My Freebies are here!

Well technically they arrived yesterday but with the wedding and a nap and a three hour stint at the school working and  some NHL playoffs, I just didn't get to it.

As you can see, there are several items in this package.

• Herbal Essence Volumizing shampoo and conditioner. 'passionflower and sunrise pearl, to be specific. I do use Herbal Essences as one of my rotating hair cleaner products so this will be useful AND a 'flavour' I have not yet tried.  The only kind of HE that didn't work for my hair was in the blue bottles. Which is a shame, as I like blue. It did not react well for my hair and made it very limp and sad looking. Bonus - I also got a 50 cent coupon for any H E product.

• Olay Facial Cloths - These are the 2 in 1 exfoliate and clean, cloths. I have bought Olay Cloths before. They came in a hard, square white box and they were great when I went over to Europe and the places we stayed in did not always provide washcloths.

• Febreeze Small spaces - I have bought two of these before....one just last week. I guess I had forgotten some of the things I had checked off when I did the P and G Survey. Ah well, with teenage boys, the odds are in favour things are going to be smelly LOL  I like that these are battery free. They do not stick out conspicuously from your wall outlet. They are discreet and I can tuck them anywhere and they are not immediately noticed. This one is the Meadows and Rain scent. I am not sure how long they last. They first one I bought I set up, and then promptly forgot when I first opened it.

• Crest 3D White STrips and some toothpaste and some floss. I have used the whitestrips before. I have to say I prefer the kind I got in the samples to the kind I have purchased on my own. I seem to purchase the least expensive and it shows, in how well they stick to your teeth. If I were going to use these because I needed my teeth whiter for formal pics or something, I'd spring for the most expensive 3D ones.

I also got some coupons from the company that you could choose at the P and G site. What I liked is that I could click on the coupons I would actually use and just get those. I did not take pics but I have some for:

•  Olay products - $5 off when buying 2.
• $1 off covergirl
• $1 off 2 Dawn Dishsoap
• $2 off any two febreeze products
• 50 cents of Puff tissue
• $2.50 off Nyquil  (I obviously had my cold as I was clicking on these lol)
• $2 off on Head and shoulders (DS2 needs it)
• 50 cents off H E
• $5 off any two tide products
• $1.50 off Swiffer

Now for those of you in the US, here  is the difference. The coupon says: limit of one coupon per purchase. Use of more than one coupon per product is strictly prohibited. There is no combining of coupons up here. I will make sure I use them when a product is already on sale, to help improve my 'savings'.

Is that same notice to consumer on US coupons too? am curious

I was invited

...just like I was invited to his mother's wedding in 1981 when I was 12. I got up at 3:30 AM this morning and am all curled up watching. Hubby says watch it on recap later. I say, it's just not the same!!

Financial Time Machine

There are moments when I dream about what it would be like if I could go back in time, using what I've learned about money and budgets in the past three years. If only Sheldon and Leonard's (Big Bang Theory) TimeMachine could come to me.

This isn't a negative post, full of pessimism and feelings of wasted years. It's more one of playful curiousity.

We grew up at the lower end of middle class, or the higher end of lower class.  There wasn't money for extras. We didn't go ANYWHERE if it wasn't camping (in tents) or fishing. Eating out was rare. I do remember, however, how fun it was to go to the A & W drive in and have them deliver food to our window. Mom and Dad worked their hineys off. There were no extra activities that were not church ones and mostly free. Well after my three sisters moved out, there was money for vocal lessons for me. I loved those.

I got my first job when I was 15 going in 16 (I promise I won't break into Sound of Music...maybe :-)  I used that money for gas when I got a car, for clothes and make up and for time with friends. I don't recall asking mom for money when I ran out. I also know I spent with no thoughts of savings or goals or making it last. There was no 'when you get paid, the first thing you do is set aside 10%, then fill your tank with gas and THEN if there is money left...'   I do remember, however, a lovely outfit consisting of mint green stirrup pants, a 'to the knees' mint and pink sweater, some fantabulous pumps and faux pearls looped about my neck. I rocked that outfit!!!!  Ahhh the joys of the 80s LOL

When I went to university it was much the same. I didn't go hog wild with partying or clothes or pizza every night but neither did I say "hmm I have $x for the month so how much do I have for each week?"

Same with when I got married. sigh

I just don't think I had an understanding or awareness of money. Heck I am still evolving on that. Money was not really spoken of. Taboo. Like talking to your mom about sex. Just did NOT happen. Don't get me started on the 'it's wonderful being a girl' pamphlet I found on my bed that was my only information about the joys of the menstrual cycle LOL

I don't think the word 'budget' was even a word I knew.  

Budgeting can be fun and just think of all the missed years of fun I lost by not knowing about it. What wonderful habits I could have had by now with my little lists and scratch math everywhere. Perhaps DH and I would have been on the same page financially and we could have grown together, working together for common goals. (I think I just heard picket fences burst out of the ground in front of my house :P

Alas there is no what if and all I have is what I have now. I would like to think that I can live through my 40s without heaps of massive regret and guilt. I did enough of that in my 30s.

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As a side note, I was cleaning out one of my school bags. I have several. This one served as a storage for my work in progress Inquiry Unit I was working on last year. I found my favourite pen, some white out ribbon, a very fuzzy mint (certs.....wintergreen), several scratch notes about money and budgeting from last year and....................$5. wheee! I rarely find money anymore so this was fun. I immediately added that to the jar that holds the savings for the plates and changed my sidebars for it. Ahh such fun.

Goal changes and successes

thanks everyone for all their positive comments lately. They are much appreciated.

I am going ahead with the changes on my goals. I know that will take some weight off my mind and create a shorter list of savings goals (sorta)

• TFSA is on hold for this year
• Christmas is reduced by $200 to $1200
• RRSP is reduced by $500 to $1000

Incoming goals:

• Finish off the $800 needed for the plates.

I cashed in my rolled change yesterday, went to the bank and came home with 2 crisp $100 bills. That has been added to the plates goal and I am now $90 away from meeting it. Incidentally, when I have the full $800 I will go deposit into my High Interest Savings until I need it in July. Might as well gain a bit of interest whilst I wait.

• Save $3000 towards the trip so it can be paid for in cash. That also will live in the High Interest Account as I save it until January when I need to pay the balance.

Just another day

The weather, with it's bright sun, has taken a turn. It's cold and grey out and I am reminded again of how weather can affect moods.

Sunday night................ok Monday morning, hubby gets up at 4:20 AM to get ready for work. For the first time since last fall, we'd left the window open a crack as it was stuffy. The blinds we leave up once we're in bed as the cats greatly love sitting in the window and guarding the street from their perch. I hear a horn toot lightly and some voices. The folks across the street have a grandson living with them. He works nights and that is the usual sound when he gets dropped off at home. The voices sound different though so DH looks out the window. Nope, not the neighbour boy, but  a van moving down the street and three young men moving from vehicle to vehicle. Oh goodie. It's time for spring vehicle break ins. DH hears one say "ok you go look at the white one, you go look at the red one..." Wait!! Those are ours!!!! We head to the front door and they are in our driveway, trying the handles of our vehicles.

DH yells at them and they start to take off. This is a yearly occurance so I stand my usual stance of watching at the door, while DH throws pants on and grabs his keys. I use the term 'watching' loosely as my contacts are not in and my vision is not 20/20. I watch which way they turn and DH goes to follow them. The goal...licence plate. Now keep in mind these are 'just' teens. They aren't armed so it isn't a high risk situation. DH loses them but as he cruises about, he sees that on the other end of town (about 20 blocks away) there are several vehicles with their doors open. He comes home and we call the police. They take down info and do a swing by, but I doubt they will catch them. At least they have it on record though.

My kids just shook their heads. Can't imagine what mother would let their 17ish year olds roam around the streets all night.

We kept the window open to see if they came back last night, but they did not. We froze as the temps dropped near zero LOL

DS2 just got picked up by his scouting buddies and one of the mom's. They are off to the city to a store that specializes in all their scouting needs. It has army cadet stuff too. It is, to DS2, what  a stationary store is, to his mother LOL. He really wants a bivet sack. It is all seasonal so he could use it when he's sleeping in 40 below, or in 40 above. you just change the kind of sleeping bag inside and the liner. The sack itself is about $100. The layered sleeping bag is another $200 ish. He took his birthday money with him that his grandmother, an uncle and an aunt gave him. he has enough to buy the sack, but not the sleeping bag too. He is going to decide when he gets there if he wants to take just the sack and save up for the bag, or wait until he has the total amount to buy it all. I was so proud of him for understanding he can't have it all at once.

DS1 sorted our bottles and cans yesterday. He's off to the recycling depot today to cash them in. He has used up his money he made reffing and needs gas for the car. He figures he has $30 worth so that makes him happy.

As for me, I am brewing up a yummy pot of turkey noodle soup from the carcass of the Easter turkey. My mom gave it to me. Cost to us? some veggies I had on hand, spices I had on hand and $3 for  a bag of noodles. It's a big pot so it will feed the four of us twice, plus enough to freeze for a few work lunches for me.

I have rolled change to take over to the bank today to cash in for the pretty paper kind of money. I will add that to what I am saving for the vehicle plates.

The snow is finally out of my back yard, even against the house. North sides take so much longer to disappear. I can finally use my clothesline again. Now granted it's 4 C right now so nothing would dry, but the PROMISE of clothesline days to come, is warm and bright.