Occasionally when I post and often when I make a comment on someone else's post, I refer to the fact that the financial situation in Canada is not as bad as it is in the U.S.
Well, today that has all changed. For the first time in Canadian history we steady-as-she-goes, practical, frugal, boring, conservative and formerly smug Canadians have a higher debt to income ration than those spendthrift, carefree, live for today Americans. Yup, it's true, according to my favourite newspaper, The National Post.
Sorry for the blurry shot but online they don't let you look at the paper for free so I could only capture a screenshot of the tiny front page from their website. But I can still read the headline of the article in the upper right corner: "Nobody Wants to Crash this Debt Party."
We have a bit of a problem and no one wants to take the blame or step up and do anything about it. The Bank of Canada feels pressured to keep lending rates really really low due to the less than stable economic environment. Banks have been encouraged to ease up on lending restrictions because more and more $$ needs to be injected into the economy so that manufacturers can keep on manufacturing. And the average Joe keeps borrowing more and more because hey - it's almost fricking free money! Let's make hay while the sun shines!! Last year's car - yuck - let's get a new one with ALL the options! Yes, I really really need 15 pairs of designer boots - baby it's cold outside! Make a meal for supper - why? when there are a hundred different restaurants out there struggling to keep afloat?? We're spending for the economy people!! We're patriotic!! We're STUPID!!!
I'm so embarrassed. I'm so disgusted. I'm so fed up.
Why don't people realize that when interest rates go back up..and they WILL go back up.. they won't be able to afford their payments?? Huh?? All of a sudden I don't feel so good...there's trouble ahead...the recession was nothing compared to what's coming...prepare yourself.
Tonight was one of those nights. I sat down hours ago to write my daily post. The computer would not do what I wanted it to do and being computer illiterate I couldn't figure out how to make it WORK!!
(moments are passing as I pause to deep breathe...)
Ok...moving on.
Today was a day of making a chart for this week, day by day, and filling in all of the things I need to accomplish for school and for home. This is a hectic week with lots going on and having a list that I can look at every 5 minutes is the only way I can maintain my calm exterior (you don't want to know about the interior!).
So today at work I:
met with autism specialists in the a.m. regarding one of my students
set up two envelopes to collect $$ - one for one of my EAs who just had surgery and one for one of my students who was put into foster care last Friday:(
ordered the flower arrangement for my EA and arranged delivery with another staff member
prepared a letter to parents about all the events this week and sent it home with each student
organized all of our poptabs for the breakfast challenge (the classroom that collects the most wins a free breakfast - we have won several times)
called a parent regarding one of my students who said he was kicked out of his house (not true)
met with my dep't head
organized myself for a meeting after school tomorrow
met with 2 students regarding a Best Buddies fundraiser they're planning
met with EAs after school
Then after work I:
shopped for paper plates and table cloths for the Best Buddies breakfast we're hosting Friday morning
bought all of my stocking stuffers for Michael and Kazi (yay!!)
chatted briefly with Michael before he headed off to work
read the National Post
talked to Kazi about her exam today - it went well!
input my spends at spendingdiary.com -thanks for finding this site Maureen!
spent seemingly endless hours wrestling with my computer while also trying to eat my soup; soup is cold
Door from the dining room at Crofters Lane into laundry room
Tis the time of year to reflect on the highs and lows of the previous year and to begin to set goals, both personal and financial, for the coming year. The biggest high and low of 2010 for me was The Accident. Admittedly, it is hard to comprehend how a car accident involving my darling dumpling of a daughter can be seen as a high point, but if we allow ourselves to stay open and analyze the various outcomes of a serious event it can alter our perceptions quite radically.
"When one door closes another door opens; but we so often look so long and so regretfully upon the closed door, that we do not see the ones which open for us." - Alexander Graham Bell
Crumpled Cobalt
Since the accident happened just over 7 weeks ago I have tended to focus on the ill effects it had on my daughter- the fractured wrist, the fear of driving and the possible police charge against her. I worried about the rising cost of insurance and the trouble and expense of finding a replacement car that stayed within our budget.
However, both Michael and I have noticed changes in Kazi - positive changes no doubt linked to the accident. She is at home so much more and she enters into family activities with enthusiasm and good humour. She chatters away to us both, opening up about things she is concerned about like issues in her boyfriend's family. She hugs us more, laughs with us more, hangs out with us so much that I feel our blended family has become a tighter, closer unit. The moodiness is gone, the one word answers have disappeared, the lack of involvement in household tasks vanished.
Today we were talking about how a family's "outside image" can be so much different than what it's really like behind closed doors. We reminisced about our many journeys across Canada during her Highland Dancing days and how much she appreciated me putting our wee family (her and I) first all these years. She's glad I wasn't solely career-driven like her boyfriend's mom and dad who don't get home til 8 or 9 each night and also work weekends. My career choice (teaching) allowed us to have the same schedules so we could always be together when the school day was complete. Our holiday schedules were the same too and we spent pretty much every spare minute together.
Now I feel like we're back to that point again. Instead of going our separate ways now that she's in university and has a job and we have completely different schedules we're as close as we ever were. With all my heart I am so appreciative of our close bond. I have shed many a tear over the past few years as she gradually freed herself from my apron strings and launched herself into the great big world. I knew (from my own experience) that she would inevitably find her way back to me but didn't anticipate it happening like this and so soon.
Michael has commented on the change in her - in his life coach lingo he feels something has shifted in her, he feels more accepted by her and that consciously or unconsciously she has opened up and expanded her thought patterns.
We all face many tragedies and challenges in our own lives and in the lives of those we love most. In addition to focussing on the immediate and concrete outcomes (injury, arguments, jailtime, bankruptcy, grief, loss) we need to, if we can, be open to and aware of the less obvious and perhaps less tangible outcomes: have we stopped doing things we love, like writing, are we avoiding certain people, do we feel shame or anger or even hate, is there an underlying sadness or depression or do we feel more motivated, determined, revitalized, reborn, enlightened, encouraged, more alive, closer to our loved ones or those in our community, what opportunities are there for us to learn from, what have we learned about ourselves or those involved in the serious incident or situation? Is there a way we can change a negative situation into a positive one and what would it mean to us to do that, what would it take? Do we tend to fight or to flee when the chips are down? Why?
I don't have the answers but I have lots of questions. I'm grateful that while Kazi was knocked down she wasn't defeated. I don't know if she's aware of the changes inside her but I want to have that conversation. Next weekend is our trip away and we will have the opportunity to continue to build and grow our relationship. I look forward to that.
What challenge or serious situation has influenced or changed the way you think or look at a particular area of your life?
Yes, the picture in my header is of my patio fence - for a while I was worried that all HOPE would be lost but thankfully the snow finally stopped...well, except for that Alberta Clipper that passed through yesterday, but the good news is that we're not supposed to get any more snow until well, tomorrow, but it COULD BE RAIN instead. Who knows anymore??
So the good news of being snowed in is that I didn't spend any money after that extravagent meal last Saturday night until last night's doubleheader at the movies. (PS - the meal included a bottle of wine that Michael and I shared as well as appetizers and dessert - the whole nine yards!)(PPS - I still had the $20 bill left after last weekend and popped it into the Crofters Lane Jar this morning:) The movies we saw yesterday (the first was a half-price matinee) were Love and Other Drugs (involves a girl with Parkinson's which my mother had so I did shed a tear or two - it was SUCH a good movie); and the just released The Tourist with Johnny Depp (whom you know I adore) and Angelina Jolie who is equally talented - I was so happy to see that Johnny Depp was able to be "himself" in the movie - his fans will know what I mean:)
News Beat:
The good news is that I recouped all that I spent last weekend (dinner and purchases at Talize, a used clothing store) by way of an under budget cell bill (saved $16), an under budget utility bill ($13), reduced line of credit interest charge due to extra $2500 payment in Nov. ($4), reduced car insurance bill ($5), a transfer from my Christmas account at ING ($180) and a $100 HST cheque!! So my misc. spending budget is only $2 less than what I started the month with - talk about a Christmas miracle!!
However, (isn't there always a however:) from the misc. budget I must cover the following: a few items at the grocery store to make the quesadillas for tonight's Mexican themed potluck, yeah, I know, Mexican food for a Christmas party...I guess it will help to heat things up yuck yuck!!; wine for tonight (and a few other nights:); stocking gifts for Kazi and Michael, a gift for Michael, a gift for my godson, and for taking our neighbour to Swiss Chalet to thank her for everything she does for us throughout the year. She's a single lady in her 60's, retired, and thinks of Kazi as a granddaughter, which is wonderful for Kazi as she has no living grandparents. I will also have to pay for the movie Kazi and I plan to see in Toronto (the next in the Narnia series - The Voyage of the Dawntreader), entrance to the Royal Ontario Museum and any shopping I might do at the Eaton Centre, and it will help to cover those items I have forgotten about like my eye exam ($80) which only pops up once every two years and just happens to land on Dec. 20th this year:(
That sounds like I have to stretch my $$ a very long ways but I'm still hoping for a few more things to come in under budget such as gas for the car. I still have $125 in that budget so will likely have $100 remaining by next Wed. when I get paid again. I will add that $100 to my misc. spending plus any other under budget amounts. Usually I use that money to pay down debt or bump up a savings account but not this month.
I'll start fresh again in January with a new budget and new goals. I can't make the new budget yet because I don't know how much my paycheques will be. My paycheques will go down by at least $300 a month because Canada Pension deductions will start up again. My paycheques for Sept. Oct. Nov. and Dec. are much higher every year because a) that's when my raise kicks in each year and b) my yearly contributions to Canada Pension plan are all paid up. It's really nice to have that extra $$ before Christmas but I get used to it and then it's hard to go back to a smaller paycheque in January.
Oh well, who doesn't like a challenge?
Heartbeat:
I am leaving you with a humorous video I found today on youtube. There was a song I really liked in the Love and Other Drugs movie and I managed to find it this morning. I just put it on my iPod so I can play it for my friends tonight at our party. The movie had quite an effect on me because of the relationship problems experienced by the lead actors: she has early onset Parkinson's and he has never had a committed relationship before - not even with his family. It made me appreciate so much "loving and being loved".
I think this song really represents that joy we find being in relationship with each other not only because of the song and its lyrics but because of the group of people in this video. I love the joyful abandon this group of friends display in the middle of a mall. And you just have to really believe that this guy has amazing, supportive friends:) You will laugh but you will also feel their joy!
Just a quickie post before my staff and students arrive (I've got about 10 more minutes of peace:). Thank you to all the responders about legitimate surveys; I'm posting a list so those who want to investigate further can do so. I am definitely going to check some out myself - in fact I already joined Opinion Outpost (thanks 444!)
You Gov. (in the UK, not sure if elsewhere?)
Opinion Outpost (Canada and U.S.)
Pinecone Research
Survey Savvy
Angus Reid Forum Global Test Market (is that all one company?)
Global Test Market
Netpanel Surveys
Toluna
Web Perspectives
Ipsos Reid
Swagbucks - to us at Amazon
These are survey sites that readers have used and received $$ either in the form of a cheque or directly into their paypal account so therefore deemed NOT a scam:) Let me know if you join any of these sites and how they are working for you!
Thanks again dear readers - it's so gratifying to be able to pop a question out there and received such a fast, informed response. You're the best!!
Happy Friday already!! Gee, I could get used to a two day work week lol!
So I notice some folks get paid for doing online surveys. Is this for real? It's not a scam??
I've only checked into it a little bit and when I try to go to a website that pays you for filling in a survey to "join" I get a message from my computer saying not to open the site because of spyware etc attached to the site.
So folks, what's legit out there and what's not? There seems to be endless numbers of these sites to make a quick and easy buck but I'm not sure of what I'm getting into, or what I'm getting my computer into...
A lot of folks have blogged about the "charity line" on their budgets lately. As it is the season which emphasizes "giving" I thought I'd tell you a little about what I do. First, however, I must confess that although a staunch Anglican (but working for the Catholic Schoolboard tee hee) I have stopped going to church. It had become such a chore (way too many committees) and such a hotbed of gossip that I just had to give myself a break. To me "church" should be a place of peace and community but it had become ALL about fundraising to stay afloat and people had divided into various competing factions and there was no longer any JOY. So instead, being the "druidess" that I think I am I have turned to nature instead to find my JOY. One of the things I had to think seriously about once I cancelled my monthly "givings" to the church was what to do with my charitable dollars.
While searching the internet for likely causes to support I was overwhelmed by the numbers of registered charities. I had to narrow down my search and decided to concentrate on women and children. I have read that women in developing countries, especially in African nations, will use $$ given to them more wisely than men. The women will use it to feed and educate their children while the man of the family, if indeed he is still with his family, tends to drink/gamble it away. So I came across Kiva, a microfinancing organization and coincidentally one of Oprah's "favourite things" for 2010.
So far in the past year I have made 14 $25.00 loans, mostly to women in Africa. The $$ goes to help them in a small cottage industry and usually I get paid back in full. Then I reloan the money out again. I try to average one new loan each month. Also, last year on the anniversary of my mother's birthday I gave a $25.00 Kiva gift card to each of my 4 siblings so they could experience the joy of picking a deserving person to help with their business. Its so much more worthwhile I feel to help someone develop a self-sustaining business than to just give $$ away.
My Impact:
Number of Loans Made 14
Number of Kiva Cards Given 4
*Updated as of Dec 08, 2010 12:12 am
The other charity I support on a monthly basis is the World Food Programme. I have set up a monthly withdrawal of $100.00 from my account and I have chosen to have it distributed to wherever it is needed the most. My money has gone to support the people of Pakistan who were devastated by the huge flood and to Haiti and Afghanistan.
I chose the World Food Programme because they are among the "first responders" to any emergency in the world. When the earthquake hit Haiti WFP workers were on the ground dispersing food and water within 24 hours. I decided I want my $$ to have an immediate impact as well as a long-lasting impact (Kiva).
There are many other charities I support also with one-time donations, but these are the main two. I wanted to share them with you in case you are undecided as to where to direct your charitable dollars. These are two that I feel very strongly about. Every little bit counts.
There are also many places online you can go to and "click" for charities and it costs absolutely nothing at all, but a little of your time. One site I have my students go to on a regular basis is http://www.freerice.com/. By playing games (all subject related like math and english) they win "grains of rice" which is donated to where it is needed most. It's one of the best ideas EVER!!
If you go waaaaaaay down on my sidebar you will see widgits for my Kiva loans, World Food Programme and Free Rice in case you want to explore them further.
There - I never mentioned the weather even once....oops!
