While I was Away

It may look as if I did nothing here but I was busying doing something over there. Buy Stock & Stash  I blogged my adventure in detail of a virtual stock market game which ran over 8 week.  

I did earn an A on the project but...I am sure today I make a better comic than a broker, maybe I've something there. Next semester Investments II return to ground zero.



~Eva Pea

Thanksgiving for Financial Planners

Even people with no money have some financial planning skill. How else would I explain the city's ability to run a deficit and spend 25 million on a pedestrian bridge 2 blocks from another pedestrian bridge. I am not saying the skills are good but there is something to start with. A large scoop of Razzle-dazzle in most cases.

When people say they are no good with money, what does that mean?

Can't make it, can't make enough or can't count high enough?

Can't make it last,can't make it last long enough or are only average looking?

Can't make it into more money, would rather play today and pay tomorrow or perhaps the speaker is12 years years old.

Money is a medium of exchange, like cake. A holder of value, like Little Lulu comics books. A measure of account as in, I have no money in my account.

To make money work long term, we can choose to accept some facts of living the urban North American life; we are at war with the media efforts to sway us to spend now, period. Choosing not to accept this is kind of like skipping on the way to the gallows. Accepting, does not mean doing anything different, especially if you already have good hair.

War is a strong word, demonstrates my point and makes a PowerPoint unnecessary. In war people lose their homes, loved-ones and familiar life style. Ambient advertising may have made it into the Art of War had it been named in the 15th century. It is only once we accept we can change our mind.

It is human nature to live for today, and why not in recent past living to 30 was old age. Perhaps our  reptilian brain is still running the show. Which would explain my scales.

It's not easy to change my mind about having an spending or investment plan but I can get a coach or book time with a financial planner, maybe even for free. Most everyone has a bank they deal with, reluctantly some days. Banks have people to talk to about setting up a plan, not the plan where they take all you money in fees. I can even book an appointment with a bank that is not mine, in another city, wear a mustache if I wish. Be financially literate.

I must tip my hat to those on the fringe.
2012 believers- the world will likely not stop rotating on it's axis at once, think about a TFSA.
Law of attraction enthusiasts - you were drawn to read this hmmmm?
Stand-up comics- free drinks and booty come with a price, be your own sugar daddy.

~Eva Pea

Save on Communication, free wardrobe, maximizing downtime

Calling to get the student rate from my local cable company earned me a reduction in my current monthly bill of almost $50, $600 dollars per year. Almost enough to pay for the orthotics thrust on me recently. The call took about 10 minutes. For that moment I earned the equivalent of  $3600 per hour, 60 per minute. I haven't earned that much in that little since the 70's.

I took a look at a very part-time job at a retail store. Last time I worked in retail there was a cat with a jug of milk  logo-ed on the generic smokes...any way at a ladies wear store, very part-time and not much money. Kind of like dating a traveling poet. I earn a 33% discount on the clothing, even those marketed down to 50% off. A 33% reduction on an item at 50% off is over 65% discount. I will hold while you get your calculator out. I also earn tax-free clothing credits, which is free clothing. In total I get a few bucks , a discount and free clothing for about 15 hours a week.  The supervisor also works around my schedule, exam time and most of my working hours I am alone with the customers who are mostly adorable. I love working alone,  this way I can pretend my dad owns the store.

I had a few hours in my schedule between classes. I applied to be a peer tutor. It's not teaching peeper. So 3 or 4 hours a week I help first year students, all who happen to be second language speakers, understand accounting basics, spreadsheet basics and even bring value explaining how to use Google docs. If I could find any doc in this city I'd be a guru. I know few ways to pick up this kind of spare cash in my otherwise empty snippets of time. I usually fill my snippets with figuring out how to down load dance lessons onto my iPod. I am told I could have up to 15 students seems a bit like crazy making, which is a recipe I passed on years ago.

~Eva Pea

Focus

It's been a while since my last post. I have been saving money, making money and investing money, some of it legal. Back to school meant to me the end of  a long summer of no income; my funding would feed my minimally nourished  line of credit. Why I didn't work all summer is expressed earlier in blog post but in a nut shell I didn't work.

Plan B
I learned, along with many other broke students types, the Provencal  government data base that was in charge of telling the humans who to fund  hit a 'glitch;' rhymes with bitch, in the ditch ...you know, not rich.  Thousands of students were not receiving their money...yet. For me I would delay purchasing that roast I'd been eying and settle again for TVP. After weeks the government of Alberta offered us emergency loans only if we really needed the money;  so first we had to prove, we students who qualify for government funding to begin with really were busted.

"Here here, students we have messed with, fill in these 6 pages and go down to an office wait in line, come early and bring print outs of your bank account balances for the last two months and we will maybe give you a loan against your money we owe you". Then when we get things sorted, we will take the loan amount off your regularly scheduled funding.

Hm-mm I side stepped this offer, in the end I could read between the lines, and couldn't stand in one to get what was already mine. It would have been like dating my ex. I knew sooner or later I would get the funding; I had to be patient or I could easily become one.

There are many students who are in dire straights and getting the money a bit faster without me in line might help. These students have kids to feed, are new to our country in some cases and second language speakers. Giving them a bunch of forms to fill in, having them run around literally students like us often have no time and no car, is poor customer service. Arrange babysitting of course right and  remember study. I can tell you this week the Government reported, boasted sort of, they had paid out over $500,000 in loans to 600 individuals. That about $830 bucks each. Whoot! What a fuck up.

Eva Pea

Housewarming invite

I have not been to a party outside my own living-room in forever. Attending a housewarming for a former coworker/neighborhood friend. What to bring as a gift? I trundled off to the local fresh food store. I knew the homeowners would appreciate getting no stuff and I made the judgment that another bottle of gift-wine would be just too pedestrian. My gift budget under $15.00, they were supplying the beer and food.
 

I opted for a reusable mesh veggie sac filled with organic ingredients with which to create salsa.
2 heirloom tomatoes (1 red 1 yellow)
1 onion
1 lime
1 bunch of cilantro

Also included was a sympathy card hoping for a speedy recovery on their first mortgage payment.

~Eva Pea

Weekly Family Outing - Inside

Getting our family together once a week is part of my ideal life experience. Aim for the middle I say. With myself and my kids (19 & 21) in post-secondary, scheduling something regular is the only way this might happen.

If it were the 80's I might insist we meet at the Corkscrew Lounge downtown and have drinks and potato skins or to Japanese Village for a food and knife show on Friday nights. The 90's would see our family at a Curry house  or  picking at wings down at the pub. 2000`s- lets face it Krispy Kreme all the way. However, today's time and cash are very dear and instead we decided on Sunday morning coffee-breaky 9:30-10:30am at my place. Even if parties happened the night before, we agreed knowing where the coffee and muffins are on Sunday morning would be good. My BF will bake. So goes the threat.


$0.45 Coffee for three 2 black one with soy
  0.45 Hot chocolate for one made with milk
 2.00 Fruit apple, banana or berries
 2.00 Baking  four servings
 1.68 Organic Eggs four scrambled
$6.58 Total

And if we go with Moroccan style eating there will be only two plates, no cutlery and $0.0002 dish washing expense.

I can hardly wait.

EvaPea

Apply for a Scholarship

Due to my unseemly fortunate situation I qualify for several scholarships this semester. My failure to find work all summer has put me in the category of 'experiencing extenuating financial hardship'. My 4.0 GPA puts me in the 'good marks' group. My mom jeans put me in the 'aged' category.

I am told most student do not apply for scholarships, even though they are tax free. Last year I earned $1000 in scholarships. which is like working 85 hours at retail job or one lap-dance with Dino. This year I can apply for over $15,000 worth. The application takes about 16 hours to complete including all the essay jokes and puns. If I don't get the scholarship maybe I'll get hired as a speech writer.

I can also apply for under the 'community contribution' due to my services in the area and at school. Turns out, it does pay to change diapers. I also re-qualified under the single parent status since my 19 year old himself is entering post secondary this fall (this in turn supports 'the extenuating financial hardship' category). The adhd diagnoses allows me to apply for additional supports, a new i-phone however doesn't qualify.

My essays are a bit unraveling as to get my 'situation' across in words reads like a list of what to avoid when recovering from open heart surgery. Surprise dental work, getting lost in traffic and the baking soda diet have not made this years financial summer a kind one.
I'd rather submit a picture. I'd pick one of me working studiously in my 5'x4' home office, perched on a teetering frayed cane stool, knees touching the desk top as I slurp on a Mr Freeze which has given me an ice cream headache signified by the clutching of my right front hairline. In the background they would see my motivational poster 'Up with People', all of my pens, my Tony Robbins CD collection and lastly but not least my dancing eyes.