Will have to call MC but...

their hold times are killing me.

I noticed 2 different occasions where using my MasterCard online would not work.

The first was in August when DS and I were heading down to the States. There was a document he needed to cross as a student that we had forgotten about. We used DS's phone and the border's wifi to access the webpage, but no  matter how many times we tried, it kept saying there was an error with my card. It wasn't specific so we didn't know what detail was off.  I thought it was the number itself...do you leave the spaces between the sets of four numbers or not. We tried both, multiple times. The agent who was helping us was saying perhaps the billing address was wrong, but we redid that as well.  Thank goodness I had a VISA as well. We popped that info in and bam! card accepted.

I meant to phone, but when I got back, school started right away and it got busy.

The second was on our trip to the US. Everything was fine paying for the trip via expedia, with my MC. When it came time to 'check in' online, we hit a glitch. Those lovely $25 fees you have to pay to check luggage. Same thing happened. No matter what I did, it said there was an error.  I used my VISA and it worked immediately.

Anyone have any experience with this??

October Change

Every little bit helps when you are saving, but I seem to struggle in doing the inverse...every little bit counts when you are spending.

Nevertheless, here is my coinage tally for the month of October.

1 roll of toonies - $50
1 roll of dimes - $5
1 roll of nickles - $2

for a total of $57

This will go towards the bills coming in from my trip to the US

A visit to the US

We took two extra days last weekend and went down to visit DS at college.

The flight was ridiculously early so we had to leave our home at 2AM to drive to the city to catch the plane by 5:30. It was that or pay to stay a half night at a hotel in the city We weren't willing to give up that money. Some tired folks when we got to DS's city though.

It was lovely to be back there and to see him. We spent time at the rink with him, at his dorm room and at a park in the city.  We even had the chance to cook him a meal in his tiny kitchen. They don't do a lot of true cooking there.

It was homecoming weekend so there were parents and families everywhere around the city for the football team, the soccer games, volleyball, and of course, hockey. An incredible lot of college,  spirit around the community, which was nice to see. There is  a steakhouse that gives the hockey team free lunch on game days at home. I am told other restaurants do the same for the other teams.

It was not a cheap weekend. 3 flights, 3 nights hotel, rental car, $25 to check a piece of baggage every single time!!!!

It did both DS and us good to see each other. Much valued family time.

I need to put the pieces together and see how much it all cost and then cut the corners to pay this trip off fully.

Here are a couple shots from our time in a park in the city, that has it's own waterfall. The  first one has DS2 in it. I particularly loved the beautiful maple leaf I found.

Where the money stands...

as of October 7th

Debts
Mortgage - $23 074.89

**Total Debt - $23 074.89


Savings/Planned Spending
TFSA/EF - $5000
RESP - $19 100
RRSP - $8000 
DS2's trip -$2200
Plates 2014 - $1200
XMAS - $1000


Total debt does not include the college debt.

awol this n that

sorry for the away, and thank Sam for asking how I am doing. Hard to believe it's been a month.

I would say for the most part I have been very, very blue the past month. It's been a tough adjustment to DS being gone so far away....and the realization that I have only months left with DS2. Life here has been very quiet and lonely. a lot of sad realizations.

Now I know that I am a lucky woman to have my two kids when there isn't  a day going by where I read in the news that another mother has lost hers to accident or illness, or darker forces. I really do appreciate that I  am lucky.

It's just a tougher life adjustment.

DH and I live pretty separate lives and I think that reality was highlighted by being one person less in the house.  I really don't want to do another 40 years of not having a friend or a love. I need to make some changes within me so I can see the different lights I have around me.

work wise -it's been busy. They have changed again how our report card looks which means we need to change the way we evaluate, which really means, at it's core, we need to change the way we teach. I don't disagree with a lot of the philosophy. It does feel like 'everything we have always done is wrong and we need to relearn everything'.  I have been trying to wrap my head around the changes and trying new things to align with the new changes.

Moneywise, I have almost all the money needed for DS2's trip. It is due by December so I think I am on target.  It took forever to get the US bank on board for my account down there. I am still waiting on my debit card. I suspect the gentleman I dealt with when we were down there was unfamiliar with setting up accounts. None of the correct address information made it properly into the system.   My favourite was my last call to the bank's 1 888 number when the third person I was passed to, who had been briefed on my situation said "why don't you just pop into the branch and we can straighten this out."  yes, remember when I said I was from Canada and thousands of miles away....? lol  pop in! :-)

I had gutted my weekly grocery money by $40, rationalizing that I was feeding one less mouth so I should have extra cash. I am finding it difficult to keep to that amount.  Granted I also use that budget for household items.

Today was a really good day, all around. I got things done. I went for a long long walk and reconnected with nature. I didn't feel blah. I truly do hope I can continue to feel this way. I rather like not being sad or near tears when I see something that reminds me my kids are grown :-)


this isn't meant to be  a poor me post in any way. just an update on where I 've been. hopefully am moving more into the sunshine