Friday 16 January 2009

Tired, but better

Thank you everyone for your kind thought for my sick kitty! He appears to be feeling a bit better the past couple of days and is more himself, but we're still awaiting the test results, which should be here next week. This week has gone very slowly - I can't believe it's "only" Friday!

I'm trying some alternative healing for Elmo as well. The Bodytalk practitioner I saw in Victoria is doing a couple of long distance sessions for him and I'm hopeful they'll at least make him a bit more comfortable. The evening of his first session his ears were very warm to the touch; hot almost. Bylaw's ears by comparison were cool. He's also eating and drinking again - not much, but it's something. I sat with him this morning for a few minutes, but only wish I could spend more time with him.

But I'm definitely making progress in other areas, which I'm very excited about!

I had my first English class last night and am happy to report that I REALLY enjoyed it. This was a pleasant surprise as I've always hated English, but I am a different person than I was in high-school (hopefully, aren't we all?), the instructor was great and because I'm more interested in writing and am reading a far more varied "diet" than I was at 17, and have more of a purpose to be there, it made a huge difference in how I participated in the class and what I got out of it. There are only 13 of us and I was happy to see I wasn't the oldest person in the class after all! :P I'm floundering a bit simply because most of the students have the experience of the pre-requisite course where all the building blocks to writing essays, critical thinking and analysis are set in place, but I'll be fine now that I understand a bit more of what I'm supposed to be doing.

One of the requirements is a play review, which should be fun. A friend and I are going to see a production of "Frankenstein" tomorrow night, which already has some excellent reviews. I have to take my notebook with me and hand in my review by the end of the term. Doing this early and getting it over with is part of my motivation, but it's also nice to just get out once in a while and also to spend time with a friend. She's actually treating me to the play because Elmo is ill, which is sweet and very much appreciated. :)

Today I also cancelled my cable for February 1, and adjusted my Internet service a bit as well. The biggest reason for cancelling the cable is that I watch far too much of it. I can't not watch it, and I've tried! The second is the cost: $60 a month and I watch - mostly - one channel, so it's simply not worth it. There's also the fact that I need fewer distractions while I'm doing my studies (shiny things and, well, really just about anything distracts me like you wouldn't believe) and that HGTV - my one channel of choice - now streams full episodes ONLINE. :)

I've saved another $1K towards a down payment on a house, put an extra $100 onto my student loan, paid my VISA in full as of today (!!!) and have modified one of my financial goals with respect to that. I will only incur any debt on the VISA card if it's school related or it's for my charitable donations that I want to make on a monthly basis.

I have a lot going on this month and am feeling quite tired; moving, starting school, Elmo and now I feel a cold or something coming on. :( I'm using my Gail Planner and have several lists of things that I am slowly checking off (mostly to do with my move, but still!) and that feels like an accomplishment in itself right now. :)

So:

Savings
Cancelled cable: $60 p/mth
Downgraded Internet: $20 mth
Halved auto savings: $150 p/mth

Paid
VISA: PIF
Student loan: $100 extra
Remaining: $2982.38

Have a great weekend, everyone! :)

8 comments:

Money Minder said...

It's great that Elmo is feeling a little better. Congrats on paying the visa in full!!

Glad to hear you are enjoying your English class so far.

Have a good week-end

Anonymous said...

CONGRATULATIONS!!!!

Visa is OUTTA HERE!!! And never coming back!!! :-)

I am SO happy for you!!!

And canceling the cable was a good choice, AND! HGTV has full, ONLINE episodes! I had NO idea! I LOOOOVE that channel! THANK YOU.

Hope you have a great weekend, and It's good to hear that Elmo is feeling a bit better!

Northern Living Allowance said...

@MoneyMinder - Thanks! I'm really pleased to pay off the VISA! And even more so that Elmo is feeling better... :)

@FD - re: HGTV: I KNOW!!! :P Thanks for the support! :)

Sharon S said...

Hi there-You have had a good month financially-a big woohoo on that Visa PIF!! Keep up the good work!

Anonymous said...

Annie, I keep saying it but you are doing so so well. A big congratulations to you.

I'd be interested to hear more about your English class!

Canadian Saver said...

Congratulations on paying off the VISA in full!!!

So glad that Elmo is feeling better... I know it's not easy though when you're waiting for a diagnosis :-(

Enjoy the play!

-CS, big, big HGTV fan also!!

Unknown said...

Woo Hoo on the PIF! Great job! :D

You're doing an amazing job w/ the finances and in finding the strength to handle such a busy month. Glad to hear that English is really good (and not the oldest one. ha!). Can't wait to hear how Frankenstein was for you.

Wonderful! Wonderful!

But make sure you listen to your body. If you are coming down with a cold... slow down alittle.

ps - glad to hear the cat is doing a bit better. :)

dinah34 said...

HGTV is my channel of choice. We don't get it thankfully, or else i probably would never leave my houe. & thankfully our internet connection is so slow that i don't think i would ever try to watch an episode of anything online.