I've been fighting a bad cold/illness for over a week now. It has taken its toll on me physically, emotionally and financially. I've 'borrowed' money out of next months' expenses to purchase some medication, and food stuffs due to this illness. I'm not happy about borrowing money from next month, but at least I'm not putting it on a credit card!
I haven't been diligent about writing things down when I spend money, nor have I kept up with the budget making, etc. It's a setback, yes, but I'm not about to beat myself up about it. This cold has done enough of that already.
I'm supposed to go and take out money to refill the envelopes today but I'm not sure if I have the energy to do that along with visits to the doctor.
I suppose being a couple of days behind won't matter too much, as long as I don't miss any automatic payments going out.
Monday, September 20, 2010
Friday, September 17, 2010
Time for some de-cluttering
Last night, I took 3 garbage bags fulls of kids clothes and a box of stuff to a thrift store. I know I have more stuff to donate, but I have to work through our rooms first to find it first.
My sore throat and cough this week prevented me from getting much sleep, so I did spend some quiet time during the pre-dawn hours thinking about some things that need to be done. De-cluttering makes it to the top of the list everytime!
So in no particular order, here is what I hope to accomplish by the end of October:
1. Go through all of DS's toys and downgrade to only 1 bin in the livingroom. Donate all others to thrift store, setting aside only a few special things for when granbaby boy comes along.
2. Go through my closet and dresser and get rid of all clothing that no longer fits, or is no longer wearable.
3. Go through all storage in bedroom closets and purge.
4. Tackle DD2's room with her. Encourage donating anything and everything that no longer fits, is wanted or is liked.
5. Same with DS's bedroom.
6. Kitchen- clean and purge.
7. Add soil to the household plants.
That would effectively bring me to declutter every room in our apartment, including closets. I know that doing all of this prior to the holidays will help me feel less stress during that crazy, busy time. I hate having a cluttered house during Xmas.
My sore throat and cough this week prevented me from getting much sleep, so I did spend some quiet time during the pre-dawn hours thinking about some things that need to be done. De-cluttering makes it to the top of the list everytime!
So in no particular order, here is what I hope to accomplish by the end of October:
1. Go through all of DS's toys and downgrade to only 1 bin in the livingroom. Donate all others to thrift store, setting aside only a few special things for when granbaby boy comes along.
2. Go through my closet and dresser and get rid of all clothing that no longer fits, or is no longer wearable.
3. Go through all storage in bedroom closets and purge.
4. Tackle DD2's room with her. Encourage donating anything and everything that no longer fits, is wanted or is liked.
5. Same with DS's bedroom.
6. Kitchen- clean and purge.
7. Add soil to the household plants.
That would effectively bring me to declutter every room in our apartment, including closets. I know that doing all of this prior to the holidays will help me feel less stress during that crazy, busy time. I hate having a cluttered house during Xmas.
Thursday, September 16, 2010
A Budget is A Work in Progress
I used to think that budgets were horrible. Budgeting meant that all your dollars were allocated to something, and once you wrote it down, it had to be adhered to to the letter.
I've been using something of a budget for the last nineteen years. I never liked them. I always listed the 'must be paid' items above the 'may not have to be paid in full' items. By the time I got to the bottom of the page, there was no money left for savings, or for fun for that matter. When I started using Gail's budgeting system, I had done it again. I budgeted so tightly, the spreadsheet squeaked. Then something minor would come along, blow the whole budget out of whack, and I would think, "I've failed at budgeting AGAIN".
Then one day, while watching TDDUP, a lightbulb went on inside my head. My perception of the budget was all wrong. The budget wasn't telling me that I didn't have enough money, or that I couldn't spend money on things I truly wanted. It was there to help me achieve my goals. As Gail says, " Because it’s never really about how much you make. It’s about what you do with the money."
I realised that the only way I was ever going to actually save money, was by opening a savings account and putting money in there. PAY YOURSELF FIRST. I've heard this a gajillion times, yet I never really 'got' it. It means you must set aside a portion of your income before you pay your bills and whatnot. Otherwise, there will always be a reason to spend that money. If it's not available in your chequing account, or cash in your wallet, it becomes harder to spend it.
Now when I budget, I allow for things to pop-up like they do. My budget is still not perfect (are they ever), and I've reworked ours at least a thousand times over the last two years. Now our budget is something that I can live with, and change in a heartbeat if necessary. Because ya know, life happens.
I've been using something of a budget for the last nineteen years. I never liked them. I always listed the 'must be paid' items above the 'may not have to be paid in full' items. By the time I got to the bottom of the page, there was no money left for savings, or for fun for that matter. When I started using Gail's budgeting system, I had done it again. I budgeted so tightly, the spreadsheet squeaked. Then something minor would come along, blow the whole budget out of whack, and I would think, "I've failed at budgeting AGAIN".
Then one day, while watching TDDUP, a lightbulb went on inside my head. My perception of the budget was all wrong. The budget wasn't telling me that I didn't have enough money, or that I couldn't spend money on things I truly wanted. It was there to help me achieve my goals. As Gail says, " Because it’s never really about how much you make. It’s about what you do with the money."
I realised that the only way I was ever going to actually save money, was by opening a savings account and putting money in there. PAY YOURSELF FIRST. I've heard this a gajillion times, yet I never really 'got' it. It means you must set aside a portion of your income before you pay your bills and whatnot. Otherwise, there will always be a reason to spend that money. If it's not available in your chequing account, or cash in your wallet, it becomes harder to spend it.
Now when I budget, I allow for things to pop-up like they do. My budget is still not perfect (are they ever), and I've reworked ours at least a thousand times over the last two years. Now our budget is something that I can live with, and change in a heartbeat if necessary. Because ya know, life happens.
Wednesday, September 15, 2010
Gail Club Meetings
Last night, the London Chapter of the Gail Club met downtown for coffee and a chat. What is a Gail Club you ask? Well, I'll be most happy to tell you.
Gail Vaz-Oxlade is the financial sham-wow. The 'debtinator' she is lovingly called by folks who are close to her. She can help to show you how to clean up your messes, and attack your debt to get that evil demon off your back. Reading her blog daily helps to keep me motivated. I like to think of it as Gail giving me daily advice over a cup of coffee every morning.
There are hundreds, if not thousands of followers on her blog. Many, many times she has been asked by folks to help them fix/clean up their financial messes. Other helpful readers would offer comments and advice, knowing that GVO doesn't have the time to answer every call for help. Gail decided to give the reader a forum where we could help one another based on geographical region. Thus, the Gail Clubs were born.
Our London group is small, but very close. We have been meeting almost every month for over a year. We have been there for each other through a birth, a death, paying down debt and everything in between. The wonderful folks are a financial sounding board, often saying to one another,"What would Gail say about that"?
If you haven't seen Gail's blog, head over here:
http://gailvazoxlade.com/blog/
If you would like to join a Gail Club in your area, head over here:
http://www.gailvazoxlade.com/bb/
Gail Vaz-Oxlade is the financial sham-wow. The 'debtinator' she is lovingly called by folks who are close to her. She can help to show you how to clean up your messes, and attack your debt to get that evil demon off your back. Reading her blog daily helps to keep me motivated. I like to think of it as Gail giving me daily advice over a cup of coffee every morning.
There are hundreds, if not thousands of followers on her blog. Many, many times she has been asked by folks to help them fix/clean up their financial messes. Other helpful readers would offer comments and advice, knowing that GVO doesn't have the time to answer every call for help. Gail decided to give the reader a forum where we could help one another based on geographical region. Thus, the Gail Clubs were born.
Our London group is small, but very close. We have been meeting almost every month for over a year. We have been there for each other through a birth, a death, paying down debt and everything in between. The wonderful folks are a financial sounding board, often saying to one another,"What would Gail say about that"?
If you haven't seen Gail's blog, head over here:
http://gailvazoxlade.com/blog/
If you would like to join a Gail Club in your area, head over here:
http://www.gailvazoxlade.com/bb/
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