Reflecting on 2014 Aspirations

Well a year has passed since I created this list....a year ago when I was wide eyed with anticipation, hope and promise. A year where there was the possibility of everything going smoothly :-)

 

Here are my thoughts on 2014's goals.

 

2014 Aspirations - Planned Savings

 

1) TFSA - $2000. This was a success. This was the first time I had moved my goal from $1000 to $2000. I was a bit worried I was setting myself up for failure, but it was one of the first goals I tackled, and I was full of motivation and purpose.  My TFSA is sitting at $5100ish. The $100 being the sad tiny amount of interest that has accumulated over the years. 

 

2) RRSP - $2000. This was not a success. The expenses from over the year slowed this down considerably. Something had to give and it looks like this was what ...gave.  I managed to get to the bank just this week and put down $1200 in my RRSP. So not only did I not make my goal for 2014, I also put in less than I have the last two years.

 

3) RESP - $2400. Based on my numbers from Dec 1 to Dec 1.... I went from $15 800 to        $20 400. I put in $200 a month...hence my $2400 goal amount. This is a total difference of $4 600. So.....success.

 

 3) DS2's Trip - $2000. Success. I actually put in just over $2700 and paid off the last bit of the trip a couple weeks ago. I am so happy I can give DS2 his trip.

 

4) Summer 2014 - $1000. Success. I know I used a chunk of the money for our camping trip and the rest went towards our trip to the US to get DS settled.

 

5) Back to School - $1000. Success. I know I used some for DS2's back to school clothes, and a bit of it for my staff fees that are always due when we start the school year.

 

6) Christmas 2014 - $1400. Success. and spent. grateful I had it saved.

 

7) Vehicle Plates - $1200. Success. This was for DS2's plates which were due in October. I actually only needed $960 of it as his new vehicle was cheaper for insurance than his old one.

 

2014 Aspirations - Experiences

1) embrace the past at ancestry.ca. Semi success. I did bursts of exploration and found some new things. I realized I have little time to do it during the school year though.

 

2) feed your love of reading. total fail. I read less this year than I ever have. This bothers me.

 

3) move move move more to feel great. Sporadic success. I definitely move more in the summer and early fall months than I do in the winter. I need to figure out a plan to keep walking during our long snowy months.

 

4) get more weight off your body. Fail. I never seem to be successful at this. Will I ever value my health?

 

5) take a road trip to rediscover the past or explore the future. Success. We did the 17 hour drive to DS's new hometown. While my derriere did not appreciate sitting that long, I was pleased that DS2 and I navigated so well together. It was amazing to see a new place. I felt an instant kinship with DS1's new city.

 

6) work smarter, not harder. Semi success. I am more aware of how much time I do not use well, and I know that I can tap that resource to I don't feel so much pressure during high stress seasons.

 

7) make conscious efforts to focus on the positive. Despite my sadness with DS leaving, I honestly think I have done a better job of this, especially at work. Amazing how a change in your mood affects your day and the day of those around you.

 

8) notice the beauty of simple, small moments. Success. I find myself tearful at so many tiny moments. So appreciative of them. maybe almost too teary :-)

 

9) shut off the tv more and turn on the music. At home? fail. At school when I am working on weekends or evenings? Success.  Technically it is not so much actual TV but Netflix. Same things though :-)

 

 

2014 was a heck of a ride. 2015 will be even busier with  more new experiences. I need to practice patience and planning to cope with these changes.

 

A year of snowflakes

Ahhh sweet beautiful snowflakes. Each on their own is tiny, but together, they can create amazing things.  Here are my thoughts on snowflakes for this year.

The money comes from a variety of sources - leftover weekly jar money, rolled change, bottle recycling, income tax refund, garage sales, and little bits of money I get here and there. On the weeks or months where I am diligent about using cash, I have more change. Usually any change I get, goes in the jar.  That can add up fast.

This year it was mostly from change and from bits I syphon out of my weekly jar money. If you look at the amounts below, the snowflake amount has mostly gotten smaller each year.

I don't feel I did my best job this year. I let the overwhelming nature of moving a child to another country and beginning to pay for college..............muddled my focus and my clarity.

Nevertheless, I am pleased that I still kept up with snowflaking, and that I put it towards good uses. In the latter part of the year, the snowflaking went to pay off the expenses from our trip down in the summer, as well as in October to DS's USA home.

Here is the breakdown of years past and a link to their pages, if you are interested.


In 2013 the snowflakes were $3671
In 2012 the snowflakes were $3136
In 2011 the snowflakes were $4350
In 2010 the snowflakes were $5070
In 2009 the snowflakes were $4295

And for 2014..... well the snowflakes, including the change I rolled this week, came to a grand total of $3112

Here is to another year of being wiser with money and remembering that every little bit saved or not spent, can add up and make a great impact on goals.

2014 - a quick glance

Looking at the numbers, I have done the poorest job of debt reduction in 2014, out of the years I have been blogging.

And if we wanted to get technical, the debt is really up. Not included in that 2014 number is the LOC  for DS's college expenses, which is setting at a bit under $8 600. So technically, I am UP $5200ish.

It also doesn't include DH's truck loan, but I have never included it as I do not pay it off.

Debts December 2009 - $70 771.99
December 2010 - $52 410.25 (down $18 361.74)
December 2011 - $40 055.29 (down $12 354.96)
December 2012 - $35 921.04 (down $4 134.25)
December 2013 - $25 925.49 (down $9 995.55)
December 2014 - $22 494.06 (down $3431.43)

The only thing on the debt amount just above is the mortgage. I don't anticipate this  number will change a whole lot as I do not plan to put anything extra on it. I have one child in college now and as of the fall of  2015 I will have two. 

My focus must must must be on finding a way to reduce expenses to get through the next four college years.

Despite this doom and gloom prospect, I rejoice in the fact that I started this blog in 2008 and I started becoming money AWARE. I would not have had any of the successes or planning I have now, without that start then.

So if you are reading this, and just starting out, or just thinking about starting out, please DO. You will be so happy you did. I know I am.

Taking a bit of Canada back with him

Well that visit home went far too fast. I suppose I had better get used to it as that is our future.  He got time with 'the boys' (hockey buddies), his friends, his kitties, his cousins, his brother, his gf and her family, and ...the rest of us.

His flight left at 4 PM today. We drove into the city and I swear it was harder saying goodbye this time than it was in August when we left him in the US.

He went over to say goodbye to his grandparents last night. They miss him so much. My dad was full of advice. DS just smiles and nods. My mom gives him advice about taking care of his dress clothes.

We came home and watched the World Jr Canada vs Germany game and he worked at his lottery scratch tickets he got for gifts. A total of $32 in winnings which are going into his Craven 2015 fund.

I ended the night watching The Hobbit 2 with BOTH my boys. They sat on the same couch, each holding a cat. Such a great moment.

Since he had room in his checked luggage, some favourite items went home, that he can't get in his college town.  I miss him already!

All the whiz down there has queso in it,

mmm unhealthy juice crystals

He missed his ketchup chips

M and Ms are NOT the same thing.

He loves this on his chicken.



A Year of Change

Just take it to the bank and put it in one of those machines and it will count it for you!  I often hear that, but honestly, I just love that feeling of watching the change in my jar grow, then dumping it out, sorting it and rolling it up.  I am definitely weird, but I am ok with that.

I haven't added up my yearly change as I am typing this. My gut tells me that it is lower than in the past. I think I recall a couple months where there wasn't even enough of any one kind to roll anything to take to the bank.

Last year's total was $980.  I suspect this year is much less. Let's head to the month by month as I rummage through my blog history to see if I am correct.


January -$45
February - $80
March - $40
April - $0 recorded
May - $15
June - $75
July - $50
August - $50
September - $100
October - $57
November - $0 recorded
December - $100

For a grand total for 2014 of $512

ouch. I hate it when my gut is right. That  was a lot less. This tells me I used my debit card a lot more and actual cash a lot less. And if I was using my debit card, I probably was spending more of the budget line.  All things within my control to change.(no pun intended)

Wrapping up Christmas

and just like that, it is over again. 

We had our first celebration the other night at mom and dad's, as I blogged about previously.

Christmas eve was quiet. DS1 went to his gf's house. They do their big celebration on the 24th with a big supper, mass, then opening gifts.

DS2 seems to have picked up my cold. He was thrilled I had decided to share it. We had a quiet Christmas eve at home and he and I curled up to watch The Hobbit. We had seen it in theaters a couple summers ago but I had honestly forgotten.

Christmas morning was quiet with only one son home. DS2 had the choice of when he wanted to do gifts and he opted to wait until later in the day when his brother came home.  We went over to my mom and dad's for brunch - pancakes, bacon, sausage and eggs and opened a couple of gifts to and from my parents.

Then we popped over to DH's sister's house for a little visit with them.  DS1 and his girlfriend met us their on their way back into town and he introduced her to them, then we came home. 

The kitten was excited to open his presents and it was fun watching the boys play with him.

DS1 loved his Craven ticket, as did his girlfriend. I hope they are still together come summer. They are good for each other.  He was excited about his Roughrider deck of cards, as well as the clothing he got. The gamble on the dress shoes paid off and he loved them.

DS2's face lit up when he opened his book on the canoeing routes of the Churchill river system. He flipped through, finding the trips he has been on and the one they hope to go on this summer. I bought that book in July or August, and I am so glad I did. He loved his camping gear and his new chainsaw pants.

And me? I got a fitbit for Christmas as my big gift.

I will have to spend some time figuring out how it works.  I also got some Cinnamon Yankee Candles, some Baileys, new gloves, and a cashmere infinity scarf from my sister. The gf's family sent in a bottle of wine and some wonderful homemade baking, including these chocolate cheesecake balls that were amazing.

After presents we went to my sister's house and had our Christmas meal there. Turkey and all the trimmings. It was a chance to see that set of nephews, their wives and the two little girls. The little one is 18 months now and no signs linger of her being so premature. We built the 3 year old's Gingerbread house, played foosball and I watched the kids doing Just Dance.

Our evening wasn't very late. By 10 PM my boys, the gf and the nephews headed to the outdoor rink at my school and played a pick up game of hockey with some other folk hanging out there. They came home by midnight, rosy cheeked and ready for a snack and some movie watching.

It went far too fast, but the many simple moments made my heart smile.

Pitter patter of little feet

Well we have a few new pairs of feet running around our extended family this holiday.

The first is in our house. His name is Izzy and he joined us at Halloween. He is DS2's cat, technically, and reminds us of our orange tomcat we lost in the summer of 2013. He spent the first few weeks sleeping in DS2's room at night, to give our Maine Coone a bit of a break. She is not thrilled about the new arrival, though it's getting better slowly.

DS1's face lit up when he came home, to find this new addition to the family. I think that the kitten is the best present he could have had. He and his girlfriend have been spending a lot of time playing with Izzy.

My boys have never had a kitten in the house. Of the three cats we have had since the boys were born, they all were grown and strays when they came into our lives. It's fun watching the boys learn what a kitten means: sharp teeth, little claws, limitless energy, cute meows and fishing him out of the Christmas tree :-)

 

 

The other pitter patter comes from 2 new babies. My niece had twin girls (not identical) on Friday, December 19th. They were 5 weeks early and are still in neonatal care. They were each a little over 5lbs. She had a tough go of labour as the twins were side by side and neither was willing to shift to let someone out.  Their names are Kate and Kara. I don't have any pics of just the two of them yet, but hopefully soon. I am hoping to get into the city to see them at the hospital after the 28th. My cold and flu  needs to be 100% gone.

 

That brings our family number to 7 great grandchildren for mom and dad.  5 girls and 2 boys.

 

My house is quiet right now. Just me and Izzy are up. DH and the three kids are all still asleep.  I have the lights of the tree on and am watching HGTV and sipping some coffee with a tiny bit of baileys. 

 



Christmas Traditions

I was scrolling through old December posts and came across this one from 2010. It made me smile, just to read it. Despite the changes in our lives and our families, many things appear to be the
 same.

Christmas traditions are different for every family out there, but the  essence of the celebrations seem to be the same....quality time with family or friends, spending time together and eating way too much.

Whether folks have a big Christmas or small, go out to eat or do a family gathering, no matter how diverse we are, we all seem to crave the same core values and traditions over the holiday season. I find that rather comforting in some way.

We began our celebrations tonight (last night), and no matter the players, the essence is the same. There were only 21 of us, half of our immediate family clan, but fun was had by all.

Mom and dad hosted Sister 3 and her family at her place. Sister 1 and two of her kids made it, and sister 2 made it with one of her daughters and her two little ones.  The four of us were there, along with DS's girlfriend. While the cast of characters changes, the theme is the same.....food, games, conversation and lots of laughter.

My niece wasn't going to be there with her two little ones as they are going to her dad's for Christmas (divorced family), but when she heard DS1 was going to be home, she bartered time off work and drove the 2 hours to see us. Her son, who is 4, idolizes his UncleDS1.  We brought over our ministick nets and sticks and it was great to see the 20 year old and the 4 year old engaged in a 45 minute hockey game.  Sister 1 got the little guy some evil racetrack thing that needed to be assembled so it was UncleDS2 to the rescue. He spent an hour with him, helping him set it up and then playing cars with him.

There were a couple of heavy Kaiser and Crokinole tournaments going on. Competition is always fierce. DS said that down in the States where he is, the boys have never heard of Kaiser, so  he and his roomie (also from SK) have been teaching them how to play.

It was an appetizer/crockpot kind of supper. Dry ribs, homemade pizza, lasagne, sweet and sour meatballs, wings, spinach/cheese dip, veggies, fruit etc. As usual, there was far too much food. Aren't we blessed to be able to say that?

As I write this, everyone but DS2 is home. He was finishing off a last round of Kaiser so the rest of us came home and Sister 2 will drop him off within the hour and then it is off to bed for everyone.

My boys :-)

For 7 sweet days I get a bit of normal back in my life. My boys are both home :-)  

It will go fast. He flies out the 28th and won't be home until....May, I think. For now I took my calendar off my wall so I don't do that mental countdown and just enjoy the days.

My boys are not overtly boisterous with each other. Just the way they are I guess, but you can tell they are happy to see each other.

DS's  second flight got delayed the night of the 19th due to fog here in Saskatchewan, at the airport. He called, bitterly disappointed that he would have to stay the night in the Minneapolis airport...a lovely 12 hour extra layover. No compensation. No vouchers for food or hotel. He and his roomie found a spot under a staircase leading to an observation level, and pitted in for the night.

He got back into town with 10 minutes to spare before he went to the rink to see his old team play and see all 'the boys'.  It was quite something to watch how the fans were, seeing him and several of the other graduated players, who came home to watch the final game. The kid were all running up to them for high fives, the senior citizen fans were full of hearty handshakes and a couple of big hugs. The best was watching how excited the special needs fans were. They love their boys and their faces just lit up, seeing them.

I am sharing DS with his girlfriend and her family for these 7 days. They live about an hour away from us.

DS2 got to spend two weekends in a row at his camp 3 hours north of here. He figures there is about a foot of snow up there. They snowshoed in from the main road and hauled their gear on sleds. They slept under tarps in the snow and loved every minute of it. They found a skunk sleeping in their boatshed and repaired a few spots where something had gnawed through another building. The ice isn't terribly thick in many spots on the lake so they put out markers. Lots of folks snowmobile through that area and the boys wanted to be sure the snowmobilers knew where the trouble spots were. He took some amazing pics of the hoar frost up there. I will get him to send me a pic or two and I will add them to here.

The time went so fast while they were growing up. I really wish I had appreciated all those moments, even more.

Over the flu hump

The last thing anyone needs the last week before Christmas, is the flu.  A third of our staff managed to do just that the though. It hit in the wee hours of the 14th and was an evil one. I was in bed all last Sunday, home from work Monday, part of Wed and part of Thurs. Aside from vomiting and his good friend diarrhea, he brought a complete lack of energy.  We all pushed through though and finished classes on the 19th. Lots of the kids had it first. It's hard to say who got it first.

I came home that night and just went to bed, trying to push out the thoughts that I hadn't really even started shopping, my fridge was empty, my house a mess, and the tree wasn't up yet.

I am still not at full energy, and my appetite is off...things taste funny and I am not eating a whole lot.

But I am much better than I was and I can be ever so grateful for that.

For those who keep track, I did not get the flu shot. The two years I did, I ended up with pneumonia. Could just be a coincidence though.

Gift suggestion ideas

DS will be home for a few days at Christmas. Yeah us!!

I have no clue what to get him for Christmas though. We reach that stage where he and his brother don't NEED anything really. 

DS has to be able to carry it back in his luggage if it is something we want him to have for down in the States.

Gift cards are out as most of the ones we buy up here won't work in the States.

Thoughts??

Where the money stands

as of December 8th

Debts
Mortgage - $22 494.06

**Total Debt - $22 494.06


Savings/Planned Spending
TFSA/EF - $5000
RESP - $20 400
RRSP - $8000 
DS2's trip -$2709  - sent to MC to pay the final payment
Plates 2014 - $0 -
XMAS - $1400


**this does not take into account the college LOC

Athens and the Islands

It was with great satisfaction this morning that I was able to make the final payment on DS2's trip for Easter with his travel club. He is super excited to be going to Greece and seeing such a different part of the world.

He could have gone last year, during Grade 11 like his brother did, but opted not to. The trip was to China and that didn't appeal to him. He knew he was taking a risk, waiting, as the next destination was not yet know, but he decided to wait.

His fingers were crossed for either Italy, like his brother, or Greece.  He is super excited to get to go tour the Greek Islands.

The trip is through EF tours and the fee includes everything from flight to hotels to transportation to most of the tours. They may decide on other day trips when they get there. I think DS's group opted for one.  The total cost was $3780. It felt good to be able to log on and make that last payment. It was due by the end of  December, but I didn't want to forget to do it in the busyness of that last week.

The trip includes Athens (temple of Zeus, Acropolis, temple of Apollo, Delphi, an Olive Farm). Then they get on a cruise ship tour the islands for four days.  Mykonos, Crete, Rhodes.

He is a big Greek Mythology buff so this is like a dream come true.

Creating Families

I find my mind whirling with thoughts today. Glimpses of things I remember, I am thankful for...swirling ideas racing through my mind.

My son experienced his first US thanksgiving last month. They had the weekend off from hockey. over 80% of the team is from 3 hours or less away so they went home. A tiny handful of the boys are from Canada, including my son and another of his roommates. 

I was surprised, that day, to get a text from an unknown number. I have been getting so many of those lately. spam from all kinds of random numbers have latched onto my cell phone number. There was a photo in the message and for good or for bad, I opened it. It was a picture of DS celebrating American Thanksgiving. He was with his 2 roomies and 2 older women. A message quickly followed and it was from Nick's mom. She wanted to send me a pic of DS with his  new American grandmothers :-)

She wanted me to know how  much she enjoyed having DS at her house. She figured he would run first to the home made food, as she expected. Instead she found him for most of his first hour playing with their two cats and chatting up the grandmothers. It made me laugh and smile and cry all at once. I know how much he is missing his cats.

It was so sweet of her to take the boys in and give them family for a weekend. I think that is what they miss most of all. Regular family time.

So thank you US mom and dad and the grandmothers, for giving my son a wonderful home for Thanksgiving. For the food, the families, and the kitties.  It means the world to me.

All because of a toothbrush

I have been working, lately, at appreciating more what I have. Some days are more successful than others. I am enjoying my job far more than I have in years, despite the workload tripling. I am getting along well with my son here and my long distance one.  I still get sad more than I care for, and troubled by the expenses.

I went home from work a couple Fridays ago. I had been fighting the flu for most of the week. I had tried in vain to get supply teacher, but there were none available. 30 calls. 40 calls. nada. So I had to work Thursday when I really should have been at home. Friday I was lucky enough to find someone who hadn't been snapped up and by 9:40 I was on my way home.

I stopped at the little drug store near my house for.....flu supplies. There was only one other woman in there. The woman had a short conversation with the cashier then headed down an aisle. She appeared tired and worn down. We arrived at the register at almost the same time. 

As the cashier put my items through, I turned to see that the woman only had a toothbrush to purchase. I turned and asked the woman if I could buy it for her. I just  felt the need for  a random act of kindness. She looked at me, a little stunned, handed it to me we put through the $2.99 purchase.

The woman burst into tears and hugged me and then headed off to the parking lot to a truck pulling a small Uhaul unit.

The cashier said "What a nice thing you did.  How did you know she needed that so badly?"  Apparently during their quick conversation at the register, the woman had asked if there was a public restroom nearby.  She had spent the night in her truck, unable to afford a hotel room. She was heading two provinces over to restart her life after her husband had just left her with no home and no money.

It may have just been a toothbrush, but I think that moment gave something to both of us. A little sparkle of hope.

RRSP Update

At my  last update at the end of July, I had $8414 with an increase of $208 over the quarter.

With my current  statement, it shows a balance of $8650. This gives me an increase of $236 over the past three months. It looks like that bonds and dividends are holding steady then. I am glad for the $236 though I know when it comes time to pull those funds, there will be fees/ income tax involved. I hope it all balances out in the end.

I am concerned that I will not have an RRSP contribution this year.  I mean, should I really be contributing when I have $ on the LOC for College??

I really would miss the deductions come income tax time if I didn't.

I am starting to feel a bit like a financial loser as I can't keep on top of things. and I have 3.5 years left of college for ds1 and another round with ds2

Where the money stands

as of November 6th

Debts
Mortgage - $22 786.17

**Total Debt - $22 786.17


Savings/Planned Spending
TFSA/EF - $5000
RESP - $20 100
RRSP - $8000 
DS2's trip -$2200
Plates 2014 - $0 - insurance was due on the 26th of October
XMAS - $1400

**added to that debt is Semester 1 of college tuition, the killer fees for international students and the living expenses.  This is on the LOC.DS has been pretty good about his spending, considering he is away from home and rations what I give him with what he saved the previous year. I don't expect his saved $ to last a whole lot longer. He could only save so much while playing hockey and on the road.

Will have to call MC but...

their hold times are killing me.

I noticed 2 different occasions where using my MasterCard online would not work.

The first was in August when DS and I were heading down to the States. There was a document he needed to cross as a student that we had forgotten about. We used DS's phone and the border's wifi to access the webpage, but no  matter how many times we tried, it kept saying there was an error with my card. It wasn't specific so we didn't know what detail was off.  I thought it was the number itself...do you leave the spaces between the sets of four numbers or not. We tried both, multiple times. The agent who was helping us was saying perhaps the billing address was wrong, but we redid that as well.  Thank goodness I had a VISA as well. We popped that info in and bam! card accepted.

I meant to phone, but when I got back, school started right away and it got busy.

The second was on our trip to the US. Everything was fine paying for the trip via expedia, with my MC. When it came time to 'check in' online, we hit a glitch. Those lovely $25 fees you have to pay to check luggage. Same thing happened. No matter what I did, it said there was an error.  I used my VISA and it worked immediately.

Anyone have any experience with this??

October Change

Every little bit helps when you are saving, but I seem to struggle in doing the inverse...every little bit counts when you are spending.

Nevertheless, here is my coinage tally for the month of October.

1 roll of toonies - $50
1 roll of dimes - $5
1 roll of nickles - $2

for a total of $57

This will go towards the bills coming in from my trip to the US

A visit to the US

We took two extra days last weekend and went down to visit DS at college.

The flight was ridiculously early so we had to leave our home at 2AM to drive to the city to catch the plane by 5:30. It was that or pay to stay a half night at a hotel in the city We weren't willing to give up that money. Some tired folks when we got to DS's city though.

It was lovely to be back there and to see him. We spent time at the rink with him, at his dorm room and at a park in the city.  We even had the chance to cook him a meal in his tiny kitchen. They don't do a lot of true cooking there.

It was homecoming weekend so there were parents and families everywhere around the city for the football team, the soccer games, volleyball, and of course, hockey. An incredible lot of college,  spirit around the community, which was nice to see. There is  a steakhouse that gives the hockey team free lunch on game days at home. I am told other restaurants do the same for the other teams.

It was not a cheap weekend. 3 flights, 3 nights hotel, rental car, $25 to check a piece of baggage every single time!!!!

It did both DS and us good to see each other. Much valued family time.

I need to put the pieces together and see how much it all cost and then cut the corners to pay this trip off fully.

Here are a couple shots from our time in a park in the city, that has it's own waterfall. The  first one has DS2 in it. I particularly loved the beautiful maple leaf I found.

Where the money stands...

as of October 7th

Debts
Mortgage - $23 074.89

**Total Debt - $23 074.89


Savings/Planned Spending
TFSA/EF - $5000
RESP - $19 100
RRSP - $8000 
DS2's trip -$2200
Plates 2014 - $1200
XMAS - $1000


Total debt does not include the college debt.

awol this n that

sorry for the away, and thank Sam for asking how I am doing. Hard to believe it's been a month.

I would say for the most part I have been very, very blue the past month. It's been a tough adjustment to DS being gone so far away....and the realization that I have only months left with DS2. Life here has been very quiet and lonely. a lot of sad realizations.

Now I know that I am a lucky woman to have my two kids when there isn't  a day going by where I read in the news that another mother has lost hers to accident or illness, or darker forces. I really do appreciate that I  am lucky.

It's just a tougher life adjustment.

DH and I live pretty separate lives and I think that reality was highlighted by being one person less in the house.  I really don't want to do another 40 years of not having a friend or a love. I need to make some changes within me so I can see the different lights I have around me.

work wise -it's been busy. They have changed again how our report card looks which means we need to change the way we evaluate, which really means, at it's core, we need to change the way we teach. I don't disagree with a lot of the philosophy. It does feel like 'everything we have always done is wrong and we need to relearn everything'.  I have been trying to wrap my head around the changes and trying new things to align with the new changes.

Moneywise, I have almost all the money needed for DS2's trip. It is due by December so I think I am on target.  It took forever to get the US bank on board for my account down there. I am still waiting on my debit card. I suspect the gentleman I dealt with when we were down there was unfamiliar with setting up accounts. None of the correct address information made it properly into the system.   My favourite was my last call to the bank's 1 888 number when the third person I was passed to, who had been briefed on my situation said "why don't you just pop into the branch and we can straighten this out."  yes, remember when I said I was from Canada and thousands of miles away....? lol  pop in! :-)

I had gutted my weekly grocery money by $40, rationalizing that I was feeding one less mouth so I should have extra cash. I am finding it difficult to keep to that amount.  Granted I also use that budget for household items.

Today was a really good day, all around. I got things done. I went for a long long walk and reconnected with nature. I didn't feel blah. I truly do hope I can continue to feel this way. I rather like not being sad or near tears when I see something that reminds me my kids are grown :-)


this isn't meant to be  a poor me post in any way. just an update on where I 've been. hopefully am moving more into the sunshine

September change

Being back on cash creates more change opportunities.

1 roll toonies - $50
1 roll loonies - $25
2 rolls quarters - $20
2 rolls of nickels - $4
2 rolls of pennies - $1

total $100, all going as a lump sum payment against the LOC

the nickels and pennies were slowly building, but most of the pennies were found when we pulled out the 2 dressers and washed walls and cleaned behind them.

September change

Being back on cash creates more change opportunities.

1 roll toonies - $50
1 roll loonies - $25
2 rolls quarters - $20
2 rolls of nickels - $4
2 rolls of pennies - $1

total $100, all going as a lump sum payment against the LOC

the nickels and pennies were slowly building, but most of the pennies were found when we pulled out the 2 dressers and washed walls and cleaned behind the

Where does the money stand?

as of September 6th

Debts
Mortgage - $23 365.14

**Total Debt - $23 365.14


Savings/Planned Spending
TFSA/EF - $5000
RESP - $19 300
RRSP - $8000 
DS2's trip -$1956
Plates 2014 - $1200
XMAS - $500
 

Ok so this past month a lot of money moved around in a lot of directions.  The 'college' savings was morphed into a US $ account here in town so that it is ready when I need it.  I need to keep a watch on the exchange rate and plan when I will add more to it. There is a fee every time I do it so I want to do larger amounts a few times  a year rather than smaller amounts, more often.

** with regards to total debt... there is still the LOC. I had zeroed it out after I paid off DS2's car, but I am using this line as the 'loan' for DS1's college now.  That number will be in flux pretty much all the time. Take out a chunk against the LOC and then pay it back bit by bit each month. Repeat for semester 2.  I decided not to keep a running tally of this on here. Just a personal decision. Right now it is under $10 000 and should keep going down over the course of the year. I have a set amount I am paying off each month and snowflakes are going against it.

Snowflakes

Even though it was a huge expense month, the way I had the budget lines work allowed me to snowflake some cash this past week. We ate a lot out of the freezer and some produce from the garden at the farm.  I rolled $60 of grocery money into snowflakes.   I know this will not be a regular thing though. supplies only last so long.

A second source of snowflake came from an unexpected source. One of our administration broke her ankle this summer at the lake. Right foot. She asked if I could drive  to and from work. It's right on my way, and I don't mind, so I said yes. She insisted on paying me $40 for gas. Taxis would cost her between $8-10 a trip x 8 trips = $64. crazy how that adds up.

That will go with the rest to the bank with me tomorrow along with the rolled change from earlier in the week for a grand total of $150. The college LOC will be most happy to receive it.

August Change and snowflakes

August was not a huge change month, really.

However, when I cleaned earlier today, I found bits and pieces of change everywhere. Doesn't speak well for my cleaning or organizational skills lol

Mostly I found little change. But little bits add up. I also added the US currency change I had accumulated.

This month I rolled:
3 rolls of quarters  - $30
4 rolls of dimes - $20

for a grand total of $50

I will be taking that to the bank Saturday to put down against the college LOC

A sneezy Saturday

I ended up waking early yesterday..7:30 and it was a little sad to remember my mornings of leisurely coffee are done again for awhile. Weekends are back to tackle the list to catch up from the work week and get ready for the week again. Still, routine can be comforting in many ways.

It started out with my dumping the pile of papers, bill etc out on my bed to get them sorted and put away. I had my coffee in there and put Netflix on my ipad to keep me company while I did it.  This led to a complete gutting and reorganizing of my handy dandy bill/document box. I never get things put away properly it seems and that is crucial to that peace of mind only organization can bring.

Lots of papers for shredding.

Then I decided to put away the new clothes I had bought down in the US, for back to school. Well you can't put away new without getting rid of old..... one in-one out. This led to a close examination of the dressers, and that was when I really noticed the dust. Everywhere. Sigh

So yesterday everything was moved and I vacuumed behind and under, and washed all the walls in the bedroom. As each piece of furniture was put back, each shelf and drawer was gone through. And I purged, and I purged. To donate. To recycle. And far far too much that needed to be tossed. A shocking amount.

I also took the summer's newspapers that DH reads to the recycling bin in town. He is the only one who reads them, but never takes them.

I also found a picture that DS1 had bought me in Italy. I found a frame in my house and put it up in the living room.

As I curled up with a glass of wine last night, I thought. "wow I am going to have the best sleep ever in this totally cleaned and decluttered room.'

Wrong

All that dust that was kicked up has made me incredibly sick. I've gone through four allergy pills and 3 big boxes of Kleenex. My, I miss nasal breathing.

Changing my jar amounts

I was looking back to try to find the last time I changed the amount in my 'magic' jars and couldn't find it, so it must have been quite awhile ago. Since one of my big eaters is no longer in the house, I thought I would take advantage of this to tweak the jars.

Up til now my jar contents per week were:
Gas - $60
Entertainment - $40
Spending money - $20
Grocery and house hold items - $220

for a total of $340 a week

The only thing I tweaked was my grocery jar, reducing it by $40 a week, to $180. If this works and this is the right amount of money for the cost of grocery items here for three people. This $40 a week (or $160 a month) is being funnelled into the account that makes its way to the US for DSs groceries there.

We shall see if this works. I took my first week's money out earlier this week.

College Bound road trip...

....by the numbers

Well DS2 and I are home from going down with DS1 to get him settled in his dorm for college. It was an emotional trip in many ways, and costly.

• 35 hours driving round trip
• 11 hours driving in pouring rain on the way home. Big storm front!
• 55 minutes at the US border to find out we needed one more document for him to enter as a student.
• $200 US to pay for said document that should work for his entire college years provided he does not change colleges or majors
• 4 nights in hotels of varying costs. One night was a plain jane room but OMG what a view in the morning
• 3 roommates in DS's dorm/apartment. He shared a room with 1
• 17 dead skunks on the road as we drove by...and 1 turtle, walking very slowly across the highway. Helloooo Steinbeck
• 76% savings on the door crasher sale at the department store where we bought his Extra long sheets to fit his dorm bed, mattress cover and quilt
• $1.... $1 to park for 2 hours and walk the beautiful downtown district and peek in some of the shops
• $115 spent on 2 of his textbooks. 1 new and 1 used. Hope he sells them back when he is done
• $175 to buy some basic things he needed for his apartment kitchen and groceries, as well as toiletries etc. I went to Target thinking it would be a heck of a deal. Some things were even more than our Canadian prices. Found  a Walmart in the next town and bought the rest there.
• $3.34 to $3.54 were the varying gas prices in the US. Up here we are at $1.259 per litre. Anyone want to figure that out in Gallon price for me?
• $20 per night extra charged for the early check into the dorm. Housing is annoyed that the team required the boys to be here but wouldn't pay for the extra days.
• $$ with question marks as we wait to see how much tuition, room and board and fees are after the scholarship is deducted
• 1 sad mama who hasn't heard from her son since we left. I feel like I am missing out on so much. What was the coaches meeting like? How did fitness testing go? What was it like skating in that huge arena? Who are you on  a line with? How much money are you spending?

And back to work I go. Farewell summer

Simple Things

Well this is kind of the end of summer for me. My last Saturday at home before I go back to work. Next Saturday we are gone to the US to take DS1 down for college.  Seemed appropriate to be thankful for simple things. They are often the most valuable.

• I was so excited that DS2 came home last night. Since June 30, he has been home a total of 3 days. He was up running his camp and then spent the last week on the Churchill River system canoeing 90 KM. I am super proud of his independence, but boy I sure miss him when he is gone.
• DS1 was able to connect with many of his hockey buddies yesterday for the team's annual golf tournament. A few of the incoming players were there and he got to meet them.
• Thankful for a spare couch or two in my tiny little house. I woke up to 2 extra bodies: one of the old players and one of the incoming, crashing on my couch. The new one seemed very nice.
• Thankful for fresh bounty from mom and dad's garden. We went there for supper last night and had fresh potatoes, peas, carrots, yellow beans and cucumbers as part of our meal. Nothing beats the taste of fresh
• Thankful for cooler temps today. It's been far too hot and humid for a house with no AC. Was cooler outside than inside last night LOL
• Thankful for a great staff. We went for drinks and a fire the other night to reconnect with many of our staff, and catch up on summer.
• Watched fireworks last night from my front lawn. Right between the trees was a great view of them from the fairgrounds.
• Thankful for a great neighbour for almost  20 years. Her funeral was yesterday. She was 83. I've really known her most of my life as my grandmother lived beside her for years as well. She didn't appreciate my cats, but she sure was great to have around and chat with and always asked about the boys. I never had to worry someone was going to walk out of my house with my TV or something.

Wow! fees

We got access to DS's online account for college listing his balance owing. The numbers are definitely freaking me out.  I am not even really sure what some of them are for, but I am working on taking deep breaths as I process this mentally and financially.

Now I know the health plan is per semester. I am not sure if the other charges are for the year or for the semester.

a) Health Plan (required. no opting out allowed for international students) - $1050
b) Collegiate Fee - $306
c) International Student Fee - $150
d) Student services fee - $306
e) International Student Academic Fee - $125
f) Computer Lab fee - $72
g) Capital Improvement Fee - $15
h)Transportational Sustainability Fee - $10

That's $2034 in fees for what I think is one semester. That's more than I paid for my tuition and fees for a semester when I went to University. Of course that is 20 years ago..... lol

Equalized, part deux

I wanted to thank everyone for their input on my last post regarding equalized payments. It is so important to hear from voices who have gone through this before and love it or do not, and why.

I debated long and hard about what path to take. If it were me personally paying this bill I would go with setting a monthly budget for the bill, calling in the actual readings, and setting aside any credits, to dip into during the heavier months. I know I could 'not touch' that set aside money to keep for later.

DH, however, would not do that. Any extra money would disappear and then the heavier months would be a surprise and he'd be short cash.

With his blessing and surprising approval, I have put both natural gas and electricity on equalized payments with July being our annual balancing month. To further this, my plan is to attempt to call in actual readings to both on the 15th of each month. The electricity one should be interesting in the deep of winter when I can barely get into our back yard, but I shall try. This will give us truly accurate month to month bills and we will know if we are ahead or behind the game.

As DH said, "I often hold my breath when I open that bill, scared of what the amount is going to be inside." That's a whole lotta stress.

So those are now set up. I am still amused/offended each time I call there and I have to practically give my DNA to get access to the account. Both our names are on it but originally, when we bought the house, DH was the one who went in to set up the account and is listed as the primary. He can phone in and doesn't have to answer any skill testing questions about who he is, but I have to answer about 5, every single time.

A male friend of mine said they had the same problem. The companies suggested that she (the wife) set up a verbal password when she called in. Her husband needed no password, but she did. He grabbed the phone from her and said her password would be 'bullshit'.  The startled agent asked why they would choose that. He  replied that it was bullshit that he didn't have to give ID and a password and she did when it was set up in both their names.  The agent laughed, apologized for the rules she has to follow and to this day, their password is bullshit.

Next, I am off to explore whether the town has equalized payments for the water/sewer bill.

And then, another call to Workman's Comp. It is now day 51 of them saying that  we are just caught up in a computer glitch from them switching computer systems.

Again, thank you everyone for your comments. They all really helped and made me think.

Where the money stands

as of August 7th

Debts

Mortgage - $23 651.93LOC - $0

Total Debt - $23 651.93

Savings/Planned Spending
TFSA/EF - $5000
RESP - $18 100
RRSP - $8000 
DS2's trip -$1180
Plates 2014 - $1200
College Savings - $3050  ($2650ish)

Ok so first...wow that was a long month. It feels like forever ago that I put up the July numbers. Since then I have paid off the remaining bits of LOC for DS2's car.

I paid $1000 on DS2's trip, so I have a bit less of a balance there.

The College savings...I have morphed into a US$ account here in Canada. $3000 Canadian got me just a bit over $2650 US

I am not sure how or if I will be logging on here the College stuff. It will be a number very much in flux. I have to think on that.

Equalized payments...thoughts?

So after the massive Natural Gas bill last month, it is clear something needs to be done. Surpise high bills are not fun.

Here are the options I have come up with:
1) Calling in an actual reading each month. Usually there are four actual readings each year, and the rest are estimates.  For some reason, the actuals DH called in for January and April did not get into the system. He spoke to a person, not a machine and gave the numbers, but they never made it in. That contributed to the scary bill. The company has no explanation for why the numbers never got in the system.  So I could call in each month on the 17th and each bill would become an actual bill. This would eliminate surprises  every three months. The amount owing would always be different though as we would use a different amount each month. So each month would be a mini surprise.

2) Setting up equalized payments. When I talked to a rep this morning, we could start equalized payments immediately. Based on our yearly use, they suggested $75 which does not seem out of line with my spreadsheet. At the end of a year, if it was too low a payment, they would increase our monthly equalized. If it was too high...decrease. There would not a balloon payment at the end of the year if they estimate was way off.

I honestly am leaning towards equalized. It is a set amount each month and would force encourage DH to budget and make it ever so much easier. On the months the gas is low, say $35, he doesn't 'save' anything for the months he KNOWS are going to be higher. We have six months of winter here usually. Then those winter bills come and he is suddenly surprised, and doesn't have all the extra cash to pay it and struggles and stresses.

Anyone have experience with equalized and want to weigh in on my options here?

Up goes the vehicle insurance

My vehicle insurance starts a new cycle at the end of each July. I was watching for the letter in the mail and it arrived on July 30. That is really annoying given that the 30th is my renewal date. It usually comes a week or so earlier as the reminder.

I was dismayed to see, that like everything else, this bill has gone up. It was previously just under $94 a month and now it has gone up to just under $100 a month. A $6 monthly increase or $72 for the year. This is the basic policy required by all registered vehicles in SK. This doesn't include the extended package policy I get that has more comprehensive coverage and a smaller deductible.

Looking back to my 2012 entry, it jacked up almost $10 a month then.

I will have a lot of rejigging to do on the budget once I get DS down to college and I figure out the actual numbers for my monthly budget. It is causing me anticipatory stress to be sure.

August long

With the way the $ things are going I had wondered if we were going to be able to go on our annual August long family camping trip.  Not being able to spend time with the family would have been a big loss. The cabin was prepaid. The groceries were pretty much already bought. It really was a matter of just the gas getting there, so we pulled from here and there to make it happen..

I am glad we did. We have been doing this trip for a long while. I found it interesting to read my past entries for August long to see how our family has grown since then. Many of the nieces and nephews have a significant other now, and there are 5 little ones, with a surprise announcement that my niece is expecting twins in January.

32 of 34 of us were there for this August long.

DS2 had one of the little ones in awe because he is an expert in wood chopping and fire building. The little guy just sat on a chair and watched, then ran with the chopped  logs to the pile.

This was the first time our little family brought an extra. DS1 brought his girlfriend to meet the family. She had met a few of them before, but there were a lot of new faces for her. The little ones loved her. One of the nephews attached himself to DS1 and one of the nieces attached herself to his gf. It was amusing to watch them wander about with kids in tow most of the time. Good birth control :-)  She did very well and got to meet the cousins who are in the city at the same University she is going to.

It was a wonderful time of fresh air and sunshine, loons calling and waves moving against the shore, and campfires. The kids had a great time on their uncles' pontoon boats and hanging out together. We ate too much and had a great time playing Kaiser.

The more our family grows, the more I realize how challenging it is to get that many of us together, and I realize how lucky we are to have my parents still with us.

I am grateful for my sisters and their lake toys, which give my kids a chance to play. 

We will freezer and pantry eat this week and syphon the camping gas $ from this week's groceries.

Now onto the pile of campfire scented laundry.

July change

There wasn't a whole lot of spending in July where I got change, so there really wasn't a lot of change to roll.

I have one roll of toonies with a value of $50 to take to the bank today. I will put that money towards DS2's trip. Every little bit helps.

One pay cheque away

I have been putting off writing this entry, mostly hoping things would get better and it wouldn't be a stressor.  Close your eyes and wish for it to go away and it will, right???

Money is not going well for us these days.

In mid June, DH hurt his back at work. He was in and out of emergency, off work for quite a while and even now is only on half days.  His boss is saying there is no possible way it could have happened at work and has put some pretty negative feedback in his reports to Workman's Compensation.

DH brought home a net wage of $286 for the month of July. It's been 6 weeks since he was hurt and there is still no progress on his WCB case. We called Monday and his case worker was out and the girl we spoke to told us brand new information ....his case is in dispute as 'questionable'.

This has taken a big  hit to DH, both financially and emotionally. He is a hard worker and can always be counted on. His boss, whom we thought he had a good relationship with, is being a real jerk about this. Some of the things he has said to DH have been very hurtful. Liar. Old. Useless. Pansy

I really would like to push on this, but DH doesnt' want to rock the boat. We both realize that if he causes a stink they would find a way to 'let him go' at some point. DH doesn't really have a whole lot of skills and would have a very tough time finding employment I think.

He usually brings home just under $1100 net every two weeks. Not a whole lot. We divide up the bills 70/30. His bills from our joint life are the mortgage $600, Electricity and Natural Gas. He also has his vehicle payment, his truck insurance, fuel etc etc.

Needless to say, $288 would not go a long way.

He is stressed and depressed, angry and moody.

In the past he has resisted any conversations about budget and expenses and any attempts escalate quickly into fights.

He hit a huge emotional low on Monday after he found out his case was in dispute.  I paid the electric and gas bills for him. The gas bill is just for furnace and water heater and obviously the furnace hasn't been used in quite some time. Apparently they have been very low estimating usage and there is no record of DHs phone calls when we were asked to call in actual readings.  So July became a catch up month to the tune of $386. I called and they went over our usage etc, but the bill stands as accurate.  It was the straw, for DH. It will transfer money tomorrow to cover the mortgage on Aug 1. So that is $1000 gone out of my budget which would have gone towards college, DS's trip. RRSP savings etc etc.

 It's  a team thing and I am not going to let a payment go by without paying it, but I am worried as this may go on for quite some time. It has brought home how incredibly close we are to living paycheck to paycheck.

Week 4

Well it was an interesting month. From a Wow!! week 1 with tons of walking and 6 lbs lost to an illness that seems to have taken my energy and my mojo. "life is what happens when you are busy making plans'

I made my goal of walking 100 KM. I know that I didn't walk as much in week 2, 3 and 4 as I did in week 1. Would have been interesting to see where it could have been.

My weight...well I ended up gaining 1 lb this past week so that puts me at a loss of 6lbs over the month. Not shabby, but with one week at status quo and one week of a gain, I can't help but wonder w here it could have been.

I know that if I don't watch what I am doing, that six pounds would be gained back within 3 weeks. I gain fast. yo you dieting over the years will do that to a girl.

I liked the energy I felt when I was walking lots and drinking an ocean of water and eating tons of fruits and veggies. All that fresh produce wreaked havoc with my colitis though.

The past week I haven't move nearly as much, I have had no energy (but a lot of Netflix) and I felt like crap, physically and emotionally.

Pretty telling for sure.

RRSP Update

I received my quarterly statement for my RRSPs this week.

When last I wrote about this I had received my April statement saying that I was sitting at $8414 and had had an increase in the value of my portfolio.

As of this statement, I am now sitting at a value of $8622, which gives me an increase of $208 over the past three months. 

I am looking forward to seeing this value be at $10 000, which it should be if I put $1500 in before December 31st. 

All sounds great, however I have not yet started saving that $1500.  Once I get DS down to college and start to see how all the money issues work out, then I can get started on a solid plan.

I opened my plan in Feb of 2010 and it is a mix of bonds and equity. While $10 000 isn't much when I read of the RRSP/401K plans of others, I am glad I at least started. Better late than never, but to those young'uns out there.......earlier is much, much better.

Passport? check

Last summer on my to do list was taking care of DS2's passport for his trip to Greece in Spring of 2015. I was on it! I got pictures done and everything. And then it just never happened. No clue why. I am guessing my friends laziness and procrastination.

Enter this summer and my registering him for his trip and we get to the "Does this traveller have their  passport yet?"

ohhhhh right. I really should get on that. But I have until April of next year. No worries.

Then came his revelation that he would like to come down with me when we go to get DS1 settled in college. Yeah a passport would definitely come in handy for that.  We are driving down.

So  while he was home 2 weekends ago for a family wedding I sent him to get passport pictures done. His pics from last year were expired. Cost $15.

We filled in the documents and got him to sign everything while he was home, and then off again he went. We have a local office we can take it into but the wait list is 6-8 for the passport to come that way.

So off to the city I went where they get processed much faster.

You can get a 5 year or a 10 year passport. 5 Years would get DS2 through High School and his 4 years of schooling so I went with that. Cost $125

It should be here in 2 weeks, so plenty of time before we go. *knock on wood*

third week

 

Week 3, the momentum slipped a bit. Mostly I think from being sick. I did walk and I am 'thisclose' to meeting my monthly goal of walking 100KM.  With the weight, I didn't track as faithfully. I ended up losing 1 lb.

One week to go.

Where is my motivation from week 1?

On the mend

Well that was no fun. I started feeling off on Sunday. Dizzy. vertigo maybe?  I didn't move much because that made my head spin.

Monday wasn't much better and something else felt off, but I couldn't put my finger on it.  I woke up Monday night/Tuesday morning and was in massive pain on my lower back on the left side. Kidney country. I was sweating bullets and sick to my stomach repeatedly. I managed to sleep until just before 6 when another wave of it hit me. I've never felt anything like this before so off to the ER I went.

I would like to say that I faced this bravely, but the pain was so searing that I found myself tucked in a room in ER, sobbing. The DR on call arrived and turned out to be one of my parents from this past school year. He ordered blood work and had them put me on IV with a shot of morphine and something else that went in my arm.

About two hours later everything came back and it looks like I managed to get a wicked infection in my kidney.  They sent me home with a handful of prescriptions to get filled. DS had to come get me.

Tuesday night/Wed morning I had the same pain but not nearly as strong so I toughed it out and laid around again for most of yesterday.

I am starting to feel semi human again and managed to go for a little walk. I hated that being sick made me feel like I was wasting my summer days.

The total cost of the three meds they put me on was $56.43. After insurance (co pay) I paid out $18.75 for them. One of them wasn't covered by insurance.

Today I hope to get at some of my laundry and paperwork. Four days on the couch have put me behind.

a quieter week two

There was no change at all on the scale for week 2. We had a wedding on Saturday where I indulged and it looks like that undid any progress I may have made. Better try for week 3 I guess.

Walking was curtailed due to family events and being sick. Most of my walking came from Tues, Wed and Thurs to be honest.  I am glad I got it what I did, when I did.

Cheque please

DS1 and I made a quick trip into the city yesterday. He had some things he had to pick up and wondered if I wanted to go along for company.  I jumped at the chance for some quality 1 on 1 with my boy.

We always have great conversations when we drive together. For most of the drive we talked hockey....his old team...his new team...future possibilities. I have always said he should become a sports broadcaster. He can recall details of players, teams and games with amazing accuracy and analysis. I marvel that he can do that, but 'forgets' to pick up his towel off his bedroom floor.

He educated me on what his role will be with his new team and gave me insight on who the new cast of characters will be. I learned the most on our discussion of the NHL camps happening this week. Two of his former teammates are at camps right now, and several of his soon to be teammates are there now. It's going to be an exciting year playing with such talented young men and he is excited at his chances for growth.

Anyhoo, back to the cheque. While we were in the city we were running into a box store at the edge of town so DS could grab something. My eyes caught a piece of paper on the sidewalk outside the store. It was a folded in two cheque. DS reached down to grab it and it was made out for $600 and signed, but NO name on the TO line. I always worried that one of the boys would lose  a cheque when we sent them with one for something and I always filled in the 'to' line.

There was a name and some information on the cheque owner but no phone number. It was from a small community not far from the city. I sat on a bench outside the store while DS went in, waiting to see if someone would come running up with a panicked, frantic look in their eyes. No such luck. I googled the name in the white pages but  no phone number came up. So I called the bank number on the cheque, which was local and let them know what I had found and asked if they could contact their client to let them  know. She took down some cheque information and thanked me and suggested I tear up the cheque.

Still waiting for DS I tried googling the last name and the town, and found a listing with the same PO box number. We are talking small town of about 500 ppl.  I took a chance that the number was the father of the owner of my cheque and called. No one answered so I left a short message on their machine, and DS and I went on our way.


As DS and I drove home, I realized this might very well be our last road trip, just the two of us, like this, and  tears starting rolling down my cheeks. He looked at me and laughed and said " I wondered how long it would take for you to do that."  Brat LOL


When we got home last night I had two phone calls to my cell....one from the mother of the cheque owner and one a bit later from the son. Both were so thankful and appreciative that someone honest had found their cheque. It was a lovely feel good moment.

DS asked if the thought of just cashing that cheque for myself crossed my mind. I said no, for two reasons: one....it just would not sit right with my spirit, and two....the cheque would be traced back to me :-)

DS said that if it could have been totally anonymous in the cashing....no chance of tracing, there is a chance he would have cashed it.

So I throw it out to you. If you found a cheque for $600 on the ground and could cash it totally anonymously, do you think you would? :-)

a good start

(the following post is completely non financial related so feel free to skip if you like.  May I recommend THIS LINK on Tales from the Trenches. She is going on holiday to Europe and shows her amazingly well thought out packing plans. I bookmarked it for future reference. I hope she has a great time)


Ahh first weeks. Full of optimism, possibility and enthusiasm. They are like the beginning of a first day when everything is wonderful.  I have had more first weeks than I care to even consider over the years.

It was a good first week. I walked lots. I moved more around the house. I followed my WW points plus plan and diligently recorded it. I ate lots of fruit and veggies, although that created colitis concerns.

You know those tiny little, almost imperceptible  flutters you had the first time you were pregnant? Was that the baby moving? or indigestion? or my imagination???

I had those on Sunday as I was heading out on my walk. Just felt like my pants were the tiniest bit looser. imperceptible. or totally my imagination.

I made good inroads on my walking goal of 100KM for July. I walked a total of  36.97KM

Not too shabby for an old obese woman. And I sweated on those walks. and huffed and puffed, which is beyond sad, but it shows I worked hard for what my body is able to do.   I swear I had a screen shot from last night that showed my KM but it wasn't there this morning. Just this older one, shown below.  bummer.  I didnt' notice this until after I already walked this morning so that is a lost opportunity. For a type A like me, it bugs me. lol

Anyways the screen shot will give you an idea of what the program tells you. This one shows I did a slightly shorter walk, but walked it faster.

 

I definitely love this app.

 

 

So after the weigh in this morning I can say that I successfully removed 6 lbs from my body. probably mostly water, but I will take it, quite  happily. (For those about to OMG please remember that really large people can lose a lot in a first week)

 

 

I am proud of what I accomplished.  I have made a list of 20 items that I hope fit me over the next couple months. They are things I bought that I wore once and then gained, or that I bought that ALMOST fit, and ..... never did.  Among those are a winter coat I bought either during the 12/13 winter season or the 11/12 season. It was one of those 'not quite fitting but if I just lose 5 lbs..." failures. Not sure if I even like the coat anymore, but I am going to fit it! lol

 

Also on that list is my son's jersey from his hockey team last year. Yup that's right...I  couldnt' fit it, especially around the belly.  Continuing on that trend is his new jersey with name and number that he got at a ridiculous discount for mama when he was down at the college last month.

 

My problem is not successful week 1s. It's falling off by week 3 or 4 and then gaining it all back again. I am REALLY good at that.

 

Cost: well WW online is $22 a month so this week cost me $5.50

 

That's about it other than food.

 

Onwards to another week.

Where the money stands

as of July 7th

Debts
Mortgage - $23 937.76
LOC - $776

Total Debt - $24 713.76


Savings/Planned Spending
TFSA/EF - $5000
RESP - $18 100
RRSP - $8000 
DS2's trip -$1650
Plates 2014 - $1200
College Savings - $3050

The debts are slowing getting smaller, but that will all be different two months from now. While DS is applying for student loans, the projected number will be small because he is receiving some scholarship money. But the scholarship money is not a full ride (but we definitely appreciate it) so there are a load of debts coming. The future expenses are stressing me out. I know this is a choice we are making and we are going into this understanding that, but the costs are still stressful. I suspect a good part of the stress is the same any first parent experiences  who is sending their first child off. I am not sure how to 'show' the debt on here as it will be something that constantly fluctuates.  It is definitely going to be a whole new world of experiences for him and for his mother as well.

DS2 is all registered for his trip now with EF tours. I opted to pay in 3 chunks...registration, one due..today (shoot I better pay that) and the big chunk due 90 days before the trip. The first chunk was $99, the second is $700 and the rest is just over $3000.  It is about the same cost as his brother's trip to Italy. I am excited for him to be able to go. It was a life changing trip for his brother and I know it will before Ds2 too.

All  of these are  choices we are making, and not frugal ones, but it is our path.