My day, so far:
SHOP WITH THE SENIORS:
Sometimes there's a perfect storm of a sale plus a special offer plus things I normally buy and have good coupons for. Getting up early on a spring morning and picking up some groceries is relaxing - the stores aren't crowded, everything is fully stocked. Because everything I bought was extensively on sale, I used the leeway to get some small luxuries.
Premium scores includedThe Scharffen Berger Gift Box (for $3.75), and some organic cashew-carrot-ginger soup (1L $3.50). I made sure I hit the "minimum spend" amount and got a $10 cash card for Subway.
GRAB SOME FANCY COFFEE:
I noted Starbucks Frapps were on sale and decided to substitute picking up coffee for the grocery store version ($1.69).
GO TO THE EARLY CLASS:
Only five people showed up to 9:30 am Saturday yoga. As a result, I had my best class this month - doing things I've never done before and getting awesome adjustments about every third asana. I, um, didn't know my body bent that way.
BEAUTY SCHOOL MAGIC
My misgivings about the Beauty School Pedicure? I take it all back. It was possibly the best pedicure I've ever had. $10 cold cash, which actually goes completely to charity.
SCORE THE WEEKEND PAPER
I borrow the thick weekend paper from the office as no one reads it except me and there are two copies. In university, I used to wait until Saturday afternoon and score the abandoned NYTimes and Globe & Mail at coffee shops in my notoriously educated-liberal 'hood.
RANDOM CRAFTY PROJECT
NWA has a promotion where for 1000 miles or points or whatever it is (i.e. the balance of my account) you can upload a picture and have two custom tags made and shipped. I can't decide if I want to have them made for my mom and/or boyfriend, or if I want to make them for myself...
Showing posts with label snapshot. Show all posts
Showing posts with label snapshot. Show all posts
Saturday, March 14, 2009
Monday, January 26, 2009
Arranging Money - Obsession or Efficiency?
Normally, my strategy with every pay cheque is the following:
Pay all bills
Pay off credit cards
Leave Enough for Auto-Withdrawals
Dump remainder on Student Loan
I generally keep very little in my bank account, maybe $20 leeway. I have excellent (free) overdraft protection to $500 that covers anything unexpected requiring cash on hand.
Now, I have five pay periods left until I'm done work and I'm tempted to leave the funds in the account and stop the "leftovers applied to loans policy," operating more on a cash basis.
I've vastly simplified my personal finances this year, they now consist of:
-a single normal credit card (low limit) plus emergency card (high limit), paid off in full each month
-prepaid cell, no land line (using the credit card)
-rent and utilities as a single payment, fixed rate
-two minimum loan payments, auto-withdrawn
I plan to clear one of the loans before I go. The cell will lapse and I have no lease to get out of. While away, I will have to remember to pay my card periodically (and monitor my account for fraud), but nothing else.
However, given that my primary loan is still open (at a low interest rate), I'm not sure if this shift will help freshen up my finances or just result in $5 more interest per month? I'm hoping it allows me to stockpile about five months of earnings (plus tax refund, plus pension cash out) in a tangible way to get a better picture of what I have to work with. But will the temptation of having a large sum of cold cash languishing in my savings account be too much?
*
MOST INTERESTING DEVELOPMENT OF THE WEEK: I am attempting, largely unsuccessfully, to empty my cupboards. I haven't had a major grocery shopping trip in two months. Although most of this is a result of being away over the holidays, this is my fourth week home in January.
This has made me realize how much I had unintentionally hoarded. The funny thing is, it's hardly a stocked pantry (condiments and beverages excluded) and this has been the same for so long I can do it from memory:
Pancake mix
Box cold cereal
Bag hot cereal
One can chic peas
One can tomatoes
One can beans
One can coconut milk
One bag microwave popcorn
A few sun dried tomatoes
Small bag of sticky rice
Package of sushi nori
Can of tuna
Can of sardines
Small bag whole wheat cous cous
Assorted noodles/pasta (house pool)
Frozen naan
Jar of saurkraut
Half a can of refried beans
Package of pepperoni
Package of veggie dogs
250 g marble cheese
3 red peppers
One small red cabbage
Half a red onion
200 g plain yogurt
500 g natural peanut butter
*Bold = january purchase
I'm so amazed at how long this stuff has been able to hang around in the cupboard I'm declaring war and continuing the grocery ban. For morbid interest I will document what I end up eating as a result. The exceptions include: bread or buns and some fresh produce... but only whenever I manage to get through the existing produce to a measurable degree. After exhausting protien sources, additions will be allowed on a piecemeal basis.
MOST ANNOYING FINANCIAL PREDICAMENT: the time has come to renegotiate my bank fees. Instead of notifying me the no-fee period as they understood it was about to end, they just started billing. I don't really like my bank at all but it's the best of many evils, somewhat like cell phones...
Pay all bills
Pay off credit cards
Leave Enough for Auto-Withdrawals
Dump remainder on Student Loan
I generally keep very little in my bank account, maybe $20 leeway. I have excellent (free) overdraft protection to $500 that covers anything unexpected requiring cash on hand.
Now, I have five pay periods left until I'm done work and I'm tempted to leave the funds in the account and stop the "leftovers applied to loans policy," operating more on a cash basis.
I've vastly simplified my personal finances this year, they now consist of:
-a single normal credit card (low limit) plus emergency card (high limit), paid off in full each month
-prepaid cell, no land line (using the credit card)
-rent and utilities as a single payment, fixed rate
-two minimum loan payments, auto-withdrawn
I plan to clear one of the loans before I go. The cell will lapse and I have no lease to get out of. While away, I will have to remember to pay my card periodically (and monitor my account for fraud), but nothing else.
However, given that my primary loan is still open (at a low interest rate), I'm not sure if this shift will help freshen up my finances or just result in $5 more interest per month? I'm hoping it allows me to stockpile about five months of earnings (plus tax refund, plus pension cash out) in a tangible way to get a better picture of what I have to work with. But will the temptation of having a large sum of cold cash languishing in my savings account be too much?
*
MOST INTERESTING DEVELOPMENT OF THE WEEK: I am attempting, largely unsuccessfully, to empty my cupboards. I haven't had a major grocery shopping trip in two months. Although most of this is a result of being away over the holidays, this is my fourth week home in January.
This has made me realize how much I had unintentionally hoarded. The funny thing is, it's hardly a stocked pantry (condiments and beverages excluded) and this has been the same for so long I can do it from memory:
Pancake mix
Box cold cereal
Bag hot cereal
One can chic peas
One can tomatoes
One can beans
One can coconut milk
One bag microwave popcorn
A few sun dried tomatoes
Small bag of sticky rice
Package of sushi nori
Can of tuna
Can of sardines
Small bag whole wheat cous cous
Assorted noodles/pasta (house pool)
Frozen naan
Jar of saurkraut
Half a can of refried beans
Package of pepperoni
Package of veggie dogs
250 g marble cheese
3 red peppers
One small red cabbage
Half a red onion
200 g plain yogurt
500 g natural peanut butter
*Bold = january purchase
I'm so amazed at how long this stuff has been able to hang around in the cupboard I'm declaring war and continuing the grocery ban. For morbid interest I will document what I end up eating as a result. The exceptions include: bread or buns and some fresh produce... but only whenever I manage to get through the existing produce to a measurable degree. After exhausting protien sources, additions will be allowed on a piecemeal basis.
MOST ANNOYING FINANCIAL PREDICAMENT: the time has come to renegotiate my bank fees. Instead of notifying me the no-fee period as they understood it was about to end, they just started billing. I don't really like my bank at all but it's the best of many evils, somewhat like cell phones...
Monday, January 19, 2009
Twenty bucks in the bank and she's making a run for it: welcome
Tracks:
Because I'm a recent grad, assets refers to: a no risk fund, some outstanding reimbursements (aka accounts owing), and my bank balance. No car, no house, no kids.
I'm still trying to figure out some long term goals, but in the short term I'm planning on taking three months off when my current situation is up to go live elsewhere. Although that's only technically true - I'm planning on being able to finance it without supplement but actually looking at some streams of income to lessen the impact. Depending on what's going on in my personal life by the time those three months are up, I may end up staying abroad for awhile.
MOST INTERESTING DEVELOPMENT OF THE WEEK: one of my student loans has disappeared. I went to check the status online and it said I currently had no loan with them. Because important financial information still gets sent to a more permanent address, I have no idea what's happened. Bank error in my favor? If only.
MOST ANNOYING FINANCIAL PREDICAMENT: this weekend there's a birthday party for someone I'm not all that sure I like that involves a $50 beauty treatment and then dinner/bar hopping that will easily run another $50. I'd like to cancel but it really would be a special kind of social suicide with a key career contact.
Stay tuned, pfsphere.
Networth - negative $20K exactly
Debt - $23K
Assets - $3K
Because I'm a recent grad, assets refers to: a no risk fund, some outstanding reimbursements (aka accounts owing), and my bank balance. No car, no house, no kids.
I'm still trying to figure out some long term goals, but in the short term I'm planning on taking three months off when my current situation is up to go live elsewhere. Although that's only technically true - I'm planning on being able to finance it without supplement but actually looking at some streams of income to lessen the impact. Depending on what's going on in my personal life by the time those three months are up, I may end up staying abroad for awhile.
MOST INTERESTING DEVELOPMENT OF THE WEEK: one of my student loans has disappeared. I went to check the status online and it said I currently had no loan with them. Because important financial information still gets sent to a more permanent address, I have no idea what's happened. Bank error in my favor? If only.
MOST ANNOYING FINANCIAL PREDICAMENT: this weekend there's a birthday party for someone I'm not all that sure I like that involves a $50 beauty treatment and then dinner/bar hopping that will easily run another $50. I'd like to cancel but it really would be a special kind of social suicide with a key career contact.
Stay tuned, pfsphere.
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