I heart May – 3 pay cheques! :) May 1, 2009
Posted by gmbmfb in : emergency fund, sidebar totals , add a commentSo today was pay day, and I updated my sidebars and my NetworthIQ.
I put my car in my NetworthIQ. I went and looked at the Kelley Blue Book “Suggested Retail Value” with the car in good condition (in Blaine, WA – closest US city to me). Then I took that value and converted it from $US to $CAD. With the exchange rate, it makes the value a lot higher than I paid for it. But, I think I did that right. Perhaps I should just put the value back down to what I paid for it ($3,000)? But they were asking $3,400. I’ll have to figure this one out. Part of me doesn’t even want to list my vehicle, but it’s worth something, so I figure I should include it.
Also as you can tell, I took quite a bit of money out of my Emergency Fund (approx. $1,200) to cover the car crash expenses. I also used some of it to cover the insurance for my car. So my EF sits at about $1,800 right now. I want to get it back up to $3,000 ASAP, but I also know that $1,800 represents more than 3 months of bare-bones living expenses for me now that I’m moving in with BF. So I don’t need to stress out about it.
Not sure about this weekend anymore April 16, 2009
Posted by gmbmfb in : emergency fund, spending, travel , add a commentI’m really struggling with the idea of going home this weekend. I told my sister that if I had to work, I’d be there for sure. And I definitely will. But if the PT job didn’t need me, I told her I’d come anyway. Now, I kind of regret saying that.
Lately I’ve been spending way way way too much money. I inputted all of my receipts over the past few weeks, and I doubt I’ll be able to save anything this month. Right now I’m already over budget for April, and we’re only halfway through the month. Granted, my April budget didn’t account for my trip to Idaho (which I obviously didn’t end up taking, but we spent all the money we had planned on spending anyway), or the trip home last weekend to be with family after the accident. I also treated my sister to most meals last weekend – partly because she’s my sister and she rarely comes over to see me, but mostly because I felt like the crappiest person in the world for getting into such a stupid accident and ruining our trip. All of those expenses came last weekend, and probably came out to about $700. Maybe $800. And that doesn’t even include any of the crash-related expenses. Ouch.
So much for April being an on-budget month. And May won’t be any better, because once BF sorts everything out, I’ll just hand over a bunch of money to whoever I owe to. Probably just to him.
But, like I’ve said all along, what really matters is that nobody is hurt. It’s just money, and that’s what my Emergency Fund is there for. I’m not going into debt because of this, and I cannot imagine what I would have done if this had happened to me a few years ago.
It’s funny how people always say that these kinds of things put life into perspective, but I didn’t really understand until now. The crash was at speed (over 80 km/hr), and we could have easily died. Like the police officer said at the scene, it was an absolute miracle nobody was hurt. I am so thankful to have someone as warm and caring and understanding as BF in my life, and friends and family that love me unconditionally.
So, maybe I will go home after all.
Updating the sidebar November 18, 2008
Posted by gmbmfb in : down payment, emergency fund , add a commentSo, my Condo Down Payment account is gone, and my EF is above $3,000 for the first time in a long time. I changed my goal to $5,000 because I’d like to reach that amount before going traveling. I think $5k is a solid amount to get me on my feet once we come back.
The rest of the money has disappeared into my RRSPs.
Maxing out the EF September 1, 2008
Posted by gmbmfb in : emergency fund , add a commentWell, I decided to max out my EF by taking the money out of my Condo Down Payment Fund.
My original EF goal was $3k. I’ve upped it to $5k, but I’m just going to set it up to automatically transfer $50 bi-weekly into the EF. $3k right now is enough for 4 months worth of expenses if I suddenly lose my job or something – and if things got really really tough, I could either move home for a while, or with BF. $3k makes me comfortable, so I’m content to just slowly and steadily build up the EF to $5k.
Also, I should hit my 2008 Retirement Portfolio goal in 2 months … so right now I’m turning my attention to my Condo Fund, and my Travel Fund.
Paying full price for orthotics August 27, 2008
Posted by gmbmfb in : emergency fund, health care , add a commentUGGG. I just found out that my orthotics that I got made up yesterday will not be eligible for coverage under my extended health plan. This is awful news.
The woman at the chiropractor’s office said that they cannot issue a confirmation letter until the orthotics are delivered to me (in 2 or 3 weeks), and apparently I need that letter in order to submit it to my health plan. My extended health coverage ends on Friday. This Friday.
I’m still going to submit the receipt and see if I can claim it, but chances are it’ll be rejected.
These orthotics are $350. $200 was supposed to be covered, but now I’ll have to pay the entire thing. It’s still worth it, because I’m completely flat-footed and I need new orthotics (my old ones are 8 years old and completely pounded flat) … but still, having to pay for the entire cost definitely hurts.
And that’s why I’m glad I have my trusty EF available.
Should I set up a Health Fund? August 20, 2008
Posted by gmbmfb in : emergency fund, health care, job, saving money , add a commentAfter work today, I went to the chiropractor, and he said that my neck, back and shoulders seemed SUPER tense. I know that I should keep going to the chiropractor, but it’s $40 for each visit, which is more than I can really afford once I stop having extended health coverage. However, you can’t really put a price tag on your health … so perhaps I will have to continue with the sessions. They do seem to be helping.
Plus, I have about 60 hours of vacation payout coming my way, so perhaps I should start some sort of “Health Fund” and auto-deposit money into that account every pay cheque. It would help to pay for prescriptions, dentist visits, chiropractor appointments, or maybe even one or two massages per year – and besides the car accident I was in 2 years ago, I’ve never seen a massage therapist before.
I was thinking of saving $100 bi-weekly into this “Health Fund,” but perhaps I could just dump all that money into my EF and keep it all under one big EF-umbrella. It would certainly make things a little more simple in terms of keeping track of all my savings accounts. But, is a massage appointment really considered an “emergency”? It’s a tough call.
Dear Employment Services: thank you. finally. February 8, 2008
Posted by gmbmfb in : EI, emergency fund , 1 comment so farOMG, I just checked Employment Services online, and I’M GETTING PAID OUT FOR MY EI!!! I can’t believe it! Finally, 10.5 weeks later, I’m getting a grand total of $2,681 deposited into my bank account on Monday. That’s amazing.
I have some charges to pay off on my credit card from the past few weeks due to the move to Vancouver, but the rest of it is going straight back into the EF. I would imagine I’d be back around the $2k mark with the EF after it’s all said and done. Right now I’m down to around $200 (which is pretty darn scary to know that I’ve basically used up my entire EF) b/c I had to pay a $300 deposit & $600 for my 1st month of rent.
I know, I should really update the sidebars. I just haven’t had time to sit down for a few hours and really dig through my finances and get them up-to-date. This weekend is a no-go because BF and I are going back to the island. I’m thinking next week I’ll be able to get it done. I’ll have to block off a few hours after work one evening, and get my hands dirty. I really need to get this done, because I’m starting to hide from my finances again.
Dear U-Haul: you’re killing me here! February 4, 2008
Posted by gmbmfb in : budget, emergency fund, miscellaneous , add a commentU-Haul. What can I say about them? I just got a call from them, saying they found 3 damage spots on the vehicle that I didn’t report when I did my walk-around. They said I would be fully liable for all of the costs, because I didn’t opt for the insurance. The woman on the phone was pretty straight-forward, but was nice enough and said that I should fight the charges because that bitchy customer service rep didn’t do a walk around of the vehicle with me when I first went to get it, and legally she HAS to. She said the back end looked like I had just plowed into a building (we were never even close to a building!), and also noted there was a puncture wound on the top of the vehicle and on one of the sides (and did you know that even if you opt for the insurance, that still doesn’t cover the top of the vehicle!?). She also noted that it was going to be pretty darn expensive to repair. WHAT!
I was so angry and at work and on the verge of tears after I hung up with her, so I immediately called BF. Not really sure why, since there was nothing either of us could do about it while we were both at work.
About 10 minutes later, the U-Haul woman called back and said that she called the head office in Phoenix, and explained my situation with them. She said that they ruled that since that CSR didn’t do a walk around with me, I couldn’t be held liable for any of the damage. I was SO relieved! There was no way I could have paid that bill without going into debt. Especially with my depleted and pathetic EF dwindling down to under $1,000.
