Get organized and save money!

Getting organized...

Sometimes I get caught in a circle being unorganized which makes me tired, which makes me more unorganized.  I hate that I have to use the weekends to catch up on all the craziness of the week.

Being behind on laundry makes me scramble in the morning to find clothes, which makes me late making lunches, which makes me spend money on food at work.  This last month has been pretty bad for that.  Yesterday I had some time, so I did some shopping for the week and got supplies for all of my lunches.  I've also caught up on laundry and laid out my clothes for what I'm going to wear each day. No excuses this week!

At work I've been leading some groups that I'm not familiar with.  I've been happy that it's gone very well and I've received some very positive feedback.  However I stress about it so much that I don't sleep very well at night.  I tend to be a perfectionist but yet I'm not a typical "Type A" being organized enough to fall in that category.  Thankfully it's getting easier and I'm gaining confidence each time I have to do it.  What I know I do well is quickly learn my audience.  I read facial expressions and body language better than most people.  That allows me to change my method of presenting so that everyone in the group I'm leading is understanding what I need them to learn.  And I've been told that I fly by the seat of my pants very well!

It's crazy busy and my job looks like it has to be full-time until the second week of November.

Kid #1 is back in University full time and kid# 2 graduates this year!  That will come with a pile of expenses.  Kid #3 is loving school again this fall.  Another great teacher this year!

Kid 3 is back in hockey.  Needed new skates, as did kid 2.  $130 and $400 respectively.  And that is 50% off both pair!!  I split cost with my x for kid 2 so my share was "only" $200!

With all of the big stuff paid for this year...house reno's, hockey equipment and fee, tuition, I think I'm back to save mode vs. spend for a couple months.

We are getting a new to us bbq today as ours has pretty much disintigrated.  For $50 the price is right!

I get a kick out of the way some people spend their money.  Dh's family member that has a wife on maternity leave and an uncertain job just spent $1200 on their new barbecue.  He bought it as a birthday present to himself!  I have never in my life spent money like that on my own birthday present!  Some years I will let myself have a treat or splurge but not like that!  With a mortgage of $400,000 plus a line of credit, plus monthly credit card payments they're making... I don't see how anyone in their right mind can blow that kind of money.  It also comes with a lot of bragging about all of the material possessions they have.  My husband and I look at each other and give each other that little kick under the table.  They live paycheck to paycheck.

A couple weeks ago our air conditioner went kaput.  For now we just open the windows at night and close the blinds during the day.  We are holding off until spring to buy a new one.  We're having it installed by a friend of ours to keep the cost down.  Lucky for us he is a journeyman plumber and refrigeration repair person.  We can also purchase the air-conditioner through him at cost.  This will save us a few thousand dollars!

I've been too relaxed keeping track of my investments.  I have to change my contributions so that I don't go over my RRSP limit.  I've decided that I will just switch that amount over to my tax-free savings account and do a monthly contribution to that.  I've read in a couple places and I saw on TV that the government plan is to double the tax-free contribution savings room if the budget balances.  Here's hoping that government makes a promise and keeps a promise!!!

I must run, time to go to hockey!

The Tide Has Turned!

I have a full time job again!!  Horray!!

I can't give you the details of how the past week has shaken down but boy oh boy were there a lot of meetings and phone calls.  I turned my anger into action!

The short version of myself and others vs. employer:  give me the job that I should have been hired for, was most senior and most qualified for or.... we can go to the Labour Standards Act or all the way to the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms.  Your pick.  You can not discriminate against an injured worker when they are capable of doing the job.

Ta Dah!  The job opens up and I'm given the position the next day.  The new position comes with free scowls and sneers from a manager that got her hand slapped hard.  I don't care.  My boss (that I still hate) got a spank too.  Don't mess with me.  We kicked a$$ and took names.

The best day of all was when my little guy told me that I looked "Just like Alicia in The Good Wife" when I was preparing to go in to yet another meeting.  One of the hags ladies at the table looked like she had crawled out from a creek bank somewhere.  Just sayin' that if you are meeting with a bunch of suits, you should look like you belong.  (Thank goodness for the Christmas gift card free shopping!!!)

Now by Feb 4 we should know the status of dh's employment.  It looks promising and we are hopeful that things fall into place quickly.

My salary is still lower than it was pre-injury because I don't do any overtime but it will be a lot higher than it was heading earlier!

This job has a time limit of a year but there are many opportunities that can come along.  Once dh is settled into something and my year is up I am open to ideas and opportunities.  Those include part-time and being around more for my kids!

The Good Things....
an extra almost $30,000 per year
awesome friends and co-workers
a complete "rock" for me to lean on in my dh

Things that suck...
first world problems of what to wear to work