Heart Beat:
I'm a day late with my Weekly Wrap because I was over at a girlfriend's house last night having some much-needed "girl time". I don't know about you but my deepest belly laughs and my deepest thoughts are those shared with my beloved girlfriends. Over glasses of wine, cups of tea, and homemade pizzas we hugged and giggled and laughed uproariously while creating works of art for an upcoming environmental artshow concerning oceans. My friend Jules (Julie) is a local artist that I've known for almost 30 years since we were both poor art students together at university. She is a devoted tree-hugger and always getting involved in artistic endeavors that have a "green" theme. So together with another very special friend, Troy, we chased beautiful watercolour washes around watercolour paper with straws, sprinkled on some salt in strategic locations and printed linocuts of fish and prehistoric-looking sea creatures onto the painted backdrop.
Mine isn't finished yet as I began to see interesting sea creatures in my paint drips so once totally dry I am going to outline the shapes in a permanent black felt tip marker. I'll share it here when it's totally finished.
COST: $12 for a bottle of wine. VALUE: priceless!
The other gift I gave to myself this week was ordering a new cell phone! Through my school board I can get a new cell phone every 3 years (FREE) on a corporate plan. I get a ton of minutes and unlimited texting for under $30 a month - a very good deal:) So I am happy happy happy!
News Beat:
The financial news is good too! Over the first two weeks of November I managed to squeeze another $200 out of my food, gas and misc. envelopes. I put $50 into emergency savings, $100 into Christmas savings and made an extra $50 payment into my RSP account. My Union Gas bill came in $25 under budget (probably the last month that will happen now til the spring) and I got reimbursed finally for school supplies that I bought back in August so my credit card is PAID IN FULL!!
I spent more $$ this week than last week, but still very much within reason. Yesterday was a PD day and we were given 2 hours for lunch and travel time. I ate lunch with a couple of the educational assistants who work closely with me in my classroom so it was a real treat to a) eat in a restaurant and b) share time with the people who are such an integral part of my program. It was time and money well spent.
So between beer after volleyball on Wed. night, lunch out yesterday and a bottle of wine for last night's "girl time" I spent a total of $35.00. I can live with that:)
My goals for the rest of November:
- save at least another $50 from my misc. spending budget ($136 currently left in it)
- not spend more this week than the $18 left in my wallet
- save another $50 from food/gas budget (that may be difficult with the price of gas these days but I will try my best)
- start my Christmas shopping by buying gifts for Kazi's stocking
Great job paying off the credit card and excellent work squeezing money out of your budget for Christmas, etc.!
ReplyDeleteSounds like you had a fun and productive week! You are doing so well with your cash. I will be zero-budgeting next month, and hopefully, I will underspend for Christmas so more can go into paying down my cars!
ReplyDeleteWine is always worth it, although I can usually get a good bottle for unde $10.00! Yours must have been delicious!
wow you've done super good! I"ve gone over a bit in a couple of budgeted areas (my first full month of doing the tracking so still working out the kinks) I forgot to budget the quarterly exterminator visit and that was close to $60.I also got dinged with parking at the hospital and will get hit with that again ($8 each time or thereabouts)and decided to get an optional B12 shot at work along with the free flu shot and some blood screening they offered free. I'm doing well on the food budget in spite of eating at Olive Garden tonight with some friends($16). I will also go over on gas since I used close to a tank going to my parents last week and will need more dog food which will exceed that budget.
ReplyDeleteon the positive side yesterday was the first day in a LONG time when I checked my bank account and was surprised it was already payday!! I'm usually chomping at the bit for payday to arrive and this time it took my by surprise! And since lowering my 401k retirement contribution to just the basic for the company match finally kicked in I had more money! Now to not spend it..I want to finish my Christmas budget this week and next then either pay towards my car loan or towards my taxes. I'm leaning towards the car loan then pay the taxes in January but it's six of one half a dozen of the other I guess. The car loan I'm paying interest on though and not on the taxes. Monday my parents are back down for another treatment for my dad at the hospital. I will probably pick up some fruit and more egg whites grocery-wise..Thurs is a free Christmas play a friend will join me watching...for some reason they sent me a postcard good for 2 free tickets even though I told them when I called that I hadn't been bringing any large groups! She said I could use it anyways...so $90 worth of tickets for a good play for free! I'm thinking I may figure out something to cook here at home before we go since she's saving money too due to her hubby being laid off and her quilting business down.
You're definitely right about girl time! definitely something to be said for it! tonight a group of us ate at Olive Garden and visited then I went back to one friend's house and visited with her while she glued homemade Christmas cards to swap! Talk about some work LOL!
Susanna
look at you! you are definately on a roll! keep it up! I know you can definately go the week without spending more then $18 ;)
ReplyDeleteIt's always great to get out with friends. Yesterday I had a girlfriend over and we went for a walk at the bird sanctuary. We had a great tome together. My goal this week is one grocery shop for the week keeping it under 150. I'm trying to trim the food budget a bit.
ReplyDeleteHugs
Oh yes craft night with friends I so love it. You get to catch up on gossip have a few drinks and become creative. Much like kids after a Halloween candy rush and then going to art classes all hyper.
ReplyDeleteSounds as if you had a creative time and you are really saving like crazy towards Crofters Lane. Good for you!!! You are so focused without denying yourself some fun.
thanks 444 - I just have one c/c left to pay off and it's under $100 so will pay it off by the end of this year. It's low interest so I just make a small payment each month. It's actually a sum I loaned out to someone who is going to pay me back soon - so when I get that $$ it will be extra $$ so will throw it at something nice - like my Crofters Lane jar:)
ReplyDeleteSharon - Michael just brought home a bottle of wine he bought for only $6 - will let you know how if it's any good!
ReplyDeleteSusanna - glad to hear you are getting the budget going - you will find you forget things - I know I sure did!
ReplyDeleteI count the seconds until it's payday so can't say I've ever been taken surprise by one lol!! That's like waking up one morning to find out it's Christmas!
Definitely go with the car loan - the less interest you have to pay the better!
Do you make eggwhite omelettes? I do and love them!!
How many more treatments does your dad have and how is he doing??
Good score on the free tickets - what is the play..something seasonal?
LOL - I love how your friend made the homemade Xmas cards while you watched! Hope you provided encouragement tee hee:)
jpkittie: not sure if I'll make it through the week without spending my $18 as today I spent $8! I went to a fundraising event (fell for the free admission) and spent $5 on 3 raffle tickets (really great prizes:) and bought two gorgeous pillows at the "gently used" table for $2.40 - they were priced at $3 each but then everything was reduced to half price during the last half hour of the event - I offered all the change I had and my offer was accepted! So I have $10 left...
ReplyDeleteJohanna - good luck with the food budget - with growing boys who have hollow legs it won't be easy!Cheers! :)
ReplyDeleteWitch - that's the balance I am trying to achieve - save but still enjoy myself in the meantime. It can be done!
ReplyDeleteLOL believe it or not NO ONE who knows me hands me glue and tiny pieces - EVER! I thinks he was actually having fun but too involved for me!
ReplyDeleteMy dad's tired and discouraged but he's still doing the treatments - they're coming down today and going the hospital for a scan then to my place to sleep..we'll probably go eat Tues then they go back for something else then Wed afternoon he goes in to prepare for the treatment on Thursday and probably goes home from there on Sunday.
I'm looking forward to the play - this one has 4 one act plays about Christmas and I think they do 3 that the audience somehow chooses..I was kinda hoping we'd get to see all 4 but doubt it! It's by the AD players - a family/chrstian theater group. They also do some children's plays. It's been a while since I've been to any adult plays there - almost 20 years - but I saw Shadowlands about C.S.Lewis (chronicles of narnia author) and a Christmas play...not the nativity but they usually put a comedic twist or something to the plays but still get the message across. I think their website is adplayers.org and it describes the plays and their purpose, etc. The friend who's going with me says she used to go to these fairly often and said this group she's done costumes for in the past(I helped a little bit one year with some) have one coming up in the spring that we'll plan on seeing if I get enough notice to be sure I'm off from work since they only do them for one weekend - 5 shows total. Can't believe all that work for just one weekend of performances!
I'm not usually taken by surprse with payday but I guess since I had overtime on the last check and hadn't budgeted to use it that it snuck up on me..actually Saturday is when it would've dawned on me to look and see if any had deposited because the 15th is car payment day then 17th insurance!
Susanna