Well...almost. Sort of. I made an appointment at my bank yesterday to go over my investments and whatnot with my account manager, who's a lovely lady. I made a small downward adjustment to my auto-deposit to my TFSA (EFund), inquired about laddering within my RRSP - she said it was a good idea, but not right now with the really low GIC rates, so stick with the mutual funds for the moment - and wanted her opinion on the chances of me getting a mortgage.
By myself. Alone. Solo.
Apparently, the chances are excellent. 100% to be exact. Now, I did post this over at Facebook yesterday and need to amend that a little bit. I had said "I can afford" a house. Not quite. I QUALIFY for a mortgage, which is entirely different. It's not a substantial one ($160K), but it's still a significant amount of money for one person to tackle. What would that get me here? Currently: a small one-bedroom condo or a comfortable 3-bedroom mobile. The mobile is perfect for one person, but most of the mobile homes here cost extra: up to $350 a month extra. That's the pad fee rent, which to me is kind of ridiculous, but there you are. I'm not sure I want to pay for the "privilege" of -technically - being able to pick up my house and move whenever I like. Most of the mobile homes these days aren't mobile. But the potential is there and that's what they're charging for.
Anyhoo, I'm just keeping my eyes peeled for something that looks worthy of attention although I've already started dreaming and wishing! I might even call up an agent. They are paid to help, but don't get any cash until you actually BUY something, so that's a bit of a bonus. Information is power, after all, and the more information I can get, the better decisions I can make when I'm finally ready.
Then of course there are all the maintenance costs, taxes, utilities, etc., to take into consideration, which would be challenging on a part-time salary, no matter how decent the wage happens to be. As it happened, however, that morning I had stopped at Cdn Tire to drop off a resume. They must be desperate for staff because I hadn't even had a chance to finish filling out the application form I was given before I was taken Upstairs for a chat. Ten minutes later, I was back in the parking lot with a new job (you can tell, although they said they would confirm by the end of the day), so things are looking up.
I spent $63 on a pair of black pants today, which I need as part of the Cdn Tire uniform (they supply the lovely red shirts) and have already put in a number which I think I should be able to earn every month. I need to use this money properly - to pay down my debt - and start saving for "house" stuff, whatever they may be; closing costs, legal fees, furniture, maintenance, etc. I start tomorrow with a few hours training and if I give myself a year, I should be well on the way to meeting my savings goals and, hopefully, a home of my own.
MOTIVATION!!!! :)
Friday, 28 May 2010
Friday, 14 May 2010
YUM! Grocery day
Since Tuesday I've been on a bit of a smoothie kick, blending up all kinds of fruit and pretty much living on them, for at least the mornings. I make a lot and I have a glass for breakfast, then whatever is left accompanies me to work and I drink it over the course of the day until my break. Why since Tuesday? I'm not sure. I had a wonderful dinner with friends on Friday night (BBQ salmon, rosemary roast potatoes, potato salad, veggies & lemon lavender loaf for dessert) and one mentioned that she was having smoothies in the morning.
I have a blender. I have big glasses. I also had some fruit that needed eating, so Tuesday morning I decided to blend one up and take it with me to Day 2 of a course I was taking. I was surprised that it lasted me through the morning and filled me up quite as much as it did.
So today I went grocery shopping to replenish my fruit and I really stocked up! I took a $100 bill with me and here's what I got:
Shoppers Drug Mart (I love that Shoppers has such an awesome grocery section now)
Europe's Best: Frozen peaches 2 x $4.99 (sale): $9.98
Sugar (2kg): $2.69
Soy Milk x 4: $2.69 ea, $10.76 total
Total: $23.43
Extra Foods
Blackberries: $2.98
Raspberries x 2: $5.96
Cottage cheese (500ml): $3.79
Baking potatoes: $3.06 (1.560 kg @$1.96 kg)
Mango chunks (frozen, PC, 600ml) x 2: $10.96
Blueberries x 2: $5.96
Vanilla parfait (vanilla yogurt, berries) x 2: $6.58
Green grapes: $8.40 (1.125kg @ $7.47kg)
Ginger root: .23
Strawberries (2lb): $3.48
Yves veggie groundround (1 reg, 1 Italian, 1 Mexican): $11.97
Stevia: $5.69
Total: $69.78
Other
Dish soap (Eco-Max orange): $7.02
All total: $100.23
I'm very pleased with the total, as the fruit prices are actually reasonable, apart from the grapes, but grapes are always ridiculously expensive. I've paid over $5 for the same sized container of raspberries on most other occasions, so this is great. Here's hoping the prices will remain on the low side for a while yet! It's difficult to find produce throughout the summer when the RVers are here, though. They swoop in, scoop up most of the perishables and staples and disappear and leave us Whitehorsers cursing them as we stare at near empty dairy, bread and produce shelves.
Well, I guess they have to eat too, right? RV holidays are pretty tough...ahem...
The mail today didn't hold a cheque, but almost as good as one was the news from my old insurer that I'd be getting a refund of $97.38 and to expect a cheque shortly. Hurrah! That will go straight on the VISA card, as it's still hovering too high for my liking (albeit through no fault of its own).
Monday & Tuesday I spent at a course about pensions & retirement. Although I'm not close to either one yet (my retirement date, according to my paperwork, is "N/A" at this time), it was a very interesting and worthwhile course. It was offered through work. I was surprised, and pleased, to know that our pensions are phenomenal. Not one word of a lie, we have one of the best in the country; some aspects of it just don't exist in other places, so we are very, very lucky. The trainer, a CFP from Toronto, touched on taxes, financial planning and budgeting very briefly as well, which I was pleased about and I came away with some good notes in my book and some questions to discuss with my account manager at the bank.
Did you know that if you work you are entitled to claim $232 (2010 amount) to offset employment expenses? I had no idea. There's a line for it on the income tax forms - I don't know which one - so I will definitely be utilizing that next year!
When I got back to work on Wednesday I had a bunch of books waiting for me: 11 to be exact! How long it will take me to read them is anyone's guess, but I've managed to complete one already, so that's a good start. They're mostly "cosy" mysteries, which I find quite easy and quick to read.
Have a good weekend everyone!
I have a blender. I have big glasses. I also had some fruit that needed eating, so Tuesday morning I decided to blend one up and take it with me to Day 2 of a course I was taking. I was surprised that it lasted me through the morning and filled me up quite as much as it did.
So today I went grocery shopping to replenish my fruit and I really stocked up! I took a $100 bill with me and here's what I got:
Shoppers Drug Mart (I love that Shoppers has such an awesome grocery section now)
Europe's Best: Frozen peaches 2 x $4.99 (sale): $9.98
Sugar (2kg): $2.69
Soy Milk x 4: $2.69 ea, $10.76 total
Total: $23.43
Extra Foods
Blackberries: $2.98
Raspberries x 2: $5.96
Cottage cheese (500ml): $3.79
Baking potatoes: $3.06 (1.560 kg @$1.96 kg)
Mango chunks (frozen, PC, 600ml) x 2: $10.96
Blueberries x 2: $5.96
Vanilla parfait (vanilla yogurt, berries) x 2: $6.58
Green grapes: $8.40 (1.125kg @ $7.47kg)
Ginger root: .23
Strawberries (2lb): $3.48
Yves veggie groundround (1 reg, 1 Italian, 1 Mexican): $11.97
Stevia: $5.69
Total: $69.78
Other
Dish soap (Eco-Max orange): $7.02
All total: $100.23
I'm very pleased with the total, as the fruit prices are actually reasonable, apart from the grapes, but grapes are always ridiculously expensive. I've paid over $5 for the same sized container of raspberries on most other occasions, so this is great. Here's hoping the prices will remain on the low side for a while yet! It's difficult to find produce throughout the summer when the RVers are here, though. They swoop in, scoop up most of the perishables and staples and disappear and leave us Whitehorsers cursing them as we stare at near empty dairy, bread and produce shelves.
Well, I guess they have to eat too, right? RV holidays are pretty tough...ahem...
The mail today didn't hold a cheque, but almost as good as one was the news from my old insurer that I'd be getting a refund of $97.38 and to expect a cheque shortly. Hurrah! That will go straight on the VISA card, as it's still hovering too high for my liking (albeit through no fault of its own).
Monday & Tuesday I spent at a course about pensions & retirement. Although I'm not close to either one yet (my retirement date, according to my paperwork, is "N/A" at this time), it was a very interesting and worthwhile course. It was offered through work. I was surprised, and pleased, to know that our pensions are phenomenal. Not one word of a lie, we have one of the best in the country; some aspects of it just don't exist in other places, so we are very, very lucky. The trainer, a CFP from Toronto, touched on taxes, financial planning and budgeting very briefly as well, which I was pleased about and I came away with some good notes in my book and some questions to discuss with my account manager at the bank.
Did you know that if you work you are entitled to claim $232 (2010 amount) to offset employment expenses? I had no idea. There's a line for it on the income tax forms - I don't know which one - so I will definitely be utilizing that next year!
When I got back to work on Wednesday I had a bunch of books waiting for me: 11 to be exact! How long it will take me to read them is anyone's guess, but I've managed to complete one already, so that's a good start. They're mostly "cosy" mysteries, which I find quite easy and quick to read.
Have a good weekend everyone!
Saturday, 1 May 2010
April goes out with a bang!
It must be contagious in the blogosphere this month - spending, I mean. Take a look at what I spent just yesterday!
$100.56 - Wal-Mart (my principles sell for $20, apparently)
$12.59 - Canadian Tire
$7.10 - cat milk
$9.00 - movie (and a BAD one at that!)
$16.00 - dinner (Chinese - lemon chicken)
I would like to state for the record, however, that it was all in cash. After a morning of finding various cat stuff around the place (vomit, butt-cleaning marks on the carpet), I decided that what I needed (wanted?) was a mini-steam cleaner, so I went online and checked out a couple of places. I decided on this particular model.
Sears - $109.99
Can Tire - $99.99
Wal-Mart - $79.99
Have I mentioned how much I hate Wally World? I was totally prepared to buy the machine at Can Tire, but went to Wally World, just to see. A $20 difference is significant and I wouldn't have changed my mind for $10, so I picked it up. Along with two packages of new undies, which I desperately need (all my favourite ones are full of holes or rips and the elastic is coming through). *Sigh* I did make myself feel better by buying the detergent for the cleaner at Can Tire because IT WAS CHEAPER. So there.
The dinner and movie was with friends. We went to see "Gunless," as a friend of mine L-O-V-E-S Paul Gross. It was opening night for it and there were perhaps a dozen of us in the theatre. Not promising. And while I loved "Due South," this was...bad. Really bad. And not in the good way - the bad way.
However, on the flip side, I have managed to save myself money in other areas, which I'm quite pleased about:
$100.56 - Wal-Mart (my principles sell for $20, apparently)
$12.59 - Canadian Tire
$7.10 - cat milk
$9.00 - movie (and a BAD one at that!)
$16.00 - dinner (Chinese - lemon chicken)
I would like to state for the record, however, that it was all in cash. After a morning of finding various cat stuff around the place (vomit, butt-cleaning marks on the carpet), I decided that what I needed (wanted?) was a mini-steam cleaner, so I went online and checked out a couple of places. I decided on this particular model.
Sears - $109.99
Can Tire - $99.99
Wal-Mart - $79.99
Have I mentioned how much I hate Wally World? I was totally prepared to buy the machine at Can Tire, but went to Wally World, just to see. A $20 difference is significant and I wouldn't have changed my mind for $10, so I picked it up. Along with two packages of new undies, which I desperately need (all my favourite ones are full of holes or rips and the elastic is coming through). *Sigh* I did make myself feel better by buying the detergent for the cleaner at Can Tire because IT WAS CHEAPER. So there.
The dinner and movie was with friends. We went to see "Gunless," as a friend of mine L-O-V-E-S Paul Gross. It was opening night for it and there were perhaps a dozen of us in the theatre. Not promising. And while I loved "Due South," this was...bad. Really bad. And not in the good way - the bad way.
However, on the flip side, I have managed to save myself money in other areas, which I'm quite pleased about:
- New cell phone plan! I cut my current package in half, so will now be paying only $30 a month instead of $60. This will start May 22. Savings: $360 p/yr!
- I got an RRSP form from the investment group I have a plan with, but didn't get it until well after I had already filed & paid my income tax. I forgot to change my address with them. Anyway, with this added to my income tax, it means I actually get some money back for a change! Only $63 or so, but hurrah! :) Adjustment form filled out and mailed on Thursday.
- I switched my car insurance over to a cheaper insurer on Thursday and will save myself $150 a year! I had to pay $54 for a safety inspection and $10 for a copy of my driving abstract from the DMV, but it's worth it to pay $337 a year for insurance. I could even save an extra $24 a year if I chose to remove "fire, theft, vandalism" from the policy. I will think about it for next year.
Despite the good news, I am once again very frustrated with myself for this spending spree. To the point that I am close to paying off the CC in full with part of my emergency fund as well as putting some of it onto my LOC. I'd leave $1K in the Efund as I auto-save $50 per month, so it would build up again without a problem. I can also move some money from my car account, my planned spends and empty my gift fund to cover some of the CC balance, so it's likely I won't need to use as much as I think from the Efund. This would leave me with a comfortable cushion in case something does come up, a clear CC, and a slightly lower LOC.
I like this scenario better than completely emptying my Efund and leaving myself vulnerable. Has anyone else done this?
**UPDATE: I've just listed 11 items on Amazon.ca! Wish me luck selling them!!**
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)