confessions

Since I started this blog in 2008, one of my most proud accomplishments was my organization of the household paperwork. I proudly set up my blue filing tub with labels and things were filed dutifully.

I was on top of it.

Need my last Credit rating? no problem

Need that MC statement for those tires I bought? here ya go

The last year everything in my world fell apart, including my filing.

Now bills still got paid, but there was more than one occasion where I was paying off my MC and I accidentally sent the money to my VISA, without realizing until it was too late.

Then I wasn't able to find papers - bills, the house transfer papers - the receipt for the new water heater to prove it was still under warrantee.

The more exhausted and stressful my world became, the worse the paper work organizing was. Things got shoved. On top of the fridge. In drawers.

And then moving when I was so sick did not help matters. Things were shoved in boxes and bags and laundry baskets.

Nor did having two power bills, two water bills, two phone bills for two different houses.

and yes I still get paper bills, and I will until I feel I have things under control.

All this online with different account numbers and different passwords because they have different requirements is overwhelming.

and I didn't have the brain energy to focus long enough to begin, without also feeling overwhelmed. I would say this is a product of the grief and depression.

Slowly, as I start to find me again, I am finding paperwork.

I started by emptying everything out of my filing tub and sorting into piles. Then I shredded the things I no longer need.  The night before last I made new labels for the tubs.

Power bills for each house, water bills, tax, etc

And then I began getting paper sorted and into the correct piles.

With each pile done, I felt more and more in control and could literally feel the stress leave my body bit by bit.

I called DH downstairs to the office to proudly show off the clean desk ( mom's desk) and went through where everything is kept so he knows too.

With each box I slowly unpack I find bits here and there and I stop and get those filed right away so I know where everything is.

Taxes forms are coming in for all of us and for dad's estate and I don't want to misplace a thing.

I may be taking a long time to unpack but it's a fine line juggling what was left here from mom and dad and putting my stuff in where it feels right so that the blend they wanted, eventually happens.

It felt really good to see that sorted and organized bill tub.

Tax Time

I have had my papers ready for awhile but today was the first day DH and I both had time to take them in and get them all done.

I THOUHT I was ahead of the game. I gave DS1 his fancy papers at Christmas, to take into his college admin and get them to fill in and scan and send back to me. That was back to me by the end of the second week of Jan.  Ditto with DS2.  The forms fill in their college $ amounts, give me authorization to file on their behalf, as well as transfer some of their tuition back to me for credit on my taxes.

When we got there, it turns out there is yet another form Revenue Canada needs they boys to sign. Since DS2 was home, it was easy to get his signature. Less so with DS1.

DS2 gets almost nothing back, but he had little taken off his paycheques last spring, so that makes sense. DS1 gets about $1000 back, which I will just store away until he is ready to go back to college in the fall. 

My refund isn't bad. $1500 of it was thanks to the boys' tuition transfer. It will go straight into the college fund. In reality, that $1500 won't even pay for DS1's spring classes in US $, but I can't think of that.

My refund was enhanced with my medical expenses.  I got to claim some of my trips to the city for infusions as well as my prescriptions. I will make sure I keep careful track again this year of all those expenses.  I get $1400 back.    I would love to preplan where I'd like it to go, but everytime I do that, Murphy visits.

I could put it down on one of my planned savings goals. I could put it down on my College LOC.  I could save it towards flight costs for our visit to DS1 in the fall.  Heck for all I know my 21 year old washer and drier could give up the ghost.

It will be 3 or 4 weeks before the refund arrives, so all kinds of things could happen :-)

Contract Settled

Well we have been without a contract for a year and a half now. Over the months there were two votes which were not accepted by the majority, so the bodies went to conciliation. It was a whole lot of "we are having meetings" without anything real details coming to us.

 Nothing changed work wise. There was no job action. I appreciated that both parties agreed to media blackouts. I really hate when it gets to each side publicly slamming the other. The whole story never quite seems to be heard that way.

So about two weeks ago, apparently our contract was settled. The two sides felt they had done as much work as they could and it was simply accepted by our governing body. It honestly feels very weird not having a vote.  I am not saying it was good or bad.....just weird.

Our raise is less than 2% each year and will officially appear on our paychecks at the end of March. The raise does not meet currently cost of living estimates for our province. (does anyone's?)  It will be interesting to see what the net is, after deductions. Deductions are approximately 42% of my cheque (taxes, CPP, EI, membership fees, and our money that comes off our cheque to go into our pension plan).

My hope is that the net takes me back up to where I was two years ago, before all the deductions  increased.

As for the backpay, we will get that at the end of April. There is one full school year (10 months) plus the 6 months of this school year. Again, no real clue what that net will be after deductions.

Of course this meant a small windfall was coming into our house. You know what that means.................. Murphy came! (with a vengeance)

To be continued....

Learning more about income tax - the college edition

A couple weeks ago I had a text from DS's roomie's mom saying that they had received their tax form from College. They wondered what I did for taxes, given that DS is in another country. Darn good question.

I waited these past two weeks to see if our form was coming, allowing time for international mail. Nada.

So today I called down there to find out the details. Apparently I do not get a form mailed to me. We have to send down a form to them to complete. DS fills in the pieces he needs to, to transfer any tax credits he can't use, over to me. Good thing I called.

Tomorrow I will call either Revenue Canada or an account to find out additional details, just in case there are more forms. Then I have to only send one set of forms down to his college to fill in.

I still have  a lot of questions about how we will do taxes....how does his scholarship affect his taxes?
It says he can transfer up to $5000 to me after his taxes are done. Does that mean $5000 Canadian or $5000 USD?  things like that.

I am glad we have this week off school so I can take care of as many questions as possible.