Give Me Back My Five Bucks

2009 goal: make an additional $5,000

2009-12-15T14:38:00.002-08:00

One of my goals for 2009 was to make an additional $5,000 above and beyond my regular FT job. With only 2 weeks left in the year, I've made $4,468. If you include my tax refund, I've made $6,688. Personally I'm inclined to include my tax refund because without contributing to my RRSPs I wouldn't have earned that amount. But, I'm not going to.

$1,732.50 - blog
$1,700 - scooter sale
$120 - digital camera sale
$915.84 - design contracts

I wish I could have made it to $5,000. I know there are 2 weeks left, and there's a chance I could make it - but with the holidays approaching and everybody busy, I doubt I'd be able to.

But this has definitely motivated me to sell some of my crap come the new year. I think I might take those days off that I have at the end of December, and get ready to list a whole bunch of stuff on Craigslist and eBay. I've got tons of clothing, some electronics, outdoorsy gear - lots that I can sell. And that will all go towards my 2010 goal of again earning $5,000 above and beyond my regular FT income.

An update on trying to get my hotel refund

2009-12-15T11:09:00.001-08:00

Well I called Allegiant back later yesterday afternoon. I spoke to a woman about my situation, and she referred to the notes on my account left by the previous rep, and then went to talk to her supervisor. She said that my case had been referred to their 'hotel reservations' department, and that I should wait at least 3-4 business days and then give them a call back to get updated on the situation.

She went onto tell me that it was Harrah's that needs to deal with this situation directly, and that it wasn't really Allegiant's job to do the work to get a refund that they knew nothing about.

So I guess I'll just sit around and wait and hope that it gets resolved soon. But it's definitely frustrating.

Ski season is approaching

2009-12-15T05:04:00.000-08:00

As most of you know, I love breaking down my activities into cost-per-use. I've seen websites where people break down the cost-per-wear of items of clothing, and I've always wanted to do that because it's really nerdy but still kind of cool at the same time. But I know I won't be able to keep up with it - recording every piece of clothing I have and tallying up whenever I wear it. That's exhausting.

Anyway, as ski season approaches, I want to update you on my cost-per-use so far (I did a post like this last winter), and where it could go in the future. I still have until the end of this season to use my pass before I buy a new one.

The total cost for my ski equipment was $830 ($430 for new boots & $400 for skis/bindings/poles/helmet/goggles - plus a pair of boots that ended up not working for me). The cost for a ski pass for 1.5 seasons was $370 (an excellent deal). So the total I've spent on skiing is $1,200. This doesn't include any ski clothing because I already have that stuff.

$1,200 / 5 = $240
$1,200 / 10 = $120
$1,200 / 15 = $80
$1,200 / 20 = $60
$1,200 / 25 = $48
$1,200 / 50 = $24

I started skiing halfway through last season and went 10 times at a cost-per-use of $120. J wants to ski a lot this year, and I'm always up for it. His FT job is quite physical so a lot of times he's just wiped out after work. But he needs to get better at skiing for his career, so chances are we'll be going a lot more often this season. Plus skiing is something I can do on my own (unlike rock climbing), so on nights/weekends he's busy, I can always go up myself - which I did once or twice last season.

Waiting for my hotel refund...

2009-12-14T15:06:00.002-08:00

When we were in Vegas and were told we were being bumped from Harrah's to the Flamingo, the woman at Harrah's told me to call in a week or so to make sure my refund was being processed. She assured me that the paperwork would be filed immediately for it, and I even repeated what she said to her and confirmed that I would indeed be getting a refund.

Well, the refund hasn't posted to my account yet, so I called Harrah's today and the customer service agent said that they didn't even have my reservation in the system - but he could see my comped stay at the Flamingo. He said the refund would be issued to me by Allegiant Air and that I should call them since I booked my hotel/flight package through them. I asked if they would even have it in the system to refund me if it doesn't even show in their system that I had a reservation at Harrah's. He said they would for sure know about it.

Then I called Allegiant and I'm sure you can guess that they knew nothing about it and said Harrah's should have processed the refund. The Allegiant agent said they would put through a request to the hotel reservations department and that I should call back in a few hours to get updated on the situation.

A lot of people got bumped from Harrah's that weekend we were there, so I hope not everyone had to go through the hassle I'm dealing with right now! Because I am a lot more patient than most people out there.

$50 Starbucks GC Winner!!

2009-12-14T11:09:00.004-08:00

The people over at FabulousSavings.ca have drawn a winner for the $50 Starbucks gift card (through Random.org). Drum roll please ....

The winner is Entry #37 ... Leighanne! CONGRATS! :)

And thanks to everyone who participated in the contest. I'm hoping to host more contests in the future, so stay tuned.

A generous Christmas present...

2009-12-14T11:03:00.003-08:00

Over the weekend, J's parents were in town as well. His mom took me shopping. She explained that she wanted to buy me a purse for Christmas, but wanted me to pick out the exact one that I wanted. The last time we went out to visit J's family, his mom and I were both lusting after purses at the West Edmonton Mall in the Fossil store. His parents are so generous. I feel weird accepting such pricey gifts from them (they paid for part of my hiking boots for my birthday too).

I wasn't able to find one that I really liked when I was out with her (we only had about half an hour), so we might wait until we're out in Edmonton to visit in January. But she also said that if I found something I wanted during the Boxing Week sales, that I should pick it up. Since everything will be on sale then, and chances are stock will be quite low come mid-January.

I've since checked the Fossil website and there are some that I really like and would fit perfectly with what I'm looking for (something more professional but that I can still wear cross-body). So I'll keep my eye out for sales.

Back from a weekend home

2009-12-14T08:48:00.004-08:00

Well I'm back from my trip home to the island. My boss let me take a half day on Friday so I could be with my family while the funeral was taking place down in San Francisco. Not exactly the same as being down there, but it was the best we could do.

Here's what I spent:

Friday
$20 parking at the ferry terminal.
$0 ferry cost. J paid my way because I paid for parking.

Saturday
$0 coffee with friend. Starbucks gift certificate!
$0 lunch with sister. I paid the last time, so she treated me.
$11 for 2 drinks at the bar. We went out with a bunch of co-workers from my old job (her current job). One drink for me, one for my sister.

Sunday
$0 coffee with friend. Starbucks gift certificate!
$0 ferry cost. J paid, and I would pay for dinner ...
$23 dinner for J and I. We went to our favourite Vietnamese place. Mmmm!

TOTAL COST: $54

I'm pleased that I was able to basically spend half of the $100 I anticipated spending over the weekend. That gives me a bit more breathing room in terms of travel costs for going back home for Christmas, and for whatever we have planned for NYE.

CIBC Visa dividends rewards

2009-12-11T09:21:00.002-08:00

My awards dividends from my CIBC Visa card just posted to my account today. This year I earned $95.21 for using my credit card. About half of what I earned last year, but that's because my Amex became my primary card this year. That brings the balance of my Visa down to $2.70, which I paid right away. What a nice surprise! :)

Last chance to enter

2009-12-11T08:33:00.002-08:00

A reminder that today is your last chance to enter to win a $50 Starbucks gift card! The contest closes TODAY at 5pm PST, and is only open to Canadians.

I will announce the winner this weekend.

Happy Friday!

2009-12-11T08:26:00.005-08:00

Yesterday I was in discussion with someone to start up a design/marketing contract with them. The scope of the project was a lot bigger than what was initially discussed, and also required experience and contacts in the industry. It was also a really exciting opportunity. That being said, the money they were offering was just too little. They wanted to pay me a flat rate, and sometimes I make exceptions for friends or if I'm positive I know how many hours the project will take, but I usually insist on being paid hourly - at a rate of between $25-60/hr - a wide range, but it depends on who I'm talking to.

Anyway, I knew wasn't willing to work on such a large project for such a small amount of money. So I thanked her for her time, and that's that. She probably won't have a problem finding someone to take on the job, it just won't be me.

It's too bad, really. I would have loved to have started 2010 with a new contract, but that's just how it goes. The job was too big for me to handle (and work a FT job and have a personal life), and the money wasn't there to entice me to change my mind.

Going home this weekend...

2009-12-10T15:24:00.000-08:00

Well I didn't end up going to dinner and a movie with my friend after all, as she has no money until pay day. It seems like it doesn't matter how far in advance we plan things, or how cheap the activity is, she bails about 50% of the time due to money-related issues. And the thing is, I know she's not lying. She really doesn't have any money. As soon as she hits a Friday pay cheque, she goes wild with her money and it’s gone by the end of the weekend. So she’s cash poor for almost 2 weeks until the next pay cheque. Obviously I’ve been in that situation before, perpetually broke ... and I wonder if my friends ever got frustrated with me never having money! Although, we were all students at the time ...

Anyway, this weekend J and I are most likely going back to my hometown. His parents are flying in and visiting family. My family won’t really be around – my sister and dad will be working most of the weekend, and my mom has flown down to San Francisco for the funeral. I feel bad that my dad can’t go to his own sister’s funeral because he can’t find his passport. So I’m glad that I’ll be home to spend at least some time with him.

I’ve also scored free tickets to the local hockey team, so I’ll be going with a friend. I’m trying to schedule a couple of coffee dates, but I also have a brunch date, workout date, and Christmas shopping date to attend to. Plus 2 parties – one of which I doubt I’ll be able to attend. Not enough time. I estimate the weekend budget, including travel costs, to be around $100.

Till Debt Do Us Part Planners

2009-12-10T08:46:00.002-08:00

Has anyone ever bought one of Gail Vaz-Oxlade's Til Debt Do Us Part Planners? You can use the planner to track weekly variable expenses, monthly bills, etc. and comes with a financial tip for every week of the year - as well as updates on past guests from the show. Sounds awesome!

I'd buy one for myself, but at $29.99, that's a little pricey for a calendar. Still. It would make a fabulous gift for those who are fans of the show, or for those who are looking to make a change in their lives.

So ... Canadian Capitalist is holding a contest where he's giving 4 away on his blog! Go check it out to enter. Deadline is 8pm EST, December 15th. Only open to Canadian residents.

December Link Love

2009-12-09T10:53:00.004-08:00

Well, it's been a while since I've updated my blogroll. I cleared out any links that haven't updated in about 4 weeks, and these are the new blogs that I've added:

I guess it had been so long since I updated my blogroll that a bunch of the blogs people had sent me, either hadn't been updated in at least 4 weeks, or they were inactive altogether. Whoopsies!

Also, if you haven’t already entered for a chance to win a $50 Starbucks gift card, you only have until the end of the week! The contest ends on December 11th at 5pm PST, and is only open to Canadians.

I've fallen in love with this purse

2009-12-09T09:50:00.000-08:00

I love Roots bags. I'm the type of person who only uses one purse all year long, no matter what I'm wearing (unless it's to somewhere fancy, and then I have a few cheap clutches from Aldo). Right now, I'm using the Roots Village Venetian Village bag (bought on sale last Boxing Day), and I LOVE it.

But now, I have fallen in love with the Roots Olivia bag (see picture). It's a little more professional and polished. Plus, the leather is so soft and beautiful. I went into a Roots store they other day so I could see it in person. Gorgeous. And much more professional than what I'm currently using.

At $238, I can't afford it and it isn't realistic. But if Roots ever had a ridiculous sale and it all of a sudden became affordable (doubtful, since people will buy it at full price anyway), I'd consider it for sure. Until then, I'll just drool at the online photos. :)

Holiday hours

2009-12-09T07:00:00.003-08:00

Wahoo!!! I was informed yesterday that our office will be closed from mid-day December 24th - January 4th. And because I'm a salaried employee, it's paid time off. I generally never take time off during the holidays because that means I have less vacation days to play with during the rest of the year. So this is great!

Done Christmas shopping (and under budget)

2009-12-08T15:54:00.002-08:00

So, to update my Christmas present budget for the year, here is what I've spent so far.

Christmas Presents:

DONE! J - hockey tickets. Budget: $145. Actual: $132.48

DONE! Sister - Banana Republic cardigan ($25 - Las Vegas outlet), plus Wii Sports Resort & extra Wii Motion Plus (free - from Amazon.ca). Budget: $150. Actual: $25

DONE! Mom - Kayaking day trip. The cost is $418.95. My dad is pitching in $200, so my sister and I will each pay around $100. Budget: $100. Actual: $109.48

DONE! Dad - running shoes (split cost with sister). Budget: $75. Actual: $37.98

DONE! J's parents - Bought them hand screened tea towels from Etsy. Budget: $50. Actual: $45

DONE! J's brother's family (4 people) - A box of organic handmade chocolates from my friend. Budget: $40. Actual: $30

DONE! Miscellaneous - Bought a lot of small organic handmade chocolate boxes just in case. And if there are any left over, then my stomach and I will deal with them personally. :) I also forgot that I need 2 x $10 presents for my company Xmas party, but I have that taken care of too. Budget: $50. Actual: $75

TOTAL BUDGETED = $600
ACTUAL COST: $454.94

I am very pleased that I was able to come in under budget with my gifts this year. Last year I spent way way way too much on presents. At least $1,000. So to spend less than half that amount this year, and still be able to get great presents for everyone on my list, well it feels really good. And you know what else feels really good? Not having to worry about shopping anymore BECAUSE I AM DONE! :)

Our Lady Peace

2009-12-08T13:34:00.006-08:00

So. I have some very exciting news! It was just announced that one of my favourite bands from the 90's, Our Lady Peace, are touring again. Not only are they touring, but they will also be playing their old albums (Clumsy and Spiritual Machines) through in their entirety - Clumsy one night, SM the other. Amazing!!! Most of their new stuff is just awful, but their older stuff was pure gold. GOLD!

My sister and I discussed it, and we decided to snap up tickets to the Clumsy show back in my hometown.

Now, this was a huge splurge because tickets were $200 each. Yes, you heard right. $200. I have never spent that much money on concert tickets before (most I've spent is $180) - but that is definitely how much it would cost to see a good hockey game in Vancouver. So why were they so expensive? Because we bought VIP tickets, which include memorabilia, seats in the front few rows, and a meet and greet with the band.

My sister really wanted to do this for her birthday - so that's what we're doing. We were going to do a spa day together, which would have been even more expensive than that (at least $300 per person), so if a concert is what she wants to do for her special day, then that's fine by me.

Oh and also, this is going to count as part of our Sisters Trip - which was one of my goals for 2010 - to go on a trip with my sister - we'll be doing a mini road trip up island during the day, before the show. We were going to do a weekend trip to a hot springs or to Tofino, so this option is going to save quite a bit of money. Score for meeting a 2010 goal already!

Anyone else going to see this tour? I personally can't wait!

Tuesday this and that

2009-12-08T09:05:00.003-08:00

Tomorrow I have a movie date with a friend. We're going to quickly grab some dinner (probably Subway), and then go check out The Men Who Stare At Goats. Has anyone else seen this movie? It seems weird and quirky and will either be really good, or just awful. Like The Informant. That movie had potential, but IMO it was just bad.

Oh, and I got my GPS in the mail yesterday. So far, I really really like it. I used it on my way home from work yesterday and intentionally took a wrong turn just to see what would happen. I also really like how there's no software CD to install, and everything is done through the Garmin website. Next, I need to figure out the hands-free calling feature, as well as ecoRoute, and how to program it to go somewhere a certain way.

In other news, I'm onto Week #9 of the Lunch Challenge. Last week via Twitter, I asked if it were cheating if I used a Starbucks gift certificate. The response was divided, but I came to the conclusion that it'd still be cheating. The challenge was to not spend money on lunch or snacks for the rest of the year, and a gift certificate (even though I didn't buy it) should be treated like cash. Which is too bad, because I heart their holiday drinks.

We went grocery shopping last night, and I bought some turkey from the deli shop. I can't recall the last time I had a regular sandwich for lunch, so I'm going to try that this week. Although I do have cans of soup at work in case it's too cold for me to handle and I need something to warm me up. :) I've been boiling water to drink, just to stay warm. Not even tea, just hot water.

Also, if you haven’t already entered for a chance to win a $50 Starbucks gift card, you only have until the end of the week! The contest ends on December 11th at 5pm PST, and is only open to Canadians.

Christmas is just around the corner

2009-12-07T22:45:00.000-08:00

Well I really need to get going on my Christmas shopping. I think J and I are going to the island this coming weekend so I will hopefully be able to finish everything off.

At work, the President is thinking of closing the office for the last weekend of the month. It would be awesome to have those extra few days off. I know in the past, the company has given Christmas bonuses, but nobody got one last year, and I don't expect that to change for this year. Oh well. It would be nice, but it's not a big deal.

- Posted from my iPod Touch

Back from Vegas!

2009-12-07T09:42:00.003-08:00

Well I'm back from Vegas, and I'm exhausted. :) It was a great trip. I need to wait for all of my transactions to post to my credit card, and then I can figure out how much I went over budget. Yep, I'm pretty sure I went over budget - BUT a funny thing happened when we first got to Vegas ...

We went to check into Harrah's. I stayed there last year and found it to be a very central hotel and very reasonably priced. Not very fancy, but really, how much time were we going to spend in our hotel room? Anyway, it turns out they overbooked the hotel because of a huge rodeo that was in town on the weekend. So, they bumped us to the Flamingo - which was great because IMO the Flamingo is much nicer than Harrah's, and our room was pretty nice. Not only did we get an upgrade in hotels, but they said they were going to refund the cost of our hotel, and comp our stay at the Flamingo! Woo hoo! :) I'm interested to see how much the refund will be for. I would guess maybe around $125?

The weather was fabulous too. We walked, drank and ate way too much. And we did our fair share of gambling (surprisingly, neither of us lost that much). Which was good, because a trip to the mall and outlet mall proved to be costly. Banana Republic outlet was having a huge sale on sweaters - every sweater was only $19.99, so we picked a couple up for ourselves, and I bought one for my sister (Christmas present). I also tried on skinny jeans at Express and was disappointed. :(

As for entertainment, aside from the hockey game (already paid for), we also went to Fremont Street (LOVED it), the Shark Reef at the Mandalay Bay ($16.95 each), the NY NY roller coaster ($14 each), Paris Eiffel Tower (free), and Madam Tussauds Wax Museum ($15 each).

We both want to go back again some day. J had a great time, and considering he had never gambled before (or set foot in a casino), he sure picked it up quickly. It was hard to pry him away from those video poker machines. :) There was a lot we wanted to see and do, but didn't have the time for it. The next time we go, we'll try for at least 3 or 4 nights, but maybe even a week.

So, with the refund on our hotel stay, I probably didn't do too badly. I definitely think that I went over my original $350 budget, but I don't think by that much.

Need a free Car Cost Canada report?

2009-12-03T16:34:00.002-08:00

In order to get over $1,000 off the sticker price of my new car, I purchased a report through CarCostCanada.com, which lists the wholesale price of a car, plus any dealer/factory rebates/incentives that are on the table.

When I went to buy my car, and I went in to talk numbers with the manager, he seemed pretty shocked that I had brought along the Car Cost Canada report. The salesperson even said "wow, you sure did your homework." And I didn’t even have to negotiate! I showed him the report, said I wanted a set amount off the price of the car, and he just went and did it for me, no questions asked. Exactly how I like to do business.

I have 12 unused reports left, so if anyone out there is at all considering purchasing a new car in the near future, send me an e-mail at krystalatwork [at] gmail [dot] com with the make/model/information of the car you’re thinking about, and I can send you a free report on it. It would be a shame to let those reports go to waste!

CONTEST: Win a $50 Starbucks Gift Card from FabulousSavings.ca!

2009-12-03T08:33:00.007-08:00

I was just introduced to FabulousSavings.ca, one of the biggest coupon site in Canada (how have I not heard of it before?). The website is so user friendly, and they also include Canada-friendly merchants that actually ship across the border! Love love love. I will definitely be using it to do the rest of my Christmas shopping, as I will not be stepping foot into a mall once December rolls around.

The website works directly with the retailers, so you can feel confident that all of the coupons listed on the website are merchant-approved (meaning - THEY ALWAYS WORK!). :) Such a bummer to find awesome online coupons for Canada, only to find it's an invalid code, or that it expired a week ago. Oh, and get this - they have exclusive coupons available only on their website, so it's definitely worth a visit to their website if you're ever shopping online.

I especially love the fact that they have a GREEN section on their website, for people who are environmentally conscious about the products that they buy.

Anyway, the wonderful people over at FabulousSavings.ca are already in the Christmas spirit, and have hooked me up with a $50 Starbucks gift card for me to give away to one lucky Give Me Back My Five Bucks reader. Perfect time to cozy up with a peppermint mocha this Christmas, or give as an awesome present! :)

Here's how you can enter:

There are a total of 3 possible entries per person.
You must leave separate comments for each of your 3 entries (so I can track it easily & give you credit for each of your entries via Random.org).

1 ENTRY: Check out FabulousSavings.ca and name one coupon in the Travel category (post your answer in a comment on this blog).
1 ENTRY: Tweet about this contest and link back to this post. Include hash tag #FS.caSBgc
1 ENTRY: Write about this contest on your blog. Link back to this post.

Rules:

This contest will run until 5PM PST, December 11th, 2009.
The winner will be picked using Random.org
The $50 Starbucks GC will be mailed out by FabulousSavings.ca
If you are an anonymous commenter, please remember to leave your e-mail address in all of your comments, otherwise you will be disqualified.
Only open to Canadian residents. Sorry!

Good luck!!! :)

Thursday morning

2009-12-03T06:53:00.003-08:00

Well my sister called me late last night to say that our aunt had passed away earlier in the day. We weren't close to our relatives that lived down there (I haven't seen her in at least 10 years), but it's still sad. So it looks like if we do end up going down to San Francisco, it will be to the funeral. My parents aren't sure if they think my sister and I should go - I think perhaps all of the cousins are going to stay behind, and it will just be the 'adults' ... but nobody knows anything right now. I'll probably find out whether I'm going or not while I'm in Vegas. Leave tomorrow morning!

Flying to say good bye...

2009-12-02T16:48:00.001-08:00

My sister called me today at work. Someone in our extended family has been given only 3-4 weeks to live. My sister and I haven't seen her in quite a few years (she lives in San Francisco), but we might be going down there for 2 or 3 days in the next couple of weeks to visit that side of the family and say goodbye to her.

Normally flights to San Francisco are quite pricey, but I found one out of Bellingham (same airline we're going to Vegas with) for $102.96 round trip (per person), all taxes in. When my parents flew down last year, they paid almost $800 each for their flights.

My mom is going to talk to my dad and sister tonight, and I might be booking our flights tomorrow - provided I can get the time off of work.

The quest for skinny pants continues

2009-12-02T09:26:00.002-08:00

I'm secretly hoping to find a great pair of black skinny pants (or skinny dark denim jeans) while we're in Vegas. I've tried them on in various stores over the past few months, but nothing has worked. I know Express is my best option, since I buy all my pants and jeans from there when I'm in the USA, and I'm still hopeful that I can find a pair that looks good on me. Maybe. I can at least wear them with boots (which will be perfect for winter). But I don't want to pay a lot either. I still need to buy a black belt and tights since I wasn't able to find anything I liked last month. If I do end up buying these things in Vegas, if I can't fit it into my (approx.) $350 Vegas spending money, it will have to come out of the Miscellaneous category in my monthly budget, since I did not budget anything for clothes this month.