I want your money!

NOTE: This is an archive post from LiveJournal which has been logged here for posterity.

Wow, so the whole dentist thing has kicked me up the ass in so many ways.

First off, the whole money thing. It's costing me a packet-load to do the dentist thing, but at the same time by doing it, I've combined my debts into "one easy to manage loan". This means Victoria, my Visa has died a death dredded by all visa cards, but that said - she only bought me stress. So my debt repayments have decreased now, therefore there is more money in my pocket, and do you know what I'm doing with it? Well, granted, I've bought about a gazillion pairs of underware in the last couple of weeks (I have a thing for undies at the moment) but I've also started doing something I don't do - saving. Yup, me - saving. It may seem like a very small thing to most people but to me, this is huge!

On top of the saving I've given up The-Dread-Evil-Coke. Again, this is a miracle. I love Coke, and there's none of that wussy Coke-Zero or Diet-Coke for me, I love the high-sugar, really-bad-for-you Coke. The stuff that'll disolve a T-Bone steak, that's the shit - I've given it up. In the four weeks since my first appointment I have had one 600ml bottle. That was last week and I promptly brushed my teeth. One bottle in a month is amazing!! The withdrawls are all-but-gone (had trouble sleeping, not to mention waking up!! A few mood swings as well) and by not drinking Coke? Saving around $18 a week, which goes, you guessed it - into the savings account.

In giving up the coke, I've taken to drinking water. Not only have I given up Coke, I am now drinking at least a litre of water a day - that's more water now then I used to have of Coke! I've got 3 water bottles on constant rotation in my fridge, and I hate going anywhere without one...

Having taken up the water I've also started to realise how much junk I consume. So I'm making an effort to curb that. I live in a hostel and I hate the kitchen so I've been having sushi instead of Maccas. I've been having whole-grain bread instead of white, hell I'm even having breakfast with healthy yoghurt! (The Acodopholus or however you spell it stuff).

This one thing, the routine of my weekly dentist appointments - of knowing that a day or so after that appointment I will feel that weebit better about myself because one or two of my teeth are back to normal, it's making me a better, healthier, more independant person, one tooth at a time.

Sure it's costing me a bomb, but it's much more then my teeth - it's my whole life. If I keep going the way I am I'll be well on track to getting out of this hostel by August. I'll also have to buy myself a new wardrobe because at some point my body is going to realise I'm not feeding it so much junk and I'm not giving it a ton of sugar each day and I'm going to lose weight. Not so much that I'm a skinny stick, but enough that when I go clothes shopping I can find some that fit and look good. I'll be able to shimmy around my room to Lady Marmalade in my sexy underware knowing I am sexy dammit.

And that feeling? You can't put a price on that, but if you did, and that price was $2763? Worth every penny.

Bored at Uni

NOTE: This is an archive post from LiveJournal which has been logged here for posterity.

As per the title of this post - I'm bored, and I'm at uni.

I should be studying, or doing my english assignment but the fact is I've got an appointment with the bank to get a really big loan in half an hour, so there's not much point in starting. I'll get an hour or so in after the appointment, before my lame-ass geography role-play assessment.

I'll get to spend my evening tonight doing what the next couple of weeks are going to be dedicated to; study. I've got to build myself a regular sleeping pattern, eat well, drink lots of water and study. Lots of study. It's starting tonight. My first exam is for geo, which is good because while I study for the exam I am simultaniously studying for the test I have on Thursday that I am completely unprepared for.

Moral of the story? If you want to see me over the next 3 weeks - too bad, I ain't avaliable.

One week of lectures left. My stats lectures (which I never went to anyway) are over. Had my last english one today. Now I get to concentrate on finishing the big-ass english assignment I've got due on Friday (not that bad, most of it's done... just typing, editing, printing and binding to worry about there. Should be able to get it out of the way in a couple of hours). Then media, which I'll have to go to this week as the lectures tell us handy things about the all-important exams. Media is also the only course that still has it's tutorials running. Bastards. I have to go to that, again important exam stuff plus I'll get 5% of my final grade just by turning up to the tutorial - be silly not to really. And geo... stupid course started out really good and now is about as interesting as watching paint dry. That's right - they've actually made a course about Natural Hazards (volcanoes, tsunami etc) boring. Mostly because they've moved away from the volcanoes and tsunamis onto drought, and how natural hazards impact people. The crazy thing is everything covered in the 6 lectures about people could be condensed into half that.

I watched the end of Season 2 of Lost. It's good. Fucked up, but good. They gave us alot more answers then questions, which makes a very nice change!!

Anyway I'm going to scoot, I've got to get over to the other side of uni for my appointment with the bank. Oh joy.

Quick Update (again)

NOTE: This is an archive post from LiveJournal which has been logged here for posterity.

Nothing on the A front - don't ask. Boys, Rocks... you know the drill.

That said I'm pretty damn sure I want to be moving out of here soonish. I just did my tax return and it seems the IRD owe me $250 (YAY) plus theres the interest free overdraft I can get at the bank, and the $300 bond currently tied up in this place.

It's possible.

Thinking about it I'd need a fair lump of cash for bond and rent in advance. Ontop of that I'd need a bed and a desk.

But mostly I'm sorted... it's a serious thought. I've floated it with the only two peple I could really consider living with here (a couple). I'll see where it goes but fankly I'm sick of the politics and the bitchyness and the only thing really keeping me here is A, and he's leaving in July anyway.

So yeah, it's on the cards.

before you throw out that old bog roll...

How bored am I?

I was thinking, how much toilet paper is wasted per year, just because the companies insist on gluing the paper to the roll?

So I worked it out

13cm of toilet paper is wasted on every roll by gluing it to the roll.
Multiplied by the 6 rolls per week in a flat of 5.
And again by 52 weeks in a year
There are 75 years on the average person's life.
Then divide that by the 5 people.
60840cm of toilet paper is wasted per person in their lifetime.
This equates to 60.84m of toilet paper wasted in a person's life.

I then went one step further:
If 3.4 million people live in New Zealand that is 27580.8kms toilet paper wasted per year.

Of course I haven't taken into consideration toilet roll variences and the fact that some companies use no glue wotsoever, but still I feel that this is justified by the fact I calculated it for one-ply and many house holds use 2, 3, or even 4 ply.

Now, lets take into consideration the COST. A pack of 12 Budget 2 ply toilet tissue costs $5.20 and contains 220 sheets per roll (if the packaging is to be believed).

This is an average cost of $0.02 per sheet.
Each sheet is 12cm long.
This is 5070 sheets in a person's lifetime.
If you multiply this number by $0.02 you will realise in your lifetime you will waste $101.40 on toilet paper, simply because it is glued to the roll.
Then, according to my calculations, New Zealanders waste $4,596,800 per year on that toilet paper glued to the roll.

Of course, again, I haven't taken into account the cost of the roll, shipping, packaging etc...

Isn't that amazing...

Please Sir, May I have some more?

It seems ludicrous, to me anyway, that there are three charities having their annual appeal this week. The Blind Foundation, CanTeen, and Keep Kids Safe, all this week.

While sitting down to my cheesy talk shows, ads with Pio, for Keep Kids Safe, jumping idiots wearing bright bandannas for CanTeen, and an effective ad using ‘what’s that sound’ for The Blind Foundation were all shown. Now what’s up with this? Don’t they realise that three charities is hard to accommodate?

Now me being poor, when I do give, it’s usually to something I have some sort of connection with. I have a CanTeen bandanna, a bright yellow one, that I wear proudly (or did until someone pointed out to me it was a bit silly wearing a bandanna for a cancer charity when I smoked... how about we just put that down as an investment?) I wear the bandanna because two friends of mine used to have Leukemia and one of them has 2000 of the things to sell.

I’ve also got stickers all through my memories scrapbook from charities I’ve given my spare change to, and a butterfly that I got from another... I’ve had roses, daffodils and poppies, and I hate passing by buskers without giving them something.

It’s almost become like a gang war... You’re walking down the street, wearing your poppy and a daffodil seller comes up to you and you feel you have to get one just so you can walk on both sides of the street without being harassed... “nah man, I’m already a daffodil!”

Giving generously has it’s personal benefits, and it doesn’t matter whether it’s helping a mate in finical troubles out, giving to a busker or one of the appeals people, it makes you feel good, and often the benefits will come back to you ten-fold.

But still... THREE charities goes beyond insane. Can’t there be someone, who co-ordinates these things, there are 365 days in the year, 52 weeks, there’s more then enough to go around, they can have my money, it’s better to give it to them, then to spend it on some of the crap I spend it on myself, and I know it’ll come back to me one day, just when I really need it.

but three charities?

Fucking Irritating bastards!!

Banks, everyone hates them, they charge you the earth for a service that you need, no choice about the matter. There's not a good one out there, and mine is fucking me around big time.

I'm with National, on a tertiary account, with a $500 overdraft. After my cheques (received for my birthday, one for $200, one for $50, both WestpacTrust) cleared (as I was told by the ATM), I, in my usual style, got to spending them.

I spent some on rent, some on alcohol, some on smokes, some on a book I've wanted for over a month, and some on food. Now my balance says -$447.88, which, technically should leave me with $52.12 available to spend in whichever manner I please (recharge card, phone bill, dinner and more smokes). HOWEVER the banks are fucking me around. Turns out (as far as I can tell) one of the checks (the smaller, if you please) has not cleared. Or something. I can't ask the bank, cos they're closed, I can't ask tomorrow morning, cos I have a test at 9am (when they open) therefore, I have to wait until 3pm tomorrow to find out what the fuck is going on. This bank's treated me well and given me no hassles up to this point, I've tried every ATM in my path, and none will let me withdraw, even though they all gave me the same balance, the only machine that gave me any kind of answer was an ANZ which told me "Transaction declined, Insufficient funds", which... is bullshit. So let me repeat myself by getting on the rooftop and screaming for all to hear:-

FUCKING IRRITATING BASTARDS!!!!

The sun is shining at my door and my smile is here to stay

Recently I’ve been having really bad sleeping problems, causing me to get up at about 5am, which isn’t all bad ‘cos it means I’m going to classes and I’m getting a good breakfast in me. Well, at breakfast this morning I was reading The Dominion, the morning Wellington paper, catching up on current events and I noticed an ad for the IRD about Tax Returns, now you may be wondering why I hadn’t already applied for a tax return, and I’m not quite sure why not, I think I’m just a dumbass.

But I digress.

While reading, I found I was eligible for a return, and so I put down the paper, ran to my room and rang up the IRD. Well I was eligible for 2 returns, but would only get the one that was worth the most. The lady on the other end of the phone checked the first and stated I was eligible for $16 return... which I thought sucked the nuts of a sterile donkey. So she then checked the second, in which I was eligible for $156!!!

I now have a smile painted on my face and I love the IRD.

Of course it all has to go on my debts, but less debts equals a happier greeny :)

When Life Gets You Down

Don't you hate it when you're on a huge high, then your life, for no particular reason, just crashes and you feel like you're being sat upon by an elephant, so squashed, that you simply cant move at all.

That's how I feel at the moment, I feel that every avenue open to me is closed, not even suicide is an option, every time I look at that door I see my mother, my best friends, and I know that people love me.

Being a student I have no financial security, and being a student who in her depression has come to the conclusion that she doesn't like her course, gives an even smaller amount of security.

Having just been home, and come to this realisation, I kick myself that I didn't stay for 7th form, (this is where my Dad and my friends can tell me they told me so). If I had stayed that extra year, even if I had changed schools, which I was planning to do anyway, had I stayed, then it would have opened all the opportunities to me that I now wish were open.

Being depressed often makes you meditate on your past and future, and at the moment, I don't see too much ahead. With a massive student loan, and banks eating every cent that they can get off you, what exactly can a person do? We are trapped in a system that makes us rely on small pieces of plastic and metal to let us live, those small things, are our life line. We are not controlled by our own minds, we are controlled by small inanimate objects.

The moral of the rant? Money sucks, and we all need more of it.

Only $1 a Day

Could save a student like me from having another experience like last week.

I had no money, and I went about 36 hours without food. Now that can't be good.... and I was wondering why I felt light headed!!!

But now I've got my trusty WINZ payment and I'm fed.

On another topic. I can't make mayonnaise, it's official! My parents are going to be getting a lot of mayo when I go home because I'm going to constantly make it until I get it right!! Of all the things to fail, I fail the easiest one of my assessments (d'oh!)

my poor bank account

The life of a student is, to put it nicely, a piece of buggery poo.

My bank account balance, at this point in time is exactly $-497.70. That leaves me with exactly $2.30 that I can spend, and $2 of that must be used to do my washing. I'm thinking of selling my soul. Or even part of my dear, dear CD collection to fund my life. Which, is on a downward spiral to bankruptcy.

The only problem, is I love my CD's dearly. Bugger, damn, blast and all that.