The first goal that I wanted to accomplish in 2013 was to get the balance of my chequing account balance up to $1,000.00 to avoid the monthly banking fee. The balance in that account is now less than 50 bucks and at this rate I will have to wait until I get my tax return in April or May. I had planned to put the tax return directly in to my RRSP (registered retirement savings plan) to help me meet my savings goal for 2013 and ensure a tax return next year. I set a goal of saving and keep a $1,000 balance in the chequing account but I did not figure out a plan for how to get it there. Part of the reason for the No Spend month in January was to free up cash but it doesn’t seem to be happening and there is only 1 more pay period in January.
I am working the afternoon/evening shift today. So many people have the flu that it will be a crazy circus again today. I got my flu shots but I guess thousands and thousands of other people didn’t bother and they are all coughing on me this month. Cough and sneeze in to your elbow and not on me. Don’t stand behind me and cough and so that the force of the cough makes my hair move —true story. That inconsiderate/stupid cougher was a coworker who has had germ and hygiene training but forgets all the rules as soon as she got sick. This minor rant may seem to be off the basic finance track of The Money Puzzle but I am out of sick days so if I get sick I will not get paid. Don’t cough on me.
January No Spend Update
The car is on E again. I haven’t driven very far but my windows were iced up before and after work yesterday and the car ran and struggled to generate heat while I scraped and scraped and scraped. I will have to use $15.00 of the remaining $17.00 for gas but that won’t see me until the end of the month. The colder it gets the more the car devours gas.
In good news I received a Costco cheque from American Express for $8.49 as a rebate for using my AMEX last year. I didn’t get an AMEX until last fall and I didn’t use it very much. The arrival of the AMEX cheque reminds me that the Costco membership rebate cheque will arrive soon. We are almost out of dog food and I will have to cook them some rice and meat with freezer burn to keep them from staring at me with their big sad eyes.
And now I owe, I owe so off to work I go.
I didn’t get the flu shot (I never do), but I always avoid sick people, avoid touching my face, and wash my hands like a maniac.
If I’m sick and on a contract I don’t get paid, so I have the same fear.
My job is in health care so I cannot avoid sick people but all of us can be considerate and follow good personal hygiene rules. I just want to yell “Cover your mouth when you cough you stupid idiot” but yelling at clients and other staff is not encouraged. I may do it on the last week before I retire if I can ever afford to retire.
Sorry to hear your January Challenge didn’t go as well as you’d hoped.
I get tempted by take out as well, I combat the impulse in 2 ways.
If I want Chinese, and know I shouldn’t spend the $ on it, I go to my local Chinese grocery store. It has a hot table and is considerably cheaper than a restaurant.
The other thing I do is to keep a few frozen pizzas (bought on sale) or other “heat and eat” things in my freezer. It costs more than if I made the food from scratch, but still less than take out.
I also noticed that it almost takes as much time to go get take out (unless it’s the drive through), as it would to cook something instant at home.
I had ready to eat pasta in the fridge but I always crave fried food and I addicted to salt. I had heat and eat stuff in the freezer too. I will not declare the challenge a fail but it is going to be a boring final two weeks.
It has only reinforced what I already knew – I waste too much money on fast food. Worst habit I have.
I agree. For me take out never is as good or easy as it seems. My kids have food allergies, so it is always stressful. Pizza pizza 5$ medium pepperoni pizza is the only thing that is quick enough , budget friendly and nut free. Too bad it tastes like cardboard.
And it is usually cold cardboard by the time you get home.
I HATE when people cough all over me! I feel like decking ‘em in teh face when they do that. Just because they’re sick dosn’t mean we all care or want to be sick ourslves! Cover your dang mouth, and don’t go out when you’re sick — duh! I feel ya on that one.
How do you get people to stay home when they are sick? Some people come in with fevers and refuse to stay home (no one is needed that much) while others stay home with paper cuts? Some days I am very happy I am not the boss who has to deal with all this stuff.
Would it help if you extrapolated the fast food costs? Say $20/week for 50 weeks a year = $1,000/year over 20 years (invested) is around $40k compounded. That’s a heck of a lot of Rotten Ronnie’s.
What I would do is make it a weekly treat to be only had on Fridays and only under $5 or with a coupon or something like that and try to wean myself off that way. When I was turning my financial life around, I didn’t set foot in a mall for 2 years. Now I can’t stand being in one. There’s a light somewhere at the end of this particular tunnel.
I think the idea of having a once a week treat or a weekly budget for fast food might be good. $6.50 a week would not hurt my budget and I could have it whatever night I wanted.
I chose $6.50 because I can get a take out chinese food supper for that.
There needs to be a light at the end of the fast food tunnel or I will have to invest in a whole new wardrobe.
Half of my workers were out with the flu last week. I woke up with a sore, throat. Hoping I can cure myself with some OJ and rest. Thankfully I do get paid sick time, but I don’t really want to have to use it this early in the year.
We are allowed to use sick days for personal days if we book them in advance. I don’t usually get sick so I used a few to turn a long weekend in to a very long weekend – a mini-vacation using sick days then I got sick and did not have enough sick days to cover the time I missed so I had a few small paycheques.
I only get 2 weeks of paid vacation but I have 7 days of sick/personal days. 2 weeks is not enough time off from work so I may take a chance and use more days again this year. If I don’t use the days we get paid for them. I should suck it up, use only my 2 weeks vacation and get paid out for the 7 days.