Casper the Friendly Busker

I came across this fellow the other day on my way to yoga.

I looked at his set up and thought "That's the most brilliant marketing I've seen in a while!" With my class starting in 10 minutes I was running short of time, so I made a point of going back to talk to him after class. Turns out it wasn't just marketing.

Casper is a lyricist by trade, and got into busking little under a year ago. It took him quite a while to make the jump from song writing to busking, as he said he was afraid of exposing himself and who he really is to the world.

Aren't we all.

I'm sure every pf blogger out there had a fear of exposing themselves when they started writing. It's scary! You're putting yourself out there for all the world to see, for better or for worse. We expose our debts, our financial struggles, our ups and downs. We expose things to complete strangers that we're scared, or don't want to, share with our closest friends and family. We hide in semi or complete anonymity, with only a few exposing themselves to the world completely once their debts are paid off.

Casper stands on the street in person; sharing his songs, his food, and his love, with anyone who wants it. You don't have to be homeless, or even having money difficulties, to take a bottle of water or an apple from his blanket. He just wants to give and spread the love.

We as bloggers do our best to spread the experience, tips and tricks that we've learned along the way, in hopes that someone else will learn from our successes and our mistakes.

I don't know if he makes enough to live on, or if he makes just enough to purchase things to give away, but his generosity is inspiring. The world needs more Caspers.

If you're ever down on Whyte Avenue in Edmonton, keep your eyes peeled for him. He'd love to talk to you.

So would I.

One Down

And one more to go!

While  I'll be very VERY happy when exams are done, I've actually enjoyed being a student again this week. I know working towards getting my degree was far more stressful than being a student is currently for me, so it's not like I'm looking at it through (completely) rose tinted glasses, but my life was much simpler as a student.

I'll take that back a step further, I miss being a kid.

I think hitting that point is part of growing up though. When you're younger, you can't wait to be older. When you're older, you longingly look back at being younger. That right there is the reason why I've been spending more time appreciating what I have right now. For the time being I'll accept having pimples over wrinkles, and while I have debt I'm happy I smartened up at a young enough age to turn it around and fix it. I've learned things over the years, and I have many more ahead of me where I look forward to doing the same.

I never went to the university President's "town hall meeting" while I was in University full time, but I'm going to head down there today with a friend of mine.

Actually, that friend deserves a shout out. Congratulations Randy Reichardt on being unanimously nominated the Special Library Association's (SLA) Engineering Libriarian of the Year (That's internationally).

You deserve it Randy. 100%

Lessons Learned

If your outgo exceeds your income, your upkeep will be your downfall.

Truer words were never spoken. My grandfather has said that to me many times, but for whatever reason it didn't stick properly. It would have been great if it had! The last year and a half have been a huge learning opportunity for me. It took me a solid month to write the last two posts, because it was a hard pill to swallow. I dug myself into $19,000 of consumer debt in 1 year. 1 STINKING YEAR!

I get nauseated just thinking about it, but I have to do it. If I didn't think about it, I wouldn't learn anything from it, and I'd be setting myself up to fall again. God only knows where the floor would be next time.

Thankfully, I have managed to learn a few things from this experience. Hopefully in sharing them with you all I can prevent someone else from having to learn it the hard way.

You Need A Budget

This is a surprise to no one. At least, it should be a surprise to no one. This doesn't mean that you need to be categorized and itemized down to the cent in a fancy budgeting program, this just means that you need to know how much is coming in, and where it is going. If your income just barely covers your costs, should you really be going on that ski trip or buying a new wardrobe? Probably not. But unless you know where your money is and where its going are you going to be able to turn it down? Again, probably not.


Be Aware Of Your Income

Different incomes can afford different lifestyles, this isn't a surprise for anyone. Readjusting to a lifestyle on a lower income when you've been riding high for a while... that can be a bit of a shock, and not a pleasant one. It requires being cognizant of how much money you have (budget anyone?), and what it will afford. Anyone changing to a job with lower pay, losing hours, or losing a job altogether will have to deal with this at some point, its best to walk into it with your eyes open.

Life Changes Require Buffers

That lifestyle adjustment I mentioned above takes time, and time is money. Getting adjusted before the change, or having some money put aside to help with the change, will be a HUGE asset. Likewise, if there is another major change coming, such as buying a house or welcoming a baby into the world, you'll want a buffer. Chances are it's going to cost you more than you expect.

Get It In Writing

I thought I had learned this lesson while I was working up north, but apparently I didn't. If it's not written into a contract, it's not guaranteed. Overtime, bonuses, and other perks sound fine and dandy when you're negotiating your wage, but unless you get it in writing you can't rely on it. You need to make sure that you can cover your bases using what's on the page, and what's on the page only. Anything else is gravy.

Distinguish Between Needs and Wants

This one really is a gimme.

I NEED enough food that my body can function properly.
I WANT that Starbucks Chai Latte in the morning because they're yummy...

I NEED enough clothing to keep me appropriately dressed for work and the elements.
I WANT that Lululemon top even though I already have a closet full of clothes

I NEED some way of communicating with people
I WANT an iPhone and MacBook Air.

See where I'm going with this?

If You Can't Afford It Now, Chances Are You Can't Afford It Later

What is actually different between now and later? Are you getting a raise? Is there an inheritance coming? Are you going to cut something out of your daily spending habits? Are your expenses suddenly going to drop?

Is anything different? At all?

If nothing is different, and you can't afford something now, how is it you expect to be able to afford it later when the credit card bill comes in? The easiest answer to this is you can't. Especially when the next payday comes around and there is something else you want...

Find Healthy Outlets For Stress

I use shopping as an outlet for stress. It's a horrible fall back, and I'm actually not sure when it started. I can pinpoint when I started using debt for consumer spending, but I can't pinpoint when I started using shopping as an outlet for stress.

I know there are many, healthier, ways of dealing with it. Exercise it one of the better ones, and I find going to a yoga class or going for a run definitely help me cope with things better. So does getting a hug from a loved one. Seriously, hugs are my emotional/mental saviour. I'd probably be a total nut case if it wasn't for the occasional personal contact.
If I don't deal with the stress issue, my spending goes through the roof. Funny enough though, I don't always have to buy consumer items to get that relief. A little while back I was feeling stressed about my finances, so I put a little more money on one of my debts. It's like I'm slowly buying back my freedom, and it worked to sooth my nerves. Any action that reduces the stress levels without getting you further into trouble is good in my books.

Speak Up

Chances are if you have/had a high paying job, you also have friends with high paying jobs. They may want to do things they automatically assume you can afford, because they can afford to. They're not going to know otherwise until you actually speak up that you can't afford it, so do it! You just might find that some of them are in the same boat as you, and are grateful you spoke up.

Control Your Impulses

And for that matter your daily habits. Do you cave and buy something every time you walk past a bakery or coffee shop? This week try just walking past it once. Maybe on a Tuesday. Just see if you can do it once (I know you can). Once you've done it, try it again next week. Maybe on a Thursday. The point of this is to show yourself that you don't NEED to cave every time you walk by. You are strong enough to say no. Willpower is like a muscle; the more you use it the stronger it gets. You might find after doing it for a while you won't have to make a conscious effort anymore and it will just come naturally.

Plan For The Future

Long story short: it's coming, so get ready.

Whether it's an old jar you put your recycling money into, or an investment account you throw half of your paycheck into, everyone needs to save something. Retirement, investments and emergencies all require money, and it doesn't appear out of nowhere. Despite how it may feel every little bit helps, so snowflake away. You'll be glad you did one day.


Anyway, that's what I've learned over the last year and a half. I'm sure there are more lessons in my future, but for now I'm doing my best to apply these ones.

Covering All Bases

So there is a distinct possibility I MAY have a second roommate moving in. Maybe. I'm kind of excited about this to be quite honest with all of you.

Anyway, it's laundry day week for me. And by that I mean I've pretty much neglected washing my clothes for weeks and I'm working through the stuff I don't normally wear anymore. Given the fact that I take the more European approach to clothes (wear them more than once if they aren't actually dirty), this means I haven't done laundry in a while (save a load of undergarments 2 weeks ago).

Most of you probably already read FB's blog Fabulously Broke, but if you haven't sauntered over to her other blog The Everyday Minimalist I'd suggest you check it out. She did a post a couple days ago about how people dry their clothes around the world that got me waxing nostalgic about my university days. When I moved into my apartment I bought one of those folding drying racks from IKEA to hang my delicates to dry on. It was under $20 at the time, and was one of the smartest purchases I made during that timeframe.

Now, I grew up in a rural area, on an acreage, where you get dirty looking after the animals/gardening. My dad is a mechanic, so you can be sure he gets pretty dirty too. We had one of those extra large washers that advertised it would wash 20 pairs of jeans at once, along with the matching dryer. You could do a lot of laundry in my parent's washer. Imagine my horror at realizing that my apartment only had 1 tiny washer and dryer per floor (Shall we say 3-4 pairs of jeans?), and that it would cost me $2.50 a load to wash, and $2 a load for ~25 minutes in the dryer (plus more for extra drying time).

W...T...F...

It didn't take much mental math to figure out that I wasn't going to be using that washer and dryer. I just flat out refused, both for the sake of my wallet and out of principle.

I spent my entire 3rd year of university washing my clothes in my bath tub, and hanging them to dry on every surface I could find in my apartment. I lived alone, so I really didn't really have to worry about pissing off my roommates doing that. The only thing that caused me grief was my bedding, which I periodically took down to the laundry mat. I stuffed as much clothing into those industrial washers as possible to save myself the tub washing, but that only happened when I had a load of sheets to wash.

By 4th year I did pay to use the apartment machines occasionally for convenience sake; senior design projects sure do know how to take the wind out of you. But, I still tub washed a lot of my clothes.

Fast forward a few more years and I'm now paying to have clothes dry cleaned. Why? Because I bought a tonne of clothes for work that were dry clean only.

That was smart. S-M-R-T....

I had been cursing the cost of cleaning my clothes, when I looked down at my jeans and realized they also had a dry clean only tag.

Seriously???? It's 98% cotton and 2% lycra! Since when is cotton dry clean only?!?

Seeing as my jeans had already been unceremoniously thrown in the washer and *gasp* didn't shrink, it got me thinking about my other clothes. Why are they dry clean only? What are they made of?

Cotton. Wool. Lycra. Cashmere. Polyester.

Funny, none of those fabrics in and of themselves are dry clean only materials. Cold water hand wash sure, but dry clean? Nah. From what I understand cashmere actually does worse at the dry cleaner's than it does in hand washing.

My wallet hurts thinking about the fact that it's been duped.

I have one dress that I bought in Paris which reads "Special Dry Clean Only". From what I gathered (googled) that meant it was to be sent to "trusted" dry cleaners only. That dress will continue to be dry cleaned.

The rest? You guys have a date with my tub, ASAP. Enjoy the cold bath.

Month End - March 2011

An interesting thing happened while I was at work yesterday. As those of you who were reading back in February know, I signed up for the Ride to Conquer Cancer, a 200km bike ride fundraising money for cancer research. I was in a meeting yesterday with my coworkers/coparticipants, working on fundraising ideas. The discussion of team jerseys came up, and their cost. A minimum order is 12 jerseys, and there aren't that many of us riding, so we'd each have to order 2 in order to get them. Their (discounted) price is $65 a piece, or $130 a person. All around the table was a chorus of "Oh, that's a lot of money", "I don't know if I have that kind of money right now", "I'm maxed out".


I'm impressed.


I'm not impressed that $130 is financially tight for most of us, but I'm impressed that they're willing to say that rather than just putting it on credit. Some of the other places I've worked you would be looked down upon for saying that, like you were being cheap. It's much easier when you're working with a group that is receptive to hearing your concerns.


So thank you PF community for being the receptive ear (eye?) for me to talk to about my financial worries. I really appreciate it.


Anyway, welcome to the March edition of how the financial ball is bouncing:

	31-Mar-10	28-Feb-11	31-Mar-11
Chequing	$116.66	$661.78	$166.51
Savings 1	$0.24	$0.26	$0.26
Savings 2	$100.00	$0.90	$0.90
Savings 3	$500.00	$0.07	$580.07
Investment	$2,189.67	$1,256.02	$1,362.91
TFSA	$0.00	$2,522.19	$2,514.04
RRSP 1	$1,525.96	$1,642.74	$1,649.01
RRSP 2	$3,868.08	$4,038.05	$4,027.81
RRSP 3	$0.00	$667.42	$889.90
ASSETS	$8,300.61	$10,789.43	$11,191.41
Car Loan	($13,138.27)	($9,034.03)	($8,665.84)
LOC	($10,000.00)	($11,000.00)	($10,950.00)
Credit Card	($5,155.65)	($4,301.76)	($4,030.33)
DEBTS	($28,293.92)	($24,335.79)	($23,646.17)
Net Worth	($19,993.31)	($13,546.36)	($12,454.76)

One thing you might notice is that my starting tally is officially 1 year old today. In that time frame I've improved my net worth by little over $7500. It seems like a bit of a measly sum for a year's worth of work, but it's also because my net worth went down further last year before it started coming back up. I've got a set of posts mostly written for next week explaining how/why I got into debt in the first place. To be completely honest, it was stressful writing them, and quite embarrassing. It will probably turn into a 3 post set, because I'm thinking I want to talk about what I learned as a result of it.


Anyway, the big winner in the account department last month was my Emergency Savings account which went from $0.07, to $580.07. It could have been sitting at $800, but I decided at the last minute to put some extra money towards my credit card. I didn't follow the game plan I set out last month to a T, but it's still a move in a positive direction. *shovels money*


It feels good knowing I've at least gotten somewhere in the last year.

Asking For It

I was walking through the LRT (train) pedway heading back to work from class yesterday when a fellow walked up to me asking for change.

I said "Sorry bud", and kept walking.

Thankfully he wasn't like that guy back in October :s

I was reminded of a comic that Money Rabbit posted a while back:

It's sad but true, and it got me thinking about the experiences I've had with pan handlers over the last 5.5 years.

For those of you who don't know me, I'm a rural girl. I moved to the city for my 2nd year of university and so far I haven't left. I like the amenities, but I miss the green open spaces. I also miss people not asking me for money.

Until I moved here, I really didn't have any experience with pan handlers. There were the drunks who asked for money up north, but I just knew to avoid walking down the streets they frequented. Here.... it's kind of unavoidable.

My first experience with panhandlers was the evening I moved down to Edmonton. We unpacked the truck, and I went to the grocery store with my parents. When we got out of the truck, this woman came over asking us for money. My dad got down right angry, and told her very firmly to go away. He wasn't swearing or anything like that, but you could hear it in his voice that he was mad. He's a very firm believer in working for your money, and he doesn't believe there is any excuse to be walking around begging for it. He has shaped a lot of my opinions in this regard.

I will admit that some people do fall on hard times, and they need a hand. I'm reminded of one fellow up in Grande Prairie (further north than Edmonton), who was holding a sign saying he was stranded and was willing to work for food, shelter, etc... I really couldn't help him much with that, but I did go buy a coffee from a nearby shop and take it to him. It was kinda cold out that day.

Fast forward a couple years though, and I'm being approached by a guy asking for money in front of the Tim Horton's on my walk to school. He was wearing designer clothes, listening to an iPod, cell phone in one hand with the other out stretched asking for money. Seriously? Your jeans cost more than everything I'm wearing combined. I realized then that not everyone asking for money was actually in need. Fair or not, my response to people asking for money did change that day. I don't give out a cent anymore.

That being said, if I just had breakfast/lunch/dinner at a restaurant, I have left overs, and you're saying you're hungry: You can have them. I don't consider the price of the meal either, for better or worse.

I think one of the most off putting experiences I had was while I was working on a construction site back in the Summer/Fall of 2008. We were building up an area so that a bridge could be put in for an interchange. As a result, I could see the entire site from where I was, and boy did I see things. Practiced pan handlers walking up and down the median asking people for money when the lights turned red, like clockwork. Fights and turf wars over who could work in certain areas. People handing out not change, but $5, $10 and $20 bills. Light after light. These guys were making more money begging for change than I was working on the construction site.

I kind of wanted to stand in a median holding a sign saying that.

The worst part is that these guys were dropped off every morning by a black SUV, and picked up every evening.

Organized panhandling.

I'm not even joking.

Think about the power of asking for money for a minute. Now go ask your boss for a raise. You'll never get the money if you don't ask for it, just ask the pan handlers ;)

Now, I fully distinguish between people begging for money, and people working for it. Take busking for example. There was an article in a recent issue of Money Sense about a fellow who busked to pay for some of his medical school tuition. My hat is off to him, 100%. I even give credit to the non-trained musicians. There's one guy who sits out in front of Rexall by the LRT station after every hockey game trying to earn money. He has an assortment of buckets and containers that he's set up like a drum set, and he beats out a tune with a couple of sticks.

Somebody give the guy a job, he obviously has some ingenuity.

Anyway, that's where I stand on this. I am curious about something though: To those of you who give money to pan handlers, do you include the money in your tithing budget? I've been sitting here wondering that the whole time I've been writing this. Any interesting stories?

Back Again

Wow, what a week.

I've been sorely neglecting my blog, not because I didn't have anything to write, but because I just haven't had 2 minutes to do it. I worked late friday, then worked all weekend on a construction site (continuing currently, I just have the evening off).

Despite running my butt off at work, I've actually had a decent amount of reflection time. Largely the habits I fall back into under certain circumstances. It's amazing how much habit plays into my money handling. I already know that when I'm stressed I spend money. It's a fairly well proven link, especially when I'm dealing with personal issues.

Relationship or work stress = Cassie needs new clothes/makeup/food/Starbucks to make herself feel better.

Does it fix anything? Not really, unless I got things that were missing from my wardrobe/cupboard. It's a temporary salve to give me a momentary perk up when I'm feeling really low. I can control when the perks come, even if I don't feel that I can control the external stressors in my life. The important part here, in my mind, isn't actually stopping the flow of perks. It's knowing when to take the reigns on the stressors that feel out of my reach, and knocking them around before the perks become a daily necessity to make up for the fact that life sucks.

To clarify, my life doesn't suck. In fact I've been reflecting a lot lately on how good I actually have it.

I'm pretty sure that most of us know that if you give yourself perks too often, they eventually lose their perkiness. Then they just become part of daily life. Then you need something different, possibly bigger, to give yourself that high again. That's a dangerous cycle. Even if you don't run out of money, the perks will eventually lose their effectiveness and no matter what you buy you won't be able to get that feeling anymore.

Don't ask me how I know that. Let's just say I've had to beat around my stressors before.

But that's big picture obvious spending. Lately I've been paying attention to my less obvious spending habits. Situational spending. I almost never eat out for lunch or dinner while I'm at work. While I've been on site? Almost half of my meals have been purchased. Why? It's quick, I don't have to think about it, and I don't have to spend any time preparing for it. That right there is probably the reason why I gained a full dress size on my first post-university construction job.

I had KFC for lunch today. I hate KFC. Why did I do it? It was there. I know full well that I know better, but for some reason I've associated being on site with eating out. If I make any more money than usual on site it will be minimal, so it's not like it's something I can easily get away with. It's a BAD habit.

So what do I do about it?

Well, I'll have to find something I can bring to work that satisfies me in a similar fashion to fast food. Lets face it, when you're freezing cold sitting in a truck eating lunch, a salad or jam sandwich isn't going to have the same appeal as a hot, salty, greasy meal. It just isn't. We don't have a microwave on site, let alone a lunchroom, so whatever you pack is probably going to be cold when you get to it. A thermos of soup would be a great meal, but I've always found it to be cumbersome eating soup in a truck. That thermos would be great for some chai tea to warm me up though, in fact I'll be getting it out tonight for exactly that. As for the meal itself *shrug* I need to figure out what I can eat cold that will fix that salt tooth. Chances are I'd just drink the tea. It's a bad habit, yes, but I'm just being honest here.

I've been thinking about my morning tea routine at the University as well. It's not nearly as expensive, but it is something I just do at the University. I don't normally buy drinks in the morning when I'm going to work. At school I do. It's a weird little idiosyncrasy of mine.

What's kind of funny is that both the tea at the university and eating out on construction sites used to be perks for me. Now I automatically assume them to go hand in hand. It's a habit. It's something I have to be more aware of.

Man I'm tired. I'm going to sleep now. At least when I'm not tired I'm more likely to make better financial decisions. Yep, definitely going to sleep Now.

I'm Dreaming

Because the last couple days have been a little stressful, I really wanted to do something light and fluffy. Something fun and semi-useless. I say semi-useless instead of useless, because this exercise can give you real insight into where your priorities actually lie. Sometimes that's just as useful as money. So, inspired by Money Rabbit's What I Would Do With $100,000, and Krystal at Give Me Back My Five Bucks' What I Would Do If I Won $1,000,000: 4 Years Later, here is what I would do if I had $100,000:
Credit Card - $4,300 ($95,700 left)

So long sucker. Like a bad ex-boyfriend, I won't miss you when you're gone.

LOC - $11,000 ($84,700 left)

This is like the annoying kid brother to the aforementioned bad ex-boyfriend. Less directly spiteful, but I'll be happy to not have to deal with it again either.

Car - $9000 ($75,700 left)

I still plan to sell my silvery little lemon, but in the mean time I'd rather not have the monthly payments or inflated insurance on it either. Hello extra $450 a month...

Mortgage - $48,000 ($27,700 left)

My mortgage, while it is fixed, has multiple pre-payment options including one allowing me to put up to 20% of the total mortgage down on the balance every year. That chunk right there takes my mortgage out of the oh please don't let the rates get too high category into the *breathe* category. Ah the things you learn when you're young and dumb.

New Homebuyer's Repayment - $15,000 ($12,700 left)

Because when I put money into RRSPs, I want my tax money back dammit.

Emergency Fund - $5,300 ($7,400 left)

I'd plunk the money for my goal of $4000 in there, along with a little extra just for good measure. That puts my combined cash savings and investments between $9,000 and $10,000. I'd feel pretty good about that for the time being, as that gives me several months living expenses should I need it. Or a new furnace in January. You never know.

Renovations - $5,000 ($2,400 left)

I need to finish the flooring on my staircase, and the tile in the kitchen. After that, I should have enough money left to put up the other half of the fence in my back yard.

Pantry Restock - $400 ($2,000 left)

Assorted dried/canned odds and ends, as well as 1/2 a lamb from a farming friend of mine up north. Some containers to hold dried goods in an orderly fashion would be nice too.

Grandfather's Birthday Present - $250 ($1,750 left)

Because he deserves it. I don't know yet what the exact gift would be, but I can assure you it likely includes a large Tim Horton's gift card.

Grandmother's Birthday - $750 ($1,000 left)

It's my grandmother's 80th birthday this year, and the family is all getting together in BC to celebrate. That means flights and accommodation, along with a gift for my grandmother.

Wardrobe Restock - $995 ($5)

Right now the thing I'm most in need of are a pair of gum boots (rain boots, wellies, whatever you call them). The snow is melting around my place, and the water on the sidewalks gets quite deep in some places. Other than that, some good quality work clothes to kick a couple items off my list would be great.

Starbucks Chai Latte - $5 (I'm Out!)

Because, you know, I want one.

;)


*Missed a couple several others - Oops*
Paying Myself
Finance Say What
Debt Free Kid
Fabulously Frugirl
Little Miss Money Bags
Figuring Money Out
Hi That's My Bike

What Would You Do?

I had one of those "That will never happen twice" strokes of luck last night. At least I think I did, because I'm not sure whether or not I should have handled it differently.

I asked The Boy last night if he wanted to do anything, and he said a friend of his wanted to do a casino night at one of the big casinos in town. I'm not one for gambling, and I told The Boy that, but I said I'd tag along and hang out anyway.

We got there, and one of the friends sat down at the roulette table to play. He had a "fool proof strategy" for winning money in roulette. While the method he used does work, albeit slowly, you have to have a LOT of money to back you up. He didn't have enough. It was painful to watch, because he was betting on red, and it came up consistently black again and again.

After leaving the table, The Boy and I decided to go back and see how long it took before the roulette table hit red again. We got there, and the wheel kept turning up black. I looked down and noticed a bunch of money laying on the floor behind the chair where our friend had been sitting, so I picked it up. It was really busy, but I looked around to see if anyone was fiddling with their wallets and could have possibly dropped it. Everyone was facing tables concentrating on their games. It wasn't near any of the dealers, so I didn't think it was house money. I looked at The Boy, and he told me I better put it in my pocket.

We walked over and told the people we were with what happened. They were stunned, but nobody actually claimed the money as theirs.

The Boy and I wandered around while the friends played $5 black jack and nickel slots, then headed out for the night.

Neither The Boy or I placed a single bet at the casino, but I walked out with almost $200 cash in my pocket.

He says he's bringing me to the casino more often.

Some of the money is going towards a girls night out tonight, but the majority of it is currently sitting snugly in my emergency savings account. It was the little kick start that account needed.

However, I have that needling little bit of guilt in the back of my head. I know that holding it up and saying "did anyone drop this?" would get me swamped, but does anyone know if there is a proper protocol for found money in a casino? Just curious.

Potato Proof

There is no such thing as "can't"

There are only excuses.

I find this is particularly true with urban gardening. Unless you live in an illegal apartment with no windows, you can garden. I offer my own proof:

 

Those right there are potato plants growing in reusable shopping bags. I had some baby potatoes from the grocery store that were sprouting in my cupboard; rather than throw them in the garbage, I decided to plant them.

They grew :)

Not only did they grow, they also produced potatoes which I ended up eating in the fall.

All of my gardening last year was actually done in containers. Potatoes, herbs, asparagus, tomatoes, bell peppers, lettuce, you name it. You don't need to spend a lot either, as you can see above a little creativity can go a long way towards getting started. Friends of mine grew tomato plants out of the BOTTOM of their hanging baskets. You don't have to worry about staking them that way, and they don't take up any floor space :)

I will be trying to move my potatoes into the ground this year. We'll see how that goes.

I know of at least one blogger who is planning to write a whole series on urban gardening, which I am eagerly awaiting! I'll make sure to link to it when she puts it up :)

Has anyone done any creative gardening lately?

I'm Confused...

IIIIIIIIIIIt's Tax Time!

Err, well, actually it's RRSP time.

I don't know about you, but usually this time of year I feel like I'm being SWARMED with financial institutions trying to shill their wares. It's front and center on most of the websites I frequent.

Put money in your RRSP! It's the smart thing to do! Do it now before it's too late!

It's 24/7 in your face advertising until March 1st.

But this year... it isn't. I don't know if I've just become oblivious to it, but it feels like the banks aren't pushing RRSPs nearly as hard as they've done in recent years. Do they know something I don't?

*suspicion*

Adding to my confusion are the articles I'm seeing relating to RRSPs right now, such as You Can Have Too Much Money In Your RRSP over at Everyday Money, and The Problem With RRSPs over at MSN Money.

Wait, what?

It seems that after years of pushing this type of investment the banks are pulling an about face: don't put money into your RRSPs, pay off your debt instead.

That's fine and dandy that you want us to pay off our debts; at a debt load of 148% for every dollar earned, I can understand you wanting us to pay off our debts as well. But after years of lamenting that the younger generation is taking so long to enter the work force, buy their first house, and generally hit the major milestones... are you sure you want to be telling us to discount or put off our retirement contributions? I agree fully that the overall debt load of Canadians is too high and NEEDS to be reduced, but do you really want to tell us to not focus on saving for retirement in order to do it? Unless we're getting the 1-2 punch of financial education and frugality to go along with it, I'm worried that not only are we going to get out of the habit of saving for retirement, but we're not going to learn the skills we need to avoid going into debt in the first place.

Basically, I worry that the money that would have otherwise gone to savings will become part of our consumption income stream.

The younger you are, the more time is on your side. Putting in at least a little bit when you're young will pay off in spades in the future. Yes, debt interest is a nasty NASTY beast, but when the same concept of interest is used to your advantage it can be a wonderful wealth building tool as well.

Has anyone else noticed the banks taking their foot of the gas this year? Or is it just me?

Wallet Worries

One of my friends has been having an absolutely brutal time over the last couple weeks. Every time something starts looking up, she gets side swiped by something else. The poor girl just can’t catch a break right now. The most recent thing to happen? Her wallet was stolen and the thieves racked up her credit cards before she realized it was missing.

What would you do if your wallet was stolen?

Hint: Your first response should not be to go out and buy a new wallet.

It occurred to me after she mentioned it this morning that I wasn't actually sure what to do if my wallet did get stolen. I knew I had to call the banks and the credit bureaus, but that's about it. So, I did a little digging.

I wish I could dig out of debt as fast as I can dig stuff up on google.

There was a decent stack of things to filter through on there. Everyone seems to have their own order of importance for what you should do first. One site that I did find particularly interesting though was a link from Service Canada, detailing the order of events they recommend you follow. Have you ever gone into a government building to apply for something, and after half an hour of waiting in line find out you don't have the necessary ID to actually do it? Kind of a piss off, and that's what I'd expect I'd be dealing with if my wallet was stolen. Service Canada breaks down the order you should reapply for your ID, so you don't get hung up on the "You need ID to get ID" issue. Kinda handy.

They don't really go into great detail on the financial items though. They mention at the very beginning that you should contact your banking institutions and credit card companies, along with contacting the police, but that's pretty much all they say. Nowhere do they mention that you should also contact the credit bureaus. There are 3 bureaus in the US, but in Canada we only have two: Equifax and Transunion. Why the 3rd company pulled out, I don't know.

The ugly part about having your wallet stolen is that whoever is holding your wallet is basically holding your identity. They not only have (some) access to your money and credit, they also probably have enough information to open new accounts in your name. Think about some of the more common security questions: What is your date of birth? (Drivers License, Health Care Card) What is your postal code? (Driver's License) What are the first/middle/last 3 digits of your social insurance number? (SIN Card). Immediately after calling my banks to have all of the cards frozen and reissued, I'd be calling the credit bureaus. You can have them put a fraud alert flag on your account so that they know to watch for suspect activity, and prevent new accounts from being opened. If the thieves do manage to open up accounts in your name, it will be much easier to argue the charges aren't yours because you've taken a proactive approach and they're aware of the situation.

Personally, I'd work in this order:

1. Call Banks - Have accounts frozen.
2. Call Credit Card Companies - Have cards frozen and reissued with a new numbers.
3. Call Credit Bureaus - Have Fraud Alert placed on account.
4. Contact Police - Go to the station and fill out a report.
5. Go to Bank - Get debit card reissued with a different card number and change your PIN.
6. Go to Government Building - Start the ID replacement process, it'll take a while.
7. Contact Utilities - Or anything else you have automatically billed to your credit card. They'll need to know what's up so that your bills don't bounce. See about getting an extension on paying the bills if you need to and let them know you'll update them with the new number as soon as you get it.
8. Check Credit Report - Wait a while and then contact the Credit Bureaus again to make sure nothing has been opened in your name.

You may do it in a different order, but that's how I'd do it personally. Fingers crossed I never have to deal with this as an adult (my wallet was stolen as a teen).

One things I've seen recommended a lot is keeping copies of your ID at home. I'm not sure whether or not this is actually useful in this case, seeing as last I checked most places won't accept a photocopy of your ID in place of actually having it. Has anyone else had to deal with this before? Do you know if the government will accept photo copies of ID? My gut feeling is no.

Has anyone had to do this before? If you had to do it again, what would you do differently?

The Top 10

While work is known to be a source of stress for many most almost all all of us at one point in time or another, sometimes it's not just the money that keeps us coming back. I know it isn't for me. If I was just in it for the money I'd haul my butt back up to Fort McMurray and get a job as a heavy equipment operator. WAY more money in that line of work. That's a pay off all non-mortgage debts before Christmas and have money left over type of job.

*sigh*

Sometimes the little reminders of why you do your job come just when you need them. Like Wednesday when I got a package from APEGBC (the Engineer's governing body in BC). In it was a bunch of registration related paperwork, and a little card with the Code of Ethics on it. We're held to a high standard of professional conduct in our work, we do more than just number crunching. It's one of the reasons why I feel good about when I do for a living. Despite the inevitable ups and downs, I can sleep well knowing that I'm working toward helping people as a whole.

Now that I'm done with that little sap story, I'll get back to the card. They break the code down into 10 easily manageable bites:

1. Public Interest
2. Know Your Limits
3. Don't Fake It
4. Conflict of Interest
5. Respect Your Value
6. Lifelong Learning
7. Do Unto Others
8. Stand Your Ground
9. Be Brave
10. Spread The Word

I'd go into detail on each one, but let's face it, it's kind of wordy (otherwise why bother with the short form?), and 99% of you would never read anything I write ever again if I did. Seeing as knowing that people do read this is keeping me accountable, I figure I'd like to keep you guys around ;)

The 10 ideas, in their most basic form, can be applied to the concepts of personal finance and frugality, as well as to my work. Think about it:

1. Public Interest - Reducing energy consumption, keeping excess "stuff" out of landfills, growing our own vegetables and not wasting the things we purchase... These not only help ourselves, but are in the interests of the community as a whole. Think of more than just self gratification. 
2. Know Your Limits - Besides the obvious example of credit limits? How about transaction limits? Or drink limits? Or stress limits? Or the limit of your budget? How far can you go before you lose control, whether it be financially or otherwise? Recognizing your limits, and working within them, is crucial to success in all walks of life. 
3. Don't Fake It - You've got it made. You're out in the work world, you're an adult, you should look the part right? High end clothes, condo downtown, brand new car, eating out every night at restaurants, international holidays.... Or should you? The short answer, if you can't afford it in cash after you've stashed some away, is no. Don't fake it. 
4. Conflict of Interest - How does your financial advisor get paid? Do you pay them up front? No? Well they're making money off you somewhere, make sure you know how. Otherwise you'll never know if that awesome fund they're recommending is great for your account... or theirs. 
5. Respect Your Value - You work hard for your money, shouldn't your pay check reflect that? Know what you're worth, and go for it. If your employer isn't paying you what you're worth, they may not respect your value. Show them they're wrong, and get the pay check you deserve. 
6. Lifelong Learning - You are never too old or young to learn a new skill. No one in today's job market can afford to stay stationary and rely on "how things have always been done". Get out there and sponge up every new skill and piece of knowledge you can. You never know when it will come in handy. 
7. Do Unto Others - Be good to others, and they will be good to you. This piece of advice has come in handy more times than I can count. 
8. Stand Your Ground - Store not honouring their return policy? Someone wants to drive after having a few too many? Credit card trying to charge you unreasonable fees? Dealing with a bully? Stand your ground. If you don't, there may not be someone else there to do it for you. 
9. Be Brave - Whether it's going back to school, starting a new job, or *gulp* going without a job, change is scary. Be brave, you'll make it through. 
10. Spread The Word - As all of my fellow PF and lifestyle bloggers are doing, spread the word. You never know if that little nugget of advice you take for granted could be the switch that helps someone and finally sends them in a positive direction. Whether it's a savings tip, an explanation of confusing financal jargon, a cheap dinner recipe, or just a way to deal with stress, you never know who you might help. Likewise, you never know when someone might just reach out and help you.

Who knew work could be so applicable?

In Defence of Valentines Day

I like Valentine's Day.

There, I said it. Let the hate mail commence.

I like the cards, flowers, and all of the little gestures that come along with it. I'm not going to pretend I don't, because I do. I know we're supposed to love each other every single day, 365 days a year, but here's the thing: life gets in the way. When you're tired, you have a deadline at work, the dog just spilled the garbage can, your spouse left the toilet seat up (again...), and you're changing junior's 3rd diaper before 8am, how many people are thinking "I love ____. I'm going to do _____ to show them how I feel."? Very few. If you do, kudos. My hat's off to you, but you are a statistical anomaly.

If your entire focus on this day is the price of (admittedly overpriced) roses, or how much Hallmark is wringing out of your wallet, you're missing the point. If she loves you, a piece of paper folded in half with some heartfelt words on it is going to mean just as much to her, if not more, than a purchased card. Does she NEED a card? Well, no, but it is a nice sentiment. Same with flowers. Do you NEED to buy flowers from a florist who is making a killing off you for a very brief couple weeks in February? No. (Though if you do want to get flowers, check out Costco. Really good selection, way cheaper) If the shelf life of roses irks you, why not do something about it?

Why not make the flowers?

Out of duct tape?

Silvery duct tape flowers.

I think I'd propose on the spot to the guy who ever made me those....

Why are these things important to me anyway? Am I a materialistic prima donna? (Wait, don't answer that, my consumer debt isn't really helping my argument here) I'm going to go with no. Valentines Day was something that did get a bit of focus in my family though. My parents celebrated it, as did my grandparents. When I was a kid, my dad worked 2 day jobs, while going to school in the evening so he could get a better job. My mom looked after the farm, baked bread to sell at one of the stores in town, and looked after my sister and I. They were obviously very busy, and very tired. Valentine's Day was one day that come hell or high water the rat race took the back seat to the fact that they were in love and wanted to celebrate that. No one lamented over the price of a card, or snorted in derision at the shelf life of flowers. They are simply appreciated, and they are a beautiful display of the affection my parents share for each other.

Now, I've started seeing someone over the last couple weeks. Do I expect the same grand sweeping gestures my dad tries to show my mom? Of course not. But, we are going out tonight. We're going skating. It doesn't cost us anything, but it's special to me because we're making a point of seeing each other today. Like most people, I see him mostly on the weekend when there is more free time. Seeing him today is a little gesture that makes me incredibly happy, because if it wasn't for the fact that it is Valentine's Day today, I'd probably just see him again next weekend.

That little bow and quiver of arrows may have had some questionable aim over the last couple years, but I'm not going to hold it against the chubby little cherub. In fact, I support him. The little bugger has his heart in the right place, which is exactly what I hope for everyone else today. Happy Valentines Day everyone. Go show someone you care.