Technical troubles are temporary ( I hope)

 I am writing this from school, here early after dropping DS2 off for a curling roadtrip.

I have been having trouble with my wireless now since January. Off and on. More off  than on. I have made tons of tech support calls to our carrier and learned they have good customer service reps and bad ones. I have been taught some ways I can troubleshoot on my own.

The desktop works but the wireless devices all march to their own connection beat. The laptop is the least reliable. If it were ONLY the laptop then I would say he was the problem, but it's also the xbox, the iphone, the ipods. etc

After a call yesterday morning I stopped yet again and picked up yet another new router (no charge to me) I came home to set it up and have tech get me going again. This time the dsl light wouldn't even come on.

This tech support gentleman was the worst yet. I swear he held a card in his hand saying "I can only speculate" because that was his primary speech.

He told me I would need someone to come out and test the lines in my house. I said I took care of that exactly a week ago. He did a couple things and said it would be fine and sometimes, it was. I asked what could have happened to 'the lines' in a week that the last guy wouldn't have seen. "I can only speculate on that".

I asked how I could have a solid dsl light with the Morning router box while I was speaking to tech support (though no wireless), but have ZERO solid dsl light with a brand new one 8 hours later. "I can only speculate on that."

I asked for a time on Saturday for the line guy to come out. Tech told me there was none then but  a spot on Thursday between 8 AM and noon. I told him there was NO chance in h*ll my school would give me the morning off to go wait for  someone at my house for a non emergency. He argued with me that I could get time off whenever I wanted. Really??? really????? 


He said I should have a neighbour come and wait for them. Well my neighbours all work or they are in their 80s and don't have a computer and wouldn't be able to understand what the techies were saying Except for the creepy guy who moved in at the end of the block. I'm sure he's lovely, but I've never spoken to him and he just gives off that aura of...............call the swat team. heh  And. really, wouldn't I WANT to be there for this guy so I could ask the questions I needed to ask or show him things?

It truly felt like he believed my call was interrupting his life.

This went on for far too long.  I ended up getting an appointment that myseriously opened up for Saturday morning which leaves me with no internet until at least then.

So I only can find out about your lives before or after school. Try not to do anything too interesting until I"m back up :-)

February Change

I spent some time on the weekend rolling up my change. Ahhh sweet mindless therapy in the midst of a chaotic world. It was a good month for change. I had:

• 1 roll of loonies $25
• 1 roll of quarters $10
• 2 rolls of dimes $10
• 1 roll of nickles $2
• 6 rolls of pennies $3

$50  worth of pretty snowflakes that are now gone to the bank and been added as a lump sum to my vehicle loan.

thanks change!! I appreciate you.

Menu planning Monday

I had a hard time getting my thoughts to focus on menu planning for the week, to be honest. I know I will be glad I did. I always do. The menus do not always stay locked in stone. Sometimes our schedules change. Sometimes there is just a boatload of leftovers so we do that instead. Sometimes we get to a certain day and really just don't want that particular food. Despite that, it's still great to have a starting place to build and adapt from.

There were a few bulk meat items on sale this week so I got some of that. There just isn't freezer space in the wee freezers for too much right now to stock up.

Sunday - Roast chicken, mashed potatoes, gravy, mom's homemade buns and corn

Monday - Chicken quesadillas using leftover chicken meat. Tossed salad

Tuesday - Meatloaf cupcakes and homemade mac and cheese

Wednesdsay - home made chicken noodle soup from the carcas of mr roast chicken. (Isn't carcass such an appetizing word? heh)

Thursday - leftovers methinks

Friday - pork cutlets and roast potato wedges with a salad

Sunday Night Chit Chat

thanks to Carla for once again hosting.

What am I listening to?
Baby likes to Rock it, by the Tractors, inspired me while I was at the school today.

What am I watching?

Sweet Genius on the Food Network

What am I reading?

I picked up Headhunters, by Jo Nesbo but haven't started it yet.

What am I cooking?
I made bread today in the machine and a Roast Chicken supper that will give us at least two more meals in various forms.

What am I Happy I accomplished this week?
I did NOT use my time off, well. I wish I could be happy that I had.

What am I looking forward to?
I am anxiously awaiting the outcome of the tooth dilemna to see what this costs us.

What am I thankful for today?
I am thankful for the time I was given on this week off, even if it could have been used better.

We interrupt this smoothly sailing Sunday.....

Seems to be the theme for many a blogger today.

for me?

well I just got a call at the school from home.

DS2 snapped his front tooth off about half way down. This tooth is one he snapped off in Grade...2 at school. We took him to the dentist then and they molded and reattached the piece that was broken to the rest of the tooth. It's been good for about 7 years now.

So tomorrow morning I will take him to our dentist at 8 AM when they open. Will they have room for him? who knows. They are ridiculously hard to get into. You call Monday at 8 AM and they only will book for that week. So usually I call and they say 'oh we're booked. Try again next Monday'.  lather, rinse, repeat. It's beyond annoying. It will be a littler harder for them to say that to me with the boy standing there with me. with his tooth in a baggie.  Hopefully they can squeeze him in.

Scary part - we don't know if they can attach/build up the tooth again or if he will need a permanent cap.

Read $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$

Scarier part - DH's medical still hasn't kicked in for his new job. He's not done his 90 days trial yet. March 12th I think. I have no clue what my insurance will cover. This could be from $100 to a couple thousand. I have no clue. New territory for me.

sigh - sometimes I feel like I can't get ahead no matter how hard I try. it's always something.

I guess that is what life is though - always something.

So no band for the boy for at least a week.  He's supposed to curl this week in a 2 day tournament so we shall have to see if he is going to be able to do that. I wonder if I can get the appt scheduled around that so he doesn't miss.

Sunday to do list - almost all accomplished

I'm late to the game here at 10:30 on a Sunday morning but it's time to get my butt in gear. Work starts back tomorrow and the house needs to be ready to go. So on my list

• laundry load of DS2's clothes
• laundry load of DS1's clothes
• laundry load of my clothes
• laundry load of towels etc
• chickens popped in oven for roasting
• run to ATM to pick up cash for week's jars - lock and load the jars
• fill up vehicle
• plan menu list for the week
• grocery run
• cook up 2 family packs of lean ground beef for staff lunch this week. Another lady is using it to make the lasagna
• head to the school for about 3 hours of work (only 2.5 til the tooth emergency)
• pay bills online
• update wall calendar and my iphone calendar with events and meetings for the week
• update my teacher page for school webpage
• get Sunday Night Chit Chat blog ready
• make bread in machine
• go over budget for month, making sure I have enough for upcoming annual expenses (tabled til I get the tooth bill)
• update boys' expense book
• bake muffins for school lunches

I think that's it but it never really is :-)

Effective use of the weekend

I was a good girl yesterday and worked  at the school from 10 AM til about 4:30. I have to admit I was not wanting to go, even though I knew I NEEDED to go. I spent the first 20 minutues wandering about my room, tidying, trying to find a focus to get started. When you teach many different subjects, there are always things to mark and prep and plan for  and sometimes it gets hard to pick one to start on.

So my self talk was firm. very firm. Start with Science. Sit down, sh*t up and get all marking done and enter those scores in the system. sometimes you just have to be blunt and forceful with people, especially in self talk. heh.  My friend was also in working and was doing much of the same.

Before I left yesterday I made myself a list so that when I go in today (more likely tomorrow) I can just go, sit down and get started right away.

DS2 was gone skiing from just after 8 AM and didn't get home til after 10. he was exhausted and then woke up sick later in the night. It was a long night. I don't expect much for productivity from him today.

DS1 learned a powerful lesson last night. He'd gone out for coffee with friends and was home by curfew but came in with 'You're going to be mad'. He got a speeding ticket. Doing 100 K in an 80 K spot. It's an easy spot to speed. It's on the highway and going down a hill and I'd be lying if I said I'd never exceeded the limit there. Fine was  $120. I'm not paying that. He can't work til playoffs are done so I am not sure how he is going to come up with the money. I'm tempted to have him explore working community service for fine options. I'm not sure how many hours it would be and the time frame it would have to be done by. Very expensive night out for coffee. He's never been stopped before and I have been telling (nagging) at him to watch his speed, so being the loving parent I am, I hope he sh*t his pants when those lights came out behind him in the darkness and he got pulled over. 

Our RCMP have been out religiously since Xmas, literally counting how many seconds ppl come to full complete stops at signs etc. I can't help but wonder where these folks were though when we had road construction on the highway in the fall and most every day I almost got hit coming home where the road suddenly stopped. People were passing where there were no roads anymore. It was crazy. They could have made a fortune just parking there and giving out tickets.  A good lesson for DS1 and while I'm not paying the fine for him, it still feels like yet another curve ball thrown at us.

We were supposed to go into the city today to shop but there is a blizzard en route so we decided to stay home. That means I now have time to clean out my fridge, do laundry, clean bathrooms, do my taxes and get some school work done.  Curling up, reading, sounds far more appealing after a late night, but it would not be an effective use of my time and I will not be happy with myself if I don't become productive toute suite.

Happy Saturday.

Gas went up. sigh

I KNEW I should have filled up this morning. I went off to the school and it was $1.149 a Liter. I am kissing empty on  my gauge and planned to fill up en route home.

What did I see on my way home????

@#$@# $1.239 a Liter now.

Seriously? up 8 cents a Liter in under 10 hours?

That's just crazy.

And me on fumes now.

$26 000

Oh boy, my laptop is letting me write :-)

I am writing quickly then getting my butt off to school to get some work done. Week off is done dididdly done today.

I was watching on the news this morning that Finance Minister Jim Flaherty commented that the average cost of personal non mortgage debt, up here in Canada, is just under $26 000. So LOC or Credit Cards or personal loans etc. The stats say that for five years in a row the January stats showing up  how much personal debt was added (each month I think) was going up up up until this January. 2011 showed $1200ish, and January 2012 showed just under $300. I told myself I would remember the  exact stats and data to write later and I didn't :-)

The Finance Minister even said that perhaps people shouldn't be buying the biggest, most expensive house their credit limit would let them afford, and instead, having a bit of a smaller one and some cash in their pockets might be a good idea. I had to chuckle though as he said it in a very non emphatic way....just like it was something he had to say but didn't really truly want people to stop spending.

So for a married couple that would be an average of $52 000 in personal debt plus a mortgage. Scary stuff!!

'They' still say we are doing better than our american cousins but we need to be careful. Does anyone have data on the same stats for US residents?

Lest I sound like I am tooting my own lil horn, I would have exceeded this $26 000 amount three years ago.

New Budget Line Needed

Captain Obvious flew in today to point out something that I wasn't able to 'get' on my own: those meds I am on.....hey I gotta pay for those!

I know....pure rocket science.

I hadn't really REALLY connected that I am at that stage of life where meds will be a forever thing for me now. Money. every month.

and silly me....I had no budget line for it. I have my own forever (daily) meds that will be with me til the end of time. I have the vitamin supplements that are recommended to take. I also have DS2's forever meds for his condition.

DS2's were previously 100% covered between DH and my health plans but since DH is still on probation at his new job, they are not fully covered anymore. Only $5 a refill. but still $5 that has to come from somewhere.  My forever meds are about $5 each. Not sure if they will be less when DH's new health plan kicks in. I started taking them after he switched jobs. The temp meds were just those. temporary, but still cost. $20 here and $15 there. The supplements I will continue with. I actually have a good  habit of regularly taking them now and I don't want to go back to sporadic remembering as I used to be. So I will have to price out what those will cost me a month as well.

I recognize how very very lucky I am to have insurance that pays for most of the costs of these meds. I can see how quickly and painfully this would add up for someone on a limited outcome without insurance. Beyond frightening.

I am not complaining, more just advertising that I was not smart enough to think that this money would need to come from somewhere, regularly. Up til now I was just pulling it out of grocery money or my spending money or the account I have set aside for annual payments (costco, insurance, CAA, etc).

In the next couple months I will be retinkering with the budget lines and I need to remember to price out what my costs are and include them in for each month.

I write this from my desktop downstairs as my laptop still won't let me get to the post box. Annoying but not the end of the world. My big orange tomcat is sitting on the mouse, as though he were hatching an egg, purring his head off. He does love to sit on the computer desk and hand out with whoever is down here.

Hump Day

I can't believe that the week is almost half over. I haven't been true to my list and as usual, the guilt of 'I have wasted time' is eating away at me.

I have been having troubles making posts on my blog since Monday night. I can comment my heart out on mine or elsewhere but I can't create a new post. I hit the command to create one. I get the blank template. I can type a title to the post but I can't 'get' to the main box to type. There is a little rotating circle of doom which says the page is trying to finish loading, but it never really does. I get a yellow error triangle on the bottom left of my screen.h

Being the genius I am (please note sarcastic tone) it took until this morning for me to check to see if I could write the entry on my desktop downstairs or on my iphone. both of those work. I really prefer not to write big entries on my iphone as I hate not being able to see it properly, but I can from mr desktop.

On unrelated wireless issues, I had my provider send a tech guy out to test my lines. I have been having trouble with my wireless for over a month now and it was getting quite tedious talking to tech support on the phone. I  was given a new router but that still didn't fix the issues. The kind folk were able to schedule me in for yesterday, sometime between the hours of 8 AM and June (noon :-) The gentleman showed up about 10 and said a bunch of things I didn't understand, put a few thingies on my phone lines, tested my wireless, and nodding, satisfied, left. I really wish I understood more about computer so I wouldn't feel so stupid when I am having troubles.

So the wireless is good. I can post via iphone and desktop so the problem isn't blogger. The problem is with my laptop. I have cleared cache and defragmented and all those things I know how to do. I suspect for whatever reason, the pages just aren't loading fast enough/strong enough and that is why I get the 'loading circle of doom'.

Any thoughts out there?

As for yesterday, I did a boatload of nothing. I watched TV. I read. I made brownies and 2 loaves of bread in the machine. I made meatballs. I ate way too much brie! and I felt like crap when I went to bed. Note to self - do SOMETHING today!!!

Relaxing (Plotting, planning, dreaming) Monday

Well first off, I can tell it's a week off as I have no menu Monday post. It was a busy weekend and I didn't plan it, but also, I didn't feel that urgent NEED to plan it.  Still, we all know jolie is a happier jolie when she is more organized so some serious thinking needs to be done.  I am curled up with my cup of coffee and watching Diners, Drive Ins and Dives. It makes me ache to cook. And I am not a cook. I am not adventurous in my palate. But when I watch this, I THINK I am. heh.

Watching this has made me want to make scones this week. I have never made scones. I want  to do shredded pulled pork. I want to make an Italian Wedding soup with the teeny tiny meatballs. I don't know if my family will like that soup. They are used to much heavier soups and from what I see it is a very light soup.

Perhaps this will be my week to try some new recipes.

I was a very bad girl last night. I stayed up late and finished, The Help. I loved it. I plan to hit the library this week to see if they have the movie so I can watch it. I need to make my next book something for school. I have five new ones I need to read before I use them to plan for my class.

I have a boatload of laundry from DS2's weekend camping trip. Most things need washing whether they were worn or not. The damp seeps through and if I don't wash things, they will smell musty. I will have things hanging and drying everywhere today. The cats were so glad to see DS2 last night. They were on him constantly, snuggling in, demanding attention and sleeping.

DS1 has gone off to start with his new team. They have practice today and a game tomorrow. He got hurt yest in his last game so we shall see what the trainer has to say about things.

I need to make my to do list for today and a tentative one for the week. I know that days off FLY by and if I dont' get some things accomplished, I will regret it. Don't worry....the list will have things like 'go for a walk' or 'watch NCIS or Rissoli and Isles' along with plotting and planning for budget and debt paydown. It's a week til payday and I am excited about slamming more $ down on that vehicle loan!!

Happy Family Day to my Canadian Readers.

Sunday Night Chit Chat

Thanks to our muse, Carla, for hosting Sunday Night Chit Chat.

What am I reading?
I finished The Winter Palace and have begun The Help, by Kathryn Stockett. It was on my to read list since last summer I think. I remember writing about it. Perhaps I will even hit the library and borrow the video for my week off. Is it out in video yet???

What am I watching?

I caught some of the Scotties Tournament of Hearts today on TSN. I watched  a bit yesterday too. For those outside of 'the know', the scotties is the Canadian Women's Tournament for Curling. It's hosted in Red Deer, Alberta this year. My family (and extended) are all curlers (or have been in the past). The school districts were yesterday and my niece and nephew both did very very well. 

What am I listening to?

The simpsons's 500th episode. wheeee

What am I cooking/baking?

The banana muffins never made it last week so they went in the oven this morning and smelled terrific. Sometimes I think the smell of baking or cooking can be even better than the taste. lol

What am I happy I accomplished this week?

I am happy that even though I was busy and exhausted, I kept slugging away at things to try to keep up. If I don't, then my house is a disaster by Friday and that's a real downer for the weekend.

What am I looking forward to this coming week?

Time off!!!! Time to clean. Time to cook. Time to read. Time to go for walks in the sunshine. Time to get some work done at school - organize, copy and plan plan plan.

What am I thankful for today?

Today my son finished his minor hockey 'career'. He started when he was four and has played for 13 years. That is a lot of early mornings, road trips, time in the rink, Timmies. A lot of pride watching him grow and learn. A lot of clenched teeth and breath held in close games. A lot of bitten back words when we've lost or when the reffing has been terrible. A lot of happy joy when we've won, especially those games we never expected to win. His hockey has taken us across Western Canada and one trip to Europe. It has given us friends and experiences we never would have had otherwise. I learned about 50/50s, raffle tables, ministicks and politics. I learned about layered clothing, 'tipples' and who has the best rink fries. I learned how to talk or comment behind my hand so that I could mutter what I needed to but no one needed to hear :-) I don' t even want to think about how much it has cost us over the years. I'd rather think of what it gave my son, and us.

Awards

I've been a blessed lil blogger lately and have many folks thinking about me (thinking good things mostly, I hope :-)

I have been nominated for the Versatile Blogger award  by B-Kat  at Slay the Monster who recently did indeed valiantly slay her monster and is now debt free!!! She is at that exciting phase of planned spending and saving and has created some amazingly positive financial habits for herself. Good job B-Kat! and thank you for thinking of me. I was also tagged for this by another blogger and for the life of me I can't remember who. I discovered it by reading their blog and swore I'd remember. Man I am getting old. If it was you, please let me know so I can credit  you properly.


Part of the versatile blogger award is to reveal 7 things about me that my readers do not know.

hmmmmm

1) I believe in Cart Karma. I believe that if you do not put your cart away in a parking lot, the cart gods will come and find you, and scratch or dent your vehicle. I always put my cart away (and sometimes an extra one) and add a good favour to my Cart Karma Bank!

2) I have gone and met folk from the internet. Twice I've flown places and once I drove to another city. Very exhilarating experiences. The flight ones are obviously from a time when I did not budget or watch my spending as they went on the CC.

3) I lost 2 babies before I had my boys. While it was too soon to tell, I believe they were both girls.

4) I would rather curl up at home alone with a meal and a good book than go out to a restaurant with a large group of people.

5) I weep when I go by smaller towns where businesses are closing up, houses boarded and schools closed.

6) I always whisper "I'm sorry" when I go by hitch hikers. It's just not safe to stop but I really feel badly that I do not.

7) When visiting a new city I always check the phonebook for my maiden name. It's rather unique and our branch is pretty darn small so I always find it fun  to see if there are more of us elsewhere.

Also, while checking my stat counter page I found someone had visited from a blog I did not recognize. I clicked on the link to explore. I've found some great blogs out there this way!! I was so surprised to find myself linked on this blog for a different award. I was so honoured and touched.  A big shout out to Chez at Monarch Place, for giving me the Liebster Award. She's based out of Australia. Thanks Chez.


Whether you are a new reader or a longtime one, I wanted to thank you for coming by my corner of the blogosphere to share in my journey, and letting me share in yours.

A big sigh as a busy week ends

This week definitely was a whirlwind of activity for both family and work. My goal was simple....survive.

The boys were busy with projects at school as well as their activities. DS2 was away curling with his school team Monday but they did not make it to the second day of the tournament. He had a long day and was completely exhausted when he came home. He only made it half way through the next day of classes before he pooped out. He had curling again on Wed, home for a fast supper then off to  Hunter Safety course where get got a 92% on his first exam.  He spent most of last night packing up again for a weekend winter camp up north. He's en route now, as we speak.

DS1 had a game Wed night. He only has this weekend left and then his current team is finished. No playoffs for us. DS does get to go play with the Junior A team for the rest of their season  (playoffs!!) so he is beyond excited. This required schedule changes at school as they practice in the mornings so I jammed in a before school meeting with his guidance counsellor to see what we needed to do. We had some tough decisions to make for the remainder of this year, but it is a necessary decision for this next level of hockey. (we are into scholarship land now and my dance of joy is full of great energy and a general feeling of 'I can't believe we are finally THERE'  - more on that part of things to come at a later date).  We met with his new coach as well this week to begin learning about this level of hockey. On the other end of things DS1 has hit a bit of a teenager stage and thoughts of cheerfully strangling him may have been known to flitter through thoughts now and again :-)

I did my best to keep up with laundry and tidying this week. Every little bit helps. The menus helped as well. Mom had a great crock pot of scalloped potatoes and baked ham waiting for us on wicked Wed. I had a staff meeting after work so DS1 picked it up for me. I did a crockpot as well Thurs, removing whatever I had on my menu as our hockey meeting went til almost supper. If I hadn't had the crockpot waiting for me, I know I'd have blown money on fast food.

Money was tighter this week. I had a bit I snowflaked to the vehicle loan so I ran to the bank yesterday to apply it to the principle so it didn't accidentally get spent over the weekend. It felt good to see that loan go down even more. I find myself rather obsessed with it lately and I am not sure if one can call that a drive to pay down debt or an unnatural preoccupation with it.

Today is technically a new week on the jars (my last before payday) but I still have some shopping to do. I counted up what I had left in my jars and made my list for Walmart with price estimations beside them. Then I had to pick and choose what I could afford with the cash I had and which was more important to get. I will need to run there later this morning and cross that off my to do list.

DS1 has a game tonight so I need to get an early supper for him with the right balance of proteins and carbs so  he doesn't run out of energy part way through the game.

I am greatly looking forward to our spring break this coming week (we have ours in Feb not March - at least this year. The gov't wants to eliminate most of these days) It will give me a chance to catch up at home, read and get  a boatload of things done at the school.

Menu Monday

I lacked a whole lot of initiative this week. I can tell I am getting tired (mentally) and need to find time to rest this week.

Monday - Meat Loaf, mashed potatoes and gravy
Tuesday - Sausages and perogies
Wednesday - Crazy day...needs to be crockpot. Methinks Beef Dip
Thursday - Chicken Fingers and Rice that never made the oven last week as there were leftovers everywhere
Friday - Baked Chicken and Fusili

Sunday Night Chit Chat

Happily Hosted by Carla.

1)Reading:
I am going back and forth between
a) Gail's It's Your Money
and b) TheWinter Palace by Eva Stachniak. I do love my Russian History novels, even fiction ones. This one focuses on life during Catherine the Great.

2) Watching?
A bit of the grammies once they come on and earlier, Top Chef Texas

3) Listening to?
I have to admit that Whitney has been on a lot today. Sad news.

4) Cooking/Baking?
I have brown bananas watching me as we speak, from my kitchen counter. They are saying 'make us into muffins'. We shall see how powerful and persuasive the banana voices are.

5) Happy I accomplished?
I'm glad I got time off for my dr appt in the city. It was good to get that out of the way and get  a few answers/solutions.

6) Looking forward to?
Honestly, the coming Friday. We get our winter break the following week and it will be nice to have some time at home to catch up, go see family and get some work prep done.

7) Thankful for?
A pair of back up freezers to come to our rescue after Murphy stopped by.

Doctor Visit and a Trip down Memory Lane

I had a very quick but good trip into Saskatoon the other day when I went to the gastrointestinal specialist. The hospital is located on campus at U of S, my old alma mater. Everytime I go back by campus I get hit with waves of nostalgia.  I don't think I was particularly connected when I went to University. I didn't belong to any groups or clubs. I didn't have gaggles of friends I hung out with and solved the world's problems over coffee. I was quite a loner to be honest. Not by choice. I just had trouble connecting and fitting in. When I go by campus now I often wish I had used my time differently there.

As you can see above, it's a beautiful campus. This building is the pharmacy college. Many of the buildings on campus are made from this lovely stone and several of them are built around an oval park area called 'the bowl'. Time to appreciate the greenery is limited to a month or so in the fall session, and for those who take spring or summer session. The rest of the time it is cold and the wind blows wickedly through the channels between the buildings. It was cold and windy yesterday and I watched groups of people doing the traditional 'get to class' walk. Bundled up.  Only eyes showing. Head down. Walk fast. Very fast. Talk to no one until you get inside. ahhh I remember that walk well. lol

The doctor visit went well. She was really really nice and very easy to talk to. Sometimes when you go to a new dr they talk way over your head or they make you feel like you are wasting your time by being there. It was really nice to be able to go there and NOT feel that way.

She is concerned that my inflammation hasn't gone down yet and has jacked up my pills. I'm not thrilled about going back on the steroid. I hate the puffy face and the insomnia, but I recognize that the first step is to get this inflammation GONE and the condition stabilized.  I will go back there again in a couple months. I will have to have another colonoscopy as well. Sigh.

I didn't have a ton of time before I had to get back home. I made  a couple stops for things for upcoming school functions that we can't buy at home, I hit Costco and I gave myself ONE splurge.

I made a quick stop at the bookstore and used my allowance to buy myself Gail's newest book. Technically it's an older book revamped and updated, but I hadn't read the original. I started it while I curled up for a quick bite to eat in the city, and have been thumbing through it this morning. I don't think it's necessarily a feminist book....just targetting an audience that traditionally has not been as involved in finances as their male counter parts.

The ideas in the book transcend gender and have advice for anyone, male or female, who is just beginning to take an active role in understanding their own money. I look forward to reading it all the way through.

My Second Tagging

How popular I am :-)

Here is my second tagging courtesy of Judi at Tales of a Blended Family.

(I have expanded on my answers on my previous tagging, for those who care)
I will play and answer her interesting questions, but I am not going to re-tag.

1. If you could have 3 people over for a dinner party, who would they be (and a short why)?
My first person would be Laura Ingalls Wilder. I have had a life long interest in her books and her journey through life. Visiting her homes is on my bucket list.

The second person I would have over is my ancestor from 1678. In the middle of the religious wars in what is now Germany, but was Switzerland then, she lost her husband and brought her sons over to upstate New York to begin a new life. I can't imagine how brave she must have been.

The third person I would have over is Gail Vaz Oxlade. She really is pivotal in my new financial knowledge and the way I see money. I have a lot to thank her for.


2. Who is your favourite author and why?
I really do have a fascination for Bertrice Small's books. They are historical romance and while there are risque parts, there is also a lot of history. Reading her fiction books prompted a lot of non fiction reading about different people in history.


3. What activities/clubs did you join in High School and what was your favourite?
I did a lot of singing. Private lessons. A choral group. Church choir. I love to sing. I'm..........decent. My students often say I should go on TV but let's face it, I'm old and I don't like being judged LOL Singing was something I was good at. It helped create my identity and it gave me something to be proud of.

4. Is there a movie that you can watch over and over again and never get sick of it? Why?
The only movies I can watch more than once are comedy or comedy/drama. I can't seem to do it with serious movies. On my repeat loop are the Men in Black movies. Tomb Raider duo.  Oceans' Eleven and his two mathematic sequels. I think I can rewatch them because they are familiar, comforting and don't require emotional committment.

5. Do you have any hobbies? Tell us about them.
I am obviously on the computer a lot. Probably too much. I also like going for walks in the spring or fall or else early morning summer air. I love weiner roasts and camping. I cross stitch but only in spurts.

6. Is there someone from your past that you have lost touch with but would like to have them back in your life…who is it and why?
I had a penpal when I was younger. 9 - 12. We wrote diligently. By hand. No computers then. She lived in Stillwater, Minnesota. At one point she and her family invited me for a visit in the summer but my mom was not comfortable doing that. We slowly drifted apart after that. Probably my fault. I wish I still had contact with her.

7. Tell us about your guilty pleasure
I love coming home on a day when I know I don't have to go anywhere or do anything. Out come the contacts. On go the jammies. I curl up and read or putter about the house or watch TV and know that there is nothing pressing on my time.

8. Do you watch tv? What are your 3 favourite shows (and if you don’t watch tv, tells us why you don’t)
It's hard to pick 3. CSI counts as 1. Big bang, another and the Mentalist or NCIS or or or or :-)

9. What did you want to be when you grew up?
I wanted to be a teacher, then a lawyer, then Laura Ingalls Wilder, then a teacher, then a lawyer, then a politician, then a teacher.
10. Why did you start blogging?
I started blogging  because I hoped it would be the novelty that would provide me with longevity as I started this new outlook on money and life. I have trouble sticking with things. For some reason, I have stuck with this. It wasn't about readers or comments or anything like that. More just seeing my thoughts organized and written down. I appreciate the readers and comments now.

11. Who do you most admire in your life? Tell us something about that person.
Interestingly I would put down my mom. She's been on her own since she was very young. Her mom died when she was 9 and she was left on the farm taking care of her sister, who was starting to get ill, her two brothers and her father. She...............worked........................her........................ASS......................off. She got married to my dad when she was 16, which wasn't uncommon or creepy back then and promptly had four children. Her first home burned down when she was pregnant with my oldest sister and they moved in with my dad's parents. Her whole life she has worked HARD and family is her everything.

Company stopped by. I believe you know him??

His name is Mr. Murphy. He stopped by earlier this week and decided my freezer had done it's time. DS2 texted me to say he went to get something out of it and it was distinctly.......softer than it should have been.

I told him to text his father, who came home at lunch to confirm it was indeed game over for my chest freezer. No amount of tinkering would bring it back to life.

Now there are a couple of things Mr. Murphy failed to consider.

1) We got this freezer for free from my brother in law about 12 years ago. It's a medium sized one. Please don't make me go downstairs to try to find the cubic feet sticker.  It's about 4 feet long. It was used when we got it, from his restaurant. He was re doing his kitchen there.  It fit perfectly in our basement furnace/laundry room.  Again, no cost to us :-)

2) We DO need a freezer. More than we have in our upside down fridge. We do have, however, 2 of the small 5 or 7 cubic feet freezers in our garage. The ones which are almost square. We got those when DH's parents passed on. One was from the house and one was from their teeny lake property.  Both are in pretty good shape and we were hanging on to them for the boys when they moved out.  Cost to us.... $0

Together they should give us about the same amount of space as before. Then we don't have to buy a bigger one right away and can watch for a sale.  This weekend we will take the old one out of the basement, dutifully remove the lid for safety and take it to the landfill where they have a pile of such appliances that hopefully go to some recycle depot somewhere. Then we can move those other two downstairs, if they fit the same space. That will free up garage room.

Now I am in NO way flaunting Murphy or mocking him, or bragging that we evaded him. He is a wily creature and does a good job of finding folks when they least expect us. Karma has a way of finding you.

Instead I will praise Murphy for reminding us that it only takes a moment for an Emergency to come along. One needs to be prepared.

I've been tagged

Makky's Mom tagged me and it's time to answer some questions and pass on the love.

We have a small 'interweb' group here and I'm late to the party so I am not sure who all is left to tag.

So here are the rules:
#1 - Post these rules.
#2 - Answer the 11 questions from the person who tagged you.
#3 - Create 11 new questions for the people you tag.
#4 - Tag 11 people and link them to your post.
#5 - Let them know that you tagged them.

Here are her questions for me:

1) What is your favourite fun thing to do?
I love going out to my sister's to sit by her pond, walk her labrynth, play with the kitties and have a fire. Simple things appeal to me most. Those quiet reflective moments.
2. Tell me about your family - children, spouse, parents, siblings, plans for future babies or marriage.
I am pretty boring. 1 husband. 2 sons. I have 9 nieces and nephews, 2 great nephews and 1 great niece. We are all close (emotionally) and not horrifically far apart geographically. All the kids are sporty or outdoorsy, or both. All LOVE camping. Family is everything to all of us, but we do have lives as well. Two rules we follow: 1) if you go somewhere /do something with grandpa and you complain or are unappreciative, that will be the last time you go with him. 2) if you don't think it's something grandma would approve of, don't do it.

3. What type of career do you have?
I teach hormonal teens :-) I have been at the same school for over 10 years. I have a fantastic staff and learn so much from them. I am lucky to teach where I do and have a good relationship with most of the kids.

4. How old are you?
I am 42. (I had to think on that. sad LOL)

5. What has happened in your life that you never expected to happen?
Before I had children, I only wanted girls. I never wanted to be a hockey mom. I never dreamed of staying put where I grew up. I have boys. I'm a hockey mom and I live and work where I grew up. It emphasized for me that who we are at 20 isn't necessarily who you will be at 30 or 40.

6. What are you currently saving up for?
I am not saving up for anything special. I am just working on debt and my savings goals.  My but I do sound boring. I save up for activities for my kids. It's important to me that they have these opportunities.

7. What is your biggest pet peeve?
Lack of basic manners, respect and appreciation. Let a door slam and I'm behind you and I invoke karma and hope desperately you get a papercut, in a really painful spot, like the webbing between your thumb and your finger

8. What puts a smile on your face?
My kids. My kitties. Music. simple things.

9. If you could make one wish come true, what would it be?
I would wave my magic wand and cure my sister of MS

10. Do you like coffee?
Love it. Hot. Steamy. Strong. Black

11. What is your favourite TV show?
Just one? Big Bang, CSI Vegas and NY (NOT Miami), NCIS


My questions are:
1) What is one small difference you do to make money changes in your world?
2) What piece of advice would you tell 22 year old you?
3) What free entertainment makes you smile?
4) If you had the choice of $1000 a week for 10 weeks or $10 000 all at once, which would you take, and why?
5) What is one thing you purchased in the past that you wish you hadn't?
6) What one piece of advice would you give someone heading into their first adult job/career?
7) What book would you take with you if you were stranded on a desert island?
8) If you could go back to the past and have coffee/tea with 1 person, who would it be?
9) What is your favourite season and why?
10) Cat lover or dog lover?
11) If your life were a movie, who should play you?

Here is who I tagged: ( I only tagged 3)

Q and A

Bridget

Northern Living Allowance

Where the money stands

as of February 7th, 2012

Debts


Mortgage - $31 881.82
Vehicle Loan - $4784.98
Line of Credit (new...sigh) - $3750

Total Debt - $40 415.98

Savings (Planned Spending)

RESP - $9447.00
RRSP - $4000
EF (TFSA) - $2000
Summer 2012 - $1000

DS's trip (spending money) - $1200


Thoughts:  I hit both Debt and Saving hard this past month. I have DS's travel money as well as our summer money. I did a good job picking away at the vehicle loan. It is down almost $2000. I need to keep hitting it hard to get it GONE.  It's exciting to see it under $5000 owing now.

Best part of this is that next update, in March, (barring any unforseen expenses) I will finally
be
UNDER
$40 000.

I look forward to that.

Menu Monday

Wow lookie me doing a menu for the third week in a row. That has GOT to be  a record. It's a busy week for us. There is something happening after school or evening every day of the week for us. Between hockey and scouts, hunter safety and staff meetings, it's crazy. I am hoping the menu works for our disjointed times at  home.

Sunday - Roast chicken, mashed potatoes, gravy, corn

Monday - Home made chicken noodle soup from the roast chicken last night is simmering on the stove as we speak.

Tuesday - DS1 is gone out of town for hockey. DH may drive to watch him. That leaves DS2 and I at home. We will either have leftovers, or scrambled eggs, since DS2 actually eats eggs.

Wednesday - Chili. Needed a crockpot something so they can forage for food.. DS1 has hockey practice til 6. DS2 has curling til 5:30 and Hunter safety from 7 to 9. Mom has a staff meeting til 5 then another meeting from 5 to 9.

Thursday - Mom is making something for us. I am in the city for my appointment and DS1 has a hockey game and needs to eat by 5. Thanks Mom!!

Friday - Chicken tenders and rice.

Having a menu has definitely helped the stress level. It also has drastically cut down on the 'run to the store we need....' moments.

Sunday Night Chit Chat

Thanks again to Carla, our sunday night muse.

What am I....

Reading?
I finished Life A la Mode  by Linda Lenhoff last night. It was.........................meh. I felt like it never really got going.

Today I started reading Invisible Lives, by Anjali Banerjee. The main character is an Indian woman, living with her mother in Seattle, struggling between her culture and tradition, and a love interest who is not from her culture.

Watching?
An NCIS rerun. I love me my NCIS!!

Listening to?
 A wee bit of Etta James today.

Cooking/Baking?

I made a roast chicken for supper with mashed potatoes and gravy etc. The chicken parts are now simmering in a pot to get ready for home made chicken noodle soup. It's one of my favourites!!

Happy you accomplished this week?
I used my time well this week. I went twice to the school in the evenings. DS2 had Hunter Safety and I forced myself  to go to the school for two hours of work each night. I got to tidy and photocopy and prep. It was good use of my time. Hopefully I can do the same again this week.

Looking forward to next week?
Well I am not sure if I am looking forward to it but I have to go into the city for my initial visit with the gastro intenstinal specialist. Will be interesting to see what she has to say. Guess one of those two nights at the school will be used to prep for the sub while I am gone.

Thankful for today?
Beautiful weather.  Sunshine. A calm and mostly positive attitude.

The Beautifulness of Friday

Fridays are great. Or whatever day your off days come into play. Today though, it just feels REALLY good for it to be Friday. Not one of those 'lord what a week...I am so exhausted I don't know if I can make it to the end of the day". A more bright one. I must have gleefully said "wheeeeeeeeeeeeeeee It's Friday" to my son about 10 times on the way home from school.

I have no special plans. I haven't a massive list of things to do that I am anxious to get at. It just feels good to have a Friday.

Here are some reasons why I am so thankful today.

• it's +3C. so bright and sunny. fresh and soft and melty. It just can't help but put you in a good mood
• I didn't spend money today. Or yesterday
• I have 2 whole days to clean and tidy and do laundry and feel 'ahead'. It's starting TONIGHT. why waste hours? my house needs it
• we're going to go to my sister's tomorrow and I will see all the kitties (who are now cats) I haven't been out there since October and it will be good to see them all. Cats bring limitless joy to me. Multiple cats = multiple joygasms
• My supper is already cooking. I love having the menu picked up. Just takes that whole 'mannnn what are we going to eat' negative vibe out of the picture. Remind me of this when I fall off the menu wagon, please
• My niece got engaged last night. Another family wedding!!
• My sister received her date for her liberation surgery for MS. She goes at the end of this month to California. BEYOND excited about this. I so hope it works for her.
• I used my time well for school this week and went 2 nights to my class to work instead of crashing on the couch.
• I am watching Diners, Drive Ins and Dives and CRAVING different food. I need to try new recipes!!
• I got my appointment with  a gastrointestinal specialist for next week. Just a consult, but a start.
• I have 2 new magazines to read that I paid for with airmiles, not cash
• I stopped at the library and have lovely free books to read this weekend.

Hope you are having a great Friday!!!

Which one did she choose?

She choose...

Focus on Paying off the Vehicle Loan!

As it stands, this loan is at $5500ish dollars. A regularly scheduled payment comes out on February 6th, which will put me around $4850 ish remaining.

My plan is to put all extra money (snowflakes) as well as all my savings target $ towards this from now until Mid May. I may not wipe this debt out by then, but my hope is that I will make some serious damage to it.

Wheeeeeee damage.

Why Mid May??? Well, the $800 Plates goal and the $1500 are due in Mid and End July so I need to leave myself some leeway to meet these goals. That will give me the money from my May and June paycheques to put towards those bills.

How will I meet this goal? excellent question.

Before payday last week, I owed about $6600. My statement came and along with the balance said I had 11 regular payments left plus a final payment of $400something . That would have put me at being finished January 5th of 2013 were I to proceed with just regular payments.

So let's work backwards here. Last week I paid extra $. That killed off 'final payment $400 something' as well as payment #11. My regular payment comes out Feb 5 so that would kill off payment #10, leaving me with 8 regular payments and most of payment 9.

Already that moved me to being done November 5th if I did nothing extra.

I want to do extra.

Honestly, I wanted to be done this loan Dec of 2011. I played out a bunch of different scenarios and I honestly feel if I had applied myself better last year, it might have been achievable. Then again things came up like the Europe trip and DS1's trip to WHL camp.

but honestly, I could have made some inroads. I only made a few extra payments last year. I could have done better.

So my hope is to finish it before July 5th, 2012. If I can. If I can't then I will be very close.

Barring unforseen events happening (or me changing my mind :-), here is what I will do:

a) Regular payments on the 5th of each month, whose interest amount is going down each month

b) I have at least $600 each month that was going to savings, that I will redirect towards the debt

c) I will snowflake my *ss off, syphoning off my other budget lines and putting that towards my loan.

d) All loose change each month will go towards this loan too.

e) My income tax return will go against this loan (unless we use both my return and hubby's to take care of the basement window replacement that is BADLY needed. Windows are cracked or broke, casings are rotted etc.)

So there you have it. My plan. (cue Phoebe's evil laugh above)

Next Goal

I've been ruminating over where to go next for my goals. In the  nights were the meds don't let me sleep, I go over different scenarios in my mind to see what is achievable and which one speaks to me the most. I am pleased I was able to get two goals out of the way during January. I know my goals are ambitious and I know they are not all achievable without some serious money management, huge self control and a whole bunch of fingers and toes crossed that nothing goes wrong.

My next savings goal would be to save, along with my son, for his vehicle plates (insurance) due the middle of July. That amount is $800 on my part, $300 on his. He is only able to work one night a week right now so there is only so much earning money in the pot. It gnaws at my stomach that I need to make sure I save enough for this.

Or I could choose to get the $1500 for Back to School. With school fees, staff fees, a few new clothes for ever growing boys, a few things for the classroom, school supplies, replacement hockey gear and such, it adds up quickly. Having that money in place is a huge relief off my mind. I'd need that money by the end of July. It's not like this needed money is a surprise....I know the bills are inevitable.

OR I could focus on that pesky LOC I didn't want to use but used. I dislike owing money. I dislike paying interest each month. It would be  great to be able to say "I have access to a $15000 LOC but Zippity Doo Dah Owing.

OR, I could focus on my Vehicle Loan. It's within sight to be done this calendar year if I just run the course naturally with monthly payments. But stepping things up and redirecting 'savings' money to that could finish it off much sooner and wouldn't that be nice?

Or I could save for a trip. Take the boys. Go somewhere. LIVE, LOVE, LAUGH with them before they are gone. I want (need) time away. somewhere. anywhere. Doesn't have to be fancy. I am not a fancy person.

So as they say on House Hunters........................................... so which one did she choose?

stay tuned til tomorrow to find out :-)

January wrap up

January is traditionally a long month. It's cold. It's dark when I go to work. It is dark when I head home. It is a long way from December Christmas expenses to the end of January when I get paid.

It's also a bright month. It's a new year. A fresh calendar. New optimisim. New energy.

I looked back on my previous January blogs and they all share that energy. It never used to be that way to be honest, and I am grateful for the changes within me.

I had a good month moneywise. I snowflaked over $300. I menu planned. I watched where I drove and how much.  I didn't go clothes shopping or buy anything for the house or my classroom.  My week at honme saved me money on gas. Trust me, during the coldest week of the winter, it was a lot. All that warming the vehicle up when it's 40 below burns gas like crazy. The week the boys had finals I didn't have to worry about buying things for their lunch. They came home between exams. It all adds up.

I met two of my big goals this month (of the many goals on the list). I have the  spending $ saved up for DS's trip at Easter. I also have my summer 2012 money set aside and ready to go.

I also did well paying down $ on my vehicle loan.

It was important that I capitalized on the energy of January. There is never any guarantee it will last. Energy fades. Things pop up. Only takes one big kink in the wheel before it has the potential to fall off the bus.

I have updated information on my Goals 2012 page if you want to see that.

January, I appreciate how well we worked together!!!