Sorry I have been neglectful

I have not been able to post anything in this blog for a while, and I am sorry for that. I went to make a new game review, and windows movie maker keeps crashing my PC I'm looking for a fix for that but in the meantime my PC is toast for video reviews. I have also had some medical issues that have been keeping me occupied, I hope to have something for you soon, in the meantime please keep your chin up and your spirits cold ;)

I've got the new keyboard blues.

I had to get a new keyboard, and the first thing I have learned about me is that I do not adapt to various forms of change well.

This was my old keyboard.

And this is my new one.

I had a replacement guarantee for the old one, at The Source, but they were out of stock at the time, so they replaced them for me. Don't get me wrong, I love the fact that they do that, but I miss my old keyboard. I keep having to look down at this one because the keys are smaller and I am a large fingered gentleman. Ya know the keys may not even be smaller but without the curve in the keyboard they are closer and i find myself pressing two at the same time. but in the end what the hell, I'll figure it out sooner or later. 

The problem with kittens

I have three cats, I do enjoy their company even if they couldn't be bothered to give me the time of day most of the time. While cleaning the apartment earlier today i found a small piece of blue paper on the floor. Any Canadian citizen will know that it is part of a birth certificate, I have been hunting this object down for a few weeks now, and with the discovery of the shard of blue paper I don't think I am going to find it. It has been filed under 'C' for cat, or perhaps 'N' for Nova (the kitten in question) either way I'm pretty sure it's gone and there is nothing I can do except for order a new one.

The moral of the story is; Kittens will destroy your stuff, but they are fluffy and cute and we love them anyways.

Working to live...yeah I understand that.

So, it's payday and upon seeing my pay i realized one thing, I'm already broke. The cool part is that I have money for cat litter and cat food, the sad part is that the cats (I have three) will have more food in the house then I will. But that's fine by me, other people would tell you how to save your money and be responcable, I however am going to make you a detailed list on how to live when you get paid less a month then your current cost of living.

Tip one - Understand that using this system you will never get ahead, that's why your using the system, when you had extra money you weren't in this problem in the first place. You will eventually fall behind on everything sooner or later, but this system will help you at least keep afloat.

Tip two - Pay the right bills at the right time, your priorities should be, in this order; Rent > hydro > food > internet. You don't have to pay them all of the bill, just shoot them money so they know you care. They will call you over and over if you don't answer and tell them that you intend to pay so...answer the phone and make an arrangement, you will probably have to break it but that's ok, so long as you give them some money when they want is you will keep your services that much longer

Tip three - .If you get paid bi-monthly like I do, twice a year you will have a three pay month, use the middle pay to pay your bills as close as you can to $0 and use this pay to buy food, anything canned is good. all the other months use this tip to stay on top. Split your bills on the first pay of them month, it probably won't pay all of them but if each bill gets an equal amount any extra windfall you receive can go to them too. The bottom pay of the month can go straight to rent and anything leftover to food and something tiny for yourself. You always want to get yourself a little something every now and again, it will help you not do that when you have extra windfall to throw at the bills.

Tip four - Always keep an eye out for a provider offering the services you already have for a cheaper price, and when you call them to ask about it always ask them how much your bill is going to be -AFTER- the promotional period. Then once you find out all that information, if your bill with your current provider is near the 0$ ammount call them and tell them that you have found a provider willing to charge you less, and they will sometimes offer you a deal to stay. 

Tip Five - When you go grocery shopping, never take a trolley! Always use a hand-basket, it will stop you from spending more then you have to while you shop. Never use a list, shop by memory because you will always remember the 100% necessary things as you shop. Think taxes while you shop, some things are taxed and some things are not, but as you shop keep a tally of what you have spent assuming everything is going to be taxed at the register. This will allow you some breathing room at the register and let you have a few dollars left over so you can buy a bottle of pop or whatever pleases you. 

Tip six - Brand matters not, always go for the cheapest brand you can find, they may not taste the same as a name brand, but they are cheap and allow you to stretch you budget that much further. As for us smokers, the cheaper the better, sure low end smokes taste like goat piss (Because there is probably some in there anyways) but a smoke is a smoke at the end of the day. 

Tip Seven - Always file your taxes, you will typically always get money back, and you can get more back by asking your job to tax you more. That's right, ask your employer to take an extra $10 off of your pay into taxes it will increase your take back at the end of the year. Plus, if you file you become eligible for any government checks that come in, which is always nice.

Tip Eight - NEVER use money mart or similar services...EVER. If you are close with your employer, ask them for an advance of your pay if you really need it, and offer to pay it back over several pays. Most employers will do that for their employees because they remember what it is like to be in your shoes, if you work for a big company, talk to your HR department, and they can answer your questions. 

These simple things have kept me alive and well for years, sure I don't have a lot of money but I have three well fed and healthy cats, and a wife going to college, hydro, food, and internet and I can honestly say I'm happy with that.