Ahhh sweet payday

That proverbial time of each month when I rejoice that I have a 'full' account again and can once again play the happy fairy with her basket of money....skipping through the debt forest and sprinkling dollars here and there.

This month feels different, however. It feels like a ' man we just made it through a month and now I have to do that AGAIN?' kinda feeling.

Purely psychological. I mean I made it through the month without running out of money. I paid of bills and debt. I paid extra on debt. We weren't eating bread crumbs. I need to reframe into positivity.

I updated my personal loan sidebar. I am finally in the $6000. It's exciting to see that number keep dropping. I can't wait til this loan is gone. It's been hanging around in one consolidated form or another for over 9 years. Craziness.

I will hit the bank as soon as I have a moment and take in the rest of my snowflakes and dump them on that loan as well. I have just over $300 of them.

small steps, or rather, if I am that fairy....small skips through the debt forest.

Updated Sidebars

I can't believe I forgot to do that. It's just been so whirly and crazy the past two weeks as the kids' activities are in full swing. We have at least two things going on every day afternoon and it certainly keeps them hopping. Not so much they can't get at their homework but it still does require careful use of time.

I added $50 to my EF which brings me a wee tiny bit closer to my new goal of $1500. $50 isn't that much in the grand scheme of things but it is an amount I can dedicate to and not fret about other things.

I also added $475 to my Summer 2010 account. I have $75 a month budgeted to this. However, since I have maxed out on my contributions to CCP and EI this year, I have a bit of cash there as well. I used the $400 for that which brings me almost halfway to my summer 2010 goal.

The extra money I have coming up on payday this weekend will go towards my goal of a second $600 lump sum payment for my consolidated loan. I have $90 snowflakes already towards it with perhaps another $200 for this month of slowly accumulated snowflakes.

I feel like this month was so busy with expenses that I stagnated a bit. The numbers show I didn't, not totally, but it felt like it.

A sports road trip

Ahhhh the sweet life of winter (acckkk too early) when the snow falls far too early and the sports season begins. This weekend was our first full weekend of hockey and with it comes the proverbial costs with it. THIS is what I save x $ for each month so that some of our costs are offset. Entertainment $ comes in here too.

Bus costs. The boy rides for free and the adults pay $20 each to go.

Hotel costs. One night this weekend which came to just over $100 with all the lovely taxes.

Food costs. Healthy snacks and 2 meals on the bus. Grocery shopping. Water, juice, a couple gatorade. Sandwiches, fruit, lean proteins and granola $40

Meal costs. Two suppers out, one breakfast and one lunch that usually ends up being at a rink. $45ish per person

Rink costs: $5 per adult (depending on where we play). $5 if you purchase the host rink's 50/50 raffle (The profit from the 50/50 for the host rink goes to offset their ref costs. If you buy when you are there, generally, they buy when they come back to you) You are not required to buy. Really up to the person.

Crazy hey?

But as I stated above, this IS our family entertainment. We don't go on expensive holidays, we don't go out to movies etc so it balances out in the end.

Let the games begin

It's beginning to look a lot...

...like Christmas. It snowed last night. It's been wicked cold for weather the past 10 days or so, dropping below zero. Last night the dump of snow came. The ground is white with a couple inches. My poor new vehicle was all covered in snow, shivering. Poor baby. I wish we had a garage to park it in.

It's supposed to go back to 9C this weekend. We shall see.

Happy day all.

Cost of Being a girl

A year ago I had written about the little costs that add up for those of the female persuasion. I was curious to see how things had changed over the past year so I dug up my old post and did some recalculating. This is before our 10% taxes. The first number is the 2008 number, the second, in brackets, is the current number. This is based over a one month period so I have prorated things I don't use a whole container of in one month.


Bodywash - $2.46 ($0)
Shampoo - $4.40 ($2.50)
Conditioner - $4.40 ($3.00)
Blush - $2.41 ($2.50)
Eye Shadow - $2.98 ($3.00)
Lipstick - $4.23 (0)
Toothpaste - $2.08 ($1.50)
Fem. Products - $8.96 ($9.95)
Deodorant - $5.94 ($3.00)
Contact Solution - $8.88 ($5.00)
Gel - $9.92 ($5.00)
Razors - $5.99 ($3.00)
Facewash - $7.11 ($5.00)
Foundation - $11.47 ($12.00)
Moisturizer - $19.97 (15.00)
Mascara - $7.47 ($7.50)
Under eye roller n/a ($8.00)
MONTH TOTAL - $98.59 ($85.95)

ok so the price has gone down but man that is insane for costs, even at drugstore/walmart prices.

Added was an undereye roller ball from l'oreal. I have horrible dark shadows. always have. Thought I'd give it a try to see.

Deleted was lipstick. I really just don't use it.

Deleted was body wash. I found that I had so many little bottles given as gifts from students in the past and I might as well use them up. I haven't bought any since April or so.

Some things, like moisturizer, foundation and feminine products have gone up. Surprise surprise. Other things I am just learning to use less of or be more sparing with them. It is surprising how far things go.

Of course not included in the list are things that are sporadic use, that are harder to track over a monthly basis. Things like lipchap, motrin, cough medicine, or the rare bottle of bubble bath I buy. Things like that.

Since some of these things last for more than a month, short of actually writing down the date I start a new one, I am guestimating a bit on whether it lasts 6 weeks or 8.

It was last time, and still is this time, a most interesting experiment to track.

If I had unlimited $, I think these kinds of items would be the first to be replaced by more expensive ones. I do love my lotions and potions. LOL