Girl Makes Cents

Lemon of a Day

2012-01-23T14:07:00.000-05:00

I received that phone call from the principal today. Didn't even get to have an interview. He said there were too many candidates that had more skills and experience. This whole lack of teaching thing is really getting me down lately.

I decided to apply for the other board in my area as well again today. Spent some time updating everything on applytoeducation and called the HR lady. She said their supply list is full. The only way to have them look at your application once the supply list actually does open again is to have a reference from a principal in the board. I have a principal's reference but not within THAT board.

Do I take time off from potential jobs in my board in order to volunteer with the other school board to hopefully get a principal's reference in order to hopefully get a supply position if they decide to hire again? Is it even worth it?

There are days when I just want to leave the profession completely. It's what I want to do so badly but I can't wait another 3-4 years in this same position.

Potential Interview!!!!!

2012-01-20T23:52:00.000-05:00

Ahhhh I am so excited. I am trying to stay calm and cool about it though.

On Monday I did not teach. No calls in, grrr. BUT I went to the grocery store and ran into a fellow supply teacher. We chatted for a bit and she mentioned that a job was posted for an elementary position somewhat near us (40 minute drive). She asked if I had applied for it yet, no I hadn't.

Anyway then Tuesday arrives and I end up teaching at that same elementary school. I was texting D on the lunch break in the staff room and the principal comes up behind me. I felt so dumb, okay it was my free time texting but still I think it looks so unprofessional. Anyway he asks me what my qualifications are and a few questions about MAC computers. I answer and then he asks if I have applied for the job he recently posted. I mention that I have not but I plan on doing so.

That night I update everything and apply. I get called to that same school on Wednesday afternoon but didn't get the chance to let the principal know that I had applied for the position. Oh well, another lost application I thought.

Until TODAY!!! I go to my parent's house at lunch and my mom is yelling at me to listen to the answering machine. It's the principal telling me to call him because he has some preliminary questions to ask me.

AHHHHHHH!!!!! We both start yelling and then I get super nervous. I end up finally getting through to him after school today and he asks me some more questions about qualifications and whether I have taught certain subjects. I answer and then he says that he will contact me on Monday to see whether I have enough qualifications to grant me an interview on Tuesday. He will let me know either way on Monday about the interview.

AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!! So excited!!!!

So then I go to work at the restaurant job today and my first table is a couple....the guy is wearing a shirt with the name of the school I applied to on it. Okay the school shares its name with a sports team but still. I took it as a sign....WOO!!!

Trying not to get my hopes up, will keep you updated either way as well.

Furniture Lust and More Bad Management

2012-01-16T12:01:00.000-05:00

I am sort of in love with a living room set from Leon's. It's not on sale though and with the sofa, love seat and chair it's $1200. Not horrible but it's not needed. We HAVE all of those things. They are just mix-matched and completely ugly!

I bought curtains for our place yesterday. However D didn't like the colour I chose. So we are going to put them in the spare room and I will go back and get some more curtains and rods today. Hopefully in a more suiting colour.

My friend and her boyfriend came over on Saturday for dinner. D and I had made chili, it was so delicious! Then yesterday I worked. Worked for 4 hours and only had one table!! It was extremely boring, but I suppose that is January for you! I went back for a dinner shift and had three tables all of whom were good tippers so it was worth it.

Want to hear another bad management story?? Well this happened maybe a week and a half ago, the manager is also the bartender. Anyway there was a couple sitting at the bar and he poured them the drinks that they ordered. They then decided to sit at a table in my section. So my manager lets me know this and tells me that he has not rang in the drinks he served them and tells me what they are so I can do so. I ring them in right away and then a couple of minutes later I see that the exact drinks he asked me to ring in were sitting at the bar. Oops, so I go over and say that I didn't need them that they were the drinks he just asked me to put in the computer. He gets mad and says, "you are supposed to write DON'T MAKE when you ring them in." I apologize and say I didn't know. He then replies and says, "and YOU educate children??" It just was uncalled for, what a jerk!

Off To A Good Start With Saving!

2012-01-12T16:39:00.000-05:00

Already starting to save this year! As I mentioned earlier, I didn't get to much saving in December. Time slipped away from me. So I did have some extra money laying around. Here's what I have done so far with it:
$800 to TFSA
$300 to Christmas
$200 to Camera/Furniture Fund
$200 to RRSP
$100 to Travel Fund

Also I think I am going to have to change one of my goals. I had originally said that I want to add $4500 to my TFSA, but forgot that I had another $1000 in that jump-start TFSA, so I really only have $3500 of contribution room....and now $2700! Definitely doable....Although I plan on taking a big chunk OUT of this likely in the spring to buy a car.

I've been teaching everyday this week so hopefully in February (when I actually receive the paycheque for this work) I will be able to do some more saving! It makes me excited haha.

12 Goals For 2012

2012-01-05T07:34:00.001-05:00

1. Add $4500 to my TFSA. I jump started my maxed out TFSA at the end of 2011, so I only have $4500 of contribution room. It's okay if I take money from this account this year as well. I plan to buy a car with what I have saved, but I want to still put away $4500.

2. Add $1200 to retirement. I managed to save $1500 last year but with renting an apartment money is going to be a lot tighter in 2012.

3. Have $800 saved up for Christmas. I currently have $200 since I did not withdraw all of what I had saved for Christmas 2011.

4. Add at least $500 to a Camera fund. This fund may turn into a furniture or house fund as well.

5. Add at least $500 to my Travel Fund. No trips are planned for 2012, but I would love to have more saved for when we do plan a vacation.

6. Make an additional $4024. Double $2012! This is aside from teaching. This was easy to do last year since I took on a couple of summer jobs. I don't see this one being a problem.

7. Read at least 10 novels. I think I read 11 novels in 2011. I met my goal but just barely. Time definitely gets in the way but I have a big list of books I want to read so 10 should be doable.

8. Take another ASL course! I love the language and even though my grandpa won't see my progress I still think of him everytime I sign.

9. Stretch and strengthen. I was able to maintain my weight in 2011, but I really did not tone up at all, I hardly stretched either. I want to be more flexible and stronger by the end of 2012. My goal is to do push-ups and sit-ups until I can't do anymore and stretch daily.

10. Do a crafty project. This has to be a major thing too, not just a pillowcase or a picture. I got a sewing machine for Christmas so I really have no excuses.

11. Try 24 new recipes. This is only 2 per month. I often resort back to old recipes I already know, but will make an effort to break out the cookbooks more often and try something different.

12. Take a class. This could be anything! A fitness class, something educational. We will see what comes up!

Spending in 2011

2012-01-04T07:43:00.000-05:00

I think it's neat to see the trends in spending over the year. I tracked all my expenditures this year!

I ended up saving more than I spent :) :) My biggest expense was "Gas and Car" I spent $425 on car needs and the rest on gas. The biggest driving month being September.

The second highest category and not far off was labelled "Everything Else" this includes things I buy for the house, alcohol, things for myself (other than clothing), electronics.

My lowest spending category was "Education" with just $505 spent there, mostly on Sign Language courses, although I did take a Smart Serve and Boating course as well.

I spent $1310 on Gifts throughout the year. I am okay with this.

$1719 on Clothing. Yikes, how does this happen? I had a big shopping trip in April, I also bought some footwear. Wow clothing can sure add up fast. I want this to be a smaller amount for next year. Buying only items I love or need.

$1205 went to Personal Items. This was mostly haircuts and prescriptions. I really wish I had a drug plan. I am okay with this amount as well.

$813 was spent on my phone. This includes monthly bills and the upgrade I did to get a new HTC smartphone.

Restaurant spending was $986, and Food spending was $989. I expect restaurant spending to go down and food spending to go way up for next year. I did spend a lot on restaurant food in the summer months when I was serving and working late hours. I would often buy food from the restaurant or on my way home after a late day.

Now let's talk about the savings!!

Just over $10,000 was saved into my TFSA last year! This was allowed since I had a lot of contribution room to make up for. I am very pleased with this!

I managed to save $800 into Christmas savings and used $600 of it in December.

What started as a computer fund, I saved $3100. I removed $500 to buy a computer so now have $2600 sitting there for what I may end up spending on a camera.

I saved $2000 into RRSPs! Finally getting a start with those.

Also $1500 went toward a Travel Fund. Maybe 2012 holds some travelling plans?

My Emergency Fund is just my regular bank account so that I have easy access to it if needed. Last year I kept it up to $1500. This year my plan is to keep it at a minimum of $2500.

I am pleased with the way 2012 went. I think several of my funds will end up being depleted this year for some big purchases but I also hope to save quite a bit as well. I think this spring I will begin looking for a new-to-me car which is going to drain my TFSA but that was the plan all along. I hope 2012 is another good financial year!!

December Spending

2012-01-03T07:23:00.000-05:00

December was another busy month. We had three family Christmases, a few parties with friends, lots of baking and working! New Years with D was great and I am looking forward to 2012! Here is how I did for December...

Rent ACTUAL: 15%
Hydro 2%
Car and Gas (15%) ACTUAL: 8%
Phone (4%) ACTUAL: 3%
Food (4%) ACTUAL: 9%
Restaurant (4%) ACTUAL: 1%
Personal/Medical (6%) ACTUAL 7% Haircut and highlights
Clothing (5%) ACTUAL: 7%
Gifts (2%) ACTUAL 31% Yikes!!! This was for Christmas though. Spent $701, this was completely saved for during the year though.
Education (2%) ACTUAL 0%
Entertainment (4%) ACTUAL 3%
Everything Else (3%) ACTUAL: 11% I bought some books and games for myself. The big purchase was a new curling iron.

TOTAL (48%) ACTUAL 97% Woahhhh! That is mainly due to Christmas though.

TFSA (35%) ACTUAL: 0%
Christmas (5%) ACTUAL: 0% Took out money from this category
Computer (3%) ACTUAL: 0%
RRSP (6%) ACTUAL: 0%
Travel Fund (3%) ACTUAL: 0%

TOTAL (52%) ACTUAL 0% That was bad of me. I have a bunch sitting in my bank account that should have been transferred to savings. Will do that this month instead now!

We STILL haven't received an internet bill! Not sure what is going on there, we had it set up in EARLY November. Laundry is going to be another expense now. I am planning on redoing my tracking sheets to now include rent, hydro etc with a budget for them as well. I hope January is a good month, I don't have any major plans so hopefully expenses will be low and I can save as much as I can.

Laundry Issues

2012-01-02T06:18:00.001-05:00

When we moved into this apartment our landlord (it's a husband/wife team) said that he would install laundry in our apartment. Awesome. But he got to looking at it and it would be really difficult to put it directly into our apartment. He asked if it would be alright if he could install laundry next door and give us access to it for free. I said that would be fine. It would actually be less expensive to us since we wouldn't be paying the hydro on it. He said it would be installed mid-December.

The landlady e-mails me a bit after we move in saying that laundry would be installed next door and that we would have to pay $4 per load and it would be based on the honour system, we would pay them cash for the amount we used at the beginning of every month. I e-mailed her back saying this was different from what her husband was saying earlier. She checked in with him and apologized but mentioned that we would still be charged if the water usage was too high.

So mid-December rolls around and I e-mail them asking when we can expect to have laundry. She says she will drop us off a key. Great...except once she does I check the place and it's a coin laundry shared with 5 other apartments. I e-mail her back saying I thought we had agreed laundry would be free to us for one year. She replies saying things like, "as you may recall we gave you a brand new out of the box stove and fridge, as well as completely renovated your bathroom." I appreciated all of those things but never asked for or expected them. She goes on to say that laundry will be installed at their schedule and at their expense and if we choose not to use the laundry facilities that they provided that we can simply return the key to her.

Ugh. Extremely frustrating since I have been doing laundry at the laundromat in town which is inconvenient and I was hoping we would have access to free laundry soon. I haven't replied to her yet and am not too sure as to how to respond. D thinks they are never going to install laundry for us. I want to ask when we can expect it to be installed but don't know if I should respond at all. Her husband is way nicer to deal with. Any ideas on how to reply?

I'm Still Here

2012-01-01T20:18:00.000-05:00

I've been such a bad blogger. Sometimes life gets in the way. I hope to do more in 2012 though! Anyway I will do a quick update and hopefully post more soon.

Christmas was amazing! D and I went to my parents on Christmas Eve morning. We had my family Christmas then. My big gift was a sewing machine! I hope to do more sewing in 2012, and finish some projects I still have to complete.

I worked Christmas Eve night and then D and I headed to Niagara region. We got in at 2am Christmas morning!! When we woke up we had Christmas with his sister, brother-in-law and parents. We were spoiled there again! Then we had Christmas with the rest of his extended family. It was really nice.

On boxing day we headed to Oshawa to have our final Christmas with my dad's side of the family. It was nice too getting to see my cousins I only see a couple of times each year.

The rest of the holidays were spent working, spending time with D, and with friends. For new years D and I had a couple of friends over and chatted. We watched the ball drop in Times Square online. I think 2012 is going to be a good year. I hope you enjoyed your new years!!

Christmas Gifts

2011-12-19T14:01:00.000-05:00

I still have a lot of shopping left to do! Why did I procrastinate this year??

D and I both have two days off this week so hopefully we can do some shopping together then. Especially shopping for parents and siblings. I bought D one thing so far, it was a board game that we have played with his sister and brother-in-law that we both like. He suggested the other day that maybe we should get our own copy. So I bought it and an expansion pack. It's called Settlers Of Catan. It's really cool, but ended up being $101 for both games.

I bought both of my roommates gifts and visited them this weekend. It was such a fun time. I forgot to pick up one of the gifts from one friend. The other roommate gave me a sewing bag, a card game called Dutch Blitz, a Christmas ornament, and some chocolate.

THANK YOU so much to my Secret Santa who turned out to be Annabelle gave me a book called Before I Go To Sleep which I am excited to start reading once I complete my current book, "The Half Blood Blues."

My brother came over on Friday and dropped me off the first part of my Christmas gift which he said was "time-sensitive." It turned out to be a bunch of Christmas themed baking items. A Christmas cake stand, a gingerbread flipper, Christmas cookie cutters, and some Christmas sprinkles. I look forward to some baking soon!

Speaking of baking, I made shortbread cookies, gingersnaps, and peanut butter butterscotch marshmallow squares on Friday. I had earlier done my nails...after I completed the squares I noticed that one of my nails was missing. I looked everywhere for it, but it MAY have ended up in the squares. I couldn't see it but didn't want to risk taking it to the party and have someone bite into a sticker nail! Ugh.

We have our Christmas tree up now. We picked it out last Sunday and chopped it down. It's all decorated in blue and silver balls. I put a star on the top which looked really nice for a couple of days but then it flopped over and turned into a falling star. We both haven't fixed it since it makes me laugh looking at it. Eventually we will trim it and fix it though.

Because we have so many Christmases to go to this year and travelling to do I suggested we do a small family Christmas on Christmas Eve instead since we were going to be travelling to the Niagara region for Christmas this year. My parents were good with that. I booked the time off work, and received the new schedule on Saturday. They booked me in and pretty much every other server. I asked if I could request to be one of the first people cut that day since I was supposed to be having Christmas with my family then, and the manager turned angry but said she would consider it. I spoke with my parents today and we are going to do a lunch Christmas together and then I can work and we can leave for Niagara afterward.

I am beginning to think of my new years goals for 2012. What are your new years resolutions/goals?

November Spending!

2011-12-07T19:38:00.000-05:00

Wow, November was a crazy month. Hence the lack of postings. I hope to do more in the new year since I think December will be a bit crazy as well. D and I moved in together in November! I started a new serving job. With moving in came a lot of immediate expenses and things we needed to purchase for the apartment.

Rent ACTUAL: 13%
Car and Gas (15%) ACTUAL: 4%
Phone (4%) ACTUAL: 2%
Food (4%) ACTUAL: 10%
Restaurant (4%) ACTUAL: 4%
Personal/Medical (6%) ACTUAL 2% Prescription
Clothing (5%) ACTUAL: 4%
Gifts (2%) ACTUAL 1%
Education (2%) ACTUAL 0%
Entertainment (4%) ACTUAL 3%
Everything Else (3%) ACTUAL: 23% Ah!! I bought a dining table and chairs, and then some stuff for the apartment. Toaster, garbage cans, some kitchen items, Christmas tree decorations.

TOTAL (48%) ACTUAL 66%!! Ouch...

TFSA (35%) ACTUAL: 17%
Christmas (5%) ACTUAL: 0% Done with this category now
Computer (3%) ACTUAL: 0%
RRSP (6%) ACTUAL: 0%
Travel Fund (3%) ACTUAL: 0%

TOTAL (52%) ACTUAL 17% Glad I was able to manage some...

We haven't even paid our first hydro or internet bill yet! I am curious to see what those will be like... For December I hope to keep spending to a minimum, except for Christmas gifts. I have saved $800 for Christmas. I hope to keep my spending around that, if not lower. I have very few ideas for people though so it might be a little hectic Christmas shopping this year!

New Canadian Bills

2011-11-30T07:07:00.000-05:00

Have you seen the new bills yet? I didn't even know they were making new ones. They are PLASTIC, and transparent. I saw a $100 bill the other day at work. I like them! What do you think?

Losing Money

2011-11-29T11:01:00.000-05:00

Glad I worked nearly everyday this summer. I have not been getting enough work this year teaching. It's been a slow start and a lot slower than previous years. Doesn't help that today is a snow-day and my job was cancelled. As much as I am disliking parts of my serving job it's really helping financially. Along with what I was able to save from this summer.

Updates there. I have added an additional $1000 to my EF. I thought living on my own I should increase it just in case. So it's at $2500, it's actually at $3000 but I am giving myself some leeway to go a bit above and below.

My serving job made me really upset on Saturday. I had a pretty good day, people were nice. Although I did get one no-tip. When a person does not tip. That means I OWE the kitchen, plus I'm already making under provincial minimum wage so it kind of sucks. Anyway overall that day I was doing alright. Then I get a group of 15....15 fifteen year olds. All worked out they all wanted separate bills which takes forever to process. Kids are leaving as I am processing payments. I assume they left money on the table. Most did....two did not. One was just a pop, and $2, the other was a big order and $37. They just left. I didn't know what to do in this situation and asked my manager. She said I was going to have to pay.

Other kids at the same table left no tip, so my tips I did earn throughout the day also went to paying the kitchen staff, then with two non-payments I made no money that day. It sucked. It made me so angry that people would actually do that. Sunday night my manager said that she is going to try to contact one of the kids who she knows that was at that table, and if the person doesn't end up paying she will give me half of my money back. Still sucks that I have to pay anything for someone else skipping on their bill. Ugh!

Christmas Is Coming!!

2011-11-28T11:39:00.000-05:00

I have saved for Christmas. Hopefully enough! I saved $800. I was hoping earlier this year that I wouldn't even spend that full amount but it all depends really. I really need to get some shopping done though!!

My mom mentioned to me about a week or so ago that my dad would be interested in an ipod touch for Christmas. She said she knows it's a big item so if the three of us kids wanted to split on it that we could get it for both of them to share and that would be more than enough.

I thought that it would be a good idea for my dad, but we could get something else for my mom. I texted my brothers about it. The first one replied saying he's in. It would be about $75 each. The other one wouldn't respond to me. Then Friday we went out for my dad's birthday and went back to their house for some drinks. They went to visit the neighbour and my brother came by and showed me that he bought them an ipad!

It was a Black Friday sale. It was $460. He said he is cool with us still paying $75 toward it or we can do whatever really. I think they will be pretty impressed with it.

I do not know what to get the other members of my family, or D, or D's family. I just need to get out there and start looking or getting hints on what they want. I don't even know what is on my own list!

Updates

2011-11-16T15:04:00.000-05:00

Since moving in things have been pretty good. We picked up a table and chairs on Saturday and put it together. Went to my aunts for supper then my friend and her boyfriend came over. It was nice. They brought a candle as a housewarming gift which was nice.

D's parents came over this weekend bringing plants and muffins mmm!!

We saw Puss in Boots on Monday. Nice to have a date night! Last night we watched a war movie, we meant to on Friday for Remembrance day but lacked time.

D's been keeping up with the dishes which is good. The place is growing on me more and more. We need skinny nightstands since the space where our bed is doesn't leave much room for nightstands. We want to make a TV stand and a kitchen hutch type of thing with a drawer since there are NO drawers in the kitchen. We have our cutlery in a cupboard right now haha.

D bought a swiffer vacuum yesterday. It's funny the things you get excited about now. It's fun to use though.

My mom and the dog came over for a visit last night. She helped me put up our first curtain. We have almost 11 ft ceilings here so it was tricky with no ladder!!

I'm not too sure about my new serving job. I asked for 4 Monday evenings off to take my ASL class, and I asked for this weekend off to see D's sister's show 2 weeks in advance in a book where you book time off. The manager scheduled me to work everyday that I asked off. I asked around and was able to get all my shifts switched and asked the manager about it. She was NOT IMPRESSED. She said she expects us to work the days we are scheduled, and she can easily just hire someone else if we're going to always switch our shifts. She did it for me this week but said I can't be expecting her to do it again. Ugh. I might just quit if they have an issue with it. They are NOT nice there. The other manager was so rude when he asked what ASL meant, showing me the middle finger when I told him about it, saying he knows sign language too.

I got my $1100 last week! Finally. I haven't put any money into savings this month, it's been a rough month with spending since there is a lot to spend when first starting out. And Christmas is next month!! NEED TO START CHRISTMAS SHOPPING!!!!

We're Moved In!!

2011-11-08T08:30:00.000-05:00

Almost...there are still a few more things I would like to get from my parents. D is completely moved in and he actually has a few things he might want to RETURN to his parents. He has a lot of sports equipment here and it takes up a ton of space.

I have done two grocery shopping trips. It's a lot to buy when you first move in. We are mostly set up now. We got internet on Saturday!

We need a few more things like CURTAINS, and extension cords but we can manage with the rest we have for now. I bought a toaster yesterday and D got a love seat from his friend from work. I bought a dining table and chairs that we will pick up on Saturday. Nothing is pretty or matches but that's alright. It's fun to live with him.

Work has been going okay. I liked the other restaurant more, it was more organized for a server but in time I will get this one too. I am done my training and have had one shift so far. I have another tonight and tomorrow night so hope they go well!

I am still missing $1100 from a one-on-one job I did this summer. It's frustrating! I have called a number of times, just left another message so hope something is worked out soon!

October Spending

2011-11-08T08:08:00.000-05:00

October was a really good month. I didn't end up spending very much...oh how I am going to miss those months!! We ended up finding an apartment, I finished my work at the summer restaurant and I got a new second job, and things have been going pretty well.

Car and Gas (15%) ACTUAL: 6% Oil and gas
Phone (4%) ACTUAL: 2%
Food (4%) ACTUAL: 1%
Restaurant (4%) ACTUAL: 4%
Personal/Medical (6%) ACTUAL 0%
Clothing (5%) ACTUAL: 0%
Gifts (2%) ACTUAL 1%
Education (2%) ACTUAL 0%
Entertainment (4%) ACTUAL 1% Wine!
Everything Else (3%) ACTUAL: 5% Wine glasses and some things for moving

TOTAL (48%) ACTUAL 19%!! I like it!!!

TFSA (35%) ACTUAL: 37% Same percent as last month! I have maxed out my TFSA so this is starting the KICK START TFSA through ING.
Christmas (5%) ACTUAL: 0% Done with this category now
Computer (3%) ACTUAL: 41% I'm thinking a camera? Maybe a sewing machine? Hmmm
RRSP (6%) ACTUAL: 0%
Travel Fund (3%) ACTUAL: 6%

TOTAL (52%) ACTUAL 78% Woo!!!

Goals for November will be just to keep spending to a minimum. I've done this post late and have already spent a bit on new apartment stuff. There is a lot to buy at first when getting a new apartment. D came with almost nothing! Savings will be minimal but I hope to up the EF just in case we have a high hydro month or something else unexpected comes up. It will be easier to plan once we have a few more bills come in to determine the average cost of hydro for this place.

Moving In

2011-11-03T07:34:00.000-04:00

It's a big process. We're lucky that we don't HAVE to move in just on the first. So we have been taking our time. Moving little things on the first. We moved some big things last night. We're pretty much done moving except for a few little things here and there, and all our clothes.

We are getting what we can from people so we have quite the assortment of furniture. Most I dislike but slipcovers will help. Some things we will just have to purchase. We have no dining room set or TV stand. I think I may look at the thrift store in the town next to us today as well as the re-store.

We had a good Halloween. I carved pumpkins with my cousin and her boyfriend. Then D and I handed out candy at my parents house with the dog. I bought a bunch of Halloween candy on sale yesterday!

We gave in all of the cheques yesterday. I ordered some free ones from ING since I don't have any since that fraud thing made me change my bank account. I am going to pay for internet and hydro and give him the difference from the rent. Rent is going to be $387.5 each.

New Job!

2011-10-27T20:35:00.000-04:00

I forgot to mention that I had an interview for a serving position on Monday. It was really casual but went well. It's for a Japanese restaurant. They make the best sushi I have ever had!!

Anyway the manager called me tonight and I got the job. I start training TOMORROW!!

Packing

2011-10-27T13:02:00.000-04:00

So I compromised with D and we are going with the one he liked better. It's not nearly as nice. It's an old historical building instead of the newly renovated one I liked. It's a bigger space but it's not nice. Like cheap cupboard doors, flourescent lighting, 70s laminate tile in the kitchen and bathroom. We will make it work though. No dishwasher. But the landlord threw in laundry for us.

However yesterday the other landlady (it's a married couple) said that we would be charged $4 per load on the honour system when her husband told us twice that it would be free. I emailed her back and she said today that in fact it would be free for the year. Lack of communication already, not too impressed.

I had to get a start on the hydro billing, transferring it to our name. D and I are going to look more into internet options in our area. I think the best option for us will be Bell which is about $45 per month with no contract.

I've started packing and I really don't mind it, I don't like moving or unpacking though ugh. Last night I bought a couple of storage containers to help with the packing and while at the store bought a couple kitchen items. Like wine glasses!! No longer drinking out of glass tumblers, we're going to be classy! I bought a jar opener because it's sooo beyond frustrating when I cannot open something and no one is around. It happens more often than it should. I bought a cheese grater since my parents sort of took over mine. And a small frying pan for the same reason.

I packed a bunch of stuff and went to storage and took out a bunch of things I will need that I had in there since I graduated university. While packing I got rid of a bunch of stuff I no longer need and clothes. Will donate the useful items to the Salvation Army here.

My parents said they plan to move into my room once I am out. I am leaving all of my teaching stuff here though which actually takes up MOST of my room. There is no need for it at the apartment since it will just take up space and I'm not teaching full-time.

There is no one living at the apartment so I asked if we could start moving some things over this weekend. I don't know if they will agree to it, but it doesn't hurt to ask! I hope to get some pictures up soon after we settle in.

Move In Date: November 1

2011-10-20T08:11:00.001-04:00

Ah, so last night was a bit of a crazy night.

My brother came over. He is the one that recently split with his girlfriend (of close to 10 years). She moved out of their apartment and he is left with a two bedroom, beautiful place with a $900 plus all utilities rent. He asked me if I was still looking for a place and I said yes and he said that I could move in for $400 plus half the utilities. He told me he already asked our brother who declined. He mentioned he's going to need a roommate pretty soon.

I feel bad for him. I would love to be able to help him out, but I honestly can't live with him anymore. He's an awesome guy but we butt heads too often, he is quite pessimistic about things, and has an opinion on everything and he can bug me like no one else! It just wouldn't work.

Besides D and I had a showing and were scheduled to drop off our application to that place I loved.

The place I loved is on the river, has a balcony, first floor, 1 bedroom, dishwasher, completely renovated and modern, in an apartment complex, has lots of storage (including a storage unit), and coin laundry.

The place we viewed was right in town. Parking was across the street, it had no appliances but he said they would be in by Nov 1st. There was coin laundry but he was going to install a washer and dryer in the unit, it is a heritage building above buisnesses. It's two bedroom.

What I don't like about the river unit is that it's a small kitchen. But it's just so modern looking with enough storage that I can look past that.

What I don't like about the in town building is that it's old (nothing modern about it), it wasn't clean, had no dishwasher, appliances weren't in the unit so we have no idea what we would be getting, it had florescent lighting, little counter space (even though the kitchen was bigger), and parking is across a busy street. A balcony would just be bonus.

D likes the in town building WAYYY better. I liked the river one WAYY better. We discussed it for over an hour. He likes the in town one more because he would have the space to hang his dirty work clothes. I was trying to describe how there would be space for it at the other place but he disagreed, and said it would be bad looking and smelly. He liked the idea of a separate room for it. Ugh. The other one would just make me happier!

I finally agreed that if it came down to it, that I would compromise and we could live in the town apartment but he would have to do all the dishes. The river one is ours if we want it, the in-town building is ours if a couple decides they don't want it tonight. We will know around 4:30 today. I hope that couple pulls through and decides to get it!!

Either way, we have a move-in date set for November 1st! Eeek!

Living On Less

2011-10-20T07:54:00.004-04:00

Got this from Serendipity!

Do you avoid a lot of the expenses that many of your peers spend money on, such as technology and meals out?

Sometimes. While in school I was quite frugal. This sort of just continued once I graduated and owed a lot of money. I have slowly allowed myself to spend some of my money though. I have bought some technology (DVD player, ipod touch, smartphone, laptop). I have also spent money on a vacation. However I do not have a house, a new car (mine is going on 13 years old) like many friends do. I have bought all of my items with cash though, and I know several friends have bought their luxury items on credit.

What's your typical meal?
Sandwiches are typical. I do like to make a nice meal once a week but this is going to change soon when I move in with D. I expect more nice meals, however they will need to still be relatively low budget.

What about clothes?
Love clothes. I do not live close to any malls though which is probably a good thing so I don't get to go shopping very often. We have few stores I would actually buy clothing at in my town. I go clothes shopping about two times a year.

What about going on dates?

D likes the more expensive dates. I am all about a home cooked meal and a movie online. He prefers things like scuba diving. We are going to be living together shortly though so we will have to come up with more ways to spend time together without spending a lot of money.

Do you indulge in any luxuries?
I was never this way before. But since my debt has been paid off I have allowed myself more luxuries. I do tend to purchase my lunch more than I should, I hope to stop this when we move in together. I generally spend under $7 but that definitely adds up if I'm going out 2-3 times a week.

Do you have health insurance?
Yep. I live in Canada so it's free. I do not have additional work benefits though so I end up paying out of pocket for any prescriptions and dental appointments which are costly over the course of a year.

Do you have any savings for emergencies?
Yes, I have about $2000 saved for an emergency. It's not a lot but it's a start for now. I do have a planned savings account as well that has $15,000 in it that if needed I could access. Once we move into the new apartment I will see what a typical month would be and try to work my way up to 6 months for an emergency fund.

Do you anticipate or look forward to having a higher salary one day?
Yes! And can hardly wait. I went to school for 5 years and received two degrees and I really hope all that work was worth it. I want to teach but don't know if I can last another 3-4 years just supply teaching. The money is not great, it's hard to plan on an inconsistent income. I have earned more every year since graduating though so small steps.

What about retirement--do you plan on ever saving enough to retire?
I sure do! I have started which is something right? I have $1000 in regular RRSPs, $1500 in RRSP GICs, and $500 in a Mutual Fund. I should be saving more and will continue to tuck away when I can. Less than 40 years left!

Apartment Viewing Again?!

2011-10-19T14:29:00.000-04:00

We may have found one and agreed on the lease.

I never ended up asking that girl about the lease situation. It's a company and I don't think there is any leeway. Maybe after a year they would allow us to go month by month but I doubt they would allow it before a year is up.

D got really frustrated with of all things, the INTERNET at his place last night, it kept cutting out. He said that's it and said he was totally willing to do the year-long apartment thing with me. This morning he mentioned it again, I asked if he was sure and he said yep. He said that if he needs to go somewhere else for a job then we can either sublet or he can help me financially with the apartment.

I got in contact with the girl again and she said she also wants to show us one other place when we bring in our application. We are going tonight!!

I hope D doesn't back out again, but I think I may just do it alone if he does. I have enough saved up for a whole year, although I would prefer to keep it in savings for a car and beyond, but we will see. I hope he will fill out his portion of the application and we can move into a place relatively soon.

I DID tell my parents about the apartment search a little bit. Not the fact that I have viewed any but the fact that I am in the market for one. My parents surprised me and were totally cool with it and my dad said he would even keep an eye out for me and told me about a friend of his who rents his second house.

I am trying not to get my hopes up about D again, but I am super excited that we might have a place of our own. It's becoming uncomfortable there with his friend's dad and brother. It shouldn't be awkward but sometimes it feels that way.

Other "news" is that my brother and his girlfriend broke up. They have been together for almost 10 years. They were together since about grade 11 in high school and he is 25 now. They were prom king and queen, went to university together, lived together for two years there, and also had an apartment here in town together since April. I really liked her. She was soooo good to him. I don't know what happened to cause the split but she has moved out and he is in the apartment by himself. He pays $900 a month plus all utilities there for a two bedroom.

It could even be an option to live there I suppose but I am hoping they can work things out and get back together.

A, B, C's of me...

2011-10-19T09:25:00.000-04:00

Many bloggers are doing this. I hope you play along too if you haven't already done so!

A-Age: 26

B-Bed Size - double

C-Chore you hate – putting away clean clothes

D-Dogs – LOVE them, inherited a little toy fox terrier who is AWESOME!

E-Essential start to your day – dog cuddles, and breakfast

F-Favourite Colour- blue

G-Gold or Silver – silver...or white gold!
H-Height - 5'6" wouldn't mind being just a tiny bit shorter!

I- Interests – reading, board games, baking

J-Job Title- supply teacher

K-Kids – none yet

L-Live – a couple hours north of Toronto
M-Mothers Name – Rita

N-Nickname - Jayy

O-Overnight hospital stays – none!

P-Pet Peeves – slow drivers

Q-Quotes from films – "Pretty bird" Hehe I'm sure there are better.

R-Right or Left Handed – right
S-Siblings – 2 younger brothers

T-Time you wake up - usually get up around 7
U-Underwear – yes

V-Vegetables you hate – carrots and mushrooms...gross!

W-What makes you run late – boyfriend!

X-X-Rays you’ve had – lots of teeth x-rays, foot, leg...broke both!

Y-Yummy food that you make – desserts

Z-Zoo animals – monkeys and penguins

2011-10-15T09:17:00.000-04:00

GST cheque came woo! Into savings!

I have two more days to work at the restaurant before it shuts down for the season. Kind of indifferent about this. I'm glad to not have to go there anymore, but it was a good source of income this summer, I really liked some of the people I worked with too.

I saw an ad in the paper yesterday for a restaurant I was thinking about applying to looking for experienced servers to work full-time. I don't know if I can do full-time with teaching but I can do evenings and weekends and the occasional day I'm not teaching. I think I'll at least apply this week.

I've been looking up the cost to install a kitchen island permanently. Just thoughts on how much it would cost. I would like to do it for my parents but can't figure out an estimate. Any ideas? They currently have a moveable island with no cabinets. I would like for them to attach it, have one WITH cabinet storage, and then get a new countertop to connect it to the other counters. Probably thousands of dollars, but I thought I would at least check it out.

I've been thinking about Christmas ideas a lot lately. I want to get my parents something good for putting up with me, letting me live with them. I was thinking either the kitchen idea, or help pay their seasonal campground fee, or put up drywall and paint in the basement. I don't know, something useful/helpful to them though, not just a tangible gift item. I'm thinking up to $1000 though.

I think I want to get D a pass to this place in Montreal. Maybe I will buy the pass, it's to a wind tunnel that feels like you are skydiving, and then a hotel stay there. It would be a good weekend roadtrip. He has mentioned that he has wanted to do it on a few occasions. For my brothers and friends, I have no idea! 2 more months to decide still though.

D doesn't want to sign a year lease. Do you think I could ASK the lady to pay extra if we didn't have to sign a year long lease? I really like this place but cannot afford it on my own. Does it hurt to ask, or is she going to look down on us afterward and think we are probably irresponsible if we can't do a year lease. I may want to live here even without D and don't want to hurt my chances of her accepting my application at a later date.