february finances update (day 6)

This is harder than I had anticipated…and we’re only 6 days in. What we didn’t account for in our budget was all the unexpected spending that comes with being an grown up. For example, today we had to pay $45 for an Air Care inspection for our car. Something that wasn’t a luxury, something that HAD to be done, but something that also wasn’t in our budget. It was no big deal because we’re just pretending this month – but if this was not just a pretend exercise, but real life, I really don’t know where that $45 would have come from. But I can tell you where it would have ended up: on our credit card.

Ugh. I understand that credit can be a very useful and necessary tool, however, I just really hate it. I’ve learned my lesson on being fun and fancy free with credit and that’s a lesson that I don’t NOT want to have to learn again.

So, I guess it’s back to the spreadsheet to figure out how to incorporate an “unexpected expenses” category for each month. This is a good thing though, and just another reason why it’s such a good idea to test this new budget while we still have a safety net. I’m going to say it once: Hubby, you were right (that almost killed me).

february finances

2013 seems to be the year of finance.

Today, January 31, 2013, Hubby and I are starting a month long financial challenge.  We're cutting my income down by almost half (53% to be exact) and putting the remaing 47% into savings/paying off credit (we don't have much debt, so most will go into savings).

I know, we're nuts - but in a good way.

We're challenging ourselves to see how little we can really live on.

Can we really go with only eating at home, and not spending money on entertainment?

Can we really be disciplined enough to stick to our budget and not over spend?

We'll see, I'll let you know how it goes...

christmas traditions

Christmas is most definitely one of my most favourite holidays.  The lights, the family, the traditions, the FOOD.  Everything about it just makes me so happy.

For some reason, I didn't really ever get into the Christmas spirit last year.  This year, however, I'm bursting with Christmas spirit.

Maybe it's because we went and saw White Christmas with a couple of our very dear friends.

Maybe it's because we've got Christmas carols playing almost constantly.

Maybe it's because I've got an almost full bottle of Baileys in my fridge right now.

 Who knows, and it doesn't matter because I'm just so happy with this season right now.  The quiet nights spent in the glow of Christmas lights, watching our favourite movies of the season, while sipping on some Holiday cheer bring back that magical feeling that was always present during December when I was a kid.

These are my Christmas traditions.  Quiet, simple, but still so magical to me.  It's all about putting your precious and special ornaments onto the tree.  Carefully wrapping the gifts you lovingly bought for your family.  Turning off the television and spending time with your loved ones.

Merry Christmas!

saturn return

"Saturn return is...an alleged phenomenon which is described as influencing a person's life development at 27 to 29 or 30-year intervals. These intervals or "returns" coincide with the approximate time it takes the planet Saturn to make one orbit around the sun. It is believed by astrologers that, as Saturn "returns" to the degree in its orbit occupied at the time of birth, a person crosses over a major threshold and enters the next stage of life. With the first Saturn return, a person leaves youth behind and enters adulthood. With the second return, maturity. And with the third and usually final return, a person enters wise old age."

Source: Wikipedia

I feel like I'm in a really strange stage of my life right now, as I'm entering my 27th year.

I'm at a really strange point in my career.  Outgrowing my current position, but not yet quite ready for the next.

I'm not sure if I'm ready to take on the challenge of being a parent, but I ache to be a mom.

I'm on the precipice of my first Saturn return; I'm moving from childhood into adulthood. But right now I don't quite fit into either stage; I'm in between.  There are so many changes on my horizon, but I'm not sure if I'm ready for them.  I'm. Scared. To. Death. I'm scared of the unknown.  I guess this is all just part of growing up.

how to: organize

I'll be the first one to admit being a total organization freak.  Seriously.  You have no idea how excited I was when I recently bought some under-bed storage bins from IKEA.  They basically made me as happy as I was on my wedding day.  I. Am. A. Loser.

Hubby went away for a weekend a little while ago and left me home all alone; what did I do?  I organized our office/guest room.  It was one of the best weekends of my life. 

all the clothes from my dresser - in a large pile

While thinking about my love and appreciation for organizing, I came to the realization that not everybody shares my love for this wonderful thing.  I know, it really shook my world too.  How could somebody not love organizing?!?  I think that people don't like it, or find it annoying, because it can be very overwhelming.  I get it.  There's a lot of stuff.  Where do you even begin?  Let me break it down for you!

crusty bread

This past week I reached a milestone.  As of last Friday, I achieved a major weight loss/healthy living goal.

I lost almost 20 lbs - over my goal of 10% of my total starting weight that I had set for myself back in March.

Sure, it's not rapid weight loss by any means (at an average of 2.85 lbs per month), but it's not so much about losing weight as much as it is about changing my lifestyle habits.  I feel better.  My BMI is 1/2 a point shy of the "normal" category, and I know that I'm already reaping health benefits that I'm not even noticing.

reflections

Did you ever keep a diary when you were younger?  Was your favourite part about that diary going back and re-reading some of your old entries?  That was definitely my favourite part.  It's also the reason that I've been going through and re-reading a lot of my old blog posts lately.

You really learn a lot about yourself by doing this. For example, I realized that I was a little baby crazy last year. Oh man, I had the baby fever and I had it BAD! I also got to see how, through writing down my thoughts, I was able to work through my feelings. In the end I realized that it wasn't that I wanted a baby last year, it was just that I couldn't stop thinking about what life with a baby would be like. Kind of neat.

validation

It happened over a simple dinner with two of my best girlfriends.  We were chatting about the usual topics (boys, jobs, and babies) when the conversation evolved into an outpouring of our innermost feelings about ourselves.  Strangely, we all were feeling the same way: inadequate.  We were all looking to each other, and to others we know, to validate ourselves.

This really got me thinking about how I always focus on what everybody else has (or what's missing from my life) rather than the things that I do have.  I'd have to admit, this is by far my worst quality.  The worst part of it all though is that it's not until somebody else praises me or fills me with positive words that I'm able to really feel and see all the blessings in my life.

The strange thing is, when I feel like I'm missing something in my life, it's not a new car, a bigger home, or even a family of my own that I feel like I'm missing, but rather, something that I can't quite put my finger on.  Perhaps it's this inability of mine to be completely happy with life that's making me feel this way.  A vicious cycle if there ever was one.

I yearn for the day that I don't seek outside validation.  I yearn for the day when I know that I am the confident, smart, driven, talented woman that I feel like I am ninety percent of the time.  Although, another part of me wonders if maybe we're not supposed to know.  Maybe that's why we have to surround ourselves with friends and family; so that they are able to give us a boost when we need it most.

dear 12 year-old me

Dear 12 year-old me,

Stop looking forward to the day when you'll finally be a grown up. Sure, being a grown up means that you can stay up as late as you want, that you can drive, and that you will be completely in control of your own life. However, when that time comes, you'll come to LOVE sleeping and going to bed early and you'll hardly ever get to drive your own car because you have to share it with your husband. Being grown up is overrated. Big time.  Just be a kid.

Love, 25 year-old you.

keep dreamin'

Have you seen the movie Up? You know, the Pixar/Disney one with the little old man? I saw it a while ago, and I seem to be thinking of it a lot lately.

If you're not familiar with it, here's a synopisis of the first part of the movie from Wikipedia:

Young Carl Fredricksen is a shy, quiet boy who idolizes renowned explorer Charles F. Muntz. He is saddened to learn, however, that Muntz has been accused of fabricating the skeleton of a giant bird he had claimed to have discovered in Paradise Falls, South America. Muntz vows to return there to capture one alive. One day, Carl befriends an energetic and somewhat eccentric tomboy named Ellie, who is also a Muntz fan. She confides to Carl her desire to move her "clubhouse"—an abandoned house in the neighborhood—to a cliff overlooking Paradise Falls, making him promise to help her. Carl and Ellie eventually get married and grow old together in the restored house, working as a toy balloon vendor and a zookeeper, respectively. Unable to have children, they repeatedly pool their savings for a trip to Paradise Falls, but end up spending it on more pressing needs. An elderly Carl finally arranges for the trip, but Ellie suddenly becomes ill and dies, leaving him alone.

sprechen deutsch

Today is the last day of my German lessons.  For the past eight weeks I've been learning how to speak German in preparation for our upcoming trip to Germany.  At first I felt like I wasn't learning anything, but I've now realized that I've learned a lot in just eight short weeks.  For today's post, I decided to write some information about myself IN GERMAN.  Bam!  Keep in mind the sentences are very "beginner", I'm still learning :)

Guten Morgen!

Ich heisse Amanda. Ich Wohne in North Vancouver. Ich habe ein klein Haus. Es ist grau und grun. Es hat vier zimmer. Mine Haus hast ein Badezimmer, ein Schlafzimmer, und ein Kuche. Die Kuche ist nicht gross, est ist kline.

Ich habe zwei Katze; Missy und Roxie. Missy ist brun, orange, grau, und weiss. Roxie ist grau und weiss. Mine kinder :) Missy ist drei Jahre alt und Roxie ist eins Jahre alt.

Mine Familie ist Klein. Ich habe ein Mutter, ein Vater, und ein Bruder. De Mutter heisst Barb, der Vater heisst Ken. Mine Bruder er heisst Eric. Ich habe eine Mann. Er heisst Trevor.

learnin' aint easy

vote!

Do you know what today is?  Today is municipal election day in British Columbia!

I have to admit, when it comes to election time (be it federal, provincial, or municipal), I kind of become a political junkie.  Yep, I that person who researches the candidates to make an informed vote, is glued to the television on election night, and even gets a little emotional when I exercise my right to vote.  I have even been known to send emails to my friends and family to remind them of the upcoming election and provide them with access to information so that they can inform themselves before they vote.

when life gives you lemons

I had originally scheduled a happy, feel-good blog post for today.  However, it just didn't feel right to post the opposite of what I'm actually feeling today.  Today, I'm overwhelmed.  Today, I'm calling banks, crunching numbers, and (kind of) feeling sorry for myself.

What's going on?  Well, remember our Germany 2012 trip that I've been looking so forward to?  Well, that trip might be cancelled, or at least postponed for a while.  Last night Hubby and I were hit with an unexpected expense.  A large one.  One that doesn't fit well into our Europe budget.

five things

Inspired by one of my favourite posts from Newlywed Trek, I decided to share five things that I've learned from our first two years of marriage.

1.  Sharing money is harder than I thought it was going to be.

I think that this one was really shocking to me.  Before we got married, Hubby and I were sharing all of the household expenses.  However, any extra money from our paycheques wasn't going towards us or our joint account, it stayed in our individual bank accounts.  I could shop as much as I wanted and, as long as I paid half of our household bills, I wasn't obligated to save any of the money.   Sure, I had savings through my Canada Savings Bonds and RRSPs, but nothing other than that.  I SHOPPED.  A lot.  Then about 8 months ago, Hubby and I decided to combine all of our income and expenses into one account.  This means, now instead of all having all my extra income to spend, I get an allowance each payday.  Once that's gone, I have no more spending money.  Trust me, it took a looong time to get used to this.  However, I'm now proud to say that it's working and I'm happy.  I hardly ever shop anymore, and when I do I only buy items that are reasonably priced or that are long-terms investments.  In the end, I'm happy with the changes that we made because they've made us more financially stable.  It also means that we get to go to Germany next year.

best kept secret - coconut oil

Okay, remember a loooong time ago when I said that the best beauty tip I've ever received was to use baby oil as a moisturizer?  Well, after writing the post, a friend told me that I should stop using baby oil because it's a petroleum product.  Rubbing petroleum on my body?  Not cool.

What was I going to do though?  I didn't want to have dray, scaly skin, and I don't like lotions (I often buy them and then end up not using them).  Well, the same friend suggested that I try coconut oil instead.

 

road block

Remember the goal that I set for myself?

Ya, it's been three days and I haven't started yet.  My reason?  I'm sick.  I've been sick for over a week and I just can't seem to shake this cold.  

I've tried everything.  Stayed home from work.  Drank lots of fluids.  Got lots of sleep.  Bought $30 honey that was supposed to make me feel SO MUCH better (it didn't).

going for the goal

I'm going to be completely honest with you for a second.  Normally, I'm a completely goal-oriented, driven, and accomplished person.  Once I get something in my head, I cannot let go of it.  Except for one thing:  getting in shape.

I'm am utterly and completely embarrassed to be admitting this.  I'm so scared to share something that I feel so personally ashamed about; something that I have trouble thinking about; something that I can barley talk to Hubby about.

movember

Not only is November NaBloPoMo, it also happens to be Movember.  What's Movember, you ask?  Well, during the month of November, men around the world grow a moustache to "raise vital funds and awareness for men's health, specifically prostate cancer".

Let me tell you, Movember is alive and well in our house.  That's right, Hubby has a 'stache.  Ugh.  I'm not a fan of the "thing" growing on his upper lip, however, I do realize the good that he's doing by raising funds and awareness about prostate cancer and men's health.  I even *shudder* support the
'stache.

the mo

happy one hundred

This is my 100th blog post.

Whoo hoo!  What a milestone!  In realizing that this would be my 100th post, I decided to take a look through some of my previous posts.  I figured that, as a tribute to these past 100, I'd share my top 5 favourite posts with you.

my blogging view

what to do?

Have you ever been at a point in your life where you're faced with difficult decisions and you're not sure which choice is the best for you?  This is where I am right now.  We're making decisions that will affect us, and our future children, and I'm not sure which decision is right.

Okay, I know that there is really no right decision, but I do believe that we've put the pressure on ourselves to make the best decision.