Wednesday 15 July 2009

Payday #3...and travel plans :)

Hurrah for paydays! My favourite days...well, okay, not really, but I DO like playing with my money a lot now that I understand it better and big dents have appeared in my debt over the past year.

But first: Yesterday I celebrated three years in the Yukon! Already!! Perhaps "celebrate" is the wrong word. I acknowledged three years because it was too busy for me to do anything else! Ha! Still, I can't believe the time has gone SO quickly and I'm as happy now as I was when I arrived.

Anyhoo...

My pay today was $1169.44 (nothing apart from CSBs ($10) taken off, so a bit of a bonus) and I designated it as follows:
TFSA: $55.00 ($30 auto, $25 extra)
RSP: $100
RevCan: $110 (+$10)
LOC: $50 (min)
Student Loan: $25
ING: $75 ($12.50 to each of 6 accounts)
Investor's Group (RSP): $50
VISA: $148.80 (this has had a work out, but there's a reason for it)
Gift Fund: $43.44
Jars: $260 (this is my bi-weekly amount, but I might not need it all this time)
Rent: $220

Total spent: $1137.27
Total remaining: $32.17

I get paid from the hotel on Friday, too. Not much, but if I can bring down the debt by even another $50, I'll be happy with that.

My debt stands as follows:

LOC: $1800
Student Loan: $1816.46
Revenue Canada: $1130 (after this payment goes through)

Total debt: $4746.46
Total paid (since June 17): $451!!

Hurrah (again!)!! I'm not counting my Visa debt at this point because the majority of the debt can be paid outright from my travel account. I've booked a hotel in Victoria already and have yet to look at Vancouver and Tofino accommodations, although I know which ones I'd like. Granted, paying for a hotel isn't like staying with friends (i.e. FREE), however, considering the time of year we're going, the prices are not outrageous either. The hotel in Victoria costs more than, say, the local Super 8, but it's downtown and within walking distance of literally almost everything we (i?) want to do, minus one or two things. There's free parking, too, so I figure we're saving a little bit on gas money by paying a little bit extra for the perfect location. Not that I don't know the streets of Victoria well, but just that I'd rather not drive them if I don't have to.

Beachfront cabin in Ucluelet or Tofino? Why not? It's a holiday and sometimes it's worth it to spend a little more to have the waves lap at your toes first thing in the morning... :) And whale watching, too, as Sept/Oct is the best time to see the migration. I haven't done it for almost 10 years and it's a great experience.

The little hotel in Vancouver that I'm looking at is self-catering and downtown on Robson St. It's the same price as the Victoria hotel, again, in the perfect location for walking everywhere.

After that, I don't really have any idea where we'll be or stay. Edmonton one night, Jasper perhaps? I'd love to see the Columbia Icefields and drive the Icefield Highway. I'm just thinking ahead...I'd really like to go NOW, but there are six weeks of work to face before we leave. *Sigh* But having to work allows me to do what I want, so I have to look at it like that. I'm just so excited!!! :)

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Wow! nearly $500 in less than a month! Good for you!! :)

Canadian Saver said...

Love your travel plans!! You're in such a beautiful area of the country... I'm jealous!!