Paid off a credit card

On Friday, I paid off a credit card that I've had for over a decade. It felt good.

I actually had to call customer service to get the final payoff balance. I had to wait another seven minutes on hold to have the woman calculate it.

I was on hold for nearly half an hour. At least I got the payoff total that I needed.

That's one problem about Canadian banks. They aren't upfront with your final balance. You are expected to pay what you owe on your statement. You then wait for another statement that calculates the interest.

I like how my bank in the US does it. There's the payoff balance and your statement balance for credit cards and lines of credit. You know exactly how much to pay off. You don't need to call customer service to have someone calculate the payoff balance for you.

Weird, Canada.

I'm happy that I have got rid of a loan and a credit card so far this year. My financial situation is looking better.

Long weekend and loan payments are over

Last week, I got great news. I had finished paying off my personal loan five months early. I felt great.

I have been making payments every two weeks for just over the last three years. I like freeing up those payments to put towards my other debt.

It's the long Victoria Day weekend here. I have been catching up on a few things while trying to relax. It has been nice so far. 

Loans update

Yes, loans is plural. 

For the last two years, I have been paying off a secured loan. The idea is to pay money towards this loan and build equity. The regular payments, in turn, contribute to building your credit history and score.

I realized that I truly didn't need this loan. I was doing fine steadily paying my my debt of regularly. I wanted to simply pay off this loan. It was a huge lesson learned.

Well, I had the opportunity to get out of this loan by taking out a regular loan. I don't get why I needed the second loan, but I did it.

I have officially closed the first loan. I got my equity back, which I immediately put in my RRSP  (Registered Retirement Savings Plan) account. 

I paid off the new loan immediately. Yesterday, I called the loan folks and got confirmation that it is both paid off in full and closed.

As for paying off my debt, it's still going well. I look forward to seeing the amount that I owe go down. It's satisfying to see my progress. It's like night and day between my financial situation a year ago versus what it currently is.

Visa debit and loan update

Yesterday, I paid off my loan in full. It is the first time that I have done it within two days of opening the loan account up. It feels weird, but I'm glad that I am not paying it off in 48 months.

My bank is setting up its bank cards with Visa debit. I have requested a new bank card. I was invited to make the request. I'm not sure if everyone who has a bank card gets invited and it's just a formality, or the bank is rolling this update out to customers in waves. It's be great, as I can use my debit card as a credit card should I making online transactions.

I'm waiting for the equity from my secured loan to get deposited into my account. It takes up to five business days. This loan is officially closed. I'm pleased.

Sick day, Raptors parade, crying, and loan

I decided to take a sick day on Monday. I am still getting rid of a cold and a mild cough. I also needed time for myself. Call it a healing day.

I went out to a movie and saw John Wick: Chapter 3 - Parabellum. I have seen every John Wick movie. This one was okay. It wasn't my favourite. If you like tons of sword-slaying and gun-shooting action, this movie is for you.

Monday was also the Toronto Raptors parade. I decided not to partake, as I would be miserable all congested with a bunch of people for hours. I watched the entire parade and other coverage on TV. I cried. It was tears of joy and pride. I also felt good that I could let out a good cry. I haven't been able to since my guy broke up with me.

One final milestone on Monday was that I paid off my loan that I have had for years. My loan account no longer exists when I log in to my bank app. I am proud of myself for paying it off. I have more flexibility to allocate what I used to pay towards my loan to paying off other debt. I also want to save again and bulk up my emergency fund.

Side gig

I have a side gig. Or, some would call it a side hussle. It's interesting. It just happened.

For a while, I have been writing reviews on a social app. Someone recently noticed and wants me to do the same thing. What's different is that I get paid for this work. Hey, that's different!

I do the same thing as I've been doing for a few years now. I visit business as the customer that I am. If I'm ordering and eating food, I write about all of that. If I'm getting my car serviced, I write about my experience. I get paid for doing it now.

I got my first payment for my first review yesterday. The extra money comes handy these days. Although my debt situation has improved a ton, I am three loan payments away from paying it off completely. That extra money will go towards even more aggressive payoff of my credit cards.

It's cool. We'll see how things go.

Unexpected money

Something unexpected happened to me the other day. I'll need to explain a bit of background.

On Wednesday, I received a notification e-mail from the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA), indicating that I had a new message waiting for me. I was pretty busy with work that I didn't have a chance to log on to the site and check my account.

I check my finances fairly often. I logged into my bank account after work and noticed that I had more money than usual. I looked closer and it said that I got a tax refund. That's funny. I haven't filed my tax return for 2018 yet.

I didn't know if it was a mistake with the deposit. Years ago, my back accidentally deposited $15,000 into my chequing account. I didn't touch it. A day later, the amount reversed by my bank. I wasn't sure if it was the same thing.

I finally got around to logging on to my CRA online account. My tax return for 2017 got reassessed and I ended up with a refund, including interest. Nice!

The amount pays for my recent round-trip flight to Dallas and my car rental. Yay!

Amusement park

In a few hours, I am going to Canada's Wonderland. I haven't been there since I was an undergraduate student.

I am fortunate to be going a day before the park officially opens to the public. It's a paid-for event and I am grateful to be a part of it.

I normally sleep in on Saturday. This event is worth breaking my cycle.

A week ago, I asked my guy whether he'd like to go. Unfortunately, he can't. It would have been fun to be at a amusement park with him. We have never done that before.

Anyway, I am looking forward to going. It's expected to rain. I hope that it's not all day.