miclason's Personal Finance Blog

...and they are NEGATIVE!!!

wooo-hooo!

That's my sister's advice...I'm scheduled to go to the Dr. for the results of my biopsy on Thursday and, although the metaplasia is LIC, my sister says, eventually - maybe 5 or 6 years down the line - if pap smears are not clean, they'll do a hysterectomy....her advice: start saving for one, if you don't need it, you can always use the money for something else!...((sigh))...I must recognize, it's not bad advice...

(she started with metaplasia around her 20's and, after 3 criotherapies and a "cone" procedure, they removed her uterus)

the international moving company is charging us $11K for moving of some stuff from Sweden to El Salvador...my boss called me in this morning to find out WHO authorized this-and whether we did or whether the company just went ahead....we authorized it, but, I told him I wasn't sure who, as the movers had been speaking both to me and to HR...thankfully, it was HR who authorized it ...wheew!...for a moment there, I hesitated...I didn't want to say outright that HR had done it, as it would only make matters worse if it then turned out that the documents had MY signature on them!!...The original quote was for $9k (still waaaay higher than the alloted amount, which is $3k!!), and the remainder is storage charges...

I can breathe a bit easier now!!...Thank God for the paper trail!!

FRIDAY
They scheduled the unit’s Xmas party for this weekend, THE one weekend when I really couldn’t stay up until dawn, because I had to go for a medical procedure early on Saturday…bummer!...at least, the prohibitions listed did NOT include drinks and/or dancing!!..I had thought of leaving work early (at 5:00pm) and going to my cousin’s to wrap gifts for a couple of hours, then arrive at the party at around 9:00 or 9:30…but, we got a phone call: the boss (VP) wanted us to be there at 8:00 SHARP…so, change of plans… I went home, took a shower – it IS unbearably hot lately! – and set out to find something that actually FITS…found it!!...and arrived at the party at 8:00:01pm….

They wanted us to be there before anyone else to give the traditional Xmas/ Year end speeches: blah,blah, blah, wonderful year, blah, blah, blah, very happy with the group, blah, blah, blah, great work, blah, blah, have fun!...then the directors spoke, and thanked everyone profusely for their great work and dedication – except the admins, of course!- I kept sipping my rum and coke and hoping I wouldn’t blurt out anything too harsh! …one of the directors came later to tell me he DID want to thank me for my work this past year (do you think he could read the lasers coming out of my eyes as a show of anger??) hmmmm…anyway…people finally started coming in at 9:00pm and the music arrived, too…first everyone stood around chatting and eating and then finally someone started to dance…so we did too….At around 11:00, we suddenly heard this wooooo-hooooo coming from the front door: the sales team made it!! (they had been at a dinner and thus arrived later and together as a group!)…they trotted in and immediately joined the dance floor!... I must have danced from 10:15 until 12:20 (I left while they were lighting the first fire works)…these younger generations…noone lasts longer than 1 hour anymore…c’mon!!!..It made me think, really, every woman should have a dance partner…someone that she can REALLY count on at a party…When I arrived home, my hair was soaked, as if I had been swimming instead of dancing!!... I had to towel dry it before going to bed, because it was too yucky to just sleep like that! ….at about 4 am, my sister’s cell phone started ringing and woke me up…I couldn’t hear what had happened, though, because my ears were still ringing from the music at the party!!

SATURDAY
I got up early to go to the clinic…the good news?? My hair did NOT smell like smoke!!...the GREAT news??...it looked really gorgeous, the waves really well formed and everything…I HAD to wash it, though, on account of all the sweat!!...The call in the middle of the night?? My sister’s friend, to cry because her dog had just died!...poor L, poor doggie!!...I went to my cousin’s, she was going to drop me off at the clinic so that I didn’t have to drive afterwards… We arrived at 8:02 am and found there was a loooong queue in front, and they still hadn’t opened. Shortly after, someone opened the door and asked people to make 3 queues depending on the medical care they needed. I got to be #7 to go into the colposcopy consultation…#1 and #2 didn’t take long, but, #3 obviously got some crio-therapy (we could hear the pppffffft! Sounds from whatever instrument they use to apply the chemical –no, I’d rather NOT find out!!)…and finally it was my turn…I was glad I had a “real” doctor (meaning she was older than me and, not one of those baby-faced doctors you usually get at the clinic…some still with braces on that don’t even look old enough to drive, let alone prescribe medications!)…she was very nice, and she kept talking to me and asking me questions while she worked (presumably to keep my mind off the procedure…If you know me, you know THAT doesn’t work! …a book and some music, MAYBE, but talk….) ….she ended up taking some tissue samples to send them for biopsy, so I have to go there again on Thursday for the results…if the cells ARE pre-cancerous, she’ll do a crio-therapy on the spot and, hopefully, that’ll be the end of it for at least 6 months…if they aren’t, we’ll just say good-bye and I have to go in for a new pap smear in 1 year, just as usual!...

After I scheduled my new appointment and paid for the biopsy, I waited for my cousin to come pick me up…we went to Siman (local dept store) for some quotations that we needed (checking the competition’s prices and availability for school supplies!)…it was packed!...Xmas shopping has officially started!!...at one point, I felt a small cramp – I still don’t know if it was muscular, from all that dancing, or internal, from the procedure, but I don’t really care!- I said: ok, let’s go home!...I went home for lunch –since I’m the designated cook on weekends, my sister bought food from McD’s…and then tried to get some sleep before going to Alejandra’s “pastorela” at church…no luck! I got a phone call from someone from the office – couldn’t have a ticket issued due it wasn’t authorized…at one point it looked as if I was going to have to go to the office and authorize it, and then, it just dawned on me: I have DELEGATE access to authorize, so I asked the guy to call either the VP or one of the directors to send a message for the ticket issuance to be authorized (plus, they have laptops, they can do it from home!!)…problem practically solved! (but it took 3 phone calls to make it go away!!)…so, no sleep…

At 4pm, we all got ready and went to the pastorela…it had the usual glitches when you are working with children: some fumbled their lines and started laughing hysterically…the smaller angels, those with no lines were all under 3 years old! - started wandering about and, one of the eldest ones (who did have lines) got pushed off the platform – luckily it wasn’t a very high platform, so he didn’t hurt himself…we being as mean as we are, I told my sister: Look, how allegorical, first an angel gets pushed off, then the fallen angel is quarreling with the others! (he WAS!)…ha, ha, ha, ha!... Ale didn’t forget her lines or miss her queues…but, at one point, she didn’t know who she was supposed to hand the microphone to, so she hissed: WHOOO into it, ha, ha, ha, ha!...after that we had some pupusas that the church ladies were selling – they were expensive, as pupusas go, since they were $0.50 and, generally they sell for $0.35, but, it was for a good cause, so we didn’t mind…the Children’s Ministry never asks you for money, not even for celebrations, and, for the pastorela, they lend you the costumes rather than making you buy one!, but, they “survive” on donations and on the sell of snacks after the pastorela….


From there we went to my cousin’s and wrapped some gifts…she must have wrapped about 50-60 Barbie dolls, and I wrapped 24 Lego buckets (hey, they were difficult, because their shape is so odd!) After that, we called it a night and went home…

SUNDAY
Got up early (sort of, for a Sunday) and left home to see the Christmas Time Parade (Ale had asked to be taken to a parade to see it live, rather than on TV…and, to me, if you are going to a parade you HAVE to be on the first row…being my size, if I’m not on first row, I don’t see anything!!)…we arrived in front of the stadium (halfway through the parade route) at 9:30.am…Now, the parade was scheduled to start at 10:00! So we were early…I had some water with me and we had brought our caps and an umbrella…we sat on the curbside to wait…I didn’t let Ale drink much water, though, just tiny sips every half hour, because there are NO bathrooms there!!...she wanted me to buy her a spinwheel (?) – one of those toys that spin with the wind??...I did get her one of those…we didn’t buy any food, because we had had a good breakfast at home…She really enjoyed the parade (and, YES, we were on FIRST ROW!!!)…the parade came by our spot at about 11:15….it ended at about 12:30, so I took Ale to Little Caesar’s, and bought a large pizza, two 500ml sodas and 1 lt of ice cream for $7.49…we took it home and had lunch there…afterwards, I lay down for a while…didn’t get to sleep, but at least rested a bit…Ale did, too!...then at around 3 we went to my cousin’s again…this time, to separate the toys into packages for each employee according to the lists provided…with each bag properly labeled….this took until 7:30 or so…we had dinner and then put all those packages into boxes for transportation – my cousin will deliver them on Monday – and we double checked the packages, making sure they had the proper toy and the proper names and everything…we were finally done at 9:00pm, and Ale and I went home…

She must have been very tired, because she started crying when I told her not to put some small toys in her mouth…she said she didn’t want to die…I told her I didn’t want her to die, either, and that’s the reason I don’t want her to put those toys in her mouth…and gave her the Pizza Pooch to sleep with instead…then I put her to bed…in the middle of the night, she crawled into my bed: I just want to be with you for a little while…about 10 minutes later she just said: ok, I’m going to my own bed now…and left!

THIS MORNING:
I should have gone for my morning walk, but I couldn’t get myself out of bed!!...I’ll go tomorrow!

I was at my cousin's last night- preparing envelopes with tickets for the children's party on the 10th, and she said: well, what are you going to do with your school supply money?...and I said: put it towards debt...and she said: just that, no little goodie that you want? It WILL be over $1,000, you know...I was like: WHA...? I thought it would be about $1,000 for both of us, meaning that once split it would be about $500 each, but, she says she made more than $2,000 last year on backpacks alone (which she split with her former friend/partner...we are still trying to figure out why she decided not to be friends/partners anymore...she just took her stuff, returned my cousin's and stopped talking to her altogether!)...but, back on topic, we ARE doing backpacks besides the school supplies, so it should be even more than $2,000 to split this year (well, in January, so, next year!) ...I would like to put it all towards debt anyway, but, if it REALLY is over $1,000 I think I'd put $500 towards debt and save the other $500 for Ale's school - this would most likely cover the enrollment fee and uniforms...
Now, to this, we have to add whatever I get from the toy venture...although, here we DON'T go 50/50 because my cousin does about 70-75% of the work!

Well, our Xmas season- as far as selling toys goes - is almost over (most companies have their children's party before Dec 10th)...and we have already started working on the school supplies...right now, parents are enrolling their kids in school for the new year (classes go from Feb-Oct), and, they are given the corresponding school supplies list...we obtained permission from one (large) school to hand out flyers advertising that we can sell "packages" including ALL the items on the list (so the parent doesn't have to run around the city finding everything!)...we got the lists for all grades, too, and have already started running around to see where we can get the best prices....we will sell this to the parent at a cost slightly over what they would pay at the libraries, the catch being that WE get wholesale prices...notebooks, for example, who sell at the store/supermarket for $0.32, we can get for $0.15....on other items the difference is minimal, but, still, we hope to be able to make a nice profit from it...I will request 3 days vacation (26, 27 and 28) to go with my cousin to buy backpacks and other items, and, will request another 3 days from Jan 3rd trhough 6th to actually sell the stuff (the school gave us permission to sell the stuff on school grounds, too!)...

Whatever we get from this will go straight to the cc's!, the more I can pay before April, the better (as I would have to start school hunting in May, so that Ale can join in the fall - bilingual schools follow a different schedule!)

Yesterday, the other admin looked "off" and I asked her what the matter was...I wish I hadn't! ...she showed me what she was working on: requests to HR to increase salaries for 4 of the analysts in the group...2 of them will go from 1,450 to 1,775....the other 2 will go from 1,775 to 2,400...that's USD/MONTH....oh, and the 2 latter ones also get their monthly bonuses changed from 3% of their salary to 5% of their salaries if the dept reaches its goals...it is soooo unfair!...I make $800 and haven't had a raise in 2 years! ...not even when I went and ASKED for one!!...the other admin makes $600 and hasn't had a raise in 3 years!...the reason: they don't know what they could possibly say to HR to justify increasing OUR salaries!! (how about: when we started, there were only 13 people in the unit, and now there are 32?? or...there were 2 houses and now there are 5??...) makes me sooo mad, I could cry!...I thought the feeling would have worn off by today, but it hasn't...

I NEED A HUG!!

The sun was fierce today and my eyes feel dry - Ale sat on my last pair of sunglasses... ((sigh))...
I have to go to the mall today -1.to pay the store card ($11) and 2. to buy a couple of gifts that I'm still missing...I want to be done before the "shopping nights" are inaugurated (things get put "on sale" but are misteriously more expensive than regular price!, there are HORDES of people everywhere and you have to queue to even look at the stuff, and then again to pay for it! ugh!

What I hate the most about shops starting the Xmas season so early (since mid-november!) is that you feel like you OUGHT to be on vacation, and not slaving away in an office ...and it's not just me...everyone at the office is in a playful mode, but, there's still soooo much to be done!!...

Expected spending for today will be:
$4 - gardener
$5- phone card
$15- vaccines for my doggie (she's a heroine! she caught a bat yesterday!)
$11- payment for store card
$10 owed to maid (I only gave her $30 yesterday)
$1 - lunch complement (I brought sandwiches, should pick up a beverage + fruit)

I have $50 in my wallet, so I shouldn't have to take money out of the bank until Friday...

My cousin brought me an ad for a twin-sized bed, with headrest and side rails, which was on sale for "only" $16/month...Ale will soon outgrow her toddler bed and, it WOULD make sense to get her one of these...especially since the headrest comes in white, red, PINK and blue....but, I said no! I told her I'd rather save and buy it cash, even if not "on sale" later on.... I know it's "just" $16, but, I'm living about ~$100 above my means as it is...this situation is partly relieved at the moment because of the English lessons, which bring in ~$120/month, which would bring me to live ~$20 below my means, but, this, of course, is not completely satisfactory...and, to think of adding $16 MORE is just plain stupid!...no, I'll try to save those $16 if I can and then buy the thing...at least, now I know of 1 place that carries them - I'd still have to "shop around" for best available price!

Aren't you all proud of me??...This is all thanks to this site!!

unfortunately, it IS in the job description! lol!....I have to process payments for: utilities (electricity, water, phone, internet and cable) at 5 houses, rent at 5 houses, maids at 5 houses, gardener at 2 houses...AND also personal and business travel expense reimbursements, reimburesements for moving expenses, reimbursement for payment of food for a seminar, payment for facilities for another seminar...BORING!!...and sooo time consuming! For each payment, I have to fill out a special form, print 2 copies (one for my records, which I almost never have time to file!!) sign it, get supervisor's signatures and deliver to accting...that's why I try to do them all in one day...for reimbursements, additional to the above, I have to include a receipt from the employee - which I normally sign myself, I really don't have the time to go around looking for 5 more people to sign other 5 papers!,,,plus, the money gets deposited into their accounts or, if they don't have a bank account, they get a cheque...
Oh, well, I just finished the ones for the Admin Director - completed, signed, signed by Director and delivered, YAY!...now I have to get started on the ones for the VP of my unit!! (which, quite honestly, have been sitting here for 3 weeks, as he was away and, I didn't feel like doing them, so now they are backlogged!!...serves me right!!) ((sigh))
Maybe I can finish them before noon (it is now 11:48am!)

I got paid for the November lessons up to now: $100!!...AND, one of the PM's that used to work here had left his car - engine didn't work and he couldn't sell it...with the instructions that, if I managed to sell it, even as scrap, I should keep half of the money and give the other half to the maid at the house in which he was stationed...well, I got a call a while back and they delivered the money today!! It sold for $200, but, I had to give the maid an additional $40 for a desk that other PM's took, but haven't paid for yet - figured it's easier for me to get paid than for her, as I see them everyday - so, I actually took $60....I took 10% of my money and gave it to the Padre Vito home and another 10% and put it in my Cuenta Futuro - which is my savings acct...I'm giving Ale 5% for her own bank acct, I'm leaving $10 for fun money and using the rest towards debt!...I'm planning on doing this with any extra money that I make this year. Starting next year, I'll do 10% Padre Vito, 5% Ale and all the rest towards debt, as I need to pay as much as possible to be able to live on my salary next year....(no more farm money!)

The English lessons are extra, but, those are not always reliable, as the amount changes depending on the number of times you actually give a class!

my 5 year old daughter insists that I should buy X-brand lollipops because: "they have prizes, and you can win a DVD" - she's obsessed with a DVD player at the moment...no, it's not going to happen, I have other priorities/needs at the moment! - and, of course, being the mean horrible mother that I am, I haven't bought the lollipops!...but, the other day she went to a piniata and got 3 X-brand lollipops...not one of them had a prize sticker...not even for a "free lollipop" or anything...she was sooo disappointed...and she said: "Mom, you know, ads lie"....

Of course, being a 5 year old, now she wants me to buy her Y-brand of soft drink (sugar + water and coloring added! this is THE worst thing on the market here in ES!)...because the tops have prizes...you can win another soft drink bottle (that's a prize??) OR a $50 gift certificate to buy "all the toys you want" at Jugueton (large toy store)...

Oh, well, I'm back to being the mean mamma!

I just received my cc statement, my new minimum payment is $38.56 of which- were I to make only the minimum payment- $7.96 would go to the principal and the rest is all interest!! It's so ridiculous, I couldn't even get mad!!- I have scheduled to get rid of this particular cc for Dec 12th, when I get my Xmas bonus...70% of my bonus will go to pay off that cc IN FULL!

I finally went to get the results of my pap smear - taken about 2 months ago!!...I have metaplasia, so I had to schedule a colposcopy (sp?)...good thing I went to the community clinic and not to my private doctor....the colposcopy itself will cost $15 and, if needed, they'd take a biopsy for $12 additional...IF necessary, we would then schedule a criotherapy for $15....I cannot imagine my Dr. charging anything less than $200 for a criotherapy... and, the no-good insurance policy the company provides never pays for much!

Either the insurance company sucks, or whoever negotiates with them does!....according to the policy, the maximum one should be charged for a consultation is $17 (ha! try finding a doctor that sees you for less than $23!....The ones that have recently graduated, maybe, but any Doctor that has had his/her diploma for more than 5 years will charge $25-$30)...add a $9.50 deductible PER VISIT....and they pay 80% of whatever is left! (which effectively means they will pay up to $6.00 for a Dr's visit!!)...the deductible for medicines bought is $11.75 per RX....and the deductible per lab invoice is $10....which means that, unless you are seriously ill, you'd better NOT use private services!

Oh, and the "emergency" clause is just hillarious....if you are admitted through emergency at the hospital, the policy covers 100% of the hospital bill for medical services and 80% of the Doctor's fees - provided you use an affiliated Dr, otherwise, you pay and then try to get reimbursed according to the ins company's "tables"...good luck!- well, "emergency" applies if you are admitted because of an accident or, if you get admitted due illness ANYTIME BETWEEN 7PM AND 7AM....(?)....

OH, well, that's why I "save" the insurance for BIG things - none so far, luckily!

It's 5:35pm, and my stove hasn't been delivered...I'm trying to call the store and I'm going to tell them that if I don't get my stove tomorrow am, not to bother, I'll come by to get a refund!!...I bought it on Friday, so it is more than enough time for them to arrange delivery!

I found a stove for $160! (well, $159.99)...original price ws $215!...I paid CASH for it! (sooo liberating!- and you should havde seen the saleswoman's face when I said; "i'll take it" and she said: "I'll draw up the paperwork for the credit", and I said: "No, I'll pay cash for it!" LOL!)...it is sooo pretty! I'm happy with my stove, I'm happy with the deal I got and, I'm happy that I have no new debt on it - I paid with money that was supposed to go to the cc debt, but, I still have enough to pay all cc's on time and to pay a bit over the minimum payment...Plus, my sister owes me $60! - which she'll pay me on Dec 7th, so I'll pay that into a cc on the 8th!

We are selling the old one for parts!! - if anyone takes it!!

Ale wanted a Care Bear ($7.50 at Jugueton, which is the local version of Toys'R'us)...and I found them at Siman (dept store) at 25% off if bought with the store card....I bought her 2 for $10.53 (original price was slightly lower than Jugueton's!!)...Don't worry! I was good!...If I pay within the same payment period (9/11 -9/12 in this case), I don't get charged interest on those purchases...I marched to the next cashier and paid the card!
I already set aside the scooter and Barbie/Ken combo Ale wanted, and my cousin will get them for me with her 35% discount! I'm done with Ale!!...Now, I need to get the stuff for my niece, think of something for my nephew, find something for my best friend's son and I'm DONE!!! - oh, but I have to find my sister's B-day gift...have seen a couple of things that would be nice!

There's a "corridor sale" today to benefit the Home for Abandoned Handicapped children...I'll go see if they have a good deal on a new stove during my lunch hour...we have been browsing for weeks at other places, so I know that the lowest price we've found so far is $170....I'll take $170 with me, that way, if the price is the same, then at least it'll go to the children (our company is a huge sponsor of this home...it is one of the few charities for which you can set up an automatic payroll deduction with the company!...and, I have seen the work they do, it really is great!) www.fhp.org.sv/fhp/ if you want to visit their page!...
I hope I can find what I need!
*****************************
They only had electric stoves I want a gas one - they are cheaper, and the gas is cheaper than electricity, too!... back to the old quotes that we had!! - because I want this resolved THIS weekend!!

Well, I couldn't go to teach my class yesterday because demonstrators had closed one of our main streets and traffic was crazy...and today, my student can't make it because her brother is graduating!

The good news is, two much-needed days-off, the bad news is, I "lose" $20...oh, well, $10 really, as we rescheduled one class for tomorrow... and I can go shopping tonight! ...I can browse for more Xmas gifts and I need to buy a replacement "bulb" (?) for my car - I've done it before, I just don't speak "car" in English, LOL! so don't worry about me getting the wrong spare part!!...oh, and my niece said she'd love to have some of those "rain" lights for outside the house...I told her: If they're under $3, I'll buy them, if not, so sorry!

This week has been hectic...I've had to run around paying bills for the 5 houses and, I've had to look into new curtains (for one of the "office" houses, too!)...some days, I swear I could go nuts!...others, I have some "dead" time in my hands...I don't mind "back-to-back" assignments, but some days, I feel like an octopuss, with 9 people pulling at me from different directions: 1 from each arm and another one grabbing my head!! ((sigh))...I'm closing my computer and leaving now!!

I bought it right away, because the moment I saw it I thought: GB!...It's one of those card/photo displayers that have a little clippy thing?? ...the base is in the shape of a flip-flop...striped, with bright pink, blue and green...she ADORES shoes, so I know it'll be perfect for her! (las year I gave her a mini-calendar that featured a different shoe for each month!)....the best part? It cost $1.80!!! (she knows my presents are more symbolic than anything else this year!...just a gesture to say: I love you and thik of you!...) AND, I found some (very) old Xmas cards (all the leftovers from the ones we bought with ex-hubby over the years...blank insides!!)...so I'll add a card to my presents this year!

Found a tub of Legos at $9.99...of course, those are "real" Legos...I can get construction bricks of unknown brand for about $6.00....they are good, they actually fit with Lego-brand bricks and, half of them'll end up lost and/or chewed up anyway, so....I also looked at stuff for the house (found a nice garlic-bread plate at $6.00...of course, given that we almost never make garlic bread....) and I found beautiful cloth placemats at $2.50 each (think I can get cheaper ones at the Indian market...and hand made!)...I found some of the project managers at the same dept store...looking into buying a ping-pong table ($209)...I tried to get the salesman to throw in a the racquets, but I don't know what happened after that, because I had to leave to go pay my store card ($30)...I would like to keep a store card, but I'm undecided on whether to keep this one (expensive if you have balance on it, but, the store is within walking distance to my office, it has several other stores at convenient locations and, there's no annual membership fee and, if your acct shows a $0 balance, there are no "handling fees" or charges...) ...I'd have to investigate the other stores and see what their store cards are like (of course, I also have to look into NOT keeping any store cards!)..

OH, and I didn't actually BUY anything at the store...just made a payment.

I left for my walk at 6:00am...my niece has to be at school at 7:00am (she's supposed to be on vacation, but she flunked several subjects so now has to go to "summer" school - yes, it is dry season here!)...so my sister needs to leave at 6:20 am tops...she did!...she thought I had taken my daughter with me and just left! ...Ale was asleep and didn't notice (thank God!) and, when I came home at 6:30, I didn't see the car and thought my sis had taken her, but, when I went upstairs and passed in front of the girls' room - after stretching and drinking a glass of water - I saw a foot emerging from underneath the blankets!!...my sister didn't even notice she had left my daughter alone!!..she's only 5!!!
So, we made an agreement: I'll go for my walk at 5:50 and be back at 6:20....but, if I'm not, she's taking Ale with her!, if not, I'm allowed to kill her (my sis) when she comes back!...honest, some days...I REALLY have to pray for patience!!

Thanks for the encouragement, Laura!!

I want to lose 5lbs (in reality, I'd need to lose 15lbs to be at my ideal weight!), so I'm setting small goals of 5lbs...I started walking today...I hope I can turn this into a habit...I got up at 6:00am (sooo NOT me!) and went walking for 30 minutes...must have walked about 4 Kms) ...Also, sis and I have planned lighter dinners (soup and sandwiches), which should help both our budget and our waistline! (the only one exempt from this will be my daughter!)...If I can continue with this habit until Dec 15th, I'm buying myself a new pair of sweatpants - I only have 1 pair! - that'll be my "reward"...
I have done well so far - no aches, I stretched both before and after walking...I expect to get a "nap attack" a la Garfield at about noon, though! ...
I packed my lunch today: left over spaghetti and some tomatoes in olive oil and basil...yummy! can't wait for lunch time! - I'm not really hungry, but I can almost taste those tomatoes already!!

Went to the movies with Alejandra on Sunday...she wanted to see the Legend of Zorro - and watching Antonio Banderas for 1 1/2 hours is not precisely painful for me! LOL! - we go to the matinee becuase it costs $2.30/ticket, as opposed to going in the afternoon, when I'd pay $3.50 for myself and $2.50 for her....we bought a small soda and small popcorn...I snuck the chocolates from home! LOL!...so we spent $6.40...then we went for a short stroll in the shopping mall, to see the decorations (they're starting to put them up already!)...I let her go into a store and try on shoes (just to try them on, not buying, ok?)...I just bought her two pairs and she doesn't need anymore at the moment...although, the way she's growing lately...who knows!

Right now I'm Xmas browsing...today I saw some beautiful picture frames at $2.49 that would be great for 2 of my friends...I also know -finally- what I want to get my niece....she says she wants an organizer for her beads and, I will get one of those organizers for nails and screws that they sell at the hardware store (about $1) and will buy some beads to fill it...she buys hers at the mall, where they are really expensive and, I think I can get them a lot cheaper downtown, so I could have her present for about $5...
Last time I went downtown I found Winnie-the-Pooh character slippers at $3.50 and bought some: my sis gets Tigger ones (for her b-day, though, which is Dec 15, so I still have to look for something for Xmas!)....my best friend gets Pooh ones...my friend in the US even gets a pair of Eyeore ones! (I just couldn't resist them!)...DD was almost in tears so I bought a pair for her (for immediate wear)...Piglet ones...and, they have solved the eternal problem of her going barefoot around the house! ....I saw a beautiful nightable lamp for about $5, which I liked for myself....hmmmm, wonder if it gives out enough light to read by...I might get one for my sis if it does!...
The most difficult present is my cousin...she likes personal presents (nothing for the house, for example)...I know she loooves sweets and chocolates...but she's diabetic!!...hmmm, I might have something there...she has to buy her clothes at special stores or at the maternity sections of stores because she's 1.60m and weights 190 lbs...like me, the perfumes she likes are expensive ($60+ a bottle)...plus, she's the one that TAKES me downtown, so I really cannot shop for her present while she's with me!...I also have to find a present for my nephew (her son)...for my nephew that is now living in the US, I think I'll get a book on how to draw "manga", which has always attracted him and it is something for which he has a lot of talent...
For my daughter, I have bought already a short/shirt set and a Princess nightgown...I need a book (I ALWAYS give her a book!) and a toy...and I have just learned that the co-op is NOT giving toys this year, and that is generally my "Santa" gift for her!...she also gets a toy from the company I work for - which they hand out at the children's party, so there's no opportunity to "disguise" it as anything but the toy from the company mascot!...
Oh, well, I had already advised her I might have only enough money for ONE toy anyway...I'm leaning towards getting her a scooter, which my cousin can get for me at $15....
Still undecided as to what to get for myself...
My goal this year is to have the Xmas festivities cost no more than $250....and that includes the nanny's Xmas bonus and gift! - last year I spent $191 in total!, but, this year everything is more expensive and, the nanny "jumps" into the next bracket for her "aguinaldo"due she now has been with us for 5 years (the brackets go by Less than 1 year, 1-3 years, 3-5 years, 5-10 and 10+....

If I can manage to keep things under $250, I still have money left over from my own aguinaldo to put towards debt...

The bank exec delivered the cheques for the loan today...I already went to pay at one CC company
I have to go pay the loan at the other bank - unsure as to how we will handle the refund of $150, though, as, while the exec was processing the cheques, one payment came due and, since I have it on automatic discount from my salary account, it was paid....

I also need to notify payroll that they don't have to discount this money anymore...or, rather, that the discount should be $159.91 and should go to another bank! lol!

I feel much lighter...I know it's a looooong way off being debt-free, but, at least I know I can live with my salary, and not have to hand most of it to the credit card companies!!

First, thanks to Jorge for that last comment...I never thought of my life as interesting before, crazy, yes, but interesting??...

I have 1 of the 5 houses we rent almost sorted out now...I have 3 execs there, with their new maid, and I'm only pending with stuff from 1 person which is arriving tomorrow (finally!)...Let's call this Villa 1

House #2 is almost ready, too, I'm only pending sorting out the gardener payments....

House #3 is "messy" in that the landlady is disorganized, makes a fuss any time we want something fixed (and the house DOES need a lot of work!) and has a debt with the water company from before we rented, which she has arranged to pay for a period of 1 year...for which we are NOT paying, so all these receipts I have to pay in cash and then submitt for reimbursement, which is a lot more complicated than it sounds, and it's a lot more complicated than the system we have set up for the other houses, where I just have to fill out a form, get a signature and drop everything off at the mini-bank inside our offices...It is also messy in that the phone/internet/cable TV bill arrives at the company's main offices....where it gets lost until it reaches someone that recognizes the address and then forwards it to me, which results in payments being late at least 90% of the time!!

House #4 is "messy" in that the exec living there is constanly traveling and giving me the bills once they're overdue...this is a problem because, again, if the bills are overdue, I cannot pay them with "paper" but have to use cash and then submitt for reimbursement...

House #5 is messy in that the exec made the contract in his name (see previous posts) and am still trying to fix that so the company starts paying...I know he's getting mad - this has gone on for 5 months now!

Hopefully, by the end of the year everything will be in order....this really drains me - and takes a lot of my time, which could be used more productively in other things...

...we had to fire the maid today...my boss (director) and 2 managers share a house, but, the maid wasn't really performing well...some days she was a star, and others...she was just terrible!...and, she was abusing the phone...there were calls for her cellphone for about $100 this month!...he was very nervous about it and I said: I'll be there (I was the "liasion" of sorts, since I was the one calling her to give her the complaints in Spanish every time there was a problem)...today, he was: Oh, it'll be messy...and I told him not to worry, since I had fired people before (sadly) while I was at my previous job...It went rather well, actually, very professionally done, if I may say so myself...and he remarked on that, so...I guess it's just a side of me that he hadn't seen before (in command, as opposed to taking orders! lol!)...now, they want to keep paying for her son's school - I believe the reason they hadn't fired her before is that they all loved the little guy so much!...and she said she didn't want any help and that she'd find a way to make do without them...I told her not to be silly and not to let her pride get in the way of her son...I told her if she wants him to have a better life, he needs to have an education and, she has 2 other kids...I told her to take the aid as something being offered her son, not her, and that they are doing it from the goodness of their heart and not because they feel bad, and that they have set out to help him because they love him- they do! and that, despite what she might feel and think right now, they are actually fond of her and care what happens to her - they do!...I told her to call me as soon as she finds a school for him next to her own house or next position (although, this arrangement of letting the maid have their children with them is most definetely NOT usual in ES), so that I may go to the school and take care of the tuition, uniforms, etc...We changed the locks on the house, though, just as a preventive measure...her "husband" is a shady character...so much so that the guys prohibited his visits in the house, because he made their girlfriends feel uncomfy!...and, after all, she DOES know all their routines...and when the house is most likely to be alone! ...

I hope she takes my advice about the school aid for her son!

and no, I don't mean my salary....
I'm in charge of paying utilities and other bills for the houses that we rent for our executives...well, one of them rented the house in his own name instead of the companies, and now general services refuses to pay for the utilities until this situation is solved (I.e. a new contract is drafted)...in the meantime, they came to shut off his water yesterday and we are one month behind with the electricity bill...so right now I have to go beg the GS Director to pleeeeaaaase authorize the payments...the worse part is, since the execs in my area are the only ones that have houses paid for by the company, a lot of people are jealous/envious - including the GS Director!- and, since they can't spew their venom onto the execs....guess who they use as scapegoats...yep, the lowly Admin assistants - that would be me and B, the other admin assist in my area...people are generally nasty and mean whenever we request "favors"...as if it were OUR houses or as if it were somhow OUR idea that these people get preferential treatment...SORRY, OK?? this is the way THEY negotiated their contracts, SORRY if YOU couldn't, but it's not MY fault!! ((sigh))....Ok, I have to go and get humiliated by this "lady" right now...(no, generally I don't go to her, I go through my boss, but, unfortunately, he's on vacation, so I have to go there personally this time!)

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Wow!...she was actually nice to me....she said "no" on the money thing, but she was nice and offered an alternate solution....I'm impressed!

Well, I'm better now that the loan has been approved...but, now my sister is staying up all night wondering about what to do with her debts...of course, it doesn't help that her ex-husband keeps dumping the children's expenses on her (he just makes some lame excuse and doesn't give her any money....what is she supposed to do, just let my niece go without school?..no, of course she pays for it...then again, I've always said: sue the idiot! Even if you don't get much, at least you'll have the satisfaction of having done SOMETHING about it!)...It also doesn't help that he does give the children lots of stuff (shoes and clothes for my niece, for example, but, not school clothes or shoes....or $$$ to go to concerts and things like that!)...AND it definetely doesn't help (and this is one of the things that she COULD help!) that she constantly feels that she has to "match" him and not just be the one that provides necessities...so, she ALSO gives them a lot of stuff - wants, not needs! - my niece has about 40 pairs of shoes, of which she wears mostly 5 pairs....this is EXCLUDING school shoes!...consequently, my niece really doesn't believe that "there's no money" ...Point in case? my niece NEEDS to go to the orthodoncist for a follow up visit...there's no money for that, but, her dad just gave her a $25 ticket to see DJ Paul Van Dyk and my sister gave her a $25 ticket to go see Ricky Martin....YES, I understand that those things ARE more important to a 16-year-old than braces, but, shouldn't the grown ups act maturely and NOT just give in to the teenagers' view of the world??...my sister also acts like this because, growing up, her own teenage years were "the best of her life" because my parents had money back then and all she had to do was wish for something and it would "magically" appear....it's stupid, if you ask me!...she sort of uses the same "logic" on my daughter - another disadvantage to living with her! - but, I manage to curb it - I'm the mom, I have the last word!...I'm sure glad that alejandra has a better grip on the money situation (at age 5!) than my niece at age 16!...The sad thing is, of course, that my niece is being taught NOTHING about handling money (other than how to spend it, of course!)...the other day, my sis was crying because she was desperate and my niece just said: Chill out, mom, don't be overdramatic (this, from the Drama Queen herself!), it's not like you REALLY don't have money!....she lives in Fantasyland....Some days, I wish I could just slap some sense into (both of) them!...my sister is getting to the point where her credit cards are catching up with her (been there, done that!), which is the point where you are using the credit cards to stretch your salary from one payday to the next, but, then finding that you have to use almost all of the money you get to pay for the credit card, just so you have enough credit available for your next grocery bill!...OUCH!...Right now, I'm living paycheque to paycheque and, I know a lot of people think I'm stingy because I never have more than $5 in my wallet and because I don't even have a debit card...well, there is a very good reason for that: I CANNOT TRUST MYSELF WITH MONEY!!! - at least I recognize that....I used to charge everything on the debit card and then find myself one month behind with rent or, having to apologize to the maid until payday....which just sucks! I mean, I'd make this poor woman wait up to 3 days for her money, when she makes so little, just because I had overspent on WANTS...it's horrible!...so, now I'm counscious of that and work with cheques only - I cash a $45 cheque every week, $40 for the maid and $5 for my lunches...Every payday I withdraw $20 for gas and others...if I'm lucky, the car consumes less than $15 and that gives me $5+ for "fun" money...if not - like last time!- then bad luck!...((sigh)) I know my sis thinks this is a miserable life, but, I sure wish she would see the rewards...which of course, none of us will see in the short term...right now, the advantage is that I'm not creating any more debt, which is not such a "visible" advantage!!