Debrief: May 201

TRACKING

•  # Buy nothing days :21 (65%)
• # times ate out/purchased take out: 6
• # activities with loved ones: 19; these included video calls, good news calls
• % over or under budget: 0.24% over budget –WOOHOO

CELEBRATE:

• I got vaccinated!
• We weren’t bored at home – lockdown continued but we were entertained at home

DIP INTO SAVINGS/CREDIT

• House Insurance – was able to cover the bill completely
• Gifts – Friend is recovering from COVID and I’m welcoming a niece later this year
• Car – the tyres and some check ups

KEEP IN MIND

• This month was amazing! We did really well but I’m going to have to remember I’m heading back to work outside of the home next month and that’s going to result in some extra food spending.
• Lockdown continued so there was no where to go and nothing to do which meant no calls on spending.

OVERALL

We did well! Either the money went farther than anticipated or we were choosing frugal spends. It’s also so important to acknowledge that our savings saved the day. Without having those accounts in reserved we’d by over $2K behind.

April 2021 Debrief

TRACKING

•  # Buy nothing days :20 (66%)
• # times ate out/purchased take out: 3
• # activities with loved ones: 19; these included video calls, good news calls
• % over or under budget: 15% over budget –seriously went over this month!

CELEBRATE:

• I began working with a mobliity coach who specializes in the mind/body connection
• We were able to get the Bear treatment right away
• I got into Grad School! As I’m able to keep putting money into that savings line, I’m hopeful that I’ll be able to keep going no matter what happens with the other bits.

DIP INTO SAVINGS/CREDIT

• Movement Coach – I’ve registered for a 3 month program and we’ve decided to dip into my savings for that. This way ML is still able to save in case of job loss/break.
• The Bear was an expensive and unplanned vet visit

KEEP IN MIND

• The prices of groceries are rising; I haven’t done a price book in ages and as the days of grocery hopping are gone, I need to re-assess the grocery budget.
• This was a busy month – we hosted a going away party (COVID style, which means an outdoors brunch); the province re-entered lockdown/stay-at-home; we’re making an effort to eat healthier
• The misc. line was divided between “going out of business” athletic things and grad school printing

OVERALL

I hit a snag somewhere with how my paycheques fund things. The aim was that I would have been able to not touch my last April paycheque until the beginning of May. That didn’t happen. It’s also why I’m over budget but my bank account looks great. The problem is then I no longer have additional savings and I’m living paycheque – paycheque. I’m hopeful with May I’ll be able to start getting that back under control.

Overall the month went well. Our biggest sucks were groceries and Misc. spending. By using May as a clean slate, I think I can get back on track with it all as we have enough groceries to last us until at least Mid-May.

New Year, Same me?

It’s been a while since I’ve posted!

What’s changed? Other than:

• A global pandemic
• Working from home
• Major health issues

It’s pretty much the same. I ended the year with 0 Consumer Debt an unimaginable task a few years ago. As the world has been rocked with COVID-19, ML and I have been less careful with our spending. It stems from feeling very fortunate as we’re both still employed and didn’t have to take pay cuts.

Rather than increase our savings we decided to share the wealth as much as possible, which has included: increasing our donations to causes, ordering in food from local restaurants and shopping at local stores. All of these are increased costs for a couple who have been trying to find the best deal for a while.

Due to my health paranoia (is it paranoia if I was sidelined for 6 weeks by a common flu?), I’ve decided to maintain my lockdown until the vaccine makes its appearance to all and sundry in my country. While it may seem that this would have a positive impact on my pocket book the world of online shopping (I’m looking at you Instagram ads) is rife with temptation.

I’m not going to make any budget promises to myself but I’m going to think about how to use this time of physical isolation to tend to my soul. Saving in 2021 will not only be financial, it will incorporate energy.

I abandoned this blog because my post-concussion syndrome was so bad that I couldn’t manage tracking my budget and reflecting upon it while being a success in all the other areas of my life. It’s taken me years to recognize that.

This year I’m going to work on building my awareness of my own needs. I’m curious to take a wander through this blog and see how far I’ve come on some goals and work on setting some new ones. No promises that I’m back but here’s to hoping that 2021 involves a whole lot more blogging!

Debrief MAY 2018

Even while knowing weekly checks are a good thing, I’ve been struggling to do so. This morning I promised myself I’ll start my month off right by reviewing May and planning June.

TRACKING

•  # Buy nothing days :9
• # times ate out/purchased take out: 9
• # activities with loved ones: 5
• $ saved at Costco: ?
• % over or under budget: 15% over budget (this means that I’ve overspent my paycheque as well)

CELEBRATE:

• My eating out is down
• I incorporated a spa day with my mum and sister-in-law into the fashion line
• Recommitted to my work out routine

DIP INTO SAVINGS/CREDIT

• Baby Bunny is now an old lady and had a rather expensive vet visit
• We had unexpected car items that we were able to use the savings for
• The kitchen savings continue to be added to as well as spent.

KEEP IN MIND

I need to read my own words! I need to focus on what I want and track weekly. Somehow we spent over $400 in groceries. Considering the amount of food currently in the house I’m not sure what we purchased. I’m tempted to dip into my misc. fund and purchase Monopoly money so that I can track with ‘cash’ what I’m spending on.

OVERALL

May has been a blur, I’m not sure where the time or money went. I spent a lot of time with my head in the sand regarding lots of areas of my life. My aim is to go into June with my eyes wide open.

 

Celebrating in Frugal Style

Happy International Women’s Day!

If you’re like me you’ve :

• seen the pro and anti posts on your social media
• saw suggestions to participate in a gender strike
• were given suggestions about celebrating by purchasing a host of items
• been instructed to give up the second shift

The last two cost. The first because unless you’re taking a vacation day you’re out of money, also if all the women at my business took the day off we’d just have a lot to do tomorrow.

The second is obvious, no I’m not buying all my female friends trinkets to celebrate their identity.

I opted to celebrate in my own way. Instead of putting money out I went with emotion:

• I messaged female friends who have lifted me up with notes on why I adore them
• I took time to honour myself through a yoga class
• I was kind to myself

The day, for me, serves as a reminder to not judge others harshly, to identify when I engage in sexist thinking/behaviour, and to continue to honour myself.

Did you participate in the celebrations today?

 

 

Lenten Beginning

It appears Catholicism is in my blood.While I don’t attend Mass and strongly disagree with some teachings, at my core I’m still practicing.

Today marks the beginning of Lent. Since the weekend I’ve been reflecting on what sacrifices I’d like to make.

While I don’t truly believe that sacrifice is going to save my soul, I do think it’s good for my spirit (aka mental and emotional health).

My concussion treatment plan is a good place to start:

• No sugar (let’s be real this means not seeking out items that have loads of added sugar)
• No alcohol
• 10 minutes of meditation a day
• Not overloading my work schedule or as Pope Francis suggests I’m fasting from pressure. While he recommends substituting pressure with prayer, I’m going to give up pressure and be present.

For me sacrifice was always about giving up something to be closer to God.To better show the face of Christ to those around us. I didn’t understand how it worked but went with the belief that God understands our hearts and intentions.

The things I’m giving up are being done with the intent to make me a more peaceful person. We are so influenced by other people’s energy and I want when people meet me they go away feeling good about themselves.

Do you find yourself being influenced by the religion you were born into?

 

Reblog from Kate Saves

I haven’t shared my political views very often and with a concussion I’m less likely to make great points. My fellow Canadian, however, says it so well.

Be kind, even when frightened. I have been frightened. The colour of my skin has made certain people feel that they are better than me or deserve more than me.

That’s when it’s even more important to listen and be kind.

I am one of the many who were completely shocked by the results of the American election. I’m just a casual Canadian observer of American politics, but I totally thought my girl Hillary Clinton had it in the bag. After I went through a period of what felt like grief, I wanted to know how…

via On Privilege — Kate Saves

A simple 5 ingredient personal care regime

When I began to really focus on wasting less on a budget I turned to blogs for inspiration. Steph has been a great source of ideas and provides lots of motivation.

Three years ago, when I began experimenting with making my own skin care line I wish I had this list.

purplegumboots & greenpickles

The only 5 ingredients you’ll need for your zero-waste personal care regime for face, hair, and body

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2017 Goal Setting

I really loved the idea of Big, Hairy Audacious Goals  and in 2016 paying off the debt to live the life we wanted was huge. Now with the consumer debt gone we want a lot of things that are all huge (new kitchen, no mortgage, vacation) and if we tackle one a year it may feel like we’re waiting forever to get to the others. So I’m taking bite sized pieces out of each of them so that we can feel good about every part of our lives.

Goal 1: Mortgage Payments

I’m going to save money every month so that at the end of 2017 I will be able to put at least an extra $1,200 towards our mortgage.

Goal 2: Home Improvement

This will be the year that we fix the sinking driveway and update our light fixtures. I feel that these are two realistic goals that can easily be achieved and will make our home seem much more welcoming. I’ll give myself until May before I think about the driveway properly since it’ll be either snow or rain covered until then. The light fixtures we can begin our search in the new year. There are at least 4 that must be replaced with a couple of others that would be nice to have done.

Goal 3: Emergency Fund

I define my emergency fund a.k.a. sky is falling account to be the account that will save us in case of job loss. I currently have 3 weeks pay (1.5 months) in that account. My aim is to save another 3 weeks pay in 2017.

I’m going to do this by throwing my budget buffer money in here starting in March.

Goal 4: Vacation/2nd Honeymoon

2018 is going to be our 10th wedding anniversary. Our wedding, while fun and the start of a fantastic chapter, was bloody stressful. We want a do-over. Sort of, we’d like to throw a big party for our friends and family and go on a vacation.

We’d also like to take a vacation out of the country that year. Knowing that this is something we’d like to do, we’re going to have to start planning and budgeting now.

 

Mini Goals

Goal 1: Conference/Vacation

I’m heading to a conference in February to a place I’ve never been before, and never intend to visit again, so I’ve tacked on a few extra days. The reason I’m never going again is because it’s frightfully expensive for me to go to this place. So expensive that the cost of adding hotel dates wiped out my vacation savings. My plan is to put leftover buffer money towards my vacation line in January and February so that I can pay for any excursions that I’d like. My aim is to return feeling relaxed and being debt free.

 

As always my overarching goal is to ensure that I stay true to myself and live a life that reflects the things that matter to me.

Are you setting goals for yourself this year?

 

Word of the Year

Lauralynne wrote an excellent, thought-provoking post about her word of the year. Everything she said resonated with me to such an extent that I was tempted to share her word.

However, I know that when my mind enters anxiety mode this word may not be the best choice.

My plan this week was to come up with my 2017 goal to share so I’m going to review the blog, create a plan similar to 2016, and then choose a word.

What word would you choose to help define your upcoming year?