Saturday 10 January 2009

Weekend Round Up

It's so nice to have an empty apartment to move into! What a difference to your stress level when you're able to move things a little bit at a time instead of having to do it all in half a day. But I just want to know one thing:

WHO MOVED ALL THAT JUNK INTO MY PLACE?? Seriously. How on earth did I accumulate so much crap? A giant purge looms, one which I think will be better done at the unpacking stage. I'm down to almost bare necessesities, however I keep opening cupboards and finding stuff I'll have to pack...I moved a truck-load of stuff today with a friend's help and the place is feeling a little bare. But that's okay, as it'll be easier to keep it clean and tidy now.

I've already made a bit of a dent in my goals, albeit a little one. I've been using cash only for the past week - after a bit of a bumpy start - and am keeping track of everything I'm spending. It really is amazing how you stop and actually think about things differently when you're using cash. It's far more "real" than debit and credit cards.

How about that? :P

My list of to-do's done this week is as follows:

1) Call the vet for an app't for Elmo - CHECK!

2) Call the bank to make an app't to discuss transferring RRSP - CHECK!
3) Call Superstore re: carpet cleaner - no phone #??
4) Return my book - CHECK!
5) Roll and deposit change - CHECK!
6) Book off 29th & 30th to move/clean - CHECK!
7) Call the college to inquire about English class I want to take - CHECK!
8) Call Athabasca Univeristy to ask about LPI results. Are they equivalent to Alberta test? - Not Done Yet

I met with an account manager at my bank and my RRSP transfer is now in progress. I just have to decide which mutual fund I want to move it to once it arrives. I have a Prospectus, but there are so many questions to take into consideration: Do I want to use it to go back to school? Do I want to use it for a house downpayment? Do I want to just let it grow? How much do I want to auto-save? How aggressive do I want to be? How long do I want to keep it in the fund?

The woman I spoke with recommended two, both of which are moderate risk and reinvest the interest & dividends monthly. I'm also debating the option of splitting the RRSP funds into two - or possibly three - mutual fund options, with the two balanced funds, plus one slightly more aggressive option. Any thoughts or suggestions on this?

I spoke with an instructor at the college about an English course as well, and am going to see him on Monday morning to (I hope!) register for the class. It's actually not the one I'm supposed to take, because those classes are during the daytime and I'm unable to attend. The instructor is willing to let me take the higher class as long as I promise to go back and take the introductory classe(s) when I'm able to. YAY!!

This week is payday, and I should see the overtime from my work at the liquor store in December, too. That will take a big chunk out of the Visa and I'm going to add extra to my LOC and my student loan, as well finding out what's left on the loan. I think I'm down to about $3K. I'm also going to redo my sidebars and see if I can make them better reflect what's growing, what's shrinking, etc.

8 comments:

dinah34 said...

you won't find a number for superstore. they don't want you to phone. they want to go down in and speak to someone in person. i know because i've had that run in with superstore before.

once when i was working as a school secretary we needed to get a hold of a parent who worked in the meat dept at superstore because her child was injured. we had no #, but it was a serious injury so i figured i'd do some sleuthing. i called the pharmacy and they got quite irate with me when i kept asking for a number to call in customer service so they could page the parent. finally, i told them the whole story and i pleaded with them to walk over to the meat dept and get the parent to phone us.

anyways...i should stay on topic. you have had a very accomplished week!

Anonymous said...

When I set up my RRSP, I did something very similar to what you're considering. I chose 60% money market and Canada bonds. The other 40% was put towards a higher risk, international equity. I'll see how it does, and may have to make some adjustments.

You definitely had a great week. I hope you enjoy the English class as well! :-)

And Dinah's right, superstore is famous for never having their number available. How annoying.

Sharon S said...

Hi there-very well done on your acheivements so far, good progress!The cash system is a good one, you really do think before you spend, I know I do!

Anonymous said...

You are very right, it is nice to have an empty apartment to move into! Enjoy!

FB @ FabulouslyBroke.com said...

I'm always purging. Even more so now that we're preparing to move.

I actually just put 90% of my stuff into index funds because I'm young enough to handle it, and 10% in super aggressive emerging markets which is doing a lot better than index right now.

Fabulously Broke in the City
Just a girl trying to find a balance between being a Shopaholic and a Saver...

Northern Living Allowance said...

@Dinah34 - It was a surprise to me that SuperStore didn't have a phone number (apart from the one for the pharmacy!). That's a scary parent story, though! A huge fear and no way to get a hold of you...crazy!

@FD - I hadn't thought of 60/40! Hmmm...Thanks for the tip!

@SharonRose - thanks for your lovely comment! Cash is good, eh? I wonder that I didn't see it before... :P

@Notesfromthefrugaltrenches - thank you for your always welcome support! :)

@FB - thank you for your investment suggestion, however, I think I need at least something in a more aggressive fund as I'm starting my climb into my mid-forties! Already. How did that happen?? But the 10% idea is intriguing. I have a lot of reading ahead of me it seems!

Not a bad thing! :)

Saver Queen said...

Isn't it shocking to find how much crap you accumulate? We moved on Saturday and yesterday we were still opening boxes of STUFF. And I consider myself a person who lives pretty lean. It's crazy!

Anonymous said...

you know, i'm wondering the same thing about all the crap in my room...