Goal #1: Pay $500 to credit card this month. I have 4 payments of $125 each spread over the course of the month. The first payment was processed this week and i’m still on track to complete the remaining three.
Goal #2: Be cautious of work burnout. This was the hard one this week. I was only scheduled for four easier/shorter shifts this week at the regular job, so I ended up covering a delivery shift for my friend who works for a farm. I didn’t realize how stressed it would make me because i’ve done it before, but I ended up getting into a minor fender bender while driving and it really overwhelmed me. The result of the accident was only a small dent to the other driver’s car. I’m just hoping that repair is not more than a few hundred dollars. It triggered my anxiety as I immediately started to worry about money. I ended up picking up an additional shift at the restaurant I work at which ended up being a lot more lucrative than expected, which will hopefully compensate for this blip and I can move on.
Goal #3: Budget appropriately for Thanksgiving week expenses. I think I am still on track to meet this goal. I just may have to buy a lot of my supplies at aldi instead of the fancy grocery store. I am trying to keep an open mind.
In conclusion, I am trying to stay calm about unexpected emergencies and keep an open-mind that I can still meet my goals. Plus, try not to be so disappointed in myself when things don’t go the way I planned them to.
packing some of my own healthier snacks instead of relying on the unreliable free food at the conference - Did ok. Except for the 4.5 free cookies at the hotel front desk… they caught me by surprise!
Going to the hotel gym twice or paying for one exercise class - Realized I didn’t bring workout shoes so did 2 in-room exercises
using moderation in the face of a ton of free fried foods or breads, paying for healthier food if need be - um… it could have been worse…
paying for wifi on flights to get some work done even if it ends up being unreimbursed - did this on the way there. On the way back focused on trying not to puke
ETA: pay for snacks and drinks to make myself feel better when I’m feeling motion sick instead of just being really really miserable - did this
I’m really struggling with motion sickness lately even after taking medication (Bonine) and not looking at screens. This makes me really sad as otherwise I enjoy traveling and seeing new places. I’m also worried this means I may want to spend way more money for business/first class seats for more comfort when I do travel which means I need to allocate way more $ for travel or only go during off peak times.
Checking in! I’d say I’m doing ok…I’m definitely procrastinating on some things but I’m still confident that 90% of the list will get accomplished since most of my goals are for the second half of the month:
I forgot about the fee on a rarely used credit card. $39. My misc spending for the rest of the month is now down to $76.12.
This frustrates me. I have 2 cards with annual fees. Both, I have had for many decades, so if I close them, then my credit takes a hit because of account longevity. I have called both cards. Can you waive the fee as a courtesy, longtime customer? NO. Can you switch me to a similar product that doesn’t have the fee? NO.
This particular card also has a truly obscene credit limit - like, nearly half my salary - so I kind of don’t want to lose that, both because that would be a hit to my debt-to-credit-limit ration (or whatever it’s called) and because, well, should shit really hit the fan hard enough that I blow through all my savings, that’s a cushion.
week 2 -
I did not check in for week 1.
I did not figure out my work VPN.
I did not set up my work rrsp matching (eligible in mid Dec).
I did not figure out how to submit my drug or dentist expenses under my new work insurance.
On the plus side
I did not buy a spiral cut ham just because it was on sale for $17 marked down from $46.
I hand washed 8 pairs of wool socks and 3 bras.
eta: I did not eat 3 dozen oatmeal raisin cookies in 24 hours
OK. My November is really busy, so I want to continue to deliberately spend some money on high priority areas of my life I want to make sure doesn’t let slip, or even potentially improve:
try a personal training session focused on weights and resistance training
purchase some more at-home gym equipment that are low cost but high “efficacy/efficiency” - a weighted medicine ball, maybe?
spend some money or time on really cleaning up the house
list some clothes on Poshmark and donate others
order some chocolate boxes in preparation for giving out as gifts over the holiday season
buy healthy travel snacks or easy meals to bring along to two trips
The neighbourhood is overrun with stray cats. Winters here are brutal. My younger kid knows where the feral cat colonies are.
Please use your update to allocate one treat to one of these animals, or 1/4 cup of dry kibble to a feral cat.
If the treat is for one of my animals, specify if you want the treat thrown so the animal catches it, flicked so they chase it, or put in their bowl like a civilized creature.
Argh forgot to check in for last week. Notably, have also not made much progress on spreadsheets and tracking this last week (thanks, travel, for making life not-focused-on-spreadsheets).
Will do better this week.
ETA: This was not intended as an official update, because I was behind reporting time for last week, but because Smacky told me to, 1/4 cup of kibble to a feral kitty would be a lovely thing. Please tell LD that An Internet Stranger thinks his concern for and knowledge of the kitties is freaking awesome.
Things I am proud of… um… I traveled with 3-4 other people for almost a week and did not go bonkers?
Savings goal is coming along nicely, with another $120 in regular savings and $40 to the HSA.
I’ve managed to avoid the temptation of ordering lunch by bringing my own every day this week. We’ll be out at a client the next two days so lunch is on boss.
I think they all deserve treats, but I’m won over by the freezing feral cats in Hoth.
I’m working on my last goal: looking at Marketplace plans and checking my providers. Found out my rheumatologist does not accept any Marketplace plan, so that’s a bummer. But, better to know now, I guess…
they caught me by surprise!
