A good beginning

I am the world's worst guesser. Seriously. I should never be allowed on any sort of game show where the only thing you have to do to win is make a guess. Because I would suck at it.

Every year I manhandle all of the presents that the DP puts under the tree for me. I shake them, I turn them over and over again, I will even smell them if I think it will give me a hint. I do this because part of my personal holiday thrill comes from knowing what my presents are before Christmas morning.

I know. I'm sick.

As a child I indulged this passion by snooping. I snooped early and I snooped vehemently. In fact, I snooped so thoroughly that I often found other people's presents and thought they were for me. (One of my old roommates loves the story about my 12-year-old self finding a smart business suit in my dad's section of the closet and thinking, "It's a little mature for me, but I like it!" Of course it was for my mom.)

If I couldn't find something before it ended up wrapped and under the tree, I had to be even sneakier. I had to very carefully unwrap and rewrap the present. Now, that's not possible with every package, but it works on most.

It may sound awful and I'm sure some of you are out there exclaiming, "She's ruining the surprise!" but I beg to differ. I love the subterfuge of it all AND I still enjoyed opening the presents on Christmas morning. It was totally a win-win situation.

Then true love entered my life in the form of the DP. (Technically in the form of the boyfriend who morphed into the DP, but that's just a minor detail.) For the first time ever, I couldn't bear to ruin his fun of giving me a great surprise.

Which is where the manhandling comes in. And then the guessing.

So a couple of weeks ago the first gift from the DP is put under the tree. I go through the dance - it's small-ish with a bit of rustling shake to it and it's pretty light. Obviously it's tickets to either The Sound of Music or Jersey Boys. Either show was on my list, so I'm happy. On Christmas Eve, two more presents from the DP arrived under the tree. One is a small, hard rectangle, which I have no clue about, and the other is a long cylinder. Like a poster tube. And it has no shake. Seriously, when I tried to shake it, nothing happened. Watch:



(I apologize for the ugly pjs. I was saving the cute ones to bring up north the next morning.)

At first I'm baffled. I feel certain the packaging is just a decoy, so it could be anything inside. But it would still have to be something that wouldn't move once it's in there. And then it comes to me-it's the ShamWow! We had recently seen the infomercial again and I had (once again) marveled at the amazing capacity of the miracle shammy. Then we had seen them at that store in Eaton Centre that sells all the crap from infomercials. (Not that the ShamWow is crap!) Since we were working with a limit on each other's gifts, I figured he'd probably blown most of it on two tickets to a show and the ShamWow was a smaller gift to supplement and to make me laugh. (Plus I really, really do want one.)

So I knew exactly what the DP was getting me. Sure I'd thought the same thing last year and the year before, and I'd been wrong both times, but this time I was definitely right.

(Did I mention that I can never guess the plot turns in movies?)

Okay, so Christmas morning dawns and the first present the DP hands me is the small mysterious gift. It's "Tales of Beedle the Bard," which is a lovely choice for a Harry Potter fan like myself. (Also a good "extra" present, I thought, since he'd spent so much on the tickets.) Next I thought he'd hand me the present with no shake, so he could finish big with the tickets, but he hands me the tickets.

Only it isn't tickets! It's a gift certificate to put towards some personal training at my gym. Which I TOTALLY wanted! And was completely surprised by. Nice move!

Now I'm confused. Why would he finish up with the ShamWow?

Only it isn't the ShamWow. IT'S AN ORIGINAL PIECE OF ART!!!! A piece of art I had pointed out to him on Etsy, but that he wasn't initially all that crazy about. I was so joyfully surprised that I was speechless. ME! SPEECHLESS!

Oh, it is so lovely and unique and interesting. It's called Agaetis Byrjun (part 2), which apparently means "a good beginning" in Icelandic. I love, love, love it. And he went over our limit because of the crap Canadian dollar and all the duty he had to pay on it. I have to get it framed now, which will be pricey, but I don't care. It's my first ever actual piece of art (it's numbered 17 out of 20) and it's the most special gift I've ever received.

Well done DP!

The only problem is that the part 1 piece is still available for sale on Esty. (The link gives you an idea of what my piece looks like.) And I kind of really want it. They would look so great together. But I still have to pay off the fancy machine I'm typing on. Plus I have to top up my tax account and go on vacation in a couple of weeks.

What do I do!?

Tax goal: $2000
Current balance: $1045

May your childhood heart be glad

This is one of my favourite seasonal things, so I thought it would be an appropriate way to bid you all a very Merry Christmas.

Yes, Virginia, There is a Santa Claus

By Francis P. Church, first published in The New York Sun in 1897.

We take pleasure in answering thus prominently the communication below, expressing at the same time our great gratification that its faithful author is numbered among the friends of The Sun:

Dear Editor—

I am 8 years old. Some of my little friends say there is no Santa Claus. Papa says, “If you see it in The Sun, it’s so.” Please tell me the truth, is there a Santa Claus?

Virginia O’Hanlon

Virginia, your little friends are wrong. They have been affected by the skepticism of a skeptical age. They do not believe except they see. They think that nothing can be which is not comprehensible by their little minds. All minds, Virginia, whether they be men’s or children’s, are little. In this great universe of ours, man is a mere insect, an ant, in his intellect as compared with the boundless world about him, as measured by the intelligence capable of grasping the whole of truth and knowledge.

Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus. He exists as certainly as love and generosity and devotion exist, and you know that they abound and give to your life its highest beauty and joy. Alas! how dreary would be the world if there were no Santa Claus! It would be as dreary as if there were no Virginias. There would be no childlike faith then, no poetry, no romance to make tolerable this existence. We should have no enjoyment, except in sense and sight. The eternal light with which childhood fills the world would be extinguished.

Not believe in Santa Claus! You might as well not believe in fairies. You might get your papa to hire men to watch in all the chimneys on Christmas eve to catch Santa Claus, but even if you did not see Santa Claus coming down, what would that prove? Nobody sees Santa Claus, but that is no sign that there is no Santa Claus. The most real things in the world are those that neither children nor men can see. Did you ever see fairies dancing on the lawn? Of course not, but that’s no proof that they are not there. Nobody can conceive or imagine all the wonders there are unseen and unseeable in the world.

You tear apart the baby’s rattle and see what makes the noise inside, but there is a veil covering the unseen world which not the strongest man, nor even the united strength of all the strongest men that ever lived could tear apart. Only faith, poetry, love, romance, can push aside that curtain and view and picture the supernal beauty and glory beyond. Is it all real? Ah, Virginia, in all this world there is nothing else real and abiding.

No Santa Claus! Thank God! he lives and lives forever. A thousand years from now, Virginia, nay 10 times 10,000 years from now, he will continue to make glad the heart of childhood.

All I want for Christmas...

I remember the very first time I ever splurged on something. I was 13 and my parents gave me $100 as a combined birthday present/back-to-school shopping fund. I even got to take the bus into downtown Ottawa with a friend to spend it. I hardly slept the night before - I was that excited.

While I didn't have any trouble falling asleep last night (we'd been out at the Sarah Slean concert, so just battling the snow was tiring enough), I did wake up with a sense of excitement. And it was certainly fun to walk into the Apple store and say, "I'd like to buy a MacBook."

It's even more fun to type on it right this minute! I can't tell you how much faster it is than my sad old PC.

The expenditure did give me pause - I do believe it's the most expensive thing I've ever purchased. But after weighing all the pros and cons, I do feel like the pros won the war. So I'm not going to think about how far the money could have gone towards my current financial goals. Well, I'm going to try not to think about it.

Oh, and in case any of you are worried that this purchase is the beginning of a slippery slide into debt, rest assured. This fancy new toy will be paid off in just a few days.

Merry Christmas to me.

Tax goal: $2000
Current balance: $1045

Hi, I'm a Mac

I almost bought a computer this afternoon.

I've been thinking about it for at least a solid week now and I'm fairly certain that I don't only want one, but also need a new one. I've already documented my issues with my sad, slow PC on this blog. Lately I've taken to leaving it on all day and all night, just to avoid the half hour warm up it requires. And not only do I feel guilty about the energy I'm wasting, but I'm also vaguely worried that David Suzuki is going to show up at my door and rap my knuckles. (Which he should.)

But back to today.

I was released from work in the early afternoon because a) snowmaggedon, b) no imminent deadlines and c) it's the Friday before Christmas, so I headed over to the Eaton Centre. I know, I know! Why would anyone voluntarily go to the Eaton Centre on the Friday afternoon before Christmas? Particularly someone who has not only bought all their gifts, but also wrapped them and stashed them under the tree. (It's okay, you can feel free to hate me.) I went to the mall to both return my ugly choir skirt (I wore it for two concerts with the tag tucked in, so I could get my money back in the end) and check out the Apple store.

Ah yes - this PC girl is joining the Mac generation. (Well, considering that I use a Mac at work and am currently typing this on the DP's MacBookPro, I've already joined. I just don't have my own membership card yet.)

I went into the Apple store telling myself that I was just going to go for it. My reasoning was partly because I want to buy it before the end of the year for tax purposes, but I also just wanted to shock the hell out of the DP. You see, we have very different decision making processes. I am quick and decisive where he takes his time and considers all the options. Twice. So I knew it would blow his mind if I just called and told him I'd bought a computer out of the blue.

However, when I chatted with the very helpful Mac Specialist (that's what her card says), I saw the merit to the DP's way of making decisions. (This is not the first time I've had this realization. It's one of those lessons I relearn constantly.) I needed to mull things over a bit and discuss a few of my options with him.

All this to say that I didn't buy a computer. BUT I have made some of the necessary decisions now, so this could be the weekend...

Tax goal: $2000
Current balance: $1045 (potentially more if I don't buy a computer this weekend...)

Anatomy of a Christmas tree

It starts with a simple little tree, still unfurling from the tight wrapping that allowed us to get it in the car and bring it home. Watching it loosen up was like watching time lapse photography!



Then you add the lights. Thankfully I put them away neatly every year so that they aren't a tangled mess that requires an hour and a bottle of wine to deal with. Look how pretty!



Next comes some ribbon and the simple ornaments. The big green and bronze balls are Martha Stewart ornaments. I love them. They were so popular a few years ago when we bought them that we had to take some of them right off a display tree in Sears!



Then it's time for the fun ornaments. This is my box of stuff. The little apples, of which I have many, were the very first Christmas ornaments I ever bought for myself.



Daphne is very helpful, of course, provided we ply her with cookies and only ask her to lay on top of things we need to use.



Here are a few of my favourite ornaments. The Santa that the DP bought me in Scotland the first Christmas we were together.



One of the wooden ornaments that my family bought while we lived in Germany.



Some crafts from my childhood. This smurf is inside an eggshell that is covered with sparkles!



The DP's favourite funky ornaments. There's something both beautiful and yet totally sci-fi about these ones.



And, of course, Superman. My lovely friend's children bought these for the DP.



Then the DP adds our ragtag angel to the top. (It's good to have a tall guy around.)



Et voila!



Just 10 days to go!

Tax goal: $2000
Current balance: $1045

And the money kept rolling in from every side...

(10 points if you understand the title reference.)

Apparently now that I'm no longer in debt, I get to join the group of people on the winning team when the term "the rich get richer" is used. Or at least it has felt that way this week. Three different freelance cheques arrived in my mailbox, including the one that is three months late, and I found out that I'm getting a bonus at work. Oh, and don't forget the three paychecks in January.

I am feeling downright wealthy.

And that feeling of wealth has allowed me to practice a skill that I kept under wraps for most of this year: spending money.

You guys, I am SO good at it!

Besides the coat that I purchased earlier this week, there has been some holiday shopping. And today I went on a mission to find sweaters, since it is bloody cold outside and my sweater drawer is looking rather empty. Or was looking rather empty... until I added four new sweaters. (I know it sounds really bad, but three of them were on really good sales.) I also treated the DP to dinner tonight, which is not something I get to do very often. He's a cheap date, so it wasn't a huge splurge.

However, things are still in good shape. The sweaters were all bought with actual money, the credit card is empty and I got to add some more to my tax fund. It's going to be okay.

But since I'm not going to be blogging quite as regularly until the new year, I'm not going to post my daily or weekly expenditures. I'm going to concentrate on the big goals. And it's my blog so I can do that if I want to!

Tax goal: $2000
Current balance: $1045

It's the most wonderful(ly busy) time of the year

I think it's fair to say that blogging will become sporadic as this month progresses. Tonight I worked late, ran some errands, ate some dinner, wrapped some presents, wrote some cards, chatted on the phone, and now I need to go bed. (I know it's early, but I'm desperate to go to the gym in the morning. I haven't been in a week, which would explain my curiously low energy levels. You have to expend some energy to earn some more!)

Two things:

1. The credit card is getting a continuous workout, but is also being continuously paid, so I'm not going to stress about it.
2. Speaking of giving the credit card a workout, I bought a new coat today. It was a good deal at Winners.

Tax goal: $2000
Current balance: $645
Spent today: $0 (from my weekly cash allowance)

FYI, tomorrow is my staff Christmas party and then I am babysitting on Thursday night so a lovely couple can go to their staff Christmas party. I'll be back a little later this week. And tree pictures will eventually be posted. Promise!

Deck the hall

I'm wearing a Santa hat. Why, you ask? Because the holidays have officially arrived in our apartment. The tree is all decorated and there's even a present underneath it! (Plus I've just purchased a Christmas album on iTunes that I've always meant to buy - The Carpenters!)

I am almost counting down the minutes until the break. Just 11 more work days for me. How many for you?

Anyway, tomorrow I will endeavour to post some tree pics, but tonight I must crawl into a hot bath and then into bed. Before I do that, here are the new numbers.

Tax goal: $2000
Current balance: $645 (As promised, I added that Google Adsense cheque.)
Spent today: $1.87 (Just a can of mushroom soup to cook our chicken in.)

Happy almost holidays everyone!

Here I am!

I've been lazy in my blogging this weekend, but only because I've been busy, busy, busy! I'm sure no one is surprised to hear that. December is notoriously hectic, but I love it. I love the lights and the music and...well, everything!

Yesterday was my debut concert with my choir. We sang five songs with the Scarborough Symphony orchestra at their concert. I wish I could say it was awesome. I wish I could say that I loved every minute of it. Instead, I will just say that it was long. We had an afternoon rehearsal and then had to wait around for almost four hours before the concert even began. (We didn't bother going home, since we had to be back an hour before the concert began.) And then, while we were singing our second last song in the show, one of the older women in the choir FAINTED! Right at my feet. It was awful. And concert etiquette is to JUST KEEP GOING! Isn't that insane? She was okay, though. And I was okay, too, when I finally made it home after 11 p.m. (I left home just after 1 p.m.)

But in money news, I found my phone!! It was on the floor of the back seat of the car. Phew!

AND I finally got my Google Adsense cheque!! All of you and your clicks helped me earn $147! I'm going to put it in my account tomorrow and then put it towards my tax goal.

Oh, and I managed to put a decent chunk of my paycheck towards my tax goal, too, so it's coming along.

Also, I think the one wayward freelancing cheque might actually arrive in my mailbox this week. They didn't have my full address.

But even more exciting than all of that - we have a Christmas tree!! It smells fantastic. Tomorrow night after work we will decorate and bring the holiday into our home. It's about time!!

Tax goal: $2000
Current balance: $500
Spent Friday, Saturday, Sunday: $87

Wait, one more thing! It was a good weekend for loyalty points. We got $20 off of our groceries and I got $25 off at the drugstore. Bring it on!!

Get the worst over with

Here's the bad news:

There are many things that I am feeling the need to spend money on. The first is a new computer. My four-year-old PC has suddenly slowed waaaaayyy down. I have to turn it on and walk away for a solid ten minutes before I can use it. And then it takes another minute or two to open a program after that. Frustrating. So I want a new one. A Mac. No more PC for me. And it needs to be a laptop.

I also really, really, really want laser eye surgery. After almost 20 years of wearing contact lenses every day, I'm done.

And, sadly, there's the chance that I might need to buy another cellphone. Mine has been missing for almost a week and I cannot figure out where it has gone.

Plus, my reckless credit card spending escalated faster than I noticed, so much of the money that I planned to put into my tax account this week will have to go to that instead.

I guess my financial situation continues to be tenuous at best.

The good news:

The universe gave me a sign today. When I walked in the front door at work this morning, there were three stacks of white packing crates up against one of the walls. I only just quickly glanced at them, but I immediately noticed that only one out of the 60 crates had writing on it. It said Sutherland.

Okay then. Tenuous as things may be, at least I'm in the right place.

Tax goal: $2000
Current balance: $0
Spent today: $11-ish
Weekly total: $109 (a wee bit over...)

Quick recap

It has been a loooong day, let me tell you. I got up early and hit the gym, which was supposed to give me energy for the rest of the day, but left me pooped by 7 a.m. Not so good. Plus it was one of those workouts where every minutes takes about two minutes to go by. Brutal!

Then a busy, crazy day at work. I have three different roles I'm doing right now and today they all collided. I got through it, but gave myself a stress tummy ache in the meantime.

And tonight was choir rehearsal. We have a concert this Saturday that we are guest-starring in and then our big concert is two weeks from tonight. I wish I could say that I'm looking forward to them, but not so much.

To cap it all off, I was so looking forward to coming home and hanging on the couch with the DP for a bit, but he's still at work! Poor guy. I could not be a TV/film person. I like my 9-5-ish life. Occasional overtime - no problem! Every day overtime - forget it!

That's all I got. I'm beat.
Tax goal: $2000
Current balance: $0
Spent today: $0 (Who had time!)

A hodge podge, if you will

I did something I wasn't expecting to do tonight - I paid off my student loans. Again.

See, I've been meaning to take a trip in to a bank so I can close that account now that the balance is at zero, but things have been very busy. 'Tis the season to be busy, right? Anyway, since the account is still active, I clicked through online just to enjoy the sight of the big fat zero.

Instead my balance read $5.57.

AAARRRGH!!! Damn interest. Damn end of the month interest.

No worries, though. I paid them their $5.57 and I'm once again in the clear. Phew! That was close.

Sorry I missed posting last night, but I was out at the SYTYCD Canada taping. It was fun but sooooooo long. Almost three hours of sitting without access to food, water or lip balm. I didn't mind my hunger for the first two hours, because I was busy looking at all the dancers bodies and trying to figure out how I could get mine to look like theirs. I concluded that I'd have to not only give up pretty much all of my favourite (read: sugary) foods, but I'd also have to quit my job so I could exercise all day. Every day. For the rest of my life. When I realized that wasn't going to be my fate, I just desperately wanted a sandwich.

Thanks to the DP, we did get to stroll around backstage after the show. Jean-Marc Genereux kissed me on both cheeks and Tre complimented my belt. I felt special.

In other news, there was lots to gossip about around the office today, because Rogers laid off a whole bunch of people in their publishing sector. No final number has been confirmed, but someone who works there said 45! They lost five at Macleans alone! Can I just say that my chair felt cozy and comfy. And everything on my to-do list took on new meaning: I have a job! Let's hope it stays that way.

On that note, I need to finish some freelancing before I retire for the evening. Sweet dreams everyone!

Tax goal: $2000
Current balance: $0
Spent yesterday: $0
Spent today: $13-ish (Stamps for holiday cards!)

One zit, two zit, red zit, blue zit

Oh what a lovely weekend. (Obviously this isn't a comment on the current weather conditions.) Lots of time with friends, quality hours with the DP, and a an afternoon at the spa.

That's right - the spa.

But here's my question about spas: Does anyone actually enjoy pan flute music? I swear that as I was waiting for my massage to begin there was a pan flute version of Bon Jovi's "Blaze of Glory" playing. Ick. Why not some lovely classical music? Or tame piano jazz? Since when does pan flute equal relaxation?

All that aside, it was a relaxing afternoon. In addition to my massage (I feel like I cheated on my regular massage therapist... Forgive me!), I had a facial. With extractions. Which is just a fancy way of saying that someone else picked my zits. It wasn't comfortable and I'm still pretty raw looking from the experience. Plus, knowing my skin as I do, I'll most likely wake up with half a dozen new zits tomorrow. (Generally my skin prefers not to be touched.) But it was still a good time.

Despite my recent ramblings about my overactive credit card usage, I did put the spa on credit. I'll pay it off at the end of the week!

As for my cash spending, we did a HUGE grocery shop yesterday, so my weekly allowance is already very depleted. But the house is full of healthy food now, so why would I need to spend anything?

Tax money goal: $2000
Current balance: $0
Spent yesterday: $85
Spent today: $0

Black Friday, indeed

Did everyone hear about the Wal-Mart employee who was trampled to death today? Trampled to death by people who were so desperate to buy more shit to fill up their lives that they killed another human being. Can you even believe that? A healthy 34-year-old man showed up at his temp job today, most likely dreading the Black Friday crowds, and left in a body bag.

I'm incredibly upset by this story and I have so many questions. Did the store still open? (The death happened at 5:03 a.m., just after they opened the doors.) Did they still merrily ring the cash registers all day? Did the throng that caused the death get the deals they came for? Do they feel guilty? Were employees expected to man their posts after someone was killed manning theirs?

Is $50 off a big-screen TV (or whatever!) worth it?

Okay, on a much happier note, I just spent a lovely evening with some of the smart, beautiful women in my life. It's so nice to spend time in the company of people I admire. We all should remember to nurture those relationships. Hmmm...sounds like the makings of a New Year's resolution...

Tax money goal: $2000
Current balance: $0
Spent today: $0

Habitual badness

Why is it so easy to fall back into bad habits? It's maddening! The bad habit I'm referring to is the reckless use of credit.

That's right - my credit card has been making regular appearances in the past few weeks. There were a few Christmas presents (reasoning: I'm going to spend this money anyway, so I might as well do it now.), some magazine subscriptions (reasoning: These will give me more freelancing ideas and if I get them before the end of the year I can write them off on my taxes.) and my ugly choir outfit (reasoning: I have to have this to perform in the concert coming up.). Amazing! It happens so quickly.

Note to self: Stop using the damn credit card and pay off what you've already charged!

It's only a few hundred, so don't be too alarmed that I've fallen completely off the wagon. I just need to get it in check before things get out of hand.

And speaking of getting things in check, I charged something else to my credit card today: a Weight Watchers membership.

I've been struggling over this internally for more than a few weeks now, trying to figure out why I can't lose the 10-15 extra pounds on my own. I've done the WW thing several times, so I know how it all works, but after a meltdown this morning I realized that I need the structure of attending meetings and the support offered by the group setting.

I have to admit, having already had the WW experience more than once, I felt ashamed that I had to go back. Ashamed that those bad habits keep rearing their ugly (sugary goodness) heads. But after going to my first meeting today and listening to all the women speak, I'm done with any shame. It's a wasted emotion. Instead I will choose to feel empowered by the choice I'm making to take care of myself and my health.

One more bad habit to confess tonight. (Geez, you'd think I was Catholic!) I didn't do a good job of tracking all my spending this week. So let's just say that I spent my entire $100 and probably a bit more. Tomorrow is a new start, a fresh week. See you then.

Tax money goal: $2000
Current balance: $0

Writer/Singer/Financial Wizard

I was chatting with a friend tonight about all things money. She and a few of her girlfriends have started a money group based on the well-known Smart Cookies group. And she asked if I would come and be a guest speaker at one of their meetings!

Imagine that.

I might have scoffed at the very idea if it had been the first time since I publicly embarked on this journey that someone has asked me for money advice. But it's happened before. Quite a few times. Last week I exchanged several emails with a cookie-baking colleague that wanted to know my secrets.

It's so weird to go from being a person who used to lay awake at night fretting over how I was ever going to dig my way out to a person that gets asked for advice!

I like this new role!

(I've totally stacked "I"s in this post. Forgive my crappy editing.)

Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to log on and look at my $0 balance again.

Tax money goal: $2000
Spent today: $9

The lady who lunches

Well, I think I've discovered my first challenge in post-school debt life - lunch!

I have been a dutiful brown-bagger for years and years, but lately I've been buying my noontime nosh. Part of it is a lack of leftovers. You see, normally I cook a big dinner for the DP and I, so I can save some for lunch the next day. But now that a weekday dinner with the DP is as rare as a pair of well-fitting jeans, I've become lazy about cooking altogether. All the mess and effort just for me? No thanks.

But buying lunch is not only overwhelming (there are a LOT of choices), but pricey! Today I had a delicious sandwich and some chocolate milk...for ELEVEN DOLLARS! Ugh. That's more than a T-shirt at Joe Fresh. So wrong.

So you'll all be happy to know that I actually made dinner tonight - including leftovers! (But Wednesday I already have a lunch date... who can say no to crepes!?)

Tax money goal: $2000
Current balance: $0
Spent this weekend: $22-ish
Spent today: $26

The grand finale and a new beginning

My original goal was my half-birthday, March 8, 2009. My real goal was December 31st, 2008.

In the end, it has taken me 277 blog posts, lots of them whiny and plenty of them boring, to get here. But I'm here. I did it.

I PAID OFF ALL MY STUDENT LOANS!!

In the past 11-ish months I've managed to pay of the final $11,270.90. In total my two rounds of school cost me $32,000. I cannot begin to do the math on how much I paid in interest during the past 11 years, which is probably a good thing. I think the number would cause me to curl up in the fetal position and cry for a good long time.

And now is not the time for crying - it's the time for celebrating!!

Many of you have asked me how I'm going to celebrate. Truth is, this weekend is already claimed as far as celebrations go, because it is the DP's mom's birthday. But next weekend I'm thinking a little visit to the spa might be in order... A massage, which I can claim on my insurance, and a facial. And lots of time lounging around in a bathrobe in public. Pure decadence.

And don't worry, I'm not closing down shop here at Freedom 33.5! I'm just changing direction: Rather than watching my debt go down, you can watch my savings go up! The first order of business is re-saving my tax money for all the freelancing I've done this year. (More than $7000 worth! Not too shabby, if I do say so myself.) After that I will be re-paying the DP in the form of saving. But more on that when we get there.

I'm anticipating some major challenges in the near future. How do I not just spend like crazy now that this weight has been lifted? And I'll need your help with them.

And speaking of you guys, I have to say a huge, enormous



(Hmmm... I was hoping that picture would be bigger. Ah well, you get the drift!)

I couldn't have done it without you. All of you. Whether you posted comments or cheered me on in person or just silently came along for the journey, you guys were instrumental in helping me accomplish this huge goal. And you've all made me feel so good about myself! I never would have imagined anyone asking me for financial advice! I truly can't thank you all enough.

And I can't believe how excited I am to have financial goals! I guess I'm truly a grown-up now. No going back.

So, for old times sake...

Total debt: $0

And now for new times...

Tax money goal: $2000
Current balance: $0
Spent today (because my budget isn't going anywhere): $8-ish

I'll be up north this weekend, but I'll be back on Monday.

Unenjoyable shopping?

I have a confession - I don't like shopping for shoes.

Do I have to give my "girly" card back now?

Let me clarify. It's not that I don't love shoes. I do. They are beautiful and fabulous to look at. I covet many, many pairs. But I hate the process of finding ones to actually wear. Not only am I a transit whore, which rules out anything difficult or painful to walk in, but I also have wide feet and bunions. (Sexy, eh?) And those two things make 99.9% of the shoes in the world both painful and difficult to walk in for me.

On top of all this, I can only afford to have shoes that go with the majority of things I own. So they need to be comfortable, practical and cute, because I still like to be somewhat fashionable!

Currently I am in need of boots. Two pairs, to be exact. My tall boots are so worn out that it looks like I went to war in them. (I'm very hard on my shoes.) And my shorter boots, the ones I wear with pants and stuff, have a hole in them. Not so good in the now slushy conditions. (I did buy a pair of proper winter boots last year, but I haven't taken them out yet.)

I can't even bear to begin the search. Tall boot shopping is a nightmare, because apparently my calves are bigger than the average tall boot buyer's calves. Personally I have zero problems with my calves (Thank god I don't have to buy boots for my butt!), but I cannot zip up non-stretchy tall boots. (I tell myself that my muscle sits too high. And I'm terrified of doing any sort of calf exercises at the gym for fear of growing a more prominent muscle.) And the stretchy ones generally look, well, kind of cheap.

It's all so depressing.

So I went to the mall tonight...and didn't even look at boots. Instead I went in search of the long black skirt I need for my choir performances. I figured Sears might be a good bet, because, I rationalized, there aren't really any stylish clothes in Sears.

How wrong I was! The Sears at Eaton Centre sells Tevrow + Chase and Kenneth Cole. Some very cute stuff! Luckily for me they also had a nice big selection of ugly stuff. And I found a black skirt! I think it has a little too much flare at the bottom, but I bought it. For $30, which didn't seem too bad. (I know, I wanted to find something used, but that takes time! I'm a little short on time.) The surly woman at the cash told me I could get $10 off if I got a Sears Card, but I really don't want a Sears Card. Was that silly?

I'll deal with the boots at some point.

Tune in tomorrow for the BIG DAY!

Total debt: $250 :-)
Spent today: $8-ish (I charged the skirt!)
Weekly total: $107.74 (A bit over...)

Oh, this is good

I could not wait to get home from choir and type the big new to y'all. Are you ready? Are you sure?

There was some money in the mail. A fairly large chunk. And all of it went to my loan. And now my loan is sooooo small. And payday is Friday. And Friday will be the day we've all been waiting for.

Can you believe it?

Total debt: $250 (!!!!!!!)
Spent today: $8.25

Bring back the pony express

Distressing news! Back in September one of my birthday cards went awol in the mail and ended up back where it began, weeks later, with my proper address clearly marked on the front. Annoying, particularly for the senders because they had to pay to cancel the cheque that was within it, but we all assumed it was one small misstep by Canada Post.

But news has trickled down that another birthday card and letter from my Grandma was also returned to sender sans errors.

And this leads me to believe that there could be more! Perhaps even some of the elusive money that I've been waiting for!

But what does one do in the situation? I stopped by the postal outlet closest to me on the way home this evening and asked for their suggestions. I was directed to the customer service number. But these are the people that are currently on strike!

And then, to add insult to potential injury, all that was waiting in my mailbox was a bill. I bet they never get returned to sender for no good reason!

In other news, the snow isn't even on the ground yet and I can already feel the seasonal affective disorder setting in. And this is making me hungry:



Total debt: $1400 and a bit
Spent today: $4-ish

You can say I'm a dreamer

Have I ever mentioned how strong my imagination is? It's kind of scary. Thankfully I don't spend as much time deluding myself as I used to. Having a loving DP helps, because I never need to convince myself that my unrequited fantasy boyfriend will be sitting on the steps to my apartment building with a huge bouquet of roses waiting to profess his love for me. Instead I know the DP will likely be hanging out at home reading a comic book upon my return. And that he'll be happy to see me. He'll even put down the comic book and listen to my stream of consciousness monologue about my day. He's patient that way.

I did, however, engage my powers of suggestion this evening. My focus - the elusive money in the mail. I decided that there would be not just the most belated of the cheques (my contact tells me she is increasing her priority on the matter "ten-fold"), but that there would be a second cheque. And that the combination of these cheques would more than cover the last of my loan.

I planned it all out. How I wouldn't even bother going upstairs, but would instead turn around and deposit the cheques directly. And then, on my way home, I would stop and buy myself something for dinner. A celebratory sub, perhaps. Upon my return home I would immediately fire up my computer and share the news with all of you! I even contemplated different ways to organize the post: Do I give it all away up front or do I save the news until the end and finish big?

It was vivid and complete in my mind. So imagine my surprise when the only thing to be found in the small metal cage that is my mailbox was a Bell bill. And that bill isn't even in my name. So there was nothing for me. No money. No dinner. No boastful blog post. Just Bell. Stupid, stupid bell.

Sigh. It's coming. I have to believe it's coming. Both the money and the end. Wait for it.

Total debt: $1400 and a bit
Spent yesterday: $74 (Groceries and a printer!)
Spent today: $3.99

A scanner darkly

It's almost 11 p.m. on Sunday night, which is totally late for me. But I've been playing with our new toy. Yep. Money was spent and now we finally have a printer/scanner in the house. And it's SO MUCH FUN!

How can a printer/scanner be SO MUCH FUN? you ask. Well, I've spent hours scanning in old photos and posting them on Facebook. First pics of me as a wee one.



And then photos with other Facebook folks. Old pics they most likely haven't seen in a long while, if ever! And then I've been enjoying all the comments. Incredibly enjoyable!

Anyway, I have to go to bed. So not only am I cutting this short, but I'm also not prepared to do my daily tally. I'll fess up tomorrow. (The printer was on sale, so I didn't go too crazy.)

Oh, we also went to the free weekend at the AGO last night. We had to stand in line (in the rain) for 20 minutes to get in, but it was worth it. The renovations are gorgeous, especially the Galleria Italia.



(This pic does not do it justice. Check it out!)

Okay, to bed I go. Really I just want to stay up all night posting pics, but I'll try to hold off until tomorrow.

Total debt: $1400 and a bit
Spent yesterday: $0

One more for the road:

Book nerds unite

My germs and I stayed home today. It seemed like the smart thing to do. And thanks to a bunch of extra sleep and a chance encounter with my neighbour who suggested I try this, I actually feel a whole lot better tonight. (Ever since I wrote this article, I can't bring myself to take over-the-counter cold meds that dry out my whole system. Sure my symptoms are temporarily masked, but the dehydration leaves me feeling like hell. The new method proved much more effective. My neighbour - who claims to have not had a cold in 20 years - also told me to only eat and drink lukewarm things. But that seems totally crazy to me.)

Anyway, now I'm feeling fairly human and it's Friday night. And instead of having my fun night with the girls, I'm home alone. (The DP is out with some guys, because the girls were supposed to be here.) I figured I might as well do laundry.

As I think I've mentioned before in this blog, there is a big bookshelf full of books to take down by our laundry room. You know, people leave some and then people take some. Mostly it just seems like books people have abandoned when they didn't have time to make a trip to goodwill before they moved. That would explain the really old psych 101 textbooks. Overall though, it's a fascinating collection. Lots of mysteries, a number of Harlequins (Including a couple from the "Dangerous Men" series. I don't get the bad boy fascination at all.), a book about baseball by the dad from Mr. Belvedere.

Every time I browse through the selection while waiting for the elevator, it makes me think about why people buy books. And what people's books say about them. And how much I enjoy the flirtation I can have with books from the library. No long term commitment required. (Although I do feel guilty, since I realize that writers need to make a living, too. And I'm not helping them by reading their books for free. But one day I promise to buy lots and lots of books once again. Cross my heart.)

I like what my bookshelves say about me, even if it paints a picture of who I was circa 2000. I like that my love of Can Lit is highlighted, even if I've secretly been overdosing on chick lit of late. And my geeky music theatre history buff persona is out in the open for anyone who happens to look for it. (The stack of Original Cast Albums isn't far away, either.) The DP's shelves are wonderfully diverse, full of reference books of every sort.

Where am I going with this? Nowhere coherent. The congestion has apparently gone to my brain.

But last week, once on the subway and once at choir, I saw women reading on this. And I didn't get it. First of all, I had no idea what they were reading, which was strange. I know we're not supposed to "judge a book by its cover," but I love having brief exchanges with strangers over a shared literary experience. When Harry Potter was just becoming a big thing, I used to feel a kinship with other adults carrying around the latest tomb. It was good to know that if we got trapped in a tunnel together, we could discuss whether Voldermort is actually part of Harry's soul.

But beyond my needs, I didn't see how these electronic devices were proper substitutions for an actual book. What about the feel of the paper? What about the dust jacket blurbs? What about the fancy endpapers and the beauty of the signatures lined up along the spine? Because not all books are just words on paper. Imagine trying to read Generation X on one of those thingys! How would they create the asides in the margins? Or what about the beautiful sketches in some of the chapters of Fall on Your Knees that hide secrets of their own? Books are more than just arrangements of letters on paper. Books have a feeling about them.

Don't get me wrong - my back would probably thank me if I stopped carrying around books everywhere I went. But I'm going to risk a little pain for a whole lot of joy. I like to live dangerously! (Just not with dangerous men.)

Vive les livres!

Total debt: $1400 and a bit
Spent today: $9.50 (A brief walk to the drugstore and for a wee treat to soothe my sick body.)

Sneeze, cough, blech

I'm under the weather. (What does that mean, anyway?) I had to leave work early and I had to cancel plans to have some lovely women over tomorrow night. I'm so sad! I was so looking forward to seeing them all. But I can't bear to expose them all to my germs. And I just don't know how I'm going to feel tomorrow.

I hate being sick!

And, in case I wasn't grumpy enough, STILL NO MONEY IN THE MAIL! I'm going to have to send another HELLO! email.

Hey, so I've had lots of questions about what I'm going to do with this blog when the final $1400 is paid off. Anyone have any ideas? My money goals don't end with the closing of my student loan account. I then have to re-save my tax money to cover all the extra freelance income that I've earned this year. Then I need to pay the DP the $5000-ish that I still owe him. So I can blog about those things. Or I could set some big goal and work towards it... maybe write a book?
Thoughts?

Another thing I've been asked is if I'm going to celebrate when I'm done. And I really want to! I just don't know what I should do, so I'm taking suggestions.

Help me out everyone!

Total debt: $1400 and a bit
Spent yesterday: $1.85
Spent today: $20-ish
Weekly total: $106-ish (Oops. a little over.)

A foggy day in London town

Since I filled my evening with a trip to the gym, a bath, a deep-conditioning treatment on my hair and too many episodes of Sex and the City, I am left with but a few moments to blog before dreamland comes for me.

I tried my first London Fog today. There was lots of conflicting advice over where to purchase it, but I ended up at Starbucks, because they have comfy chairs and I wanted to sit and read a magazine.

I liked it! I really liked it. This could be habit forming.

Oh, and despite the fact that all of you told me about it, I still felt weird about asking for it at the counter. Like they wouldn't know what I was talking about! But of course they did. I should really learn to trust my lovely readers.

Total debt: $1400 and a bit (I'm trying to wait until Friday before I once again go after the tardiest of the money in the mail.)
Spent today: $13.17 (My new favourite drink and a roast chicken, because I just don't feel like cooking these days.)

I wish it was Sunday

Today was such a stereotypical Monday that at times I felt I was in a bad movie. The kind of movie that stars a D-list celebrity that had a mere moment in the spotlight ten years ago, but has somehow managed to avoid "Celebrity Rehab." The kind of movie that would underscore the opening scenes with "Manic Monday."

And what would happen in that opening scene?

It would start with a big zit on my forehead. Thankfully under my handy dandy bangs. (Bangs would have been a godsend in high school!)

Then I would arrive at the subway station and reach into my pocket only to find that I'd left my metro pass at home.

Later I would be feeling smug after my lunch hour workout, only to have the toilet overflow on my boots when I try to flush it.

I'd arrive home and find no money in the mail, despite the fact that it's been more than SIXTY DAYS since I submitted an invoice!

Then I'd attempt to do laundry, only to discover that I only have enough change for three loads, so I can only wash the darks.

And of course my laundry luck sucks and I end up having to make multiple extra trips to get it all done. (And yet another extra trip to retrieve my keys from the laundry room after I take the elevator ten floors and can't get into my apartment.)

But now the day is nearly over and I can relax. Gather my strength for tomorrow.

Total debt: $1400 and a bit (That doesn't feel like Monday debt!)
Spent today: $5.50 (SUBWAY FARE! Gah!)

Merrily we roll along

The vegetables are roasting and the salmon is ready to go in the oven. Do you know what that means? Yup, it's Sunday night once again. Not that I mind it so much, since I had a wonderful weekend.

One of the DP's good friends from university came to stay with us last night. He's in town from Berlin, so we had a nice dinner, drank some wine and played Boggle. (We're wild and crazy that way.) It's so great to talk to someone who is leading such a different life than we are. A great reminder of all the paths available to us in this world. Plus it was just a lot of fun!

And then today I found myself on an impromptu road trip to Kitchener with one of my oldest friends. We had planned to go for a big walk, just to have some one on one time, but she needed to pick something up from her in laws house in Kitchener and asked if I wanted to come along. It was a perfect way to get caught up - especially since it wasn't such a nice day for walking.

Other joys this weekend included an incredibly tasty pumpkin spice cake that I made and this site. I dare you to not enjoy it!

Total debt: $1400 and a bit (Cross your fingers for some money in the mail this week, so we can all watch the last bit of this thing disappear!)
Spent yesterday: $55 (Groceries. It was pricey because I read this the other day, so we bought a huge bag of walnuts. Those nuts are not cheap!)
Spent today: $1.28 (Car trip girl talk requires a cup of tea.)

For the love of hair

Lessons I learned at the salon today:

- The surroundings need to be fancy and comfortable in order for me to enjoy spending almost $100 on a haircut. Cramped, crowded, noisy spaces don't cut it. (Ha ha, I made a pun. They don't "cut" it... get it!?)

- If you subscribe to as many magazines as I do, there's probably nothing new for you to read at the salon.

- Stylists that wear utility belts filled with various scissors, combs and clips look like extras from a Ben Stiller/Adam Sandler/Chris Rock movie that parodies salon culture.

- I don't find fancy comb-spinning impressive. It just looks showy.

- Even though a stylist is named Hero, like your favourite character on a television drama that has a cast of thousands, that doesn't mean you're going to love him.

- Even though you ask for something else, you're bound to leave the salon with a reverse bob.

- There's no joy in flitting around from salon to salon, trying to re-create the magic you have with that one special stylist. It ain't gonna happen.

So, my haircut is fine. The DP likes it. I'm not offended by it. Time will tell if it grows out nicely. It's just...not exactly what I hoped for. But I recognize that I may have been hoping for something that wasn't possible given the hair I started with. And I will also acknowledge that I may not have explained my desires to the stylist in the most cohesive of manners. Alas...

My beloved stylist better be back at work in the new year. Back injury heal thyself!

Total debt: $1400 and a bit (I know you know this, but I wanted to say it again!)
Spent today: $9.67 (Plus $90 on the haircut, but I kept money aside for that, so it doesn't have to go in my weekly budget. Because I said so!)

I'm feelin' low (in a really good way)

Okay, this is a morning update to announce my new number, because I can't possibly wait until tonight. Guys, I am so close that I can see y'all cheering at the finish line!

Total debt: $1400 and a bit!!!!
Spent today: Stay tuned! There's a pricey haircut in my day AND I'm totally buying some lunch to celebrate the unbelievably low number.

Drinking to my health

I couldn't resist the urge for a treat this afternoon, so I thought I'd try something new at Starbucks - a green tea latte. Everywhere I go lately, I hear of someone ordering one or drinking one, and I got curious. It seems like a great idea! Green tea = antioxidants (to protect me from disease). Latte = more milk, which I don't drink enough of (to keep my bones healthy and strong). In fact, it almost sounded like something I should have. You know, for my health!

I looked it up on the Starbucks website beforehand and discovered that it also has a hint of mango in it and is about the same amount of calories as my beloved chai latte. Off I go in hot pursuit of a new flavour sensation.

I wish I could tell you that I fell in love with a steamed beverage today, but the truth is that I poured half of it out so I could recycle the cup. It just had a distinctly fake flavour to me. Plus I looked it, which I don't recommend. It's very, very green. Bad bridesmaid dress green. Not pretty at all. And, as if those things weren't bad enough, after I poured out the last of it, there was a mound of some sort of congealed powder stuck to the bottom of the cup. So it wasn't actual brewed tea, which I kind of figured from the colour, meaning that there's a good chance not a single antioxidant was present.

Alas, I thought, back to my beloved chai. Until one of my team members at work asked if I've ever had a London Fog... Apparently it's Earl Gray tea (my fave) with steamed milk and a shot of vanilla!

It's good to try new things, right?

Between my disappointing treat, some new lip balm and drinks and munchies with some lovely ladies after work, it was a bit of a spendy end to the week.

Total debt: $2400 and a bit (Tomorrow I'm forecasting record lows...)
Spent today: $26.37
Weekly total: $132.37 (As I suspected.)

Not such a "Secondhand Rose." Sorry Barbra!

I wish I had the secondhand shopping gene. Maybe we only get a few special skills at birth and I used up my allotment with the ability to form nice sentences, an unlimited memory for song lyrics and an insatiable appetite for baked goods.

I was thinking about this today as I wandered through Winners. (I needed to get away from my desk, but I also needed to avoid places where they sell baked goods, because my "special skill" was demanding to be fed.) I saw that they now have women's ski pants for $49.95, which made me extra glad that my Costco membership-wielding friend had saved me a bundle of dough (mmmm...dough...) on my ski ensemble. But then I wondered if I should have gone to Goodwill or some other secondhand store and saved even more.

Truth be told, I'm not very good at navigating through those stores. I can't see the possibilities the way other people can. One of my oldest friends totally got the gene and is forever showing off some fabulous find for either her or her children. (Her son's awesome-and expensive looking-Halloween costume was one of her treasures. Priced at $10, she bought it on half-price day for $5. I didn't even know they had half-price days! Why don't the stores I shop at have half-price days?) She's also a wiz at getting stains out of anything and everything. I'm the person who stains something and donates it to the secondhand store!

Come to think of it, I also watched her bargain her ass off in an optical store at a mall. She chose frames that were priced at $450 and somehow talked them down to $400 including her lenses and with no tax! Maybe I need to ask her for some lessons...

I have the same lack of vision when it comes to "antiques." I'm using quotation marks around the word, because all I see when I look at "antiques" is old furniture. While I love to go to someones house and see an eclectic mix of interesting, old pieces, I'm doomed to live in my Billy Bookcase-lined rooms for lack of imagination.

What about you guys? Can you see the forest for the trees or are you imaginationally challenged like me?

Total debt: $2400 and a bit (Not for much longer...)
Spent today: $0

The politics of wanting

I'm eating a piece of Apple Crumble pie. Doesn't that seem appropriate for election night? I'm also multitasking and trying to decide which channel is best for coverage. It's a historic night! I am writing this post on a historic night.

But, of course, I'm not going to post about political things. I'm going to post about stuff that I want, but can't have. Namely this house.

This is quite close to the modest apartment that the DP and I share. On a street that I love. There was an open house this past weekend and I made the mistake of checking it out.

It's beeeeyoutiful! Of course, it's way too big for the cat, the DP and I. We could each have our own floor and the basement would still be empty. The wine cellar thingy would be wasted on us. Oh, and obviously we cannot afford it. But I love it. Very, very much.

Something else I want - and could afford - but won't let myself have right now is this. In a nice deep purple. And some new pants to go with it.

But I'm getting close and I refuse to ring in 2009 without closing my damn student loan account!

Send me your strength. And think blue.

Total debt: $2400 and a bit
Spent yesterday and today: $6-ish

A day at the museum

It was a very, very expensive (that's French for expensive) weekend around these parts. Not that we did anything crazy! But a day at the Royal Ontario Museum is simply not cheap.

First there's $22 just to get in. And then you spend $10+ on a bit of lunch. (Tasty lunch, though. Well done ROM!) And then, once the museum has kicked your ass, you have to stop at Starbucks for tea and treats just so you have enough energy to get home. And that costs $5+.

Our lovely houseguest was kind enough to treat us to our beloved Hero Burger for dinner last night. (Post-museum none of us had the inclination to actually prepare anything.)
And then there was the $55 on groceries today. Oh, and $5 on lottery tickets yesterday, because the jackpot was $39 million. (We didn't win. Surprise, surprise.)

Basically, I spent my entire week's budget in two days. However, I thought this might happen, so I did save an extra $40 in my account, since I do have some social events to attend this week. And that's okay. Sometimes it's okay to blow a huge chunk of money on a cultural experience.

Here are a few of our photos. (We have none from the diamond exhibit, because we
weren't allowed!)











Total debt: $2400 and a bit
Spent this weekend: $100-ish

A new number!

Okay, Saturday morning post to tell you all that some more money trickled in today, so I have a new number! (It's not a spectacular new number, but at least it's new.)

Total debt: $2400 and a bit! (And soon to come down much, much more.)
Spent today: I don't know yet! But there definitely will be some spending.

Happy Halloween!

Do you know what I asked myself several times this afternoon while taking a streetcar across the city? It was this: Costume or real clothes? Because it's not always apparent who is costume and who isn't on the 31st of October in Toronto. For example, funky patterned tights with striped leg warmers and silver sneakers. Most likely real clothes. Shiny spandex leggings and very large, backcombed hair. Probably real, but you never know. Full 70s basketball uniform. Costume. I hope.

We just got home from hanging out with our friends and their two kids. At one point it was just me and her three and a half year old son on the porch, waiting for more kids. He was still wearing his adorable blue alien costume (Stitch from Lilo and Stitch) but was completely tuckered out and sitting on my lap. I asked him if he had a good time trick or treating.

Stitch: Ya. But not the haunted house. I didn't like the haunted house.
Me: You'll like it more when you're older.
Stitch: I think I'll like it when I'm 14 years old.
Me: Really? Not when you're 13 years old?
Stitch: Nope. And when I'm a million years old I can touch the whole sky.



!!! Isn't that profound! (Or have I just had too much candy?)

Total debt: $2731 and a bit (No new number. The trickling money is even slower than I thought it would be.)
Spent today: $0 (Lots of free pizza and candy. Now I'm taking my tummy ache to bed!)

You gotta have friends!

Can I just say, all of you are SO helpful! You're so full of great advice every time I ask for help. And one of you went above and beyond for me this week!

It's regarding my recent need for ski wear. A loyal reader and a lovely friend (Hi!) sent me a note to tell me that Costco sells a ski outfit every year for a really reasonable price. And then she offered to go and pick one up for me! "Don't worry if you need a different size or don't like it," she told me. "I can always bring it back or exchange it for you."

Seriously!

So she brought me the suit today. (I work with this lovely reader/friend, although sadly not quite as closely as I used to...) It's awesome! The medium is a teeny bit tight on my hips, but the jacket has one of the those two-way zippers, so I can just undo it from the bottom a wee bit and voila! She picked a gorgeous colour combo too -chocolate brown with light blue and white accents. Very chic. (The DP said he really like the colour...and then told me I looked like a big poo. What's wrong with boys?)

The best part is her incredible timing - tomorrow is the last day that I can return the Columbia jacket to Winners for a full refund. Ta dah!

Wait, no the best part is that the jacket I'm returning was $135 with tax and the ENTIRE SUIT was $94 with tax. SCORE!

I'm so happy and so grateful. This is my very public THANK YOU!

(And, just so you guys understand the full extent of her generosity, she also found men's ski pants on sale for $24.99 and has offered to pick a pair up for Jamie! I'm so lucky.)

Perhaps it was the knowledge of this great deal that lead me to Joe Fresh at lunch... where I purchased a pair of $6 glove and a $29 sweater. (Very cute raspberry coloured cardigan that will be a great layering piece all winter! she says defensively.) Alas, I'm a little over for my week, but a bit of the long-awaited money will trickle in tomorrow, so I promise there will be a new number for y'all.

Total debt: $2731
Spent today: $50-ish
Weekly total: $148.66 (Whoa!)

My lid needs to be flipped. Or something!

Once again I find myself in a hairdo dilemma. The latest cut by a mid-range stylist, which was done back in August, just isn't growing out nicely. It's not awful, but neither is it good. There's something wonky about the way she blended the left side of it, so it never sits as well as the right side.

Plus it's getting boring again.

So I called to find out if my original (read: expensive) stylist is back to work yet. The poor woman, who is actually a couple years younger than me, hurt her back earlier this year. The bad news is that she's STILL out and will be out the rest of the year. (Obviously I realize that this is doubly - or even triply - bad for her. But let's focus on me, since this is my blog.)

What to do? I'm very ready to shell out some dough for a haircut that looks good longer than three weeks, but who can be trusted?

I think I might try a salon that's a little edgy - all the better to banish boring hair - and that a few of my friends have been to in the past...

The date is set for next Friday. Stay tuned!

Total debt: $2731 and a bit (I'm so booooorrrreed of this number!)
Spent today: $6-ish

Have I purged too much?

I have often prided myself on my ability to purge stuff from my life. My nomadic upbringing taught me the benefit of never having too many things. (Although I'm still annoyed that my Barbies bit the dust before my 10th birthday. We were changing continents, though, so traveling light was a priority.) But isn't pride one of the seven deadly sins? If so, that would explain why my superior purging abilities are coming back to bite me in the ass.

Namely, I need a skirt for my choir performances. A plain black ankle-length skirt. A skirt that I owned for many years. A really nice one, too! Until plain black ankle-length skirts went out of style and I donated it. That was several years ago. And now I need a new one.

A couple of women in the choir regaled me with tales of how they had made their plain black ankle-length skirts. Just a bit of fabric, some elastic for the waist and a few seams through the sewing machine. I smiled and nodded, unsure of how to explain that I not only don't own a sewing machine, but that I'd have nary an idea of how to turn it on if I did.

*Aside* During an enlightening visit to Canadian Tire with my mom while she was here, she tried to convince me that I needed to buy several things that I don't actually need, including an entire set of pots that were on sale, despite the fact that the DP and I have two sets between us. One of those things was a sewing machine, which seems like a pretty big piece of equipment for a two-bedroom apartment, particularly when no one in the apartment knows how to use it. *Aside over*

Sure, I took home economics in junior high and we did have a sewing segment. But after I broke THREE of the machines, they made me sew all my stuff by hand. So I forged ahead in life and never looked back.

I'd really like to sew. And I was considering taking a beginner sewing course this fall, until I realized I'm busier than I thought. But I can't sew. And so I need to buy a plain black ankle-length skirt.

Any ideas where I can find one?

Total debt: $2731 and a bit (That's right. The money in the mail remains elusive.)
Spent today: $5.23 (Afternoon treat.)

Baring my bank account, but not my belly

I'm trying to determine whether I hate or admire this girl at my gym. See, lately I've been going to the gym near work during my lunch hour a couple times a week, to get in my strength training. It's a good break from my day and I don't get overly sweaty, which I would if I was doing cardio. Anyway, I keep overlapping with this one girl who does an ENTIRE HALF HOUR of ab work. Seriously. I timed her today, because I suspected it was about a half hour, and I was totally right. And it's not just basic crunches, but all these crazy ab exercises with weight plates and various other accessories.

My first instinct was to hate her. Wait - hate is a pretty strong word. I guess I was just annoyed by her more than anything. Particularly because the ab portion of my weight training is a little lacking of late. I know core strength is important for your back and blah, blah, blah, but I've just become lazy about it the last year or so. The only person that sees my tummy is the DP. And when ab-baring fashion comes back around again, I'm fairly certain that I will be past the age of having to comply with the trend. (Much like leggings this time around.)

But while I was busy being annoyed by this woman, I suddenly realized I was more annoyed by myself. Annoyed that I don't have the same single-minded focus that she does. When it comes to the rest of my strength-training I can easily push myself as far as I can go, but I give up when it comes to my belly.

That led me to think about money. (Not such a stretch. A LOT of things lead me to think about money.) And about a conversation I had with an acquaintance today about the $300 shoes she bought. Now I have NO idea what this woman's financial situation is. She could be completely comfortable, have no debt, and have an entire fund for shoes set aside. But I suddenly realized that I do have a pretty single-minded focus on something - on paying off my debt and paving the way for a prosperous life void of useless debt. (The kind I would inevitably incur if I thought $300 for shoes was an decent price.)

So it turns out that the ab-tastic woman in the gym and I have more in common than I thought. And now I admire her and will silently cheer her on through every core marathon. Just like all of you cheer me on, even when I wimp out and purchase frivolously.

I just don't ever want to run into ab-girl at the beach...

Total debt: $2731 and a bit (The money in the mail continues to be elusive. I can only hope to be showered with cheques all at once in the very near future.)
Spent today: $1.23 (Post-workout chocolate milk)

There's good news...and bad news...

The Yorkdale mission was, I'm happy to say, a complete success! Meaning that nary a cent was spent (by me) while in the mall. I just enjoyed doing a bit of browsing, seeing the new Crate & Barrel, helping the DP buy a couple of new shirts, and appreciating how much they've improved their bathrooms in the past few years. (As someone who pees before she leaves home and then again as soon as she arrives somewhere, and then again about every hour after that, I really appreciate good facilities.)

The DP and I were marveling at home much the mall has changed over the years. I lived only one subway stop away for 7 years, so I used to hang out there quite a bit, and he said it was his respite from York during his university years. It was always big, but now it's a behemoth and sort of fancy. There are certainly plenty of upscale stores that I can hardly even afford to browse through.

I experienced plenty of want. In fact, I didn't even contemplate going into Jacob, because I was in there the other day and saw at least a half a dozen things I not only wanted, but also believed that I needed. Funny thing is, my life is still ticking along fine even without them.

This was one of my many wants in C&B:

I'm not in love with this pattern, but I really enjoy the shape of the chair. And the ottoman. I adore an ottoman.

Anyway, the bad news part of this blog is that I did spend money today. I broke down and bought Japanese food for dinner, since the DP was on his way out to have fun without me and I couldn't bear the thought of the cooking and then the cleaning and blah, blah, blah. So I got my favourite: Combo #1. It comes with miso soup, a few California rolls, chicken teriayki with rice, shrimp and veggie tempura, and an orange. It was mostly yummy, although the chicken in the teriayki was overcooked to the point of being inedible. That's extra sad, because normally I would just take a bite or two of that dish and then save the rest of it for lunch tomorrow, because, hello, combo #1 is SO much food!

So, I can't deliver the zero I promised, but at least I didn't come home with a new chair. It all evens out in the end!

Total debt: $2731 and a bit (Could there be money in the mail this week!?)
Spent today: $12.42

Preemptive blogging

Okay, this is just a quick blog post to alert you all the I am going to Yorkdale with the DP and I am NOT BUYING ANYTHING! Truly and sincerely. My credit card is staying in my sock drawer. As much as I want to indulge my desire to make purchases (and reward myself for filing three - count 'em, three - freelance stories this morning), I am going to stay true to all of and to the mission at hand.

There will still be a zero at the end of this blog later!

Total debt: $2731 and a bit
Spent today: $0 (thus far)

Red, red wine

Last night the DP and I had a bit of wine with our dinner. I stopped at one glass, but he poured himself a pretty sizable second glass. The outcome: We were asleep by about 10:30pm. Aren't we wild and crazy!?

The early turn in turned out to be a good thing, since I was up early this morning and ready to tackle some freelancing that needs to be finished before work on Monday morning. It probably sounds crazy to some people, but I am way more focused and productive first thing in the morning. By early afternoon I'm only good for tasks rather than anything involving strenuous brain work.

Anyway, it's been a day of errands. We got some groceries (I successfully avoided going into Joe Fresh, even though I desperately wanted to. No more self-sabotaging! I've got a goal to reach.) and I made some soup. The DP is doing the laundry and I just finished cleaning the kitchen. All this so I can go OUT tonight!

That's right. The girl's night that I had to postpone last weekend due to my overwhelming feelings of...well...being overwhelmed, has been rescheduled for this evening. And I'm really looking forward to it. It's with my "new" friends. (Hello, if you're reading this!) I met them standing in Indigo, waiting for David Sedaris to read back in the summer. We managed to meet for drinks shortly after that, but since then our lives have completely gotten in the way. Tonight we have our second "friend date." I'm feeling pretty confident that it will go well.

Tomorrow, there must be a gym visit. And more laundry (towels and sheets). And more writing. And in the evening I will have to devote some time to being jealous, since the DP gets to go to the SYTYCD US concert! And he can't bring me!! (In case I've never mentioned it, he works on the Canadian version.) Sad. Very, very sad.

Speaking of shows, how am I going to NOT sabotage my master plans, yet still afford to go and see Sound of Music? Because I keep hearing it's really good!
Hmmmm...? More freelancing, perhaps? (Where, oh where, is the money in the mail?)

Total debt: $2731 and a bit
Spent yesterday: $17.23
Spent today: $56.55

Gold in them hills (but not in my mailbox)

I'm running back out again this evening, because the darling DP got us free tickets to see Ron Sexsmith. We're both fans, although I'm a bit of a newer fan, so I don't know a ton of his stuff. But what I know - I really like! We're particularly excited because one of his special guests is Meghan Smith, who is one of our current faves. The DP received a sample of her EP through work and we're hooked. She's sort of a down home Norah Jones type. I can't wait to hear her live!

So, sadly, still no money in the mail. I wish I could be very zen about it and just believe that it will come when it's supposed to come. But that's not so much my style when it comes to cold hard cash. I earned it and now I want it!

Okay, in lieu of a big fancy post, since I need to change my clothes and run out the door, here's a link to a cute little piece I wrote for Slice.ca. Happy reading!

Total debt: $2731 and a bit
Spent today: $8.98 (A birthday card, an afternoon treat, and a meatball sub, which I just inhaled.)
Weekly total: $105.48 (A few bucks over, but I think they were leftover from last week!)

A little extra funny for you...

Because this blog makes me laugh out loud every time I look at it, I thought it was time to share the mirth.

Seriously, if you're having a bad day, check it out.

Sleep well!

I'm cutting myself off

A quick pre-choir post for y'all.

So, for the first time since I began this journey to becoming debt-free, I've had to remove my credit card from my wallet in order to stop myself from using it.

I don't know what's happened! I think I'm getting a little cocky, knowing the end is near. But what's actually happening is that I'm pushing that end further away, because I always need to clear my credit card before I pay more on my debt. (It has a much higher interest rate, so it only makes sense.)

It started innocently enough - much needed drugstore stuff, a couple of magazine subscriptions that I can write off - but in the last couple of weeks it sort of got out of control. I bought that beautiful new iPod (which I LOVE) and then I spent some money on iTunes, getting new music to put on it. Then I took the cat to vet. Then I went to the drugstore and got some essentials plus a few things I never let myself buy (a deep-conditioning treatment for my hair, a serum for my face to combat winter dryness, a box of hair dye that I don't need yet because it was on sale...). Oh, and don't forget that new ski jacket yesterday.

Not good people. Not good. And I continue to wait on money in the mail, which is leading me to believe I have more than I do.

So the card came out and it will stay out for a while. I'm putting on the brakes and embracing the idea of NOT spending.

Sadly, unless that mail money shows up, my credit card debt may stop me from making a loan payment this week. And that is not the way I wanted things to go. I guess, like many vices, I can never let my guard down when it comes to money. Not if I want to get ahead.

Total debt: $2731 and a bit
Spent today: $5-ish

A wonderful dilemma

The only problem with winning a fabulous ski vacation to Whistler when you haven't even looked at a ski hill in close to 20 years, is that you need to buy a lot of stuff in order to go.

Such as:
- a ski jacket (Since I'm a city dweller that prefers indoor winter sports, I haven't owned a sport winter jacket since I was in early high school.)
- ski pants (If I'm going to enjoy full days on the ski hill - and I do plan on enjoying them - I will need to be toasty. And dry.)
- ski gloves, a touque, some sort of muffler
- ski goggles (You need goggles, right?)
- ski socks

Um, this is starting to get expensive.

Today I found a Columbia ski jacket in a cute shade of green at Winners for $119. My coworkers assured me that this was about half the price they normally are, so I bought it. I figure it will come in very handy up north and that I'll probably have it for many years to come. For the other stuff I'm hoping to hit some boxing day sales. Or pre-holiday sales. Or just luck out and get more of it at Winners!

Any suggestions?

Total debt: $2731 and a bit
Spent today: $0 (Cash, that is. Of course I charged the jacket...)

Purple Nurple (Wait, does that mean something rude?)

Want to know a wonderful way to start a Monday morning? Have your shiny new PURPLE iPod delivered!



I have so missed having an iPod, particularly when I'm on a crowded subway or at the gym. And this one is sooooo pretty. Plus, since I ordered it online, I got to have something engraved on it. After a few google searches and much thought, I went with this Cervantes quote: (I feminized it.)

She who sings scares away her woes.

Isn't that awesome!?

Now I'm anxious to play with it and excited to try some of the new features, including the video feature! But what, pray tell, do I buy to watch on it? I don't want to buy a movie for $20. You can rent a movie for under $5, but then you only have 24 hours from the time you start watching it to finish it. I will totally do that next time I'm going to be on a long trip. (Maybe to, oh I don't know, WHISTLER!) Then I thought I could buy an episode of a TV show. Maybe one of the "Pushing Daisies" episodes I've recently missed! But it turns out that I could only buy one if I was American. Canadians can buy episodes of "Degrassi: TNG" and "Corner Gas." Stuff like that. No thanks. It's going to have to be a music video. I just have to decide which one...

Other than my fun new electronic device, it's been a pretty standard Monday. STILL no money in the mail! Every day I anxiously open up the mailbox, but nothing. Sigh.

Hey, what do you guys think of my new ads? It's another advertising network and I'm hoping to earn some more money, so feel free to click on them. They're much prettier, don't you think?

Okay, I have to do some writing. And then maybe some "Project Runway" viewing. And most definitely some Apple Store shopping.

Total debt: $2731 and a bit
Spent today: $3.50-ish (A crusty baguette to go with leftover soup!)