July change

....was the usual $100

• 1 roll toonies
• 1 roll loonies
• 2 rolls quarters
• 1 roll dimes

I had already cashed in the 'bonus change' from the garage sale

Summer hump

It's been a tough summer in a lot of ways.

Dad isn't well. Fluid on the lungs and heart and his legs and feet. We have been been in and out of ER multiple times. He is so frustrated he is so weak and he has so much to do.  I am over there multiple times a day to take care of him.

My colitis - I heard from the specialist that they may want to take my colon  out. That's a huge life decision and I am feeling overwhelmed with what to do.

DS2 has been diagnosed with severe depression and anxiety. I haven't been able to get him out of bed. Or to work. We have appointments with counselling and a doctor for medication but those take time.

So for me all of this has escalated my stress and depression. Really missing mom these days and her passing has changed our world in so many ways.

I miss everyone feeling well and being free from constant worry.

Murphy listens

You know that urban legend gossip that Facebook listens to your conversations and the 'ads' that pop up reflect your conversations???  (I totally agree with this by the way).

Know what else listens to your conversations? Murphy.

No sooner had the garage sale money been applied to the college loc, than my washing machine, my 23 year old machine, gives it up.  We have done little fixes to it over the years. a pump. a hose clamp.

This one was the final straw. It ended with the machine barfing out 2 inches of water across the floor of my laundry room. It was done.

Luckily I have been tucking little bits of money away over the past few years for the moment when I would need a new pair. We went down to our local furniture store and within 15 min the old units were gone and the new ones were installed and a load of towels was going.

This unexpected expense wiped out my emergency appliance replacement fund. It would have been nice to have the garage sale money to offset it.

I will have to begin the little bits of cash here and there to restock it in case something else decides to go. It was sure nice having that money there, ready to go, though.

Garage Sale Success

I would have to say the sale was a success in all sorts of ways.

Clutter - we got rid of a TON of  items that were big and taking up space in the garage or the shed. Things we haven't used in forever. That's a win for those spaces, who now have some elbow room.

Family time - I got to spend some good family time with the boys while they helped me run in

Money - We made over $400 on just clearing out clutter. It went immediately to a lump sum payment on the College Line of Credit.

I am glad to get this task off my Summer to do list

2018 goals mid point check in

It's funny how many things can change throughout the year. Life throws unexpected experiences at us. Sometimes that is meant to throw us off our course onto a new one. Sometimes it is meant to see if we can stick to our plans through the storms.

Here is my midpoint check in:

1) RRSP - $1500 - done. just waiting for an appt to get it put into the bonds and dividends.

2) TFSA - $1000 - $600 thus far through passive income of rolling change.

3) Summer 2018 - $1000 - done. Not sure what I plan to do with this. I have no plans to go anywhere but it's nice to have it if I want it. If I don't use this it will go towards Europe to visit DS

4) Back to School - $500 - done and ready to use

5) XMAS - $1500 - $200 thus far. July is when I start this target officially. If we end up going to Europe, THAT will be our Christmas

6) LOC - $1500 Bonus payments My LOC is down $2675 since end of December. My regular monthly payments are about $300 each so that nets me $875 bonus money towards the loan. Little steps.

7) Plates 2018 - $1200 I have $1000 saved up towards DS1's vehicle plates/insurance. I am not sure what I will do with the vehicle when he is gone for 8 months. If I removed the plates (and get a refund) there will be no insurance on it should something happen to it. Vehicle theft is huge in our area)

8)  ReadingI have reset up my ABC book list to see if I can be a bit more motivated to read a little more voraciously. I actually started reading again. A few off the list.

10) Travel 

I got to see DS in early March for our last visit to his college city. I got to see him in early April for the big win. I am tucking $ aside each month to put towards visiting him in Europe. DS2 is even tucking money aside each month for his flight ticket. 

Clutter clean up in progress

I had supper tonight with two friends from High School. We had a great time catching up and updating each other. We all live in the same town but paths just never seem to cross.

I came home to find my back lawn covered. DS1 made it home and had emptied one of the two sheds we have in the back yard. This one is mostly full of camping items. 

I was really impressed with DS. He had it all laid out in categories. Tents in one spot. Cooking devices in another. Xmas stuff in another.

He was incredibly patient with DH, who hates getting rid of anything. When DS2 got home he joined us. We probably tossed about 10 big garbage bags full of broken or unusable items. Dad's trash is getting picked up in the morning and he has a lot of room in his bin so DS2 ran over to fill that.

The items for garage sale were dumped in our garage (it was getting late). DS and I will go through it tomorrow and price it and then move full tubs to my dad's (where we will have the sale). The items that were still relevant and part of our lives went back in the shed. You can actually see the floor and walls of the shed now. I could feel it sigh in relief as only about 1/3 to 1/2 ended up going back in.

DS1 certainly seems to be on a cleaning roll. I love it.

We also went to CAA and booked his flight to Europe. I have exactly a month tomorrow until he leaves me for a new life. His flight will get reimbursed by the team so we splurged and paid extra for leg room for the two longest parts of the flights. 

Where the money stands

as of July 5th

Debt

Mortgage - $8 687.71

College LOC - $18 418.37

Total Debt - $27 106.08

Savings/Planned Spending

TFSA/EF - $8200
RRSP -$15 814

Summer 2018 - $1000 (goal met)

Back to School 2018 - $500 (goal met)

XMAS 2018 - $200

TFSA 2018 - $600

RRSP 2018 - $1500 (goal met)

Plates 2018 - $1000

Happy 10 year Blog o versary

Wow! 10 years!

When I started this little blog journey back in 2008 I was looking for some answers. I was looking for a way out. I was looking for empowerment.

I am happy to say it was all found.

I fully credit my little blog as being a pivotal part of the successes I have  had. It kept me motivated. It kept me accountable. It kept me moving forward and growing. It kept me connected to others on this journey.

I have had so many experiences in the past 10 years and so many of them would not have been possible without getting control of my little bits of money and letting it work for me. I know I did this almost entirely on my own. DH rejected any offers and suggestions I made to try to help him on his end. And where is he? still living cheque to cheque. Still finding himself short. Still finding himself 'surprised' by regular money experiences like  Christmas.

I  know I write a lot less than I used to. Much of what I do is on autopilot (in a healthy way) and that is a blessing.

Here are some of the highlights of my journey:

• Put DS2 through a 2 year college program
• Put DS1 through 4 years of college in the US 
• Travelled to visit him a couple times each year
• Travelled to his big 2 championships
• Bought and paid off early a new vehicle 
• Got my mortgage down under $10 000
• Started and saved for a TFSA
• Started and saved for an RRSP
• Saved and paid for renovations to my 1950s house
• Kept a ZERO Credit card balance since early 2009
• I  have moved from a woman with young kids to a woman with grown kids starting their own lives.

I feel like this post should be more WOO HOO but honestly I am exhausted.

I am also very proud of what I have accomplished.

The next 10 years will see my teaching career wrapped up. Perhaps a wedding. Hopefully grandchildren. I still have a lot of living to do.

Summer To Do List

Summer is definitely a time to rest and relax.

It's also a time to do all the things that have been pushed off all school year and need to get done.

Here's my list. Only a little has to do with money to be honest.

• Rest
• Read
• Walk
• Weight Watchers (hoping for 12 pounds over the summer)
• Spend  a LOT of time with dad
• $400 snowflakes
• Passport - my passport expires in Oct but who has time in October to do that? So I will do it over the summer. Which meant I needed to do my pics and documents at the end of June so that my witnesses/references were actually around
• Infusion x 3 (regularly scheduled)
• Specialist appointment in the city
• Get DS to the accountant to figure out what we will need to do for Tax season for 2018 year when he moves /is employed in Europe
• Get DS to bank to decide what to do with his account here and get advice for Credit Card and Banking in  Europe
• Book DS's flight
• Dentist - cleaning
• Mammogram - weird things happening and I want to find out if there is anything to worry about
• Mole excision - That's how mom's cancer started. I want my two guys gone (and checked)
• Garage Sale
• Meet at Bank to do this year's RRSP contribution
• Meet at Bank to add this year's TSFA contribution
• Call cemetery to be sure the spots we have for mom's ashes (and dad's when it's time) is still there
• Do mom's memorial for the newspaper since no one else stepped up
• Monitor the price of Euros (I think we're screwed)
• Come up with a new budget. Our district is moving to pay twice a month after 24 years of once a month. I am not thrilled. I have a great rhythm going with once a month
• Find a new binge on Netflix for my down moments
• Clean out mom's things when dad is ready
• At least 20 large garbage bags out of my house (donate/garage sale/recycle/toss)
• Head to toe house cleaning
• 'spring' clean mom's house. She would be twitching at the dust and windows
• Lunch with High School friends
• Bake, bake, bake. I seem to have taken over mom's role there for the family. I am nowhere near as good as she was
• Gather mom's recipes together in a word document to share with the family. 
• Decide on a tattoo. One of my friends at work had something in her grandmother's writing tattoed on her arm and I think that's what I am going for. Now to see what I have in mom's writing.
• Pedicure x 2 (I have 2 gift certificates so why not)
• Perm - yeah I'm one of those who needs that for her sad sad flat hair.
• Skin Care Routine - colleagues gave me a 3 month supply of a lovely smelling product line. Might as well use it.
• Memory book - I haven't ever done one of those online photo albums. I want to do one for DS for all his college hockey time as a gift for him. Not sure how to get newspaper articles in there. I don't have any fancy software programs
• Cancel DS1's vehicle package policy since the vehicle will be parked while he is gone.

I will undoubtedly add to this list as things come to me. Nothing thus far is school related. woo hoo.

Garage Sale Prep

If I peek back in this blog I believe the last garage sale we had was 7 or 8 years ago. I know we used the proceeds for the last bit needed to buy my new sectional downstairs. It has been well appreciated btw.

As we begin to think about how much 'stuff' is at mom and dad's house and how it will all have to eventually go, it draws my eyes to my own house. And how tiny it is. And how much 'stuff' is tucked here and there.

And I ask myself why I am holding onto things that I don't even pull out seasonally to use.

So the plan is in the works to have a garage sale.

I thought we had more to be honest. DH and I pulled down several tubs from the attic above the garage (much of which has been up there since the last garage sale).   Now I am wondering if we even have enough for  a decent garage sale.

I have a box of books. There are old skis and boots that are a 'free to a good home'. Some misc things, but a lot of it is junk. not even things we could donate. Just........stuff that did its time and is done now. 

A lot of it represents a life we wanted but didn't want enough to have. Like the kites we never flew. The snowshoes we never used. Duck hunting decoys my husband has been holding onto for decades but he never goes duck hunting.

DS1 stopped through on his way home from the lake and I had him go through the tons of hockey equipment we have. He was wonderfully ruthless. One bag to keep for here. One bag that we might be able to sell for cheap at a garage sale. One bag that isn't worth anything and is super worn so it went to the trash. He had to be the one to make the decisions though. While I purchased it all, they were his memories.

I realize that this purge may be more about throwing things out than raking in cash at a sale, and I am ok with that.   With DS moving to Europe it's a clear line that our lives are changing and it's a good moment to ease up the weight in my house.

Anything that doesn't sell will go to a donation bin if it's worth it. If it's not, then it will go to the landfill.

Any money that comes in from this will make a wee lump sum payment on DS's college LOC

My house won't visibly look any less full, but the secret recesses and nooks and crannies will heave a sigh of relief.

A quiet Canada Day

A Canada Day with no big woo hoo excitement, but also no cost.

The day started off rainy so mom was telling me to bake. I did 6 dozen cookies and wrapped them all up in 2s and froze them for lunches for DS and DH.

I did two walks of 30 min each and was grateful for the health to be able to do so.

I managed to go to the right house to feed the cats so that was a bonus :-)

I took a look at my neglected, dirty house and started with my room. Each drawer. Under the bed. Behind the dressers. The closet. Some serious ick factor going on. I managed to let go of 6 old sweatshirts (Beaver River Canoe/ Mondetta --- hello early 90s) that I hung onto forever and really are a hot mess of stains. I have 2 old are new items that now fit me so that was fun to see.

I rescued my husband and dad when they were out and about and dad's dog locked them out of the truck.

and I read. Funny I got it from the library on Wed last week and when I started it this morning I thought 'hmmm this is familar'. I had previously started it last summer or the summer before and never finished it. Today I did. It was ok. Nothing earth shattering. Not one I would read again. But it took me away for a little while and let me lose myself in words. That was a sweet gift.

I am off to the backyard for a glass of wine and a campfire if the wood isn't too wet.

Hope you all had a great day.