January Recap

Due to the terrible events of the past week or two I haven't posted much. So...I'll get back into the swing of things by recapping January's budget.

What went well: (almost everything)

• the cost-of-living increase in my teacher's pension was TO THE DOLLAR exactly equal to the increases in my bills: property tax, condo fee and insurance! Sometimes the system works. That allowed the increase in my Canada Pension Plan ($8.00 whoopdedoo!) to be added to my savings.
• Saving $1,000 per month is very doable. Tsf'd $1100 in January to savings. (Travel fund:)
• Overestimates in utilities put $46 back into my misc budget line. It's just not been that cold so far this winter.
• Didn't have to pay property taxes this month as I am on a 10 month schedule. Went to savings instead.
• Overpaid insurance so received a credit in January and NO payment til Feb. Extra went to savings.
• Received investment income. Rolled it over.
• Due to various bits and bobs my misc spending budget was $675 in January!! Out of that I saved enough to buy 250 pounds sterling! 
• Received GST refund ($105 4 x a year) put it into savings
• Came in under budget for gas $75/$100 & groceries $255/$280. Extra went to misc.
• Even with that I finished January with $31 in my chequing account. Added that to February's budget.

What didn't go quite as well but wasn't too bad considering!

• $60 for eye doctor because of Posterior Vitreous Detachment issue - have a checkup in a week which is also covered by the $60 payment already made. Don't feel too upset about that bill!
• $37 for a prescription

January was a great month!!

Misc spending covered:

• two meals out (Hong Ping with a friend & Swiss Chalet with my neighbour - an annual Christmas treat)
• Wine and Food Show
• Purchased Amazon Prime for a year which also includes Amazon Prime Video streaming. Comes to less than $7.00/month
• Art supplies ordered through Amazon (free shipping :) 
• added $ to my Tim's card and my Starbucks card
• Home Depot materials to fix electrical outlet
• Walmart - craft supplies (political sign-making)
• Google storage
• 250 pounds sterling

Stay tuned for February's budget recap when I proceed to spend twice what I saved in January!!

(Scotland trip is shaping up!!)

Budget Update

I have TOO MUCH money. Yes, you heard me right. And somewhere, somehow it'll be taken from me, I just know it. It's not a large amount but I've gone wrong in my budget calculations somewhere even though I use a calculator!! I would be more worried if I had TOO LITTLE money which is what usually happens. I'm just going to sit on it til the end of the months and all the bills are paid. If that little extra bit is still there then off to savings it goes.

Today's budget adjustments were small as predicted. It only cost $20 to fill up the truck!!! That's how much gas I used since last Monday. I've been more strategic in my driving - car (truck) pooling to hiking spots with a friend :), doing all of my errands on one day and so on. It helps - and so does paying only 84.7 cents per litre of gas!! I only have one more gas fill up til February (fill up every Monday) so I will have gas money left to move to savings as there is still $108 left in the gas budget. Woo hoo!

After shelling out $115 last Monday on food & household items today's total was only $30 plus $4.25 spent at Dollarama. I only needed to add to my produce as I still have about 2/3rd's of the food from last week's shop left in the fridge/freezer/pantry!! There is one "shop" left in January and $107 left in the food budget so no worries there. I foresee sending about half of that to savings at the end of the month!
My misc items for this week - I love the little dustpan/sweepers, they are so handy for little cleanups - one for the upstairs bathroom and one for the workshop.

The rest of the money I spent was for luscious produce. Stuffed peppers are on the menu this week, and obviously lots more guacamole :)

My misc budget is getting low however. I decided to bite the bullet and buy an air purifier for the workshop. I can wear a mask while I'm working but my lovely Luna can't and if I'm in the workshop then she's in the workshop.  And then my friend invited me to go with her to see Canadian rocker  BRYAN ADAMS who's coming to London in February so I said YES!! Plus I overspent on art supplies, got the oil changed and new windshield wipers on the truck, bought a couple of books, indulged at the Wine and Food show, went to see "The Imitiation Game" and went out to dinner with my nephews!! I HAVE been busy and spendy haven't I? So I have $120 left in my misc budget which I need to stretch over 12 days - I can do it!! Plus I have some $$ in my wallet. As long as nothing unexpected comes up I should be ok plus there's the cushion in the gas and food budgets if I need it.

February's budget will see a few little adjustments with the drop in car/home insurance covering the increase in condo fees and taxes. AND joy oh joy I get a cost of living increase on my pension amount starting January 31st. A whopping $20 extra per month - woot woot!! It doesn't sound like much (it ain't much at all) but it would pay for FOUR $5.00 movie nights at Rainbow Cinema!! That's something!

Today's cuteness:

Staying cozy

Winter - grinning and bearing it!!

Skating with Anestis at Victoria Park - it was a brilliantly sunny day which does wonders for the soul but it was bitterly cold and after about an hour I couldn't feel my lips anymore and I was starting to drool.  Everything I said sounded fubby.

 Indoor winter fun! My living room finally has ART on the walls!!  I did that yesterday while actively procrastinating beginning my "foyer project." I think I have re-thunk the foyer project right into spring as where would I put our numerous wet boots and 47 winter coats??

Hiking - where would I be this winter without hiking? At home, sitting on my ever expanding butt!!

This is my attempt at capturing the "beauty" of the icy cold hell that is outside - about -35c with the wind chill. But ain't it pretty?? The sun is setting - oh goody, it's going to get even colder!!

A bit of blue sky poking through today. I got snow inside my boots in order to get this shot! Oh hydrangea - I remember when you were green with the wonder of spring and white during the heat of summer. Now look at you! Drooping your head in shame!

I suppose I could take a page from Luna and curl up inside a box with a soft warm blanket. Of course I'd need a refrigerator box!! And a quilt or two!! But it is inviting...no?

That's my snow angel created a week ago - on a Sunday!! That's what I do instead of going to church - make snow angels!! Until that moment it was an untouched pristine field!

Taking pictures of unique outdoor natural objects fills a moment or two with wonder and awe - then I awkwardly shove frostbitten fingers back into my mittens while muttering "stupid, stupid, stupid!!"

The ice await-eth!  And with a windchill of about -30 it might wait-eth all day!!

Even the not-so-bright doves are all puffy-breasted to protect themselves from the icy air!

Trudge, trudge trudge! We had to blaze the trail through a few untouched fields - my glutes were screaming at me after a couple of hours! FUN! 

Thank goodness for the annual Wine and Food Show!! I wonder if I can warm this guy up? He's a bit stiff at the moment.

 Did you know that Shock Top breweries produces a chocolate-flavoured wheat beer now? Pretty darn scrumptious!! But I'll settle for the car!!

Oh look - it's my daughter (on the left) promoting Black Buffalo scotch and bourbon!! I'd never had bourbon before so gave it a shot....or I should say she gave me a shot! And a free T-shirt too!! I got warmed up on all counts!!

Today it was back to the relative warmth of Sifton Bog - it was all of 0c today - almost balmy...or is that barmy?  Oh no, that was me!  It was a battle between snow and rain with the snow winning out in the end. A bit on the gloomy side but I was able to wear a light jacket over a couple of layers instead of my heavy duty Canada Goose coat! What a treat!

Not easy to see but this is all that's left of an owl? after a coyote got the better of it!

Not exactly a postcard shot...

...but here the view is much improved by our smiles...SPRING - only two months away!!

Are you getting outside to enjoy what winter has to offer? What DOES winter have to offer??

The New and Improved, sort of, Wine and Food Show

 There were a lot of changes this year at the annual Wine and Food Show. It had 25% more vendors, more space, and a lot of different things going on. First up for my friend Troy and I was the bartenders competition. These 2 guys weren't quite up to the level of Tom Cruise in "Cocktail" but they weren't too bad on the eyes.

You can see the audience in this shot paying close attention, and no, I didn't get blitzed!

 Most of my shots were blurry as these two guys were constantly tossing their bottles in the air...

 catching them behind their back....most of the time....

 This was new - a dance floor complete with plastic modular furniture, larger than life chess pieces, and tables for two.

 Far out eh?  Pretty groovy.

Now this was a hit with me! Have you ever had a Vaportini? It's kind of hard to explain but you can see a tea light in the bottom and a glass ball above it containing the "vaportini". There is a hole in the glass ball where you put a straw in and inhale your martini vaportini. The flavours were  INTENSE! And instantly absorbed into your bloodstream. Very cool.

 Ooooooooh I like this one!!

 The show expanded into another room called the "Mancave". Mostly cars, motorcycles, man food (burgers, fries, sausage on a bun) and domestic beer like Bud Light. I'm thinking the show producers must have received a lot of complaints that there's not enough for REAL MEN to experience at the show but really, you can have a burger and a Canadian domestic beer anywhere anytime but an ostrich burger, Bailey's flavoured frozen yogurt, steak tacos? Not so much. C'mon guys - live a little! Experiment! Take a risk! Boring...

Now this guy wasn't afraid - he was on the dance floor most of the night!

Yup, still there...

 Oh, I know him!! John had a flashing light on the end of his index finger!

This year if you were really special, and I wasn't,  you could spend time in the VIP lounge. Not too sure why that was considered special???

OK, folks...we've come to the CAPTION THIS PICTURE!! Oooooh, is she wearing leather?

Troy and I took turns snapping each other's photo in this convertible but I think she pressed the wrong button on my camera because there's no pic of me! Oh well...isn't she so photogenic??

She's a beautiful woman, also a single mom to 3 young adults. She's been a good support to me over the past few weeks and she got me into the show for FREE! She works at Fanshawe College in the Hospitality and Tourism area and worked at their booth for a while on Saturday (and gave me a pass to get in...shhhhhh...don't tell anyone! )

And that was my Saturday night!

It's Ontario Bloggers Day!!

So I wanted to write something especially pithy and witty for today but as luck would have it I'm feeling a wee bit down in the dumps. Michael stopped by last night to pick up some of his stuff and there were a lot of tears. His, not mine.

If you're new to this blog here's a link to a previous post so you can see the big picture if you want to.

And then to top it off, I'm driving my daughter Kazi to Pearson Airport in Toronto this afternoon as she begins her trip to Australia. So I'll have the house to myself for 3 weeks. It'll be "interesting" to see how I handle it. I think I'll be ok, at least I want to think that I'll be ok. If and when I move to PEI I'll be living alone so this will be a good little test. Not that living in the city with my friends and family closeby can be compared to living in the country with 1 neighbour across the road and my sister and friends a 2-3 hour drive away. And I'll be retired in PEI as compared to going to work here everyday. Still, I'll stay tuned in to my feelings and see how it goes.

Kazi's second interview with Jones Box Co. went well, she wasn't as bad at the software program as she thought she'd be. The other interview with Car Proof went well also but they phoned her yesterday saying they needed someone to start right away so as she's going to Australia they've decided not to hire her.

Tomorrow I'm going to the annual Wine and Food show with a friend. That's always fun sampling lots of wines, craft beer and amazing food. I've eaten some unusual things there like ostrich, bison, octopus etc. Things I wouldn't normally order or even see on a menu. Other than that it'll be a weekend of continued cleaning and decluttering. I'm enjoying that except for the part when I have to carry a million bags and boxes up the stairs and out to my truck to take either to the dumpster or to the local thrift shop. I'll also give myself some precious time to drink a coffee and read the newspaper. That's my Saturday morning treat unless I'm going to the Roaster for coffee with friends. I know it doesn't sound very exciting but just STOPPING, SITTING, READING and drinking a really good COFFEE is a huge treat for me in my busy hectic week. I know, get a life right??

I just want to let you know that I won't be back in London tonight til around 9pm or later so not sure if I'll have time to visit all of you today. If not today, then I will tomorrow. I think this is an exciting opportunity to meet more Ontario Bloggers! Thank you Cindy!

Well, sorry for the less than scintillating post - her's a linkhttp://lifebeginsatretirement.blogspot.ca/2014/01/hump-day.html for one I wrote a couple of days ago that provides a surefire insomnia cure - I loved the feedback on it!