A nice way to end the day...and off for Long weekend!

I saw this on Wednesday night's America's Got Talent.. around the 1:40 mark you will hear the most amazing voice I have ever heard.. from an 8 year old girl! She is cute as buttons and is totally a diva.. watch her snap her fingers and swing her hips during her performance!

Hope you enjoy this as much as I do! To all my friends who get a long weekend like I do, woohoo!! I am off tonight to our local Peterborough County Holstein cattle show- something us country girls do! Then I'm going to spend the rest of the weekend relaxing by the water and hanging out with family and friends. I may head back to Guelph early on holiday Monday because I have a busy week to prepare for.. interview... cough cough.

Happy Friday (and Long weekend of course!)

My fabulous cooking this week

For some reason this week, I felt motivated and inspired to cook up some great meals. A was so impressed with my creativity AND the final result- some pretty tasty food!

I made my own homemade pasta sauce on Tuesday night and had Spaghtetti. And last night, I grilled up some delicious Chicken Quesdillas. I also made a chocoloate pie for desert (although I bought the pie shell this time instead of making it.. I know, I know). Both meals weren't even that hard to make really.

Here are the recipes for the meals I made (these recipes are very vague.. sorry! I don't really believe in measuring, etc)...

Sphagetti Sauce

1 lg. can of tomato paste

1 lg. can of diced tomatoes with Itailan flavour

1 bag of Spinach

Mushrooms

- Heat the can of tomato paste

- Heat the diced can of tomatoes, add in chopped spinach and chopped mushrooms

- Once both are heated and ready, mix together and heat for 5 minutes longer

VOILA.. your very own pasta sauce.. and you can get really creative with this one! Add whatever you like!

Chicken Quesdillas

Tortillas

Chicken breasts

Cheddar and Monterey Jack cheese

Green pepper

Mushrooms

Sour Cream

Salsa

- Turn the oven on to Broil and heat to 400 degrees

- Cook chicken on stove and chop into small pieces (2 chicken breasts made 5 Quesdillas)

- On one tortilla, spread shredded cheddar/monterey jack cheese all over

- Put sliced green peppers and mushrooms all over one tortilla

- The last thing to do is spread sliced chicken all over tortilla

- On the other tortilla, spread salsa all over

- Put the two tortillas together and press together so they don't fall apart

- Place tortillas directly on oven rack and cook for about 3-7 minutes (depending on how hot your oven is.. mine only took like 4 minutes to bake to nice and crisp golden brown!)

Enjoy with sour cream and salsa!

July Recap, August Forecast

July Recap

I just finished going over my excel spreadsheet for the month of July. There are definitely some good things and bad things to point out about my expenses....

Good things:

• I reduced my clothing by $200.00 from June- I finally got it under $100 which I am really happy about considering this use to be one of my biggest expenses!
• I finished months end with quite a good chunk of income (although some of that will soon be taken out to pay for rent in August)
• I managed to save over $600.00 this month for my Belgium trip :D
  

Bad things:

• my "miscellaneous" is a ridiculous expense- things like withdrawals (almost $250.00!), the dollar store and Staples are killing me!
• the LCBO bill was a bit expensive ($87.85) but I realize that I did have a birthday party and bought all the beer/liquor so that is where a great chuck of the expense came from
• Groceries were still a bit steep which is too bad seeing as I am splitting them with A but I think I will be able to drop this dramatically in the next few months (especially when I am gone to Belgium!)

August Forecast

I have alot of things going on in August that I had to re-adjust for. These are more or less leisure activities that I have to consider- the Havelock Country Jamboree, a volleyball tourney I am playing in, the CNE Ambassador of the Fairs competition I am going too, and a wedding I must attend later on in August. I tried to really cut down on the bare expenses of living- i.e. groceries, utilities, and clothing. I will be glad to share with you how I make out at months end!

Too expensive of a flight...

My original itinerary for my trip to Europe included flying out of London with all expenses paid for, by the Young Breeders school organizers that I am traveling with to Belgium for the EYB school. I was just told though by flight organizers that flights out of London are $400.00 more expensive to fly out of than to fly out of Belgium.

I obviously told them that I had no problem taking the Eurostar back to Belgium to fly out of Brussels if it was going to be $400.00 cheaper! For 1) I wouldn't want to inconvenience the people who are paying for our trip and 2) I don't personally want to spend the extra $400.00 to fly out of London when it would cost me less than $100 to take the Eurostar back to Belgium. 

So, I have asked the organizers to book my flights out of Belgium one day later (Sept.18). 

Phew... glad I got that little hiccup solved!!

Updated Wish List...

Since I last posted about my wishlist, I have either purchased a few things off of that list, decided I didn't NEED some of the things that were on my list, or even added to that list.

Here is my revised Wishlist....

• Quickens Personal Finances $39.99
• Sex & The City Season 6- Part 2 $30.00?
• Bio silk shampoo/condition- $18.00 each
• MAC lipstick in Creame d'Nude $16.50
• One Tree Hill Season 6

Things I bought since

• a new Kodak camera (love it and have been using it alot!)
• 2 traveling books for Europe
• Decided I didn't need the greeting card box full of cards so I saved $20.00!

I got a second interview!

I just received notification that I got a second interview for the job I blogged about last week. My first interview went very sucessful so I was happy when I got an invite to the second round of interviews. Although, I must have been a little clueless because I didn't know that they were doing a second round of interviews. Either way, I am super excited they are still considering me a possible candidate.

I am asked to do a 20 minute presentation regarding what I would do in the position. This is going to be tough but I like challenges. I am getting my thinking cap on already and are cooking up some ideas. The only thing I am worried about is that I have a super busy long weekend coming up (cattle show, trip away with my best friends and A) and I wonder if I will have enough time to put together a superb presentation before next Wednesday.

Wish me luck!

I've having major computer problems...

Since I logged onto my Mac work computer this morning, I have had to restart my computer 3 times, and it has frozen an additional 3 times, only to come back out of its little "spell." 

I have heard so many amazing things about MAC computers, but my computer must be the rotten apple out of the bunch. Maybe it is old? Has been abused? Not sure?! All I know is that I have only sent out 2 emails and haven't even been able to blog once until this post now. I have some serious work to do today of course. And of course, during writing this post, my computer decided to freeze AGAIN!

It keeps making a clicking sound. And that little colourful round beach ball keeps appearing. If I see it one more time, I'm not sure what I'm going to do.

To be continued....

On a better note, I am super excited for lunch today because me and a few colleagues are heading to Shakespeare's Arms, a cute little pub in Guelph which was recently named as one of the Reader's Choice awards for best pubs (another post will follow regarding the RC awards). I know I'm going against saving money by making my own lunch, and this week I have totally blown that rule but come on, its a beautiful summers day (with no rain!), why not spoil myself by going out for lunch :)

Tanning.. not so nice of a glow..

I will admit, I am a tanner. Or I guess from here on in, use to be a tanner. There use to be something that drew me to synthetically burning my skin, knowing it is bad. I started right before Grade 12 prom, got to about the colour of an orange and then decided how stupid I looked in my prom pictures afterwards- so I stopped.

During University, I only tanned once and a while, usually before big events, dances, weddings, etc. It was nice to have that little extra glow. I saw first hand

though from some fellow classmates (and friends), how addicting tanning can get. I can think of 2 girls specifically who look like they have toasted their skin to the colour of light brown. I honestly don't think they will ever see the real colour of their skin ever again- can you say Michael Jackson- OK, sorry.. was that too soon? The only reason why I say this- when I use to tan, I used a small heart everytime I  tanned. To this day, event though I haven't tanned in a while, the heart is still there- showing the exact colour of my skin before I started tanning. I don't think it will ever go away.

Whenever I see my friends, or even the people who work at tanning salons, I always wonder to myself if they know how bad they are affecting their health. It wasn't until I read this article in the Globe and Mail today regarding new studies that suggest tanning increases your chance of skin cancer by 75% that I got the crap scared out of me! Now I'm kind of worried I may have increased my chances of skin cancer, since I started tanning when I was 16. It is as likely to give you cancer as smoking is... perhaps tanning should be banned then just like smoking in certain public places is?

I think from here on in, I am definitely going to stick to rub on self tanners. I know, I know.. they may leave streaks. But who the hell cares? At least I'll be living!

I jumped on the Swagbucks Band Wagon...

I have heard alot about Swagbucks lately through many other bloggers but didn't really think it was anything to get excited about. I guess I was ignorant because I didn't know how it worked and so thought it was useless. Well, after reading that a fellow blogger has already made enough Swagbucks to buy $100 worth of books off of Amazon, I decided I had to try this out!

So I joined at lunchtime (I earned 3 swagbucks just for joining!). One of the simplest ways to earn more swagbucks is by using their search engine, just like using google, but you can win swagbucks while searching! I have already earned 1 swagbuck by just searching like 3 times. 

I have my eyes set on a few prizes.. all of them are over 1500 swagbucks... so heres to continually searching with Swagbucks. I have 4 swagbucks already.. only a few thousand more :P

You know what else I realized too? How dependent I am on google. Everytime I want to find something, its like second nature to me to just quickly type in google.ca. I have really had to try hard to remember to go to Swagbucks everytime to search for something, so I can earn something!

Join me on Swagbucks my using my referral code please and thanks :)

Grocery shopping blunders

The past couple of weeks, I have been splitting the grocery bill with A, and it has been a great idea. We have roughly been spending between $25.00-$50.00 each on groceries. We are making big, healthy meals so we don't mind spending a little extra to buy ingredients to make healthier meals. I also like to bake a lot too and to buy all the start up ingredients has been a bit expensive :S

Until last night- when we spent $157.90 on groceries! I almost died at the till when it was finally tallied up! $80.00 on groceries each?! I felt so guilty that we bought that much food. Especially when I know that money could go towards paying down debt, or saving up for my Belgium trip. I also felt guilty because I had a grocery list and I stuck right too it, well maybe 2 or 3 extra items.

The only bonus (and added cost to our bill) was chicken that was on sale. We bought like $30.00 worth so I guess that was an added one time cost that actually saved us money in the long run. 

Oh well, guess I will just have to compensate by not eating at all next week! Haha

My save.ca coupons arrived!

I blogged last week about a really neat site called Save.ca which sends you free coupons the next business day after you select them online.

I was a bit skepitcal when I didn't receive my coupons by this past Monday (I ordered them last Thursday!) but I finally received the coupons in the mail yesterday. I saved a total of $14.00! I have to use them up by September 19th so I will make sure to purchase the things I need, with my coupons.

I went back online this morning and ordered another set of coupons! I will save another $11.75! 

Anything helps right.. you should definitely get some coupons if you don't already have any!

Country Girls PF Timeline

I sat down and thought long and hard about what I want to accomplish in terms of personal finance goals for myself. I came up with a list of realistic, attainable and timely goals that I hope to achieve. The following is a list I have set out for myself. I realize that there may be a few adjustments along the way, but I would really like to stick as close to this timeline as possible:

Realistic- Short term goals- 1-2 years:

• save $1500-$2000 for Belgium/Europe trip for September
• repay all my student loan debt by September 2011
• save $5,000 in each year for the next 2 years for a car
• save $2,000 for Emergency fund

Attainable- Mid term goals- 2-5 years:

• save $10,000 in savings account
• start looking at buying a house so ideally save around $20,000 for down payment
• eventually start saving for retirement fund
• start investing (possibly hire a financial advisor at this point?!)
• make over $100,000 at my job
• save for my Masters in Leadership which is roughly $27,000

Timely- Long Term Goals- 5+ years:

• become a homeowner after saving initial $20,000 down payment
• increase amount of savings to $15,000 and emergency fund to $5,000
• Have an investment portfolio of over $250,000 by the time I'm 40
• save $10,000 in a travel fund for possibly traveling the World some day later on
• get my agricultural communications diploma, roughly $8,500
• retire by the time I am 50!! Woohoo!!

Meal Plan Monday.. well sorta

I know it is Tuesday and I already missed Monday, which was the day I was suppose to post this but I got this idea from blogger Serendipity about "Meal Plan Mondays." Its funny, because I have a little 5 day calendar that I keep in my organizer to write down what I plan to make at night for supper, along with what I ate during the day. It helps me keep track of what I eat to count calories and stay on a healthy diet. Its a good way to know at the end of the day or even week, what your body consumed.

So in light of this cute idea, I thought I would post this weeks meal plan, even though, I know, its not Monday!

Monday: Grilled cheese sandwich (Not quite the healthiest supper eh?)

Tuesday: Spaghetti with homemade tomato and spinach pasta sauce (see picture to right)

Wednesday: Pork chops with spanish rice and salad

Thursday: Grilled chicken Quesdillas (recipe from Rookie Cookie)

Friday: Gone home so food on the farm :D

Extra Ca$h on the $ide...

After reading all the personal finance blogs that I follow, I continually see that people everywhere are either making money off of their blogs, or making extra income on the side by doing mystery shopping assignments, participating in focus groups or having extra part time jobs on the sides.

I would definitely get a part time job for the weeknights and weekends if I wasn't so busy with 4-H and traveling home on weekends to see the family and help out on the farm. So I have decided to put myself out there and put a whole bunch of job ads up for odd/end part time jobs that I figure I could do on the side- during evenings, on the weekends if I had too. Jobs like babysitting, tutoring, small graphic design projects, mystery shopping and I have even signed up for focus groups. I posted a few ads on a few different places, and also checked out the classifieds on Kijiji and The Cannon to see if there were any positions I could possibly apply for.

I really dont' need the money and I guess I don't need the stress either (I am rather enjoying my stress-free summer) but I have gotten so motivated to pay off my student loans lately that I really have a need to just go and make as much money as possible, and as fast as possible. We'll see how it goes- and see if I even get any jobs! I think the extra cash from another part time job would give me the financial independance and freedom I have wanted for a while now.

If you hear of any part time jobs, let me know!

A trip on the Always, Sometimes, Never Train..

Thanks for the idea from Five Blondes, I thought I would do this little neat activity. Turns out, I came up with a lot more ideas than I initially thought I would. Here it goes...

I Always...

• am thinking about the future
• check my email 100x a day
• am organized
• get crazy neat ideas and then never start or follow through with them
• keep my room and house clean
• speed (oops!)
• love getting dressed up for special occassions
  
• believe things happen for a reason

I Sometimes...

• lose and forget stuff
• get stressed out about the small things
• write down blog ideas
• don't smile enough
• feel guilty about not working out
• am OCD
• like to sleep in
• start books and then never finish them
  
• drink too many margaritas (in the summertime of course!)

I Never....

• forget to leave home without my cellphone/wallet/money (childhood horror story)
• stop thinking about my personal finances
• remember to bring and use my camera everywhere I go
  
• forget where I come from- my farm, my family, my agricultural roots- and tell people where I come from
  
• forget my manners
• like doing dishes
  

Pain in the neck... literally...

Yesterday, A and I were ambitious and swam 2 kilometers in the Trent River. We swam downstream to a friend's trailer park to jump off their dock, and then had the hard task of swimming back upstream to get back to our dock. It was quite the trek. We kind of cheated though- we wore life jackets and I brought a tube which A had to pull back the entire way home because it was too hard for me to handle going back upstream.

Along the way, we saw a huge black water snake (ew.. my worst nightmare!), almost drowned in sea weed (my second worst nightmare!) and even went down a water slide like the one in the picture. We probably looked like such little kids even though we are adults. It was so much fun.. minus the snake/sea weed part. 

I knew there would be repercussions of swimming 2 kilometers- I felt so good last night. I wasn't stiff at all- I thought I was a pro although I knew I hadn't stretched or worked out in weeks, I thought I was just in that good of shape. Until, I awoke this morning with a huge kink in my neck. It wasn't as bad this morning, but as the day goes on, it has been getting progressively worse, to the point now that I can't even turn my head to the right.

As soon as I get home, I am going to have a hot shower, put a hot compress on my neck, take an ibuprofen to take away the pain and inflammation and hope to God this pain goes away. 

Do you have any other suggestions for remedies for kinked necks? Any suggestions would help!

Summer Obsession

For some reason this summer, I just can't stop listening to Taylor Swift and blaring her music while I'm driving.  Her new song- You Belong To Me- is one of my favourite summer songs (second place of course to I Gotta Feeling by the Black Eyed Peas!).  As much as I love her songs, I always find her videos just as good too. Either they are super romantic or super funny.

I just saw her video for You Belong To Me and thought it was so funny and cute! Just like Taylor is herself. Check it out...

My "European To Do List" keeps growing...

The more I read about traveling in Europe, the more I realize how many things I have To Do before I leave on August 31st. I really want to enjoy the rest of my summer vacation, so I don't want to be scrambling at last minute getting the things I need before I head overseas.

To Do (as of July 27, 2009):

• look into getting an ISIC card (should have did this while I was actually a student and I am kind of kicking myself now but I will see what I can do)
• get travel insurance from the Bank (or maybe call VISA?)
• call VISA to tell them I will be traveling in Europe with my VISA (safety precaution)
• call Bell to see if my cell can be used in Europe and if so, how much it will cost
• ask Royal Bank about travelers cheques (the books I am reading keep mentioning this is the best way to travel then with cash)
• finalize itinerary and book all flights
• pack bags (this will be a huge struggle for me seeing as I am a heavy packer)

I am sure this list will continue to get bigger but for now.. it still looks like a pretty daunting task to even get these To Do things done! 

Itinerary for Europe...

I started reading the books I bought from Chapters regarding traveling in Europe. I am a bit disappointed with the odd shape of the books.. they are both smaller in size, but there are like 1000 pages in each book so they are really big- almost too big to travel with. I was planning on taking them both with me while I travelled so I had the information assessable at all times- but both books are quite heavy.

The information inside is awesome though- lots of insight and tips and tricks. After reading on the way back to Guelph last night, I realized that my intial plan of covering like 8 countries is probably very unrealistic considering the time constraints- we only have 10 days- and of course budget constraints. I am really going to try and travel on a $2000.00 budget seeing as my flights there and back are paid for because of the European Young Breeders School I am attending in Belgium first!

So after pricing out trains and flights, I think I have it narrowed down to 5 countries and have a pretty good timeline in place:

- Belgium- August 31-Sept. 7

- Fly to Rome- Sept. 8-10

- Fly to Paris- Sept. 11-12

- Train to London- Sept. 13-15

- Fly to Dublin- Sept. 16-17

- Fly back to London- Sept. 17-18 Depart back to Canada from here

In total, it roughly comes out to $512.00 for total flight/rail costs. Obviously I understand that I must consider the exchange rate and fluctuation of price. They say it is cheaper to book ahead of time so I will have to watch prices of flights continually to see when they start increasing. Maybe I should contact a travel agent to get some help?

Any advice?

Shipping Fiasco

I was excited to get back to Guelph last night after a couple of busy days at the Ontario Summer show, and on the farm, not only because I wanted to get some much needed sleep, but because my shoes had arrived from Spring that I purchased last week. My roommate left them inside the door before she left for the weekend. In total there were 4 boxes, which is exactly the amount of shoes I had ordered.

The only problem- 2 boxes had the exact same pair of nude pumps I had ordered. AND.. a bracelet I had ordered was not with the boxes. I came to work this morning to check on the order status, and it turns out the one pair of purple slip-ons that were missing (which are shoes I ordered for my sister) are still being shipped because they came from BC! SO, I will wait a few days to see if they come before I cause a stink with Spring shoes. In the end, I could have an extra pair of shoes!! Although, I will be out a bracelet.. oh well!

I have never had any problems with shipping- especially with Spring or Chapters. Oh and on a better note, I did receive my 2 European travel books from Chapters, so I am now fully immersed in organizing my traveling plans for Europe! 

Off for a few..

I am sorry for the lack of posting today. Things have been crazy at work and I am getting prepared to leave bright and early for the Ontario Summer show tomorrow (aka. cow show in Lindsay). I will be there until Friday night, and then I plan to have a very relaxing weekend doing really not much of anything. Well, I have a family reunion on Saturday- but its on the water so it should be a nice relaxing day.. I am hoping.

Until then, happy hump day (hump= Wednesday- the rest of the week is all down hill from here!) and I will be sure to update you on how the cattle show goes!

Yet another way to save some money...

I was referred to this little great site called Save.ca. Its a free website where you select the coupons you want, and then they are mailed to you- FREE. I am not 100% sure how it works.. I just signed up today, but I chose about 6 coupons that I wanted for $1.00- $2.00 off certain products, and it said they should be mailed to me the next business day. Which is tomorrow. There were discount coupons from anything from Aleve/Tylenol, to feminine products, baby products and even food product and toothpaste!

I will let you know if I get them or not in the mail. I am not one to use coupons but every $1 helps.. the coupons I selected today alone would save $14.00!!! Wow! That would totally take a chunk off my grocery bill if I were to use these coupons every week. 

Does anyone else out there use save.ca for free coupons? Yet another way to save money..

I couldn't help myself...

Last week I was super good at saving money and not spending a thing.. so far this week.. its been a different scenario. BUT.. in my defense, a lot of the things I purchased this week have been either things I have been saving up for a while or were too good to pass up.

So far this week, I have:

• spent $44.50 on books from Chapters (travel books for Europe)
• purchased a $99.98 Kodak camera with a $29.97 memory card and $8.98 camera case
• bought $65.00 worth of shoes online from Spring (they were 50% off and I got 5 pairs!)

My latest purchase- the shoes from Spring shoes- were not a necessity- they were just too good to be true. I couldn't resist passing up 50% off shoes I had been eying all summer long. I bought 5 pairs of shoes for a total of $65.00- and one of those I bought for my sister. The best part is that if any don't fit, I can always go return them or get another size. You can find all the discount at Spring shoes here.
I will try from here on in to keep my hands deep in my pockets and will try not to spend anything.

I promise.. ok, I will TRY.

Oh and my latest project- I am making a book with pictures of all of my shoes in it, so I can easily go to the book, decide which pair of shoes I want to wear in the morning, and easily find them. Right now, I have shoes all over my bedroom and house. And my dream one day? To have a shoe closet like Carrie Bradshaw did on the SATC movie.. but perhaps a little bigger.. because I will have more shoes than Carrie because I will continue to purchase discount shoes my entire life!

Maybe something like this: (Mariah Carey's closet)

Or maybe something a little more realistic: (Paula Abdul's closet)

Attire for an interview- what really to wear?

As I was picking out my outfit last night for my interview this morning, I couldn't help but think of how there are so many factors to consider when choosing the perfect outfit to wear to an interview. Its going to be the first time people see you so first impressions are everything! You want to come across confident but not too cocky and want to wear something that says "you mean business!" You always want to dress appropriately for the industry you are in.

I was tempted to go with a business type dress suit which I think was really sharp looking. I have one that looks similar to the one in this picture to the left. But the more I got thinking of it- because of the industry I am in- agriculture, and the position I am applying for, maybe wearing a skirt would be too feminine.

Now don't get me wrong- I am all about women empowerment, but when your in a male-dominated industry such as agriculture, you want to be taken seriously by your male counter-parts and so by maybe wearing a dress suit, I was worried that I wouldn't be taken as seriously as I wanted, especially if the interviewers were male.

After much consideration, I thought I would just stick with the classic black suit and black pumps as seen below. I topped the suit off with a blue, white coloured dress shirt which looked really sharp. I wore my hair pulled back with simple earrings to portray a more mature look considering I was interviewing for a position way beyond my years.

















I felt like I looked the part and it helped boost my confidence walking in to the interview. It turned out though that there were 3 women and 1 man, so I guess my logic really didn't matter. Either way, I felt great about my wardrobe decision. It is super important to try and fit into the culture of the company you are applying for by dressing appropriately to match not only the company, but the position itself. It also helps that I LOVE to dress up!!

What are other wardrobe tips you consider when dressing for an interview?

Tips for successful interviews..

I couldn't help but think after my interview today, how there were things I did and didn't do before/during the interview that I could share with others to help with their job interviews. Overall, I was really proud of myself with how well the interview went, and how prepared and confident I was before the interview itself..

Did..

• Laid out my suit and shirt the night before (a black suit is a must for a job interview!)*
• Woke up early to get my voice and face looking and sounding ready (there is nothing like doing an interview with a crackly voice)
• Ate breakfast! Huge before an interview because it gets your brain working
• Went over questions the night before to prepare possible answers
• Arrived a half an hour early before the interview to prepare and calm my nerves
• Brought a bottle of water
• Had a copy of my resume, cover letter and job description available to study before so I knew to draw answers from a multitude of jobs, extra-curricular, volunteer experiences
• Created a proposal handout of what I would do if I got the position (this was a hit!)
• Asked questions at the end which showed I was prepared and interested
• Shook hands with each of the interviewers before and after the interview
• Made great eye contact throughout the interview

Wish I had did..

• Dry cleaned my suit- I feel like I should do this more often- my suit looked a bit like it needed a good dry clean
• Talked a little slower during my interview
• Maybe smile a little more (although I felt totally comfortable so I hope I looked relaxed!)
• Had of asked about salary- it was never asked, and I didn't think it would be appropriate of me to ask, yet I still do not know what they are offering in terms of salary/benefits

*Another post will shortly follow regarding the selected wardrobe attire for the interview

Purchased the cameras....

I stopped at Staples this morning to see their sales deals on Kodak cameras right now. I found 2 cameras that were both $99.98- both Kodak- but with slightly different specs. I decided to buy both because today was the last sale day, and my eventual goal will be to return the one that I like the least. I also purchased an 8GB memory card for the camera that will work in both of them- it was on sale for $29.97. I was super happy with the price overall that I paid for both the cameras and the memory card- great deal!

I have to decide which camera I like the best though. The one I was leaning towards- the black Kodak EasyShare M863- has 8.2 megapixels with 3x optical zoom and has rechargeable batteries (which can be a bonus and be a total pain in the butt at the same time). The other Kodak camera- an Easyshare C180- has 10.2 megapixels, 3X optical zoom with non-rechargeable batteries. It is silver which isn't really what I wanted but I will settle if its better quality.

My good friend advised me that she has the black Kodak M863 and that she isn't satisfied with it because it takes blurry pictures. I also think that I would like to try a camera with non-rechargeable batteries because I will be traveling in Europe and won't really have time to stop and charge my camera all the time, although I realize that dying batteries are a total hassle- I will have to have spare batteries lying around all the time. And having a rechargeable battery camera can also be a pain if you take your camera somewhere and forget the charger. Which if its me, happens all the time!

Does anyone out there have either of these cameras? Which one should I keep? Any advice would be greatly appreciated!!!

Interview was successful...

I had my big interview today at 8am. I was dreading getting up super early and trying to "awake" myself before the interview. I awoke an hour before, had my suit already laid out last night and had my bag packed so I was prepared. The only thing I didn't do was make my lunch for the rest of the day. I had prepared all last night going over questions I found on the interview- the top 25 most commonly asked questions in interviews. Turns out, alot of those questions were asked but worded a lot tougher with a few parts to every question.

In the end, I was super happy with how I did. I felt confident and relaxed, and wasn't nervous. The interviewees helped to make it a relaxing atmosphere during the hour-long interview. I feel like I got the point across of what I wanted to say and what my strengths were for the position. I also came with a "proposal" that I had created if I were to attain the position which I think was a hit! Even if it didn't have exactly what they were looking for, it was at least creative and innovative of me and showed I took initiative.

I left the interview feeling like I had really struck a chord with them. If I don't get the job, I know it won't be because of my interview because that went great, but it will be because of my limited work experience which really, is something I can't help coming right out of University.

I am a firm believer that things happen for a reason so we'll see what happens from here. They said I should here by mid-August.. so keep your fingers crossed for me :)

Camera Purchasing Decision...

On my wishlist that I posted about a few weeks ago, I had a camera on that list. I really need a new digital camera for my Belgium trip because I want to take lots of pictures. I also wouldn’t mind having a camera for the rest of the summer because I have had to use Andrew’s camera and haven’t really captured pictures that I should have been taking all summer long. I have been looking for good deals in flyers lately- there was a Canon camera on sale at Zellers for $99.00 but I got there too late before it was all sold out!

Luckily though- I went and checked both the Staples and Future Shop websites to see if they had any deals. There is a Kodak camera- pretty much the same specs as the camera from Sears but its black like I wanted, its only 8.2 mega pixels instead of 10.2 like the Samsung...and its only $99.97!!!!! And with the memory card -which I totally forgot is an additional purchase on top of the camera!- the whole package for both the camera and card is $129.00! 

And the best part is that I can always buy it while

its on sale, and then return it if it was not the right camera.

I will sit on this purchasing decision the rest of the day but I think I may purchase the camera from Staples because it not only is such a great deal, I feel like Kodak is a trusted name in the camera business compared to maybe Samsung? Maybe I'm totally wrong though??!!

Is there any other place I should check for deals on cameras right now? Which camera would you choose?

I just saw in the Sears flyers that there are Samsung cameras on sale for $129.00- I just checked their website- the silver and black ones are all sold out but there are pink ones left. . Its a great camera for a great price. The picture to the left is the Samsung camera. 

Trip to Belgium- Update

I realized that it is 42 days until I leave for Belgium and I really don’t have plans mapped out for travelling Europe yet. I have set a countdown on my blog to remind me everyday that the date is getting SO close. The only specifics I know so far:

• I have to be back by September 23rd for a cattle show that I must show at as a qualifer for The Classic at the Royal Winter Fair so my trip will be shorter than expected
• The guy I am travelling with thinks he can only stay around 10 days long so I guess our trip just got even shorter
• Countries we want to possibly travel too include Germany, Italy, France, Spain, Portugal, U.K., England and Ireland
• We will stay at hostels along the way to save money and take the cheapest flights we can find between countries

So these are the only specifics I know. I probably should start planning out where we are officially going to go, how long it will take, how much it will cost, and what we will want to see while we are there. I know that the WWW could be a really good source of information to plan my trip, but I figured I would buy a book or two on how to travel Europe (where to go, what you can do in each country, etc). Because I have been such a thrifty saver lately (I only spent $100.00 last week for all my expenses!) I decided to treat myself to buying 2 books online from Chapters. 

I outweighed the idea of either purchasing online or walking to Chapters at lunch to save money of course but after crunching the numbers quickly (remember how I told you a while back I wanted to make very calculated purchasing decisions?), I decided that purchashing online is SO much cheaper. 

Look at the price scenario of the books

 I bought:

Eyewitness Travel Guide                  Lets Go: 2009 Western Europe Guide

List price (in store): $38.00            List price: $28.99

Online price: $25.08                         Online price: $19.13

Irewards member price: $23.83      Irewards member price: $18.17

The best part- I am an irewards member (bonus!) and because my order was over $39.00, I got free shipping and it should be shipped in the next few days! The only other option I just realized is that I could have went into Chapters and purchased the 2 books online in the store and saved an additional 20%.. Oh well, there always is next time!

Once I receive the 2 books, I will seriously start planning my trip to Belgium. I have set a deadline  of August 15th to have everything done and planned.

Do you have any other possible good reads regarding travelling in Europe? I would love to hear any ideas or tips!

R & R is greatly needed...

I returned to Guelph last night drained, and tired. After a nice quick brisk walk, I settled in to bed to continue to watch Sex and the City re-runs. Although I have watched episodes of SATC over and over again (I practically have them memorized) I decided to start right from Season 1 last week and watch the entire show. I am almost finished Season 2 already. I couldn’t help but think as I lay in bed, how tired I was after the cattle show I was at in Markham. I really need a weekend in Guelph all to myself to relax and chill out. Before I know it, summer will be finished!

I awoke today, with bags underneath my eyes- but with some motivation to actually get stuff done. I have my interview tomorrow (wish my luck!) so I must prepare- as well, I have a lot of work to do (actual work) before I am off again to the Ontario Summer show on Thursday and Friday. 

Here is to another busy work week.. 

Beef & Spinach Lasagna- a delicious hit!

Yesterday, I happened to stumble upon a recipe for a lasagna that sounded amazing! I had never made a lasagna up until this point but I thought, what the heck! After looking at the pictures, I also had a huge craving for lasagna- and a healthier type lasagna at that (if thats possible?!). 

The recipe which be found here is from a blog called Chewing The Cud. I altered the recipe a bit- I didn't add the arugula, but still used the spinach as a healthier alternative then just beef lasagna. And I also used cottage cheese instead of ricotta cheese.

Below are the ingredients on the left and the picture on the right is the final product right before it was about to go into the oven! Does it look just devine!

And here is the final product.. the picture does no justice to how amazing it really tasted and looked!  I will admit, the noodles on top were a little crisp, but I know to put some more meat and cheese on top of it next time to keep it moist so the noodles so get crisp. I highly recommend this lasagna if you want to impress!

In light of my career aspirations...

When I created my vision board two weeks ago, I wanted to have a picture that represented my career aspiriations and where I want to be one day in the workforce. I went ahead and played around with photoshop and cropped my head into this picture I found online. My boyfriend got quite a chuckle and so do I ever time I look at it on my vision board.

It represents everything I want one day in a career- managerial responsibility, corporate atmosphere in a fast paced work environment. And obviously doing something I am passionate about, and something I am good at. Perhaps some jet setting or traveling here and there also included. As funny as this picture is, it certainly gives me the motivation I need to land my "dream job."

Ironically enough, I stumbled across this article on YoungMoney.com about what job would be best for you based on your zodiac sign. I couldn't wait to read what mine said- I'm a Cancer. Well, you could call me a "cusp"- someone who borders 2 zodiac signs, so I am both a Cancer and a Gemni. After I read both of them, I couldn't believe how true they rang to the person I am. I definitely am a split personality. AND.. I love how they mention CEO as a possible best job for me as a Cancer!

Cancer

Cancer is the mother of the zodiac (Capricorn is the father), so these sensitive types do well in jobs that require nurturing or taking care of things. However, this isn’t just about working with children or puppies; Cancerians make excellent executives, much like a multi-tasking mom who’s in charge. Cancerians give great advice and are very protective. They handle responsibility with ease and are imaginative problem solvers. Best jobs: gardener, social worker, childcare, human resources, lawyer, teacher, CEO, soldier.

Gemini

Want to make a Gemini happy? Give her plenty to do and make it intellectually stimulating. Remember that Geminis are twins, which means you have to engage two people, so they need to have a lot going on and like fast-paced, pressured environments. They won’t survive long doing tedious or repetitive work. Jobs that require travel are perfect, as are jobs that require socialnetworking. Geminis are optimistic and full of energy—they should be encouraged to let go and express themselves rather than be confined to traditional rules. Best jobs: stockbroker, switchboard operator, technical support, teacher, architect, machine operator, rescue worker.

What do you do when life seems pretty great? Enjoy it!

It daunted on me last night that this is the first summer that I am actually fully enjoying! Possibly because:

• this is the first summer I have never had to do school work
• the first summer I get to spend with the BF
• the first summer I actually appreciate home- fully- because I now live away from home
• the first summer I get to live by myself, have my own place, and do whatever I want- when I want

As much as I loved being with my family, living on my own is really refreshing. I can go by my own schedule, have supper whenever I want, workout in the comfort of my own home, walk around in the nude (OK.. so I don't actually do this, but you could if you really wanted too!), watch whatever TV shows/movies you want, cook whatever you want, and go wherever you please.

Take last night for instance.. I came home, made a beef-spinach lasagna (post to follow with pictures and recipe- it was delic!), ran a few errands, bought a bottle of wine to accompany the yummy lasagna that was patiently cooking at home, went tanning and went and bought that make-up I posted about yesterday.

I couldn't help but think as I finished supper, and sat on the couch with A watching the finale of CNTM, while I sipped on some white wine, how great life was right now. I am enjoying life so much right- I really should enjoy it because you never know when things could suddenly change. 

Life seems so great right now.. that it almost feels as good as it would in the picture below- lying on the beach. Actually you know what- it already feels this good :)

Geared up for the Ontario Summer Show..

Like people who show horses, I am part of the dairy cattle fraternity that shows dairy cattle- particularly Holsteins. Unlike horse showing, we do not RIDE the cows, we simply "lead" them by a halter. It takes a lot of training to lead them with a halter, but once they get use to it- we more or less "parade" them around a ring for a judge to place them according to how good they are compared to their counterparts in the ring.

It really is quite another world- just like horse racing/jumping, etc- but it is a very interesting and exciting business to be a part of. Next week, my family farm, Crovalley Holsteins will take place in the second show of the 20o9 show season- the Ontario Summer Show in Lindsay, ON.

The picture below is actually me at the Ontario Summer show last year in 2008 when I was Reserve Grand Champion Showman. 

Its always exciting to see what great cattle there are, as well as see longtime friends from across Canada who have come to exhibit or watch the show. I am already in the midst of preparing stuff for the show- signs, backboard, display, etc. What do you think of the signs I made?

Meaghan Wins CNTM!

OK.. so who called it? I was sure Meaghan was going to win CNTM right from the first episode... and it happened!! So glad they got the right girl- although Linsay had the better walk (only by a bit) Meghan was so much more high fashion and versatile. And of course, she was from Winnipeg which makes it a much sweeter win right A?

But now the next thought- what do I watch on TV for the rest of the summer? With the Bachlorette finishing up in 2 weeks time, my one hour entertainment for the evenings is going to be quite dull.

Any suggestions on good shows I should start following?

Who's it going to be? CNTM finale tonight!

I was thinking of heading out to Casey's tonight to enjoy Tuesday night cheap Margaritas (only $3.49!) but I remembered that the season finale of Canada's Next Top Model is on tonight. I have been hooked on it since it started, as well as The Bachlorette (Canadian girl eh?) on Mondays. 

I seriously think the competition this year is amazing on CTNM, compared to past seasons. I think it will be a really tough decision for the judges to pick 1 winner out of the remaining 3. 

I am secretly cheering for Meaghan from Winnipeg- not only because she would make the most fierce model, but also because she is a native of A's hometown.. yeah Winnipeg!! 

Want a new look for your blog?

I came across a blog that offers free blog layout/design templates for your personal blog. 

There are so many cool templates to choose from that I am not sure if I can make up my mind and choose just one for my blog. 

I think for the time being, I may just stick with my new header and current design.

Check the blog out though at Knottymoose Designs for some awesome ideas!

Great new summer find...

As much as I am a true country girl at heart and love just working in my barn clothes*, I also love fashion and love to dress up once and a while like I am a true urban fashion-ista. I stumbled upon this blog called Katrina is a Princess which is all about a girls guide to make up, fashion, looks, and style. I couldn't help but add her to my blogroll- she had so many great make up and style tips for the summer! Another favourite find of mine.

I really liked her peach blush and nude lipstick that she was posted about. Although, the only downfall- they were both MAC products which are a little more pricey and out of my budget AND the most obvious- the closest MAC store for me would be Yorkdale Mall along the 401. 

So I am going to go to the local Shoppers tonight to see if I can do some "investigative shopping" to find cheaper, yet the same colour of blush and lipstick! I will report back :)

* Barn clothes for me do not personally include rubber boots and overalls like many would believe farmers wear. Actually, my barn attire consists of old clothes that I use to like and wear. An older pair of sneakers, a ratty t-shirt and a pair of old shorts completes my barn clothes wardrobe. 

Glad I asked- an update on my meeting with the bank...

I just got back from my meeting with the bank at lunch time to discuss possibly getting a line of credit. I'm glad I came prepared with the questions I asked, and got the answers I did. There were so many myths that the account manager dispelled for me. The biggest one being: 

A line of credit has a cheaper interest rate than a student loan.

This is a MYTH. In fact, a student loan has the same or slightly cheaper interest rate than a line of credit. Usually a bank charges prime plus 3-5. For those of you who do not know what prime means (which included me as well!) 

Prime is 2.25% so when they say prime (2.25%) + 1, they mean 2.25% +1.0%= 3.25%

So it actually is not cheaper to take out a line of credit to pay back your student loans. And to receive a line of credit- it can be a lengthy, detailed process. You must have steady income, be at a job for more than 3 months and not be on probation, meaning you are a permanent employee. 

So for me, I am SOL. I am in an akward position right now job wise, because I am only an intern (not permanent) that hasn't been at my company long enough (only 2 1/2 months) so really, I guess I wouldn't qualify anyways. The only thing I am losing out on would be paying the interest until November. BUT.. the manager did explain that OSAP may have an "interest relief" program where if you qualify, you do not have to pay the interest. This may work for me because I am only an intern. I will investigate this tomorrow!

So based on my meeting.. I am going to wait until November to start paying off my student loans :( Oh well, it was a good try anyways. 

Better news though- I opened 2 new savings accounts (only to be used online with a $5.00 per time transaction fee so note to self- do not withdrawal money from them!) They are 0.75% savings account which isn't that much but its better than the 0% savings account I had my money sitting in before. I told the girl that as soon as I get a full-time job, I would be back to sit down with her to discuss opening up more "serious" investment savings accounts. 

I also looked at possible debit card transaction package fees. I am currently still on my student transaction fees (which is free for up to 25 transactions but I have been going over this by a few each month) but I was informed that as of July 31st, I am no longer considered a student :( :( And so, I must grow up and look at new transaction package fees. The 2 options being $4 per month for 15 transactions or $10.95 for unlimited transactions. I was tempted to just pay the $10.95 per month which is $131.40 per year but decided to TRY and be THRIFTY and save money and go with the $4 per month for 15 transactions. If I go over, its 0.50$ for each transaction. Yikes!

Wish me luck.. I am going to need it. Please keep reminding me to NOT use my debit card!

Something to chuckle about...

I hope you all had a great weekend. I had quite an embarrassing thing happen to me on the weekend that I thought I would share so you could get a little giggle- at my expense. 

My parents went to a close family friends wedding on the weekend at their farm, but my dad had called me to tell me he forgot his belt. He asked if I could drive to the wedding and leave his belt in the back seat of his truck, while the wedding was going on, so he could grab it afterwards. 

So I drove with A, and dropped the belt off at the truck. As I proceeded to open up the back door of the truck, the truck was locked with sounded off the alarm. Did I mention that the wedding, which was taking place across the road on the farm, was already taking place? With utter horror and embarrassment, I ducked down so no one could see me as I yelled to A- "what should I do?"

I know your laughing now, but I was not laughing at the time. Knowing that the alarm was not going to shut off, I was thinking of how embarrassing it would be if I had to walk over to the wedding in my jeans and ask my dad for the keys. It was like God had answered my prayers because all of a sudden, the truck alarm stopped. 

I threw the belt on the mirror of the truck, hurried into the car- mad as heck at my dad for locking the truck when he said to leave the belt in the back seat- and we sped away from the wedding. I was horrified that I had almost ruined someone's wedding. My dad told me afterwards that he thought it sounded like his truck going off, so he pressed the unlock button on his keychain and he think it worked. 

Thank God it did- I don't know what I would have done if the alarm hadn't of went off. 

At least I can laugh about it now- ha ha ha. 

Happy Friday!

Well this week has went by quick for me.. can't believe it is time to leave for the weekend already! I am heading out of the office early to catch a bus to get home earlier than usual. This weekend should be jam packed with lots of fun things to do.

I am also more content after this week because I was so motivated and got so much done. To give myself a pat on the back, I thought I would make a list of all the stuff I got done this week:

• moved my bedroom around
• finished a conference report and submitted it
• almost finished a 4-H website I am working on
• started a journal (childish right?)
• created a vision board (it took this long?)
• created a personal finance portfolio
• got my personal finances in order (I think!)
• got my degree and certificate in the University frames I bought
• Got an interview! Woohoo!

For a Friday afternoon, I sure was inspired today and got a lot of work done too! Heres to hoping I don't relax TOO much over the weekend and come back next week not motivated. 

The next coming weeks are huge- 3 cattle shows, an interview, a jack and jill, a wedding, a family reunion, wow.. and those are only just to name a few!

Here is too my one last "free" weekend before things get really busy!

Hope you have an awesome, sunny weekend! 

The mother of all PF Portfolios...

I had so much financial inspiration this past week, that I had this brilliant idea which I think will be a life saver. I already have a book that I use monthly to record and reconcile all expenses from my bank account, and I have a file folder that I place all my receipts in upon purchase. I also have that really cool excel spreadsheet that I posted about yesterday.

As of right now though, I don't have one main place to keep all of my personal finance information. For example, where do I store articles that I cut out of newspapers or find online? Where do I store all the information once I have mortgage/car payments, as well as information regarding my emergency fund I want to create and RRSPs, once I start saving for those?

And so, I have created what I call my "PF Portfolio" which I have broken down into 10 sections-

• Advice, Goals, Monthly Breakdowns, VISA, Everyday Living, Debt repayment, RRSP, Emergency Fund, House payments and car payments. 

I know I won't be able to use some of these sections for a while because of my tight budget and lack of income right now which will hopefully expand one I get a full-time job. I just recently added a short term, mid term and long term goals list, which I will be able to refer back too and look at all the time to remind myself of the goals I have set out to achieve.

I think this portfolio is a step in the right direction. 

Do you have anything like this to help manage your personal finances?

My Vision Board Inspiration...

I have wanted to create a vision board ever since I read the book The Secret back 3 years ago. I even bought a board to make the vision board, but it still sits empty and unused- until last night.

I recently joined the network 20 Something Bloggers and found a blog entitled SillyGrrl. She had a great post about creating vision boards, and surprisingly enough- she had created a vision board but used a string of lights to clip on the things that she would have otherwise put on a traditional board.

So I went home last night filled with motivation and inspiration, and created my very own vision board. Not only did I fill the board with things I wanted to do and have in my life (make a $100,000, be out of debt, own a cottage on the water, etc) I also put a strand of lights around it so I could clip on some of my favourite quotes and sayings as inspiration everytime I look at it.

Here is the finished product.. I love it!

A (A is what we will refer to my boyfriend as now!) even loved it... and said he wanted to create one! Yea right!?!

Now I can look at my master piece everyday and hopefully the law of attraction which states that you:

• know exactly what you want
• ask the universe for it
• visualize that the object is already yours
• be open to receive it

will happen and the vision board will work!

Great career news...

So I don't want to "count my eggs before they hatch, or chickens before they hatch" however that old saying goes- but I wanted to update everyone that I got an interview for that job I applied for back a few weeks ago!!!!!! And here I thought I hadn't got one..

I don't want to get too excited and set high expectations in case I don't get the job, but I also don't want to let my guard down in case I could be qualified for this job!

I will update you in a few weeks as to how the interview goes.

Woohoo :)

How do you like the new header?

Any thoughts? 

I was just playing around with photoshop. I thought it would add some character to my blog :)

 I kinda like it!!!

I finally practiced financial discipline...

Last night, I had this urge to go out and buy Quicken- the personal financial management software the helps you easily organize your finances. It is only $39.99 and it is available at Staples (which is just down the road from where I work). 

I had heard such great reviews from so many blogs that I thought maybe it will be the best way to keep all my finances in line. But I fought off the urge to go out right then and buy it. The more I started thinking, the more I also realized that its probably something I don't need right now anyways. I don't have that many expenses right now but I most likely have more come the Fall, once I have a full-time job. I also really like the excel spreadsheet that I created for myself which breaks down each month into weeks, and then links all the weeks into one major table for the month. Here is a quick picture of what it looks like:

And so, I practiced self discipline (for one of the first times I can remember) and didn't buy Quicken. I always have a habit of- if I want something- I splurge and buy it right then without thinking through the purchase first.

I decided that if I am going to be financially responsible, I can't "splurge" anymore like I use too. My purchases must be all calculated and thought through. I can only buy something if I NEED it instead of this "WANT" business that I seem to exercise ALOT!

I have created a "Wishlist" that I intend on following and sticking too. For every $1 I save, I will put it towards my "wishlist" so I can still enjoy some things that I think I deserve (or need.. or want). So as of today, here is how my Wishlist stands, and it is listed in the order I would like to buy them in:

• Greeting card box (being sold at work) $16.00
• Quicken Personal finances $39.99
• New camera $200.00 approx.
• Sex and the City- Season 6- Part 2 (to finish off my entire collection)- roughly $30.00