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.

Employment Uneasiness

So apparently someone at work doesn't like me.

That was news to me, especially seeing as I get along with everyone. No one acts even remotely off towards me at work. But, they're there.

And they're after my job.

I very rarely work with this person directly, it's more like we work on the same floor and some aspects of our jobs overlap on occasion. They're higher up the chain too. Most of my interaction with them involves seemingly pleasant lunchroom conversation about what we're making for dinner tonight and what our weekend plans are. Nothing out of the ordinary.

Behind closed doors though, they're arguing for my dismissal. Until about 8am yesterday morning, my head was on the chopping block for a round of layoffs for corporate restructuring. The higher ups that I do work for directly argued on my behalf and managed to get me taken off the list. I found this out from my manager at lunch time. Can you say blindsided? I asked if there was a problem with my work, if I had done something to piss them off, what I could have done differently.... nothing. There wasn't even any way for me to have seen this coming, because it's happening at a much higher level that I don't get to see. It would have literally have been good one day, gone the next.

Gee, think I feel secure right now?

It's sneaky and underhanded, and apparently this isn't the first time this person has done this. If they like you, it doesn't matter how poor your work is they'll argue for you to stay. If they decide they don't like you, they'll try to get rid of you. It's very political, and you'll see from the about me on the side that I hate politics.

*grumble*

They've been trying to do it to do the same thing to another person at work, based on her appearance. She works in a creative field, and her appearance reflects that. It doesn't fly with Mr. Not-Our-Direct-Manager though, and it doesn't matter that her work is freaking awesome, she was on the list too.

But I still don't know why they has a problem with me.

&%*^%$#!!!

I hate pettiness...

But anyway, it's making me rethink my debt repayment schedule again. Right now my plan was to hit my credit card hard, and knock the debts off one by one by the highest interest rate before I moved on to anything else. Now I'm thinking I should consider bulking up my emergency savings. I currently have about a month and a half worth of savings in investment form, which might not be enough if I didn't find a job right away. Our job market is improving, but I really don't want to be banking on that.

What would you guys do in this situation? Would you keep attacking the debts, build up the savings cushion, or both? And if savings, how much? I could use a little clarity in a bit of a stressful time.

Epic Impact Day

For those of you who don't know (I know some of you already do), I've signed up for the Enbridge Ride to Conquer Cancer. It's a 200km bike ride with the goal of raising money for cancer research. This ride takes place in 4 Canadian provinces: British Columbia, Alberta, Ontario and Quebec. I will be participating in the Alberta ride, travelling through the rocky mountain foothills.

The money I raise goes directly to the Alberta Cancer Foundation. That's not to say that the money only benefits those of us living in Alberta. The money goes towards cancer research and education, which benefits everyone worldwide. A lot of research goes on in Alberta, and I'd like to see us move forward with more break throughs.

In order to even participate in the ride, each rider must raise a minimum of $2,500. I've set myself a lofty goal of raising $10,000. Will it be difficult? Well, yeah. Haha. However raising the money will be easier than the bike ride, and the bike ride is hands down easier than what people have to go through when battling cancer. I just hope that my little drop in the bucket will help someone out there who needs it.

If you couldn't tell from my post title and the picture at the top of the page, today is Epic Impact Day. The goal of today is to have every rider get at least one donation. This is to prove that small contributions, when done on a large scale, can add up to make a huge difference. There is somewhere around 2000 riders in Alberta alone. If there are similar numbers in the other provinces, and everyone manages to raise $25-$50, that's $200,000-$400,000 raised in one day alone. That's huge!

I know a lot of people who read this blog are concerned about their personal finances. I completely understand that. However, I'm asking that if you personally know anyone who is riding to please donate to them. If you don't know anyone who is riding, please donate to me ;) When you donate online, they will e-mail you a tax reciept for any donations over $10. If you want to donate, but funds are tight, you have the option of spreading smaller amounts over several months. Every little bit helps.

I'm not a huge fan of shameless self promotion, but there are some causes that are worth it. In my opinion, this is one of them. I hope you guys don't mind. Have an epic day :)

Frugal Health Remedies

As you may be able to glean from the title, I'm coming down with a cold/the flu. I'm right miffed about it too, because I managed to stay healthy in the weeks leading up to Christmas when everyone else around me was sick. *grumble*

I for one am not a fan of over the counter cold remedies. For the most part I find them to be mostly slick marketing. Do you have bottles of both Tylenol Cold and Tylenol Flu in your cupboard? Look at the active ingredients, you'll notice they're identical. The cold and the flu are both viruses that evolve over time; the products don't target the virus, they help with the symptoms. Kudos to whoever came up with that marketing scheme. Ditto with NeoCitran. Make a cup of honey lemon tea, then take a tylenol (or generic equivalent) and an antihistamine. NeoCitran is the same thing, only weaker. Look at the back of the box and see for yourself!

My mom used several home remedies when I was younger, mostly because they worked well, but also because they were cheaper/safer than over the counter medications. I had some gallbladder issues as a kid (tmi?), and the doctor wanted to put me on some heavy duty steroids for it. My mom took me home and gave me Watkin's strawberry extract, the same thing she was giving our goats, and it cleared right up. I'm not saying you should never listen to the doctor, or that all medications are bad, it's just this was a more frugal option that would cause far fewer serious complications. It worked well.

On that note, I'm going to throw a few of my usual cold remedies out there. Mom, if you're reading this, let me know if I've missed anything. If you have any of your own, PLEASE put them down in the comments section. I want to kick this thing as quickly as possible!

For Sore Throats:
Thinly slice an onion, and put it in a pot over low heat with a couple tablespoons of water. Cook the onion down until you have lots of light brown liquid. Stir in some lemon juice and a tablespoon of either brown sugar or honey, then drink the liquid.

I'm not entirely sure why this works as well as it does. I know the sulfuric compounds in onions and garlic are great for tackling bugs, but I was under the understanding that they were fragile compounds that broke down when heated. That and they're neutralized by citric acid as well. It may just be the sulfur in it, I don't know, all I know is that it works. The dose of vitamin C helps too.

For Throat Congestion and Sore Throats:

This is kind of a no brainer. Put the kettle on to boil and pour yourself a mug of hot water. Add a generous squeeze of lemon juice, and sweeten to taste with honey. Drink it as hot as you can stand it. Repeat.

The fluids help flush mucous and irritants out of your throat, and the heat helps kill off bugs. The lemon hits you with a decent dose of vitamin C, and also helps kill off bugs. The honey has anti-viral/anti-bacterial/anti-fungal properties, and makes it a little more palatable/easier on the throat. The less processed the honey, the better.

For Upset Stomach:

Same as above, just reduce the lemon and add sliced or grated fresh ginger. Ginger is well known to naturally calm nausea. Church & Dwight (parent company that makes tonnes of well known products) actually uses it to make a natural version of Gravol.

For Sinus Congestion:
I have some pretty wicked seasonal allergies, and I picked up this trick from a coworker while I was in university. You need some Vicks Vapour Rub. Rather than putting it on your chest or back, rub it under your nose and across your cheek bones under your eyes. Your eyes will be watery for a bit, but shortly after you'll feel a popping sensation as the pressure in your sinuses is relieved. You'll want a tissue, as your nose will likely start running after. For some reason putting it on top of the sinuses works better than just putting it under your nose. I have no idea why.

*Additional Tip: One of my friend's suggested putting it on the bottom of my feet. WOW does that work well! I don't know if it stimulates the nerves like refexology does or what, but it works*

Anyway, hopefully that will help someone else out there. Please help me and post your own home remedies?

400-ct Acetaminophen Extra Strength (500 Mg), Rapid Release Gelcaps / Compare to Extra Strength Tylenol Rapid Release Gelcaps
Celestial Seasonings Herb Tea, Lemon Zinger, 20-Count Tea Bags (Pack of 6)
Handy Solutions Vicks VapoRub, .45oz. Packages (Pack of 8)

New Year... New Beginnings?

Remember that post I wrote a while back about cheap dates?

http://diggingoutandup.blogspot.com/2010/12/cheap-dates.html

It was definitely mistimed. My boyfriend and I broke up 4 days later. Merry Christmas to me.

I've done a reasonably good job of not letting my blahs go to my wallet (my waistline may be another story), though to be honest having it happen during the Christmas season I'm not sure whether I should file certain expenditures under "Holiday" or "Bah Humbug".

So, this brings me back to "First Date" territory rather than just "Date" territory. I was looking over the list, and some of the things on there I can't really do right away. Sit at home and watch a movie with someone I just met? Maybe not the smartest idea. Going to have to rethink that one. Also, I've been on very few formal dates in the past few years, I'm not entirely sure I have anything to wear.

So, this is more of a question to all of the financially savvy women in the blogosphere: What would you suggest for a frugal cold weather first date, and what would you wear? I'm giving my wardrobe a critical eye right now, trying to figure out what to do with it. I could really use the help right now!