The good, The bad & The snowstorm

iVillage Member
Registered: 07-02-2008
The good, The bad & The snowstorm
10
Fri, 12-19-2008 - 4:28pm

The good : We DID get a Christmas Bonus. You have no idea how relieved I was to hear that they were going

iVillage Member
Registered: 07-14-2008
Fri, 12-19-2008 - 5:02pm

The good: I am still totally on track with my Christmas budget. What I have left will easily pay for our New Years Celebration and our big family gift (Week-end at a Great Wolf Lodge for DH, kids and I).

The bad: I still use credit cards for most of my day to day spending. My bill due in January will be manageable, but leaves me very tight. Hopefully nothing comes up, or I will have to take money out of savings to take care of it. I really need to start thinking about putting away my credit cards.

The snow: We got a tonne of snow. I live in Southern Ontario so we don't often get big storms. But we got lots. Snow really throws things off around here. The city and town don't have the equipment to deal with all this snow, so it takes a long time for things to get cleared. Plus, people here are not used to driving in the snow. No buses to school, so I kept my kids home. I worked from home today, and managed to get done what I needed to in between requests for snacks and games up high. I shoveled 3 times today. Thankfully we have good neighbours, and we all helped each other out. The snow has stopped, and I am not sure if we are expecting more.
Tara






iVillage Member
Registered: 04-10-2003
Fri, 12-19-2008 - 5:41pm

I like this thread!


The good: I am DONE my Christmas shopping and stuck with my budget! I have to get the receipts together to show my sister so she can pay me half. I also snowflaked $175 to my cc's to bring the total to just under $5000.00!


The bad: I found out I have more vacation days then I thought (which is good) but now I am SOOOOOO tempted to go on vacation! There are some crazy deals available and its taking all my willpower to say no, lol.


The snowstorm: Well we have been getting pounded with snow for a while now. Our first major snowstorm hit the day the transit system went on strike (they still are!!!). We are anticipating a lot more snow in the next few days so I am getting ready to shovel!


Bex -


"Yesterday is history, tomorrow is a mystery, today is a gift -thats why its called the present."


Starting debt $6000.00


Current debt $5138.00


Starting Efund $250.00


Current Efund $650.00


Bex -

iVillage Member
Registered: 07-05-2006
Fri, 12-19-2008 - 6:50pm

The good: My mom is giving us $200 dollars for Christmas. A good family friend sent us a check for $100 dollars for Christmas. That's all money I wasn't expecting this month. It's going to help keep us up to date on the mortgage we slaved to catch up on.


The bad: My husbands

iVillage Member
Registered: 07-22-2008
Fri, 12-19-2008 - 6:54pm
Does your company allow unused vacation days to be cashed out? If that is an option, just tell yourself that you have no more vacations days, like you already thought. Your employer can give you a check for the days you didn't use up, and you can snowball it! Sounds like a great Christmas present to yourself :)
Avatar for cl_beckymk
iVillage Member
Registered: 03-19-2003
Fri, 12-19-2008 - 7:07pm

Umm...yeah...the snowstorm...I'll 2nd that.

Avatar for earnhardt_jr_fan
iVillage Member
Registered: 03-25-2003
Fri, 12-19-2008 - 7:20pm

The good: Dh and I both worked a lot of extra hours over the last few weeks, so our checks have been larger than normal. We were able to catch up on our bills AND have money leftover to buy our kids things they wanted for Christmas. We've had some very slim Christmases in the recent past (due to dh's layoff and then loss of that job), so I'm extremely happy to be able to buy my kids things they may want/need. It makes me feel good. They're good kids (good grades, good behavior and VERY understanding about us not being able to afford certain things sometimes).


The bad: We had a situation with GMAC that resulted in us having to turn in our car to them (it's a VERY long and VERY convuluted story). I understand the economy has caused a credit crunch and finance companies are tightening their belts, but this situation COULD have been avoided with a little compromise on their part. They refused, so we returned the car to them. It wasn't worth the stress anymore. It really wasn't.


The Snowstorm: We received 8"+ last night. This is added to the snow we got on Tuesday AND we're supposed to get more over the weekend. Who ticked off Mother Nature? Whew.

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Photobucket
iVillage Member
Registered: 04-10-2003
Fri, 12-19-2008 - 7:46pm
Thats a good idea, but unfortunately I can't cash them out until I've accumulated a certain amount (15). It actually works well because we are planning a trip to Australia and I need at least 15 days so those extra mean I don't have to take them all at once! Thanks for the thought!!!

Bex -


"Yesterday is history, tomorrow is a mystery, today is a gift -thats why its called the present."


Starting debt $6000.00


Current debt $5138.00


Starting Efund $250.00


Current Efund $650.00


Bex -

iVillage Member
Registered: 07-10-2003
Fri, 12-19-2008 - 8:16pm

The good(?) sorta


The van is still chugging along. I got the fuel injection cleaner to put in it when i gas up tonite.

iVillage Member
Registered: 12-21-2004
Fri, 12-19-2008 - 9:09pm
Send us some snow!
iVillage Member
Registered: 10-02-2008
Sun, 12-21-2008 - 10:17am

For us:


The bad- I'm not keeping in budget this month, I've used my credit cards for most of my Christmas