A free weekend

A rare treat for me today.

DS2 has been gone to his scout camp since last Sunday. DH left last night to join him as they are running programming for a group and adult presence is required.

DS1 is packing up his car as we speak. He is off to join my parents, and a couple of my nieces at the lake, 2 hours from here. It isn't the big family weekend with all the cousins but it is still time away at the lake. I am so pleased both my boys value camping and family time so much. It makes me feel like I did at least one thing right raising them.

My almost 2 year old great nephew will be there. DS1 is beyond awkward and uncomfortable with little kids so this will be a good experience for him. When we hit Walmart yesterday to grab a few munchies for the lake, DS says "does that kid have a fishing rod yet????" I laughed and said, "He isn't even 2". So??? DS replied. "It's time he started".

DS picked out a CARS fishing rod for the boy, lamenting the fact that there wasn't a hockey themed one.

As for me, I have a list of to dos while I stay home and take care of my sister's place, ours and my parents. I need to get to the school too and pick up the items that need to be moved before my floor gets waxed.

Oh boy! me time!

Pop goes the knee-ble

We had a massive wind with rain go through on the night of the 25th. A plow wind. mean. about 118 KMH. It took out all sorts of trees and building and such. On the 4th we had big winds go through here again minus the rain. I thought I heard a crack but never saw much. Yesterday when I went out to cut the grass, I saw that one of our big branches cracked and was down over the fence in the neighbour's yard.

When DS1 got home from his work out, I fed him and off we went. His grandfather (my dad) would have been so proud of how he was up 30 ft in the tree and jimmying a rope pully system for me to yank the branch out as he cut it free. We missed the fence by (__) thismuch. I am pleased to see how much he has grown and learned. I tell ya, he's had me worried a time or two.

While hauling those big ass branches to the truck to haul away, I felt a very unhappy pop. My left knee. Seriously you could hear the pop and feel it go. Needless to say I didn't walk well at all last night. A cane would have been good. It is less painful today but still not all healed.  Getting old sucks man.

Here is the truck, all full of branches, getting tied down for the trip to the farm for dumping.

Adventures in RESP

Now that school is out I have a bit of time to figure out the status of things like the boys' RESP (Registered Educational Savings Plan)

I got my quarterly update for the boys' RESP account. I was so pleased at the end of April to crack the $10,000 point (5 grand each) only to watch it, through May go down down down. Once it was as low as $9800. It sure fluctuates a  lot.


According to the report, the plan shows a 1 year 2.17%. Since the inception it has a growth of 5.31%

Since I started late, I got a Family Plan. That means that I can allocate the money to the boys however I wish and it isn't necessarily 50/50. That helps if either one of them get scholarships. IF

Since DS1 turned 17 last calendar year, he is past his years of contribution that the govt backs. So off to the bank I went to figure out what is what.

I learned that since it is a family account, the $200 monthly I put in goes towards DS2 now since he is still in the age bracket where the gov't gives grants. That will last until Dec 31, 2014, I believe.

I wanted to see if I should add to the money I put in each month, since I have a bit extra now that the vehicle loan is paid off. I had talked about this HERE when I was redoing my budget. I had $300 extra per month I could contribute.

The agent and I went through the fine print and there is a cap the govt allows you to contribute each year without penalty. The $200 a month will put me close to that. I can go in to the bank in December, see what is legally left in contribution room and top it up to that amount. So that is what I shall do.

In the meantime, I have $300 extra per month starting at the end of July. It needs a home. So right now, it's home will be towards savings goals. That may change in the fall when school starts back up. I am not sure what it will cost me to support DS1's Junior A hockey.

Boy there are a lot of details to money :-)

Where the money stands

as of July 5, 2012

Debts
Mortgage -  $30 561.11
LOC - $3450

Total Debt - $34 011.11

Savings/Planned Spending
TFSA/EF - $2000
RESP - $10 600
RRSP - $4200
Summer 2012 - $1000
Plates $1100


I had to check my debt numbers twice. Then I realized that the debt numbers will go down much more slowly now that I have paid off my vehicle. Concentrating on my savings/planned spending goals right now just means the numbers are changing in different ways currently.  Once I realized this, I panicked less.

The boy and I have saved for his plate/insurance. It comes due the middle of the month. I will put it on my CC and then at the end of the month I will transfer the money from my 'high' interest savings and pay it off. At least this way I will have it in the savings account for a full month to get a few cents more in interest.

Next planned spending goal I will work to fill is my 'back to school' goal of $1500. There was $500 in my end of June budget to go towards that , so I am 1/3 there.

Happy Blogoversary to me!

This photo was taken by a friend of mine at our Canada Day Celebrations.

Wow how four years can fly!

July 4, 2008 was my debut and the start of my becoming a grownup, financially speaking.  I have loved every moment of this journey. I couldn't begin to list all of the things I have learned, both little and big.

I peeked back to my first few entries and smiled and how far I have come.  It truly all starts with baby steps.

I could have never made the growth I did without my lil money tree blog and the blog would never have lasted this long without all of you. thank you so much for all the support you have given me.

I have made a lot of great blogging friends over the past four years and I have learned SO much from all of you.