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Showing posts from April, 2010

Mini-obsession

I certainly don't need one, but I want a netbook. Badly. Lately I have been comparing the Dell Mini to the MSI Wind. Doing so I'm getting pretty good at navigating through geek-tech sites. Telus update: I finally called Loyalty & Retention yesterday and explained the whole sordid tale, beginning with the dead battery from last October. The result is a new HTC Snap on the truck and into my hands today. I hope that receiving this FREE toy will placate the desire for a new laptop. Not that it was free, with the bill I paid back in November plus all the time and aggravation on the phone and in person since then. But I'll take what I can get. Seriously, Karissa

Well no wonder

Just returned from  weekend jaunt to Capital City. I was going to drive but my little car (paid off) starting making a squeaky noise that I think might be the fan belt - it detaching itself was just one of the many car problems I suffered last summer, resulting in $1400+ in repairs. I really don't want a repeat of THAT this summer. As well it was reported to rain on Friday and one of wiper blades has come apart, resulting in a beautiful arc of a scratch on the windshield. I wish I had that checked as soon as I noticed something wrong, but I left it and now I will deal with it this week. In just a few days I will be taking the car to the Big City to have my snow tires removed so I will have to get it looked at very very soon. So I bought a return Greyhound ticket, which set me back $118!! Taking my car would have cost less in gas but I just couldn't take the risk. I guess Greyhound has increased ticket prices to cover increased costs (fuel, salaries, benefits, etc) and decrea

How cool is this?

I love gadgets and toys. I have a serious pen collection that I've culled by bringing them into work so that people can grab them from a mug on my desk. I'm not as attached to them anymore: they can go. What stays with me is a little 2GB data key that holds copies of my most important documents, some pics, and a most-up-to-date copy of my budget spreadsheet. So you can imagine how impressed I was to find this cool pen + usb traveller from Memory Suppliers.com (I have a link to the site over there in the right-hand column). Too bad I don't have a reason to order any of these nifty gadgets. If I were one of them pro-mommy-blogger types I could have a debtfreekid logo designed and hand them out at conventions. Maybe next year :) Seriously, Karissa

Still obsessed

... with spending money I don't have. This past week I have created wishlists all over the Net. I customized a Dell Mini and looked at yoga toys. I have at least twenty listings in MyEbay. The BBC Canada Store contacted me to add a link - which I have, below - and now I have all nine or so seasons of Red Dwarf in a wishlist on their site. I went to Winners last week, looking for panda bear slippers for my son. I walked out with two dresses and a jumper, a pair of (non-orthotic) wedge sandals and a toy purple dragon. Over $130 spent that I managed to work into my budget spreadsheet without catastrophe, but those funds SHOULD be going toward the $9000 on the MC. A visit to the dollar store yesterday had me spending just over $30 and this didn't cover all the items on my shopping list. Something is up in my psyche and I'm not sure what or why. Is it just spring fever? Or have my spending issues returned to cause problems? Seriously, Karissa

The Problem with Parity

The Canadian dollar is almost at par with the U.S. bill, and because of this I have found myself browsing both ebay and ebags. I have a serious addiction to leSportsac - especially the leopard print styles - and I usually buy a new item each year. I skipped last year because I was so serious about debt reduction. I am trying not to let myself believe that I "deserve" a new bag. I am grappling with the issue of entitlement in all kinds of areas. I used to justify the expensive leSportsac purchase by acknowledging that the bags were Made in USA, but I know that they haven't been for a few years now. The quality of the Made in Asia bags appear to be the same, but the guilt of potentially buying from a sweatshop does not make me feel good. Maybe I want a reward for being so good at debt repayment, but I don't want to compromise my values. But oh, there are some cute bags out there. Seriously, Karissa

0.99%

I called Master Card to check the status of my application for the new card. It was still pending, but the rep informed me that I had a deal on my current card for 0.99% for the next nine months. I decided on the spot to go for it, and now my diminishing debt is back on the MC for a little while. It changes my strategy of pooling all my resources into my easily-accessible LOC, and means I will have to be more diligent to put a large chunk onto the card rather than hoarding it in a savings account with fear. However it will be nice to use my neglected savings account again. Hopefully I can keep some funds in there for once! Seriously, Karissa