Busted Battery Boondoggle

I’ve known that it has needed to be replaced for some time. Little things here and there letting me know that my truck’s battery needed to be replaced.

After all, it is the stock battery, as in the battery that has been in the truck since I bought it in January of 2013. 

Well, Friday afternoon, that battery finally flatlined and refused to start the truck. Thus the fun began. 

One of the good things about living in Eastern Home is that, since it is an Industrial Park, that there are a few auto shops in the area. In fact one is right next to where I work.

I had to get them to come up the street to jump start the truck as my portable battery was not doing the trick. 

After that, I had to drive the truck and trailer to the auto shop, drop the trailer (without the use of Wanda’s batteries because they were also flatlined and disconnected).

So, to lift the trailer off of the hitch it took a large floor jack, as in the ones they use on the really big trucks. 

Getting the battery replaced itself wasn’t all that hard or difficult and the price was reasonable (I got the largest battery that I could get my hands on).

Hitching Wanda up again was fun because those large floor jacks drop things on an arch. 

That means that I had to position it to the side and guess where the trailer front was going to drop. I’m proud to say that I got it on my first try. 

Once that was done, then I could do my Friday and payday running around. 

Ah well, all’s well that ended well and I am thankful that those guys at the auto shop were not only nearby but quick, efficient and friendly. 

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

Grand Savings Update

Okay, so it is that time again, when I update how my progress is going on my “Grand Savings Plan!” 

Okay, so let’s see how I did . . . 

    

For review, here is how things looked from last payday . . .

   

That is 18.2% (of my Savings Target).

And this is how things look like, after the dust settled on this payday’s budget . . . 

   

That’s right things jumped up to 18.0% of my savings target. 

That means I put away -.2% of my total Savings Target this payday. That means that I actually went backward by .2% of my savings total . . . what gives?

What was even worse was that my “Estimated done Payday” was shoved forward to July 7, 2022. Once again, the question is . . . why?

The answer is not all that exciting or fantastic, nor does it involve a grand story of colourful and wondrous shenanigans.

It is that time of year again when I have to put something into my RRSP. So I did put something into savings, it was just savings of a different kind. 

The Grand Savings Plan only covers funds in my savings accounts (as in accounts that I can actually draw cash out of when and if want).

So, RRSP’s do not count as once the cash goes in there, primary control over it is handed to the government. (And I need my cash now, or rather in starting in four years time).

Anyways, I will get back on track with my Grand Savings Plan next payday and I am still laser focused to get to 40% buy the end of this year. 

A grand goal indeed sine I am only at 18.0%. I will get there, for I have faith in myself and confidence in my abilities. 

I also know that there will be times that I have to spend cash on things that need to be taken care of. On cannot save all the time (despite how much I really try).

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

Where To Weekend

So, this weekend is looking to be a bit better than last weekend. Not great, but better than the real cold we saw last weekend. 

Yet, here is the thing, the daytime highs are about where I would grumblingly be okay with the overnight lows being. 

They are still south of -20C and so there really is no point in connecting my batteries up again. 

Yet with it being a bit warmer, I am tempted to go to Western Home this weekend. Yet, I really am not sure if it is worth it, 

You see, I don’t like putting my slide-out out and in when it is that cold (due to unnecessary wear and tear).

Next week seems to be back to liveable weather, as in north of -20C (even overnight) so there is always the possibility of perhaps going away for the long weekend. 

Any number of things can happen between now and then but at least it looks like this weekend will be a repeat of last weekend, as I will spend it in my Eastern Home.

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

Old School Warmth Tips

Okay, so it was also cold last night, yet I was also warm, snugly warm in fact. Rather than trying to heat my whole house, I choose to find ways to just heat me. 

I figured this out mid-winter of my first winter. At first I just ran the generator every second day and ran my furnace almost non-stop. 

I quickly realized that this was expensive and counter-productive to the massive economy drive that I am still on. 

So, that was when I bought more quilts for the bed and invested in that Cold-Weather Gear that I have pieced together. 

It starts with my base layer of a 4 layers of thermal underwear that have been sewn together.

Last night I slept in that thermal underwear thing, with warm socks. I also added a hot water bottle into my sleeping routine in order to bring in a piece of warmth. 

Not sure what a hot water bottle is? Well, in essence it is a rubberized bag that is about the size of a tablet device. 

It has a screw in stopper in one end that you unscrew and then pour in boiling hot water. The one I has will easily take a full kettle. 

I take that into the bed and that warmth will radiate out to warm the bed. After warming my core for a bit I will put it down by my feet to take the chill out of them. 

I slept with that thing giving its warmth to me all night. It may be old-school, but it still works and is something I highly recommend. 

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

PS: and stay warm.

Back In The Coldness Groove

Let me be clear, I can handle the cold, but I don’t like it. 

I do not frolic or play in the snow, nor do I consider living in my RV Trailer in the dead of winter without a furnace a test of manhood. 

It’s more of a promise to myself and being fiscally practical . . . I promised myself that I would move out of my trailer and into MY house that I own, on My land!

The way to get there is to be a fiscally prudent as possible, so running my generator around the clock as I go through pounds and pounds of propane in order to stay “toasty” is counterproductive to that goal.

Yet I have been hesitant to break out my multi-layered thermal underwear getup. It is almost as if I don’t have to admit that winter is really here until I pull that thing out.

This morning I did . . . winter is finally here. 

Yet, that thing does keep the heat in and in a few minutes I was toasty warm and fine to work about in my trailer and I even went for a walk . . . twice.

I know what to do, I can handle this, and I will continue to move myself forward by enduring this cold. As for last night, once again in bed I was warm and fine. 

Not toasty but warm enough, by morning the bed was warm. It always takes a special kind of motivation to get out of bed when it is -20C, or colder, inside your house . . . trust me.

But then again, I am doing this for that land and that house. So I will continue to work on my Grand Savings Plan! 

Estimated to be complete mid 2022

(Large crowdfunding initiative notwithstanding.)

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

I Survived The Weekend

Once again, it was not an “Epic Weekend in Vegas” or anything like that, just or average, run of the mill, Canadian Prairie -30C Weekend.

Yeah, that’s it, for all of you non-prairie folk . . . we call this Tuesday . . . an average weekend . . . yeah, we’re tough like that . . . yeah.

Okay, it only gets this cold for a short spell each winter, and even then it’s a maybe. (Seriously the “we call this Tuesday” talk is reserved for those who live “North of 60.”

As for me, I did make it through the weekend and I am still fine with all of my appendages and digests still attached. 

For the most part my bed is to be credited, my thick, regular, (pocket coil with a foam topper) mattress and five quilts with a down comforter on top is to be credited. 

I sleep with thick socks on and a toque on my head. I have found that when in such sleeping situations the less you wear the warmer you are. 

Your body heat will heat up your soon-to-be-warm-pocket, and that warm pocket then keeps you warm. 

I spent the mornings at a local coffee shop working away on my laptop. (I redesigned my “Payperiod Budgeter”) and drank a lot of coffee. 

When I was at home I bundled and stayed in my sleeping bag that I kept on the couch. Again, all while wearing my toque, of course. 

I listened to the radio and chatted via text on my iPad. Not the greatest weekend, but again, I have found that all you really need to do is find ways to keep your body heat in. 

At least that is what works for me. The first winter I ran my furnace and keep the place somewhat warm. 

Wanda’s batteries do not do well in extreme cold, so I had to run my generator at least once every two days and I was going through a 20 pound bottle of propane every week. 

I have found ways to get through the cold and still conserve my resources. Wanda’s batteries are disconnected and I haven’t run the furnace in at least a week. 

I will get through this, as I have seen this before, and I know how to handle it . . . all while not costing me a fortune. 

Not that I recommend others follow my lead, as you are the best judge of what you are comfortable trying to get away with. 

I am just saying, this is what I have done and it is possible to get through this cold snap without a furnace. 

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

What To Do When Tough Times Approach

We all have them, hard times that come upon us as we strive to improve ourselves and better our lives. 

The question is, what to do in the midst of them, in order to stay on track? What do you do to keep yourself motivated? Let me tell you what I do. 

What it revolves around is reminding yourself what you are trying to accomplish. For that is the reason why you are on this journey of self-betterment. 

1) Envision Your Dream. 

This means pause for a moment and imagine that you have achieved whatever it is that you are trying to achieve. 

For me it is standing on my porch, on my land having my cup of coffee as I look over my land (Wife and/or family optional . . . desired but optional). 

2) Remember How Far You Have Come.

If you are on a journey, it means that you have started somewhere and have travelled some distance down that road. 

Pause for a minute and look back on what you have already accomplished, the hurdles and challenges that you have already met and bested. 

3) Keep Focussed On Your Goals

I have goals, and I have two classes. One is the Crossroads Goals, these are the large life-changing goals, such as Getting Debt Free, Completing my Grand Savings Project, or yes, Founding my Town. 

The second class of goals I call are what I call Milestone Goals. These are important as they are smaller goals that you achieve on the way to your Crossroads Goal. 

These mark your progress towards your Crossroads Goal and are important to keeping you motivated and on track.

4) Work On The Now

With all of that in mind, look back on the current challenge that faces you and just ask yourself “What do I need to do now, here today, in order to move myself towards my Crossroads Goal?”

In other words, do whatever you have to do, no matter how small to move you forwards. Every movement towards your goal, however small, is progress, and is important. 

I know first-hand how long and how goals seem to take forever to get accomplished and how that you get to feel that it will never happen. 

Trust me, it will, just keep focussing on what you need to do: today, this week, right now, to move you towards your goals.

I will keep all this in mind as that bout of really cold weather approaches and sticks around for as long as it feels like. 

So . . . 

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