Thursday, 8 January 2015

Big Sky, Bright Future

So, yesterday was Payday and so that meant running around. As I was walking to Wanda from work I had to pause to take in this lovely sunset.
 

I deposited my cheque and then filled up Trea’s tank. I then did a bit of shopping, for one I bought a pair of winter boots and a few essential groceries.
 

They were on special and a necessity.

They are now my “outside slippers” as they are always easy to put on and I always buy them a few sizes too big, for comfort and so I can put a few extra socks on in there, if I so choose.

I put my first big chunk on my third card yesterday. I am going to knock that one down to well below that $6000.00 mark before I seriously start paying it down. I hope to have it down to 5000.00 when I start to pay it down. An ambitious goal I know.

Another goal I started and am committed to is to put $50.00 a payday into my savings account. This will happen regardless of what is happening. This also feels good to start a bit of savings and get into that habit of savings even before all of those cards are paid off.

I will trickle save my way out of the overdraft, as I need to keep those paydowns on schedule. That is why I will lock my cards away and just buy what I need for the time being. I will keep doing this until I am out of that overdraft. This way any savings I can manage will stay in that account.

I did have a lovely and warm evening as it was warmer than usual and above zero all evening. Since I was in the parking lot of my western home I even splurged and put the slide-out out . . . oooo luxury.

As a cruel twist of fate, tonight it will drop down to -25C tonight. I am prepared and can weather this storm. I know that and how to deal with it. The important thing is that I have seen this before and I am not afraid. Next week is looking nice though, yet only time will tell if that comes to pass.

This morning I did stay in bed longer than I should have and only got one reading pass done on my chapter today. I will read it again once or twice tonight to catch up. This is something else I need to ensure to keep on track.


This New Year is starting off good and while my life is dull and I don’t do anything but hibernate, I am on the right track to accomplish my goals this year. That is not nothing, and next winter is looking even brighter.

Wednesday, 7 January 2015

Never Underestimate the Importance of Warm Socks

I mean it, warm feet are the start of a happy night. Your whole warm clothes ensemble must work together. You can’t have one part of your body colder than the rest, as you will focus on that cold part. 

So far, all I have needed for my hands is a good pair of mittens, but my feet need multiple socks and one pair of slippers. The key to socks is to buy large, thick and oversized ones. That way when you put them on they are not pressing down on your feet. 

I don’t wear shoes in the house so that helps keep the pressure on my feet low. I wear a pair of loose slippers, so I have something hard between that cold floor and my feet. 

Layers are key to keeping yourself and your feet warm though, it is the trapped air in and between the layers which works to insulate. I tried (for all of less than a minute) to wear only one pair of socks last night, then I screamed (cursed a name) and put my layers of socks on. 

I did have a nicer evening last night as I puttered around the house and I am getting used to this modified winter living. I did sleep well and warmly, though I should have worn a warm hat to bed and will do so tonight. All in all, I can do this, I can survive and that is key to my overall financial success. 

I was able to have my morning coffee with little fuss as I followed a suggestion to pour the water in the percolator the night before and then just heat it up enough to melt the ice that formed. Then I could put the central part in and perk my coffee like usual. 

With my water situation, since I can’t even keep water in a completely liquid state even overnight, I have taken to carting three two litre bottles of water back and forth to and from work. That way I can top them up and yes let the full ones defrost while at work. 

As far as editing goes, I am averaging a chapter a day, with two reads through each one. On the weekends I plan to do three chapters a day. I have even taken to reading aloud parts of it to see the flow and how the story feels and sounds. It feels good to get back to the editing and to see that the book is back on track.

Today is payday so I will pay what I absolutely have to and then lock the cards away. I will spend what little I have to and not fund any of my wallets this pay period. I will coast through as much as possible to the next payday.  This is important as I am now well below zero in my account and will likely be so through to next payday. 

I am on track with the major project: paying my credit cards down, though; that, for me, is key. As long as I hit that target of July 22, 2015 for my cards to be paid off, this will all be worth it. I look forward to the conversation with my banker in August, as I tell them I want to pay more on Wanda.

I also look forward to then shifting my focus to saving large chunks of money. Of finally being able to pay myself in a manner in which I deserve. A few bucks a payday is one thing, but saving large amounts each payday is another.  Then I can have the fun of building for my future in a real and concrete way.

Tuesday, 6 January 2015

Bugs in Rugs Will Say They Were as Warm and Cozy as I Was Last Night

Okay, I think I figured out how to get through this “Real Winter” stuff. I get home, and run Jenny for two hours and let Wanda warm up as her batteries charge up. I was able to get Wanda up to 10 C inside last night. 

I change into my warm clothes and settle into my five layers of clothes and 4 layers of socks and (large) slippers. I relax for the evening and even edit a bit or play on the laptop as I have dinner and putter about. 

When I am ready for bed I turn the furnace off and get in the sleeping bag which is in the bed. I do this while still wearing my warm clothes. 


I am comfy cozy and snugly warm in there all night long. 

I know that the theory of these sleeping bags is to wear less, so that your body heat heats up the bag quicker. I sleep in those warm clothes so that in the morning they are already warm when I get out of bed. 

Trust me, it sucks getting into ice-cold ‘warm clothes’ that have been hanging up in the freezer that is your house. Take my word for it, this is not a nice way to wake up. 

Though the warm in bed yet cold in the house dilemma still looms large and yes it took me a bit longer to get out of bed this morning, as I was so snugly warm.

Yet sleeping in the sleeping bag in the bed, under the covers is not for the claustrophobic, as it can be a bit restrictive. I will happily take this over being cold any night. 

In the morning I got up, turned the furnace on and warmed up the place. I had to use the heat of the furnace to defrost enough of a bottle of water to brew come coffee. 

As you can imagine everything freezes and so just having water is a challenge. Cold cereal is out as my milk freezes solid, so it is porridge in the mornings for now as that I can make.  

Once again I am getting into the swing of things and figuring out how to survive in winter in this RV. This is a relief and I am doing my best to stay positive but I am still a bit grumpy as I wait for the house to warm up to zero each morning and night. As always, I will keep calm and carry on . . . as well as improvise and overcome whatever challenges comes my way.

I have started to edit the book at the slower and more careful pace and that is going well. So far I have ‘done’ the first chapter, but I will plod along and add that elusive chapter where it needs to go, not necessarily where I wanted it to go. I do plan to have this done by the end of the month and then perhaps take another quick pass over it.

Monday, 5 January 2015

Another Cold Night

I am alive with all of my fingers and toes intact and attached, yet it was another cold night. I broke out my cold sleeping bag and slept in my warm clothes, I was a bit chilly but nothing serious. This pretty much sums up my night. 


The most I could get the furnace going up to without having it going non-stop was 4 C (the lowest setting)


So the temp, at best, was at zero.


It was a cold night but at least Jenny did start and run for the hour and fifteen minutes I had her going for. The batteries ran dry before morning however so it was another -10 C morning. The added joy was that this morning I couldn’t turn the furnace on, not without running Jenny again. Even in an Industrial area I didn't feel like running Jenny at 4 in the morning.

I will try the tactic of turning the furnace off and using a few comforters over and under my sleeping bag. That way I can run the furnace in the morning and a bit in the evening as Jenny is running, (and a bit after that).

If I knew someone to borrow a bit of their back yard to park Wanda and plug-in I might do that. Alas I don’t know anyone that well in this town, and to rent any space would put paying my bills off till November or December, even for a few months of comfort. 

I just can’t handle another day beyond that deadline I have set for myself. July 22 is my line in the sand, a date that I shall not miss. The other side of that day is where the fun begins of savings building. 

Once my debt obligations are under control and I have a chunk of savings in the bank, I can then think of doing something in the film and TV industry, as my needs to live will be that much lower. I can then take the risk of venturing into this unstable yet exciting and rewarding field.

My budget is too tight right now to start saving, more than the 50 bucks a payday I have told myself to start doing. As it is taxes and debt retirement/obligations was 60% (Taxes: 25% & Debt 35%) of my gross pay and this year I expect that number to be higher, as I don’t pay rent.

I just need to hunker down and get through this week, next week should be warmer. I can and will get through this and then, yes my blog will be happier and more positive. 

I am a happier person now, despite this frustration of the cold and the insult of having to go through this experience just to get my debts under control. I got myself into this mess, I will get myself out of it.  

Sunday, 4 January 2015

2014 In Review

I did get a chance to finish up my bookkeeping for the year that was 2014. As I look it over it is interesting to see that things are pretty much as I had figured they would be. 

Depending on which graph I look at I paid between 23 – 27% in payroll taxes. My credit card payments were about 20% and my truck payments were 10%, with Wanda coming in at 3%. As she was only half a year and about half the payments. 

I am aware that I should consider selling Trea for some used truck, as it would make financial sense, but for now things are okay so I won’t rock the boat.

Renting my little room came in at 6% and that was for half the year. Also, as expected paying me or doing things for me was less than 1%. Groceries was 3% and interestingly enough so was my banking/credit card fees (at 3%).

I look forward to a better year ahead and to see a savings building up this time next year as well as my credit cards paid off. 

As far as the recent bout of cold weather is concerned, I am frustrated, but adjusting. I was spoiled out in Banff and I am now adjusting to the realities of this lifestyle. Thankfully Jenny did start and run for an hour and fifteen minutes yesterday after her ten day rest and being frozen to -30C. 

I awoke this morning to a house at -10 C and I didn’t get much rest. I was bundled up all fine and warm, trust me, I wore all of my warm clothes to bed, including mittens and slippers. What happened was my tank ran out in the middle of the night. I had only set the thermostat for 5 C.

So it looks like my trip to Banff used up about two tanks, or just under. I don’t regret it, as the trip and the break did me good. As I said, I just need to get used to the cold again. It will not be too cold for long, as it is warming up this week, and should stay relatively mild for some time to come. 

This cold weather will pass and the warm weather will return, as will true and real control over my life. With debt, you are tied to your job and your home. You dare not do what you feel like, because you have too many obligations. This is not truly living; this is indentured servitude with toys. 

Saturday, 3 January 2015

Further Adventures in Tire Changing

No, I didn’t get another flat tire, but I was able to get Wanda’s flat tire fixed. Luckily it was only a nail and not a slash in a sidewall, so it was an easy and cheap fix. 

I was determined to get a lug wrench so I would be able to change my own flat tire again. The next time I may not be in a campsite but on the side of the road, with no helpful neighbours around. 

None of the lug wrenches would fit, nor would the “special sockets.” I tried and tried all manner of combinations but ended up getting a new socket set. 

Did I get a cheap one? Nope, not because I demanded quality but because the cheap socket sets didn’t have the socket big enough to fit. I ended up getting a 200.00 socket set just to get that one socket. 

Then I bought a torsion bar (a bar with an end to fit sockets to) so I could put a lot of pressure on it to get those lug nuts of or on again and not break the ratchet. 

Since I was in this deep I figured a few more bucks for a torque wrench wouldn’t be a bad idea. That way I can make sure all nuts are torqued to their proper amount. 

This is what I bought. 


Just to get this.


I am ticked that a simple lug wrench didn’t come with the trailer and I probably could have complained and demanded one. I also know that I probably could have bought just a socket and a torsion bar.

I figured that I never wanted to be in a similar situation again. I never wanted to be anywhere without the basic tools to fix what needs to be fixed. 

I didn’t put this on the card but used the overdraft, I will pull myself out of it in a payday or two but I will keep that first card paid off and my paydown on track. Once more, I shall continue to live on a limited budget as I continue to get my finances in order.

I will spend today finalizing my record keeping for the year that was 2014. I will then close it off and come up with a report of sorts on how things went and what I spent on what. It should be eye-opening and interesting, if a bit embarrassing. 

Friday, 2 January 2015

Relaxation, Reflection and Introspection

What all that adds up to is: a new year and a new me. I know what you’re thinking and lots of people do this stuff at this time of year. They say “this year will be different!” Often times it turns out to be more of the same. 

What I did was take time to relax and reflect on what has been going on and my journey as well as my life in general and how I see myself. As well as played a lot of video games (all that free-flowing electricity allowed me to do that). I made sure to play an offline game so as to not rack up huge data usage charges. 

So that was why I was not blogging, as I needed a break from everything . . . for me. The soul-searching and reflection did me good and I straightened out a lot of (but not all) things that needed to be sorted out. Don’t bother asking what as it is private, and I still believe that the contents of my head are just for me.

I did get out and on Christmas Day did have my BBQ.



I also saw a few things which struck me as interesting such as this “Mini-forest.”


As far as the electric heater went it did me great and was a wonder. I had my furnace on 24/7 all while I was there and went through just over one tank (for nine days and nights).  That includes the really cold spell of December 30.


Even that day I was warm and cozy. Sure, I had to turn the furnace down to 10 C and then nudge it up to 15 C but considering it was below -30C with the wind-chill, that was just fine with me. All I did was bundle up and stay indoors. As well I tried out my backup way to brew my morning coffee.


I wasn’t sure if I had emptied my propane tank or if it just didn’t want to flow out of the tank that low at that low temperature. I will see when I get more propane this afternoon. At the end of the day I wanted to make sure that I could cook still if all else fails . . . and yes, don’t mess with my morning coffee.

I did see a lot of great scenery and I did make it down to the town of Banff on December 31. 




Funny story, I was almost about to not go, as I didn’t want to move Treabilla. I had disconnected Wanda from Treabilla when I setup camp, but I didn’t move Treabilla. I just didn’t want to go through the bother of backing up and aligning the hitch again. 

Then I remembered that I hadn’t renewed my registration yet . . . it expired at midnight that night. So a quick search online found, low and behold, a registration office in Banff. So I went down, saw the sights, enjoyed the scenery and yes renewed my registration so I could drive home.

The fun came about late afternoon of the first. I decided that I didn’t want to pack up and hitch up in the dark of first thing in the morning so I would do so that afternoon, during daylight. That was when I discovered that one wheel on Wanda was flat. It was under the slide-out and so I didn’t notice it until I was moving about cranking up the stabilizing jacks.

I figure, big deal, I can just change a flat, I have done that before . . . no, not that simple. You see, with Wanda’s “Fancy, (yet cool) Mag Rims” the tire iron from Treabilla wouldn’t fit, the head was too fat. I could not find any tire iron from Wanda, save a tiny, inadequate piece of crap. 

So I bust out the socket wrench set and tried to loosen the lug-nuts that way . . . nope.  It took two (three on the outside) tries to break the ratchet on the cheap socket wrench. I threw the whole set in the garbage; I got what I paid for.

I was able to borrow a ratchet and socket from a neighbour and got the tire changed. I don’t think I hit anything as I checked photos and the tire was fine when I got there, I think someone may have let the tire out as a New Year’s Prank. I will get the tire checked this afternoon. 

Before you ask, no I didn't take any pictures of this whole ordeal as I was busy trying to change a tire on my house so I could get to work the next morning . . . I was a little busy.

I will also be buying a proper lug wrench for mag rims and a hand tire pump. That way I can try to pump the tire up or at least change the bloody tire myself. The decent socket wrench set can come in time.

I was pleased that I kept my cool during this whole ordeal and kept working the problem to find a solution. Not once did I berate myself or get angry or lose my temper.  I just kept trying one solution after the other, after the other. I kept myself focused on solving the problem and as a result finally found a solution.  

What I learned from this was that I should have done a test tire change earlier to ensure that I could do it and had the proper tools with me. I will also stop by the dealership (when they are open again) to see just how I can make use of that magical/mystical roadside assistance I thought I had. (You know, the one that they tell you comes with happy elves to come out of thin air and do all this stuff for you).

I am now back at work and getting ready for another year and I know that in a year from now I will be in an even better financial place than I am now. Already I am in a much better place both financially and emotionally than I was a year ago. 

Happy New Year everyone.