I've been wrapped up in my own little world for the past week or so. J is leaving for 3 weeks, and that's all I've been able to think about. I'll be worried for his safety the entire time he's gone, and I won't stop worrying until he's safe and back here with me.
But I've also been worrying a lot about being lonely. He's the only one I know - the only one I really talk to here in Vancouver. And I've been in this whole "what will I do without him" mode ... until I realized that 3 weeks is not a long time at all. Provided he comes back alive, that is. My best friend, her BF has been living in France for the past 3 years, and they see each other only 2 times a year. My sister, her BF is living in Saskatchewan on a summer internship ... and I know a lot of you PF bloggers out there are doing LD relationships. So what right do I have to complain? 3 weeks is nothing in comparison.
Plus, I'm finally creating some sort of network for myself here in Vancouver. In fact, I'm going for coffee with an old high school friend sometime after work next week. She was one of my very best friends from grade 8-12, and then just fell out of touch once I went away to University. And my friend who was supposed to be moving back to my hometown, he's decided to stay here ... plus, 2 of my cousins are supposed to be moving here before the end of the summer ... and I'm becoming friends with the receptionist and the intern here at work.
But damn. It's hard to make friends here in Vancouver. Everyone else is so wrapped up in their own little world, and it's hard to feel accepted in J's circle of friends. They've all known each other for so long, and I feel like I just don't fit in. I'm not even sure if they know anything about me, aside from what my name is. And the only time I see them is at the bars, when they're all drunk and with all their other friends ... so it's hard too get to know them and connect with them. It's frustrating, but I don't mean to get all emo and mope about it. That's how it is whenever you're the new person.
Anyway, in personal finance news, I'm moving my balance of $56.50 out of my PayPal account and into my chequing account. Screw the $0.50 service charge. If I have to wait until I make $150 US in order to transfer the money without incurring a service charge, then screw it. I'll end up spending the money before then.
Well yesterday at 5pm, I asked my boss about my raise. He said that I would not see my raise on my pay cheque tomorrow, and that I would have to wait until the ED gets back from vacation in order for the paperwork to be processed. She gets back sometime next week.
However, he did say that the raise would be retroactive to my 3-month probation date, so that's good news.
So, I should see the raise (and about $560 of retroactive pay ... less taxes, of course) reflected in my next pay period (June 6th).
For those that are wondering, the reason why I didn't e-mail him to start a paper trail is because I didn't think it was appropriate, given our working relationship. I'm pretty honest with him about how I feel, and I think an e-mail would have put him in another one of his many bad moods.
Note: the following post is sponsored
I've been scouring the internet for Mariners/Blue Jays tickets. I've been searching for weeks, and I'm not going to give up until I have awesome tickets for J and I. It's the Canada Day July 1st game, so it's a really popular one to go to. Plus, like I've blogged about before, it's his first ball game, and my only Jays game of the season. I plan on going down and catching at least 2 or 3 more ball games during the summer with a friend of mine.
Over the past few years, I've done my share of buying, selling and flipping concert and sporting event tickets online. I have my favourite sites that I use, but today I came across Free Ticket Exchange, a free site where you can buy and sell tickets to all of your favourite events.
It's actually a pretty cool site. I searched for July 1st ball game tickets, and I got about 10-12 tickets to choose from. They were very reasonably priced (compared to some other sites I've been using), and the website seems simple and easy to use. It's still in beta stage, but I can see how this would be a good resource in the future. I'll definitely keep it in mind the next time I want to buy event or concert tickets.
Yesterday, I made a huge double batch of chocolate peanut butter cup cookies. I think I baked about 3 dozen, and then rolled the rest of the batter into little balls and put them in the freezer. I saved a few for myself, and gave the rest to J. I was thinking him and his friends could eat them on the drive up to Alaska ... but at the rate he's plowing through them, I'm not sure if they'll last until Friday. Anyway, I love being able to have freshly baked cookies whenever I want ... so that's why I always make a double batch.
They've been my sister's favourite cookies for the last couple of years, and whenever people try them, they always ask for the recipe. They're pretty fattening, and probably more chocolate than actual cookie, but that's what makes them so darn good. :) Whenever I make them, I usually just chuck in whatever chocolate I have lying around, so the recipe below is for the batch that I just made yesterday.
INGREDIENTS
- 1 cup butter, softened
- 3/4 cup creamy peanut butter
- 3/4 cup white sugar
- 3/4 cup packed brown sugar
- 2 eggs
- 2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/3 cup cocoa powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips
- 1/2 cup milk chocolate chips
- 1/2 cup toffee chips
- 1/2 cup dark chocolate chips
- 6 chocolate covered peanut butter cups, cut into eighths
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
- In a large bowl, cream together the butter, peanut butter, white sugar, and brown sugar until smooth. Beat in the eggs one at a time, then stir in the vanilla. Combine the flour, cocoa, and baking soda; stir into the peanut butter mixture. Mix in all the chocolate, and the peanut butter cups. Drop by tablespoonfuls onto ungreased cookie sheets.
- Bake for 10 to 12 minutes in the preheated oven. Let cool for 1 or 2 minutes on sheet before removing, or they will fall apart.
I've decided to just talk to my boss about my raise ... and I'm going to do it sometime today, but he seems to be in a super bad mood. He's at lunch right now, so I'm thinking I'll approach him after lunch. In about half an hour. I remember him saying that the paperwork can be processed without the ED - it just needed approval by the head accountant (who knew nothing about the raise when I talked to her) ... and he hasn't mentioned my raise to me in probably about 2 weeks.
If this raise doesn't eventually get put through, I am going to immediately start looking for a new job.
In other work-related news, I have to work full days on June 7th and 14th. Kind of lame to be giving up two awesome Saturdays ... but OT is OT. Plus, June 7th I have to work in my hometown, so they'll pay for my travel expenses to get home. :) That saves me $50 right there.
Anyway, other than that, there's not much to report. J said that he's going to leave me his car for the 3 weeks he's in Alaska. If that does happen, then I'll save a lot of time and money trying to get myself to the ferries - since I'll be going 2 of the 3 weekends he's gone. It seems like such a luxury, to have access to a car anytime I want. I almost don't even want to use the car, because it'll tempt me to drive to work, or drive to the store ... when I'm perfectly capable of walking.
Have you signed up for the June Dining Out Challenge yet?
4 comments Posted onFor most of us, the June Dining Out Challenge is probably going to be the hardest monthly challenge yet - but that's all the more reason to sign up! :)
I was reluctant to do this, but dining out is my one biggest weakness. Especially with 2 big dinners in June ... but it's important not to hide from my finances and from what I'm spending.
So, what are you waiting for!? We already have 17 29 participants!
Here's what I spent this weekend:
- $147.15 - tournament fees & hotel costs
- $26.00 - breakfast with J (for both of us)
- $10.00 - breakfast
- $3.13 - cough drops from 7-11
- $22.29 - white shirt from Zara
- $14.55 - Narrow Stairs, Death Cab for Cutie CD
I had budgeted $250 for the weekend, so I'm under that (thanks to my Mom buying me dinner Saturday night, and J buying me dinner Sunday night) ... but I really shouldn't have gotten the shirt and CD. The shirt, maybe ... 2 years ago, I bought the same shirt from Zara and I wear it to death ... but white shirts never really stay nice for too long. Sooner or later, they just start to look gross. So I replaced it. And the CD? Well, I couldn't really resist. I like DCFC a lot. So. Yeah.
Also, do you know what sucks? Because I'm not going into work today (sick), and my boss was on holidays from Thursday-Monday ... my boss won't be able to sign my time sheet until tomorrow morning ... and by then, it might be too late to process my hours. So, I might not get paid on Friday. I mean, I have the EF that I can draw from to pay for my rent and everything ... but it would certainly be a huge pain in the butt not to get paid. I've e-mailed the accountant to see if my paperwork can be processed tomorrow morning. Fingers are crossed.
I called in sick today. I've been feeling awful all weekend. My throat feels like it's on fire, and I've got a cough and the sniffles. Ugg.
So obviously, this resulted in a really crappy field hockey tournament. Saturday was okay, but Sunday and Monday were really hard to keep my energy up. Especially when I started to breathe hard, my throat got so raw and painful. Anyway, we lost in sudden death shoot-outs in the semi-finals (to the 4th place team), which was a real let-down. :(
This coming weekend, I'm going back home to the island ... then May 31st, I'll be down in Seattle to watch a ball game (Mariners vs. Tigers, I think...), and June 6-8 I'm back on the island again for my dad's 60th birthday. I'm not sure when J gets back from Alaska (he leaves on Friday), as I guess it depends on the weather and how long it takes them to climb the mountain. I don't care how long he goes for, as long as he comes home alive. I'm already getting sad to see him leave, and he's still got 3 nights here.
Anyway, I'm going to get off the computer and curl up on my couch.
I love concerts. Live shows are absolutely the best, but aside from local indie shows, the last concert I was at was Mika in February, and the Ryan Adams show in January ... and I didn't have another concert lined up until today!
On July 12th, Wolf Parade is coming to the Commodore Ballroom (the best venue for live music I've ever been to) here in Vancouver, and I'm stoked! I bought tickets for both J and I, which set me back about $75 for both of them, after all the awesome Ticketmaster charges. I also think that 2 or 3 of my friends might be coming over for the show too, so that might be cool.
I'd also really like to see the Mason Jennings show at the Commodore on Monday, but I don't think I'll have time ... which is too bad, because he's amazing.
A commenter asked me what I was going to do about my raise.
That's a very good question. And, I'm still not sure. My boss is currently on vacation until Tuesday, so I won't be able to approach him until then.
Right now, I'm leaning towards e-mailing him, so that everything is in writing. When he first offered me the raise, I asked if I had to sign papers, but he said no. So nothing is in writing as of right now. I don't even know exactly how much I'm getting, just that it's definitely more than $45k. Not by much though, I don't think.
A few people suggested CC'ing the ED as well, but I don't think I would want to do that. Not yet, anyway. It just seems like such a ballsy thing to do, and I already feel weird e-mailing my boss.
But, if I don't get it together and fight for what is rightfully mine, I doubt anything will happen. I want to stay at this job - I like my co-workers and I like the work that I'm doing ... but I was promised something, and greedy or not, I deserve to be paid every last cent that I've earned.
Tonight I'm going to a concert with J. I don't really want to go, because I dislike that kind of music. A lot. One of the bands that's opening is pretty good - we heard them a few weeks ago at another show ... but the headliner? Not my thing. It's basically screamo music that makes no sense whatsoever. I've heard them play a couple of times before, and while they're good musicians, they just play awful music. But J is really good friends with them, so I don't mind going. Even if everyone except me is going to be drunk and belligerent.
Plus, another reason for going tonight is that he's leaving for 3 weeks next week, so I'd like to see him as much as possible before then. The climb he's doing in Alaska is pretty dangerous. We watched a show on it a few days ago, and as you go up the mountain, there are random frozen bodies just strewn about ... from those that didn't make it. He said something like 4 or 5 people died last year, out of the 1,200 that attempted the climb. So there's a slim, but real chance that he might get seriously injured, or even worse. I try not to think about it though. Soon, this is going to be his career ... so I should try to get used to it.
I'm excited that this time tomorrow, I'll be with my teammates. It's something special, to have grown up playing with the same people ... playing for the same club ... watching some go on to play for Team Canada (we have 3 or 4 ex-National team members on our team, including one that has been to the Olympics!). It's pretty crazy to turn on CBC and see your friends or your coach wear the red and white - people that you actually know and interact with on a regular basis.
Anyway, I transferred $250 out of my Travel Fund to pay for this weekend. I think that will be enough for my tournament fees, 2 dinners & 2 breakfasts out with my team, plus a few drinks at the bar tonight.
Without even thinking, I wore a pair of cute brown/red sandals to work today. I bought them last fall (summer clearance sale!), but haven't broken them in yet ... and I guess I just forgot that they were new? But anyway, after the 40 min. walk to work, my feet were literally crying out in pain.
I cannot walk home in my shoes. Not a chance. I tried to put my shoes back on to walk the 10 metres to make some tea in the kitchen, and I was hobbling. It hurt so much. 3 blisters does not feel good at all. Especially with a field hockey tournament to play this weekend. I'm such an idiot.
So what does that mean? I have to catch a cab home. There's literally no one in the office today, and the people that are in the office, they all work different hours than me, or they live in the complete opposite direction.
Sigh. It's only $10 including tip, but still. I really should be using my head.
June's challenge is going to address a lot of people's major budget breaker - dining out!
This month's challenge is to set a monthly dining out budget for yourself (and your family, if applicable), and stick to it! If you would like to join me in my challenge, please leave a comment and indicate how much your budget is for.
Personally, dining out has always been a hard category for me to control. It's so hard to say no when friends want to go out, or when I want to treat my sister to a lunch ... or when I'm just feeling lazy and don't want to cook.
I really enjoy trying new restaurants and eating new food, and I know a lot of you out there do too. There's nothing wrong with it, as long as we're able to work that expense into our budget. For example, I want to treat J to a nice dinner out, in celebration of our 6-month anniversary and his birthday. So I'm going to have to somehow work my budget to accommodate that expense. Plus, I have my dad's 60th birthday dinner to attend, which is really important. Otherwise, my dining out budget usually ranges from $40-60/month.
So even though I'm budgeting a lot for dining out, I'm taking into consideration 2 very special occasions. If you've noticed, I've done a few PPP opps lately, and have about $110 coming to me ... so already I'm over half way there to saving up for these 2 dinners.
What's your dining out budget?
- livingpaychecktopaycheck - $30
- lucian's mommy - $30
- passivefamilyincome - $30
- BeachGirl - $40
- laughing808 - $50
- LB - $50
- meg - $50
- Twiggers - $50
- change is a good thing - $60
- Rocko - $75
- Frugaleconome - $80
- asgreen - $100
- beautifulreality - $100
- CelticBuffy - $100
- lindaisdone - $100
- Meli - $100
- Single Spender - $100
- Strange Bird - $100
- Shevy - $120
- The Frugalista Files - $120
- honugurl16 - $150
- Hyperchondriac - $150
- otherdeb - $150
- Michele - $180
- Dolly Iris - $200
- JanePlain - $200
- krystalatwork - $200
- Tough Broad - $200
- Grad Student - $250
Well, it's about mid-way through May, so it's time for the Week 2 update of the May Grocery Challenge. How did you do? Are you still on track to meet your goal?
Please leave a comment with: how much you've spent/your grocery goal
- ambellamy - $88.95/$120
- Amphritrite - $12.31/$85
- asgreen - $112.26/$150
- BeachGirl - $69.43/$150
- change is a good thing - $34.79/$80
- Frugaleconome - $63.85/$125
- honugurl16 - $290.59/$350
- Hyperchondriac - $19.27/$50
- krystalatwork - $61.49/$125
- L@SpillingBuckets - $148/$250
- livingpaychecktopaycheck - $13.79/$100
- Looby - $135/300
- LP - $192/$370
- meg - $40/$150
- No More Spending - £124.68/£200
- paidtwice - $280.72/$435
- Rhonda - $332.55/$400
- Shevy - $297.86/$500
- sick of being poor - $154/$200
- stackingpennies - $94/$145
- Tough Broad - $58.90/$125
Note: the following post is sponsored
I've always wanted to visit North Carolina. A lot of you already know that. There's just something about NC that seems so unreal, and I think that it's one of the only places in the USA that I really want to spend a lot of time in. I've never even been there before, and I'm not even really sure how I got into this whole I-have-to-visit-NC mindset. I've even researched into www.carolinacolors.com, a New Bern NC real estate website. I mean, honestly I haven't looked very hard into owning property in the USA, but the website is really well laid out and the designer in me wants to poach the site concept and steal or for my own. :)
I know that the chances of me owning real estate in NC, or in the USA in general are pretty much slim to none (I don't think I would ever live in the USA) ... but I would still love to visit NC sometime in the very near future.
