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A rough budget for Vegas November 30, 2009

Posted by gmbmfb in : budget, travel , add a comment

We have a change jar at our house that we put toonies, loonies and quarters in. We use it for getting a little treat when we’re out for walks (usually Starbucks), but the main purpose was to save up a little bit to have a nice anniversary dinner together.

Well, we counted the change a few days ago, and we’re up to about $90. Sweet! I’m going to bring the change to the bank and take it out in US funds so that we can use it for a nice meal out in Vegas.

Speaking of money for Vegas, BF and I were talking yesterday and we think we should bring about $300 each in spending money. That should be more than enough considering we aren’t going to any shows, and the entertainment that we are going to see has already been paid for. I’d like to do the NY, NY roller coaster again, and do touristy stuff like that, but there’s always 2-for-1 coupons for those things. That $300 doesn’t include the $90 from the change jar. Plus I think we have about $60 in US cash sitting in our US money tin (we put all left-over US cash in an old chocolate tin every time we come back from a trip).

Last year when I went to Vegas, I had about $380 in spending money for 3 nights, and that was plenty. This time, we’re only going for 2 nights, and I know from last time that I won’t be buying any souvenirs. So $300+ each will definitely be enough for every expense, including parking at the airport, cabs, food, drinks, entertainment, tips, etc.


December 2009 Goals November 30, 2009

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Well, here is my budget for December. It’s not much more than what a usual monthly budget for me would look like (just $100 more than last month). The only difference is in the Travel and Car & Transportation category. That’s because we’re planning on going back to the island twice in December (once to see BF’s parents in a couple of weeks, and the other for Christmas). Plus, we’re more than likely leaving the city for the New Year’s long weekend.

December Goals:


November 2009 Goals: My Review November 30, 2009

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Well it’s the end of another month. I didn’t do too poorly in November, actually. Ended up almost on budget, which is more than I can say for a lot of other months this year.

Financial Highlights of the month: I was able to save myself quite a bit of money (over $200) by dropping ICBC extended car insurance and going private with CDI, I bought a GPS for free, and I should have enough Swagbucks left over to buy most of my sister’s Christmas present.

Notes:

November Goals:


First Christmas party of the season November 30, 2009

Posted by gmbmfb in : entertainment , add a comment

Over the weekend was BF’s work Christmas party. It was interesting. Met a lot of people I’ve already forgotten the names of. Typical Christmas party atmosphere. Wine was flowing, food was decent … I only knew one other couple, and we hung out with them for most of the night. I completely forgot the party was this past weekend, so I didn’t have much time to get an outfit together. I ended up wearing black trouser pants, black flats, a nice purple silk tank top and a grey wool cardigan – an outfit I’d probably wear to work on most days. I didn’t think it was fancy enough, but ended up being a good choice, because some people were dressed inappropriately too casual (ripped jeans + t-shirt? come on), and others were wearing full suits. A weird mix.

The party was BYOB, and we didn’t bring anything (wasn’t in the budget). But there was free wine there, and we ended up winning a case of Belgium beer as a door prize. So it all worked out in the end. :)

Also yesterday, we were supposed to go rock climbing. But instead, we went on a 20km walk. It took about 4.5 hours, and my feet were pretty sore afterward. :) It was nice though, getting out and spending some quality time together.


Bought the GPS! November 27, 2009

Posted by gmbmfb in : saving money , 1 comment so far

Wow am I ever glad I waited a few extra days to buy that GPS I wanted from Amazon.ca. I check Amazon daily to see if the price of the GPS has changed, and today I saw that it was reduced by another $50 (check it out)! That is a HUGE price reduction.

The list price of the unit was $402.37. And for the last few months since I’ve been monitoring the price, it has fluctuated between $249.99 – $219.99. But today? It was down to $169.99 so I snapped it up using $157.65 worth of Amazon gift cards from Swagbucks.

So after taxes, I paid $32.74. All smiles over here. :) Especially considering I have that Google Adsense cheque coming my way (Google says it was sent on Nov 24th, so we’ll see).

I have a $25 GC from Swagbucks that will post to my account at the end of this month. Plus the leftover Adsense money after I pay that $32.74, and that will be enough to buy my sister’s present on Amazon as well – a game and accessory for her Wii. Perfect!


I heart Fridays November 27, 2009

Posted by gmbmfb in : investing, retirement, sidebar totals , add a comment

Well today is pay day, so I updated the sidebars and my NetworthIQ. For the month of November, my net worth increased by 2.96%. I’m pleased about that, especially because I decided to buy out my entire private car insurance for the year (so now I only have approx. $78 payments per month for ICBC basic insurance). And that was pretty expensive.

I was also able to throw more money towards my Retirement Portfolio this month. I’m really trying to debate whether I should lower my RRSP contributions and concentrate on my TFSA. Right now about 90% of my Retirement Portfolio is in RRSPs. I’d like to build up my TFSA, but I’m having a hard time getting my head wrapped around it. Ideally I’d like to max out my TFSA each year, but it’s clearly not going to happen this year.


The Lunch Challenge – Week #7 November 26, 2009

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Well, if you can believe it, I’m almost done the end of Week #7 of my Lunch Challenge. Just about one month to go, and I’m doing great! My weight has remained steady at around 132-133 lbs, and if I could ever get my butt in gear and start working out on a regular basis, I know I’ll hit my goal of 130 lbs.

My cravings are almost gone. I never really wish I could go out for lunch. Sure, there are times when I get tempted (like when that jerk Fabulously Broke starts posting yummy food on her Facebook or becomes the Ultimate Enabler on Twitter – just kidding, I still love her) … but the cravings do eventually pass.

In terms of what this does to my budget, well my Food budget certainly looks better this month, than in previous months. I might even come under budget! And it just goes to show you that those little purchases all add up.


ecoRoute for Garmin GPS November 25, 2009

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Today via Twitter (thx @thebuma!) I found out that Garmin has this awesome (free) software update for some of their GPS models called ecoRoute. It is a very very cool feature to have on a GPS.

So this software update helps you find more fuel efficient routes and also helps to track your fuel usage. With ecoRoute, there is a “less fuel” option as a routing preference. When selected, the GPS will determine if more fuel efficient routes exist based upon road speed data and vehicle acceleration data for a given route.

This option is perfect for me, because I’d rather consume less fuel when I’m out driving, than try to get somewhere in the fastest amount of time. Better for my wallet and for the environment.

If you have a Garmin nüvi 205, 705, 1200 or 1300 series GPS, your unit is eligible for the software upgrade. Since the model I want is in the 205 series, mine will be able to get the download. And since it dropped again in price with Amazon, I think I’m going to go for it and spend those Amazon gift cards to get it. Probably this week. :)