Going beyond transition

Tag Archives: Finances

Poor Man’s Gym (or is it Frugal Man’s?)

Posted on by Posted in Finances, fitness .

So after the Planet Fitness stuff and my recent doctor’s visit showed that I’m overall doing well as far as health I could use some exercise (one of the major challenges and downfalls to working at home more often than not). So I decided to make it simple and cheap.

1. Walking up all the stairs at least once a day for a week and then changing it two doing it twice in one “sitting”. I found out that doing this once will burn off about 140 calories (we’re on the top — 7th floor — of the building so I run down all the stairs and then walk up them at an even but brisk pace).

2. I have two kettle balls (one’s 15lbs and the other 25lbs) and an adjustable dumbell (from 1lb to 15lbs). I use these for simple curls, triceps and such.

3. I got an Iron Gym after recommended to me by a few guys in a support group. When I first started using it, I actually saw results. I don’t know why I stopped but I started again. Great for back muscles (lats, traps and such).

4. I haven’t started the situps and pushups yet but will start those soon.

I figure the sooner I get into this as a habit the better. From Jan until April 1 I’ll be home for all of it except two weeks (one week will be in Toronto and another in Vegas).

Dumb bell cost: $12
Kettle bells cost: $50
Iron Gym cost: $29.99
Sweat trickle down back, knowing I’m losing weight on my terms & without some contract: priceless.

Someone give me some cheese please.

Posted on by Posted in Daily life, Finances, transition, Traveling/Work .

Well, it was a busy and exhausting week. I do love teaching and I love it even more, when doing online, to share the duties with someone else. However, there are a couple of courses I teach online that only need one instructor (largely due to the size of the class) and I had both of those this week. The reviews were really good. To add even more to ending the week on a good note, I found out I passed my certification (I had written the beta version of the certification in August and there has been some mix up over results).

But while all this is good, there are still things that dampened my happiness. K’s mom sent back my birth certificate stuff (I asked her to be my guarantor since I need someone who’s a “professional”) and I sent that off to Ontario’s Registrar General. I’m hoping that they do a quick turn-over on that and that I didn’t miss anything. It’s annoying to not have my email match my name. Once the birth certificate is done, then I send it off to Employment Canada to get my SIN (Social Insurance Number) redone. I figure that’ll be done by the end of the year (given the speed of most government departments). I kinda wonder if it’s a global thing that government departments run at the pace of a slow moving snail. Maybe it’s a requirement or something?

Honestly, however, it’s not the name change thing that’s bugging me. It’s surgery. Two specifically. While the second isn’t as critical (yet) for me, the first one is: top surgery (double mastectomy) and bottom (for now, hysterectomy would suffice). I can’t get it covered under my present plan and they specifically exclude GRS/SRS from coverage. If I switch to another provider (assuming that the HealthCare Reform doesn’t go through), I technically have a pre-existing condition (GID) that could preclude me from coverage there. Which really sucks. So, I’m going to have to save (about $10,000) in addition to paying off debt.

Sigh.

I just have to remind myself I can do this. It’s very conceivable to save up the money as well as pay off the debt.  It’s kind of like having motivation to lose weight: being determined as to what the final goal is. Does it mean I’ll fall off the wagon now and again? Oh, sure. But if I keep at it, I’ll have more steps forward than back. I think one of the things that would help (well, two actually) is a slight raise (haven’t had one in a couple of years now) and a green card. I think both of those would be welcomed. In just over 13 months, my present visa will expire (unless they get the extension, which tacks on another 2 years to it). I’d rather have the green card. I think I’ve proven that I’m here for the company and will be staying well beyond the life of the green card. Either Oct or November will be annual review time so I’m going to have to figure out how to word this best.

Sometimes, I just wish I could win the lottery — even a little 2nd place. I know I’m not in a horrible situation and know that I put myself in this situation but there are times when I could just use the breather. And don’t get me wrong, I am grateful for the roof over my head, the beautiful love in my life and the job I have. I know many others are no where near that. But… [insert whiney voice here]

I am finally me (sniffles and all)..

Posted on by Posted in Daily life, Finances, LGBTQ, Life, transition, Traveling/Work .

*snork*

*sniffle*

Ah yes, allergies. Gawd, how I hate them. I just got back from San Francisco only to be hit head first by them. I know I’m not sick but just feel miserable because of my sinuses. Hopefully it’ll end by today or tomorrow. That or I’ll be investing in Sudafed for a while.

Last week went well for the most part. 99% of people I ran into got it right. Even TSA did! I was rather surprised at that. The reason was that the law changed as of Aug 15 and all airlines were required to match gender with passport, full name, etc. For some reason American Airlines didn’t put the gender down on the ticket (whether going to San Fran or coming back) but I was never questioned about it. Granted, it could be the ol’ white male privilege hitting in but who knows. Either way, I was glad I didn’t get challenged. Made life easier. I’m getting more comfortable in the washroom (as comfortable as one can get in washrooms that are dirty and often in disrepair). One colleague still needs to work on the name and gender thing. The reality is that I don’t see my colleagues except once or twice a year so mistakes are expected. The majority (about 95%) get it right and even get it right after a few drinks (LOL).

That all said, the name portion will have to definitely change since I’m going to the lawyer’s today to pick up the certified copies of my legal name change and begin the journey to get new birth certificate, new Canadian SIN (Social Insurance Number), new Canadian passport, new US VISA, new US SSN, etc.

Sigh.

Not looking forward to this. But I was frugal about the whole thing. I only cost me the basic costs (e.g., submission of name change, necessary forms, etc.). Lawyers’ fees were gratis thanks to an organization here (TDLEF). It’s amazing how much one can save on legal fees if you just look around. There are a lot of organizations that have been created (I can think of LEGIT in Ontario that helps bi-national LGBTQ couples get residency and such in Canada) to help individuals.

On the financial front, I’ve started applying to those survey sites. It’s definitely something I can do while even on the road. If I made an extra $1-2000 a year, that can either go towards surgery funds (since all of what I need done isn’t covered) or towards paying off debt (although this year I’ll be asking for a decent size raise since I haven’t had one in two years and my role has become more senior; I suspect I’m due!).

Speaking of the financial front, as of Sept 15th my Canadian Taxes will be paid off. That money will be going to one or two of the credit cards along with an extra amount to emergency fund. I still have a long haul in front of me but if I keep chipping at it, it will shrink down to near nothingness.

Like Dory from Finding Nemo says “Just keep swimming, just keep swimming..”

Fall Off the Wagon.. and then tumbling down the cliff.

Posted on by Posted in Daily life, Finances, Life .

Cross-posted entry from FrugalVillage.com

Ever have those huge falling off the wagon moments and then tumble off the cliff in the process? I’ve been going through that lately. I’m not sure why other than that feeling I could do it. In reality there are really only two things that will cause me to do that: deals on cigars (bad, I know!) and bicycling (good stuff!) deals. I can say that I looked for the deals and deals that were 45% or more deep as well as questioned myself repeatedly to whether I really needed it versus wanted. There were a few things I didn’t get. But it was still excess spending.

Now I will admit that having a good cigar now and again with a cold beer is relaxing. And since cigars keep it’s not a bad thing. A single box could easily last a year, especially good ones. So a few deals later and … eep. Definitely not good.

The other thing is bicycling. Now I haven’t done it in a while but a recent doctor’s visit reminded me to get off my fat ass (and yes, it’s grown 🙁 ) Reality is I did this to myself by plopping down in front of the computer, eating like I used to when I cycled 30-100 miles a day every day and then not moving at all.  Being vegan has an advantage of ensuring that even with laziness my bad cholesterol is still good (135?) but my good cholesterol is too low (36). Between my good cholesterol being too low and my blood pressure being a bit high (130/86) it’s an indication from my body that I need to move. I used to have 124/82 or thereabouts. Part of this is the testosterone I’m taking but reality is that it’s just a sign of laziness. So today I went for a 30 min ride at 5:30am. I prefer starting the day with exercise as it gets me going and gets me into a routine, something I need. And although it wasn’t a huge ride, it’s enough to get started with. I now have a simple route that I’m going to use for the next few weeks to get my cycling legs back (riding once a day 5-6 days a week).

Of course, I couldn’t find my gloves or my bike shorts so I made do but felt weird on the bike. First thing I did when I got back was order new gloves, new shorts, heart monitor and so on. It was a splurge but one thing about cycling gear is that it does last a few years. I think I misplaced my older gear and I know that most of it was when I was thinner (about 60lbs thinner).

I do admit feeling better about the cycling. And if I continue like I did in 2003-2005, I could create the same habits. For some reason my cycling depressed my urge to spend (maybe spending is a sign of depression or “blues” and ties in with eating?). So, I’m gonna try again. I know I can do this, I just have to stay focused on this and move it forward.

In other stuff, work has been kicking my butt lately (a good thing in some regards). It’s part of why I haven’t been on the forums and why I’ve been stressing so much. Hopefully once the next couple of weeks pass things should settle down some. I’m really hopeful about that and think I might even be able to ask for a raise come fall, even if it’s just a small one. I am pestering them about getting a green card so if I got a small one and a green card I’d be thrilled. I also came out at work. Coming out gay is nearly norm in many places but coming out transgendered/transsexual is a whole other ball of wax. It went really well. And to top it off, it was the same week that Chaz (formerly Chastity Bono) came out about starting his transition. Contrary to what many feel, this isn’t a “choice” but rather something that must be done to continue living.

It’s that ability to continue living that allows one to get back on the wagon, even if we’re down on the side of the cliff. I think I may be able to jump up and on to the wagon again later this week with full force and vigor.

Quick Post: Giddy with joy at tax time

Posted on by Posted in Finances, Life .

I’m nearly giddy with joy! My fed tax refund got deposited last night and I got to pay off one of my credit cards in one fell swope. I still have state taxes to pay but they haven’t figured out that amount yet. So I’ll probably pay the amount that H&R Block figured it out to be. Thus far, they’ve been dead on for the federal version. If they get this right, then I’ll definitely be going back next year and having the same rep prepare my taxes again. The difference after the State Taxes are paid will go to what I owe to Revenue Canada. It won’t completely pay off what I owe but will reduce the amount significantly. I still have a lot to go but in the course of a month or so I’ve paid off almost 10% and because I’ve reduced my spending to nearly nothing, it’s made a dent. And that’s a really good thing. I’ll be able to increase my emergency fund a bit this month (more than I had planned) so that’s also good.

As long as I continue with this, I can really see a time when I will be debt free and perhaps I could actually change things so that my money makes money for me rather than it being an expense. One of the things that has been helping me greatly has been the iExpense Apple App. Every time I spend, I record it on my iTouch. And that makes that expense forefront in my mind as to whether I can afford it (I give myself a money “budget”). I can see how much I’m spending and on what. A simple thing like bottle water (about $1.50 a pop) can add up during the day. Even if I go for lunch I can forego having a pop or something (if I go to Chipotles or other “fast food”) and bring my own bottle, like the Camelbak bottle I got.

Anyways, time to get going as I have a lunch date with a friend. More later.

Frugalness leads to wonderful dreams

Posted on by Posted in Finances, Life .

It’s amazing how one little step can make a whole difference. Even though I started my re-birth “frugalness” (born-again Frugal? sounds like a very faithful donut!) and determination to pay off my debts, I’m finding a change in my attitude towards things. I ask myself 3-4 or more times before I buy something and have been diligent about things I’m buying. I still make mistakes and minor fall-downs but I think it’s a lot less than in the past. I’ve even gone as far as to start a meager emergency fund (EF) that, if I’m good about, should cover 3 months of salary. Eventually, I want to get it to the point that it will cover a full year.

Yes, dreams for now but often if we don’t have those dreams we can’t imagine what the future will look like. I don’t want a mansion; I want a home, simple with a little yard for kids, kidlets (aka furrkids) and a little garden (being vegan we eat lots of veggies). I don’t need 3+ cars (heck, I don’t even have a driver’s license yet); 1 car, used, to start with would be good. And perhaps a 2nd car when the family grows big enough to justify it.

K and I have been talking about potentially moving to L.A. so she can be closer to her family. She has closer ties to hers than I do to mine although I do like to see mine once in a year or so. She prefers to see hers every 3-4 months. I have to admit to wanting to move out west, if just for the weather. As I get older I find I like the cold less and less. Part of that may be from the enjoyment I found on my bicycle. And certainly L.A. would be more enjoyable for that (not that NYC is horrible but I find it less inviting to cycle for some reason).

Dream lofty dreams, and as you dream, so you shall become. Your vision is the promise of what you shall one day be; your ideal is the prophecy of what you shall at last unveil. — James Allen

I do have to admit feeling very happy about things. I can actually see a light at the end of the tunnel. I went here to calculate the “snowball” effect of paying off debts (one thing that’s missing is the ability to move payments from paid off cards/debts to remaining ones, which would in turn, snowball it faster). I always pay more than what’s the minimum and as I pay off debts will pay even more off, thus reducing interest paid and the time to pay off. I’ll also shuffle some small parts over to EF deposits to get that to grow faster. I still have other things to deal with but getting that out of the way is first priority. Stopping or severely reducing spending (e.g., buying the bare minimum of what’s needed) helps a lot to move this forward.

As scary as this year looks in regards to the recession I have hope for the year and the years to come. Dreams are not that far away as I thought.

Living a frugal life. Not so impossible really.

Posted on by Posted in Daily life, Finances, Life .

So yesterday turned out to be a great day financially. As I’ve talked about finances are a big thing on my plate this year. It was about 5 years ago when I had half my debt paid but over the last 5 years that crept up again. Last week I got a sticker shock from Revenue Canada and have to pay taxes to them for 2007 (I basically gave up fighting them — sometimes it’s a better option to do that). I decided I wanted to avoid that and to do so, I paid a visit to H&R Block. US taxes have a notorious mythos around them at being difficult. And there is some truth to that. I spent a decent hour or so with the rep. It cost me just under $300 for the review (they base payment on the various forms you have to fill out) but it was worth it.  As a result he found enough to double my fed refund and almost halve my state taxes owed (I didn’t know that NYC required separate tax collection — I’ll be speaking to the payroll department about ensuring that’s removed regularly).  The result of my federal taxes this year for the US, however, may be enough for me to pay my state taxes, my Canadian taxes and pay off a credit card or two (my two lowest amount cards). This was a fantastic result.

This gives me hope and allows me to move forward in life. I’ve taken to researching more and more a frugal life. I do believe that one can still live an ethical life while being frugal at the same time. For instance I did learn that there is a shampoo/conditioner brand called White Rain. They sell for a $1 each at Walgreens or Rite-Aid (I refuse to go to WalMart where possible). This brand DOES NOT do animal testing or use animal by-products in their products. I was floored. I’ve been spending upwards of $7-10 each for conditioner and shampoo. This would save a lot more money if I got these products.

“Because of deep love, one is courageous. Because of frugality, one is generous. Because of not daring to be ahead of the world, one becomes the leader of the world.” — Lao Tzu

This week is my 39th birthday and I feel like there is still so much more to my life that I have yet to do that I really want to get rid of this debt permanently and not have it hanging around any longer. I’ve gotten smarter about how I manage my money and am recording every expense on my iPod Touch. It was a wise investment for me this year since I can get so many podcasts and books for free in a portable format in addition to videos and songs that I already had.

The trick for me is to immerse myself into it and make it a habit. Visiting the forums, recording my spending habits and such are all tricks to help me do that. If I can continue this when things are good, then overall I’ll benefit. I’ll say one thing about one of my ex’s: he was very good about being frugal. There are a few tricks that I picked up from him and intend on continuing to use. Others, I’ll create on my own.
Perhaps one day I’ll be able to reminisce how bad it was to have so much debt. For now, I take a single step forward in life

Staying cheap can mean being cheap..

Posted on by Posted in Finances, LGBTQ, Life, Traveling/Work .

Oi! There is a reason why 2.5 out of 5 star hotels are rated that level. This is a simple hotel (Howard Johnsons in a small New York State town in Long Island) and it’s cheap. The shower is in the bedroom. I mean literally, it’s in the wall in the bedroom while the toilet is in the bathroom with a 2nd sink outside the bathroom. I suspect the hotel was built in the late 70s or thereabouts and it shows on the wear-n-tear. I had to leave the fan running since it drowned out the sounds of voices in the courtyard. The nicer hotels were completely booked so I’m stuck with staying here but I only need to stay here until Thursday. I won’t be on the road again until early October.

I feel a bit tired but that was my own fault for staying up last night late mucking about in a variety of things. I think part of it was still being somewhat on Pacific time and it’s just now sorting itself out. When I did finally fall asleep I slept soundly, I have to admit. Tonight, however, I’ll probably use a sleeping aid and get to sleep by 10-11 just so I can have a solid 7 hours or so. I haven’t found too many crawling things but that may be because I’m on the 2nd level of the hotel (perhaps motel is a better word). The one nice thing is that I seem to be the only person with a laptop here so I get pretty much exclusive use of the internet (which is free). A definite plus. Although perhaps not as needed as much.

After contemplating it for a while, I have resigned as tech guru of Butch-Femme.com. In recent months, it had been overwhleming and because I tend not to say no to helping I felt like I was taking too much on. People often aren’t aware of how much energy and effort can go into being a tech type person whether online or in person. I very enjoyed spending that energy because I knew it would help people enjoy their experience online but I had reached a point where I wasn’t enjoying it and wasn’t enjoying my time on Butch-Femme.com. I’ve also decided not to go to the Bash this year, again for financial reasons. I know that the holidays are around the corner and will cost a bit so better to save for that for now.

Anyways, I better get to being productive and head out.