages, mild Italian: $4.48
Steak: $2.49
Steak: $2.80
Strawberries, 1lb: $5.39
Spinach: $3.89
Quick oats, 2.25kg:$7.99
Soya mozarella: $5.29
Evaporated milk x 4: $6.68
Egg whites: $2.59
NN unsweetened coconut: $2.78
Red pepper: $2.64 (.255 kg @ $10.34 kg)
Green pepper: $1.27 (.290 kg @ $4.33 kg)
Broccoli crowns: $2.40 (.420 kg @ $5.71 kg)
Baking potatoes: $4.21 (2.150 kg @ $1.96 kg)
Red onion: $1.46 (.395 kg @ $3.70 kg)
Garlic, 3 pk: $1.29
Cucumber (garden): $1.59
Lemon pie filling x 2: $10.78
Ginger root: $.24 (.080 kg @ $3.06 kg)
Kashi bars x 2: $5.92
PC Turkey burgers: $11.49
Stevia: $5.69
PC 'Thins' (flat burger buns): $3.49

And something I paid $7.29 for. Cannot for the life of me remember what it is, or make out what "PC FC TNA CHK CP" means on the receipt...anyone?? No tuna & no chocolate chip anything, however, and it's a President's Choice item.

Total: $115.07
Total groceries: $164.39

I bought all of this stuff yesterday and spent today baking: I made banana loaf, strawberry scones, pineapple spice cookies, a lemon meringue pie (D's request) and today for dinner I made a recipe from here. It was quite good, but I think it needs a bit less balsamic vinegar. Still, loads left over for lunch tomorrow (hurrah!) and I cleaned out my fridge today, too, so lots of room to store stuff.

I've updated my sidebars to reflect that I paid off my computer with the money in my planned spending and freezer accounts and changed the freezer to Will, because I really need to make one. I've no idea how much this will cost me, so I figure $500 is a safe number to work with.

It's been a great weekend, despite not getting to the hotsprings. Work again tomorrow and then Vancouver on Thursday. It's my biopsy on Friday and I'll be staying with friends of mine while I'm there. My sister and BIL will be coming over, too, which'll be great. Lynn Canyon was mentioned as a destination for a hike on Thursday and I would like to get to Chapters or Indigo, but that's pretty much it as far as shopping goes. I'm taking a small case and books will be it, if I buy anything at all.

I still have to do a review of my new (& paid off!) computer, so I'm going to work on that over the next while and try to get that posted before the end of the month.

Computer - PIF!!

2010-01-15T17:09:00.000-08:00

It was a fairly big spend day, but part of the spending was GOOD spending!

Gift for D's dad: $40
Parcel to UK (air mail): $32.29
Payment for computer: $353.18

Total: $425.47

BUT! But...the computer payment was the FINAL payment. Hurrah!! Way faster than I thought, and that's a good thing, because it appears that once the balance fell below $1200, the interest rate jumped to 28.8% from 19.9%! Ridiculous. And yes, that describes me as well for 'buy now, pay later' purchases I should know better than to make. I paid a total of $57.56 in interest over the past two months. Still money I could have put elsewhere, but nowhere near as bad as it could've had the potential to become.

And the UK parcel was my brother and SIL's Christmas present (sent at long last!).

Tonight D & I wanted to go here. We had tried on Tuesday night, but found them closed (they're a half hour drive from town). Today we decided to try again, but got there really early. The sign at the intersection states that they open at 4 - 10. We had about a 20-min wait until 4, and then they didn't open. We waited another 10 mins and then left. According to a tour guide who had also arrived, the sign by the door says "open 6 pm," but he had called earlier and was told 4 would be fine. Needless to say, we didn't want to sit around for another two hours, so we headed home. I double checked the website when I got home and it does say 6pm. Nuts! Foiled again...I was really looking forward to a soak! :(

Shaving savings

2010-01-11T19:45:00.000-08:00

Sometimes this is how I feel paying off debt. It's hard to train yourself into new habits so it doesn't get away from you. I would love to see that big dollar sign as representing my savings, but it currently represents the debt. Although not nearly as big as some, it's still that proverbial monkey and needs to be removed from my back.

To accomplish clearing the debt this year, I've shaved my current savings as a first step. I'm planning on this only being temporary, and then boosting the savings back up to try and meet my savings goals.

My savings were (monthly):

RRSP 1: $250
TFSA: $100
CSBs: $70
RRSP 2: $50
ING: $162 (5 accounts)

Total: $632

That's actually 29% of my monthly income, so no wonder I was feeling a bit squeezed! I should be concentrating on ridding myself of debt, then focus on my savings.

So I did some online fiddling over the past couple of days and phoned my bank today to get my auto-deposits adjusted. This is what my savings will look like from here on in (monthly):

RRSP 1: $100 ($50 is min bi-weekly deposit amount)
TFSA: $50
CSBs: $70
RRSP 2: $50
ING: $70 (3 accounts)

Total: $340
Extra toward debt (monthly): $292!

$330 is 15% of my monthly pay, so this is much more in line with what I should be saving anyway. The CSBs come off my paycheque bi-weekly and I can't change the amount until next year at this point. RRSP #2 is growing slowly but surely and I think it's doing just fine as it is for the moment. ING was taking more money than I thought, so I've shaved it down by continuing to save only in my vet, travel and car funds. The planned spending and the new freezer account (was computer) will be emptied to put extra funds on the computer, so it'll be paid off by the end of the month. I couldn't bear to cut it out entirely and even this is making me a bit nervous, but I have $1600 in my EFund, and I'll be just fine.

Money should be THIS fun!

Some spend days are good

2010-01-05T10:51:00.000-08:00

It depends what you spend your money on! I started this year with $6605 in debt. Since Sunday, I've reduced this by $1100!!

Computer loan (as at Jan 1/10): $1325
Computer loan (as at Jan 5/10): $325
APR: 19.99%
PAID: $1000
Owe: $325 (+interest)

Visa: $932.13
APR: 14.99%
PAID: $100
Owe: $832.13

LOC: $4379.36
APR: 5.75%

I pay bi-weekly into this ($50) and the payment is flexible. Once the computer is paid off, I can concentrate on the Visa, then the LOC. So I'll be upping the monthly payments as of the end of March if things fall into place with my debt repayment schedule. I have a bonus coming near the end of February, most, if not all, of which will go into my RRSP (for tax deferral), plus I get an incremental increase in my pay (think it's 1.2% or something) around March. April is tax-time and this year I'm actually hoping for a refund. So the next few months look promising with respect to "extra" income this year.

I'm also hoping to use the next few weeks to tidy, organize and clear clutter. 15 or 20 minutes a day really does work wonders; I need to stop being such a horrid procrastinator. I did quite well over the holidays, but I swear every time I open a cupboard or a drawer there's something in there I simply don't use/want/need/wear. Our recycling depot has a 'free store,' where you can drop off/pick up items, and I've taken advantage of that before. I'll most likely take a bag of clothes to the Sally Anne, and use the free store for household items. I'm also going to see if I can get anything for some of my DVD box sets. I've got several I won't watch again, so I might as well sell them.

All those funds (whatever it amounts to) can go towards my debt goals.

Day Three Goal Hiccups!!

2010-01-03T20:39:00.001-08:00

So my very first goal was to aim to reach $1K in my chequing account so that I could waive the monthly fees. I'm pretty sure I'm not going to be able to make that: the minimum "fee waive" for my particular account is $3500!

Okay, so I have one less thing to do this year with respect to money. This leaves me an additional $40 a month to put toward my debt if I look at it that way. And less for me to think about achieving.

Otherwise, I did okay today. I'm thrilled that I paid $1000 towards my computer. That leaves me with an outstanding balance of just $325 or so. I did also add to my groceries, but not with cash. I stopped to buy rice cakes and spelt flour ($32.13 - RIDICULOUS!!!) and butter ($4.59). The first items went on my CC and the second on debit. *Sigh*

Mind you, I have over $100 in rolled coin now, which I'm taking to the bank tomorrow to put on my LOC and Visa card. I have to remember to take my debit & credit cards out of my wallet, so I'm not tempted, and replace them with a $20, so I have cash if I need it, but a set limit.

I've had such a great holiday that I'm not going to let the CC slip get to me. It's not worth it in the long run and besides, now I can have PANCAKES for breakfast!! :)

2010 Goals

2010-01-02T18:45:00.000-08:00

Free banking! I want to build up and maintain the minimum balance in my chequing account ($1000) so that I’m not paying bank fees every month. Al though the bank fees are only $10, I’d rather keep it. This means increasing the balance in my account by $40 per month.

RRSP 2010
Goal: $5000
Bonus! Maximum allowable (update in April, after taxes, but approx $7000)

Pay off existing debt. I want to be debt free by the end of June. I will pay off the computer by the end of January; pay off my Visa by the end of March; and pay off my LOC by the end of June. Total debt: $6604.36.

EFund. I’m aiming for $3000 by end December 2010. Bonus! $3500.

US account. I would like $500 US in here by end December 2010. I currently have $308. It’s just for fun and day trips to Skagway, so it doesn’t need serious attention.

Track spending. I still find money running through my fingers far more than it should. So I’m going to continue with this. Write it down, meal plan, make shopping lists, etc. Find an extra $50 a month to put toward debt until it’s paid off.

Credit card spending. None, unless I can pay it off in full when due.

Cash only. January. And I’ll take it month to month from there depending on how I do. This means leaving my debit & credit card at home, so the temptation isn’t there to use them. This should curb my spending, generally and otherwise.

Make a will. This could also fall under ‘financial,’ as it costs money to do this, but I’ll aim to have this done by my birthday this year.

Photography. I have an awesome camera that I’m not using. I will use it.

School. I’m looking into several online options for this. The college here is great, but the classes I need either aren’t being offered this semester or the times conflict with my work schedule, so I think online is the way for me to go. I’m aiming for a minimum of three classes this year.

Read. My goal is 100 books this year.

These are the focus this year, along with smaller goals that I've got. I had an epic fail on last year's goals, but they were pretty ambitious and I'm pretty lazy...I'm not surprised, as I do this every year, but I think this time my goals are a little more focused, and I that most are also achieveable. I have no particular order for these, apart from perhaps my will, so that helps too.

New Year Spending

2010-01-02T10:42:00.000-08:00

I was out shortly after 8am this morning, having decided not to procrastinate. My goal: Canadian Tire. I spotted an item that I've had my eye on for probably two years in the latest flyer. It's a little wheeled kitchen cart that will give me a bit of extra storage room and counter space. The regular price is $190 (actually $20 more than when I first saw it two years ago), the sale price $114. A considerable savings.

Another item I was considering was this microwave stand. Nothing fancy, but again, extra storage as well as making space on my counter by holding the microwave. The regular price is $100. The sale price $60.

The dilemma this morning, even as I was standing in front of them, was which one do I choose? I got a $100 Canadian Tire gift certificate from my mum for Christmas (I asked) and had already spent $25 of it. I could spend an extra $40 (out of my snowflake jar) and get the item I've been eyeing for two years, or I could spend $60 and walk away with $15 still in my pocket. I ultimately decided to go with my first choice, the one I've wanted for so long and to pay the $40 difference. I think it's a great deal, despite the little voice in my head saying "but if you hadn't've spent that $25 earlier, you'd only be paying $15 for this!"

Yes, but I still saved $150 and that's substantial, particularly when I'm not sure this item is actually worth that much anyway! :) And technically, because I'd snowflaked the $40, my jars are still intact.

My spends look like this today:

Gas: $47.77 (96.9 ltr)
I had a coupon for double the superbucks at the Superstore gas station, so I filled up there before I went in to pick up a few things.

Groceries @ SuperStore

Frozen peas x 2: $4 ($2 ea)
Frozen corn x 2: $4 ($2 ea)
Bulk quinoa (1.305 kg $9.80 kg): $12.79
Hummous: $5.49

Total: $26.28
coupon: $-2.69
Total paid: $23.32

Groceries (elsewhere):

Kashi Organic Cinnamon cereal x 2: $12.98
Christmas cards x 2 pkgs: $9.98
Rice milk, original x 3: $8.97
Rice milk, vanilla x 3: $8.97
Lottery tickets (1st time in 3 1/2 yrs!!): $11.00

Total: $52.40

Potatoes: (2.860 kg @ $1.96 kg): $5.61
Pasta sauce x 2: $7.58
Veggie ground round x 2: $8.78
Tropical green tea: $3.69

Total: $25.71
Total groceries: $101.43

So my (bi) weekly gas jar is empty, as is my grocery jar for the most part, but I'm pleased with the spends as it was all cash. The coins went straight into my coin box to await rolling.

I'm still working on my goals for posting and hope to have them complete in the next day or so. I'm trying to keep "baby steps" in mind and not get wrought up worrying that my goals may be too ambitious.

Books 2009

2009-12-31T18:51:00.000-08:00

I'm going to post my goals tomorrow, so tonight I'm posting the list of books I read in 2009. They're a bit mystery-heavy, as I keep finding new (to me) authors and getting caught up in murder and death.

See Jane Write - Jane Mlynowski

Year of Living Biblically - A.J. Jacobs

B is for Burglar - Sue Grafton

C is for Corpse - Sue Grafton

Fat Girl - Judth Moore

Travels with Lizbeth - Lars Eighner

Then We Came to the End - Joshua Ferris

Dewey - Vicky Myron

The Next Thing on my List - Jill Smolinski

Wesley the Owl - Stacey O'Brien

Lord High Executioner - Howard Engel

Tears of the Desert - Halima Bashir

Saturday - Ian McEwan

The Shack - William Young

The Boy in the Striped Pajamas - John Boyne

The Spellman Files - Lisa Lutz

My Forbidden Face - Latifa

How Not to Die - Dr Jan Garavaglio (Dr G)

Kabul Beauty School - Deborah Rodriguez

With the Kama Sutra Under my Arm - Trisha Bernard

Do Travel Writers Go to Hell? - Thomas Kostamm

Animals as Teachers and Healers - Susan McElroy

How I Paid for College - Marc Acito

The Delegate's Choice - Ian Sansom

Whisper to the Blood - Dana Stabenow

Scratch Beginnings - Adam Shephard

Stacked - Susan Seligmann

Turning Tables - Heather and Rose McGowan

The Risks of Sunbathing Topless - Kate Chynoweth

Skeleton Lake - Mike Doogan

The Geography of Bliss - Eric Weiner

Curse of the Spellmans - Lisa Lutz

I'm a Stranger Here Myself - Bill Bryson

Revenge of the Spellmans - Lisa Lutz

High King's Tomb - Kristen Britain

Dead and Gone - Charlaine Harris

Rich Like Them - Ryan D'Agostino

Sloppy Firsts - Megan McCafferty

Second Helpings - Megan McCafferty

Bad Bridesmaids - Siri Agrell

Him, Her, Him Again, The End of Him - Patricia Marx

As Luck Would Have It - Joshua Piven

Tea Time for the Traditionally Built - Alexander McCall Smith

Fire and Ice - Dana Stabenow

Nothing Gold Can Stay - Dana Stabenow

Better to Rest - Dana Stabenow

Charmed Thirds - Megan McCafferty

Fourth Comings - Megan McCafferty

The Johns: Sex for Sale and the Men Who Buy It - Victor Malarek

Nobody's Mother - Lynn Van Luven

Bayou of Pigs - Stewart Bell

Bubbles Betrothed - Susan Strohmeyer

One Step Behind - Henning Mankell

The Eye of Jade - Diane Wei Liang

397 Ways to Save Money - Kerry Taylor

Faceless Killers - Henning Mankell

Firewall - Henning Mankell

Labours of Love: Canadians Talk About Adoption - Deborah Brennan

Angel's Advocate - Mary Stanton

An Evening of Long Goodbyes - Paul Murray

Dogs of Riga - Henning Mankell

Sidetracked - Henning Mankell

The Fifth Woman - Henning Mankell

Before the Frost - Henning Mankell

Waiter Rant - Steve Dublanica

206 Bones - Kathy Reichs

TinTin Adventures: Book 2 - Herge

Honestly, Dearest, You're Dead - John Frederickson

Spud - John van Ruit

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo - Stieg Larsson

Bookmarked for Death - Lorna Barrett

Evil in Carnations - Kate Collins

Prepared for Rage - Dana Stabenow

Unquiet Spirit - Derek Wilson

Death Takes the Cake - Melinda Wells

Holiday Grind - Cleo Coyle

A Ghost in the Machine - Caroline Graham (the British TV series "Midsomer Murders" is based on this author's books)

Desolate Angel - Chaz McGee

So Sure of Death - Dana Stabenow

Dead Cold - Louise Penny

Clean Cut - Lynda La Plante

Eat My Globe - Simon Majumdar

Casket Case - Fran Rizer

Poppy Done to Death - Charlaine Harris

Shakespeare's Landlord - Charlaine Harris

Grave Secret - Charlaine Harris

Wild Indigo - Sandi Ault

The White Lioness - Henning Mankell

The Devil's Star - Jo Nesbo

The Incident Report - Martha Baillie

Shakespeare's Trollop - Charlaine Harris

Silence of the Grave - Arnaldur Indridason

If I've counted correctly, that's 97 books this year. Phew! I'd say that was quite successful. I wasn't planning on reading so many, but I'm perhaps I'll see if I can make it an even 100 for next year.

Happy New Year everyone!

Banana Loaf!

2009-12-28T12:54:00.000-08:00

Being on this semi-restrictive diet means I can't eat any of what I love: sweets! Cakes, cookies, anything with chocolate, etc. etc.

But I've really been craving something sweet the past couple of weeks; something to snack on between meals and I don't mean veggies (I can't even have fruit on this diet). Baked goods of some sort, that feel like a cheat, but aren't. So I perused the web. Why I continue to be surprised by what you can find on the web (I guess I should start asking 'what CAN'T you find?'), I don't know, but I found this recipe for banana loaf.

Recipe for dairy/sugar/yeast-free Banana Bread

2 eggs
2 bananas
1/3 c milk (I used soy)
2/3 c applesauce
1 tsp vanilla
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg
2 1/4 c whole wheat flour
1 tsp stevia (plant-derived, natural sweetener: 4x's stronger than reg sugar, so need WAY less)
1 tsp baking soda
pinch salt

Preheat oven to 350C.

Mix dry ingredients together. Mix wet ingredients together. Combine the two.

Pour into 9x5 loaf pan and bake for 1 hour (I found that 50 mins was quite sufficient).

That's it. Super easy and boy, does it taste good! My breaks at work will be much nicer now. It's not that I really dislike rice cakes, you understand, but banana bread is banana bread and, well, made of slightly sterner stuff.

I also had a cup of 'regular' tea the other day, with Stevia and soy milk to replace the regular stuff. Not bad, but still not the relaxing, calming cup that I've been craving so bad. Soon, I hope, I can once again indulge my Tim addiction for my morning tea. Another week until I see the naturopath for another assessment. I'm hoping I can drop some of the supplements I'm taking, as they're damned expensive, but can't until I've seen her. But I just keep reminding myself that this isn't a bad thing to do, and I have been enjoying my meals more, too.

A pretty productive few days

2009-12-28T09:58:00.000-08:00

I'm coming to the end of my Christmas break. I go back to work tomorrow after a lovely 4-day "weekend." I've been surprisingly productive, which I'm pleased about and have to decide what I'm going to do today.

Friday I did some baking and then went for dinner with my friend and three of her kids. It was delicious, but teenagers are pretty excitable. Her place is always noisy - the TV is always going, the boys are wrestling or fighting or arguing and whatever else boys do to bond with each other. I've heard that once you become a parent, "kid noise" just becomes something you can't hear anymore. But they're great kids, so I don't mind visiting now and again, although it WAS nice to get home to peace and quiet. :)

Saturday I decided to get things done that I've not done in months: clean my oven (always fun), the bathroom and then start tidying the place up. There's paper and assorted other crap everywhere. I've learned that EasyOff oven cleaner works best when the oven has been warmed first - it's really fast. I don't like to use the nasty stuff, but sometimes you need the toxic, chemically-charged power of such things to get the really old crap cleaned up properly. My oven looks fabulous now. And I have a large bag of books to take to the library for donation tomorrow, too.

Yesterday I vacuumed, did a laundry, tidied up a little bit more and today...well, I'm not entirely sure. I think I'll drive over to the recycling centre and (finally!) get rid of my stuff, although that can eat up more time than I plan for sometimes as I get distracted by people putting stuff where it's not supposed to go and following them around, removing the offending objects from the wrong bin and putting them in the proper one. Those I can reach anyway...Ahem...

I also finished my Jo Nebo book and two others this weekend, watched all my episodes of "Midsomer Murder," and am counting down the days until D gets back to town. He's due back Jan 5; 7 more sleeps. He called Christmas Day and is regretting staying; he's a real homebody and doesn't like the isolation of the mine, I think. I'm going to try and talk him out of leaving the mine so soon, but I'll get a newspaper for him as well, so he can keep his eyes open for job possibilities back in town.

CanadianSaver posts her list of "books read" a couple of times a year, and I'm going to do that as well, if anyone's interested. But I have to get my recycling done now that it's stuck in my head.

Boxing Day plans

2009-12-26T10:41:00.000-08:00

I assume there's a bizillion things "on sale" right now around town, for those who didn't get what they wanted for Christmas. I'll also assume that that's where a lot of town will be headed.

Not me. I got a couple of phone calls, a nice visit with my friend and her family for dinner, baked some cookies and brownies, slept in...otherwise, I did not receive a single "thing" for Christmas. This makes me quite pleased, although I know there are a couple of items yet to arrive. I logged on to the computer this morning, as usual, and then remembered that it's Boxing Day! Our "Sale of Sales" Day, like Black Friday in the States.

I'd just like to ask: what sales? Apple sent me an email reminding me that I can still buy what I want if I didn't get what I want, but I see no knock-down, drag-em-out prices. Same with Amazon. Sure, I'd LOVE a KitchenAid mixer, but not at $340 (still too pricey for me). Canadian Tire has them on sale for $199 (!!), but where would I put it? Seriously. I just don't have the space for it anywhere.
:( Maybe next year...

Anyhoo, I'm not motivated to peruse a lot of sites, nor do I have the money to purchase anything. Besides, I don't NEED anything. I'm determined in the coming year to stop playing "ostrich" games with my money and just get the damn debt paid off! I have a list of three debts, each of which will be paid off at a certain time next year, to be completed by end of June. I am working on my goals list and will probably post it some time next week.

But as for today, I'm planning a trip to the local grocery store to pick up some steel wool and some oven cleaner. I've got some environmentally friendly stuff which works fairly well for light touch ups, but it needs a good old scrub and sometimes only the nasty stuff can get it done. Then some vacuuming, bathroom cleaning and that's that. I've got some DVDs from the library to watch, too. We've recently got the ENTIRE "Midsomer Murders" collection in, so I'm starting at #1 with that series. I love English mysteries!

Have a great day everyone!

Happy Holidays!

2009-12-24T14:57:00.000-08:00

MERRY CHRISTMAS TO ALL MY PF BLOGGER FRIENDS! WHEREVER YOU ARE AND WHATEVER YOU DO, PLEASE BE SAFE, WARM AND WITH THOSE YOU LOVE.

BEST WISHES FOR A WONDERFUL HOLIDAY FROM ME IN THE NORTH!

Debt owed, paid

2009-12-23T08:36:00.000-08:00

Yesterday my sister and BIL paid back what they had borrowed. The whole amount! This is very nice, and I was assured that it's okay and they're not short, which is important.

I thought about what I wanted to do with it (it came from my planned spending account), but then thought a bit more. Instead of doling it out to plump up my various accounts, I'd going to use it to pay down my computer. Every last penny. Plus the $300 I've already saved towards it.

I went over to Staples after work and tried to pay: I'd forgotten it won't clear for several days yet, so once again I'm going to have a late payment on the card, but it'll be big enough that it really won't matter. This is the one debt I'd like to clear up ASAP. It was a dumb move to finance it, but it appears it will be paid off a lot sooner than I'd hoped - once I've paid what I plan to, there will only be about $300 owing! I can easily get rid of that before March if I'm conscientious enough.

Spending, sending and receiving

2009-12-21T19:53:00.001-08:00

I spent the weekend in a mad bake-athon of my own making. It was fun, but kind of exhausting, but I did manage to bake quite a number of (hopefully) tasty things. Apart from the Raspberry Cream Cheese Brownies, which was my sole creation on Saturday, I spent Sunday making these recipes:

Lemon Buttermilk Cookies
White Chocolate Cranberry Cookies
Gingerbread

I wanted to make about two or three more items, but I ran out of time, motivation and butter, which is apparently the cornerstone ingredient in every single baking recipe. Ever. Anyway, nothing else can fit in the box I'm sending to D, so he gets what he gets.

I took the truck in for repairs today, fearing the worst, but it wasn't as bad as I expected. The fuel pump needed replacing (and the oil light is still going on because...?). I dropped it off at about 9am and it was finished and ready to go before 11:00. Total damage: $289.98. A bit steep, but what can you do? You pay what you have to. These guys are downtown, so it's walking distance from work, which is one of the reasons I go to them. I'm glad to have her back, and she's plugged in for the night.

I got home to find my Amazon order waiting for me. I bought Gail Vaz-Oxlade's new book "Debt-Free Forever," and am looking forward to reading it (I have to finish my Jo Nesbo mystery first, however...sorry, Gail!). I also purchased "30 Rock" S2 and a book I read a couple of years ago called "The Writer's Mentor," which is a thoughtful book on encouraging and motivating you to write. I need a gentle shove.

My biopsy has been arranged for January 22 in Vancouver. The flight is covered by health care, I would just have to arrange a hotel, but will most likely stay with a friend who has offered me her spare bedroom, as well as to drive me to and from the hospital! How lovely. And the bonus, of course, is that I would have lots of time to spend with her.

Time for bed and for at least two more chapters in my book: if you like mysteries, but haven't yet discovered Jo Nesbo (Norwegian author), I very much recommend him. Excellent!

Groceries and baked goodness

2009-12-19T16:04:00.000-08:00

I went to see a naturopath just over a week ago, and she's put me on a diet which excludes sugar, dairy and yeast. Three items which make up most of my favourite foods: anything sweet, cheese, breads & bagels, milk...

What bad timing! I didn't feel I could say "is there anyway I could start this after Christmas?" because the reason I went to see her in the first place is because I'm not feeling healthy. So really I only have myself to blame. It's a modified candida diet and fortunately there were no reactions to wheat and/or gluten, so it means I don't have to cut out pasta, soy products (like Yves Veggie Ground Round) or stuff like that which makes shopping a bit easier. I still have to read the labels, though, because it can't contain any yeast.

Prior to this, I had decided that I was going to do a little baking for Christmas, so I bought like $200 worth of stuff (flour, sugar, butter - SO MUCH BUTTER! - etc.). So I'm baking because I don't want this stuff to go to waste. It's absolute torture because I can't taste anything before I put it in the over or when it comes out. I'm following the recipes word for word and just trusting people to let me know if they like it. So far, I've had two thumbs up, which is a relief as my counter space is very limited which makes a lot of prep work a bit un-motivating.

However, my first official grocery shop was today - I had enough stuff, for the most part, in my fridge and cupboards to be able to get through just over a week of dietary requirements which, quite frankly, surprised me, but there you are.

First, the photo of my glorious haul:

Meats:

Chicken breast: (family pack) $10.73
Bison sirloin: $2.84
Bison sirloin: $2.77
Eye of round: $1.63
Eye of round: $1.36
Pork chops (4 pack): $8.45

Veggies

Carrots: (.385 kg @ $3.73 kg, 4 carrots) $1.44
Broccoli: (.345 kg @ $6.15 kg, crowns) $2.12
Ginger root: (.145 kg @ $15.41 kg) $2.23
Green onions (2 bunches): $1.58
Snap peas: $2.49

Groceries

Falafel mix: $4.29
Linguine: $3.90
Spaghetti sauce x 2: $11.80
Indian "fast food" (Jyoti tins x 2): $8.98
Yves Veggie ground round x 2: $8.58
Hummous: $4.19
Soya mozzarella (melts great, not nearly as bad as it sounds & a great price): $9.98
Wraps (tomato, spinach): $6.98
Simply Egg Egg whites: $3.49
Eggs, 1 doz lrg: $3.38

Other

Cat food x 6 tins @ .79 ea: $4.74

Total: $108.19

Surprisingly good, considering I walked to the local grocery store instead of driving across town, where I would most likely have saved money, but been in line forever. At this time of year, and this last weekend before Christmas I prefer the convenience, empty aisles and slightly higher prices of my local. SuperStore would be absolutely unbearable.

And aside from that, my truck is going to the mechanic on Monday morning. When I was driving her around yesterday, both the oil light AND the charge lights came on, always when I was pulling to a stop, which is very frustrating. When I got home, I opened the hood and saw dirty black oil sprayed over most of the front of the engine, so something is torn or loose or broken there. I'm reluctant to drive her more than I have to now, so as I was going out last night, I asked a friend who was also going if she would be kind enough to pick me up and drop me home.

I added half a litre of oil this morning and that will hopefully get me to town without the engine siezing. Not sure how much it will cost to fix it, but it's necessary, so I'll pay what I need to. The gas pump in the engine is also leaking, so that needs to be fixed, too. My poor old girl. I really need to look at a newer vehicle...

My baking attempt today was Raspberry-Cream Cheese Brownies. They look a bit gruesome, but they smell delicious!

They're going out to Desmond at the mine, along with some cookies I'll make tomorrow. I'm going to attempt these and make these again, as they've been well-recieved over the past several days. Friday morning I was up relatively early and baked one of these for our Christmas pot-luck at work. Mine didn't look light and fluffy like the one in the photo, it was a fair bit denser, but people seemed to like it; very lemon-y, I was told.

These are my new dishes. Fields is going out of business and everything is on sale 10 - 50% off! Not bad. I'm disappointed as it's my go-to bargain store in lieu of Wal-Mart, but what can you do? Of course, it's busier now than it's ever been. I also picked up some baking sheets and loaf pans and may well go back for another look sometime next week. Although I don't need anything...

Where things stand

2009-12-06T14:07:00.000-08:00

An update on what my debt looks like at the end of November:

LOC: $4489.36
Computer: $1600.00
Total: $6,089.36

The LOC is high because I keep using it to pay off my Visa. I need to stop doing this - just because the interest rate is half of what the Visa rate is, doesn't mean I can just keep adding to the debt. Proof: I'd been auto-paying $80 a month up until now, but the minimum payment went up to $90! So I've upped it to $55 bi-weekly. That should help for now. I'd like to say I'll stop putting money into my EFund and add it to the debt repayment, but that just makes me far too uncomfortable.

The computer, well, we all know what happened there! The minimum payment appears to be approximately $51 a month, so I paid $102. I had this as snowflake money in my rolled coin jar, so figured that would be the perfect thing to put it towards. I will have over $400 saved by the time the next bill comes due, so that will pay it down nicely. I'm going to find $100 a month to pay it off with.

Otherwise, I've updated my sidebars to reflect what's going on in my savings accounts. The planned spending is looking exceptionally depleted because that's where the money I loaned my sister came from. Plus, I used that for shopping in Vancouver. I'm expecting about half of my loan to come back sometime in the very forseeable future, so I'll be plumping up all of the accounts accordingly (including to my RRSP & EFund). I'm feeling quite comfortable with all my savings right now, and that includes my $35 bi-weekly CSB deduction from my paycheque. The rate isn't great, certainly, but it's one more place to save that I can't get my sticky fingers onto easily. By the end of next year, I should have about $1200 in CSBs - not too shabby!

I've decided that Christmas cookies will be my gifts to people this year and there won't even be that many! I used to do a lot of baking, but haven't in recent years. I do love it, and thought that Christmas is a good time for practicing that sort of thing. Some paper plates from the Dollar Store, a little plastic wrap and they're good to go. D will get a camera as I priced out the coveralls he had his eye on and they cost over $300! Well out of my price range, unfortunately, although they would be an excellent purchase because they'd actually get used and keep him really, really warm. Despite that, I just...can't.

Anyhoo...I'm thinking now of my end of year "resolutions," as I didn't do at all well with last year's. I will carry some over, but need to think carefully about others, particularly about my savings. I might be a bit aggressive with some of these things, or it could just be that I'm (still) too careless with my spending. Perhaps a little of both. Regardless, I have to just calm down and realize I can't do everything at once; I need to prioritize things, cut back a little here and there and just NOT PANIC!!!

I'm looking forward to everyone's postings! Last years were very inspiring and I've no doubt that this year's will be just as well thought out and enjoyable to read.

Purse pics

2009-11-27T16:04:00.000-08:00

This has been going around the blogs for a few days now, but I have to say outright that I've never used a purse.

That's right. Never as in EVER. Kinda letting the team down, I know, but there you have it. I do own one, quite a lovely one as a matter of fact, but I never use it. I could probably carry a bandaid in it, but it's just so impractical. It was a gift several Christmas's ago from my brother's girlfriend. She bought both my sister and I one - they're handmade - when they visited Africa (she's South African herself), and my mother seemed horrified when I announced that it was my first purse ever. You'd think she'd know this, but apparently someone hasn't been paying attention for, oh, 40 or so years, eh?

Anyway, I can't really bring myself to get rid of it, even though I know someone out there would truly love such a unique bag. This is the bag. See how happy it is to be out of the junk box it's kept in?

I use a messenger bag or, more frequently these days, a backpack. What do I carry in them? Let's see:

Hairbrush, for those unruly hair days.
Notebook, ostensibly to keep track of my spending habits (MEC messenger bag: $20, backpack from sister: free!)
Wallet, with all the usual wallet stuff in it.
Notebook, for thoughts, ideas, etc.
Daytimer, used very irregularly these days.
Burt's Bees lip moisturizer! I love Burt and his bee products :)
Cell phone
Prescription
Account book for my US $ account
Pens (to use with notebook, of course!)
Thumb drive. Not actually sure what this is doing in there, to be honest...
Cheques to bank account on Van Isl I no longer use.

(Cat optional)

Oh, and there's a little packet of Kleenex and my house keys in the front pocket of the backpack. Lunch, a book and my water bottle are daily items that go in there, too, but otherwise, that's it!

Anyone want a lovely, handmade, wooden purse, never used? (No, seriously...)

Mmmm...Food!

2009-11-25T11:21:00.000-08:00

I think part of the reason I don't like cooking is that it can be so fussy: chop, chop, chop, cut, cut, cut, timing things, boiling things, pot here, pan there, etc. etc. I don't like details and I don't like fussy (possibly a reason I've never owned a purse. That's EVER), so now that I'm actually starting to cook, I'm doing my best to also look at exactly how much time it takes to make something.

The recipe I made the other day states 20 minutes. I think it took me a bit longer than that, but I'm pretty sure that's just because I don't organize myself that well before I start and also due to the fact that I have about a half foot of prep area - my kitchen is SMALL and barely has any counter space. And possibly because I need to put my dishes away a lot sooner after I clean them, but regardless, it's a small area to work in.

But it proves that I can cook and that good food doesn't have to take long to make.

Lemon-Tarragon Chicken Toss

I substituted oregano for tarragon as I thought I had some, but didn't. Still, it was quite delicious and lasted for three meals: my dinner and two lunches. Last night I polished off my macaroni and cheese and finished the ice-cream (I don't really do small portions...), so have to think of something to make tomorrow. It's awkward to plan meals when you work 1 - 9 on some days. I think something with steak - I think it was going to be a ginger-beef stir fry. Fresh ginger, steak, onions, broccoli...

Works for me!

Feeling better & the first grocery shop this month

2009-11-20T15:03:00.000-08:00

I love to food shop. Honestly, it's one of my favourite things to do, although I know plenty of people who find it a huge chore. I imagine it's not so much the shopping as finding the time to do it when you have a family, but I love wandering the aisles and can spend quite a bit of time lost in my own little food world. I'm better now than I used to be, but still love to discover all the foods (and, I suppose, "food") that we North Americans have to choose from.

We are ridiculously, undeniably, utterly spoiled here, even here in the North where we sometimes don't get fresh produce because the trucks can't get through in winter and with some scary prices hovering around simple veggies. I remember a good friend of mine coming to visit me when I lived in Victoria. She was born and grew up in East Germany and I believe that her visit to me was the first time she'd been in a "normal" grocery store. She simply couldn't get over how much choice there was - of everything! Anything and everything you could possibly want and/or need under one roof and we weren't even in that large of a grocery store (relatively speaking, of course). And daily deliveries of produce, meat, flowers, baked goods, deli goods...

It can boggle the mind if you let it. I choose to not let it and am just trying now to live within my means for food, instead of just randomly buying stuff and then tossing it away because it doesn't get eaten. That still happens, unfortunately, but when it does it at least goes into the compost (which, I'm aware, is only marginally better than the garbage). A goal of mine is to cut this waste down even further.

Part of this goal is to start making menues for my meals (Hey! Great idea, Annie! How'd you come up with that one?), so that's what I did today before I went out shopping. I took my jar money ($140 bi-weekly), made a list from several cookbooks and wrote down everything that I needed. I spent $115.61 of my budget and should have enough meals to last me through to next payday.

That's what I bought at the top and this is how it breaks down:

Produce
Carrots: 2 - 0.62 (.260 kg @ $2.40kg)
Gala apples: $5.33 (1.215 kg @ $4.39kg) - not on my list
Lemons: 4 - $3.56 (.89 ea)
Red grapefruit: 4 - $7.16 ($1.79 ea) - not on my list
Red onion: $1.72 (.465 kg @ $3.70 kg)
Green onions: 3 - $2.17 (.79 ea)
Snow peas: $2.59
Broccoli: $2.29
Ginger root: .34 (.130 kg @ $2.62kg)
Yam: $1.50 (.625 kg @ $2.40 kg)

Grocery
Bow tie pasta (x2) - $3.36
Linguine: $1.99
Orzo: $1.99
Eggs: $4.99 (PC large, free-run)
PC Macaroni & Cheese: (x2) $2.38 - not on my list
Feta cheese: $5.49
Macaroni & cheese (side dish): $4.29 - not on my list
Half & half: $1.48
Chicken broth: $1.18
Beef broth: $1.18

Meats
Steak: $5.39
Chicken: (x2) $10.73
Salmon: $15.76 (family size...and why is it Atlantic??!)

Other
PC "Loads of" Peanut butter/chocolate ice cream: $5.99 (actually a very good price, although it's not on my list)
Toilet paper: $16.99 (30 dbl rolls)
Freezer bags: $3.99

Total: $115.61
Items not on list total: $25.15! Ouch...

That's not an inconsiderable "overbuy." I also bought stamps ($15.30), two bars of soap and some more Christmas cards ($14.14) at Shoppers Drug Mart, but that's the last of my Christmas card necessities. Now I just have to get them written up and sent off in the next week or so.

Despite the overspend on my grocery bill, I am pleased with what I bought. I don't buy ice cream every single time (think it's been a couple of months since I last had some), the grapefruit and apples looked very nice - and they're nice to have for snacks at work - and the mac 'n cheese...well, I just happen to REALLYREALLYREALLYREALLY like it. Again, not something I always buy, but easy and quick if you're home and feeling a bit rushed, cold and not wanting to break out all the pots and pans.

My flu seems to have moved on, which I'm eternally grateful for. It doesn't appear to have as been nearly as bad as some, but was certainly miserable enough. The last vestiges are on their way out and I'm back to sleeping through the night, which I'm pleased about. Now that I'm feeling better, I can concentrate on getting organized for Christmas - few presents again this year, but D has requested a camera so he can take and post photos of the mine. He doesn't want it fancy, but can you get anything that isn't even a little fancy these days? I'll set a limit for it and stick to it. It shouldn't be difficult. I asked for an iPod Nano, so I have something to listen to on my way to and from work. I currently have a Walkman MP3 player that I can't unload, so I've been listening to the same 100 songs for 3 1/2 years...

Bored

2009-11-11T12:54:00.000-08:00

It's been a heck of a week. I was quite excited to have this time off as I was going to putter around the house, get things done, read, relax...you know, all that good stuff.

Instead? I got the flu. Not swine flu, but a nasty case of 'regular' flu, so I've been stuck here on the sofa all week (apart from daily forays to care for my boss's cats) feeling utterly crappy. I'm finally on the mend, but it will be at least tomorrow when I'm able to venture further afield and into public. I didn't sleep at all the first two nights as my BONES ached and everytime I rolled over I woke myself up because it hurt so much! I've never had such an awful sensation in my life and here's to not having to go through that again. I've finally been able to sleep the past couple of nights and that's helped to shift this immensely. I don't normally get so sick, but I hope this is the last of it. I'm really astounded at the sheer number of people dropping from flu symptoms this year; is it just me or does it seem ridiculously prevalent?

I suppose the silver lining to this is that I've driven only one day and have only spent $23 at the grocery store on orange juice and chicken noodle soup (which was actually kind of gross...).

Here's to health and if anyone out there has the flu, take good care of yourself and get better soon.

Guilty confession

2009-10-31T21:17:00.001-07:00

I bought it.

Well...

2009-10-24T16:59:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I actually managed to do quite well without spending. Technically I DID spend at the dentist, but I'll be reimbursed for that, so it doesn't really count. Right? I spent $3.84 on two teas for my friend and myself at Tim's (darn you Tim's tea! Why are you so good?), but otherwise it was a pretty good day.

I got my tire repaired at Wally World for FREE! As I bought the tires there originally, they are still under warrenty, so hurrah! It was a rusty rim and a broken bead, so didn't even take that long to fix. I didn't have to part with a penny at my nemesis, but I spent too long wandering the aisles and saw many nice things...DAMN YOU WALLY WORLD AND YOUR RIDICULOUSLY LOW PRICES!! But I restrained myself and reminded myself that I don't spend $$ at Wally World.

Today, though...Oh My God. Insane! I went out to exchange a video game (turns out I didn't need to, I'm just blind) and ended up at CD Plus downtown. Uh Oh. I parted with $45 for 4 DVDs:

- Castle (a detective show which looks good)
- Arrested Development S3 (best show ever, no longer on TV)
- 2 (for $10) DVDs of "Thunderbirds." Does anyone remember them? (ran through the late 50's, early 60's)

Then when I got home I went to my beloved Amazon and bought:
- The No 1 Ladies Detective Agency S1 (hurrah!!)
- 30 Rock S1

Ouch.

I think I'm feeling a bit "off" because of my news yesterday, so I'm filling in my fear with buying. That's the only rational explanation I can think of.

Anyhow, I'm going to work on my "expression of interest" for the training opportunity over the next few days and that should keep my mind off things until I hear the results of the tests.

Hope everyone has a great weekend!

Things & stuff

2009-10-22T18:43:00.001-07:00

Well, I got some good news today surrounding a job opportunity - rather, a training opportunity - that I'd wanted to apply for. I found this opportunity at work in my email (along with everyone else in government) about two days ago. It's a chance to train as a Communications Officer for a year. You learn to write news releases, arrange media conferences & interviews, prepare Ministerial speaking notes...all that good stuff. You are mentored and guided by a current CO, so that you're trained as they need/want you to be and can compete for further opportunities as a CO!

Because this is a temporary assignment, you need approval from your supervisor, so I asked (never hurts to ask!). She took it to her supervisor, who took it to the Director who said 'yes.' So I now have to write up a strong letter of interest and send it in by November 2nd.

I am happy in my current job. I know I'm VERY lucky to have it and all the benefits and perks that go along with it, however, I don't want to be there for 20 years. One of the reasons I like to work for government is because of all the opportunities like this that crop up. You don't have to take them, but they're there. I want to challenge myself more and gain some skills I can use anywhere: organization, prioritizing, researching - these are all things I could learn with this training. Carry that over to my current job and it applies; carry it through to teaching (which is where I'd like to end up) and it's even more relevant.

But first things first. Write the letter.

My excitement about this opportunity (I'm sure I'd learn how to use a thesaurus properly, too, to find alternate words) was tempered a bit by a visit to the hospital to visit a nephrologist (specializes in kidneys). I've had some health issues the past several years (7 bladder infections in a year to start) and my kidneys have "suddenly" become a concern. They're currently operating - if the numbers are to be believed - at about 50%. No one is sure why. After ruling many things out, I have more tests tomorrow. Then more waiting. It's very possible that I might have to go to Vancouver for a biopsy (which sounded pretty awful when the dr was describing it...ick), but again, first things first. Tests. Results. Decisions.

Despite talking with my sister about it, I'm still a bit freaked out by this news. And I can't eat anything because I have to fast for the blood test tomorrow, so it's just water all night. So I think I'll just watch S6 of "Corner Gas" and call it a night. On top of blood tests tomorrow morning, I've got a dentist appointment right after that, then have to take my truck in to get the tire fixed (just a broken bead I hope). I'm hoping Wally-World won't charge me for that, because I bought my tires there. It's been over two years since I spent money at Wally-World and I'd hate to break my streak.

Argh.

Caution! (lots of) Vancouver photos

2009-10-17T11:23:00.000-07:00

This is the view from my 12th floor hotel room on Robson Street. This is six floors higher than the highest building in Whitehorse!

My friend and I rode around the Stanley Park Seawall to Granville Island on Sunday. It was a PERFECT fall day. This is the remains of a tree that fell in a storm (last year's, maybe?).

Vancouver Rowing Club at Coal Harbour.

Rowers practicing.

One of the most famous Vancouver landmarks: the Stanley Park totem poles.

The scuba diver statue; reminiscent of the Little Mermaid in Copenhagen.

Lion's Gate Bridge.

Ships waiting in English Bay.

Inukshuk and West Van.

Seagull lunch! That's a starfish he's got. He was a bit nervous of me poking about as they're quite vulnerable at this point, but he didn't fly away.

Fall colours in the park.

A new art installation: "A-Maze-Ing Laughter." The artist has used himself as the model for these figures. It's in Stanley Park near First Beach (I think! You Vancouverites can correct me...)

2010 Vancouver Olympic Inukshuk.

First Beach.

Fall colours along False Creek.

Ah! The wonderful sights and smells of Granville Island market...

I'm daydreaming that we might actually get produce like this in Whitehorse...MMMMM!

The jade statue that (international) travellers departing and arriving at Vancouver Airport sees: "The Spirit of Haida Gwai'i: the Jade Canoe", by First Nations artist Bill Reid. It's huge and very beautiful.

So there you have it. A portion of photos from my trip. I'm really glad I took it! I really needed a break to see friends, eat, shop...relax...

Less than $100 on groceries!

2009-10-15T09:41:00.001-07:00

AND I got everything I needed for 5 days worth of meals to boot!

Believe me, this is a BIG deal. I budget $120 bi-weekly for food, and generally do manage to stay within in, but it's more than frustrating to come home with just a bag or two of food worth $40 - $50 and eat for three days out of it then have to go again. I found a 4 week meal plan in a magazine at work the other week and decided that because they looked simple (not a lot of ingredients, no more than 20 mins to fix, etc) that I would try this out.

This is week 1 and this is my $80.06 shopping trip:

Ricotta cheese: $3.79
Shredded parmesan: $5.49 (compared to slabs of parmeson for well over $10 each)
Dried apricots (.670 kg @ $8.60 kg): $5.76
Coke x 2: $3.38
Yams x 2 (1.060 kg @ $2.62 kg): $2.78
Bananas (1.150 kg @ $1.94 kg): $2.23
Lime: .75
Bok choy (.840 kg @ $2.16 kg): $1.81
Green beans (.335 kg @ $4.17 kg): $1.40
Ginger root (.100 kg @ $1.94 kg): .19
Cajun trail mix (.335 kg @ $9.80 kg): $3.28
Red peppers x 2 (.515 kg @ $7.25 kg): $3.28
Marmalade: $2.79
Spaghetti (organic, brown rice, PC): $2.49
Pork chops: $3.99
Outside round steak: $2.94
Chicken breast: $8.48
Halibut fillet: $10.63
Tinned cat food (Pres Choice) x 24: 10.98
Sourdough bread: $2.19

TOTAL: $80.06!!!

This probably looks like a lot to a lot of people (in fact, I know it does and probably is), but these are the prices at SuperStore in Whitehorse. You tend to pay more at the even the cheapest place in town, and even at the bulk bin (see: apricots), but you have to eat, right? I'm hoping these meals will last me a lot longer than 5 days, actually, because there should be leftovers for my lunches as well (all recipes, apparently, make enough for 4 servings).

If this works out well, then I will continue with the rest of the meal plans. I see no reason that it shouldn't, so as this will also test my culinary skills (and D is still willing to be my guinea pig), I need to focus and start cooking! You'd think that a person who loves to eat would also enjoy the process of cooking, but I don't, mostly because there's finicky stuff involved: cutting, slicing, dicing, etc. When I'm able to, I'm hiring a chef. ;-)

Post (and pics) on Vancouver trip to follow!

Indulge yourself!

2009-10-05T10:45:00.000-07:00

Well. After some hemming and hawing and debate about whether or not I could afford it, I booked myself an indulgent three-day weekend in Vancouver. The time it took to book this little adventure? About 4 minutes. The cost? $657.81.

I know, I know - what the heck kind of (cheap) weekend is that? It looks scary, but this is actually an awesome deal through Air North (for those of you contemplating a trip North, this is the airline to take) that they have a couple of times a year. The posted price includes return airfare + 2 nights accommodation. I just added an extra night - and, of course, got dinged the single supplement because it's all based on double occupancy. Ahem. Anyway...

I have the money for this trip, but I guess I'm finding it a bit difficult to get my head around the fact I'm only going to be there 3 days. It does seem like a lot of money to spend just to get somewhere. But the total price is way cheaper than flight and hotel separately, so it's a good incentive. I have started a list of needs & wants, so hopefully this will keep any shopping insanity to a minimum (MMMM! Cupcakes on Denman...). I will, however, be visiting with friends I missed seeing on my trip Outside last year and I'm really looking forward to that.

This is something D & I had wanted/planned to do after our road trip was cancelled, so there's some guilt about going on my own, but he's just got himself a new job away at a new mine - 3 weeks out, 2 weeks in - and can't go right now. He'll be gaining a huge amount of experience out of this (he'll be doing heavy duty mechanics), so I'm not in a position to say 'don't go'. That would be entirely counter productive and extremely selfish (although I want to...). He officially starts tomorrow, but has actually been working since Thursday packing supply trucks. I know he's a bit uncertain about being away from home for such a long period of time; he's a homebody. But you gotta do what you gotta do and this is a genuine golden opportunity for him.

I am home today mostly because I've had an average of about 4 hours sleep for nearly a week. I have no idea why. There's obviously anxiety somewhere; my body is exhausted, but my mind is going at about 300 mph when it wakes me up and keeps me up most of the night. I spend time thinking about things that I have no control over, can be somewhat disturbing and that literally just do not stop. I've been able to function pretty well the past few days, but today it's catching up with me and I came home after being at work for only an hour. I don't want to make any big mistakes or snap at people or sigh or complain or bitch over the little things, which are the things that irritate me most right now. I can recognize this sense of anxiety starting up the week before my job became permanent, so I have a feeling that has something to do with it, although I couldn't tell you why I'd be anxious about having a permanent job with government. Anyhoo. I have a meeting to attend tonight, otherwise I'd be heading to bed about dinnertime!

Sorry for the rambling post...

Urgh!

2009-10-02T10:22:00.000-07:00

Wet s-n-o-w this morning, just a small amount, but still. The mountaintops around town are already covered and I'm dreading waking up one day this week to see everything white. Ready or not, here comes Old Man Winter!

I am DEFINITELY taking the truck in on Monday morning to get new winter tires. It's a big chunk of money out of my planned spending fund, but necessary. It's part of living in the North, where it's winter 8 months out of every year. You just deal with it and do what you have to do.

I did, however, change the auto-savings amount for my Canada Savings Bonds yesterday. I happened to arrive at the same time as the representative from CSB was there! Ha! He said I made his day, which is always nice to hear. I upped my bi-weekly amount from $10 to $35. Not for any particular reason, but just because it's that much more I'm not spending. I still have to look at my auto-debit for my EF fund, too. Should I leave it at $100 each month, or drop it to $50? Hmm.

Anyway, time for grocery shopping and other fun errands...

One less thing to worry about

2009-10-01T09:57:00.000-07:00

On Monday I got my letter stating that my Student Loans were clear. On Tuesday I got my confirmation letter from Revenue Canada, letting me know that I was up to date and clear on my debt to them (I cleared the $700 remaining at the same time I cleared the Student Loans).

Yesterday I went to HR and signed my offer letter for a permanent position at work! Hurrah! It's 60 hrs bi-weekly and is the absolute minimum I need to live on (and I can no doubt do more shaving with my expenses). I'm really pleased, as it means I don't have to think about the end of March, when the original term position was up. Whether I can afford a new(er) car or not is still up in the air at this point, but anything is possible and I am starting to look. :) I was talking to a co-worker yesterday about the changes (perm job, quitting the hotel, more time on my hands) and we agreed that any changes take some time to stick: whether it's a new job, new boss, or more free time! I'm finding myself still a bit antsy on my days off, but only because I don't have any fixed routines yet. I'll find my feet slowly, although I'm NOT complaining.

My extra time will also hopefully allow me to take two classes at the college instead of just one, starting in January. It's still a bit early to see what's available, but I'll be registering as soon as I know.

I talked to my sister this morning who asked me for a big favour. She was supposed to go to Edinburgh for her PhD studies starting this month, but the funding fell through and they've now postponed it until next year. Because they were supposed to be gone by now (and also because their landlord is very forgetful, forgot they were moving and so didn't rent out their apartment!) they are short on rent. So I've loaned them $1K to see them through. It hurt to take the money out of my Planned Spending fund, but as I'm going to get my new winter tires on Monday anyway, I transferred everything all at the same time. Poor fund! A solid beating in 5 minutes for sure, but I can't refuse to help my sister. I also couldn't say I don't want it back, because I do, so I did. But I'm glad all the same that I have the means to help (and that it wasn't much more than that!).

Trip options for October (or November):

1 week in Victoria, staying with my sister & BIL and visiting/shopping. Cost: rtn air fare/ferry approx. $700.

OR

1 long weekend in Vancouver (rtn flight AND 2 nights hotel accom): $475.

It should be a no brainer because these package deals are stupidly cheap, but I'm undecided. I have plenty of time to think, though, as the pkg deals only need a 3 day advance purchase, so it could even be a fairly last minute decision, but I'm still torn. Hmmm.

Beautiful words!

2009-09-28T19:43:00.000-07:00

Congratulations!

Your Student Loans are Paid in Full

I got the confirmation letter today. :) Boy, does it feel good! Granted, it wasn't tens of thousands (or even hundreds of thousands) of dollars that I owed, but it was enough to be a weight around my neck and I am SO happy to have them paid off (and 5 years early). I'm awaiting the letter from Revenue Canada to let me know that I'm clear there, too.

I was also one of "those" people today; you know the ones. They put miniscule amounts on their credit cards. I had to sign some legal paperwork for my mother's lawyer in Victoria and paid $5.25 for the notary to sign & witness. Okay. I had the cash for that. What I DIDN'T have the cash for was the envelope and stamp to mail it! $2.91. I was 7 cents short! The debit limit at the post office is $5. ARGH! Can you believe it? I think this is payback for my smugness about NOT being one of "those people."

I registered for curling yesterday, too, which set me back $174.20 more than I had anticipated, however, it was a LOT of fun and I need to have some social time with my friends on a regular basis. I've joined a team with three Germans and a girl from France; she was determined to think of a name for us, so we called ourselves the "Crazy Europeans." I have a British passport and while the Brits don't actually think of themselves as Europeans (although everyone else does...), it's close enough, as I'm only one generation removed. I'm surprisingly not too sore today - it was tougher than it looks. The balancing is the hardest part, but once you have a rock in hand, it's a bit easier. The rest is just lots of practice.

It's nice not having so many bills to pay!

2009-09-23T19:08:00.000-07:00

At least, the type that keep you in debt - like credit cards, or student loans, or whatnot. I like having ONE debt payment each month, and a flexible one at that. I'm certainly not stressing out about things like I was before and because I got a larger paycheque today, I slapped down an extra $100 on my LOC, which makes me feel good.

Canada Savings Bonds go on sale soon. I currently pay $10 per paycheque (indefinitely) through work and am considering upping that to about $25. It's after-tax deduction and is a really painless way to save, although admittedly the interest rates are pretty awful right now. I started looking at the website today and didn't realize there were two different kinds: "C" bonds and "P" bonds. The first are compounding, so although the interest rate is a little bit lower, the rate compounds and they can grow a little faster. They're redeemable at any time. The latter are premium bonds. The initial interest rate is a bit higher and the interest is paid annually, on the bonds' "birthday", so to speak. Both have a ten-year maturity term. But they're redeemable only once per year; a good idea for anyone who finds it difficult to save.

My paycheque was $1302.48 this week. I think it's because the extra hours I worked are reflected on it, but that's okay. It goes a lot further these days anyway. I disbursed it as follows:

Rent: $700
Jars/allowance: $300 (Jars $260, Allowance $40)
LOC: $150
RRSP: $125
TFSA: $50
ING: $60

Total in: $1302.48
Total spent: $1385.00

I had a couple of hundred left over from my last paycheque, so still have a bit of a cushion in the bank at the moment. I'm also writing up a list of wants & needs, as I've made some changes to my sidebars. I've realized I already had a house downpayment bar, as I'm saving $50 a month to an RSP which I can use for that. It'll be a while yet, but why save twice? So I moved the funds from that (ING) fund to my new computer fund, which I think is more reasonable.

I'm going to use one of my TFSA's as my "planned spending" fund, as this year I need new winter tires. I've found a place (Fountain Tire) where I can get 4 for $500 (studded will cost me another $100) and this includes install and balancing, so is the best deal by far around these here parts! That will get done before Thanksgiving, as I don't want to wait until the snow falls before getting them done. I also need a decent parka; one of these, please! They're costly, but will last forever, so are well worth it, particularly on those nasty below 40C mornings.

My "rent" TFSA is now my EF fund, as I get auto deposits in there and I'm comfortable leaving that exactly as it is.

So. One more hotel paycheque tomorrow and that's it. I can't say I miss working 6 or 7 days a week, that's for sure, and already I'm getting into a routine that takes me dreamily through 3 days off each week. Curling starts on Sunday and tomorrow a friend and I are trying out an Aikido class. The curling will definitely stick, the Aikido I'm not so sure about, although it IS something that I feel I need to pursue (the self-defence aspect of it if nothing else). We'll see.

WANTWANTWANTWANTWANT

2009-09-13T15:03:00.000-07:00

Jolie posted a similar post several days ago, although with a much more practical and less manic-sounding title. It's all about computers.

My HP laptop is coming up to three years old. The part of this that is hardest for me to take in is the fact that it's considered outdated and essentially a very old piece of hard-working machinery. But, as in all things "old(er)," it's started to slow down a bit, think longer and harder about things, hang more than it should and just not allow me to work as efficiently as I know I could. So, I'm realistic in thinking that it's days are coming to an end. For me at least. I plan to donate it once I've got a new one, so it remains to be seen exactly how soon that will be.

I've just discovered (last week, in fact) touch screens.

This is the HP TouchSmart IQ526. It comes with everything: Vista, cable (to hook watch TV - it's already bigger than the one I currently own!), DVD/CD player/burner, 640GB, and and and. There's no tower. Everything is loaded right onto that 22" wide, 2.5" thick box. There's even a light. So you can type at night (it's the little things, right?).

Nosing around on the Internet comes up with quite a variety of prices ranging from HP's own website which prices it at $1799, to Amazon.ca where you can pick it up for $1688. I found it at Staples - already on clearance! - for $1274 (+ 5%= $1337.70).

So. If I asked D to go with me to see this, I know exactly what he'd say: "I'd buy it." This is what I'm trying to avoid, as this is the second time I've gone by to see it and I very nearly slapped down the old, currently paid off, credit card and said "I'll take it!" But I didn't because my card limit isn't high enough to buy it. Ahem. Then there's the famous "buy now, pay later" which rang bells in my head as I remembered what Gail does to people who do that. Last time I saw TDDUP, she had all the items that weren't paid for taken out of the house!

I know that if I buy it now, the price will drop further and I'll be wishing I'd waited. I also know that if I buy it now, I'll be back to square one with my debt payments. I guess I just needed to get it out there. It's a surprisingly good deal (considering what/where it is and that this is Whitehorse), but if it's meant to be, it will be. This is why I have this blog; so I can talk it out without judgement or guilt and get balanced, practical advice.

(And I'm kinda hoping someone will say "Ah, go ahead and get it!")

Paycheque Designation Day!

2009-09-11T10:20:00.000-07:00

Another month, another paycheque or two. Raise your hands if you can believe it's already (the middle of) September? No. Me neither!

But it's my favourite time of the year, so I'm happy it's here, despite the fact that it means summer really is over - for the most part - and we're starting to get a lot of rain. It's definitely cooler and our days are noticeably shorter, too. At least the mornings seem to stay clear and it means I can walk to work.

My last day at the hotel was on Monday. There were two of us working and I actually left an hour early because it was so quiet! No point paying two people to do a whole lot of nothing. Regardless, I feel it's somewhere I can return to if I wanted or needed to in the future, but right now I really want the time. I don't remember the last time my house got cleaned or I spent any part of a day just reading a book and now I can. I am also keen to be getting a lot more use out of my camera, which sits idle most days, simply because I'm not around to use it.

One of the first things I did after leaving the hotel was to play around with my budget (muchas gracias to Fabulously Broke in the City for her amazing Excel budget! And so pretty....) and actually punch numbers into it to get an idea of whether I can live on one job. It turns out - with a few 'aha!' moments, some 'oops!' moments and some tweaking - that, yes, I most definitely can. I just have to be smarter with my money. This month I'm fine. Even after quitting the hotel, I still get one more paycheque from them at the end of the month, which will help. I AM going to carry over some cash in my account this month, because October and November are going to be tight and I want a little bit of a cushion.

My auto-transfer to my LOC is all set up (I decided on $100 a month for now, instead of $150, just because it's tight some months), and I've also adjusted the monthly amount that gets transferred to my ING savings accounts. I've decreased it to $120 from $150. I'd rather save something than nothing at all, so $10 per account keeps me happy and also allows for a little flexibility when I have a month where I'm making more (or spending less!) and can add extra.

So, my paycheques this week were dispursed as follows:

Phone/Internet: $141
TFSA (rent): $100 ($50 extra)
RRSP: $150 ($25 extra)
Hydro: $50 (I'm actually in a credit balance this month, and wanted to be next month, too)
Savings: $135 ($75 extra)
Gift: $50
Jars: $260
Allowance: $40
Groceries: $37.04

Total income: $1429.73
Total spent: $963.04
Total remaining: $466.69

So...that, apparently, is that! It took me until today to figure out why there weren't more bills: I'VE PAID THEM. My student loan and my Rev Canada debt are GONE!! I also paid off my Visa card, but have since registered to have a monthly donation of $10 charged to it for the Humane Society. I'm fine with this, as that's something I can easily set up to have autopaid. It's for my charity of choice and right now is the best I can do, money wise at least, for them. When my LOC is paid off, then I will increase my monthly donation.

I was invited to D's naming ceremony tomorrow (where he'll be receiving his Tlingit name), and I said I would go, but he heard the hesitation in my voice and told me I really didn't have to if I would be uncomfortable. There are going to be around 300 people there - this is just his dad's side of the family! - and he has duties to take care of (there's a potlatch and also the placing of his grandma's headstone), so I'd be left alone for a lot of the time. Okay, so I'm a big girl, right? This isn't about me, but is still hugely intimidating, although it would be a wonderful experience. So he instead suggested we go to his parents' house on Sunday for dinner, so I could (finally) meet them. I'm wondering now which event is less intimidating!

A decision

2009-09-03T20:06:00.000-07:00

I went to the bank today to chat with my account manager. I've boosted my RRSP & TFSA contributions slightly, switched the type of chequing account I have (fixed fee of $9.95 p/month!) and asked her advice on something I actually had just thought of on my walk over.

This, of course, could be something that a banker would agree to, so before I get too excited about it, I thought I would pass it by all my favourite PF bloggers for an opinion. I'm comfortable with the idea of doing this, however.

Because my debt is now quite manageable (under $4K) I thought I would pay off my other debts - student loan, credit card & Revenue Canada - with my LOC, leaving me with one debt to pay down, instead of three. This also means I have just one interest rate to deal with (5.75%) instead of 3 or 4 different ones, and I can set up an automatic withdrawal twice a month to make a payment towards it. This will, I believe, work better for me now that I'll be down to one job and there will be months that I might need a little more cash flow than others.

Other reasons that I've decided to do this now are because I have some specific things I need in the very near future: namely new winter tires/insurance for the car and I can put chunks of my paycheque towards those instead. As well, there is good news surrounding my job, which I will be for certain in about two weeks (and share, of course!). The government also has an annual bonus for its employees which is a travel allowance of $2042 per year. It takes two years initially to get this, and it's annually after that. February will be my first allowance, and the timing is such that I should be able to apply it to my RRSP, and apply my income tax refund to the LOC.

It's basically a mini-consolidation loan without the high interest rate. I'm going to set a fixed monthly repayment amount of $150 and add more when & if I can. I am okay with this and the fact that it will take me a little bit longer to get completely out of debt.

I hope everyone has a wonderful long weekend!

Update

2009-08-30T08:39:00.000-07:00

Well, I decided after my blathering yesterday about not feeling comfortable with no cash in the bank that I was better off paying down my debt instead.

So, that decided, I put another $110 on my Rev Can debt, another $50 onto my LOC and another $25 on my student loan.

Total debt paid: $497.96
Total debt remaining: $3792.89

Much better! :)