(To be updated, inaccurate as of Sep 13, 2025)
I have $41.81 Cad in cash, $185.22 Cad in a Checking account with Tangerine, $5,109.38 Cad in a TFSA with Tangerine and owe nothing on a Tangerine Mastercard as of Sunday, February 23rd, 2024.
Minimally, at the moment I like to keep about $1200 Cad in my Tangerine Checking account and $100 Cad cash for daily expenses, any unexpected expenses and any planned next donations, gifts, offers and purchases which happen at least bi-weekly on Saturday afternoons/evenings for amounts less than about $400 Cad and at least monthly for any amounts over that.
The current amount in my Tangerine TFSA is intended for the following;
- Expenses related to and for a yearlong working holiday visa experiment in the countryside of Ayabe, Kyōtō, in Japan with a partner starting September 2025. We intend to estimate in further detail what amount of money we’d need to be able to live the way we’d like there and fulfill our purposes in going soon, which I intend to post about on this blog.
- Any courses or lessons that I am planning on being part of between now and our departure.
- Any expenditures (likely learning materials, subscriptions, books, weather related clothing, garments, furnishings and/or appliances, car and/or home repairs) that would exceed the amount I have available in my Checking account before it could be replenished within a month back near to the around $1,200 Cad amount.
- An emergency fund in case I suddenly lose access to any streams of income I have access to now and/or lose access to the ways in which I am meeting my material needs (physical needs for transportation, shelter, warmth, food, water, medicine, communication, care for physical items under my wing etc.) unexpectedly.
I also have five other bank accounts;
-with Paypal for online purchases
-with Koho for use when travelling to Asia
-with Wise for use when travelling abroad anywhere and for transferring money for offerings from people living elsewhere than Canada
-with Wealthsimple for taxes and,
-with OFX for transferring money to Japan
All of these accounts have either nothing or one to about three Canadian dollars in them.
This past month’s in-flows and out-flows (currently on pause to focus on meal logging).
| date (in EST) | amount in Cad | what | perceived or actual recipient(s) | context | need(s) I was trying to meet (in my own words) | how (why I gave money for this) | actual need for sustenance or attempt to meet a non-material need with money? |
| Sat Nov 9, 2024 | $125 (this is my chosen amount) given | Collaborative Leadership Lab | Roni Wiener, Leslie Becknell Marx & team | A weekly lab to practice collaborative leadership. | To grow the capacity to speak up and check in with a group + propose something when something happens that has an impact or when I sense that something isn’t working for someone/several people. | if I think it’s obvious how giving money for this would help me meet the needs I write, I won’t explain how they do in this column | def non-material but sustaining my spirit |
| $57.56 given | winter linen dress | MaLieb in China via Etsy | warmth | material? | |||
| Mon Nov 11, 2024 | $3.22 given | monthly donation to Local Futures | Helena Norbert-Hodge & team | They are a pioneer of the world localization movement. | To support their work which I believe in to be able to see more of it in the world. I think also in a way to support others incl. myself to reconnect with each other and nature. | ditto | |
| Tues Nov 12, 2024 | $10.00 given | for Skype credit | Skype | To return a call from a UK number I was expecting, but it turned out the number that called me was invalid… | support & ultimately for learning, growth and freedom | non-material | |
| Wed Nov 13, 2024 | $4.59 given | icloud+ 200 GB monthly storage subscription | Apple | for connection, documentation & learning ultimately | poop | ||
| Thur Nov 14, 2024 | $262.90 given | initiation au ski de haute-route + location d’ensemble de ski | Ski Chic-Chocs guide & team | An introductory alpine touring day + gear rental at Parc National de la Gaspésie. | Have been trying for the past two years to learn to do this. Each time something outside of my control has come up leading me not to be able to (overbooking, weather etc). This will be my last winter in this region for a while I am guessing so would finally like to take the opportunity. | spirit? health as well + nature – so mainly non-material | |
| Sat Nov 16, 2024 | $180 given | piano jazz piece learning accompaniement | to Dorothée and Anik (the directrice) from École de Musique Mi La Ré Sol | Accompaniment for 40 minutes a week for five weeks to learn the jazz piano piece Nomad by bohemian voodoo. | I fully discovered jazz piano about two years ago and find it so enlivening. I want to be able to play about hour and a half-long mini jazz concertos on public pianos in places I go. | diTo | |
| $90 (this is my chosen by-donation amount) given | Right Livelihood Coaching | to Della Duncan | I meet with Della about once a month to do a bird’s eye overview of what she terms my Livelihood Garden. | guidance, insight, support, stewarding, perspective – I receive immense stewarding support of my life energies, encouragement & insight in meeting with her | dit dit dittooo | ||
| $36 (additional chosen amount) given | Collaborative Leadership Lab | Roni Wiener, Leslie Becknell Marx & team | A weekly lab to practice collaborative leadership. | To grow the capacity to speak up and check in with a group + propose something when something happens that has an impact or when I sense that something isn’t working for someone/several people. | dooT | ||
| $28 given | A used paperback copy of Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind, Vol. 4 and 13 finger cots. | Thrift Books and Pharmacy | The original graphic novel series of a film by the same name I am finally getting to reading. The finger cots are to cover severe eczema on two of my finger tips which won’t heal. Womp womp. | inspiration, healing | deet & physical need for healing |
Financial Reviews
When do I do them and why?
Minimally, I do a financial review at least once a month in order to;
-Pay off my credit card before it accrues any interest.
-Check whether any unexpected expenditures have been made that I had not planned on making and ask myself what led me to make them.
-Review and write what each expenditure was as a note in the expenditure in my bank account itself and document that in a financial tracker in my personal Notion database and here on this page.
-Reflect on why I made each expenditure and whether I would want to make it again; if I wouldn’t want to make an expenditure again, I’d do next steps to step out of making that expenditure again.
-And categorize each expenditure within my bank account itself.
Maximally, I do financial reviews soon after I receive any income I’m expecting, which I have found makes them easier on me to do.
Some principles I have now around habits to be more mindful of when and where I give money
- I write down any gifts, offers, donations, expenditures, bills I want to/have to make in a weekly repeating calendar event that happens on Saturday afternoons and only give money during that timeframe on Saturday afternoons.
- I wait at least 2 weeks before giving money for anything under $400 Cad total. For anything over $400 Cad total I will wait at least a month. This includes bookings for any trips/adventures/experiences (which are done in a separate weekly recurring time-slot on Thursday afternoons).
- Three exceptions are;
- When money for shelter or an offering I want to enter is asked for at another time, then I will give the money only after 7pm est by the day it is asked for.
- When there is something for which I am absolutely certain I will give money to and there is a need for it now or, if it’s a physical item, and I have a sense it won’t be available if I wait. If this happens more than once every three months I take a pause and reflect on what’s going on.
- And, if there’s an emergency and someone needs financial support asap.
- Three exceptions are;
- I welcome at most 3 new physical items into my home a month other than food, cleaning products, compost bags, medicine, herbs, emergency medical items (iodine, band-aids, Polysporin etc), ingredients for body cream, face cream, deodorant, clothing repairs & replacements, car parts, books, any learning materials for courses I am in, notebooks and sketchbooks to be able to fully welcome them and enjoy them! 🙂 The idea with the top three points is to introduce spaciousness in my decision-making to make more conscious decisions. Many a time, after waiting, I have released the desire to give money for a physical item or a one-too-many course just by giving myself some time and space to think about whether I’m actually able to take whatever it is on (item or otherwise).
- I don’t get manicures anymore (as delightful as I found this back in the day – and I am not against it in general, I consider it an art form, but it helps my eczema and piano playing to have short nails and also creates less waste in the form of bottles of nail polish remover and cotton swabs thrown out. I know there are re-usable bottles and cotton pads now).
- My partner now regularly cuts my hair with hair dressing scissors purchased once for about $30 total Cad.
- I don’t wear makeup.
- I don’t purchase jewelry and only wear the jewelry that’s been handed down to me from my family (of which there is more jewelry than I would every habitually wear and is also more meaningful for me).
- I give money for full leg and underarm waxing maximum 4x a year.
- I don’t shave my genital area, I trim it with an electric razor (less waste from used razors).
- I make my own body and face cream using organic hemp seed oil infused with arctium lappa (burdock) seeds for 6 months and then mixed with equal parts melted beeswax.
- Deodorant is purchased in bar form.
- Dish and hand soap is purchased in bar form. Brushes purchased are also re-usable and compostable.
- I only use liquid shampoo in a refillable bottle and no body soap. I have found just water is sufficient to wash my body.
- I don’t use toilet paper and instead use a mechanical bidet and small towels dedicated to drying off.
- I don’t use paper towel anymore but towels which are then washed. Saran wrap is also no longer purchased but re-used from veggies wrapped in it from the grocery store.
- I use a re-usable moon cup and period underwear for menstruation.
- I take clothing to be repaired when it is torn.
- If/when I am able, I will give what I’ve noticed is generally considered more money than average to purchase higher quality garments the first time and choose what I would consider classical timeless designs in order to be able to then wear them for decades.
- I use screen protectors, plastic cases, fabric cases, pouches, bands etc. to cover and carry electronics so that they hopefully last several decades.
- When I eat I will start with what others might consider a smaller than average portion of food and eat slowly before going back for seconds and adding a little bit more food and then going back a third time to add a little more food until I am satiated. In this way I don’t usually overeat, and generally eat less than what I’ve noticed others eat while still being fully satiated and having leftovers for the next day’s lunch.
- I only cook 2 new meals a day (mostly vegan, local and organic when/where possible), for breakfast and dinner; lunch is usually leftovers. My breakfasts are full meals of soup, a grain with veggies, pickled veggies and either egg or fish with fermented beans.
- Café excursions are kept to one-two times a week, if that. There’s no restaurants where I live now but if there were, I’ve found once a month keeps it a treat.
How I am sustaining myself materially now
I was invited to make a request for money to be able to continue contributing to the mostly online organisation called NGL mentioned in my What I’m Doing Now page for a prediction of my next four month’s needs (Jan-Apr 2025). I requested 6175.56 Cad which was accepted and allocated to me.
My partner contributes to our shared food, medicine, shelter, water, electricity, unlimited internet, heating, wood, a parking spot, storage and snow removal through bi-weekly net income of $1000 Cad that he receives for graphic design work he does full-time for a local print shop.
Ways I’m Wanting to be of Service
(Even though I may not be anywhere near being able to provide these services and/or offerings yet.)
-Through holding workshops (in person and/or online) aligned with one or more of my purposes.
-Through teaching (in person and/or online courses) and/or facilitation offerings (for either individuals, groups, communities and/or organizations) aligned with one or more of my purposes.
-Through co-translating works from Japanese to English and/or from French to English (with at least one co-translator) that we both believe in and with the original works’ authors’ blessing.
-Through holding a seasonal in-person language learning offering that provides housing and locally grown organic food in which participants practise small-scale organic farming, collaborative group-decision making and conflict resolution in the language they want to learn while attending.
-Through holding a seasonal farm-stay with locally grown breakfast and dinner included.
-Through providing organic plant produce and/or products from locally grown organic plant produce and/or locally and regeneratively foraged local plants.
-Through an atelier, local markets, festivals and/or online store offering items I’ve chosen from other makers and/or items I’ve made myself.
-Through photography, videography and/or writing that’s aligned with one or more of my purposes.
-Through offering guided walks on pilgrimages either in Japan or locally.
-Through offering group powder ski tours in winter either in Japan or locally.
-Providing support and contributing (learning, guidance, insight, collaboration, and/or administrative etc.) to individuals, groups and/or organizations whose work aligns with one or more of my purposes.
Katherina Janevski's Personal Blog 