Single Woman -Life’s challenges- Life Experiences #3

This entry is all about my financial challenges since 2000 when I became a single parent.

While I had joint custody of my kids, I worked for several temp agencies, which allowed me the flexibility to be home right after school ended.  As the years progressed from 2001 to 2007, I slowly earned more money and the temp jobs turned into full time positions with medical benefits and paid vacations. I’ll use a bullet list to illustrate the rise and fall of my annual incomes and the major expenses during those times:

• Dec 2005 – paid off my 1998 Hyundai Accent and made a promise to my kids I will take them to Walt Disney World in January 2007.
• April 2006 – temp position became a full time salaried position,
• Planned the budget and started a savings Account for our Disney vacation,
• January 2007 – eight day vacation in Orlando, Florida,
• May 2007 – bought my first new car – a 2007 Kia Rio 5 with manual transmission!
• May 2007 – Car Loan payments deferred for one year!
• May 2008 – loan payments started @$500/month,
• October 2008 – full time position eliminated – out of work!
• November 2008 – new job but a drop in salary of approx. $1000/monthly,
• February 2010 – quit the job
• March 2010 – new full time job, closer to home, and another drop in salary of approx $700/month,
• October 2010 – traded in 2007 Kia Rio5 for a 2011 Kia Rio 5 – payments dropped down to $340/month
• August 2011 – received a lifeline Loan to help me back on my feet and in July 2016, it was paid off,
• July 2017 – current income is now at about $2500/monthly. I have full benefits and three weeks vacation.
• August 2017 – Car Loan paid off- 5 months ahead of schedule.

During the past year, I worked diligently to find creative and interesting ways to both save money and make money. As you’ve read, I am not a top earner and I don’t have any degrees or letters behind my name:). I work as an Admin Assistant/AR Clerk and CSR in a small Canadian medical company.

For those of you that think it is not possible to pay off your debt, or put money aside, or plan a vacation – I’m telling you, IT CAN BE DONE!

If you’ll join me again, I will share some of my interesting strategies.

Thank you for reading. Joye

Author: JOYE

I am a single woman in her sixties still setting goals and working to achieve them. My kids are grown and doing their own thing. Swimming is both my passion and my chosen favourite form of exercise. I have two cats, love to read, colour and craft. Reading is great, except then I don't leave the house! So, read on as I share with you my journey, through my blog, of my goal to travel across Canada and swim at the 10 Best Beaches in Canada! View all posts by JOYE