The Sweet Smell of (J)Money

I have to tell you I was tickled pink when I was scanning over my blogroll this morning and found JMoney did a lovely mention of my MoneyTree. I had done my 'costs of being a girl' both last year and more recently and he did the manly man version of it.

I know many of you already have this great Blog on your linklove, but for those who don't....here it is...



Budgets are Sexy

It's a great read and I loved seeing my thoughts on female expenses being validated.

of course if I didn't have to buy 'monthly' stuff and stopped shaving I could knock $20 or so off my monthly amount, but ...........ewwww LOl

On a totally separate note, this is directed to blogsmart folks or those with blogger /blogspot blogs. I noticed that I no longer have any font style to choose from. Before there was a limited choice of font style and now that drop down option is totally gone. I can't choose text size either. A few other things look different. Anyone noticed that or can offer wisdom?


Thanks for a great read this morning J and a big smile on my face.

Small changes

With each payday,until January, I have $125 to target towards my savings. As yesterday was payday, I snuck off tonight to the ATM to put money into my savings account there.

I allotted $75 to my summer 2010 account, which brings it up to $550. Just a bit over halfway to that goal.

I also allotted $50 towards my Efund. It is now at $1100 and my new goal for that is $1500. Sure that won't go far in a real emergency but I find that with a smaller target to get to, it doesn't feel so insurmountable. When I hit $1500, I will re-evaluate my budget and then up the target to $2000. baby steps.

The summer 2010 is fully funded in April at the current rate. It's still before the deadline of 'summer' so I would consider that a success.

I still, however, want to to RRSP contributions as well as xmas 2010 so I am not sure how that will all pan out.

Ahhh sweet payday

That proverbial time of each month when I rejoice that I have a 'full' account again and can once again play the happy fairy with her basket of money....skipping through the debt forest and sprinkling dollars here and there.

This month feels different, however. It feels like a ' man we just made it through a month and now I have to do that AGAIN?' kinda feeling.

Purely psychological. I mean I made it through the month without running out of money. I paid of bills and debt. I paid extra on debt. We weren't eating bread crumbs. I need to reframe into positivity.

I updated my personal loan sidebar. I am finally in the $6000. It's exciting to see that number keep dropping. I can't wait til this loan is gone. It's been hanging around in one consolidated form or another for over 9 years. Craziness.

I will hit the bank as soon as I have a moment and take in the rest of my snowflakes and dump them on that loan as well. I have just over $300 of them.

small steps, or rather, if I am that fairy....small skips through the debt forest.

Updated Sidebars

I can't believe I forgot to do that. It's just been so whirly and crazy the past two weeks as the kids' activities are in full swing. We have at least two things going on every day afternoon and it certainly keeps them hopping. Not so much they can't get at their homework but it still does require careful use of time.

I added $50 to my EF which brings me a wee tiny bit closer to my new goal of $1500. $50 isn't that much in the grand scheme of things but it is an amount I can dedicate to and not fret about other things.

I also added $475 to my Summer 2010 account. I have $75 a month budgeted to this. However, since I have maxed out on my contributions to CCP and EI this year, I have a bit of cash there as well. I used the $400 for that which brings me almost halfway to my summer 2010 goal.

The extra money I have coming up on payday this weekend will go towards my goal of a second $600 lump sum payment for my consolidated loan. I have $90 snowflakes already towards it with perhaps another $200 for this month of slowly accumulated snowflakes.

I feel like this month was so busy with expenses that I stagnated a bit. The numbers show I didn't, not totally, but it felt like it.

A sports road trip

Ahhhh the sweet life of winter (acckkk too early) when the snow falls far too early and the sports season begins. This weekend was our first full weekend of hockey and with it comes the proverbial costs with it. THIS is what I save x $ for each month so that some of our costs are offset. Entertainment $ comes in here too.

Bus costs. The boy rides for free and the adults pay $20 each to go.

Hotel costs. One night this weekend which came to just over $100 with all the lovely taxes.

Food costs. Healthy snacks and 2 meals on the bus. Grocery shopping. Water, juice, a couple gatorade. Sandwiches, fruit, lean proteins and granola $40

Meal costs. Two suppers out, one breakfast and one lunch that usually ends up being at a rink. $45ish per person

Rink costs: $5 per adult (depending on where we play). $5 if you purchase the host rink's 50/50 raffle (The profit from the 50/50 for the host rink goes to offset their ref costs. If you buy when you are there, generally, they buy when they come back to you) You are not required to buy. Really up to the person.

Crazy hey?

But as I stated above, this IS our family entertainment. We don't go on expensive holidays, we don't go out to movies etc so it balances out in the end.

Let the games begin