Give Me Back My Five Bucks

Today I leave for Paris! :) Couldn’t sleep at all last night. I’m finally excited, and finally ready to believe that this is actually happening. After my round-the-world-trip plans got canceled a few years ago, I was devastated. So I’ve been really conscious about not getting my hopes up about travel. Even though we booked our flights and accommodation, received our travel visas, and I quit my job, something inside of me told me just to back off and not get too wrapped up in planning something that might just fall through. Anyway, I have posts scheduled here, and on … Continue reading →

Monday 16th $17.37 Pearl Hot Pot $44.91 gas Tuesday 17th + $760 freelance/side income $1 parking $16.73 Canada Post Wednesday 18th + $350 freelance/side income $7.95 Fraser Park Restaurant Thursday 19th + $750 freelance/side income No Spend Day!  Friday 20th $135.62 The Keg Saturday 21st $4.71 convenience store Sunday 22nd No Spend Day!  WEEKLY EXPENSES: - $228.29 WEEKLY SIDE INCOME *: + $1,860 TOTAL: + $1,631.71 I spent a ridiculous amount of money on going out to eat this week. But there were so many people to see before we leave in a few days. The $135.62 I spent at The Keg was because … Continue reading →

There’s nothing I hate more than having to pay roaming and long distance charges when I travel to the USA. And last year, I traveled a lot. Even with the $10/month U.S. data roaming option provided to me by Rogers Wireless, I still paid hundreds of dollars in roaming charges in the last 12 months alone. Enter Roam Mobility. This Vancouver-based company is now offering us Canucks a flexible, affordable, and commitment-free (no contracts!) roaming option when traveling across the border. When I was at the Financial Blogger Conference in Chicago this past September, I ended up paying $10 (data … Continue reading →

For years, my line of credit was my crutch. I used every available dollar of credit available to help me limp from month to month, or whenever an “emergency” arose. Times have certainly changed for me. I just hit the $10,000 mark for my emergency fund – which represents 4 months of comfortable living based on my current needs – or 5 months of living on a bare-bones budget. However, now that I’ve been debt free for a few years, I’m often asked why I don’t use a line of credit as my emergency fund instead – leaving me with the … Continue reading →

Today is my last day at my full-time job. And in exactly one week, I’ll be on a plane to Europe. The excitement of this plan is gone. It was fun when we were buying plane tickets and talking about sightseeing. But now that it’s real, and actually happening? I’m feeling a nervousness that I haven’t felt in years – if, ever. I haven’t been able to sleep, and I always feel worried. I crave stability, and the decisions that I’ve made over the last month have me completely stressed out. It’s not the move to Germany – that part … Continue reading →