Busy workday and bonus pay

It was a busy workday on Tuesday. The day flew by. I loved it.

Diva woman drives me crazy. I asked for her feedback last Friday. She provided it yesterday. Ugh!

She also said that she had "a couple" of thoughts, which ended up being three. A couple is two. Double ugh!

My friend, who is also my colleague, asked me about when we typically get our bonus pay. It's coming up. It's typically the last pay period in March. It feels like you have won the jackpot because you get your bonus pay with your regular paycheque.

I like looking forward to a surplus of money. 

Travelling in December and January

The other night, I booked my first flight in over 1.5 years. I am flying to the States just before Christmas. I'm spending three weeks there.

I am hoping that it'll still be safe to travel by then. I am there to attend three hockey games and to pay my respects to my friend.

I am contemplating whether I want to fly in late November. I can see two hockey games and work away from home, but away from home, if you catch my drift. 

Hair salons and Canada Day

As expected, hair salons were busy the first day out of lockdown. I did a quick look at an app that I have with my salon and there was a three-hour wait.

I will wait to get my hair cut next week at the earliest. Perhaps things will be better then.

I had a nice day doing my usual grocery run earlier in the afternoon. I ended up shopping at a couple of places that I haven't dropped by in over three months. It felt great and freeing.

My pay got deposited a day early. Today's Canada Day. Many have heavy hearts this holiday, but there is always something good to look forward to.

Pay and my bank

I like payday. It's supposed to happen every consecutive Thursday.

I also like my bank. It has always deposited my pay directly into my account on Wednesday night instead of Thursday before I wake up. It used to be after 10 pm on Wednesday. These days, it's at 5 pm.

Crazy. It's also perfect. I go grocery shopping after work on Wednesdays. I feel rich.

Dental appointment and an emergency fund

I've got a dental appointment later this morning. I'm having routine cleaning and an impression done to get a mouth guard. I grind my teeth at night. My current mouth guard needs replacing.

In the past, the dental office would submit claims on my behalf. During this pandemic, it now requires that I shell out the cost first, and then submit my claim to get reimbursed. It's quite the hardship for customers who don't have the money available. I have been fortunate to have established an emergency fund, so it'll temporarily pay for this cost and I'll put the money back in this account once my claim is processed.

I'd say that nearly two years ago, I never had an emergency fund. I have come a long way.

Bonus pay, relief, and friend

I gave my presentation online for work yesterday. It went well. I always feel great and relieved after it's done.

It's raining right now. I like rain at night. I find it soothing.

Yesterday, I got my bonus in addition to my paycheque. It feels good being temporarily rich. I have put the bonus towards paying off my debt, which continues to go well.

It's Friday at long last. I am seeing a friend, who is also my colleague, on Saturday. We haven't seen each other since last September. I am excited to catch up with her.

Shopping thoughts

I have been more nostalgic and reflective as of late than I typically am. I had a talk with a friend who is in the same boat. She blames it on the pandemic.

My region will have many restrictions eased as of Monday. It has been in lockdown for over two months. Yesterday, I went into a different part of the province where stores were open again. I didn't have any inclination to visit them.

It is one change that I have noticed since this pandemic started. I don't have a desire to go shopping and browse. I like curbside pickup. I look at what I want online, pay either online or at the store, and pick up my order. Done!

I simply get groceries and items at the drugstore. I also get takeout.

I haven't been to major stores, such as Walmart and Costco, since this pandemic started. I don't feel comfortable in them.

Maybe the urge to visit major malls and large stores will come back once we are all vaccinated. Right now, visiting them isn't a priority. 

Dental appointment

It has been a year since I visited my dentist. I finally go in for my appointment in a few hours.

Things will be different. In the past, the dental office filed my claims on my behalf. With the pandemic, I have to pay upfront and file it myself.

The downside is that paying upfront isn't cheap. However, my insurance does have a quick payment turnaround. Funds from any claim that I file directly goes into my chequing account.

I have to call the office from the parking lot. I also have to wear shoe covers that the dental office will provide.

It's definitely a change going to the dentist's office.

Debt reduction update

I haven't written about my debt reduction progress for a bit, other than continuing to save money staying at home. Commuting to the office is gone. I don't fill up my car with gas all that often. I go out twice a week for groceries, essentials, and takeout to help my favourite restaurants out.

As a result, I have more disposable income. It has been great contributing to my retirement saving and regular savings accounts. I had to dip into the former when my debt situation wasn't great. I didn't have an emergency fund. My regular savings account is that emergency fund that I have wanted and needed.

I get paid this week. It's a huge turning point. I will be paying off my line of credit completely. I am thrilled.

I do recommend having a budget and sticking to it, no matter how great or grave your debt situation is. I have been using an Google Sheets spreadsheet for a while and it does wonders. It's a question of being disciplined sticking to your budget, which is the toughest part.

Getting a cold and getting paid early

I feel like I'm getting a cold. It's sucks. My throat is sore and I'm drinking lemony water to soothe it.

I get paid every other Thursday. What I love about my bank is that it deposits my pay on Wednesday night, just after 10 pm. It gives me time to pay my bills at home, rather than waiting to get home on Thursday night to do it.

Little things make me content.

Purchasing a jacket that I thought I didn't need, but actually do

The other night, I realized that I had some GAPcash left. It means that if I spend $50 at either a regular GAP store or its outlet, I can get $20 off. That's not bad at all.

My problem? As much as I love this store, I don't exactly need anything. Well, that's what I thought.

I drove over there after work on Monday. There was a lightweight puffy jacket that was 50% off. I actually needed one. I have had mine for five years and it was falling apart. Some of the stuffing (yes, the fluff inside the jacket) was coming out of the sleeves and sides. I didn't get rid of it last year because it is perfect for me. I got a replacement jacket and it is too warm when it's not nippy outside. It works better when it's the middle of winter and it's truly cold.

Anyway, I tried this jacket on and I liked it. I got it. I'm so happy.

I had another GAPcash coupon left. I knew that I wasn't going to use it, as it was the last day that it was valid. Instead, I gave it to an older female shopper who asked how much a coat was. The cashier who had helped me out said that it was $55. She could get it for $35 with the coupon.

It's nice to pay it forward and make someone's day.

August staycation and pay

It's August. Summer seems to be breezing by fast!

The long weekend is coming up. I am doing a mini staycation. I am looking forward to it.

I have a few things to pack. I have travelled a fair amount in July that pretty much everything I need is still in that one piece of luggage.

I like August. I get paid three times, which makes me feel rich for a brief period. It's good.

Pay raise - yay!

Good news! I got a raise. It's a miracle, considering how things are going at work.

My raise is 3% of my base salary, which is higher than the norm without our department. I am grateful. I haven't got a raise for the last two years.

I am looking forward to having some extra money. Naturally, it will go towards my debt.

Bonus pay + interviews = good news

I got a glimpse of how much my bonus pay will be before taxes are taken off. It's impressive! We'll see how much is left after the dust settles on Thursday.

There is a good chance that I will be doing a short road trip to interview prospective students for our next work term. It's exciting.

I'm off to bed. I'm exhausted with all this good news!

Optimistic outlook on my finances

It's a long weekend for folks here. Let me tell you that it's much needed.

I am optimistic about my finances this year. A loan that I have had for nearly five years ago will be paid off at either the end of May or early June. This loan was to consolidate a large amount of debt. It frees up money to put towards other debt, which won't be a whole lot when I get there.

The toughest part is getting through the next three months. Last year, my debt situation required that I dip into my retirement savings. For years, I did not touch it. I had no choice last year. You get dinged for taking this money out before you retire, which will be reflected in my income tax return. My thinking is that I had to deal with being behind with my debt payments that it was worth the risk taking money out of my retirement savings.

With the loan payments being over in early summer, I will be able to put money back into my retirement savings and build it up. This plan makes me happy.

I have come a long way. It will be nice to get back to having my finances back in check.

Attractive manager, and handjobs and blowjobs

I have a love-hate relationship with my current job position. I love training folks and working with students. I like research. I dislike incompetence and my huge workload. That's nothing new.

I was talking about it with my guy. We both don't exactly like the company's direction. We just grin and bear it.

My guy still urges me to continue finding employment elsewhere. I pointed out that I have not had a standard-of-living raise within the last two years. I have not received a bonus within the last three years.

I am currently dealing with a new project manager who thinks that she knows everything. Yet, she chimes into e-mails, which is irrelevant and adds more grief than necessary. She then flips it around to indicate that I seem unclear. Whatever. The proof is within the e-mail transcript that she is delusional.

She has set up a meeting for me to step through two documents for a final review with folks. I find it a waste of time, as we went through a first round of reviews. She can step people through it. After all, it's her meeting. I don't need to be there to walk folks through documents. People can read. She can handle this walk-through exercise, since she knows everything. Yes, read that last sentence with sarcasm.

She is a horrible communicator. I don't know where we get such incompetent project managers. Naturally, my manager just sits there and does nothing. It's probably because I have been handling everything well on my own.

Anyway, my guy and I had this chat about the situation.

"I think that it's great that you are looking for employment, as not getting any salary raise is not ideal," he sympathized.
"Yes, I haven't stopped. I just haven't found the right job," I noted.
"Fair enough. Once you find an attractive job, you can make your move," he agreed.
"If you were my attractive manager, I would definitely work for you. You'd have a job for me. A hand job, at least," I said.
"If I were your manager, we'd be doing a ton of jobs, like handjobs and blowjobs," he said.

It's nice when we incorporate some teasing and role-playing into our serious conversations.

Cheesecake and generosity

I have decent team members on my team.

A colleague, who is my mini-me as far as work ethic goes, has a birthday coming up. I suggested that I get a cheesecake to celebrate within our team. I had visited this bakery a month ago and loved what I had sampled. The catch is that this bakery is five minutes away from where she lives. For me, it would take me an hour to get there.

She offered to pick up a cheesecake for our team to celebrate a couple of milestones. I had a coupon and gave it to her. The discount was for one cheesecake. She bought two after hearing my raving about it. The bakery gave her the discount on both cheesecakes. Nice!

"Excellent! I'm glad you got a discount on both," I texted her.
"Me, too. It was a start-the-car moment... lol," she replied.
"Let me know how much I owe you," I noted.
"Nah, don't worry about it. You always bring stuff in," she replied.

I'm glad that I'm rubbing off on the team. It was a kind gesture on her part.

Gifts

My guy was sweet to offer to split the hotel room rate the other weekend. On the second day, he came over to my hotel room and remembered.

"Let me pay before I forget," he said, taking out his wallet.
"It's okay. You don't have to," I said to him.
"Yes, I do. How come you don't want me to pick up my fair share?" he asked me.
"You got me gifts," I indicated, looking at the cookbook and cute plush owl.
"I will always buy you gifts," he said, sweetly.

He spoils me. He truly is my gift.

Banking changes - what is old is new again

I have been with my current bank for over two decades. Back then, I had made the switch from one bank to this one due to a change in credit card (the bank changed from Visa to MasterCard) at the former.

To make a long story short, I had made a payment to the new credit card and the transaction got lost electronically. I didn't like the response that I got from that bank -- that nothing could be done. Instead, I cancelled all my accounts with this bank and moved my accounts over to a different one.

Two decades later, I am in the same predicament. Within the last month, my bank has made a couple of atrocious withdrawals from my account, which has caused a lot of stress. The latest one involved a transaction that came out of my account a week early and messed up my payment plans. I was livid and it happened during the Thanksgiving long weekend.

Ever since these two recent incidents, I have decided to change banks yet again. The funny thing is that my new bank isn't really new. I have always had a no-fee chequing account with this bank. I never bothered to use it until now.

I made the bold step the other day by changing my banking information with payroll. Once I see my pay get deposited to my newish chequing account next week, I will continue moving my various accounts over.

It's exciting to make such a change. I will also be saving on monthly fees. I don't know why I didn't make the switch sooner, but it's definitely better to do it now than to continue down this horrible fee path.

Payday means ben wa balls

I get paid every other Thursday. This pay period, I decided to revisit ben wa balls.

Months ago, I wrote about how intrigued I was about getting them. It happens when you watch Fifty Shades Darker, I suppose.

I want to get either glass or metal ones. The movie had silver ones on string, which would make it easier to remove.

My guy loves the idea of inserting them and having me get aroused when I move about.

Yay, payday!