The time has come, the walrus said, to talk of many things.

“The Walrus and the Carpenter” has always been on my list of favourite poems. It’s appropriate too, since I want to have a little sit-down with my readers, friends, family, and the strangers who have meandered onto my blog and who have stuck around to read this far.

I’m going to be taking an indefinite hiatus from blogging. Whether or not this is a temporary decision, and I come crawling back after a couple of weeks, remains to be seen. Since I knew I had a decision to make, I invited some fantastic writers to help me out by guest posting while I hummed and hawed over my choice. But the choice is made, and I am bittersweetly excited.

Why quit? As many bloggers know, writing a blog is a time consuming affair, and a pure labour of love. Don’t listen to any of the crap out there that says you can monetize your blog into a passive income goldmine. There are a few amazing writers who have done it, but not without years (and I do mean years) of carefully pruning their blogs, improving their craft, and redesigning again and again and again. They spend hours hunched over a computer screen, laboriously learning CSS and HTML, while pouring their heart out to strangers and offering their lives up for judgement.

You’ll notice I didn’t actually answer the question. I have fully enjoyed every aspect of the above mentioned paragraph, even the frustrating moments. The points that I wished to illustrate about blogging are a) commitment of time, and b) privacy.

Over the past 6 months, my life has gotten really good. Like, really really good. A lot of it is thanks to this here blog-eroo. Here are some of the amazing things that have happened:

• I paid off my car in full.  After 14 months, I paid back the entirety of $14,998, plus the accumulated interest that was incurred during the borrowing period. Essentially, I paid off a $16,000 loan, all while living on my own and with no support.
• I’m in the best shape of my life. Last Sunday I ran 16k, and I was tired, but I could’ve kept going and easily have finished the equivalent of a half marathon. I have lost 5lbs (in a healthy, natural way) since the beginning of January. You can even see the faint outline of a six pack. I am starting to get ripped, baby!
• I’m living in the largest apartment I’ve ever been in. I have a great unobstructed East-facing view, gorgeous furniture, and fantastic nearby amenities.
• I have a well-paying job, with a very nice boss and coworkers who all treat me extremely well. My job description is evolving to give me more duties and responsibility. I am eager for the challenge.
• I have decided that I’m ready to go back to school to become a teacher. I have to take one full English credit to do so, and I’ve already gotten a jump start on the coursework because I’m so excited for the February 1st start date. I am enjoying the material immensely. Since job prospects for teachers in Canada are presently abyssmal, I am looking at travelling internationally to get the experience, potentially Korea, Australia, or New Zealand. Or, I could potentially teach up in the Arctic Circle for a year, which would be incredible experience. This is several years down the road, but I am positive that going into the educational field is the right decision for me.
• In February, I will be getting on a plane for the first time since grade 8, and I’ll be going to sunny Florida for 5 days. This is my Christmas present from my bf…we’ll be swimming with dolphins (I hope) and visiting the Harry Potter theme park. I am more excited than a cat with a laser pointer.
• I have developed some really awesome, long-lasting friendships with incredible people.

The only problem with now having this incredible life is that I need more hours in the day. In addition, my blog has been very personal. But, as much as I love comments and the encouragement that is sometimes offered up, I’m excited to make my decisions in the future and only telling a select group of people. There’s a big wide world out there, and I’m ready to start consulting my quiet inner voice of intuition, which all too often gets drowned out by my own blah blah blahing.

Okay, pretentious metaphor time.  As a runner and an athlete, I enjoy training with others, but on the day of the race, I prefer to put in my headphones and run alone, setting my own pace and competing against my own personal bests. At heart, I am and always have been a solitary creature. This blog, and the insanity of my life leading up to this moment, have felt like a sometimes painful training process. But in so many ways, I have finally arrived at the start of the race, armed with new knowledge and muscles built from some tough learning experiences. Even though I still have so much to learn, and a marathon’s worth of work to do, I will happily be running this race in obscurity.

Just reading back on this you’d think I was issuing a press release about the Pope giving up Catholicism, instead of one relatively unknown blogger bidding her readership adieu. But I wanted to thoroughly explain my decision, as opposed to plastering “Money Rabbit is no more!” across the header.

I will never, ever stop writing. I will also be continuing my lifelong love of personal finance, and I’ll definitely still be commenting and interacting with other bloggers. And I’m still here, even if I’m not blogging. I’ll be keeping the site up and running in case anyone wants to comment on old posts or get in touch.

To my subscribers, I’d love it if you could keep me on, since I may crawl back in a month or two. I’ve also asked Frenchie if he’d be interested in writing a guest post, since he has a sophisticated Bay Street view of finance which dwarfs my musings on mutual funds. I think a post like that will definitely be worth reading (whaddaya think I am, biased?!)

If you’re looking for some other blogs, I can wholehearted endorse the following, depending on what you’re after.  There are more listed on my blogroll, but these are by far my favourite:  Give Me Back My Five Bucks, Financial Uproar, Cents of a Country Girl, The Asian Pear, When Life Gives You Lemons, Two Degrees of Unemployment and Blonde on a Budget.

Of course, you can still find me on Twitter. I may eventually change my name, but I’ll still be haunting the Twitterverse.

Well…that’s it.

Money Rabbit, out.

Here's looking at you, kid.

I’m going to be pretty busy over the next few weeks, so I’ve asked some great writers to step in and help me out. First up is Mother Miser. Although I’ve never been a bridesmaid, I’ve always wondered how a bridesmaid could possibly afford the hoops she has to jump through just to stand up there, holding a bouquet of flowers.

Mother Miser is a part-time freelance writer who became intimate with frugal living in her mid-twenties. Now a mother in her thirties, she understands, more than ever, the importance of planning and prioritizing time and money. She blogs about raising a family on a budget without compromising a good quality of life. She can be reached at mothermiser@gmail.com

A year and a half ago one of my best friends got engaged. She called me practically screaming into the phone and her excitement was contagious. So, imagine how flattered I was when she asked me to be a part of her wedding. Images of days spent browsing in stores for the perfect dress, preparing favours with a glass of wine in hand and relaxing at a spa while a professional rubbed, scrubbed and polished our feet for the big day paraded through my mind. Of course all of this did happen, but less ideally than I had pictured it in my dewy-eyed euphoria of being asked to be a bridesmaid.

After the first weekend of endless pavement-pounding in hopes of finding a dress, hunting for shoes with an appropriate heel and a purse with just the right hint of gold, my enthusiasm flew out the window. My feet hurt, my head was throbbing and I was starving! Imagine my disgruntled disposition when it dawned on me that I would be repeating the exercise over the course of many weekends in the next year.

Worst than the time spent shopping was the money spent shopping (imagine that).

While being part of a wedding party has its perks, it can create a sizeable dent in your wallet. It was hard on my finances and even caused some disagreements with my partner as he was forced to forego previously-budgeted items in lieu of the wedding expenditures. For one, the bride insisted that all of her closest friends celebrate her upcoming nuptials in New York City. This translated into the high cost of flights, hotels, restaurants, drinks (bottle service no less), and a limousine. The fun weekend cost me so much more than I could comfortably afford. But I went through with it in the name of friendship.

As though that girlie weekend was not costly enough, the groom decided he was having his bachelor party in Las Vegas – c’mon now!!! It cost each person who attended this five day debauchery approximately $1,500. Considering some of the bride and groom’s friends were couples, they are hit with twice the expense! Add this extravagance to the cost of food and decorations for the bridal shower, the cost of the dress (and alterations), shoes, plus hair and makeup. The financial reality makes me want to cry.

Cost breakdown as a bridesmaid

Bachelorette in NYC: $800

Bridal shower: $200

Shower gift: $50

Wedding gift: $100

Bridesmaid dress: $350

Alterations: $75

Shoes: $100

Purse: $20

Hair: $100

Makeup: $65

TOTAL: $1860

The absolute worst are the couples who are so consumed by their wedding that they become oblivious to how their choices affect their friends and family who are supporting them. I have friends (thank the higher powers I was not part of this cortège) who not only had bachelor and bachelorette parties, they also had a combined stag and doe party, an engagement party and a bridal shower. We spent five weekends attending functions to celebrate their union before even attending the actual wedding!

Next time you are asked to be a part of a wedding be sure to think long and hard before agreeing to such a responsibility. Acting as a groomsmen or a bridesmaid can become very financially draining. In all honesty, I feel that it is entirely acceptable to admit that you cannot afford the whole circus surrounding weddings. Of course, don’t call it a ‘circus’ in front of the bride or groom.

My 2012 Goals are at the bottom of the page and colour coded by category, but here is a quick recap of my 2011 goals and what I accomplished.

2011 Goals - How I Did

2011 Financial Goals

• Pay off remainder of car loan by December 31st 2011, remaining sum of $10,593 (DONE – September 30, 2011)
• Invest a minimum of $2000 into my RRSP (DONE – Christmas Bonus invested, $2000)
• Build an emergency fund of $10,000 (FAIL – I used my emergency fund and stocks to pay off my car. Current emergency fund: $1650)
• Bring in an additional $5000 through freelancing and writing. UPDATED:  Bring in an additional $40,000 through freelancing. (FAIL – I based this number upon commission that I would be earning as a realtor on the side. As I changed my focus and no longer want to be in sales, I have earned closer to $1500ish through side writing. I would like to double this number in 2012).
• Save up enough money to travel to Kilimanjaro in 2012 ($4000) and enough for a trip to Europe ($2000)  (FAIL - current travel fund is $830, but I will be travelling with the boyfriend to Florida in February)
• Get my networth up to $35,000 (FAIL – current networth is around $20,000)

2011 Personal Goals

• Run 500km total by December 31st, 2011. (FAIL – but it was close. I’d guestimate I’ve run approximately 300+ kms in 2011)
• Get my full G license (DONE – March 9, 2011)
• Meditate on a daily basis (FAIL)
• Travel somewhere warm and tropical by December 31st 2011 (preferably Costa Rica). (FAIL – but it was close. Going to Florida in February!)
• Run a 5km race (DONE – May 15, 2011)
• Run a 10km race (FAIL – but training for the half instead)
• Complete a Spartan Race (FAIL – but I will be doing this in 2012 with a group of people)
• Complete a triathlon (DONE – August 27, 2011)
• Go to the gym four times per week (3 times working out, 1 class minimum) (DONE – though not at the beginning.  It took awhile, but I am definitely achieving this now)
• Write a minimum of 3 posts per week on Money Rabbit (DONE – I’ve written 138 posts)
• Finish a novel (FAIL – but I have great ideas for 2012)
• Learn how to do a free-standing hand stand (FAIL – NEXT YEAR!)

2012 Goals

1. Have a total of $5000 in my emergency fund
2. Save $10,000 for my education
3. Take additional courses needed to get into Teacher’s College
4. Get accepted into Teacher’s College
5. Put $1000 into my RRSP
6. Earn $5000 in side/freelancing income
7. Buy a better commuting bicycle
8. Run 1000km in 2012
9. Be able to do a free-standing handstand
10. Learn Parkour
11. Complete my 30k Around the Bay in under 3.5 hours
12. Complete the Half Ironman Triathlon in under 7 hours
13. Complete a Spartan Race
14. Work out at the gym 3 times per week on average
15. Perfect my overhand beach volleyball serve
16. Take dance classes (jazz, hip hop, or bellydance)
17. Write a minimum of 10 chapters of a novel
18. Read 3 books per month
19. Begin a consistent meditation practice, at least 3 times per week.
20. Seek out opportunities for volunteer work, specifically with education and with low-income demographics.
21. Create a new community initiative (sustainability project, gardening, youth sports, etc.)

22. Set up a long-term life strategy to incorporate more travel, more projects, more writing, more exercise, and more awesome.

I’m about to embark on a little exercise called “getting some perspective.”  It’s because yet again, I find myself sitting in my lovely apartment, surrounded by my blessings…worrying. Stress, stress, stress. It’s unhealthy and counterproductive. So to snap myself out of it, I’m taking myself back five years ago, when my obsession with personal finance first began…

2006

My first year at Queen’s!  So exciting! So enriching!

So expensive!

I started the year with about $1500 in my account.  I set myself a budget of $100 a month, which was my monthly allowance back in high school. I figured it’d be easy to make it to May, when I would get myself a job, make enough money to last for another school year, and maybe work part time during my second year. I didn’t drink at all, so I didn’t have to worry about dropping it all at a bar.

I ran out of money in February.  I found myself knocking on doors with a company called Student Paint Works.  Essentially, we cold called and tried to convince people to sign up for a free consultation.  I would be paid $8 a lead, and was promised it would be so lucrative.  All I’d need is a name per hour and I’d be making more than minimum wage!

I got paid a whopping $64, after nearly a week of knocking on doors in subzero weather in the dark. But the cheque bounced when I deposited it. I had to chase the girl down to pay me in cash.

That summer, I worked another dead end job and got fired after four months, since I refused to pester customers into buying additional products that they didn’t want/need. All the money I possessed in the world sat in my chequing account. On average, it hovered around $200.

Meanwhile, romance had been swirling in the air. I had met my first serious boyfriend, with whom I was head over heels in love with.  This particular gentleman was living in Toronto over the summer, and I missed him desperately. The pain of making so little money, combined with my puppy love, made the summer of 2006 unbearable. Once a month, I’d fork out the $70 for bus fare to go see him, which is how I fell in love with Toronto.

Toronto! Glitzy, glamourous, sparkling! It was my escape from pokey old Kingston. Completely unexplored territory, full of potential! I knew, from the moment I first stepped foot off the bus, that this is where the magic was going to happen. I am a successful, driven person. I just knew that if I worked my butt off, in a couple of years, I would own the city of Toronto. I’d drive a shiny grey convertible. I’d live in a snazzy, downtown condo. I’d eat at the finest restaurants, shop at the swankiest stores, and live a life of total luxury.

The dichotomy between who I wanted to be and where I was served as fuel. I began researching personal finance to avoid ever being in debt again. I remember setting aside my first $50 and putting it in a mutual fund; it was all the savings I had, and I cherished it. The first time the fund went up by a dollar I shrieked with joy.

The stress I was feeling at that time was unbelievable, but evidently, I survived.  I spent many tearful hours on the phone with my mom, complaining about my job and wishing I was in Toronto. Once, I got so mad at her and at my whole situation that I hung up on her. I will never forget that…my mom is so close to me, and the thought of doing that to her now makes me want to vomit.

If I had a chance to do it all over again, I would have tried to enjoy that summer a lot more. Sure, I didn’t make a ton of money, and I spent all summer practically alone, but were I to have that opportunity again, I would take long walks, read, write, and relax.

Stressed as I am now, my 20s are magical. The uncertainty is thrilling. I don’t know my career path, who I’m going to marry, where I’m going to settle down. I’m not anchored anywhere.  I could lose EVERYTHING tomorrow, go into debt, and I will still have plenty of time to rebuild everything and start again. I have the pleasure of living alone, catering to my own needs

Perspective reminds me to stop and smell the proverbial roses. Life’s too short. Worry when it helps. Otherwise, don’t bother.

P.S.  Just found out my bonus … I’m getting an additional $330 after taxes, which is definitely lower than what I expected.  HOWEVER, I am also getting $160 for mileage from my vehicle, which will help.  Many of our deals did not close until December, so though I was expecting $775, this month’s pre-tax bonus was actually $525. Which means instead of $450 next month, I am now anticipating $700.  Yahoooo!!!

Last night I had my first dental appointment since April 2009 (I know, gross.)  Both of my parents are teachers, and I was covered by their insurance until the day I marched up to the stage to receive my university degree. So, in the month before I graduated, I scheduled appointments to see my dentist and optometrist to make sure all my insured parts were hunky dory.

Unfortunately, this bunny has a bit of a sweet tooth.  I love dessert, chocolate, and a teaspoon of sugar in my coffee and tea. I’m pretty ardent about brushing my teeth, but it wasn’t enough to spare me.

Last night I went to the Altima Dental centre in the Annex. I went to Altima Dental back in Kingston, and luckily they were able to transfer over all my records to this new office. I was treated by a young hipster doctor complete with nerd glasses and skinny jeans (hey, it’s the Annex, what did you expect?).  Unfortunately, he found two very minor surface cavities.  He explained to me that he could tell me to brush and floss my teeth until the cows came home, but he doubted I could have prevented these two. 

I was mostly unhappy about the financial aspect of treating these cavities. When I was in Kingston, I’d see bills for $220 just for a cleaning, before I submitted it directly to the insurance company.  Luckily, with my parents’ coverage, I didn’t have to pay for it. I thought filling a cavity would be even more expensive.

Turns out, no.  Last night cost me $105 for the dental examination and two X-rays.  To fill both cavities will cost me $260, or $130 each.  All in, my dental adventures will cost me $365.  This is because dental costs are broken down into two tiers – for those who have insurance, and for those who don’t. If you’re like me and aren’t insured, the cost will be slashed.  In my case, I’m guessing that $365 may be around 50% of what they would have charged an insurance company.  It’s quite the racket they’ve got going on!

I’m actually pretty pleased about that – considering that I haven’t been to a dentist in almost three years, the cost of keeping my smile healthy works out to be $1 a day for a year. I’m going to feel relieved to have the cavities filled, since I’ve had a feeling that they were there and I want to address them, ASAP.

Funny story, but my dentist told me that he doesn’t have dental insurance.  He’s considered an independent contractor by the office, so he doesn’t actually have dental coverage.  I told him that a dentist not having dental was practically the definition of irony. He agreed.

The downer to this story (aside from me having to part ways with $365) is that when I got back to my car, there was a detested yellow flag tucked neatly underneath my windshield wiper, fluttering in the breeze.  Parking ticket.  God I hate them.  The ridiculous thing is that I ALWAYS check for applicable signs, and in theory, I should have been just fine parking there.  Ugh.  Every time I get a parking ticket, I swear an oath to never let it happen again.  But the parking cops in Toronto are monsters.  The ticket I received made no sense (apparently I needed a disabled permit? I checked again and there were definitely no signs) but it’s more effort than what it’s worth to fight them.  So I paid the $30 this morning and wiped my hands clean of it. I HATE PARKING DOWNTOWN.

This week I went crazy. We’re talking not cute crazy, but scary neurotic crazy.

I’ll give you a hint of how crazy I have been: last night, my boyfriend commented, “you’re gonna kickstart the economy all by yourself!” (direct quote.)  That comment made the crazy come to a screeching halt.

It all started when I purchased a second domain for a new blog.  As I’ve mentioned before, I want to broaden the topics that I’m writing about, but since the majority of my subscribers for Money Rabbit want to read about personal finance, I decided to set up a new blog that would allow me to focus on health, wellness, and travel. 

I had fire in my veins and wanted to get started immediately. I figured it would make sense to purchase a camcorder as soon as possible, do some vlogs right away, and have them ready for a site launch next week. I was hopped up on adrenaline and creativity.

So on Tuesday, I marched into Future Shop and bought a Panasonic HDC SD40.  I was told that it would shoot high def videos (which I thought would be a plus), but it was still entry level enough to be affordable.  After taxes, I used my $100 gift card from RBC to bring the price down to $425.  This included a case and memory card, and I was able to go back the next day for price matching. 

However, spending that much on a camcorder made my chest do that tight-collapsey thing. It didn’t feel right. Nonetheless, last night I hunkered down to create my first vlog post. It took me about 20 minutes to shoot; when I finished, I popped the SD card into my computer and waited to get started with the magic of editing.

Uh oh. Turns out that my laptop (which I bought refurbished but has so far done a great job) doesn’t have the processing power that I need in order to edit high definition videos.  I’d need to purchase a converting program to convert the videos from high def to lower resolution, so that I could edit them.  I’d need to buy a desktop PC or even a Mac (which drive me crazy, even though I know they’re the superior machine).  Suddenly, my $425  purchase was looking more like a $2,000 spending spree.  Not only that, but the camera I bought is about the size of two large staplers, side by side. Although it’s very light, it’s not something I can just toss in my purse and go, or use on a bike trip. Silly me, I bought a bulkier camera because I thought my priority was to have higher quality video.

For about an hour last night, I seriously considered buying a desktop computer to pump up the jams on my computer power. I was obsessing over it.  I went crazy with my determination to make this project a “go.”  All I could think was buy, buy, buy.

So I’m slamming on the brakes. This project spiralled out of control and stressed me out of my mind.  I’ll still be releasing my new site next week, but instead of putting an emphasis on vlogging, I’ll use it from time to time to complement the writing and photos that I’ll be taking. The great thing about blogging as opposed to vlogging is that I can do it ANYWHERE.  All I need is a computer and an internet connection.  I can even blog from my blackberry.

I’ll be returning the camera today at lunch.  I can’t stomach the thought of spending $525 on a video camera (don’t forget I used my gift card), when I need to buy a new road bike and replenish my emergency fund. It’s funny; I would have sacrificed the priority of my long term financial goal (accumulating a high networth) for something intended to assist me with achieving said goal. The irony does not escape me.

HOWEVER, I will be posting my vlogging experiment next week when I launch my new site. I’d love it if you could stop by and let me know if you like it.  Is it effective? Do you prefer watching the vlog as opposed to reading? If people like my vlogging, then I’ll purchase an el cheapo Bloggie camera like this.  I won’t be offended if the blogosphere tells me to stick vlogs up my butt and stick to writing.

VERDICT:  Vlogging may still happen, but I’ll leave that up to my readers.  Look for my face next week and tell me what you think. I don’t mind investing in creative ventures, but part of the fun of Money Rabbit is how hack low budget it is, and I’m happy to continue that trend on my new site.

Have you ever had a project that has spiralled out of control, either time-wise or financially?

One of the spiffy-doo things about blogging is that on occasion, I get to advertise a pretty cool contest and get a wee bit of compensation for it.  Since part of my agreement with this contest is disclosure, I’d like to say that I am VERY happy to be receiving a Visa Gift Card from the Social Media Group in exchange for telling you fine folks about this contest.  And believe me, I wouldn’t be telling you about the contest unless I thought it was worth your time.

It’s pretty easy – all you have to do is go to RBC’s Facebook Page and “like” the page.  You then print out a photo of Arbie (the name of their little British-looking mascot dude), take him with you, and take photos of him demonstrating how he could make your student life easier with $1000.  The photo with the most votes is eligible to win the contest, and ultimately, the prize money.  There are ten winning spots up for grabs, the top spot winning $5000, with a second place prize of $3000 and 8 runners-up of $1000.  Pretty sweet; if I were still a student, I’d definitely take ten minutes out of my day to enter this thing.  The contest closes September 30th, 2011.  Plenty of time to get rumbling with your inner photographer.

So heck, go for it.  Why not?  And I took a look at RBC’s Facebook page, and there’s some pretty good content on there with regards to articles on purchasing your first home, actively saving, etc.   They also appear to have some active moderators who are answering customers’ questions as they pop up; kinda handy.

In other news, I signed up for my first bootcamp class tomorrow evening…I have to make up for a full lost week with no exercise due to my migraines, so I’m pumped to get training again.  I’m wondering if it’s beyond my reach to shoot for a half marathon in the spring…I guess I won’t know until I go for it!

So what are you waiting for?  If you’re a student, winning $10 is cause for celebration, let alone adding two zeroes to that.  Do it up, folks.

Possibility of winning several thousand dollars in a contest? Oh, you sassy, Arbie.

Looking at my distinct lack of posts lately tells me two things: that life is going pretty well, and that I have gotten comfortable, potentially too much so.

Writing is, has, and always will be, my escape. I started Money Rabbit when I was miserable at my job and unhappy in my relationship (come to think of it, I wasn’t too pleased about where I was living anymore either). You could tell when I was going through some awful stuff, because the sheer number of posts skyrocketed, I was writing about juicy material such as psycho bosses and couchsurfing, and my blog raced up the Alexa charts (it was close to 500,000 – I think it’s now closer to 1,000,000). The craziness meant that I had to pull some death-defying stunts with my finances, all of which I chronicled in painstaking detail. In truth, most of it was for my own sake, so I could get have the catharsis of expelling the worry out of my chest and into my blog.

I also use Money Rabbit to narrate my life, helping me to continuously reevaluate myself and set additional goals in non-financial areas of my life. For example, I just completed the Give it a Tri on Toronto Island, honestly the most challenging athletic event that I’ve EVER participated in. I used this blog as an accountability tool for the event; writing about the training experience to force me out there every other day to run and cycle.

I write when I’m finding the going getting tough, or when I have something new and exciting that I want to work on. So, lack of posts = a comfort zone, something I haven’t had in awhile. I like my job (my boss has been extremely understanding of my migraines, of which I have had 6 over 4 days), and I’m paid enough to live a comfortable, albeit frugal, lifestyle.  I’m still dating Frenchie, which I also think is going pretty well. My next big sporting event will be in the spring (aiming for the Goodlife half marathon), so I don’t have any pending fitness goals to hit, aside from my Jacked with no Gym challenge.  However, with all my migraines, that has also fallen by the wayside, and I don’t like having a section on my blog strictly devoted to that.  I think I’ll probably get rid of the tab and just do a summary when it’s all over.

If it sounds like I’m unhappy with being in a comfort zone, that’s not the case (even as I’m writing, I’m thinking, “God, woman, what’ll it take to make you happy?!“)  It’s genuinely so wonderful to finally be in a good spot.

But I have to keep pushing myself to new goals and higher levels of development. I still owe $8500 on my car.  I sincerely want to find an extra $1000/mth above and beyond my full time work.  I still have to train for a Half Ironman, which I’ll be doing in either 2012 or 2013, depending on how ambitious I am.  And I REALLY need to pump up my savings plan so that I can buy a house in a couple of years.  Because as great as my job is, I want to get to a point where if I decide to give it all up to become a potter, I can do that.  If I want to go on sabbatical for a year and just travel the world and write, I can do that, and not worry about all my things or loans or any of that nonsense.  

Right now, I have just enough at the end of every month to pay off my visa bill balance, rinse and repeat.  New goal (it’s a small one): do NOT carry a credit card balance into October. Right now, I’ve got about $450 on there.  I want to pay that off entirely, and NOT begin a new balance.  Cash or debit only, baby.

Next Goal: I just purchased this week’s Toronto WagJag, which is 30 days of unlimited bootcamp for $30.  I know I’m not supposed to be at the gym or doing any fitness stuff aside from home exercises, but this was too good to pass up, and I want to use it before it gets too cold outside. My goal is to do at LEAST two classes of bootcamp per week for the next 30 days.  Bootcamp is tough; I imagine my first class (this Saturday morning) will leave me very sore.  But I want a new challenge, because I WILL become a full Ironman triathlete. Why? Because it brings me joy to be fit, and to accomplish goals that were seemingly out of reach.

So even though I’ve been a bad blogger, and my alexa ratings and writing quality have suffered accordingly, I’m still around and ramping  myself up for the new challenges that lie ahead. Once I get my first bonus cheques I’ll be starting to manipulate my money in interesting new configurations, investing, etc.  It’s something I’m very excited to do.  I also want to get my car loan under $7000 by December 31, 2011.  I think it’s entirely feasible.

Hope y’all have had a great summer, I look forward to writing up a storm in the fall :)

P.S.  This photo has nothing to do with my post, but I found it HILARIOUS.  If you get the joke, you are officially awesome.

Hello everyone!

A few updates for you and then I have to get to bed.  I’ve been working several 12 hour days in a row and I’m pooped!

-I found some parking.  It took about four days, and I was driving my putter-uppers CRAZY with my stressing over it.  I left my car at the Frenchman’s condo as long as I could, but then my boss needed me to drive one of her clients to Scarborough (no joke), so I had to take it out of the garage with no way of getting it back into his garage, since I need a fob.  SO I called a favour with the Frenchman’s friends who offered up their spot for a couple nights.  However, I didn’t have to use it, because after scouring Craigslist, I found a listing for a townhouse in the neighbourhood that included a single parking spot.  I asked to rent just the spot, and now for $80 a month, my car is safe and sound about 1 minute away from me.

-My job has settled down.  I discovered that as long as I’m willing to work longer hours, and try not to take it personally when certain things happen that make me question humanity, it’s really not too bad.  However, I really need to start hustling and get some deals done.  I genuinely do know what I’m doing (this is my first and only career), it’s just a matter of finding some clients.

-I am so pleased that I went shopping.  At this stage, I couldn’t afford NOT to.  All the pieces I have chosen make me look SO well put together.  I am really mad at my credit card bill right now (see my networth).  For three layering shirts, one skirt suit (blazer and pencil skirt in navy), one cognac leather jacket, one pair of black patent leather heels, two professional Bermuda shorts, one pair sunglasses, one sweater, two blouses, one professional shirt, and one black and white skirt, it rang up to be approximately $930. BARF!!!!!  However, I can feel confident meeting clients now, knowing that I look smart and well put together.  I am NOT looking forward to paying off my credit card bill.  It’s more than a single bi-weekly paycheque.  Luckily, I think this constitutes emergency fund spending (I am investing in myself, after all).

-This is a really bad time for me and my besties too.  All of us feel a little financially pinched, so in a strange way, that makes it better, knowing that I’m not alone.  It also reminds me that it will get better, because there’s no way that all of us could be going through this and have it NOT get better.  We’re all in it together.

-I now have an official accountability partner.  My friend Jon has recently started a consulting business called Blue Dragon, to assist people with managing their lifestyle and goals.  He is insanely hardworking and goal oriented, so we chat several times a week specifically about our plans and how we intend upon accomplishing our goals.  I muse about the nature of success, and how I could be working more efficiently to get things done, and he talks about his strategies and marketing ideas.  It’s a great partnership and helps us each remain inspired and feeling accountable.

-I am genuinely nervous that I may have put the Frenchman off.  I’ve been feeling very vulnerable and alone the past few weeks, with all of my moving turmoil/issues at work.  He, on the other hand, is very very busy wrapping up a huge project, and from an outsider’s perspective it seems like he’s really moving up in his company.  Meanwhile, here I am, no longer mysterious and suddenly very human, living on a couch, stressed and needy, hit with all these migraines and forced to sleep on and off at his place the entire time that his brother was visiting.  I also have enough spare time to write him a couple times a day, whereas he can barely shoot me a text since he’s pulling 16+ hour days.  I’m just hoping that I don’t seem pathetic to him.  He’s out there busting his butt, making his dreams come true, and here I am on a couch.  I’m looking forward to seeing him again, I’m going to get all done up so that I at the very least I look anything BUT pathetic.

-I am in LOVE with the band Beirut.  When I was moving, I found an unmarked CD, popped it in my laptop, and magic came out of my speakers.  They’re apparently coming to Toronto in August.  I really want to go.  I never pay for concert tickets, but I may break my rule.

This post pretty much had nothing to do with money, but there’s been a lot of concern (and thank you for that!) about what’s been happening so I wanted to give an update.  Basically, I’m doing okay.  I’m going to try and up my networth again this month and hit a new all-time high.  May be difficult, since we are now on the hunt for a new place and I may need to give my first and last month’s rent.  However, if that be the case, I at least get to keep all my paycheques until the end of August.

What about you, dear readers?  Ever been in such a crazy financial or personal position that you could barely even believe you were in it?