Give Me Back My Five Bucks

August Goals (end of month review):

• $2,000 towards RRSPs. Well, a turn of events in my condo down payment plan saw me dump $12,398 into my RRSPs this month. Even when you factor in the $6,500 RRSP loan I took out, I still put in $5,898 of my own money, which I think is awesome.

• $200 towards Emergency Fund. I was able to save $310!

• $2,000 towards Condo Down Payment Fund. I put in $450 because the rest of it went into my RRSPs.

• $50 dining out budget. I didn't make it this month, at $71.56 ... but that's still pretty good. A little lower than last month, although not by much. Will try to reduce it a bit more for September.
  

I renamed my "Treat Myself" fund to a Travel Fund, because that was what it was really for to begin with - vacations, trips to Vancouver, concerts, etc. I plan on going on a holiday next summer to the East Coast of the US, so I'd better start saving up now. :)

I'm still only depositing $25 out of every pay cheque, and I don't see myself increasing that by a lot until I've got a sizable down payment ready, and my EF is up higher than $2,000.

Almost halfway there!

I think the worst part about working during irregular business hours, while everyone else works a 9-5, is that I never know what’s going on. I’m never in the loop. I get post-it notes and vague e-mails about assignments, and I never really get to talk to anyone about the work that needs to get done. It’s very frustrating. Also, we just took on a new (HUGE) client, and I’ve been asked to design a boatload of new posters, flyers and pamphlets for them. Working full time for them just isn’t cutting it right now. The scope of the marketing position has gotten so out of control that they’ve rehired the woman whose maternity leave I’m covering, so that we’re both working the same position. Of course, because of her maternity leave, she is restricted to how many hours she’s able to work, but still.

My boss hinted that they might keep me on as a part-time employee once she comes back to full-time in November. There’s just too much stuff to do for just one person alone, especially with the new client.

Also, I never know who’s gone on vacation. So I submitted my time sheet to the secretary on the same day I always submit it (Tuesdays), but when I checked my bank account this morning, I only got paid for 1 week of work! I called the office, and it turns out she was on vacation, and that she had told everyone in last week’s team meeting to submit their timesheets to payroll themselves. ARGGG!!!

It’s a good thing it’s a 3-paycheque month, and it’s also a good thing that I work two jobs, because if this had happened and I was only working one job, I would be demanding they cut me a manual cheque.

Oh well. Stuff like this happens, I guess. At least my next pay cheque will be extra big.

In other work news, my boss is hiring me to tutor him in Macromedia Dreamweaver. I’m only charging him $30/hour (I should be charging about double that), and it won’t take much time – just a few hours here or there, but work is work, and I’ll take as much as I can right now.

Well, you know how I said the only store around my office is an over-priced corner store? Well I forgot to mention that it only sells organic stuff, so it’s even more expensive than a regular over-priced corner store. I went there today to grab a bottle of salad dressing, since I ran out and forgot to bring a new bottle at home – but the only dressing they had was $6.50 a bottle!!! You have got to be kidding me! Well, I bought it anyway, because the bottle was still cheaper than buying a sandwich at the deli, but still … I feel so disgusted with myself. I could have bought 2 ½ bottles of the cheapo Kraft dressing I usually buy, so this new expensive organic dressing better be 2 ½ times better.

Oh, and to top it all off, I’m meeting my co-workers from my part-time job for lunch tomorrow. Since I work evenings and weekends, I never get to see them anymore … but they want to go to deli at the over-priced corner store (they have a patio out behind the store, and it really is quite nice). I don’t mind going tomorrow, since I NEVER get to see them anymore, and we’re going to try to make this lunch a monthly thing, so one day a month to eat out really isn’t that bad. This is the first time I’ll be going out for lunch (where I actually have to pay) since I started this job, and that was 6 weeks ago.

Also, the BF is going fishing on the mainland with his dad for a whole week, starting tomorrow. I’m very jealous. Also, I anticipate myself losing weight while he’s gone. When the only options are 1) eating something super late at night, and 2) just not eating at all, sometimes #2 is the best option. All my friends are also going away for the long weekend, so I fear I’ll be stuck all by my lonesome with nothing to do. Guess it’ll be a good time to get caught up on my work at the part-time job, and have some relaxation time for myself.

Note: the following post is sponsored

Real Estate Investing has always been a goal of mine. I hope one day to be the type of person who can earn an income off of real estate that I own. My goal would be to have at least one rental property (would love two) that generates a cash-positive flow for me. In the city that I live in, there is a very low vacancy rate for rental units (University town, plus it's just an amazing place to live), so people who do rent out their properties usually always make a profit.

When my sister is older and my parents have paid off their mortgage, they were thinking of buying a condo and renting out their house to generate some income. Since they are both about 7 or 8 years away from retirement, I can see how it could benefit them to move and rent out their house (which has two separate units, and 5 bedrooms in total).

I, however, am a long way from even owning my own property, never mind getting into real estate investing. Although, I always want to stay informed and on top of trends happening across North America, Canada, as well as in my city. A newsletter produced by REIClub.com is a great solution to staying informed on current real estate trends, upcoming seminars, and real estate investing tips, advice, and resources. Best of all, it's free to subscribe!

Oh my god, my winter coat search is over. I absolutely fell in love with the new J.Crew lineup, and I was head over heals for this coat. Unfortunately, by the time I was ready to buy it (yesterday), they had completely sold out of the red! So I decided to get the black – it’s classic and versatile, and gorgeous. I really wanted to get two winter coats (one dress coat for work, and one casual coat for every day), but there was no way I could afford to buy 2 coats at regular price! I figured maybe I could get a casual coat when they all went on sale in the New Year. Or wait until next season.

During my lunch hour today, I decided to place the order on the black coat. I was going to get it shipped to my cousin in San Francisco. My parents are visiting him in a few weeks, so they could bring it back with them. It was a lot to pay for just one coat, but I’ve had J.Crew coats before when I was in college, and they were wonderfully made. I feel like a classic black coat will be wearable for years and years to come. Plus, if you gamble and wait for them to go on sale, you risk not getting the right colour and size.

BUT THEN, I decided to take a gander and look to see if there was anything good in the sale section of the website … and WOULD YOU BELIEVE IT!?!? They had all of last year’s coats on for 50% off! AND THEY EVEY HAD PETITE SIZES!!! They weren’t there yesterday when I was browsing through the site, so they must have just come out today. Plus, I found a coupon on the internet for free shipping (JCREWU ... valid until the end of August). Total score!

So basically for the price of the one coat I was going to buy, I was able to get a more expensive black coat (in wool/cashmere instead of wool/nylon) and a beautiful casual coat, both with the Thinsulate lining (which the original coat didn’t have)!

I am so happy and I feel like I got a really good deal. There were a ton of coats in the sale section (in petite, regular, tall), so if you’re on the lookout for a good winter coat at a great price, you don’t have to wait for this season’s coats go on sale anymore! :)

Note: the following post is sponsored

Do you own a business, or do you aspire to be an entrepreneur? I really admire the person who started the company I work for, because she is the ultimate entrepreneur. It takes such hard work and dedication to grow a business, and it's not just for anyone.

I think the hardest part about starting a business is trying to raise the money to take a side business and turn it into a career. Companies like Submit Business Plan understand the needs of people searching for the right venture capital firm. It's time consuming and frustrating (and often times very confusing) trying to sort out the financial side of the business ... but with Submit Business Plan, their team researches and catalogs many different companies and investors so that you're able to submit your business plan in minutes to hundreds, and sometimes thousands, of potential investors without spending days trying to research the ones that fit your company.

If I were to ever take my side business seriously, I would consider a company like Submit Business Plan. There's just something about working for yourself that's so alluring; it's the ultimate dream for a lot of people - making your own hours, deciding when you work and how fast you want to grow your business. Working for yourself is a completely different lifestyle than working for someone else, and it's something I'd like to experience sometime during my career.

A co-worker just dumped the guy she was seeing because his name was Wayne Kerr.

bahahahaha!!!

One of the things I dread when I come home from work each evening, is having to pack my lunch for the next day. It's such a chore! But I still do it, because it saves a ton of money on food. Plus, I work out in an office in the countryside, so it's not like we have a ton of options around here. In fact, the only place you can get food is an organic corner store that has an overpriced deli in it. I've been there once, when my boss took me out for lunch.

Anyway, what I've been doing for the past 3 weeks is bringing a huge container of salad greens, 1/2 can of tuna or salmon, and some Kraft Signature Balsamic Vinaigrette dressing. This is such a cheap and easy lunch to make!!! I literally toss a 1/2 can of tuna into a container, stuff it full with salad, and leave a bottle of dressing in the fridge at work.

The salad costs me $4 (pre-washed organic greens from Costco - the same sized container and brand sells for $8 at the local grocery store, which when you think about it, is still a good deal). The tuna is usually $1/can, and each can lasts me 2 days (I don't put tuna in my lunch on Fridays so I don't have to keep a 1/2 can of tuna in my fridge for a weekend) ... and the dressing is $2.50 a bottle, which will last me about a month. I usually also buy a bunch of spinach ($0.75 for a huge bundle) to throw in the salad, just to make it last longer.

With the salad, I'll bring a small container of grapes or whatever fruit is on sale ($5 for 2 weeks), some crackers ($2.50/box), and a granola bar ($5 for 2 boxes) for an afternoon snack.

So my lunch for 2 weeks costs me:
$4 salad greens
$4 for 4 cans of tuna
$1.25 for 1/2 bottle of dressing
$0.75 spinach
$5 fruit
$2.50 crackers
$5 granola bars
= $22.50 ($11.25 per week, or $2.25 per day)

I've been lucky because so far, I haven't gotten sick of my lunches yet. I know I could probably lower the cost of my lunches if I didn't eat tuna, or made my own granola bars, etc ... but I think I've been doing pretty good. Also, I've been switching up the fruit, granola bars, crackers so I get some variety ... and sometimes we splurge on an extra treat to throw in our lunches, like dried mango (YUM!!!) from the bulk bins (which usually ends up costing about $1/week).

What do you usually bring for your lunch?

Field hockey season starts today and I am very excited (even though it's just practice). As last year's Division 1 champions, we have to defend our title. Most of our players are returning, but a few key ones are not. We also picked up a couple of young guns who will definitely strengthen our midfield line.

Along with the season comes the league fees. This year, it's going to be more than ever before because Field Hockey Canada has decided to impose a $65 insurance fee for every single player in Canada, regardless of age, who steps onto a field this year. It's so stupid because it's not like it costs $65 to insure each person (more like $10!), and it now means casual players will think twice about joining a pick up league, or it may mean parents won't enroll their young children in the youth leagues because they can't afford it (youth leagues already cost $120 for just 6 games because of high turf fees) ... and it means someone can't just "try it out" for a game to see if they like the sport, because as soon as they step onto the field, they have to pay $65.

The BF played in his first league last year with me (a fun mixed league), with fees costing him $75 + $10 insurance. So now, instead of $85 to play for the season, it's going to cost him $140! As someone who's on the fence about the sport to begin with, he's already decided not to come back to the team because it's too much money.

Despite the huge fee increase, but I'm still going to pay it because I love the sport ... but for those who want to start playing, those on the fence about playing, those with low incomes, those with multiple kids who play sports, those who just can't afford it ... they probably won't be willing to pay it, and they'll end up playing a cheaper sport like soccer.

So, a big shout out goes to Field Hockey Canada, for effectively destroying the game of field hockey for all of Canada.

Note: the following post is sponsored

Vontoo has come out with the Technology of Voice Message Broadcasting, which basically enables organizations to create, send, and track voice messages to people who want to hear from them. I personally have never been involved with voice message broadcasting, but I do know that more and more companies are trying it out. It’s cheaper than snail mail, and it seems like it would be quite effective.

There are so many different benefits to the Vontoo voice messaging program. They have a permission-based functionality, they design web landing pages to automatically build recipient lists, and you can upload entire lists in a single step. What’s also great is that they have tracking reports which provide comprehensive information (identifies which call reaches an actual person, how long they listen to the message, determines ideal call times, etc).

A really cool success story of someone who actually used Vontoo was the NBA’s Memphis Grizzlies. Basically the team had decided on doing a promotion just 10 days before a game, the marketing group had to get the word out as quickly as possible. By using Vontoo, it enabled them to create, and then send and track permission-based voice messages to existing customers. The Grizzlies wanted to motivate his database of 6,000 fans that have purchased single-game tickets over the past year. With that one call (which cost them just $650), they generated $33,000 in sales (1,500 tickets). Crazy!!

A few people have asked me how I was able to get my Movado watch so cheap. After researching the watch endlessly on many different websites, I decided to check and see if any were selling on eBay ... and that's where I found the one that I eventually bought!

The woman who was selling it originally had it listed for $150 US. She had all the original paperwork and the receipt from the store, so I wasn't worried about her trying to sell me a fake watch. She had almost 200 feedback messages (100% positive), and the rest of the items she was selling were decorative plates, figurines, etc ... so it's not like she was one of those wholesalers on eBay that sell 50 of the same watch. In her eBay profile it said that she was retired and just supplementing her pension with any extra money she can make on the side. The watch was a retirement gift, but it wasn't really her style ... so it just sat in her jewelry drawer for a few months.

So I e-mailed her to ask if it was in 100% pristine condition. Even though she had said that it was brand new, I wanted to make sure there wasn't so much as a crease in the band of the watch. I didn't see any reason why she would dupe me. I showed all the info to the BF too, and he thought everything looked fine.

Anyway, I was watching the auction, and at the last minute decided not to bid on it ... and it ended WITH NO BIDS! I couldn't believe nobody would want to bid on a brand new Movado watch. Especially when there were auctions being won for the same watch at a much higher price.

I thought about it for a bit, and then decided to contact the seller and ask her if she would let the watch go for $100 US plus $6 shipping. She e-mailed me back the next day and agreed to it.

I used to use eBay a lot (both to sell and to buy), and have just recently gotten back into it. As long as you don't get caught up in a crazy bidding war, and you do your research on the product and on the seller, I think you can score some fabulous deals!

Does anyone else use eBay?

I'm sorry to report that the BF and I ended up not going to the seminar after all. We were on our way there when I started complaining that we would have to sit through an entire 90 minute presentation before we got to eat ... and that the MP3 player they promised was some crappy piece of junk ... and wasn't our time worth more than that?

So we went downtown and ordered take-out food from Noodle Box instead. :) $18.50 for the two of us. I know, I know ... we could have gotten a free lunch from the seminar, but I really was not in the mood to sit in some hotel conference room and listen to some loser try and sell us on some lame pyramid scheme. Besides, I still had room in my $50/month dining out budget to justify going out to eat.

In other news, I bought a watch yesterday. I know what you're thinking - I've never mentioned wanting to buy a watch before, but I've been looking for a new one for about 2 or 3 years now. I just haven't found one that I absolutely love. Until now. It's a Movado, and I've been eyeing it for a while now. It retails for $450 US ... I got it for $106 US including shipping. I love how clean it looks all in black, and I know it'll never go out of style. Plus, I've never seen it that cheap before, so I had to get it.

Also, yesterday the BF and I started our spring cleaning (about 6 months too late) ... and I took a bunch of pictures of clothes and other things that I want to list on eBay. I don't even care if my profit is only a few dollars on each item ... it's clearing out the clutter in our place! Anything I don't sell I'm going to give to the women's transition house. So as soon as eBay has one of those cheap listing days, I'll be listing all my stuff.

So yesterday, my boss took me out for lunch for my 1-month review. She told me that she was having meetings with the VP of the company about expanding the communications department (currently it's just me and her). She said she wants to divide it into three sub-departments, where each department would have it's own manager and coordinator, and they would all report back to her. Then she went onto say that I came on board at a really good time because the VP has approved the expansion, and she's implementing the changes to the organization within the next year, and I would be able to move up to a management position at that time. Sweet!!

I mean, I'm not counting on it, because everything moves so fast with this company ... who knows, that plan could be set aside for another restructuring move down the road. Our company is in it's 11th year, and the first year, it was just the president doing a one-man show ... and now we have 150 full-time employees at the main office, and almost 5000 employees across the country. In just 11 years!!! It's such an exciting time to be a part of a company like this.

After some careful consideration, I've decided that I am officially in love with this D&G shoulder bag.

Does anyone want to give me $1,650.99 US (retail $2,250 US), plus shipping, duties & taxes?

... to do another Blogroll purge.

It's not that I like to do it, but my Blogrolls are already packed as it is - no need to clutter it up with blogs that aren't being updated! Anyway, I usually delete blogs off my Blogroll if they haven't been updated in about 2 months. I still keep them in my Google Reader though, so if they happen to start posting again, I'll re-add them.

If I've deleted you by accident, please let me know! Also, if anyone wants to do a link exchange, leave me a message. :)

Last week I got an invitation in the mail to go to some seminar about internet marketing. I could bring one guest, there would be lunch provided, and we would each walk away with an MP3 player (on the pamphlet, it showed the iPod shuffle, but it's probably some cheapo knock off). Anyway, it looked sketchy - like they were just going to talk to us about some pyramid scheme.

I showed it to the BF, and he said we should go. I mean, it's not like we had any plans anyway. The presentation is only 90 minutes, and we get a free lunch out of it and a free MP3 player, so why not? We aren't obligated to sign up for anything. So I called the toll-free number and registered us to attend on Saturday for the lunch session. Free is free, after all. Will let you know how it goes.

One of my best friends, her BF is currently living in France for 2-3 years because his company transferred him over there to train the European division of offices (or something like that). He's back in town for 3 weeks on vacation, so tonight we're going on a double date at an overpriced restaurant. It was her BF's choice, and since he just got back into town, we decided to let him pick the place. Both of them aren't really into ethnic foods like the BF and I are ... and the place he chose basically serves run-of-the-mill bar food, just on fancy plates and for double the price. I despise places like that. Oh well, at least their beer is good. It will probably end up costing about $25-30 per person for food alone ... but I'm okay with it since I haven't seen him in over a year, and it's basically his favourite place to eat.

My friend got the job, so now she is officially my boss. How strange. My sister (who is one of the game day staff members that I manage) thinks that my friend is going to be calling me all the time with questions about the position, since I'm the only one who knows exactly how certain tasks are supposed to be done. We're having coffee later on this week to talk about her job. :) I'm really excited for her because it's a great opportunity to gain some experience and further her career.

Now that the position has been filled, I have to confess that I'm really glad I ended up not taking the job. I thought my boss made a pretty crummy salary for all the work that she had to do, but it turns out my friend was offered (and has accepted) a salary much lower than what my boss was making!!! If you break that down, it ends up being worse than the hourly wage my sister was making last year working at KFC! And it's not like she's working a 40 hr. week either ... more like 50-65 hrs, meaning she probably won't have much free time to do any contract jobs on the side, like she's able to do now.

That being said, it's still a smidge more money than my friend is making now at her current job, and I suppose the lower salary is somewhat justified since she has no management experience whatsoever ... but still. How can anyone be expected to get ahead with a salary under $30k living in such an expensive city?

Today and tomorrow at work, we're doing a sort of clothing swap - where everyone donates their old clothes, and you can buy items with all proceeds going to our charitable foundation. I think it's a fabulous idea because I was planning on cleaning out my closet and giving a lot of clothes away to goodwill. We have just over 150 employees here, so it'll be weird seeing people walk around, wearing castoffs from other people ... but I'm sure there's some good stuff because all the co-workers who work in my office, they all dress nicely and are around my age. I'm definitely excited to check out all the stuff and hopefully buy some new (to me) clothes!

This whole clothing swap thing wasn't hard to put together, and it's a really frugal way to score clothes from your fashionable co-workers ... without having to put up with the secondhand store smell. :)

Also, I've been eBaying lately and picked up a new pair of summer sandals for $35 including shipping! In the stores they were $130 regular price, and I needed new sandals anyway b/c mine are about to fall apart.

***EDIT***
I came away empty-handed! :( The only thing I really liked was a black velvet DKNY blazer, but it didn't look quite right on me. I'm too short and it was too long. Oh well. It was still pretty cool to see my co-workers buying my clothes.

Remember when I posted about my boss leaving her job at the arena, and how I really wanted the job, but it just didn't pay enough? Well, it's been over a month now, and they still haven't hired anyone - but a very good friend of mine (who graduated college from the same program as me) has a job interview tomorrow for it! The season's coming up quick, so I'm sure they want to fill the spot ASAP.

I'm excited for her because she's been stuck at a lousy job since we graduated, and she's been wanting to get out for the longest time. However, if she got the job, I think it would be really weird for her to be my boss. I've never been in a situation before where, not only would a close friend be my boss, but my boss would also be younger than me. It seems strange, and I know we work well together, but somewhere the line will have to be drawn between employer and employee, and that's never been done before with us. We've always been equals.

Maybe I'm not making any sense, but it feels awkward just thinking about having to answer to her. I know I'm probably overreacting towards the whole situation. I'm sure it'll be fine. And the fact that if she gets hired, she's going to hire my entire event staff back again - that's going to be awesome, because I did not want to have to deal with training a bunch of newbies and the staff from last year are eager to come back. And who knows, maybe I'll get myself a raise! :)

In an effort to get rid of those Belgian chocolate pieces (I was eating too many for my own good!), last night I baked chocolate chip cookies. Thankfully, I had everything I needed in the pantry so I didn't have to spend any money. I baked 2 dozen and then froze the rest of the dough to use later. As soon as the BF smelled the freshly baked cookies, he grabbed a glass of milk and started cramming them down his throat.

I also noticed that I have about 6 or 7 bananas in the freezer, so that means I'll have to muster up the energy to bake banana bread sometime soon. Yum!

Also, yesterday we went to the video store to pick up a few movies to watch: 300 (his choice) and Little Miss Sunshine (my choice). We both pretty much hated 300, but LMS was really cute. We paid $8 total to rent those movies, and I guess it was a shock to us that it cost that much! We rarely ever rent movies, but when we do, we usually only pay $2 for each new release, since our local video store only charges a toonie after 9pm. Oh well.

Well I was tagged by Loonies And Sense to continue Moolanomy's My One Money Advice (MOMA) Meme. The aim of this meme is to help promote financial responsibility and awareness in our hyper consumption society.

The question: If you can give one advice, tip, or story related to money, what would you share?

That's a hard question. After thinking about this for a while, my advice would be:

"When you think you can't ... you can."

For me, it was all about budgeting; for years I just stuck my head in the sand and did nothing about my finances. I let the debt pile up and just kept on spending. The debt seemed too big for me to handle ... that there was no way I could get myself out of my situation, so why bother trying?

When I finally sat down and tried to figure out a budget, it was really hard for me because I never had a budget before. Every month, I would revisit my budget and see if there was any fat I could trim off. It became a game to me - how little can I spend each pay period? It was really surprising how much money I could save if I just made it my priority. And just when I thought I couldn't possibly trim my budget down anymore, I found another way to save a dollar. If you're reading this and looking to create a budget and start hacking at your debt, it takes discipline and it's not easy, but you got yourself into this mess, now get yourself out.

I used to be very good friends with this girl in college ... she was the type of person who would complain and complain about being "broke as hell," but wouldn't do anything to change her situation. Meanwhile she would continue to buy booze every week, dine out with her BF, buy her expensive clothes, go dancing on the weekends, concerts with her friends in Vancouver ... things that aren't cheap!

She says that she deserves all of the things she spends money on, because she works hard. She says she can't live on such a small amount of money, can't get ahead, can't save, can't get a second job, can't change her ways. Can't, can't can't. It's not my place to give her advice, but if she ever asked for it, I would tell her that SHE CAN. She just has to believe in herself and stop making excuses.

There's always a way out of every problem ... but as I'm sure all of you PF bloggers out there already know, it takes sacrifice and hard work to correct years of poor financial decisions. No one can force you to do anything, so you've got to want it. But it can to be done, no matter what type of situation you've gotten yourself into.

If I can do it, she can do it, and so can anyone else out there.

Anyway, that's my advice. Believe in yourself, because when you put your mind to it, you can achieve anything. Sappy, but true. :)

Now, I'm going to tag NIUiceprincess, Dimples, Angie, SavingDiva and No More Spending.

If I was going to get sick during any weekend this summer, I'm glad it was this one. It's cloudy and gloomy, so the BF and I didn't end up going camping anyway. I'm really not wanting to go to work tomorrow, but I don't think I'm sick enough to not go. We'll see how I feel tomorrow morning.

Friday evening, the BF and I went out for dinner with his parents, and another couple and their son. Maybe it's because I'm usually not one to splurge on dining out at fancy restaurants, but this place was expensive!! My meal alone cost $60, not including the multiple glasses of wine I had. It was a delicious meal, but I don't know if I would go there again, only because of the price. Whenever we go out with the BF's parents, we always go to such fancy restaurants. I usually don't even KNOW what the dish is I'm ordering. For example, I ordered lamb for my main course, but from the description, I had no idea what it came with or how it was being prepared. Anyway it ended up coming with sausage and some pasta ribbons, which I wasn't expecting at all. I guess I need to bone up on my fancy dining lingo. :)

Yesterday, I went to get my hair cut. Instead of going to my usual place that costs $68 (including $10 tip), I tried a new place that all my friends are going to. It cost me $57 (including $10 tip). I probably tipped too much. Anyway, I can't tell if I like my cut or not, because the guy styled it weird after it was cut.

After my hair cut, I picked up a tin of fancy loose leaf tea from Murchie's (about 100 cups worth for $18, and then I bought a special "freshness" tin to store it in for $8). It's their Empress Blend, and was served at Afternoon Tea at the Fairmont Empress from 1972 to 2001 (I think). It's delicious. I used to think that all teas were created equal, and it wasn't until I tried tea at the Empress that I really realized what I was missing. Not the most frugal choice to buy fancy tea, but I figure if I have one cup of this new Murchie's tea in the morning, and then drink my crappy grocery store tea in the afternoon, I can make the stash last at least 3 months.

Oh, and the BF and I went to this new bakery right after doing our weekly grocery shopping ($24 for my share), just to check it out. We usually just buy the generic bread at the store, or if I have time, I'll bake a bunch of loaves and then freeze them. Anyway, we ended up buying a fancy jalapeño & cheese twist bread for $5! $5!!! What a rip off. I could make that in my breadmaker for pennies to the dollar.

Today at work they were selling these 25 oz tins of Belgian milk chocolate pieces for only $3 (regular price $25). No, I'm not kidding. So now we're all going around the office clutching our open tins, the smell of chocolate in the air and on our breath.

Not even the French guy, with his gorgeous smile and his persistent winking, can deter us from the chocolate.

So, which would I choose, chocolate or sex?

I'd better go see if I can buy a couple more tins.

Note: the following post is sponsored

At GotTrouble.com, they are having a contest where you could win $5,000 just by shooting and recording a music video (under 3 minutes) about life's troubles ... upload the video to YouTube, and enter the "Sing Your Troubles Away" contest!

With GotTrouble.com’s Video Promotion, I probably would choose Loans & Credit as my problem to sing about, since I have an RRSP loan to deal with. As much as I love music, I have no musical talent, and I'm not very creative ... so coming up with 4 lines of lyrics (as per the Contest Rules) would probably be pretty difficult for me. Here's what I did just for the purposes of this post:

I went to the lender,
Because I'm a big spender;
Wanted to buy a home,
Of my very own

Clearly I have no talent, but I'm okay with that. :)

Don't worry, it's not what you think. Today is pay day, and between my two jobs I brought home $2,582.93. It only took about 10 minutes to spend all of it through online banking. :)

My sidebars are now updated to reflect the new amounts.

• $1,200 RRSPs ($700 money market, $500 t-bill)
• $250 Condo Down Payment Fund
• $25 ING "Treat Myself" Fund
• $160 Emergency Fund

• $750 RRSP loan repayment
  
• $98.41 Visa bill
• $69.79 Mastercard bill
  

Note: the following post is sponsored

Agloco.com is the first internet-based network where you will get paid for all of your online activity. When you download their Viewbar, members benefit from engaging (yet unobtrusive) content tailored to their individual interests. You can also get paid by referring friends to the community (and those friends who refer their friends).

So basically once the Viewbar is installed, it automatically records the time you're actively online. With referrals, you are paid at an hourly rate when the people you recruit are using the Viewbar.

Using their members calculator, I estimated I could directly refer 3 people a month, and those people would directly refer another 3 people a month. With an average of 5 hours of internet surf time per month, that would give me $458.75/month in earnings.

It's something to think about, because let's face it, free money is the best kind of money.

For those doing PPP, have you ever checked off the "donate to charity" button when you submit a new opp?

I never have, and I feel a little guilty about it ... but not guilty enough to donate. I'm always suspicious of businesses that "donate" to charity, because who's to say they actually are? And how much of that is actually going to charity? I'm sure it's in the fine print somewhere on the site, but regardless, I prefer to physically go down and volunteer at the soup kitchen or the homeless shelter ... somewhere I can see that I'm helping out and making a difference. I volunteered at a retirement home for 7 years, was a Big Sister, did my internship with a not-for-profit HIV/AIDS awareness organization, and have been volunteering at my local homeless shelter for the past 3 years. Not that I think I should be applauded for any of that ... I think everyone should do their part to pitch in and help those less fortunate.

Anyway, the point of this entire post was just to see if I was the only PPPer around these parts who has decided to keep every cent she earns.

Note: the following post is sponsored

Can I tell you a secret? Well, I guess it's not really a secret since I'm posting it on this blog, and I've already mentioned it once in a comment on NIUiceprincess' blog ... but I met my boyfriend of 2 years on an internet dating site. That's right, I said it.

In fact, I love online dating sites, and here's why:

1. It's time-efficient. I'm too old, and I don't have the time or patience to deal with the bar scene, where maybe once in a blue moon you'll be able to strike up a conversation with someone that's even worth something. With online dating, you can browse through people's profiles from the comfort of your own home, and you can judge within seconds whether you're going to be attracted to that person or not.
   
2. It saves on money. What's the point of going on a date and spending money on drinks, dinner, entertainment, etc. only to find out that you aren't compatible? With online dating, I have the luxury of "screening" potential applicants through MSN chat for free beforehand, "to weed out the crap" as the BF says. I used to have a rule where I'd have to chat with the guy for at least 2 weeks and talk on the phone at least once before I'd even consider meeting them. And even then, if I thought they might be a dud, I'd only agree to go for coffee with them. That's just how I roll.
   
3. You can cover more territory. The city's got hundreds of thousands of people out there, and in your little circle, you only interact with a fraction of potential relationship-worthy people. The BF and I have no common friends or interests, so I'm positive that if it weren't for online dating, we would have never met.

And I'll tell you another secret too - almost all of my friends have also met their current partners through the same online dating site. In fact, two of them just got married last year. :) Maybe we're all just cyber geeks. After all, not only do I write a blog, but I write multiple entries in multiple blogs. Daily. But I guess that makes you kind of a cyber geek too for reading this blog.

There are so many different online dating sites nowadays. I've only used one before, but as a person in an interracial relationship (and has always been in an interracial dating situation ... meaning I've never dated another Asian person before), I thought it was really cool to come across interracialromance.com. There, you'll find interracial personals, photos, search features, and more. If I were single, I would think about using a site like that, but I'm not. :)

Well, it's not as bad as it could have been. Did anyone check out the TSX this morning when it was down almost at -600 pts? I think I nearly had a heart attack at work!

I wish I had more room to invest this year, because like people were saying in yesterday's post, it would be a good time to buy cheap. But I can only invest a max of $15,200 this year towards my RRSPs, and I'm going to need to put all of that away in safe funds for the HBP.

I was thinking of investing some pocket change into my non-registered mutual funds. I've left those largely untouched for the past two months or so, but it might be a good time to throw just a bit in there while everything is so cheap.

Note: the following post is sponsored

I was given the opportunity today to read a press release that British Gas is launching a new green energy tariff called Zero Carbon, which will apparently be the greenest tariff available on the domestic market. I've heard of this before, and basically by agreeing to this charge on your bill, you will be leaving absolutely no carbon footprint from the energy supplied by British Gas.

While this seems like a great idea in theory, I don't know how many people will be willing to spend the extra money to make this a reality. Especially those people who are on a tight budget as it is. I'd like to think that I'm somewhat environmentally conscious (we recycle, use a compost, and I ride scooter) ... but if I were faced with an optional added charge to my invoice, I'd like to say that I would agree to it and pay it, for the good of the environment ... but some part of me seems think I wouldn't. Would you?

BRITISH GAS LAUNCHES GREENEST ENERGY TARIFF

9 August 2007: British Gas has announced it is launching two new green energy tariffs, Zero Carbon, which will be the greenest tariff available on the domestic market and Future Energy. British Gas has launched the tariffs, in response to the increasing demand for green energy products.

Householders signing up to the Zero Carbon tariff will:
• reduce their household energy carbon emissions to zero through Kyoto compliant offset schemes which will meet the new Defra requirements
• help fund a direct increase in investment in renewable energy generated in the UK
• contribute to the new British Gas green fund which will:
o invest in developing new renewable technologies such as wave power
o oversee a programme to help schools in the UK reduce their CO2 emissions

Gearóid Lane, Managing Director British Gas New Energy said,”Our new tariff responds to consumer demand for truly green energy solutions. It is essential that customers have confidence in green energy tariffs and that their credibility is not damaged by tariffs that claim to be green but in reality do not deliver any incremental environmental benefits. Green tariffs are moving from niche to mainstream products and we’re leading the industry by offering a tariff that will do more for the environment than any other product currently available.”

Under the government’s Renewables Obligation (RO), electricity suppliers in the UK are already required to produce an increasing percentage of their electricity through methods such as wind farms which, unlike traditional power plants, produce zero carbon emissions. For 2007/2008 this figure is set at 7.9%.

In a recent report, the National Consumer Council (NCC) raised concerns that some energy suppliers are packaging electricity which is produced under the RO scheme as “green”, yet it delivers no additional environmental benefits. The NCC called on energy suppliers to take steps beyond their legal requirements and offer green energy tariffs that provide genuine additional environmental benefits, in particular CO2 emissions reduction.

British Gas worked with Global Action Plan and The Climate Group’s “We’re in this Together” campaign to develop Zero Carbon which goes further than any other green tariff in meeting these requirements offering consumers the only zero carbon option on the market.

The tariff carries a premium of £84 per year, reflecting the higher cost of producing energy through lower carbon emission schemes.

Virginia Graham, Chair of Global Action Plan, said, “The British Gas Zero Carbon tariff delivers on all three of the essential requirements of a green tariff which are: additionality, transparency and verifiability. As such it is a very welcome new offering in the market. Consumers signing up to the tariff can be confident that they are getting 12 per cent more renewable energy than they would otherwise have got. The carbon emissions from their electricity and gas will also be offset with emissions reductions from projects accredited by the United Nations.”

Zero Carbon is one of the first initiatives launched through the ‘We’re in this Together’ campaign, which was launched in April 07 as an alliance of some of the UK’s biggest brands who are all working to help their customers reduce their impact on the climate.

Dr Steve Howard, CEO of The Climate Group and founder of ‘We’re in this Together’ said, “We’re committed to offering people ways to make a real impact on climate change through Together.com. We’ve worked with British Gas to ensure that Zero Carbon is a genuine step forward in delivering more environmental benefits than any other tariff currently available.”

British Gas’s second green energy tariff, Future Energy, offers an alternative green electricity tariff at a premium of just £20 per year. Customers signing up to this tariff will contribute to a green fund which will provide solar panels and other renewable energy technologies to UK schools. Money from the fund will also be invested in development of future renewable technologies and sources.

To sign up customers can call British Gas on 0845 604 0055 or visit www.britishgas.co.uk

I had coffee with a friend the other night who told me he lost $4,000 this week alone with his investments, the BF has lost hundreds in the supposedly "safe" stocks that he has, and after reading the CBC article, "TSX slump becomes a correction," I am utterly depressed.

All the new money I'm putting into my RRSPs are into MM or T-Bill funds, but I still have about $4k stuck in funds (in both my RRSP and non-registered accounts) that have been sliding downhill for an entire month. I'm now officially in Negative Return Valley, where everything is red, as far as they eye can see. I should have taken that money out earlier, but wanted to avoid the 2% fee because most of it hadn't been in my account for the required 90 days. In hindsight, that 2% fee would have been peanuts compared to what I've lost. And now it's just too late to even think about moving that money around. I might as well wait it out and try and gain some of my money back. After all, it can't get much worse than this, can it?

Every woman in the office is literally tripping over themselves to get the attention of the new French guy. Not me. Nope, it's not going to happen. What's the point of trying to get the attention of someone when the only French phrases I know are snippets of what I remember from watching Telefrancais (oh the sweet memories of the dancing skeletons and talking pineapples) during French class when I was a kid? I highly doubt "Je suis un ananas" is going to impress anyone.

For all my Canadian readers out there, here's a flashback to your childhood:

Sorry this blog hasn't been as focused on money and finance as it could be ... everything is on autopilot right now in terms of saving and meeting my financial goals. But don't worry, I'll have actual content posted up here before you know it. So just sit back, relax, and enjoy the Telefrancais!

P.S. don't forget to check out the skeleton rock concert near the end of the last video. I nearly choked on my salad as I was watching it. What person actually thought this would be cool?

So, I pretty much spent the majority of last night and this afternoon searching desperately online for that cream-coloured Kenneth Cole coat. Not that I would have bought it (I might have), but it would have been nice to at least have the option to buy it.

Nope, it wasn't in the cards for me.

Bluefly.com is apparently the only online seller that even has that coat for sale (I think it was from last year's fall collection), and the smallest size they have is an 8. I'm a 4, so I couldn't even buy the 8 and put a bulky sweater on underneath and pretend that it fits. That would require at least a size 6.

Oh well, it was probably for the best. Buying a pricey coat right now really isn't in the budget. That being said, if any of you guys find it, be sure to let me know! :) Maybe I should make it into some sort of blog contest ... where whoever finds a size 4 (online or in stores, doesn't matter) gets a prize from me. Although I don't have much to offer, and now I'm just borderlining obsessive. I'll stop. But I still want that coat.

In PF-related news, ING is hiking up their interest rates from 3.5% to 3.75%. Quite frankly, I'm surprised they aren't going to 4% to keep competitive with PC Financial.

In non-PF-related news, a REALLY cute French guy is going to be starting to work here as a graphic designer on a 4-month contract. At least, he looked cute upon first inspection from about 10 metres away today (yes I was spying out my window, don't judge me). Except he doesn't speak any English ... which will probably make him cuter than he actually is ... and they're putting his desk in my office. Sigh, do they want me to get any work done in the next 4 months?

Note: the following post is sponsored

In your opinion, what is the Best Personal Finance Software? I've personally been using Quicken since last November, and it's worked wonders for my budget, and has saved me hours of inputting numbers into the complicated Excel spreadsheet I was using beforehand. In fact, I'm not sure where I would be without Quicken. It has made my life so much easier.

I love how the program creates graphs and reports to determine how my money is spent. It's user-friendly and it's so easy to manage all my financial goals, plan expenses, manage taxes, graph out my investments, create a debt reduction plan, and monitor my spending patterns.

If you don't already have a personal finance program that you're using, or if you're thinking of switching to a new one, I would definitely recommend Quicken.

SavingDiva and I are totally on the same wave length, because just as she posted about the coat she would buy if she weren't on a budget, I was fantasizing about the winter coats I'd buy if I weren't on a budget.

The cream coloured one is by Kenneth Cole, and it is simply gorgeous. It retails for $590 US and is on sale at Bluefly for $300.99.

The olive-green one is by Via Spiga, and I love it as well. It's regularily $490 US, and is on sale at Bluefly for $228.99.

Eventually I will have to buy a winter coat, as I don't actually have one (last year I wore a thin black cotton jacket with a sweater underneath). Maybe not this year, but I'd like to. It's usually not cold enough over here to warrant an actual winter coat, but last year it snowed long enough for the snow to stick around for a few days (which got mighty chilly!), so perhaps it's time to take the plunge and buy a coat. If I can save up enough, I wouldn't mind investing in a lovely coat like the ones I posted pics of (at the sale price, of course) ... I've had cheapo winter coats before when I was younger from Old Navy or Smart Set, etc. for when I lived in Michigan, and found they fell apart after just a year of wear.

(Don't you just love how I'm posting about wanting to buy an expensive coat, right after I posted about needing to be more diligent with my budget?)

Everyone seems to be talking about ESS (Emotional Shopping Syndrome) lately ... and I'm no different. This weekend I was SO bored. The BF forgot to inform me that he was spending all Saturday at the airport learning about helicopters, so I was left alone with no plans. I had to fight every urge in my body not to hop on my scooter and go shopping. I didn't even need anything, I just wanted to go shop and spend and just do something.

I ended up fighting my urges, and stayed inside ... occupying my time with reading a really crappy book that I got a few months ago at a library book sale, and doing some work. But even then, I still managed to spend $30 on eBay. That website is probably going to be the death of me. Good thing I have PPP money stashed in my PayPal account to pay for the stuff I bought!

That's the thing about having a budget - I feel bad when I don't follow by my own rules. You know how, when you go for a run or go to the gym, and you're trying to