Adjusting

 Hello friends,

I'm sorry that I have not been too active in blogging in the last week. I have been dealing with being single and adjusting to that life. 

I made a new single budget and had to adjust my savings goal. Instead of saving $1,000 by March 1st, it has now been postponed until April 1st. I had to account for taking all the bills on myself and buying new furniture. I am optimistic but also a little overwhelmed. I have taken some steps to make this shift comfortable. I applied to pay for benefits, made a new budget, reviewed my goals.

The only thing that has been hard is the effect it has on Remy. He just doesn't understand why his "dad" left and he blames me for it and is upset with me- his blame is correctly placed as I was the one to end the relationship. He is having some separation anxiety when leaving for school. I think he thinks that I will leave and not come back. It is torture knowing I broke his little heart and that he is upset because of me. But, in time, I hope he sees it was for the better and that I am much happier.

How have I been dealing with this relationship ending? It's been a roller coaster, some good days, some bad days, some sad days, some hopeful days. I have not talked to anybody really about it. It was a hard time trying to agree on how to separate the furniture. The date for him to be gone is February 6, 2022. I am probably going to have some grief I think when all the stuff is gone. But, we will deal with that when the time comes.

I did break my no-spend challenge. I went out for coffee twice. I needed to get out of the house and clear my thoughts. I did also purchase some clothes with gift cards I found in my wallet and magnetic eyelashes. I needed the confidence boost I think. I have been online window shopping for new furniture. I have built it into my new budget. 

Lots of love,

Mandee

Single life

 Hey friends,

Thanks for stopping by. 

A new development happened in my life 2 days ago. Mark and I decided to end our relationship. We just grew apart and no longer a team. I craved connection, attention, and affection, but, did not receive it. I did my best to be happy and hold on to hope, but, I grew tired and hope is not something to grip on to. I do wish him the best in life, that he finds happiness, that he is happy, healthy, and wealth. That season of my life has ended. 

A new season has begun. It is uncharted territory for me. I need to be fiercely independent as I start my journey as a single mom. I have been a little overwhelmed, but I am optimistic. I know I will weather this storm with as much grace as I can muster. 

What does this mean for my budget? I picked up more shifts at work to deal with being in a single-income household. Tomorrow is paystub day and I am excited to budget. I know, I know. Budget is a "bad" word to some. For myself, it is a little rush of telling my money where to go. It is very satisfying to have the bills all paid, food in the fridge, and Netflix. 

I have switched my book of the month. I joined a zoom book club for some human connection with common interests. I am now reading The Push by Ashley Audrain- I am about 100 pages into it. I have consistently been reading my 25 pages daily. Consistency leads to habit and I am so happy to have the habit of reading again. Bonus- it is a free activity that I get to do with my no-spend challenge.

Well, friends, I am going to go make a coffee, grab a blanket, and read some more.

Lots of love, 

Mandee

Adult Snow Day!!

 Hello all,

I hope you had a wonderful and refreshing few days off. 

Not a lot has happened since the last time I wrote.

I am having issues with my car, turns out it was the battery. I had to get a boost, which took my savings, and then had to buy a new battery, setting me back a little bit on my goal to $1,000. 

I still haven't purchased anything on my no-spend challenge. I think this time of year is a bit easier because there is not much to do. It's not like I am driving to the beach, or having drinks on a patio. I am safely nestled in my warm house with my book and I am content with that. I did join a book club and picked up the first book from the library- which I am grateful for because it hasn't been the greatest of books.

Today, there is a huge snowstorm which canceled my work for today. Schools are closed and the buses were canceled. So Remy and I got a snow day today. It has been nice, and Remy wants to go play outside in the snow. I am going to wait for a little bit before bundling us up to go play.

Thanks for stopping by to read about my not-so-interesting life.

Lots of love,

Mandee

Work Smarter, Not Harder

 Hello all,

Life is simply fantastic over here. I joined a book club to a) get new ideas for books and b) meet some people who have the same interests that I do. 

I have been puttering, finding things to do with my time to fill the open space I have in the mornings. Remy has not been so keen on online learning; it's hard to get kids engaged in class, at home with all their things and toys makes it a little bit more difficult. At least it is only kindergarten. The Government announced that the kids will be going back on the 17th of January. I still have my apprehensions, but I have Mark working from home and Remy has online learning, toes are getting stepped on. We have made it this far in the pandemic without COVID (superstitiously knocking on wood), I would like to keep it that way. The government also announced that they will not be reporting if someone in their class tests positive. I have an issue with this, a very big issue. How are we supposed to contact trace? How are we supposed to inform our friends/neighbors/workplaces that we have had exposure? How does that make sense? How are we supposed to isolate if we do not know? This spells a disaster waiting to happen.

I must say that the job front is amazing. I work 4 hours in the evenings when Remy is done with school, and I am getting paid the same amount of money if I have worked full time. I never want it to end. It unfortunately has left me with idol hands. I have too much time on my hands and find random things to do to fill my schedule. I feel spoiled. This contract is only temporary but it has been amazing. I am not looking forward to the 40 hour work weeks again. 

I received the recipe book I ordered NYE. I got my recipes all sorted, which gives me delight. I ran out of ink though, so my recipe book has been put on hold. Technically, I could purchase more ink because I ran out but, at this point, I am going to wait until I reach my savings goals. I have just been bookmarking the recipes until I, one day, have ink again. 

New year's resolutions have been progressing. They are not perfect, but nothing ever is. All that matters is that I am moving forward, and if I have a setback, go on to attack it the next day. I cannot wait until my quarterly review to see how many habits have stuck and pick new habits to form. Someone once said give something 90 days, so it is important to track the progress and reflect. On one of my idol hand days, I added everything in my Google calendar to remind me to do things. Things like clean the vacuum monthly, or the washer monthly, when to flip the mattress, etc. As I said, I do not know what to do with this freedom because I have not had it before. I am used to working multiple jobs or working full time. 

I did purchase some cleaners for my upholstered headboard, because a) I am allowed to buy cleaning products, and b) too much time and looking for random things to do that really never get done. 

I just wanted to pop in and say "hello" and give you a quick update on this life of mine. But I have to fold laundry, and I am telling myself NOW so I do not procrastinate. 

Lots of love,

Mandee

Adulting

Hello friends,

I hope you had a wonderful and restful weekend. We had freezing rain and snow squalls here so it was a quiet weekend. 

I spent some time cleaning and doing the mountain of laundry that I have not touched in 9 days. It has added up and it is so daunting. Not much I can do except do it one load at a time. 

I am still going strong with tracking my expenses and the no spend challenge. I did have to buy some cleaner for my upholstered headboard because there are sweat stains on it. Then I spent an hour or so researching how to clean the stains off the headboard, so a cleaner and an upholstery brush were essential. Part of that is keeping busy, like adding reminders in my phone, creating a spring cleaning list, and just random things I can do to not spend money.

It was such a quiet weekend that I added 184 books to my want to read on GoodReads. It took like 2 hours but now I have a digital copy and got some great book recommendations. I am excited to tackle this list; who knows, I may exceed my goal of 12 books this year. I had 3 books on the go, 168 Hours: You Have More Time Than You Think by Laura Vanderkam, and after getting 179 pages in, decided to quit. I read I Know How She Does It by Laura Vanderkam, and it is honestly the same principle- outsource everything and do not watch tv. Unfortunately, most of us cannot hire a personal chef, a nanny for childrearing, and then a maid. Maybe it is different in America, especially when you earn over $100,000- but let's be real here. Sure, it would be nice to have those things, but I get a certain satisfaction of doing it all myself. It's almost a pride. Like yeah, I can raise my child, work, cook, and maintain my household. Sure, it does not leave a lot of spare time, but I rather give myself a pat on the back than outsource everything. Besides, Mark is fantastic. He helps tidy up the house, and cook. We all need a little help. I am sure if I was a single mom, I would need some help, and that could be to a maid to help keep the house clean. But that is not my situation and I want to save money this year, not add more expenses. 

I also completed my menu plan this weekend. Mark and I decided on some themes for the week to make it a little easier to decide what we are having for dinner. We have ethnic food night, fish night, slow cooker night, sheet pan night, pasta night, stir fry night, and a seasonal soup/stew night. I got my recipes from mostly How Sweet Eats or Jo Cooks. Since take-out is on my spending freeze, I want a variety of things to eat. I do not do well with repeats every week like meatloaf on Mondays- in fact, I do not even like meatloaf (lol). I have a garlic butter shrimp with orzo, oven jambalaya, creamy tortellini soup (which was delicious from making it a couple days ago), cajun salmon with salt lime butter. I will post the whole menu plan in the comments. What are your favourite go-to dinners? Anybody you follow that I should check out or a cookbook that you love?

I got my third booster on Thursday night, which left me with a killer migraine Friday; which is in part why it took me 3 days to write a post, also because I was busy cleaning and doing the things previously mentioned. I did some reading this weekend. I am definitely going to enjoy Permanent Record, I can already tell by being 3 chapters in that I will not have an issue with being complete by the beginning of February. I wish I read it last year (lol). I have also made the pledge that if I am not "feeling" a book, to quit it entirely and start something that will grab and hold my attention. This is part of why I did not finish my goal of a book a month, I would pick up something and then stubbornly try to finish it, although I was not enjoying it. This made me not want to read, and I enjoy reading. Sure, 12 is not an outrageous goal, it is completely attainable, especially when there is online learning, work, running the household, blogging, and a no-spend challenge involved.

I hope you enjoy the rest of your week and I will write again soon.

Lots of love,

Mandee

Killing time

 Hello friends,

Yesterday was an exciting day. It was the first day of online learning. But we had to leave so Mark could get his COVID booster. 

I went to work and trained someone. I thought I was going to get in trouble when my boss called me over for talking too much, but, to my delight, I was offered a promotion! I am now a supervisor and am grateful for the opportunity. I will be starting in the next week or two and am super excited. I must confess something, in all my 33 years, this is the first promotion I was ever offered. I am a little nervous about my new role, but obviously, something caught my boss' attention and I will continue to be my authentic self. 

I have been somewhat inconsistent with my goals, but I still try. I have just been telling myself "Now" and I get off my butt and do the thing I have been procrastinating on. Every day is a new opportunity to start again and to incorporate my goals into daily actions. It takes time and persistence, so I am not sad I have not been consistent, I cannot do everything all at once.

I have been making huge progress on inbox zero. I have come to the point if I did not read it when it first landed in my inbox, I am not going to take the time to read it now. I am down to 600 emails and dealing with the incoming messages. It feels great if I am honest, something about letting stuff go is cleansing and less burdening. I am hoping by the end of next week it will officially be at zero.

I read the first chapter of Permanent Record and I am so excited to read it. I haven't been consistent on reading every day, but as long as I finish the book this month means success.

Speaking of reading, I have been looking at the people I enjoy listening to on their podcasts and taking their recommendations on what to read. I have compiled a Google doc and I have 4 pages in 3 columns of books I will be getting from the library. So many choices to read, which is fantastic because I like to read but get stuck on what to read next.

I am excited to report, I have a budgeting buddy and accountability partner. It is nice to be able to talk to others about money. There is such a stigma around it that should not be. It is great to see what is working and what is not and get new ideas. It is great to inspire people around you, create targets, and set intentions. Today was payday and I am super excited to budget my money. 

Anyways friends, I wanted to give you a quick update.

Lots of love,

Mandee

I am So Excited

 Hello friends!!

Sorry I did not post yesterday. It was a very busy day. My dad needed surgery, and with the restrictions in place, was unable to stay with him at the hospital. This meant 4.5 hours of driving and less than that spent at home. My dad is doing fine, he just needs to decide which therapy he wants to continue with. 

With all that driving, I crushed some podcasts. Most were about setting goals and intentions for 2022. One was the lazy genius and I ended up signing up for her newsletter. This morning she recommended some books to read (YES!). I read 6 books last year and purchased more than that to read (lol). Since I was not consistent with my reading last year, I did not meet my goal. I set the same goal in 2022, with being more consistent with reading. Since I love to read but have no clue what to read next, this was a pleasant surprise. This makes me excited and I have a compiled list to read. The first book that I am reading is Permanent Record by Edward Snowden. The reason I chose this book first is that I got it as a present and did not read it last year, and it is one of the thicker books on my list, so I decided I would get a bigger book out of the way and then can read the smaller books to maintain my goal.

I was tempted to break my no-spend challenge yesterday on takeout. But I am happy to report that the streak remains strong. I waited to get home to eat. I am super proud of myself that I resisted temptation.  Without going out as much, the restrictions in place, and the temptations removed, it seems easier than last year when I attempted the same thing. 

I may put my debt repayment off for a little bit because Mark turns 40 this year, and he really wants to go to Vegas (who knows what the world will be like in a few months), which means I will have to save some spending money. We will see what is in store and make plans accordingly.

Today was the first day that Remy had online learning. It went well and I am super proud of how quick he learned how to navigate the Google Meet. I am happy that he is doing school from home and happy to be a part of this adventure with him.

I start my new job tonight, I am a little nervous about learning the new software, so hopefully I learn as quick as Remy did today.

Lots of love,

Mandee

I have a case of the Mondays

 Hey everyone!

Well, today was eventful. Ontario has been put in "another" lockdown. I saw it coming with the numbers of COVID numbers skyrocketing every day and setting new records for the daily totals. I feel like it has been just a 2-year lockdown because we have not had any resemblance to pre-COVID. 

This sort of put a wrench into my plans. Since I was let go of my last position for "lack of work", I applied to work part-time evenings (as previously mentioned I saw the lockdown coming). I thought Remy would be going back to school in 2 days (ha!), so I was going to get a full-time gig while he was in school and working 60 hours a week. I applied to a couple full-time positions, but now with the schools being delayed for 2 weeks, I am needed at home. Honestly, it is not going to affect my plan for saving $1,000. I want to get Remy his own Chromebook, but for now, the school has one we can borrow (I have been shopping around, and started an account for it).

But, what will put a wrench in my plans is that my alternator is going in my car (at least I think that is the issue, I am not a mechanic). We went grocery shopping today and when we left, my car would not start. Something is draining the energy in the car. My battery is somewhat new, so I do not think that is an issue. Moments like this are where I tell myself- this is what you get for not having an emergency fund or money set aside for repairs. But, I got my paycheque and put my $40 aside for repairs, so I mean that is a win, right?

I have not quite made my month-long meal plan, I am thinking of assigning a theme to my meals daily, but I have not made it that far. My dad has surgery tomorrow, so I am not sure if that will be some downtime to buckle down and get it done. 

The no-spend challenge has been going well this far. I have the bi-annually and yearly chores I need to do that I did not do into my phone as reminders. I am just keeping myself as busy as possible; just researched books I want to read this year, packed my gym bag (which was silly since gyms are closed as of the 7th), spending time with Remy watching Star Wars (he loves it- YAY!). I also did my tarot for the year ahead and my yearly/monthly/weekly reviews in my notebook, adding things to my calendar that needs to be done. 

I have some money freed up since in-person dining is not allowed for Mark and I's champagne brunch date... but I think I will just buy some prosecco and have breakfast delivered. Still a date, just altered.

Lots of love,

Mandee

Lazy Sunday

 Hey everyone,

Today is a beautiful day to do some laundry! It is currently snowing on this peaceful Sunday morning. It's been snowing all night. Days like this make me want to stay cozy in my pajamas, curled up with a cup of coffee, and relax- well a little bit. I have a ton of laundry to do. I read somewhere that doing laundry is bad luck on January 1st, and so I skipped it. I don't need to test the fates. My dogs and Remy are also feeling this vibe of zen. 

I have been cruising recipes since I woke up this morning. I feel like I am stuck in a food rut, so looking at all the different foods and recipes has inspired me to do a month-long meal plan. I usually do a weekly meal plan- but why not try to make it four weeks? I will definitely share when it is complete.

I am also excited to announce that I have found an accountability partner. We are going to meet once or twice a month and talk about our struggles and successes. She is piggybacking my goal of saving $1,000 by March 1, 2022. It is nice to inspire and have someone share my vision.

I also started to achieve inbox zero; this is going to take some time. I started with 1800+ unread emails and I have 1584 right now. I feel the need to start fresh in 2022. Just ask Mark and Remy while I was cleaning under the beds, under the couch, and under the appliances, washing the walls and baseboards. 

I have decided that my theme of the year is NOW. I want to quit procrastinating and I just tell myself now to get it done. Nike said it best, "Just do it". I feel like it is appropriate for my goals and hopefully, will last throughout the year. 

I hope you enjoy your Sunday wherever you are.

Lots of love,

Mandee

The Moment of Truth

 Hey everybody,

I hope you had a wonderful New Year's Eve. We had by-law called on us which I found hilarious. We had 2 children under the age of 5 and apparently they were too loud for the neighbors. I also received my last pay a week early, which was quickly budgeted because I am a nerd and love putting pen to paper and telling my money where to go.

This is the moment of truth, I calculated all my debt. The gut-punch I got with doing this. I know I owed a lot, just did not realize how much. I owe $51, 242.62 in debt. A large portion of this is my student loans, which is a relief because I could not imagine being in that much consumer debt. While this number was upsetting, I paid off $582.24 from the month previous (YAY!!). Now, all I have to do is save my $1,000 to tackle this debt! I now know what it feels like to have excess weight on your shoulders and I cannot wait to start shedding some debt. 

I am following Dave Ramsey here. I am saving my baby emergency fund to aggressively attack this debt. So in two months, you'll read how fast this debt is going to go down. 

Today also marks the day the no spend challenge started. I had to talk myself out of clear page covers and a recipe binder last night, but I put it in my save for later. Nothing wrong with delaying purchases. Maybe in 3 months from now, I won't even want it. 

Lots of love,

Mandee