First Time Home Buyer’s Plan October 31, 2008
Posted by gmbmfb in : retirement, saving money , add a commentSince the market has been so destructive lately, and I plan on using my RRSPs for the First Time Home Buyer’s Plan in a few years, I’ve reduced my monthly contributions from $500/month down to $200/month. And of that $200, $100 is going into a Money Market fund, and the other $100 is going into T-Bills.
Once I max out my EF, I’m going to concentrate on putting the excess money into my Condo Down Payment Fund. That way, I know my money won’t whittle away down to nothing.
If I wasn’t going to use my RRSPs, I would be putting money into my retirement funds like nobody’s business … but I can’t afford to keep throwing money into a black hole when I’m going to need to use it in around 3 years. So, this is the route I’m going to have to take. Especially because I need to be aggressively saving for my trip around the world with BF.
Going home and getting inked October 30, 2008
Posted by gmbmfb in : spending, travel , add a comment
Last weekend when I was home, I made about $95 at the PT job. This weekend, I’m going home again, and I’ll probably make about $80. It’s not a lot, considering my travel costs, but making a little extra money is better than making none at all.
I’m also going into a tattoo studio with my sister to get a consultation for the artwork that I want. I’m excited, because I’ve wanted to get this tattoo done for a few years now, and it’s perfect b/c she’s buying it for me as my birthday present. :) I don’t think I’ll be able to get the tattoo done this weekend, but hopefully there’ll be an appointment available in 3 weeks when I go back home next. As for the pain, I’m pretty sure I can deal with it. I have a tattoo on my back that I got probably about 7 years ago … and it hurt, but it wasn’t as bad as everyone said it was going to be.
The picture is the exact tattoo I want to get, and the exact placement. Well, I think I want mine a smidge closer to my wrist. It kind of sucks that someone else in the world has the same tattoo/placement as me, but it’s not like the artwork is a big secret.
This morning … October 29, 2008
Posted by gmbmfb in : miscellaneous , add a commentI accidentally dropped my moisturizer container in the toilet. Gross. :(
The countdown to Vegas October 29, 2008
Posted by gmbmfb in : spending, travel , 1 comment so farIn 10 DAYS, I will be headed to Las Vegas with one of my best friends.
I’m very excited to go, but I’m most excited for the fact that we booked and paid for our trip with the dollar was still at par. So the $330 US I paid was $330 CDN.
As for a budget, well if the Canadian dollar doesn’t get any stronger, I won’t be doing much shopping down there. Not that I need to. I have all my Christmas shopping done, so I can only anticipate buying a few small things from stores we don’t have in Canada.
The hotel we’re staying at has this gambling card (kind of like the BC Gold Card). You sign up for free and then you get a booklet of 2-for-1 coupons. My friend is already a member, so when I sign up, we’ll just use my coupon book for food and other entertainment. She said that the average price for a buffet is around $15-20, so if we split the cost, we’ll be doing very well.
As for entertainment, my gambling money is included in there. I’m only going to play the cheap slot machines – 1 cent, 5 cents, and 25 cents. I also want to ride that New York, New York roller coaster. And we still might not see Chippendales, I haven’t bought the tickets yet. My miscellaneous money is for any small souvenirs I might want to buy. Other than that, I just want to take pictures and walk around, gamble a bit, and drink $1 margaritas.
So, here’s my rough budget breakdown for just myself:
SUNDAY
Transportation: $25 ($10 gas to Bellingham, $14 parking at the airport)
Food/Drinks: $20
Entertainment: $20 (we already bought Elton John tickets)
Miscellaneous: $10
MONDAY
Transportation: $0
Food/Drinks: $40
Entertainment: $60 (Chippendales. That’s right.)
Miscellaneous: $25
TUESDAY
Transportation: $15 (cab ride to outlet mall)
Food/Drinks: $40
Entertainment: $25
Miscellaneous: $25
WEDNESDAY
Transportation: $25 (cab ride to airport, gas back to Vancouver)
Food/Drinks: $20
Entertainment: $20
Miscellaneous: $10
TOTAL = $380
So, in the end, the 3 day/3 night trip will probably cost around $700. It’s about what I expected. By the time I leave, I’ll have just over $750 in my Travel Fund, so it will all be paid for. I just wasn’t expecting the loonie to drop so much. I wish I had bought American money a few months ago. Now the exchange rate is really going to suck.
Something to consider October 28, 2008
Posted by gmbmfb in : housing, property , add a commentSo, there are 2 condo units for sale in the apartment building that I live in.
My co-worker and I did some calculations, and if I purchased one of the units, my monthly mortgage payment would be $545. Compared to the $725 I’m paying in rent for the same place, that’s highway robbery! If you factor in strata fees and property tax, it would be $765. Which includes heat, hot water and parking. But that’s also using the asking price – those units have been listed for a while now – I’m sure the price would be negotiable. At least to the point where I’d be paying the same amount for the mortgage payment as I would for rent.
I’m not seriously considering it, but it’s definitely in the back of my mind.
Christmas is almost here. That’s right, I said it. October 28, 2008
Posted by gmbmfb in : spending , add a commentBF and I will be celebrating our 1-year anniversary in the beginning of December. And since this year has been all about getting presents purchased ahead of time (I bought my mom’s Christmas present in May!), I already got BF his gift. I’m pretty sure he’s going to like it.
As for Christmas, I’ve got everyone covered already – except for my dad. He’s always the hardest to shop for. And I think I want to buy something for BF’s brother’s wife and their 2 kids, and also for BF’s parents. Nothing major. I spent about $40 on BF’s brother’s present, so maybe $20 for his wife, and $15 each for their kids. As for BF’s parents, I don’t know what to get them, but I’m thinking around $40 too.
Plus, my dad’s present, and maybe a couple more small things for my sister, I’ll probably have to save up another $200, max. That’s not bad at all. Although, do you think I should buy my sister’s BF a present? They’ve been dating for 2.5 years. Hmm. Probably.
Cooking meals at home October 28, 2008
Posted by gmbmfb in : fitness, saving money , add a commentYesterday evening, I decided to bake BF a pumpkin pie. While I was moving, we got into the habit of eating out for every meal, and we’d also go to the store to get dessert too. So I figured now that I’m almost settled in (still need a dresser, a small area rug, and some picture frames/mirrors hung up) – we could start cooking meals together more often.
We both want to start saving more money, so this is perfect. I’ve almost got all the ingredients to make a massive batch of vegetarian chili, so I’ll do that sometime this week. Tonight I’m going to pop a lasagna into the oven (my mom baked 3 huge slabs of lasagna for us to freeze!), and then we’re going to go to the rock climbing gym.
Speaking of rock climbing, I’m slowly getting better. I’m doing 5.9s now, and I even did a 5.9+ the other day. My goal is to be doing 5.10s by the end of winter. My 3-month pass runs out in the beginning of December, and I think I’ll sign up for a 12-month pass. We’ve been going often enough that it’s worth it for me. Plus, rock climbing is so much fun!
Starting up the PT job again October 24, 2008
Posted by gmbmfb in : job, travel , add a commentI feel rushed today. BF and I woke up late. He was 40 min. late to work, and I had to leave for work in 30 min.
Today after work, we’re going to the Bob Dylan concert at GM Place. A bunch of people I know saw him in my hometown last night, and from their comments and looking at the setlist, I think this is going to be such an epic concert.
Anyway, tomorrow morning I have to take the bus to catch the ferry. If I take public transportation, according to Translink, it will take me over 2 hrs. to get to the ferry terminal – not cool. So I think I’ll take the PCL – it will be more expensive, but I won’t have to take 4 different buses (3 in Vancouver, and then one on the other side to get downtown), or deal with transferring, or carrying my bag around on the ferry with me. And I’ll get from downtown-to-downtown with no hassle.
Including the ferry ride, this will cost me $43 one-way. But, I’ll make over $100 this weekend working 2 shifts at my PT job, so that will cover my cost. BF will pick me up from the ferry terminal on Sunday, so my return trip will cost me $14.25, for a total travel cost of: $57.25.
Anyway, this year is a bit different. Since I can only make it to weekend shifts (Saturday and Sunday), my younger sister (who I hired to be my assistant 2.5 years ago) has now taken over my job. We’ve basically switched roles. Which is going to be weird. But there wasn’t any other choice. So we’ll see how this works out.
