I've been spending a lot of time at The Boy's house the last little while, and I can't help but make some observations. When you look at two different people you're probably going to find that they approach things differently, and in our case two of the things we approach differently are grocery shopping, and expiry dates.
While he's probably the most competent bachelor I've ever met, he leans more towards the frozen/canned foods in his shopping. I'm more likely to grab the veggies and make things from scratch. I made him a pot of chicken noodle soup a month ago when he came down with a cold. It was somewhat comical cooking for him, because he was sitting on a kitchen stool watching what I was doing with all the intensity a sick guy could muster. I know his mom cooks from scratch, but by the look on his face you'd think he'd never seen it done before.
Anyway, I went to make a cup of tea yesterday and found out that the milk had gone sour before the expiry date. Not a big deal, just kind of irritating. The milk is still useful, but I know he'll throw it out. He's a firm believer in expiry dates. Bread is past the expiry, but nothing appears to be growing on it? It gets chucked. Grated cheese in the fridge has been open for a while, but nothing appears to be growing on it? Gets chucked out. Milk soured? Chucked.
My jaw dropped the first time I watched him do it.
So this time I figured I'd use it up before he could get around to throwing it out. He has a small assortment of baking supplies, so I figured I'd do up some sort of a cake/square, or some cheese muffins while he's at work. 2 birds with one stone! yes!
The only problem is that every recipe I could find required a) eggs b) shortening or c) butter.
The Boy is overdue for a trip to the grocery store, as he currently has none of those items.
So, I've been foiled in my surprise frugality attempt *sigh* The milk will probably make it to the garbage can before I can get my hands on those ingredients.
Next time though, I'll come prepared.
Showing posts with label Planning Ahead. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Planning Ahead. Show all posts
Friday, April 29, 2011
Wednesday, April 6, 2011
On The Side
So it looks like I'll have a second roommate as of this weekend. This works just fine for me, as it means I'll have 2 people helping out with housing costs, and I won't have to worry about finding people to keep an eye on my house if I go out of town for a while.
Unfortunately that means I'll also have to pay taxes on that money. Bugger.
So, I've been trying to decide what the best way to handle that money is. I could use it to pay off debt and reduce my interest load, but then I'll have to pay taxes on it next spring and may not have the money handy. I could put it directly into RRSPs, which would negate the whole tax issue, but then the money is locked up until retirement. I could put it into my emergency savings account, but it will eventually hit a point where I'd have more in there than really necessary (I don't have anything against savings, I just have other pressing issues that need attention as well). I could invest it, but again I'd be taking a risk of it shrinking and not having the money available to pay taxes.
I could use more dilemmas like this more often. There really is no purely bad outcome here.
I honestly think I'm going to end up splitting the income. Half of the money will go into savings, and half of it will go onto my highest interest debt (the credit card). I'm going to double check, but I don't believe I have to pay 50% tax on rental income, so putting half in the savings account should more than cover me there. I'll probably bump the savings account goal up to $6000 so that I have both emergency savings and tax money. Once that target has been hit I'll divert the excess payments back to debt. Once the credit card is payed off, I'm going to put the money towards the line of credit.
I don't think I'll be able to pay off everything in a year, but hey, what's the harm in trying? ;)
We'll see where my life is sitting at that point. I'd like to pay back the new homebuyer's plan RRSP loan well before my 15 years is up, and I'd love to use up my unused contribution room on my RRSPs as well. At the same time, I want to take a good solid chunk out of my mortgage; I'd like the balance owing to be under $200,000 when it comes time to renew in little under 4 years.
Or maybe I'll sell my house and use the proceeds to start a tea shoppe :)
Realistically, planning this far in advance is a bit of a pipe dream, but it's a fun one. For all I know I could be back to no roommates next month trudging away at my little *cough* pile of debt.
Only time will tell.
In the mean time, I'm going to scope out some sources of side income to help tackle the pile. I'm thinking I might see if there is a need for math tutors here in town.
What do you all do for side/secondary income?
Unfortunately that means I'll also have to pay taxes on that money. Bugger.
So, I've been trying to decide what the best way to handle that money is. I could use it to pay off debt and reduce my interest load, but then I'll have to pay taxes on it next spring and may not have the money handy. I could put it directly into RRSPs, which would negate the whole tax issue, but then the money is locked up until retirement. I could put it into my emergency savings account, but it will eventually hit a point where I'd have more in there than really necessary (I don't have anything against savings, I just have other pressing issues that need attention as well). I could invest it, but again I'd be taking a risk of it shrinking and not having the money available to pay taxes.
I could use more dilemmas like this more often. There really is no purely bad outcome here.
I honestly think I'm going to end up splitting the income. Half of the money will go into savings, and half of it will go onto my highest interest debt (the credit card). I'm going to double check, but I don't believe I have to pay 50% tax on rental income, so putting half in the savings account should more than cover me there. I'll probably bump the savings account goal up to $6000 so that I have both emergency savings and tax money. Once that target has been hit I'll divert the excess payments back to debt. Once the credit card is payed off, I'm going to put the money towards the line of credit.
I don't think I'll be able to pay off everything in a year, but hey, what's the harm in trying? ;)
We'll see where my life is sitting at that point. I'd like to pay back the new homebuyer's plan RRSP loan well before my 15 years is up, and I'd love to use up my unused contribution room on my RRSPs as well. At the same time, I want to take a good solid chunk out of my mortgage; I'd like the balance owing to be under $200,000 when it comes time to renew in little under 4 years.
Or maybe I'll sell my house and use the proceeds to start a tea shoppe :)
Realistically, planning this far in advance is a bit of a pipe dream, but it's a fun one. For all I know I could be back to no roommates next month trudging away at my little *cough* pile of debt.
Only time will tell.
In the mean time, I'm going to scope out some sources of side income to help tackle the pile. I'm thinking I might see if there is a need for math tutors here in town.
What do you all do for side/secondary income?
Monday, April 4, 2011
Looking Forward - A Shopping Preflection
I was thinking about the upcoming month in terms of spending on my bus ride into work this morning. I know a lot of people set monthly spending goals ($1000 a month for everything above rent or something similar), but it's not something I really want to get into yet. I feel like my months are still quite variable in terms of spending, and I don't want to put off doing something because of an arbitrary figure I've chosen for myself. It's awesome if it works for everyone that's doing it, I just don't think I'm ready to hop on the bandwagon yet.
Especially not this month :s
Anyway, I was thinking about the spending because I realized that this was going to be a kind of expensive month for me. I need to get 3 things: A weedwacker, a bra, and moisturizer. It doesn't really sound expensive at first, but if I can't find cheaper alternatives it's going to set me back about $500 (minimum) for those 3 items.
The moisturizer is kind of a non-negotiable item for me. Some of you might remember back in December when I was struggling with the price of the stuff. Well, fast forward a few months and I can honestly say I'm not going back. My skin doesn't hurt when I wash my face anymore, and I don't have to avoid touching it for fear of rupturing something. The cyst I spent over a year trying to get rid of finally disappeared, and the scarring is slowly healing. The jar is almost empty, and I'm going to have to switch to the lotion as the cream is getting to be a bit too heavy as it gets warmer out. It's cheaper per ounce, but comes in a larger container. This is going to set me back at least $240. I'm going to try to time it to line up with a gift with purchase or something, because the stuff doesn't go on sale.
The bra is a bit of a contentious issue for me. You could say that I developed early as a kid. I started wearing a bra in grade 6 or 7, and by the grade 8 I was easily a C cup. That would have been fine and dandy if they had stopped growing then (and why not? That's when I stopped getting taller), but they didn't.
Above is a bra sizing chart. The areas outlined in green are approximately your standard bra sizes. That little red splotch over to the left? That's me. I don't even make it on to the chart. I spent much of my teenage and early adult bra shopping years crying in change rooms because nothing fit, and anything that came close looked like something your grandmother would wear. My mom has the same problem. A few years ago after I moved to Edmonton to go to University I found a bra shop that carried my size.
HALLELUJAH!
The shop specializes in bras and specialty sizes. They order their stock in from Europe, where you can actually get a wider range of sizes. Not only that, for the first time in my life I could get a pretty bra. I think I cried tears of joy in her fitting room. Unfortunately, they do come at a price, and the last time I bought bras there they were about $160 a piece. The exchange rate has gotten better, so they may have come down in price a little, but I'm not holding my breath on that one. Two of my current bras have underwires that are about to give out (trust me, they hurt when they're stabbing me), so I know this expense will be hitting me soon.
Last but not least is a weedwacker. This is the one where I should be able to get the most pricing wiggle room from. I've only checked 1 store so far, but they're sitting at around $150-$200 for a gas powered one. I'd like to find an electric one, but I'm not 100% set on that. I tried to get by without one last year after I bought my place, and I can tell you it's not going to happen this year. I bought my house during the winter, and come spring I realized I had bought "That house". You know, the one overflowing with weeds in the neighbourhood of pristine lawns. I spent a lot of time last year fighting the weeds, and I'll be doing it again this year. I need to keep the upper hand on them as they can get away from you REALLY quickly, and the city will fine you if you don't keep them under control. My lawnmower doesn't reach everything, so this year I need to get one. I'm going to check out Kijiji and Ebay as well for a used one. The snow is melting here quickly, so I need to get on it soon.
I'm glad payday is Thursday.
Friday, April 1, 2011
Fritter Fritter?
*sigh*
Wow. What can I say? I had a distinct lack of no spend days last month. I did add my online payment stuff into this month's calendar, but there are still far fewer no spend days in there than there should be. Here's how it went for the month of March:
A little legend for the calendar below:
Wow. What can I say? I had a distinct lack of no spend days last month. I did add my online payment stuff into this month's calendar, but there are still far fewer no spend days in there than there should be. Here's how it went for the month of March:
A little legend for the calendar below:
Green = No Spend Day
Yellow = Spend Day
Red = Used Credit/Debit Card
March - All Spending | ||||||
Sunday | Monday | Tuesday | Wednesday | Thursday | Friday | Saturday |
$1.25 | $68.71 | $110.00 | $16.80 | $70.00 | ||
$19.05 | $4.45 | $0.00 | $52.70 | $280.84 | $677.83 | $14.25 |
$0.00 | $2.50 | $6.30 | $46.25 | $0.25 | $14.51 | $49.03 |
$9.61 | $0.00 | $105.81 | $9.02 | $11.39 | $1,182.15 | $16.26 |
$17.48 | $433.38 | $0.00 | $24.96 | $14.50 | ||
Before you jump at the red box that's over a thousand dollars, I'll point out that both my mortgage and utilities were paid on that day as well. In fact, any day that you see that's over $100 is due to either utility payments, debt payments, a car/insurance payment or a mortgage payment. Looking at the non-(semi)automated stuff, this is what I spent this month:
March - Cash & Card Spending | ||||||
Sunday | Monday | Tuesday | Wednesday | Thursday | Friday | Saturday |
$1.25 | $68.71 | $0.00 | $16.80 | $70.00 | ||
$19.05 | $4.45 | $0.00 | $2.70 | $60.84 | $22.85 | $14.25 |
$0.00 | $2.50 | $6.30 | $46.25 | $0.25 | $14.51 | $49.03 |
$9.61 | $0.00 | $34.07 | $9.02 | $11.39 | $17.17 | $16.26 |
$17.48 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $24.96 | $14.50 | ||
There is still a distinct lack of No Spend days here. Seriously, what's up with that? I took out the frivolous food purchases, and this is what I came up with:
March - Cash & Card Spending - Without Frivolous Food Purchases | ||||||
Sunday | Monday | Tuesday | Wednesday | Thursday | Friday | Saturday |
$0.00 | $65.92 | $0.00 | $13.95 | $70.00 | ||
$19.05 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $59.34 | $20.00 | $14.25 |
$0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $45.00 | $0.25 | $0.00 | $46.71 |
$0.00 | $0.00 | $26.00 | $7.52 | $0.00 | $15.67 | $5.00 |
$10.48 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $19.96 | $0.00 | ||
That's more like it.
Not all of the eating out was taken out of that last one. If I was meeting friends for breakfast/lunch/dinner, then I counted it as socializing. If it was just me, it was frivolous. I know why I've been eating out so much, and I know it's within my control and I need to find a way to work around it. Usually I spend my Sunday afternoons cooking/cleaning and generally preparing for the week. This last month I've spent pretty much every weekend at The Boy's place, meaning I haven't been doing my food prep. Consequently, I've been running out the door in the mornings without a packed breakfast or lunch of any sort, and nothing really planned.
Oops.
So, I need to fix that. It's far too easy to spend money on food. Last month I spent $84.69 on groceries, and $235.46 on eating out. WAY too much!
The other thing that's been causing me to fritter is stress. Lately, I've been going down to the corner store in the building and picking up a chocolate bar as an afternoon pick me up. Seriously, since when do I buy chocolate bars at work?
Since this year I guess.
Anyway, that's how last month went. I'm going to try to do better this month. I acknowledge that will be a little difficult with exams towards the end of the month, but I'm going to try. This morning I brought my tea to class in a travel mug. That's one step in the right direction, now I just have to keep it up. Tomorrow I'll go over where the *RED* purchases occurred.
Monday, March 28, 2011
Having Doubts
I'm having doubts about whether or not Engineering is actually a good fit for me personally.
I suppose you could say that since the layoff scare back in January that my confidence has been severely shaken. I feel really lost right now. I can tell you with utmost certainty that I have not been enjoying the last couple months; I go into work with the fear of losing my job. I used to enjoy my work. Now... I kind of dread it.
Add this to some of the experiences I've been having lately at work, and I just feel deflated. I've been getting a lot of "slow down and take more time on your work, but hurry up because you're taking too long"; and "I want to be able to send your reports out the door without looking at them". I'm an EIT. I'm still learning, and I need people to look at my reports so I can find my mistakes and learn from them. I feel like a sledge hammer has come down on my head over the last couple months.
I know I'm not the only person going through this right now, I was talking to a friend this weekend who apparently has been experiencing the EXACT SAME THING at work, minus the layoff scare. I do wonder if it's a case of Engineering being a bad fit for me, or a case of all EITs go through this before getting their P.Eng.
Right now I don't know if I'd actually have the confidence to stamp anything, its feeling pretty shot.
I know the company is restructuring, we have a new President, people are getting shuffled and the managers are stressed, but I could really use some positive feedback right now. It's hard to believe the people saying my job is safe when I haven't heard anything positive out of anyone in weeks.
*sigh*
Even if my job is safe, is this what I want my career to be like? I'm not so sure anymore that this is what I want. The problem is that I've been focussed on Engineering for so long now that I don't know what else I would even be interested in. My friend that I talked to on the weekend started a custom cake business on the side of her Engineering job. She's thinking that when her and her husband have kids that she would like to transition to full time cake baking. Given that she's an awesome baker, I can see this working out great for her. I on the other hand have no idea what I would do.
I did get a comment from a coworker on Friday that surprised me a little, though I suppose in retrospect it shouldn't have. I had just gotten back from working on site and I was walking around in my jeans, a hoodie and my steel toed boots. He said I look so much happier when I'm working onsite. He's right. I may be exhausted and frozen into a little Cass-icle, but I'm happier doing that than I am hunched over a computer at a desk.
I hate job jumping, but I feel like I'm trying to force a square peg into a round hole right now. I'm not sure how long I should actually give it before deciding if this is a hard learning experience or just a bad fit? If it wasn't for the fact that I need the money, would I actually stick around for this? I don't know.
I just want to find my square hole.
I suppose you could say that since the layoff scare back in January that my confidence has been severely shaken. I feel really lost right now. I can tell you with utmost certainty that I have not been enjoying the last couple months; I go into work with the fear of losing my job. I used to enjoy my work. Now... I kind of dread it.
Add this to some of the experiences I've been having lately at work, and I just feel deflated. I've been getting a lot of "slow down and take more time on your work, but hurry up because you're taking too long"; and "I want to be able to send your reports out the door without looking at them". I'm an EIT. I'm still learning, and I need people to look at my reports so I can find my mistakes and learn from them. I feel like a sledge hammer has come down on my head over the last couple months.
I know I'm not the only person going through this right now, I was talking to a friend this weekend who apparently has been experiencing the EXACT SAME THING at work, minus the layoff scare. I do wonder if it's a case of Engineering being a bad fit for me, or a case of all EITs go through this before getting their P.Eng.
Right now I don't know if I'd actually have the confidence to stamp anything, its feeling pretty shot.
I know the company is restructuring, we have a new President, people are getting shuffled and the managers are stressed, but I could really use some positive feedback right now. It's hard to believe the people saying my job is safe when I haven't heard anything positive out of anyone in weeks.
*sigh*
Even if my job is safe, is this what I want my career to be like? I'm not so sure anymore that this is what I want. The problem is that I've been focussed on Engineering for so long now that I don't know what else I would even be interested in. My friend that I talked to on the weekend started a custom cake business on the side of her Engineering job. She's thinking that when her and her husband have kids that she would like to transition to full time cake baking. Given that she's an awesome baker, I can see this working out great for her. I on the other hand have no idea what I would do.
I did get a comment from a coworker on Friday that surprised me a little, though I suppose in retrospect it shouldn't have. I had just gotten back from working on site and I was walking around in my jeans, a hoodie and my steel toed boots. He said I look so much happier when I'm working onsite. He's right. I may be exhausted and frozen into a little Cass-icle, but I'm happier doing that than I am hunched over a computer at a desk.
I hate job jumping, but I feel like I'm trying to force a square peg into a round hole right now. I'm not sure how long I should actually give it before deciding if this is a hard learning experience or just a bad fit? If it wasn't for the fact that I need the money, would I actually stick around for this? I don't know.
I just want to find my square hole.
Saturday, March 26, 2011
Spring Cleaning Round 1
I've got the Jessica Black song stuck in my head right now (thanks Young and Thrifty) *facepalm*
I'm putting some music on to drown it out.
My boyfriend is out of town this weekend for his friend's/former roommate's bachelor party. I'm a little jealous he gets to spend today on the slopes in Banff, but at the same time it really was for the best. After working last weekend, and severely neglecting my house cleaning for... oh... the last 2 months? My place needed some attention.
I have done some cleaning in the last 2 months, just not the reorganize/good scrub down type of cleaning. Seeing as it is actually spring now, despite the rolling hills of snow outside, I figured now is as good a time as any to start my spring cleaning :) I find the longer daylight hours really help with my motivation. I do suffer from SAD during the winter months, and my motivation is all but shot during that time. Just ask my gym clothes.
3 garbage bags later my place does look cleaner, by a long shot, but I'm looking around at how much stuff I have, wondering "where did this all come from?" The occasional item isn't mine, like a chai tea pot left here by my former roommate (making arrangements to have that returned right now), but 99.99% of the stuff in here is mine. Of that 99.99%, I'd say 95% I paid for. That's a lot of money!
Wow that's a lot of money....
I wish my desire to hoard money was as strong as my desire to acquire things. I binge spending, then I purge the items when they build up too much. It's like I'm bulimic with my possessions.
I have a pile of boxes downstairs that I still need to go through from when I moved in last year. They haven't been entirely unopened, I just need to actually find proper locations for the stuff in them. Either that or purge further.
Garbage bag #4?
I've had the urge to have a garage sale for a while now, I just don't have an actual garage to host it out of. I put a status update on my facebook asking everyone I know on there if they're interested in doing a group garage sale; I figure if someone is going to come to a garage sale we may as well make it worth their while.
Has anyone else noticed that garage and garbage are only one letter away from each other? A little coincidental given what I'm talking about, all things considered.
Ah well. It was a productive afternoon of cleaning. I'm kind of using writing as a reprieve before working on another area. I think I'll finish up the kitchen then go work on a couple basement boxes. I've been enjoying spring cleaning a lot more since getting my own place. Its refreshing.
Dear god, I sound like Martha Stewart.
Oh well. Has anyone else started their spring cleaning yet? Any garage sale plans this year?
I'm putting some music on to drown it out.
My boyfriend is out of town this weekend for his friend's/former roommate's bachelor party. I'm a little jealous he gets to spend today on the slopes in Banff, but at the same time it really was for the best. After working last weekend, and severely neglecting my house cleaning for... oh... the last 2 months? My place needed some attention.
I have done some cleaning in the last 2 months, just not the reorganize/good scrub down type of cleaning. Seeing as it is actually spring now, despite the rolling hills of snow outside, I figured now is as good a time as any to start my spring cleaning :) I find the longer daylight hours really help with my motivation. I do suffer from SAD during the winter months, and my motivation is all but shot during that time. Just ask my gym clothes.
3 garbage bags later my place does look cleaner, by a long shot, but I'm looking around at how much stuff I have, wondering "where did this all come from?" The occasional item isn't mine, like a chai tea pot left here by my former roommate (making arrangements to have that returned right now), but 99.99% of the stuff in here is mine. Of that 99.99%, I'd say 95% I paid for. That's a lot of money!
Wow that's a lot of money....
I wish my desire to hoard money was as strong as my desire to acquire things. I binge spending, then I purge the items when they build up too much. It's like I'm bulimic with my possessions.
I have a pile of boxes downstairs that I still need to go through from when I moved in last year. They haven't been entirely unopened, I just need to actually find proper locations for the stuff in them. Either that or purge further.
Garbage bag #4?
I've had the urge to have a garage sale for a while now, I just don't have an actual garage to host it out of. I put a status update on my facebook asking everyone I know on there if they're interested in doing a group garage sale; I figure if someone is going to come to a garage sale we may as well make it worth their while.
Has anyone else noticed that garage and garbage are only one letter away from each other? A little coincidental given what I'm talking about, all things considered.
Ah well. It was a productive afternoon of cleaning. I'm kind of using writing as a reprieve before working on another area. I think I'll finish up the kitchen then go work on a couple basement boxes. I've been enjoying spring cleaning a lot more since getting my own place. Its refreshing.
Dear god, I sound like Martha Stewart.
Oh well. Has anyone else started their spring cleaning yet? Any garage sale plans this year?
Wednesday, March 16, 2011
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.
;)
*Misseda 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
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
Paying Myself
Finance Say What
Debt Free Kid
Fabulously Frugirl
Little Miss Money Bags
Figuring Money Out
Hi That's My Bike
Tuesday, March 15, 2011
Getting Stressed
I've pretty much come to the conclusion that my job security has all but run out.
Needless to say, I'm freaking out internally right now. I'd be lying if I said I wasn't crying at my desk this morning.
I came in to a very strongly worded email in my inbox this morning. The catalyst for the email was actually a misunderstanding, as the person writing it misread the report I wrote, but it gave me a pretty good feel for where the mindset at work is. I'm seriously afraid to make a mistake right now, lest it cost me my job.
I'm sending out feelers to see who in the industry is hiring right now.
To say I'm stressed out would be a LARGE understatement.
I think the only real uplift to my Monday was opening up my email and seeing a message from YoungandThrifty saying that I had won one of the copies of tax software from H&R Block. That was quite possibly the only thing that made me smile yesterday. THANK YOU! That software couldn't have possibly come at a better time.
It may possibly have come just in time for me to need my emergency fund.
Keep calm and carry on.
*laughing hysterically*
*crying*
Needless to say, I'm freaking out internally right now. I'd be lying if I said I wasn't crying at my desk this morning.
I came in to a very strongly worded email in my inbox this morning. The catalyst for the email was actually a misunderstanding, as the person writing it misread the report I wrote, but it gave me a pretty good feel for where the mindset at work is. I'm seriously afraid to make a mistake right now, lest it cost me my job.
I'm sending out feelers to see who in the industry is hiring right now.
To say I'm stressed out would be a LARGE understatement.
I think the only real uplift to my Monday was opening up my email and seeing a message from YoungandThrifty saying that I had won one of the copies of tax software from H&R Block. That was quite possibly the only thing that made me smile yesterday. THANK YOU! That software couldn't have possibly come at a better time.
It may possibly have come just in time for me to need my emergency fund.
Keep calm and carry on.
*laughing hysterically*
*crying*
Friday, March 11, 2011
Dry Run
NA NA Na Na na na Na Na NA NA Na Na na na Na Na Tax Man!
Why I have that modified batman ditty stuck in my head, I don't know.
I've been wanting to do a dry run of my taxes for quite some time now, but I either a) didn't have the forms, or b) didn't have the time. I wanted to make sure I did it with enough time to spare so that I could set aside enough money to pay the taxes if it turned out I owed the government this year.
It looks like I don't :)
In fact it looks like I'll get almost $2000 back.
I'm ecstatically happy about this. That right there gets me half way to my emergency fund goal! By the time I get it I'll be sitting around 75% of my savings goal.
*happy dance*
This time last year, I wasn't even remotely close to being a happy camper. At. ALL.
I was working for a different company for my last set of taxes, and for whatever reason they didn't take enough taxes off of my pay cheque. Not even close! April rolled around and I was expecting quite a healthy refund. I had put THOUSANDS of dollars into RRSPs, I had the new homebuyer tax credit, I had last year's home renovation tax credit, you name it. But, even with all of that, I still owed the government money.
You did NOT want to be in the room with me when I worked that out.
Come to think of it, my face was about the same shade of purple as the sweater I'm wearing right now. Interesting.
Either way, it looks like this year won't be as painful. I really needed that. THANK YOU accounting department.
Why I have that modified batman ditty stuck in my head, I don't know.
I've been wanting to do a dry run of my taxes for quite some time now, but I either a) didn't have the forms, or b) didn't have the time. I wanted to make sure I did it with enough time to spare so that I could set aside enough money to pay the taxes if it turned out I owed the government this year.
It looks like I don't :)
In fact it looks like I'll get almost $2000 back.
I'm ecstatically happy about this. That right there gets me half way to my emergency fund goal! By the time I get it I'll be sitting around 75% of my savings goal.
*happy dance*
This time last year, I wasn't even remotely close to being a happy camper. At. ALL.
I was working for a different company for my last set of taxes, and for whatever reason they didn't take enough taxes off of my pay cheque. Not even close! April rolled around and I was expecting quite a healthy refund. I had put THOUSANDS of dollars into RRSPs, I had the new homebuyer tax credit, I had last year's home renovation tax credit, you name it. But, even with all of that, I still owed the government money.
You did NOT want to be in the room with me when I worked that out.
Come to think of it, my face was about the same shade of purple as the sweater I'm wearing right now. Interesting.
Either way, it looks like this year won't be as painful. I really needed that. THANK YOU accounting department.
Friday, February 25, 2011
Darn It
Over the course of about a week I realized that I had not only weak spots in both of my good pairs of jeans, but I had holes in both of them as well.
Anyway, I'm sure I'm not the only person out there to run into this problem before. I've never been a fan of fabric patches on my clothes, and I certainly don't need to be putting a decorative patch near my butt to camouflage a wear hole. I just want to preserve the fabric so it stays in one piece and looks as close to the rest of the denim as possible.
*growl*
I had never heard the term "chub rub" until I saw Daisy over at Add Vodka write it in a recent post. I laughed pretty hard at that one, and it's exactly the cause of the wear in both pairs of jeans. I'm not really ready to let these jeans hit the curb just yet, so I dug out my grandmother's jar of assorted needles and thread colours. She gave it to me before she passed away years ago, and since then I've been able to colour match every item of clothing that has needed repair.
Repairing clothing to make it last longer - frugal.
Repairing jeans that you spent $200+ a pair on? .... Errrr, I'm having a hard time calling that frugal just due to the starting price. Call it bringing things a little closer to reality?
That being said, the one pair is almost 4 years old and is well below the $0.50 per wear point. I'd buy them again given the choice.
Anyway, I'm sure I'm not the only person out there to run into this problem before. I've never been a fan of fabric patches on my clothes, and I certainly don't need to be putting a decorative patch near my butt to camouflage a wear hole. I just want to preserve the fabric so it stays in one piece and looks as close to the rest of the denim as possible.The first thing I did was pick a thread colour to match the colour of the denim. I'm not a fan of contrast, especially for patch jobs. After figuring out how far the weak spot went in the denim, I back stitched a border around the entire area. This was to serve as a rip stop incase the area let go on me while I was wearing it. It also gave me a defined area to work within.
After encompassing the weak area, I used the same stitch to go back and forth across the hole. You know those threads that are left holding the fabric together in one direction only? I'm stitching them back into a fabric. If your hole looks like the picture to the left, you'd be stitching up and down across the threads. Denim fabric has a rib in it, and I used the existing fabric to space my stitches. Every 2 or 3 ribs I'd do another row of stitching until I'd worked myself from one end of the encompassed area to the other. After that I worked on a diagonal and reinforced some of the really weak areas. The fabric should hold up for a few more months at a minimum. Was it time consuming? Sure it was, but so is working to earn enough money to replace the jeans.
I got one of the pairs done last night, the other pair will have to wait for another night.
Wednesday, February 23, 2011
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?
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?
Tuesday, February 22, 2011
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:
- Call Banks - Have accounts frozen.
- Call Credit Card Companies - Have cards frozen and reissued with a new numbers.
- Call Credit Bureaus - Have Fraud Alert placed on account.
- Contact Police - Go to the station and fill out a report.
- Go to Bank - Get debit card reissued with a different card number and change your PIN.
- Go to Government Building - Start the ID replacement process, it'll take a while.
- 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.
- 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?
Saturday, February 19, 2011
Savings Decision
After giving it a little thought, I'm going to follow the advice that was given to me earlier this week. I'm going to put the debt reduction on hold (beyond minimum payments that is), and focus on building an emergency savings cushion. I'm going to save $4000 in cash to augment my investments. At their present value, that gives me little over $7500 that I can use in case of emergency if I absolutely have to. That gives me at minimum 3 months to work with. If I take in a renter, sell my car and get whatever job I can while looking for a permanent one it will last closer to 6 months. My freezer is already full, so I only have some dried staple stocking to do.
Once the $4000 is built up, I'm going to switch gears back to debt reduction again. As much as I'd love to have 6 months worth of cash savings, I don't want to be letting those balances sit and accumulate interest while I'm doing it. I'm building a cash reserve for the sake of liquidity, but it still makes more sense for me to pay off the debts before focusing on building up savings. Credit isn't supposed to be used as an emergency savings account, but building up a stash of cash to avoid paying interest on your debt while your debt balance sits there generating interest doesn't really make sense. Hence the savings limit.
*shifts gears*
Moving forward again.
Once the $4000 is built up, I'm going to switch gears back to debt reduction again. As much as I'd love to have 6 months worth of cash savings, I don't want to be letting those balances sit and accumulate interest while I'm doing it. I'm building a cash reserve for the sake of liquidity, but it still makes more sense for me to pay off the debts before focusing on building up savings. Credit isn't supposed to be used as an emergency savings account, but building up a stash of cash to avoid paying interest on your debt while your debt balance sits there generating interest doesn't really make sense. Hence the savings limit.
*shifts gears*
Moving forward again.
Friday, February 18, 2011
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:
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:
Who knew work could be so applicable?
*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:
- Public Interest
- Know Your Limits
- Don't Fake It
- Conflict of Interest
- Respect Your Value
- Lifelong Learning
- Do Unto Others
- Stand Your Ground
- Be Brave
- Spread The Word
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:
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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?
Thursday, February 17, 2011
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?
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?
Wednesday, February 16, 2011
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.
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.
Wednesday, February 9, 2011
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.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 :)
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