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Going to the doctor today March 31, 2009

Posted by gmbmfb in : fitness, health care , add a comment

I have a doctor’s appointment this afternoon. I need to get a BC prescription renewal, which is always an unpleasant thing to do. I can’t wait until I can go on BF’s medical plan. Then I won’t have to pay for BC, or the dentist, or massage therapy. I also think he is covered for orthodics, so it would be nice to get another pair for traveling – perhaps a full sport pair. Right now I have a hybrid pair, and it’s not that great for being really active. They’re better for everyday wear.

Also, the ski hill got 20 cm of snow overnight. I really really want to go skiing, so we’ll see what happens. BF said something about perhaps going snow shoeing after my appointment, but I think with that much new snow, as long as it doesn’t get warm up there, we should take advantage of it. But, so long as we do something active, I’m fine with it.


My ongoing love/hate relationship with Rogers Wireless March 31, 2009

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flirty*almost*30 asks:

what on earth kind of cell phone plan do you have where you only spend $32 a month?! i use mine bare bones (my phone is actually 7 years old, so it only calls and texts) although i do make some long distance calls on my10, but its still about $60 or $70 a month!! who’s your carrier?

I’m with Rogers Wireless, and I’m not gonna lie, I have a great cell phone plan (for a Canadian, that is – I know that in the USA you guys have suuuuper sweet rate plans that we just don’t get up here unless you want to fork over your entire pay cheque each month). I’m not sure what’s out there anymore, but I know I still pay less than any of my friends do. It all started when I came across that epic RedFlagDeals.ca Rogers Wireless thread. If you haven’t read it yet, I highly recommend it. Some of those plans people are getting are so amazing that it’s absolutely ridiculous. I think they’re lying! Well, maybe.

Basically I saw that all these people were getting fantastic rate plans just by calling into customer service! I was a loyal Rogers customer (and I still think they’re the best Canadian wireless carrier in terms of pricing, quality of service, and reception – EVEN THOUGH I CAN’T GET AN IPHONE! Jerks!), so I wanted a great rate plan too!

I’m not naturally one to haggle (soooooo out of my comfort zone), so it was a lot of effort for me to call in. I got rejected twice, but on the third call, I got everything I wanted.

Normally my bills come out to about $35-36/month. Sometimes I round up and overpay during a month, which knocks the next months invoice down a bit. Always a nice surprise. :)

That’s why I’m really debating whether or not I should cancel my cell phone when I go traveling. Sure, there could be way better carriers and rate plans by the time I get back – or I could be kicking myself for getting rid of such a sweet, sweet plan. The customer service rep said I could lower my plan down to $5/month while I’m gone, and there’s even talk about a possible service suspension for up to a year. I’ll have to look into it more.


Goodbye Gift Fund March 31, 2009

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I’ve decided to rename my Gift Fund. It is now just Savings.

I’ll still use it to save up for gifts, but I think by renaming it a Savings account, I feel like I can use it to save up for any sort of purchase I’m thinking of – field hockey fees, a new pair of hiking boots, concert tickets, etc. Anything, really.


March Goals: My Review March 30, 2009

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Below is my budget recap for March. As you can see, I didn’t do too badly all things considering. $432.30 of that Miscellaneous was my ski boots (I took the $$$ out of my Travel Fund to pay for them). So I really only went over by $58.44.

Besides the ski boots, I went over on my budget by treating BF out to dinner a few times in order to make up for not paying for gas, and then actually paying for $30 worth of gas. I’m glad that I did, because I haven’t bought gas for him in so long. I just need to adjust my budget to include that kind of expense in the future.

Oh, and I bought 2 pairs of Arc-teryx hiking shorts for $9 each (regular price around $75!). Not budgeted, but too good of a deal to pass up. Especially with the summer approaching.

March Goals (end of month review):


March Link Love March 30, 2009

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Here is a list of new blogs that I added to my Blogroll this month! I’m super far behind on it, so I apologize for the long delay. Also, I think I got caught up on all of my blog e-mails, so sorry for taking so long! :)


Answering a question about my financial goals March 30, 2009

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hEiDi left a comment on my blog post, Some thoughts about money.

Would love to see a post about your financial goals. For example, why $5,000 for your emergency fund or why $25,000 for your retirement? You are such a motivation for my husband and I. We are on the road to being debt free and hopefully soon after that financially independent too! Thanks for your blog!

Why $5,000 for your emergency fund?
$5k isn’t a lot of money, but for my life right now, it would represent 3-4 months of living expenses based on my current budget. Of course, if there were an emergency, I have options – I would obviously slash my budget down to the bare minimum, and I also have the option of moving in with BF. $5k also represents the amount that I’m comfortable with having in my EF once I come back from traveling. I think that it will be enough for me to get back on my feet and find a job upon my return.

Why $25,000 for your retirement?
$25k is the goal I’ve set for myself to reach by the end of this year. No real reason for it, but it will require additional savings on top of the $150 bi-weekly I’m currently contributing in order to achieve this goal.

I hope that answers your questions, and thank you so much for writing to me and reading my blog! :)


Lazy weekend March 30, 2009

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I didn’t get much done this weekend. I wanted to go grocery shopping and do some laundry at BF’s house. Oh well. I can do my shopping today after work, and my laundry tomorrow.

Saturday morning I dropped BF off at work and headed to the ski hill by myself. I was lucky. We haven’t gotten much snow lately, but when I was up there we got about 5 cm of new snow, and the skiing wasn’t so bad. I worked on my technique and even went down a blue run a few times. It was pretty nice, going skiing by myself. I didn’t have to think about anything else except getting better. Afterward, I was far too lazy to go to the gym as planned, so I just went home and vegged on the couch for the entire day until I went to go pick BF up. I feel kind of guilty, but my cross stitching needed some attention.

I also went to the Arc’teryx factory store. They were having a massive sale, and I ended up getting 2 pairs of awesome shorts for only $9 each! I checked them out online, and regular retail price on them was around $75 US. They are a tiny bit snug, but once I lose a few more pounds (or stretch them out a bit), they’ll fit great. :) I was planning on selling a pair on eBay, but now I can’t decide which ones. For only $9 each, I might keep both of them.

Sunday I dropped BF off at work again, and the headed straight to the gym. I had a pretty good workout, but I was so hungry that I couldn’t stay any longer – otherwise I would have done more cardio. I saw a 40-something woman there with a smokin’ body. Totally jealous. I wish I looked that good now, never mind when I’m 40. Damn. Anyway, I did nothing all day again. Which was too bad, because it was GORGEOUS outside. In the afternoon when I went to pick BF up, we headed to the climbing gym. I’m progressing well, and have started attempting 5.11 routes.

Oh, and I spent $30 putting gas in BF’s tank over the weekend.

All in all, it was a pretty relaxing weekend. I’m glad I got 3 workouts in, so I didn’t feel too lazy.


Thinking about selling my concert tickets March 30, 2009

Posted by gmbmfb in : entertainment , add a comment

Someone is offering to buy my Flight of the Conchord tickets for $300/pair. I’m really tempted. That’s over double what I paid for them ($120/pair).

It’s difficult. I want to see FOTC a lot. But I’d also like $300 to put in my Travel Fund. I could probably get more than $300 if I wait until a bit closer to the show. I saw that some FOTC tickets were selling for over $400/pair.