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Happy Saturday! March 20, 2010

Posted by gmbmfb in : housing, spending , 5comments

What a gorgeous Saturday! BF is currently in the kitchen making me pancakes. :) Afterwards, I think we’ll wash our cars, then go for a nice walk outside. Hopefully > 10km. We did a massive cleanup yesterday, so our place is looking better. I still really want to paint the walls a nice bright colour, because currently it’s just plain drywall. Don’t ask. I don’t know how to finish off the walls, so painting will just have to wait. It’s hard to believe we’ll be living here for another 3 years or so. I always assumed it was going to be temporary, but with BF training for his career, and not having to pay much rent, you can’t really beat that.

As for my money, I’ve been trying hard to curb the spending, but some of it is just necessary. I’ve had to spend $10 on Skytrain fares over the past 2 weeks to get to my interviews (will probably buy a book of tickets sometime this week), spent $31.91 on my weekly groceries this week, and my 5-day trip home ended up costing $188.46 (including $72 for the ferry). We’re not going out to eat anymore, and I haven’t been near a mall in ages. I’ll have to fill up  my gas tank soon though.

Speaking of spending money, I will be taking out about $300 from my Savings Fund on Monday. Which will pretty much deplete that account. I’m not comfortable saying why at this point, but I do hope to get those funds back in the near future.


Finally, we have a stove! March 8, 2010

Posted by gmbmfb in : housing, spending , 1 comment so far

This was an expensive weekend. First of all, we bought a stove. But not the $575 one we thought we were going to get – the guy who was selling it, ended up selling it to someone who could get there faster than us (we didn’t have the use of a truck secured) – boo urns to that! So after much research and driving around, checking out different stores and models, we ended up buying one for $700 ($625 + tax). We also had to rent a van from Budget for $75, which was cheaper than the company’s delivery charge ($100) – and trust me, we did everything we could to try and borrow a truck from someone (we only know one person who has a truck, and he was out of town for the weekend). So in the end, including the van rental, we will both be spending around $390 each for the stove. Which is a lot of money to pay, but it is going to be totally worth it. You all know how long I’ve been waiting for a real, actual stove! Which means … no more cooking out of a stupid skillet … BAKING! An oven! Soups! Ohhh I am so excited thinking about the possibilities! You really take for granted how much you use your stove, until you’re forced to live almost a year without one. :)

I also bought a new Apple mighty mouse. My old one finally died on me, after repeated attempts to clean the scroll ball and figure out why it was so glitchy. That was expensive, and set me back $85 (which will come out of my March budget in the ‘miscellaneous’ category). I’m still trying to get used to not having a scroll ball … but just having this new mouse makes me want to get a new computer. In the next 2-3 years I will definitely need to upgrade. I’ll also need to upgrade my design software. Which will be expensive, but I’ve been putting that off for years now.

One last expense … I treated BF to donairs on Saturday ($17), after all of his hard work re-wiring our house so that we had the ability to even have a stove. He did a pretty good job (despite the hole in the drywall behind the stove), and did everything to code.


Downtown Vancouver: Micro-Loft Living January 25, 2010

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I just read an article on CBC about micro-lofts in Vancouver, which will be 270 sq.ft. lofts that will rent for about $300 less than the average bachelor suite. I thought it was a fabulous idea, especially after watching this video a few weeks ago about a 344 sq.ft. flat in Hong Kong. These kinds of living spaces are everywhere around the world where space is at a premium.

Okay. Living in downtown Vancouver is expensive. That’s just the way it is. And if you insist on living downtown (or in Vancouver in general), you’re going to have to pay a premium. So it really makes me angry when renters complain about unfair living costs. It’s not unfair, it’s life. No one is forcing you to live in Vancouver. There are many more affordable options a little farther out – but still close to downtown, thanks to the SkyTrain.

Commentors on the article were complaining that the size of the micro-loft is too small and that it is too expensive. But that’s how much it costs to live in downtown Vancouver! Seriously. You can’t expect $600/month rent in the heart of the city. That’s just unrealistic and will never happen. So if you want more space for less money, move a little farther out.

These new micro-lofts are expected to rent for about $675-750/month, which is still expensive IMO, but considerably less than the $979/month average rent of a bachelor suite downtown. But for about $700/month you can rent a 1-bed apartment in Burnaby, which will give you much more space than 270 sq.ft, and is only a short SkyTrain ride to downtown.

When I first moved to Vancouver, my 1-bed apartment on the outskirts of Vancouver was only $600/month, including utilities. My 2nd (bigger) apartment, a little farther out (but still on a SkyTrain line) was $725/month. Both of these options gave me the space I wanted at a fair price. The same space downtown would have cost me at least twice as much.

No, these micro-lofts will not address low income residents. But it will address urban densification (which I am definitely in favour of), and alternative living space for those who really want to live in the downtown core, but don’t want to pay ridiculously high prices. It’s give and take. Do you want location, or do you want space? Because generally speaking, in the heart of most major urban centres, you cannot get both.


K & BF enter the civilized world October 29, 2009

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I forgot to mention that BF has informed me he is going to install a stove in our place now that we’re here for a while. A STOVE! Finally!!! I can’t wait until we can say goodbye to that skillet and cook up some real food.

He says that we’ll have it by the New Year, since he has to save up to buy the stove and then figure out the venting (that’s why we currently don’t have a stove – no venting for one). But the point is that the wheels are in motion. They’re turning! Pretty soon I can unbox all of my pots and pans and make stews during the winter, and cook proper dinners and bake to my little heart’s content!


2 months later: living with the BF July 27, 2009

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So it’s been just over 2 months since I moved in with BF, and things are going well. We are spending a lot more quality time together. We’re also eating healthier and it seems like we have more time just to hang out, as opposed to rushing around and gathering overnight bags, etc. I feel more relaxed.

We still need to curb our spending. Admittedly, I’ve been spending more than usual. I could say that it’s because of summer, but I know it’s because of the decrease in my fixed expenses, I have a lot more of my money freed up. That’s not good. I’m still saving a minimum of $1,300/month (usually more like $1,500, so about 50% of my net income), which I think is really good. I have the potential to save more than that if I stay within my monthly budget, and I haven’t been. But I’d like to. So I’m going to try really hard in August.

Here’s how we pay our expenses:

BF
Cable/Internet
1/4 of gas

Me
Car insurance
3/4 of gas

All of the other utilities are covered with our rent ($150 each/month). Right now, BF’s groceries are around $75/week and mine are around $50/week. We share the cost of dinner items pretty evenly, but our snacks, juice, lunches, breakfast, etc. – we buy all of that separately. I think this is the perfect way to split up our expenses for our situation. Once we get back from traveling and move, I’m sure we’ll set up a joint account and pay our expenses that way. But for now, this works for us.


Gorgeous weekend spent indoors June 1, 2009

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Thursday after work, BF and I went back to the island for the funeral on Friday. It was a sad day. It’s been 14 years since grandpa passed away, so it was comforting to know that even though grandma is gone, she’s now with him. There was a big banquet dinner held in the evening, and then afterward we went back to Vancouver on the last ferry.

Oh! During the day, BF and I went to Future Shop with my sister. He wanted to buy a case for the camera I bought him, and I wanted to take a look at the LG X120 netbook again. I saw that the price was back up to $499. It was down to $479 the last time I saw it in the store, and I swear online I saw it at $459 once. At any rate, I asked one of the salesmen if he would do it for $459, and he said he wasn’t allowed to. Then I asked for $479, and he again said no. So I walked. I’ll wait until the price goes down before I buy, although like I said before, I’d really like to have it for Alaska. I could get a lot of writing done during our down time or if we’re just lounging on the deck or by the pool.

Anyway, this weekend I unpacked and organized all of my things from my old apartment. Everything I want to keep is either put away or in storage. Everything else was tossed. I’m pleased with how everything looks, but space is pretty tight. BF spent his time priming and painting, and building some sort of bench that opens so that we can store our shoes and outdoorsy gear in the entryway.

I’ll be going back home again this coming weekend for my cousin’s birthday banquet dinner (she’s turning the big 5-0), and my aunt’s birthday brunch. I have $30 budgeted in June for travel, so that will cover the ferry costs. BF is going to pick me up and drop me off at the terminal to save on parking. Driving my car is cheaper than taking the bus (and takes way less time).

June’s budget is really exciting me. Especially because BF is also going to track his expenses with a similar spreadsheet. I feel like it’s the beginning of something new. I’m shacked up with my man now, and finally everything can go back to normal. It’s been non-stop since the car crash back in April, it seems.


Giving up the apartment keys today May 28, 2009

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Yesterday afternoon BF left work early and went to my old apartment to start putting things into the moving van. I didn’t do a good job of packing up my apartment. I basically packed up the essentials, and left everything else. Was not looking forward to a long evening of suck. So when I got to my apartment 2 hours later, I was very surprised to see that he had packed up my entire kitchen, and everything else was basically ready to go. He’s great. I wiped down the counters and cleaned the washroom while BF vacuumed. A few trips to the van, and to the garbage/recycling area, and we were done!

With all of J’s hard work, plus the entire day of moving he did on Sunday when I went back home to see my Grandma (and the fact that he was able to borrow a huge van on 2 separate occasions for free), I treated him to a nice all-you-can-eat sushi dinner afterward. The total bill (after tax and tip) came to $50. :) A fraction of the price it would have cost to hire someone to do what he did.

Since BF has to work all weekend, I’ll spend that time going through the boxes and organizing everything. I’m going to drop off my apartment keys to my landlord on my lunch break today, and then we will officially be living together. My landlord said that he’ll mail me my damage deposit within a week. I’ll be splitting the money – half into my EF and half into Savings.


Everything is getting done tonight May 27, 2009

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Last night we moved a car load of things back to our place, but today after work we have to get everything done. BF has borrowed a van, so we can get all the big items over no problem. But I still need to pack up the kitchen, and then we’ll have to clean and vacuum before we’re ready to leave. Then I have to drop the keys off at my landlord’s house.

BF said that we can do it all today for sure, so I didn’t bother asking my landlord if I could have Saturday before giving him the keys.

We’ve decided to go back to the island on Thursday night and then come back Friday night. The funeral is on Friday, then there’s a big family dinner afterwards. I might stay for Saturday, but haven’t decided yet. Probably not.

Other than that, not much is new. I’ve been playing The Sims 2 on the Wii for a few days now, and I’m hooked. I totally heart The Sims. Although, games like that don’t really utilize the Wii for what it was intended for, so it’s not really that great. We have wireless internet, so I think I’m going to try to play Mariokart with my sister. :)