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.

Rethinking my goals

In light of the way money has been moving out of my accounts lately, I have begun to think I may need to renegotiate some of my savings goals. I think this would take some of the stress off my mind and make the budget fit the changes. I need to save $3000 by the beginning of 2012 to pay the final balance on DS2's trip. That's a big chunk and I am not willing to go into debt for it. I hate the thought of changes to those savings but realistically,  the money only goes so far.

Here is what I am considering:

• removing the $1000 towards the EF
• taking $200 off xmas savings
• reducing my RRSP to $1000

That will allow me to repurpose $1700 towards the necessary $3000.

I seem to be good at saving the snowflakes, so I am hoping that I can continue to do so, to meet the trip goal quickly and funnel extra money back into the deleted goals. 

Easter Sunday

Time to take a moment and stop and breathe. Get in touch with my spirituality. Remember the day. Celebrate. My great-nephew is getting baptized today. Most of the family is coming home for this. Family is big for moments like this, in our world. There will be about 25 of us there, plus a handful from the father's side (they live in Calgary), and my niece's father and his new......significant other girlfriend.

Especially sweet will be that two of my nieces are expecting as well so there will be that promise of future coming.

A few of us gathered at Sister 1's last night to have supper and catch up. She always prepares way too much food. I think she was starved in a past life. It's good for my boys to spend time around their cousins, especially since most of them are so much older than them.

After church today we will go to my mom's to eat. She spent Saturday cooking a turkey, ham, buns, pies and all those good things so that people may come, eat, share company and then head to their various homes.

This will be the first  year that the Easter Bunny did not stop at our house. I honestly forgot and don't have the cash to make it happen. They will get treats at gram's. They already got their Easter clothes presents: a hoodie, shorts and 2 t shirts each.

The best non family part of Easter...................... JELLO EGGS. my favourite are the green ones.

Bleeding Money

Yanno, I did fantastic in December. I was on budget and things were pretty smooth. January was good as well. No riduculous post Christmas fees. February was alright but things started to feel tight and tense. March! oh lordy March. Could that month have been any longer? I thought it was never going to end and I felt behind the whole time.

but April will be better right????? sigh. April was the worst yet. I feel like I am on a train of financial negativity and I need to get back on top again.

April was a month of bills. Money was flying out left and right. Some of it was planned and saved for. Other expenses were not. Poor planning. Not enough thinking ahead. Not enough strength to stick religiously to the jars. Every new expense felt like a hit. I dreaded them. It wasn't/isn't a great feeling.  I need to spend a bit of time here before Monday's payday to get back on top of things....tabulate where the money is at and make a plan for ease of mind for the last 2 months of school.


Some of the expenses were:

• hockey camp weekends - unprepared for - about $100 in costs for the camps and quick runs between icetime to feed him. We didn't know ice time until we got there (that's the norm) and some sessions had very short breaks between them. Part of that was 2 skate sharpenings and a set of laces (6+6+7)
• Pre camp ice sessions - unprepared for - about $50 -  he hadn't skated since mid Feb and in order to show well, he needed his skate legs back. One of the older boys booked ice sessions and everyone who came pitched in $10 to help cover costs. It's always a risk on the part of the booker as you never know if you're going to get enough kids to cover the costs. We've done it twice in previous years and have not.
• Scouter weekend (aka let's hit the ditch time) - unprepared for. - $130 - I really should have written down all these dates ( I have now). It's the gas that is the killer. The above money went for gas, subway for DS2 and his friend on the way up (they have to arrive fed) and a quick bite for me on the way home. Six hours of driving. Blech. There are many of these scouter trips coming up between now and end of August.
• Music Festival - $10 for myself and my mom for entry when DS2 played.
• Summer Bible Camp for DS2 - This was planned for and saved for - $375. He is going the last week before school starts this summer. It was the only date which did not interfere with his Scouting Adventures.
• Annual Package Policy for my vehicle. - planned and saved for - $350 - This policy goes above and beyond the basic plan that our 'plates' insurance covers. In total, I pay close to $1400 a year for the two insurance policies.
• Second Installment of DS1's Europe Trip - unplanned for - $700 - This is due next Wednesday. It will then leave me with a balance of $3000 which I will need to figure out a way to save for by February of 2012.  Where will this money come from? I will not be paying  the hoped for $600 EXTRA on my vehicle loan next week. I will take a further $100 from my planned savings (Christmas, Back to school, EF etc) I do NOT consider this an emergency so I will not be taking this out of my EF.
• Baptism - unplanned - $50. My niece decided at almost the last moment to bring her son home to be baptized Easter Sunday. I contributed the turkey for the family meal at my mom's. That was already in my freezer. I will give him $50 towards his RESP education savings. He has a grandmother, great grandmother and an auntie who will spoil him with 'things'. I will be the auntie who gives towards future schooling. I am ok with that. I have to be. With the number of new babies on the way, I have to set precedence carefully.
• DS2's birthday - planned - $100. $50 from me to put towards his much needed boots for this scouter weekend and all his future scouting trips. He loves them. After last weekend in the snow, his were the only feet dry. $50 went to DS1 who then bought his brother a Chapter/Indigo Gift Card. man DS1 needs a job.
• New baby - unplanned - $20 - no not mine! lol One of the girls at work had her baby last week so I chipped in money to the envelope that some of the staff are giving her.

there is probably more. As I think of them I will add them. Time to go iron the dress shirts for the boys to wear tomorrow for Baptism

Getting Paid Early

We traditionally get paid of the 25th of each month. It's a long long wait from one month to the next.  When there is a banking holiday, we get paid the next earliest possible date.

 Since the 25th is a banking holiday here on Monday, payday would be bumped back to Friday the 22nd (today). Since today is a banking holiday, it got bumped back to yesterday.

Usually I am on top of these sorts of things but this year, being so tired adn run down, it never even crossed my mind. I also didn't check  my bank account yesterday  morning. What a surprise it was when one of the staff reminded us.

I hate getting paid early, particularly since I've been on budget and following my 'weekly paydays' for the jars.  A month is long enough as it is, without adding a few extra days to it.  I knew I had to pretend that money was not in my account until Monday. If I believe it is there, the temptation to spend is very strong.

It was interesting to see how others processed this. Some were of the same mentality is me. Pretend it does not exist. Others needed that money immediately. A few 'hoped' they would not spend it before payday actually arrives.

I have to say that I love that I am actually thinking and aware of these things. I have come a long long way.

The Hurrier I go...the behinder I get

I love my job. I love my school, my class and my colleagues. I couldn't pick a better, healthier school environment if I tried. For those though, who think that working in a school is a 9 to 3:30 M to F job with a stack of books with answer keys in the back, I would gently suggest that reality is as authentic as the reality of Jersey Shore :-)

Having a crazy busy weekend at home means I did not get to the school. I need at least ( AT LEAST) 2 hours on a weekend to get ready for a normal week. There is correcting to do. There is prep work to do with the ever changing curriculum handed down by the government. There is planning for the special events. I teach a transition year so I have been busy with the tests and meetings that go with  moving my students on to a High School in the fall.

No work at school on weekend makes Jolie behind. very behind. Behind at work. Behind at home. Behind on budget and behind on shopping for groceries and menu planning.

If anyone has invented a 'pause the world' remote so I can click it and catch up, I would love to try it out :-)

I know all of you, in your diverse jobs and homelives, feel this way too from time to time.

Deep breaths, Jolie, prioritize what needs to be done and use your time well.

No rest for the wicked

I know I've been quite AWOL lately. Lots of reasons for it. Let's explore the 'holy man life is busy' aspect of it.

Last weekend DS1 had a hockey camp from Fri to Sun night. This is for a Junior A team. He did very well and was one of the 32, including vets, who was invited back for the fall selection camp.

DS2 had a busy band week. Music Festival. His band played Wed night. He plays baritone so his is mostly a background sound but for the one piece, it started with him playing the primary lines. It sounded gorgeous. They did well and received a 96 and a 95 for their two pieces. mama was proud

School has been whirling busy with one thing after another that is above and beyond the basic academic material. Lots of meetings before and after school. Lots of special events for the students.

This past weekend, DS1 had another hockey camp. Things went very well until he took a slapshot to the side of the foot. Off to ER we go. 3 hours later, xrays come back saying things are not broken but very badly bruised. Crutches for him  for a few days.

DS2 had a scout camp about 3 hours of north of here. We have had the beginnings of spring with the snow almost gone but that certainly wasn't the case up north. They'd had a dump of several inches of very wet snow. Highways weren't cleared and it was one of the worst drivings I have had in winter. The best was right before we got to the camp when we hit the ditch. I had about a 40 min wait and then the other scouters came and pushed me out.

I'm exhausted and it's another busy week at work. It's almost 9 PM and I just got home with DS1. DS2 is home with all his wet and smelly camp gear and the washer is just a humming away.

no rest for the wicked.

It's P & G Free Sample Time

It opened today and sample packs are limited so head on over  to P and G if you have time today.

There are also Free coupons on the site as well.

Happy Free Sample Day!

Where the money stands

as of April 8th

Debts
Mortgage - $34 443.47
Vehicle Loan - $12 565.63
Total Debt - $47 009.10

Savings
Summer - $1000
Back to School - $1500
EF(TFSA) - $2000
Total Savings - $4500

Planned Savings
RESPs - $7150
RRSPs - $2500

With the Tax Refund it certainly helped the lowering of debt. It decreased by $1954.53. Given upcoming money crunches (which I will talk about next post) perhaps I should have kept some of that refund in reserve. Ahhh hindsight.

design opinions

just testing out a new one...

which do you prefer? this one or old one?

spreading the link love

It's been quite awhile since I added to my link list. Since then I've adopted several blogs in my favourites on my browser. I am visiting them often and they are becoming greats supports here on mine.

• Even though she's thousands of miles from me in Australia, I can see a lot of similarities in our journey. She's been here a lot lately and I appreciate her support. Please check out Louise at  Eliminate my Debt.
• Even though she's sooo much younger than I, I can relate a lot to Sarah. I wish I had had her money smarts and awareness when I was in my early 20s. Comment Cents is a fun place to visit.
• This fellow Canuck is just a teensy bit younger than I am, but enough that she gets claim a different decade.  I love following the journey of Anty Eboo at My Life Journey

If these are new blogs to you, I hope you enjoy reading them.