is that you find things! I found a couple inspirational CDs that I don't think I've listened two more than once. The other thing I found was an envelope full of receipts. Is THIS the $500 in receipts that I think I submitted in the the fall? =8-o Whoops!
You wouldn't think a person could lose $500... but there it is. I did.
Decluttering helps you get down to the things that you really need and want. You don't have to re-buy things you've lost.
I like the show Hoarders. Apparently hoarding is increasing because people are unwilling to let go of things if they don't have money to buy more. Of course hoarding is a mental illness and a much further extreme than most of us would ever go to, BUT... it all starts somewhere.
The state of a person's home reflects what is going on in their lives and in their minds. When times are tough it is not the time to start keeping things - it is time to start sharing.
Sunday, January 10, 2010
Saturday, January 9, 2010
Supporting the Local Economy...
Well holidays are over and it is back to homeschool! January is always the time that I do a skills check and kick things up a notch.
Brown Bear needs to work on writing and spelling and Schmidt needs to work on math. It is a bit of a mutiny every morning, but that is okay. I don't expect anyone to enjoy the subjects they aren't good in - they just have to DO them. I just heard homeschool moms all over North America go, "Ohhhhhh... :-("
TRUST ME- when they get to be teenagers they might not like it AND they still have to do it. :-)
So we walked down to the homeschool store and looked around. A new book never hurts. ;-P Brown Bear sat on the floor of the store and read it for about 10 minutes so he's probably going to remain interested in it.
Then we went to the quirky new and used bookstore across the street and Sunshine got a couple classics. They have two comfy couches and a wide array of interesting (and sometimes strange) merchandaise.
THEN we went to the caring shop and looked around. The caring shop has traditional art and crafts made by local native elders. 90% of the proceeds go to the artists. Sunshine bought three pieces of jewellery and is quietly making plans to go back and buy more some other day.
We are blessed with a vibrant downtown and we support local businesses as much as we can. It is a good time to look after your neighbours. :-)
Brown Bear needs to work on writing and spelling and Schmidt needs to work on math. It is a bit of a mutiny every morning, but that is okay. I don't expect anyone to enjoy the subjects they aren't good in - they just have to DO them. I just heard homeschool moms all over North America go, "Ohhhhhh... :-("
TRUST ME- when they get to be teenagers they might not like it AND they still have to do it. :-)
So we walked down to the homeschool store and looked around. A new book never hurts. ;-P Brown Bear sat on the floor of the store and read it for about 10 minutes so he's probably going to remain interested in it.
Then we went to the quirky new and used bookstore across the street and Sunshine got a couple classics. They have two comfy couches and a wide array of interesting (and sometimes strange) merchandaise.
THEN we went to the caring shop and looked around. The caring shop has traditional art and crafts made by local native elders. 90% of the proceeds go to the artists. Sunshine bought three pieces of jewellery and is quietly making plans to go back and buy more some other day.
We are blessed with a vibrant downtown and we support local businesses as much as we can. It is a good time to look after your neighbours. :-)
Thursday, January 7, 2010
If ever there were a job that needed a union...
It's motherhood! Boy, is my family lucky there isn't a union because the union rep in my head is yelling STRIKE! STRIKE! STRIKE!
The boys thought that maybe something was wrong this morning when I left in the middle of school, this morning, with a LOOK in my eye. Dh thought something was wrong when he came home and the bedroom door was locked. Sunshine knew something was wrong and offered to sit with me and make tea. :-)
6 hours later if you asked the men in this house what the problem was I'm pretty sure they don't know, but the boys did go clean the basement. I suspected that their father passed on the Ancient Wisdom of Men - "I don't know what the heck is wrong with her, but if you clean your room and stay out of her way it will probably blow over! :-) "
Sigh...
The boys thought that maybe something was wrong this morning when I left in the middle of school, this morning, with a LOOK in my eye. Dh thought something was wrong when he came home and the bedroom door was locked. Sunshine knew something was wrong and offered to sit with me and make tea. :-)
6 hours later if you asked the men in this house what the problem was I'm pretty sure they don't know, but the boys did go clean the basement. I suspected that their father passed on the Ancient Wisdom of Men - "I don't know what the heck is wrong with her, but if you clean your room and stay out of her way it will probably blow over! :-) "
Sigh...
Wednesday, January 6, 2010
Grandma Olive
There are people in the world that think I'm a little bit frugal. They didn't know my Grandma Olive. Grandma lived through the Great Depression (if ever an era was more aptly named I don't know about it!) and was always poised for another one.
The thing about my Grandma is she was raised on a farm and knew how to do things. *I* was raised in the 70's. We did do a little gardening and my mom did bake bread and make soup, but I never realized until I was in my twenties that maybe mushroom soup didn't have to come out of a red and white can.
I still have these little moments where I realize I don't know how to do things! I've just learned how to pop popcorn on the stove AND convert those popcorn kernels into cornmeal. Honestly! Cornmeal is just ground, dried corn. Why in the world would I pay money for that?!
Since we've gone gluten free I've started thinking about food as being broken down into it's most basic parts. Food is a lot simpler at my house because it takes longer to prepare. Most of the time I don't eat meat (if I'm serving it) but I'm not a restaurant. There might be a couple choices, but they are basic choices.
Which brings me back to - why would I pay money for cornmeal? Or rice flour? Or microwave popcorn? I can tell you now that I am never going to be as frugal as Grandma Olive was... but I'm never going to go back to buying common things, either.
The thing about my Grandma is she was raised on a farm and knew how to do things. *I* was raised in the 70's. We did do a little gardening and my mom did bake bread and make soup, but I never realized until I was in my twenties that maybe mushroom soup didn't have to come out of a red and white can.
I still have these little moments where I realize I don't know how to do things! I've just learned how to pop popcorn on the stove AND convert those popcorn kernels into cornmeal. Honestly! Cornmeal is just ground, dried corn. Why in the world would I pay money for that?!
Since we've gone gluten free I've started thinking about food as being broken down into it's most basic parts. Food is a lot simpler at my house because it takes longer to prepare. Most of the time I don't eat meat (if I'm serving it) but I'm not a restaurant. There might be a couple choices, but they are basic choices.
Which brings me back to - why would I pay money for cornmeal? Or rice flour? Or microwave popcorn? I can tell you now that I am never going to be as frugal as Grandma Olive was... but I'm never going to go back to buying common things, either.
Monday, January 4, 2010
Thoughts on credit cards and all their tricky ways...
Okay - everyone who knows me knows that I have, in the past called Visa the Thieving Rat Bastards Visa. I'm a little more mature now. If they are thieves then I gave them the key to my house and told them where all my money was. They put the credit card application in my hand, but they didn't take it out of the wallet for me. Granted I had help... a lot of HELP from dh, but that isn't Visa's fault either.
But let's talk about their tricky ways...
The interest rate- 6 months ago I phoned them and asked for a credit card that was lower in interest. They did indeed have one for people with a 'small balance' of $20,000 or less. (Holy Cats, Batman!) The interest rate was half and the minimum payment was 2/3. You don't have to be a math genius to figure out that they don't EVER want you to pay off the balance. I did get the lower interest credit card. There is a $20 annual fee and no rewards. I can buy my own rewards with what I'm saving in interest!
The payment holiday- if you start to pay more than usual they 'reward' you with a payment holiday. Don't worry, that interest payment will still be there for you next month. :-)
The minimum payment- when you pay more than usual the minimum payment drops. Of course you've paid off some of your debt so your interest payment has dropped. If they wanted you to pay it off (EVER) they would leave the minimum payment alone while the interest rate dropped. The difference between my interest payment and minimum payment is $10. TEN DOLLARS. It would only take 78 years to pay it off... what a deal!
The payment due date- Have you noticed that your utility bills are often due on the same day every month. Mine are, anyway! Perhaps Visa hopes you will lose track and they will have to charge you a late payment fee *and* more interest.
The credit limit- When you start paying off debt your credit limit suddenly rises. Is it because you are such a good customer and you have such a good credit rating? That nice feeling you have... that is your ego being stroked. You aren't a good customer. You are a BAD customer and that is why they don't want to lose you.
Advertisements- There advertisements on the bill that encourage you to use credit. Be sure to use your credit card on your vacation. Be sure to check out our credit rewards.
Cash advances- So it's not QUITE a payday loan. But come on! What do you need so badly that you would take a cash advance on your credit card for it?! =8-o
Visa cheques- They mail cheques right to your house and encourage you use them for renovation, vehicle or home down payment. Home down payment... the only house you will be buying is a house of cards. :-)
So, yes, they are thieves... but *I* handed them the weapon and now I'm handing over my money one payment at a time.
But let's talk about their tricky ways...
The interest rate- 6 months ago I phoned them and asked for a credit card that was lower in interest. They did indeed have one for people with a 'small balance' of $20,000 or less. (Holy Cats, Batman!) The interest rate was half and the minimum payment was 2/3. You don't have to be a math genius to figure out that they don't EVER want you to pay off the balance. I did get the lower interest credit card. There is a $20 annual fee and no rewards. I can buy my own rewards with what I'm saving in interest!
The payment holiday- if you start to pay more than usual they 'reward' you with a payment holiday. Don't worry, that interest payment will still be there for you next month. :-)
The minimum payment- when you pay more than usual the minimum payment drops. Of course you've paid off some of your debt so your interest payment has dropped. If they wanted you to pay it off (EVER) they would leave the minimum payment alone while the interest rate dropped. The difference between my interest payment and minimum payment is $10. TEN DOLLARS. It would only take 78 years to pay it off... what a deal!
The payment due date- Have you noticed that your utility bills are often due on the same day every month. Mine are, anyway! Perhaps Visa hopes you will lose track and they will have to charge you a late payment fee *and* more interest.
The credit limit- When you start paying off debt your credit limit suddenly rises. Is it because you are such a good customer and you have such a good credit rating? That nice feeling you have... that is your ego being stroked. You aren't a good customer. You are a BAD customer and that is why they don't want to lose you.
Advertisements- There advertisements on the bill that encourage you to use credit. Be sure to use your credit card on your vacation. Be sure to check out our credit rewards.
Cash advances- So it's not QUITE a payday loan. But come on! What do you need so badly that you would take a cash advance on your credit card for it?! =8-o
Visa cheques- They mail cheques right to your house and encourage you use them for renovation, vehicle or home down payment. Home down payment... the only house you will be buying is a house of cards. :-)
So, yes, they are thieves... but *I* handed them the weapon and now I'm handing over my money one payment at a time.
Saturday, January 2, 2010
The cushion
What I've discovered is that I like a nice, fat cushion. The cushion is my term for the money that is left in the bank at the end of the month before your paycheque electronically flies into your account.
The absolute thinnest cushion that I can handle is equal to one month's rent. The money for the rent HAS to be in the account before I get paid. It absolutely MUST because my cheque is not enough to cover the rent and I can't ever have a day where I'm not POSITIVE that I can make the rent.
I am working on building that back up to one month's rent and bills and enough food in the house for a couple months. This is really where the bare minimum should be. A comfortable place for me is three months rent and expenses. (This does not include other, long term savings and retirement money)
Plenty of people have said to me in the last year that they don't have an emergency fund and they can't afford to save for one. I say you can't afford NOT to save for one. Dh did get EI, but it took EI twelve weeks to send him a first cheque. If we hadn't had that money in the bank we would have been homeless. We did have more than we needed in the bank because I was working, but my income only covers about half of our expenses. We really were living on savings for three months.
If your family only has a single income or you are self employed or have seasonal employment then you *NEED* a very fat cushion for times when there is no work. The only money you can count on is already in your bank account- not in future earnings, property, investments or government assisstance.
The absolute thinnest cushion that I can handle is equal to one month's rent. The money for the rent HAS to be in the account before I get paid. It absolutely MUST because my cheque is not enough to cover the rent and I can't ever have a day where I'm not POSITIVE that I can make the rent.
I am working on building that back up to one month's rent and bills and enough food in the house for a couple months. This is really where the bare minimum should be. A comfortable place for me is three months rent and expenses. (This does not include other, long term savings and retirement money)
Plenty of people have said to me in the last year that they don't have an emergency fund and they can't afford to save for one. I say you can't afford NOT to save for one. Dh did get EI, but it took EI twelve weeks to send him a first cheque. If we hadn't had that money in the bank we would have been homeless. We did have more than we needed in the bank because I was working, but my income only covers about half of our expenses. We really were living on savings for three months.
If your family only has a single income or you are self employed or have seasonal employment then you *NEED* a very fat cushion for times when there is no work. The only money you can count on is already in your bank account- not in future earnings, property, investments or government assisstance.
Friday, January 1, 2010
Balance- a thought for the New Year.
I decided this afternoon that my word for the year is going to be "Balance" The last two years it was "Joy." The second year of trying "Joy" didn't work out so well- though to be fair to "Joy" it was a tough year.
I figure that I probably don't need joy - I probably need balance. This is something I have always struggled with. The sad fact is that I was raised in an all or nothing kind of way and that is how I have always lived.
The fact is that we are probably going to be paying off this debt for another couple of years and the kids will probably all be gone in 3 years. Is this how I really want life to be? I'm not so sure!
I'm going to try a monthly debt repayment of $15% and savings of 10%. I am only including my income and dh's EI (or hopefully future income) not CTB (Child tax benefit), Working family whatever rebate that comes twice a year or rent that I get from the girls. I can not count on those as 'income' and was caught in the summer when my CTB dropped by 3/4. I plan to continue putting any extra money like income tax refund and school refund against the debt.
The 'extra' money should provide a little cushion each month and allow for some fun. I told the boys that they should think of something fun that we could do this month. They are sort of out of practice, I think... It probably helps that everyone we know is in the same boat and broke. They don't feel like it is just US. Oh, yeah, and I raised the food budget to $700. You know what is fun for me? Having enough food in the house! I'll be able to do it for less in a couple months or so, but in January vegetables are just more expensive and there is nothing I can do about it.
I am going to order a Good Food Box for next month and see if they are better shoppers than I am. I have had good feedback about them in other communities, but fresh things are expensive, here, so the amount a person can get for $15 is a lot less.
Now to switch gears back to debt!
My goals for last year were:
1. Graduate both girls in 2009 - Done! In fact, I placed my hand gently on Sunshine's head this week and declared her graduated. Without the official *bop* from mom you are still a student.
2. Pay off the Am. Ex.- Done! Between Am.Ex., Direct Energy and Chrysler Finance we paid off about $15,000 in debt this year.
3. Save for the Olympics- Done, but decided to be an adult and NOT take the time off work. Part of being a responsible adult is giving up your lifelong dream of going to the Olympics and working on your other lifelong dream of being debt free. My sister, Jam-tastic is coming to stay with me for a week so we can watch it on TV.
Goals for 2010
1. Pay off the Visa ($9363 and change.) I can probably do it, but not with a 15% debt repayment schedule if dh doesn't have a job.
2. To save as much as I can every month - with 10% as a goal. Any savings are good savings, though! I want to make it a fixed expense.
3. Improve my fitness level. As a broad goal ... to be able to run 3 kms and do 5 kms in about 35 minutes or less.
So that is how things are shaping up for me in the new year- well balanced... :-)
I figure that I probably don't need joy - I probably need balance. This is something I have always struggled with. The sad fact is that I was raised in an all or nothing kind of way and that is how I have always lived.
The fact is that we are probably going to be paying off this debt for another couple of years and the kids will probably all be gone in 3 years. Is this how I really want life to be? I'm not so sure!
I'm going to try a monthly debt repayment of $15% and savings of 10%. I am only including my income and dh's EI (or hopefully future income) not CTB (Child tax benefit), Working family whatever rebate that comes twice a year or rent that I get from the girls. I can not count on those as 'income' and was caught in the summer when my CTB dropped by 3/4. I plan to continue putting any extra money like income tax refund and school refund against the debt.
The 'extra' money should provide a little cushion each month and allow for some fun. I told the boys that they should think of something fun that we could do this month. They are sort of out of practice, I think... It probably helps that everyone we know is in the same boat and broke. They don't feel like it is just US. Oh, yeah, and I raised the food budget to $700. You know what is fun for me? Having enough food in the house! I'll be able to do it for less in a couple months or so, but in January vegetables are just more expensive and there is nothing I can do about it.
I am going to order a Good Food Box for next month and see if they are better shoppers than I am. I have had good feedback about them in other communities, but fresh things are expensive, here, so the amount a person can get for $15 is a lot less.
Now to switch gears back to debt!
My goals for last year were:
1. Graduate both girls in 2009 - Done! In fact, I placed my hand gently on Sunshine's head this week and declared her graduated. Without the official *bop* from mom you are still a student.
2. Pay off the Am. Ex.- Done! Between Am.Ex., Direct Energy and Chrysler Finance we paid off about $15,000 in debt this year.
3. Save for the Olympics- Done, but decided to be an adult and NOT take the time off work. Part of being a responsible adult is giving up your lifelong dream of going to the Olympics and working on your other lifelong dream of being debt free. My sister, Jam-tastic is coming to stay with me for a week so we can watch it on TV.
Goals for 2010
1. Pay off the Visa ($9363 and change.) I can probably do it, but not with a 15% debt repayment schedule if dh doesn't have a job.
2. To save as much as I can every month - with 10% as a goal. Any savings are good savings, though! I want to make it a fixed expense.
3. Improve my fitness level. As a broad goal ... to be able to run 3 kms and do 5 kms in about 35 minutes or less.
So that is how things are shaping up for me in the new year- well balanced... :-)
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)