The closest branch of the public library is a mere 5 minute drive from our apartment. It is situated within the community centre in our part of the city, and is across the street from a major shopping mall, within walking distance from G-ma's apartment, and backs onto the property of the public school where DD2 attends.
This library has a children's area with great reading material for babies to teens, some toys for DS to play with while I browse, and even computers for kids to play learning games on.
For the grown-ups, there are aisles of books, CD's, DVD's, newspapers and magazines available for borrowing. There are computers to use for job searching, and general use, as well as ones specific for searching the database of books available within the sity-wide library system. I can put my name on a list to borrow a book that was just put into circulation, as well as find books that have been recommended to me, usually by one of the librarians whose reading interests are close to mine.
Inside the community centre, there are free or low-cost programs available for mostly everyone, in addition to the ones that the library offers. This is where I can take the little guy four mornings per week, to the drop-in program. For two glorious hours, he can play with wonderful toys, meet other children, hear a story and a song, and get a nutritious snack, while I can knit, and chat with other parents and/or caregivers. This is one of the many free programs available to us.
There is also a food cupboard and baby food bank available, an Ontario Works satellite office, a preschool half-day program, a senior citizen meeting group, a young parents program, a Women's group weekly meeting (facilitated in Arabic), and probably dozens of other programs and groups who meet there that I don't even know about. It is truly a central area for finding out what is going on in our suburb of the city.
When I need to find something free to do with the family, or need direction on how to find a resource that could be of use to frugal families like ours, they have always been there to help guide the way.
Wednesday, September 8, 2010
Tuesday, September 7, 2010
Maybe I'll write a blog post about procrastination....later
Procrastination is the biggest nemesis in my life. I have always felt that things will get done in their own time, and not a minute before. Having learned that procrastination can cost me time and money also, I have been trying to fight this demon for many years.
I have never been a 'do things right away' kind of person. I don't do the dishes right after supper, and I don't file my taxes on time. *gulp* I know, I know. Those are bad things to *NOT* do right away, but I can't help it. I always think there will be more time to do those things, but there never is. To tell the truth, I would much rather be knitting, watching my son during playgroup than to be cleaning the house, or getting my business files up to date.
This is where my lists come in. I list all the things that I would like to accomplish during a week, and I add to it as other things come up. During my computer time during the day, I will take a 5 to 10 minute break, and try to finish, or at least start, something on the list. It may only be taking something out of the freezer for dinner, but it's a start. I find that when I've started something, I usually keep working on it much longer than the 10 minutes required. Before I know it, the task is somewhere between half and fully accomplished.
One of my upcoming monthly challenges for myself is to de-clutter the house. We have far more stuff than is necessary for a family of four. This task is a daunting one for sure, but it is something that I feel *needs* to be done. There are children's and adult clothes to be sorted, toys to be cleared out and closets to be gone through. I am hoping to be able to get some of the money back from these things by selling them on kijiji, but if it doesn't happen, that's ok too. As long as all of the un-needed stuff leaves our home.
This task will be much more than 5-10 minutes, but I can do it in 5-10 minute increments. This week, I cleared out a particularly bothersome corner of our bedroom that had piles of clothing that had been sitting there for months. That corner did only take about 10 minutes, but it urged me to take on another task, the spare socks. When we moved here almost 2 years ago, we had a garbage bag of socks that hadn't been paired up. Earlier this year, that bag of socks was found in DD2's bedroom closet. I pulled it out and started working on pairing them up, and getting rid of socks that wouldn't fit anyone in our home. DD1 helped, and within an hour, it was finished.
I felt such a sense of accomplishment, I thought, "Imagine what I can do if I de-clutter five minutes at a time". No more procrastinating for me this year. Well, maybe I won't slay the procrastination demon, but at least I'll get some stuff done.
How do you deal with procrastion? Or do you have another demon that kills your time? Share your thoughts please.
I have never been a 'do things right away' kind of person. I don't do the dishes right after supper, and I don't file my taxes on time. *gulp* I know, I know. Those are bad things to *NOT* do right away, but I can't help it. I always think there will be more time to do those things, but there never is. To tell the truth, I would much rather be knitting, watching my son during playgroup than to be cleaning the house, or getting my business files up to date.
This is where my lists come in. I list all the things that I would like to accomplish during a week, and I add to it as other things come up. During my computer time during the day, I will take a 5 to 10 minute break, and try to finish, or at least start, something on the list. It may only be taking something out of the freezer for dinner, but it's a start. I find that when I've started something, I usually keep working on it much longer than the 10 minutes required. Before I know it, the task is somewhere between half and fully accomplished.
One of my upcoming monthly challenges for myself is to de-clutter the house. We have far more stuff than is necessary for a family of four. This task is a daunting one for sure, but it is something that I feel *needs* to be done. There are children's and adult clothes to be sorted, toys to be cleared out and closets to be gone through. I am hoping to be able to get some of the money back from these things by selling them on kijiji, but if it doesn't happen, that's ok too. As long as all of the un-needed stuff leaves our home.
This task will be much more than 5-10 minutes, but I can do it in 5-10 minute increments. This week, I cleared out a particularly bothersome corner of our bedroom that had piles of clothing that had been sitting there for months. That corner did only take about 10 minutes, but it urged me to take on another task, the spare socks. When we moved here almost 2 years ago, we had a garbage bag of socks that hadn't been paired up. Earlier this year, that bag of socks was found in DD2's bedroom closet. I pulled it out and started working on pairing them up, and getting rid of socks that wouldn't fit anyone in our home. DD1 helped, and within an hour, it was finished.
I felt such a sense of accomplishment, I thought, "Imagine what I can do if I de-clutter five minutes at a time". No more procrastinating for me this year. Well, maybe I won't slay the procrastination demon, but at least I'll get some stuff done.
How do you deal with procrastion? Or do you have another demon that kills your time? Share your thoughts please.
Thursday, September 2, 2010
A funny thing happened at the mall last night
Since trying to reform my terrible shopping habits, I try to steer clear of the mall as much as possible. I am getting better at looking through stores, and appreciating the beautiful wares that are for sale, but not feeling that I *must* have everything that I like. I try to limit myself to only what I need.
Last night, B and I went out to look at a townhouse that was available for rent. It was nice, but a bit small, and not really something that we loved. We liked it ok, but it wasn't for us, even if it was in the right price range. We decided then to take a drive around the suburb that we want to live in, to see if anything else was available. There was a lot of discussion about what type of place we were willing to live in until we're out of debt, and more ready to look at buying a home of our own. We found an apartment building that we could agree on, within 5 minutes walking distance of mostly everything we needed. Now to find out if there is anything available in our price range.
After our drive, B asked me if I would go inside the mall with him, to give him an opinion on something. From a chat we had the other day, I already knew that the purchase he was contemplating was between $300- $500. Knowing how much he wanted a flat screen t.v., I just presumed we were going to look at more televisions. Boy, was I wrong!
I followed him into the jewellery store. I never thought that an engagement ring was what I was supposed to give him my opinion on. We spent about an hour looking at different rings, trying them on, etc. There was one I really loved,and B said I could wear it home. I told him,"No, I can't wear it home. I insist you do it the right way".
After a quick explanation, he agreed with my reasoning, put my shiny new thing in his pocket, and we went home.
He had our adult daughter and her boyfriend sit at the dining room table, with our 2 year old son, and got down on one knee, and asked me to marry him. Of course I said yes!!
He was crying, our daughter was crying, I was crying. Even DD1's b/f remarked that he got all tingly in the eyes, and was glad to be witness to such a special moment.
And I thought we were going to buy a television!
Last night, B and I went out to look at a townhouse that was available for rent. It was nice, but a bit small, and not really something that we loved. We liked it ok, but it wasn't for us, even if it was in the right price range. We decided then to take a drive around the suburb that we want to live in, to see if anything else was available. There was a lot of discussion about what type of place we were willing to live in until we're out of debt, and more ready to look at buying a home of our own. We found an apartment building that we could agree on, within 5 minutes walking distance of mostly everything we needed. Now to find out if there is anything available in our price range.
After our drive, B asked me if I would go inside the mall with him, to give him an opinion on something. From a chat we had the other day, I already knew that the purchase he was contemplating was between $300- $500. Knowing how much he wanted a flat screen t.v., I just presumed we were going to look at more televisions. Boy, was I wrong!
I followed him into the jewellery store. I never thought that an engagement ring was what I was supposed to give him my opinion on. We spent about an hour looking at different rings, trying them on, etc. There was one I really loved,and B said I could wear it home. I told him,"No, I can't wear it home. I insist you do it the right way".
After a quick explanation, he agreed with my reasoning, put my shiny new thing in his pocket, and we went home.
He had our adult daughter and her boyfriend sit at the dining room table, with our 2 year old son, and got down on one knee, and asked me to marry him. Of course I said yes!!
He was crying, our daughter was crying, I was crying. Even DD1's b/f remarked that he got all tingly in the eyes, and was glad to be witness to such a special moment.
And I thought we were going to buy a television!
Wednesday, September 1, 2010
Thoughts about Money
It isn’t just about what you make, it’s also about how you manage what you make. - Gail Vaz -Oxlade
I have heard or read a variation of this quote at least a hundred times in the past decade. For some unknown reason, I've never really put much thought into it. Sure, if you're making decent money, you have enough to manage. When you're dirt poor, your worries tend to run along the lines of how to feed your family and keep a roof over your head at the same time.
Now I'm not saying that we're dirt poor. Far from it, in fact. But I grew up in a household where the cycle of extreme poverty helped me to develop a mindset that I was, and always will be very poor. I'm still trying to change my thoughts on that.
Being poor is relative, I suppose. I know folks who make five times more per month than I do, and I know several people who would love to have access to the kind of money that I have. The truth is, I'm neither financially wealthy not poverty stricken (anymore) and I'm learning to come to terms with that. This is where Gail's quote comes in.
I've learned that there will always be money in my life. There will be times where there will be seemingly plenty of it, and there will be times where it will seem like there is next to none. It's what I do with it that matters.
Budgeting my money is still a work in progress, and I may never "get it right", but I sleep better knowing I'm doing the best I can with what I have. I still make mistakes and overspend, especially in my entertainment category, but I have also learned to forgive myself for that. I only allow myself one day of guilty feelings over money overspent that I cannot get back.
What helps me to not feel so guilty is that for the first time in my life, I am saving money for my future, saving money for emergencies that will inevitably happen, and I'm saving up for things I would like to have. My pots of money aren't huge, but they are there, and I put that money there for those reasons. That's worth a good night's sleep to me.
I have heard or read a variation of this quote at least a hundred times in the past decade. For some unknown reason, I've never really put much thought into it. Sure, if you're making decent money, you have enough to manage. When you're dirt poor, your worries tend to run along the lines of how to feed your family and keep a roof over your head at the same time.
Now I'm not saying that we're dirt poor. Far from it, in fact. But I grew up in a household where the cycle of extreme poverty helped me to develop a mindset that I was, and always will be very poor. I'm still trying to change my thoughts on that.
Being poor is relative, I suppose. I know folks who make five times more per month than I do, and I know several people who would love to have access to the kind of money that I have. The truth is, I'm neither financially wealthy not poverty stricken (anymore) and I'm learning to come to terms with that. This is where Gail's quote comes in.
I've learned that there will always be money in my life. There will be times where there will be seemingly plenty of it, and there will be times where it will seem like there is next to none. It's what I do with it that matters.
Budgeting my money is still a work in progress, and I may never "get it right", but I sleep better knowing I'm doing the best I can with what I have. I still make mistakes and overspend, especially in my entertainment category, but I have also learned to forgive myself for that. I only allow myself one day of guilty feelings over money overspent that I cannot get back.
What helps me to not feel so guilty is that for the first time in my life, I am saving money for my future, saving money for emergencies that will inevitably happen, and I'm saving up for things I would like to have. My pots of money aren't huge, but they are there, and I put that money there for those reasons. That's worth a good night's sleep to me.
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