Unfinished Business...Cards

I've been trying to take a page out of Serena's book and de-clutter/minimalize my life. I have WAY too much stuff, and most of it is hiding under random papers that have collected over the years (making it hard to find and use said stuff). So, I've started attacking the pile(s).

Turns out I have a number of business cards from my last employer. Obviously I'm not going to be using those again for their intended purpose, but I wanted to do something with them that didn't involve throwing them away. I have a few too many to just use them as bookmarks as well. I was a little underwhelmed by most of the ideas I found on the internet, so I came up with some ideas on what I could do with them:

• write a description of what needs mending on an article of clothing, punch a hole in the card, slip over top of hanger.
• fold in half and use to clean lint out of the bathroom fan. (you know you need to)
• organize decorative bobby pins by pinning like ones together on a card at home.
• organize purse by sticking emergency bobby pins and hair elastics to a card.
• organize earrings during travel by punching them through the card together.
• create an impromptu sewing kit with some thread, a needle, and a couple pins.
• throw some in old film canisters with waterproof matches as emergency camping tinder.
• make keyholes in the cards and use them as wine glass identifiers at a party
• write notes to a loved one, hide in their jacket pocket or lunch box
• write a reminder why you shouldn't spend money, place card in front of your credit/debit card.
• etc...

While I was mostly underwhelmed by my googling, I did find a couple interesting ideas. These Swedish business cards are particularly clever:

Second hand goods anyone?

If I was to get into the consignment business, I'd totally do a riff on that design. On the other hand, I almost wish I had grabbed the rest of the box when I was cleaning out my desk; I could have made one of these:

BonnerCube

But alas, I did no such thing.

As it stands, I'll probably take the easy way out and use one of my clip magnets to hold most of them on the fridge as an impromptu grocery list note pad. I'll clip loose bobby pins to one in my makeup bag, and the rest will become shims under wobbly Starbucks tables ;)

What would you do with your old business cards?

Waiting...

I expected unemployment to hit me much harder than it actually has. That's not to say I'm comfortable, I'm not at ease with the situation at all. If my recent posts are any indication, it's on my mind 24/7. It's been the first thing on my mind every morning I've woken up since then. The whole prospect of being unemployed makes me all creepy crawly. *itch itch* To quote a text from my best friend yesterday:

"Rawr. Get a job. Youre happier when you work."

Yes sir.

All things considered though I've been having a surprisingly decent time since I lost my job. I'm going to chalk that up to the fact that I've been getting enough sleep and spending lots of time with The Boy.

Eh, maybe I'll just chalk it all up to spending time with The Boy ;)

My financial frittering has come to an absolute standstill. I'm not in class anymore, so I don't have the temptation of the University coffee shoppes. If my stomach gets growly at 3pm, I go to the kitchen and make something to eat. Heck, even the Starbucks I had on Thursday was free because the girl at the till felt that the other barista was being snarly and therefore I needed a free drink (score!)

Oh yeah, little heads up from the barista, Starbucks is coming out with coconut syrup this summer. I need a job, because I'm going to be ALL over that sucker. Possibly vanilla bean frappuccinos with hits of coconut. Mmmmm.....

It'll be like a vacation in a cup.

I could go for some vacation in a cup.

What would the drink version of Om Nom Nom be?

Urp Slurp Slurp?

Yeah, I'm waiting for that.

Anyway, I'm off to get a massage before my benefits run out. Have a good day everyone :)

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

Ode To My Car

Every time my car has to go in to the dealership for yet another problem, I always think about Adam Sandler's "Ode to my Car". While I don't use that many expletives in my day to day life, I'd be lying if I said I didn't feel like using them when it comes to my vehicle.

As you can guess, it's back there again. This time it's my fan. It happened last weekend when I was at the bank depositing some of my casino floor earnings (woo hoo!). I came out of the bank, turned on my car, and... nothing. No air flow at all. I turned it on and off a couple times, tried adjusting things to see if it would come on... nothing.

Great.

It was a very cold drive home with no warm air in the vehicle. Thank god for heated seats.

So this morning I took it in for an early appointment at the dealership. I'm really hoping this is a warranty issue, I don't really want to be spending my little savings account on getting the fan fixed in what has been a problematic car.

I talked to my mom about the fact that I want to sell my car, but my parent's aren't comfortable with the idea of me being completely vehicleless when I live so far away from them (8 hours). It sounds like, all going well, I may actually end up borrowing one of their vehicles when I sell mine. Its a summer vehicle only, so I'm not sure how I'll deal with this come winter, but it gives me secondary transportation when I do put mine on the market. I'm very grateful for the fact that they would offer to lend me one of their vehicles, I definitely wasn't expecting it.

In the mean time I'm still quite frustrated at mine. *steaming*

Anyone else having car problems right now?

Edit: The dealership just called, the car had a fault in the blower motor. It's being replaced under warranty. I can stop holding my breath now, but it's still frustrating.

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.

My Two Cents

I never expected anyone would ever read my blog, let alone go out of their way to tell other people about it! Yet it's happened a couple times this week. Thank you to The Asian Pear and Saving for Travel, I appreciate the shout outs. I feel all warm and fuzzy now :)

I picked up a couple pennies at the LRT station. One last night, one this morning. You can't actually buy anything with a penny anymore, I'm pretty sure that even penny candy is all five cents and up now (can you still get candy for a nickel?) Those of you in Canada probably remember the announcement back in December that the Bank of Canada is considering abolishing the penny due to the fact that inflation has eroded it's buying power to the point that it's nearly worthless. It costs more to produce them than their face value.

So why am I picking up a couple dirty coins on my way to the train? Other than because I always have?

Future value.

No, I'm not holding on to them in the hopes that they become rare items and make me a millionaire. They're going in my coin box, the one that goes towards my extra mortgage payment. Those two pennies will save me seven pennies over the life of my mortgage, and that's just assuming that my interest rate doesn't go up. If my rate after renewal went up to 6% and stayed there for the rest of the mortgage, those two pennies would save me about eleven cents. That's eleven cents I don't have to fritter away on my own.

Is seven, or even eleven, cents really going to make a difference on a two hundred and forty some-odd thousand dollar loan? Not really. But if I do it enough times it will. These pennies are my little snowflakes.

Hence the coin jar.

It doesn't take any time, and it doesn't cost anything, so why not?

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.

Cheap Dates

My boyfriend came home Saturday :)

He's been gone the better part of a year and a half doing training for the military.

It got me thinking a little while back about what we could do in terms of cheap dates. I don't have a lot of money to spend, and I seriously doubt he's okay with paying for everything we do together. That being said, he did take me out to eat this weekend. It was enjoyed and very much appreciated.

What else did we do? We went for a long walk in West Edmonton Mall (not to shop, it was -18 plus windchill outside so we needed somewhere we could walk without freezing), we watched movies at home, we went to the gym together (using passes I get free from work), and just relaxed. All free.

I have a pair of free movie passes at home, and a $100 gift card to one of the nicer steak houses in town. I'll probably save the movie passes for later in the month, and possibly organize a double date with friends of ours at the steak house. I think there might be a couple winter festivals coming up that we could check out reasonably cheap, if not free, and I believe they have free outdoor skating and hot chocolate at the legislative grounds right now. I'm going to ask about borrowing my dad's snowshoes; my boyfriend can borrow snowshoes from the military, and there is a park across the street from my house we could trample around in. Lululemon offers free yoga on Sunday mornings, but I'm not entirely convinced we could get out of bed early enough for it. Other than that, I'm not sure what we could do right now.

What are your favourite things to do for free/cheap with a significant other? Any ideas for cold weather dates?