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Second Interview March 31, 2010

Posted by gmbmfb in : job , 10comments

Well today’s phone interview went very well, and they have scheduled me for an in-person interview for Tuesday! :) The organization and the job sound great.

Of course salary range was addressed – she asked what my salary range was. I said around $50-55k, but that I was definitely flexible, and she said that the position is in the mid-$40′s, but that I sounded like I had the right background and experiences, so salary would be negotiable and she didn’t think it would be a problem. They also offer great benefits, a flexible work schedule, and educational opportunities.

The only drawback to the job is that it’s quite the commute for me (about 32 km one way – and I’d have to drive – public transit says I would need 4-5 transfers and 2 hours to get there – no thanks). And in rush hour? Ugg. But then again, if I land a job in downtown Vancouver, the commute would probably be just as long. I miss my hometown, where the commute from the heart of downtown to just about anywhere is less than 15 minutes in rush hour.


March 2010 Goals: My Review March 31, 2010

Posted by gmbmfb in : monthly goals , 7comments

Well, March wasn’t as tragic as I thought it would be, what with me losing my job and all. I ended up going over my budget by about $10, which isn’t that terrible, but I had a lot of miscellaneous expenses. I did definitely tame my spending after I lost my job, and I’m looking for April to be a barebones month.

March Goals:


Phone interview tomorrow March 30, 2010

Posted by gmbmfb in : job , 14comments

So I have a phone interview scheduled for tomorrow. It’s with a company I’ve worked with before when I was employed by the non-profit a few years ago. It seems like I would be doing the same marketing work I’ve been doing over the last few years (probably utilizing my skills a bit more than my last job), plus there’s a sales side to the job – generating reports & analysis, but not actual sales (which is good, because the last thing I want to do is become a salesperson).

It’s a good organization, so I’m excited to hear more about this position!


April 2010 Monthly Goals March 30, 2010

Posted by gmbmfb in : monthly goals , 6comments

Well, April is going to be a funny month. I don’t exactly know what’s going to happen in terms of employment, so I’m budgeting for my EI income ($914 bi-weekly before taxes – uggghhh). I don’t think I’ll be getting my first EI payment until closer to the end of the month, so we’ll see how this works out. I might have to pull money from my Emergency Fund to get me through to my first EI payment.

My goals for the month are pretty simple. Since I don’t have much money coming in, I highly doubt I will be able to save anything.

April Goals:


Yoga Meltdown March 29, 2010

Posted by gmbmfb in : fitness , 4comments

Okay, so I actually did a full 30 min. Yoga Meltdown workout (Level 1), and I take back what I said earlier today about the DVD. I actually really like it. It’s exactly what I want out of yoga – less meditation and more strength/exercise. I feel really, really good afterward. And what I originally didn’t like about the DVD (lots of reps, too fast), I get that it’s designed this way for maximum calorie burn. So, thanks again Jillian Michaels.

Yesterday when I tried Yoga Meltdown for the first time, I had actually just finished the No More Trouble Zones DVD, so I was probably too tired to do the moves properly. I can see myself alternating between my 3 Jillian DVDs every single day.


Adobe CS5? March 29, 2010

Posted by gmbmfb in : design business , 9comments

OMG. I NEED to have this new Adobe Creative Suite. What they’re doing in this video is ridiculous. It’s so crazy that it just blew my freaking mind. Hours and hours of Photoshop work can now be reduced down to a click of the mouse? I’m dying over here. Right now I’m running CS2 on my home computer (I worked in CS4 at my last 2 jobs), and I desperately need to upgrade. Not just for my side business, but also to stay current and up-to-date with the industry standard design tools, since that is part of my career training too.

But that also means a new computer, since mine barely runs CS2 right now (as a reference point to my computer’s performance, it doesn’t run The Sims 3 smoothly either). So Adobe CS5 plus a new Mac is going to set me back thousands of dollars. NEED A JOB!


My Weekend Recap March 29, 2010

Posted by gmbmfb in : fitness , 5comments

The weekend wasn’t really much of a weekend, since every day is like a weekend to me these days… :) Yesterday I drove to Bellingham to pick up the pair of VFF KSOs I had on backorder. So now all I have to do is learn how to run again, but barefoot. It’s raining pretty hard today and I don’t want to spend any money, so I think I’ll just stay in and do a Jillian Michaels workout DVD. If it clears up later on, I’ll go for a walk to get used to the VFFs and calibrate the Nike+ to walking. I tried to do it over the weekend, but was walking in the forest, and I guess it needs to be calibrated on a flat surface.

Speaking of our good friend Jillian Michaels, I did about 10 min. of her Yoga Meltdown DVD yesterday, and holy hell! That’s like  yoga on speed. There is a lot of go go go, fast reps, go go go … it’s pretty hard. Actually, it’s a lot harder than I thought. But, it also didn’t feel like yoga at all. More like an aerobics class. And all I have to compare it to is a yoga class I took a few years ago, and the yoga on my Wii Fit, so maybe this is what intense yoga is supposed to be like.

I’ve been doing the No More Trouble Zones DVD as well. It’s a lot harder than the 30 Day Shred, but I can also tell that with sustained use, it’s going to be quite effective.

Also this weekend I went to the Arc’teryx Factory Sale (went on Sunday, because I heard the line-ups were crazy earlier in the weekend). Shouldn’t have gone. There are so many things that I want to buy, but just don’t have the money for them. Although after spending 2 years building up my hiking gear collection, I can honestly say that there is not one piece of clothing that I am missing for 4-season hiking/climbing. I’ve poured thousands of dollars into that collection, but everything is super high quality and will last me for a really, really long time to come.

On the job front, nothing new to report. I applied for 1 job over the weekend. This will be my 4th week of unemployment. Time has actually flown by quite quickly. I’m still feeling a bit anxious, especially with BF quitting job in less than 2 weeks to go back to school. I’m stressed about money too, but I have EI coming (hopefully) and some savings. Plus, our living expenses are low. I think I just need to calm the heck down.


Combining our money March 26, 2010

Posted by gmbmfb in : relationship , 16comments

There has been some talk around the PF blogosphere about how couples are managing their money.

Yesterday when BF and I were out walking, he finally admitted that it would be best if I control our family finances once he starts his career next year (he’ll be training and in school until then). He wants me to pay the bills, manage the savings & retirement – basically handle all of the day-to-day money activities. And I couldn’t be happier taking on that task. Personal finance isn’t just something I do because I have to; I’m sure you can tell that it truly is a passion of mine. And let me tell you, it’s been a long road for him to come around to the fact that he is just not that great with his money. His parents are spenders too. I’ve known it all along, but I guess he had to come to that conclusion by himself. :)

Of course he’ll be 100% involved in figuring out how much we are saving, how much the bills are, and other important information. It’s just that once we get a joint chequing/savings, etc. I will be the one executing and dispersing the money.

It’s exciting knowing that in a year (provided I get a job by then – sigh), we’ll both be making over $50k each. BF is working very hard to change his career direction and bump up his salary level so he can be passionate about his job, and so that we can live the kind of life we want to live  - which means buying our own little place, saving money for all of our goals, getting married within the next 2-3 years, and retiring early.

We still have a year to figure out all the details regarding combining our finances (along with joint accounts, I still want us each to have separate accounts too), but I’m happy that in terms of personal finance, we are on the same page.