Laceshawl's Personal Finance Blog

"Good apple pies are a considerable part of our domestic happiness." - Jane Austen

So I made a pie for dinner from the neighbor's windfalls. Very good and I am very happy. My mom was great at baking pies and we had them a lot. We grew our own gooseberries and rhubard, there were brambles growing up the lane, and an old abandoned orchard at the back of the yard. I remember when mom was going to bake an apple pie sis and I would run thru the long grass to gather up the windfalls, chasing away the squirrels and rabbits. Sometimes in the winter, if it was just getting dark, we would see a fox slipping along the hedge. When we took them home, we would watch mom to see if she could take the peel off an apple in one whole strip - she was very good at it. The pastry was made from wholewheat flour and she used maybe half a cup of brown sugar - sometimes she put dried fruit in as well. We seldom had icecream or cream with it, just homemade custard. It was a pretty nutritious dessert, looking back.

I used to love making pies with ds. You get a math lesson with all that measuring and weighing, a science lesson with the chemical changes, and a lesson in nutrition all at the same time.

Moms - save our rising generation from the threats of obesity, diabetes, and the loss of precious domestic skills! Don't take them to McD's for a lump of fried sugar that is falsely labelled - feed them real apple pies and show them how to make them! Then, and only then, will our civilization rise again!

slips into Winston Churchill imitation... We shall bake to the end, we shall make pastry in the kitchen, we shall place pies in our kids lunch boxes, we shall make apple pies with growing confidence and growing strength, we shall defend our homemade desserts, whatever the cost may be, we shall control the amount of sugar, we shall plant our own apple trees, we shall ignore advertising in the papers and on the TV, we shall save money in the process; we shall never surrender.

Today I visited the University library at which I have alumna borrowing priveleges. There was a display of rare books, including an 1822 biography of Napoleon and a first edition of Samuel Johnson's Dictionary. He was a character who came up with his own opinionated definitions. The book was open at the one which reads: "stockjobber (ie broker) a low wretch who makes his living buying and selling shares." Given the unregulated market of his day, he was likely correct.

I took out a book on Salt, Health and Diet by a couple of medical professors. I'm finding some fascinating information about the history of salt and the role it played in the economy, as well as the effect on the body. Some snippets:

- Salt is not necessary in the diet. Many primitive tribes don't use it.

- The top cause of death in the 19th Century was apoplexy, or stroke, caused by high blood pressure from eating so much salt preserved food.

- Salt played a role in the South losing the Civil War. They didn't have enough to preserve the meat the troops ate, so the Confederate soldiers were starving and couldn't fight well.

- Manufacturers add more salt, and MSG, to cheap meats like sausages and luncheon meats because it is largely mechanically recovered ground meat and fat, and doesn't have much flavor. Another reason is that salt can absorb more water so they can make it more cheaply.

- Salt makes you thirsty so that is why bars serves salty snacks and fast food giants serve soft drinks. Many manufacturers of salty snacks also own soft drink concerns.

- Cutting down on salt in your diet helps you lose weight. Part of it is loss of body fluid, and also because you are cutting out high calorie foods like chips.

The other book I borrowed was Planet India: How the Fastest Growing Democracy Is Transforming America and the World by Mira Kamdar. Only flicked thru this, but it deals with the effects of jobs offshore on Americans, the rise of the Indian middle classes and the impact of technology on their economy, and the consequences on the poor Indian villages and the landless who flock to the cities for work. Having seen this at first hand myself, I look forward to reading what an Indian economist has to say about it.

Heh, I'm getting the equivalent of another degree - for free. Oh, and found 40 cents coming back across campus. Think I'll start a running tally in the side bar.

I got sent an email from a property valuers informing me that the average property value in my area now sells for over nz$260,000,- so if I'm thinking of buying or selling, please contact them.

Mmmm, on my local body taxes demand I'm still valued at nz$128,000 from 2 years ago. I'm happy with that, as I don't want my taxes going up any higher, but I'm thinking I ought to check the replacement value on my insurance.

I don't think my place will be worth anything like nz$260,000 tho - it's just a comfy little 2 bedroom with a nice view. There are a lot of apartment buildings and renovated big villas around which are going like hotcakes, so I think that's what's driving the average up. In any case, I don't really count my house value as part of my net worth or retirement savings. Yes it's nice to know I can tap into some equity if needed, but I still have to pay the loan back - so no plans for borrowing apart from necessary repairs.

There are two schools of thought about this. One says; stay out of shops as much as possible to avoid temptation. The other says; keep going back to get the best bargains. I shilly shally - actually I do like browsing to see what's on sale, but I impulse splurge far less than I used to. (I used to be one of those ooh-a-bag-sale-at-the-thrift-store-I'll-get-five-bags-of-stuff-I-don't-need shoppers)

But today I got lucky - thrift store was selling herb plants. I got some basil and lemon balm at a dollar each. I also saw two new stores had opened. One was a consignment store. Wow, did they have some lovely stuff! Many garments with the original price tags still on them - up to 80% off. Of course they were horrendously overpriced in the first place, which is why the store of origin probably went bust - but still good quality. Will definitely go back there when I am earning again.

The other place was a new Asian food store. Lots of very cheap convenience foods - catering to local Asian students. I prefer the one in town where I can buy mung beans, big bags of rice, vegetables and other real food. I ocassionaly get some soy or other sauce, but all that MSG does me no good. The only thing I bought today was some soy milk for nz$1.70

Going past McD's drive in I remembered I had some packets of their ketchup still sitting in the pantry - it was from when a friend came round with burgers as a treat, but he doesn't eat ketchup - So when I got home I made a risotto with the last red pepper and squeezed in McD's blood for some flavor. Well, let's just say I'm glad I've got some herb plants now.

Now as a thrift store habituee I must admit I don't pay much attention to fashion, I just buy what I like. But a couple of gentle hints have been dropped that I am a little bit - uh, showing that I'm now in late youth and still wearing the clothes that were popular in my - trendier years. Important to dress for success if I'm job hunting! And since losing weight I need new clothes anyway.

So I decided to spend some time browsing the Main Street stores, then I'd know what to look for - in the thrift stores, of course. Well! I found some of the clothes pretty enough, but the prices! Oh me, my wallet would have a heart attack if it had to pony up over nz$20 for a few flimsy bits of material poorly sewn together. Some of those things look like they will become shredded rags the first time they are laundered.

So I left the teenagers to it and checked out the higher end of town, where the succesful business women shop. Now there was some really nice stuff, well made - but nz$120 for a simple black top with some beads sewn on? Reminds me of when I was a teenager; we used to get a plain T shirt and applique or embroider a motif on it ourselves rather than pay for a fancy one. Now I still have some cheap jewellry from India, so I was thinking I will just get a basic top and sew the beads on myself - come to think of it, why not just wear a plain top with a pretty necklace? You wouldn't need to worry about beads coming unsewn and blocking the pump!

I don't think I'll spring too much for a new wardrobe until I know what sort of job I get, but best dressed working women I know told me to go for basic black with a few solid colors - much easier to coordinate and saves time having to make deicsions. In the meantime I've borrowed Trinny and Susannah and Stacy and Clinton from the library as they haven't yet arrived at my front door with $$$ and a team of stylists to make me a knockout.

Oh and a NS day - second in a row - plus I found 80 cents.

Happy to say I am still working on this number one goal of $5000 in emergency fund, despite tinyness of income. I am now at nz$3340. If I can keep it intact until I get a decent earning job I will be very happy. When everything seems to go on bills it's easy to get blue.

For those who are still struggling to pay off debts, I found in my case that it helped to be working on a positive savings goal at the same time. Obviously not have 000s in the bank that could be used to reduce interest paid on loans, but maybe put spare change towards a weekend away or a new car or whatever tickles your fancy. I just got too discouraged thinking everything fun had to be put off till the mortgage was paid. It is important to establish the savings habit immediately, IMHO, or you may wind up like so many people who pay off the credit cards and then run them up again because they haven't learnt good habits. I think David Bach calls this the "bury the past, jump to the future" approach or something like that. Rather than argue over whether every extra dollar should go off the loans or be stashed away, I take a 50/50 approach.

I went to a 50th party and ran into an old college friend. She complimented me on my new trim figure (tho the way I was eating the weight will go back on soon!) She told me about a new diet she'd heard of - the free food diet. You only eat if someone gives you food, not buy any. She reckoned it was doable in her case as she and her hubby go to so many business and social events where food is provided. Just think of the money you'd save on groceries and dining out!

Out of curiosity I kept an eye out for free food as I went back home across the campus. You wouldn't believe the amount of partly eaten burgers, fries, sandwiches, pizzas, fruit etc, which I'd be happy to grab if I were a street child in Mumbai. Also saw a couple of well known winos collecting bottles and cans. Also found $1 which I did pick up. These are the kids which are forever whining about their student loans.

When I got home a neighbor had left some windfall apples and walnuts for me. Now those I was happy to take.

Oh and I totalled up the amount of food I'd eaten at the party on fitday.com - 3508 calories! Maybe this free food diet could wind up being fattening ...

Had a job interview yesterday which I felt went quite well. It is a reception position for a gym - with a free gym membership thrown in! The only snag is it starts at 6 am. Still, we shall see, I have a couple other applications in the pipeline.

I mislaid my library card the other day and was cursing because it costs $4 to replace - but it turned up at the bottom of another bag.

Work and Income recently insisted I owed them money and had to pay it back at $10 a week, but now admit that it was an error on their part. Phew - I was thinking I'd have only nz$20 for groceries.

The Salvation Army thrift store at the bottom of the street has a free box outside. This morning I checked it and got 2 free books - In Cold Blood by Truman Capote, and Deadlock by Sara Paretsky. I shall be in the height of luxury this evening, soaking in a hot bath with a cup of coffee and reading of gruesome murder.

I got my annual statement today. Because I worked parttime, I was able to add $360, and the interest added came to a $1000. - now have nz$19,180.

This is in a private scheme. If I can stave off starting a new job until Jul 1 I will be eligible to join the new Govt Kiwisaver scheme, with a $1000 bonus beginner deposit and contributions up to 4% of salary from employer. (No, this doesn't mean I'll turn down a good offer that comes my way if I have to start earlier.)

My friend H, who had a breakdown earlier, is doing well now, and I spent the day in town with her. We both have to be very careful with our money, so we went to the thrift stores, where she was quite excited to find such good clothes so cheap (having always bought from high price stores) I got 2 very nice tops for $2 each.

This month is NZ Music Month and a lot of the churches are having free lunchtime concerts. We went to First Church and listened to a violin sonata played by senior music students. It is really neat being a college town - we can get to hear talented young musicians before they become famous and cost a fortune.

Then we took in a doll exhibition at the museum - for free. They were just so beautifully dressed, and they sell for around $800 each. H said, "you know, you can look at things and you don't have to buy them." I am so pleased she's getting it.

We finished up going to the supermarket and buying some surimi, pineapple and a couple individual quiches which are sold at half price at the end of the day. Then went back to my place, made a salad and sat and listened to Van Morrison. Paris Hilton, eat your heart out - we couldn't have been any happier if we were millionaires.

Having said which, I now realise I left the bag with my new tops in her car, but I'll pick them up later.

Total spent today nz$10.70

I received a check for $29.97, for some remaining holiday leave. Not much, but enough to put a smile on my face. So I splurged on an hourlong phone call to ds in England.

Also recieved an invite from the Brahma Kumaris (the organisation I went to India with) to attend a Self Managing Leadership weekend program, covering purpose, vision, values and goalsetting. Lunch provided and all free. I am looking forward to it.

Got two "thankyouforyourapplicationweregrettotellyouyouhavenotbeensuccesful" letters, so am feeling a bit blue. I really thought I had a good chance at the bookstore one in particular.

It costs me each time I make an application: nz$1.40 for an A4 envelope and stamp, plus the ink and paper for printing out CV and letter. Then busfare to an interview - unfortunately job hunting costs are not reclaimable from Work and Income.

Previously when I kept myself busy with volunteer work I was given a small allowance for travel and lunches, but this is no longer payable to the unemployed, only to sickness and invalid beneficiaries. I'm tempted to write to the Minister of Social Welfare and ask him what genius came up with that idea. I would have thought it better to encourage unemployed to at least do something.

Ah, it's not just the lack of job and money that's getting me down. I'm missing ds and also grieving for dad. Also coming into winter here and that can be cold, damp and miserable. So I had a dig thru my stash and pulled out some bright red wool to knit myself a cheerful scarf.

There is a thread on the forums about this so if anyone is interested in my POV...

When I found myself unable to work and facing medical bills, I sat down with my minister and the treasurer and we worked out a budget for me. When it was clear that I didn't have an income big enough to live on 90%, my minister said that part of the original use of the tithe was to help poor people. As I was now officially poor, I should not pay the tithe - in fact the church should be helping me. Which they did, with food parcels and the building team helped with home repairs and tending the garden.
I am now at the point where I am able to pay a portion to my church; when I get work I hope to be able to gradually get back up to 10%.

My church always provides financial counselling for people who are having difficulty, and will alleviate the tithe if there are genuine difficulties. If it is just bad money management, they are expected to tighten their belt and make a plan to pay off debt while continuing to contribute to the church. The ideal is:
80% bills and debt payment
10% tithe
10% savings

If this cannot be done, then they may start by saving and giving as little as $5, and gradually increase it to a percentage. Our minister insists that no one should compromise their future (retirement savings) for the sake of giving to the church, as they will wind up a burden in their old age. Nor does he insist on the full 10% being given to the church; most people give 6 or 7% and support charities of thier choice with the rest.

I do not think tithing is a "magic key" unless it is accompanied by good management of the 90%, and the churches' responsibility is to teach this. I agree it is disgusting when a church demands tithes from poor people and the minister lives in luxury while the congregation struggle - I have seen this happen with a church that had a lot of people on welfare. A few found their situation got better and gave glory to God; most wound up walking away in despair, their faith shipwrecked.

ETA: I was responsible for ds at the time. The key verse given me was "If any provide not for his own, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever." My minister said he couldn't think of a better way to turn a child into a heathen than to have the parents giving to the church while not meeting the child's needs. (needs, not wants)

Another verse to bear in mind is: "Children should not lay up for their parents, but parents for their children." That is where the saving for retirement comes in. It is wrong if people give to the church all their life and wind up dependent on their children. In those cases the church should pay back the tither by helping them out.

So in a situation of real hardship don't feel bad if you can't make the tithe; remember - "if the eagerness to give is there, the gift is acceptable according to what one has, not according to what one does not have."

Now that my old clothes are too big for me, I thought I would try selling some of the better quality ones thru a consignment store. Today a check arrived for one of my suits - $30. I was very pleased as winter is setting in here and I needed a new coat. Set off to the thrift store and found a very nice one for $20. The remaining $10 will be set aside for new underwear.

I haven't blogged for a while, i know. It's been a bit of a struggle lately, and I'm rather depressed about having so little money to live on. It's nice catching up with you guys, to know I'm not alone and see everybody working so hard toward their goals.

Today I had a job interview, which i think went well. The interviewer asked me one question - what was the achievement I was proudest of? I suppose I should have said something work related, but the first thing came to me: I'm really proud of the fact tho I had nothing after my relationship breakup, I managed to buy a house for myself and ds - and get it paid off in 15 years.

Well, he WAS impressed. He said, "that's amazing. I'm 55 and I'm scared I won't get my mortgage paid off before retirement." I didn't say I only had a little cottage, and he prob has a huge mansion, but I went home feeling much happier. I remember when I got the final letter from the bank, I threw a mortgage burning party. It felt like a great burden had been lifted off me to be debtfree.

Since then I've been drifting a bit I guess. I was so focused on that goal, i wasn't sure what to do next, and the idea of saving up 00s of 000s for my retiremnt seemed so enormous, it was hard see progress. But now I'm motivated to get started again. When you're a bit down it helps to remember past victories.

Back in my university days I was a size 14, just an normal sized woman for my height. It was no problem going to a store and getting clothes, and if I wanted something a bit different I sewed it myself from a standard dressmaking pattern. The only problem was the average woman was supposed to be 5' 5" and as I am taller, the arms and legs tended to be a bit too short. I learned to live with that.
Over the years an interesting thing happened. I gradually put on a couple inches all round, top, middle and bottom - BUT, according to the labels I was still a size 14! it wasn't till my waist got to 33" that I went up to a 16. I suspected the manufacturers of becoming more generous in their cut as the Western world's waistlines expanded.
Having now dropped some weight I was looking forward to getting back into smaller clothes. I did a quick googol to see what I should be now. Oh me! I couldn't decide if I was an old size 14, a size 10, or, if I wanted to go to Europe; a British size 16, a Spanish 38 or an Italian 42. The entire system, it seems, has gone nuts, with each company deciding for themselves what they will label their clothes - except they are all trying to one up each other by flattering the consumer they fit the smallest size. There is even a size 0!! Round here the only people with a chance of squeezing into that are tiny Asian students.
Being accustomed to thrift store shopping and being a bit conservative in my taste, I hadn't quite caught up with this. But one I started looking I realized the labels were actually no help at all. One labels Petite fitted me quite well; another's Large was far too tight. I even found a skirt boldly labelled 28" waist that fitted my 31" waist very nicely thank you. I now realize why I'd so often grabbed a bag full of size 16s, only to find they didn't fit me at home - previously I thought they'd shrunk in the wash. Grr, the money I've wasted. I'll never buy without trying again.
In the end I got a size 6 jacket, a size 14 pair of pants, and several blouses in 8-10 sizes. All for $2. Iterestingly, they all looked as if they'd never been worn. Maybe somebody else has the same sizing problem?

Ooo pretty new colors. Somebody's been very creative. Me like.
Was chatting with a friend yesterday who is forever coming up with new schemes, but never acts on them. She's been stuck in her job for 20 years and hates it, but always finds a reason for not getting a new one. She is a very arty crafty type in her spare time, and many of her ideas revolve around setting up her own small business. Well, that certainly works for some, but you need good business skills and strong motivation to carry it out - and I don't think she's got them. I guess she knows in her heart it's all a dream and she'll never do it; she's what they call an innovative thinker but not strong on carry thru, and doesn't pay enough attention to detail.
Lately, she has got it into her head that instead of looking for a job, I should become self employed as well. She keeps coming up with all these bright ideas for me whenever I do something a bit creative. "You knit beautifully; sell your work to craftshops." "You give great speeches at Toastmasters, become a public speaker." "You do good writing, you could be a bestseller."
I think she overrates my skills and underestimates just how hard it is to make a living on these things. Even if I started making some money on them, I would probably need to continue working a regular job to have a regular income until I became sufficiently rich and succesful. Most self employed start out as parttime hobbyists. It's not that I dont' play with the ideas sometimes; it's that I'm not sufficiently interested in doing them to put in all that time and effort. Call me lazy. Or maybe it's that I prefer the security of a regular income. And I like my laid back daily routine. Like the proverbial Mexican fisherman who refused the offer of a well paid business job so he could work hard for 20 years, make a bundle, and then retire and go fishing in Mexico. He was doing that right then. We hear so much about work/life balance nowadays; I think I'm pretty well sorted on that one the way I live now.
The one idea that really appeals to me is the last one. I enjoy writing in my spare time and I'd like to have a book published some day, even if it never becomes a bestseller. And writers are often asked to do public speaking.
Here's what my friend said when I floated the idea: "Write a book on knitting! There's heaps of them being published right now. You could be a best seller!"
Um, I personally think a lot of the new knitting books are terrible and I could certainly do a better one; but there are also some brilliant ones by real experts. How do I make mine stand out? I need a creative approach.
Second suggestion from my friend. "You're really good with money. Books on money sell well. And you've just lost weight. Diet books sell well. If you write a book that talks about both money and weight loss you'd make millions!"
Bingo! I'm off to write the Accountant's Diet. See you on Oprah in 18 months.

Well, no, just that words strong enough to express my disgust are not exactly - family friendly.

Oh I'm feeling rotten. I've got la misery virus. Neverthless I forced myself to go to the interview where I was informed the job had already gone (Gee thanks - you let me drag myself into town to tell me that?) I'm going to curl up in bed for the weekend - looks forward to chocolate on Easter Sunday.

However, I have now reached my goal of 160 pounds - maybe not too much chocolate.

...or does it? I got this email offer

"Have you ever dreamed about owning a piece of a big company? Too expensive? How about ownership without paying a penny...ever? Too good to be true? No! Amazing and unique? Yes! Totally legal and fully disclosed? Yes! Join us and own a piece of the next big Internet company - completely free forever! You will even get a $10.00 sign up bonus, free downloads, and a contract assuring you of ownership . Totally free - now and forever!"

And BTW, my family also owns a castle in Ireland I'd like to sell you, complete with title of Count.

No - not net worth! Weight. I am now down to 161 lb - only one more pound to reach my goal. Today I saw a friend who commented I'd lost weight and looked well. Doing the happy dance.

I have been on camp, staying in an old schoolhouse at an old goldmining town. It is almost abandoned now, and the rabbits have taken over. No one had brought a gun or we could have had rabbit stew; they hopped right up to the camp (rabbits are an introduced pest in New Zealand). When I was young we never bought meat, but lived on the rabbits my brother shot. There were a number of wild apple trees around; they tasted good; tart but full of flavor compared to shop bought. We visited the nearby tourist town and found a mall with high price fashion clothes and expensive cafe/bars. Didn't buy anything. Sunday morning we decided to try our luck at goldpanning. Drove high up into the hills and found a stream. Prospecting is hard work; digging mud out of the banks, and washing out the pan in a cold mountain stream. We only found a few specks of fool's gold (iron pyrites), so back to the city to look for a paying job. According to the history books, it was the pub owners who actually made their fortune in the goldrush.

My No 1 goal for this year was to save up $5000 in my emergency fund. I am now at $2500. Go me.

There was an article on the news today about increasing bankruptcy in New Zealand. Bankruptcy rates have gone up 22% in just ONE year. Stunning. Interestingly, the main causes are given as unemployment, health problems and divorce. In other words, people took on debt they thought they could handle, then life pulled the rug out from under them. In the same article, the bank workers union has called for changes to be made to their bonus scheme. They are not happy about being paid extra for selling more credit cards, as they don't think people should be encouraged to get into debt. Sadly, most of our banks are now owned by overseas financial interests, so policies are not being made with New Zealanders interests in mind, but to make profits that will go offshore. My own town has one of the highest bankruptcy levels. I think this is due to the fact we have low income levels combined with skyrocketing property prices - which is now starting to bust; the number of mortgagee sales is increasing. It is all very sad when you think we were founded 160 years ago by thrifty hard working Scottish pioneers. We seem to have lost our traditional values in the last generation.

Being committed to debtfree living, I have done quite well without a credit card for the last few years. I guess not running up debts is a good way to avoid credit card solicitations, for I seldom get them. So I was surprised to recieve in the mail this morning a preapproved credit card offer with -gasp!- a limit of $nz4500. It took me all of 2 seconds to realise that this is the Westpac bank I have $18000 invested with, so they were likely banking (sorry for the pun) on grabbing my assets if I default. They obviously don't know the smallness of my income. Up until recently in NZ you had to have a decent sized income to apply for a card from a bank, but they have become much pushier.

The presentation was ridiculous, with blather about my star sign and how they'd matched me in heaven. It wasn't all that great a deal either, with an initial 6 month offer of 6.99%, going up to 12.65%. Fees of 32.50, and 13.95% on cash advances. I did have a credit card when I travelled overseas, but I already had the money saved up and paid it all off at once. I will say, if I had a spare $4,500, I would travel to visit ds in England, but I'd be looking for a card with plenty of airpoints.

Actually, I'm thinking that maybe the best thing to do is take my CD money, and invest it in Westpac bank shares. They must be making a huge profit.

I have this old pot belly stove in my living room. It no longer conforms to regulations, so I can't use it, plus I no longer have the strength to chop wood for it. I have been planning to get it removed and put in more efficient heating. I was chatting with one of my neighbors about my renovation plans, and he said he would like to have it - he plans to do something with gas with it. He has offered to remove the stove and connected radiator for me, plus he will pay me $100nz. Beats having to pay someone to take it away to the dump.

So the next level of manifesting money was $20. I got the idea to take some books I had down to the 2nd hand bookstore. I made $19, and all the way back I kept telling myself there was another dollar for me somewhere. Well, I stopped at the supermarket and there it was! Lying just by the lottery counter! So I bought a can of tuna and dropped it in the food bank collection can - much more useful to a poor person than buying a lotto ticket. On to the next level, but I think the odds are against me finding $50 in the street I'm going to have to take some form of action.

I have been reading all about mind power and visualizing to achieve your goals for some time, but it always seemed such a complex thing I never kept it up for long. But yesterday I came across this website

We are having brilliant hot weather this month. Unfortunately it also means there are lots of wasps around. Australian ones with a very nasty sting. I found 2 nests in my garden and rang the pest exterminator, but he is so busy he couldn't come for a few days. A woman in my church told me to get rid of them by pouring gasoline on them. So this evening when it was dark and they were all in the nest, I sneaked out with a funnel and a pint of gas and poured it in. Hope it works, as it's certainly a lot cheaper than paying someone to do it.

Last month saw the start of the academic year, with thousands of students pouring into town, and much beer pouring in the hotels. It does get pretty rowdy during Orientation Week, so I steered clear of the University last week. But I did get to sell some old textbooks - $26.25 in. Good.

Then I attended the market with oh so many stalls selling all manner of interesting bric-a-brac. I bought some magazines, jewellry, and some pain au chocolat and a cheese filled croissant from the Alliance Francaise. $13.50 out. Bad.

I have quickly transferred the other $13 to my online account. From now on, I am only allowed to spend the interest I earn from it on goodies.