Here's how I did this month:
Already the end of the month... I love that it falls on a weekend since I have more time to set some new goals and look back on how I did over the last 31 days.
Today was a no spend, no drive day. I enjoyed sleeping in, sipping a latte (I haven't used my Tassimo machine much lately, I just take my coffee to go) and relaxing. I walked to my friend's house earlier this afternoon but came back to try a new recipe for dinner (I'll post it in another thread). I'm looking forward to a quiet evening at home...
Here are my numbers for August:
No spend: 19/16
No drive: 5/4
No books/mags: 244/366
Today was busy and expensive!! I worked in the morning so at least earned a bit of $$ there... now I'm enjoying 2.5 days off :-)
We ordered lobster today and I only had a $50 bill in my wallet and my sister is supposed to pay me back some of it, so I'll say $25 for my share of that. I'm counting it as groceries instead of mad money because 1) I have enough left in my grocery budget and 2) I'll get 3 meals out of it.
I also went a little crazy with online shopping, I placed 2 orders (Land's End and Eddie Bauer). I'm also looking for shoes, found the ones that I want but my sister has a very similar pair in the same color that she wore once. I'm going to offer to buy them from her and if she doesn't want, then I'll order online and pay the shipping. When shoes are brand new we wear the same size, but I don't borrow her shoes since we don't wear them out the same way. And it's not too hygenic anyway ;-)
Umm am I supposed to post how much I spent? Some of you will be very surprised at the amount since I don't seem to spend too much... anyway for 6 pairs of pants (some dress, some jeans), 3 shirts, a jacket and a vest, it came to $624 something. Yes, you read it right. I am very picky with the clothes I wear (not too much style but how they fit) and I don't mind paying for better quality. (I have a thing for no-iron shirts, I think they are the best invention ever!!!) I do have the money in my Freedom Account though so I'm trying not to feel too bad.
I also have my eye on a camera (on sale for $69.99) and a laptop, but hopefully I'll snap out of my spending streak before I order both ;-)
Here are my numbers so far:
No spend: 18/16
No drive: 4/4
No books/mags: 243/366
Another no-spend day, I'm on a nice streak :-) I had made plans to meet a friend in the city for dinner, but she canceled late afternoon and we rescheduled for 2 weeks from tonight. I probably would have been poor company as I am really beat. It was a busy week and I work again at 8 am tomorrow. I might still try to go to the city over the weekend, there is a new cheese shop I want to visit. I love cheese!!!
I will update my final numbers on Sunday and post September's budget. I'm excited because I'll be bringing in more $$ so I can really boost savings :-)
No spend: 18/16
No drive: 4/4
No books/mags: 242/366
Wow. We're so far into August it's unreal. I saw one of my ex-coworkers dad today, I thought we worked together only 5 years or so ago but he said it's been 10 years !! (when they built their house). I was amazed!
I had another no-spend day. Thankfully I remembered my lunch (leftovers are always great) and I didn't really need anything so came home after work. I got a check in the mail, from my on-call job, so I added $300 to my Paris fund. It is now 96% funded :-)
Speaking of my on-call job, I'm so glad it is not money I count on every year. This has been by far my slowest year (and I've been doing it for 7 years so have good records). So far, I've only earned 66% of last year's total and only about about 50% of my average (last year was slowing down a bit). I might not even bother next year cuz being on-call 5 days per week from April until September is a bit stressful.
Sylvia asked if we get Labor day in Canada too and yes, we get Monday off also. I should get quite a few paid hours for it (compared to the last holiday in August where I only got paid for 3 hours !) since I would have put in an 8 hour day if we were open. It'll be really great to get the time off!!
Tonight's Big Brother should be full of fireworks, if anyone's watching it too. I can't wait :-)
Here are my numbers as we near the end of the month:
No spend: 17/16
No drive: 4/4
No books/mags: 241/366
My day started off on the wrong foot when I was getting out of my car at work and realized I'd left my lunch at home. And this had to be the day that I didn't get to go out of the office at all since I made an arrangement with my lunch relief co-worker to take extra time yesterday and none today. Uh oh. My mom saved the day though, she works less than 1 minute away (at a bakery even!) and dropped off some bread and a yogurt she hadn't eaten. I always bring a banana and have about 3-4 granola bars in my bag, so I was ok. Note to self though: bring something frozen and a can of soup for future memory lapses.
I ended up not spending anything (bread was free :-)). Tonight I was browsing on the LL Bean and Land's End websites, there are some great pre-Labor Day sales, but my friend saved the day when she dropped by. She just left and it's time to go soak, so no time for e-shopping!!
It'll be busy Thursday-Friday and I do work 2 hours on Saturday morning, but come 10 am Saturday, I'm home free until Tuesday morning. Can't wait!! It does make me sad that summertime's almost over though...
No spend: 16/16
No drive: 4/4
No books/mags: 240/366
Here is my detailed list, with prices:
Meat: (I'm staying away from certain meat products for the time being, with the Maple Leaf listeria scare in Canada)
$6.08 steak
$5.69 steak
$9.66 chicken breasts (these are all bone-in @ $2.49/lb)
$9.50 chicken breasts
$8.64 chicken breasts
Dairy:
$2.99 x 3 butter
$3.85 chocolate milk (2L)
$2.29 cream cheese
$5.49 asiago cheese
Groceries:
$3.29 canola oil
$3.49 vinegar (1 gallon)
$0.85 garlic spread
$1.99 coconut
$2.69 chili powder
$1.33 x 3 dry pasta
$3.19 General Tao stir fry sauce
$1.29 x 2 cream corn
$4.29 refrigerated tortellini pasta
Produce:
$3.99 baby romaine
$1.49 cauliflower
$1.79 bananas
$2.99 stir fry mix (veggies)
$3.99 peaches (3L basket)
$1.24 x 3 mushrooms (usually over $2 each!)
$0.69 green onions
$3.99 baby spinach
$0.89 lemon (1)
$0.50 bean sprouts
Yesterday's total was $81.36 and today's is $29.33. I did get $5.86 back from a previous shopping trip, so my net spending is $104.83.
Another spendy day... I went to town during my lunch break as I had errands to run... I had photocopies to make for work (reimbursed), back-to-school supplies to drop off at goodwill (donated by our customers), a pack of moldy cheese to return ($5.86!) and I picked up a few groceries while I was there. I'm really hoping these were my last grocery purchases for the month. I'll write out the detailed list in another post.
Oh I also bought Tickelopes, I love to send them to my little cousins and friends' kids... $20. 27 for those but I have enough to last through all the birthdays and holidays til Christmas!
My birthday is coming up in a few weeks and I've been asked to give ideas about what I want... I definitely think I'll ask for a camera. I'm also thinking of cheating a bit on my new year's resolution of not buying any books in 2008 and asking for a gift card to Chapters... there are a couple books that I want, but definitely don't want to break my resolution by purchasing them with my own money.
[I'd previously thought of asking for a bubble but mine died many months ago and I've done really well without it since then... no use spending $80 on one now]
No spend: 15/16
No drive: 4/4
No books/mags: 239/366
I don't have receipts handy but I spent $35 or so in gas and around $90 for groceries. I will post the detailed list tomorrow. I also paid the 2nd downpayment on our apartment rental. I love that it can be done via Paypal instead of the bank!!
The lady I'm replacing came by today, she asked when I was leaving on my trip (2 months from tomorrow!!)... I have a feeling I'm going to be getting a lot of work between now and then. All I'm thinking is money for retirement savings and I'm definitely going to add money to my new-to-me car fund and a kitchen remodel fund (still 2 years away I think, but it'll cost a lot to get the cabinets and floors redone). I'll need new side bars!
No spend: 15/16
No drive: 4/4 <- goal achieved!
No books/mags: 238/366
Here is my menu for the week:
Sunday: Salad (greens, tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers from the garden) and I added a bunch of toppings (cheddar cheese, chicken breast, nuts, blueberries, dried cranberries). I made enough for lunch on Monday too.
Monday: BBQ steak & potatoes (sliced up leftover steak and put over salad greens for Tuesday's lunch)
Tuesday: Spaghetti and homemade sauce (Making enough for Thursday's lunch)
Wednesday: Chicken in chili sauce (big favorite) and brown rice. Making a lot of rice to create a salad for rest of the week's lunches
Thursday: Shrimp stir fry
Friday: Lobster? As Dolly Iris pointed out, I live on the right coast! I can eat lobster cheaper than take out or pizza (this time of the year, I can get a lobster for about $5.50 :-)
Saturday: Something on the grill, with veggies.
For more menu ideas, check out I'm an Organizing Junkie's site.
Today was a no-spend/no-drive day... I just stayed home, did housework and watched the Olympic coverage. There were a lot of recaps and I loved those.
I prepped some lunches for this week but I realized I hadn't made a big grocery shop in several weeks. I may need to go Monday or Tuesday before I can plan out the whole menu. I'll post that when it's ready.
No spend: 15/16
No drive: 4/4 <- goal achieved!
No books/mags: 237/366
It's been 5 weeks today since Pete was put down... and my old guy is doing pretty good alone. There have been a few interesting offers though:
1) my dad's friend offered to bring one of his horses here. The horse is boarding elsewhere and since he'd just be a loan, my dad told his friend it would be too stressful on the horse to take him out of his boarding place, bring him here for a few months, then back to his regular barn.
2) Another guy called and said he had to put down one of his mares and wanted to see if my dad was interested in his other one (they were part of a team). He wouldn't tell my dad the price over the phone, but told him "he wouldn't back out". The price turned out to be $1!! He wanted her to go to a good home, but with the understanding that when my dad no longer wanted her, to get her put to sleep, not sell her anywhere else. Sweet deal? Well it turns out this is a very aggressive mare and my dad heard from 2 different sources she'd probably attack and hurt my old guy :-( Not cool.
3) Then there was the guy who called and said he had 11 horses on his farm and for my dad to go get one :-) I think he went to see them, but didn't bring one back yet. Again, this would be a "loan".
Finally, I think my dad is going to buy one of his own from a friend of his who is in his 70s and no longer healthy. The deal should be completed this week. I'll post pictures when/if we get her :-)
Today was a no-spend... I think I will meet and exceed my goal this month :-) I did drive though...
I was asked to work tomorrow at my godmother's business and said no. At first I felt bad, but I really don't feel like working 13 days straight (before my next day off Aug 31st). Yes, the money would be good, but I need the break. They hadn't realized I had 5 full weeks (as opposed to no set hours) so were ok with finding someone else. Still, I hated saying no.
My sister's Montreal travel dates are now decided, it would be February 12-15th. I can't see the trip costing less than $1,500 to $2,000 (including shopping I'll want to do... Montreal has fantastic shops!) so I have to see if I really want to go or save for a year and go somewhere else (overseas again or in Central/South America). I have a bit to decide, but I always have my retirement fund in the back of my mind. Wouldn't it be so much easier if we knew what the future held for us?? If I was eligible for my employer's pension plan, I would not have to worry as much............
I'll post again tomorrow, I went to the garden tonight and have some observations (and maybe a few photos) to share.
No spend: 14/16
No drive: 3/4
No books/mags: 236/366
I spent $15 for lottery tickets today (pre-paying for 6 weeks with my co-workers) and $0.87 for postage. I also feel like there's something I should have picked up but I can't remember!
I admit to being tempted by the back to school sales on notebooks... mine is close to 4 years old and my battery has absolutely no life left. I priced one for around $650, not bad. I'll probably wait a couple months and save money specifically for it. I really should be boosting my retirement fund though and not thinking about laptops/iPhones/cameras.
I work in the morning, it's been a long week and I would have rather have the day off but my co-worker was going camping for the first time with her 2 year old daughter, so I said I'd work the 3 hour shift. Then my bookkeeping is calling my name, but I don't want to go.... I'll see if I have the motivation over the weekend.
Here are my numbers so far:
No spend: 13/16
No drive: 3/4
No books/mags: 235/366
Today is payday so I paid a few bills (phone, utilities) and I picked up a few grocery items to hold us until a bigger grocery shop:
$1.57 bananas
$6.50 skim milk (4 L)
$3.00 coffee cream (1 L)
------
$11.07
I also splurged and got some lobster tonight, since my sister was stopping at the fish market. I paid $16 for 3 lobsters (1 for dinner tonight and the rest for tomorrow).
I think that's it for expenses, nope, wait. I got a $10 ticket from one of my little cousins doing some type of hockey fundraiser. I always buy one of those (comes out of my misc. money, same as the lobster).
No spend: 13/16
No drive: 3/4
No books/mags: 234/366
I managed another no spend day, probably my last one in a while. I am doing a great job with my lunches and if I don't run errands at night, I'm safe. I know there are some upcoming expenses that will halt my tally. Next week we already have to pay the balance for our apartment rental and there's my car registration, hay for my horse (I still haven't paid my dad) and I will be placing a clothing order or 2 or 3 and take advantage of the back-to-school/Labor Day sales. I realized tonight that the shoes I wear mostly to work are about 20 months old!! That's not good. I love Hush Puppies, but at $100/pair, I make sure I get something comfy and stylish!
My sister had a bad virus on her computer... she brought it in and we had problems getting the wireless to work on it again. That's what I spent my evening on until we got smart and called tech support. He had us set up within 5 minutes! We use AVG (free version) as our virus protection on both computers, I've never had a problem in 5 years, but she got infected badly...
Tomorrow I have a weird day... work 2 hours then someone comes to fill in for me as I'm working for her on Saturday... then I work 1 hour alone and from 1-5 someone's coming for training. She'll be filling in for me on Friday (as I work at another site), so I get to show her the ropes. I have to do inventory also, I'm sure with a helper it'll go faster. Oh, an interesting thing today, I had a client show me $500,000 worth of bonds!!!!!! My eyes got wide with amazement!!
No spend: 13/16
No drive: 3/4
No books/mags: 233/366
Ok, just where is August going??? Unreal that there are just 10 days left pretty much.
I put some gas in today, $53.02... I have about $50 left in the August budget and I'll probably need it all and a bit more........ depressing. I'm paying as much now as I was when I had a 1.5 hr daily commute 4 years ago!
On my lunch break, since I can't afford to drive home every day, I made a trek to the local farm stand and spend $5.78:
$3.79 highbush blueberries
$1.99 mushrooms
I had talked to a local organic grower who does weekly baskets and I thought I could get on the list for next year. He came by today and said I could get started on Sunday if I wanted... a small box (6-7 different veggies) is $15 and a large box (10 or so different veggies) is $25. I do have the money in the grocery budget, but I may wait until next year and save for it in my Freedom Account all winter. You have to pay upfront, so I'd have the cash separate from my monthly groceries (and I'm sure the summer bill could go down quite a bit). I feel we have enough in the garden this year that it could just be too much.
I'm off to soak (so relaxing after a busy day!!) and then enjoy Big Brother. Oh, I'm thinking some items on my 101 things to do in 1001 days list will have to do with shutting off the tv for stretches at a time! I don't want to start fall with something to watch for 3-4 hours each and every night.
Speaking of 101 things to do in 1001 days, check out Hollyisstoppingshopping's list here. It's great to see so many fellow bloggers post theirs too :-)
No spend: 12/16
No drive: 3/4
No books/mags: 232/366
I'm not posting this on the Menu Plan Monday blog cuz I'm so late but I'll post here since I finally planned the whole thing until Saturday!
Sunday: Leftover chowder
Monday: Chicken in sweet chili sauce, rice (leftovers for lunch, yum)
Tuesday: Corn on the cob and ham
Wednesday: Unstuffed pepper soup
Thursday: Spaghetti and homemade sauce
Friday: Grilled steak and veggies
Saturday: LOBSTER :-) It's the fishing season here so have to support the local fishermen!
I just posted for the 500th time! Thanks to everyone who reads and all those who comment :-) I'm a bit busy right now so am not posting as much, but I'm hoping by September things will get back to normal!
A busy Monday that went by really fast... I am getting into a routine now... I hadn't worked these many long hours since I left my old job 2+ years ago!
My sister is back from her trip and brought back a great treat for me, these awesome smelling soaps from Bella Pella... I'd never seen these soaps before.... WOW!!! It'd be worth going to Montreal just for that ;-) I have a feeling I'm going to spend some of my mad money there...
I didn't spend today but I obviously drove. The $20 in gas I put in a few days ago is almost all gone so I'll have to put more in either tomorrow or Wednesday.
Payday is Thursday but we always get our pay stubs via email on Monday... I set up some transfers for then. That paycheck only had 42 hours on it for 2 weeks, but the next 2 should be really nice!
I'm off to watch the Olympics and doing a bit of reading... pretty uneventful!
No spend: 12/16
No drive: 3/4
No books/mags: 231/366
Another great day, I say that every day that I don't work ;-) I love my job but I also muchly enjoy the down time :-)
I didn't spend or drive today... stayed home and baked a bit, cleaned some more, made a salad for tomorrow, gave some apples to my old guy and I just hung out. I needed to recharge cuz this week is another long one (another Saturday shift!)
I'm not quite ready to post my menu... I need to find 2 more main meals for the end of the week.
I am watching Big Brother and waiting for my sister to get back in about an hour. She had a great trip and wants to go back in February... I priced flights to Montreal for that time of the year... OUCH! I'd love to go too but only if I can find something less than $500 return.
No spend: 11/16
No drive: 3/4
No books/mags: 230/366
Here are my goals for the month:
Another rainy day, what else is new? I'm starting to get really worried about my tomatoes, they are just not ripening at all. From dozens of green ones, there's only been 1 ripe one last week. I'm craving Greek salad but can't make it!!
I worked a short shift this morning then because of lack of planning I stopped off at the store to pick up a few things. If I'd been smart I would have done that last night while I was already there. I spent $8.66 on groceries (canned crab meat, tomato soup, Bull's eye BBQ sauce) and $1.13 on a greeting card for a co-worker's birthday.
I took a 3 hour nap this afternoon!! It's so refreshing to be able to do that. I spent the rest of the day cleaning a bit and doing laundry, leaving only cooking and menu planning for tomorrow.
My goddaughter came by tonight and I was very pleased to hear she is looking for a better job for September. I'm still encouraging her to go to college!!
Here are my numbers so far:
No spend: 10/16
No drive: 2/4
No books/mags: 229/366
A busy day today... I managed to break my 4-day no spend streak... I needed gas but couldn't get to the one that gives store cash back so I just put in $20 to keep me going for a while. I also got $12.93 worth of groceries:
$8.22 white wine (for a couple of recipes)
$1.95 beef cubes
$1.49 soup mix (beans)
and there were a few cents for the bottle deposit and tax.
I work again tomorrow morning so I'm headed to bed soon... early for a Friday night, I know!
No spend: 10/16
No drive: 2/4
No books/mags: 228/366
I'm on a streak, I haven't spent anything in 4 days! There just hasn't been any time to spend money. I will need gas soon though. I've been very good about packing a good breakfast (I prefer to eat about an hour after I get to work), a filling lunch and some snacks. I have 4 drinks in the fridge at work that I haven't even touched, I preferred to drink water from the dispenser...
Things have changed a bit at work and what started as 5 weeks of work could very well end up in many more. I do not know full details yet, but the person I'm replacing could be gone for longer or come back after that period of time, work a bit then be off again. I'm really going to have to be smart with my money. I can't go spending it all on my trip... I think a bulk of September's extra cash flow needs to go to retirement. That side bar is doing very poorly so far. If I could get about $3,000 into the account by Christmas, I think I could find the extra $2,000 for my 2008 contribution by March 1st. I'm really hoping!!
Big Brother is on again tonight, it's getting really good! I love the fights!! I have a friend who gives me spoilers but luckily there aren't any during the live shows so tonight should be even better :-)
Here are my updated numbers:
No spend: 10/16
No drive: 2/4
No books/mags: 227/366
Doesn't it seem like a Thursday to everyone??? I've been terribly mixed up all day :-) Work wasn't too busy and I finally found someone to work on Friday (this is the place I'm working at for 5 weeks, but because I was booked elsewhere, I needed to find a replacement). There's actually 2 people that are going to do it, one working the morning and the other one working the afternoon. Big relief!!!
I didn't spend today either... I did drive though, lots! Came home at lunch to get my laptop as there was something on it I needed.
Tonight I'm just taking it easy... my sister is working overnight, finishing at 8 am and then she is leaving for Montreal for a few days. That is like a mini-vacation for me ;-) Seriously though, I love her lots, but it's nice to have the house to myself!!
No spend: 9/16
No drive: 2/4
No books/mags: 226/366
Another rainy day, what else is new??? I know the power bill's going to be higher from the dryer use!! I refuse to air dry bath towels, they just feel too stiff, so we'll have to see how much of a difference it makes on the bill.
Nothing new today, I didn't spend but I drove... I'm adding 4 miles/day approx. because of a detour I have to take to get to work. And it'll more than likely be many months, if not over a year, before we can use that route again. It'll add up!!! I don't mind so much in the evening, but it means I have to leave 10 minutes earlier or so in the morning.
I've not been watching the Olympics as much as I thought I would... as of 9 pm Atlantic time, Aug 12th, Canada has yet to win a medal... it's hard to compete again the Chinese!!
I'm off to soak and enjoy a new bubble bar I got as a gift the other day. I fed some cats last week and wouldn't take $$, so their "mom" brought me back a nice Lush product. It smells just like cotton candy mmmm :-)
No spend: 8/16
No drive: 2/4
No books/mags: 225/366
A busy Monday... a full day of work and I had a site to check for my on-call job. It's nearing the end of that so I appreciate every single one I'm getting now since it'll be May 2009 before I get others. While I was in town I went to the grocery store to get chicken that was on sale. Yes, we eat a lot of chicken and yes, I realize that boneless, skinless is more expensive, but we budget for that. I have a fear of live chickens or I'd be raising them!!!
So here's the total spent:
$10.04 chicken
$9.77 chicken
$9.16 chicken
$1.69 bean sprouts, big package
-------
$30.66 total
Sale price was $4.22/lb. For us, that is very cheap. I have seen the same cut on sale in the US for $1.79... UNREAL!!! I figure what I bought today will last probably 2-3 months, unless we go on a chicken-eating spree ;-)
Nothing else to report, this is calm week in between paychecks. And I'm not waiting for much in the mail either, just a $15 check from Opinion Outpost that won't be mailed out for a couple weeks I bet.
No spend: 7/16
No drive: 2/4
No books/mags: 224/366
Sunday: Corn on the cob, sauteed spinach, ham and pasta salad.
Monday: Leftover clam chowder (from Sunday's lunch)
Tuesday: Turkey with all the trimmings (eating at my parents'!!). I'll bring leftover turkey home for lunches.
Wednesday: Chicken stir fry with VH orange ginger sauce, brown rice.
Thursday: Pasta with tomato sauce and garden veggies
Friday: Saucy pork chops, mashed potatoes and corn
Saturday: Coquille St-Jacques casserole
For more menu ideas, check out Organizing Junkie's great thread on her blog.
Wow, weekends sure do go by fast, don't they?? We had nice weather today at least :-)
I didn't spend anything but I drove, decided to go for a quick spin at the beach... My friends who camp there sometimes are gone to PEI though, so I didn't stay long. I wish I could have gone too but they are gone until Wednesday! Not sure how that's going to work out as they have a 3 year old in tow, and he doesn't always do well when he's not in his bed.
As I posted below, I got free corn for dinner, found the first garden tomato and had some sauteed spinach for the first time ever. I will post this week's menu (August 10-16) tomorrow. I have been eating tons of veggies for the last 3 nights and I already feel a lot better! There was one day this week, Thursday I think when I didn't have any fruits or vegetables for the whole day... no wonder I felt icky! I love Frugal Trenches' plan of making sure she gets x number of servings of each of the important food groups each day. And she does it on a wicked budget too (very impressive!!)
I'm getting ready for my long stretch of full weeks of work. Unfortunately I'd booked some hours this upcoming Saturday (Aug 16th) and in 2 weeks (August 30th) that I can't get out of... those will be long weeks, but it won't kill me to work 6 days/week during those 2 weeks only. And I'm crossing my fingers that my official letter is in the mail tomorrow, to get my promotion, as it has supposedly been processed August 1st. We'll see!!
No spend: 7/16
No drive: 2/4
No books/mags: 223/366
I just got back from my aunt's house... she called and offered corn on the cob fresh from her garden! She only lives 1/2 mile away so I walked over with my bag! We haven't grown corn here for many years, we just don't have any luck with it. The last time the stalks grew like 8 feet tall and the cobs were so tiny you could barely see them.
And there's all the insects that attack the plant and the ears... I scouted fields for a few years so I know how hard it is to grow organic corn.
But my aunt puts oil (mineral or olive) on the silks and she doesn't have any worm problems... this corn is very fresh, ripe just the way I like it and best of all, free :-) The producers at the farmers market usually sell it for around $5.99/dz so I appreciate having it for free.
Here is what I ended up eating (an ear of corn, the first garden tomato, the wilted spinach, a slice of ham and a bit of pasta salad I made for lunches this week. It isn't the sweet pasta salad recipe I posted yesterday... this one uses salad oil, ketchup, brown sugar, vinegar and a few different veggies. It lasts up to 2 weeks in the fridge so it's extremely convenient to make on Sundays for lunches throughout the week.
This is my very first attempt at cooking spinach... it's from the garden. I wanted to use the baby leaves for salads, but it grew too fast on me.
What a great day! I appreciated sleeping in this morning :-) It has been a rainy Saturday though, not much to do outside.
I didn't spend or drive today, enjoyed staying at home. I do admit to perusing clothing websites and making wish lists. I am looking for a fall or light winter jacket and I saw quite a few that were cheaper than what I can get in the city. I will keep checking for deals and coupon codes and decide what I really need and not just what I want...
We asked a couple friends to come over tonight to watch the Olympics. My sister works in the morning so it probably won't be a late night. I made a bar clam dip and there's a couple jars of salsa to eat with chips for snacking. When we get together it's always very informal and we do treat ourselves to some junk food ;-)
Here are my numbers so far:
No spend: 6/16
No drive: 2/4
No books/mags: 222/366
Here is my recipe for sweet pasta salad. I have made it for the last couple of years and each time I shared at a gathering, it was a big hit. It's from the allrecipes.com website:
Ingredients:
Here is the breakdown for my grocery shopping, weeks 1 & 2 (if we want to consider Aug 1-2 the first week)
Grocery items (canned, baking goods, etc)
$2.18 corn starch
$1.88 soya sauce
$0.99 mustard
$2.00 Catelli Smart spaghettini
$2.00 Catelli Smart spaghettini
$5.99 walnuts
$2.99 condensed milk (to make a delicious pasta salad)
$2.69 coconut
$1.29 x 3 ketchup
$0.80 x 3 Catelli spaghetti sauce
$1.69 potato chips
$1.49 cocktail sauce
$3.19 graham crackers
$3.19 v-H stir-fry sauce
Dairy products:
$7.29 yogurt (16 tiny containers)
$6.56 milk (4L)
$2.69 cream (1L)
$2.99 butter (1 lb)
$5.86 Gruyère cheese
$2.99 ice cream bars
Meats:
$2.47 steak (yes, I've been craving steak!!)
$3.06 steak
$3.59 steak
$2.18 sausages (for pasta dish)
$1.99 ham
Breads:
$1.33 x 2 hamburger buns
Fruits & Veggies:
$2.91 bananas
$4.19 apples
$4.21 pears
$3.54 red plums
$1.99 mushrooms
$0.78 bean sprouts
$0.89 x 3 pre-cut veggies (only buy when really on sale!!)
Others:
$2.69 x 2 Bistro crustini (frozen)
I did get $0.20 off for using recyclable bags... and I had a bath sponge in there that I forgot about, but I'll count that as a miscellaneous purchase. My totals for the week: $106.97 [I forgot to add the $3.19 I spent on almond flavoring, so this brings my total to $110.16]
I divide this up by 2, since my sis and I pay 50% each... and I'm at $53.49 for the first 10 days and I budgeted $175... so 31% of my amount spent.
A friend of mine was invited to a wedding at 8 pm tonight, I guess the couple is really into this 8 theme!! To me it was just a normal day, but much easier to write out the date ;-)
I didn't spend but I drove... I'm hoping to leave the car parked for a couple days though! My sister wanted me to go to the city after work to get an iPhone but I told her to do a bit more research first. We don't know anyone who has one yet... and I'm big on friends' recommendations. I'll be searching the web for answers this weekend (as I might be interested too, if the price is right).
As I posted below, there is no work scheduled for the next 2 days! I then start my long stretch of full weeks, but I am very, very grateful for those hours :-) A bit nervous to being in charge of the office I'll be working in, but I can ask someone else for help if needed.
Oh I never got a chance to look over my receipts for yesterday's purchases, but I will get that posted tomorrow...
No spend: 5/16
No drive: 1/4
No books/mags: 221/366
I'm like someone who has big plans, but really I'm just glad to be off!! I will be watching some of the Olympics, doing a bit of cooking, cleaning (the fridge especially, ugh), reading and relaxing. I know other things will pop up but I'm not stressing about it :-)
Hope everyone enjoys their weekend too!
Another busy day, I worked all day, came home for about an hour then had to go check a site for my on-call job. Since I was in town, I got groceries and gas too.
Tonight was the first time that I noticed food prices had gone up quite a bit. Everything, even the milk that I paid $6.36 per 4L bag before is now $6.56. A friend was telling me tonight a local store sells a 2L carton for $2.99, so I'm going to start getting that. We had a little accident in the fridge with a bag and now there's a sour milk smell that's pretty bad. After I clean that up on Saturday, I may vow never to buy those bags again...
I don't have exact totals but I know it was a bit over $100 for the groceries and $33 for gas. I knew I did a lot of back and forth driving this week, but $33 for 3 days of work is a bit more than I figured :-(
I'll update my totals tomorrow, this month I'm filling in my spreadsheet as I go. My paycheck hit my account today so I'd set up a bunch of transfers last night... and the rest will be made on the 21st, when I get paid again. So far August is looking OK, at least what I can see 1 month into it.
No spend: 4/16
No drive: 1/4
No books/mags: 220/366
Another chilly day, I worked in long sleeves and even wore a fleece tonight... where oh where did summer go? We really do get hot weather here in the Maritimes, this is unusual! I admit it is a lot more comfortable when it's cool than when it's very hot and humid and there's no a/c at the office that I work!!
I got good news about next week, I was only supposed to work 14 hours but it got bumped up to 40! And then I have 4 full weeks after that, so I'm set for a while :-) With this snazzy payroll deductions calculator, I have calculated (usually accurate to the penny) for the next 2 months! It really comes in handy when you don't have a set number of hours each week.
I didn't spend today but I drove... may not see a lot of no-drives this month but I'm trying to limit my driving after work. On weekends I try to walk or catch rides with others... My car will get a much needed break when I'm gone on vacation, but I found out tonight my cousin who works part time as an auto body repair guy can patch up a rust spot close to one of my rear tires while I'm gone. He likes to have the car in the garage for 3 days, so that'll be the perfect time. I am guessing it'll cost around $200 to get it done (I'm going to get the underside coated too for winter). I will make sure I have the $$ in my car repair Freedom Account.
I am working on my list of 101 things to do in 1001 days. If you haven't already, check out Arual's list, she created a whole new blog just for what she calls her Happiness Project. I love it! There are also a bunch out there on the web, it is worth a look. I'm hoping to get mine started September 1st. And yes, I will publish my list...
No spend: 4/16
No drive: 1/4
No books/mags: 219/366
I am absolutely amazed at how well my basil is doing... I have 4 plants and they are growing like crazy. My big question is, what do I do with all of it???
I'm pinching off the flowering tops, so the plants are getting quite bushy... and I think they are really ready to use up now.
I will have the weekend to process the leaves. Any ideas? I plan on making pesto if I can go buy nuts before then, but other than that, I don't know...
And for the pesto, any tried & true favorite recipes?
Thanks!!
Busy day at work, but it's a short work week. So far, I have nothing scheduled for Saturday... it almost seems TGTBT!!! I love my job, but every once in a while I enjoy being away from it for a few days :-) I do know that if someone calls and offers hours, I'll take them though.
It's very chilly still, and rained off and on all day. Where did summer go??? I'm sure we'll have more hot, sunny days, but it'd be nice to have them now so my tomatoes would ripen. There are dozens of green ones, but only 1 red one so far. At least my basil is doing fantastic (more on that later).
I didn't spend today but I drove... At least gas is down to $1.26/L ($4.78/gallon), so in the course of a month, it'll end in a few dollars in savings.
Big Brother is on tonight, it's really the only time I open the television now, but I know I'll be watching a lot more during the Olympics. It's going to be weird though being so many hours behind the action...
Here are my numbers so far this month:
No spend: 3/16
No drive: 1/4
No books/mags: 218/366
I promised I'd write my story about how I got into debt when I got out of college and let it build for 7 years until I finally started doing something about it. Every year in August I reflect on this, because it was around this time in 2002 that my situation got bad.
I was pretty good with money growing up, I worked from age 14 on, babysitting mostly, then I worked on student projects until I graduated college. Also, my dad would give me some of the earnings that my horse made when he raced. Most of my money went to clothes as a teenager.
Right out of college, I got a summer job where my boss said they'd probably keep me on past October. So I went out and bought my first car for $18,500. No money down, of course. Insurance was over $1,200/year. Plus maintenance, on top of that. I thought I was living large, making $10/hr!! Come October I was laid off and that's when my problems really, really started.
I did qualify for unemployment insurance, but the checks ($135/week) were barely enough to cover my car payment... I also had to start paying my $21,000 student loan, minimum payments were $400/month. Yikes. I had one CC I got in college during my senior year, with a $500 limit, but during the brief time that I was employed, I managed to open 2 others.
The seasonal/contractual employment cycle went on for about 6 years. I would get really good paying contracts, but then I'd have a few months in between jobs. I think from 1995 to 2001, I didn't make more than $20,000/year in income.
Even with a low income like that, I bought only designer clothes: Ralph Lauren, Esprit, Mexx... I also went out a lot, eating out tons and traveling. Most of my friends from college were living 2+ hrs away, so that meant a lot of traveling to get together on weekends.
My all-time low came around August 25th, 2002. I remember sitting down with a notepad and trying to figure out what I'd pay with the paycheck that was hitting my account that day. By now, I had 4 cards that were maxed out (around $19,000 total) and the minimums on those cards were more than I was bringing in. I couldn't even get a cash advance from my cards (I did those quite frequently... taking it out from one card to pay the minimum of another).
I went online and found the Debt-Proof Living website. It's like a lightbulb went on in my head when I found that place. I read Mary Hunt's story and while I wasn't $100,000 into debt like she'd been, I figured my situation could quickly get there. I had the $19,000 in CC debt plus my student loan ($12,000 balance or so then) and a car loan (bought a brand new car in 2000... balance around $12,000 in 2002). I had 1 income (I was making around $37,000/year at the time) and my debt load exceeded what I made annually.
The DPL plan is simple: you give 10%, you save 10% and you spent the remaining 80%. Debt reduction falls into the 80%. The debt-payoff is called the Rapid Debt Repayment Plan and it is like the debt snowball.
My savings when I started: $5.16. I'd been working for 7 years and never put a cent in retirement. I had never given more than $10-$20 at a time to charities.
I spent the whole weekend reading up on the DPL principles and a bunch of frugal and money saving tips online. I don't know why, but something clicked when I got on the wagon and I don't believe, in 6 years, that I've veered too far from the path.
I started with putting some money in savings and I also set up a Freedom Account (where you put money in each month for things you know are going to come up, like insurance, car repairs, etc).
I got a couple of my interest rates lowered but in Canada, it's not as easy as in the US. Back then there were no 0% offers (or anywhere close to that). I think my rates on a couple cards were 11% and the other 2 were around 14% APRs. I paid as much as I could and when the balances of all my cards got around $10,000, I opened a line of credit with ING that was around 6% interest.
I got lucky in the process, in late 2002, early 2003 I got a super contract giving 3 day workshops that paid me $800 per day. I only did 6 of those, but it was enough to boost my savings, pay down my student loan and really get on my feet, as I was getting my regular salary on top of that. I held a pretty good paying job until November 2003 where my contract ended, but I had enough in my emergency fund not to panic.
I got a new, pretty good paying job in 2004 and finished paying off my line of credit, my student loan and I was well on my way to paying off my car. I started saving for retirement. Everything was going well until 2005 when my labbie got sick and I decided to treat aggressively (chemo) and ended up taking over $7,000 from my savings. I don't regret that, but I just wish the treatments had been successful. A year after I was out all that cash and my labbie was in a box in my room :-(
In September 2005, I made the last car payment and enjoyed complete debt freedom.
By 2006, my 2 year contract ended... I had come to really, really hate the job I was working and it was enough to kiss my line of work goodbye. By some miracle, the end of that contract coincided with an opening in a corporation I had always dreamed of working for and within 2 months I was employed with them (the interviewing/paperwork process took a while, but I had my emergency fund to fall back on if needed... I wasn't panicking).
I decided to boost my retirement savings and borrowed for that, the rate was OK and I knew that in my early 30s, that money I was borrowing would be worth many times more by the time I am 60. I still don't think retirement loans are bad if one can pay it off fairly quickly, but in my case it took about a year and a half to pay off the $7,600 borrowed and during that whole time, I felt like I had a black cloud hanging over my head. I hate, Hate, HATE all debt.
It wasn't until I met with my financial planner at the end of 2007 that I realized how far I'd really come. On my 1 income, with several months of unemployment throughout those 5-6 years, I'd managed to go from a - $40,000 net worth to a +$40,000 net worth (cash only). And even when I was scrambling to make those minimum credit card payments, I was never late. The only black mark on my credit was from Sears, dating back to 1999 (I was 3 months late on 3 separate occasions... not good!!)
If anyone is still reading this long saga, I just wanted to encourage those that have debt to keep on paying it off because there will be a day when everything will be paid off. Other than my 1 contract that paid exceptionally well, I never had a huge salary, and I never received any windfalls. I worked hard, made sacrifices and focused on some short term goals and long term ones. There's always a way to do it if you really want.
I haven't menu planned on the blog in a couple months!!! But I want to eat better, so here goes:
Sunday: Pizza (take-out)
Monday: Ham, scalloped potatoes, carrots, peas and coleslaw
Tuesday: Crockpot brown sugar chicken, brown rice and a salad
Wednesday: Grilled steak over salad greens and garden veggies
Thursday: Grilled cheese and ham sandwich, salad (or soup)
Friday: Scallop burger and oven baked fries (or if I've been good all week, maybe poutine)
Saturday: Pasta with homemade pesto sauce
Check out other menus on the I'm an Organizing Junkie's site. It's a great resource!
You guys aren't going to believe it, but I'm sitting here in my pjs, warm socks and sipping a hot cup of herbal tea... it is cold outside!! It was really a miserable weekend weather-wise... I can't imagine being out in a tent right now.
I went to my p/t job this afternoon, was quite productive and brought work that I can do here too. I then went to check that site for my on-call job and while I was in town I gassed up my car... $45. I probably could have put a bit more but I'd reached the volume needed to get a $1 coupon off. I can then use that to get groceries...
No spend: 2/16
No drive: 1/4
No books/mags: 217/366
It's so nice to have a holiday (civic, provincial day or whatever it is each province celebrates) in August! I find the long stretch from January 2nd until Easter (we don't have any other holidays in Jan, Feb and March in my province) to be incredibly long without a holiday. I love that from July 1st until January 1st, we have one each and every month :-)
Not that I'm totally off today, I will go to my p/t bookkeeping job to finish up a little project my boss needs for tomorrow. I'm hoping he's not there cuz he can be a distraction (mr chatty) and I won't work as well. I also need to check the site for my on-call job, but if it's raining, I'm wondering if I'll even do that tonight. I'll call them up and ask if it's an emergency. They've been clients before so know how it works.
And finally, I'm going to try and post my story of how I got into debt, how much debt I had, and how I got out of debt completely. I had mentioned this in March but never got around to actually posting it. My 5 year anniversary of when I started taking care of my finances is coming up (end of August), so it's always a good time to take a look at how bad it was and where I am now.
Hope everyone has a great day :-)
... of a 6 year old chocolate lab! I found out yesterday that a man I used to work with has to give up his lab when he moves to a different city. I am really surprised he is willing to give her up because when we talked about our labs in the past, he seemed to genuinely love her. I know there are circumstances where some people have to give up their furry friends, but it's something I could never do.
I lost my beloved black lab in December 2006... he battled cancer for more than a year so when it was time to put him to sleep, it was a bit of a comfort that he'd no longer be suffering. But I really really miss him and I would love to be a doggie mom again.
The list of pros is long but the list of cons is longer. I know she is now considered middle-aged and could encounter health problems soon. I'm all for preventive vet care and nutritious food, so just the basics would cost at least $100/month, if not more.
There's also my upcoming trip, 2 weeks where I'd have to get her babysat. My dad, who is over here every single day would definitely take care of her, but my mom, always the cautious one, reminded me again of the very difficult year we had with the last furkid. And how my goddaughter's lab also had cancer, and how my cousin's golden suddenly went blind one day and couldn't be saved. I see her points, but I know I could be a good caretaker for this labbie.
I really want to contact him and tell him I'm interested, but I know the second he sends a picture, there will be no turning back....
I soooo want her!
I slept until 10 am this morning but I don't feel guilty, I needed it so badly!! It didn't help that it was raining and I had a purring cat in my bed :-) It was nice to have the whole day where I didn't have anything pressing.
I started my first book this month and hope to get it finished this week if I have down time at work... The place I'll be working is usually very, very slow, so I always bring stuff to do.
I had pizza for dinner, but it was my parents' treat. I made a batch of the coconut cupcakes for my mom to bring to a gathering they had yesterday, so they paid me back with pizza (not necessary, I offered my dad some money but they wouldn't take it).
Tonight there's a new episode of Big Brother that I got spoilers for off the internet and there's a horse race I want to watch... no other big plans. Oh I did get to see a friend who lives 2 hours away, she stopped by this afternoon... she was down at her parents' place for the long weekend with her daughter, so it was nice to see her.
So I didn't spend or drive today but I got to see a friend and have a free dinner :-) Not bad at all!
No spend: 2/16
No drive: 1/4
No books/mags: 216/366
I'm seriously Ms Serial Poster today... I guess I have a lot to say!! It was hard getting up this morning for a 2 hour shift, I did make it to my p/t job after, spent 3 hours there and brought some work to do at home. I have absolutely no plans yet for the weekend, a holiday one, but I'm sure something will come up tomorrow. I'm really enjoying the down time though :-)
I didn't spend today, but I was very, very tempted to eat out. My friend called and they were getting pizza but I was strong and passed! I probably would have gone if they had picked someplace local, but I just didn't feel like making the 20 minute trek for pizza, no matter how good it would have been. I told her to call me again when she feels like having Chinese food, and I'd go for it for sure!! (every 2-3 months I crave it bigtime!)
I'm off to bed ridiculously early for a Saturday night, but I feel my body begging me to lay down. It's my own fault for staying up til midnight many nights this past week... and there was the night with the leg cramps I didn't sleep well and the following night when I heard about the decapitation on the Greyhound bus I really didn't sleep well at all... I don't think anyone in Canada slept soundly that night...
Here are my numbers so far:
No spend: 1/16
No drive: 0/4
No books/mags: 215/366
Here are my goals for the month:
Fixed expenses
* Freedom Account : $645
* Retirement savings: $100
* Emergency Fund: $50
* Utilities: $150
Variable expenses
* Phone, int., cells: $100
* Groceries: $175
* Mad money: $100
* Gas: $200
* Giving: $180
* Vacation: $100
Total: $1,800
As always, I plan on $1,800 take home but I hope for more. The income from my on-call job isn't included in this.
Here are some changes I made:
Freedom Account : $645 -->Right now, I hate the balance in my FA. This is where I put money in each and every month for irregular expenses, such as car insurance, disability insurance, hair cuts, clothing, gifts, car repairs, new car fund, etc etc. I like seeing several thousand dollars in there, but it took a major blow earlier this summer when we did the porch remodel. So I've upped it from $450 to $645...
Retirement savings: $100 --> I am starting low, but I'm hoping after my trip in November and before I do my annual RRSP contribution in February, I can save a couple thousand at least. And then, when I meet with my advisor to discuss 2009 contributions, I'll get on a monthly withdrawl set-up. I am aiming for $5,000 for 2008 and don't want to rob my savings like I did last year......
Emergency Fund: $50 -->Same number as previous months... Again, I'm funding this slowly because I'm very comfortable with the amount I have already and want to concentrate on other stuff, but I do want to get to the magic number, $10,000, sometime soon!
Gas: $200 -->Oh I hope this can be a lot lower, but I'm going to budget this much as I know I'm working a lot of 6 days/week this month. I won't be traveling as far as in July for work, but it's still on the go a lot. Whatever I don't spend, if anything, will be swept to savings.
Giving: $180 -->I am having faith and giving 10% of my take-home this month!!
I will not be getting the $50 for checking in folks at my co-worker's cottage after all. She said they will just be in after 10 pm and her husband is taking care of everything... I am relieved because I didn't feel like meeting total strangers after dark and collecting over a thousand dollars in cash from them! I will enjoy being totally off tomorrow :-)
I did tell her I'm interested for another time... and she said most of the time folks come in mid-afternoon, unless they have a 12 hour drive like these guys did.
I am late with my postings today, it's been terribly busy... I'm working though so that's always positive :-)
I spent because I remembered a 6 pm the lady I'm replacing this week has her birthday on Sunday, so I got her a card and one of those special packages of lottery scratch tickets. I know she enjoys those. I also will bring her a few chocolates from my trip as a very belated birthday gift.
My sister asked that I make Barefoot Contessa's Coconut Cupcakes to bring to work tomorrow, her friend comes back after a 1 year maternity leave. We were out of almond extract and it's one of those ingredients that you can't skip in the recipe without affecting the taste, so I paid corner store prices for the extract ($3.19). I did try to borrow some from my aunt who had a bottle way in the back of her kitchen cabinet that had to be as old as me (price was $0.76!)... it had lost all of its strength though so we tossed it!!
I quickly checked my accounts this morning to make sure my CD had rolled over (I get the interest transfered to my emergency fund @ ING) and to see what the interest looked like when it hit the other accounts. I haven't updated any numbers yet though.
I work in the morning, a very short shift (8-10) but after I'm going to go to my p/t job and do a couple hours of paperwork there. I also have a site to check for my on-call job (I see a trend the last 3 weeks... ALWAYS on a Friday and by the time I get off work, I have to do it on the weekend!) and I also have the cottage check-in to do. Busy busy again, but we have a 3 day weekend so I'll get some leisure time in there too :-)
I haven't set any goals yet so I'll only update my no books/mags count:
No mags/books: 214/366
I searched but never found that I posted my July budget... I guess there were a few unknowns with my income so I never posted the final budget. Most of my fixed categories stay the same each month (Freedom Account, emergency fund, utilities, etc). Here's how I did with the variables:
Is there one out there for around $100-$150 I wonder?? I will mostly be taking pics of stuff that interests me (what I eat, where we live, markets and bakeries etc) and let my sister do the serious photography with her $800 camera. There's no way I want to pay a lot of money for a camera I'll only use once or twice (I don't take a lot of pictures).
Keeping in mind that I'm in Canada, does anyone know if I can get anything half decent for so cheap or should I invest in lots of pixels and memory cards and all that ???
After looking at what seems like thousands of apartments in Paris through numerous agencies and VRBO, we finally decided on one and booked it! There were several we liked, but when I found this one last week and sent the link to my sister, we both instantly knew it's the one we wanted.
I know some will say it's just a place to sleep, but I know there will be days/nights where we're tired from traveling and want someplace comfortable to crash. I've done 14 day trips before and I usually am exhausted around day 9-10 and need to recharge... that means napping in the afternoon, even if I miss out on an afternoon of touristy stuff.
The price is pretty good for 46 square meters (around 460 square feet I think??) and a touristy location... I'm not comfortable in posting links/pics but I will after the trip.
We can pay through Paypal so will avoid bank transfer fees (I inquired and these can be about $40-$50/transfer at my credit union)... we pay half now and half by the end of September. Total cost is a bit under $2,400 (when everything is converted to Canadian dollars...) my share will be $1,200 so around $100/night. I know we could have stayed in a hostel for so much cheaper, but we chose to travel this way and both admit we are very picky.
We have a very nice, large kitchen with full sized fridge/freezer, oven, coffee maker, nice living room with flat screen tv, cable, dvds, cds, books, free phone calls to North America (I think the last time I went I spent around $250 for calling home and my bf at the time), washer, nice bathroom with rainfall shower, queen sized bed and all towels and linens provided. Oh, free WiFi also!
Now we can concentrate on saving more money so we don't have to borrow from other savings when we get back to pay off the CCs!
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