VACAY TOMORROW!!!!

Can you tell I'm a little excited!??  Who wouldn't be.  I totes deserve this vacay.  Not only have I been working my little buns off, but I've paid off all my debt and, for the first time like ever, I'm going on a vacation and it's FULLY PAID FOR! 

AH.  So excited for fun in the sun, and perhaps some budget-friendly trips to tour. 

Miss me while I'm gone.  See you all in a week!!

xxxxxooooo


Hugs,

*Canadian Girl

Mexican Night Gets Me in the Mood.

The bf is awesome.  Have I said that lately?  I think I have.

Oh well...he's AWESOME.  He made me Mexican food last night to get us in the mood for Cabo.  Loves it!

Just chicken quesadillas but they were made with all stuff we had at home, except for the guacamole and sour cream which we bought.  Great dinner for two for a total cost of $10.  I'm honestly not as inclined to go out to dinner now, knowing I can cook it for so little at home.  Besides, who knows what those people in the back will sneeze into your special sauce...

My food budget is roughly a measly $25 per week, which could NOT allow for eating out often.  I make my lunches and know {almost} always what I'm eating.  Not only is it better for you, but the extra money is allocated to savings, or elsewhere in my budge where there's a shortfall.

How do you save money while still eating like a Queen {or King...no separation of the sexes here...}?


Hugs,

*Canadian Girl

Epic Exam Fail, Take 2 and Rambling.

Update from this post here: marks posted May 15th.  I have to wait WAYYYYY until then to find out. Eff.  This sucks. 

                       {from http://feilz.com...guess I will CONTINUE to look like this!}



And in other news....

This weather is great.  I am totes not upset to say goodbye to winter.  I think that I see life in a wholely different light now, given that I'm debt free.  I no longer feel a weight on my shoulders knowing I have money for savings, fun, and any unexpected costs that come my way.  This feels great and I was crazy to not have felt it sooner.

The bf is paying off his student loans then moving out on his own.  He's a personal finance  champ!  Oh, and did I mention he's now hooked on 'Til Debt Do Us Part, thanks to yours truly?  He was even searching for Gail's book so he could read it {frugal tip: search the library instead of buying it.  He luuurrrved this one!}.  Ain't that so cute?  This PF bug is totes contageous and something I like to spread...not like VD or the Herp....not that I have them...but, er, you get the picture.

I am beaming with proudy smiles right now!

Hugs,

*Canadian Girl

Mo Money.

Now that the vacation is all paid for, and the debt is gone, and the emergency fund is stocked, I'm left with the question we debt free girls long to ask ourselves: what will we do with our extra money?

I'm alotting my income to the following areas:
1.) Fun
2.) Retirement
3.) Mortgage
4.) Taxes
5.) TFSA

I'm anticipating to contribute $50 to my retirement account, and $100 per month to the remaining accounts, with the exception of "Fun", which will take the remainder.

The "Retirement" will be in an RRSP, with the rest of the accounts in various TFSA's.  The account labelled "TFSA" will be invested in mutual funds, so I'm anticipating a somewhat higher rate of return than I could find with a conventional account.

Assuming the monthly allocations, an income of roughly $2900 per month, and the $50 to "Retirement", the monthly budge should be {after subtracting living costs of roughly $1599 - mortgage, insurance, weekly spending etc}:

1.) $751
2.)$50
3.)$200
4.)$200
5.)$100

The fun account will be for trips, extra savings and generally things I want.

I question the amount in the "Fun" account. Is $751 too much?  Should I be allocating it elsewhere? 

The $200 for Taxes, and $200 for Mortgage goes for the quarterly payments, and yearly lump sum payment, respectively.  I could bump the Mortgage $$ up, but I think that my priority at this time should be more "Fun" then paying off the house in a rush {mortgage is only $100k on a place worth almost $300k - I had an inheritance, savings from modelling gigs held in trust until it was given to me, and a parental "loan"}.

Help!!  What do you think?

Hugs,

*Canadian Girl

Vacay. Can't wait.

I leave soooooon for my epic Cabo vacation.  I am so beyond excited.  

I've done nothing but course work today, along with some laundry and dishes thrown in for good measure.  Eff.  I am so domestic it hurts.

I'm packed and think I'm ready {insert lady from Christmas commercial here who forgets her pants...}, but that can change.  I believe there isn't more to pack in terms of clothes, just have to pick up some trashy intellectual magazines for the trip - I will be using Optimum points, so they iz F-R-E-E!

So stoked.

Hugs,

*Canadian Girl

No Spend Update.

For April, so far 6/12 days done.  Maybe I can go over this month??? 

Either way, doing well so far.  I'm kinda proud.  Does it count as cheating since I had two exams this week?


Hugs,


*Canadian Girl

Bad Reality TV. Take 2.

I've previously blogged about reality tv.  Read it here.  It's my porn and I love it. 

16 And Pregnant.

I love this show.  Why?  I'm not sure.  I wasn't a teen mom, nor were many of my friends.  I think I was too much of a "goody" to get preggers.  Not to mention, I was super careful.  These girls, careful they are not. 

Take Leah for instance.  Twins.  That's right, twins.  AND, she got pregnant after knowing their father for a month.  C'mon.  Mistakes happen, I get that.  But really?  Keep your legs closed.  Do these girls not realize the ramifications of their actions?  

                                               {from mtv.ca.  nothing says "mom' like a fuzzy tiara}

It seems as though nothing changes their minds about the very implications of teen pregnancy, and they think it will be a piece of cake.  Not to mention the stereotypes that the show perpetuates: broken home, single mom, party lifestyle.  However, we come therefore to the nature vs nurture debate.  Are these girls pregnant because they were destined to be from day 1, or are they pregnant because they vie for someone's attention, someone to love or a family of their own?

It seems as though the show does a decent job of getting families from all different walks of life; from Samantha the self-proclaimed 'good girl', to Maci the 'virgin' who got pregnant, to Nikkole, the 'party/bad girl'.  One thing is common: they all drop out of school.  Why?  This isn't necessary.  We have the internet for a reason, USE IT.  You will perpetuate the cycle if you continue this.  WHY WHY WHY??!

Maci seems to be the most level headed to me.  She's ditched the mean, useless baby daddy, and has taken control of her life.  Caitlynn and Tyler are awesome too.  I think they did the best thing giving that baby up for adoption.  Like really.  I'm an adult and I wouldn't want to live with Butch!

What do you think?  Is the show just glamourizing teen pregnancy, or is it doing what it set out to do: create awareness of a problem that can be remedied?

Exams. Epic Fail. Maybe...

Lack of posting due to exams.  Did it pay off?  Not entirely sure.  One of the exams was so effing hard!  I would've had to memorize the textbook, which I totes didn't have time to do.

Ah well...worst case scenario, I retake it.

However, I must point out in the words of *Momma Canadian Girl: "You have two university degrees.  If you found it hard, think of the normal people".

Oy.

Hugs,

*Canadian Girl

No Spend...Update.

So, I've lamented in the past about my lack of motivation or success thereof, with regards to my personal "no-spend" challenges. 

I've decided to turn over a new leaf for April, and HIT that 12 day mark right on.  So far, I'm at 3.  Yes, I'm counting the holidays {I could go to Timmy's if I really wanted, or S-bucks is always open here!}. 

I also have 2 exams next week, so my head is buried in books trying to make sense of something that only those with a knack for it could.  This should only prove to help my cause.  I'll be taking public transit to and from the two exams, so 4 trips in total.  This, my loves, costs $$$.  However, we have a sort of bulk pricing option, so I'm going to do that on Monday {the purchase, not the exams!} and then I can refrain from spending the rest of the days.

How will I do this?:
- bring my own coffee to the exams
- bring my own water to the exams
- wait until I'm home to eat lunch or bring a snack
- not go out for 'a celebration' after the 1st exam, when I really should be studying.

Any suggestions?


Hugs,

*Canadian Girl

Free Glasses!!

Hey Lovlies,

I just got free glasses from Clearly Contacts.  I wear readers (yes, I'm old...ok, well not that old, but I do have bad eyes, and laser surgery corrected the distance issues...but I digress...), so I just got Gucci readers for ONLY the cost of shipping - $14.  Which, I can expense thru my vision plan.  Therefore, F-R-E-E.

The coupon code is JAYS.  If you hurry, you may be able to still use it; only the first 500 are free.

Comment below if you get some!!

Hugs,

*Canadian Girl

Happy Easter!!

Happy Easter, My Loves!!!

Hope you're all enjoying some much deserved time with loved ones, friends and family. I know I am!!


Hugs,

*Canadian Girl