Blech to westcoast rain. Don't get me wrong, I like winter here better than in the interior of BC because I am not a fan of snow for months on end (I like little bits at a time), it is just gray here and I miss the summer sun. I WISH we could go to Hawaii again, but we are not financially able to right now.
As can happen with self-employment we are currently into our line of credit with the business and waiting for about $13k in money owed to us. These times make me very anxious. In fact work wise everything is uncertain; neither Mr W or I have contracts lined up for the next few months. There are a few possibilities but nothing signed and sealed for sure.
Also I am carrying a balance of about $5k on a credit card that had a low interest rate (3.99%) on it. The 9 month period of this low rate is over and I need to call and convert the credit card to a lower interest option of about 9%. It is on my to do list, and now on my blog so maybe this will light a fire under my butt to get this done!
I have signed up for the Financial Post's Stockstar Challenge. It is a free online challenge where you sign up and are given $100,000 in play money to invest. The stocks are real, it is like you are playing the stock market with none of the risk.
I started a few days ago, and have made a few thousand dollars. Not bad considering I don't know what I am doing, and the stock market is down again today. Of course, some people have $800,000 in their portfolio now, they are obviously much better stock pickers than I!
I thought I would share what I have bought and why, and ask others what they would recommend for me to try (risk free!!!).
1. Apple - Vista is soooooo bad, I think Mac is gaining ground, and the ipod just rocks.
2. Microsoft - despite its troubles today it seems to be gaining ground
3. Potash Corp. - finanical news says this company which produces fertilizers is doing well
4. Suncor - this is an oil company in Alberta, and I don't think the oil sand boom is over, just slowing
5. WalMart, Costco and Canadian Tire - because in these times of financial woe, these guys are going to be busy
6. Tim Horton's - just to see - the drive thru is always busy here
7. Verizon Wireless - these guys have a great network and passable customer service, and I wanted a cell company
8. Johnson and Johnson and BMO - the financial bloggers have had success with these
9. AIG - because it was a BARGAIN and is getting bailed out
10. Wachovia - because today it was gaining rapidly
So there you go, kind of random, and definitely more random than if it was MY $100k.
Three (three!) items with warranties have recently broken in our household, days or weeks after the warranty expired.
First all three cordless phones went within a period of a month, about one month after the warranty expired. First one wouldn't dial and then the sickness spread slowly until one frustrating afternoon when I couldn't call out at all with any of the phones. Ironically I was trying to dial a company about the second item which has died:
Our kettle decided one morning not to work anymore. Oh yes, a mere 2 weeks after the warranty expired. It is a cordless electric kettle, and the switch to turn it on no longer turns it on. We might be able to fix it ourselves if the screws in the bottom of the kettle did not not have triangular heads. Who has a triangular screwdriver???? Not even my dad and his business requires an extensive array of tools.
Then shortly after our laser printer stopped feeding the paper. DAYS after the warranty expired. DAYS!!!!!
So what have we done. We bought new phones (no point in arguing about this warranty, I didn't like the phones anyway). We are using an old kettle until I can find the time to phone Cuisinart and ask if they can fix the kettle for less than the cost of a new one ($95). Mr W says he doubts they will. I phoned Dell about the printer thinking I had an extended warranty, and found out that OOPs! Mr Salesman only put the warranty on the computer NOT the printer as well. Since the original warranty expired two weeks ago I am pretty much SOL and may as well recycle this printer and buy another. This one REALLY irks me (as you can tell by my use of CAPS) and I argued with them for awhile until baby started crying and I had to go. I have concluded tho that for my sanity I will have to let this go. I could argue more, I could track down a manager, I could insist they cover the printer, but who has time for this?? Not me anymore unfortunately.
All I can do is rant about it on my blog :):)
The baby boy and I are sitting here enjoying our first morning with our fire. We have been having stormy weather here on the coast but the wind blew the rain away this morning. It is quite lovely sitting by the warm fire with sun coming in the window. The boy says his hand sure tastes good today. We heat with both electric heat and our propane fireplace. Yesterday our first tank of propane was delivered just in time for fall weather. Our house came with a 100lb propane tank when we bought it. Last year we used this tank up about every 3-4 weeks. The fireplace heats our living room and kitchen/dining area (house is open concept). We were paying about $100 every month or so from October – March. This year we found out we could rent a bigger tank for $68/year + $35 delivery fee, and save on our propane costs because the cost of propane goes down the more you buy. The new tank is 200 lbs and costs $122 to fill, only $22 more than the other tank half its size. The fireplace is certainly not necessary, we could heat fully with electricity. It is just nice and makes the house seem cosier. And when the power goes off (as it just did, am writing this on laptop battery power), we still have some heat in the house!
Thanks to reader's encouragement and Nancy's challenge (I use cloth diapers today and she will make her lunch and take it to work) I got through the day using cloth diapers for the most part. I forgot early this morning - too groggy to do much other than reach for the disposable diaper at hand.
I did a calculation, hoping for that to inspire me. My parents have asked us if we all want to go to Maui with them this January. Oh yes, want to. Can afford to? Jury is still out on that one. But saving money using my cloth diapers takes us one step closer, even if it is a pipe dream!
So there are 72 diapers / pkg we buy at WalMart for $13.99 + tax. At 6 diapers a day these would cost us $485 (approx) a year in diapers. Not to mention the unnecessary waste. If I could cut this in half, that would pay for a couple nights in Hawaii :)
But oh my... the laundry... it sure is stinky :(:(
Talk about good intentions. I have the cloth diapers. I have the cloth diaper pail. I know how to use the cloth diapers. I like the cloth diapers. I know how much money I save with the cloth diapers. I am just having a little trouble USING the cloth diapers :)
Let's face it, I am lazy when it comes to cloth diapers. It is just easier to use disposable. And only marginally easier. I just don't have to do the extra laundry.
I can come up with excuses to not use a cloth diaper during the day:
I am going out, I should use a disposable
The baby is going to nap, I should use a disposable
Oops I forgot to put a cloth diaper on, too late!
Last week I found out about flushable or compostable diapers. Seems like a nice compromise- easy disposal with less environmental impacts. However, it is more costly than my current disposable diapers. Right now I am paying $13.99 for 60 diapers from WalMart, whereas the flushable diapers are $19.99 for 40.
Do I:
1.Pay more for the environmentally sound option of flushable diapers?
2.Continue to save some money and use WalMart brand diapers?
3.Save LOTS of money and get over my laziness and use the cloth diapers?
That is my dilemma. Right now I am opting for 2, hoping for inspiration to go for option 3, and considering trying out 1 just to see if I like it or not.
Good thing about all this is that baby doesn't care. As long as he is changed every few hours he seems pretty happy.
I have been without Mr W all this week while he is away welding in Alberta for 5 days (plus 2 days travel). We knew the day would come when he had to go away for work, but the timing couldn't have been better.
The little boy and I spent 3 days with my parents and then came home to the in laws visiting for another 3 days. They left this morning and Mr W will be home tomorrow evening.
Thank goodness for grandmas (and grandpas!) who: cuddle crying babies, help out with shopping, cook, clean, go on walks with mom, baby and 2 dogs, and just generally make life easier!
I know I CAN do this (be a mom that is) on my own for a few days, it is just easier with help.
Our savings are getting lower, so Mr W is under more pressure to find work. This little job helped a lot, and while he was away a few more job prospects came up. None in town however! I think we are going to have to accept that while Mr W is working towards his professional status as a forester he is going to have to take whatever forestry work is available, either on contract, or as a full time job. The next two possibilities are in Kamloops, and in Campbell River (2 hours away).
After a week away though, Mr W knows for sure he doesn't want to do what his dad did which was work away from home for weeks or even months at a time. Time is just too precious with our little guy!
