Give Me Back My Five Bucks

Well my friends and I have been in New York City for 2 full days now, and it’s an amazing city. Great restaurants, super friendly people, and so much to see and do! Oh, and the townhouse we rented? Chalk another win up for VRBO.com! I think this rental might trump the beachfront condo we rented in Maui. And.. I’m not sure if I’ll ever stay in a hotel again for vacation! Especially considering it’s cheaper to rent off of VRBO and you get much nicer accommodation. As for my budget… well … I had anticipated $120/day for spending. And … Continue reading →

I have gotten a couple of quotes for the minor renovations I want to do on my place. Looks like the entire project (including labour and materials) will probably cost around $3,500-$4,000. I feel like this is a very reasonable price for the work I want done, and will pursue this option late next week once I’m actually living in my place. This has all been budgeted for, and the money is sitting in my savings account, earmarked for this very purpose. Yesterday I went into the bank to sign and finalize my mortgage details. My mortgage payments are $1,098/month. … Continue reading →

On the property search I had a great time at open houses and viewing appointments this past weekend. On Saturday, BF and I went to one open house, a presentation centre, and then drove past the buildings of a few other open houses, but we either 1) didn’t like the location, or 2) didn’t like the building. Sunday I went by myself with my Realtor to see about 6 listings. I much prefer going to showings with a Realtor because he pointed out things I wouldn’t have bothered to think about, and gave me more insight into the buildings I … Continue reading →

On March 5, 2007 I wrote a post entitled, If you won $1 million, what would you do? It was interesting to read it again, four years later. And it’s really nice to know that while my life has changed a lot, my values really haven’t. My goals have always been to eliminate all debt, save money, invest in myself and my passions, and save for the future. Here are my answers today, side-by-side with my answers from 2007: 2007: Pay off all debts. ($7,000) <– this was my student loan debt 2011: Pay off all debts. ($18,000) <– this … Continue reading →

Today I’m up bright and early because I’m headed out of town for a one-night business trip. So instead of writing a real post, here are some random thoughts: Since the beginning of this month, I’ve lost 2 pounds. My goal is to get down to 130 lbs. or fit back into my size 4 dress (which I fit into last year!), whichever happens first. I mentioned it on Twitter a few weeks ago, but I came across an Ottawa Divorce forum thread where people were bashing one of my Moneyville articles – Some ideas for the frugal dater. In … Continue reading →