Give Me Back My Five Bucks

So, not one week after having to call into Amex to dispute a fraudulent credit card charge, I notice on Friday that another one has gone through on my account! This time, it was a $7.99 U.S. monthly subscription service to Netflix. Once again, I called into Amex (seriously, I should put them on speed dial!). The guy was really helpful and polite. He said that the charge went through on the very first card number I held on the account (which was canceled back in February when I noticed the first fraud charge to my Amex). Every time I call in, … Continue reading →

Well I’ve had a lot of requests to see my “office nook” in my bedroom. You probably remember that my bedroom is a really weird shape, with a diagonal wall on one side. At first, the diagonal wall really bothered me. In fact, it bothered me so much that I almost ruled out the townhouse altogether when I first looked at it. But the more I thought about it, the more I liked the quirk. Check out the BEFORE photo of the bedroom (taken by the previous owners): Now, here are the AFTER photos of the bedroom (not quite done … Continue reading →

Monday 8th No Spend Day! Tuesday 9th No Spend Day! Wednesday 10th No Spend Day! Thursday 11th + $300 freelance/side income + $11.45 Great Canadian Rebates $34.67 Pearl Hot Pot Friday 12th $16.58 Shang Noodle House Saturday 13th – Seattle $44.63 gas $33 The Crab Pot $45 baseball ticket $50 hotel Sunday 14th – Seattle $17 IHOP $35 baseball ticket $75.38 Target $7.89 gas WEEKLY EXPENSES: - $359.15 WEEKLY SIDE INCOME *: + $311.45 TOTAL: - $47.70 I did well with keeping my expenses low during the week, because I knew this weekend trip to Seattle would be somewhat pricey. On Thursday, I went … Continue reading →

I am so excited because this time next week I’ll be in San Francisco for 5 nights. This will be my very first trip there, and I’ve been feeling a bit overwhelmed with figuring out what to see. Kind of like how I was with the Oregon trip a few weeks ago. We don’t have much planned so far, except to catch 2 baseball games (Blue Jays vs. A’s), tour Alcatraz, Chinatown, the Golden Gate Bridge, and eat at In-n-Out Burger (obviously). So for those who are from the area or who have been there before – what should we … Continue reading →

Somebody recently asked me how I was able to save up for a down payment on my townhouse. I wrote this post, and then sat on it for a while (like I usually do, because blogging is scary). I realize that sometimes I can sound so ridiculously positive that it might be perceived as if I don’t know how hard it is to actually save money. My goal is never to alienate anyone, or make it sound as if I don’t understand. I’ve come a long ways since being a crazy shopaholic in debt, but I certainly haven’t forgotten what … Continue reading →