End of November results

Okie dokie - I didn't do terrible on my budget this month - but I did go over on a few categories.

The first and biggest overage was on Transportation aka Gas.  I did a lot more company driving than I could have planned for.  The good news is that I submit my mileage and I'll get the money back I use din gas and then some for the traveling I did.   Lesson - have a work budget item to put money in for just this sort of thing. 

The next category I went over on:  Christmas shopping - though I didn't really have a line budgeted for this, I had planned on about $100 per person I by for.  Not too bad.  The reason I went over?  Because I bought 3 birthday presents this month.  I have 2 Christmas gifts left to get - my mom, and le man.  One I know what I'm getting, the other I have to research.  I'm ok with spending the money on birthday gifts as in my family the celebrations begin 2 weeks after Christmas, with my mom, and go one every month until May.  I'm done my mom's birthday, my gramma's birthday, and my grandfather's birthday.  My sister gets married in January - so I have one further expense to get through that month, and her bachelorette next month (I'll be using my company bonus for this and putting the rest on my debt). 

As for the rest of the budget items - over in medical (I forgot about the dentist!) and that's it!


Not too shabby I'd say.  The work thing I can't control, nor do i get any warning about travel for the day, as it's entirely up to when a new or current client need me on site.  I could have planned better for the dentist thing - and will do so next year as my appointment is already made for August.  And as for the birthday presents - nor entirely bank breaking - and means I don't have to get them later.  But I suppose I could have chosen something different for each person (they are all getting the same thing), but I want to do something as a family, so it's done.  It also is part of le man's Christmas gift from me. 

I really gave myself a bit of a talking too about forgetting the dentist appointment this month, but other than that I did great with everything else! 

I'm getting excited for 2011 - because it means I count down to debt free.  It also means my benefits reset and i can recover my medical costs to cap again - meaning that although I budget $125 per  month for medical, it won't cost me that overall......DEBT SNOWBALL HERE I COME!  The new year also means no more gym membership, no more bank fees and smooth sailing on the finance waters as debt free horizon gets clearer.

One of my readers mentioned they were pretty sure I'd figure out how to get to debt free even sooner...well I have a plan.  All of my extras - tax return and mileage return above what was spent in gas, will be snowballed onto my debt - 4 times in 2001.  One per season - and I'll add the medical snowball after each quarter as well.  This will really help to get to debt free!!

December

There are a lot of things going on in this month.  Lots of family time.  The Christmas gift rush is on for some (I've got one gift left to get!).  Parties and events and snow and car safety maintenance work needs to be done.

This December I'm excited.  I'm excited for many things, but mostly I'm excited because I'm ready for December this year.  I have learned a lot of things over the past couple years while I've been on my sojourn to debt free.  this year it finally feels like I've been able to put my lessons into my life and really begin to set myself up for my future. 

Since it's December, a few things will be happening this month - I will be updating my goals for the coming year.  I will be updating my monthly goals as well, and will be concentrating on getting that debt monster taken care of.  I am looking forward to the feeling of having that monkey off my back - literally.  There are some other life goals I'll be accomplishing this year as well.  I'm getting super excited for those as well. 

For the first time I"m looking forward to enjoying all the things December has to bring for me.  Even more so I'm over the moon that I have a calm collected feeling going into December. 

A few things I still want to accomplish this month:

1)  Do well on my final exam and finish another course towards m degree
2)  Finish two more novels, one finance book and one health book before months' end - sound daunting but I know I've got in it me to complete
3)  Make another large payment towards my debt
4)  Decorate my apartment for Christmas!  (I spent $29 on a tree this year and can't wait to get it up and decorated!)

I can't wait to see what else I can accomplish this month!!

Because today I wanted something a little different

This was absolutely punked from Girl Makes Cents.  I was looking for something light and fun today so here you are....


01) Are you currently in a relationship?
Yes.

02) What was your dream growing up?
Marine Biologist or Landscape Architect - I'm an Environmental Chemist in the Waste Field now!

03) What talent do you wish you had?
I often wish I was a ballerina - or had the ability to dance like one on pointe.

04) If I bought you a drink what would it be?
Cranberry Orange Grapefruit Juice (non-alcoholic)  Malibu and Pineapple (alcoholic)

05) Favorite vegetable?
I love vegetables - used to be peas and carrots, but broccoli seems to be the winner these days

06) What was the last book you read?
Last book I read was Harry Potter 3; I'm currently reading Sacred Heart

07) What zodiac sign are you?
Aries

08) Any Tattoos and/or Piercings? Explain where.
Both ears are pierced twice.

09) Worst Habit?
Procrastination - yep that one...

10) When was the last time you cried?
Monday morning - I was having an emotional day, hadn't slept well, and le man left again for another week away at work.  At 4:30am I'm not supposed to be awake, let alone balling my eyes out!

11) What is your favorite sport?
That entirely depends on the context in which I'm enjoy a sport - playing it would be curling or fastball depending on the season, watching it would be football or basketball, depending on the season and the league.

12) Do you have a Pessimistic or Optimistic attitude?
Optimistic

13) What was the last movie you watched?
Miss Congeniality - on tv

14) Worst thing to ever happen to you?
Feb. 2010

15) Tell me one weird fact about you.
You can't tell the difference between my burps and my hiccups - they both sound exactly the same....just one is move frequent than the other


16) Do you have any pets?
Not anymore :(

17) Do you think clowns are cute or scary?
I'm indifferent - entirely depends on the situation I suppose

18) If you could change one thing about how you look, what would it be?
I would shed 60 pounds right now, and never gain it back!

19) What color eyes do you have?
Blue/Grey

20) Ever been arrested?
Definitely NOT! 

21) Bottle or can soda?
Neither - can't stand the stuff

22) If you won $10,000 today, what would you do with it?
$10,000 would immediately go on my debt and I would be debt free by mid-year 2011.

23) What's your favorite place to hang out?
Butterfly Emporium or anywhere I can be surrounded by nature.

24) Do you believe in ghosts?
Yes.

25) Favorite thing to do in your spare time?
Read/Sleep/Have a pajama day

26) Do you swear a lot?
No, and often when I do you can't really tell... Darn!

27) Biggest pet peeve?
Bad Table manners/Noisy eaters/chewers.  Nothing worse that hearing someone smack everything they put in their mouth and then try and talk to you!  If you can't chew gum with your mouth closed, don't chew it at all!

28) In one word, how would you describe yourself?
Serene or Altruistic

29) Do you believe/appreciate romance?
Absolutely.

30) Favorite and least favorite food?
Favourite:Subway/Pizza   Least Favourite Fast Food - anything from Taco Bell or KFC

Working at Not Spending Money

With the New Year quickly approaching, I have been thinking a lot about goals, and finances, and life in general.  It's also a by-product of being by yourself 5 days a week.

What I've been thinking about is this:  When do your bills come out of your accounts, when do you do your regular running around, and when can you go without spending a penny? 

My money moves automatically from my account as follows:

1st day of the month/1st business day of the month:  RENT, CAR INSURANCE
10th day of the month:  LIFE INS. 1
12th day of the month:  LIFE INS. 2
Last day of the month:  RRSP contribution
1st paycheck of the month (a thursday):  JAR MONEY, DEBT REPAYMENT
2nd paycheck of the month (a thursday):  DEBT REPAYMENT
Around the 18th of the month: CABLE/PHONE/INTERNET

Shopping is usually done on Sunday, though I can vary it.  Gas is usually needed on Wednesday, though it varies as well.  Entertainment is Thursday nights - until April (I curl, so as is etiquette I have to offer to purchase a drink in reciprocation if my team loses, or buy the first round for the player in the same position on the other team when we win.  We only lost twice last draw so that's 6 Thursdays when I had to purchase a drink for the other team).  Clothing/Gifts happen when needed, and I try to get these on a day my money moves.  Medical stuff - Friday usually, and almost always the day after a payday.  It's a once a month thing and I know a month in advance when this will be happening.


So the question I asked myself is, Can I change my behavioiur to chain my money spending together on the day I know I have something moving?  The answer is, yes.  A deeper question is, can I do it without a lot of thought, constant checking and without carrying a bell that dings when money moves?  Nope, probably not.  What does that mean?  it means that I will either have to get diligent with my behaviour, track more indepthly and constantly carry a plug-in to the net to make sure payments have cleared my accounts on the days they are supposed to.  it clearly gets buggered up when Sunday is the first day of the month and the bank doesn't do any clearing.  There have been times when my rent has taken until Tuesday night at 6pm to clear my account.  Not that it's a problem since the money is there for it, but it makes it hard when you plan some of your money moving to match the inevitable movement of money anyways. 

Knowing myself - if I track this like this I"ll eventually get to a point that I'm so fed up with it that I go nuts and spend money everyday just to spend money everyday.  A bit like debt fatigue. 

For those out there working on no-spend days, how do you do it?  Track everything and chain your spend days to other variables?  Tell yourself you will only spend money on the following days and stick to a plan?  or do you simply not count anything except your variable cash spending when you do this?  I guess I'm a purist that way - a no-spend day should be a no-spend day, no matter the account, budget line, credit card etc.

The Last Thursday in November

Happy Thanksgiving to all my American Readers!  I hope your holiday is warm, filled with family fun and joy!

Today is the last thursday in November.  It's pay day for some of you.  For others it means that December is just around the corn and with it comes 3 pay days!!  I'm on of these 3 pay-day people in December.   For those of us budgeting to get to a financial freedom, this is a month when we have an extra check to determine what to do with.

The options for me are:

1)  Leave it untouched in my checking account and get above the minimum balance so I know longer have to pay bank fees

2)  Drop the entire thing on my debt.

I'm heavily leaning towards option one.  It means I stop paying bank fees for ever essentially.  At $12.95 per month, this means I'm able to keep $155.40 more of my money in 2011.  I already got rid of overdraft and have been operating with a nice buffer in my account since August.  I will be able to operate with the minimum the bank says I have to have before I can stop paying to use their services.  I like this idea.  Check that.  I LOVE this idea! 

With my projected raise to come in 6 more weeks (the first paycheck of January for me, is in the second week), I'm certain I can be debt free by the end of December 2011.  This would mean I have an operating buffer of at least a months salary in my checking account. 

The Dawning of a New..............

I made it home in time to catch Oprah - first time in months I think.  It so happened that it was her favourite things episode.  How I envy every audience member that has ever attended this episode!  It was also announced that it would be her last such episode.  What will the world be like with Oprah?

I was absolutely beside myself when she began handing out luxurious items to every member of the audience.  Such lovely frivolous items they got.  I very nearly fainted when she gave away a CAR to each member of the audience.  A CAR!!  A beetle to be exact!! 

!!!!
It got me thinking.  Tax laws are different down there than they are up here.  Gifts for us, are taxables for those poor audience members.  Poor.  Hmm.  For some the holidays have just gotten a whole lot better.  For others, a pile of shiny stuff landed in their lap that may turn into liquid cash that could get them out of a bad situation and make their holidays that much better.  Ok - I can go with that.

It really got me thinking though.  While I, as a middle class person, would be happy to leave with all kinds of Oprah's favourite things.  Here's the part I'm not sure about.  She gave away a bunch of things that I:
a)  Don't have room for
b)  Don't have a want for
c)  Won't fit into
d)  All of the above

So if I were an audience member, what would I do with the items?  Perhaps give a few away to people i know want them.  Perhaps, donate a few to organizations that need/would use them.  Perhaps, sell?

It got me thinking though..... what would my favourite things be?

Well - obviously I run in a completely different social and financial circle than Oprah, so the things I would choose to give away wouldn't be anywhere close to the dollar figure her items are, but I think that's ok.

Here's a list of items that I think are my favourites:

1)  Time with friends and famiy
2)  An Amazon Gift Card to get a really good book - personal choices - The Blind SideToy Story 3














3)   A gift card to your favourite restaurant (you have to fill int he one you like here)
4)  The ability to enjoy the simpler things in life - like watching squirrels stuff their cheeks, or a puppy learning to look both ways before crossing the street, or children laughing and playing
5)  A spa day at a really luxurious spa (easily the most expensive thing here, as a good package runs your about $400)


Most importantly, I'm beginning to find riches in places that one would never initially look.  I also understanding that to be rich, doesn't mean to have gobs of money.  It means to be abundant in all life, and more so in experiences, friends, and time with yourself.

As my debt gets reduced, I feel more and more Rich in life.  By having the debt gone, it means I can save for a few of my wants in life, and have more power over my finances, and myself. 

Wrapping up!

Today was quite the crazy weather day.  It began fairly warm, sunny and carefree.  I was at school today, getting prepared for my final exams coming up.  I spoke with a great friend of mine this morning on the way in, worked hard in class today, and handed in two assignments for marking. 

I was able to walk back to my car.  While doing so I watched 3 very large, very plump squirrels gathering leaves and stuffing their faces.  I was able to get right up to them in their tree and exclaim about how piggy like their were before any of them noticed me, and even then I probably could have reached out and touched at least two of them.  It was funny and cute and reminded me that the temperature was dropping and that winter was coming.  I'm telling you though, these squirrels were seriously huge!

I took my time driving back home after class - even took the back roads back to the city I live and work in.  It was a lovely drive, and clear enough that I was able to appreciate the beauty of some great houses, that often I'm in too much of a rush to notice. 

Most of all, today I was reminded that I need to bundle up!   That wind was cooo-oold today! 

Oh - and one more thing...I began wrapping my Christmas gifts.  Well not wrapping exactly.  My family, for many years, have been using hand-made, reusable gift bags for gifting.  We have saved countless dollars on wrapping paper, by not using it.  We purchased Christmas themed fabric on boxing day one year, cut it into various sizes of bag, broke out the sewing machine and put together a whole slew of these things - and have been using them ever since.  They are great on the environment, machine-washable, and mean we don't have to scramble when the paper or paper gift bags run out!  Plus they are always ready to go!

Do you guys do anything to help the environment at Christmas?

A Few Thank You's are in Order!

Hi All - with the holiday season coming up, I thought I'd take a look at some blog stats.

First thing - thank you to all readers, anonymous and commenting alike! 

I learned that my readership, while North American Dominant, also hails from places around the world, Russia, being the next most frequently reading country, with honourable mentions to India, Denmark and South Korea.

Second, I would like to thank these three most popular traffic sources for my blog:
1) Saving4Later
2) ShakingTheMoney Tree
3) Gail Vaz Oxlade
Ladies, thank you for the links and traffic.  I really appreciate your readers stopping by!

Third, I wanted to take this time to wish everyone a great day!

The End is Near

November 22, 2010.  The end of the year is quickly approaching.  Only 31 more shopping days until Christmas.  November has one more week in it. 

Not to be an alarmist, but you have 39 days left to complete your 2010 goals! 

I have put $13,100 towards my debt this year.  The thing about that is the debt doesn't reflect this hard work.  Why?  Because I'm an idiot.  Plan and simple.  Though I seriously downplayed the use of my credit card, I did not completely go without this year.  4 weddings that require accommodations can do that to ya. 

Other goals have - Read 6 personal books this year.  Check!  That's one's done.
Complete two more courses towards my Degree...I'll be officially done this course on Dec. 13, so that will be done. 
There are a bunch of other things on my list over there ------------------->
that I haven't yet completed but I have 39 more days to get them all done. 

In meeting the rest of my goals for 2010, I will begin thinking of my goals for 2011.

How are you doing with  your goals this year?  Remember you have 39 more days - what can you get done with them?

Growing Up

Inspired by Fabulously Broke, GMBMFB, and Finding my Voice, as well as my own experiences as a current part-time student at an Ontario University, I bring you Growing Up.

I have learned many things in my 3[ajf4823jfhskfha] years of life.  I have learned that you go through stages.  I have learned that while I may be in my early 30's, and although I feel out of touch with some of my younger coworkers, I do not envy them.  Would I like to have the body I had when I was 22?  YES!  Would I like to have the resiliency of that same early 20 time period?  YES!  Would I like to be as naive, ignorant, new, entitled or inexperienced as those people?  NO! 

I do not want to think I know everything.  I do not want to be wrapped in the bubble of being old enough to make my own decisions (good or bad), live away from home, stay up to all hours of the morning and sleep until all hours of the next day.  I do not want to be unaware of the world outside of what Kelly did to Franky at Erica's party.  I do not want to be unaware of myself, more self-conscious than I let others see, or likened to any of the derogatory words we use to describe the attire and appearance of our 20-something counterparts.  There are days when I would love to have no real responsibility in life, knowing my parents will pick me up when I fall down, purely because I'm tired of being responsible.  There are days when I don't want to be an adult anymore, and go back to being my early 20-something self and go to school and worry only about what bar I'm gong to on Friday or what chapter I have to read in that text book, and only work for the summer and make gobs of money and go back to school next year. 

Here's what I've learned though.  When you are in your 20's there is the shiny and new part in the early stages.  There is the feeling of being a veteran at certain things in the middle of the decade and as you come into about 27, many of us make a transition from being immature to being mature.  Many of us get full time "real" jobs, start our careers, start standing solidly on our own two feet, and begin to feel what a real sense of accomplishment feels like.  The part I've seen in almost everyone is this: there is a large amount of maturing that occurs between the early twenties, and about 27.  25 feels like a huge milestone for people.  It feels like you are "old" (gasp!).  Like you had all these ambitions to get done before you got to 25. It's a big kick in the butt for a lot of people.

Do I feel like I can't relate to these people.  Not really.  But that's because I understand that I've hit that maturity wall, and many of these people haven't yet.  So while they have the same experiences I had back then, I am thankful to be over that period in my life.  Do I find them difficult to work with, out of whack with reality and seriously self-absorbed?  Yes.  But I've learned that treating them with respect, even when they royally mess up a project, and you have to explain to them that the client just won't accept mistakes like that and that the business would go elsewhere if the mistake had been allowed to go through and that they're paycheck, as lovely as it is, would disappear completely if that happened. 

Is there a major disconnect between me at my age, and them with their bright, shiny 20-something on them?  Oh definitely yes.  But here's the biggest difference I've found.  I'm on the other side of making all kinds of rookie mistakes.  I'm on the other side of messing up so badly I lose my job over it.  I'm on the other side of taking a phone call from Jan because Matt broke up with her and it not alerting anyone that talking about it for 6 hours while supposedly working, is a bad thing.  I giggle at their shiny newness.  I giggle because it'll only take one time in the boss' office to dull that lustre enough that they begin to smarten up.  But most of all, I smile because I remember when I was like that, and suddenly I get all shiny and new and productive when the boss comes out and says "why don't you talk to [me] about ways to correct that and how to spot that before it happens again."

While I may not relate to most of their issues now, I could have when I was that age.  And believe me, I love being the age I am.  About the only thing that I would like to do over from that age, is the financial stuff.  But that's just because I have my 20/20 hindsight glasses on. 

And Now for Something Completely Different....

I thought I'd change it up a little.  Today I want to give you guys some options to bring some fun back into your life.   Le Man and I are working towards debt freedom, individually, so things like date night have become a test of our imaginations.   Below you'll find some very cheap date nights that we use frequently.  Maybe some of you can glean some insight into how we go about accomplishing the fun and refreshing ways we have date night.  Perhaps some of you know of other things that can be done. 

THE DATE NIGHT


Our date night is always Friday.  We look forward to it at the end of every week.  It gives us a chance to sit down and really talk to each other about things that have happened during our week, that for whatever reason we may have only brushed over previously.  Our typical date night is Pizza and a movie.  Sounds Expensive right?  Nope!  We enjoy Ristorante Pizza's (my guy is a vegetarian) and they have a delicious selection of tasty options for us to eat.  We've also been getting into the Crispy Flat Bread Pizza's - Wild Mushroom is lovely!  We then go through our boxes of DVD's (he hasn't stained the stand he built yet so we don't have them unpacked) picking 5 that he wouldn't mind watching, and 5 I wouldn't mind watching.  We choose one from each pile, him form n=mine, me from his, and put the pizza's in the oven.  Just to let you know Ristorante Pizza's go on sale for $1.97 by some places, or $2.99, or at our local place they have them on for a month at a time (not a flyer sale) for $4.99.  The pizza regularly at $7.99.  Also Smartcanucks has a coupon for buy to save $1.50.  So our date night costs us about $10 - but it's already budgeted into our grocery money, and the DVD;s we bought a long time ago so they've really paid for themselves now.  Sometimes we surprise each other and get some chips, or chocolate to have while watching the movie, like dessert,  or perhaps we pick up a favourite bottle of wine to enjoy.

To spice it up a little, le man asked me on a date on Sunday.  I thought wow!  He is asking now?!  He took me to our local grocery store (we both needed groceries anyways).  WE put out reusable bin and bags in the cart, pulled out the collective list we made and pretended we were going to a Farmer's Market, to walk around.  He help my hand for parts of it, pushed the cart, stole a kiss or three when he thought the other Sunday night shoppers weren't looking.  We planned dinner for that nght while walking, and a new date night for Friday while we were there.   The best part was when we got to the check out, with our mound of food, he looked at me and with all sincerity said, "Don't worry, I got this!"  Like he had to pay the waiter!  It was hilarious, and wonderful and fun all at the same time.  We sniffed oranges and grapefruit and melons together.  Then choose our "main courses" and all the trimming to go with it all.  It was great!  Plus, for me, it didn't mess up my food budget whatsoever, because he paid.  I can tell you we went a little overboard on what we got, and picked up some "treats" that we normally don't get.  But when you are told that you have free reign on what goes into the basket because he's picking up the tab, you tend to get a little more expensive things.  Incidently, we had brie, roasted balsamic peppers, a french baguette, and pumpkin pie with whipped cream for dinner that night.  And have got hors d'oeuvres for "fancy" date night on friday.

A variation to Pizza and a Movie - we'll do Hors D'ouevres and video game night.  Friday we'll play Mario Party, drink something alcoholic and eat tiny puffed pastries stuffed with tasty things.  The following week we'll do fancy date night - same tiny pastries, served on my serving dishes, while wearing more than just jeans and a t-shirt, a glass of sparkling wine, and something romantic followed promptly by a good action flick.

Other things we've done - free concerts in our town, Butterfly Emporium, Local Castles, Farmer's Market, St. Jacobs - wonder the shops and get an ice cream at the end. 

My point for date night is this - it can be really cheap.  It can involve a task you already do anyways.  It can involve the children if you have them and don't want to pay a babysitter.  It can be anything you want it to be.  Take a task you have to do anyways and put a new spin on it.  Try Pirate Shopping Day - the kids will have fun with this too.  Everyone talk like a Pirate - dress like one too if you want to - and send the kids down an aisle to "pirate away" an item to put in your treasure box.  For dinner that night, eat with your hands and keep talking like a pirate.  Or perhaps you and your significant do the shopping while your children are out with friends.  Why not imagine you are strolling the streets of a far-off place (Italy, France, a Mediterranean country).  Take notice of the decorations in the store or market, choose a meal based on this theme to find fresh ingredients to make for dinner sometime that week.  Maybe you have laundry and house chores to do.  Get your kids involved and pretend you are all Cinderella on the day of the ball, having to work to get everything clean for the Ugly Step Sisters.  Make Dad Prince Charming - have him "arrange the ball" - choose music, cook dinner, use a wagon as your carriage, or have him carry you to the dining room.  Read the book first, put the plan in action, and then change and get dressed for a "gourmet dinner".  Make something quick if you don't feel like cooking, like "Gourmet Kraft Dinner"  (put hot dogs, or veggies in it, or both to add some nutrients and make it different quickly)  Serve it in your good serving bowls, or the extra special dishes, or the good kids dishes and voila!  Fun, New Twist, a memory for everyone. 

Maybe Pizza and Movie night is just what you need to help spice it up.  If you have kids, wait for them to go to bed on Saturday night, then pop the movie in and the pizza on and enjoy a glass of your favourite beverage together.  Maybe you can have French night, or Italien night, or Mexican night, or Japanese night, or something along those lines.   Setting the mood in your own place can be just enough to get you to relax and have a nice evening together.  Use a sheet to cover your couch - instantly changing the appearance of the room.  Light candles, dim the lights, buy $5 flowers for her and present them when you get home.  Knock on your own door like you are meeting her at her place for a night in.  We live in an apartment.  When he gets home from work he showers and dresses and sometimes "pretends to forget something in the truck"  he dashes out and down stairs, then when he comes back he knocks on the door or buzzes me from the lobby.  Other times I do the same thing - take the garbage to the chute or something.  You can obviously do more riske things with this date night.  but that's stuff better left between you and your partner, not here on this blog. 

There are all kinds of things you can do to spice up your life, by taking another look at the regular tasks you already do and coming up with ways to change them and make them fun.  Thinking doesn't cost you money.   Most of the time you are already spending the money on the task anyways, so it isn't like you are breaking your budget to have a little spice.  If you've been married for years, try suggesting you do something together that you did together when you were dating - those many years ago.  See how much fun it still is to do those things or recreate them at home. 

I'd love to hear about what you have come up with to put a little romance back into your relationship, or to give you that evening you want.  Just coming home to a living room that is completely clean, candles lit, and music playing may be enough to remind you both of your love for each other.  Dance in your living room together, like you were teenagers!  You already have the tools you need to have all the dates you want in the house you live in.  Put them to good use and find that you have the romance you want, the connection you want, and you've renewed your love for your possessions again! 

Happy Date Night Everyone!

What a Raise Actually Means

I mentioned on Friday that I was getting a raise in the new year.  I am thinking - based on hints that were given - that the raise will be in the approximate amount of $7,500. 

A nice number that!  So what does that really mean.  Let's do some math with some hypotheticals :

For round numbers sake we'll make some assumptions - because I'm making them anyways.
Let's say my salary, after the raise is bumped to a gross annual of $60,000.  At the tax rate I should be paying on that money, I'll lose about $16,800 to the government.  That leaves me with a net salary per year of $43,200.  Divide that $43,200 by 26 paychecks for the year and you get about $1,661.53 per paycheck.  That would mean a difference, in my favour, of about $160 per check! 

Trying not to spend the money before I get it is hard - because I wouldn't be spending the money.  I'd be moving that money directly to debt!  And believe me it's hard not to go to my personalized debt tracker in my Excel spreadsheet and plug in the new monthly number and see that this raise - if that's the amount I'm receiving - will have me paying this debt off before Christmas next year!!!!!!

Effectively this raise - if that's the amount I get - will have me debt free in less than 14 months.  A full 6 months faster than I was anticipating, based solely on my one income, take-home pay, not including any monies I may be able to make to increase the debt payoff.  Pinch my pennies for only one more year and I'm outta that mess I made?  I'll take it!  Effectively being able to use one check for all my expenses (fixed and variable), and one check directly to the debt will make me feel G R E A T!  Because you know what happens the year after? 

S A V I N G S ! ! ! ! !


Yes that's right.  A massive amount of savings!  First though, my entertainment budget, gift budget, and food budget would see a bit of an increase.  Then everything else will be piled into savings!  I first thing - my TFSA would get maxed out!  Then I'd up my RRSP contributions such that I wouldn't have to pay taxes again!  I've got tonnes of room to use up in them so I'll be able to start doing that!!  And of course once the TFSA is maxed, it'll be buffer in my account, and house fund! 

With 6 weeks to go in 2010, it's time to start squeezing every last dollar into my debt.  Bursting my own dreamy bubble to come back to reality.  Regardless of what my raise turns out to be, it won't change the budget line item amounts barely at all, and will increase my debt contributions by the amount I have after taxes.  I'm just happy to be receiving the recognition through monetary increase for the work I've been doing the last 4 years, and the work I'll be starting in the next. 

On another note - I'm doing really well on my budget this month!!

The Worth of Today

It is Friday, November 12, 2010.  The day after our scheduled day to Remember the Veterans and the fallen from all wars past and present.  It got me thinking a little about the worth of today. 

Some people would say when asked, What is the Worth of Today?, that is would be $3.12.  that was a bagel and coffee from their chosen morning stop.  Some people would say that today they reacquainted with an old friend and spent an afternoon laughing and reminiscing about the old days, making the worth more intangible, but no less valuable.  Some people would say they were able to feed their entire 8 person family today.  A worth of entirely different measure.  Some would say it cost 135 bullets, 15 land mines, 4 grenades, 6 lives and a hummer.  Some would say that just waking up this morning made the day worthwhile. 

I live in a fortunate place.  I did not wake beaten by someone, experiencing intense hunger from not eating for days.  I did not have to walk 14 miles to fill my pot of water that gives me disease.  I slept soundly last night, having not been awoken by mortar fire or looting, or being dragged from my home to an unknown place where my right hand was cut off to make the rest of my village scared/intimidated. 

The worth of my day will be measured in the hours I am productive at a regular paying job, the tasks I have to complete before my sister's bridal shower tomorrow, the moments I spend with my love this evening enjoying the happiness i feel having him home with me for a weekend, and the sadness I feel because I won't actually be home this weekend.  The small things that happen to me today, like watching squirrels chase each other up trees, like watching the fog lift from city I live in, like being handed a hot chocolate without first telling anyone I wanted one and knowing it is nice when someone thinks of you, change the worth of my day. 

I may be in financial debt currently, but I put myself there.  Nobody did that to me.  I live in a place that affords these luxuries and I do not make the most of my good fortune.  I woke up this morning to a closet filled to bursting of clothing I could choose to put on, and more shoes than I can wear at one time.  I was able to decide which coat I would wear, which gloves and scarf and hat would be worn.  I was able to walk into another room and use an automatic facility that had clean running water to wash away my wastes, to shower and clean myself in, to brush my teeth with, to drink.  I have textiles and fabrics to soak up water, to wash myself with, to wear, to sleep against, to walk over.  I was able to lock a door behind me, take an elevator or stairs to the parking garage to sit in my car and drive myself minutes to work.

The worth of my day in dollars is astronomical when you think about it.  The worth of my day in experiences is off the charts.  But today I measure the worth of my day by the hours between me and hugging my love.   The time between now and then will be filled by production at work, conversations, paperwork, discussions, scheduling and a pile of unforeseen things.  My day today will feel slow, because I'd rather be waiting at home for him to return.  I'd rather be sitting in his arms discussing the week, our thoughts, what we want to do this evening, what meal we'll share.  The worth of my day makes me rich beyond anything I could have imagined. 

What is the worth of your day?

As today has gone on, I took a lunch with one of my bosses.  It's something we do about once a month to go over things, find growth potential, touch base about the happenings of things over the previous month and what not.  It's a nice thing to have and makes you feel appreciated.  Today he mentioned that during their last directors meeting, the topic of my value to the company came up.  It was found that with everything I do for the company and the items that I've got to help find growth, increase training for our employees, upgrade and update our clients on certain other events, that I'm a pretty valuable person to have at the company.  That being said, they will be taking a look at the current rates of pay for all of the employees and it was mentioned that come January I'll be seeing a significant compensation for services currently provided and those that I will be providing into the future.  They are looking at getting me close to equitable with a certain set of co-workers.  I'll be getting a raise.  I asked to not know the amount of said raise, because I'd like the surprise of it in January (which is just a little more than 6 weeks away).  He also said the final number has been nailed down.  My speculation is though, that if they are looking at equating my salary with some of my co-workers, then I'm looking at about a $7,500 raise for January.  Today's worth seems to be increasing!

Lest We Forget

Today I'll start by thanking all the men and women that have fought for someone's freedom the world over.  Being Canadian, I am especially thankful to those who have fought in the past, and those that continue to fight now for the freedoms of not just myself, but my family, the generations of people before me, and those coming after me.  And by fought, I do not just mean in a war - I also mean those peacekeepers that fight to teach others how to build a more abundant life - from water pipelines, to school and church building, to patrolling streets and helping others find a freedom. 

On Remembrance Day, I say thank you for those that gave their life so I could live mine, the families that watched loved ones march off to foreign lands to help others fight for their lives.  To those from years past that fought against formidable foes to stop moral and ethical atrocities, and those that continue to fight today to be compensated for their sacrifice of years past.

I also thought it would be a good day to remember the journey to Debt Freedom that some of us are taking and to tell others, both consciously and unconsciously that your struggle is not a lonely one.  For those who feel there is no hope, you h ave multitude of outlets of people that provide strength and guidance to you, you just need to start asking and receiving it. 

To all of my non-commenting readers, today I want to tell you that someone, somewhere is in the same financial state as you, so please do not feel alone.  I may be a person in a far away place to some of you, an unanimous source of inspiration and strength to others of you, but I am a person just like all of you.  I struggle, fight, feel despair, hopelessness, regret, anger, frustration, sadness and all other emotions.  The difference between yourself and myself is nothing really.  I just started to do something about my feelings, found a mentor and inspiration to get me started and put in the work to get to where I am.  There are no quick fixes.  Betting on the lottery is a losing on.  Betting on your ability to acquire knowledge and move yourself is the most winning and rewarding place to put your money.

For all my commenting readers - thank you for your insight, your opinion, your thoughts.  They make me feel like someone out there knows what I'm going through, and help me silently keep pushing on.  Though I do not know any of you as more than a name on a screen, your comments help drive me to keep going when I have that moment of aloneness. 

So, today.  On Remembrance Day.  I want to ask everyone to get up off their seats and find a pen and paper.  I want you to write out 5 things you'll get done before Monday.  For example, some of you might write, open all my envelopes and look at my bills.  Some of you might write, organize all my bills into piles (cable, credit card one, credit card two, bank statement).  Some of you might write organize by date each pile of bills.  Some of you might then write figure out what I owe on each one of my debts.  The last thing you might write is, breathe, read some personal finance blogs and think about what to do about this situation. 

Still others of you may have some momentum after doing these five things and may make a list of all of your debts, what you owe on each one and what the interest rate of each one is per year.  Then you may figure out the rate of interest per month. 

Your action list may look like this:

1)  Open all my bills and mail
2)  Sort my mail
3)  Organize by date each pile
4)  Figure out what I owe on any debts I have
5) Take a break and do something fun

The actual steps you take to do these things will look like this:

1)  Open all my bills and mail
      - find all of these things from all of my hiding places
      - get a bag for recycling
      - get elastics or paper clips or straight pins or post-it notes to mark each pile

2)  Sort my mail
      - make a pile for each type of bill I have
      - sort all of my mail into piles
      - put envelopes into recycling bag, junk mail into recycling bag, solicitations into recycling bag
      - marvel at all the recycling I have!
5)  Stand up stretch, go to the bathroom, put on some fun music, grab a glass of water and sit back down!

3)  Organize by date each pile
      - grab the closest pile to me and put it in order from oldest to newest, leaving the top most page for the most recent bill or statement
     - continue this process until all piles are set up this way
     - collect each pile and clip/post-it/pin/staple them together
4)  Grab a second piece of paper, write DEBT/BILLS OWING at the top, make a list according to all the piles I have
     - on the page you'll write the name of the bill, the amount owing, the date on the statement, the interest rate you are paying per year
     - repeat until you've dealt with all the piles.

5)  Walk away.  Breathe.  Go to the bathroom.  Drink you water.  Change your CD.  Put your recycling bag in the box.  Pile everything neatly on your coffee table and stop crying.  It is ok.  You've found where you need to start.  You've begun your process and begun moving yourself to a better situation. 

If you are like me, and have been paying attention for a while, take a look at where you were a year ago with your debts.  Take a look at where you were two years ago with your debts.  Congratulate yourself if you are now in less debt than last year.  If you aren't, it's time to get in gear! 

Lest we forget our friends, neighbours, comrades, family, or the countless people we didn't know fighting to give us the freedom we have now.  Lest we forget where we've come from financially, the struggles, the obstacles we've overcome and the things that got us there in the first place.  Lest we forget the dark place we once were in.  The time is now to change your situation.  The time is now to do something about it.  No quick fixes.  No someone else doing it for you.  No excuse.  Begin fighting for yourself and in doing so thank all those that fought to give you that right.  The best thanks we can give someone that sacrificed themselves is to show them that we will fight for ourselves in ever possible way whenever we have the chance.  Start today with your finances.

Holiday Gifts - Any Holiday

Not to step on the veterans toes here - because I'll be observing some memorials in my town to thank them for giving their lives so I can have the freedoms in mine. 

Second - to briefly answer a query - I'm an MK consultant.  It's not Avon - but I'm pretty loyal to the brand and it's done wonders for my skin - something no other product on the market could help.  (Mary Kay = MK)

Holidays.  We have a pretty big one coming up in Canada - and lots of other places in the world - it's called Christmas.  I've been exploring living like I'm job-less to get out of my debt faster - so large luxuries will be biting the dust so to speak.  Gym membership gone as of Jan. 1 - in favour of the Wii I was gifted, and some workout videos I've had for a while - and the weights I got for Christmas many many years ago.  Who needs I gym membership - I can do it for free in my house!

So, what does everyone do when asked "What do I get you for [fill in occasion here]? 

Personally, I don't need much anymore.  I also have a couple of wants.  Here's the trick though - you have a want.  You live in an age that has the attitude I want and I want it now!!  Well, let's take the self-satisfaction of getting that want now out of hte equation.  What you are left with is a list of items you want, and the ability to change material items for goals.  Why not rechannel the energy of really wanting that purse, into meeting a goal of yours - like, say, paying back $2,000 towards your debt by Christmas?  Give the idea of the purse to a friend or relative, and meet the goal instead!

It goes something like this:


"Hi Mom!  Oh I was at the mall the other day and passed by Danier.  They had an absolutely gorgeous leather jacket in red, that feels like butta and looks amazing on me.  I know Christmas is coming up, and I know you're gonna need an idea for me for Christmas.  The best part was the jacket I fell in love with is reduced from regular price ($500) to $100 because of the Pre-Christmas sale going on.  I'm not sure what you were thinking of spending, but if you and Gramma want to go together on it, I'd love that for Christmas.  The style number is {4747474747} and I'm a size {443322}.  The sale ends on {date}." 


I've talked about this before - around this time I think.  But here's the thing, having wants is human.  It's how we go about satisfying the wants that separates us.  For my birthday, Christmas, and anniversary I do this.  My list this year consists of this:
New Digital Camera - with more grown up features and better pixelation.  (Canon has a nice one)
Ticket to Cirque de Soleil Totem
Experience I haven't yet had/done - examples include Tea at the King Edward Hotel, Visit to the Botanical Gardens and meal there, Horseback riding, Romantic trip to Niagara Falls for a weekend, Spa package. 

Will I get all these things?  Maybe.  Will they be on the list the next time someone needs a gift idea - absolutely!  I'd prefer to go somewhere with someone then get an item I'm not really in need of, or have nowhere to put.  Plus, for me, the experience with the person is what I remember most - not the gift I unwrapped under a tree in [year]. 

Case in point - my guy, for our anniversary this year, took me to the Butterfly Emporium (highly recommended for a wonderful zen experience), Canada's Wonderland (take the ibuprofen with you for after, when the rattling gives you a headache you don't recover from like you used to), dinner to a lovely Italien restaurant we love, and the Harry Potter Exhibit at the Science Center.  I had the best weekend ever, and those were all things I've had on my list of things to do/see/experience this year. 

For Mother's Day this year, after having asked for Tea at the King Edward with my Grandmother and Mother for my birthday and didn't get it - I did get a note saying, we'll go for Mother's Day - it'll be our gift to each other and it'll include your birthday gift form Gramma.  Since i"m not one to say no to something like that, I added a real gift to my Gramma and mom by renting a limo for the afternoon to transport us to and from the venue, and drive through Toronto the new so my Gramma could see all the updates to all her old haunts.  The day was lovely.  The tea experience was pretty cool.  Seeing the look on my Mom and Gramma's face when the limo pulled up and the carpet was rolled out for them.  Priceless.  It cost less than I thought it would and was split between myself, my guy and my grandfather.  We had a lovely afternoon and Gramma and Mom still talk about it.  Not to mention the fact that it was their first time ever in a stretch limo!

Use your gifting time wisely and you'll get your wants taken care of while you plug away at your financials, and take care of your needs.  If you have needs, then put those on the list as well and see what happens when you talk about the list with your significant, your family, and your close friends.  You'll look back at the year and find that you accomplished a great deal financially, experienced a pile of things on your wants list, and had many of your needs taken care of too.

This year, really think about what you want/need for Christmas.  Tell your parents - if you still exchange gifts.  Tell your children - if they are of an age that can get you something from either side.  Tell your significant, and see what arrives.  Tell your coworkers, if it's something they can easily handle.  Tell anyone that asks you what you want about the list.  Just be careful to tell leach of the above a different item - otherwise you may end up with 4 of the same, when you only needed one. 


So sit down with a glass of something and do some thinking this week.  Make two lists - wants and needs.  Prioritize the needs above the wants and get that taken care of as best you can.  Please note - a new kitchen sink only works if you don't have a working on.  Renovating the basement is not a need, unless you are moving another family into it, or renting the space to help with your other bills.  A new winter coat because you don't have one is a need.  Top of the list it goes.  A spa treatment is a want.  The kids can do this, by getting you some bubble bath and a coupon for 3 straight hours of uninterrupted time at home.  Or a night away with a spa treatment to help you relax, unwind, rejuvenate and get back into the land of the living - a gift for your kids, your significant, or your parents. 

See what you can come up with, and watch how absolutely magical this holiday season can become!

The Road to Making More Money

Today I'm interested in taking a look at my journey to making more money.  By doing this it is my intention to shorten my walk to debt free.

The first way I'm able to make more money is by completing part of my job.  Sounds weird doesn't it?  Well my transportation budget is set at $180 per month.  Quite a bit when you look at it and that's just for me.  That doesn't include anything for my partner.  It shouldn't as we live together but keep all money, budgets and debts separate.  We aren't married so this works for us.  How I'm able to make more money is that I get paid mileage for anything I do outside the office that is work related.  So every time I'm asked to do anything I get paid a certain amount for the kilometers I put on my car.  It turns into some extra cash per month, which helps. 

The second way I'm able to make more money is that I became a consultant for a word-of-mouth cosmetic company 6 years ago that I can get back into.  This month I'll be sitting down to get my plan together, and get into action.  I will be figuring out how much I need to make per month to get to the goal I have in mind.  This will allow me to move up the debt free date and get me out of this whole once and for all.  The plan begins by sitting down and reading the website for consultants.  Once I find the stuff I'm looking for I can sit down and put together my class literature.  After that I need to get the updated books from the company to give to my potential clients, after the class is over.  I have to print some labels. 

Then once I've got my stuff all put together I need to go out and find some ladies willing to hold a skin care class to try products for free.  I'll start with the ladies I know and move on to ladies I don't know after that. 

As a point of interest, I was able to make $16.85 this weekend through a small sale of a product.  That's $16.85 I didn't have on Saturday!

Stay tuned as I really ramp up my debt repayments.  Incidentally I sat down with a pen and paper this weekend and figured out my debt free date is officially May 18, 2012!!  Apparently I'm also getting paid three times that month, so I get it my debt paid off and I get to make a significant contribution to my savings all in the same month.  Now for those who are keeping track - my calculations included only what my base pay will be yielding me and nothing extra I could be bringing in each month.  Secondly, my repayment program doesn't include any tax return money I'll be getting over the next two years.  Third, the idea of me making more money is to shorten this time line.  Ideally I'd like to be able to get it paid off by the end of 2011 - 14 months from now.  That will make me incredibly happy, and very proud of myself.

I hope you are all going through your finances and deciding what you can further divert to your debts.  If you are fortunate enough to be out of debt already, let's see what else you can move to your savings!

Cutbacks and Rethinks

Last week I found places in my budget I can cut expenses so I can transfer the money to debt.

This week I will be working to finalize my plans for getting to debt free efficiently, quickly, and permanently. 

First thing:  My gym membership is up March 2011.  That means I have from now until March to use this sucker.  My agreement also states that I only actually pay for the thing until December 2010, and the last two months are complimentary - I paid for them upfront.  So beginning in January 2011, I have another $49.72 that can be transferred to my debt. 

Second thing:  Taking a look at my online game.  I don't play it much anymore.  I don't need to have the perks that come with the membership as I don't really use them and can play the game for free.  This means that my regular contribution to the game of about $11 (it's $10US so it' bounces a bit with conversion) can go to my debt.  I've given myself until December 31, 2010 to play the game with my membership - January won't see a renewal.  That means another $11 can go to my debt

Third thing:  I have to be more diligent with keeping track of my budget.  This is where I fall down.  I carry a debit card with me and shouldn't.  I carry the only credit card I have with me and I shouldn't.  This makes getting money way easier.  I have a budget set up.  I'm guilty of not sticking to it and not having the mental fortitude to say no to myself.  I know this is the biggest thing derailing or slowing down my attempt to get debt free.  November is the month this behaviour changes.  This past weekend I relieved myself of my cards.  I put my debit card in a place I can get to it on payday, and my credit card - well my credit card...is not in my wallet....and I'm torn with cutting it up since it is the only one I have and there are a few items that I know I'll need it for (i.e. renting a hotel room for my sister's wedding), that I will need it again.  Regardless of whether I pay cash for the room in end, I still have to book it with a credit card.  So a new home it found. 

This also means I'll be able to say to work - no card you'll have to come with me to do this thing you want me to do.  That should completely remove any extraneous costs that would mean my balance goes up. 

So in January My debt payment will be ramped up to $1100 + $40 + $49.72 + $11 = $1200.72
All extras - like mileage - will be automatically switched to debt.  I will also be monitoring my categories much more closely, so I can snowball any of those overages into the debt as well.  With one month to go in 2010, I've got a pretty solid plan going into 2011 that will help me take a huge chunk out of this debt.

In the New Year - I'll also be in a position to not be paying bank fees either.  And, once I've gotten my account/budget straightened out I think I'll be able actually be contributing $1400 to my debt per month.   My hope is to live on one paycheck and flip the other right to the debt.  or just about.  I've done some math and that would mean I'd be sending $1400 to debt and living on the other $1590.48. 

Time to get in gear.

Removing Budget Items due to Debt

I posted earlier this week about cutting expenses in the face of a job-loss as well as cutting expenses in the face of debt. 
I learned, through discussion with some like-minded individuals that cutting items because you are in debt seems to be harder to do.  My question of why that is yielded some different answers.  Each person had a different version and each a different idea of what could go and what couldn't.  I've learned that cutting expenses in the face of debt is a deeply personal thing.

It is also something that proves troublesome for all that I encountered.  I spoke to one person that was so driven to be debt free, they were able to remove the want of items from their mind completely.  Eating out, playing hobby games, online games, buying clothes, using a cell phone "in emergencies", chips from the grocery store, were all things that caused this person to think consciously about their debt each time, and choose the debt each time.  This is quite an enlightened approach to debt, in my opinion.  To be so driven that for 18 months you limit everything you do because the money involved can get your out of debt that much sooner, was an interesting and admirable quality. 

When I explored why only one person I spoke to was this way, I came across a variety of items.  They all boiled down to one thing.  Debt is like waste!  (I think I did a post about that a while ago).  You know it's there.  You know you create waste.  You know that you put it out to he curb once a week and someone comes by and takes it to a big pile somewhere else so (here's the rub) you don't have to deal with it!

Alright.  Debt is like waste.  It goes away because someone a long time ago said it was an eyesore sitting in the middle of the street.  It was making everyone sick while it degraded and began to stink up everything.  It was not appealing to look at, walk through, smell, see, taste or touch, so someone developed a program that would make it disappear, keep our homes clean, our neighbourhoods smelling like healthy nature, and allow us to become healthier.  We started recycling and reusing things from early on because we didn't want to be contributing to the waste problem, and because stuff was expensive once upon a time.  Hmm.  Stuff is still expensive.  it still comes with way to much packaging.  We have better programs to help reuse things now, but we still make waste.


So debt.  It makes some of us sick with worry.  It makes some of us think about our purchases.  It can stink up the place on it's own, create illness, and all items similar to waste.  But we don't seem to want to do anything about it.  Some of us even think we are all supposed to be in debt, that the free money will always be there, and that telling someone we are so broke we can't pay it back is a normal way to deal with it.  We have consumeritis.  We have envy and pride.  We have trained society to see debt as a good thing, to borrow money when we don't have it, to use others money, to be lazy and not work for or save for things.  I am guilty of overextending myself.  The difference is, I am working to do something about it. 

This brings me to my original question, why can I cut a whole pile of items from my budget if I lose my job but not to help get me out of debt?

My answer starts with the mental aspect.  Job Lose is a permanent thing.  I won't have that job at that company anymore.  I have to deal with it.  Debt is a state in constant flux.  Not a great reason to me now that it is in writing.  I don't want to constrain myself to the point that I get cabin fever from not doing anything and thusly overspend like crazy, otherwise known as debt fatigue.  Valid, but i"m still not buying it.  The real root of the issue is that I was lazy with my money.  I made some decisions that I didn't fully think through and now I work to pay back what I've already spent, instead of working to save for a goal of mine. 

Working to pay something back makes getting up in the morning hard some days.  I can't take a day off because then I have less to pay it back, to support myself, to eat, to live on, to afford myself a luxury or two. 

Mentally I have been wrapping my head around my behaviour since August.  I have cut out a cell phone.  I have kept my savings in my account for building the buffer.  I have found ways to increase my cashflow to move more to debt.  I have identified other ways to do the things I'm doing for less or no money at all.  I am slowly correctly my lazy behaviour.  I am not there yet.  I have begun making calculated, planned steps down this pah to debt freedom. 

At least I've identified where I can cut back on expenses.  Now to continue to put into action the plans for debt freedom. 

What can you cut from your budget if you are in debt?

Seems like a no-brainer right?
So this post should look identical to the one I wrote about what to cut if you lose your job.

Things that are in my budget:

RRSP Contribution $100
Rent $467.10
Car Insurance $141.03
Life Insurance $29.25
Grocery $200
Transportation $180
Entertainment $50
Clothing & Gifts $45
Medical $125
Online Game $11
Gym $49.72
Laundry $50
Phone/Cable/Internet $180
Debt Repayment $1140


Total = $2768.10

Things that happen to my budget:

Work Expenses - vary and are sporatic at best.  Most of the time these aren't here.
Cash - when I get lazy with my budget and do something I shouldn't.

So what can I cut from my budget?

Well first I should get rid of my online game fees.  Then I should cut back my entertainment budget.  I should also find a way to cut down my transportation line item.  My medical stuff could be cut out - but I've tried that before - my allergies come back, my illnesses start up again, my back gets messed up and I end up lying on a concrete floor in extreme pain and then I have to go more frequently to get moving properly again.   

Right now, since le man is off working in another town, November's grocery budget will be significantly lower than the $200 I have budgetted.  My entertainment budget will also be slightly less than the $50 budgetted.


 So here's the question.

Why can a person make drastic cuts when they are out of work, but not when they are trying to get out of debt?

The answer seems a lot more difficult than the surface may elude to.  I'll be exploring my own answer to this question over the next few days.  I'll also be returning to this question again over the next couple of weeks as I get more into the behavioural aspect of this question.

For those out there reading this post - what are you willing to cut form your budget when you are jobless, that you haven't yet cut form your budget will you are in debt?

Follow up on cutting the budget in job lose

I had some interesting comments come back about my last post regarding cutting my budget while facing job loss.  Primarily it surrounded the laundry category of my budget.  I agree that I can cut back on my laundry money, though I'm not sure I'm quite on board with the how.

I am an apartment dweller, which means I do not have access to my own laundry facility.  While some of the new apartments being built in town have the luxury of having laundry additions to the units, and including pricing in the rent, I'm not one of those people.  So, I could hand wash some of my items but i"m not sure I would do that all the time.  I can take my laundry over to my mom's place - when I visit, but that's an hours drive and would eat up gas.  I know I would stop using the convenience of the dryers for my clothes, so that will mean I can divert $1.75 to another load of laundry, that costs $2.15 at my building.  I could drive to a place I know in the next town over (a stone's throw from me) to utilize the free dryers there - and perhaps I'd save a little on the price of a wash as well.  Ultimately I would not be a person to hand wash my laundry all the time. 

There are other things I could cut out as well - gifts would be one of them - though I only give gifts to family, and two very close friends, and I'm officially done the wedding rounds with my friends - as I am officially the only non-married person I know.  I have a professional relationship with those I work with, in that I do not do anything with them outside of work, so there wouldn't be any extra gift giving things to worry about.  I put $45 into a jar each month for gifts/clothing.  Each of my family members are born in a different month, January, February, March, April, July, November.  My two best friends have birthdays in February and July.  My anniversary is July and we don't really do Valentine's Day, so that leaves December.  I'm pretty crafty so I can come up with different ideas for that.  I'm also not someone to sit at home and wait for a job to drop in my lap.  I'm confident that while I may not have a full time job, I will be able to help myself by attaining one or more part time jobs.  I'm not above doing whatever it takes to find a way to make money (though I won't be looking at the adult industry!) so if it means taking a job at a local fast food restaurant to do what I need to do then so be it.  Not that this is an excuse for not making more money now, but I've been working at something since I was 10.  I know I'll do whatever it takes. 

What can you cut when you lose your job?

Today I'm looking at what I can cut form my budget when I lose my job.

Things that are in my budget:

RRSP Contribution $100
Rent $467.10
Car Insurance $141.03
Life Insurance $29.25
Grocery $200
Transportation $180
Entertainment $50
Clothing & Gifts $45
Medical $125
Online Game $11
Gym $49.72
Laundry $50
Phone/Cable/Internet $180
Debt Repayment $1140


Total = $2768.10

Things that happen to my budget:

Work Expenses - vary and are sporatic at best.  Most of the time these aren't here.
Cash - when I get lazy with my budget and do something I shouldn't.

So what can I cut from my budget?

Well - first things first - my entertainment budget is gone.  Next my chiropractor and my acupuncture are gone - leaving eyes and dental - but only if absolutely necessary.  I've had my first cavity ever this year, so going to the dentist can wait until I know I have a job.  My eyes haven't changed prescriptions for a while so I can make due with my current eye wear.  Therefore medical can be dropped to $25 per month - just in case I get ill and have to pay for a prescription.  Perhaps I can cut this altogether.


Next my online game is definitely gone.  I would keep my phone and internet, since work currently pays for my cellphone.  I can get rid of cable.  Transportation would be cut down to $45 per month (a tank of gas) so there's some savings.

My new budget would look like this:


Rent $467.10
Car Insurance $141.03
Life Insurance $29.25
Laundry $50
Grocery $200
Transportation $45
Cable/Internet $75
Gifts $45
Debt Repayment $600

Total = $1652.38


I already cut out my second cell phone.  I'll be cutting out my gym membership as soon as it is up (three months from now).  You'll also notice I've cut my savings out for now too.  I was saving to the tune of $300 per month - now I'm leaving that in my account to build the account to the minimum needed to stop paying bank fees.

So from the list above I can cut a bunch of stuff out when I don't have a job, but that begs a question...

Why can I get rid of this stuff if I don't have a job, but not because I'm in debt?

I'll answer that tomorrow.  For now - what can you cut from your budget if you lose your job?

November - Chilly, Sunny, Bold

Life has a funny way of handing you reality and giving you the chance to accept it.

November begins the month that I renew a few more things - with vigor. 

This month I have an expense check coming in, I have a mileage check coming in.  The Gail group I belong to is entertaining another such group from another city close by, and we will be discussing ways to add money to our budget.  Personally, I have been looking for some ways to do this - and have found some.  What is lacking for me is the motivation to get off my lazy backside and put it into gear.  November is the month that I start reapplying myself to my finances, with vigor and gusto.  I want out of debt.  I want it gone so I can move forward with the rest of my life plan.  I want it out of hte way, the whole filled in, repacked with good clean soil, a garden planted and a beautiful tree standing in the middle.  I want to cover this whole up with the nature that centers me. 

I spoke earlier about how debt is like waste.  I am tired of being wasteful.  I am tired of having to constantly tend the waste pile.  Truthfully I'm exhausted with this.  Not only am I exhausted - I'm disappointed in myself for my poor behaviour, I'm frustrated with myself for letting it go on unchecked.  I'm frustrated with carrying around the debt like a truck full of garbage. 

I have been finding ways to cut expenses out of my budget so I can divert that cash to paying back this debt.  I spent some time this week inside my head discussing with myself my plan for moving forward and knocking this debt out swiftly and finally.  To begin, I am taking breakfast to work with me.  This means I am not purchasing anything from any food places along the way, I can do what I need to do in the morning, and eat breakfast as I get everything up and running in the morning.  A box of $1.99 oatmeal and some hot water is a cheaper way to fuel one's body than the morning coffee and {fill in the pastry} from the local Tim's.  It's also hot, and helps to banish the chill from the morning. 

Second,  I am on my own throughout the week.  Le Man is off in another town 4 hours form home for work, from now until Christmas.  This allows me to study for my class, and tidy my apartment each evening after work.  This also allows me some time to work through some of the rest of the boxes of items that still need tending.  It can also help me factor in my own entertainment, arrange myself for my second money-making source, and mean I can develop one further idea I have for the vast amount of clothing currently sitting in my closet.

On a  personal note - my weight has been bouncing around quite a bit lately - so that last part of this month is to make a life style change that will see me get to and maintain my ideal weight.  This will allow me to finalize the wardrobe I want to have from the one I currently have.  I will be able to remove clothing that no longer fits, maintain the weight I fell healthiest at and purge my overgrown closet.  The idea I have is to give myself until April to be at my ideal weight, and be maintaining it.  To do this I have to start today.  Once April 1 arrives, I will completely purge my entire wardrobe of all ill fitting garmets.  Many of the items I have I would say are lightly worn - I have my go-to pieces, and I have many "I'd love to fit into again pieces".  I also have quite a few dresses in my clothest that I've worn perhaps three times at most.  All of this will be combined into the "Sell It All" wardrobe.  I want to time this for graduation and prom season as many of the dresses will be age-appropriate, and style appropriate for young ladies to look well put together for their event.  I am hoping by then to also be in touch with a shelter, such that the women there, and their children would be able to shop at great prices, get some great pieces and get what they need. 

Like I said, my weight has bounced drastically in the last couple of years so the sizes range from 10-20.  I would love to combine it with a makeup application for each woman purchasing an outfit, to help them get into the work force, find a way to have a little happiness, learn a technique or two and take away an outfit, a makeup application and a pep in their step, for a very small amount of money.  The money would go towards my debt, so it's a win-win all around. 

Financially I am making great strides to get out from under my debt.  I begin my exercise program tonight - using hte last few months of my gym membership while I still have to pay for it, and also things I have at the apartment that don't cost me a penny to use.  My goal is to have a larger financial contribution to my debt, and lose 10 pounds by month's end. 

I'll be posting my exercise plan this week for you all to see, and will be more diligent with my budget posts.  Pay Day is Thursday this week, so I'll have a bunch to do before then.

On a side note - my entertainment for the month of November includes, watching DVD's I already own, working my body into a sweat with a gym membership I already pay for, and learning to run stairs.  This will be training me for my second attempt at the CN Tower Climb for WWF in April.  I completed it for my 30th birthday in a time of 55 minutes.  For my 32 birthday I want to shave at least 10 minutes off that time.  To do so I have to get my heart and lungs in shape, an well as my legs and brain.  1776 stairs is a long time to fight with your body to get it up the stairs.  I have 6 months to learn to run, shed the weight and push my body into an uncomfortable state to get my goals done.  Financially it costs me nothing to run stairs at my apartment until I want to pass out.  Financially it costs me nothing to workout to Turbo Jam and Hip Hop Abs - both of which have been collecting dust at my apartment.  Financially it costs me nothing to do some WiiFit.  These are all items I already own.  My entertainment this month is going to cost me nothing except time and sweat.  In the end I will be rewarded with a feeling of accomplishment on both a personal and financial front.  I will be lighter,  more energized, and have the drive I need to get to both goals. 

This will help me get rid of the excess waste in my budget, the waste of my debt, the waste in my body.  Ah November!  Some people get the winter blues.  I get the winter motivation!