Flying away

I got news this week that I will be getting four weeks off this summer!!  They are unpaid but I get to go HOOOOOOME.

I've never really been homesick before.  But a few weeks ago, I saw a bluejay and it hit me hard.  So I'm really excited to see my friends and family in Canada for a few weeks before returning to teaching in a country I don't understand but am falling in love with.

I will be working out the final 6 months of my new contract and then possibly completing the remaining 3 months of the school year.  But I don't love Taiwan enough to stay longer.  I can't figure out how to teach here without losing my mind.  I'm excited to return home and eager at the chance to get my own classroom (or supply for a while first) in an educational culture that I understand and agree with.

Financially life has been a but rough.  Switching jobs meant a bit of a stop in the cash flow, so I haven't sent money home in about 3 months now.  My bank account is dry and there are bills to pay.  I get paid on Monday though and will be sending the previous 2 paycheques plus the upcoming one home all together.  It will be nice to drop some dough on the cards and see some money in the account.

The balance on my loans and one credit card are steadily declining.  Actually the credit card is rapidly declining as I funnel extra cash onto it every month.  Unfortunately, my two other credit cards are hanging out in the same range.  Fluctuating within a few hundred dollars (it obviously doesn't help that I don't have any money right now to throw on them).  As my paycheques become steady again, I'm sure I will start to see some more rapid decline of the balances.  If not, well a serious financial overhaul will have to happen in the fall.

As for my trip home, here is my budget:

I am flying into Vancouver and meeting up with a friend.  We will then spend two weeks making our way to Toronto by train.  Once back in Ontario I will be relying on friends' & family's couches to sleep on and their fridges to eat out of.

Flight (round trip): $1200      
Train: $500
Accommodations: 9 nights x $30 = ~$300
Food: $300
Other (sight seeing/touristy things/etc.): $200
Total: $2500 

This is going to cost a boat load.  And while I'll have the cash to pay for it, my credit card payments are being put on the back burner.  Maybe I should work through the summer.  Maybe I shouldn't go home.  But I think I'll become depressed if I don't.  So, I'm sucking up the temporary set back and heading home!! CANNOT WAIT :)

Just some hump day thoughts...

1. I started to sell some resources on a great teacher friendly website.  I've made less than 5$ so far but I'm still new in this game and I foresee many great things ahead!
2. I love my new school and new apartment! 
3. I've been thinking about adoption a lot recently.  I'm definitely not in a financial (or living) situation where I could currently, feasibly do this but I might look into it a bit more in the coming months.
4. I'm very much in love with one of my best friends.  Our daily phone calls and messages keep me going through the rough days.  He's such a rock in my life, I'm so lucky to have him.. if only he weren't on the other side of the world.

That's all for today kiddos :D

Jenny~Z

Paycheck!

I got my first paycheck at my new job and promptly put it in one of my cupboards.  BAHAHAHAHA its the newest saving strategy.. haven't you heard?  Let it collect dust and ignore your bills... JUST KIDDING!  Seriously though, I have about 12,000NT (Taiwan dollars) sitting in my desk drawer to spend this month (another good money trick...) so I don't need it yet...

The real point of this post is that the coooooolest thing happened when I got paid.  I found out that my rent and my electricity and my lunch money is taken directly off of my paycheck.

HELLO NO BILLS TO PAY!!!!!!!!!!


I like the idea of not having to worry about anything, except my cell phone.  But that is pay as you go and I put 1,000NT on it back in January and I'm still running off of that credit (SAWEEET!!)

When I get paid next month I will be sending the money directly home so that it can start collecting interest, instead of dust.  While I like having the cash accessible, I'm pretty sure we can all agree that interest is much more valuable... and really I don't need 70,000NT hanging around here when I spend less than 10,000NT in a month.

By the way, for anyone looking to save money, Taiwan is a pretty good place to do that.  My rent is less than $300 Canadian/month including all electricity/internet/cable/water/etc. and I spend less than $300 on everything else.  So even on an expensive month I spend less than $1000 Canadian and I'm making well about triple that when everything is said and done...  so what are you waiting for, book that flight already!!!!!!!

Money...

I just posted about my life... now I'll go to the roots of this blog and update you on my financial situation...

I arrived in Taiwan on my last pennies and spent September maxing out every available credit option I had.  Since then my life has begun to turn around financially...

I have paid $1000 towards my government loan.

I have paid $1000 towards my other credit cards and such.

I have not yet missed a single payment (but that's not new).

Most importantly, I paid for a month long trip to Philippines and Malaysia in CASH and I have $3000 in my account.


No I didn't need to go on the trip and Yes I could almost get rid of 2 of 3 credit cards with that cash.  Or I could do significant damage to my loans... but I prefer having that money where I can see it.  AND I'm in Asia and am taking advantage of that.. The money spent on the trip was definitely well worth it!

Here's a summary of my current debt...

Debt:
MC#1: $2656.82
MC#2: $840.82
Visa: $11,283.26
Gov Loan: $14,606.67
Bank Loan: $18,893.12         (previously my Student LOC)

So I still have a loooooong way to go ($48280.70 to be exact)... but I feel like I'm on the right track.. So I will continue to push forward and pay off my debt one dollar at a time!

Love love Love
Jenny Z

Happiness

It was my 25th birthday this week. So I've been really questioning my life.

Am I where I want to be?
Am I doing what I want to be?
Am I happy?


Yes
Yes
YES!

I love living in Taiwan. I love love LOVE teaching. I love seeing the kids grow and change and develop over the year.. I love love love it!

But I went traveling with some friends last month and that got me thinking of some other important questions...

Am I a good person?
Am I a good friend?
Am I positively impacting the world around me?

I want to say YES YES YES to all of these, but there's no way to be certain.  I always try to do what I can for others.  I always try to be there for my friends who need me... but I can be selfish. I have my own needs. I have my own life.  I'm across the world from the man I love and want to extend the journey another year without a thought of the ramifications that it would have on the relationship.

I recently ended a friendship with one of my best friends.    Looked her in the eyes and said, I don't think I can be friends with you anymore.  My gut twisting and turning... How could I do that...
But things change, lives change, people change.  I think sometimes the right thing to do is the hardest.  I think I made mistakes, I think she made mistakes.  And I definitely I don't think could continue holding up my side of the friendship any longer... Was it right for me to bluntly state it?  Or should I have let it go on and slowly fade into the background?  Am I a bad person or friend for knowing what I need and stating it?  Impossible questions for me to answer but society pushes the words YES in my face.  Yes you're a horrible person.  Yes you should have stayed friends.  (*note while re-reading - this is quite harsh maybe but its 110% how I feel)

As for impacting the world... as a teacher I impact the lives of my students every single day.  Some will be positive, some will be negative and some will be neutral.  I can only work my butt off every single day to hopefully sway the impact towards the positive...

For now these are impossible questions I face...

HAPPY BIRTHDAY ME!!!
Jenny-Z

Taiwan

Hi all,

It's been a while.  A long, long while since I posted.

As I said in my last post, it was a crazy summer.  Working two jobs plus this and that and this and that and everything else, I had so little time.  But it was very rewarding financially.

Then I left for Taiwan and found out it would be a month before I got paid.. EEEHK I did not bring enough cash for that.

So, I've lost a bit of head way but no fear, I got paid Friday and am settled on my budget for the month.  I will be Fedex-ing the extra money home on Monday (because I can't get a bank account here just yet).

So here it is... My Taiwanese budget (in New Taiwan Dollars)

Rent	NT$ 12,500.00
Utilities	NT$   2,500.00
Transportation	NT$   2,000.00
Food	NT$   5,000.00
Life	NT$   5,000.00
Savings	NT$   7,000.00
Debt Repayment	NT$ 20,000.00

So there we have it.  We'll see how it goes this month and then tweek as necessary as the year goes on. :)

That's all for now,
 Jenny-Z

ATM Monster

I'm debit card-less right now.  Which is, obviously, a bit of a hassle.  Last Saturday, I was out on the town with some friends and went to get some money from the ATM at my bank.  For some unknown reason my card wouldn't come out of the machine.  Eventually, it timed out and ate my card.  Now I'm patiently waiting for my new card.

Thankfully, I have cash to spend and my Mastercard.  And no bills to pay this week, since I cannot even access my accounts online without my new card number.

Overall, financially, things have been going really well.  I'm spending very little money and tracking my purchases so I know where I can cut back (i.e., restaurants & alcohol) but I probably won't.  I'm having an amazing summer chilling with my friends and I'm okay with spending a bit of money on that.  Especially since I can say that I've paid over $1000 onto my credit card in the last month plus have enough money in my account for all of August's bills already.  I really had to limit myself last year so its nice to be able to spend more freely this summer!!  And I'm leaving for Taiwan in less than a month!

Hope you're all having as great a summer!!