So I found out I got accepted to UBCO. Normally this would be an easy decision, but I grew up first before applying to school, and now feel the need to be responsible. I still have a car payment and a fucking SHITTY contract with Rogers that I will have to pay out for once I leave.
The thing is, there was another murder near my house 2 nights ago, and to be honest, I am completely done with this city. It would be a lot easier if I could just leave in time for school to start, but I can't go to school without a student loan and have a car payment.
Regarding the loan, I will not be approved as I make way too much right now, so I'm basically on my own for the first year. Yet another reason to stay. But then I have to live one more year in this shitty scary city. And during the summer I will have to put up with shitty traffic laden Stampede, and who wants that??
Guess I have a lot of decisions to make.
Sunday, January 31, 2010
Tuesday, January 12, 2010
Clearly.
Clearly things in my life are changing quickly.
Though I haven't changed my mind regarding law school, I have decided to get my Legal Secretary certificate, to support myself in gorgeous Kelowna while I attend school part time. Sure, it will take me 10 years to get my degrees, but that's ok. What do I have to do that I can't afford 10 years? A bunch of nothin'.
I just read on a Vancouver blog that a girl is embarrassed by how much she loves Glee. Sadly, I'm in the same boat. I love singing (though I can't do it myself), I love pretty people, and I love a good laugh. The show delivers in all aspects.
Tonight, I leave for Kelowna, for 10 days. I decided to treat myself and pay for a ticket. It helps that a guy at work had a $100 WestJet voucher that I was able to buy off of him for $60. They refunded the $100 onto my credit card, making this trip that much cheaper!
While I'm in Kelowna I plan on getting some things done:
Register for my first set of online classes through Okanagan College
Mail myself the super cheap-o crockpot my friend Jody got for me (there's no way that shit is fitting in my luggage)
Take tons of pics to finally have SOMETHING to put up on Flickr
Visit with: Mike, Nola, Ryan, Minka, Jody, Steve, Tylar, Cody, Brooke, Ashlea, Sue, Louis, Shaunn, Laureen, Brendan, Erin, Sarah, and all their assorted pets.
Very busy time. I thought 10 days would be more than enough and that I'd have lots of free time, but last week it became clear that it wasn't the case. My sister is demanding more time from me than usual, for some reason. I wish Tammy and Peter could be there, but then don't come to the Okanagan until May long weekend. That's the weekend of the 24th, and my sister's 30th birthday is the 14th. God I hope that works out! Otherwise, I'll have to take time later on and drive up to Fort St John to visit T&P. I can't miss my sister's 30th.
I bought a Wii and Super Mario Brothers just before Christmas. I have been playing that game almost every day since I bought it, and it's coming with me to Kelowna so others can join in on the fun. I can't wait, what a great game!
Tammy loaned me The Secret Life Of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd and The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold. The Bees book is timely as I saw the movie on our movie channel about a month before she sent me the book. The Lovely Bones was also incredibly timely, as a few days after it arrived here, the trailers started running on TV for the movie. I really like Mark Wahlberg as an actor, and it looks just to be a very entertaining movie. I'm about 3/4 of the way through that book, so I should finish it just in time for the movie to come out.
I still haven't seen James Cameron's Avatar yet, as the theatres are as crazy busy as they were when Titanic came out, but this time it's available in 3D. I think we'll see the regular version while I'm in Kelowna though.
Christmas present wise, I cleaned up! All my presents were fantastic, I can't believe how much I got. Everyone loved the decorative balls I made for them, so that's awesome. It was pretty depressing opening up those gifts alone though. The roommate went to Lloydminster for Christmas and I worked all the stats, so I was feeling even more alone than usual. Ahh well.
Laundry is done now, so it's time to start packing! God, I can't WAIT to get there.
Though I haven't changed my mind regarding law school, I have decided to get my Legal Secretary certificate, to support myself in gorgeous Kelowna while I attend school part time. Sure, it will take me 10 years to get my degrees, but that's ok. What do I have to do that I can't afford 10 years? A bunch of nothin'.
I just read on a Vancouver blog that a girl is embarrassed by how much she loves Glee. Sadly, I'm in the same boat. I love singing (though I can't do it myself), I love pretty people, and I love a good laugh. The show delivers in all aspects.
Tonight, I leave for Kelowna, for 10 days. I decided to treat myself and pay for a ticket. It helps that a guy at work had a $100 WestJet voucher that I was able to buy off of him for $60. They refunded the $100 onto my credit card, making this trip that much cheaper!
While I'm in Kelowna I plan on getting some things done:
Register for my first set of online classes through Okanagan College
Mail myself the super cheap-o crockpot my friend Jody got for me (there's no way that shit is fitting in my luggage)
Take tons of pics to finally have SOMETHING to put up on Flickr
Visit with: Mike, Nola, Ryan, Minka, Jody, Steve, Tylar, Cody, Brooke, Ashlea, Sue, Louis, Shaunn, Laureen, Brendan, Erin, Sarah, and all their assorted pets.
Very busy time. I thought 10 days would be more than enough and that I'd have lots of free time, but last week it became clear that it wasn't the case. My sister is demanding more time from me than usual, for some reason. I wish Tammy and Peter could be there, but then don't come to the Okanagan until May long weekend. That's the weekend of the 24th, and my sister's 30th birthday is the 14th. God I hope that works out! Otherwise, I'll have to take time later on and drive up to Fort St John to visit T&P. I can't miss my sister's 30th.
I bought a Wii and Super Mario Brothers just before Christmas. I have been playing that game almost every day since I bought it, and it's coming with me to Kelowna so others can join in on the fun. I can't wait, what a great game!
Tammy loaned me The Secret Life Of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd and The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold. The Bees book is timely as I saw the movie on our movie channel about a month before she sent me the book. The Lovely Bones was also incredibly timely, as a few days after it arrived here, the trailers started running on TV for the movie. I really like Mark Wahlberg as an actor, and it looks just to be a very entertaining movie. I'm about 3/4 of the way through that book, so I should finish it just in time for the movie to come out.
I still haven't seen James Cameron's Avatar yet, as the theatres are as crazy busy as they were when Titanic came out, but this time it's available in 3D. I think we'll see the regular version while I'm in Kelowna though.
Christmas present wise, I cleaned up! All my presents were fantastic, I can't believe how much I got. Everyone loved the decorative balls I made for them, so that's awesome. It was pretty depressing opening up those gifts alone though. The roommate went to Lloydminster for Christmas and I worked all the stats, so I was feeling even more alone than usual. Ahh well.
Laundry is done now, so it's time to start packing! God, I can't WAIT to get there.
Saturday, December 26, 2009
Just bought a laptop!
This is the first one I've ever owned. I spent money I probably shouldn't have, but I've got a savings account and a recently paid off credit card. It only cost me $529.99....not bad on Boxing Day from Best Buy!
I stopped there after work and was in and out of the store in less than 20 minutes. Thanks to the BB guy who told me there was no way he was "making you wait in that line". It was awesome!!!
PS - Expect a lot more updates. Now when I think about something all it takes is one key stroke.
I stopped there after work and was in and out of the store in less than 20 minutes. Thanks to the BB guy who told me there was no way he was "making you wait in that line". It was awesome!!!
PS - Expect a lot more updates. Now when I think about something all it takes is one key stroke.
Tuesday, November 17, 2009
Nov 17th - Not bad
Today was not too bad, I spent $532 on winter tires for my car. I wouldn't have, but the more I think about it, the better an idea that seems. I bought the Michelin X-Ice XI 2s last year in September, because the drive on Hallowe'en on Rogers Pass scared the ever loving shit outta me. Instead of using cash to get all seasons, I chose to keep the tires on all year. Because they're a winter tire, and therefore very soft, I expected that they would wear down at an insane rate on all that hot pavement because of all the drives I did to Kelowna over the summer. When I got to Canadian Tire this morning, I asked the guy to throw them out if they would be useless for even the summer, and as they were wrapping up, I saw them throw the tires into bags and put them in my trunk. Yes! One less expense!
I've been very careful with my money lately, and it's very strange how upset it's made me. Saving money is a GOOD thing, but for some reason I'm freaking out over it. I guess it's because I'm having a hell of a time finding a second job, and hanging around the house 4 days in a row has made me absolutely stir crazy, which is frustrating me like nothing else.
There's only so much time I want to work on Christmas presents, and once they're all in the mail I've got nothing to keep me busy. I used to play World Of Warcraft which kept me busy for hours (!) on end, but now that I'm done with that, and I'm finding that TV is not a good substitute for nothing to do, the frustration level is getting worse.
This is the first time I've had such a hard time finding a second job in a long time. People keep saying the economy isn't what it was, but I see the malls and WalMart parking lots filled to the brim during the week, so I know consumerism is certainly NOT dead, at least not in this town.
To date I've applied at Indigo (/Coles/Chapters), Starbucks, Superstore, Michael's, and a few other smaller local stores, and haven't received a call back. Ultimately my goal is to work at Indigo, I am a MASSIVE book lover and I know the discount they get thanks to my friend Tammy's job at the Coles in Fort St John, and I WANT IT. Plus, the smell of fresh books...mmmm.
Anyway, I've been using this budget worksheet to figure things out. Gail is an awesome lady, as anyone who has seen her show knows. She thinks the general Canadian public is fucking retarded, and so she should, you should see the high income that some people have who are living paycheque to paycheque! Insanity. Anyway, she's tough but reasonable on her show, which is exactly what I love. The one issue I have with her spreadsheet is that the areas you are filling out aren't really clear, and there's no spot for the average amount of money you spend on gifts, only clothes. I don't know about anyone else, but I have gifts I give every month depending on birthdays, get well cards, whatever, and I'd really like to have that added in. So, what I do is add the average onto my clothing budget (which is not easy to do, since I can go 6 months without buying any) and figure it out that way.
According to her spreadsheet, after paying $550 a month to debt repayment (I owe a total of $1700 on a credit card, and that's IT) I should still have $400 a month left! Uh....what?? That means I should be making double payments on my car, to get it almost paid off completely when I move back to BC to attend school.
I think I've got some more careful planning ahead. There are some very hard to resist opportunities to go for coffee to Starbucks, Timmy's, Mac's, where is closest. There are even harder to resist opportunities to go out for lunch with everyone, especially at this sandwich place near us (and WOW is their food good). I think the reason I have such a hard time resisting is because the lunches I have been making for myself lately aren't the best, that's for sure. If I made them more tempting (like this week's shepherd's pie) it may make the temptation easier to deal with.
Either way, I have many things to save for:
$5500 for tuition for my first year at UBCO
As much cash as possible for car payments should I not be able to pay it off before I move.
About $130 for gas for whomever decides they can move me (either my friend Jody in Kelowna, or my roommate here who's from Kelowna).
$400 for a NetBook
So, so much more. I am not getting my cats declawed, as it just plain costs too much money, and can be so painful!
I've been very careful with my money lately, and it's very strange how upset it's made me. Saving money is a GOOD thing, but for some reason I'm freaking out over it. I guess it's because I'm having a hell of a time finding a second job, and hanging around the house 4 days in a row has made me absolutely stir crazy, which is frustrating me like nothing else.
There's only so much time I want to work on Christmas presents, and once they're all in the mail I've got nothing to keep me busy. I used to play World Of Warcraft which kept me busy for hours (!) on end, but now that I'm done with that, and I'm finding that TV is not a good substitute for nothing to do, the frustration level is getting worse.
This is the first time I've had such a hard time finding a second job in a long time. People keep saying the economy isn't what it was, but I see the malls and WalMart parking lots filled to the brim during the week, so I know consumerism is certainly NOT dead, at least not in this town.
To date I've applied at Indigo (/Coles/Chapters), Starbucks, Superstore, Michael's, and a few other smaller local stores, and haven't received a call back. Ultimately my goal is to work at Indigo, I am a MASSIVE book lover and I know the discount they get thanks to my friend Tammy's job at the Coles in Fort St John, and I WANT IT. Plus, the smell of fresh books...mmmm.
Anyway, I've been using this budget worksheet to figure things out. Gail is an awesome lady, as anyone who has seen her show knows. She thinks the general Canadian public is fucking retarded, and so she should, you should see the high income that some people have who are living paycheque to paycheque! Insanity. Anyway, she's tough but reasonable on her show, which is exactly what I love. The one issue I have with her spreadsheet is that the areas you are filling out aren't really clear, and there's no spot for the average amount of money you spend on gifts, only clothes. I don't know about anyone else, but I have gifts I give every month depending on birthdays, get well cards, whatever, and I'd really like to have that added in. So, what I do is add the average onto my clothing budget (which is not easy to do, since I can go 6 months without buying any) and figure it out that way.
According to her spreadsheet, after paying $550 a month to debt repayment (I owe a total of $1700 on a credit card, and that's IT) I should still have $400 a month left! Uh....what?? That means I should be making double payments on my car, to get it almost paid off completely when I move back to BC to attend school.
I think I've got some more careful planning ahead. There are some very hard to resist opportunities to go for coffee to Starbucks, Timmy's, Mac's, where is closest. There are even harder to resist opportunities to go out for lunch with everyone, especially at this sandwich place near us (and WOW is their food good). I think the reason I have such a hard time resisting is because the lunches I have been making for myself lately aren't the best, that's for sure. If I made them more tempting (like this week's shepherd's pie) it may make the temptation easier to deal with.
Either way, I have many things to save for:
$5500 for tuition for my first year at UBCO
As much cash as possible for car payments should I not be able to pay it off before I move.
About $130 for gas for whomever decides they can move me (either my friend Jody in Kelowna, or my roommate here who's from Kelowna).
$400 for a NetBook
So, so much more. I am not getting my cats declawed, as it just plain costs too much money, and can be so painful!
Tuesday, September 1, 2009
Nothing.
Nothing much interesting is happening here. I got a second job at the bingo hall as 4 days off in a row is too boring for me. I thought my back would be destroyed after the first 8 hour shift, and it definitely wasn't doing too too well, for sure. However after having a few days off, it started getting better and better, and then I bought a new bed. I worked 19 hours on my feet over 2 days, which is amazing since it's been 10 years since I last had to do that. It's been good so far!
I saw The Ugly Truth with Katherine Heigl and Gerard "hot ass" Butler. Num nums, was a good movie.
That's about all...
I saw The Ugly Truth with Katherine Heigl and Gerard "hot ass" Butler. Num nums, was a good movie.
That's about all...
Tuesday, July 7, 2009
Issues
I seem to have some issues when it comes to money. I feel like everything is working fine, so I spend a little money here and there for things that help me with my life, and then something goes terribly wrong. For instance, a few weeks ago my computer decided it couldn't handle fast internet anymore (wireless or otherwise) then it crashed and would only boot with one stick of ram. Awesome, slow computer, slow internet. After all troubleshooting was done, each issue points to the motherboard. Unfortunately, the computer is more than 2 years old, and while it was good for a while, there were some games I played that I wanted to crank the settings on video wise, but never could as I had to go with a budget card.
Fine, I thought, I'll just save up for an iMac and get a ridiculous video card with that. Except, my savings are gone thanks to the wedding, as well as a certain outstanding bill I've been dealing with since I was 18. They offered me a $600 buyout to get rid of the damn thing for good. There was no way I was passing that up, so I went for it. My $800 savings went to $200 just like that. I'm glad though, as the bill was sitting at $1500 when they offered me that deal. I would have been a total idiot to give that up.
My boss and I had worked out ahead of time that we would put in for one vacation day equalling 10 hours at the end of the month, as I would have accrued it by then. I looked at my cheque after I returned from the wedding, and suddenly there's 15 hours missing? Where did these extra 5 hours come from? On top of that, my boss didn't put in for the vacation day, so why was it deducted?
We got paid on Thursday, so there was only one day left in the week. It wasn't taken care of by the time the weekend started and I still haven't received a deposit, so I emailed my boss again asking for an update. I hope this gets resolved soon.
Anyway, so I have a shorter cheque and a broken computer.
A while ago, I think it was the beginning of May, I had to get my car checked out so I could put Alberta plates on. I went to Southwest Certigard who told me the only issue was my struts. I figured, okay, well he said I had until probably late August. A month later, they started clicking. I called today to explain the clicking and when I heard it, and now the repair bill is at least $800.
Awesome.
Fine, I thought, I'll just save up for an iMac and get a ridiculous video card with that. Except, my savings are gone thanks to the wedding, as well as a certain outstanding bill I've been dealing with since I was 18. They offered me a $600 buyout to get rid of the damn thing for good. There was no way I was passing that up, so I went for it. My $800 savings went to $200 just like that. I'm glad though, as the bill was sitting at $1500 when they offered me that deal. I would have been a total idiot to give that up.
My boss and I had worked out ahead of time that we would put in for one vacation day equalling 10 hours at the end of the month, as I would have accrued it by then. I looked at my cheque after I returned from the wedding, and suddenly there's 15 hours missing? Where did these extra 5 hours come from? On top of that, my boss didn't put in for the vacation day, so why was it deducted?
We got paid on Thursday, so there was only one day left in the week. It wasn't taken care of by the time the weekend started and I still haven't received a deposit, so I emailed my boss again asking for an update. I hope this gets resolved soon.
Anyway, so I have a shorter cheque and a broken computer.
A while ago, I think it was the beginning of May, I had to get my car checked out so I could put Alberta plates on. I went to Southwest Certigard who told me the only issue was my struts. I figured, okay, well he said I had until probably late August. A month later, they started clicking. I called today to explain the clicking and when I heard it, and now the repair bill is at least $800.
Awesome.
Thursday, July 2, 2009
News.
Actually there isn't any. Not a lot has been happening. Erin and Brendan's wedding was absolutely perfect, including the weather. The bride's dress was very classic as was her makeup. It was an event for the record books.
I recently got internet put on my phone. I discovered I could have 500MB of transfer including email for $5 more a month. I'll give it a few months, and if I don't like it, I'll go back to just having email.
The cats are doing well, no health issues in a while (thank heavens).
I went shopping with a friend and spent $111 on 3 shirts and and undershirt.
I am just so excited to see my friends play on July 8th. What a blast that will be. Plus, bonus! My friend loaned me one of his lenses before he went to the Phillipines and it looks to be a damn cool zoom lens. Awesome.
There just isn't a whole lot else happening. Ahh well.
I recently got internet put on my phone. I discovered I could have 500MB of transfer including email for $5 more a month. I'll give it a few months, and if I don't like it, I'll go back to just having email.
The cats are doing well, no health issues in a while (thank heavens).
I went shopping with a friend and spent $111 on 3 shirts and and undershirt.
I am just so excited to see my friends play on July 8th. What a blast that will be. Plus, bonus! My friend loaned me one of his lenses before he went to the Phillipines and it looks to be a damn cool zoom lens. Awesome.
There just isn't a whole lot else happening. Ahh well.
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