Weekend In Toronto

or Tronno as the locals call it ;)

After I got lost twice I met BF at his new apartment (a main floor of a house). Toronto is so crazy. Driving in TO is not fun, it stressed me out! Once I got to his house I also had to park on the street because the houses on his road didn't have driveways! I parallel parked which took me two tries (I'm not used to parallel parking at all). He gave me the grand tour, let's just say it's a shoes-on house (the tenants before were not the cleanest). There is a cleaning service coming in on Tuesday so hopefully they can get it cleaned up and freshened up. It's a small place but doable for the 6 weeks he is there. The part I like best is that BF has a bright purple room, lol.

We decided to hop on the subway and we got a day pass for $10 for both of us! I was starving so we went to a place on Yonge St. that had sushi. It was soooo good, really hit the spot. It was pretty much right across from this Church of Scientology which was interesting to see. Don't see those too often.

We then headed back on the subway and went to the Eaton's Centre. It is HUGE, we went into a few stores and I bought a new bathing suit, pair of flip flops and a hoodie. BF got some sandals and a collared shirt. We also went to this place called Lush and got a few bath soaps. Smelled so good!

We then hopped back on the subway and went back to his apartment to drop everything off. I'm so impressed we were able to navigate the subways so easy. Later that night we decided to have a couple drinks and then go walk to Bloor St. We did so and went to a place called The Pump to watch the hockey highlights, had a drink and some nachos. Mmmmm nachos.

Today we got up and walked back to Bloor St. We went to this place to have breakfast which I wouldn't go to again. The wooden tables were sticky, we ordered the exact same thing but BF got 3 eggs and I got 2, and I got about 5 pieces of bacon and BF got 2. After breakfast we went to Honest Eds where BF got some cleaning supplies and a curtain for his window. That store is HUGE! I don't even think we saw half of it!! They have an East and West wing and about 5 floors on each side. Crazy!

It started to clear up after that so we drove down to High Park. Thanks for the recommendations to go there! It was very nice, what a big park in the middle of Toronto. A nice getaway. We drove for about 10 minutes trying to find a parking spot. While we were looking for a parking spot we saw where the animals were, we both said we want to go there once we find a spot to park. We walked through the park for a while and NEVER found them! We are going to try again another weekend, it was a very nice and scenic walk. The trees are very pretty with their blooms right now.

We drove back and stopped at a grocery store so he has some food for lunches and we made supper together. It was a lot of fun this weekend. I spent about $150 including a tank of gas and clothing. Well worth it. I'm excited to visit again. I'll be going to TO again next weekend but won't be seeing BF, I'm going to Jungle Cat World with my Brownie group. I will be going back to visit BF in TO again the weekend after, already excited!

This and That

I worked today so I had to have my brother take in my car to get the new tires. It ended up costing $247, blah! I'm glad it is done though. The tires were only $69 each, and the rest was labour etc. It costs so much to have THEM change my tires. I really need to learn. Hopefully the equipment necessary isn't too expensive. But if I learn that will save me $140 per year!!! Just changing tires (once a year to change from winter tires and once a year to change back to winter tires)!!

I taught Grade 5 today and this kid who needs a computer to do his work printed 100 copies of another boys speech while I wasn't looking. Sneaky little devil!!

BF came this weekend which was nice. He is moving to a new apartment in Toronto for his placement (he will be there for 6 weeks) this weekend so I will be travelling there on Saturday once he is moved in. We're looking for some inexpensive ideas of things to do around Toronto. I'm thinking we might go to the Hockey Hall of Fame, the Science Centre and Reptilia (just because I get in free as a teacher and can take a friend to Reptilia for free). He also wants to possibly go to Casa Loma. He's not very into art and I've been to ROM at least 6 times. Any suggestions?

I bought some books using gift cards I received for Christmas last week and spent about $25 extra. My roommate is getting married this summer and her birthday is in May, I got her this cute book called "How To Get Married, By Me The Bride." It's written from the perspective of a 6 year old, it's cute! I think she will like it. She is a supply teacher too so she can use it in the future.

I'm volunteering for a couple of hours tonight and need to get ready. I hope you have a great week and are able to enjoy some of the sunshine!!

Why Can't All Weekends Be This Good?

Ever have one of those weekends that just solidifies the feeling that you are with the right person? This weekend BF and I had a great time. Friday we went shopping, I was looking for a dressy spring jacket, and he was looking for a tie. He picked up a tie that matched my dress. I can't believe how expensive ties are! He got a tie that was $45 but was 25% off. I couldn't find any jackets that I loved so I didn't buy one. That night we went to see "The Last Song" starring Miley Cryus. I thought it was okay. BF didn't like it, the girl sitting next to me was balling. I thought the brother made the movie! He was very funny.

Saturday we went to his future apartment. Measured some windows for blinds and then went shopping. Blinds are also expensive! We went to JYSK and they had some nice blinds but they were odd sizes and wouldn't fit the windows we wanted. We also went to Home Depot, but wow those were CRAZY expensive because it was custom fit blinds only. We didn't get anything and then today BF's mom tells us that she also went today and measured and bought blinds for the apartment. Yay!

Saturday evening we went to prom (graduation formal). His mom gave me a dressy coat. She said it didn't fit her and was happy to give it away. What timing! I was just looking for a nice jacket the day before! We got all dressed up, it actually felt like prom. BF looked pretty good in his suit :) His parents took our pictures, they even drove us!! It was funny, so much like a high school prom. We had a good dinner and danced to a few songs. It was nice to meet his friends again, they were fun!

Today we slept in. We watched MTV (16 and pregnant), am I the only one that loves that show??? I don't get MTV at my house so it's a treat when it's on at his house. We sat outside because it was beautiful out! We fed some birds, chatted and laughed. What a wonderful weekend!

I also only spent $31 and that was on gas and a hot chocolate! Perfect!

A Little Bit of This, A Little Bit of That

I mentioned before that a teacher thought of me when he knew he would be going on a trip in May. He spoke to me, he spoke to his two principals requesting me, they approved. However today it fell through. He is no longer going. It was still nice of him to consider me, and hopefully something else will come up. It would have been 6 straight days.

I have been busy working lately and am enjoying it! I think I will be able to put at least $1000 toward debt this month AND next month, and hopefully more if the work continues to come in. I have nothing else booked at the moment! I keep redoing my monthly budget by adding more to debt and savings depending on how many days I work.

My GST cheque also came in today. I will deposit that tomorrow. I am also trying to save up for a dentist appointment next month, AND two all-season tires. May will be an expensive month.

If I don't work tomorrow I am going to drive to BF's by noon. Otherwise I will just leave after work. I THINK that we are going to see "The Last Song." It's a Nicholas Sparks book made into movie. Has anyone seen it? We also have his prom to go to on Saturday night. I need to pick out what shoes I'm going to wear tonight. I'm looking forward to it. Hope he saves a dance for me :)

Weekend Recap

BF came on Thursday evening and just left about 2 hours ago. We had a nice weekend. We watched some TTDUP, played some wii, watched a new show he likes Breaking Bad, he watched a chickflick with me, we cooked my family supper together, had a fancy drink night, played some bingo lottery tickets, hung out with family, did some grocery shopping, ordered supper one night. We went to my storage unit and went through a lot of my stuff there and picked what we wanted to keep for the apartment this summer and what to give away or discard. He ended up taking quite a bit back with him, mostly kitchen supplies. We also spent an hour talking with my family and neighbours listening to a wind-up radio in candlelight for Earth Hour last night. Did anyone else participate in Earth Hour? We had a nice time, it flew by quickly. I spent $10 on ordering supper, and $5 on lottery tickets, and $31 on groceries.

Next weekend is Easter. My cousin (best-friend) is coming up, it will be nice to see her. It's April too in just a few days! I don't remember a March being this warm ever! I remember a few years back though the snow had almost melted and on April Fool's Day we got a big snowfall! I wonder if that will happen again this year!!? I sure hope not, I'm enjoying the sunshine and lack of winter boots.

Last Weekend and Looking Ahead

I didn't spend a cent! Woohoo!!! It was a bit of a boring weekend, I watched about 4 hours of Gene Simmons Family Jewels yesterday. But no spending too which makes me happy :)

BF is coming up this weekend and I want to take him out somewhere. I was thinking maybe a maple syrup farm if they are still in season, or go out to a movie. We'll decide later, but neither will be too expensive. He is going to come up Thursday and stay until Sunday.

I worked today. I was expecting no work at all this week since it's the week after March Break. The principal also asked me if I would work for one of his teachers on Thursday. Then another teacher came up and asked me if I was interested in covered him for 6 days in May. He wants to recommend me to his principals (he works at 2 different schools) because I work well and have been in for him a few times. That would be great if the principals are able to set that up, he said no guarantees that they will allow it though. It is very nice of them to even think of me for a job though!

April is a 3 paycheque month and a GST cheque month so I hope to put around $800 toward debt! Hope the work keeps coming in!!

Weekend Spending

Another weekend of spending. I seriously need to just lock myself in the house on the weekend and then no spending will be done. I went to Toronto on Friday. We stayed at a hotel (BF covered it) until Sunday there. We met in Toronto because it is about the half way mark between BF and I. It worked out well because his grandpa's birthday was on Sunday and we were supposed to meet his family there for a b-day lunch.

Saturday we went out shopping. My goal was to find a dress for his "prom" (graduation formal). I tried on a bunch, and found one I liked but it was a bit too casual for a formal. I did buy it though ($45 from Sears) to wear in the summer, maybe even to the wedding we are going to in July. We also went to a Corelle store and I told BF I would buy him a housewarming gift and I wanted it to be new dishes. I love corelle, and so we picked some out. In total I spent $179 there, along with a few handy kitchen tools and some corningware. We went out for lunch and supper that day too, breakfast was continental at the hotel (thankfully).

Sunday we woke up early, although with the time change it wasn't THAT early. BF got a call from his family saying his grandpa wanted to call off the b-day because he wasn't feeling 100%, so we were kind of in Toronto for no reason this weekend but it was a fun getaway for us. We went shopping again that morning to find that dress! That's when we looked at engagement rings (sigh) and I bought a couple of work shirts ($33). Then finally we found another mall (there are tons of malls in Toronto!!) and it had a Winners. There I found a dress I liked!!! Yay, and it was only $33! What a deal, thanks Christina for reminding me about Winners :)

I spent more than I wanted to this weekend because of the dishes, but less than expected on the dresses! Next weekend I'm staying home, no more spending!! Hope you all had a great weekend.

Proud

Wow, what an AMAZING game. I was right on the edge of my seat (and leaning forward) during overtime of the men's Canada vs USA hockey game. Great game, well played hockey by both teams. It was amazing to see the coverage of different places celebrating across Canada (Robson Square, and Yonge St)!

I am very impressed by all the athletes that represented Canada. It was simply a joy to watch them compete. My favourite was hockey and then figure skating. I was really rooting for Patrick Chan, but loved the performances of Evan Lysacek (soo good at the exhibition gala), Johnny Weir (he's so funny), Kim Yu-na, Joannie Rochette (so glad she earned a medal) and Asada Mao (triple axel girl). I wish I could skate like that! Ah, I wish I could even skate!

I worked 4.5 days this week. Which was awesome, I hope next week is good too! BF came this weekend. We went out to the Mandarin on Friday which was soooo delicious. I definitely ate my money's worth. We watched a lot of olympics and then went for sushi today for lunch. It was a fun weekend. I am going to visit my cousin in Toronto next weekend, BF is at a conference in Mississauga and will meet us when he is done. Then I will go to visit his family on Saturday night. I'm looking forward to it.

Happy March!!!

I'm Moving Out!!!

In my last post I mentioned that I decided to move in with BF for the rest of the summer after we get back from Holland. This is very exciting yet a bit scary for me.

I always thought that I would not move in with my partner until after marriage. But I guess this is kind of like a trial marriage for us, plus I think it makes the most sense. We have been together for over 6 years as well.

I want to eventually work where he lives, to be closer, since it is easier for me to move my work because he will be established and working full-time very soon.

We are already going to Holland together for 3 weeks, so as a teacher that takes up almost half of my summer off. Where am I going to work for the month of August? So we talked about it and decided that I could live with him for that month. I would apply to places in his city to work for that month and hopefully work at least part-time for the month while he is working full-time at his new job.

ALSO, this works out because I thought about it, and staying until at least mid-September would also work out very well for us. I do not start getting supply calls until closer to the end of September, so if I stuck around with him until I started receiving calls I would have an opportunity to volunteer in the schools in his area to hopefully gain some experience and get noticed to better my chances of getting an interview with the school boards in his area.

There is an apartment available above the clinic he will be working at. His mom owns the clinic and apartment, so hopefully a good deal on rent could be negotiated, especially if BF does some work around the clinic, shovelling snow, clean up, repairs, etc.

Nothing is set in stone yet, all just things that could happen. But the apartment is very nice. He is having this meeting that will negotiate rent, salary, benefits, etc in March. I am already getting anxious for this meeting, as I want to know the numbers now. You know how we PFers are. But right now I am very excited, we have already looked at furniture!!

Why I've Been MIA

I had an excellent weekend. I dropped my parents off at their hotel on Wednesday and then continued to BF's house.

The highlights are that on Thursday we went to a concert and got a meet and greet with Deric Ruttan!! I was super excited, but unfortunately we both forgot our cameras, it's okay though because I got a signed CD.

Friday we spent the day together, and BF has been planning a party for this night for about a month. He picked up some supplies. Fun party, I met all his friends from his program, and some of my friends even came.

Saturday I bought some thread to crochet more with, still learning. That evening we went to see a musical. It was called The Last Five Years. It was really well done although a sad ending. Later that night we went to his friend's house who were celebrating a birthday.

Sunday we visited where he will be working when he finishes school and looked at the apartment he will be moving into after we get back from Holland. It is still a work in progress and people are fixing it up a bit more, some painting and cleaning, but it looks REALLY nice, also I've decided I will move in with him for the remainder of the summer. Eeeeee!!! More on that soon.

Total cost for the 4 days was about $50 with gas and yarn expenses. He took me out a lot, sometimes I get spoiled, he really is too nice.

Life Sure is Expensive!

Yesterday Asian Pear talked about how working is expensive. Today SS4BC discussed how dating is expensive. Life in general is so expensive!!

My two university roommates are coming up this weekend. I have not seen them since the summer so it will be nice to catch up. However, I already know it's going to be a costly weekend. I went to the grocery store to get the basics (some snacks and pizza) and it was over $40. I know we will end up going out for supper, and tubing. Hopefully we can stay in as well to play some board games and hang out. Friends sure are expensive. Anything social can be expensive!

Once in a while it's worth it though, worth the extra splurge on a weekend to have some fun.

I am working tomorrow, just for a morning, so that makes 2.5 days this week, not too bad. I only have 2 days available to work next week as I am working at the rec centre on Wednesday and then I am driving my parents to the airport to go to Florida then going to see the BF and staying for the weekend since it's on the way.

We are going to see a concert on Thursday night, Friday we are having a party with some of his high school and university friends, then Saturday we are going to see a play that he got me tickets for back in November. It will be a busy weekend, but good. He has also promised to take me out for dinner and a lunch. YAY!

In other news, J.D. Salinger, the author of "The Catcher in the Rye" passed away today at the age of 91. That is my favourite "real" novel! Real means something other than chick-lits. He was a very reclusive man, and I read that he continued to write a lot but did not have them published because it was writing for pleasure. He locked up these books in a safe in his house. I wonder now that he has passed away if they will ever be published and if they will be as good as "The Catcher in the Rye."

Also in other real news, did you hear that they found another person buried in the rubble in Haiti yesterday? A 16 year old girl, Darlene Etienne. 15 days after the intial earthquake. How amazing is that!! They said it was unlikely she would have survived even a few more hours. Really puts things in perspective doesn't it? I hope she and all the other survivors are doing well and getting aid.

Got Me Thinking

My BF told me something that happened to him that had me in tears on the weekend (from laughter).

Background: he is living at home right now about 4 hours away, we have been dating for just over 6 years. We have talked many times about me trying to find a job there when he is finished school. But I keep telling him I am not going to move unless I have a teaching job, supply work at least. We have also discussed marriage, and both think it's not time for us since we are not living in the same town, and he is still in school (until June), we cannot afford it right now and we don't want a super long engagement.

He is planning on moving out and working at the clinic his mom owns, his mom and her business partner have offered him a job when he graduates from his masters program. LUCKY GUY!!! They have recently expanded their business to a new location, and this new place has an apartment above it which they have also offered to BF. He plans to move there after he graduates.

This weekend he was doing some homework in his room and his mom comes in. She asks him if I an planning to move to their city this summer. He told her that we were talking and I would move there for the summer but then back to my town if I didn't have a teaching position lined up there for the fall. Then she asks if we plan on getting married (this kind of threw BF for a loop). He said not while we are long-distance. Then she said "maybe she is waiting for you to make it official before she moves here." He was surprised by this comment and said "I don't know." She says to him, "You need to figure these things out" and then she turns and leaves.

He called me after and tells me this and I was just as surprised as he was. Of course we have talked about these things before. He was just so surprised by her questions and comments that he wasn't able to tell his mom this. I was laughing so hard after I heard this, especially because he said she was serious when she was asking these things and it got BF all worried thinking about these things.

I do eventually want to marry BF but not until things are in place. I'm not ready yet, especially financially-wise. Sure 6 years is a long time to date, but I need to find a teaching position first, we need to pay off debt, start saving for a wedding, house, car, furniture, etc. I can put a wedding on hold until we are ready. I wonder why his mom was asking these things?? He has an older brother and not questioning him (dating his girlfriend for 6 months). Is it bad for me to stay in my town until I find a teaching job where he is? Is that being selfish?

Six Years

Wow time sure flies! It's been 6 years (on Saturday) since I had my first date with my boyfriend. We met in first year university. Four years of going to school in the same city, and then summers long-distance. Now it has been 2 years of long-distance, never fun but it's working for now. Hopefully soon one of us can move closer to the other, likely it will be me moving closer to him (he will have a job when he graduates). I am in no hurry to get married though, we get asked that a lot, "so when's the wedding?" I want to be in a place in my life where we can afford a nice wedding, and be able to afford to live with each other. Right now that is not an option. 5 year plan ha! Hopefully sooner than that though.

We had a great weekend, went out Friday night with friends, then spent Saturday watching movies (seriously everyone needs to see the movie Up) and now we are all caught up on Dexter. We went out for supper that night and then hung out with friends again. It was a fun trip! I hope you all had a great weekend.

Weekends Should Be Longer!

Had a great weekend, short but sweet. I worked Friday and the boyfriend met me at the school I was at. I was finished before 4:00 so we went to the closest Fabricland and I bought some material, to make him a gift and enough fabric to make some friends a couple of comfy winter pillowcases. They didn't have the right green I needed though so I will have to visit another Fabricland soonish. Total cost for that was $23.

The rest of the evening we spent eating supper, playing wii, and chatting with family. Saturday we went to paint ceramics. This took a lot longer than expected. He painted a football character, and I painted a purse box. We had to leave them there because the owner takes them and then fires them up and then will call us to pick them up. These were about $20 each. A little pricey but was still a fun afternoon. That night we had supper and then watched 5 or 6 episodes of Dexter. Anyone else watch this show??

Today he left early. He had to go to play soccer at 1:00 and he lives 4 hours away. I will be going there next weekend, as it will be our 6 year anniversary. Woohoo!

Craft Time!!

My boyfriend is coming up this weekend. He asked me if I want to do anything in particular and I said I want to make a craft. I didn't have any ideas at first, and neither did he. I got thinking about what is in town and decided we would go to this place where you can paint your own ceramic. I have done it before, I made a piggy bank. Well actually it was shaped as a school bus. But that is what we are doing this weekend as one of our dates.

What sort of thing do you like doing on dates that are relatively inexpensive? I always enjoy crafts and he is always willing to go along with me, as long as they are not too girly :)

Things we have done: colouring contests from the grocery store (free and no we didn't enter), watercolour painting (initial costs were about $10 for paper, watercolour paint and brushes), painted birdhouses (about $30 (cost for the birdhouse, or pirate ship birdhouse in his case, and several acrylic paints), friendship bracelets (about $2 for a bunch of colours), dipped candles and made our own candles from coloured wax (it was about $1 per dipped candle and we chose nice jars for the coloured wax ones so they were about $6 each). I think that's basically all the crafty things we have done together, suggestions?? He wants to make a big abstract art painting on canvas together to put up when we get our own place like the couple from the e-harmony commercials have done.

What are your favourite date ideas? Or fun craft ideas that you enjoy?

House Envy

Serendipity discussed in her last post her dream house and wanted to know what the dream house was like for others.

I too have a lot of house envy. Living at home with family is nice, but I would love to have a place of my own. More space! I have a friend that is getting married next summer and just bought her grandma's house last month. I would love to be able to do that, but unfortunately is too expensive for me at this point.

I think what will happen is that I will move to where the boyfriend lives, and rent an apartment together. Live there for a couple of years and save up for a house while starting our careers. Then get married and move into a house. It's a dream of mine to move into a house once I get married.

What that house would look like:

• It would be located in a small town
• 3-4 bedrooms (future for kids, and a workspace area for lesson planning, crafting)
• 2 bathrooms
• Open concept
• Large enough living room for entertaining and playing games
• Large kitchen is important, with dining area attached or in same area (likely the space where most of the time is spent)
• A den area for watching movies, and playing wii
• Big enough backyard for gardening and playing
• Garage (place to store bikes, yard equipment, and of course car, double garage would be even nicer)
• Enough storage space throughout and large closets in each bedroom, preferrably walk-in for the master bedroom
• Lots of windows, bright space

I look at the MLS and Property Guys listings online at least once a month, just to see what is out there and how much people are expecting for a house. I also love watching shows like Moving Up, Holmes on Homes, Trading Spaces, Extreme Makeover Home Edition, etc. I look forward to decorating. Hopefully this can one day happen! 3 year plan?? What does your dream house look like?

November Goals

I'm glad November is here. I think that I am OSAP debt-free today however it is not updated yet on the NSLSC site (usually takes 5 days) and it has not been withdrawn from my account yet. If it's not done tomorrow I will call them. I will not update the sidebars until I see that my OSAP account is at $0.

This weekend I went to Toronto with the boyfriend. He had a conference there and then I met up with him at the end of it and we stayed one night. It was really fun. He received spending money from his conference so basically everything was covered for our dates. We went out on Halloween, and went to see Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs in 3D on Sunday. Was very cool, I have not seen a 3D movie since I was a kid (back when the glasses were one red, one blue). It also covered our eating expenses, was great! I hope he gets to go to more conferences!

I have six new goals for November:

Go to the gym at least twice a week
I didn't do so well at this in September, but am going to give more effort to it this month.

Read a new book
I read one last month right near the beginning and didn't get into a second. I have one on hold at the library but it hasn't come in yet. Hopefully early this month so I can get a good start on it.

Complete the quilt I started
I have all of the materials to do this, I just need to get motivated. I want to start new projects before this one is finished so will have to resist that urge and just get the baby quilt done.

Complete Christmas shopping for my friends
Then I will only have my brothers and dad left to buy for. I can do them in December.

20 No Shopping Days
No spending of any sort. Minimum 20 days this month.

Keep $1500 in my account
This will avoid bank fees at the end of the month, and also start my savings for my family loan. $1500 is somewhat out of my control, but I think I should be able to do it if I continue to get fairly regular work and don't overspend on anything. I have never not paid for this account, so that will be a new experience if I can attain this goal!

Happy November!

Let's Talk About Life

In my last post I briefly touched upon some of the goals I have for myself. I would like to one day, hopefully sooner than too much later buy a house, get married, buy a new (used) car, purchase furniture for the house, and still be able to pay my bills and have a bit of a life.

Let's break down the cost of those items:

House - or I should say downpayment. Now the downpayment can vary. But if you can pay 20% or more then you can avoid purchasing the high-ratio mortgage insurance (which can range from 1-3.5% of the principal amount of the house). Let's say I want to purchase a $250,000 home with a $50,000 (20%) downpayment, that would work out to be (at 6% interest) $1288 per month, or $595 bi-weekly after the downpayment and we are living there.

Wedding: I would like to have an average wedding. Nice but not too over the top. Still either way, weddings are expensive! Considering everything involved (minus honeymoon and engagement ring) I think $15,000 would be reasonable.

Furniture: Seeing as though I currently have almost nothing except what I had as a student, almost everything would need to be purchased except kitchen supplies. How do you estimate the cost of that? Let's say $5000 to begin with, I am sure if we needed things that family would be willing to give us some of their things.

Car: I would definitely buy used, not too old but not too new either. I think $12,000 would be reasonable for a good running vehicle. I bought mine for $2000 and it's working well but it has some issues and will need to be replaced eventually.

Let's say I want to get married, move into a house, have furniture and a car in three years...That would mean saving a total of $2278 each month starting now. Which is NOT going to happen. Let's say all of those in 5 years, well that is $1367 per month. Much more reasonable, but by then I will be 29 and wanting to have kids, which are another major expense....does it ever end? Compromise, and say 4 years, that is $1708 per month. Split between myself and my boyfriend that is $854 each per month but neither one of us will be able to start that for several months at least. However when he graduates this June he will also owe about $35,000. So that means that we either have to push back plans or decrease the downpayment, find a cheaper house, or make more money. How do you do it?

I do eventually want to move out and live in an apartment with my boyfriend which also costs rent, furniture expenses, and everyday household expenses. I do not like not knowing what will happen because I am a planner...Still, I look forward to the future!

Does Anyone Else Have This Problem??

I am having an issue with some blogs. It could be my fault as I am relatively new to this still. I cannot post comments on their blogs. Is there something that I am doing wrong here? Does this happen with anyone else?

In other news, the boyfriend just left today, he was up since Friday after school. We had a great weekend. We went out for supper on Saturday which was $15 each. We also carved pumpkins today but he paid for those. I made a haunted house and he made a goofy face. The rest of the weekend we were fairly lazy which was kind of nice. We played some Rock Band and watched some TV, just hung out.

I got paid on Friday ($620) and made a $400 payment today to OSAP. I will be updating those side bars shortly to reflect this change. So that means that my minimum payment will cover the rest of what I owe for this month and then I will be DONE!

These are a few of my favourite things...

I love weekends
cartoons
my boyfriend
my best friend
making lists
photographs
my family
pink, blue and green
flip flops
swimming in lakes
my hometown
country music
books
stickers
chocolate
chick flicks
watching hockey (go leafs go)
fresh sheets
board games

I love weekends. I had a great weekend  with the boyfriend. We went to a football game, and out dancing. We played some games at home and hung out with his family and some friends which was a lot of fun. He also gave me $250 american for my shopping trip! Wow, he really is amazing! Very generous of him. My mom also gave me the same amount in american dollars for my shopping trip. So I have $500 american in free money!! I cannot wait. After being careful not to spend too much it's going to be weird to do so much shopping/spending! But I am sooo looking forward to it!

I also paid $600 to OSAP today! Updated the progress bar to reflect this! I owe under $1200 now! Could I have it finished by the end of November??