thoughts to ponder

With payday rapidly approaching and the bank account almost depleted I sit and think about the insane spending of August, with some still to come as I sign the boys up for their school and activities.

I have been waffling over how to tackle the emergency savings, the bank of mom debt and the CC debt and have ran through options and variations over and over. I think I have it straight how I want to tackle things and then I see it in a different light and run in that direction.

What I've decided to do is the most money saving wise I suspect. I will put a temporary hold on building the Emergency savings, which is currently at $500 ( I wanted to get it to $1000) and I will, with mom's approval, put the bank of mom loan on hold and divert all those funds towards the CC Debt. I should know better by end September cheque, how long this hiatus will be as my cheques are different in September as there is a pay increase and a few other things happening.

My hope is that by Christmas, the CC is paid off, the Emergency fund hits the first goal of $1000, and the Bank of mom loan is 1/3 paid off.

lil things

Today was a little things kind of morning. Time to get newly arrived paperwork paid and filed. Time to shred. Time to roll coins. Time to take in bottles and cans. My mom and sister contributed to the latter.

I like it when I am able to get things like this down as it is often the little things that bog my world down, piling up until they become big things.

I had $13.00 in coins all rolled up. I will do that again at end of September.

I took in the bags of cans and bottles and netted a lovely $49.70. Together that makes almost $63 of 'found money' this morning. That will go to the bank this afternoon and go towards the debt. wheeeeeeeee

That puts fewer bottles and cans into the landfill and a bit of jingle in my pocket

If only every day could be 'found money' day.

The scariest part of back to school/start of season

• Back to school supplies $100
• School Fees $200ish
• My staff dues $75
• Band sign up $150
• Instrument Rental $285
• Back to school clothes $200ish
• Classroom supplies and resources for new curricula $250
• School lunches ??
• Milk Card $15
• Hockey start up fee $550
• Hockey team fee $400 + fundraising

that's all my fuzzy brain can think of right now

My gift bag from Staples

Well there was no coffee or treats. I shopped for a few things there and got some duotangs for 19cents and new desk stapler. My ink for my printer was 'sort of' on sale but it kills me that to fill that thing costs more than buying a new printer often. It's insane how many people will buy a new printer rather than ink for their old one but it's cheaper. The printer companies have gotten around this by only putting 1/4 of a cartridge of ink in. I wonder if this will cut down on old printers laying sad and lonely in the landfill.

But I digress. What did I get in my gift bag??

• 1008 cutsey stickers for assignments (I teach middle years so the effects of stickers aren't quite as powerful as at the lower primary.
• a teeny white glue bottle
• a simple pleasure oatmeal cranberry bar from Dare
• some red pencil from a company with a 6 page promo on their product
• a Five senses poster I'll give to a colleague in Gr 2
• a coupon book for Staples

That's it.

Was it worth going to just for that? heck no.

I did use my 10% to get a few of the things I needed that were reasonably priced, but I will buy my childrens' school supplies at Walmart.

There is another T day next Thursday and if I have all my ducks in a row I may buy my new computer (not laptop) for downstairs. 10% off would definitely help there.

the beginning of back to school

Today is Teacher Appreciation Day at Staples! Actually there is one next Thursday too but I'll go today. Now from what I hear in some bigger centers, this is a pretty fancy event. There's coffee and juice, muffins and donuts and a lovely gift bag. I went last year here to our sort of new Staples outlet and the smell of freshly brewed java was conspicuously absent. No scent of yeasty creamy filled cellulite WITH icing in the air. My treat bag was tiny: a highlighter, some stickers and some coupons for further visits, some other little thing which escapes my memory at the moment, and an easy button. I was going to give that bag to my intern (student teacher) along with a few other treats as a welcome to the school for 4 months, but that seemed insufficient. I ended up hitting the dollar store to find some great things: paperclips, highlighters, teacher pencils, notepads, thingies to hold her stuff on her desk...but I digress.

I wanted that easy button. I coveted that easy button. I didn't have one. I always wanted one. In the end I exchanged her easy button for a lil floral bouquet for her desk which probably cost more than the button. Sometime I am so silly.

So off I go today to see what things are in there. There is high doubts there will be any coffee or pastry but go I shall. I also get 10% off on any purchases I make. Will I get the boys' school supplies there? Probably not as they are more expensive there at 10% than Walmart at it's regular price. But I shall go and pick up new ink for my home printer which you can't get at Walmart, maybe a few other little things (I'll have to check the flyer) and get my treat bag and my 10% off.

I may be almost 40 but the August display of school supplies does something to me. I get antsy and my eyes glaze over. New pens and notebooks! New fresh crisp looseleaf. New sticky note thingies. A giant rainbow pack of coloured sharpies!!! *drool* and this is for me, not my kids LOL

I spent probably $1000 a year out of my own pocket on my classroom. Some consumables, some books and decorations...some were good choices, some were not.

Any deal I get is great!!

Well off I go to brush my teeth and get out of my jammies to be there when the stores are open. After all, free gift bag supplies are limited LOL