Here’s for another money post! I’m working on another Going Green post and some product reviews (product junkie, right here, everyone!) to post in the future, as well as one about the new Jenny Craig diet I’ve just started.

But first, I wanted to do an update on my personal finances, and the Bridesmaid Costs as well.

Personal Finances

…Are not looking too hot right now. The reason for this is that I am a goofus and moved my money around without thinking it through.

I moved $4k from my Condo Downpayment Fund and into my RRSP. The reason for this is that
1) It can earn just as much more more (tax-sheltered) interest in my RRSP being handled by a senior VP investment advisor,
2) It reduces my income for 2007, and increases my tax refund
3) I can use the Canadian homebuyer’s plan and borrow the money back from my RRSP in the future, so essentially it still IS going towards my condo. It’s just also going towards my retirement now, too

The only problem with this scenario now is that I don’t have that $4k as liquid in my accounts anymore. And I was stupid and forgot I had all my monthly expenses and a big MasterCard bill coming up. Bad Ginger, bad! I ended up having to transfer money out of Travel & Entertainment in order to cover everything and maintain a decent float in my chequing account.

OMGWTFBBQ?!? I’m looking at my account now, and I just got paid… but it looks like this deposit and the last one are mysteriously LESS than they should be! WTF? This month is not turning out in favour of money! I’m pissed!

You see, there are a few things you just don’t want to mess with me on. The first being my family and friends, the second being my money. I’ve been learning Tiger form in kung fu and let me tell you I am ready to use my skull-smasher on someone right now. Or possibly rip their eyes out. And eat them.

On the brighter side of things, all my other savings accounts are growing steadily, and I’ve found some ways to save money for T’s wedding. Onto…

Bridesmaid Costs

Wedding
Dress & alterations: $300
Shoes: $101.70 (Alber by Nine West)—>
Pedi & Mani: $70
Hair: $50
Makeup: $30
Wedding Gift Part 2: $100
Housegift: $25
Travel Costs: $25
Incidentals: $50

Stag & Doe
Incidentals: $50
Drink “Donations”: $15
Travel Costs: $25

Bridal Shower
Wedding Gift Part 1: $100
Incidentals: $50
Travel Costs: $25

Bachelorette
Activities: $75
Bridal Contribution: $25
Travel Costs: A big fat zero!

Grand total: $1,116.70

So there you have it! Even with my generous estimates I will be able to cut $438.30 out of my budget, and I expect it to go down even further.

Here’s what happened: The major cost (aside from the actual wedding) would have been the bachelorette. We were going to go down to Niagara Falls and whoop it up with a hotel suite, male stripclub, indoor skydiving and day at the spa. Until half of the invitees flaked out (They knew it was going to be expensive from the get-go, they should have piped up before we planned the whole damn thing, but that’s another rant).

So the 3 of us most-dedicated bridesmaids got on ye olde MSN and devised a new plan of action, because let’s face it: When good old Ginger laid out the costs of the proposed activities they both agreed that it was a little excessive, especially since we would have to add the bride’s cost on top.
Needless to say, it has now moved to merry Toronto, and everyone will be staying at my place downtown, or some will stay with another bridesmaid in Newmarket. We’re going to look at some activities to do, but will probably end up going to a couple of pubs and possibly a club, and maybe dressing up silly or trampy and playing games. A much cheaper night for all involved, and I won’t have to drive 3 hours to get there! Yay! And my penis mints will come in handy.

I am also saving money by carpooling with M, another maid, and possibly staying with her in P-Town the night of the wedding (hence the housegift). I also got a better idea of what it costs to have your hair and makeup done in a small town. Much cheaper than the big city.

I’m going to try and save more by cutting back on food and alcohol costs for myself, and I may even flake out on the stag & doe if my pocketbook can’t handle it. Of course I’d rather be there, but it’s a lot of money and I wonder if it’s worth it. I don’t think T would really mind if I did it at someone else’s event, but I don’t think I’ll mention to her that it would be her event…

Anyway, I think that’s all I should include in this post… it is getting rather long. Like I said, I’ve got plenty of blog fodder and my wonderful skills of One-Sided Conversation to help me create some content.

Stay tuned, folks!

Coincidentally, this is the best-selling colour of red out there. This photo really doesn’t do it justice. Maybe once I clean my nails up I’ll take a photo to show you how really gorgeous it is!

*edit* Here’s a photo of the colour on my nails… this is two coats. I needed something extra in the photo in terms of visual interest, so I placed my hand against my pewter purse so you could see how fabulous the colour really is! OPI, I love you! (Unfortunately the resolution isn’t good enough to catch the subtle shimmer and shine, but let me tell you the colour is so rich you could lick it!)

Anyway, what I was going to say is that I’ve just updated my money goals, and a revised list of Bridesmaid’s Costs is on it’s way! I think it would be a neat exercise to keep track of just how much this wedding will cost me, from initial estimates through to actual costs!

Ooooh man. Boring side of advertising, what have you done to me? Numbers! Bah!

I stole this off of Fabulously Broke because it’s a funny little quiz!

You’re supposed to fill it in to see how self obsessed you are… but when I read it I didn’t think it was that bad! Doesn’t most of this stuff just equate to good personal hygiene and care of one’s appearance?

Hmm. Maybe all of my answers seem normal to me because I work in advertising… a beauty and youth-based industry to rival the fashion and art world!

Self-Obsessed
How to: Mark X’s by the items that you use/do and then multiply by 2 to get your percentage.

Do You Use?
Hair
[x] straightener
[ ] curling iron
[x] mousse
[ ] hairspray
[ ] gel
[x] other sprays
[x] bobby pins
[x] round barrel brush
[x] blowdryer
[x] mirror
[ ] you have dyed you hair
[ ] you have/had highlights
7/12

Eyes
[ ] black eyeliner
[x] other color eyeliner
[x] eye shadow
[x] mascara
[ ] fake eyelashes
[x] eyelash curler
[ ] eye shimmer
[ ] colored contacts
[ ] huge sun glasses
[x] eye makeup remover
5/10

Lips/Teeth
[x] clear lip gloss
[x] red or pink gloss
[x] lip stick
[x] chapstick
[ ] lip plumper
[x] mechanical toothbrush
[ ] teeth whitener
[x] lip liner
[ ] whitening gum
[x] had/has braces
[ ] more than 15 lipglosses
7/11

Complexion/Overall Face
[ ] blush
[x] moisturizer
[x] face wash
[x] bronzer
[x] makeup remover
[x] face wipes
[x] powder
[x] cover up
7/8

Nails
[x] nail polish
[x] filer
[x] nail clipper
[x] nail buffer
[x] cuticle remover
[ ] nail hardener
[x] nail brush
[ ] fake nails
[x] nail scissors
7/9

My points/Total Points: 35 / 50 x 100 = 70% obsessed

I swear, I’m not self obsessed, I just CARE!

During my daily troll through the interwebs yesterday, I came across an interesting article about the flip-side of the coin in terms of water conservation. It describes the catch-22 situation that some municipalities are facing as they spread the word about water conservation.

The article is here: The High Cost of Using Less Water

It basically talks about how water conservation is costing the cities in terms of decreased revenue. As we install our low-flow toilets and stop watering our lawns, our consumption goes down. This is great for the environment, but now the cities don’t have as much money to do the necessary repairs on our water systems, and therefore it becomes more expensive. This big question is whether the cost of this will be passed onto the consumer. If it is, would it deter others from making those positive water conservation changes?

“Asked about declining water consumption, he told the Star:
“Conservation is killing us.”
Realizing what he’d just said, Curtis smiled broadly and quickly added that there were, of course, a thousand reasons to conserve.
But one thing is certain: Conservation is putting cash-strapped municipalities in a bit of a pickle.”

Here are some great links I found on water conservation tips. They’re both American sites, but the majority of the rules apply just as well to Canada.

http://www.monolake.org/socalwater/wctips.htm
http://www.wateruseitwisely.com/

I am happy to report that I’m doing pretty well and adhere to most of these tips. In the summer, particularly in August when it tends to get really dry in our area and we get drought warnings I go further. I already use the old saying “If it’s yellow let it mellow, if it’s brown flush it down!” at those times (my granny grew up in California, apparently this is common?) and I think I may try capturing the excess shower water in buckets in the future.

So, what are your favourite ways to conserve water, and do you have any that you’d like to share?

Going green seems to be one of the hot topics these days. Working in media I have access to many newspapers, journals and magazines that are all beginning to feature this topic. I think it’s a step in the right direction, but I really don’t think people and countries are doing enough. I’m not involved enough in the world or political news to keep up with all the conversations about the Kyoto Accord and things of that nature, but it seems to me that our leading countries are being jerks about the whole thing, and trying to pass the buck.

I guess it is up to us smaller folk to do what we can to preserve our Earth for future generations. We should also try and reverse some of the devastating effects our pollution has caused.

I thought that a good topic for an article would be the ways that I attempt to “go green” in my daily life, and maybe feature some interesting articles or resources about reducing our impact on the environment, etc. I consider myself lucky to have gone to a (somewhat) environmentally-conscious grade school when I was younger. Even though it was a smallish town, they still managed to teach us lasting lessons about being environmentally conscious citizens, and how we could do our part. I remember how exciting it was to plant trees and sort our paper for recycling. Before composting became a big thing, we were doing it in the classroom.

I think it is very important to teach children about the environment from a young age. Just look at how I turned out! I’m neither a Greenpeace activist nor a super-wasteful consumer. I learned the “Four R’s”. Most people know the three, but do you know the fourth?

Recycle
Reuse
Reduce
Refuse

Recycle – This one’s pretty obvious. If it can be recycled, then do it! Don’t put it in the trash!

Reuse – Reuse those old margarine and yogurt containers, wash out your ziploc bags if they’re still decent. Many people can go completely without tupperware/rubbermaid containers, simply by reusing food containers again and again.

Reduce – Don’t cut your lawn so often, reduce the number of times you do it. Install water-saving showerheads and low-flow toilets in your home to reduce the use of our resources. Turn the thermostat down just one degree and save!

Refuse – With the help of some big companies such as Loblaws, it is becoming easier to do this. Refuse to take the plastic shopping bags they offer, and bring your own cloth ones instead. Refuse to buy over-packaged products and try purchasing bulk foods instead. If we stop accepting and over-consuming unnecessary plastics and the like, we can greatly reduce our impact on the environment and landfills.

This article seems to be taking me quite some time to write, so I’ve decided to split up the idea into a series of smaller articles. I’m planning to include some links to interesting environment-related websites and articles and also my opinion and thoughts on each of them.

Stay tuned!

I like to read my horoscope. I’m not one of those very superstitious ladies that believe everything they read and live my life by it. Nope, I take it all with a grain of salt. I believe that there are good lessons and reminders, and the occasional insight that can be gleaned from the messages from the stars, but I don’t think they will really predict your fate or have a massive amount of sway over your life.

Some days my horoscopes are waaaay off, but on others, they can be bang on.

The following insight was my daily horoscope (can’t remember which day exactly) from last week. It was from one of my favourite sites: Astro.com. I like their horoscopes because they often delve into deeper issues and have more insight and constructive advice compared to your run-of-the-mill iVillage-type dailies.

Fair weather
There are wounds that do not heal with time. Instead they start hurting again given certain “weather conditions”. If this occurs, subconsciously we will withdraw into ourselves in interpersonal situations, or be oversensitive and react in a hurt manner without apparent reason – or we ourselves become particularly hurtful, without actually wanting to. However, if the weather is fair, as it is now, you have the opportunity to bring these painful things to light – preferably during a personal conversation with someone who is close to you. Looking into painful experiences in this way can make you freer in your behavior, your close relationships and your relation with your body. It can also prevent you from hurting others.

This is very accurate, and really strikes home on some of my personal issues. Who knew the stars had that much to offer? This reading really makes me think, so I wanted to keep it. Even though it was meant to be a daily reading, I think it will serve it’s purpose for much longer than that.

I’ve got a lot of emotional pain and trust issues cluttering my life, and this helps me get a little more perspective on things, and dare I say it: hope that I will one day sort through all of them. This reading describes exactly what happens to me in personal situations. I withdraw, get hurt, and sometimes lash out in a pre-emptive strike, occasionally with dire consequences. I need to learn to open up, share myself with others and not be so aloof, surrounding myself with walls all the time. I really feel like an impregnable medieval fortress sometimes. No one has actually breached my walls yet.

Hmm, that’s actually a good analogy. I really am like an impregnable fortress under seige from the general world. The only problem is that my inner wells are drying up and my people are starving and suffering from cabin fever. Not exactly the best situation for anyone, really. Let’s just hope the enemy doesn’t decide to throw over dead and plague-ridden bodies. Then I’d have an even bigger problem.

Ok, clearly my mind is wandering from the topic at hand; off to some far-away place in history. But I’m still going to post this and keep the horoscope. I think it’s something I needed to read.

Some of my favourite horoscope websites:
Astro.com
Astrocenter.com
Astrology.com

So you may have noticed that I’ve added some progress bars to the side of my blog. I found them on a personal finance-related blog, a girl was using them to track her savings for various things, as well as her climb out of debt. I thought it was a pretty cool idea and I am a visual creature after all… so I got some for myself.

While I’m fairly healthy financially, sometimes I get carried away with my spending (I like to shop and buy new things to fill the void inside of me) and I don’t feel that I save enough. Having these visual tracking aids will hopefully keep me on track.

I think it’s a good idea for me to set some more goals for myself. I currently only have an RRSP that my finance dude handles, and a couple of savings/chequing accounts, many of which I don’t know what I’m saving for.

Currently I have:
PC Chequing account
PC Savings #1
PC Savings #2
ING Wedding Fund (Savings)
ING Savings #2
RRSP

So far I’ve just been using my PC Savings #1 as my catch-all. It gives me 4% interest per annum if my balance is over $1000. ING only gives me 3.75%. I recently opened PC Savings #2 because I thought it might be a good idea to have another account to help me save for a specific goal such as travel or emergency fund. I currently have $25/month being deposited automatically in there.

I haven’t been using my ING Savings #2 since I discovered that PC gives me more interest. However, I think I may start using it as my emergency fund even though it has a lower interest rate. My reason? Lately people in my office have had their debit card numbers being stolen, one girl had $3000 taken out of her accounts. She got it back, but still… Last week I also got a call from PC saying that my card was on hold because a shop I had used it at was busted for fraud. If all my money is in my PC accounts, which means that they can be drained with only one card & PIN. Not cool. So, starting tonight I’m going to start funneling some of my cash into ING Savings #2 to establish an emergency fund.

I’ve already got an account in place to help me save for my eventual wedding. This may sound funny since I have no boyfriend and am pretty socially retarded, but I hold hope that one day I will in fact get married. Knowing my expensive taste in things I figured I’d better start saving early and make use of the wonders of compound interest. My goal is roughly $5000 (for now) and I automatically deposit $75/month.

So, after some thinking, here is what I plan to do with my accounts:

PC Chequing: Nothing. This is where my pay comes in every 2 weeks, and my rent comes out of. I’m going to keep a float here for expenses. Basically this is the Outbox of my savings accounts.

PC Savings #1: Shall now be for my condo downpayment. There is a lot of money earning interest in here, and if I split it up into my other accounts, I won’t be making as much interest. So I suppose I will have to start from scratch with my other accounts. Savings Goal: $25,000 until I start making more money, or can find a more effective way of saving/creating income from investments.

PC savings #2: Travel & Entertainment. I’ll start saving in here for travel and “fun” but larger purchases, like maybe a Vespa scooter in the future? Things that bring me pleasure and are under $10,000. Savings Goal: $5,000.

ING Wedding Fund: Already covered. Savings Goal: $5,000

ING Savings #2: Emergency Fund. I’m going to start saving rigorously for this one right now. They say you should have minimum 3 months’ living expenses in there. I’m going to calculate based on what I earn monthly right now, and add a little extra because I’m paranoid like that. Savings Goal: $10,000

Scotia McLeod RRSP: I’ll continue to contribute to this monthly. $100/mo right now. I’m still deciding whether I should throw a chunk of change at it before tax season so I can get a nice refund, then invest that again. It would mean draining my condo account. I’ll have to think about it. Savings Goal: One hundred BILLION dollars! Muahahahah! Realistically, I don’t know yet. I’ll have to talk to the money dude.

So here are my goals all added up: $45,000. This is not including the RRSP, I consider that separate from my personal savings. It seems like a huge amount, but once I start chipping away at it, it won’t be so bad. It also gives me some perspective now. I really need to stop spending so I can watch this bad boy grow instead.

I should also mention that I still owe my parents $1000 for my eye surgery in October. I’ve been giving them $500 every time I felt I could afford it (initial loan was 2k). I should have that paid and off my plate by March, if all goes well.

So there’s a general financial breakdown for me. I’ve got a lot of good advice and ideas for managing money, but it’s always different when its yours! Hopefully this will help some other young people out there with their money… I know I am always wondering how other people my age manage theirs, and if there’s anything I could be doing better. I’ll have to develop a clearer strategy for myself in the future, but for right now I think establishing the goals is enough. Now I know what I’m aiming for!

Well, I don’t really know what to write in here just yet, but I’m going to give it a shot. Judy keeps telling me that I should start writing again to stay healthy and sane, so here I am. A new year, a new me, a new blog.

I don’t have any specific goals for this just yet. I like to read other blogs (specifically on personal finance) and they seem to have people actually reading them. I wonder if I’ll have people reading mine eventually.

I’m told all the time how old I seem because I’ve accomplished so much in such a short amount of time. I don’t really see it that way– I see all the things I have yet to accomplish. I don’t understand why people instantly think it’s remarkable, don’t they want to do incredible things with their lives, go on adventures, meet interesting folks? What is life without pushing yourself?

Maybe I really am different from other people. I strive for normalcy in my life, but I don’t know if I’ll ever get it, and if I really even want it. Most times I like being a little different, as long as I’m the leader.

Maybe I’ll write some features on the things I’ve done in my 23 years; that would be a good way to create content and maybe remind me of some of the more interesting things I’ve done.

Hmm, something to think about.

So I’ve heard a bit about this program from reading other blogs and also through work. It sounds interesting so I thought I’d give it a shot.

Google AdSense is basically a (possible) way for me to make income by allowing Google to place relevant ads on my blog. When people either click on them or even just view them (in some cases) I make a little bit of cash.

I like the sound of this obviously because it’s a chance to make some much-needed money, but also because we use CPC and CPM programs like these in ad campaigns for our clients. I want to see just how effective it is, and I’m curious to find out how much bloggers can potentially make from farming themselves out like this.

I think measuring by CPC is probably the best way for advertisers, because I’m not sure how they would measure the impressions. Maybe there’s a special code or tag embedded in the ads that allow Google to track IP addresses or something. Hmmm.

Man, it’s moments like these when I laugh at my self for being such an ad freak. This guy I once knew called me the Ad Queen sometimes. I’ll have to fill you in on him some other time. The thing is, I’m not so in love with advertising and yet I find myself thinking about it and analyzing campaigns I see on a regular basis. Not good. This clearly means I need a personal life.

Some people write their blogs to document their journeys out of debt, or to becoming a millionaire, but maybe I should write mine with a heavy bent on my journey to becoming social and having relationships. Of any kind. It’s easy to start a pity-party by saying this, but I really don’t have many quality relationships with people, or many relationships at all if I’m being frank. Which I am. So that’s an area I should be working on.

I also need to work on structuring my posts a little bit better! Ahh well, that’s what all this practice is for!