May Budget Results

May Grocery Budget 
$425 - Actual Spent was $446.41

Includes all over the counter medications, personal grooming items, soaps, cleaners and household items for two adults who eat at home 99% of the time.

Previous 2013 year to date overage $64.03 plus this month's overage $21.41= $85.44 year to date overage

Coupons used  - $8.49

I have loads of poultry in the form of chicken breasts, thighs, legs and a turkey left in the freezer.  There is still a small amount of ham left from a stock-up several months ago and some pork ribs but I will need to stock up on beef, fish, and pork chops this month.

Why the continuing overage?  Over the counter medications.  On the upside, other than our excellent basic  BC Healthcare which costs $60 per person per month (in Alberta it was free paid for by the Province)  we are self-insuring for prescription medications, vision and dental costs.  Those have been much lower than anticipated as I have compared costs on buying secondary insurance versus paying as we go, and for 2013 we are way ahead so far.  A big change from both of us being previously employed with companies that had excellent benefit packages.

Later this year we are travelling to Oregon for a wedding and we plan to stock up on over the counter medications so hopefully will be able to see some savings there as Oregon has zero sales tax.  We also plan to load up on office supplies for our Company as toner cartridges for the printer are about 40% lower.

Hair Budget
Annual budget $250 - Left in Budget $189.88.

This month spent $16.50 on a haircut late in the month and used a home color that I had on hand.  Remainder of hair budget for rest of year is $173.38

Clothing Budget
Annual Budget $200 - $172.10 left

This month I was due to buy some underclothes- those I buy new and spent $11.20.

I also received my first senior discount ever (by accident, I am 43) at Salvation Army and bought a shirt for $2.62.

Remainder of clothing budget for rest of year is $158.28.

I got paid for my work at the BC Provincial Election.  The check came in for $260 which included the training and $10 in vacation pay.  They did not make any deductions which was strange but $200 of that has been added to the travel fund and $60 has been added to the Christmas fund.

I am still collecting Swagbucks (click here if you want to join Swagbucks) and am now up to $60 in amazon.ca gift certificates which will also be spent on Christmas.

Lately I have enjoyed sitting on the patio in the sunshine with a cider reading, so picked up three books this week at .25 a piece while thrift shopping.  I seemed to be hooked on British murder mysteries right now and have read 8 books this year.  A library card is free but I prefer to buy books as will likely make the investment back reselling them at my next fleamarket and also trade them with Mom as we have similar reading interests.  I do have Kindle downloaded free on my laptop but buying books that way is costlier than my .25 cent thrift store buys.  Down the road I likely will eventually choose to read more by downloading.

The biggest savings came this month  from renegotiating my telephone/internet/cable contracts.  We changed from two carriers to one and will save $57 each month for the next three months and $20 per month after that permanently.  I also received a free PVR (we have one we bought ourselves so this is a second one) as long as the cable stays with this carrier.  That works out to an annual savings of  $351!!

Have a great week everyone!

Paying the Big Bills This Month

We just received our house taxes and home insurance bills for the year.

Tax: Cost $2836.91 - that includes $327 for water, $294 for sewer, and $165 for garbage pickup.  It also includes a reduction grant of $770 for the home being our primary residence.  If one of us was age 65 or older we would qualify for an additional grant and would only be paying $2561.91 for the year.  

Home insurance:  including coverage for earthquakes (something we didn't have to buy in Alberta) $801.

In Alberta our previous home was twice as large and twice as expensive.  The taxes were $5900 a year and we had to pay for water, sewer and garbage separately coming to approximately $90 per month.  The house insurance was $1550 for the year.

Old Alberta home total for insurance, tax and basic utilities (not including electricity, natural gas, telephone, cable or internet) was $8530.  Our new beautiful little Island pad is $3637.91.    A difference of $4892.09 per year!

By downsizing our space we have reduced our monthly outgoings therefore we get to keep more of the money we make.  We have zero regrets and love our little Island pad.  Cheers!

Yard Sales!

Saturday morning we got up bright and early, headed to Tim Hortons for coffee (used Gift card given to me by the kids for Mother's Day) and went yard saling.  It didn't look very promising as was pouring rain as we headed out the door.  By the time we retrieved the coffee it was letting up and it ended up being a really nice day.  There were lots of block/neighborhood garage sales so we parked and did a lot of walking.  I never feel guilty after shopping on driveways - the prices are so right.  This is the first time hubby has ever asked to come along - for several hours worth.  Usually one or two and he is ready to quit.  I think he has the bug. 

This is a very pretty original watercolor painting that is 3 ft by 2.5 ft wide.  It was professionally framed although the framing is starting to get a bit dated.  My Mom needs some new art for her condo so we emailed her a picture and she said she liked it.  For $15 I have a nice housewarming gift. 

A brand new looking - not a scratch on it Coach leather Satchel purse for $10.  I already have a Coach purse - black - that hubby bought me several years ago for my birthday.  I use it on special occasions as it is dressy. I will likely resell this one at a flea market as expect I could get at least $40-60 for it.  New they sold for $125-$200.  

Halloween decorations was one area that we downsized during the move.  I do Christmas, hubby does Halloween.  We saw this guy who talks and sticks out his tongue for $2 and had to have him.  My stepson finished his first year of college and is coming to visit us in two weeks - I plan on sticking this guy under the covers of the guest bed for fun.  Our family has sick humor like that.

Other goodies we found: vice grip for hubby, a book and two CDs.  Total day spend? $33.  Pretty good for our haul and it was a great day out.

And finally yet another cute little bird eating at our feeders.  The first of his kind I have seen and I am still trying to identify him.  Mom has better birding books and she likely can identify him so will have to ask her.

Have a great weekend - Happy Memorial Day Weekend to  my fellow Americans (I am a dual American/Canadian Citizen).  Cheers!

Bargains This Week and an Insult??

Not me!

My biggest bargain this week was .99 cent per lb chicken legs - sold in a bag of 64 for $14.82 which is dead cheap at about 24 cents a leg (sorry vegetarian readers).  The only downside to this purchase was that it leaked chicken juice all over the checkout.  It was a special which I am sure they were wiping up after all day.  I brought it home and delved it out into bags of nine legs which is dinner for two and lunch the next day for hubby as I have a gag reflex that kicks in on eating leftover chicken (weird I know).   That works out to 21 individual portions.  If I had more room in the freezer I would have bought more but already have 4kg of chicken breasts and a turkey in there - enough poultry for a long time.

My insulting bargain of the week:  at Salvation Army I found this really nice red blouse which is half casual half dressy. When I got home I went to record the purchase with the receipt - and realized that they gave me a 30% off discount.  IT WAS SENIOR DAY and I am 43.  Oh well, I am taking the discount with a grain of salt.  I contribute regularly to their stock as take all castoffs there.  I am pretty sure she just forgot there are a few non-seniors in this town as this is somewhat of a retirement community.  Total for the blouse was $2.62.

Hubby just laughed at me - he has yet to receive a senior discount for anything and he is 51.  I am not sure he would be laughing if it happened to him.  

Have a great week everyone!

Investing in Your Home

Whether you own or rent it pays to invest in your own happiness.  When we decided 1.5 years ago to downsize to a home half the size of the last one there were certain features in our "basic" home that we decided to invest in.  There is a golf-course community within one mile of our home that has some very nice homes but for the same size home were $100,000 to $150,000 more than we paid.  We do not care about the name of our neighborhood.  We wanted an open concept home with a nice back yard in a good neighborhood on a quiet street.  We were hoping for four bedrooms around 2100 sq foot.  We looked at this home at 1750 sq foot and three bedrooms, open concept on a keyhole street with just the right size West facing back yard and fell in love.  One room is our office which is incredibly important as we knew hubby was working from home (I  was not originally intending to work with him as we didn't realize he would get so busy so fast).  In a home this size we cannot afford to devote a whole room for guests so we have a multipurpose room that holds the hamster (who moves to the office when we have guests), hubby's drum set and guitars as he is musically inclined, and sofa couch for guests.  If two kids come at the same time we have a very large couch and a queen size air bed as well which can be set up in the living room.  

Our list for of wanted upgrades: 

Fence on the right hand side of the property.  For some reason there was a fence on only two sides and  we wanted privacy in our backyard.  Fortunately the neighbors on that side bought their home around the same time as we did, and they have a well behaved dog needing a fence.  We paid half and they paid half and then we spent most of the summer staining the rest of the fences- of which we need to do another coat this summer.  

Outdoor living room set.  We picked out this set at Home Depot (Martha Stewart Living) even before we put an offer in on the house.  In the past we have had patio tables and chairs(huge and sold when we left Alberta) and we felt we would get a lot more use as an outdoor living room.  We were so right.  So far this Spring we probably have spent 30 hours sitting in these chairs.  The roofline completely protects them and we only have to bring in the cushions for the worst part of our wet winter.  Due to facing west if sunny the patio furniture is in direct sun every evening.  It is our reading nook and a nice place to have a cocktail or coffee and watch the birds as the bird feeder is about five feet away.  I looked for used sets before we bought and couldn't find anything close to what we wanted.  By the time we bought the set it was $100 cheaper than when we first looked at it - it pays to buy patio furniture in early summer versus early spring.  The black mats directly beneath the furniture are two exercise mats that we used to have in our old home, brought back from Alberta  last month when we cleaned it out.  The straw looking tray on the coffee table was purchased at a thrift store.  The clay sun was a souvenir from one of our many past trips to Mexico and wind chimes were a housewarming gift from Mom.  The two black plant pots were purchased last summer for either side of the garage.  This year as I am spending less on flowers I bought two dahlias (which the bugs don't like) and planted some flowers from seed around them.  When they fill out in a month or two those pots will go back out front.  The rest of the flower pots were extras from Mom.  The BBQ is about five years old and hauled from Alberta when we moved. 

Hot tub.  Something we have always wanted.  It is directly around the corner from the outdoor living room and right off the indoor livingroom/diningroom- but you cannot see it when you are inside!  Since I took this picture yesterday hubby has put earth around the edge of the newly poured concrete to replace grass that was disturbed in the construction phase.  It is a two person hot tub and we bought the floor model for an $800 discount.  We love it.  Paid for with money from selling furniture out of our Alberta home and hubby's income tax check.

Small garden shed.  We have bought one but need to construct it within the next week or two - an inexpensive kit shed to hold the lawnmower so we have more room in the garage.  

These were all planned purchases and the total was $14000, mostly from the fence and hot-tub.  We spent most of the weekend enjoying this backyard and it was so worth it as I see thousands of hours in our future here.

As for those rhododendrons?  They will live at least until next Spring.  The original plan was to take them out this year as they are monstrously large and only bloom four weeks in May, and as you can see they are nearly done for this year.  I will not kill them as have been told by a landscaper they have a small root ball so we will likely give them away and put in more lawn, and a small raised bed area for a garden.   In the mean time I am growing herbs and tomatoes in pots (tomatoes are still in the garage as I started them from seed late) and have planted green onions in the backside of my front of house flower bed.  Nobody knows but me :)

All this money was planned for - if you are thinking of downsizing be prepared to spend some money making your smaller home your vision.  We are now mortgage free, and living rich in a smaller home.

  

Sunday in Pictures

We had a lovely Sunday which I decided to document in photos.  First, orange strawberry pancakes which used up a dried out orange and some strawberries that had been frozen to prevent waste.  I got to use the vintage ceramic reamer (juicer) that Mom gifted me during her de-clutter.  I love the colors and have never seen another like it.  

 We also enjoyed some of the on-sale watermelon with breakfast - Brown Mouse (his name is Brown Mouse, he is our pet hamster) joined in.  I just woke him up so he looks funny but watermelon is one of his favorite foods.

We decided to go for a walk and explore the grounds of the Filberg Lodge which is full of lovely old growth trees and flowers.  The Estate is right on the ocean and one of Comox's treasures.  A very large art show called the Filberg Festival is held here every year which we hope to attend.

 There are benches and picnic tables if you wish to bring your own lunch or stop and enjoy the view.

 There is also a  tea house with ocean view but we had just had breakfast so that will wait for another visit.

 A nice day for fishing - no idea what they are fishing for though.

 We really are blessed with both views of ocean and mountains here in the Comox Valley.

 The flowers were lovely.  I have no idea what these big purple ball flowers are called (let me know if you do) but I would love some in my flower beds.

 These poppies were georgous.  I have not altered the color - this is straight from the camera.

A Totem Pole.  The Komox First Nation  settled here calling the area "land of plenty".  The town of Comox is named after the original inhabitants.

The rest of our long weekend is being spent doing yardwork and company work - no rest for the wicked when you are self-employed.  Cheers everyone!

The Travel Fund Grows

This picture was taken July 2011 on our trip to Costa Rica.  We had rented a jeep and were aimlessly exploring and decided to stop for a burger on the side of the road.  While we were eating at the picnic table I spotted something in the trees beside the Hamburger stand.  There were three small monkeys foraging for lunch.  I snuck up with my brand new Rebel T3i camera and started taking pictures.  Hubby came over and we stood there for 20 minutes just observing them, one of the most memorable unplanned moments of the trip.  I took over 1000 pictures that trip.  I spent good money on that camera and have taken at least 1000 more pictures since.  We only spent about $30 in souvenirs which tells you where our priorities lay - in the experience.

I love traveling.  It is my thing.  I am at my happiest visiting new cultures and experiencing new places.  For ten years I was a travel agent for Thomas Cook Canada managing a travel agency.  I left that business only because the business itself changed to where it became difficult to make a living.  I still have an extreme love for travel.

We haven't traveled much since our trip to Costa Rica as spent most of the time concentrating on our downsize and move.  Now all of that is done we are saving for the next big trip as I don't believe in taking vacations on credit.

I just received a large income tax refund of $1630 so $1480 of that has gone into the travel fund, and $150 has gone into the sealed pot for Christmas 2013. We are traveling by ferry and car to Oregon for a family wedding in September but will mostly be visiting with American family and will only be gone for five days.  Funds for that trip have already been saved.  This new money is the start of saving for our next International adventure.  Where are we going?  I prefer to leave that up in the air right now as have found that our money goes further when we take travel specials that only generally come up within three months of travel.  This trip will either take place early December 2013 or Spring/Summer 2014 depending on how busy our business is and how much money we can save before the trip.

Possible options are Europe, South America, Central America or the Caribbean.  My preference is to go to a country that  neither of us have been.

I spent 13 hours yesterday working at our Provincial Election to put additional money into the travel fund and  Christmas fund.  It was an extremely long and tiring day but so worth it when I know what the end result will be.

What are you saving for?

New Kid In Town

Pine Siskin on the left, Gold Finch on the right

We have some new birds to the feeder lately joining the Pine Siskins, a pair of Gold Finches.  They come by about every three or four days and one day they came as a pair so I know it is more than just one.  Today  little lady is probably back at the nest keeping the chicks happy.

Have a great weekend everyone!

Garden Centres are Like Crack

Courtesy http://graphicsfairy.blogspot.ca

I am sure I am not the only one who salivates over herbs and flowers, lusts after lawn ornaments and feel like Budget Smudget when you set foot in Home Depot or Canadian Tire (for us Canucks).  Greenhouses and nurseries?  Don't get me started.

I have tried to restrain myself this year, using only a gift certificate the kids got me for Christmas for flowers and seeds.  I have enough pots but yesterday I nearly fell to temptation when purchasing birdseed over a very pretty pot of ornamental ivy.  I was also drooling over the birdbaths.

How am I going to get around this?  The ornamental ivy, well, I just need to get over it.  The birdbath will go on my Garage Sale wishlist.  I have a few other items I am looking out for this year like a new set of white dishes for my Mom and possibly some white twinkle lights in the backyard.  Yes, I could go out and buy these things but there is no fun in that, only money out of pocket. Waiting to find exactly the right item at a garage sale is way more fun for me.

What is on your Garage Sale wishlist?

Lunch in Victoria

A couple of weeks ago when I spent a few days at Mom's house decluttering and painting we had to make a quick drive into Victoria for her Doctor's appointment with a specialist.  We ended up arriving much earlier than necessary so decided to drive down to the waterfront and have lunch, Mom's treat.  We ate at the Flying Otter Grill where the food is very good and you can watch float planes take off next door.  Victoria is really a lovely city, and even if you only have a few hours, fun to explore.

A shot of the Empress Hotel.  They have afternoon tea here every day if you want to partake, something I have never done.  A couple of years ago we stayed nearby in early December and really enjoyed how they decorate both the hotel and the harbor for Christmas.

At one time Victoria was on our radar for possible places to live, but due to the much higher price of real estate (about twice as much as further north on Vancouver Island) and congestion due to tourism in the summer we decided to cross it off our list.  It is still a wonderful place to visit though.

Busy Bees

We have been busy bees the past two weekends fixing up Mom's place as it went on the Market Thursday.  She gets possession of her condo in two weeks time so at this stage it is just window dressing with purging here and there.  We have cleaned carpets, done numerous dump runs, several Salvation Army drops, painted her bedroom, porch and deck.  Every room in her home has been touched.  She now has to live like that until it sells - the tough part of selling your home.

Hubby has to fly away this weekend for business so I plan on travelling to her house and cooking her a nice meal for Mothers Day.  Her gift (which she knows about already) is not more stuff.  I found a great deal on Travelzoo for a wildlife viewing tour that the three of us will go on in early July for the day.  It was 60% off per person and we get to spend the day on the Ocean together doing the tourist in your own back yard thing.  If you enjoy travelling and haven't checked out Travelzoo you should do so as they email you both local deals and International ones (*this is not a paid review, I just discovered them and wanted to share).

We have had some glorious weather the past few days with pure sunshine and 26 degrees celcius. There have been walks on the beach, hot tub time, and I have finished reading two books this week on the backyard patio.  When working I love the fact that I can take coffee breaks in the backyard and watch the birds for a few minutes before getting back to it.  Our home has really become everything we envisioned it to be when we bought it - so happy we made the right choice.

Cheers!