Weekly Wrap: THE TRUE CONFESSIONS EPISODE

Head Wrap - ewww...what happened to her should blades??

I am trying to get my head wrapped around my numbers this month...(get it? head wrapped hee hee...sigh) so that I can produce a "Weekly Wrap." Its' just so sad and I'd rather try to distract you with "happy stuff"...like this:

Kazi and best friend Courtney on Kazi's 21st birthday:)

See? Eye candy! Aren't they pretty?  All dolled with someplace to go! Don't they just put a smile on your face and a dance in your heart? Ok, let's just forget about the numbers and go out and partay!!  


Or this:

The new beaded bracelet my friend Jules gave me - I LOVE it!! Look at all of the pretty colours...distracting right?

 And by popular request - my new $15 silver and turquoise ring! Sparkly huh?

And speaking of sparkly - here's Kazi's birthday sparkler from last night's dinner at Under the Volcano - boy, I tell ya that REALLY takes my mind off numbers...

 So does my favorite dessert - mmmmm deep-fried icecream...I sure could go for some right about now...the numbers can wait til later, right?

Or...how about an Irish coffee?  No? OK, how about a French coffee?? It's really yummy - it'll blow your mind!!


No? You still want the numbers?  oh poo...


Ok well you'll just have to trust me on this as I haven't put my numbers into Spend Diary since June so have no fancy shmancy charts to dazzle you with their pies and colours and bars. Nope, just dull old black and white.


The Good News: (this will be a short list)

• I over-estimated my Union Gas and London Hydro by a total of $59 which just became more $$ to spend (oops...good news turned into bad news!)
• Increased my Line of Credit payment from $1200 monthly to $1300
• Started saving for: new camera, condo redecoration, PEI home insurance and property taxes & PEI home maintenance & next year's trip to PEI - that's a whole lot more pots to divide my savings amongst!
• came just slightly under my grocery budget and my gasoline budget :)

The Bad News: (hold onto your hats folks!)

• had to buy all new tires which reduced my EF from $2000 to $1350
• both pays were less than I hoped they'd be (but only by $20)
• allowed myself $0.00 for entertainment this month as I knew it would be a tight month - HAH!! who was I kidding (do not have and do not want to know how much I actually spent on movies, coffees, newspapers, restaurants, clothing as it would make me cry)
• cell phone bill higher than budgeted by $10
• made a last minute impulse gift buy for Kazi in the form of a $50.00 Shopper's Drugmart gift card (horrible feeling of old bad habit creeping back in thinking I hadn't SPENT enough on her gifts (fall jacket, Keith Urban concert, dinner out, cupcakes...sigh)
• spent too much on clothing for myself thinking I would enjoy getting up and going to school more if I had some new clothes to wear!  WRONG!! I AM ENJOYING going to school VERY MUCH so didn't need to spend that money!! What a maroon!
• I now owe $443 on my President's Choice Mastercard - I haven't had any credit card debt in YEARS!! I'm mortified.
• I also bought just over $100 worth of jewelry to match my back to school clothes at Claire and Aldo's - another unnecessary purchase!
• I need to pay $50 into the Social Fund at school AND I need to contribute $30 for gifts for two staff who left and one who broke his leg just before school started (stupid boys!)
• I have $66 left in discretionary spending and $11.97 left in my wallet (I do have $$ set aside for groceries and gasoline

So there it is. Told ya it wasn't pretty. I guess I'll have to put off the social fund payment til next month but I'll have to fork over the $30 soon. That'll leave me with a grand total of $48 til my next pay on Sept. 30th (without dipping into savings which I absolute abhor!! or going into more debt...so NOT an option!)

Hence my fiscal fast for the next week.  I said I was going to start tomorrow but guess what?? 

I HAVE JUST NEGATIVELY MOTIVATED MYSELF TO START RIGHT NOW!!

For the next two weeks, yes you heard me, for the next 14 days I will only enter the grocery store or the farmer's market (I have $200 for food) or go to the gas station (I put $40 in today leaving me with $60 for gas) and will NOT spend beyond the $48 I have left.  I will try to UNDERSPEND on groceries so that I will have a positive balance in my chequing account at the end of the month, even if it's only a couple of dollars.

Think I can do it?  Or will I fall flat on my empty wallet?? It'll be quite a challenge that much is sure.

SCREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEECH!!!

That's me, putting the brakes on spending!! After last night's scrumptious meal for Kazi's birthday at Under the Volcano, complete with deep-fried icecream and Irish coffee my spending and self-indulgence is coming to a screeching halt!


I see a fairly clear road ahead without any major spending bumps or eating potholes to contend with. Famous last words right? Oh Murphy, where are you...I know you're out there somewhere...!


That being said it's time for me to bring back my Weekly Wrap. Each Friday I will sum up my financial week and keep myself accountable. I spent some time yesterday going over September's budget and yes, I have overspent. So in the second half of the month I am going to have to make up for it, therefore, my fiscal fast will be starting TOMORROW, Sept. 17th. This is not a fast in order to save up a bunch of money, no, for me it's a fast in order to bring my spending back in line with my budget. 


More details coming tonight.

Too Tired for Words

Last night was one of those "catch up on sleep" nights. Not that I've been staying up late or anything, well I guess the concert on Monday night did go past my bedtime. 

 But it was definitely worth it. Oh yes, most definitely:)


Yesterday I had two meetings - one with a difficult parent and one with my staff. I was a little anxious about both of them but I was very well prepared AND backed up by my dep't head. Both meetings went way better than expected so I was quite elated at the end of the school day.

So I decided to celebrate and got a free copy of the National Post from the main office and went home, put my feet up and read the paper from cover to cover. Oh yeah, I know how to partee!!

 Then, as if that wasn't enough excitement I took some movies back to the library and borrowed a few more.  I know I know how much better can it get?!?

 After riding my bike for 45 minutes I popped in a movie, tucked myself up in bed around 8:30 and promptly fell into a deep sleep - what a luxury!

 I tell you, I've seen the first half of more movies than you can shake a stick at but I don't know how any of them end!!

Today my baby girl turns 21 years old. I took her to see Keith Urban, bought her a fall jacket, a Shopper's Drugmart gift card, an umbrella and a 4G flash drive (she won't have to borrow mine anymore:), all funded from my gift account! How great does THAT feel!!


Tonight she is going out to dinner and a club with friends and then tomorrow night Michael and I are taking her out to dinner. I am excited about tomorrow - it will be my first pay with my new raise on it!! I will finally be able to complete September's budget and tally up my spending. I hope it doesn't turn out that I've overspent this month, but it certainly is possible as September is the second most expensive time of the year for me.


Have a wonderful "hump day" today. I'll be catching up with you all after work!

Back on the Wagon

What a great weekend! Reading, farmer's market, people-watching, going to the movies, free dinner, meeting up with friends and family on car-free Sunday, lots of laughs, too much food and drink, a new ring.....


Woops! Those last two items shouldn't be there! But unfortunately...they are. Yes, I fell off the wagon a bit yesterday. My own order was a good choice - quarter chicken with greek salad - YUM!! However, I nibbled off a few other plates of food including Michael's french fries dipped in ketchup...AND THEN WE WENT FOR ICECREAM!! HOW CAN I BE THE ONLY PERSON NOT EATING ICE CREAM?? SO I CAVED...and it was absolutely delicious:)


So today I'm back on the wagon again with no regrets. I enjoyed myself immensely, it was just what the doctor ordered after the first week of school and of course the weather was brilliant.


What?  What ring...what are you talking about? Ohhhhhhh yeahhhhhhh, that ring. There was a vendor at car-free Sunday selling handmade original jewelry made from silver and copper wire and beads and I fell in love with one in silver with a turquoise bead. It was only $15.00 so with $20 in my wallet I decided to splurge. I also walked away from car-free Sunday with a free beaded bracelet from my good friend Jules AND a free box full of books:) One of the downtown bookstores set up a table with TONS of books and they were just giving them away.


Who, I ask you, who can walk away from free books??????  Not me, that's who!


My daughter's birthweek starts today.  Yes, we don't have birthdays we have birthweeks.  Tonight she and I are going to go see this guy:

Hideous, isn't he?  Yes, to get through this concert I am going to have to shove cotton balls in my ears and wear a blindfold.  HAH, just kidding...I'm actually going to drool and scream and rip my hair out...oh yeah, my hair's too short...well the other two anyway...ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh...just practising!


I leave you with a couple of flower photos. In aid of my ongoing efforts to become Heidi Klum I've been walking during my lunch period except for one rainy day. I head off into the gorgeous old neighbourhoods behind the school with my camera for some nature therapy.  

So far no one has called the cops on me for creeping around their yard!

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GOOD LUCK!!

Feeling Smug!!

This is what I'm eating right now...looks disgusting no? It's actually the most delicious concoction - fresh nectarines from the market, plain yogurt spiced with a dash of cinnamon.  I'm on a health kick right now (kicking myself daily for gaining weight over the summer) and part of my new regime is going to the farmers' market early Saturday morning. 

Yesterday I bought green beans, yellow beans, sweet potatoes, blueberries, peaches, nectarines and broccoli sprouts (I love sprouts of any king - lentil, alfalfa - they are just jam-packed with healthy stuff) but this is my first time for organic broccoli sprouts. I can't wait to add them to my salads this week.


So far I've lost about six pounds. I can't ever remember being this determined to regain a healthy weight. I have thirteen more pounds to go and I know that this time I'll make it. The trick will be maintaining it!


But that's not the "feeling smug" part. Today, being Sunday, I got up early and headed to my local No Frills grocery store. Last week when I went grocery shopping it was later in the week and they were "sold out" of all the specials so this week I wanted to make sure I didn't miss out. And do you know that almost NO ONE else shops at 9am on a Sunday morning?? Yeah - I was in and out so fast with my cart full of sale items: toilet paper, steak, yogurt, juice, laundry detergent etc. 


So here I am, eating my juicy nectarines and yogurt...

early on Sunday morning with my fridge full of really fresh fruits and veggies and the long day stretching out before me.  Today it's "no car" Sunday in a certain area of the city - they will have the street closed off to traffic, live bands will be playing, there are sidewalk sales and yard sales and I am meeting two girlfriends there. Should be one fun-filled day!! I LOVE Sundays!!


Oh, the bad news is I can't do the "fiscal fast" this week with Sharon and Eboo. It's my daughters's 21st birthday on Wednesday. Tomorrow night she and I are going to see Keith Urban - it's become a tradition that the two of us go to a concert each year for her birthday - then I'm taking her out for dinner on Thursday (she's partying with friends on her actual birthday).  I need to buy cards, a cake and pay for dinner, and who knows, maybe a Keith Urban CD or T-shirt sooooooo my fiscal fast will have to be the following week when I'm feeling really really poor!!

You Better Shop Around uh huh

So I got my renewal form yesterday from Superior Energy. My one year contract ends soon and either I renew with them at a fixed rate or go back to Union Gas whose rate is variable and can change every 3 months. What to do, what to do...


My dilemma is now compounded by the fact that Superior's lowest rate is higher than the current Union Gas rate by 3 cents per cubic meter. 

Sorry for the crappy photo, I was too lazy to get up and walk to the scanner. This shows the current Union Gas rate and a bill based on the usage of 217 cubic m. for a total of $44.07. (Superior sent me this info)


Superior's fixed rate would see the same bill amount to $57.48, a difference of almost $13.00.  


So do I lock in for another year knowing there will be no surprise rate hikes or go back to Union Gas in hopes that natural gas prices will stay low and I may save a few bucks? 


Hmmmmmm, that's a toughie.


Do you shop around for utilities?