Week of Money: Where I freak out over a possible $2800 overage charge

DAY ONE

5:20 a.m. — WHY?…… *ugh*…  I guess I need to limit his naps… to maybe just 45 minutes.

5:39 a.m. — I log in, start working and make two teas.

9:12 a.m. — People.. are.. .. I .. can’t.. even. Why can’t they solve issues on their own? Deep, hard breath. I guess it is a good thing they can’t live without me it seems. It just means I stay on. For .. longer..

11:15 a.m. — Super quickly run out to the post office to mail off a return. I decided NOT to keep the orange skirt because it is too one-note in my wardrobe. I’d rather save the space for something else.

11:17 a.m. — Little Bun in the backseat is starting to flag and succumb to The Nap and I can see it. I wanted to go out earlier but was stuck on calls.. so I couldn’t leave until it was all over. I quickly rush and pick up meatballs to add to my meals. $8.98

11:58 p.m. — Little Bun is at home, super sleepy but like a brave little trooper, he grips onto my hand and doesn’t ask to be carried home (phew).. and I quickly undress him, and tuck him into bed for a nap. He falls asleep almost immediately which makes sense since HE WAS UP AT 5 A.M. TODAY…. I am the one who needs a nap.

12:23 p.m. — I log in and work. I want to try and leave early today, or maybe go on a walk during this call I have near the end, and not be inside all day.

2:15 p.m. — Little Bun wakes up, gets milk, and starts on his Endless Adventures (this Originator Inc. company’s apps are brilliant. The Endless Monsters are so cute and a lot of fun for learning)….

4:03 p.m. — I stop working and log off.

5:16 p.m. — My project manager calls. NOPE. NOT TODAY, SIR.

6:27 p.m. — My partner is home and starts on dinner…

7:22 p.m. — We get ready for bed.

Spent: $8.98

DAY TWO

5:20 a.m. — Why is… why is my partner up so early!?!? HE IS WAKING US BOTH UP. I’m super annoyed now.

5:43 a.m. — Yep. Knew it. The minute one of us wakes up and gets out / up quietly, Little Bun wakes up 20 minutes later. He just FEELS one of us gone, although between the two of us, I am the more ‘sensed’ one when I leave the bed and he feels it is empty.

5:45 a.m. — Tea time.

6:00 a.m. — I start on all the dishes, I’m at home today.

6:28 a.m. — I log in and work.

9:134a.m. — My project manager relays a conversation he had with a director and they had the nerve to ask: So what the hell has Sherry been doing all this time then..?? … Do they NOT KNOW how much overtime (I am not billing for), and extra work I am putting in to help everyone to get their project steered back on track? OMFG. I’m seeing red now. I need to calm down. Need a break. Ingrates. Do I need to CC everyone on all of my emails to see HOW MUCH I DO?

9:37 a.m. — I head out for some errands knowing Little Bun MUST be home for the noon nap, at least by 11:30 to calm down and go to sleep nicely.

10:22 a.m. — I pick up a mini croissant for him, a mini chocolate one for me, and a blueberry tart for later while he is napping. $7.25

11:03 a.m. — Should NOT have taken a Grande Chai… this is a lot of liquid. Next time I stick to the Tall.

11:19 a.m. — OMG. DID I HIT 7 GIGABYTES OF DATA ON THE PHONE!?!?!?!!?…. WTF is this? I thought there was no way his apps could have taken up more than one gig MAX when I did the Wifi hotspot. I’m in panic mode now. This is like…. a $2800 BILL of data overage. HOW COULD THIS HAVE HAPPENED!?!??!

11:45 a.m. — Down for his nap.

11:52 a.m. — I check my data usage online and strangely it says 219MB. But my phone says 6.5GB. What is going on? Is that including calls too? Not just data usage? My heart attack subsides… slowly… time for a blueberry tart. I’ll be monitoring that data VERY CLOSELY THOUGH. OMG.

12:28 p.m. — I am definitely going to yoga tomorrow (free class WOO HOO!), and doing my massage to release my stress after work. FOR. CERTAIN.

2:23 p.m. — Up from his nap, Little Bun is refreshed and I ate my delicious tart.

5:07 p.m. — I log off and stop working.

6:37 p.m. — My partner is home and starts on dinner…

7:22 p.m. — We get ready for bed.

Spent: $7.25

DAY THREE

6:00 a.m. — Up and ready to go to work.

7:33 a.m. — At work, I log in.

11:38 a.m. — I leave my work and just go to yoga. If I don’t leave, I will never make it.

1:00 p.m. — Back from yoga on time, I didn’t get to eat, but I run straight to my meeting.

3:28 p.m. — I finally break away from another meeting and beg to warm up my food to eat. I scarf down my pasta like a maniac.

4:00 p.m. — I get ready and leave for my massage appointment. I am trying to fix my posture and do more deep tissue massages, and work on my body to make sure I take care of myself. $101.28

6:20 p.m. — My partner is home, we have a light dinner of noodles.

7:44 p.m. — Time for bed.

Spent: $101.28

DAY FOUR

5:46 a.m. — Awake. I log in and start working, then make a tea as I wait for replies.

6:34 a.m. — My partner goes off to work.

8:25 a.m. — I log in and do lots of work, and then start on my calls for the day – I literally have 6 hours of calls. SIX FREAKING HOURS. At least I can work while I am on them.

9:29 a.m. — I feed Little Bun.

10:38 a.m. — I head out quickly in between calls and we pick up a few items. $11.45

11:45 a.m. — Lunch.

12:08 p.m. — Time for a nap for him. I eat my lunch.

2:21 p.m. — Up from his nap, I hug and cuddle him.

3:18 p.m. — I log off work early and take him out for a walk. I show him the leaves changing colour, explain how they “go to sleep” and so on, and show him insects and so on.

5:25 p.m. — My partner comes home, we have a light dinner of salad and some avocado to settle our tummy and I play math with him as I do the dishes.

8:00 p.m. — Time for bed.

Spent: $11.45

DAY FIVE

6:27 a.m. — Up and ready to go to work.

8:05 a.m. — At work, I log in and finish my tasks.

11:51 a.m. — Time for lunch.

4:20 p.m. — I get ready and leave.

5:03 p.m. — I take Little Bun out to the park to play.

6:40 a.m. — We read books together.

7:53 p.m. — Time for bed.

Spent: $0

DAY SIX

6:00 a.m. — I wake up and start organizing and cleaning out my closet after a tea.

10:15 a.m. — My partner comes back from errands. Traffic is INSANE apparently.

11:27 a.m. — Time for lunch. I need to leave early to pick up all the stuff I need.

11:56 a.m. — Little Bun sobs bloody murder. My partner pulls him away and he seems to be calm, not screaming as I head to the elevator. My partner is getting better at this with all the practice. :-/

12:31 p.m. — I pick up noodles (restock!) $36.31

2:45 p.m. — I return everything for my partner and myself. -$395.50

3:14 p.m. — I succumb to these gorgeous full-length sweater coat things (I have wanted one for so long but have been SO PICKY about the drape, the weight, the colour, the feel and the price)… and I am so pleased to find the Kirby full-length wool sweater from Aritzia that does not itch. It looks short on the model but I am 5’6″ and it comes to the ankles for me.

3:24 p.m. — I can’t decide on the colour so I just buy both. Yep. I’m that person. A really sweet girl tries to help me decide (fellow shopper) and in the end I just pick up both. I’ll return one if I feel like I don’t need both. $524.28

4:04 p.m. — At my massage appointment (I started a series of these), and my body feels a bit more relaxed, not sure about straighter though.. not yet. $101.28

4:59 p.m. — At home, I unpack everything, buy these Puma Pre-School shoes for Little Bun online. $54.68

6:16 p.m. — Dinner time.

7:11 p.m. — Little Bun plays with his father, and then we read books. Whenever I read a word with an “s” at the end, and I don’t pronounce it, this is what happens because Little Bun forces me to read each word properly and say the “S” at the end by hissing at me:

• Me: And the purse…
• Little Bun: SSSsssssssssssss!!!!!!!! *hisses at me*
• Me: Sorry. And the purse-S ….

Every word. I have to properly read it and pronounce “S” at the end of plurals or he hisses at me like a kitty cat.

8:00 p.m. — Time for bed.

Spent: $716.55

Returned: $395.50

DAY SEVEN

5:39 a.m. — So… early…… omg.

8:11 a.m. — My partner finishes his tasks for the day (we are having easy-to-make pasta to give him a cooking break), and then heads out to run errands.

9:26 a.m. — My site is finally back up. It went down for about a day and a half. I was REALLY ANGRY until I calmed don and realized that it is (A) not my major source of income, (B) they had a backup to rely on – thank goodness.. and (C) it is a small independent hosting company; if I am to frequent mom & pop shops and be an active patroness of them, I need to understand that they make mistakes from time to time, just like the big ones. Plus, they have been great so far, and at least they had a backup. Many providers would not have had it.

10:05 a.m. — My partner mentions that he still wants to work another year or two full-time to “secure” his early retirement (LOL), but he refuses to give up at least ONE day a week to stay at home with Little Bun. He has heard and read about too many guys regretting that they didn’t spend more time with their kids, and so on, and he doesn’t want to be one of them, so he is actively staying at home one to two days to cherish these moments. He doesn’t want to be THAT GUY.

11:54 a.m. — Little Bun protests his nap STRONGLY. He does NOT want to nap but he is so grumpy that this is not an option. He needs to rest at least 45 minutes. (I NEED TO REST AT LEAST 45 MINUTES. Forget him…)

1:28 p.m. — Up from our naps, I’m groggy and I still want to keep sleeping. I could sleep all day right into the night…

2:09 p.m. — I am reading Instant Mom (sent by a friend with SNACKS OMG..) and it is making me bawl like a baby. Seriously. All about adoption, and Nia Vardalos’ struggle with infertility. It is raw, heartbreaking and funny at the same time. I loved her in My Big Fat Greek Wedding.

3:38 p.m. — I take out a Bio-K to warm up so I can down it. I need to re-build my immune system, I can feel myself getting sick.. and fatigue is due to BEING sick. I feel my body getting warm and flushing, a slight fever on the way… Great.

4:05 p.m. — My partner and I are talking about Only children, and he says the biggest advantage he sees is that no one feels as though one sibling is preferred over another. I can see that being true in his case, and also in mine… and in everyone’s case, really. Every parent has a favourite child they prefer SLIGHTLY more than another because they bond better together or ‘get’ them. I happen to be my parents’ favourite, so … that is how I know this.

6:40 p.m. — Dinner time.

7:22 p.m. — Boys will be boys I guess. Little Bun and his father are making farting noises at each other (playing hard), and they each find it ridiculously hilarious to make the most outrageous noises. I leave them alone and go to wash my face. At least I get a break. Finally.

Spent: $0

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Want more? Read all of my previous Week of Money Diaries.