Friday, 30 October 2015

No Power Test

As it would happen Wanda’s batteries ran so low that my inverter wouldn’t work yesterday morning. That means that typically I run Jenny that night so I can use the inverter to power the laptop. 

I didn’t want to run Jenny last night as I always run her on Friday nights, for the weekend. I decided not to run her and just see how things would go last night. 

The first to pack it in was my fridge . . . it does this thing where it ties to light its pilot light then shuts down. It keeps doing this every two seconds, so you have to just shut it off. 

I lit candles in my tealight lamps as I mucked about on my iPad for the evening. I bundled up both last night and this morning in my warm clothes and I was fine. 

The furnace stuck it out most of the night but this morning just looked at me and laughed.  The trick of running the stove for heat worked, thankfully that doesn’t need electricity.  

This morning I worked with the laptop, using its own batteries. Well, the laptop didn’t last that long on its own batteries  . . . like an hour . . . AN HOUR!!!

Why did I do all this? Well, just to see if I could and just because I didn’t feel like running Jenny. As well, to remind myself that living in an RV in winter, or fall really, is not all that terrible. No matter what happens, I can and will survive. 

Thursday, 29 October 2015

My Private Christmas

I know it’s not Christmas and no I am not moving it up, because I’m bored. In fact this has nothing to do with Christmas but with my own personal “Christmas.” Yep, you guessed it . . . Credit Card Debt Freedom Day.

With CCDF Day, I and I alone get to celebrate (well, me and the well to do). I most certainly will be celebrating it, as this is a momentous occasion for me. So, to get me ready for it and in the spirit, I have started to count down the days on my small white board. 
   

I will keep my eye out for a chocolate or other “treat” based advent calendar, and start using that (snicker, snicker). The idea is to try to help pick my mood up down this last stretch. 

Why have I been a bit down lately? Well, as the weather turns colder and memories of last winter and what I endured comes back to me. 

I know what is in store and I am not looking forward to going through it again. I also know that I need to endure what I went through last winter, again this winter in order to get ahead. The reports of a warmer winter this year is encouraging and keeps me going. 

Perhaps by this time next year I can actually get a place to park and live in Wanda and be warm. In order to do that, I need to first get through this winter. So, I will count down the days to my CCDF Day!

Wednesday, 28 October 2015

All’s Quiet On The Western Front

Not much to say, still hunkering down, still trying to keep on keeping on. My goal is to not change a thing about my routine until Nov 22nd and my cards are finally paid off. 

As a result, I am still living a boring life. I am running Jenny more, now that the cold weather has arrived and I need to run the furnace more. 

I may have to actually buy fuel for Jenny between paydays, we shall see. Perhaps soon, but not this soon in the winter season, I hope. If I do, I will take that money out of the “Utilities” wallet. 

When I fill up the truck on each payday, I fill up the jerry can of fuel for Jenny. If for some reason I need to buy additional fuel in between paydays I will take it out of the Utilities Wallet. This is the same wallet that I buy my propane and pay for dumping fees out of. (Thus the name “Utilities.”)  

The weather is something to get used to, that’s for sure. During the day it is in the double-digits, yet it hovers around zero overnight, last night it dipped below and this morning it was -7. 

I am slowly starting to get into my cold weather routine yet not. I still pack shorts to work just in case I need to change into them during the day. I dress in warmer and warmer clothes the longer the evening wears on.

An odd dichotomy to adjust to, to be sure, but I will take the warmth during the day and the relatively mild overnight temps. As always, the only certainty in life is change. We can either adapt to it or be left behind. I will adapt and thrive, thank you very much.

Tuesday, 27 October 2015

First One, Then The Other

I looked at my budget last night after my latest projections for my upcoming paycheck on the 7th. The interesting thing is that it looks like I will be able to pay off Card #1 (again) with that paycheck. 

Even with doing that I will still be able to pay off Card #3 completely with the one on the 22nd and still have some money left over. 

I will then start to not only save for the trip to the coast for Christmas, but also to build up my main account to that one thousand dollar level.  

As I have said before, my next goal to first build up my main account to have no less than on thousand in it at all times. 

After that comes the building up of my contingency fund and yes consolidating of my loans to a manageable level yet with no balloon payment at the end.

One thing at a time, one paycheck at a time, first lay low and ensure that my first goal is reached: credit card debt freedom.

Monday, 26 October 2015

Dumping Dues

So, I was grumbling and slightly afraid that I would have to pay through the nose to dump. I stopped dumping here ever since they didn’t turn their water back on. 

I was offended as they were charging the same price as before, in order to dump as they were when they also gave you water. I looked around and found that other place to dump and get water for free. 

Now that the free place is closed up, back here I go. I grumbled but got ready to pay to dump and pay I did . . . fifty cents. That’s it, half a dollar to dump . . . works for me. I still don’t get any water and they won’t have any, any time soon. 

There is a chance that the other free place won’t turn their water on in the spring. That is yet another challenge to be faced later on, no sense worrying about it now. For now, I can get water from the grocery store and dump when I need to. 

I also know that I can go for about a month without dumping. So, unless there is a massive freeze coming, I will be okay for dumping when I need to this winter. 

The weekend was relaxing but on the whole unproductive. I did make a batch of stuff to cook up for dinner. So my freezer is stocked full with food, one batch for lunch and another for dinner. 

The other thing I did was confirm my balances on the credit cards that I paid down and I am now officially within one paycheque to pay them off. 

What I mean is that if I didn’t have other bills to pay, I could pay off my credit cards completely on the seventh. I do have other bills to pay so the 22nd it is. 

This is huge and just leaves me salivating over finally killing them off completely, especially the dreaded and dastardly Card #3! 

All in all, things are going okay, and on schedule.  That too is huge and each time I think about it, it makes me smile. 

Friday, 23 October 2015

How Cheap Do You Have To Be?

. . . in order to do this . . . 
   

More specifically, this . . . 
   

This is the sewer connection that I have been using the past few months in order to dump. During the summer they also had their water on so I was getting my fresh water from them too. A few weeks ago, they shut their water off. 

I had dumped that one time when I discovered that the water was shut off and thought that it would be open all winter. I found out this morning how wrong I was. They put a padlock on it, that’s right somebody bothered to put a padlock on their toilet connection. 

I understand the concept of private property. I fully accept and defend the rights of private citizens and corporations to do whatever they are legally entitled to do, to/on their own property. 

I scratch my head at this one, as it makes no sense other than to be a jerk. With regards to turning the water off, I understand that one, as there is a risk of the pipes freezing in winter. 

The real reason that the water is turned off is a business one. With the driving season now over, there is little incentive for them to incur the cost of giving away water that the city charges them for. So, on that count, with regards to the water, I get it.

With regards to your sewer connection, there is no cost involved. To my knowledge no meter exists to measure the amount of sewage that each home or business generates. In other words you are charged each time you poop.

As far as freezing is concerned, well this is a wide, vertical pipe that goes straight down to connect with the city’s sewer system. What could possibly freeze or cause damage? 

Ah well, I still have the other place to dump, this one will cost me $3.00 to dump each time. Failing that, I can still run out to McLean Creek campground and dump there. I just hope that it doesn’t come to that, as I don’t want to incur the cost of a weekend camping. 

I will now stop using my grey water tank and just use my black water tank. Most of my grey water I will just toss out the door (or rather, find a thirsty tree). Some of the grey water I will pour down the toilet to ensure that things stay, shall we say, liquid in my black water tank. 

This is yet another sign that the colder weather is coming and so I too must adjust my ways to it. I grumble, but I adapt and move on. 

Thursday, 22 October 2015

The Waiting IS the Hardest Part

These days, all I can think about is the glorious day that will be the 22nd of November. It is exactly one month away and yes two paydays away (not including today) and I will have completed the first phase of my journey.

There are many things that I could and should be doing but I just can’t seem to do them. I go to work, I go home, relax and above all, try to spend as little as possible. I keep thinking and focussing on making sure that I don’t screw up and make me miss that deadline. 

I know that I shouldn’t dwell on it, but this day has been five long years in coming, so forgive me if in this last stretch that I take great joy in finally reaching it. The anticipation is almost killing me. I can’t really put into words how eager I am to sprint down the last stretch and just finish this.  

I know that before long, the day will finally arrive . . . after that comes “Funtime!” Funtime is the time of saving, and having control of my paycheque again, at least a part of it. It will be an adjustment to have control over a portion of my income that is not spoken for, a first in many years, let me tell you. 

On the writing front, I haven’t written anything on the book in weeks, and that is frustrating.  I am half way through a chapter with an idea on how to finish it. I just can’t seem to get down to it. I keep telling myself to get to it, but each morning I just fritter away the time. 

Perhaps tomorrow will be the day when I can put things aside and get back to writing. Until then, here is your sunrise shot.