A thank you

I have to give praises to google's help center for blogs. I've been having trouble for ages with the format/options etc for my blog and I posted there last night.

A lovely Level 4 named DavidChin told me how to fix it and boy do I feel like an idiot. I merely had it set on 'edit html' instead of compose. I clicked there and voila!! It's all better now.

Thank you google help center.

A few more goals completed

Thanks to the extra on my cheque this month I was able to max out my $1000 goal for Summer 2010, bump my EF to $1150 and begin on my RRSP 2010. It's nice to see some of that starting to fill in across the bar.

I have spent just under $200 thus far of my $1000 for Christmas. The money is going very fast and I need to sit down and think before any other expenditures. I really don't want to go over and have to tap into another fund or cut into my snowflakes for this month. I am aching to see that consolidated loan get down another 'decade' and be in the $4000s left owning instead of the $5000s.

Go Riders!!!!!!!!!!!

Ok I totally had a lil image here to put in and I see that that is ALSO an option gone from my 'new post' options here on blogger. Most frustrating!! I had finally figured out how to work the old system and I have no clue how to add pictures now. *pout*

On a separate note, for all those watching the Grey Cup, just wanted to give out my little shout today for the Riders. It's been a Sea of Green here since last weekend and there are Grey Cup parties abound.

Happy Grey Cup Day and Go Rider's Go!!

Ok maybe one of YOU knows....

Some of you may roll your eyes and say 'ohhh Jolie you foolish foolish girl' but I'm going to ask anyways because my knowledge is limited on this.

I have a consolidated loan which comes out of my account the 26th of each month. The payment is just under $600.

Approximately $510 of that payment is principal and the rest is interest.

I have been slamming lump sums on there to bring it down and thus the months I do that, more than $510 comes off when the next scheduled payment comes out. (The interest I am 'saving' I presume?)

Is there a time of the month where it is SMARTER to put down the lump sum? Does it matter? Do I 'save' more interest if I put lump sum money down at the beginning of my month instead of closer to the end of my month?

Advice would be super.

Thankssssssss

wheeeeee

Regular payment came out for the consolidated loan and I am now under $5500.

wheeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee

A wee bit of snow

Today is payday. Over the past month I was able to save up $325 of snowflakes to put towards my Consolidated loan. It should have been more, really, because I had a larger paycheque in Oct due to maxing out on my CCP and EI contributions, but expenses were plentiful.

The exciting part is this brings my consolidated loan down below $6000. That is happy news for me. Another $500ish will come off in a couple days as part of my regular loan payment so that will put me, very soon, at below $5 500. I can't wait to see this loan gone-diddily-on!!

Looking over my goals for fall

Back in August I had chosen goals for myself for the months leading up to Christmas. Here, I summarized how far I'd come and where I wanted to go next.

I think I have done fairly well, even though the past two months I do not FEEL like I have done much at all.


a) Pay off the MC/Visa for this summer, the T trip and this current (and costly) week away in hotel for sports camp (DONE)
b) Pay off all the back to school bills such as supplies, a few new clothes, school fees, and start up costs for their extra curricular activities (DONE)
c) Max out my first ever RRSP, which is small, but a start. (DONE)
d) Make the equivalent of one month's lump sum payment to Loan #1. (DONE)
e) Put some money in each of the new target bars (STARTED)
f) If there is anything left 'extra' by the end of December then put it towards more lump sum payments.
g) newly added: set aside $200 for new clothes purchase about end of Oct. (DONE)
h) save $1000 for XMAS 2010 (not started)
i)save $1000 for summer 2010 (started)
j)save $1500 for RRSP 2010 (not started)
k)save $500 more for my Emergency Fund (started)

If all goes well, with my November paycheque, I can max out i) and with December paycheck and the snowflakes, perhaps I can drop another lump sum down on my consolidation loan. I am almost under $6000 on that and can't wait for the homestretch.

the costs of being sick

The first wave of this influenza has passed by. We had several positively confirmed at my school, two on my son's team, several at each of their schools. Just yesterday I was eligible for the innoculation. Three + weeks after the first confirmed at our school. Seems a little late to open it up to women of my age (who happen to be teachers)

I am divided on the merits of the shot. Honestly, I probably won't get it, but my fellow teachers who have been exposed for weeks who wanted to get it, should have been in the special groups, after our health care workers, first responders, etc. IMHO anyhoo

So what did this bout of illness, cold or otherwise, cost in our home?
- I was off work for three days.
- My husband was off work for five.
(I have paid sick days but he does not)
- DS1 lost three days of school and a weekend of hockey
- DS2 lost three days of school and several of his curling times, which I paid for.
- $100 in gas when I had to run up to pick up DS1 and his father from the hockey road trip when they got sick.
- 12 boxes of Kleenex
- 2 jars of vicks (mmm I love my vicks)
- several packages of bentasil cough drops
- 2 packages of Buckleys cold gel packs
- 1 box of neocitran
- 1 bottle of tylenol
- lots of juice and fruit and mom's home made chicken soup

Wishing all of you a healthy preChristmas Season

link love updates and sidebars

Following the lead of a few others, I have removed my Christmas 2009 off my sidebar list. I was fortunate enough to have that $1000 saved up early early in 2009. I was proud that I never tapped into it once. And now I just have to tabulate my Christmas shopping list and figure out the most frugal, yet meaningful ways to spend this money. During Christmas break I will add in a 2010 Christmas bar and I will have a better idea how far the money really can go.

I have also added a couple new blogs to my list. If you are not familiar with them, please have a peek at Canadian Savings and at Girl Makes sense.

fuel costs going up

I can see the costs per month in the budget will slowly creep up.

- gas prices have gone from 98.9/L to $102.9/L
- nights are cold and I've had nasty frost on my windshield from the warming up process
- the boy got his learner's and we've been toodling about a bit extra to give him practice.

We've been fortunate that it is mid november and there is no snow. I am more than a little anxious about him learning to drive compounded with the advent of snow and ice. It's a totally different way to drive. Forget acceleration and brakes!! That will just get you into trouble.

He's doing alright, I have to say. We started small and progressed up to things like the bridge, walmart parking, and busier traffic. For those of you from actual large cities, please take 'busier traffic' with a grain of salt :P

I've found myself channeling my mother a few times as I reach for brakes that aren't there. I am hoping it will get better ....for me. As I said, HE is doing not too badly LOL

Growing old is scary sometimes.

Where the money stands

Lordy this cold/flu has knocked us for a loop. First DS2 got it and was home from school for 3 days. He kindly gave it to me and I missed two days and am still only running at about 60%. I did manage to get report cards done. DS1 got it while on a road trip and I had to drive 7 hours return trip to get him last weekend. Blech. He gave it to his father, who is always 'dramatic' when he gets sick. happy happy joy joy.

Anyhoos... here it is late, but here, nevertheless.

Where the money stands as of November 1st
as of November 1st

Debts
Mortgage - $38 358.22
Consolidated Loan - $6 295.76
Vehicle Loan - $27 585.35

Total Debt - $72 239.33


Savings
RRSP 2009 - $1000
Xmas Fund 2009 - $1000
Efund - $1 100
Summer 2010 - $550

Total Savings - $3 650

Been hit

with a lovely massive cold. It was inevitable though. Teaching, you are open to a large variety of germs going through. Three students at my school were officially
h1n1 and we had about 30% of our population out sick or worried about getting sick.

DS2 got hit this week and made it only to a day of school. He was kind enough to share it with me. I was hit Wednesday and stayed home Friday from work. DS1 is on a road trip and is sick too. Joyous.

It's tough to do report cards when your students are away for exams, presentations etc. Even harder when the lady in charge of them is down too.

Ah well this too shall pass. Bring on the vicks, cough syrup and my herbal drink.

Keep well everyone!!!

snowflakes

I forgot to add that I hit the bank and put in $380 worth of snowflakes last week. Added to my $90 previously, that puts me at $450 for the month. Impressive and rare, to be sure. I only need $150 more to acheive my goal of a second $600 lump sum payment. wheeeeeeee

Milestone

My oldest is 15 today. It's quite frightening, really, to think he's that old and consequently, I am that old. Fifteen years ago he wouldn't come out and wouldn't come out. Now as a teen the most common words I hear from him are 'yup, in a minute'. some things never change LOL

If he passes his learner's test this week he'll be driving, with an adult. Sadly, as much as I want to fight it, I'm adult. I think that means me. I told him he better hope that the snow stays away as I'm not comfortable having his first days of driving to be on new ice and snow.

I suggested he drive with his father but they are oil and water. He said "when I start to drive dad says he's going to kick my seat and crank up the music and hassle me". I said 'hon that's just something that grownups say in teasing". His reply, "No, I'm pretty sure he meant it". I think the boy is right.