Give Me Back My Five Bucks

I filed my very last EI work report yesterday, as I am now working a full-time job. In retrospect, I should have waited to file it until after my payout gets deposited in my bank account, just in case by some weird chance, this has screwed up the system. There's nothing I would hate more than to have to try and get my money from them again.

This weekend I bought new glasses. They were a little more expensive than I had anticipated spending, but I really like them and I'm going to make sure that I don't lose them. I ended up paying about $289 for them, after a $100 off promotion at the store. Yes, it's a lot of money to pay, especially when they could be covered in 3 months by my medical ... but I needed glasses now (legally not allowed to drive without them). Plus, I justified the more expensive frames by telling myself that I'm getting a large tax refund, and I'm getting my EI payout ... which I know isn't really a good enough reason, but what's done is done and I have new glasses that I love.

This evening I'm going to sit down and get my finances up to date and in order. I got the last of my paperwork from my old place on the island, so a few hours should get me all up to speed. I'm nervous to really see how much money I have, but I'm also excited because then I can move forward and figure out where I need to be. And that means updating the sidebar totals. So by tomorrow, you should see an accurate picture of where I really stand, money wise.

OMG, I just checked Employment Services online, and I'M GETTING PAID OUT FOR MY EI!!! I can't believe it! Finally, 10.5 weeks later, I'm getting a grand total of $2,681 deposited into my bank account on Monday. That's amazing.

I have some charges to pay off on my credit card from the past few weeks due to the move to Vancouver, but the rest of it is going straight back into the EF. I would imagine I'd be back around the $2k mark with the EF after it's all said and done. Right now I'm down to around $200 (which is pretty darn scary to know that I've basically used up my entire EF) b/c I had to pay a $300 deposit & $600 for my 1st month of rent.

I know, I should really update the sidebars. I just haven't had time to sit down for a few hours and really dig through my finances and get them up-to-date. This weekend is a no-go because J and I are going back to the island. I'm thinking next week I'll be able to get it done. I'll have to block off a few hours after work one evening, and get my hands dirty. I really need to get this done, because I'm starting to hide from my finances again.

10 weeks in, and I'm even more frustrated than ever. I've been calling in every week to ask about the status of my claim (checking online is useless b/c the messages always say the same thing) ... today the woman said that I should wait until Monday, and if I haven't heard from anyone, then to call back in. I never hear from anyone ... ever! So I don't know who she thinks she's dealing with. And why do I have to keep calling in? Shouldn't they be the ones doing their jobs?

In other news, I've lost my glasses. Lost isn't even the right word. I left them at a White Spot restaurant on Monday evening. J and I both distinctly remember me taking my glasses off and putting them on the table. I just never put them back on ... and when I finally realized what I had done, they had already closed. We got up and went back to the White Spot as soon as they opened the next morning (6:30 am), and I called twice during the day, but my glasses seem to have vanished. But White Spot is seriously THE ONLY place they could have been. I did not leave the restaurant with them on, and I know that for a fact.

So, what should I do? I need glasses. I was thinking of heading to the mall after work to buy a new pair (I've had my old pair for about 2 years) ... but it seems kind of lame to drop $200 when I'll be covered under my medical plan at work in less than 3 months. And I don't want to buy frames online, because my face is oddly shaped (tiny Asian nose = no bridge) and I literally have to try on dozens and dozens of pairs in the store to make sure I get ones that fit me properly. My back-up pair is back at home on the island, and even those are about 3 or 4 prescriptions old and don't correct my astigmatism. I'll probably go to the mall and see what kind of deals the cheapo 1-hr. optical places have, and then make my decision there. My only saving grace is that I can use the money out of my tax return to pay for them ... and in the meantime, I'll take the $$ out of my EF.

So Employment Services called me yesterday afternoon. After asking me some ridiculous questions, she said she would have to contact my previous employers to verify everything that I had said was correct. She didn't know how long that would take, so she wasn't sure when my claim would be finalized. I really really hope this gets done by the end of the week.

I got a call from Shaw Cable today, and signed up for high-speed internet and basic cable for about $60/month. Plus, there's a promotion going on where I get a free modem. I'm happy with that ... and after reading all of your responses about whether you have cable or not, I think I'm going to keep my cable. I want to keep my entertainment costs to a minimum here, so if I can catch the game at home, that saves me from going out to a pub, or taking public transportation over to J's. They are coming to do the install on Monday after 6pm, which is super convenient because Monday will be my first day in my new place.

Also, I really really want to check my credit score. I haven't checked since last March when it was 727, but I'm scared. For some reason I feel like my score is going to disappoint me. But it's not like it can be worse than 727, right? When I last checked, I was still in debt. Now I'm not. And I haven't applied for any new credit, so it only makes sense that my score would be better. Hmm.

My EF is what's saved me over the past 2.5 months. Since I clearly couldn't have relied on the government for EI benefits, I would have been completely screwed without that $3k I had saved. It's so incredible to me, that personal finance and saving money actually works. I'm still in awe of it all, and it's insane that just one year ago, I had not one dollar to my name, and a whole whack of debt to get out of. And even though things didn't exactly go my way this past year, I'm in a much more stable position now - freshly out of 2.5 months of unemployment - than I ever was with a full-time job.

It's such a simple concept: save money. Why didn't I get it for so many years?

When I started the EF, I honestly never thought I'd use it - I just thought it'd be a little chunk of money that just sat in a savings account for the rest of my life. Who would have thought that, as soon as I fully funded the EF, I would have had to use almost all of it up.

I haven't checked Quicken in a few days, but as it last stands, I have about $1k left in the EF. I'll update the sidebar sometime this week. Once I get my EI payments (provided I do actually get it), I will fully fund the EF back up to $3k, and then bump up my EF savings goal to $5k for the rest of 2008. I think that's a realistic goal to have.

With my tax refund, I still hope to get around $4,500 back ... and with that money, what I really should do is stick the entire thing back into my RRSPs. That would mean I'd only need to save another $2k all year to reach my 2008 goal of having a $22k portfolio. And provided I pass my probation at the FT job, I would also have to count my RPP plan into the mix ... so when it's all said and done, I could have a bigger portfolio at the end of 2008 than I had originally anticipated.

So my EI? I still haven't gotten a payment yet. I know, I know, you all said that it would take forever ... but this is the 9th week, and while I don't need the money, it'd be nice to get paid for what I'm entitled to.

It's so frustrating, and it seems nothing gets done unless I call them. I filed my claim on November 18th, and my file sat there until January 3rd when I called, and the CSR noted that all my paperwork was complete, and sent my file to the appropriate person. And today when I called, nothing had been done since then. The CSR this time said that she'd send my file forward to adjudication, where they'd make a final decision on my case by tomorrow. But if I haven't heard from them by tomorrow, then I'd have to call in on Wednesday. ARGGH!

If my case is approved (which I don't see why it shouldn't be), I would be entitled to 9 weeks of pay, which would be deposited into my bank account within 48 hours. The maximum payment a person can receive is $435/week, so I would be looking at a deposit of around $3,915 before tax (also, less the amount I earned through my PT job - which was definitely under $600). That would certainly be nice.

And on my next EI report, I will have to inform them that I am now working a full-time position. Hopefully by then, I will have received my payout. But who knows.

My fingers are crossed.

I'm frustrated with Employment Services. I logged onto their website to check the status of my claim, and it says that they haven't received my Record of Employment yet ... but I faxed all of that off to them on December 17th ... and I've been trying to get ahold of someone (anyone) all day on the phone, but all I keep getting is "our call volume is too high, please try again later," and then it disconnects. I don't even get to wait on hold!

ARGGG!!!

**UPDATE**
WHAT THE HECK! I finally got through, and I told them that I had all my paperwork in ... and he also noted that all my paperwork was attached to my account - but he couldn't explain why nothing has happened to my claim for almost 3 weeks!!! He said he sent a note off to the office that has my claim, and I should be deemed eligible for EI in about 3 more weeks! Come on! He said I should call back around the 24th to see if everything went through, and if it has, then I will get a retroactive payout, less the first 2 weeks I was unemployed. So I should get some $ from December 1st ongoing.

So from the day I filed my claim (November 18th), it will be more than 2 months before I get a deposit into my bank account. That is a lot longer than originally anticipated. Luckily I made it a priority to fully fund the EF this year, otherwise I would be one hurting gal!

Thanks for all of your input about claiming the freelance income in my EI claim. I wasn't trying to "get away" with anything. My intention wasn't to try and scam the system - I honestly had no idea if I had to claim my freelancing since it isn't a steady source of income.

Now I know that I have to claim it! :)

It's kind of sad that the amount of money I'm bringing in this year with my freelancing won't put me in the black compared to the amount of $$ I spent on my business (mostly that new iMac computer) ... it's better than bringing in ZERO dollars last year, and hopefully I'll see a better result in 2008. Although to be fair, I never really promoted my services this year since I was already working a lot.

I have an interview this morning for a position in Edmonton. This would be an amazing opportunity to work with a pretty huge company on the international scene. It would definitely provide me with a lot of room for growth, and great experience. It's in Edmonton though, so we'll see.

Just a thought ... should I be declaring my freelance income on my EI claim?

I don't know if it makes a difference, but I'll be claiming any money I make through my design business as income when I file my taxes in the spring.