wheeeeee

Regular payment came out for the consolidated loan and I am now under $5500.

wheeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee

A wee bit of snow

Today is payday. Over the past month I was able to save up $325 of snowflakes to put towards my Consolidated loan. It should have been more, really, because I had a larger paycheque in Oct due to maxing out on my CCP and EI contributions, but expenses were plentiful.

The exciting part is this brings my consolidated loan down below $6000. That is happy news for me. Another $500ish will come off in a couple days as part of my regular loan payment so that will put me, very soon, at below $5 500. I can't wait to see this loan gone-diddily-on!!

Looking over my goals for fall

Back in August I had chosen goals for myself for the months leading up to Christmas. Here, I summarized how far I'd come and where I wanted to go next.

I think I have done fairly well, even though the past two months I do not FEEL like I have done much at all.


a) Pay off the MC/Visa for this summer, the T trip and this current (and costly) week away in hotel for sports camp (DONE)
b) Pay off all the back to school bills such as supplies, a few new clothes, school fees, and start up costs for their extra curricular activities (DONE)
c) Max out my first ever RRSP, which is small, but a start. (DONE)
d) Make the equivalent of one month's lump sum payment to Loan #1. (DONE)
e) Put some money in each of the new target bars (STARTED)
f) If there is anything left 'extra' by the end of December then put it towards more lump sum payments.
g) newly added: set aside $200 for new clothes purchase about end of Oct. (DONE)
h) save $1000 for XMAS 2010 (not started)
i)save $1000 for summer 2010 (started)
j)save $1500 for RRSP 2010 (not started)
k)save $500 more for my Emergency Fund (started)

If all goes well, with my November paycheque, I can max out i) and with December paycheck and the snowflakes, perhaps I can drop another lump sum down on my consolidation loan. I am almost under $6000 on that and can't wait for the homestretch.

the costs of being sick

The first wave of this influenza has passed by. We had several positively confirmed at my school, two on my son's team, several at each of their schools. Just yesterday I was eligible for the innoculation. Three + weeks after the first confirmed at our school. Seems a little late to open it up to women of my age (who happen to be teachers)

I am divided on the merits of the shot. Honestly, I probably won't get it, but my fellow teachers who have been exposed for weeks who wanted to get it, should have been in the special groups, after our health care workers, first responders, etc. IMHO anyhoo

So what did this bout of illness, cold or otherwise, cost in our home?
- I was off work for three days.
- My husband was off work for five.
(I have paid sick days but he does not)
- DS1 lost three days of school and a weekend of hockey
- DS2 lost three days of school and several of his curling times, which I paid for.
- $100 in gas when I had to run up to pick up DS1 and his father from the hockey road trip when they got sick.
- 12 boxes of Kleenex
- 2 jars of vicks (mmm I love my vicks)
- several packages of bentasil cough drops
- 2 packages of Buckleys cold gel packs
- 1 box of neocitran
- 1 bottle of tylenol
- lots of juice and fruit and mom's home made chicken soup

Wishing all of you a healthy preChristmas Season

link love updates and sidebars

Following the lead of a few others, I have removed my Christmas 2009 off my sidebar list. I was fortunate enough to have that $1000 saved up early early in 2009. I was proud that I never tapped into it once. And now I just have to tabulate my Christmas shopping list and figure out the most frugal, yet meaningful ways to spend this money. During Christmas break I will add in a 2010 Christmas bar and I will have a better idea how far the money really can go.

I have also added a couple new blogs to my list. If you are not familiar with them, please have a peek at Canadian Savings and at Girl Makes sense.