More on Books...The Big Reveal!

This bookcase with the clock now looks like...

....this... the clock has been moved and I was able to get a lot more fiction books onto it...

 This "book stool" has been disappeared with the books going upstairs to my bedroom/study.

This  dog's breakfast has been turned into...

...this...and will stay this way!! The old old cupboard was my grandma's - when I got it the stain was black and gummy so I refinished it. I'm ashamed I let it get covered up with a ton of stuff!

TOO MUCH STUFF!!

A neater and less cluttered table top now - my nature books and travel guides now reside in the book holder. Oh, by the way the two small plants have also been moved along with a few other things. My grandma made the crocheted table cloth.

The inside of my secretary now looks like...

this!! This is my small collection of history books.

This small bookcase was my mother's. I added a few more books to it and turned some sideways to maximize the space.

The rest of the fiction and reference books went on the two bookcases that are in my bedroom...

 It was pretty easy to shuffle some things around to make room...

After going through all of my books I ended up donating only TWO books to the Goodwill Bookstore and since they had a 50% off sale today I ended up purchasing six (new to me) books. Yeah, I bought more.

But I have an excuse awesome reason why!! 99% of the books I've read over the past couple of years have been e-books borrowed electronically from the London Library! And in addition I have purchased a number of books using the Kindle App. So for the next long while I've decided to go back (mostly) to paper books so that I can catch up with what's been given to me, keep the ones I love, and donate the rest.

I'm gonna be BUSY!!

Fresh New Budget!

This was a month of spending......for my trip to Scotland! Everything is paid for by my Travel Savings Account. Otherwise everything else is about the same.

The Good:

• overestimated utilities by $30.00 - the weather has been much warmer than usual for this time of year!
• I underspent for gasoline and food! I went to the grocery store only 4 times over the month spending $197 of my $280 budget. Kazi ate out a lot with friends - that's the only reason I can come up with why my food spending was so low. Not complaining :) Also had $20 left in the gas account. I've been walking a LOT! as it's been so mild.
• Interest from investments comes due in Feb. and March which replaces a lot of what I spent on travel. 
• went to the 27th annual Firehall reunion! I used to go to the Firehall before they started having reunions ( a loooong time ago!!) - my initiation into the blues! It was an awesome night made even awesomer by the fact that Kazi tended bar that night so my friend and I got in free ("we're on the list") and got free beer - love you Kazi!
• Transferred $1,000 to savings - my usual monthly amount. 
• Have enough misc fund money left to purchase more British Pounds Sterling :) 

The Bad:

• my original iPad has been gradually falling apart and not functioning well. I used it mainly for reading: both downloading books from the library and purchasing books via my Amazon Kindle app. To me this is a NEED not a WANT (or maybe it's both!) so I forked over $372 for a new basic mini-iPad. Used savings to cover the cost. I love the smaller size for reading in bed. I can't tell you how many times I have fallen asleep while holding my big old iPad and the pain when it hit the bridge of my nose was awful! The mini doesn't hurt nearly so much 😂 !!
• Ummmmm, need to rein in the Amazon spending spree! And iTunes! It's just way too easy to purchase music and books etc especially now that I have free delivery on many items from Amazon. I purchased several guide books for upcoming travel, a few other books which support my future plans, and a COMPASS! I just need to learn how to use it! 
• Had to pay, yes PAY for a haircut for the first time in 15 years. It was less than $20 but still...
• Renewed my Ancestry.ca membership ($299) paid by savings

Misc Spending:

• In addition to the above I had a nice dinner out
•  went to see "Lion" - the movie about a lost boy in India who gets adopted by a couple from Australia and how he finds his home village using Google Earth. Excellent movie - needed multiple kleenexes however! 
• Paid for Turbo Tax and completed my taxes - yippee! 
• two trips to LCBO (one was for a birthday party of a friend - honest!!)
• have developed an addiction to pistachios!! $10.00 a bag!! Oh well, could be worse...right?
• okay - here's a good one. Apparently I bought a top and can't even remember what it looks like! I guess I didn't really need it, did I?

So a very spendy (in a good way)(mostly) kind of month! 

Bring on March!! 

The Bridge to Nowhere

SUNDAY was a bloody brilliant day. Since then the weather has been nothing to talk about... so...back to Sunday! Sunny + warm = hiking in Kilally Meadows!

Hey...I thought these guys were nocturnal?!

I'm further away than it seems - thank goodness for the zoom lens! Who can blame her for wanting to enjoy the sunshine!?

No leaves in sight yet, but it won't be too much longer til it's all GREEN! 

It wasn't too muddy considering all the rain we've had.

The artsy shot...

 I love these trees - they make excellent landmarks when I'm going in circles :)

Won't be crossing the bridge today - it's the Bridge to Nowhere. You can see by all the gunk that the river has been extremely high this spring.

  On my return trip I went off-trail for awhile and came across a deer carcass.

I guess there really are coyotes in here!

 I'll be glad when the flooding recedes - there are large parts of the trails I can't access.

Finally... I have a little miracle to share with you! After my hike I got together with a couple friends for the 2nd potluck of the Easter long weekend. When I got home, around 11:30pm the thunderstorm had begun and continued ALL NIGHT and most of the next day. I went into my house and went through my various bags looking for my phone. I could remember putting it into my purse so where the heck was it?? I was able to message my friend (using my iPad) whose house we were at and she looked and looked and called and called but it wasn't there or in my house. So I ran out into the rain and looked in the truck - nothing. There was nothing else I could do til daylight so I went to bed.

The next morning as I'm pulling up my blinds I look out toward my truck and see my turquoise phone case. It's been in the parking lot all night during a torrential rain storm. I didn't hold out much hope for it working, but once we buried Kazi's Macpro in rice after she spilled water on it and it worked!

So I grabbed the container of rice and buried my phone in it. Kazi said to leave it for at least 24 hours (the rice absorbs the moisture). Lo and behold it magically turned on. Now that is a true miracle. Yes, it's an iPhone, and seems to be extremely waterproof! Phew!

Hump Day

Well it's Hump Day and we're coasting downhill to the weekend. Can't say anything bad about that! I gave myself the night off last night, didn't post, didn't read, didn't work and in bed shortly after 8pm! I have a magic cure for insomnia if anyone needs one. Not that I had insomnia last night but this strategy puts me to sleep in minutes, perhaps seconds. I had roughly 8.5 hours of sleep last night which for someone who gets up at 5am everyday is miraculous and very welcome.

My strategy you ask? First of all it's free. Once my Kindle bit the dust I started using a Kindle app on my iPad.  It has several advantages over the Kindle - I find the screen easy to read and who doesn't like turning pages with just a touch?  And, with my iPad I can download, for free, any ebook in the Ontario Library system and the PEI Library system. From the comfort of my recliner, couch or bed to boot!

When I was struck down for a month last January with a pinched nerve and all I could do was lay on the floor and listen to audio ebooks on my iPad I accidentally discovered that if I listened to a story being read to me by a man (doesn't work with a woman for some reason - I think a study should be done to determine why) with an English accent I quickly fall asleep. At first I was really annoyed because I'd be sleeping and the reader would still be reading away oblivious to the fact that his listener was sawing logs!! So the next time I wanted to listen to more of the audio ebook I'd have to backtrack through the chapters to find my place wasting precious reading time.

When it kept happening over and over again I finally had a brainwave (yes, I get one of those from time to time)! If I was having trouble sleeping I could put myself to sleep - NO PROBLEM! After awhile I didn't even care what the book was about! It's like a powerful sleeping pill that has NO side effects, costs me nothing, and works like a charm every time. Should I patent this idea do you think?

So now I have books I actually read and audio ebooks that knock me right out! It's so awesome!

Other newsy notes:

• Judy asked me how Kazi did at her interview - well she did really well and is going back tomorrow for a second interview. She's not sure about the job because it requires daily use of design software that she is only kind of familiar with and doesn't really enjoy using. I told her to go anyway just to see how difficult it would be. She could always take another course or perhaps her level of skill would be enough. So she's going.
• AND she had another interview today with a different company!! That also involved her waiting by her phone as she had to speak with a person from Quebec to prove how fluent she is in french. She did really well and is now waiting to see if she'll get called back for a 2nd interview. 
• If that wasn't enough she is leaving on Friday for 3 weeks in Australia!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! She let both companies know about this - she feels if she doesn't do it now she'll have to wait 35 years (like me) while she has her career (and hopefully a family :) before she'll have time to travel again.  
• If those interviews don't pan out she still has her 2 part-time jobs to come back to. She has it all planned out.
• So guess who's driving her to Toronto Pearson airport Friday afternoon?? YUP - you guessed it - I HATE with a passion driving around huge airports but I'll do it for my Kazi! 
• SO EXCITING!

How was YOUR humpday??

Miss Gulch

Soooooooooo now that it's getting rather NIPPY out there I'm back on my "inside" bike and my lovely Miele road bike is in storage for the winter. I can't describe how much I miss being out on my bike...there is such a sense of childlike freedom in whizzing along the streets. Inside I feel young and carefree, my legs feel strong and invincible.  I have to laugh when I catch a glimpse of myself in a store window as on the outside I look more like Miss Gulch, though a lot less miserable!

One thing I've managed to do for myself while Michael has been away is get into a better routine when I get home from work. Because he does the cooking when he's here I would find myself on my computer just whiling (wasting) away the time until dinner was ready. Or I'd get my nose in a book (nose in a book on my iPad just doesn't conjure up the same image does it?) and lose track of time. The longer I put off exercise the less I wanted to do it and the more creative I got with my excuses to avoid it. Exercise? But there's a documentary about food additives I just have to watch!! Exercise? I have to rearrange the canned goods in the pantry...Exercise? Who...me??

Then by the time we were finished eating dinner, chores completed we would retire to the comfort of our bed to watch something on Netflix. Exercise never entered the picture. I'm so ashamed...

I HAVE REFORMED!! That's right! I'm back in the saddle again! My goal is to peddle 12km every day, at least 5 days a week. That's a nice round 60km minimum per week. Granted the scenery isn't as nice and the wind isn't blowing through my hair but hey - I don't have much hair anyway! IF I immediately change into my workout clothes and get onto my bike before passing GO then the exercise is done and out of the way within an hour of getting home. IT WORKS!! 

I still have the map up on my wall near my stationary bike of where y'all live with my imaginary cross country journey mapped out. I didn't make it all the way, or even half the way, but it was a great dream and kept me motivated. I still contemplate doing the journey one of these days, though in a car lol! It's a sweet retirement dream. At least you know what I look like so if you see some silver-haired lady with a crewcut knocking on your door someday please let me in and feed me. I promise not to leave a mess.

Would you like me to visit YOU??

Tablets c1960

Definition of a tablet c1960: a number of sheets of writing paper, business forms, etc., fastened together at the edge; pad


My love affair with tablets, or pads of paper, began many decades ago (gulp) when my brilliant mother began tucking one into my Christmas stocking each year. We weren't allowed to come downstairs until 7am so my brother Kim and I would amuse ourselves with whatever we found in our stockings which somehow mysteriously appeared at the end of our bed sometime during the night. It wasn't unheard of for us to wake up at 3 or 4am and stretch out a toe to see if we could hear that longed for sound of crinkly wrapping paper and feel the firm but bumpy contours of our Christmas stocking. How thrilling it was!!


We would get together in the boys' room or the girls' room and occasionally even in the bathroom if our older siblings didn't want to wake up. I always hoped for one thing in particular - the thick pad of paper - YES, it's here!! What did I fill it with? Stories of my own, but mostly drawings - drawings of fashion designs (step aside Stella McCartney!) and houseplans...strange hobby huh? 

We look pretty posh don't we? I don't know how she did it but she raised 5 kids on the earnings of my dad's manual labour at the local co-op plus the money she made writing and selling children's stories. With two older sisters you'd think I wore a lot of their hand me downs but they were (and still are hahaha) 9 and 12 years older than me so she had passed their clothes onto others by the time I showed up. I did wear hand me downs, but they were from the daughter of the postmaster and were really good quality, lucky me! 


But I digress...


I want to show you one final gift from my Secret Santa - how did she know  of my long love affair with paper? (and lists!)

I. love. this. tablet!! A nice sized box for each day of the week and a shopping list on the side - perfection! A week at a glance! It goes everywhere with me tucked in a side pocket of my purse. Whatever did I do without it? When I get to the last page I plan to photocopy it and make my own tablet!


Now I must confess to a purchase...what??...but it's NO/LOW Spend January you say?!! HAHAHAHAH, fooled you!! A certain someone paid me back $25.00 so I spent $23 and change on these:

Everything was on sale at Chapters. The KEEP CALM AND CARRY ON daily calendar of British "stiff upper lip" humorous sayings helps keep me sane at work:) The Money Spent tablet has a brilliant setup for recording purchases, and the Great Ideas tablet is so I can record all of those super-de-duper ideas I have no matter where and when I have them!! The two monogrammed notebooks were $1.00 each and I just bought them because. They were cute and I wanted them.


So that is how you can SPEND and still have a NO SPEND day!........
technically.......no? Ah c'mon, it didn't change my balance one little bit AND I put the change into my Sealed Pot! 


The 2012 definition of a tablet: A general-purpose computer contained in a single panel. Its distinguishing characteristic is the use of a touch screen as the input device. Modern tablets are operated by fingers, whereas earlier tablets required a stylus.  (I have one of these too but shhhhhhhhh, don't tell Canadian Saver!! Oh crap, I let the cat out of the bag....)


Which type of tablet do I prefer?? Well, I could exist without my iPad, but I could never ever get through a day without a pad of paper! Sorry Apple!

Sealed Pot Challenge

I have joined Sft's "sealed pot challenge" and I'm sure that if you haven't joined yet but want to there's still time.  


I've decided to double the challenge and tie the "opening" of the sealed pot to a weight loss goal. I get to spend whatever I've saved it the "sealed pot" on myself IF AND ONLY IF I drop a size and maintain it til next December. Otherwise it stays sealed until such time as I reach my weight goal - I could be a millionaire someday if I keep eating the way I have been lately !!  


So far I've been adding coins on a pretty regular basis. It should add up as I only add $1.00 coins, $2.00 coins and quarters. I think I even stuffed a $5.00 bill in there a couple of weeks ago!


I have no budget update. That's because the budget for December is in shambles and I really don't want to face the numbers right now. It's not that I spent outrageously because I didn't, but I did go ahead and buy myself that iPad I was desiring so badly and I did come under budget for December by about $300 which will be applied to the cost of the iPad. BUT I did pay for it with my mastercard because I just couldn't wait! Bad Jane, bad bad Jane!!


So I just want to ignore that little indiscretion a while longer til the Christmas glow wears off and January is staring me in the face. Then I will bite the bullet, draw out what I need from savings to cover the rest of the iPad bill, and start January 2012 with no credit card debt once again. 


On the bright side I updated my MONEY BARS way down on the sidebar. I reached my 2011 goal of increasing my TFSA (long term savings)to $15,000 and am already working on 2012's TFSA goal of adding another $5,000. (I'm at $2,000 already and 2012 hasn't even started!!) My RRSP total should hit $45,000 by March 2012 and then I'll need to increase that goal - I hadn't planned on making anymore RRSP deposits due to increasing the TFSA instead but I might change my mind once I do the number crunching at tax time. 


My EF is close to its goal, once I hit $2,000 I plan to increase the goal to $3,000 or higher. Christmas and Gifts is at zero of course but will reach $1500 once again next December. My PEI Maintenance fund and the PEI Home Insurance and Property Tax accounts are right on track and I've decreased my Line of Credit by  a whopping $26,350 since Aug. 2010. By the end of 2012 I will only have $5,000 left to pay!! If I can throw any extra $$ at the LoC over the course of this year I will with a stretch goal of $0 owing by Dec. 31st, 2012. Big stretch!!


I'm very happy with how the financials are doing right now - I'm still on track for retiring in 914 days! 


Thought for the Day: "Feeling gratitude and not expressing it is like wrapping a gift and not giving it."  William A. Ward


So I'm sending out a big thank you to all of my blogging friends who have supported me through the many ups and downs in 2011. I look forward to maintaining those relationships through 2012 and hope I can provide as much encouragement as I receive! 

This is what my...

brain looks like:

Sorta pretty isn't it? A pretty little muddle of random thoughts, random and disorganized thoughts...random, disorganized and overflowing thoughts...you get the picture. Those of you who also have an ADD brain will understand.


It's as if Christmas were only 11 (almost 10) days away and I still had a million things to do and no time to do them in. Oh, wait a minute...that's real...rats.


Ok, focus Jane...


I thought I would do a financial update since almost 2 weeks of December has gone by in the blink of an eye but to do that I'd have to be organized and to be organized I'd have to feign an illness and stay home from work for the next 8 days and THAT ain't gonna happen so neither is the financial update!


Basically it all boils down to one very significant number this month - I call it the BUFFER amount. (I kinda like this strategy - I might use it every month!) I like having just ONE number to think about - sure makes budgeting a much more streamlined process. 


My BUFFER amount is the amount of $$ I have left after everything else is paid (I used estimates for all the gifts I needed to buy, the cost of the Xmas tree, dinner out, wine, groceries, savings, debt repayment, baking supplies and a million other expenses particular to this month).  On Dec. 1st my buffer amount was $245. Over the past 13 days I have added and subtracted from that amount about 100 times. If my hydro bill was less than my estimate I added the overage to the BUFFER. If a gift cost more than my estimate I subtracted from the BUFFER.  


This is the ONLY number that matters this month - and right now it stands at.....$220!! Not bad eh? BUT, still 2.5 weeks left to the month! I am highly motivated because whatever is left in the BUFFER zone goes into my iPad envelope which right now only contains $15 (I found $5 in a coat pocket and saved $10 in change). Once I have $600 saved I will buy my iPad!! It's going to take a few months to come up with $600 as I do zero-based budgeting and my pay goes way down Jan. 1st due to certain payroll deductions starting up again. But that's ok, it's worth waiting and saving for. 


Hey - see how well I can focus when it's something I'm interested in? Typical ADD!