Getting slowly out of debt

I just paid over 1 500$ in credit card debts today. Outch! I just begin to realize that it's a lot of money! I am proud that it's been paid of. I just had put over 1 400$ in checks that I had and that I couldn't depose because I didn't have the time previously. So now it's done.

I am missing Internet at home so I am at a cafe and I through I should write a couple of lines to shear me up a little. I had spotted a couple of jobs, I just need to apply to them today and give a few phone calls later on. I just hope to be able to find something near a metro station. The great thing about being in Montreal is everything mostly French, so I don't need to get too nervous about an English résumé. I do have one, but each time, I am anxious it might not be written properly. There's a difference between writing for fun on a blog and writing a professional résumé. Anyway, I will only upgrade my French résumé for now.

The good thing about my situation is that I have, since last June, unemployment benefits. So I don't have to stress that much if I don't find a job right away. I used to have one day job, and an evening and weekend job. I gave up on the day job yesterday for different reasons and I plan to fill something about it because of the different things that happen to me there. I believe I will be able to receive as much as 7 000$ for different things that had happen and that I won't write down here. I have a co-worker of mine who got unfairly fired. I didn’t get fire, but something being unemployed is better than being employed. Anyway, I only was receiving about 400$ after that from that job. I might receive unemployment benefits this week.

Anyway, it's not those small little things that will slow me down for now. I am happy to be able to pay off some debts even if my employment situation is not super great. At least for now.

My mutual funds are all in the red for now...

My mutual funds are all in the red and right now, I didn't make any money out of them. I had more than 10 000$ in mutual funds and I begin to think it might be too much. I begin to worried recently, knowing I can loose everything in a day, or make a few bucks in a day.

For now, since it's all in red, I will try to keep it this way. But I also worried because my situation as a worker is quite not stable and now that my rent is a little bit more expensive than it's use to be, I barely don't know what to do with myself...

I have a job interview this evening. Since I am currently working (I am at my break right now), the recruiter wanted to see me in the evening. So I believe it's a good sign. I will learn more this evening.

How fast will I be to reach my first 50 000$?

I am only missing about 16 000$ and something now in order to reach my first 50 000$ and I am geeting excited about it! My situation is getting back on track I believe. I have a job interview on Monday for a new day job (since my present contract ends on December 4) and I work tomorrow and Friday evenings on what use to be my everyday-of-the-week-evening-job. It will make a little extra. I really need money to cover my moving expenses and everything that come with it. I am getting Sympatico Internet soon. I should get it by next week.

I am getting so use to run everywhere, and when it’s stop, I just don’t stand myself. I am too use to work on the evening. When I get back home, after my day job, I wonder what I am doing here. Why am I not at work? So am checking here and there for another evening job. But I have to say that I am getting use of being off on evenings. I get in bed early and I wake up early enough to eat breakfast and make myself coffee that I can drink before getting to the job. My main goal now is too reach my 50 000 bucks as soon as I can and I can’t afford lossing time and money on a job place that only use me as back up because I am not able to be there on time for the evening shift, whatever the job is about.

My situation on date of November 5, 2007

I had move this Saturday in my new place. The apartment is kind of quite. All my stuff fit in it. It has a few furniture in it, bridge stove, bed, mattress, a small table and 2 chairs. I was quite happy to finally move in. The moving cost me about 130$. Add to that the cost of some stuff that I need to buy, but it didn't cost me more than 200$ so far.

The place is very quite, even if it's not far away from St-Denis. So I believe I have a good deal.

Now, that I am all fix, I can now concentrate in my job search. Unfortunately, for my evening and weekend job, I can only start at 17h in order to be bale to do the evening shift, witch is quite impossible for now. The soonest I can arrive is 17h30... Anyway, every week, it's between 150$ to 200$ that is missing in my pockets and it's disturbing me, knowing that my day job contract will end on December 4. But I am quite lucky, because I have the unemployment insurance that I benefit since last June. But since June, the only thing I got from the unemployment insurance is something like 350$, because I had been working the whole time. So I believe that if I don't work after December 4, I will have the unemployment insurance, which I can receive as much as 410$ weekly. Anyway, for now, I can only work during the weekend on what use to be my evening and weekend job.

Now that I am no more working during evening, I will try to find another evening job. That's the only thing that is going on for me at the present time. I also plan to do some search for my RRSP, where I should put my money for this year. I will try to do better than last year. Last year, I was way too much at the last minute. The goal for me is to be able to find at least another day job that could start on December 10 and than, I will be able to invest the amount I am able to put for this year in my RRSP. So for now, it's all about planning.

Picking the best mutual funds is now easier than ever

I had been checking over MorningStar today and I was quite excited when I find out about their new Fund Analyst Picks.

The site present the picks of their analyst. So no more guessing or searching for beginner. That is the list I had been waiting for!

Only one of my mutual funds is in the list. And it's RBC O'Shaughnessy Canadian Equity Fund. Of course!

When everything seems to go wrong

I wrote this blog title in regard with what have happen lately in my personal life. I have to deal with a moving that's coming early on November 2, a contract ending on December 4 and, like if it wasn't enough yet, trouble at my evening and weekend job.

My moving come at a very bad time. But it's not because I am living on contract that I don't need a roof under my head. As soon that problem is solve, well it's partly solve in a way because I have find myself a place to live, I already pack most of my stuff. I am all ready to go, I just need to actually do the moving. It will be done this Friday.

But even before Friday, I will have to see what's happening for my evening and weekend job. Usually, I was able to give the hours that I could do. I usually do between 20 to 33 hours at that job. I had just learn this evening from a co-worker that the situation had changed and that we were not able to do that anymore and that we had to respect fix schedule if we wanted to work. The problem is that their evening shift start at 17h. But unfortunately for me, until December 4, I cannot be there at 17h. The earliest I can be there is 17h30. And I prefer to say 18h to make sure I don't arrive late.

Anyway, I don't know what much about the changes made because they had a reunion and I haven't been able to attend, since I was at my day job. But they new about it. I guess I will learn more this Thursday, when I will give my hours for next week.

Everything was going fine and I really didn't need a problem like that at this time. I need a flexible evening job. I don't have any problem for Saturday and Sunday, but a problem appear for the evening shift. I need to make an extra 300$ weekly and at that job, I was able to do so. Those extra bucks paid for my living expenses, the rest can go for savings.

I barely know where I am going right now. It's a good thing I had been able to put some money in savings. It's a security, knowing that I have money waiting for me in case of need. All those problems affect my financial situation and I am kind of all stress out right now between my moving, a job that my schedule might had to change and a job endings in December.

My best picks...

They are :

RBC O'Shaughnessy Canadian Equity Fund: 3 445.13$
[Initial investment: 3 000$]: +445.13$
RBC O'Shaughnessy All-Canadian Equity Fund: 1 174.14$
[Initial investment: 1 000$]: +174.14
Fonds Desjardins Fidelity Frontière Nord MD: 1 337.20$
[Initial investment: 1 000$]: +337.20$
Maritime Life Fidelity True North Seg Fund: 1 137.39$
[Initial investment: 1 000$]: +137.39$
Desjardins Energy and Base Metals Term Savings (Indexed term savings): 636.37$
[Initial investment: 500$]: +136.37$

So far, my best investments are with the Canadian mutual funds.

My worst picks…

They are :

RBC O'Shaughnessy International Equity Fund: 986.70$ [Initial investment: 1 000$]: -13.30$
RBC U.S. Mid-Cap Equity Fund C$: 2258.57$ [Initial investment: 2 300$]: -41.43$
Maritime Life International Equity Fund (Templeton) (closed): 912.43$
[Initial investment: 1 000$]: -87.57$
Maritime Life Trimark Europlus Seg Fund: 881.92$
[Initial investment: 1 000$]: -118.08$

Total of money lost: -260.38$

Those investments make me loose money! I plan to get ride of the RBC O'Shaughnessy International Equity Fund and the RBC U.S. Mid-Cap Equity Fund C$ as soon as possible, once I will recover from the money lost. In the meantime, the money stay where it is. Unfortunately for me, there’s nothing I can do regarding the Maritime Life International Equity Fund (Templeton) and Maritime Life Trimark Europlus Seg Fund since I sign a contract of 20 years for those. I don’t know if the money can be put in another Seg Fund without any lost.

Does money worth the scarified?

I have been deeply thinking about my situation lately and I have to tell, I find myself quite funny with that first 50 000$ things, when you think of it. But at the same time, reaching my first 50 000$ mean so much to me!

But after I reach that first 50 000$, what happen? Will I still working all those hours in order to reach, what can I say, my first 75 000$, and then my first 100 000? Only me can answer those questions and I can already response yes. After my 50 000$, there will be that 75 000$ I will want to reach. If I think of the whole idea in a reasonable way, it’s just making no sense, knowing the number of hours per week I work. But I prefer to keep my stay of mind as wild as possible and forgive about the reasonable part.

Even if my career situation is not super great, I actually have not a steady day job, so in order to make sure I have enough for my living expenses. Because hey, I don’t won’t to take money from that 30 000$ and something I already have for my living. So for now, I usually work between 47-67 hours weekly for a salary (if I combined the 2 jobs) of 12$ per hour. I have been going on like this since last June and I am quite impressed of my result. But this means that if I want to have a good amount of savings per month, I have to keep going on like that. I have got a big crash down when I try to save money by not buying any coffee. That was a mistake from me because I was feeling more than tired, I will say exhaust. But can only coffee alone has that effect on me? I am quite shock. Since I am moving soon, I took some time off from my evening and weekend so I can prepare my moving. I will definitely shop for a coffee maker and a thermo this weekend. I cannot stand the situation any time longer. My only luxury thing is coffee and I cannot live any much longer without morning and evening coffee.

Shopping moving

I have some stuff to buy and I would like to buy them before moving, so I will only have to transport the new things with the things I already have. I have to buy a coffee maker, a thermo, coffee, small vacuum cleaner, a toaster and a few things for the kitchen but nothing much. I should be able to buy the little things at Dollarama. That make extra expenses, but I believe I can pay a little vacuum not more than 40$, a coffee maker for about 25$, 15$ for the coffee, 25$ also for a toaster. I should be able to get it all for less that 120$. Another expensive thing is having the actual moving. I didn’t take care of that part yet but I just hope I will be able to make it happen at a cheap cost. I will be moving on November 2 or 3 and I just can’t wait to be there.