Friday, February 27, 2009

Month End: Results of the Calculations

All those 000111000's flowing through the computer today are what was sitting on my card and subsequently cleared off. All bigger numbers than usual. Air tickets, done. Visit to the USA, cleared. Spending last month, other than the wedding, was minimal. The accounting error boosted this cheque to the tune of $1200 and means my last three cheques will have an extra $200 to work with. I don't love the tax consequences that flow from discovering this in 2009 instead of 2008 (which is probably the least I'll make for awhile), but not discovering it at all would have been worse.

I regularly debate if I should put the actual numbers online, as of yet I've decided not to.

I'll be taking my tax refund and dumping it on my Student Credit, destroying 1/4 of what remains (and reducing the debt service by as much). Deeply satisfying. Even though I haven't applied everything coming to me in the next while to the credit, I feel like I'm on the home stretch of paying for school. If I had to advise someone if they should take a year and work and save or just incur the loan, in June I might have said "work and save" but now I'd likely recommend doing the degree first. The benefits and salary of this job offset the interest paid, by far. Oddly, though, I think having paid in full for the education will be more exciting than graduating was. It somehow makes it mine.

I've never actually framed either of the degrees I have. I didn't bother convocating with the first until I finished my second, because to me they're just a formality that's somewhat meaningless. The education itself is something I really cherish, I just have never felt the need to hang it on my wall.

I'm looking forward to March. Partly, I'd like to try all the interesting PF exercises I read about... for example, having a number of no-spend days. Not so much for the savings value but to see how it affects my life. How little can I live on? How few times could I use my card? I'll update later on what I decide on.

WOOOOOOO. PAID.

Ahem.

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