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January 2010 Goals: My Review January 31, 2010

Posted by gmbmfb in : monthly goals , 3comments

I am very happy to report that I was about $75 under my January budget. :) I’m a little disappointed that I wasn’t able to stay under $250 for my food budget. But looking at the big picture, I’m still satisfied.

January Goals:


Spotted in Vancouver January 30, 2010

Posted by gmbmfb in : miscellaneous , 3comments

A Hummer with bumper stickers that said “Save the Earth!” and “Legalize Marijuana”!

Only in Vancouver can you find a Hummer-driving hippie.


Day 11: 30 Day Shred January 29, 2010

Posted by gmbmfb in : fitness , 19comments

Yesterday I saw Jillian’s No More Trouble Zones DVD at London Drugs for only $7.99! I was very tempted to buy it, but decided to hold off until I’m closer to the end of the 30 Day Shred. Plus, even though it’s more expensive through Amazon.ca ($9.99), I can earn it for free through Swagbucks. Has anyone else used No More Trouble Zones before? Any good?

Anyway yesterday was also Day 11 of my 30 Day Shred. I’m going to do Level 2 again today (using 5 lb. weights for the military press, & 8 lb. weights for everything else), then move onto Level 3 tomorrow. I’ve heard from a lot of people that Level 3 is easier because there are no plank holds. But we’ll see!


Spending a bit of money January 29, 2010

Posted by gmbmfb in : car, spending , 2comments

Yesterday, just for the fun of it, we decided to go out for sushi. We’ve been doing really well with not going out to eat, so it was nice to relax and have a nice dinner. I treated, and it cost $40. This came out of the Entertainment portion of January’s budget. I’m still going over my monthly budget, but it looks like I’ll make my budget this month! I’m about $75 under right now.

I also spent $58 on my 3-month car service. It was a little pricier than I had anticipated. I guess I’m not used to using $25 motor oil? I was also surprised that they washed my car, and vacuumed and cleaned the inside. Which was nice. I forgot about the 3-month service when I made up this month’s budget, but thankfully I haven’t been driving much so I was able to squeeze it into my Car & Transportation budget and I’m still under for the month in that category. :)

In case you’re wondering, any problems with the car is covered by warranty. I don’t pay for labour when it comes to regular maintenance, but I do have to pay for fluids, filters, etc.


February 2010 Monthly Goals January 29, 2010

Posted by gmbmfb in : monthly goals , 6comments

Here is my budget for February. Not much has changed. I’m planning a trip home for Chinese New Year (Travel), and my Entertainment is at $150 because of Valentine’s Day. We are going on a dinner/movie date (my treat), so I budgeted an extra $50 for the month for that outing.

February Goals:


Day 10: 30 Day Shred January 28, 2010

Posted by gmbmfb in : fitness , 7comments

Yesterday I did Level 2. I can do the entire level without stopping (following Natalie?, the advanced girl), but do you know what really kills me? Those stupid plank jacks. I feel like death when I’m doing them. Everything else is fine. Although that second set of military presses really burn. So in light of being able to do Level 2, I think I will move onto Level 3 this weekend.

I secretly want to be able to do back-to-back shred levels by the end of these 30 days.

After shredding, I stretched and relaxed for an hour with J while we watched Dragon’s Den. Then I did 40 min. of yoga/strength & balance on my Wii Fit.

Question for all you Shredders, how heavy are the weights you’re using?


I heart karma (again) January 28, 2010

Posted by gmbmfb in : job , 3comments

So do you remember my old boss from the last job I had? The one who promised me a raise and then didn’t deliver, stopped paying me OT, caused a huge scene and made me cry in front of everyone at work, never did any of his work, and was a general jerk to everyone? In the end 9 people quit that organization while I was there (for 8 months) and cited my boss as one of the main factors. So yeah, to put it lightly, he was kind of a douche.

Anyway, about 6 months after he got fired from that job, he landed a great job. Even I was impressed. A HUGE important awesome 6-figure salary job. That organization LOVED him. And I do have to admit, he gives a great first impression. I have no doubt he was able to charm his way into that job. Nobody had any bad things to say about him (my friend’s cousin works for that organization). But I just found out that he has been fired from that job for inappropriate work behavior and not doing his work. The same thing he got fired for from the organization we worked for. HA!

In a way I feel bad for him. It’s not cool to be unemployed during this economy. I wouldn’t wish that on anyone, and I feel a bit bad for enjoying this moment a little. I’m sure he has plenty of bills to pay. But then I think to myself: he can’t blame the economy for his job loss. I mean, surely one could chalk it up to bad luck, getting fired from a job. I’ve gotten fired from a job before, so I know what that’s like. But to get fired back-to-back from 2 jobs for the same reasons? And the reasons being his inappropriate behavior and not doing his work? He has nobody but himself to blame.

Now with his stellar work reputation and this awesome job market that we’re in, I wonder how long it will take him to find his next job.


Time to start saving for that airfare January 27, 2010

Posted by gmbmfb in : travel , 17comments

So apparently flights to Michigan have gone up in price since I last lived there. I remember back in the day, flights used to cost $700. Now, I’d be happy to pay that kind of price! Most flights I’m finding are closer to $900, maybe a bit less if we cross the border and fly out of Washington. I’ll keep an eye out on costs, as the wedding isn’t until July. Fingers crossed there’ll be a seat sale in the next few months!

Not to mention we’ll have to pay for accommodation while we’re there. Where the wedding is, there aren’t many options for hotels. And there is 100% no chance that I could stay with the groom or his family. To put it lightly, his fiancée hated me in college. HATED ME. Quite frankly, I’m surprised she even let him invite me to the wedding!

If necessary, I have almost $500 earned in travel dollars from my Amex, so I can put that money towards our trip. But I was really hoping to save that money for our tentative trip to Thailand at the end of this year. Or my trip to NYC next year!