August change

August change was pretty good. Most of it came from the change when I went grocery shopping with cash. Anytime I go to Walmart or the Coop they try to encourage me to use the self check line ups. My response is - I am paying with cash and you can't use cash at the self check.

As I walk away I hear one clerk mutter to another - Who pays with cash these days?

me

mostly

For groceries anyways.

1 roll of toonies - $50
1 roll of loonies - $25
2 rolls of quarters - $20
1 roll of dimes - $5

Total of $100

This will be the first $100 to go towards TFSA 2018

A good start.

Review of August Goals

August whipped by so incredibly fast. A teacher's brain starts to flicker to 'school starts soon' the moment the long weekend is over.

Let's see how I did:

• Continue on Ancestry. One more month subscription will help me continue the explorations I have started. It's been lots of fun and I have learned several new things. I made a connection with a descendant of a great uncle we never knew. He did not know his grandfather had had any other siblings. His brother came over to Canada (and then the US) a few years later than the rest of the family did. That's a bit of an I wonder. But the hometown is the same and the mother is the same so either it's a huge coincidence or we are indeed related. We exchanged a few pics and the similarities are quite amazing.

• Continue walking. It is beneficial in so many ways I started taking an imodium each morning and it gave me the safety to walk more than I did in July. I am sure there are physiological consequences for taking that though.

• Read - this month will mostly be novels my students can read. It's hard to recommend books when you don't have a stack of ones you have read Epic fail. Read a bit and re-read a few old favourites

• Appreciate outside. Whether it's walking or having coffee outside or reading.....once September hits I am going 7 days a week and suddenly the almost winter weather is here. Darker in the morning. Leaves changing. The cat and I had a great time enjoying morning coffee outside watching the squirrel and those lovely moments before dark as well. 

• Write my sanity list. It's a list of all the things I need to do in that last couple weeks before school starts so that I feel ready to go. A few tidy things at home. Going through clothes. Pantry stocked up. Menus made List done. Items ON said list, not quite

• Medical appointments. One with the specialist. The dentist. My general practitioner. Optometrist Pass, fail, pass, fail

• Weight. Lose another 3 pounds Pass. Thank you SO much to those brave folk who asked to join as viewers on my weight loss blog. Writing about this is super scary for me, but having you there really keeps me going. thank you thank you

• RRSP - Meet with my agent and add $1500 to my rrsp done

• Vehicles - Mine needs an oil change. DS1's (which is technically my vehicle needs a windshield replacement and an oil change before he goes back to the States done

RRSP and back to school

Yesterday was a super busy day, running around with last minute things to do before school starts today.

One of the stops was to the bank to sign papers for my RRSP. $1500 added to the tiny little pot.

The rest was buying groceries. I didn't realize how many things I was out of or super low on for back to school. TP, fruit, veggies.Cleaning products Bought new ice packs for my lunch bag. A few healthier choice snacks.

I made a stir fry for DS2 for supper and got ready for the work week.

Summer is over.

DS2 moves home

His summer as a park ranger is over and he is en route home with his father bringing the borrowed fifth wheel. We have a busy evening ahead of us cleaning it out so it can be returned.

DS is glad to be home. He's not sure if that is the career for him but he certainly learned a lot.

He paid $8 a night for his campsite so about  $240 per month. Far less than any place we could have rented for him, plus he didn't have to drive to and from the lake each day for work. Saved gas = saved money.

He needs to find something for the fall/winter now so hopefully he gets on that fairly quickly.

It's going to be very weird having him home all the time, after him being gone for 2 years.

Should prove to be interesting.

5 out and $70 in

As part of my procrastinatory - I can't believe I go back to work next week - momentum, I found a sports bag downstairs and wasn't sure of the contents. Inside I found DS1's hockey ref jersey and 2 pair of pants from when he was about 13 and was reffing for a bit of side income.

I posted it on our local facebook buy and sell and had a hit immediately. All 5 items, including the bag, went to a young man who will be doing his first year of reffing this winter.

$70 went into my snowflake for the month.

woo hoo

My favourite payday

.....is tomorrow.

I will be CPP and EI maxed out so that money is mine.

I will also have no teachery deductions as those only happen in Sept - June.

My cheque will be about $1000 more than usual.

It is always so exciting thinking of ways I can spend that money.

Reality is far more boring - most will go to convert to US dollars for college, a couple hundred will be tucked away for a new winter coat (it's been several years now and my pocket linings are holey and unrepairable. The last bit will go towards my fall trip to see DS play hockey.

It is fun to imagine but reality does speak loudly. Hopefully not loud enough for Murphy to hear.

My last solar eclipse

Picture it. February. 1976. A badly dressed in floral browns  grade 4 student attends class. She sits in the far right row, second from the back. Their classroom design is actually 3 classrooms together with only half walls and a high vaulted ceiling with, you guessed it, a large circular window at the stop.

Half the class isn't there. Parents kept their children at home, terrified that they would be sent out for morning recess and blinded for life.

At 10 something in the morning the teacher instructs us to put our heads down on our desks. She puts an 'audio book' on the record player and we are taken away to the magical life of the Lollypop Dragon.

We reach a point where the teacher says "no peeking" and we can hear her footsteps up and down the carpeted aisle, making sure.

We didn't burst into flames, but we definitely didn't look up, let alone, go outside for recess.

And that's what I remember from my first Solar Eclipse.

Well...he's 'home'

It was a tough week here as DS prepared to leave. Summer once again went far too fast, like life does.

He worked until Wednesday, then packed up at his mother in laws and came home.

Thursday we had a day of laundry and packing and final meals. He was grumpy with me most of the day, which is upsetting when I had so little time with him all summer. I think the leaving was  getting to him. Supper was at my parents. I made his favourite and took it over there.

When we got back to the house the GF said that he was really emotional on their drive back after he hugged them goodbye. He always knows that it could be the last time they see him.

We came home and we had a great evening together, like I had hoped.

He left Thursday and we had planned for him to drive the first 12 hours and then spend the night.

Customs was not a good experience for him. He had all his documents and answered their questions. They pulled him for a 'random' check. He was placed in a room down a long hallway, locked from the outside with his passport, keys and phone taken from him. His car was hauled in and gone through. They asked him all kinds of questions about drugs. He said to me after "when they asked if I did any drugs part of my inside wanted to say If I did my mother would kill me' but he figured that wasn't the moment for that kind of levity. They didn't believe that he was a hockey player so he gave them the webpage for the team where his pic and stats are listed so they could see for themselves.

He was finally released and on his way to the main lobby he ran into another guy he played with here, who is playing hockey in Wisconsin. It was a good moment to end a stressful time.


Between that and the road construction stops he lost 2 hours.

I was so glad he had planned to stop anyways.

He left this morning for the last leg and got to his destination about 2:30 our time.

Let the fall hockey season begin.

Really underselling it

for those scant few who may care, I have started a permission only blog in the vain hope that perhaps blogging about my umpteenth attempt at weight loss and healthy living.

It's dull. It's dry. There will be no pictures :-) There will be no starting weight numbers.

It may even disappear if I fail yet again.

I am just hoping. so hoping.


If you happen to be a long time follower/lurker and you're interested, pls email me at new (underscore) joliereves (at) yahoo (dot) com.

I will see if I can figure out how to add folks. never done that before.

This blog entry will disappear as I am nervous about opening up the other one and being........transparent.

I have deleted this entry four times already as I waffle about what to do LOL

EDIT - the main "Money Tree" blog is staying put. This new one is just for the weight loss part.

EDIT 2  - ok for people who have done an invite only blog....I went to settings and to 'add reader' and put in the emails of those who requested. I am assuming they would receive an email with a link to log in as their own usual self and read.

am I wrong?

thanks

EDIT 3 - I found this online. Is this telling me that only people with google accounts can read?

Private – Only these readers

• The Private-Only these readers option allows only a set of readers to use your blog. You have to send invitations through email for a set of readers that you choose.
• Click on “+Add Readers” to add readers to your private blog. You can add up to 100 readers for a private blog. The readers should be login to their Google account to use your blog.

Sending DS back to College....

...is not cheap.

Here is a list of a few things that he and I split the cost on to get him back to hockey country.

• $50 for windshield replacement. Big rock chip on his way here in the spring that cracked in all directions. Package policy pays for all but the deductible of $50
• $55 new wipers for the windshield. They were tattered and needed replacing
• $100 oil change. Synthetic oil will last him for most of his year down there. who knew synthetic was so costly?
• $85 suit cleaning. Now he is all freshly pressed for their 'must wear' suits. Grandma was super excited to iron his dress shirts.
• $7 car wash before he goes. DH insisted on it. I am thinking it's going to pick up a bug or two in the 17 hour drive
• $140 US  DS is breaking the drive up in two. He loses an hour due to time change en route and found himself beyond exhausted last year. Hotel we use at the break point was booked. And all the neighbouring hotels. Something exciting must be happening in that city tomorrow night. After 14 phone calls we gave up and took one that costs way too much.

and that doesn't factor in any of the actual COLLEGE costs :-)

One more year

5 a day challenge to be cont

Remember my 5 a day challenge?

It was my low effort attempt to get rid of clutter in my home by removing 5 things a day.

I have been pretty good about keeping up with it. Some days zero and then next 10.

Well DS1 knocked it out of the block tonight.

He is packing for his senior year and has SO many clothes. He brought pretty much everything home in the spring as someone was subletting his room in the house.

Tonight he says "Would you mind if I went through all my drawers and cleaned them out?"

My face lit up like a Christmas tree :-)

Heck ya! Let's do it

He ended up with 4 piles.

• Things he was taking back to the US
• Things he wanted but was leaving behind here
• Things that were garbage
• Things that he no longer wanted but was leaving for DS2 to go through to see if he wanted them

I know a good chunk of  pile 4 will be too big for DS2 or he won't care for, but we will try.

When all is said and done I will have over a month's worth of  '5 a day' just from tonight. 

None of it is visible clutter, but his drawers are breathing a sigh of relief.

College, LOC and TFSA, oh my!

So most of my money goals for the year have been met. Plates (insurance), RRSP, Christmas is almost done, Summer etc.

The only goal I haven't started yet is my TFSA savings of $1000. Interest on this is paltry. Super paltry.

Interest on my college LOC however, is not paltry.

I was putting $500 a month down on the LOC, and saving a comparable amount for College. My LOC is close to being maxed out. Yes they would give me more, but I really don't want it to come to that.

This is DS1's last year of college. It will cost. Money will be needed. Usually I am putting  a chunk on my LOC and a chunk into college savings, along with a chunk that goes to my rotating money goals (see First paragraph).

I really really really want to avoid putting more money on the LOC. I would rather jiggle the amounts around to put a base amount on the LOC and a larger amount into College (and the dreaded Canadian to US dollar conversion).

The dollar is at about 77 cents right now which is not great but better than the 71 cents it was earlier this year.

I think I will drop the worry about the $1000 TFSA goal and focus instead on the college/LOC for the rest of 2017.

My change jar $ was going towards my Back to School fund and that is now met. Thank goodness. I start in 2 weeks.

For the rest of 2017 I will put my change jar $ towards TFSA 2018. This is a pretty low stress way of slowly building it.

I know...It's a lot of thinking out loud. But that's my plan for now. for now. Til Murphy or someone finds me and whaps me upside the head.

She's making a list(s)...

As August moves towards a close (I can't believe the summer is almost over), my home is filled with lists. Things get busy with me heading back to work, DS1 heading back to the US and DS2 moving home for good (for now) after 2 years away while he figures out work for the winter season.

DS1's list  is important because he's a long ways away if he forgets, like last year when he forgot his beard trimmer and his CAA card. Life at border crossing would be very difficult without his I-20 document that lets him in.

For school I have a list of 'desk' items....things I use throughout my work day. Included: motrin, icy hot (for when my neck goes out..and it does. often), immodium (pretty much on daily use now), sugar free gum and candies, coffee for the Keurig.

For home my list has a cleaning list and a cook ahead list and a stock the cupboard list. I may need to buy a couple things for back to school clothes too.

Lists truly do help me bring order to the chaos. It makes me feel in control. Empowered :-)

A summer of connections

I allowed myself to play on Ancestry this summer and found quite a few new interesting details.

An uncle of my GG grandmother murdered his wife and was hung. A brother of a G grandmother had a suspicious death after the govt claimed they had mineral rights on his oil rich land in Nebraska. I can trace my ancestors on my dad's side to Bern, Switzerland to the late 1200s.  Things like that.

More personal though, were the connections.

• Several distant relatives returned my messages on ancestry and we filled gaps in the tree for each other.
• The granddaughter of my dad's first cousin popped up from the US to visit the old family stomping grounds. We had never met her. 
• I discovered that my mom had a half brother who died at two. Didn't know he had existed. His grave is unmarked (died in 1924) but we wer ea
• My mom's nephew (from her oldest half brother) came for a visit. I had found him on Facebook about 2 years ago and we have messaged now and again. He knows very little about this side of the family and it was so good to have the chance to sit down and answer his questions. He looks so much like my uncle. My mom cried when she met him and hugged him
• On DH's side, we had a family reunion for his mom's sisters. Some of the cousins we haven't seen since my inlaws died several years ago. One, my husband hadn't seen since he was about 8. I was the youngest there, with the exception of the brief pit stop DS1 and GF did on their way to HER family reunion.

On my bucket list I definitely have a trip to upstate NY and the region below Ottawa to see more of where one of my branches lived.  I would love to do the Bern trip too but I am not sure that my health will permit it. (and my wallet :-)

Where the money stands

as of August 5th

Debt
Mortgage - $12 387.55
College LOC - $22 443.51

Total Debt - $34 831.06



Savings/Planned Spending
TFSA/EF - $8200 
RRSP -$13 851
Back to School 2017 - $500
XMAS 2017 - $700
Plates 2017 - $1000
Summer - $500

I still have not taken the $1500 in to add to the RRSP. My advisor has been on holiday. I have not used any summer money. Go nowhere = spend nothing = dull = economical = still dull

August Goals

While July might be the ahhhhhhh relaxation month, August is the appreciation of summer month. It always goes lightning fast and the whole 'school starts soon' pops up as soon as the calendar flips.

• Continue on Ancestry. One more month subscription will help me continue the explorations I have started. It's been lots of fun and I have learned several new things.
• Continue walking. It is beneficial in so many ways
• Read - this month will mostly be novels my students can read. It's hard to recommend books when you don't have a stack of ones you have read
• Appreciate outside. Whether it's walking or having coffee outside or reading.....once September hits I am going 7 days a week and suddenly the almost winter weather is here. Darker in the morning. Leaves changing. 
• Write my sanity list. It's a list of all the things I need to do in that last couple weeks before school starts so that I feel ready to go. A few tidy things at home. Going through clothes. Pantry stocked up. Menus made 
• Medical appointments. One with the specialist. The dentist. My general practitioner. Optometrist
• Weight. Lose another 3 pounds
• RRSP - Meet with my agent and add $1500 to my rrsp
• Vehicles - Mine needs an oil change. DS1's (which is technically my vehicle needs a windshield replacement and an oil change before he goes back to the States

Review of July goals

I will be the first to admit that in essence, my July was boring.

I got to relax and read, walk and tidy, but if someone were to ask me what fun things I did in July, I would have zippo for an answer. I recognize that my health limits a lot but I don't want this to be the rest of my life. Not sure how much power I have to change it.

So as for my goals.....I did ok ish. I had great zip and zoom for the first two weeks of July, as usual. After that the unrelenting heat here really affects my mood and  health. I know our heat is nothing compared to what many folk are getting. It's just more than my body can handle. On the couple cooler days we had, I felt SO much more alive and productive.

Goals:
1) clean out 'the paperwork' bin.   A
It felt good to get the excess out and to know where everything I need, is

2) Read Read Read Read.  B minus
I always could have done more, but I enjoyed curling up to escape in a book.

3) Walk Walk Walk. B
Super strong the first two weeks then as the heat cont I got lazier. Still everyday, but not multiple times.

4) Fitbit 10, 000 Steps. B
I misplaced it for a week. Harder to count when it was awol.

5) My computer room. F
I started but then DH shoved a bunch of things in there as he was looking for things for his family reunion. Until he clears them out again it's just wall to wall debris.

6) Make a tentative money plan for the rest of 2017.  A
I have made a couple versions of things depending on how things go. Of  course Murphy may have other plans. He usually does :-)

7) Lose 6 lbs. B
I lost 4. I wish I could keep the momentum going when I start something.

8) Delve into Ancestry. A found some great pictures and artifacts that I only could access with  the international  plan. We have one of our branches back to the late 1200s in Switzerland. Pretty cool. DS2 spent a few hours exploring with me. I have a first cousin coming to visit tomorrow that I have never met. My mom is so excited to meet this nephew of hers.


And, that was July. Not spectacular. Not too shabby either.