Eve of Payday

So, here I am on the eve of one payday looking onward to the next. This is what I do, for it is with each payday that I take one more step forward towards my goal.

Yet there are also things, small projects that I want to get done each payday. These are things that will make my life a little bit easier or nicer.

So, there is the struggle between how much and when to do of the little nice things and the overarching savings target and goal. 

Somehow, someway I get it done and as long as I get to cross off another “X” for a percentage box on my savings progress chart, I will call it a win.

Okay, there will always be the July 7 payday where I don’t, but that is because I pay my truck insurance all at once and in so doing, save money.

So, here I go, about to take another step forward tomorrow.

As always: Keep your head up, your attitude positive, and keep moving forward!

Just Keep Going

So, there have been a few things that have been frustrating as of late, but this is par for the course of life. 

I am in the midst of my reduced paycheques (about to get the first of the two) and having to cut back on savings, particularly below target is very, very frustrating indeed.

Yet, due to my Fiscal Directives that I have put in place, Savings is last on the list. 

1. Pay all my bills

2. Fund My Expenses

3. Put any Cash spent out of the Wallets back into Wallets.

4. Put remainder (Whilst staying out of my Personal Overdraft) into Savings.

5. Fund Mid-Term Savings to Target.

6. Then build Long-Term Savings.

That really is it and all I have to keep reminding myself is that as long as I do that, I will stay on course and build my future. 

Albeit slowly, but one paycheque at a time will still move me forward. I just have to keep with it, keep at it and have patience.

I am still in the process of teaching myself to remain debt free and build my savings. (As in not do anything crazy like buy some large extravagant purchase).

(Still working on that).

Yet, I just have to remind myself to stay calm, work the plan, and in so doing . . . 

As always: Keep calm, Keep your attitude positive, and keep moving forward.

Thirty Seconds to F*ckit

There is a palpable sense of unease around the office these days. It has increased in recent days 

What with the increased tensions around negotiating NAFTA and the ongoing tensions with the . . . let’s call it what it is an all out trade war between the US and China.

You see, I work for a company that designs products and has those products built for us in China, yet we ensure quality and that they meet all North American (as well as our own) standards. 

It’s good stuff and we are proud of what we sell as it not just being the cheapest crap that we stuff out onto the market, yet we are still competitive. 

We sell out products to installers and end users throughout Canada and the US. 

Our products are not easily installed by the average user (but it is possible), so mostly a professional installer is involved in the process. 

This means that through us selling our products we not only help the local economy, as well as help the Canadian economy, but we also help the economy of wherever our products are sold and installed.

Yet, because we are in Canada, and import products from China and then export them to the US then we are can be hit twice from these ongoing trade wars that the US is waging. 

What this means is that, as I said, our own economic outlook is uncertain, as all of these extra costs unnecessarily inflates our costs and makes us less competitive, through no fault of our own. 

My co-workers and I have our own “doomsday clock” where midnight means that Boss just throws up his hands and says . . .  

“F*CKIT! I’M GOING TO DO SOME OTHER BUSINESS!” 

At which point Boss will most likely go back to being a one man operation as he reconfigures into some other business that is not vulnerable to these pressures. 

As of yesterday at close of business we co-workers figured that we are now at half a minute to that happening. 

All I can say is that I am glad that I am where I am: Debt Free and building my savings instead of where I was five years ago: buried in debt with no hope of getting out from under it. 

I would have been screwed and unable to pay any of those bills if I lost my job back then.

I will take that thought with me as I take it one paycheque at a time and continue to move forward as I save and conserve what I can as I build my savings and in so doing build my future.

As always: Keep your head up, your attitude positive, and keep moving forward!

Starting To Draw Down Water

So, as is usual this time of year I count down to saying goodbye to fresh water in Wanda’s Pipes. 

I do this because every year the RV Dealership that I bought Wanda from has a special which is a drive through Winterizing.

This means that I pull up, they take Wanda in the back and properly make sure she is ready for winter. 

They do this by draining all fresh water from her tanks and water lines and filling those pipes with special antifreeze that is designed for this job. 

I could do this myself, but so far it is cheaper to have them do it than to go to a campground for the weekend and do this myself. . .  so far.

What this means for me in the two weeks I have left before that happens (on the 29th) is that I need to draw down on the water that is in Wanda’s fresh water tanks. 

I am doing this by first of all not pouring a gallon of water each workday into her fresh water tanks that I have been. 

This has been great in keeping her fresh water tanks filled and I will keep this going next spring.

I am also splurging by having an actual shower each and every Monday morning. 

As in having a shower with hot water from Wanda’s hot water tank . . . ooooo the sinful luxury of it all.

This means that I am bringing home less water now as I just fill the two litre bottle that I drain. I still have my 5 gallon jug of water filled and ready to use.

It is a transition and one that I must get used to, as time does move on and the cooler weather is approaching.

One constant theme in my life is looking at the temps and weather and ask. “What can I get away with today?” 

As always: Keep your head up, your attitude positive, and keep moving forward!

You Light Up My Life

Yes, yes you do, you know who you are, my new little friend . . . my headlamp. Yep, I bought one, one of those flashlights you wear on your head.

   

Why did I do this? Well, here is my life without it . . . 

   

Here it is with the lamp turned on . . . 

   

Big difference and with the added bonus of it shining a light where I am looking it leaves my hands free to work on what I am working on.

The other nice thing is the fact that it is another way to light my life without having to use Wanda’s main batteries. 

This will be especially useful this winter when it dips so low that I just disconnect the batteries. (Cause south of -20C lead acid batteries are useless.)

Anyways, this was a great help this morning as I got ready for work and with it only taking 3 AAA batteries it is simple to make work. 

I will likely have to have this under the covers at night to keep it warm (the batteries rather) and I will take it to work with me to also keep it warm.

Those are a few of the odd quirks of my life that I have to adjust as the temperature gets ever colder.

It is that time of year again when the weather starts to dip. So, any little advantage that will help me manage in the dark and cold is welcome.

As always: Keep your head up, your attitude positive, and keep moving forward!

It Snowed(ish) . . . I Went to Bed.

So, this week has been a bit hectic at work with one person off on vacation. So I have been busy doing . . . you know . . . work stuff . . . just more of it.

This is good as I always say “Being Bored in Business is Bad.” 

This is also true for employees because of business is slow, then so too is revenue, and revenue is the lifeblood of any business and nothing can bleed for too long and not die.

(Nope, not going to drop “that” joke in here.) 

Anywhoose, so all that extra work caught up with me, and so I crashed early. This morning, when I woke up, I ended up staying in bed until I absolutely had to wake up.

What did I see as I was walking to work? Snow(ish). 

I mean it was kinda snow, it had sorta tried to snow, but all it did was end up covering the top of the grass with frozen, icy snow patches. 

  

You could see the grass clearly and there was no snow on the pavements or streets. So, barely worthy of note out here on the prairies, but it would certainly shut down Vancouver.

Here . . . see for yourself . . . 

   

As always: Keep your head up, your attitude positive and keep moving forward!

The Chilly Hand of Fall

So, it apparently got down to -2C last night. This morning I actually turned the furnace on for a bit, just to take the chill out of the place.

Don’t worry, I don’t see it going down below zero again, or if it does it won’t stay there long. 

Things are getting a bit chilly though, and so Fall has come, even though the calendar may differ. 

So, such is life, as it stands I haven’t changed what I am doing much, but that will slowly change over the next while.

In about two weeks (on the 29th) I will winterize Wanda and loose my fresh water plumbing till spring.

I still don’t know which way winter is going to go, either come in early and stay till June, or be mild as a kitty and only come for January and February.

Again, I don’t know, but I do know this: no matter what comes my way, I will adapt what I am doing in order to deal with it and not only survive, but thrive.

As always: Keep your head up, your attitude positive, and keep moving forward!