Goodbye, again

I am a tad bit melancholy post SATC, but not because I didn't enjoy the movie. In fact, I loved the movie. I laughed, I cried, I coveted a few dresses. Including these:




I'm a little sad because I feel like I had to say goodbye to the characters all over again.

Does that make me crazy? Or just overly sentimental towards fictional people?

I understand that I could watch those awful, truncated reruns any day of the week, but this movie likely marks the end of the stories. And I already said my goodbyes to the foursome once before! So it feels somewhat difficult to do it again.

I think I'm PMS-ing.

Anyway, my favourite part about the series (the only TV series for which I would like to own the huge, entire series box set, because I would watch the episodes again and again) was always the love story between the friends. The way they supported one another and fought with each other and laughed, cried and struggled together. It was just really beautiful to me.

As much as I love and adore the domestic partner, I cherish my female friends on a whole other level. It's important never to lose sight of that.

So tonight I am raising my cosmo (Sadly just a glass of water in real life, but it
could be a cosmo for all you know. Except that I just told you...) to all the wonderful women far and near that I have in my life. You are all sparks that keep the fire in my heart continually burning.

Maybe it's okay to let Carrie, Miranda, Samantha and Charlotte go, because I'm lucky enough to have the real thing.

Total debt: $6999 and a bit
Spent today: $1.25 (Movie treat!)

Yikes!

I completely forgot to give you all my weekly total yesterday! My apologies.

Weekly total: $88.24 (Just under!)

More later, post SATC. I get to skip out of work in about a half hour to go and see a late matinee. Yay!!

The "want"

I have a "want" that has suddenly become a bit of a "need." Let me explain:

Several months ago I started going to the gym at lunch. It's not the ideal situation, given that my carefully coiffed hair never looks the same after a workout, but I really enjoy the total break from the work environment. Plus it gives me an energy boost for the rest of the afternoon.

(I used to work out in the morning, before work. And I loved it! But when the boyfriend* and I moved in together last year, it was kind of weird to go to bed an hour and a half before he did and then wake up way before he did. Aren't those moments some of the best parts about living together? That and having someone else to do the laundry while you cook dinner.)

I happily packed my gym clothes and shoes in my backpack and headed off to work every morning. Sure, my backpack wasn't stylin', but it looked fine with my puffy, unfashionable black coat. And it even worked with my fashionable black trench as the weather got warmer. But it was kind of heavy and pretty bulky. Still, I refused to embrace the idea that I need to buy another bag, when I already had a perfectly fine one!

Now we're slowly, but surely, transitioning into warmer weather (sooooo slowly...) and my backpack looks awful with my summer skirts and dresses. It completely overpowers my girly outfits with its inherent ruggedness.

So this morning I was determined to find something else in my closet of many bags. I thought I'd found a winner - a cute little nylon sac. Brown with blue and cream polka dots. It seemed a tad on the small side when I crammed in my shoes and clothes, plus my water bottle, but it worked. I fit my ginormous lunch in my purse (I am the Tupperware queen, so my lunch bag is always a little on the large side.) and off I went. Before I left for the gym, I transferred my wallet into my sac, filling it to capacity now, and set off, enjoying the lightness of my step.

Post workout, I peeled off my sweaty clothes (sorry if I'm giving you a visual) and stuffed them in the sac. On top of my wallet. And my water bottle.

Ew.

Then the sac full of sweaty gym clothes and shoes sat under my desk all afternoon. Open, because it's only closure is a little snap at the top, but it's too full for the snap to close.

Ew again.

Suddenly I realized the benefits of having a roomy bag with a separate compartment for wet stuff. So after work I went on a reconnaissance mission to Lululemon and found an awesome bag! Cute, sizable, with lots of extra pockets and a whole separate section for wet stuff. Exactly what I'm looking for.

The only problem = $59. On sale from $74, but still $59.

I'm not ruling it out yet, but I definitely can't afford it this week.

What is with the "want!?"

Total debt: $6999 and a bit
Spent today: $8.69 ($6 for my SATC matinee ticket for tomorrow, plus some sour cream for our dinner of perogies.)

* Today is the one-year anniversary of the boyfriend and I moving in together, so now we're common law. I've decided to call him my domestic partner now.

Grumpity grump grump

I'm very grumpy and blah this evening. As soon as I left work I was kind of bored, particularly knowing that the TV season is over and done with until fall. Unless, of course, I want to watch two hour reality programs. Since when did it become common practice to make such long shows that aren't TV movies or awards programs?

Normally when feeling this way, I would head to the mall. Good, old-fashioned retail therapy. But that's no longer an option. (And I hope I can learn to never again buy more shit in the hopes of feeling better! That's how I got into half of the trouble I'm in now.)

I need some more scheduled activities, but many of those sorts of activities cost money. I'm hoping to sign up for a couple in the fall, when my debt is in an even lower bracket.

Meanwhile, I could have spent the evening doing some brainstorming and writing up some more freelance queries. But the grump already had me in its grip and there seemed to be no way out.

(Thank goodness for the patient boyfriend who tries to make me feel better. He relieves a little of the grump just by being there.)

So it was an evening of cooking, cleaning up, making lunch and watching a couple of half hour reality shows, while the boyfriend did the laundry. Feels like the waste of a late May night. Hopefully tomorrow will be better.

Total debt: $6999 and a bit
Spent today: $0 (but I feel grumpy about it)

A BIG deal

Friday is a big day for many women across the world. And probably lots of gay men. And potentially a few straight men, because they're hoping for a glimpse of some boob.

It's the Sex and the City movie!

I already have plans to see it after work on Friday with my desk mate at an inexpensive, independent theatre near our office. But another friend mentioned that she had heard it's already sold out across the GTA on the opening night! Yikes! So my desk mate and I scoped out our location today and were rudely informed that tickets won't be on sale until Thursday afternoon. Phew! It's probably the only place in the city that doesn't sell tickets online ahead of time.

And do you know what's even better? It's only $8.95! In fact, I still have about that much left in my wallet this week, so the cost of the ticket can come out of this weeks budget instead of next weeks! Bonus.

So the countdown is on. My fingers are firmly crossed that it won't suck. Although I don't know how I could truly hate it, given that there's supposed to be about 300 costumes in it. And sometimes cute (or undeniably chic) costumes can save a so-so movie for me.

Total debt: $6999 and a bit (My interest is fast-approaching, so I may have to delve back into the $7000s again. Unless...)
Spent today: $0 (Saving it for SATC!)

Monday, Monday...

The start of another week. I had a lovely post-work cup of tea (or chai latte, if you want to be picky) with a fellow blogger and smarty-pants friend that I don't get to see enough of. Isn't that always the way? That life is so busy we barely get time to spend with all the excellent people we're lucky to know?

Having a budget that I have to stick to makes seeing everyone that much harder, because quite often it involves expenditures of some sort. (Yes, I could have just had a cup of regular, cheap tea, but this week I knew I had no other major events to pay for, so I splurged.) I have to think ahead when I make plans and sometimes I get stressed out about it all.

But you know what? It's totally worth it. Both for seeing my peeps and for watching the debt go down.

Total debt: $6999 and a bit

Spent today: $6.55

Wonderful weekend

Yesterday was such a busy day that I completely forgot to blog! My apologies. 

It has been a great weekend. The boyfriend and I spent a solid 3.5 hours cleaning our apartment yesterday, which doesn't sound like fun, but the end result was satisfying. We no longer felt that profound disgust at our own filth. (Living off Yonge Street creates an inordinate amount of dust and dirt...) Then I worked on some freelancing I had to do, while the boyfriend went off to archery. (Yep, I'm dating Green Arrow. It's pretty cool.) Then we got groceries, had dinner, I did some more work, and then we watched this:

It's a documentary called "King of Kong: A Fistful of Quarters," which is about competitive video-gaming. I can't tell you how good it is! If you are a doc fan, rent this. The cast of characters could not have been more perfect if they'd been created from someones imagination. We're actually watching it for a second time right now, since I have a friend visiting. We had to make her watch it. And it's even good the second time!

Today was a glorious early summer day - finally! The boyfriend and I took advantage of the warm weather to walk to brunch with friends where I was greeted with a wonderful surprise! My lovely friend - and our host when we were in Montreal - brought her parents! Now, I have known this friend and her incredible parents since high school, but they now live in Florida for half the year and then up at their cottage in Quebec for the summer, so it had been a long time since I'd had the pleasure of their company. They are not only  gregarious and interesting - just like their daughter - but they're also one of those couples who have the kind of marriage that we all dream of. They've been together since they were 17, have been married 42 years,  and are still visibly in love. It's so sweet.

The rest of the day was full of sunshine and good food and great people. An all around excellent weekend.

Total debt: $6999 and a bit

Spent this weekend: $73-ish (It was a big grocery weekend!)

Cheap and curly

I'm fairly certain that I've already explained my position on hair products here on this blog, but in case I haven't, here it is:

I believe in expensive haircuts and styling products, but inexpensive shampoo and conditioner.

There. I said it.

While I am blessed to have hair that can be easily straightened and tamed by a hair dryer and a quality, expensive hair straightener (that I got for a steal!), I also have the option to pull out the diffuser that I paid $5 for many, many years ago and walk out the door with a head full of curls. Yes, the curls can sometimes be unpredictable, but they're also kind of cute.

(I'm still in denial about how many years I spent perming my naturally curly hair. A special shout out to a former curly-headed roommate* who showed me the light.)

However, I can't achieve either look without some quality styling products. Some of the products are expensive enough the they give me pause, but still I buy them. Luckily a little goes a long way, so at least they last!

My point, which I am getting at via this circuitous post (as twisty as my curls), is that until this morning I was unconvinced that drugstore grade product could get the job done. I have tried. There have been many a bad hair day. The boyfriend long ago gave up consoling me and instead perfected his rolling of the eyes as I belly-ache about the lacklustre results that the drugstore stuff yielded.

Slight digression now, although entirely related to the rest of this post: I am often lucky to be the recipient of slightly used products that my straight- or wavy-haired friends have purchased in hopes that they too will find out that they have natural curls. This is great for both my budget and my insatiable desire to try new products. And I am always grateful for the donations. Now, back to the regularly scheduled post.

This morning I used some donated drugstore-grade curl product and I was quite pleased with the result! It wasn't as great as my salon stuff, but it was more than passable. And that inspires me to continue searching the aisles for lower-priced products, so I can stick to the budget and be the most beautiful Tammy I can be.

But the REAL excitement of this post is my new total debt number. I had to pay a little more than I had allotted this week, but I'll figure out where the extra money is coming from later. For now... (cue the fanfare)

Total debt: $6999 and a bit (UNDER $7000!!!)
Spent today: $9.04 (And that included delicious chai gelato. And then I had to go for a run to work it off!)

*She's formerly my roommate, not formerly curly-haired. She continues to be curly-haired.

Past my bedtime

This is going to be quick, because I've just gotten home and it is way past my bedtime. We were out seeing "Indiana Jones." I found it entertaining enough, but it didn't live up to the boyfriend's expectations. Of course, he's a fan and I'm just Jane average moviegoer.

He treated me to the movie, but I did buy some treats...

Total debt: $7221 and a bit
Spent today: $2.50
Weekly total: $57-ish (Which is good, because I think I'm going to need a little extra in the coming week...)

Saving, in more ways than one

Sometimes it seems like I have two states of being:

1) Monitoring my food intake so I can fit into the clothes I already own, because I like said clothes and really can't afford new ones.
2) Eating like there's no tomorrow, because I just really, really like to eat. Particularly baked goods.

Currently I'm living in state #1, because warm weather is supposedly coming and it's much harder to hide the sins under flimsy summer outfits. Although, given fashions continued love affair with voluminous outfits that only make the skinniest of skinny look chic rather than pregnant, I suppose I could fit in a few donuts and no one would be the wiser. (But if anyone asked when I was due, I might wallop them. And that would get in the way of my I'm-a-good-human-being persona, which I like to project so that every once in a while I can say something really nasty and make everyone gasp. It's fun.) But I also enjoy the feeling of being in good shape and Tim Horton's does not an Olympic sponsor make.

The happy side effect of state #1 is that I don't find myself regularly winking at any barristas while I order my Starbucks favourite: a tall non-fat Tazo chai and a chocolate chunk cookie. My innocent "treat" adds up to almost 700 calories and a whole lot of fat grams.

Therefore, I spent nothing today. Zip. Zero. Nadda. Thankfully there is strawberry fro yo and some chocolate sauce in the house to quell my craving. Much more acceptable splurge at less than 200 calories.

Total debt: $7221 and a bit
Spent today: $0

Hot bath dead ahead

It is freezing in our apartment.

Since we live under someone else's roof, we do not get to decide when to turn on the heat or how warm to make it. And since late May is usually when Torontonians are being reminded what "humidex" means, the powers that be have obviously decided we have no more need for heat until late September.

But after spending the long weekend being cold up north, because I hadn't packed my gloves or my winter coat, the boyfriend and I came home to a frigid apartment. Because of course we had left the windows open so it wouldn't get stuffy. BECAUSE IT IS LATE MAY!!

Even though the windows have all been closed for more than 24 hours now, it's still bloody cold. In fact, while I was in the kitchen making dinner, I turned a burner on high to try to generate a little warmth. Dangerous? Perhaps. Necessary? Definitely.

All this to tell you that I will be ending this post shortly in favour of a tub of very hot water. (I like my baths hot hot. Just like my men. That's a shout out to the boyfriend who loves me despite the fact that I'm wearing my "home" uniform, which consists of loungey pants, an old tanktop and - because it's so cold - my very old and faded Lego Creative Play Centre sweatshirt. He might even deserve a parade for loving me like this.)

Total debt: $7221 and a bit
Spent over the last four days: $48-ish

A false sense of wealth

I'm headed out of town again, to visit the boyfriend's mom up north. She lives on a lovely little piece of land right on Georgian Bay. There are tons of flowers and the dog from next door roams free. He's very friendly.

All this to say that I will be out of blogging range until Tuesday. I will keep track of my expenditures.

I did go and pick up some cat food today and I panicked. It costs half of my weekly budget. Before I knew what I was doing, I'd charged it.

It's a weird thing, the instinct to reach for a credit card. Like a false belief that we can "afford" something, even though we're not really paying for it.

All I can do is try to hang on to as much money as possible this week and then put the difference on my card. I know I can pay it off within a couple of weeks, so I won't be paying any interest.

But I have to learn to fight that instinct...

Total debt: $7221 and a bit
Spent today: $6.56 (Plus that charge...)

Sometimes it's never enough

My friend Marsha was one of the most stylish 10-year-olds I'd ever met. She could wear those jersey pants that were weirdly pleated at the top and then fully tapered at the bottom like no one else. Plus she had a cute blonde bowl cut and more plastic bracelets than anyone else in our class. (It was 1985, so cut her a little slack.)

She was also my only friend who had a pool in her backyard, which was something very foreign to me. Until that time in my life, I had only lived on military bases that had row housing or apartments. If you wanted a pool, you had to go to the rec centre.

I don't ever remember feeling weird about Marsha having cystic fibrosis. So she had a tube in her stomach and was hooked up to machines at night. So we'd spend a couple of hours every afternoon in her basement while her mom or dad pounded rhythmically on her back and used this large machine that looked like a floor sander to help massage the mucus out of her lungs. So she had to go into the hospital every few months.

To me, she was just Marsha. She'd still sleepover occasionally, but in order to do so she'd have to have what I've always assumed was a big transfusion of the medicine that she wouldn't be hooked up to that night. We would still throw her plastic bracelets into the pool from her second storey bedroom window and then go down and dive for them. She may have been the poster child for CF at that time, a photo of her wearing an oxygen mask on information posters and brochures across the country, but to me she was just another girl on the cusp of puberty struggling to figure it all out.

Marsha died when we were 11. My dad took me and a friend to her viewing. For some reason, I don't think I was sad. I remember her mom hugging me very tightly and I remember how she looked in her coffin - just like she was sleeping.

I still think of Marsha a lot. She's the reason that I make a monthly donation to the Sick Kids Hospital here in Toronto. It's not a big amount, just $15, but it's important to me. When they run the telethons on TV, the boyfriend makes me turn them off, because I can't watch the stories about the kids without wanting to sign over all my worldly possessions to help in any way I can. They're all so brave and strong, like Marsha was, and they remind me that the problems in my life are small and trivial.

That's why I cross the street when I see someone on the corner canvassing for donations. Not because I don't want to give - I already am giving - but because I feel guilty that I can never give enough.

Total debt: $7221 and a bit
Spent today: $20 (A wee goodbye gift for a dear friend.)
Weekly total: $63.24 (But the wallet is empty. I guess I didn't give myself a full $90 this week.)

Good catch!

An eagle-eyed friend noticed that I added one too many 2s to my debt total! Sacre bleu!

Total debt: $7221 and a bit

Phew! Thank you.

Quick and easy

When you take a few days off from your regular life, things tend to pile up. I'm a little busy catching up on everything, including laundry, the gym, and the two freelance articles I need to write.

That's why this post is sweet and to the point. Because I have work to do! (After the finale of ANTM...)

Total debt: $72221 and a bit
Spent today: $0 (Too busy!)

Still on vacation

Remember my post earlier today, when I bragged about my empty credit card? Well, seeing as I am still on vacation for a few more hours before I have to return to work, I managed to spend a little money...

Mostly we're just talking about much-needed groceries and toiletries, but the credit card came out when I found a new pair of metallic shoes to replace the ones I returned, which I never, never wore.* I just ventured into the store to have a look, tried a few pairs on and then was blindsided by a very good salesman into buying a pair I hadn't even looked at in the first place. They're more pewter when I really wanted gold, but they're comfortable. I just might keep them.

So, the credit card is being exercised once again, but will be paid off long before any interest creeps up.

Total debt: $7221 (This number should start with a 6 before the month is through...)
Spent today: $43.24 (Plus $107.35 on credit.)

* Fingers crossed behind my back.

La belle province

Things I learned in Montreal:

1. Carbs and caffeine do not a healthy breakfast make. Happy tourists require protein. (Our first morning we were careful to get plenty of protein to keep us going, our second breakfast we slipped a little, and our last breakfast was just croissants and cafe latte. We felt like crap and I got really cranky. Go figure!)

2. Live music makes a meal better than it is. (Our first evening the live jazz enhanced an already great meal - and great company - and the second night a fabulous piano player saved a mediocre meal by adding to the great ambiance.)

3. Splurging on a fancy hotel is totally worth it. (Between the excellent continental breakfast spread - including several protein options - and the complimentary wine and cheese every evening, we feel we definitely got our money's worth.)

4. I can still speak French. (I may not get to practice much, but I can still pull it out when I need it. The boyfriend was suitably impressed and some of the Francophones were kind enough not to switch to English the minute I opened my mouth.)

5. Cathedrals are magnificent enough on their own, so don't pay extra for the light show. (We went to see this "light show" at Notre Dame, which was mostly non-union actors doing stiff recreations in a low-budget film while wearing badly fitting costumes. We were embarrassed for everyone involved. But the cathedral itself was spectacular. I can't believe Celine got married there!)

6. Real penguins are even cuter than their animated brethren. Otters, too. (We LOVED our trip to the Biodome, with the penguins and otters topping my list of favourite attractions. I could have watched them all day.)

7. Curly-haired people should not attempt to straighten their hair if they are going to a recreation of the Amazon rainforest. (The only downfall of the Biodome. What was I thinking!?)

8. NASA is doing a lot of cool stuff that I have no idea about. (I learned a little about all the space exploration currently happening while at the Aliens exhibit at the Montreal Science Centre.)

9. I cannot let a single flowery tree or bed of tulips go unphotographed. (The Montreal Botanical Garden was soooo gorgeous. I took so many pictures that I burned out the digital batteries and had to resort to the Boyfriend's old film camera.)

10. Sometimes a little charity is better than looking at dead bugs. (We decided to skip the Insectarium and instead donated $10 to Unicef to buy a bed net for someone who needs one.)

All in all, a great trip. I truly do feel refreshed. I also feel like I need a nap, since we walked non-stop for 4 days. Flying Porter was an incredibly relaxing experience.

However, since this is a blog about my (rapidly shrinking) debt, I am happy to report that my vacation expenditure - not including airfare and hotel - was a mere $192.55. Leaving me almost $200 leftover to add to my loan!

My entire cost for the trip - all in - was just over $600. Not awful. Even better is the fact that it's entirely paid for already!! My credit card is empty and my heart full of happy vacation memories.

Here's how it panned out:

Spent Friday: $62.50 (The subway and shuttle bus on the Toronto end and a shuttle bus on the Montreal end. Plus a glossy mag for the plane. Then food.)

Spent Saturday: $51.67 (The Biodome and the Olympic Tower. Subway tokens. Then food, although the Boyfriend treated me to dinner that night. Merci mon amour!)

Spent Sunday: $27 (The Montreal Science Centre, including U23D at the Imax. Then food, although our gracious hostess provided a lovely dinner and dessert for us. Merci mon amie!)

Spent Monday: $51.38 (Cab to the airport. Montreal bagels, overpriced airport treats and assorted other food. Another glossy mag.)

And the best part of the blog:

Total debt: $7221 and a bit.

Bonjour!

Okay, I said I wasn't going to post from Montreal, but I had to share my horoscope once again:

Virgo 

In the hands of a good financial gardener, every penny is the seed of at least another penny. Venus is working out a scheme that might bring a tree full of silver dollars. That intuitive green thumb of your could soon produce a nice crop.

Sounds pretty damned good, eh?

We're having a fantastic time! Spending a bit of money... but that was always the plan.

Au revoir!

Next stop - Montreal

I know the last thing an almost-on-vacation budget-savvy girl should be doing is shopping at Winners, but I couldn't resist myself today.

(Truth is, I was avoiding the gym. But I did go for a run after work! My new 80s running mix is super fun. Especially when "Eye of the Tiger" comes on.)

Even worse is that I felt compelled to purchase! Thankfully I managed to spend a mere $9 on something I actually needed - new workout socks. (Workout socks shouldn't be recycled...) I even took a pair out for a spin on my run and it's two thumbs up!

Okay, this is me signing off for the last time before the vacation. I'll see you all next Tuesday. I promise to keep track of my receipts as much as possible and confess all my spendage upon my return.

Happy weekend everyone!

Total debt: $7561
Spent today: $13.27 (I also had to pick up a birthday card)
Weekly total: $165.92 (Yikes! What happened there? I had a bit of money leftover from last week, plus a little extra in my account... Time to pull in the reigns. After vacation!)

Bringing my budget with me

Vacation countdown is really on now. Two more sleeps. One more workday. I can make it!

Today I did something I've never done before a vacation: I tried to figure out my vacation budget!

Basically I've been planning to skip my big loan payment this payday and just use that money on the trip, but when I realized I've already paid off my flight, I thought I should examine things a little more closely.

See, one of my favourite hobbies in these frugal times is to get out the calculator and the calendar and see how my debt weight loss will progress if I stick to the plan. And I didn't really like the idea of not putting anything towards the debt this week.

Therefore, I will make a small payment, give myself plenty of vacation cash (we do have to eat out a lot, plus we want to go to some events) and then if I have anything leftover when I get home, I'll add that to the payment.

It feels good to have a plan. I'm sincerely hoping that the plan will stop me from whipping out my debit card at every opportunity.

Roughly 38.5 hours to go.

Total debt: $7561
Spent today: $2-ish

When it rains, it pours

Have I mentioned that I'm going on vacation in a couple of days? Have I mentioned that it's the first vacation of this sort in the three years that the boyfriend and I have been dating? Have I mentioned that I also booked next Tuesday off of work, because we're flying home on the Monday night and I hate to go right back to work after traveling? Have I mentioned that I will only be at work for for Wednesday and Thursday next week before I head out for an extended long weekend out of town?

(From the May long weekend through Labour Day weekend, the company that I work for gives us a free extra day, so they are all 4-day weekends. Sweet, eh? Don't hate me.)

What I'm getting at is that I won't be around a whole lot in the next couple of weeks. This will not only get in the way of my blogging (My long weekend destination is sans computers with Internet connections and there's no way I'm blogging on vacation. Sorry!), but also make my freelancing a wee bit more difficult.

That's right! Even though I hadn't thrown any recent lures into the freelancing lake, knowing how busy I would be over the next few weeks, I have received two assignments. And when your debt looks like mine and you're about to skip a big loan payment and go on vacation, you don't turn them down!

All this to say: Short blog post tonight, because I have work to do.

THREE MORE SLEEPS!

Total debt: $7561 and a bit
Spent today: $16.28 (Fro yo and contact solution. Both "essentials" in the world of me.)

Oh ya!

I forgot that I wanted to share my horoscope with you guys. Brace yourselves, because this sounds good:

Virgo (Aug. 23 — Sept. 22)
Money can't buy virtues like love, wisdom, intelligence or creativity. These all ultimately count for far more. Even so, rich as you are in this area you wouldn't refuse a little upturn in your economic outlook, and Venus now promises just that.

*pleasecometruepleasecometruepleasecometruepleasecometruepleasecometruepleasecometruepleasecometruepleasecometruepleasecometruepleasecometruepleasecometruepleasecometrue*

30 days for full refund

Do you want to know a good way to start a Monday? By getting a $7 refund on your April metropass, because the stupid transit system went on strike and ruined a whole weekend of fun. Now, I think my missed fun was worth more than $7, but I'll take what I can get!

(Bad way to start a Monday - dropping an entire tub of yogurt on the kitchen floor that I had the impetus to finally wash at 9:30pm the night before. Sigh.)

Along with the wee refund, I also returned the pair of metallic flats that I bought a couple of weeks back. (Don't tell anyone, but I *did* wear them to work one day. The blisters were killer, but the soles were pretty clean looking, so I got myself a refund. Bad retail karma? Perhaps.)

I also took a trip back to Joe Fresh to return two of the shirts I bought on a whim last week. This trip was slightly less successful, because I ended up leaving with three shirts... However, one of them may be going back, so I'll break even in the end.

Whoever created return policies should have a statue erected somewhere. We just cannot be trusted to spend without the option of regretting and returning. Now if only I could somehow return without ever setting foot in the mall and therefore being tempted by all sorts of other things to buy...

Truth is that I still do need metallic flats - hopefully ones that are far more comfortable. I'll be on the lookout in Montreal.

FOUR MORE SLEEPS UNTIL MONTREAL!!!

Total debt: $7561 and a bit
Spent today: $18 (but that's the shirt I might return...)

Blind spending

I have had a pleasantly busy weekend. Lots of fun things and lots of productive things. (Although never as many productive things as to actually accomplish all that needs to be done. There's just not enough hours in the day!)

Also, a lot of spending money.

I committed a cardinal budgeting sin this weekend. Rather than extracting my $90 and "living on cash," I used my debit card for my various errands, not really keeping track of what I was spending. So just before I sat down here to write this post, I was gathering up the receipts, so I can determine the damage.

But before I continue - another sin. I went out to the movies and did some grocery shopping with the boyfriend today without having any idea how much money I had left for the week. Hopefully things will even out okay.

Oh, and just a reminder, before I start to tally it all up, that I had an extra $28 in my bank account that I figured I'd need this week, plus a still had a bit of money in my wallet leftover from last week.

Here we go. Yesterday:

Trip to my beloved library. (I love living so close to a decent branch.) Returned the four magazines and the "new" book that I had taken out the week before. Everything was ONE DAY LATE! (Damn.) It was only $1.50, but I use the library because it is a free service. Must pay better attention next time.

Trip to the gym, which is like a deposit into my Health and Wellness account.

Trip to the big LCBO at Summerhill to pick something up for the going-away party I am attending Saturday night. It's so much fun to wander around that place, because it's ridiculously big. I had no idea that many different types of liquor actually existed! I find the sparkling strawberry wine that the evening's guest of honour enjoyed on New Year's and I also pick up a small bottle of fancy cherry beer for me.

(I was looking for a chocolate beer I read about recently, but they were sold out. I am really not a beer drinker at all, but I have been intrigued by fruit beers ever since I had a delicious bottle of raspberry beer at a specialty beer restaurant last summer. I inadvertently paid $14 for that yummy raspberry beer...)

Liquor store total comes to $17.90.

Then it's back to the grocery store, to pick up some supplies so I can make some hors d'oeurvres at the party. Almost $20 later...

A quick trip to the card store, since there is a major card-giving holiday fast approaching. Another $5-ish leaves my wallet.

Today, in addition to the aforementioned groceries and movie, I had to take a little trip to the drugstore for girly supplies. They were on sale, though, so I bought two boxes. Another $8-ish.

All in all, a spendy weekend. But not on anything truly tangible. The cake that I spent a small fortune making for the party was tasty, but also teeth-achingly sweet. We all suffered a bit of diabetic shock. (But I double-checked the recipe when I got home, and the icing really did call for 7.5 cups of icing sugar!) The hors d'oeurvres and the yummy wine went over well. The movie was good - Iron Man.

**Small rant: Why do people bring their small children to violent movies? It makes me so uncomfortable, particularly when there is real-life violence on screen, rather than just "superhero" violence. We wonder why kids are so desensitized to violence. Why teenage girls can drown their alcoholic mother without regret - not to mention all their friends who knew about the plot for months but never went to the police. Yet we strip children of their innocence towards violence at such a young age. I definitely saw at least two children in my close vicinity who were 5 years old or younger.

Anyway, let's see how it all shakes out after the boyfriend splits some of the groceries with me and I factor in the stuff today.

Total debt: $7560 and a bit
Spent yesterday and today: $66.37 (Yikes!)

Friends of the earth (or not)

I took a trip to the grocery store this evening, particularly to pick up some supplies for a little baking I need to do tomorrow. I brought my backpack, since baking supplies can be on the heavy side, and when that was full I pulled out my enviro bag.

I was proud. I felt the planet smiling at me. I half-expected (half-hoped) that David Suzuki would pop out from under the cashier's desk and say, "You've got the power!"

Instead, the guy behind me asked the cashier to DOUBLE BAG EVERYTHING! What is wrong with people? I tried to give him my best look of disgust, but considering that I'd just come from the gym, hadn't eaten dinner and was shouldering 20 pounds of groceries, I probably just looked exhausted.

By the way, this is my favourite commercial right now:

The kids are just so good! 

Moneywise I somehow still had almost $30 in my account after all my bills came out. It would be ideal if I just transferred it over to my loan, but I have a feeling I could use a bit extra this week. Baking supplies and all.

Total debt: $7560

Spent today: $50-ish

"I do, but at what cost?"

At the risk of sounding like an advertisement for the Slice Network, "Rich Bride, Poor Bride" is another show I can't seem to get enough of lately.

(I also enjoy "Last Ten Pounds Bootcamp" and "Bulging Brides." What is wrong with me!? It's like I've reached the age of a certain demographic and I've bought into everything they're selling. But I refuse to watch "The Bachelor" or any other reality show where people are searching for love.)

Part of my fascination with RBPB comes from the fact that I know one of the wedding planners. He directed me in several shows during my college years and was very good to me. The rest of the fascination comes from people's crazy weddings, the exorbitant amount of money they spend, and their breakdowns.

Tonight was the season premiere and the couple spent just under $55,000 (!!!) on a huge, 18th century Venetian masked ball wedding. Insane! They made their wedding party spent $150 each on costume rentals. And they made them learn a big dance. It was over-the-top.

What is it about weddings that make people want to throw away so much money? In tonight's episode it was because the woman had harboured performing dreams that she'd never pursued. She was putting on her own performance, complete with costumes, props and sets. But doesn't that all take away from the point of it?

Ah well, at least it provides me with some entertaining television viewing!

Total debt: $7560 and a bit (damned interest)
Spent today: $0 (Thank you Starbucks card!)
Weekly total: $84.73 (Plus the $35 for dry cleaning stuff, which I allowed myself as extra.)