First yearly goal met

I was happy to be able to go to the bank last Friday, just nicely after payday, and deposit $ into my Savings Account there.

My first goal of saving $1000 for Summer activities is now met. I love the pretty green that shows me it is full. I also put in $267 into my next target: Back to School. It will take me until about May to save this money, based on how much I can tuck in that account each month.

Here's to goal 2!

unpleasant A HA moment

A frightening thought occurred to me this week. I'd like to tag it 'unplanned expenses' but that would be delusional. On some level I had to have realized this expense was coming. I'm not THAT naive anymore. errr, I hope.

DS1's car will need his plates (license) renewed this summer. His father paid for them last year when we bought the car and informed me it was my turn to cover the cost this year. oh boy!!

The cost? Just under $1200, if I recall correctly. Ouch. big ouch.

The cost of the annual fee is determined by the age of the vehicle, two door/four door, wheel base, paint colour. Ok I am kidding about the paint colour. DS's car is a 2006. Newer costs more. It's also a two door, which they classify as 'sports' car regardless of the power, or lack thereof, of the engine :P

Now for those unfamiliar with SK's vehicle insurance (plates) costs, there is no flexibility or negotiation. SGI: Saskatchewan Government Insurance controls the prices.  Regardless of what insurance agency you go through, it all goes to SGI and the cost is still the same. If I understand correctly, in the US (and parts of Canada?) the price can be different with different agencies.

Now DS1 plans to get a part time job when hockey is over in about 6 weeks. He's never had a part time job before so it is a new process and learning experience for both DS and his loving mother.

I need to draft a simple budget for DS to teach him some of the basics of finances that I never was taught. I want him to set aside money for his weekly gas. I want him to set aside money to help pay for some of his plates cost. I want him to set aside money to pay back a portion of what the car costs. I want him to set a bit aside for 'long term saving' as it is a skill all of us need. He'll need some spending money too or he'll see no point to the job.

I am not sure what kind of job he'll get or how many hours a week so I honestly can't say how much of his plates I want him to come up with. My 'pulled the number out of my head' number for him is $400. 1/3 of the cost. It needs to be a realistic amount so that he feels the pain of insurance plates as the rest of us do, but I am realistic enough to understand he can't afford it all.

So for me, tentatively, I need to find a way to save $800ish to cover the other 2/3 of the cost. Time for me to do some brainstorming :-)

Financial all about jolie

First job - working at a convenience store/gas station at 15

Most interesting job experience - working at a 'special care facility' and being flashed by a patient. I told him it was cold outside and it wasn't a good look for him that day and to put it away.

First Credit Card - a Zellers card

Most Indulgent Expense - taking the boys to Europe for DS1 to play hockey

My date with a credit collection agency - joined a health club when I was 19 at university. Changed my mind two days later. They made me pay the full amount for the year. In retrospect, I believe there is a grace window for cancellation. I was too stupid to know that then.

Most financially unprepared (fiscally and intelligently) moment - having kids

Most $ 'tossed' away - books. oh lordy the money I used to spend on book. sadness

Most money honest moment - in the commons at University. Guy in front of me dropped a $50. I picked it up and tracked him through the crowd to give it back.

Most 'unique' money fantasy - swimming and diving in a pool of money like Scrooge McDuck

Most money spent in one shot - my vehicle

Most change collected - $1000 I saved up to buy my wedding dress, shoes, veil, bouquet etc. My purse was sooo heavy going into the bank to cash it in.

Largest currency bill I've had - a $1000 bill. My dad gave that to me to use as a downpayment on my first loan. He'd saved for a long time for that. It was still in rare circulation then. He took money out of his savings and asked if he could get that large of a bill. They said yes. They knew I'd be back there the next day to deposit it to start my loan. Beauty of small town I guess. Not like I could have went to 7/11 and bought a slurpee with it LOL

One year

As of today, I have officially paid off one year extra on my loan. It was a 60 month loan and I knocked an extra 12 months off that bad boy.

What does this mean?

• It means I have busted my hiney off to pay extra money each month.
• It means I will pay less interest as I have reduced the principal.
• It means that instead of being done this loan after DS1 is done his first year of University in June of 2014, I will be done at the very least, by June of 2013.

I am excited to keep hacking away at this. The sooner I get this loan paid off, the sooner I can add more to my savings for their education, my retirement, and other savings.

I can't wait.

Menu

This may well be a record for me. Four weeks in a row making menus. Actually there is no question, it IS a record. LOL

It's helping me feel more organized. It's helping me use my food budget more efficiently. We are eating better and NOT going out for fast food or take out.  The kids enjoy knowing what's coming and I get less of 'what is for supper????

Since I am doing WW, I add a green salad to all my supper meals and I eat smaller portions of what I make for the boys.

Sunday - roast chicken, mashed potatoes, gravy, niblet corn
Monday - Beef Stew, biscuits and salad
Tuesday - chicken quesadillas
Wednesday - leftovers
Thursday - Pork Chops and Rice
Friday - Tacos

The most intoxicating fragrance - for free

I am a very scent oriented person. I like natural scents: citrus, cinnamon, yeast smells...that sort of thing.

Often in winter a nice scent will perk me right up in the cold dreary days. The smell of coffee perking is wonderful. The scent of something yeasty baking is intoxicating. Add cinnamon to it and I'm over the moon.

Sometimes I have to light candles to get whatever scent it is I seem to need to lift my spirits.

Well I tell ya today I don't need any or all of the above.

It's 3 C. That's right. Above zero. It was near 40 below earlier this week.

I opened the screen of the front door and the gentle, most amazing smell is coming in. My mood is through the roof and my eyes are sparklilng. It makes a girl glad to be alive.

Now I was smart enough to shut off the furance before I did that. No point in having $ go flying out the window.

ahhhhh sweet simplicity.

awol this n that

It's been a whirly week. Weatherwise it's been freezing and windy and snowing and blowy. It certainly affects mood, both for my students and for grownups. Roads have been challenging and there have been lots of accidents.

At work this has been a week of meetings. Everyday there was one at noon and a couple after school as well.

My boys began their final exams this week. It was a lot of evenings of studying foundation math (yuck) and cracking the whip while they came up with rough drafts for their English essay finals. DS2 only had to write 2. DS1 has a pyschology 20 to write later this week. Now I do love psychology...I even have a minor in it, but it's all in French and there are a lot of different phrasings that makes it harder for me to help him study.

DS2 is off to a scouting winter camp this weekend. We are carpooling with another family from here who goes. They are driving up and we will go tomorrow to pick the boys up.

DS1 had hockey last night and again this afternoon. He's busy tomorrow reffing so that means he'll earn some gas and spending money. He's starting to see the value in that.

I am looking forward to payday this coming week. Bad news though that EI and CPP contribution percentages have gone up. That means that I will net less for January 2011 than I did for January 2010. That will mean I need to tinker with my budget and see where I am going to cut. I won't know until payday what the end result will really mean.

I had $30 left from the jars this week so I am throwing that into the snowflake jar. That's always a rainbow.

saving = losing? I hope so

I have bitten the bullet and did the join for free at WW. I will go for the min number of weeks, get the new information on the new plan, then I will continue at home.  It's ridiculously more money here in Canada than it is in the US. About  $20 a week, which gets you the one meeting. There is no free access to etools online as I believe it is in the US.

I would go all the time if I could afford it. I have lost on WW before doing it on my own so I know it is possible this way too. There are a few of us from work making our own little group for moral support.

I am at my highest and it is at a dangerous number, health-wise.

menu planning

Sunday - Supper at Mom's
Monday - Leftovers. We have heaps
Tuesday - Meatloaf and Pasta
Wednesday - Deer Sausage and Perogies
Thursday - Chicken Fingers and Rice
Friday - not sure yet honestly.

Planning Ahead

Everyone who reads my blog knows I'm a little A type personality. It pops up in the lists I make, the various scenarios I plan out and my love of counting change.

The key to paying my vehicle off early are the extra monthly payments I make. Now my bank has no specified amount I can put down extra on it. No minimum. No maximum.

But being this wonderful A type personality, I really reallllly prefer whapping a a complete extra payment on top.  My current payment is $591.40.  My budget currently has $400 extra dollars a month to whap  on that loan. But you see, I really reallly want the full payment. Then I can come home and draw a pretty little line through my book where I have each of the month payments written in. There is such a rush crossing a payment off from 2014 or 2013.

I can hear laughter in the blogosphere. I know :P

I have a deficit of just under $200 to make up so that I can cross off an extra one each month. I was good before Christmas when I had maxed out on my CPP and EI and had extra $ to complete that lovely lil A type goal.

I knew though, last fall, that come January, my paychecks would reflect the full brunt of deductions and I would be back to just the $400. So last fall, I started to plan. I knew I would need $200 extra for my payments from Feb 5 to July 5. so $1000 extra. So I slowly began to save. I made a little check list with the months, Feb 5 through July 5th.  Once I had snowflaked $200, I would tuck that money away and check the first month off the list.

Still laughing? I would be. lol

Anything I saved before xmas was counted as my 2010 snowflakes even if they are not yet used.

So where am I in this Dr Evil plan??? I have now saved up the $200 for Feb, March, April and May. I am close to having June complete. It's a great feeling, and I can't wait until I can cross off another one.

yes, it's official. i am weird.

2011 - first unexpected expense

Mr desktop computer was not happy. He was shut down one night and the next day when I went to turn him on he said 'hmmmm no I don't think so'. We tried a few different things but deadness reigned supreme.

Off he went to the puter doctor and the doctor said " for $83.50 he will no longer be dead'

 I lack the computer understanding to know what they did but I've known the girl for 20 years so I know I was not getting  hosed.

The dilemna was 'from where was this money coming from?"

Option 1 - I have an EF but it's in a  TFSA and I was not going to break into it for that small amount.

Option 2 - Use the $ you have saved from your own allowance to pay for it. I was saving up for something nice for MOI but life is life so the sacrifice was made.

sunday menu plans

I did up a menu plan last week for the first time in a very long time and I have to say, it brought me much peace of mind and forced me to be very organized.  Or perhaps the forced organization prompted the peace of mind?? lol

I have two awkward nights this week so I made sure to put meals that were quick and easy for us but gave DS1 the nutrition he needed before a big game.

I have a few things to pick up today with the balance of this week's jar $. New week starts as of tomorrow and I'll pick up the rest of what I need Tuesday so it's fresher.

Sunday - baked ham, scalloped potatoes
Monday - pork cutlets and pasta
Tuesday - chicken burgers and fries
Wednesday - Hamburger Soup (which I made over the break and froze)
Thursday - Lasagna and Caesar Salad
Friday - Chicken Stir Fry

My first snowflakes of 2011

I enjoy seeing that money grow and knowing what wonderful things it is doing.

I am proud to say that my first snowflakes came on January 2nd, to be precise.

My sister in law and her husband generally give me a pack of holiday scratch and win tickets for Christmas. I spent a lovely hour with my feet soaking in a pedispa, sipping  a glass of wine and scratching away. What a visual lol

Technically you don't have to scratch them to win. You can just uncover the barcode area and then put it under the self check scanner to see if it's a winner. While there are 'rules' for scratching, it doesn't void your ticket if you do not abide by them. They sure have gotten more intricate and complicated from when they first came out. Some are quite clear whether you have won or lost but others, well I suspect the lottery corporation saves a fortune from folks who have missed seeing a win. That's the beauty of the self check scanner. It's got your back.

So for less than an hour of soakin'n'scratchin' I came away with $35 in winnings, which is now part of my snowflake jar.

wheeeee

While I was taking pics of money I thought I'd snap a pic of my most useful yet frightening gift of the year.

I am psyched to get it but as I leaf through it I realize how much I do not understand. I realize how late I left things re: RRSPs. I realize that my husband is screwed as he has pretty much NOTHING.

Where the money stands

Debts

Mortgage -  $35 202.31
Vehicle Loan - $15 873.31

Total Debts - $51 075.62

Savings

EF (TFSA) - $2000
Summer 2010 - $525

Total Savings - $2525

Planned Savings
RRSP - $ 2 500
RESP - $6 350

I am looking forward to:

• having my total debt enter a new decade and be under $50 000
• having my vehicle loan get under $10 000

I will hit the first by March 5th ish and the second................really depends on income tax returns, our new teaching contract which is under negotiation and how much extra I slam onto it.

$1.129 a liter

yup that 's correct. That is how much our gas went up to yesterday. Prior to Christmas, we'd been hanging around $1.019 for quite some time. Then 2 weeks before Christmas, it jumped to $1.099 over night. Then this little blessing yesterday. I guess I am lucky I filled up Tuesday night so I am good for a week or so.

It's craziness how it jumps so quick. Not sure what that comes to per gallon for the US readers.

Did everyone else's prices jump up too???

Day before school this'n'that

Well today definitely is here. Vacation is over and today was the day of reckoning. House to clean. Laundry to do. Groceries to shop for. Work to do at the school.

It was a big day of checklists. morning will go so much easier for the boys and I if we are ready to go. So that means that all the clothes are clean and ready to go. It means the fridge needed to be cleaned out and new groceries shopped for. It means I needed to run to the school, get my room ready and plan for my students for tomorrow. I try to plan to stagger it up for them as it's hard coming back that first day.

A spirit of optimism seems to permeate wherever I go, for 2011. I am excited to see what the year brings and, more importantly, what do I DO with what the year brings me.

I have restless energy tonight..puttering here and there to make sure there are no 'where is my....' surprises in the morning.

Vehicle is filled up and ready to go. Jars are filled.

It's game on!

So for the week, comes a menu which I planned earlier but never posted.

Sunday - Ribs and baked potatoes
Monday - Pork Chops, Fusili and Corn
Tuesday - Pulled Pork Sandwiches, Mashed Potatoes and Gravy
Wednesday - Homemade Pizza, Salad
Thursday - Chilli and homemade bread
Friday - leftovers

So there we go.

Have a good week back to school everyone.

2011 Goals

My goals for the coming year aren't all that different than my 2010 goals to be honest. For the most part, they were good, solid goals with an achievable end. Well at least my financial ones were.

Financial Goals

1) EF (TFSA) - $1000. I have $2000 in the account right now. Not a safety net by any means, but a start. Once I get my Vehicle Loan Paid off, I hope to be in a position to at least double the annual contribution.

2) RRSP - $1500. Again, small beans in the big picture, but a girl can only divide a mess of beans into so many piles.

3) Summer 2011 - $1000. Boy it sure was nice to have that money set aside for fun things that come up in the summer. Want to go golfing boys? ok. Want to go camping? You bet. I am already at $525 for this one so it will be done in no time.

4) Back to School - $1500. This one is new. Back to school kills. I have fees due as an educator and the social and coffee fund at work. The boys' school fees are about $125 each. They both need back to school supplies. DS2's band fees are $500. Not even going to start on DS1's hockey fees. *shudder*. This will ease things up considerably.

5) Xmas 2011 - $1400. I have upped the budget on this one. Would be nice to cut expenses and try I shall, but prices go up every year for things.

I have money I set aside each month for these items. I have decided to lump all that money together and whap it on one target at a time. When you divide it between 5 targets it feels like forever until one is filled. Breaking it apart this way keeps me more motivated, I believe. It's what I actually ended up doing most of the year last year and it worked quite fine.

My order of attack is:
a) Summer
b) Back to School
c) Xmas 2010
d) EF
e) RRSP

Personal Goals

1) Lose 20 lbs
2) Get to the gym or cancel the membership!!!
3) 10 new recipes
4) 25 new books
5) Move more (tied into #2)
6) Use my time more efficiently.

11:11 1/1/11 (aka highlights of 2010)

I just had to post this at a specific time.

Posted at 11:11 and the date is 1/1/11

totally cool!!!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I've seen some lovely highlight posts from others and it struck me as a wonderful way to pay tribute to the past year in ways that are not always financial. Here is my list for 2010.

January brought some highs and lows. DH's father passed away after intermittant struggles with poor health. It was an end of era on that side of the family.  I began setting up RESPs for my sons. Late? oh yes. But I have over $6000 instead of $0 so better late than never.

February gave us some good family bonding time, which we often neglect in the whirling of every day life. I also began my first RRSP, which was a very intimidating process. Also late to the game on this.

March  was quieter. I was appreciating the jars very much. It's  a great cash only mechanism to use, even if I don't stay 100% pure with it all year.

April was a wonderful month. I paid off my consolidation loan a full year early. It was an amazing experience and the rush was phenomenal.

May gave me multiple opportunities to be appreciative of a filing system. I needed documents and found them, literally, in moments. Amazing! I also participated in my first MS walk to raise money for the cause. I am hoping that this will be an annual family event.

June was a busy month. Lots of running with the boys as we wrapped up school activities. Sister 1 turned 50 and we had a big party for her at the lake - her happy place. It was a very odd feeling to know that one of my siblings was 50.

July was a wonderfully relaxing month. Time at the lake. Soccer with DS1. Camp for DS2. camping with my family.

August brought a first. DS2 made it through a rigorous training camp for Scouts and was awarded the title of Service Scouter. I couldn't have done half the stuff he did. Am so proud of him. A lot of good saving and a successful garage sale saw the boys and I pull together to raise $ for a new sectional. It was a very good experience for them to see that things just don't appear at the home without planning and thought. I also felt very old as we welcomed the first Great Nephew to the family, and went to the first of the 'next generation' weddings, as my nephew got married.

September was back to school. DS1 made the hockey team we were hoping he would.

October didnt' see much remarkable happen for this  month aside from my vehicle loan moving under the 20 grand mark.

November was humbling.  DS1 turned 16 and got his license. Again, I felt old. very exciting for him though.

December I went over budget for Christmas. I have some heavy reflection to do for plans for 2011.

And that was my year, in a nutshell.

Here's to a 2011 full of fun, family and adventures.