September in review

So looking back on my first month of school I'm very happy and satisfied yet terrified for the next few months to come.

Classes have been great.  The material, as expected, is extremely easy.  The assignments are fairly straight forward.  But the workload is ridiculously heavy.  I feel like I never stop reading and reading and reading all week.  Then the weekends come and my section really lets loose and we enjoy ourselves.  Saturday nights have involved a bottle of wine and dancing to the live band at Cecile's downtown.

The small town has grown on me.  It's gorgeous.  The lakefront down the street from my house is beautiful.  I went rollerblading last night and it was AMAZING to watch the sunset across the water.

The best part is the people.  I have made some great friends some of which I know will be in my life forever more.  Most will be great resources in the next few years as I begin my career in teaching.  I'm looking forward to my next practicum weeks in 2 weeks.  It will be a chance to dip my foot in the ocean of teaching.  But I will definitely miss my dearest friends while I'm back home.

As for money, paying bills sucks.  Just this week I dolled out $1500 between rent, books and other stuff.  So here comes my greatest advice about saving money.  Have awesome friends.  My closest friend here has bought me a tank of gas (for driving him around) and has fed me multiple times.  His roommates also feed me.  People think we're dating.  I wouldn't mind that.  He's a really nice guy.  Cares a lot and we talk pretty much every day...  but we're in the same section and that could be awkward.  Plus why ruin a friendship.. either way.  I'm loving it here.  Sorry for the lack of posts and the switch of topics. I don't have a job (I love not working tho) so money isn't a main topic in my life any more.  I'm just avoiding spending it.  And so far so good!

Hope you all have a great weekend.  It's homecoming here so I know I will!!
- Jenny Z

Money saving technique of the week..

Eating out of your friend's fridge.

A few people in my section and our collection of roommates have decided to do communal dinners on Sundays.  This week we made lasagna and next week is tacos.  Good food with awesome people and the best part (not that I'd mention this to them) but it's FREE for me hahah.  I'm sure I'll help with the costs later on but for now I'm gonna ride the free wave!   (To be fair I give them rides a couple times a week and never take gas money.. so it all works out)

But seriously, communal dinners are a great idea.  You get to bond with your friends and enjoy a cheap meal.  We all split after dinner (my friend and I did the dishes while everyone else went to their bedrooms..)  then we reconvened to watch the original Lion King.  I think we did a bit of talk about homework but for the most part it was a time to just forget about school and hang out.  And staying in is the best way to save money.  Movies, bowling, eating out are CRAZY expensive and not as intimate/personal.

So I got the best of everything...maybe next time I'll bring a bottle of wine as my contribution!

One Green Act

Good morning :)

As I make my way to school I'm thinking of an appropriate choice for my science progect. We have to pick one Green Act and stick to it for the year.

I already decided I not drivong to school.. The bus is included iny tuition and only takes about 45 mins including transfers. I also just recently (but prior to the assignmet) bought a stainless steel water bottle.

So my new idea is litterless lunches. I make my lunch most days but use a lot of baggies that I jusy throw away. Secondly, In the last three weeks I've develpped a habit of not turning lights off. So I'll also be making an effort to stop that as well.

So those four things are my plan for the project. I've found that a lot of Green Acts are also money savers.. Such as using less water and energy which makes me happy :)

What are some other ideas I could incorporate into my life??

Saving money on your car..

So I learned a powerful lesson this week regarding regular vehicle maintenance.

I knew I was supposed to check the air in my tires every so often and to check my oil.. blah blah blah..

WAIT A SECOND... BLAH BLAH BLAH isn't quite as funny when you're stranded on the side of a single lane highway with a flat tire and a jack that is RUSTED CLOSED.  Oops... I checked that my car had a spare tire when I bought it but I didn't check the jack or tools... Thankfully a lovely couple pulled over to help me :D

Soooooo my mini lesson on car maintenance..

• Every time you gas up you should be checking fuel levels (oil, coolant, window washer fluid, etc.)
• Once a month check the air in your tires.  In your car manuel there will be information regarding the correct psi.

Checking these will save you time and money.  It cost me $170 to replace my flat tire.  I got the flat because I was driving with low air pressure for way too long.  OR I could have spent $1/month keeping the air pressure at the right level.  Checking your oil and having it changed every 3 months or 5000km will keep your engine healthy and prevent expensive repairs later on.

SERIOUSLY... the little maintenance save in the long run.

Weekly Spending..

The cost of a pet fish.

So I'm contemplating getting a pet fish.

I love fishes.  They are so relaxing and very little upkeep on a daily basis.  After you set it up, it's really only a monthly upkeep kinda thing... unless the tank get sick.

But the start up costs are kinda high and I don't have a job or money to blow.

So I won't.  For now.  I'll keep dreaming.


Fishie fishie fishie <3

Living with my daddy

My practice teaching placement is 3 hours south of my school near Toronto so I've been living with my dad for the past about 4 days now.   I will be here on and off for the next year.  It's actually pretty good. We're just putting the finishing touches on my bedroom.  Until my room is done, I'm crashing on the couch which absolutely plainly sucks.  Not because the couch isn't comfortable or because I'm in the middle of EVERYTHING but because I can't stand not having anywhere to put my stuff... it's SOOOO annoying to be living out of a bag with my my things strewn EVERYwhere.

The best part of living here is the cost.  As predicted my dad and step-mom refused my attempt to give them money and my practice teaching won't cost me anything.  I have yet to pay for anything since I've arrived.  This makes me (and my bank account) very excited!  A full fridge, healthy home cooked meals every night and fixins for lunch.  On top of that, I don't have to drive anywhere (because they always drive me AND everything is within walking distance)  I can honestly say I'm enjoying myself these days :D

Saving on Textbooks.

On of the girls in my Section bought ALL the textbooks this week during orientation.  I thought she was crazy especially because the profs were telling us to NOT open them from the sealed packages until after the first class.

Essentially, she dropped $491.00 on books she can't use to prepare for the first week of class.  While, I, on the other hand, still have $491.00 available in my bank account and am no less prepared for class!  Pretty sweet eh?!

So here's my advice on buying textbooks

1. Don't buy the textbook until after your first class once your prof has CONFIRMED you are REQUIRED to have it.  This saves you time (returning books) and money (in case you can't return it)
2. Don't waste money on something you can get for free.  We have a Practice Teaching Handbook that is available online in PDF format.  It's about 40 pages but only 20ish are relevant.  So I printed them out front/back in black & white.  Mine's not binded and doesn't have a pretty cover but it probably cost <$1  OR I could have bought it from the bookstore for $6.  Granted it's only $5 I saved in this case.  But think bigger.  Online or library copies of textbooks are great.  Many schools put texts on reserve so you can borrow them for 3 hours without leaving the library.  Free is FREE!
3. Buy used.  I didn't really follow this advice until my last 2 years when I bought a text off a friend.  I felt like I needed pretty brand new books to be successful.  A few courses I'm still thankful I spent the money and bought new but the majority of my classes I barely opened the cover so new or used (or not at all) would have all been the same. 
4. Rent.  This is a new phenomena that allows students to borrow the textbooks from the bookstore for the year.  It costs a fraction of the price to buy and the student can write/highlight the text if they want (to a certain amount).  If the text is returned in acceptable condition the student also doesn't have yet another book on their shelf.  I personally love books and have a bagillion so I like keeping my textbooks but I know that many students don't like the extra clutter.
5. Share with a friend.  An ex-boyfriend and I had a course together and decided to buy the text together.  We each saved about $80.  Thankfully neither of us are highlighters and he let me keep it in the end.  We made up a schedule that worked for both of our study habits (I'm a prepare ahead type/he's a procrastinator) and we both aced the course.
6. Do price comparisons.  It really doesn't hurt to see if you can get the book cheaper on Amazon or at Chapters.  Most school bookstores have websites where you can find prices and availability so from the comfort of your living you're able to get the best deal.  OHHH THE AGE OF TECHNOLOGY.

That's all I got.  I've only ever sold one textbook but I know you can make good money selling books back.  But since I don't know any tricks of the trade I won't pretend to know and share my guesses. 

Off I go to work on my price comparisons :D Hopefully I can get it under $400

August Grocery Challenge

So if you've been following I did the grocery challenge last month with BrokeTO.   And I'm exceptionally proud of myself.. sort of.

As for the grocery challenge, upon arrival at my new abode I bought $17.21 of groceries.  This brings my month total to:

$46.33

So I definitely came in under budget.  I was also able to cook for 3 different people over the month :D 

Unfortunately, I ate out more (much much) more than my allotted $20/week.  I blame this partially on goodbye parties and partially on moving/getting to know new people. 

 I definitely have a new appreciation for meat and limiting it's use.  I definitely still LOVE LOVE LOVE meat but will be using it much more sparingly now.

Have a great weekend!