A definite work perk

After spending 5 days in Cancun I am pleased to report that my skin is no longer a shade of pasty softest ivory… but simply soft ivory. While a trip down south for our National Sales Meeting is definitely a work perk, it wasn’t all sun and fun. In fact, I didn’t see the beach until 4:30 pm on Day 2 as my first 36 hours in Mexico were spent fine tuning and rehearsing my presentation. But by Day 3, once my team’s show went off without a hitch and we received rave reviews, I felt the stress of the past several weeks of loooooooong-ish work hours disappear. 

And what better place to celebrate than in Mexico?

Once our meetings wrapped up, I got to take some time out to read on the beach, splash in the waves, and sip sangria by the pool. Our hotel was a 5-star resort full of lush gardens and manicured ponds that made for a perfect setting for our group who was mixing business with pleasure.

Even though this was a work trip, there are always a few hidden costs that pulled at my purse strings. My Eye Candy was also away for his sales meeting so we spent $120 on doggy care for Miss Fergie. I also spent $18 on magazines for my in-flight entertainment (note: bridal magazines are more expensive than my usual literature, and this will be an upcoming blog entry as I’m just getting my feet wet with the extravaganzas of wedding planning). And I gave in and forked over $45 for an epic night to party at Coco Bongo.  

For those of you who have not experienced Coco Bongo, it is like all of Las Vegas crammed into one club and since they pump oxygen into the crowd, you constantly feel the rush of dancing alongside spectacular animations. I spent most of the night hiding from a creepy Beetle Juice impersonator and while I’d like to say he was the scariest thing I’ve ever seen, I have to confess that this was my second time to Coco Bongo so really – he was just the creepiest person I’ve seen since my last time there. And somewhat less creepy was Antonio Banderas who picked the same night as me to grace Coco Bongo with our VIP presence.

A few of my work friends opted not to leave Thursday night and extended their stay over the weekend.  This was a very tempting idea, but the financially fabulous me had to crunch the numbers first. For 3 more nights in Cancun, I would have spent:

• + $60 on care for Miss Fergie
• + $50 to change my flight on WestJet
• + $10 taxi to change hotels
• + $300 on hotel accommodations assuming double occupancy
• + $30 on a taxi from my new hotel to the airport as the work shuttle would not be supplied

… all for a grand total of $450. Definitely not “free”! I decided to skip the extra days in Cancun and keep my $450 locked-up in my Vacation Fund. The plan is to go later this winter to Cuba with my sister and our Eye Candies and then, work will be the most distant thought from my mind.

 Is traveling a work perk for you too?

*Rosie*

Sand and sea are no match for Essie!
(Read more about my Tour de Finance nails here.)

Poolside for some R&R

View from my room

Lush hotel lobby

My dream water feature

A fuzzy iPhone photo of Antonio party'ing at Coco Bongo.
You'll have to take my word for it that it really is him!

Spring cleaning should start with your office space

Today’s post has little to do with personal finance, but I suppose that’s what makes it so personal. I can write about anything that I find interesting. Today, I stumbled upon a press release from Clorox about the “germiest” desks by profession and it definitely struck a chord with me as I keep hand sanitizer on my desk and Clorox disinfecting wipes stashed in my bottom shelf drawer. I am not a germ freak, but I do appreciate cleanliness and make an effort to stay healthy. As our clocks have sprung ahead, it is the season to start some spring cleaning and we should start with our office space.

The results are in… the “germiest” jobs ranked from the most germy to the least germy are:
1. Teacher
2. Accountant
3. Banker
4. Radio DJ
5. Doctor
6. Television Producer
7. Consultant
8. Publicist
9. Lawyer

I work in marketing so I would say that is likely in between a consultant & a publicist. None the less, I completely disinfected my desk before I left work tonight by giving it a good scrubbing with my tried & true Clorex. I wiped off my telephone, mousse, and pen! Clorex reported that accountants have the germiest desks and pens which makes me even less thrilled about getting some tax-returning advice this year.

I am going to make more of an effort to keep my desk clean, tidy and organized. After all, there are more benefits to staying organized.

• Peace of mind: who wants a messy stack of papers greeting them in the morning? It would be nice to walk into a zen & tidy space that practically greets you with a yoga like "ommmm"....


• Professional image: while too sparce of a desk might suggest to your boss that you have too little to do, an organized one would show how you approach your work diligently and efficiently. Remember, you are your own brand!


• Gain back your time: we may have lost an hour of sleep over the weekend, but why waste even more time searching for papers or folders or products? With an organized space, everything will be within reach.


• Create a germ-free zone: Expedia reports that the average Canadian takes 2.7 days off work a year to fight a sickness. For most of us that's a loss of income and catching up on a marathon of TLC's What Not To Wear is enjoyable, but not necessarily the best use of time. Just think of all those so-called "trooper" colleagues of yours who come to work even when they should be having a Benylin day. With a clean office space, it will be easier to wipe off your desk, telephone, and keyboard and fight those nasty flu bugs.
  

As I tidy my desk at work and at home, I'm putting together all my tax forms so I can file next week. I have not yet decided if I will see an accountant to help me, but either way, I'm taking my own pen.
*Rosie*