Blogging Away Debt Blogging Away Debt follows real people on their journey to debt freedom — with tips on the debt snowball, budgeting, cutting expenses, and staying motivated.

by Elizabeth S.

Happy Friday!

Winning at Work!

I am flying pretty high today. Yesterday, I completed some excellent manager training. A consultant came in and coached us on some of the more nuanced aspects, like giving constructive feedback and motivating people in challenging times. I’m normally the type who finds this sort of thing hokey, but this was fast-paced and hands-on. I was able to begin applying what I learned today!

My boss called me to say he is very proud of how far I have come. My department runs like a well-oiled machine, and my staff and I have a good rapport. We are constantly automating, innovating, improving, growing. July and most of August were hell, but it finally feels like I’m able to delegate reliably and focus on the big-picture, strategic things.

His only feedback for me was to analyze what I can get off of my plate, so I can concentrate on more “impactful” work. I’m on track for a raise and my full bonus, and maybe even a promotion! The icing on the cake?, He PayPal’d me some dough for a Friendsgiving party I am having tomorrow. As much as I don’t like living in a big city, sometimes work gives me a lot of fulfillment. It’s also really interesting to see how much I’ve developed my character! I used to be pretty emotional – not flying off the handle, but not professional either. I’ve got a much better poker face now, as well as experience in leadership during tough times.

Financial Headway Made

TD Bank called me today about my line of credit application, and as expected, they had concerns about my guaranteed income. That being said, the gentleman on the line said the difference in the income I applied with and what the bank thought I made was pretty negligible, so he said he would speak to an adjudicator and see what they can do. It sounded positive.

I am over the moon at the idea of paying off my credit cards and having a single, lower-interest payment to make. It’s very, very motivating to take advantage of the one year introductory rate and to maximize my debt payments during that time. I could very realistically have everything paid off in six months (if I use my bonus to finish paying off the line of credit).

Everything feels so optimistic today!

I did have a big purchase I had to make, but it didn’t go on a card. Gentlemen, this may border on TMI if you’re especially delicate. My last “good” bra broke the other day, and as a fuller-busted woman, I can’t buy off the rack at a big box store. I haven’t bought a bra in over a year, and my undergarment drawer is abysmal. Ratty, tattered, stretched out, holes… you name it. I don’t really care, I’m not materialistic, but bras actually have an important function. I ended up spending $151 on two beautiful, well-made, heavily discounted bras from a wonderful small store in Toronto. The owner even found a bra I liked ($90) in another color from last season for 50% off! Didn’t try to up-sell me at all.  (Since we have a few Toronto women commenting: Broad Lingerie on the Danforth, run, don’t walk).

That will be a bit of a dent in my spending money budget, but that’s it. Since I still haven’t tightened up the budget properly, I have about $500 that I spend on “food and stuff” every paycheck, and the bras will come out of the “stuff” category. I know, I know…

Minor Medical Miracles

Apologies for obnoxious alliteration. Surgery update! My hand is doing amaaaaaaazing. I saw the plastic surgeon today and I can’t believe his work! Oh, and never mind that, I AM TYPING WITH MY INDEX FINGER AS OF THIS AFTERNOON!!! I couldn’t do that for two months after my last go ’round with this procedure. Thanks for your kind comments – I think this is the last you will hear about my finger tumor.

My next post is going to have my account balances broken out so we can compare how far I’ve come.  That scares me. I know I’ve made progress, but I also know many of you expect a lot more frugality than I have presented. I expected more frugality of myself as well.

Elizabeth S.

Elizabeth is a single woman in her early 30s, working as a manager at a software company and living in the most expensive city in Canada. She hopes to blog about her journey to eliminate debt and build savings for home ownership someday. Whenever she has taken two financial steps forward, she’s always taken a step back with a bad credit card purchase (we’re looking at you, unnecessary iPhone of May 2019). Elizabeth lives alone with her fur kids, a dog and cat, and when she’s not in front of the computer, she enjoys running, camping, reading, and baseball.