This is it, but I knew it, my weekend job is coming to an end. Usually, spring and the summer are among their real busy months, but this year, seems like major contracts had been assigned to other companies and well, I may not be working at my weekend job until September. I am working this weekend. Today I came back from work and was tired. Yesterday, I went watched La Compagnie Créole at the Francopholies (a Montreal French festival) and it was really great. After their show, there was other shows, like Xavier Caféine that I wanted to see, but I was way too tired and remember, I have no more metro pass so after the show of La Compagnie Créole, I have to walk back home, around 45 minutes I guess but still. I just wake up, around 2 hours of sleep and here I am, looking at my overall situation and my investment portfolio.
I am not making that of a salary but I always been able to manage everything that could happen to me, financially speaking. And here am I, soon without my weekend job. Not that I was making that much money, but I knew the work and the salary I was earning allow me to pay my rent, among other. With that job plus my daytime job, I have to say, everything was working perfectly well. I taught maybe I was going to have work for July, but it might not be. Even for next week, I am on « stand by » I was told, so I will see what happen. In a certain way, I just cannot wait to spend my weekend at doing stuff I want. Montreal is really great in the summer (despite the Quebeckers lol) and the Jazz Festival is coming really soon! Many great bands. I don’t know most of the band that are coming to play, if not just Lionel Richie. The ticket is a bit expensive for me so I won’t see him. BUT I will be seeing the free shows and maybe one show at the Astral, new theater, very great. It will change to see shows always standing on my 2 feet. That can be quite exhausting after a couple of hours, especially after a day spends at wok. Last year, I wasn’t able to see too much shows of the Jazz Festival as I was working during the evening. But now, I will be able to go see all the shows I want.
Even if I am out of a weekend job, I will be able to make ends meet. I will be missing the money and I will definitively not be able to make any new investment in the upcoming weeks but – can’t you imagine the freedom of not working 2 days in a row? I had been working during the weekend non stop from January to June now, which makes 6 months. From what I had experiment so far with my weekend job, I am always getting out of work every 6 months or so. Which mean that my time had come...
So now, I am stock in a position where I want some free time (2 days off in a row, think about that! lol) and reaching my financial goal, which is to reach 100 000$ in assets in case you don’t know lol – and all that by the end of 2010. But if it doesn’t happen, it won’t be the end of the world either. At this time, I am pretty more into free time than getting involved in a job search. So what’s going to happen to the Dividend Girl? Am I going to survive? And the big question: will I have financial trouble among the way? That’s all depend.
Let’s take a look at my budget.
This is my real frugal budget for the upcoming month:
Rent: 545$
Internet: 50$
Student loan: 99$
Credit card 1: 50$
Credit card 2: 26$
RSP loan: 108$
Credit line number 1: 150$
Credit line number 2: 100$
TOTAL: 1 133$
Yeah, I know……. Quite some money!
I will be making 250$ in payment on my credit lines. That money can be withdraw and use for other things in case of need. But of course, might be a good idea to take just in case of real needs.
Let’s say, anyhow:
1 133$ - 250$ = 883$
883$ is the amount of money going to rent and minimum credit card payments. I can handle this amount of minimum require. And of course, no metro pass… sniff sniff… lol.
And what about groceries? You know, like eating food oh lollllllll! I didn’t forget about it. I put myself on a 40$ grocery per week, for an amount of 160$ per month….
883$ + 160$ = 1 043$
At 1 043$, I will be able to meet ends without selling any of my investment. I will also be able to save around 300$ in cash each month also…
The hilarious part is the 160$ spend on groceries. Will I be able to spend as low as 30$ per month on groceries? Guess I am having no choices! Perhaps, this is just so the perfect time to begin a diet and finally loose that baby fat! Just soooo the perfect timing, just 2 months before my birthday. I may fit in a bikini by than, who knows? And if it happens, I promise a picture! LOL!!!!!!!!!! Time to watch out, the Dividend Girl getting ready to fit in a bikini. And a real small one! lol! Can you imagine, 120$ in grocery per month??? No more Second Cup coffees, that’s for sure.
Anyhow, as I am getting all excited, I have real good news for my old colleagues of BMO Bank of Montreal: Wal-Mart is going to offer banking services all across Canada at a super low price! Isn’t great? BMO Bank of Montreal will stop being ripped off by incompetents! Say hello to Wal-Mart, say hello to tiny little banking fees (and my tiny bikini)! Hurrah to Wal-Mart! The summer is going to be HOT. Real hot!
Ok……. REWIND, let’s go back to my very own personal financial situation.
Just to say quickly that I will be living on that kind of difficult budget until my weekend job come back or until I find another job. But for now, just thinking about having the upcoming weekends just all for myself make me feel happy. At a point, I could also cash in my dividend if I want to have a bit more comfortable living to bring an around 360$ extra in the house per month. But at this time, everything stay the same, and the 100 000$ assets goal stay on « stand by ».
I had received this weekend 14.42$ in dividend from Pengrowth Energy Trust (PGF.UN) and earned one extra unit. For the month of June so far, I am at 229.34$ in dividend earnings and for 2010 so far, I am at 1 590.64$. Very far behind the Dividend Lover who is at close to 19 000$ in dividend earnings (check that out!), but when it come to dividend, I compete with my own little self, not with the big guys like Dividend Lover. You know, got to keep it real.
Of course I wasn’t planning living on a so tight budget ever in my life but my laid off of BMO Bank of Montreal wasn’t plan either. (!!!!).
And what else? Just one last thing!
I had close to 8 000$ at 4.5% in a credit card balance transfert that’s going to end in October and an exact 1 273.88$ at 3.5% ending in September… After what, the interest rate will be of 19% or somehing like it… We might be only in June, but time pass by so quickly... and September and October are not that far away… So what are the alternatives?
-Pray God to be target for a credit card balance transfert at low interest.
-Ask TD for a credit line increase.
-Check out at RBC for a credit line.
Yep………… DIFFICULT isn’t?
Why having it simple and nice when everything can be complex and……. so difficult lol……… It’s going to be a very fun summer! I am still in search of a solution at this time.