Save. Spend. Splurge.

Week of Money: Where I get calls for contracts like it was raining

DAY ONE

6:10 a.m. — About par for the course. YAY! Today is playgroup day. I get to take Little Bun in and just let him play, while I relax and chat.

7:22 a.m. — Little Bun asks for pasta for breakfast.

8:39 a.m. — All dishes done, drying as much as possible, I clean up the kitchen and the sink, and then take Little Bun in.

9:42 a.m. — I love my outfit I have on. Cosy and cute. I manage to work in my DIY upcycled studded leather obi belt too! I upcycle boring pieces all the time, like how I studded this leather jacket once à la Balmain.

11:30 a.m. — We leave, and then head home. My partner is off to school already, and I eat a quick pasta lunch. Little Bun opts to eat his lunch later.

1:01 p.m. — I get him down for a nap.

1:29 p.m. — They are doing fire testing, so the loud noises start up in the apartment and it gets insane. I take Little Bun out of the bedroom and wait until they’re done.

2:20 p.m. — Testing done, I hustle him back down for a nap. He needs it.

2:32 p.m. — I decide to make noodles and some eggs. I have a craving.

3:00 p.m. — Okay he is not napping. He politely knocks on the door from the inside, signalling he wants to come out because he won’t be napping today. He comes out, and I get to work making more cashew milk.

3:48 p.m. — I really want to watch ‘Hustlers’. I hear it is like a female-driven Goodfellas. I’d love that. I also really love J. Lo. I think she is an amazing woman, and she is a TRUE hustler. Plus have you seen how fit she is? #GOALS.

5:33 p.m. — My partner arrives home, tired from the long bus rides and the commute to school.

7:45 p.m. — Little Bun reads books with his father. Only two but it is something. My partner finds children hard to take care of, and I turned to him once and said — What am I, a robot? I can’t handle the same story over and over again EITHER. This is called PARENTING.

8:58 p.m. — Time for bed.

Spent: $0

DAY TWO

6:10 a.m. — Little Bun tells me he is awake. I have no choice in the matter.

7:25 a.m. — I tell him to behave until 8 and we will start getting ready to go out to the playgroup.

8:00 a.m. — On the dot, he comes to me and INSISTS that we get ready NOW. We start getting ready, I start getting ready slowly, and we make it into the car and end up there super early.

9:40 a.m. — I am informed reluctantly by the coordinator that my kid is too old for this playgroup… but they also basically have no kids there. There is no program if there is no demand…. I don’t even get the point of telling me this, and I end up going to see the Director who told the coordinator to tell me. I sit down with her, and she quickly backtracks, which confuses me.

9:46 a.m. — I go back upstairs and recount to the coordinator what happened, and she tells me that the Director has no spine when it comes to parents, but likes to follow rules and DID tell her to inform me that I wasn’t allowed to have my kid come in the mornings because he was older. WTF. Drama. For no reason. If there were too many littler kids, I’d be happy to take him away and keep him at home, but he is literally the only OTHER KID THERE. And he is quiet. Hate drama.

12:08 p.m. —Home. We have fresh pizza for lunch!!

1:10 p.m. — I hustle him down for his nap. A letter came in for him from my mother, and he is SO. EXCITED. He wants to open his letter and I tell him he can, but he decides to do it after his nap, then his bath, and then he’ll open the letter addressed to him. So cute.

1:34 p.m. — Oh no. The beautiful white Smythe blazer I was eying, sold. *sob* I wasn’t going to pay $250 for it, and was hoping to save up more Poshmark Canada credits (use code SHERRYISH for $15) from referrals to offset the cost (I don’t get the money if the referral doesn’t buy anything). I basically have only $30 in credits at this point. LOL…. Oh well. Maybe other ones will come along. In the meantime, I’ll squirrel away the credits to use against something else.

2:30 p.m. — I hear knocking from inside the bedroom door. Little Bun is up and politely informing me with a knock that he is ready to come out and have milk now. LOL..

2:48 p.m. — “Mommy, the letter “a” on top of a J equals a G“… this child can turn anything into a math equation of some sort.

5:10 p.m. — My partner is home. The bus is killing him apparently…

5:10 p.m. — I buy a sealed Coola SPF 30 mineral sunscreen off Poshmark (FOR REAL Y’ALL! SEALED products! for super cheap! Use code SHERRYISH for $15) $35 – including shipping. These things normally cost $48 plus taxes at Sephora. And I LOVE THIS SUNSCREEN SO MUCH.

7:24 p.m. — I realize I sent out two cheques for my business and do not have the amount transferred into my account to cover them for when they come out. It is a GOOD THING I make notes about everything to myself otherwise that would have been a pretty stupid NSF charge. *face palm*…

8:22 p.m. — Time for bed, after a few short Pixar films.

Spent: $35

DAY THREE

??:?? — “Mommy. I want to watch the sunrise“.. How can you say no to this? I haul myself up and sit, watching the clouds turn pink, and explaining to him how it works.

7:04 a.m. — Time for a tea. I love cuddling with him on the floor…. It reminds me when he was a little baby and he used to sit in my lap and snuggle in while we read books or chatted.

8:08 a.m. — “Mommy, the clouds are sunblockers!” Well.. he isn’t wrong.

8:12 a.m. — I get ready to head out to run errands. I have to transfer that money into the bank, and some other stuff.

9:30 a.m. — Double Star Wednesday at Starbucks. It totally worked on me, I pick up a small chai latte. I used to drink the really big one, but I tried it the other day and couldn’t finish it. Tall is the biggest I can drink now. $5.60

10:01 a.m. — I also pick up some salmon for a meal later. $19.78

10:22 a.m. — I cannot wait any longer in the bank line, I have to be home because my partner has to take the bus. I leave the line and head home. I should have done that first. I’ll do it tomorrow.

10:22 a.m. — Home. They’re testing fire alarms. *SIGH*…. I hope this will end before he has to nap today.

11:35 a.m. — We make coconut macaroons together. A simple recipe of sugar, coconut flakes and egg whites. It is super sweet, I should have put a quarter of a cup of sugar not half…. Lesson learned. Little Bun is SO HAPPY. He is willing to eat his soup then have the macaroon after.

12:38 p.m. — Time for his nap. Or at least, quiet time in the bedroom, so Mommy gets a break, although he has been good lately.

12:41 p.m. — I take him down for his nap, and I will see if until 1 p.m. if he naps or not. If not, I will take him out to go play at the gym instead.

1:23 p.m. — I get an email offering me a contract, only 15 minutes away from where I live, and could go on for 4 YEARS. Plus it is the next hot thing in my industry…  I quickly email over my CV and google where I could potentially be working.

4:35 p.m. — What? A SECOND CONTRACT? Where were you dang people months ago? My old client wants me back. I tell my broker I have conditions in an email (more money, remote work), and then turn off my phone.

9:25 p.m. — Time for bed. I can’t even sleep. I am bouncing in my bed.

Spent: $25.38

DAY FOUR

??:?? — Little Bun screaming X1

??:?? — Little Bun screaming X2

??:?? — Little Bun screaming X3

??:?? — Little Bun screaming X4 — all these times? He was COLD because he keeps kicking off his blanket and then freezing, and then waking up and crying.

6:12 a.m. — I cannot deal. I make a cup of tea.

7:05 a.m. — Little Bun comes and seal eyes me (you know, gives me those big seal pup eyes) and asks when we are going to go to the playgroup. I wasn’t going to take him, but I give in.

8:15 a.m. — We get going, I drop off the money from all the sales I have made into the bank.

9:34 a.m. — I get him there, talk a bit, then sneak off to make work calls. I call my old colleague to ask what has happened / changed since I was there. She said not much, but wants me desperately to come back. I tell her I might.

12:08 p.m. — I pick up a lid for my reusable Cuppow cup and an unplanned active charcoal toothpaste. $24.57

10:34 a.m. — I call my second contract recruiter, and he desperately tries to get me to budge down on my rate and my working remotely. I tell him no on both counts. I don’t need your contract, especially with this client that made me so annoyed.

12:30 p.m. — I pick up Little Bun and he conks out in the car. I catch him in time, and get him home, but then he won’t sleep unless I am in the room. I make the mistake of NOT staying in the room, and his overtiredness goes into overdrive, and he has a tantrum, which frustrates his father who goes out to run errands to escape him. Are you serious right now? I am too tired to argue, but basically I took him the WHOLE MORNING away from him, and just one little whining session from overtiredness and now his father is mad? I am going to insist he takes him out in the afternoon so I get a f*cking break.

1:25 p.m. — Little Bun is wailing in the bedroom. I I run in quickly and tell him I was just out for a moment (I snuck out before I fell asleep too).

3:15 p.m. — I sit there and he eyes me, then drowsily goes back to sleep. He didn’t sleep well last night, he needs this nap. I eat 4 coconut macaroons out of stress. I can’t give any more to Little Bun, they are WAY too sweet. Even for me…

5:40 p.m. — A THIRD CONTRACT? ARE YOU KIDDING ME RIGHT NOW?…. I ain’t mad at this.

9:25 p.m. — Time for bed. I am debating all the contracts, and have decided to take both of the ones I want, and if one doesn’t extend me, at least I have the other, and/or extra money to tide me through.

Spent: $0

DAY FIVE

??:?? — What the. It is too dark outside.

5:23 a.m. — OMFG. I KNEW he should have gone to play soccer yesterday. My partner refused to take him out to play because he lost his temper. I am gritting my teeth because he was overtired (A) and (B), I also tried to get him to nap too soon at 12 when I got him out of the car, half dozing. I thought he was tired! I should have waited until 1 p.m. It was partly my fault but OMFG I WANT A FKING BREAK. Anyway.

5:40 a.m. — I make a tea and put the dried dishes away.

7:59 a.m. — I manage to write a few more posts – I anticipate being super busy, so my blogging may take a hit while I am on TWO contracts (fingers crossed), and still having to keep up with Little Bun, and my own responsibility in the household. We get ready to go after the posts.

10:08 a.m. — I get more intel on what happened to one of the contracts. Apparently they don’t want me back because I didn’t “get along” with the team (read: supposedly I didn’t want to train their people on stuff they should go and learn in a true learning environment and not by osmosis), but I am truly the only option they have because no one has the skills I have honed over 10+ years to do the job so efficiently and well. If they don’t want me, they’ll be cutting off their nose to spite their face. *shrug* It’s a good thing I have other offers. I’m also glad I asked for more money. LOL.

11:15 a.m. — I go and grab a bagel, I am to hungry. I get one with cretons and mustard. Cretons are like French rillettes, which is a pork spread. I also thought it came with coffee so I asked for the tea instead of coffee, but ended up getting charged for it. O_o .. Never making that mistake again $6

11:25 a.m. — Too hungry. I get another bagel, this time egg, ham and cheese. $6

12:08 p.m. — I am so mad AF I paid $1.70 for this. THIS IS NOT A CHAI TEA. This is terrible spiced water. I’m so mad at myself for not checking if it was free / could replace the coffee.

12:08 p.m. — I pick up Little Bun who is having a great time, and then head home.

12:50 p.m. — He is GRUMPY AF. I know this is because he woke up so early today, and now he is getting close to a nap but is fighting it.

2:00 p.m. — He conks out, but then wakes up crying. I go in there, I “shh shh” him, and he falls back asleep.

2:20 p.m. — He is up for real now, and sobbing a little. His sleeping has been really screwy even at night lately, so I think something is happening in his brain – growth?

5:03 p.m. — Little Bun plays around and I finally get them to go out for soccer.

5:04 p.m. — I am loving this. I do yoga with Adriene and have my favourite Sanskrit album playing in the background (it is not as boring as you think, this is an amazing, very upbeat album).

5:35 p.m. — DONE! I even did the Crow and I HELD THE POSE! For 3 seconds, a few times! I AM SO EXCITED.

5:37 p.m. — My yoga mat needs a clean.

6:25 p.m. — Amazing amazing show, this Why Women Kill.

6:40 p.m. — They’re back. So soon already? WTF.. I feel like I need more time. Sigh…

8:19 p.m. — I set him up with some Pixar short films and finish doing my banking. I got that TD credit card with 10% back on the first $2000 spent and I am so happy. I used it to pay a utility bill, and even if they do charge me on PayTM (Review here) a 1.2% convenience fee for using a credit card to pay a tax bill now, it is worth it because I still make 8.8% back in cash on the payment. [PayTM referral code: PTM210713 ].

8:23 p.m. — I was mad at PayTM when the fee came about, but I added my bank account and will continue to use them to pay everything else that doesn’t charge a fee so that I earn PayTM points and get free Starbucks / other gift cards.

9:15 p.m. — Bedtime.

Spent: $12

DAY SIX

??:?? — I wake up a bit dizzy. Little Bun has been sleeping fitfully, and it is not helping Mommy Sleeping. I am literally this panda right now.

6:00 a.m. — I make a tea, then start cleaning up the home. I tend to throw things anywhere they land when I come home, so I do a quick clean on weekends to put things away nicely.

7:40 a.m. — I am trying to stay busy so that I don’t think about these contracts. I am nervous. They are like puffs of smoke….. sometimes it is SO URGENT but then they ghost you.

8:59 a.m. — I vacuum the entire apartment, and redo some rather musty-smelling laundry with a cup of white vinegar to make sure I kill this strange smell on my clothes. I have no idea where it is coming from (maybe the water is terrible), but it needs to be cleaned.

11:08 a.m. — Time for lunch. I head out right after, but the highways are jammed. I AM SO FRUSTRATED.

1:28 p.m. — I wander around the stores but frankly, am not interested in anything. I take note of different styles and outfit ideas but don’t buy anything.

2:10 p.m. — I decide to stress eat a blueberry tart. They overcooked it. I feel cheated out of my $4.96 that I used to break my $200 budget by $2. $4.96

3:56 p.m. — I head home but stay in my car and read instead. I don’t want to spend money or do anything, so I am staying where I want, reading, and then kind of just relaxing without needing to do, buy, or be anywhere.

6:44 p.m. — Dinner time.

6:44 p.m. — I love this cool new activated charcoal toothpaste I bought. I find it so cool that I am now actually excited to brush my teeth, and it doesn’t give me cotton mouth (commercial toothpastes do this to me), and it is fun.

9:22 p.m. — Time for bed. Little Bun refuses to brush his teeth so he doesn’t get his beloved yoghurt tomorrow. Consequences. *sigh*

Spent: $4.96

DAY SEVEN

6:20 a.m. — My partner starts on 50 pounds of tomatoes (cook, peel, quarter and remove the insides) for tomato paste that he freezes to use during the year because winter tomatoes taste like crap versus summer ones.

8:17 a.m. — I take Little Bun out to wander around a shopping complex. We find a broken piano which he bangs on, and visit all the fountains we can find. I steel my reserve and refuse to buy anything to eat or drink (good job!)..

9:40 a.m. — Before the stores open, we head home. Little Bun is tired and wants Tom and Jerry cartoons, and lunch.

10:16 a.m. — I am practicing my Headstand (I CAN DO IT NOW FOR a full MINUTE without falling), and am so excited with this new skill I keep doing headstands all over the place.

12:08 p.m. — Lunchtime.

12:28 p.m. — I log in and write posts on the blog, I need to shore up a month or two in advance so I can breathe and take a break if I need to start working ASAP.

1:10 p.m. — I have an interview with a podcast on next week, I also start working on the questions. I’ll post when it’s live!

2:15 p.m. — I eat some more of those coconut macaroons. Perfect for a bit of sugar, and very unhealthy I am sure. I want to find a healthier recipe for them, maybe with dates as the sugar rather than pure white refined sugar.

2:50 p.m. — I research some eco-friendly stores I can visit, because I need a lid for my wide mouth mason jar.

4:46 p.m. — Little Bun and I do English together. I think he may be getting sick, it could be from the playgroup, or just… in general. I don’t know. I am getting a massive headache from the rain.

7:36 p.m. — I finish all the dishes after dinner, and my partner cooks a second batch of food again, so I have more dishes to clear tomorrow. *sigh* I hate waking up to a dirty kitchen. It isn’t worth it for me.

9:15 p.m. — Bedtime. Little Bun didn’t get his nightly yoghurt because of his little tantrum yesterday. He understands when we tell him why he isn’t getting any, and goes to brush his teeth nicely.

Spent: $0

———-

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

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