30 Day Blog Challenge - Day 26

If you had a million dollars how would you spend it?

I've thought a lot about this actually.  A couple of years ago my husband and I bought our one and only lottery ticket ever and before winning the big pot, we discussed how we would spend the money if we did.

Except of course we didn't win. lol.

Here's what I would do with the money if we did.

1) Pay off debt.  Before anything else we would pay off our car loan and student debt, credit cards, and anything owed to anyone else.

2) We would invest in a property that we would use as a Bed & Breakfast.  Realistically a full sized hotel is going to cost over $1000,000.  In fact, if you buy a Bed & Breakfast in the Niagara area that's also the cost you're looking at. lol.  I would want something that had some of these features:

Location is incredibly important to me.  I would want a water-front property so I'm probably looking at a minimum cost of $500,000 but probably more in the ball park of $700,000 to get the right kind of water front.  I might be tempted to move out of province as well.

These pictures show the kind of relaxing environment I would want to welcome my guests to. :)

I would have a back porch that overlooked a slightly wooded area and a landscaped yard perfect for weddings.

I would love a front entrance similar to this one that looks very welcoming and a great porch in front with a view of the water.

The bedrooms would be tastefully decorated and relaxing and not at all Anne of Green Gables style (Wallpaper & Victorian *barf*) but rather think Hilton Hotel.

As for the rest of the money, if there was any left after my Bed & Breakfast spending spree I would likely buy myself a new wardrobe (I haven't had new clothes in years), pig out on some good tasting gluten free goodies, go on a couple of trips perhaps and possibly even put together a college fund for our daughter.

I think I'm pretty realistic in my million dollar spending.  :) I don't need a whole lot of stuff at this point.  What would you spend $1000,000 on?

30 Day Challenge - Day 22

How have you changed in the past 2 years?

Two years ago I was pregnant with our first child and life had been essentially put on hold.

I was on bed rest.  The only time I ever got out of bed was to use the wash room, grab something to eat, or go to a doctor's appointment.  Though I was excited at the prospect of pregnancy being over soon, and getting my life back, I was also terrified of bringing a baby into a household that at that point was full of financial stress.  We couldn't afford a crib, we couldn't afford baby clothes and we couldn't afford diapers.

That was then, and then there is now.

Luckily these days there is generally food on the table and money in the bank though we're still in debt in some areas it's currently nothing that is ruining our credit which is a nice change.

So how have I changed?

I've come to appreciate the little things in life more.  A sunset, chocolate, a scented candle, a flower.

For one our daughter sees the world in a whole different light, it has such a newness to it.  She loves caterpillars and trees, leaves and rocks, and dirt. . .oh how she loves dirt. :)

I'm trying to see the world more from her perspective, becoming more thankful for what I have rather than what I don't.  We don't live in the newest sexiest apartment out there but we have a safe home with wonderful friendly neighbours, carpet under our feet and covered parking. :)

So I've come to expect less, be happier with what I do have and share what I can with those less fortunate than us.  I've also become more engrossed in my faith as I see the beauty in God's creation through the eyes of a little girl.

30 Day Blog Challenge - Day 20

Education.  Without it you can't get anywhere in life, and even with it, it isn't a guarantee you'll succeed.

I graduated from college in 2005 with a diploma in Office Administration.  I found my first "real" job in September 2008 so it took me approximately 3 years to find a job after graduating.  Then in 2009 I had a baby.

I haven't worked since 2009.  Was my education a waste of money?

The topic for this blog post is "How Important You think Education is."

You might think this is the point in my blog post that I'm going to argue that my education was a waste of time and money.  No, I'm not going to do that.

I actually started out my college education in a different program, Hotel and Resort Operations.  I didn't graduate from that but I did learn a lot.  I learned about mixing drinks in Bartending classes, how to pair wine with food in Wine Appreciation, I got my Smart Serve and I learned to make lots of fancy meals and use expensive knives in my cooking classes.

Then I took Art Appreciation - Design and Visual with a minor in Interior Design.  Yeah, I spent a lot of time in College finding myself.

When I finally took Office Administration - Legal I was able to use things that I had learned from the other programs to my advantage.  For instance, one of the tasks we were assigned was to design an office for our boss.  I knew how to do the proper layout for an interior design mock-up and I was familiar with drafting which helped a tonne when it came to getting high marks.

So, do I think education is important?  Yes.  I think learning is beneficial to everyone and it's essential to learn to read and write.  Is college or university important?  That's debatable.  I know without my education I couldn't get anywhere but with it still took a long time to get a job and even then it wasn't a very high paying job.  I was paid $10.50/hr to start with a maximum potential of $12/hr.  To compare that, in the call centre I worked at I made $17/hr and not everyone there had a college/ university education.

I am currently still paying off what was a $10,000 OSAP loan (1 year of education as I paid the rest out of pocket).  So, was it a waste of money to go to school? Despite everything, I don't think so. 

Will I encourage my daughter to go on to post-secondary education? Yes.  If not for the formal education or the possible wage increase, it's a great opportunity for self discovery, learning and having new life experiences.

30 Day Blog Challenge - Day 17

On day 17 of the 30 Day Blog Challenge the topic is "Your Highs and Lows of the Past Year".  I thought about this topic for most of the day because I really wasn't sure what I wanted to write but here goes:

The Lows:

1) Money - We've incurred a bit of debt, and we've struggled since we moved to Barrie in early 2009.  The move cost us a lot of money and the lack of work when we moved up there cost us more.  It was unfortunate how things worked out there and we're still not back on our feet but I couldn't have picked a better medical team than the ones we had when I was pregnant so I believe that's why God sent us up there.

2) Changes in relationships with friends - I've changed as a person since our daughter was born.  I don't feel like I have a lot to contribute to conversation any more with some of my old friends and I can feel us going our separate ways.  I think once our married friends start having children things might even out a little more again.

3) Health - My health hasn't been the greatest since 2008.  I still wear out easily and I'm discovering more and more allergies and intolerances.  It can be frustrating at times.

The Highs:

1) Moving into a new apartment - We moved into a new apartment at the beginning of this year and it's great!  We have friendly neighbors who we actually talk to and who don't slam doors in your face, we don't come home to pot smoke smell so strong you can taste it in your living room while you're cooking your own food, we have a pool and a great backyard in the back for our daughter to run around in!  Not to mention. . .carpeting!!  After having school style tile for a year carpeting was complete luxury.  I love waking up in the morning and stepping onto a fluffy floor. :)

2) Health - Yes, it's been a rough year for health but I am gradually getting better!  It's a really slow recovery and some days are better than others but I'm very very slowly putting on weight and getting more energy. :)

3) Our daughter - Though she's trying at times she's a lot of fun to play with and it's amazing to see how she looks at the world.  Everything is "oh wow" lately.  She clearly appreciates God's creation. :)

4) Cable - I really in truly appreciate Treehouse tv.  It has kept me sane at least a few times. lol.

5) Friendship - I've become closer to some of my old friends and developed some new friendships.

So, I guess that's it. :) I've been trying lately to focus more on the positive so I decided to end with the highs. :)