Same Thing, Different Year

Back in 2013, both Hubby and myself were laid off from our respective jobs within a month of each other. We had some indication that it was coming, but not really any notice. This period of unemployment really put us in a bad financial spot, and made it difficult to rebuild not only our savings, but our trust in employers in general.

Many things have changed since then, and we have certainly gotten back on track, but our level of debt slowly climbed back up, and unfortunately, we hadn't had the opportunity to get it paid off as of yet. We both found work, and eventually life started to normalise in our new situation. We got comfortable with our new normal and went on about our lives.

Then I broke my leg/ankle.

The savings evaporated out of our accounts faster than we blink an eyelash, and my reduced income wasn't enough to keep us on top of the majority of our bills. As most of you know, if you read this blog, that I just started back to work at the beginning of this month, with very reduced hours so that I could build my physical stamina back up to where it once was, and I could ease myself back into the level of walking that I used to enjoy.

Then Hubby found out that he, along with almost all of his co-workers, were being permanently laid off at the end of September. A few days later, I was informed at my place of employment that our retailer is leaving and we are being laid off as of the 28th of this month. (My daughter works at the same place as I do, so that's two jobs being lost here.) Although Hubby was slated to be laid off on Sept. 29th, the company opted to do the layoffs on the 20th instead.

So all three incomes in our household are gone. Just like that. All in a matter of days of each other.

I'm angry, upset, worried, nervous and so much more. I'm not yet fully healed and probably won't be for a number of months yet to come. I could barely work the modified hours I was given, so re-applying for my position with the new owner is pretty much out of the question. Also, I don't think I can work outdoors anymore in the winter with the condition of my leg.

2016 has really not been very nice to my family, and I will be very glad to see it go.

Summer's End

We're heading into the last final days of summer holidays and the weather is starting to feel more and more like autumn. We are still having some very warm days, but the nights seem to be cooling down and the heat just isn't as oppressive as it was earlier in the month.

I started back to work this week, on modified hours of course. My first shift back was 3 hours. I experienced some pain and swelling, but mostly I was exhausted. I came home and slept for 3 hours after! I'm not really looking forward to the next shift which is a stunning 7 hours. I'm not so sure I can do that but I will do it anyway. I need to be working and bringing in money. The bills aren't going to pay themselves (although that would be awesome).

While our budget is tight, tight, tight, we have managed to have the rent paid prior to the due date for September and we have some wiggle room with some of the expenses. Gas and maintenance will be up a bit with two drivers again and two vehicles that require some repairs. The insurances have been combined but won't take effect for another month at least. Ultimately, this will save us at least $50 per month ; $25 in banking fees and about $25 in insurance costs. I also asked them to add on the Tenants insurance payment amount, so we shall see how it all comes out.

I am working on a plan for meals, especially dinner ( or supper, whatever you call it ).  I am planning when I am working, DD2 can come home after school, grab something from the freezer and dump it in the crockpot and start the cooking process. When I get home from work, I can get the 'sides' ready and we can have dinner on the table at an appropriate hour. If hubby is also working that day, he doesn't get home until almost 8 pm, so there will be a plate set aside keeping warm for him. This way, I will still have time to get Cub into the shower or bath, and have his evening routine go according to plan with minimal disruptions.

We have lots of cleaning and decluttering to do today, so I better get at it.

Thoughts on Budgets and Other Things

Budgeting is something I do typically with pencil and paper in a notebook that I have had for years. Each month gets its own fresh page, and I list our expenses in order of importance (to me), top to bottom. On the side, I note when our direct deposits hit our account, and how much each one is. As the money hits the bank, I work my way down the list, either making a partial payment on bills (like rent) or paying the bill entirely using online banking. I've done it this way for years only because it is what works best for me. You may have your own method that is entirely different from mine that works best for you. That is what make personal finance, 'personal'.

We are already a little bit behind as some of the bills had not yet been fully paid for the month. Poor planning on my part, and a bit of a hiccup with a direct deposit not going in when it should have. If we hadn't already drained the EF over the last few months, I would have borrowed from it, and repaid a little extra with our regular deposits. So now I squeeze the current month budget a little tighter.

All of this has got me thinking about some things that I need to take care of.

1. DD2 & Cub's Status card photos and paperwork need to be sent in. This has taken me far too long to take care of.
2. Applying for financial help with Cub's hockey fees.
3. Calling auto insurance company to change policy and switch accounts that it is drawn from.
4. When that is completed, I can completely close the business account.
5. Contact CC company about a lowered interest rate or switching to a different type of card.
6. Figure out saving schedule for DD2's trip to France.
7. Figure out debt repayment schedule.
8. Plan out Emergency Fund rebuild schedule.
9. Plan out House down payment schedule for *both* Hubs and I to contribute to.
10. Apartment overhaul: every nook and cranny needs purging and cleaning so I can update my stock items list. (We still don't need toothpaste or laundry soap for several years. :D)

Somewhere on the giant list of things to do I also have to add:

• back - to - school shopping; both kids will need some stuff. ( I still can't quite wrap my head around the fact that DD2 is going into grade 12 this year. *sigh*)
• The stock up list: I like to keep a list of things we use/eat regularly so that when those items go on sale, I will buy multiples of an item. 
• Holiday saving and shopping: I started out the year with a good handle on saving for the holiday month, but during my recovery from surgery to repair my ankle, I ended up using the money for things we needed. It will likely be a very low-key holiday this year.
• Going through Cub's hockey equipment and seeing if he needs anything new. We should be able to get away with very few purchases this year.
• Planning for winter wear: I will likely need steel-toed winter boots, Cub will likely have outgrown everything except his winter coat and DD2 will need mostly everything as well.
• Try to figure out some sort of a meal prep schedule and make ahead meals. Our home functions much more smoothly when everyone is fed at a decent hour.

I am often overwhelmed when I try to picture everything at once, like I'm doing now. So with that said, I'll go knit a few rows to calm myself and pick one thing on the list to chip away at today. Have a good day.

Knitting

Slippers are always a fun knit!

Dishcloths are my go to projects.

Sleepy Bunny Buddy - super soft and cuddly!

A Christmas present in the making.

A shawl I made for a gift. Look at the colours.

Batting Down The Hatches

With the reset, I feel that I should start over with some, if not all of the frugal things that I have experience with. Then I can add in new ones that I find. First off, budgeting.

I prefer to call it a Spending Plan instead of Budget, but the truth of the matter is, if I don't have one, I don't do very well over the month. I don't mind if we go over in a particular category, say grocery spending, because even if I do, it saves us money in the Restaurant/Ordering Out category. But, without the Spending Plan mapped out in the first place, I spend all willy-nilly and next thing I know, we're behind in the cable bill again. It's not perfect, and the income minus expenses are at an all time negative right now, but it is my starting point.

I've added up all the debt we owe. It's disgusting. I should be ashamed, and I am somewhat, but I've reset, so it also becomes our starting point. It will get a wee bit worse over the next couple of months while I re-juggle the spending plan and get back to work and whatnot, but it is what it is.

One thing that I found really, really helped us in the past was having a meal plan. I put up an empty weekly dinner sheet on the fridge and get the family to put in requests, or at the very least, help fill the thing in. Then I have a much clearer picture of what I need to buy when I am at the grocery store. I haven't taken an inventory of our cupboards lately, so maybe I'll do that too. Throw out old, outdated stuff that is never going to get used, and see what I can use up to lower the grocery spending this week. I'll definitely need to replenish the freezer meats (we are out of or nearly out of everything), so I will be keeping my lids peeled for deals on meats until we can save up for another freezer meat order.

Upcoming in August:

DD1 has a birthday coming up. I have already decided what I would like to gift her. It should be around $50 so that's not too bad.

DH's brother is getting married. DH is in the wedding party, so there will be a tux rental (ugh) and a gift to be bought for the newlyweds. I'll also have to find something appropriate to wear, like a dress, and we'll have to spend a small amount of money at the reception I suppose.

Then there is back to school shopping. Kids will need new shoes, there will be fees, and probably a few school supplies will be needed. I will have to keep this spending down to as little as possible.

Hockey fees; These are due by the end of the month and I'm just not sure where this money is going to come from.

All of this along with our regular monthly bills, the little bit that we are behind in rent, the amounts we are behind in some of the other bills and the debt. Oh the debt.

I'll have to adjust and readjust the debt payments as I move forward in this, but for now I've started small automatic payments just to get things going in the right direction.

Wish us luck. We're going to need it.

Reset

It been ages since I wrote on this lovely little blog. I ventured out into the bigger world of domains, and ended up with a couple of blogs elsewhere; one just for blogging about life and money and the other one was about my adventures in business. I still own the domains, but only one of them is active at this time.

Here we are, halfway through 2016 and so much has happened.
I closed my business. I'm starting another. I'm knitting more these days than I ever have been since I broke my ankle three months ago. I've been off work and not able to do much other than think, dream and plan.

Three years and a bit since our last major financial fiasco, we are again heading into uncharted territory. At least we have lots of notice this time that DH's job may be ending. So I am hitting the reset button once again.

I've burned through most of our savings in the last three months, but in a month or so I should be given the all clear to head back to work. When I do, boy oh boy am I giving our budget and debt the what for!

Yes, I said debt. Somehow we have managed to rack that bad boy up again. We were doing okay, (or so I thought) by making minimum payments and such. Really what we were doing was thinking everything was going swimmingly along while barely keep our noses out of the water! All the time we were starting to drown without realising it. Of course something always gives. This time, the first crisis came in the form of my injury.

Now that I've hit the reset button, I am taking stock of what we owe (it made me throw up a little in my mouth), and what we own, what we have, what we need, and what we can do without. I'll be rethinking every little single thing that we all take for granted around her and making tough decisions. I don't want to be going through this ever three to five years.

I'm getting too old for this nonsense.

WMW 13 - Womens Money Week

Starting on Monday March 4, 2013, I will be taking part in Womens Money Week 2013. A whole week dedicated to blogging about a pre-determined list of topics.

Last year,Womens Money Week compiled The Ultimate List of Women Money Bloggers and several of my favourite blogs were included. (Some of us had to email them to ask to be included.) I found new blogs that I love from this list also. I'm not sure if they will be updating the list this year, or even making a new one, but either way, there is a tonne of women money bloggers to read.

My own interest in personal finance started when we were at an all-time financial low as a family. We had a staggering amount of debt, and the income flow had decreased to a trickle. We were in a rough situation. Then, I happened across Gail Vaz - Oxlade's television show, 'Til Debt Do Us Part. It was an eye opener for me. I became a student of my own finances, soaking up information on money matters in any way that I could. I read books, read blogs, watched shows and slowly but surely, I started cleaning up the financial mess that we had made.

I am not perfect with finances now, nor will I ever be. But I have learned a lot of things in the last four years on my financial awakening journey. We have gotten our consumer debt under control, and we have money in savings for our future. We can now deal with the curve balls that life throws at us without going into crisis mode. I'm still learning and growing and look forward to getting to where we want to be.

This next week is going to be great, with bloggers from everywhere participating. I'm looking forward to reading some great posts, getting some new ideas, and maybe, just maybe, passing on a few ideas of my own.

Womens Lifestyle Show

On March 23 & 24, 2013, the London Convention Centre is hosting the Annual Womens Lifestyle Show.

"The Womens Lifestyle Show is the fun event of the year for women of all ages in Southwestern Ontario. Shop in the vibrant marketplace which features unique and artisan products. Sample delicious locally sourced culinary bites from the top regional restaurants. Be entertained. Learn the latest trends in fashion, fitness and well-being. Take a day with your friends, daughter, mother or neighbour. Or come on your own to escape in our own world of that is fun for females!"

~ from the Womens Lifestyle Show homepage, http://womenslifestyle.ca/

Now I don't know about you, but this sort of thing usually does not rock my socks off. However, I will be there on the Sunday. Reason? Because Gail Vaz -Oxlade will be there! She's scheduled to speak at 2 pm, and I will not pass up an opportunity to see here, especially here in London, Ontario.

There is no freaking way I'm going to lined up with 2000 other women at 9 am trying to get one of the 200 swag bags that they are offering to the early birds. But hey, if morning is your thing, you might want to try for one. I hear that they are pretty awesome!

I know lots of you ladies in our area would love the opportunity to see Gail - in person - and here is your chance.I doubt she'll be autographing anything, and may not even have the typical 'meet & greet' that her book signings have, but one never knows.

If you have never heard Gail speak publicly before, I strongly suggest you make your way down to the London Convention Centre March 24, 2013 way before 2 pm. I know from past experience that the seats will fill up fast! There is a $10 charge to gain entrance to the Womens Lifestyle Show, but seeing Gail live is so worth the price of admission.

I know I'll be there!

Award

My pal over at The Quest to be Financially Abundant listed my wee little blog in her list of 10 blogs that she loves. Thanks P! :)

I thought I would join along as it has felt like ages since I've posted. (No need to worry, just life getting busy on us.) So without any further ado, here is me playing along, for the fun of it.



10 Blogs that I love:

1. Gail Vaz-Oxlade. Just like I can't imagine starting my morning without a cuppa, I also can't imagine starting a day without a daily dose of Gail wisdom.
2. My Half Dozen Daily is the second blog I read daily. She's a SAHM who homeschools, and is currently trying to sell a chameleon so her teenaged daughter will come home, lol!
3. Over at When I get to Where I am Going , J udy is an avid knitter, who attends school, is paying off her debt, all while running a household of adult and teenaged kids, a husband, and her mother. Update: Judy has taken down her blog. I'll miss her posts. :(
4. Saving for Travel or SFT for short, keeps us up to date on her travel around the globe (I'm so jealous!) and is our gracious host for The Sealed Pot Challenge 2013. She hosts weekly updates on this for those who are interested.
5. Sharon at MidLifeMomMusings just recently moved to her own domain and Wordpress after deciding to commit to blogging. She always has something good to share.
6. The Warm Hands Network is a charity knitting blog that chronicles the yearly shipments of knitted good to some needy children right here in Canada. Not only do they take knitted items from a specific list, they also accept Canadian Tire money toward the purchase of boots for folks who live in an area where the temp can drop to -40 C (that's the same as -40 F).
7. $lay the Monster  is B-Kat's blog. She paid off her $148,000 mortgage  in ten years. Nowadays, she works diligently to keep out of the clutches of the Debt-Monster.
8. Jolie writes Shaking the Money Tree, and I love reading about her life.
9. I love to read alottastitches where Linda crochets one child sized blanket per week for children entering foster care. That on top of the knitting, sewing and other crochet projects she has going.
10. Sass writes about her life with Princess Penelope (her daughter) and her two pups, Thing 1 and Thing 2 over at Getting Us There. I love her pictures of her shopping trips.

7 Things about me:

1. I love to observe people. By nature, I'm kind of quiet, a little bit shy, and would much rather sit and watch people at a party or gathering than getting involved in conversations.
2. I am a member of the Bear Clan of the Oneida First Nation people. To me, this means that I have a strong connection to family (by birth or by choice) and will do most anything I can for them. It also makes me want to sleep a lot in the winter time.
3. My self-esteem has bipolar disorder, I think. I either have all the confidence in the world in my strengths and abilities, or I have the worst self-esteem in the world. Depends on the day, I guess.
4. I do have a strong personality with some very strong opinions on things. I find that people either really, really like me or they absolutely hate me. I have learned to live with this and not to worry about those who don't like me.
5. I'm learning a lot about myself through knitting. I used to think knitting was all about the end result, the item I made, but it's become more about me just doing the knitting and what occurs in my head while I'm doing so.
6. Some of my favourite music is fairly heavy. Like heavy metal heavy. I don't seem the type at all, lol.
7. I want to get a dog in the worst way, but until we are in an actual house and not an apartment, I won't do it. It wouldn't be fair to the dog.

Rules if you want to play.

1. post awards on blog
2. thank person that nominated you, that would be me, but your blog is thanks enough!
3. List 10 blogs you love
4. list 7 things about you
5. List these rules
6. tell people you nominated by posting on their blog

Breathing a Bit Easier

Today was my final pay from the company. It's direct deposit, and I was sent a notification yesterday as to how much it would be. I still have a few outstanding financial things with them, but at least this part is done.

I logged onto my online banking and immediately paid our rent for March 2013. I know it's really early, but I don't want to have to worry about where the rent money is coming from. I quickly dropped another $200 into our Emergency Fund, which now sits at $600. I'm hoping to make it through the next couple of months without touching it.

I've still been adding to my Sealed Pot, although I don't know for how much longer I will able to. My savings booster challenge is a fabulous idea, except when your income is cut in half. At least that's what I figure I will get from EI. Nothing is in stone though.

I can breathe a bit easier now, knowing that we will still have a roof over our head.
Maybe I can relax enough to knit tonight. Maybe upload some pictures for you all. :)

Pennies for Thought

A Penny for your Thoughts

Today marks the first official day without our beloved Canadian penny. As of today, stores will be allowed to round up, or down, for your cash purchases that have any number other than zero that is two spots to the right of the decimal point.

The Royal Canadian Mint will no longer distribute pennies as of February 4, 2013. In phasing out this coin, it is estimated that the taxpayers will save$11 million dollars per year.

Pennies can still be used in cash transactions however only with businesses that choose to accept them. Yep, that means if you want to buy something from your local store, they do not have to take your pennies as partial payment for your cup of coffee or whatever it is that you are purchasing.

 

The Rounding Guideline

The Canadian Government is adopting a rounding guideline that has been used successfully by other countries that have chosen to phase out their one cent coin. Final prices that end in a 1, 2, 6 or 7 should be rounded down to the nearest 5 cents. Prices ending in 3, 4, 8 or 9 should be rounded up.

But here’s the kicker: retailers do not have to follow this guideline that is supposed to make things fair for consumers. When you head off to your local coffee shop or hair salon, they can choose to always round up if they want. Want to bet most retailers will do just that?

 

Other methods of payment

When you are using a cheque, debit card or credit card – any form of payment other than cash – the transaction will not be subject to rounding guidelines. These types of payments can be settled to the exact amount and do not need to be rounded.

As a consumer, I suggest that we all need to be vigilant over the next little while. If you don’t normally pay attention at the cash register when you are making purchases, now is the time to start. Make sure that all items are being rung in correctly, and when your final total is presented to you, ensure that the retailer is not trying to get you to pay more than you need to. Make a little card to carry in your coin purse or wallet so you know that totals ending with 1, 2, 6, and 7 round down; totals with 3, 4, 8, and 9 round up. Then write CASH TRANSACTIONS ONLY along the bottom.

How Can This Save Me Money?

If, in a typical month, you make a total of 75 transactions total, either using cash or another method of payment, you could be paying 0.01 to 0.04 more per purchase if the retailer you deal with always chooses to round up. Potentially, that could be $3 more out of your budget than you are used to spending. If your monthly transactions total more than 75, this dollar amount could be much higher. Now $3 per month doesn’t seem like a lot, but that is $36 dollars per year. Over time, that adds up to a lot of money that was unnecessarily spent. Wouldn’t you rather keep that money in your pocket?

 

Putting the Plan Into Action

Now that I've had some time to internalise everything that has happened last week, I'm ready to start putting our Action Plan into place. Hubby and I have talked and talked about what we can do to keep things on an even keel around here until I find somthing else to bring in an income. The way I figure it, we will have a reduced income until February 28th, and then after that, who knows? There is so much that is unknown and to tell you the truth, I'm a little bit scared. But now is the time to really prioritise what is important to us and what is just 'nice to have'. Even when we had gobs and gobs of debt, I wasn't as willing to let go of things as I am now. Knowing that there is *some* money in the bank to see us through is certainly helping me to sleep at night.

Here's a list of actions I'll be taking to reduce our expenditures:

• go to the bank and temporarily stop RRSP, RESP and House downpayment contributions.
• calling cellphone provider and reducing plans to something more affordable.
• make a freezer and cupboard inventory; we need to eat what we have to reduce grocery costs.
• inventory items that can be sold to list on Kijijii and other sites.
• list items on Kijijii; have already started with two.

As for looking for other work, I have an appointment on Wednesday to get some help from an employment counsellor. Also, I had an unexpected tip on a possible job lead kind of within my field, but not quite. However, I will be in contact with them to see if they are interested in hiring me. Fingers crossed.

I'll be going over my invoicing tomorrow to see how much money that I am owed from various companies, as well as making sure that I pay any outstanding invoices from my business. I'd like to get as close to a clean slate as I can, before we start feeling the pinch of living on one income.

How I Wish To Do This!

As a knitter, I am very reluctant to join a Knit-Along because usually they entail fancy patterns that are a little out of my league, or the end product is just too ambitious for the basic knitting techniques that I know. However, this one, the Temperature Scarf Crochet-Along and Knit-Along could just be the thing for me!

Using these eight colours only might be a bit tricky, as here, sometimes our temperatures vary widely from day to day. I'll have to take a look through the stash to see what I can come up with that will be close to these colours. I like the idea of using the 'feels like' temperature to determine the days colour.
(Using my idea, I need to have 16 differing colours and a border colour.)

One other great thing about this is that I only have to knit two rows per day, on average. Some days it will be 6 rows, as one should add four rows of the border colour when the month changes. I could take pictures and upload how the scarf looks every month. :) How's that for ambitious? LOL.

The idea was inspired by this blog posting and now there are lots of folks around the world knitting and crocheting the same thing. Well, sort of. Anyhoo...I'm off to dig through the stash to see what I can find. I have to at least cast on today. I'm already behind in the pattern. Good thing I only have to make up 9 little rows.

Thank You All

This week has been one emotional roller coaster! I've experienced feelings that I have not had in a long, long time. Feeling down, blaming myself, and a plethora of things have gone through my mind.
What did I do wrong? What could I have done differently? Would any of that matter anyway? Would the outcome have been different?

I've resigned myself to the fact that I may never fully know the answers. What I do know is that I handled it with all the grace and dignity that I could muster, and waited until I was home with Hubby, feeling safe and loved before I fell to pieces. I'll admit to being hurt by the fact that I have had no communication with company representatives since then. I'd love to have some sort of explanation, but I know there isn't one coming. I'd like to tell them, "Hey! I'm a grown-up. I can handle that I'm not the person you think can make your business the best that it can be. But at least have the guts to say it to me!"

I'll bide my time and see what the reason code is on my Record of Employment. I've already filed my Employment Insurance claim. Now I wait.

In the mean time, I want to say thank you to you all for the kind words. I don't know what this next chapter in life will hold, but I'm excited at the prospect of something new and different.

Choosing a New Direction

As some of you may remember reading, about 10 days ago Hubby and I had the big talk about what our plans were should one or both of us became unemployed. I initiated this conversation because of a couple of things I 'heard' within my industry, and also because I had a niggling feeling that I couldn't quite ignore. Something was on the horizon, I was sure of it.

Gawd, I hate being right ALL THE TIME.

We didn't have much time to implement our plan of action to have the appropriate amount of funds set aside. I got caught off guard when the call came. I lost my job. There's a lot about it that bothers me now, like not having a manager or the owner tell me they were letting me go. Like them trying to weasel their way out of not having to pay what is due to me. Like them not telling me I'd been replaced, and letting me find out when I walked in to the office to find the replacement sitting there in the office. Nice touch, huh?

Yesterday I was angry and grieving on every level possible. I have to admit I cried, said a few choice words (not to any of my former colleagues though), and was so angry, I almost let my temper get the better of me. But I didn't. I held it together just long enough.

Then Hubby and I talked about our next steps, seeing as we were a little unprepared for this (as in not enough money in the bank to weather the storm). We're going to be selling some things on Kijijii, and reducing our expenses every which way but loose. I have about 30 days or so to find some other employment, and to tell you the truth, I think I need a break from Funeral Service.

I really have no idea what else I am qualified to do, so I'm going to do a little bit of soul searching, and using the free services of a local employment agency. I can't imagine that job hunting in this economy can be any fun. Hopefully I can find something that will give me some amount of flexibility that I'm accustomed to for my kids and will pay close to the pay grade that I've had previously.

In the mean time, there is a lot of stuff for me to catch up on around the apartment, and I have a gazillion blog posts that I'll be writing. I think you may see me on here a lot more often.

Books

I spent some time yesterday going through my bookshelves and all the little hiding spots that my books are in. I have piles of them that I keep meaning to do something with, but yet, here they sit.

Wednesday, I ventured into a little used bookstore called "The Book Addict". Right there, in the front window was a copy of Jenny Lawsons "Let's Pretend This Never Happened". If you have no idea who Jenny Lawson is, you should pop over to her blog and read some of her stuff. She's funny in a very weird sort of way, which I love. Her book has had me laughing right from the first page. :)

Anyhow, I asked the lady at "The Book Addict" if they bought books, and she said yes. Oh-my-gosh! Now, I am not expecting to get tons of bucks for the 40 - 50 books I'm trying to get out of my house, but I'll be happy with a little something to add toward one of my top four goal.

I'm not going to lie and tell you that I didn't buy any books this week. I did. Twice. I bought three books for about $25 at one used bookstore, and $17 on another five at another bookstore. When I brought them home, I had to make room for them, so I grabbed a box, and starting clearing out books that need to find new homes.

I've started the annual declutter (LOL). Let's see how long it lasts this time. Maybe I can actually get rid of some stuff that I really don't need to have.

Please keep me in your thoughts.

I have started the yearly paperwork crumminess that accompanies being self-employed. I have HST to figure out and file, year end reports that are due, invoicing to be done, then to start getting all the paperwork together and ready for Income Tax. Knowing me, I should be finished sometime in May. (Ok, I hope not, but gosh - there is just so much paperwork!)

The good news is, I have started. I haven't left it until the last minute (or past the due dates) and will slowly wade through the mountains of paperwork that seem to be ever-fricking-where right now.

If I don't post again within a week, send search and rescue out to find me. I may be under a paperwork avalanche.

Unit Pricing

When you are shopping for the best deals, do you use unit pricing as part of your expense reducing strategy? If not, maybe you should consider it. This strategy alone could save you tons of cash.

What is unit pricing?
When you purchase a case of individual drinks, like a case of pop, or a multi-pack of dry goods, like six boxes of facial tissues, the entire package is a certain price. The cost of one individual can, bottle or tissue would be the unit price.

If a case of 12 boxes of macaroni & cheese is $6.88, the unit price would be ($6.88 / 12 =) $0.573 each. If you are paying $1.25 per single box, you could potentially save $8.12 ( or $0.68 per box).

This type of price comparison is more important when you have two like products but different packaging standards. An example of this would be bottled water. If you want to compare product A which sells water in a case of 15 X 500mL bottles for $0.88 and product B which sells water in a case of 24 (with a bonus of 4 bottles for a total of 28) X 500mL bottles at $2.44.

An individual bottle of Product A would be $0.88 / 15 = $0.058 per 500 mL.

An individual bottle of Product B would be $2.44 / 28 = $0.087 per 500 mL.

Where this really becomes important is when you have coupons. Lets say you had a coupon for Product B, for $1 off the purchase of a case of 24. Firstly, the coupon qualifies for the purchase because the additional four bottles are a bonus from the manufacturer, if they typically do not sell the product in packaging of 28. You would then be purchasing 28 X 500mL bottles for $0.051 each.

Here's the math:
$2.44 - $1 Manufacturer coupon = $1.44 / 28 = $0.051 per 500mL bottle.

When shopping for items that you buy regularly, you should be inputting the Unit Price into your Price Book (you do have a Price Book, don't you) so that you can compare at a glance what seems like a good deal while you're at the store. If the unit price isn't below or near your set point for cost, you know that it's not as good a deal as it is advertised to be.

Over time, using this tool can really help you to reduce your spending. Just remember to actually 'save' your savings. Put the money you don't spend in your savings account, or RRSP where it can actually do some good, instead of just spending that money on something else.

A Drive and A Good Talk

Every once in awhile, I have the pleasure of being able to bring Hubby with me to work. I especially love it when we have to go out of town, so I have his undivided attention for a few hours. We usually take this time to reconnect through conversation, and the other day was no different.

I was finally able to tell him my concerns about a work situation. I know that no one has any true security in their job anymore, and I am no exception. Thinking about the very real possibility of job loss, I wanted to talk about what we could and would do if one or both of us were to lose our jobs through no fault of our own.

As much as I love my Hubby, I know that he is a typically pessimistic person and that he usually brings my optimism down a notch or three. So for this conversation, I was not particularly looking forward to having it, nor was I thinking it would be a good one.

I was wrong. (And that does not happen very often.)

Hubby talked about the situations going on at his place of employment, and how it could possibly end up with him having a job loss. Please understand, that since he was 16 years old, Hubby has never been without work for more than a week, so unemployment for any length of time would be a whole different thing for him.

We talked about his options: going back to school for trade specific training, or for a whole new line of work altogether. He said he was willing to take almost any job that paid more than minimum wage, and if necessary, would take a min. wage job too.

We also talked about my options should I become unemployed. I offered a few suggestions of where I might also apply to work to stay in the same field, along with what I could do to increase business should I decide to stay self-employed. If worse came to worse, I would take whatever job I could in order to keep our family afloat.

Things that we could do financially to keep us going were a big part of the conversation. We talked about reducing cable, cellphones, and other variable expenses would be our first line of defense. Preparation was also a main point in the conversation. We agreed that we have been lax in the area of saving up enough money to see us through a rough patch, and have resolved to fix this as best as we can. So on Sunday, I sat down with the budget and financial plan and re prioritised our 2013 goals page. I will sleep better at night once we have at least $1000 each in our Emergency Fund and Emergency Essential Expenses accounts. As for the taxes owing, well, the sooner I get that paid off, the better we will be all the way around. I will be posting occasionally about how we are bumping up these funds and paying off the tax man.

We are no longer burying our heads in the sand. We're thinking like optimists but planning like pessimists.

Have you put any thought into how your family budget would survive a job loss or god forbid, a double job loss? What would you do?

Ontario Bloggers

I just wanted to say thank you to 'JustMe' over at Just North of Wiarton and South of the Checkerboard for featuring a bunch of Ontario bloggers yesterday. Now I have lots of new reading material.

Stop by these blogs and show them some love. You may find something new and interesting.