2010 Budget and Financial Goals

Wow, today is the last day of 2009 - with that in mind, I thought it apt to post my 2010 budget and financial goals.  My budget here is almost identical to the draft 2010 budget I posted a month ago. The only significant change is to the parking.  I've paid up to February at my current...

ahhh... still on Vacation

I'm loving this whole vacation thing that goes along with having a 'big girl' job.  Love it! I took off four days this week - so I left work at noon on Christmas eve, and don't go back to work until January 4th, 2010.  Pretty Sweet.  We're back in the city now as Jordan had to go back to work yesterday, so i'm just enjoying relaxing at home - having the place to myself. Speaking of...

Merry Christmas All!

...

It's Payday (tomorrow)!

Wow, it's Christmas Eve tomorrow - and it happens to be pay day.  It would have normally fallen on December 25, 2009 - but they are bumping it back a day. There are a couple of fantastic items on this bi-weekly budget. First up, my pay is the highest it's ever been!  This is because I...

Roommate Updates

December sure has been a difficult month to find a roommate. We have had a couple lined up and then they have both backed out - each time someone commits, we stop looking - which has wound up wasting our time. Someone is coming by the place tonight after work - and sounded (as much as one can sound via e-mail) enthusiastic about the place.  This one, we'll call B-rad, wants a place for January...

Guest Post: How to Avoid Overdraft Fees with Prepaid Debit Cards

When prepaid debit cards began to appear a few years ago, many were skeptical about their use. Why would someone want to take the time to load money on a card when they already possessed a debit card connected to their checking account? However, as time went on, the obvious advantages that prepaid debit cards offer to consumers began to come to light. Leading the list of reasons to obtain a prepaid...

Overtime Update

I’m entering into the ninth hour for my overtime project. As of the end of today, I have logged 54 hours of overtime, which is 72% of my goal. To actually reach 75 hours, I would need to put in 21 hours between 5:00pm today and noon on Christmas Eve. Well folks, that’s just not going to happen. I’m going to work normal hours next week (8:00am-4:30pm), and just enjoy the week leading up to Christmas....

are you finished yet?

I'm starting to get this itch, it happens ever year.  A week or so ago I posted my final Christmas Spending Tally, signifying that I was indeed finished spending this Christmas.  A couple of days ago, the last item that I ordered online finally came in the mail - another indicator that I was finished.  I can feel it building inside me. I want to do more, get more, spend more on the...

denied... no CHRP for me in 2010.

I recently wrote about my desire to achieve my CHRP designation and my application to receive an award through work that would pay for it. Unfortunately, I wasn't selected as a recipient. I was right at the cut off line :( Dear Jessie, On behalf of the Regional Directors and the Continued Learning Awards Review Panel, we would like to inform you that your application has not been retained for a...

It's Christmas Bonus Time

Hurrah! My company's Christmas bonus is actually an annual profit sharing award.  The better the company does, the better the reward.  I won't get into all the details - but I will say that not everyone gets the same amount.  There is a portion that is similar for everyone, a portion that is based on your group's performance and a portion that is merit based.  You can...

Overtime Update

I'm please to say that for the week ending Friday December 18, 2009 I managed to bank 10 hours (which means I worked an extra 12.50).  My OT is coming right along, and I still have a lot of work to do! That brought my total banked time up to 47.50 hours or 63.33% of my goal which is an approximate value of $665. I don't know if i'll reach my goal of 75 hours before the end of the month, but...

RRSP Loans

I've been thinking about getting an RRSP loan for quite some time now.  Now that we're getting closer to tax time, I thought I would take a deeper look at my options.  For this exercise, I'm going to look at ING Canada. My 2009 contribution limit is $13,116 - and I've contributed somewhere around $1,000 this year.  I would like to 'catch up' and use my previous contribution...

this & that

This past weekend Jordan and I helped a couple of people move.  We worked our tails off on one of the coldest days of the year (-35 degrees celcius) for $15/hour for 8.5 hours. We each took home $127.50.  Not bad for making a little extra cash over the holidays.  I tucked some of it away, but that night we went to Jordan's work Christmas party and so we spent some on drinks and...

Bi-Weekly Budget - Today is Payday

Hello Friday - we meet once again! Items that are highlighted in green have already happened, things that are written in green are automatic transfers that haven't yet happened. I go through this weeks bi-weekly budget line-by-line: My pay is a little higher then expected because for the first...

How to: Tracking Bars

I have been asked by a few different folks lately on how to create the tracking bars I have on the right side of my blog.  I'm very pleased to be able to explain how to set these up, as this was one of the first things I wanted to do when I started my first blog. My blog is hosted using the blogger platform.  It's free, by google.  If you don't have a blog already - your first step...

We Found A Roommate!

Already!!! I can hardly beleive it.  Four people had responded to our ads thus far and we had set up two viewings, one yesterday and one this evening.  The one yesterday went fairly well. He was a little concerned about the amount utilities are each month (i think he lived in a condo before), but other then that - things went really well.  We had some really steller weather tonight...

Christmas Spending Final Tally

Our budget (me and Jordan) for this Christmas was $1,000 on gifts.  We had a total of 24 people (or groups of people in some cases) to buy for.  Whoa! On the surface, that seems like a lot of people.  Well, maybe it is - maybe it isn't. This year, Jordan and I decided to do all gifts...

Christmas Cheer

Unfortunately I have nothing all too insightful to share with you this morning, so instead - I leave you with some Christmas Cheer: Jordan and I got this decoration at the mall this weekend - it was a little pricey ($20) - but so worth it...

...So what will we do if we don't find a roommate

A couple of days ago I mentioned that our roommate is moving out.  Joy. I want to thank everyone for all their support as we go through the roommate finding process once again.  It will be a challenge - but we're up for it. One reader, Manshu, asked if we have so much trouble with roommates (which it seems we do lately) - why don't we try moving, and renting some where cheaper.  Well,...

December Goals

It's Christmas!  Okay, it's not Christmas yet, but I love living in the spirit for the whole month of December (and well into January) - so let's keep this month's goals easy: Finish Christmas Shopping by December 15th  Stay within $100 of joint Christmas Budget Reach all 2009 financial goals Make a plan for just in case we don't find a roommate Enjoy the holidays Do some yummy...

November Goals - ReCap

Here was my list of goals for the month of November: Clean up Halloween decorations within the first couple of days Resist decorating for Christmas until the last weekend of November I wound up starting to decorate the second weekend in November Start Christmas shopping We're almost finished!  We have three people left to buy for and then each other! Have a fabulous time visiting my mom Reach...

Roommate Wanted...

It would seem, that once again, that Jordan and I need a roommate. Last night roommate gave his notice.  He has a friend in need, and he's going to move in with her to help her out. I'm tired and frustrated - didn't sleep well at all.  Everything was just humming along - and now we have to try to find a roommate over Christmas/News Years.  I think the chances are...

How Much Does Your Christmas Tree Really Cost?

Real or fake - do you know how much your Christmas Tree really costs? Growing up, my family always went out to my grandparents farm and cut down a tree for Christmas.  After I moved out and had my own place, I continued to have live trees each year - as I'm now a good three hours from the farm...