Long weekend hiking plans July 28, 2010
Posted by gmbmfb in : fitness, spending , add a commentThis (long) weekend, BF and I are going hiking!!! It will take 3 full days of hiking (1 in, 1 to summit, 1 out). I’m extremely excited because it is my first attempt at a 9,000+ ft. mountain. The tallest mountain I’ve climbed to date is Grimface Mountain at 8,645 ft. So my fingers are crossed that I’ll be able to do this. :)
We are again going with dehydrated meal packages instead of carrying in heavy fresh food. Last night we took BF’s new Jeep for a spin over to MEC, where we picked up 4 meals, 2 pairs of socks (quality hiking socks are so ridiculously expensive) and a canister of fuel for $47.50. I paid for everything, and BF will buy the rest of the food for the trip – trail mix, fruit, sausage, cheese, rye bread, etc.
I’m hoping that it won’t be crowded where we’re going. When we hiked the Juan de Fuca trail, it was pretty busy and I definitely prefer isolation when we’re hiking.
Do you have any plans for the long weekend?
Macbook Pro almost within reach July 27, 2010
Posted by gmbmfb in : design business, job, spending , 14commentsI am very close to buying a new MacBook Pro. I’ve been doing months of research on what exactly I’ll need, and who to buy from for the best possible deal. I’m getting a great deal by buying from a reputable online seller (trust me, I researched up on this big time). Basically I’m getting student discount pricing, and saving an additional $400 for a fully loaded 15″ MBP. Was going to go with the 17″, but it’s just a little too big for easy portability.
The total cost is $2,600. Go ahead, freak out a little. I’m freaking out too! It’s a lot to pay for a computer (less than I paid for my current one though). When I was researching laptops, I knew 2 things: it was going to be an Apple product, and it had to run multiple CS5 programs at once with minimal lag. I work my computers hard when I’m designing, and I need this to last me at least 5 years.
I was originally set to wait a year or so to upgrade to a new computer, because my current one – despite its inability to run CS5 without major lag (it can barely run CS4 when I downloaded the full trial version) – is in great condition. But with the release of CS5, my design business still getting work, and this new PT job opportunity, portability is so key. Especially in our house, where space is at a premium and I might have to relocate to a coffee shop or outside if BF is studying. Plus, the upgrades to the Adobe products are so crazy that I need to get out of CS3 and into CS5.
Right now I have about $1,200 in cash saved up from extra income that I’ve made over the past few months – which includes the $300 sitting in my Savings. I would have had more, but the weddings took a fair chunk of change out of my accounts. I put my iMac up for sale and have generated good interest at $1,100 … hoping to sell it for no less than $900 (anyone want to buy an awesome used computer?). That leaves me with about $300-500 left to make. I’ve got about $300 of guaranteed side income coming up, so once I get that, depending on how my iMac sells, I could have all the cash in hand! :) All that without having to dip into my regular FT job income.
Timeline for purchase is by the end of August. Hopefully mid-August.
Spending Recap: July 19-25, 2010 July 26, 2010
Posted by gmbmfb in : spending , 6commentsMonday 19th
No Spend Day!
Tuesday 20th
No Spend Day!
Wednesday 21st
$5 lunch w/boss (pho!)
$142.50 MOH dress ($115 + shipping)
$169.64 hotel for wedding (2 nights)
Thursday 22nd
$100 cash withdraw (for camping weekend)
$7.40 groceries
Friday 23rd
No Spend Day!
Saturday 24th
No Spend Day!
Sunday 25th
No Spend Day!
TOTAL = $424.54
(ouch!)
Maid of Honour July 21, 2010
Posted by gmbmfb in : saving money, spending , 16comments
I’m not sure if I’ve mentioned it yet or not, but when I was in Seattle, my friend asked me if I would be the Maid of Honour for her wedding in Hawaii. Of course I said yes, and we proceeded to look at dresses I could wear to the wedding. We checked online, as well as shopped for hours in downtown Seattle. In the end, she really liked the J.Crew Taryn dress in Spiced Wine. She didn’t offer to pay for it (and I didn’t really expect her to), so at a price of $215 US + shipping + alterations, I was really apprehensive.
Then I got a fabulous idea – eBay! I did one simple search, and ended up finding the dress (brand new with tags) in the size and colour I want! It was Buy It Now at $149.99 or Best Offer … so I submitted my offer of $115, and a few minutes later, it was accepted!
My budget for this month is cringing, but $115 is a heck of a lot better than $215!!! My fingers are crossed it will need little to no alterations (I’m usually a 4 petite, but bought a 6 petite because of the sizing chart, and reviews online were saying that the dress fit a bit more snug than normal because of the interior corset).
Spending Recap: July 12-18, 2010 July 19, 2010
Posted by gmbmfb in : spending , 3commentsI was away Monday-Friday in Las Vegas. Everything was paid for – all my food and entertainment, except the $6 I lost at the slots. :) I did buy gas and I bought coffee for my co-workers, etc … but all of that will be expensed so I didn’t even include it in this breakdown.
Also, BF and I bought a fish tank & all accessories. We did our research beforehand and thought it would cost about $150. It ended up costing around $170 (ended up buying more gravel than we thought, and went with live plants instead of plastic). Also, we are going to buy one more fish this evening.
Monday 12th – Las Vegas
No Spend Day
Tuesday 13th – Las Vegas
No Spend Day
Wednesday 14th- Las Vegas
$6.87 Walgreens
Thursday 15th- Las Vegas
$6.00 slots
Friday 16th- Las Vegas
No Spend Day
Saturday 17th
$166.29 groceries
$130.74 fish tank & all accessories
Sunday 18th
$40.06 fish, snail, live plant, gravel
TOTAL = $349.96
Spending Recap: July 5-11, 2010 July 19, 2010
Posted by gmbmfb in : spending , 1 comment so farYikes, I forgot that I hadn’t posted this last week. Better late than never!
Please note that for the Seattle weekend I brought down about $100 US that was unused from the trip to Mexico. That $$ will not account for any daily spending as it was already accounted for in a previous trip budget (and does not affect my current budget as I didn’t actually take any money out of my bank), if that makes sense. Also, my friend and I still haven’t tallied up how much we owe each other for the trip, as we both paid for different things. This should be sorted out this week, and then I will add it to that week’s spending recap.
These spending recaps are to account for daily discretionary spending that affects my current monthly budget.
Monday 5th
$9.21 Canada Post
+$12.16 Amazon (book sold)
$6.21 Subway
$4.98 butcher (2 pieces of pork)
$10.16 farm market
$9.98 bakery
Tuesday 6th
$7.96 Dairy Queen (oops!)
Wednesday 7th
$6.21 Subway
$19.98 Superstore
Thursday 8th
$39.23 gas
Friday 9th
No Spend Day – Seattle
Saturday 10th
No Spend Day – Seattle
Sunday 11th
No Spend Day – Seattle
TOTAL = $101.76
Goodbye, Money… July 6, 2010
Posted by gmbmfb in : fitness, spending , 2commentsThis morning I spent $276, all of which will be coming out of my Savings Fund.
$66 mandatory field hockey insurance (valid 1 year)
$210 team fees for the upcoming season (September-May)
BF and I did not renew our rock climbing membership or ski pass, so I feel okay spending this much on another sport. I have all the necessary equipment, and a uniform is provided – except for socks, which I’ll have to buy. And I’m REALLY particular about skirts, so if it’s not the right kind of skirt, I’ll have to buy my own. But that shouldn’t be more than $50-60.
I still don’t know the results of the tryouts, but will let you know as soon as I do!
Also in the next few months I should look into getting a new pair of sports orthodics. I’ve been using the same ones for the past 10 years, and they are in rough shape. I’ve looked into this, and it’s going to cost around $150-200. Which is really cheap considering my current pair has lasted this long. And no, I can’t buy a $20 pair from the drug store, or even the slightly more expensive heat-molded kind. They just don’t give me the support I need, and with my crappy feet and crappier ankles, I need to invest in a really good pair. It would be great if they were covered under my extended health, so I’ll have to do a bit of research.
BF and I are also going to see Bryan Adams and the Beach Boys concert on the opening day of the PNE with a couple of my friends. He HATES Bryan Adams so much, but I nagged him until he gave in. :) We both love the PNE anyway, so we will have fun regardless. This will cost $30/each (which also includes our entry fee into the PNE) and will be my treat. So that’s $60 I will need to remember to budget into August’s finances.
Spending Recap: June 28-July 4, 2010 July 5, 2010
Posted by gmbmfb in : spending , 1 comment so farMonday 28th
No Spend Day – vacation!
Tuesday 29th
No Spend Day – vacation!
No Spend Day – vacation!
Thursday 1st
No Spend Day – vacation!
Friday 2nd
No Spend Day – vacation!
Saturday 3rd
$125 8 days parking at Vancouver airport (that’s the price WITH the online coupon in the Economy Lot)
+$50 (Mom gave me some $$ for parking)
Sunday 4th
$33.89 gas
$5 Subway
TOTAL = $113.89
I wasn’t originally going to park my car at the airport because it’s just so expensive. But it turns out BF wouldn’t have been able to pick me up or drop me off as we had originally planned, and my mom asked if I would drive them to/from the ferry terminal instead of them taking a cab – which would have probably cost around the same amount as parking anyway. Plus, they paid for the entire Mexico trip, so it was the least I could do.
