I just found a receipt for having my tap shoes fixed.
Wow. My life has really changed in the last 8 years!
Saturday, August 30, 2008
A sobering blast from the past
Inspired to continue our office makeover that began last night, I was just emptying a few old accordion files. The contents are old bills and receipts from 2000 or so. It's awful. If I ever had the audacity to wonder how I ended up in my current financial situation, I need only to look at my old bank statements and credit card bills.
I was paying a small fortune every month just in bank fees (Thank goodness for no-fee PC Banking!), foolishly using IBMs that didn't belong to my bank almost every day. And then there were the multiple cash advances from my credit card. I was being charged $2.75 every time I got cash from my card, not to mention the interest rate I was paying on that cash. AND I had a $35 yearly fee on my card!
It's very frustrating to get a glimpse of how stupid I was with my money. I can only breathe deeply, remind myself that everything is under control now, and thank the heavens that I didn't dig myself a hole so deep that I could never recover.
(Must include a shout out to the amazing DP at this point. My hole was pretty deep when he stepped in. His loan, as I've said before, allowed me to see the light at the end of the tunnel. I am forever grateful.)
Amidst all the disappointment in my younger self, I did find something rather funny: I once had to sign an "Extraordinary Risk" waiver for a Gilbert & Sullivan operetta that I did, because I was dancing in a 36" hoop skirt. That's how dangerous my life is.
Total debt: $4765 (Interest sucks!)
Spent today: $40 (Just groceries.)
(If only I had a scanner, I would include a picture of me in that hoop skirt. Alas. But with back-to-school sales, it might be time...)
I was paying a small fortune every month just in bank fees (Thank goodness for no-fee PC Banking!), foolishly using IBMs that didn't belong to my bank almost every day. And then there were the multiple cash advances from my credit card. I was being charged $2.75 every time I got cash from my card, not to mention the interest rate I was paying on that cash. AND I had a $35 yearly fee on my card!
It's very frustrating to get a glimpse of how stupid I was with my money. I can only breathe deeply, remind myself that everything is under control now, and thank the heavens that I didn't dig myself a hole so deep that I could never recover.
(Must include a shout out to the amazing DP at this point. My hole was pretty deep when he stepped in. His loan, as I've said before, allowed me to see the light at the end of the tunnel. I am forever grateful.)
Amidst all the disappointment in my younger self, I did find something rather funny: I once had to sign an "Extraordinary Risk" waiver for a Gilbert & Sullivan operetta that I did, because I was dancing in a 36" hoop skirt. That's how dangerous my life is.
Total debt: $4765 (Interest sucks!)
Spent today: $40 (Just groceries.)
(If only I had a scanner, I would include a picture of me in that hoop skirt. Alas. But with back-to-school sales, it might be time...)
Friday, August 29, 2008
Affordable (but heavy) solutions for better living
It's nearly midnight and the DP and I are having peanut butter on toast. Why the late-night snack? you ask. We're trying desperately to refuel so we have enough energy to actually go to bed.
We're experiencing Ikea Exhaustion.
I quite enjoyed my solo excursion to the particle board mecca this afternoon. That is until I got to the warehouse and encountered the boxes my chosen piece of furniture were packaged in. Very heavy. Heavy enough that a fellow shopper jumped right in and offered to put them on my cart for me. I politely declined, insisting that if I couldn't get them off the shelf, I wasn't going to be able to get them home alone!
Aside: My plan was to call a minivan cab, since we are still without a vehicle.
So my struggle with the boxes continued. To tell the truth, it was more of an internal, how-the-f*!k-is-this-going-to-work struggle than a physical struggle. All of which was moot when an employee jumped in roughly 30 seconds after the shopper guy and hoisted the two boxes onto my cart.
Now I had to buy them. Well, I had to buy them anyway, because my mom is coming to stay in our office/spare room for 2.5 weeks and the stuff in the final boxes from our move last May needed a place to live.
I spent most of my time in line at the checkup worrying about how I was going to wrangle the boxes up to my 10th floor apartment after the cab dropped me off. The DP was still at work and while I have wonderfully lovely neighbours, I just couldn't imagine calling them up and asking them to help. Particularly considering that one of them had a heart attack a few months ago, even though he is quite young.
(When I wasn't worrying about how I was going to deal with the heavy boxes, I was feeling sorry for myself that I wouldn't be able to have a $1 frozen yogurt cone. Because I couldn't stand in that lineup with my big boxes. Plus, I couldn't possibly maneuver the cart with a cone in one hand. It was all around stressful.)
Thankfully the lovely cashier said the magic words: "Are you having that delivered?"
Now, I knew that Ikea delivered, but I figured that a minivan cab would be a more economical option. But at that moment I clearly understood that delivery was my only option.
So two nice guys dropped our stuff off around 7pm and since then we have been assembling and organizing our asses off. And now we must sleep. But we're proud new owners of this:
(But ours is birch-coloured and we got these red boxes to put in a bunch of the cubbies.)
I feel a tiny bit bad cheating on the dozen Billy bookcases in our apartment by bringing in an Expedit, but I think I'll get over that. I'm just so thrilled that there are no more moving boxes!
And money-wise, it was not so bad. My half of the whole purchase (I picked up a couple of other little things) plus delivery was $156, which is currently on credit! But I promise to pay it off as quickly as possible. Which is why there won't be a loan payment this week, sadly.
But on the bright money side: I have put any extra cash that I had in my wallet right back into the bank, so I have only my weekly allowance in my wallet. This week I will stay on track!
Total debt: $4739 and a bit
Spent today: $7.89 (A few groceries and I got to have a frozen yogurt after all!)
We're experiencing Ikea Exhaustion.
I quite enjoyed my solo excursion to the particle board mecca this afternoon. That is until I got to the warehouse and encountered the boxes my chosen piece of furniture were packaged in. Very heavy. Heavy enough that a fellow shopper jumped right in and offered to put them on my cart for me. I politely declined, insisting that if I couldn't get them off the shelf, I wasn't going to be able to get them home alone!
Aside: My plan was to call a minivan cab, since we are still without a vehicle.
So my struggle with the boxes continued. To tell the truth, it was more of an internal, how-the-f*!k-is-this-going-to-work struggle than a physical struggle. All of which was moot when an employee jumped in roughly 30 seconds after the shopper guy and hoisted the two boxes onto my cart.
Now I had to buy them. Well, I had to buy them anyway, because my mom is coming to stay in our office/spare room for 2.5 weeks and the stuff in the final boxes from our move last May needed a place to live.
I spent most of my time in line at the checkup worrying about how I was going to wrangle the boxes up to my 10th floor apartment after the cab dropped me off. The DP was still at work and while I have wonderfully lovely neighbours, I just couldn't imagine calling them up and asking them to help. Particularly considering that one of them had a heart attack a few months ago, even though he is quite young.
(When I wasn't worrying about how I was going to deal with the heavy boxes, I was feeling sorry for myself that I wouldn't be able to have a $1 frozen yogurt cone. Because I couldn't stand in that lineup with my big boxes. Plus, I couldn't possibly maneuver the cart with a cone in one hand. It was all around stressful.)
Thankfully the lovely cashier said the magic words: "Are you having that delivered?"
Now, I knew that Ikea delivered, but I figured that a minivan cab would be a more economical option. But at that moment I clearly understood that delivery was my only option.
So two nice guys dropped our stuff off around 7pm and since then we have been assembling and organizing our asses off. And now we must sleep. But we're proud new owners of this:
(But ours is birch-coloured and we got these red boxes to put in a bunch of the cubbies.)
I feel a tiny bit bad cheating on the dozen Billy bookcases in our apartment by bringing in an Expedit, but I think I'll get over that. I'm just so thrilled that there are no more moving boxes!
And money-wise, it was not so bad. My half of the whole purchase (I picked up a couple of other little things) plus delivery was $156, which is currently on credit! But I promise to pay it off as quickly as possible. Which is why there won't be a loan payment this week, sadly.
But on the bright money side: I have put any extra cash that I had in my wallet right back into the bank, so I have only my weekly allowance in my wallet. This week I will stay on track!
Total debt: $4739 and a bit
Spent today: $7.89 (A few groceries and I got to have a frozen yogurt after all!)
Spendy spenderson strikes again
It was a late night last night - well, late for me. I probably arrived home when all the "cool kids" were just going out. But I was done. We ended the workday with a little celebration, which I followed up with a girly gathering of current and former coworkers. Then I went to this lovely bloggers birthday party. It was a full night!
The birthday event was a fabulous cocktail party for which I was woefully under dressed. I suppose I should have paid better attention to the invitation. Or gone home to change beforehand. But it was so conveniently located across the street from the girly gathering, which, in turn, was only a block from work. So I was still wearing my practical denim skirt and comfortable flats that had called to me at 8am. I didn't even have any accessories on! And several of the people I met at the party work in PR. PR people are always perfectly put together. Sigh. At least my hair looked okay. But most importantly, I got to wish my friend a happy birthday.
Time for the weekly wrap-up. I'm a little scared to add it all up. Here's what happened this week: I paid for our groceries on my credit card and didn't automatically put the money back on it. That left me with more cash in my wallet than normal, which I probably spent. Generally I know better than this - and I did make a payment during the week to cover some of it. It's all a learning process, people.
Total debt: $4739 and a bit
Spent yesterday: $24.52 (A latte and some candy, because I couldn't seem to perk up, plus wine and some food at the girly gathering.)
Weekly total: $114.53 (Two bad weeks in a row!)
I'll post at the end of today, after I go to Ikea and exercise my credit card.
The birthday event was a fabulous cocktail party for which I was woefully under dressed. I suppose I should have paid better attention to the invitation. Or gone home to change beforehand. But it was so conveniently located across the street from the girly gathering, which, in turn, was only a block from work. So I was still wearing my practical denim skirt and comfortable flats that had called to me at 8am. I didn't even have any accessories on! And several of the people I met at the party work in PR. PR people are always perfectly put together. Sigh. At least my hair looked okay. But most importantly, I got to wish my friend a happy birthday.
Time for the weekly wrap-up. I'm a little scared to add it all up. Here's what happened this week: I paid for our groceries on my credit card and didn't automatically put the money back on it. That left me with more cash in my wallet than normal, which I probably spent. Generally I know better than this - and I did make a payment during the week to cover some of it. It's all a learning process, people.
Total debt: $4739 and a bit
Spent yesterday: $24.52 (A latte and some candy, because I couldn't seem to perk up, plus wine and some food at the girly gathering.)
Weekly total: $114.53 (Two bad weeks in a row!)
I'll post at the end of today, after I go to Ikea and exercise my credit card.
Wednesday, August 27, 2008
I love me a fountain
This is a lovely photo taken by my lovely desk mate of my favourite fountain in one of the lovely parks near our office. I get a kick out of the birds that bathe in it. Check out the portly pigeon at the top. It's the kind of park where lots of people feed the birds. I think that guy probably ate more than his share.
I am counting down to my extra-long weekend and trying to figure out why the three paycheck month didn't help me make major strides with my debt. I think the knowledge of more money coming in led to more spending. And that's kind of disappointing. Hopefully September will be better, although I do plan on breaking the bank a little during my vacation with my mom. And I intend to put an Ikea trip on credit in the next couple of days, in an attempt to make the office/spare room more appealing than it is at the moment. It's time. We've been here more than a year and there are still a couple of lingering boxes with no home for their contents.
I promise I'm trying! And in my latest effort not to spend willy nilly, I'm currently watching some free streaming TV online.
Total debt: $4739 and a bit
Spent today: $13.78
Tuesday, August 26, 2008
I could while away the hours...
As of this writing, my Google ad has earned me $98.38, which means I should have no problem reaching the $100 mark by the end of the month. And that means that I should get a cheque for $100 sometimes next month. And THAT means this blog is truly, in more ways than one, helping me pay off my dreaded debt.
Can I get a Hallelujah!
All of you are instrumental in this journey. Thank you, thank you, thank you. And yet one more thank you for clicking on the countless debt consolidation ads. Not so thrilling, I know!
A better way for me to thank you is to point you in the direction of more fun things available on the Internet, to help you pass time when time needs to be passed in front of a computer screen. You know what I mean ;-)
A couple of my creative coworkers co-write this great blog, all about their adventures with food. Warning: If you're currently hungry, this blog might make you go insane, because there is much discussion and many great photos of incredible food. However, if you're hungry and looking for some dinner (or lunch, or breakfast) inspiration, this is the place to find it. I was treated to an unbelievable chocolate chip cookie made by one of the bloggers today. I must say, despite my ramblings that I make the best chocolate chip cookies, this one was far superior to my own. I know! I've been usurped, but happily so.
My latest focus of a whole bunch of want is this brilliant site! It might not be new to many of you, but it's fairly new to me and there is so, so much to love. My favourite category is the jewelry, particularly because there is such a huge range of price points and the shipping fees are so very reasonable. If I wasn't still in the red, I would buy everyone presents from here. And then several presents for myself.
This one isn't new, but just in case there are any closeted Broadway fans out there, I recommend a daily trip to this site. It's the latest news and I like to be in the know! My favourite column is called Cue & A (which is a totally clever title). It's a cute little survey by current Broadway actors that gives you a glimpse into who they are.
What are your favourite sites to pass the time?
Total debt: $4739 and a bit
Spent today: $12.28
Can I get a Hallelujah!
All of you are instrumental in this journey. Thank you, thank you, thank you. And yet one more thank you for clicking on the countless debt consolidation ads. Not so thrilling, I know!
A better way for me to thank you is to point you in the direction of more fun things available on the Internet, to help you pass time when time needs to be passed in front of a computer screen. You know what I mean ;-)
A couple of my creative coworkers co-write this great blog, all about their adventures with food. Warning: If you're currently hungry, this blog might make you go insane, because there is much discussion and many great photos of incredible food. However, if you're hungry and looking for some dinner (or lunch, or breakfast) inspiration, this is the place to find it. I was treated to an unbelievable chocolate chip cookie made by one of the bloggers today. I must say, despite my ramblings that I make the best chocolate chip cookies, this one was far superior to my own. I know! I've been usurped, but happily so.
My latest focus of a whole bunch of want is this brilliant site! It might not be new to many of you, but it's fairly new to me and there is so, so much to love. My favourite category is the jewelry, particularly because there is such a huge range of price points and the shipping fees are so very reasonable. If I wasn't still in the red, I would buy everyone presents from here. And then several presents for myself.
This one isn't new, but just in case there are any closeted Broadway fans out there, I recommend a daily trip to this site. It's the latest news and I like to be in the know! My favourite column is called Cue & A (which is a totally clever title). It's a cute little survey by current Broadway actors that gives you a glimpse into who they are.
What are your favourite sites to pass the time?
Total debt: $4739 and a bit
Spent today: $12.28
Monday, August 25, 2008
Phoney Baloney
I don't think of myself as someone who is easily swindled. I have a healthy dose of disbelief for anything that sounds too good to be true. But recently I have found myself playing the fool. Twice.
Foolhardy moment #1 - I got a telemarketer call from HBC about some sort of rewards membership thing. To be completely honest with you, I cannot even recall what the benefits were of buying into the thing. But the savvy person on the other end of the line kept me on long enough to explain that I'd get a $25 HBC gift card just for signing up and that I could cancel my membership before they charged me anything, but still keep the gift card.
It sounded like free money to me! That's when the warning bells should have gone off.
Several months go by and every once in a while I think to myself, "Hey, I never got anything from HBC!" Until a couple of weeks ago when I finally did receive something. A bill. A bill for a service that I didn't understand and had never received any supplementary information about.
I was mad! But, to their credit, once I got in touch with the proper person they cancelled my membership and the charge, no problem. Phew!!
Foolhardy moment #2 - A few months ago, when the SATC movie had just come out and the buzz around the show was all over the place, a Facebook ad caught my eye. It was a contest to win a MacBook and a trip to NYC. !!! Those are two things at the top of my wish list! So I clicked on the ad to enter. They asked for all the regular information and then asked for my cell number. I didn't think too much of it, so I entered it. AFTER I entered it and clicked through, there was a message saying that they would be sending trivia questions to my phone. Every right answer was a ballot in the contest AND WOULD COST $2!!
So obviously when the texts started coming in - at least a couple every week - I never responded. I wasn't about to pay $2 to respond. And after several weeks of annoying messages, I responded with a single word: STOP. (My deskmate had called her service provider to find out how to stop some messages that she was getting and they explained that that's all you have to do. Take note!)
Anyway, my cellphone bill arrives last week and there is a $38 charge for 19"premium" text messages! So obviously I was also being charged $2 every time they sent a message!!
I have no intention of paying this charge, particularly since there was no mention on the contest thing until after I gave them my number, but I'm still working up the energy and nerve to call Telus and complain. I mean, who gets that $38? Telus!? As if. It's so ridiculous.
I'll let you know how it plays out.
And, sadly, the Nano update is that it's still MIA. I am losing hope that it will every be recovered. And I feel really terrible that I lost it. It was an expensive gift that I didn't take good enough care of. My bad.
Total debt: $4739 and a bit
Spent Saturday: $5
Spent Sunday: $38-ish
Spent today: $9.77
PS. I'm concerned about money this week. I'm not sure I can stay within my budget and do all the things I need to do...
Foolhardy moment #1 - I got a telemarketer call from HBC about some sort of rewards membership thing. To be completely honest with you, I cannot even recall what the benefits were of buying into the thing. But the savvy person on the other end of the line kept me on long enough to explain that I'd get a $25 HBC gift card just for signing up and that I could cancel my membership before they charged me anything, but still keep the gift card.
It sounded like free money to me! That's when the warning bells should have gone off.
Several months go by and every once in a while I think to myself, "Hey, I never got anything from HBC!" Until a couple of weeks ago when I finally did receive something. A bill. A bill for a service that I didn't understand and had never received any supplementary information about.
I was mad! But, to their credit, once I got in touch with the proper person they cancelled my membership and the charge, no problem. Phew!!
Foolhardy moment #2 - A few months ago, when the SATC movie had just come out and the buzz around the show was all over the place, a Facebook ad caught my eye. It was a contest to win a MacBook and a trip to NYC. !!! Those are two things at the top of my wish list! So I clicked on the ad to enter. They asked for all the regular information and then asked for my cell number. I didn't think too much of it, so I entered it. AFTER I entered it and clicked through, there was a message saying that they would be sending trivia questions to my phone. Every right answer was a ballot in the contest AND WOULD COST $2!!
So obviously when the texts started coming in - at least a couple every week - I never responded. I wasn't about to pay $2 to respond. And after several weeks of annoying messages, I responded with a single word: STOP. (My deskmate had called her service provider to find out how to stop some messages that she was getting and they explained that that's all you have to do. Take note!)
Anyway, my cellphone bill arrives last week and there is a $38 charge for 19"premium" text messages! So obviously I was also being charged $2 every time they sent a message!!
I have no intention of paying this charge, particularly since there was no mention on the contest thing until after I gave them my number, but I'm still working up the energy and nerve to call Telus and complain. I mean, who gets that $38? Telus!? As if. It's so ridiculous.
I'll let you know how it plays out.
And, sadly, the Nano update is that it's still MIA. I am losing hope that it will every be recovered. And I feel really terrible that I lost it. It was an expensive gift that I didn't take good enough care of. My bad.
Total debt: $4739 and a bit
Spent Saturday: $5
Spent Sunday: $38-ish
Spent today: $9.77
PS. I'm concerned about money this week. I'm not sure I can stay within my budget and do all the things I need to do...
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