TIME TO GET SOME ZZZ’S
There’s only so much coffee and tea that I can drink to keep me going before sleep deprivation takes over.
Sleep deprivation effects can be serious whether you are behind the wheel of your vehicle, at work or doing something that could potentially cause an accident and injure yourself or someone else.
There is also something else that lack of sleep may compromise and that’s your budget if you allow it to.
Sleep patterns
Not sleeping enough may cause you and I to spend more money because when you are tired you just want to go to bed and sleep which means saving money might not be at the top of the priority list.
These days daytime sleepiness has found a place in my life even though previous to my new sleeping routine I was used to working long hours with odd sleeping patterns.
Whether you have trouble sleeping at night due to insomnia, late-night work hours, illness or like us have a newborn in the house being tired can take its toll on your budget.
Our sleep patterns are now in sync with our newborns sleep patterns which means we sleep most of the day and are up all night. We are hopeful this craziness will switch over on its own but for now baby rules just about everything in the CBB household. Too bad I can’t get him to pay the bills, write blog posts, clean and do other chores around here. 🙂 All in good time.
For those of you who think taking sleeping pills will help solve the problem perhaps it will if you don’t have kids at home and are having trouble sleeping at night.
To be honest I’ve taken them before because of my typical work hours just to help me sleep better. One of my favourite over the counter sleeping pills is Advil Nighttime but there are many different kinds available.
As long as the medication did what it needs to do which was help me sleep I was happy. It’s not something you want to take every night and you may also want to talk to your doctor before taking them just in case they are not right for you even though you can buy them over the counter.
Don’t sleep away your savings
Just because I write about budgets and finances doesn’t mean we are perfect, far from it. We make financial mistakes just like everyone else but we hope to learn from them so then I can write about it. Sure it’s great if you figure it out without making errors but we all know that’s not always the case.
Both my wife and I have noticed that we have shopped with a sense of urgency lately meaning we get what we need and get out. It’s not necessarily the best price going but we just don’t have the time with our son being so small to go to different grocery stores like we used to.
Sadly none of the grocery stores in our area price match so we’d have to cross town which we have opted not to do the past couple of weeks. We have been going out as a family just so we can all get some fresh air away from our house.
Yes we still somewhat make a grocery list but lately we’ve been just skimming the deals. Taking out all of our flyers to price match with a baby in tow seems a bit tedious to be honest so the only other option since we don’t own a smartphone is that one of us goes grocery shopping so we aren’t rushing.
We’ve also been taking a walk around the block when we can as my wife is still pretty sore and is struggling to walk for long distances. We have also found ourselves walking through the mall with our son as it will likely be something we do come winter just to get out of the house.
Considering our recent trips we haven’t bought anything over the top from the mall other than coffee and muffins which hasn’t been so bad but something we normally would not do. My wife also finally used a gift card the other day which I gave her for her birthday over a year ago for Boathouse. That tells you how often we go to the mall.
Another trip took us to a mattress store and all I will tell you is that it cost us thousands of dollars to buy our new mattress. We had options where option A was standard and option B was all the bells and whistles. You can likely guess which option we chose. I’ll be blogging about this budget crunching expense soon.
I wasn’t sure if they took advantage of how tired we were being new parents because they encouraged us to nap on the beds so we could find a mattress that suited us. I’m sure it was simply part of the marketing plan of selling mattresses but it sure did work.
My wife nearly fell asleep a few times but in the end even though we “slept on the idea” (no pun intended) of buying a mattress we decided it was time.
Our main concern was whether we were buying it because we needed it or wanted it. It was a case of us talking about it recently but in the moment we were walked by the store and looking in the window and I don’t know if our lack of sleep pulled us through the door but something did and we spent some serious cash.
It seems like lately anything we are doing takes longer than it has before which is expected given the situation but now we have to toy with how we handle our budget when we are tired. Just because we have savings in the bank we have to get rid the notion that spending more on items just because we don’t have time or have the little one with us is the smart thing to do. We know it’s not and it’s not the way to save so we need to come up with a game plan.
We both are at the point we are clapping our hands for those parents with more than one child or children that are very close in age. It’s been a rough start but we are certainly hoping that we can continue to keep our finances in mind when we are tired rather than give in and pay full-price for items we know we can find on sale.
Our budget update for September is coming up soon and to be honest I’m a bit nervous to see the final numbers but given the month we’ve had it’s been a huge learning experience. I guess the only way we become experts is by experiencing things firsthand.
Do you find you spend more if you are sleep deprived?
CBB blog news
This past week has been great on the blog with traffic up which has me smiling especially since I’m not posting as much as I did before our son was born earlier this month.
I’m starting to see more fan questions come in which is always appreciated. If you have a question simply send me an email or fill out the contact form located on the home page of the blog. I will do my best to email you back or even blog about your specific question with a personal response by myself.
I think it’s going to do me some good to take some time away from blogging every day especially since it’s not my full-time job. I am working a full-time job right now as well as part-time until the end of the year so slowing down the posts has been helpful for me in order to spend time with my family and get things done that I’ve slacked on.
Do you remember that bathroom reno I was doing? Well, it’s half done and has been for a few weeks now because I had to stop it completely. I desperately need to get that done and it’s high on my priority list after my wife and son.
CBB blog posts this week
Just in case you’ve missed any of my blog posts this week you can read them all right here. If you have a question that you would like to ask Mr.CBB fill out the contact Mr.CBB form on the Home Page and send in your questions. Mr.CBB will look in his mailbag weekly and pick a question to answer on the blog.
- Spiced Rum Oatmeal Raisin Cookies
- Re-thinking fashion to embrace personal style and budget
- Why do snacks tempt our budget while waiting in line at the grocery store?
- 5 tips for sorting out your finances when moving abroad
Fan deals and inspirations
Submit your Brag or Inspiration If you have a brag that you want me to share email me at canadianbudgetbinder (@) [yahoo] [.ca] or fill out my contact form by Friday each week to have your brag considered for the Saturday post.
Jen is back this week with garage sale deals she has found this past week which are still going strong even though the garage sailing season is coming to an end for 2014.
Hi Mr.CBB and Fans!
Here are today’s garage sale deals:
- Set of 3 canvas paintings: $3.00
- Shark steam mop pads (says 2 in box but there are 4): $2.00
- GAP backpack: $1.00 (they were asking $2.00)
- Curious George book: $.25 (they were asking $.50)
- Osh Kosh Jeans for Adam: $.50 (they were asking $1.00)
- Teacher bulletin board boarders and shapes (bought for a coworker): $1.00 (they were $.25 each)
- Total: $7.75
Making a difference
If you know a personal finance blogger that is making a difference and want to nominate them please send me an email canadianbudgetbinder (@) yahoo.ca so I can reach out to them for a feature story.
Hi everyone, my name is Natalya and I blog (and tweet) as Cottage Retreatist. I’m a Brit blogger currently located in London. I’m a relatively new blogger-I started in May this year, and I blog about my journey, along with my hubby and our two frugal kitties, to tackle our debt.
We accrued £25,000 worth of debt by May 2013 when I had our light-bulb moment and chopped up all the credit cards one night and managed to pay off £15,000 by April 2014 when my hubby lost his job. We have been through it all: hiding from bailiffs, ignoring the piles of letters coming through our doors and spending an entire paycheck on repaying a payday loan.
The goal of the blog is to document our final stages to debt freedom and (hopefully) beyond! And just to show to people who may be in debt that they’re not alone and that the feeling of utter hopelessness can be turned around and you can repay your debts.
I’ve suffered from depression as a result of our debts and lack of money so I know how isolating and painful being in debt can be. I like to feature a lot of money-saving techniques as well – how I use vouchers and cash back, frugal meals and our budget lifestyle – the whole package really.
We’re are currently saving up to make the big move from London to the South-west of England where we can continue our debt-free journey and get that number down to zero.
When not blogging you can find us watching Discovery channel, annoying our two gorgeous kitties and playing Monopoly! (Mr. Retreatist cheats!)
Top recipe
If you don’t already know I have a second Facebook page called The Free Recipe Depot where I share recipes from other Food Bloggers from around the world.
Once a week I pick one recipe that has been submitted as my Top Recipe of the week. Trust me when I say this is no easy task as some of these foodies can cook up a storm.
This week I couldn’t pass up the coconut custard pie at Bunny’s Warm Oven. It looks so delicious I can’t wait to make this at home for my wife although I have to find the time first.
Editor’s Pick
Every week I will pick a blog post of the week from around the web that I found interesting and want to share with you and an Editor’s top blog post pick.
Editor’s blog post pick of the week goes to Joe over at Money Habits 101 where he talks about Building financial independence in your 30’s so you can retire in your 40’s.
Joe writes an interesting post about retirement and how focusing on how much you need to retire on by a specific time we may want to think about retiring early so we can enjoy life by creating passive income. This would hopefully carry you through until the end rather than praying that the money doesn’t run out from savings. I’d love to retire by the age of 40 but it’s true, it’s never too late to invest for the future.
Alternatively, instead of focusing on saving a huge nest egg for retirement focus on creating cash flow from investment to fund retirement. Creating passive cash flow from assets you create, build, or buy, will enable you to stop working as soon as you build enough cash flow to meet your expenses.
Google search terms
Every week I get thousands of people visit Canadian Budget Binder because they did a search online and found my blog. Keep in mind any spelling errors below are because I share with you the exact way they typed their search engine query to land on my blog.
- What makes Dollarama bread so fresh?– It’s dollar store bakery secrets… you won’t find that online ;p
- What happens if you get OSAP and you don’t go to school?- You better make sure you have the money to give back to the lender.
- I don’t care about debts- Must be nice to live with your head buried in the sand.. it will eventually catch up to you.
- Neighbour bugs me to help with renos– Just say no if you don’t need any help, it’s your financial investment after all.
Thanks for joining me for this edition of The Saturday Weekend Review #90. Join me here again for more crazy stories from around the web and at home!
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- The Saturday Weekend Review #87: Reflection on Summer Days
- The Saturday Weekend Review #88: Our new baby has changed our life
- The Saturday Weekend Review #89: Do you pay debt back on time?
debs@debtdebs says
I really don’t know how you do it all! Two jobs and a blog and a baby! I just spent all day Sunday babysitting my grandson (11 months) and I was so pooped when I got home I fell asleep at 7:30 and slept until 6 a.m.! Family First, Job Second, Second Job Third, then blog 4th. How many hours do you work at your second job, if you don’t mind me asking?
Mr. CBB says
When I first started writing it was easy.. then I realized I was doing it all wrong. As the years went on my writing became easier as I learned beyond the basics of blogging through research. Now blogging has good days and rough days depending on the topic, time to research etc. but for the most part it’s like clockwork. It gets easier IF you love to write.
He sleeps alot now and my part-time job is only a few hours twice a week so it’s not a huge amount but that will ramp up in the new year and hopefully go full-time in the next year or so. I’ve been looking for guest posts as you know just so I can be with my family for the first couple of months to work out schedules etc. so we have some sort of idea of how our days will go. Right now they are backwards because our chubby monkey sleeps all day and is up all night… ah well.
Jayson @ Monster Piggy Bank says
Working at nights makes me spend more as I would need more cups of coffee and chips to keep myself focused. Sometimes, I get pizza delivery or burger and fries. I end up spending half of my pay for that day. 🙁 also end up with regrets.
Christine Weadick says
Back in the day if I couldn’t leave the baby with hubby so I could get groceries I just took the kids with me as it was the only way to get things done by myself. Hubby worked nights so he slept through the day and was gone at night working. Even weekends he was pretty good at sleeping through feeding time!!If I had to take the baby of the day with me I did a feed and go!! Feed the little one and pop into the car and off we go!!! Worked pretty well, especially for the 2 hour trips to visit family out of town!!They usually slept through most of it but even if they cried while out people tend to be very forgiving of small babies crying…
Hopefully the Mrs will get to feel better soon, she will have that 6 week check up shortly and she can get any questions she has answered then. She might want to make up a list if she has specific concerns to talk to the doctor about. The walks should help her with feeling better and the healing from the pregnancy and the labor and delivery. That would have been quite the workout!!!
They say you should replace the mattress every 10 years I think it is. If you felt like your were not getting the support you thought you should be getting then it was likely time to replace that old mattress. Ours is a pillow top job and it’s close to the 10 year mark but it’s still comfy to sleep on so I’m not looking just yet to replace. Lying down on it before you buy is a good way to see if your body is comfortable on that particular mattress. I tried a few before we got this one. I fully understand how the Mrs could almost fall asleep on them!!!!
Jen got some nice deals again this week!!!! Bunny’s recipes do look yummy!!!!
Have a good weekend and hugs for the Mrs and the Little CBB!!!!!!
Nicola Don says
You will get there honestly lol! With the three kids here and all their activities it can be hectic but now all three are at school I have time to finish jobs around the house and not just get them half completed. I may even get the sewing machine out to get some Xmas presses done early!
Mr. CBB says
Thanks we will need the support along the way. It’s certainly an eye-opener so far.
Juanita says
I remember working nights when my kids were little and thought everything was okay and I was a little tired but who isn’t!! I didn’t know how tired I was till I quit five years later!! I felt guilty for not being 100% awake for every moment with the kids but it was a scrafice I had to make in order to have a job and bring in the money we despritely needed. But at least I was there for them everyday before and after school and all their activities and really that is all that matters.
I understand going out with a little one! For the first six months little miss was only allowed in the car seat for 90 minutes at a time then had to come out for half an hour before going back into the car seat. Being born in Jan normally there is tonnes of snow but thankfully it had warmed up a bit that week and the roads were clear of ice. Shopping became an adventure of get what we needed as quickly as possible or the hubby stopped somewhere on his way home from work since almost all the stores are along the way. I was also thankful of the stash of coupons I keep in my wallet because they really came in handy!!
I think mall walking is a great idea during the winter but dec can be a little too busy for me with all those people. It is really good that the Mrs. is up and moving around and make sure she takes it slow but it is good for her body to keep moving and make sure she askes her dr questions or for suggestions if she feels like the healing ia taking a long time or she isn’t feeling 100% a few months later because sometimes we just say we are soar or not worry about it because we are tired but it could be a problem we just don’t see, they also have excersices they can suggest to help her tummy muscles become strong again since we do forget it is our core that helps keep our posture and balance. I hope I don’t offend just wanted to recommend a few things 🙂
I hope baby CBB figures out his days and nights soon and that you going back to work is a smooth transition.
I love bunnys warm oven recipes right now!!
Mr. CBB says
Thanks for the tips. She is waiting until she can get back to running again once she heals up a bit. I agree the tummy is the core and keeping it strong is important. I hope he figures it out too because it’s been overwhelming but we are very happy he is here and healthy.
Dee says
Hi Mr CBB.
I understand about spending $ just to get it done. Back when my daughter was a baby, I didn’t officially budget but I made sure my bills were paid and the rest was for whatever I wanted. I was lucky that I had my parents to help me out to give me a break from time to time.
As far as the blogging, I don’t think that any of us expects a daily blog but just forget about us 🙂
Mr. CBB says
Lol.. I won’t forget about all of you. I wake up thinking about all of the things I need to get done and you all make the list. Taking a step back has been nice but only time will tell how the blog schedule will change. I’m thrilled with all of the support from everyone. Being a parent is nothing what I imagined it would be and we have only just begun.