Reflections on 2015

If I had to quickly summarize 2015, I would say that it wasn't my favourite year. I can dissect it and find positives along the way, which I definitely need to do, but overall, there were far too many Murphy visits that threw off my budget, my plan and my mojo.

Let's start with the financial ones:
The original post is HERE from last year.

1) TFSA - $2000 - done. It was done early in the early before things started to happen.

2) RRSP - $1500 - done. This was done by summer I believe.

3) Summer 2015 - $1000. This was done early too. It was nice to have that money for our camping trip.

4) Back to school - $500. This was a reduced amount compared to previous years. The boys both started college and BTS was much different with just me. I used it to pay my professional fees and a few things for my new classroom. And some clothes I think.

5) Vehicle Plates - $1200. done

6) Xmas 2015 - $1500 - done and all used up. The two plane tickets to BC ate up a big part of it.

7) Graduation costs - $500. done. Used for prom tickets (he ended up going) as well as cap and gown pics and a supper.



I know...you're thinking...she met all her financial goals...what is she complaining about??

Well let's talk Murphy.

Murphy1 - DS2's car. Repair after repair after repair. To the tune of close to $7000, about 2/3 covered under the warrantee I didn't want to buy, regretted buying, then was glad I had bought. The kicker was that it kept having to go in....that they didn't fix everything at once, said it was all good, and then a week or two later we were back in again.

Murphy 2 - DS2's car. So it is finally running well again and a massive hailstorm beats the car to death. Almost NOTHING from those repairs was factored into the insurance.

Murphy 3 - DS1's new to him car in mid July went hunting in September and took out a massive buck. or vice versa.  We had to deal with insurance out of the country, a mess of red tape and paperwork and then the hunt for a new vehicle which wasn't even close to the price of the previous one.

Murphy 4 - DS2's non trip to the US. couldn't go due to exams. No money back. $700 ticket wasted.

Murphy 5 - DH's trip to the US - half the ticket wasted as he drove DS1's new vehicle down to him.

Murphy 6 - the Canadian vs US dollar. It's at 71.something cents right now. And I have tuition due in January and another semester of living expenses. This exchange is financially paralyzing.

Murphy 7 - My health. Stupid colitis. I was so sick in March and April. Off work. Lived in the bathroom. Steroids didn't help. Slowly got better ish. Started a new infusion med and was so excited and optimistic. Was not meant to be. Got sick again starting around Canadian Thanksgiving and it has just gone downhill since then. I am not sure what the plan might be but I can't keep on like this. I am close to needing to be off work again.

A move to a new school. Some good. Some not so good. Nothing changeable, so we adapt as best we can and move on.

Empty Nest - not really a Murphy, but still a factor

It was all overwhelming and contributed to my health problems I am sure.

Absolutely there were positives.  A new baby in the family, born safe and healthy. My son graduating from High School on the Honour Roll with a diploma in French Immersion. A few more scholarships for DS2 to help us as he headed off to school.  A trip to see DS1 in the  US.  Mom and dad still are mostly healthy.

I can't control a whole lot of Murphy so I need to learn how to control how I react to Murphy.

I can't bring my children home again full time. I have to find a way to have a life without them here (yup and that made me cry)

I definitely need to work on finding jolie in 2016.

And that, is my year, wrapped up in a new little bow.

2015 - a quick glance

This was  a really wonky year for money. Debt was at the forefront. More specifically, college money x 2 children.

The debt numbers for this year really only reflect the mortgage.

December 2009 - $70 771.99
December 2010 - $52 410.25 (down $18 361.74)
December 2011 - $40 055.29 (down $12 354.96)
December 2012 - $35 921.04 (down $4 134.25)
December 2013 - $25 925.49 (down $9 995.55)
December 2014 - $22 494.06 (down $3431.43)
December 2015 - $18 837.12 (down $3656.94)

The rest of the debt for my world is the college LOC which has been up and down and up and down. I know where it is at, but I would have to do math to find out exactly how much I added and how much I paid off. It is going to continue to be in flux for at least 2.5 more years.

 I have to say that this is the first year that the weight  of debt and impending expenses have weighed on my like it did back prior to July 2008 when I started this blog. The tailspin of the Canadian vs US dollar certainly is  a big factor.  Adding a second child to college didn't help.

I have 2.5  years left of DS1's time in College and 1.5 of DS2's course. Not sure if DS2 will take classes after that.

I suspect that I will just have to work to survive this time and regroup when it's all over.  Neither can apply as a single independent until they have been out of High School for four years. Apparently DH and I make too much money for them to qualify for anything now.

Like Dory, I will have to just keep swimming, just keep swimming, and hope the boys appreciate this when it's all over.

A year of snowflakes

Snowflakes make me feel powerful. They make me feel in control. Pretty awesome given how infinitesimal each little flake can be. Snowflakes remind me not to fritter away the little bits, or the bigger ones. Snowflakes remind me I have the power create change.

This year was  a big year for flakes. The biggest of them all thus far, honestly.  $8064

Remember this is not all NEW money. Some was in my regular budget and repurposed.


Where did my flakes come from? Well $642 came from the change I rolled this past year. Some of it came from my income tax return, combined with the extra I got for being able to claim some of DS1's college. So $2000 came from income tax return.   $1200 of it came from a long awaited backpay when we finally signed a contract after close to two years without one.

The remaining snowflakes came to $4222. I honestly can't list offhand all the sources for that. Some was returning bottles and cans. Some was skimming leftover money from my weekly budget to reallocate towards goals or debt. 



In 2014 the snowflakes were $3112
In 2013 the snowflakes were $3671
In 2012 the snowflakes were $3136
In 2011 the snowflakes were $4350
In 2010 the snowflakes were $5070
In 2009 the snowflakes were $4295

Ah the power of something so fragile.

A year of change

I continue to believe in the power of change...the rattling money kind, that is.

(I seem to be typing this with one hand, as my maine coone cat insists this is her snuggle time)

It goes in a jar and once a month I count it, and roll it, if there enough of any kind. Then off to the bank I go and put it towards debt, or a savings goal.

Last year my total rolled change was $512.

Not bad for a year of rolling. Not my highest amount either though. Just shows how much I use cash, and if I keep, or spend, the change.

This year, it felt like a lot of months didn't have enough to roll.

January - $0
February - $80
March - $0
April - $100
May - $20
June - $85
July - $92
August - $150
September - $0
October - $0
November - $30
December - $85

So the grand total for the year is $642

More than I thought, actually.

This money generally went to mini goals or debt repayment.

I haven't yet decided if I will put all my change towards a specific goal, or just allocate it month by month, because sh&t happens.

In theory, I COULD decide that the change goes towards "Back to School" as it would get me at least halfway towards that goal by August 1.  Hmmm something to think about.

And with that

they are both gone.

House already feels empty. Our female cat was ticked and went to her cat house and started whipping her toys out.....her way of letting people know she is unhappy.

I drove 5 hours today. An hour there and back to pick DS1 up from the inlaws. They are so good to him. The brothers all hugged him. Her mom hugged him and started crying saying "I don't know how you do this."

Then we drove to the city and dropped him off. I watched him go through security and then made the  trip home. 

I made DS2 spaghetti and meatballs for supper and helped him pack.

And just now he has driven off. He will get to his place around 10 PM tonight. He always picks the darkest, coldest times to drive.

DS1 is due to arrive at his home airport by 11:30, if there are no delays in his connecting.

Gosh it was good to have them home but it went far far too fast.

Wrapping Up Christmas

Another holiday season is over and in the memory chest here. It went far, far too fast.

DS1 and DD got home from her place on the evening of the 23rd. We spent a quiet evening together watching The Scorch Trials.

On Christmas Eve morning, we went to my nephew's new house and had brunch. He did up sausage and bacon, and served up eggs  on toasted English muffins with béarnaise or hollandaise sauce. He did a great job.

We came back here for the afternoon and then headed off to my sister's for Christmas Eve Supper. Her kids were all going to the other side for Christmas Day. We played games, they opened their presents and I got to see my three cute great nieces. DD is incredibly good with kids, so that bodes well for the future. Far future :-)

DH and DS2 made it back from BC and joined us there for a few hours.  DH headed home by 10 and the kids and I got home about 1 AM

It would be the only night everyone was in the house together. 

Christmas morning, we opened up the stocking things I had for the kids, and the cats.  Below is a picture of one of our cats. She made DS2 work to get her in his lap. She loves him dearly but was miffed he was away so she would circle  hm and look at him and when he called her, she would lift her nose up and away to show she was displeased. Finally she jumped up and curled up contentedly in his lap with her new feather toy.

We did Christmas brunch at my parents' and then came home. DS1 and DD left to go to her home, DS2 went to play video games and DH went to see his sister. I had a couple hours of alone time to veg out and clean.

Supper was a quiet affair back at my sister's house with just mom and dad, sister and her husband, and us. DS2 was maxed out on people and exhausted from him trip so he stayed home and napped. Half way through supper I remembered that one of my friends was alone for Christmas Day. Her kids were at their dad's. I texted to see if she wanted to join us but she said she wasn't 'company ready'. I took a plate (ok several) over to her and had a good visit. We work in the same building but are lucky if our paths cross once a week. Big, busy place. I was glad I had taken food to her. She was sad and it helped.

A quick run back to sister's to finish cleaning up and then we came home.  DS2 and I hung out for awhile and it was a quiet night of watching CSI reruns.  I didn't buy myself a book or go to the library before the holidays, darn it.

Today was the first time I have ever gone out for Boxing Day Sales. DH went once, a few years ago, when he got new pots for the kitchen. I have low tolerance for crowds of people. I had money set aside though in case some dishes came on sale. We have been using the same ones for 24.5 years now. They weren't fancy when we got them at our wedding, but over the years they have scratched up and we have lost a few here and there. DH and I found a set for $80 that had 34 pieces. Very plain. Not cheap but not expensive ones either. I just can't afford that.  We got to the register just in time. One person ahead of us. Literally 120 seconds later, there were no fewer than 20 people waiting  in line. DH counted for me because I was curious.

So this morning we boxed up the old stuff and washed and put away the new ones, adding a bit of contact paper to the bottoms of the cupboard as it is worn too.

This afternoon I headed over to the school to print off some tax documents DS1 needs to take back with him, and our printer is temperamental.

A roast is in the oven and DS2's clothes are in the laundry, and it is just another winter night for me, but at least I have one child home, for one more night.

Gifts of Christmas past

We got talking Christmas Eve about the best Christmas presents we were ever given... not in value...not in experiences......but in longevity. You know, those practical gifts that don't really give that feeling of luxury necessarily, but turn out to be well used and appreciated over time.

Here are my top five, in no particular order.

1) my mixmaster. I think, without looking, it's a sunbeam. I received it when the boys were little little. There aren't any fancy attachments. Bowl and beaters. But it's been well used and made lots of cookies and cakes and loaves for my boys.

2) Duffle bag. My sister got us these probably 23 years ago. We had no kids at this point and DH and I each got these black leather duffle bags.  Those suckers have come with us  on infinite hockey and camping trips. Just the right size to toss a few things in and off you go. The leather  is wearing in places, like on the handles, but the zippers keep on zipping on. I used mine 2 weekends ago on our road trip for curling with the team.

3) My Keurig. All environmental issues aside, it has been one of the most used gifts I have ever received. We never have a ton of company, and that coffee pot sat on the counter, unused for so long. Too big to make a pot in the morning, or it would just go to waste.

4) My fitbit. That was last year. I do go through spurts of wearing it, but it really makes me think about how much I move. Much more so than my pedometer used to, as that sucker fell off lots.

5) A coffee mug I got for Christmas my first year of full time teaching. Not a Christmas one. Just a white one with simple script saying "For everything, thank you" on it.

Frost

 

This is my outdoor view right now. Everywhere you look....thick, gorgeous hoar frost.

Wishing I had a better camera to capture the beauty. This is from my tree in the backyard.

Tuesday

A low energy day today. Funny how they seem to go super high then super low. Gotta love steroids.

I honestly went from jammies to shower to new jammies today.  On the bright note, I spent no money.

I did my traditional filling in of my Mom's Calendar.

I really don't need it like I used to. It's really more for a house full of people. Apparently I am not ready to let go of it right now. I also bought one for each of my nieces who have families. They hadn't seen them before and loved them.

DS2 sent me a few pics from his trip. Rained most of today and  was cold. They went out in the zodiac and caught some crab. Last night they went into Victoria and saw the lights and shopped a bit.

Two less happy pieces of news. My mom's step sister is 'anytime now' as her kidneys have shut down. My mom is feeling bad as she always meant to visit and call more, but didn't.  The father of one of my former student's passed away Saturday night from a massive stroke. He was a very good man. Just waiting on news of when the funeral will be.

Appreciating family tonight from my quiet little house.

Mahhhhvelous Monday

So glad to see my energy level is back up today.

As of right now, I am officially alone for three days, and I am kind of ok with that :-)

I know, all I do is talk about empty nest syndrome, but I know DS2 is having a  wonderful time in BC and DS1 is only an hour away at DD's house. I texted her mother with a 'tag you're it'. She is a great person to coparent with.

I am taking advantage of the energy and getting a few things off my list. Oil change. Groceries. Stocking stuffers. check check check

At home I got into jammies early (I laugh as it's only 7:30 here and I have been in them awhile.  I took a paper and made 30 little slips and created 15 visible and 15 invisible cleaning or sorting tasks, each of which is small enough to get done in 10 min or less. I have HGTV on and I draw one visible, do it, and then draw an invisible.  Logic would dictate - make a list of everything you need done in 'x room and do them, but I am not feeling logical tonight.  I already have two big garbage bags full  - one of trash and one for donation. 

I actually think I may head to the school for a bit tomorrow and literally get my to do marking list in piles and start to make my way through. I know I'll feel better getting things off my list there.

Perhaps I shall hit up the library and find a great book to spoil myself with.

It feels like ages since I was at school. really it's been four days. funny how that extra day really makes the difference.

Have a wonderful night everyone.

Quieter Sunday

I was honestly surprised by my energy level this past week. It came to a screeching halt today when I woke up super tired and feeling like I had been  on a week long bender, with a little colitis thrown in for good measure. There was a lot of HGTV, some Canada Jr hockey and Netflix.

I made some cookies for the kids and made up tacos for his supper as per his request. There was another hockey game last night but it just wasn't in the cards for me. Too bad really as there was a shoot out last night. Fans bid on the registered players. The winner player's bidder wins a portion of the money.  There were five special guest shooters last night - DS and four of his alumni from their year.

I listened on the radio but it was happening at the same time as the post game interview with the coach so it was tough to hear a lot of details.  I was so pleased to hear the emotion in the coach's voice as he spoke about how good it was to have 'his boys' home again. 

DS2 sent me a few more pics tonight. He said it sure rains a lot there. They venture out, but quickly get soaked.  Here are some pics from the deck of their house, and from Port Rupert Harbour.  DS is in one of the pics looking at the boats.

It was SO nice not to set an alarm tonight. Blessed.

Snowy Saturday

After my quiet coffee this morning, I whipped up a batch of banana muffins. Something about the smell of home made baking or cooking that makes me feel productive and domestic. The kids were still sleeping so I puttered about quietly up here until the house woke up.

It was a great day for starting that never tackled 'to do' list for the house. I altered between visible things and invisible. Visible meaning anyone visiting would notice, like dusting or cleaning the toilet or a load of laundry. Invisible meaning things that I know no one would probably notice but me (or my mother)...the pen drawer, the spice cupboard, my purse.

I hit the liquor store for the very short list of things for the holiday season - a bit of wine, some Baileys, some mudslides and a couple of wine gifts for DD's parents. I made sure to use up the last of two gift cards I had received for that store in June of last year.  For those outside of Canada, alcohol is super expensive up here compared to our US neighbours.

My splurge for the day was Murphy's Oil Soap ($4.99). As I cleaned out  each cupboard, the oak gets a good scrubbing with that to remove a bit of grease and make it look healthy again. That's been on my to do list for at least a couple years.

I made a promise to myself that I would drink a boatload of water every day. Safe to do since I am at home much more and can make it to the bathroom if colitis rears her b*tchy head.

It was nice to have some baking ready when my nephew stopped by to return a crock pot, and I could feed him something fresh out of the oven.

DD's family came into town for the hockey game. We went for supper before hand (man I wish my house were bigger) and headed off to the game. I used my husband's season ticket and the kids used some passes I got from a board member a couple months ago, so that was free.  It was fun to see DS visiting with other former team members and team fans.


DS2 sent me a couple pics from his trip. They went to the Juan de Fuca Strait early this morning to watch the sunrise and the waves coming in. They also headed to the forest to see the Redwoods.

First day of the holidays

Actually began Thursday night....

I had had precious sleep Wed night as the steroids woke me up about 2 AM and would not let me drift off again.

Morning began and I spent 4 periods with my class and then, with my co coach (the real coach), we headed off with the senior curling team to a community about an hour away. It was great to watch four different schools come together for a little bonspiel before the holidays. We laughed (and laughed) on the way home. I got back to my empty house (well ok the kitties were there) about 8 PM. DH was already gone on his Christmas gift from me trip to Victoria to see his brother.

DD (DS1's girlfriend) arrived about 8:04. She and I would be heading into the city to pick up DS1 at the airport around 12:15 AM.  We hung out and chatted and waited for DS2 to get home, only to get texts from DS1 that his connecting flight in Minneapolis was delayed. and then delayed. and then delayed. He has flown  home three times from college and he has yet to have a flight without issues.

DS2 finally arrives home and we begin power doing laundry as HIS flight leaves at 11:20 on the 18th, to join his father in BC. (that  DS's gift from his mama). The three of us had a good visit and watched Planes, Trains and automobiles, then off to the city went DD and I.

DS1's flight finally came in about 2 AM, and he quickly cleared customs and zoom home we went. We got to the house about 3:45 AM and he was bouncing about, so glad to be there and happy to see the cats. DD and I just laughed, watching him. I headed off to bed for about 2 hours sleep before I had to wake up to get DS2 going.

By 9 AM DS2 and I were up, ready and done the 1.5 hour drive to the city. This is the first  time he's flown alone, but after a couple questions, he was fine.  I watched him go through security and then my exhausted butt started the drive home again.

By 10 AM a text came from DS2 saying the plane he was waiting for was delayed in Calgary.

By 11 AM I was back in my city and stopped at a couple places to get gifts and then home I went.  DS1 and DD had gone out for lunch. He was missing REAL A and W as he called it.  I had a little 45 minute nap then headed off to the bank, the post office and grabbed a few groceries. DD wanted my home made sweet and sour meatballs, rice etc. Grandma was excited to hear this and offered to make home made buns and a raspberry pie if we wanted to bring the main course over to eat at her place.

By 3:30 PM, DS got a call with a little voice asking if "Uncle" could come visit him at gram's. My niece was doing a whistle stop through on her way to the city and her son adores mine. So over we went for a quick visit and a game of ministicks.

By 4:30, we went over to my oldest sister's for  a quick visit (she's the one with MS). She is alone a lot and was happy for the visit.

By 5 PM, DS2's flight had finally got to Victoria, several hours late.

By 5:30 we were back at gram's for a delicious supper and a great visit.

By 6:30 we were back home and everyone crashed for a quick nap.

By 8PM I was up and making an appy as DS and DD were heading over to a nephew's house for an ugly sweater party. DH texted to say that DS2 had had a big turkey supper  and was crashed by 6PM BC time.

By 9 PM I drove the kids over to the party and nestled in on the couch at home. I should have been exhausted,  yet I sat here, in a weird state of "I should be doing something", so I spent a half hour marking  a social assignment. Silly girl.

I picked the kids up at 1 AM.

I am certainly glad I sacrificed one of my earned days off for Friday's adventures. No clue how all highway driving would have worked out, if I had tried to work too.

Money spent:
Gas for Two trips to the city - $75
parking at airport - $10
groceries - $80
gift shopping - $120

Now it's just after 8 AM. It's dark outside. My little tree lights are on, the cats are curled up on the couch, and the house is quiet, except for my fingers clicking on here, my coffee sipping, and HGTV on in the background.

Let the holidays begin!

Home for the day

I knew when I woke up, things weren't right. I woke yesterday with a plugged ear and things felt off all day. During the night I woke up several times feeling bed spins dizzy. I hoped it would be gone before alarm, but no such luck. 

I got up and showered because sometimes that just resets the balance when I am not feeling well. Nope.

So off I went to work, fingers crossed I could get a sub. It was still early, before 8, so hopefully there were subs available. This is my first sick day in my new building. We are fortunate to not have to call our own subs.

I after a few quick texts, I found someone to take my new supervision. That is our responsibility to find.  I started gathering things, just in case a sub was found and to my surprise, one was there by 8:45.  I spent an hour total, getting things ready for the sub and then home I went.

Sleep, and nap,  tea and home made turkey soup. I managed a couple loads of laundry and overcame my "I should be DOING something' by writing out my list of things I need to do before the boys come home next Thurs night.

I am very grateful for sick days. I don't use them often, but I appreciate they are there for days like this.

A quieter Christmas

It's definitely going to be  a quieter Christmas this year, both in my little house, and in my larger family group.

This is the year that most everyone is going to 'the other side' for Christmas - the spouse's family.  I am honestly not sure who is even going to be around.

DS1 is flying in after midnight on the 17th/18th and will be home for one week. DS2 is flying out to BC to visit his uncle, and make some  connections with folk in the resource and environmental law world. His uncle used to work with the federal government for fisheries and can introduce DS to a few of them and get a tour of operations.  DH flies out on the 16th and DS on the 18th. (so two trips into the city that day for me to get kids to and from the airport)

The trip is DH and DS2's Christmas gifts from me so there won't really be much beyond stockings for them to open. DS1 bought his Christmas gift down in the US on Black Friday, after calling me first to see if it was ok. So he has his gift.  Something about not having pressies to open makes me a little blue.

DS2 and DH will be home after midnight on Christmas Eve. DS1 will be celebrating at his girlfriends that night as they go to mass and do their presents. So it will be a solo Christmas eve for me.

I didn't buy a tree this year. I dug out the little three foot artificial mom got me a few years ago and it will go up on a corner table in the living room.

I need to snap out of my blues. I have a lot... a LOT to be grateful for and a lot of folk out there are having a tough Christmas.

Off to the school I go to do another round of marking and planning.   Have a great Sunday everyone.

*****************************************************************
It was a productive day. I got everything ready at school for the door decorating contest tomorrow. The kids just need to cut and assemble and get creative. I chose for our door theme the book "The Mitten Tree".

 

It's a great story of an older woman who watches the kids board the bus each day and spies a young man without mittens. She knits him some and leaves them in the tree by the bus stop. He is so excited to find them the next morning. Seeing that joy, she continues to knit and leave mittens until she runs out of yarn, her joy building from the joy she sees in the kids. She comes home one day to find a basket of yarn on her doorstep ; a gift from the children she made so happy.

 

I hit Walmart, mostly with blinders on, so I wouldn't buy anything I wasn't going there for. It was tough.. I went to do four pictures at the photo center and get one frame. One of the pics and the frame is for my mom and dad for Christmas. It's of my boys. It's all she wanted. Two others I put in frames I have had at home sitting here, waiting, for at least 6 years. DH was born in a house with bare walls and can't stand things up. Almost like each nail is driven right into his brain or something. I persuaded him, with great difficulty, to finally let me put up pics of the kids, and one lovely 'family ' saying wall décor my sister gave me about 3 years ago. It feels SO good to have something on that wall.

 

I decorated the wee little tree and it stands on a corner table now. I found some nice, tiny ornaments, in the ornament box, so I didn't have to buy any to scale. I must have put it up last time with nothing on it. sad lol

 

My mom had given me a lovely clock for my birthday in the fall, and I swapped it out for the very plain one in the kitchen.

 

As penance for his nail driving marathon (10 min), I sat and watched some Gold mining show with DH. They all seem the same to me.

 

I am anxious for the week ahead, mostly because no matter what I do, I can't stay caught up with the marking and the planning. When everything is differentiated, there  are often five or six different assignments for each subject happening every day. Gets a bit overwhelming. I spent four hours there today, and about five yesterday and I barely feel like I made a dent. I have some very weak kids in my class and at least three who can't read beyond a grade 1 level. It makes it super tough.

 

I am curled up now with my two kitties and a glass of red and working on appreciating all the little things I have. 

Where the money stands

as of December 5th



Debt
Mortgage - $18 837.12
College LOC - $14 844.91

Total Debt - $33 682.03



Savings/Planned Spending
TFSA/EF - $7100
RESP - $10 600
RRSP - $10 976
Plates - $1100 (goal met)
XMAS -500

A small dent was made in the LOC. DS1 shared the news though that he probably will have to take both spring and summer sessions of class this year. That means a) he's not working and b) full cost of tuition and his living there.

Being budget consious this week

I would have to say that I did a good job of smacking myself on the back of the head last week and getting myself back on track, at least with the jars.

I took out my money on Wednesday night for grocery/household, gas, spending and entertainment. My tank was empty so the gas money was pretty much all used. The spending money $20 was my limit if I wanted coffee or something from our cafeteria. The entertainment money $20 was put into a jar I have set aside for Christmas groceries. I learned last year I needed that extra bit.

The groceries ...... I got the items DS2 wanted for his 2 meals at home, checking my pantry first. It felt good to feed him well. He took all the leftovers back with him, quite happily.

DH looked wistfully at the boxes of things I was sending back with DS (along with food stuffs from grandma). He told DS, "we only get groceries when you are home". Totally not true.

I picked up a few things on Sunday for lunches for the week and to make soup Sunday night.

I talked with DH about menus for the week and we went through the freezer in the fridge to see what was there. I pulled everything out, tossed what was freezer burnt and said "Ok here is what we have...what do we want to make?" 

I packed lunch each day this week. I brought coffee from home. I really should map out what lunch groceries cost and work out how  much a meal it costs.

There wasn't a ton left of the $180 weekly grocery/household money after that. Every time I wanted to grab Tims in the morning or run to our cafeteria (which has delicious food) this week, I kept saying "You only have X$$ left. Are you sure you want to spend that?" It helped.

There was a lot of self talk this week.

Today is the last day. I am left with enough $ to go pick up the cheap conditioner I need and some 'feminine stuff' and then I'm pretty much out.

Here's to another week of being strict with myself.

November Change

A small amount was rolled and taken to the bank

2 rolls of quarters - $20
2 rolls of dimes - $10

for a total of $30

This went, along with money set aside, towards a new winter coat for DS2. He hasn't had a new one for 4 years and has grown out of his old one.

a happy Fri night

DS2 called last night about 5 saying he was coming home for the weekend. I was pumped. He asked for chicken stir fry for supper so off I went grocery shopping with my newly withdrawn grocery jar money in hand.  I even used a $5 off coupon for the Co-opI got when filling up with gas, and a $10 off coupon that was on their app. Felt good to make good choices.

I was never so excited to see laundry.  Honest. I did five loads last night. Just have a few things hanging up to dry and one last load before he leaves tomorrow.

We had a great talk about his classes . He is really enjoying them and doing very well, marks wise.

It was so good to forget about everything else and just appreciate family.

This n that - the short version

• Bad blogger - not writing
• Bad spender - wasting money on lunches at school in the cafeteria and at Tims in the morning
• Bad empty nester - seriously sad lately and missing my kids dreadfully
• Bad time user - I get home, do supper and dishes and do NOTHING. no marking. no cleaning. Netflix and bed.
• Bad sister - not visiting my sister with MS forever and she lives blocks away.
• Bad Colitis person - Despite the new meds I am in flare again. Back on steroids I go so I can hope to keep working
• Bad Murphy's law survivor - sh$t happens. Costs money. have to plan and recover.

A quick visit with DS1

It went far too fast. Honestly. Four days with part of two spent travelling. But two days was all I could get off from work through earning my extra curricular hours so I had to make the best of it.

Originally it was supposed to be me, DH and DS2 flying down. Tickets were booked in early September. Then with DS1's accident, a dif vehicle had to make it's way down. So DH's seat was empty, but very paid for, on the plane.

DS2's school schedule was free when we booked and he very much wanted to go. Two weeks before we left DS's schedule was changed and he had field experience exams that he could not reschedule. His seat was empty, but very paid for, on the plane.

Neither was refundable, through expedia. With DS'2, I ended up getting a sort of a credit with Delta.. has to be same passenger, from same departing airport, within a year, and I have to pay a $200 fee. Doesn't sound like much of a deal to me.

Losing out on that money hurt, a lot.  I have to do things differently next time.

DS1's BFF cousin ended up driving down with DH. It was his first trip to the US so it was exciting for him. Lots of first experiences. We had room in our hotel room, but he ended up crashing at the house with the boys. Why he'd rather spend time with kids his own age instead of going to bed at a reasonable time with his aunt and uncle is beyond me :-)

DS's girlfriend was there too, so Cousin and GF got to hang out while DS was busy doing team stuff.

Taking the vehicle down let us take a few extra things we wouldn't have taken on the plane. Tim Hortons K cups for one of his roomies. Tim bits for the sports reporter for the city, who asked if we wouldn't mind. I had never met the guy, only tweeted to him now and again about hockey.  Old Dutch potato chips - ketchup, and some all dressed chips. DS also requested some Canadian beer, in bottles if you please. It just tastes so much better. With two adults over the age of 21 (State law age, not our province's) I  sent 2 x 24...one of which was DS's favourite - Bohemian.....a very old SK brewing company.

I got to see DS1's house  - wow college landlords sure can charge a lot for a dumpy, and very old, place.

I got to reconnect with a few of the parents who are easy to talk with, including his roomie's parents, who are very good to DS. I met a few others who are new to the team.  There is very much a 'local kids/non local kids' divide, mostly through them knowing each other for years. Some of those parents have a LOT more money than we do, and I have always struggled with being able to do regular conversation with folks who have such a different life than I do.

We didn't cook a meal for DS this time. With six roommates and their parents, that house was bursting. So we took him out for a couple meals. In my 'we won the lottery' fantasies, I have a house down there...well a condo really, over looking the water, where I can have DS over and cook for him :-)

It went far too fast.

We flew out on Sunday morning, and cousin flew out on Sunday afternoon. Girlfriend was supposed to leave on the Wed, when the team left on their road trip, but her flight got delayed, and delayed and then cancelled. She spent the night alone in the big rental house. After multiple cancellations the next day, she finally got a flight to come home. Darn that fog.

Now I am just figuring out bills and costs and such and will try to figure out a way to save for another trip down. 

I miss him.

Lest We Forget

 

I have been used to Remembrance Day Ceremonies at my old school of just under 200 students. I  always worry students will not be respectful during the ceremony. Moving now to a school of over 1000 students....that's a lot of bodies to be in  one place and be 'in the moment'.

 

I was very impressed with how my new student body behaved during the ceremony. We had a Master Corporal in to speak on his time in Afghanistan and why Canada was there. For so many students, Remembrance Day is about wars fought long before their grandparents were born. Not that those world changing battles were not important, but having someone speak who fought in something recent, someone so young, comparatively, gave the day a whole new meaning.

 

My old school did this as well. For one, we Skyped a doctor who had did 3 tours of duty, and another, the father of one of our students came and spoke, having just finished his tour of duty the week before.

 

It is so important that schools continue to have this tradition of  Remembering our Veterans.

Where the money stands

As of November 7th

Debt
Mortgage - $19 151.18
College LOC - $15 944.91

Total Debt - $34 962.83



Savings/Planned Spending
TFSA/EF - $7100
RESP - $10 600
RRSP - $10 976
Plates - $1100 (goal met)
XMAS -500

I managed to whittle down the LOC a bit and hope to keep hacking away at it.

October change

Love preparing posts ahead of time. This post comes to you while I am waking up in a hotel in the US, and getting ready for my flight home to SK. insert sad face here.

Come to think of it, there was no 'September change'. That tells me there was far too much VISA and MC and Debit card going on.

I actually rolled this last weekend and  took it to the bank last Monday.

1 roll of toonies - $50
1 roll of loonies - $25
1 roll of quarters - $10
2 rolls of dimes - $10
2 rolls of quarters - $4
2 rolls of pennies - $1

amazing how I am still finding these little pennies everywhere around the house.

total change for the month $100

I put this down towards my LOC. Every little bit helps :-)

RRSP update

When last we checked in with  my RRSP update we had taken a hit as the Canadian dollar tanked. My big excited about being above $10 000 was crushed, and life........well life moved on.

It has gone from $10 196 down to $9 847.

So currently I find it back up again, thank goodness.  My current statement has me at $10 976, which puts me up $1129 since last statement. This should accommodate the $1500 I added in...I think

I will not pretend to understand the market.  I would need serious training for that :-)


If my past math is correct, I have put in a total of $9200 since I opened it. A small gain over 5 years, but not monumental.

Election Day

Election Day in Canada


Proud to live in a country where voting is a democratic right for all races, genders and ethnicities. As I tell my students, so many places don't have that right.

The polls were busy. That was a good thing. I ran into one of my former students who was excited to be finally 18 and able to vote. I hugged her.

I hope all my Canadian readers got out there to exercise your democratic right.

Challenge completed

It was an interesting experiment.

If it were purely food we put in our mouths based, this challenge was, even with our Canadian high grocery prices, completed.

I spent $6.77 on 4L of milk and $4.14 on a large loaf of bread.  With enviro tax on the milk jug and tax, this came to just under $11.

$10 remaining in the challenge.

We needed toilet paper however and with tax that came to $11 ish. DH went to buy that. Did he bring the receipt? no.


I get that I mention TP a lot. As a person with colitis, it is a big part of my life, unfortunately.  In the spirit of TMI, I probably use as much as a family of four.

We could have gotten each of these a little cheaper if we had driven over to Walmart. The cost of gas to go there and back is $2. I theory tested it a few weeks ago.  The danger is going to Walmart is self control. So many things to catch the eye.    

I decided the lower prices weren't worth the extra 30 min of driving time there and back and the time in the store and at the register.

So did I make the challenge? not quite. but super close.

For supper
Sun- Thanksgiving at mom and dads
Mon - thanksgiving leftovers at home
Tues - eggs. I like scrambled and DH made an omelette with veggie leftovers
Wed - sloppy joes with tossed salad (used up the salad veggies)
Thurs - mom invited us over for porkchops and baked potatoes
Fri - no clue what DH ate, but there were dishes in the sink when I got home from volleyball tourney. It was late so I had some toast and crashed.
Sat - chicken and rice.

We could probably do this again right away but we'd need some veggies and some yogurt.

In the 'household supplies' category, which shares the $180 budget, we are out of cat food, Kleenex and Motrin. I have to renew my prescription this week as well.

I suppose when you include household, every week has a something which is running out.

It was an interesting experiment, and one I doubt I would have been successful with when my boys were at home.

So I 'saved' $160 this week, with little difficulty. It went straight towards the new to DS vehicle debt.

$21 week challenge

Ok with the costs for DS2's vehicle and the extra international long distance we've accrued this seemed like a good week to try this challenge that I see all kinds of folk trying.

I saw the idea on NDChic's Cents, who saw it on Finally Acting our Wage.

I usually allocate $180 a week (Canadian, for those lucky folk in cheaper grocery land) and this is for groceries as well as household things like shampoo, conditioner, household supplies, prescriptions etc.

If I can keep this week at the $21 limit then that gives me $159 to put towards those nagging debts.  What a sweet little snowflake.

Not really any rules: just keeping track.

I started it on Sunday, with Thanksgiving at mama's. Monday was leftovers and it was just me.

So I thought I'd give it a shot. My week will be up Saturday night....which is the end of my weekly 'allowance' for jar money.

What might I need? milk, bread, Toilet paper.   I have another volley ball tourney this weekend so I will have to think and plan.

I snack far too often and those cost....and I always drink chug milk with it so I can go through milk quick. time to focus on water, which is free. or Wine which is not, but I have some.

What have I done to motivate myself? I am cooking up some dobbles of ground beef that were in the freezer for sloppy joes for Wednesdsay. We have buns from my mom's. I also am baking a spaghetti squash, which will give me something to nosh on for my lunch at school that is filling.

Here we go!

Happy Thanksgiving

It's a lovely Monday morning to still be at home and not at work (although I am heading there in an hour or so lol)

It would be lovely if all weekends were three day: one to spend cleaning/maintaining home and yard, one to spend with friends or family and the third to spend at the school marking and prepping.

DS2 came home for Thanksgiving weekend. It was so good to see him and hear how his classes are going. He is really enjoying them and finds them all quite practical. I know I couldn't say that about all my University ones.

Saturday was spent doing yard work. Raking leaves. Mowing lawn. Blowing out the sprinkler lines before free. Putting the patio furniture away. That one always makes me sad.

It was  a good thing we got that done on Saturday as it poured and gusted wind all Sunday.

Some of the family made it home for Thanksgiving at mom and dad's. I got to see the newest baby in the family and snuggle her. I got to see the 10 month old twins, and I got to hang out with the older ones. 8 little ones, ages 5 and under.  DS2 isn't much for little kids or babies, but he did well teaching the older two how to play an old Mario game. They thought he was awesome!

Some frustrating news came though  - DS2's beloved Scout camp was broken into sometime on Saturday. Damage and so much stolen. He and DH left early this morning to go see what they could do to fix the damaged buildings and inventory what is missing.

After my leisurely cup of coffee I am off to the school to get caught up on marking and plan for the week. It's nice today so maybe I can get a walk in this afternoon after things dry up.

Happy Monday everyone.

Where the money stands...

as of Oct 9

Not everything is as it says here. I am in the process of buying DS1 a replacement car. As we don't have our money from SGI yet, I shifted things around including a bit of LOC until things settle


Debt
Mortgage - $19 462.65
College LOC - $16 349

Total Debt - $35 811.65 



Savings/Planned Spending
TFSA/EF - $7100
RESP - $10 400
RRSP - $9 847 + $1500 (no update balance from them yet)
Plates - $1100 (goal met)
XMAS -500

This n that

I would highly recommend not getting into an accident outside of your home country. The paperwork is ridiculous. I had to send in tax forms to prove he files taxes here. The college had to send papers to prove he goes to school there. Forms of declaration up the wazoo. questionnaires.

Don't even get me started on the phone interviews. It took 7 business days of calling 6-8 times a day before we got the agent LIVE instead of her voice mail.  "I tried to call you at 11 AM yesterday!!!" she said indignantly. "yes, " I reply, and as I said in my message I left, "I teach then and can't leave 37 math students for a 20 min phone call"

Each time I called and got her voicemail, I gave her a window of when I could be reached. She never called during those times.

Same thing with DS. He's in class. He has practice. So he would call in the morning and leave her a window of time each day when he had 30 min for the phone call. She would call while he was in class.

I recognize we are not her only clients, but ...

So we are not yet done dealing with all of this.  No end in sight.

Murphy - sigh

At least I trained him well. When I got the call last night at 10:30 he started with "mom, I am ok"

The vehicle wasn't. Nor the deer.

 

I get the joys of figuring out how insurance will work between Canada and the US.

 

I know this is going to cost me $$$$

Where the money stands

as of September 6

Debt
Mortgage - $19 775.03
College LOC - $17 349

Total Debt - $37 124.03 (down 1460.75)



Savings/Planned Spending
TFSA/EF - $7100
RESP - $10 400
RRSP - $9 847 + $1500 (no update balance from them yet)
Plates - $1100 (goal met)
XMAS -500

I went to the bank just before school started and added my $1500 to my RRSP. Usually that doesn't happen until November or December. Feels rather odd to be done this ahead of time :-)

I took money out of the RESP for DS2's college tuition. There is enough there is enough there for $5000 each.   I have to be diligent and save as much as I can to get them through their years, and hope they visit their mother in the home when it is all said and done.

Grocery/household budget

When DS1 left last fall, I took $40 out of our grocery/household budget to reallocate to his college budget. There were weeks when we noticed that $40 was gone and weeks where it was less noticeable.

Now with DS2 gone, in THEORY, we should need less for the budget again.  I have DS2's budget already set. If we are only feeding two people, there should be a bit of surplus.   I haven't really noticed it yet but it's early.

Over the summer, I debated how I wanted to tweak the budget or IF I wanted to tweak it.

I remembered that last Christmas I found myself on a big shopping trip before DS1 came home from the States, and that I wanted to tuck some money away so I was ready for that purchase.  I decided I wanted to save $200 towards extra Christmas food shopping.

So, here is what I think I am going to do. When I take out my weekly jar allowance, I will automatically put $20 of it in a Christmas jar. 10 weeks of this and I will have my extra money.

IF there happens to be money left at the end of each week in this jar, that will become my snowflakes for the LOC.

So new mini goal: $200 extra dollars for Christmas.


It's a rainy, dreary day here. Homemade stew being created and bread in the bread machine.

Catching up this n that

DS2 is fine, mostly. He is content where he lives and has a full fridge and pantry. We probably spent $500 getting him set up with things for his place and his pantry and fridge. I had this money tucked away so it wasn't a hardship.  I shudder to think what it would have cost if his place had been unfurnished.

He is excited about the classes he is taking so that is a plus. Not all college kids can  say that. He had two days off this week because they were all taking a first aid/cpr course and he actually has his papers for the full course two levels higher. Thank goodness I sent that paperwork with him. It worked out well that he was off, as his migraines have started to come back.  He still has to get his books and get his wifi set up.

It has been silent on the DS1 front. They had fitness testing all week and started classes so I am hoping that is all that it is. His scholarship $ was put against his tuition today so I stopped at the bank for the US draft and I will get to the post office tomorrow to mail it down.

As for me, work has been exhausting! Seriously.... I fell asleep last night by 7. I am attributing it to being unwell most of the summer and unable to walk regularly.  I am hoping that is all it is. I have been wearing my fitbit and walking anywhere between 9000 and 15000 steps a day. Bigger school

I need to get in this weekend and get organized. There is no time in the day to do it. I have 37 kids in one of my math classes and some can't do 2 x 3. yikes!

It's supposed to rain this weekend so I anticipate some baking, some Netflix and some kitty time, besides the housework.

Some snowflakes/August Change

I went to the bank today after work and made an extra payment on my LOC.

My change for the month was hefty. I purposely didn't spend any that I got buy when buying things, because I  needed this little psychological boost.

1 roll of Toonies - $50
1 rolls of loonies - $50
3 rolls of quarters - $30

for a total of $130

Added to that was some leftover gas money and grocery money which added up to $100.

Together that was $230 down on my LOC.

I need to keep up the focus and get this debt DOWN.

And.................he is gone

With a quick dash back into the house to grab his mother's dog eared copy of Voltaire's Candide, DS2 is gone.

Don't tell DS1, but the tears have been far more copious this time than when his brother left for the first time.

I think it's because it means this phase of motherhood is truly over.

Waiting for all the money pieces to fall together.

Money is whipping in and out of my accounts like crazy and to be honest, I will be happy when both boys are settled in to school. Then I know the tuitions are paid and I can get back to whatever my new budget will be.

DS2's tuition was paid yesterday. The RESP money is in, so as soon as it shows up on my MasterCard, I can take care of that.

DS1's tuition is still pre-scholarship so we are waiting for that to be applied. I forget how long that took last year. The online College account says the 20th of August but I know full well it was in September before it actually was applied. So we are waiting to see how much that is, and if any of his accommodations are covered.

DS1's MC bills for his travel down are finally posted. He stayed in a hotel last Wed night and the charge just showed up on the MC today. So that is all paid. What a difference in gas prices between the countries. A fill here was about $50 and down there it is high $20.  It does annoy me that it takes that many days for the charges to show up on the card.

My laptop is still in the shop. I stopped by yesterday and talked to the guy. It made it to their bench Friday.  The Trojan is deeply embedded in my system and they are having trouble wiping it out. So it will be another couple days.

Funny thing - I noticed the weird popups (Trojan) when I was ordering shirts for DS1 from Holister.ca (Abercrombie and Fitch). Hey, $10 Tee shirts!  And good quality ones too. He has one and loves it. Anyhoo, that is when this popped up.

Enter my school laptop that I brought home with me last week. DS2, who hates clothing shopping, said he liked his brother's shirt and since they were cheap, could he get a couple since he needs new shirts anyways.

I never even 'thought' and went to my school laptop to the webpage and after picking a couple, I went to start the check out process and the SAME popup came up. Coincidence???? I think not.

I shut it down and restarted it. Apparently the school has better virus protectors because it is gone. I checked with the techie at school.

I called the company to tell them what happened from their webpage on two different occasions. They could not have cared less.

The money for DS2's hail damaged car came through. I put that in  a savings account. It will be there when we decide what his new to him vehicle will be and find one we can afford.

And that's the money poo.

It's payday today so it feels like a brand new start to things. 

One gone

Well DS1 left yesterday. His girlfriend spent the weekend with us as they tried to make the most of their last few days together.

We spent Tuesday packing and making sure he had all his proper documents to get across the border. This would be the first time he would be going alone, by vehicle. 17 hours is a long long drive. I hope he doesn't choke to death on the stench of his hockey equipment.

He dutifully texted me after he got through the border and again when he checked into a hotel in North Dakota. A lot of the boys that drive far just pull over at a roadside stop or a 24 hour gas station, but that made me nervous.  He spent a night in a vehicle when he went to Craven (outdoor music concert) this summer, when their tent got flooded, so he knows how uncomfortable that it.

He should be on his last leg of the journey by now. When he texted last night he said he was glad to be back in the land of low gas prices. It's crazy expensive up here.

The house felt emptier last night, for sure. The cats were looking for him.

Part of me felt the tiniest bit relieved. Now I can focus on getting DS2 ready for his departure and give him my full attention. I am sure DS2 is thrilled LOL

DS2's car

So we had our appointment with SGI (claims) for them to see DS2's car after the hail storm. They are used to seeing lots of little dents but they said it was rare to see such massive dents all over a car like that.

He did his once over and documented everything and stopped when the damage value was at
 $10 000, saying that was enough for the car to be written off. Then we had to wait for  a claims adjustor to evaluate the worth of the car.

It took awhile as everyone is on summer holidays. They came back with an initial value of $7600, which was more than I thought, honestly.

Then I had to take in the $6000+ in receipts from the past year for all the repairs we did: struts, transmission, upper and lower control arms, etc

Know what they offered us for that? $200. That's it. Said nothing counted but the transmission.

I was shocked.   Kind of sad that all that work was valued and almost nothing.

That cheque will come in a week or so and I will tuck it away until DS finds a vehicle he likes and we can afford.

Little Grumbles

I  am working very hard on being positive and light hearted because.........it makes me feel better.

But....Totally first world problems here, I know. Nothing that will stop me from living and breathing and functioning, but just a teeny bit annoying.

So small vent and then I shall move on.

• Laptop. I was told it would be done by last Friday. I called this morning and it hasn't even hit the bench yet and could be another week or two as they are 'super busy'. (then don't promise a week if you are super busy, silly).   I said I needed access to some files for school and, well....school starts next week. He said "bring your USB in and we will transfer the files onto it".  Thinking that they need to be reminded that not everyone has multiple devices I laughed and  said "and what would you like me to stick the USB in to open said files?" I said it very light hearted and he didn't take the bite and offer dark suggestions of where to stick it :-)  It just miss mine and wish they had kept their promise

• Dentist: I have been calling multiple times a week all summer trying to get an appointment for cleaning and it always rang busy. Now summer is over and my window of flexible time is over.

• VISA: I called to see if I could get my credit limit temporarily raised so I could pay DS2's tution on it (for the reward points). It would be paid off immediately. I have room on my Mastercard but collecting airmiles has proven to be a why bother since there are never flights when we want to use them. Anyways....despite me never having a balance owing for the past 7 years on my VISA, they would only up it $500. It would take a credit inquiry to raise it up more and I have no desire to tamper with my credit rating for reward points. .

(freaky coincidence....phone rang as I typed the word airmiles and it was FROM airmiles. I think they can hear me!! I had called them this morning about using miles to book a flight and wondered if there was a list of dates where there were no flights available instead of my guessing and trying for over an hour Answer...there isn't.)

Bright spot: DS2's college does not charge a fee for using the CC to pay tuition. DS1's charges something like 4% to do that. ouch

• school laptop. We had been told that teachers being moved would have their computers taken care of so that we had access to the new school's printers, etc. I called this morning and we have to reimage them ourselves. I don't mind doing it. I just have no idea how. Apparently there is some magic portal in the library I have yet to be in, where I do this. Should be an interesting experience.
• Still playing phone tag with SGI about DS2's car and how much they are willing to give for it.

Anyways, I am off to withdraw some $ from my RESP. My old advisor is no longer in that position so we shall see if my new one is experienced, or not.

Super grateful for the flexible time I have to take care of all these little details.

Where the money stands

as of August 15

Seriously late to the game posting this.
Debt
Mortgage - $20 084.78
College LOC - $18 500

Total Debt - $38 584.78



Savings/Planned Spending
TFSA/EF - $7100
RESP - $16 900
RRSP - $9 847
Summer 2015 - money in use
Back to School - $400 (started to use some)
Plates - $1100 (goal met)
RRSP in holding ($1500)
XMAS -1400


I really really don't want to add the LOC to my total on the upper right. It is going to be in flux up and down and up and down for the next three years.   I am not in denial about my debt totals. I think of that LOC balance and all the amounts I have to pay upcoming all...the...time.

I have already made headway on the LOC, lopping off $1500 since I moved things around.

As part of the shifting of money around before adding on to the LOC, I moved enough money to finish my 2015 savings goals of RRSP and XMAS. I needed to streamline all the transactions happening each month.


On the bright side, the next mortgage update will be under 20, 000.  When I started this blog in July of 2008, it was $44 537.19