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A quick weekend update December 30, 2007

Posted by gmbmfb in : relationship, spending , add a comment

So far, my trip to Vancouver has been fairly frugal. I spent $37.50 in bus/bus/ferry/bus money, and then another $3.50 to take the Skytrain another 30 min. to BF’s work. Other than travel costs, and a quick trip to the supermarket ($12), I haven’t spent anything.

Last night I met all of BF’s cousins, and tonight a lot of his family and friends were over at his house, so it was pretty overwhelming, but they all seem really nice.

I also have been thinking a lot about what Nancy said in a comment to a previous post, where I wrote about being open about this blog, and about my finances with

Krystal – sort of like what leighann said, here’s a different take re BF: what if he completely accepted you in your current financial situation? And showed diplomacy in skill in not asking you to spend more than you are comfortable with, right now? And was really supportive of you? For the rest of your time together, you would have the confidence that rain or shine, he accepts and appreciates you as you are. Just a thought.

I like that idea, and I know deep down that he will understand and be supportive of me, and I know he’ll accept me for who I am. It’s just really frightening to reveal so much about yourself to someone … and even though I really do want to open up and tell him, I think I’m going to hold off a bit longer. Maybe until next weekend. I think I want to try and get him to do some guest posts in this blog as well. I think it’ll be interesting to get a different perspective on personal finance, from someone close to me. We’ll see if that pans out. :)


Just putting this out there, but … December 30, 2007

Posted by gmbmfb in : miscellaneous , add a comment

I just got completely turned on by the thought of compound interest.

What is wrong with me??


On losing 10 lbs, life, and the future December 27, 2007

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Despite it being the holidays, and despite the fact that I don’t think I’ve gone 20 minutes without shoving some form of food in my mouth for the past week, I’ve managed to lose 5 lbs. during the month of December.

This is very surprising. I think it has to do with a bunch of different factors – being stressed out about the job situation, running a lot more than I’m used to, and doing a light workout every day (free weights, ab routine and stretching). I’ve also been eating healthier over the past 2-3 months, and I feel a lot better these days. I have more energy, and I also find that I’m performing better in my hockey games. I don’t feel as sluggish as I used to … and the best part? I feel more confident about myself. Maybe nobody can notice the physical changes to my body, but I can, and it makes me feel great.

And yes, that number on the scale is exactly what it is – it’s just a number. I’m not obsessed with my weight, but I am obsessed with staying healthy and not falling back into the unhealthy lifestyle I was living this year. What with working so hard and always being on the go, I really neglected my body. I don’t want to do that again. Ever. I was run down, always tired, very lazy, and I got sick for the first time in years. I felt gross.

The past few years, I’ve really struggled with my identity. Who am I? What do I value? What do I want from myself? Creating this blog, taking control of my life in 2007, and figuring out what I really want from life was the first step to my independence and well-being. 2008 is going to be all about life changes – emotionally, physically and professionally … and I’m ready and excited for the challenge. :)


December Link Love December 27, 2007

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Here are some new links that I added to my Blogroll today. If you want to exchange links, you know what to do. :)

I also have quite a few e-mails that are sitting in my in-box that I haven’t responded to yet, and for that, I’m sorry. I try to respond to every e-mail I get, but sometimes (like now, during the holidays) I get behind. Will try my best to get to them before the end of the month. :)


My 2008 Goals December 27, 2007

Posted by gmbmfb in : annual goals , 1 comment so far

Well, I hope everyone had a safe and wonderful Christmas. :) I’m off to Vancouver from December 28-January 1 to visit BF, so I won’t be able to update my blog while I’m away. I’m really excited for this coming long weekend.

In the meantime, I’ve thought long and hard about my 2008 PF goals, and I think I’ve finally settled on appropriate ones for the lifestyle I hope to lead, and the goals I hope to accomplish in the next 365 days.

2008 PF Goals:

These goals are all based on me making around $50k (FT job plus a PT job), plus about a $4k tax return (I plan on putting the entire tax return towards my Condo Down Payment Fund). That means in 2008, if all goes according to plan and I hit my targets, I will be saving around $18k (depending on how much I need to put back into the EF and Travel Fund), which would be 36% of my gross income. Is that unrealistic?

This is all based on the fact that I actually get a job somewhere soon … if not, and I end up unemployed for another month or two, then these goals will have to be revisited and probably revised. Also, chances are that I will be moving to Vancouver, so the cost of living is slightly higher than this city … and since this will be my first time post-college that I will have to pay “real” rent and everything (I’ve been living in my parents’ basement suite for the past 1.5 years, paying minimal rent), this year is definitely going to test everything that I’ve learned about personal finance, budget management, and how to stretch my dollar.

So, bring in 2008!!!


Becoming more open about this blog December 24, 2007

Posted by gmbmfb in : blog, relationship , 1 comment so far

In October, I was featured in the business section of a prominent Canadian newspaper. The article was about me as a young investor, and I feel really proud about getting selected to do the interview. It seemed surreal because they got a photographer out and everything. My mom was really proud of me, and even now I get stopped and asked by friends and even strangers, if it was me they saw in that newspaper a few months back. :) I know some of my long-time Canadian readers have read that article, and if you have, I would appreciate you keeping it on the DL. This is the first time I’ve ever mentioned a link between me and that article, and I would love to keep it that way.

Anyway, when I first met BF, he had read the article … which is how he came to find out that I wrote this blog. He’s also read the WSJ article about me.

But he promised that he wouldn’t visit this blog until I was ready to show it to him myself, and I trust him when he says that. It’s just too strange for me at this point for such a new person in my life to know all my financial details. Isn’t that weird? I’m willing to share everything with complete strangers all over the world, but I won’t share it with my BF.

It’s not like I have anything to hide, but we have completely different takes on personal finance. While I’m heavily involved in tracking my spending, planning for the future, and taking pride in watching my net worth grow (although the past few months, it’s been on the decline), he’s more of a free spirit with his money. Not that it’s a bad thing. Money is made to be enjoyed. I don’t know too much about his personal financial situation, but I do hope he’ll be open about it and share. I would never judge him, because there’s a lot that can be learned from anyone. He’s been a property owner before, so I find that really fascinating. I hope to learn more about that when the time comes.

I guess it’s that I don’t want him to feel like time is running out with my EF. I don’t want him to treat me differently, knowing that I have a limited amount of money available to me, instead of a steady stream of income that comes with, you know, having a job. He knows I have my freelancing work, my PT income, and EI (if it ever gets processed … it’s taking forever!) … but just having the visual graphs on my sidebar I think would be too much. For him to know exactly, to the penny, how much money I have. Nope. Not going to happen right now. I think I would feel differently once I get a full-time job, and those sidebar graphs are going in a positive directly, instead of steadily declining.

But I do want to show him eventually. I think it’s important, since this blog and finance, investing, property ownership – it’s really who I am nowadays. At first, it was just a hobby – a way to get out of debt and keep myself accountable for my actions … but it’s a complete way of life now, and I really enjoy it.

He’s expressed an interest in learning more about investing and money management, so I’m kind of excited to talk to him about it. :) But there’s no way I’m going to push it. He said that he’s “intimidated” by me, because I have a handle on my finances … but I feel like it’s just a sham … without this blog and all of your help, I wouldn’t know anything about anything.


Reflecting on 2007 December 24, 2007

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Wow, 2007 – what a year! So much change has happened in my life, and I feel like a completely different person going into 2008. It’s a good feeling, and even though my life isn’t exactly perfect at the moment, I’m optimistic that 2008 is going to be a really positive year.

During the holidays, I really like to reflect on the past year … what went right, and what I could have done better. Since this is my first holiday season with a blog, I figured I’d reflect on my personal finance goals, milestones and setbacks.

2007

And that basically brings me to where I am today. I’m really excited for 2008. There are so many things to look forward to, and I know this whole job situation will work itself out. I’m feeling really good about my 2nd interview with the job in Vancouver that will happen in early January, and I’ve put my resume out there to a lot of really cool organizations. I’m not worried at all.


Happy holidays & welcome newcomers! December 24, 2007

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I’ve noticed a significant spike in traffic to this blog, thanks to the shout-out in the Sunday edition of the Wall Street Journal (and the Cape Cod Times, I was told), so I just wanted to take the time to welcome any new visitors I have. :)

If this is your first time here, a great place to start off is reading about me and my debt payoff. It was the reason why I started this blog, and I ended up eliminating over $17k worth of debt in 10 months.

My main goal with this blog is to gain insight into the PF blogging world by talking with all my wonderful PF friends (their blogs are listed on the sidebar), and to write about my journey to financial independence.

Right now, I am in the middle of a job search, so that is priority #1 in my life. Once I’ve found permanent, full-time employment, my next goal is to become a homeowner. This year, I’ve toyed with many different strategies as to how I would come up with my down payment. As of right now, the $16k in my Retirement Portfolio is earmarked for the First Time Home Buyer’s Plan. My goal is a $40k down payment, but if it’s possible, I would like to keep my Retirement Portfolio untouched. I don’t know if that’s possible though. :)

You can also subscribe to my blog through your RSS reader!

So to all of you out there – new or longtime readers – have a great holiday and a safe and memorable New Year. I’ll keep posting throughout the holidays, but I know this is when a lot of bloggers take a break. Be safe out there, and please don’t drink and drive. Now, let’s bring on 2008!!!