Well we've already had snow this month (yes, June), so there goes my idea of an awesome summer.
Ahh well. The weather is what it is, and trying to predict it is impossible. The weatherman with all his technology can't even get it right, so there's no point in trying.
In other news, I am almost completely done with the tech industry. I hate going to work each day, and I'm tired of hearing about issues with this, and issue with that. I desperately need a change of scenery, and a BIG change of job. Currently, I'm planning on sticking with it, because I'm finally making enough money to pay my debts. One was finished on Friday, the next one should be done by the end of the month. All that leaves is my car, and I'm free and clear after that!!
I attempted to make meatloaf tonight for my dinners for work. The directions said cook for 50 minutes, then put tomato sauce on it, then cook for 10 minutes. Had I done that, I would have been eating pink hamburger for a week (not that I would). It took me 2.5 HOURS to cook the damn thing. I am never making meatloaf ever again. Geez!
Finally, last week I came back from one of the most beautiful weddings I've ever seen. It was absolutely amazing and I wish the couple the best. It couldn't have gone better.
I wish this could be more interesting, but alas, that's my life.
Sunday, June 21, 2009
Thursday, May 28, 2009
Budgeting
I have been reading many a blog lately regarding saving money (Gail Vaz-Oxlade anyone?) and watching shows like Til Debt Do Us Part. It's unfortunate for us single folks that there will never be a single person on that show to help people like me, but it's still a good lesson. Some of them have had such extreme budgets that 2-3 people are living on what I spend alone for groceries. Guess they don't eat a lot of vegetables.
Anyway, I have this terrible habit of blaming my spending on other people:
"Wow, these Kelowna trips are killing me!"
"I have too many friends in Kelowna"
And not saying things like:
"Wow, I spent way too much! That lunch out wasn't necessary, nor should I have had all those drinks"
"I should have let my roommate and his GF go there without me, it cost me too much!"
So, I have been reading Gail's blog. Her budget spreadsheet is a touch confusing because it's asking for Net and Gross income, but doesn't say monthly. For some reason I thought it was yearly, so it was telling me at the end of each month that I should have $36,000 left over. Obviously that's not correct, so when I corrected it, it says I should have $158 left over each month, and that's on the pay periods where I have NO extra money (meaning, no overtime, and no evening/overnight premiums), so a base pay period. In the explanation of how to work the sheet, it says to take that left over money and add it to the variable expenses section, except I had already done that. So, if I should have an extra $158 a month left over AFTER $100 for emergencies and $161 for savings, then where the hell is all my money going? Clearly I should be dealing with the jars, as what I'm doing right now isn't working.
As it is, I've just realized a few hours ago that the pay day won't come until AFTER I get back from Kelowna, which means when I get paid tomorrow, that's all I have. That's not good. Add onto that the cost of the gift to them (it's okay, they just want money for their trip to Greece in August, I don't have to buy it right away) plus the trip and any incidental expenses (read: car issues) and I'm pretty much screwed. I'm very happy that I have such a wide network of friends, as there's no limit to the places I can stay overnight. I will not be going for very long. I am off Wed/Thu/Fri/Sat. The wedding is the Saturday, so I took Sunday off as a vacation day and for recovery reasons. So, if the wedding starts later in the afternoon, I can get up super early that morning and head down there. I don't want to spend very much, but at the same time, I don't want to be late for the wedding, so maybe I'll head up there Friday night. Then when I get into town it will be easier for me to spend less. I can get up the next day and buy breakfast, then the rest will be wedding stuff. Maybe I'll do that.
Either way I desperately need a budget that works. I'd love to stop paying $31.03 including interest on my credit card plus bank fees each month for parking alone, however when my back is messed up like it was this week, I CANNOT take the bus, or I'll end up in the hospital. There isn't a single person who lives near me that's on my team and is off the same days I am, so I am left up to my own devices. Sadly, that means paying at least $5 each Thursday for the meeting. I had originally planned on taking the bus today, because it would have been $5 total (even if the meeting ran late), but the jerkiness of the bus would put me in hospital, I'm sure of it. So, sadly, there's another $5-$10 that goes to the credit card.
So, to make sure I am staying on track, I will be updating this site far more than normal. Hopefully the money stuff isn't too dry! After all, I need to save for my new computer.
Anyway, I have this terrible habit of blaming my spending on other people:
"Wow, these Kelowna trips are killing me!"
"I have too many friends in Kelowna"
And not saying things like:
"Wow, I spent way too much! That lunch out wasn't necessary, nor should I have had all those drinks"
"I should have let my roommate and his GF go there without me, it cost me too much!"
So, I have been reading Gail's blog. Her budget spreadsheet is a touch confusing because it's asking for Net and Gross income, but doesn't say monthly. For some reason I thought it was yearly, so it was telling me at the end of each month that I should have $36,000 left over. Obviously that's not correct, so when I corrected it, it says I should have $158 left over each month, and that's on the pay periods where I have NO extra money (meaning, no overtime, and no evening/overnight premiums), so a base pay period. In the explanation of how to work the sheet, it says to take that left over money and add it to the variable expenses section, except I had already done that. So, if I should have an extra $158 a month left over AFTER $100 for emergencies and $161 for savings, then where the hell is all my money going? Clearly I should be dealing with the jars, as what I'm doing right now isn't working.
As it is, I've just realized a few hours ago that the pay day won't come until AFTER I get back from Kelowna, which means when I get paid tomorrow, that's all I have. That's not good. Add onto that the cost of the gift to them (it's okay, they just want money for their trip to Greece in August, I don't have to buy it right away) plus the trip and any incidental expenses (read: car issues) and I'm pretty much screwed. I'm very happy that I have such a wide network of friends, as there's no limit to the places I can stay overnight. I will not be going for very long. I am off Wed/Thu/Fri/Sat. The wedding is the Saturday, so I took Sunday off as a vacation day and for recovery reasons. So, if the wedding starts later in the afternoon, I can get up super early that morning and head down there. I don't want to spend very much, but at the same time, I don't want to be late for the wedding, so maybe I'll head up there Friday night. Then when I get into town it will be easier for me to spend less. I can get up the next day and buy breakfast, then the rest will be wedding stuff. Maybe I'll do that.
Either way I desperately need a budget that works. I'd love to stop paying $31.03 including interest on my credit card plus bank fees each month for parking alone, however when my back is messed up like it was this week, I CANNOT take the bus, or I'll end up in the hospital. There isn't a single person who lives near me that's on my team and is off the same days I am, so I am left up to my own devices. Sadly, that means paying at least $5 each Thursday for the meeting. I had originally planned on taking the bus today, because it would have been $5 total (even if the meeting ran late), but the jerkiness of the bus would put me in hospital, I'm sure of it. So, sadly, there's another $5-$10 that goes to the credit card.
So, to make sure I am staying on track, I will be updating this site far more than normal. Hopefully the money stuff isn't too dry! After all, I need to save for my new computer.
Monday, April 6, 2009
No longer on the prowl!
So I finally found a roommate! his name is Chris and he's from Kelowna like me! He's a nice guy who just finished working on the rigs and wants to find a job here in Calgary. His girlfriend Nicki is really nice too. He stays up super late and always tries to be as quiet as possible. He also always takes out the garbage which is awesome!
I must admit it's nice having money now. My savings account is bigger than it's been for a long time, it's been great!
I still haven't swapped over my plates, which I really should do. The initial cost for the provincial check plus the cost of a new drivers license is a bit much for me. I just don't want to see my savings account dwindle right now, so I'm not willing to fork over the money. Silly, right? I'd save $50 a month if I did swap them over, but something is holding me back from doing it.
I found out there's yet another position opening up in my old office, not sure if I want to head back right now. I have $3000 to pay off in bills (credit card, old computer loan) so once I do that I can start saving to move back. Probably won't happen for another year or so, but still.
I really love Kelowna and the more I think about the people there the more I want to move back. Crazy, since I'll never make that kind of money out there. Ahh well!
I must admit it's nice having money now. My savings account is bigger than it's been for a long time, it's been great!
I still haven't swapped over my plates, which I really should do. The initial cost for the provincial check plus the cost of a new drivers license is a bit much for me. I just don't want to see my savings account dwindle right now, so I'm not willing to fork over the money. Silly, right? I'd save $50 a month if I did swap them over, but something is holding me back from doing it.
I found out there's yet another position opening up in my old office, not sure if I want to head back right now. I have $3000 to pay off in bills (credit card, old computer loan) so once I do that I can start saving to move back. Probably won't happen for another year or so, but still.
I really love Kelowna and the more I think about the people there the more I want to move back. Crazy, since I'll never make that kind of money out there. Ahh well!
Monday, March 23, 2009
Still on the prowl...
For a roommate. I keep re-posting my ad on Craigslist, on Friday night so the weekend people will see it. I have another guy coming to look today at 4. Time to clean...
Anyone but me with a Gmail account noticed that they are getting an inordinate amount of "cash this cheque now!" spam? I get at least 30 a day, and at first I was disgusted at the Gmail spam filter, as I thought that maybe they were doing a shitty job. One day, I looked at my spam folder, and there were 290 new spam emails, from less than 24 hours before.
Sickening.
Anyone but me with a Gmail account noticed that they are getting an inordinate amount of "cash this cheque now!" spam? I get at least 30 a day, and at first I was disgusted at the Gmail spam filter, as I thought that maybe they were doing a shitty job. One day, I looked at my spam folder, and there were 290 new spam emails, from less than 24 hours before.
Sickening.
Wednesday, March 18, 2009
Well.
The arm is starting to feel better, and it's a beautiful day outside! Of course, the last time I was in a good weather-related mood, I sprained my ankle. Should I crawl over to the couch and not move until the guy coming to look at my place calls me?
My aunt sent me an email while she was at work yesterday asking if they had stairs in Kelowna and wondering how I was doing. I assured her that they did have stairs in Kelowna, even cement ones! She thinks she's sooooooo funny.
She is staring layoffs in the face right now. We just got bonus cheques, so I'm not the least bit worried about my job. Scary when you think about it though, one day you're thinking about the week ahead wondering how busy it is, the next day you're wondering when it's your turn to be asked into the boss' office. I hope it goes well for her.
My aunt sent me an email while she was at work yesterday asking if they had stairs in Kelowna and wondering how I was doing. I assured her that they did have stairs in Kelowna, even cement ones! She thinks she's sooooooo funny.
She is staring layoffs in the face right now. We just got bonus cheques, so I'm not the least bit worried about my job. Scary when you think about it though, one day you're thinking about the week ahead wondering how busy it is, the next day you're wondering when it's your turn to be asked into the boss' office. I hope it goes well for her.
Sunday, March 15, 2009
Firefox
Is anyone else really annoyed with the newest Firefox update? Ever since it was installed, it has not remembered a single password and never keeps me signed in on any website.
Having a rough weekend, 2 people were supposed to come look at my place as potential roommates, one guy chickened out at the last minute and sent me a freaking email even though he had my phone number (coward much) and the female didn't even bother doing that. While I was waiting for them I went to take the garbage out and my foot caught on the metal railing and down I went. Last time I fell I sprained my left ankle and almost ripped my right arm out of it's socket. Now, I sprained my left ankle (just as it was really starting to heal!) and almost ripped my left arm out of it's socket. God, you never know how much you use a muscle until it's out of commission. It was almost impossible putting deoderant on today :(
Having a rough weekend, 2 people were supposed to come look at my place as potential roommates, one guy chickened out at the last minute and sent me a freaking email even though he had my phone number (coward much) and the female didn't even bother doing that. While I was waiting for them I went to take the garbage out and my foot caught on the metal railing and down I went. Last time I fell I sprained my left ankle and almost ripped my right arm out of it's socket. Now, I sprained my left ankle (just as it was really starting to heal!) and almost ripped my left arm out of it's socket. God, you never know how much you use a muscle until it's out of commission. It was almost impossible putting deoderant on today :(
Sunday, March 8, 2009
Winter Wonderland
I went to the clinic a second time on Friday and am happy to report that it wasn't a one time deal to have a good experience at a clinic in this province. Same clinic, same doctor, sure, but still. It was still a good one.
Last night I saw Watchmen. It wasn't a great movie and was about 45 minutes too long. Only the Lord Of The Rings needs be that long. Didn't help the whole movie experience that there was a major blizzard happening outside as soon as the movie was over. Good thing I didn't drive!
I am however, very glad that I got all my weekend type stuff done. Grocery shopping, done. Running around, done. Cleaning house, not done but will be done tomorrow when it's -26 out and I feel like working up a sweat.
Now, it's March, so I'm all for weird weather while the seasons change, happens every time, or maybe it's not weird, we just think it is. Either way, I'm done with snow and cold, and I want a half decent summer. I look forward to walking a few extra bus stops in the morning before I board, but will not be doing so in this crap weather!
That is all.
Last night I saw Watchmen. It wasn't a great movie and was about 45 minutes too long. Only the Lord Of The Rings needs be that long. Didn't help the whole movie experience that there was a major blizzard happening outside as soon as the movie was over. Good thing I didn't drive!
I am however, very glad that I got all my weekend type stuff done. Grocery shopping, done. Running around, done. Cleaning house, not done but will be done tomorrow when it's -26 out and I feel like working up a sweat.
Now, it's March, so I'm all for weird weather while the seasons change, happens every time, or maybe it's not weird, we just think it is. Either way, I'm done with snow and cold, and I want a half decent summer. I look forward to walking a few extra bus stops in the morning before I board, but will not be doing so in this crap weather!
That is all.
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