A Week of Money: Where I spend over $3000 in a span of 2 days
DAY ONE
??:?? — Little Bun Potty.
??:?? — Little Bun Wants Milk.
5:40 a.m. — I wake up and I am super fatigued because Little Bun needed to get up twice last night. Once for the potty and then he wanted milk so I had to give it to him.
5:43 a.m. — I get up, and start getting ready. Little Bun actually enjoys going to school now so he doesn’t squeal any longer. I get a cup of green tea started, Little Bun chooses my accessories for me (outfit was done the night before), and then we do the LookBook and take selfies for Instagram and for fun.
7:23 a.m. — We get to preschool, drop-off was beautiful — they all love him there because he is so sweet.
7:28 a.m. — I get to work, and don’t stop with an emergency until it is 11:30 (except for one cup of tea).
11:37 a.m. — By that time I am beat. I don’t want to go to yoga. I opt to stay in and read more of Michael Ruhlman’s – Soul of a Chef (very good read for foodies / people interested in the culinary world), and I eat my lunch, try to finish off this too-spicy Thai soup that is SCREAMING for vegetables, and rice and is not as yummy as real Tom Yum Goong… and then I eat half a tub of yoghurt which causes someone to exclaim: But how many calories are in that???.. …Er… 700-ish? I am only eating half, I reply defensively. For my lunch I try the Gardein Chicken Tenders and am SUPER surprised at how good it tastes. These I would definitely buy again. They taste like actual chicken tenders.
12:56 p.m. — I run out of time before starting on the chapter with Thomas Keller of French Laundry.
1:42 p.m. — I take another break during work and run to the drug store to buy more, BETTER pregnancy tests that don’t require collecting pee and have ambiguous results of a line that looks faint but you aren’t sure if it’s because it is a faint line meaning you’ve got a new bun in the oven or if it was just badly made. At least I supported Breast Cancer or whatever.
1:46 p.m. — I end up buying the family pack of tests (2 for $16 on sale). I also end up switching my Optimum card to the “”new”” Optimum PC card which means I need a whole new number… no problem. $17.24
1:47 p.m. — Note to self: Next time I see mini Toblerone on sale like after Christmas for $1 I am buying the whole dang stock. Love this stuff.
1:51 p.m. — I get back within 10 minutes and work until my meeting that goes until I leave.
4:22 p.m. — At preschool, I pick up Little Bun and then get sidetracked outside talking to a mother of the little girl Little Bun is BFFs with now..
4:34 p.m. — She exclaims that she is very envious of how smart Little Bun is. Unbeknownst to me, the educators have been bragging about Little Bun to everyone behind my back! What a nice surprise. She is amazed that not only can he do more than basic math now (we are in double-digits addition, and I will work on mastering that with him and then subtraction), he also knows and is interested in all the planets, knows his numbers into the thousands (4-digits), knows basic clock faces with a reference minute clock to show him the minutes corresponding to each number, he can read fluently and quickly in English for his age (4) — his guessing of the words is pretty spot on when he doesn’t know the word but needs to say it, with his pronunciation just a tad off until I correct him, and he also knows a second language although not as fluent as English….
4:40 p.m. — She asks me my “secret” and my only secret I tell her is that I don’t have a TV at home (her kids all know the Paw Patrol and Peppa the Pig characters by heart), I started with letters and numbers around 18 months with him as a game, and I make everything super fun — he actually begs me for math and clock faces at night, and loves it when I challenge him. He has been asking for multiplication lately but I haven’t figured out (am too lazy) a good plan to get him to learn it simply.
5:01 p.m. — She says that her kid is actually a year older than Little Bun and can’t do any of that. She thinks he is super intelligent and I privately wonder if that’s true or if he just doesn’t expend brain energy on things like television and learning the characters versus learning math and words… Who’s to say what is right and what is wrong? I only know what I do with him and it seems to work out. Even when he asks to watch videos lately, and I say “No” quietly but firmly, he isn’t upset and I re-direct him to math on the iPad or other things like that. He does ask for videos (Pete the Cat is his favourite, especially the Buttons story), but he gets bored after about an hour and wants to play Math or Clock Faces or Read. I also think he learns a lot from his “TV” like his nursery rhymes, singing, learning words, and so on. Plus languages.
5:05 p.m. — Little Bun gets bored of the Mommies talking and pulls on my hand HARD to get away to go home. I wave good bye and at home, I try to feed him his soup (he is rejecting all food lately, eating only a third then claiming he isn’t hungry, but then attacking my noodles).. I think he is learning if he waits enough he will get “better food”.. LOL… Little animal.
5:45 p.m. — I do the dishes, clock faces with him and math, I read, I do a load of laundry (two actually), and the day is done.
7:23 p.m. — We all go to bed after I get him ready early, I promise 2 books and he wants four but we negotiate and compromise on three, only if he does Shared Reading with one of the books with me (he did very very well), and then we cuddle and go to sleep.
8:11 p.m. — Every night, what he loves to do is “sleep on Mommy” and he grabs his pillow, smashes it into my face (99% of the time), and then flops on it like a dead log. Then he wants my arm to curve around his back and pat his bum to sleep at a Very Specific Speed. Not too fast, not too slow (and he will tell me — faster! slower! Mommy!)…and then we all sleep. Kind of like this:
Maybe we’re secretly otters in human disguises….
Spent: $17.24
DAY TWO
??:?? — Blankets are all tangled up around him.
??:?? — Blankets again. And a potty run. Then he wants milk but I force him back to bed saying he only gets water. No more of this waking up to “pee” and then get milk early. WTF CHILD.
6:03 a.m. — I wake up fatigued again. This broken sleep is killing me. I also can’t really sleep well during the night — insomnia, worries about work, stuff… and then thinking about the next day. I take a proper stick pregnancy test and then flip out because I see a line… OMG OMG OMG HOW DID THIS HAPPEN?….!!…
6:04 a.m. — Oh. Wait. It needs TWO lines in BOTH windows,…. And thankfully the main window is clear without a line which means.. NO NEW BUN IN THE OVEN! Phew. I am both relieved and disappointed at the same time. Isn’t that strange? I do however, chalk this up to sleep deprivation.
6:22 a.m. — Little Bun tells me he is going to school today and he will have LOTS OF FUN .. and I get ready, take selfies with him of my outfit and then we do a LookBook together. I am layering three necklaces together today — two came in a set from Stella and Dot and then the third was this beautiful Soko horn necklace (sold out, but this one is very cool) a reader gifted me with (<3).. It all goes together in an eclectic way. Little Bun also begged me to pick out my watch today (I may need to get a watch tray so this is easier).
6:37 a.m. — I drink a warm cup of milk while he takes selfies of hmself at his little desk. It’s adorable, really. I drop a load of kitchen towels in to the wash while I am at work. I wish I could program this stuff to do two things: Soak then Wash, but this washer only has one cycle allowed.
6:43 a.m. — I cuddle and kiss and hug him on my lap while he plays and takes photos of us together until it is time to go.
6:54 a.m. — In the car he requests for “An English Song” and only until we get to Liam Payne – Strip it down, does he stop asking me “another English song? Another English song?”
7:23 a.m. — I drop him off at preschool and another little boy around 2 years old is hugging his mother’s legs, refusing to let her go.. Awww… They are SO CUTE at 18 months to about 3 years. Little Bun is still cute now but has lost his “baby face”…
7:33 a.m. — At work, I spread organic garlic hummus on a vegetable pita, and top it with some Gardein Chicken Tenders in Mandarin Orange sauce (VERY YUMMY)…
8:12 a.m. — My Team Lead gets a breakdown of what I am working on and I am definitely going to yoga today after my back to back meetings that start at 10.. Ugh.
9:38 a.m. — I eat a few KitKat Bites (what????.. yummy breakfast treat)…
9:44 a.m. — I don’t know why but I am so HOT lately… I am sweating like crazy and people are freezing around me. What’s going on, body?
9:51 a.m. —Ever since I started iMessaging people it is constant all day. Now I know why people keep texting on their phones. It’s addictive.
9:59 a.m. — I end up getting stuck in an issue that I can’t resolve easily. I got all the way to the end and then ONE LITTLE ISSUE pops up and delays me for a week. SIGH…. I head off to a meeting, rack my brain as to the solution.
11:30 a.m. — After my meeting, I head straight off to yoga. I can’t stay the entire hour but I want to at least go. I have missed about 3 months in total.
11:50 a.m. — I get into the studio, spy some super cute leggings and am at a low point, so I cave and buy them. They are super cute though… $91.06
12:50 p.m. — I go through half the class, leave early, rush back to work on the issue, and decide I found the solution and I update everyone.
1:11 p.m. — I eat my lunch (I overcooked the fake chicken tenders now they’re gross and hard..), and chitchat with coworkers about how they met their spouses. I love hearing these stories.
1:25 p.m. — I check my emails and see my drycleaning for my jacket got picked up. This is so convenient to not have to go to the drycleaners as I go to work every day anyway, so why not do it there? I love convenience. $45.98
1:55 p.m. — I go through my list of To Do items for work and self and try to check off as many as possible. I need to still make that appointment for Little Bun’s vaccination… that’ll be FUN..
2:12 p.m. — I try out my new AirPods and my iPod Touch IMMEDIATELY picks them up and connects with a little real-time pop-up of the Airpod case opening and closing. How cool are these things!? I’m so happy I got them for such a deal.
2:18 p.m. — I call the local clinic (called a “CLSC” here), and I cannot get a damn appointment. I have been trying each day for about a month now and each time they keep telling me they don’t have the schedule yet and can I call back next week? Next month? And now they are asking me to call back in APRIL. Eff this. I am paying for a private clinic. I cannot take this nonsense any more.
2:35 p.m. — I crack open the bag of Kit Kat Bites and eat half of them like a deranged animal. This is why I don’t stock candy near myself. I have zero self control sometimes.
3:07 p.m. — I try to organize my tasks and thoughts before leaving to get Little Bun later, I have a lot to get done and I am not operating well right now. I have had too much on my mind issue-wise. I am glad the weather is warming up at least.
3:18 p.m. — I finish the last bit of the super thick strawberry yoghurt and am totally satisfied. (See? PIG.)
4:01 p.m. — I pick up Little Bun and take him home.
4:22 p.m. — We check the mail before going back to the apartment, and my new Kobo AuraOne came in. SQUEE!!!
4:27 p.m. — We play on the floor and cuddle together, and then I take a shower and let him video tape himself on my mini iPad while I shower.
5:03 p.m. — Little Bun has been really good lately so I have been super pleased with him, except for the fact that he keeps waking up in the middle of the night saying: Maa maa.. maa maaa…??.. and he won’t go back to sleep, will wiggle around and get very agitated unless I reply back “Yes my baby?“… and then wrap my arms around him. I guess he is feeling insecure and maybe he is having nightmares….
5:40 p.m. — My partner comes home and we have a nice avocado, egg and cheese sandwich.
5:49 p.m. — Little Bun for some reason is super clingy tonight. He wants to cuddle, play ‘Baby’, then he wants the iPad, he wants to read, he wants math.. He doesn’t know what he wants. He eats but reluctantly until the end. I feel like he is getting sick, he feels a bit feverish but not dangerously so..
5:49 p.m. — I read books to him, play with my new Kobo AuraOne that arrived in the mail today (SQUEE!). It won’t recognize it in Calibre (my book management software), until I re-download a new update and plugin for this specific e-reader, and it’s done.
6:03 p.m. — I load a FEW books onto the reader (like 30…), and vow to clean up my library list this weekend to mark items that are read, and unread, so that I stop loading books and re-reading them only to realize that I have already read it (like Oprah Winfrey’s – What I know for sure).
6:49 p.m. — I write another cheque, grab a Thank you card (am adulting hard today), and we pick out my outfit for tomorrow…
6:53 p.m. — decide on the burgundy twisted knot wrap dress I fixed up for a low low price from Anthropologie, and decide on the accessories tomorrow (I do not have time for this). Little Bun is SUPER excited and keeps repeating: Mommy will wear a dress tomorrow! Mommy will wear a dress. Little Bun will select category “dresses” and pick out THIS dress *pat pat*….
7:17 p.m. — I get ready for bed, Little Bun gets ready for bed with my help, and I put away the load of kitchen laundry I started drying. Little Bun helps of course.
7:38 p.m. — I read more in bed and then we all go to sleep and Little Bun puts his pillow on my pillow and curls up as tight as he can against me, our faces almost touching, holding my hand like otters. My heart melts.
Spent: $137.04 — Impulse purchase 🙁
DAY THREE
??:?? — Little Bun wrapped up too tight.
??:?? — Little Bun doesn’t have a blanket and is screaming.
6:00 a.m. — In the morning (again another broken sleepless night with Little Bun’s squealings), I wake up, get ready for work, and then dress and let Little Bun pick out my accessories and we do the LookBook together, and head off to preschool and work.
7:34 a.m. — At work, I start working until lunch. I get an email that Little Bun pushed his best friend at preschool VERY hard and she fell multiple times on her knees… Groan. WTF…
11:32 a.m. — I skip yoga. I am REALLY NOT UP to walking in the rain.
12:34 p.m. — Two of my projects get cancelled (their client cancelled them, not the company I work for). Damn. This means I may not stay or get extended.
2:00 p.m. — I make a list of things I have to get done this weekend:
- Print and mail photos to my mother-in-law (I send her care packages every few months of new photos of Little Bun)
- Drop by a store and pick up another gift for Little Bun by returning a pair of pants my super good friend bought for him and mailed
- Grab my free David’s Tea (yum) before the reward runs out
- Organize a couple more things like my book library on my laptop, my pictures, backup photos on my hard drives for the safe…
2:00 p.m. — I had to put on headphones and grind it out until it was time to leave.
3:47 p.m. — I pick up Little Bun, totally spent from the day… and I cuddle him in the preschool while asking him why he pushed his friend yesterday. I asked if he thought it was a game because his friend didn’t know it was a game which is not a fun way to play with your friends. He nods, and looks up at me all serious. I don’t think he meant to be deliberately mean and taking pleasure in it, I honestly think my baby just thought he was playing a game that we play at home where he pushes on our bums to get us to go where he wants. He may have been playing the same game with his friend who didn’t know the rules. Little Bun nods, and hugs me tight again.
4:47 p.m. — At home, I try to tie up loose ends in banking and they charge me a insufficient funds charge EVEN THOUGH I HAD THE MONEY THERE. WTF. I need to deal with this. In the meantime I write another cheque to the preschool. #$*#%)%.. I hate it when cheques bounce. ALSO, they shortchanged me $100. I put in $300 in cash, and they said I only deposited $200. I #(#*%# HATE BANKS.
6:23 p.m. — At home, my partner makes an avocado + cheese sandwich which is super yummy.
8:08 p.m. — We get ready for bed (both of us), and read read read until it is time to sleep.
Spent: $0
DAY FOUR
6:00 a.m. — I get up from the bed I was lying down playing with Little Bun in and go to get ready, slowly and leisurely. I even manage to wash my face nicely, apply my makeup slowly, start a load of laundry AND drink a cup of warm milk.
6:47 a.m. — We spend the last 15 minutes doing a StyleBook app for tracking as usual, and then selfies of “Now want to take a picture of Little Bun and Mommy??!“… and we take selfie after selfie.. he is too dang adorable.
6:51 a.m. — He tells me on the way out of the door that some days are fun like “Whacky Wednesday”, and clutches his gift from his educator, a journal book with lots of stickers, and he insists on bringing it to school because he wants to go through the pages.
7:23 a.m. — I let him bring the book, and then kiss him goodbye at preschool, head into work, make a pita with hummus and some microwaved eggs, and then get to work. I have lots to do today….
7:45 a.m. — I am also really planning on yoga, so I need to keep my energy up. I also plan on going to the grocery store to buy some yoghurts and maybe a treat… I sort of have a feeling my budget was busted this month because of those yoga leggings (trying not to think about it but they were SO CUTE and I was weak.. very weak..)
7:47 a.m. — I plan out a post for types of purses in my head, and will also try to take pictures of all of my newest purchases I got off Poshmark (a few months ago, they finally arrived), and it was only $200 USD! Amazing what you can get for so little when it’s secondhand. Sweet.
11:48 a.m. — I end up having to skip yoga for a birthday celebration with a cake (not a lunch)… (arg).. and work until it is time for lunch.
11:49 a.m. — I end up going out with the guys impromptu to try Mongolian Grill (the one where there’s a big pot of soup and you cook food in it). The guys loved all the meat but to be honest I’d rather pay $10 for a really good bowl of pho instead of what I ate… Those sorts of meals just encourage excess gluttony. For what they served us, I think it was maybe $10 in ingredients at best, but we ended up with a bill of $20 each. I won’t be going back. $23.89
12:38 p.m. — I head downstairs and finish reading more of Soul of a Chef by Ruhlman.
1:25 p.m. — Then I head back to work and then work until a project manager comes up to me for an estimate. I give it to him and then I head out to pick up Little Bun.
4:28 p.m. — I pick up Little Bun, I hand him a Kinder Egg to present to his friend to say he was sorry for pushing her the other day, and she looks at me with huge happy eyes. Another kid looks on, envious, wanting an egg too, but I explain why she is getting one.
4:57 p.m. — We head off after he eats a snack and I eat his oranges (he didn’t touch his lunch all day, maybe he is getting sick again).
5:03 p.m. — At home, we have a light salad for dinner to calm the meat fest.
5:48 p.m. — I try to get my own stuff done but it is crazy how clingy Little Bun is and how much he wants to play “Baby” now… and I end up tending to him all night.
6:22 p.m. — We read 2 books, then three..then FOUR.. and then he does math with his father all night. He is weaker in his second language, and not as quick with his numbers, so I am pushing them to play “Math” together.
7:34 p.m. — We all head to bed after I decide to wear my gorrrrrgeous, secondhand All Saints Nebula tank top (GORGEOUS colours), and love the entire outfit I picked out.
I do a mental count on my outfit for tomorrow:
- All Saints Nebula Tank, secondhand
- Navy cardigan from Adam Lippes (very old) that I am not even sure how I will ever replace if it dies on me
- Beloved AG Farrah High rise jeans scored for a DEEEEEP discount in a size 25
- Hermes double-leather lined wrap boots (secondhand, still love ’em)
- Beautiful 3D floral watch from Olivia Burton moulded in rose gold flowers. It’s amazing how the details of each outfit line up so perfectly to make you feel like it all GOES together….
Spent: $639.72
DAY FIVE
6:10 a.m. — I wake up super tired again. Little Bun woke up 3 times last night, squealing “maa maa“, and then his blankets were pulled off him, and he wanted a blanket but then got too hot…. ZOMG… I am a flipping zombie today.
6:12 a.m. — I get ready for work as Little Bun sits on his father’s stomach and asks for math.
6:32 a.m. — We do selfies and a lookbook, and then I kiss him goodbye as he eagerly runs off to hassle his father for “more Math”..
7:39 a.m. — Oh. Right. We have another lunch for a colleague leaving…. This is why my Eating Out budget gets a little insane sometimes, with all of the meals of people leaving every other week it seems. I want to go and be part of the team, so I go…
7:49 a.m. — At work, I narrowly missing meeting up with a colleague in the parking lot in my luxury car (DO NOT want them to know), and park, then wait 10 minutes before I head inside.
7:49 a.m. — I started on a new book last night by Gail Simmons – Talking with my mouth full (her mother was a French-Canadian!), and she is Canadian.. I rather love Gail from Top Chef, and think she wears the most amazing dresses when she judges. The last one shoulder white fitted sheath dress she wore for judging on Top Chef Season 15 was PERFECTION… Best dress to date. I mean just look at the one she chose for her book cover too… I WANT IT!
8:10 a.m. — I get a message from a colleague who gripes about the mess they created on some files and she rolls her eyes, wondering why they just don’t assign me to everything because I’m ridiculously nitpicky and DAMN GOOD at what I do.
8:40 a.m. — My friend also iMessages me and tells me she re-listened to my So Money podcast with Farnoush Torabi, and LOVED it all over again. <3 What a nice way to start the day.
9:15 a.m. — I check out the menu at the lunch we plan on going to today, and decide on a burger. I don’t want badly cooked fish, avoid chicken breast like the plague and am not into “chili” or any other “comfort foods” and am definitely NOT taking a salad.. BURGER IT IS.”
10:14 a.m. — I work in the corner of a cafeteria until my laptop dies. Sometimes you need some private alone time away from the cubicle scene.
11:08 a.m. — Back at the office in my cube, I get ready and head out for lunch, but then an emergency issue hits. We work quickly as a team, and resolve it in about 20 minutes. PHEW. Just in time for lunch.
11:33 a.m. — We all walk towards this restaurant.
11:45 a.m. — It looks cute inside… but why is the menu so limited? There’s so many of us and I am not keen on any of these choices.
12:18 p.m. — We finally get our food. I eat the burger but then halfway through it, feel a bit gross… it has lost its flavour, and frankly is not really that great. $23.86
12:58 p.m. — Back at the office I am NAUSEOUS. I go to the bathroom and violently force myself to throw up some of that food.
12:59 p.m. — I feel a bit better, but my stomach is settling down, and I am burping, and wishing I never went.
1:02 p.m. — I make a tisane of lemongrass and then head back to my desk where people ask me if I am okay (all women, natch).
1:13 p.m. — I pop a few nausea pills and then I attack my bag of KitKat bites which actually DO HELP ME FEEL BETTER. The sugar rush, the milk chocolate.. it all helps calm my stomach down and makes me forget the meal.
1:43 p.m. — I keep working (still have a few issues outstanding with a deadline of next week, so I am VERY NERVOUS)..
4:33 p.m. — I leave and head to the bank to withdraw some money. I take out about $500 and they try to sell me on a new credit card. Their marketing is that the annual fee is $120, you “only” pay $20 because you get a $100 gift card FOR FREE….. I’m thinking: Did you not hear yourself? I am still out a net amount of $20 to get something I don’t want in the first place. kthxbye.
5:13 p.m. — At home, I get undressed, play with Little Bun, and then organize my day for tomorrow. He is DEFINITELY SICK so he is super clingy, and wants to play Baby all night.
6:45 p.m. — He refuses to eat the dinner, and only picks at the blue cheese bread (my favourite too), and I leave the dirty dishes for tomorrow… I feel much better after the salad.
7:10 p.m. — I get ready to go to sleep, he gets ready, and replies for my e-reader for sale start pouring in.
8:44 p.m. — He is REFUSING to sleep. He is coughing, wiggling, really not feeling it and I am exhausted. “GO TO SLEEP“, I plead in my most quiet, yet firm and insistent voice bordering on yelling….
Spent: $23.86
DAY SIX
??:?? — Wakeup and squeal.
??:?? — Wash.
??:?? — Rinse.
??:?? — Repeat.
??:?? — I wake up in the early morning, uncomfortable but unwilling to get up from my cosy nest to go to the bathroom especially with Little Bun SLEEPING RATHER WELL… but I finally get up, and then try to fall back asleep, but only doze off and then wake up unprompted because Little Bun and his father are snoring in harmony, and I lie awake, staring at his sweet, round little angel baby face, breathing in and out with his little pink lips slightly open like a cherub.
7:00 a.m. — He gets his milk in bed. He seems to be in an amazing mood today. This is good. But he is definitely sick. He starts coughing like mad again, and I can see a runny nose. YET ANOTHER COLD? OMFG. OMFG… I will never be healthy again. It’s like a plague, this daycare sickness. I weep silently as I start on the dishes.
7:03 a.m. — I lie back down beside him, am still a bit tired but a bit more well-rested and think about my day today, and tomorrow. I have a LIST of things to do. So many errands… I get up and start on the dishes.
7:59 a.m. — I finish doing all of the dishes, dried and put away.
8:11 a.m. — I set Little Bun up with some Pete the Cat videos to have some peace and quiet and to work on the file of my new client who contacted me not even yesterday for a consultation via the blog. (Need help with your career & money? I offer it here.)
8:17 a.m. — Okay this next bit might be a bit too TMI, but I have to say it because I’m a young parent with a young child… Little Bun seems to be rubbing the front of his pants a lot. I start to get concerned and ask him if there is something wrong with his penis? (I don’t use baby words for private parts)… and I start getting concerned because he is really getting aggressive with the rubbing.. then he says: “It’s HOT! It’s HOT!“.. and I panic, and go to reach for him to check. He then says slowly but clearly panicking: “It’s HARD.“…. and I pause. I tell him: “It’s okay if it gets hard. That’s natural.” …. (OMFG. I am not ready. I am not ready to raise a boy. NOT. READY.)
10:36 a.m. — Whoa. Where did my morning go? I spent it blogging, scheduling posts and getting this month’s posts in order. I need to start getting back into blogging to get more content churned out. I have been taking a break for a while now (mentally and physically), and it is time to pound it out. So I did. I’m good for this month.
11:56 a.m. — After we have some cheese and bread, I rush off to do errands after choosing one of my favourite outfits just on a whim.
I drop by:
- Roots: Exchange a gift where I end up paying a difference as I used up my $0.29 credit = $3.67
- Zara: Socks for Little Bun = $31.14 – I only pay half
- Winners: Hangers = $27.58 I buy 30+ hangers
- Homesense: Searching for a lipstick caddy again. No luck. I need it a specific size to fit in my bathroom cabinet my partner installed for me.
- Walmart: Headphones for Little Bun = $17.40
- Best Buy: Return Bose speaker = + $147.14
- Bulk Barn: White chocolate & cookies candies ZOMG so good = $10.97
13:35 p.m. — I sell my Kobo e-reader. +65
3:36 p.m. — Cancel the other meet with another buyer who was going to buy it for $60. Sweet!
3:55 p.m. — Set up another meet for a skirt and dress. Potential $50 on Monday.
4:23 p.m. — Grabbed my “free” Davids Tea but it wasn’t good. Eyed the black tea Pistachio Cream that looks great….
4:15 p.m. — Worked on managing my budget
4:30 p.m. — Grabbed a Starbucks White hot chocolate and then make my way home. $5.11
4:33 p.m. — Last stop at the stationery store: Little Bun birthday card for his next birthday, and a few more birthday cards. I forgot to buy one for his little friend.. Oops. Next week. $11.48
5:15 p.m. — Came home, everyone already ate so I scarf down my salad guiltily … I’m late!! 🙁
5:22 p.m. — I bring out his “presents” of special new socks from Roots and Zara and he goes wild, especially over the owl calendar card.
5:37 p.m. — I put the new socks in the wash.
6:28 p.m. — I book our trip to Europe, apparently prices went up by $2 and my partner panicked because he hates procrastinating and “waiting for a deal” only to pay more later.
6:58 p.m. — My card is blocked so I call to release it. I’m on hold for 46 minutes. In the meantime, I am half screaming at my partner because he is not occupying Little Bun while I am on the phone and trying to get this done. WHY AM I THE ONE HANDLING THIS #$#%#%*? .. I lose it on him and Little Bun bursts into tears. I know I shouldn’t yell but I’m really getting frustrated with his lack of initiative in wrangling Little Bun during important key things like this. All the other times, fine, I can take him, but NOT DURING THIS S#$*&#%.
7:11 p.m. — I finally book everything, make a note for travel insurance and now need to redo my entire packing list (remember? Little Bun completely erased my life a while back)… this can be a fresh new start. $2439.56 – I only pay half
7:51 p.m. — Into bed after 4 books read to Little Bun and the socks are drying..
Earned: $65
Refunded: $147.14
Spent: $2546.91
DAY SEVEN
??:?? — Wake up at 5 out of habit from Little Bun. I fall back asleep.
6:00 a.m. — I wake him from Little Bun waking up whispering math equations to me: “Mommy… 10 plus 7 is 17!!!”…. It is too early for this.
6:02 a.m. — I tiredly encourage him, get up, start my matcha green tea, start a load of his laundry — we are out of fresh clean dry underwear AND he has blood all over his clothes from a nosebleed from a few days ago.
6:12 a.m. — I scrub it all in the sink, then after I wrangle Little Bun into the bedroom to read and do math, my partner starts cooking and makes croissants for us, yum!
6:47 a.m. — I message my mom because it says that Amazon delivered the packages, but my Aunt didn’t get anything. Groan. WTF. I have to wait 36 hours. I hope I don’t have to intervene.
6:59 a.m. — I also need to book my mom’s Montreal hotel for the summer, which I do immediately. $1386.10 – won’t get charged until check-in I hope.
7:11 a.m. — I organize my closet, and take out the new hangers I got (about 15 have broken this far, so it is getting frustrating so I am happy I have these new ones).. and start laying out my clothes properly.
7:41 a.m. — I grab the items I plan on selling tomorrow and then go and hang it all up one by one. Whoa, 30 hangers and all of them used. I could have even done with another 10 more.. maybe I should retire some of these pilled long sleeved items. Hmm. Time to think about this NEXT week.
8:03 a.m. — I plan for my consult today, because I like to think about things before I call. I usually spend a half hour prepping.
8:19 a.m. — I buy a whackload of apps for him… in the end the only ones I like are from TinyHands. The rest are terrible with bugs. I plan on asking for an angry refund. $73.67
8:52 a.m. — I finish the rough plan and my partner calls his mother for Grandmothers Day in the bedroom.
8:53 a.m. — He talks SO LOUD that Little Bun runs out of the bedroom screaming “Too loud!! Too noisy!! It’s too noisy!!!!”…
8:57 a.m. — I close the bedroom door, SUPER annoyed, and start on the dishes while Little Bun is occupied.
10:03 a.m. — I finish the dishes and all the pots and pans.
10:23 a.m. — I start on laundry.
10:24 a.m. — My partner comes out, talking as loud as a stuck hippo to his mother and Little Bun gets very agitated with the noise. Then my partner tries to get him to talk to Grandma yeah three guesses how that worked out), and then he antagonizes Little Bun so much that I have to scream at my partner “to leave him alone because YOU don’t have to deal with him sobbing and being upset, I DO. So LEAVE HIM ALONE.” I don’t get why he doesn’t see that. That he is annoying Little Bun and has to learn how to interact with him in a more acceptable manner. WTF. I’m pissed now.
11:53 a.m. — Then we have lunch — homemade sushi by my partner, after he says good bye to his mother (Little Bun STILL refused to talk to Mamie, and hates the cellphone with a passion). We ate all of the sushi before I realized I should have taken a picture.
12:42 p.m. — Then I prep to leave to get more stuff done and to do my consult as well as grocery shop for the week at work.
12:45 p.m. — I dress, wear my over the knee shearling boots and a stunning Reed Krakoff cashmere super thick luxurious turtleneck I’m NOW SURE the girl I bought it from shrunk but I can rehab it…. I need to stretch out the bottom, shoulders and sleeves. I kind of don’t mind the shrunken look but I do want the hem a bit longer and the sleeves a bit longer (although it shows off my bracelet and watch — both Little Bun choices & approved – very nicely.)
12:47 p.m. — I’ll try the sweater rehab tonight…. Or later next week.
1:00 p.m. — I hop into the car, head back to get my $2.57 from the return I made on the headphones and they incorrectly effed up the charges.
1:25 p.m. — No joke, I waited 25 minutes IN LINE because they were dealing with two very difficult cases at the returns counter. I get there, the guy is about to give me cash of $2.57 but as we don’t have pennies, he says it will round DOWN to $2.55 I give him the side eye.. he catches it, catches my mood as I’m about to launch into my rant that anything that is ending in 6 – 10 is considered to round UP not down, and quickly says he’ll round up to $2.60 then. I mean, you’re going to rip me off on $0.03 when you made the mistake, AND I had to wait 25 minutes in line for this? NOPE. NOT HAVING IT with the day I have had so far +$2.60
1:28 p.m. — I grab another guilty Starbucks pleasure and stop for my consult in the parking lot, with my laptop open, sitting in the car, getting ready and also just reviewing my own expenses and spending. $5.11
3:12 p.m. — An hour later I’m SO HAPPY we found a solution for her living situation and I have given her a gentle kick in the bum to get her investing $&@?! In order. You can read about it here — Investing like a Boss & The Investing Tool which I use to manage my money in less than 4 hours A YEAR.
4:15 p.m. — I drop by the grocery store and pick up some of my fave Gardein vegetarian chicken tenders for work (3 packs) and spy my favourite 10% yoghurt on sale and get 4 huge tubs. They expire April so it will take me to the end. At more than 50% off it is a deal. $27.93
4:28 p.m. — I head home, my partner goes out to get food and I play with Little Bun on the floor doing puzzles.
6:55 p.m. — I keep Little Bun occupied as he does that, and when it is my turn to iron only 5 shirts of mine, Little Bun SQUEALS and half an hour of frustrated voice raising passive aggressiveness continues.
7:22 p.m. — I basically beg Little Bun to go with my partner, and get so angry at my partner that Little Bun bursts into tears. He doesn’t know why I’m angry and I try to explain I’m mad at Daddy.
7:23 p.m. — He finally gets the hint to take Little Bun away so I can iron my items but then cannot keep him occupied enough (he doesn’t TRY) to keep him there so I can iron safely without him around.
7:40 p.m. — Little Bun runs back, red faced from crying and sits at his desk while I finish ironing. Then he helps me put the ironing board away.
8:03 p.m. — I’m just frustrated. Doesn’t he see how I help occupy Little Bun so he can do stuff safely and peacefully? Why don’t I get the same goddamn treatment? We need to have a talk AGAIN. I am not asking him to watch him 24/7, just when important stuff needs to be done like dishes, and he is free. I do the same for him, WTF?
8:13 p.m. — I do math with Little Bun and then we all get ready and go to sleep.
Refunded: $2.60
Spent: $1492.81
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Want more? Read all of my previous Week of Money Diaries.
4 Comments
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Jamie
Hmm, definitely sounds like you and your partner need to find a better way to handle occupying bun when one of you need to do something important. For me and my hubby, he takes him to a park or a playplace (in winter) this gets him out of the house and using up his energy and gives me time to clean or make a phone call, whatever in peace. You said you have a pool at your condo, I think you guys need to use this more, we take our son swimming every week and he is conked out at the end 🙂 Maybe other ways for him to use French with his father? I think you will need to think of the ways he can help because he doesn’t seem to be concerned but hopefully once you have ideas you can just prompt. Also, here’s hoping the weather improves soon for park time 🙂
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Sherry of Save. Spend. Splurge.
I am dying for Park time. I don’t want to deal with ice and scrapes so I’m waiting until it melts before I let him go wild but I may take him for walks this weekend as it isn’t too cold…
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The Luxe Strategist
I was really hoping that the nice leather jacket was the budget buster, but a trip to Europe is cool, too.