October Goals

It's been a long time since I've set some monthly goals for myself so I'm going to start off a little easier so I dont scare myself off.

1. Review and complete two 30b430 goals. If this is October it means I have one full year left until the big 3-0 and its time to get my arse in line. I made these goals before I returned home and some just dont fit. More on this later.



2. Have Chipotle neutered, tatooed and finish up his shots (need to save $300 more for this)



3. Do something fun on my birthday :)
   


4. Save $250 for BF's bday weekend surprise



5. Save $400 in RSP or TFSA



6. Set up a work space at home for crafting/blogging

May TCOB

Hello May! I've been waiting for you.

I think May will be a great month. In May I hope to accomplish some really important tasks both financially and personally.

1) Save $1500 to Austraila Fund. I can't believe even believe that I can write that but I'm really going to go for it this month. In May I have three pay days, I will work the elections and I will get a tax return back. I would like to save $1800 which would bring me to total of $4500 and is 90% of my goal but I'm unsure of how my vacation pay will effect me so I'll stick with $1500. If I do reach $1800 I would be able to save the last $500 in June and apply for my visa a month before I expected to. :) It will be a tight squeeze though. We'll see...

2) Bring a Lunch to Work 3 Days a Week.

3) Have Entire Upper Floor of House Organized. I'm getting closer on this one. I think this goal should be attainable if I use my time at home wisely to get things done. There is a lot of paperwork that needs to be sorted through, clothes that need to go to charity and a lot of my jewellry making supplies. I need to start purging for the trip.

4) Get Price Estimates for Storage Unit. We will be getting rid of a lot of stuff. If its not collapsible or irreplaceable its going. Some stuff though we do want to hold on to and so we need to be getting some prices on what storage units are worth these days. BF has some larger items like a kayak, motorcycle and truck. He'll need to get a realistic idea on the cost of keeping these items in storage for a year before he makes any decisions. The only thing I really want to keep in our new bed frame which is collapsible.

5) Visit a Dear Friend on the Mainland. My friend Nathaniel often comes to the Island for visits. I try to visit him as well because I love spending time with him but I always find it hard to get a totally free weekend to head over to Vancouver. No more excuses, I am setting aside time just to go see him this month!

6) Work the Election Polls on May 12th! Yay, this makes me very happy. Not just because of the extra dough but because I feel like I'm contributing to the process.

7) Plant Garden - We've hit the right time to xfer all of our babies outside. We've also got to get the other seeds planted for things such as radishes and corn. Mmm, I can't wait until harvest time.

8) Investigate RSP Option at Work - I need to find out whether I qualify for a match contribution or not. Every time I ask I get a different answer. I'm ready now to fill out the paperwork and get started. Might as well get what I can before I leave.



I've decided to reward myself when I complete all my goals for the month. This month the reward will be this:


It came highly recommended by a friend who did this same type of trip a year ago. She swears by it and it has great reviews. I think it would be well worth the investment so thats why I chose it for my goal reward.

April TCOB Review

• Have Niece Over For Sleep Over Party With Lots Of Fun Activities - DONE

I had a great time with my niece. We did some really fun Easter related activities like decorating an easter basket and a little gingerbread bunny hut. We also took her to see that new movie Monsters vs Aliens which was in 3D - super fun!

• Save $700 Towards Australia Fund - DONE

I am really determined to reach my goal on this one everything month. It is definitely my highest priority.

• Get Things Worked Out With Pharacare And MSP

I did my part on this one. Just waiting for my employer to finish their end. Basically I've taken it as far as I can and things will be worked out in due time. It's no longer impacting me financially and both sides are aware of the process we're going through to get everything sorted.

• Renew PO Box - DONE

I usually renew for a year at a time since that is the cheapest option but this time we renewed for 6 months because that will take us until the end of September and by then we should have a better idea of when we'll be officially leaving for Australia.

• Take Mini Vaca With BF To Okanagan - DONE

Can you say amazing? We had the BEST time. Well, mine was better than BF's because I got to take part in the partner program (paid for by BF's boss) so I had two full days of fun activities with the other wives.

• Plant The Rest Of The Garden

With all of the craziness we had going on this month we did not get around to doing this. It turned out okay though because of the crazy weather. We plan to get this done over this weekend.

• Organize And Burn Photos Off Computer

Big fail on this one... but it seriously needs to be done!

• Dig Out Bills Binder And Reorganize

Nope, nadda, not done.

• Sort Through Large Bag Of Bills And Such In Office Closet

Another important task that I didn't allot time for. Bad Dolly!

• Have A Hell Of A Great Long Weekend - DONE

It appears I succeeded on all of the more fun goals. Oops.

54% There

I made a xfer to ING today for $350. It was a tight squeeze with all that I have going on right now but I know I'll be glad later on that I did it. This clears one goal off of my list for the month and brings me to 54% of my goal for the Aussi Fund. Yay!

April TCOB

For the month of April I want to keep my goals light and airy, just like the weather we're having lately.

1) Take Niece for sleep over with lots of fun activities.

2) Save $700 in Australia Fund

3) Get things worked out with Pharmacare and MSP

4) Renew PO Box

5) Take mini vacation with BF to Okanagan

6) Plant the rest of the garden

7) Organize and burn photos off computer

8) Dig out Bills Binder and reorganize

9) Sort through large bag of bills and such in office closet

10) Have a hell of a great long weekend!

March TCOB 2009 - End of the Month Review

• Hunt Down The Rest Of My T4's - DONE
• Have Niece Over For Sleep Over Party
• Organize House With BF - DONE
• Finish Online Training
• Save $750 Towards Australia Fund -DONE
• Host St.Patricks Day Party With Friends - DONE

March was a fairly successful month for me. I was able to accomplish a lot of goals that will get me started on finishing the rest of the year on a high.

Most important was organizing the house. There are still the odd boxes to go through but the presort has all been done and all rooms look tidy and nice. We had a houseful due to the party we hosted this month and BF's friend coming from Quebec so that had us really motivated to do a deep clean. Since then we've been working as a team to keep on top of things. It's relieves a lot of stress for me personally to have a tidy home.

I think I've located all my T4's. I jumped around a lot last year and I this weird feeling I'm missing one. Probably not though. I have to write a statement for one place that paid me as a "casual worker" so I don't get a T4. I also have to check out how much money I made online.

I managed to save $750 this month towards the Australia Fund. I wish it was more but this contribution brought me to a total of 40% of my overall goal which is good. I now have saved $2300 since January and that makes me feel fabulous. I had originally wanted to save an average of $1000 a month but its been a hard task to accomplish.

I did not have my niece over this month. She's been sick on and off. This weekend didn't work for them so we made a commitment for me to take her next Saturday night. I want to take her to a movie and do some Easter projects. Sleep overs are exhausting but I know they mean a lot to her and I love my niece. I spent this last Saturday making dinner for my Grandpa at his house instead.

I haven't thought about my goals for April yet. I already know I'm going to have some financial set backs but I'm also going to have a lot of fun I think. :)

March TCOB

My February goals sunk like rocks. This has been a very stressful month for me. I did make two of my goals though. I met and surpassed my goal for my Australia Fund. I also handed in all my benefit papers two weeks ago and should be getting coverage soon.

BF and I are on a roll getting the whole house clean and organized. It's a lot of work. I have boxes that have been moved around and stored for years completely untouched. Going through it all is so exhausting and embarrassing!! BF keeps finding old pictures of me that are not very flattering. Think band class group photos and such.

I have learned recently that I will need to have to have a certified bank statement proving I have $5000 when I apply for my work visa in June.. or July(?) don't remember. So I really have to focus all of my savings towards that goal right now until I hit that mark. Then I can concentrate on all of my other PF goals.

So here are my March goals:

Host St.Patricks Day Party With Friends - I want to have a potluck dinner with some old friends and play some drinking games.

Save $750 Towards Australia Fund - This will bring me to 40% of my goal!

Finish Online Training - BORING

Organize House With BF - Ugh, but it has to be done. :(

Have Niece Over For Sleep Over Party - Usually includes a trip to the "big movies" (theater) and dinner out with Auntie and Uncle. The rest of the weekend is spent hanging around the house. These weekends are fun but tiring :)

Hunt Down The Rest Of My T4's - This is so annoying! You have my address so send it to me jerks!

February TCOB

Oh February, how did you get here so fast? It seems like 2009 is flying by faster than 2008 did. Is this because I'm getting older that time is rushing past me? I can't believe January is already past.

Anyway.. I seem to be often writing TCOB (taking care of business) posts on the first of each month without too much thought. So far its been working out alright but I think I need to start focusing a little more.

Here are my February goals for 2009:

$20 Work Week Limit - My job is very hectic and crazy, especially lately, and I often eat out and snack a lot while I'm there. I'm giving myself a $20/week budget. Once the $20 is gone I'm poop out luck. This budget will include food and snacks while working. This is going to be a big step for me. I'm going to put a twenty in vial at work in my drawer each Monday and that's all I get.

Clean Out Guest Room Closet - I'm not really happy about this, having to do it I mean, because its got a few boxes full of random crap that I don't want to deal with. Most of its from when I cleared out my personal office so its a lot of paperwork. Some of it is tools, beads, wires and such. Some of it old clothes that I don't have the heart to get rid of but never wear.

Save $500 For The Australia Fund - This will bring my total to $1100 saved in that fund. That will be 22% of my goal.

Hand In Benefit Papers - I need BF's birth certificate to get this all handed in. I'm going to ride his ass all day about it until I get it.


Save $100 For Secured Credit Card Fund - That will bring me to 40% of my goal.

Save $150 For EFund - That will bring me to 10% of my goal.

Change RSP Savings Fund to Australia Extras Fund - I found out that my employer is going to match contributions to my RSP so I'm going to find out more about that and save for retirement that way this year instead of just on my own. I'm converting the account to an Extras fund for things like my plane ticket and any small fees along the way.

Save $150 For Australia Extras Fund - This will bring me to 17% of my goal.

Bring Personal Blog Up to Date - BF and I have another blog together for family and friends since they are scattered all over Canada. I've been neglecting it probably since November. We really want to incorporate his family more into our daily lives since they are in Quebec.

Finish Online Work Training - Ugh, I don't want to do this but I know I should.

Move My Money

I did a little xfering to ING today. I made the following deposits:

a) I transfered $90.00 to my Secured Credit Card Fund. This brings the total to $100 which was my goal for the month!

b) I also transfered $90.00 to my RSP Fund, which is also a grand total of $100 and the monthly goal :D

c) I decided at the last minute to throw another $100 into the Australia Fund. I'm hoping to make another, healthier deposit to this fund next pay day which is still almost two weeks away. This brings the total of that fund to $200.

So today I managed to check off two goals on my January list. The first was to top up all savings categories to at least $100. I'm happy to have that completed in the first half of the month.

The second was hosting my mom's birthday party last weekend. It turned out to be a success and I think my mom had a pretty good time. Yay!

January TCOB

January is already in full swing and I haven't laid out any goals for myself. I've updated my sidebar TCOB (taking care of business) list for the month. I feel these will all set the tone for the New Year.

While I'm happy to be starting the New Year off debt free I really need to focus now on my health. The last few years have had a lot of ups and downs and unfortunately I didn't take care of me. I would like to work on my physical being.

My focus for January is to set the tone for the year. Strong, healthy and in control of all aspects of my life.

2009 - The Year of Savings

2009 will be a fresh start for me literally as I am now 100% debt free. I have already been thinking about what goals I want to conquer for the new year.

Last year I had two big goals for the year.

1 - Become Debt Free - Check! I pulled this one off just in time.

2 - Start My Retirement Savings - Sadly, No.

For 2009 I need to really think about my goals because there are so many things I need to take into consideration.

Exhibit A - Bf and I have a plan to leave the country for one year. I am hoping to have a minimum of $5000 saved before the trip. We are backpacking Australia will be working along the way. Items I need to purchase include : proper clothing, sleeping bag, gear (headlamp and such), plane ticket, etc. Those items will need to purchased above and beyond the savings. Eek!

Exhibit B - Retirement Savings. I don't know what my issue is with getting this started. I have been well aware since I was 14 years old the benefits of starting early and here I am 12 years later and still nothing. I need to get educated on this and get my arse moving. I have a lot of catching up to do in this department. This year my goal is just to get started. I'm not going to give the big push on this for 2009 because I have a lot of other financial commitments.

Exhibit C- EFund Beefaroni - I am thinking that my goal for this will be $2500.

Exhibit D - Secure Credit Card - I really want to start rebuilding my credit. A secured credit card is what I'm looking at to get me started. It will also allow me to open a shop on Etsy and can be used for an emergency when traveling. I am estimating between $500-1000 for this.


In the next few years I will also need to consider other goals such as: wedding fund, home fund, baby fund and educational/entrepreneurial fund. I don't want to overwhelm myself with financial commitments and I'm already feeling that this will be quite the heavy load. I need to think these over and make sure they are all S.M.A.R.T goals.

November TCOB

Hello November. Want to be friends?

I am thinking November and I are going to get along great. I have some big plans to get my financial house of chaos back into smooth running order. Over the next two months I'm going to wipe out the last of my debt entirely. I desperately want to be debt free for the new year. Last year I became consumer debt free and this year I will destroy those nasty student loans and be completely out of the financial grave!

Financial Goals

As of today my student loans stand at $1734.24. It's going to take some heavy debt payments to get rid of this bitch before the end of the year. Luckily I am in a position now to get this done. I am hoping to pay off a total of $1200 this month in two $600 installments. It's going to be a challenge for me but I'm determined.

I am not going to commit myself to any other obligations financially until this is debt is done. 2009 will be the year to save. 2008 is the year to become debt free. I feel good about this choice.

Personal Goals

Take learners test again on or before November 15th. I get that day off with pay instead of November 11th. It would be a great day to get the test done. I have been slowly reading the learners manual and occasionally taking the online practice tests so far. I plan to keep doing this to prepare myself for the test.

Talk to my family about having a monthly dinner and game night for everyone. BF has made me realize how important family is and we've been spending more and more time with everyone. He feels its my role in the family to bring everyone together and make these things happen. I think he's right. When I think back over the last year or so we've really made the push to make things happen with everyone and it really makes me feel good. We only have one year left until Australia and I want to make every moment count.

Create a chore list for myself. I notice other bloggers come up with weekly chore lists for themselves where they designate each day of the week to a different chore. I'm going to try this out.

Organize family Christmas plans. I believe my mother is hosting dinner but there is also the gift exchange to keep in mind. Usually we buy for our parents and any kids and then draw for siblings. I like this tradition. It saves a bundle and nobody feels financially strapped. I want to get this decided in November to avoid the crunch and stress of December shopping.


My November goal list is a lot shorter than other months but very specific and directed towards getting me onto the right path to make the new year amazing.

October Goals Review

Personal Goals

• Reserve for BF's birthday - DONE. The entire weekend was an amazing success. Yay!
  
• Host Thanksgiving Dinner/Birthday Party (there are 6 family bdays being celebrated) DONE. Dinner was great and it was a fun evening with family.
  
• Send handmade "I love you" card to two friends (didn't do this last month) - NOPE. Geez, I'm a bad friend.
  
• Reorganize and set up personal office - NOPE. This room is starting to mock me as I walk by. Hmmm.
  
• Find out about changing spelling of business name - NOPE.
  
• Book off two days for birthday fun - SORTA. I was only allowed one day.
  
• Decorate house for Halloween Spookfest ( I love trick or treaters) and Family game night. - Yes, well I did decorate but there was no game night because I had to work until 730.
  

Financial Goals

• Save $100 for Australia - NOPE.
  
• Pay off a minimum of $200 on Student Loan (I'm going to aim higher but we'll see). NOPE
  
• Purchase bus pass to save $$$ since new job is across town - Wasn't necessary.
  
• Bag lunches everyday! - UM..... shoot.
  
• Assign everyone a food to bring to Thanksgiving (already figured this out weeks ago) DONE
  
• Shop with a budget for Halloween ( I go a little crazy) DONE!!
  

October 2008 TCOB

October!!!!!! My favorite month of the year. October is absolutely the best month ever and it just keeps getting better and better. Here's a few reasons why I love October so much:

• My birthday!!!!
• Halloween
• Thanksgiving
• GST cheques
• Climate Action Tax Credit

Both my favorite holidays, my birthday AND extra money?! Wow. October I love thee!

Personal Goals

• Reserve for BF's birthday
  
• Host Thanksgiving Dinner/Birthday Party (there are 6 family bdays being celebrated)
• Send handmade "I love you" card to two friends (didn't do this last month)
• Reorganize and set up personal office
• Find out about changing spelling of business name
• Book off two days for birthday fun
  
• Decorate house for Halloween Spookfest ( I love trick or treaters) and Family game night.
  

Financial Goals

• Save $100 for Australia
• Pay off a minimum of $200 on Student Loan (I'm going to aim higher but we'll see)
• Purchase bus pass to save $$$ since new job is across town
• Bag lunches everyday!
• Assign everyone a food to bring to Thanksgiving (already figured this out weeks ago)
• Shop with a budget for Halloween ( I go a little crazy)

I am so happy October is finally here. It's like a breath of fresh air. I can't wait for all the spooky goblins and scary faces. It's going to be a great month. I have decided that since BF's birthday and mine are two weeks apart to do the big surprise the weekend in between. I have to get my brother to help me reserve this weekend with his CC so we're all set. YAY!!!

September TCOB Review

September sucked. I'm so looking forward to a healthy and progressive October! So now lets look at the nasty details!

First for the PF goals: None completed. I can hopefully catch up in October.

1. Pay student loan under $1500
2. Add $50 to EFUND
3. Add $50 to Australia Fund
4. Save $200 towards BF birthday Fund

Now for the Personal Goals:

1. Visit my sister at least twice in the hospital
2. Go mini golfing with my brother and BF
3. Have at least 2 just ME days
   
4. Start new job
5. Enjoy two family game nights
6. Send my two of my best friends an I love you card made by hand.

Well I did a lot better on my personal goals than the finance but I'm happy with the results. I've been so stressed the last little while that I've really needed to step back and connect with people and things that are important to me again. I think this is more rewarding in my opinion. Hopefully October will see me back on track in the finance department. Yay me!

September 2008 Monthly TCOB and PF Goals

I'm a little late on getting my goals in order for September but... better late then never, right? Last month was so crazy. I'm hoping to find more me time and enjoy myself more this month because I think I deserve it ;-)

First for the PF goals:

1. Pay student loan under $1500
2. Add $50 to EFUND
3. Add $50 to Australia Fund
4. Save $200 towards BF birthday Fund

Now for the Personal Goals:

1. Visit my sister at least twice in the hospital
2. Go mini golfing with my brother and BF
3. Have at least 2 just ME days
   
4. Start new job
5. Enjoy two family game nights
6. Send my two of my best friends an I love you card made by hand.

Thats all I can think of right now, but I think these are some mighty fine goals so I'm very pleased!

August 2008 TCOB - End of the Month Review

• Pay Federal Student loan under $2000 YES
  
• Bump EFund up to $500 Completed
  
• Go over all bills and make sure everything is paid and up to date Completed
  
• Update Dolly's Garden Blog at least once a week I'm deleting this blog soon
  
• Get BF to hang bulletin board so I can finish setting up office in an organized manner Nope
  
• Organize one box from storage room Uh... no
  
• Go on another hike with BF while the weather is still nice Nope
  
• Get at least one good weekend of camping in Completed X 2
  
• Blog at least once daily Yes
  

PAYDAY!!!! How I love thee!

Yes, it is finally here. The day you wait 13 days for each pay period. Too bad it all gets allotted to things so quickly. This cheque is kind of fun though because I will get to do a few things with it that will get my monthly goals started!

1) EFund goal for this month will be completed!
2) All bills will now be up to date!

Fabulous isn't it?

It turns out that this month is a three payday month at my job. Since I just started awhile ago I will get two and a half cheques to help out. Next cheque I will be able to reach my goal for paying down my student loan, my goal for BF's birthday fund and I'll see about getting something into that Australia fund too. I am so relieved to have money coming in again, even if its not much.

August 2008 TCOB

I didn't happen to make any goals for July so I better make up for it in August.

• Pay Federal Student loan under $2000
• Bump EFund up to $500
• Go over all bills and make sure everything is paid and up to date
• Update Dolly's Garden Blog at least once a week (I've been seriously slacking, sorry)
• Get BF to hang bulletin board so I can finish setting up office in an organized manner
• Organize one box from storage room
• Go on another hike with BF while the weather is still nice
• Get at least one good weekend of camping in
• Blog at least once daily

So there are my August goals. It seems like a lot to have nine goals this month but these are all things that need to happen anyways... well except blogging daily... that I do for you! XOXO

End of the Month Review for July 2008

Here are my numbers for the end of June:

Federal Student Loan $2,315.36

Savings $753.95

Here we are the end of July and my numbers are not very happy :(

Federal Student Loan $2,256.59

$2,256.59

Savings $407.42 (down)

Its okay though because now I am working again and soon I will be back on track to reaching all of my goals. Next months will be much happier!