one step forward, two steps back

It’s been a while since I’ve updated this blog, even though money is at the top of my mind each and every day.  I also need to take some time to update my tickers, they’re sadly out of date as well.

Regardless, here’s an update:

Saving:

Got into a car accident last month forcing us to get a new car.  We’re saving $100 a month on our lease payments.

Continue to work for my appliance friend and the mystery shop company.  Cash in is minimal, but something is better than nothing. +$143.

Spending:

Owe one sister $220ish dollars for concert tickets.  Totally worth it though, the three of us (sisters) are taking our mom to see Tina Turner in concert as her mother’s day gift this year.

Finally bought a new closet system so my clothes are no longer on the closet floor, on the bookshelf, hanging off the closet door, hanging off the end of my bed, trapped under the remnants of my fallen down closet shelf stashed everywhere.  ~$180.

Going forward:

Negotiated a rate of $30 per visit each time I help my appliance friend with his paperwork

Have 3 more mystery shops scheduled for this week at $10 each. +$30

Seriously in need of new clothes. -$300ish

virgo

Money can’t buy virtues like love, wisdom, intelligence or creativity. These all ultimately count for far more. Even so, rich as you are in this area you wouldn’t refuse a little upturn in your economic outlook, and Venus now promises just that.

Courtesy of The Toronto Star.

virgo

You are being shown a solution that so far, you have been unable to comprehend. Though the implementation of this solution requires courage, willpower and perhaps even a temporary sacrifice, you will see how it makes sense.

courtesy of The Toronto Star

bye bye student loan

So I called the bank today to cash in some of my RRSPs.  After the giant chunk of tax was taken out, I now have enough money to get my chequing account out of overdraft (it’s just over -$600) and pay off my student loan (finally!!) which is $1991.12.

That will save me $237.82 per month (my monthly student loan payment) and will save me about $100 in student loan interest this year.

Now I’ll have to wait until I get home from work today to figure out which credit card I can pay off with the remaining RRSP money.

never thought i’d have 3 jobs…ever

Not that I count random mystery shops as a job, but when you do something for money, that counts as a job right?

Anyways, so now I have my full time admin job with a salary and benefits, I have my occasional mystery shop job where I make tiny amounts of cash in exchange for my evaluation of my shopping experiences (free movies too so far, a good deal).

And now, I’ll be working nights and weekends (hopefully only a few days a week) to help a friend of the man at his appliance store.  He runs his own business but the only thing that’s working well is the fact that he fixes, refurbishes and sells appliances.  The woman running his office doesn’t even seem qualified to run a deep fryer.  so with my amazing organizational skills I have agreed to help him organize his office, files, finances etc. so that he doesn’t go out of business because his bills didn’t get paid.  I mean, the poor guy doesn’t even know how much money he’s bringing in, never mind how much money is going out.

In any case he’s willing to pay me cash, and I can name my price.

I start on Tuesday.

Insurance rebate (never thought I’d see the day)

Apparently my insurance company owed me some money from when I cancelled my renter’s appartment insurance (now that mom’s home insurance covers all our crap).

Got a cheque in the mail for $45.99.  Have put it towards my Sims game and my new closet.  (That’s right, games before clothes.  I’ve got my priorities straight).

Airmiles = new clothes

Cashed in 191 Air Miles for a $20 Reitmans Gift Card.  Gonna use it to buy new jeans.

secret shopper

I’ve signed up to be a secret shopper.  So far I have earned $5 and gotten 2 free movie rentals.

(of course i won’t get reimbursed for them until next month sometime, but something is better than nothing)

Last ditch effort before the boat sinks

So it’s official.  I’m broke.

Here’s how it went down.

Got around to talking to the man this morning about cashing in my RRSP’s ($12,000 minus the taxes we’d have to pay on the withdrawal) to pay down a couple of our high interest credit cards (Mappins for wedding & engagement rings – aprox $5000, Sears for honeymoon - $6000).  Called the bank today to see if I could cash in my RRSP’s and spoke with a lady who suggested instead that since I’m past my probation period at my new job, that I might qualify to renegotiate my bank loan to consolidate the rest of my debt into one payment.  Spoke with a specialist who crunched the numbers and (no surprise) it’s not going to happen.  He said that I’d have to pay down aprox $20,000 of my debt in order to qualify for another consolidation loan.  Never mind that my current bank loan is $20 grand and if I could pay that much money off, I wouldn’t need a consolidation loan, but whatever.

So now we’re back to square one.  I’m waiting for the phone banking lady to call me back to see if I can cash my RRSP’s in over the phone, or if they are locked in and I’ll have to beg them to let me try to cash them in in person.

pennies

Been stealing the pennies off my husband’s side table at the end of each day.

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Whatever it takes to add to the piggy bank right?