and the magic number this time is 580

My current target focus is $2500 for a downpayment to a new vehicle. I currently have $1220 in that account and after I add the $700 at the end of May, I will have $1920. That leaves me with $580 to top it up. Now yes, of course, I will have $700 at the end of June and that will bring me there, but wouldn't it be ever so much fun if I could snowflake that bad boy before then, and the June $ could go to a NEW target????

Granted $580 is a heck of a lot of money to snowflake for only a 2 month time frame. It may not be d0-able but I am going to work towards that.

I have a little paper in my drawer with the $580 on it and with every snowflake I get, I am reducing that number. It's rather fun to think of ways I can add to it here and there to make it get smaller. Always good to have something to look forward to.

Envy

Ok, I admit it. I'm envious. One of my colleagues and her husband are buying a new house. Brand spanking new. They have two sons in lower elementary school and have lived in an older bungalow they bought a few years ago. They were at the point of either updating the 1970s style house or putting that money to a new one and they went with the second option.

They have a gorgeous new home, all beautifully finished that they will move into this summer. 1350 square feet, finished basement. two car garage. Will they have a big mortgage? yes. Do they have other debt? student loans I think. They don't horribly mismanage their money.

I wish I could have a nice house with 3 bedrooms on one level...with a kitchen big enough for all of us to eat in at once....with more than one full bathroom.

I am very happy for them. I just wish that I could be there too. I have had house envy for a long time. Not of McMansions. I get that is not going to happen. Just a decent sized house for us.

New Experiment

I am on Month 5 of jars now and getting into a bit of a routine and pattern with it. Still room to fine tune and improve though. I have noticed, that obviously, the AirMiles I received with my BMO Mastercard have dwindled to nothing and that is something that I'd like to regain.

I am trying a short term experiment to see if this works for me. I will still pull out the cash each week for gas, spending, household, groceries and dining out, but I will put as many purchases as possible on the credit card, always keeping in mind how much I have in the jar for the week.

When I get home, I transfer the $ from the appropriate jar into a new jar labelled MasterCard and then at the end of each week, I pay it off so that the balance remains zero. If there isnt' enough in the jar to 'buy' something, it does NOT go on the credit card.

I can hear anti CC folk frothing as we speak and that is completely fair. This would NOT work if the balance could not be paid off weekly.

It's a few more steps of work each week so I may not enjoy that. We shall see.

Monthly Progress

Where the money stands - May 1st

Debts
Mortgage - $39,445.66
Consolidated Loan - $10,661.42
Total Debt - $50,107.08

Savings
Christmas Savings - $1000
Emergency Fund - $1000
New Van Downpayment - $1220.00

Woo hoo Spring!!!

FINALLY a nice day out!! It's been such a cold spring so far. Still below zero at night. But it's a balmy 10 C out with a 'gentle' wind (instead of gusts) and you know what that means............

.... It's clothesline time!!!!

Finally I can hang out some of the things that would have had to go in the dryer, or the shirts I hang up in the basement. I can give my dryer, my energy bill and the environment a break.

I've never been so excited to do laundry in such a long time.

very sad I know LOL but every little bit helps!