Met with our Financial Advisor...

We met with our Financial Advisor last week and some of the recommendations he made were: we should try to be as even in our Registered Retirement Savings Plan Balances as possible - hubby currently has about $15,000 more in his RSPs, so we are gong to be opening up a Spousal RSP in my name, with hubby as the contributor. He will continue his RSP savings and matching savings with his group work plan, but will now contribute monthly to the Spousal RSP Plan instead of his individual plan, that he has separate from his work. The other suggestion was to reduce how many credit cards we have. We have 3 that we use on a continuous basis (but ALWAYS pay off the balances each month) and some cards that we have for " Just in case... scenerios" that we haven't used in ages, so our advisor suggested that we should cancel the cards we don't use.

So yesterday, we opened up a Spousal RSP Plan and we cancelled the extra credit cards that we never use. I have to admit that I was little apprehensive about cancelling the cards (even though we haven't used them for years), because I always worry about what if one day we need it..though in reality we wouldn't need it - at least that's what I keep telling myself.

All in all, he said that we were on the right track and he liked the idea that we were paying extra on our mortgage each month.

"Downsized" The TV Show

This show just started airing in Canada, where we live, a few weeks ago. I know it's been on in the US for some time now, so just wondering if anyone else has seen this, and if so, what you think of it. In my opinion, I don't think they "get it" especially the wife/mother. They must make something for doing the show and I would like to see that in their "budget" - they are on food stamps, yet she felt entitled to have her "specialty frozen coffee drinks everyday" come on! I was really glad to see the financial planner they went to see, actually tell them that they need to wake up and realize that they are in dire straits and they really need to see the reality of their situation. I also wonder if her children are receiving any financial support from their biological father. I was little taken aback also, when she said that she is a teacher and her cheque might as well be invisible (or something like that, since she makes so little. At least she has a job and I'm sure many people out of work, would love to have her teaching job along with her pay cheque.

Gift Card Purchase

The above necklace and earring set, I picked up yesterday at a shop in the Mall, that I had a gift card for, from Christmas. I love fashion/costume jewelery. This set was regularly $24, but it was 30% off yesterday, so I purchased it with a gift card I had. The total came to $17 and change and the gift card was for $100, so I still have approx $82 left to indulge in. I saw many things I liked, I just couldn't bring myself to spend more of the gift card. I really do find it harder and harder to spend. I guess this is a good thing.

P&G Brand Samplers now available

For those of you who like free stuff - the P&G Brand Sampler is now available for Spring. Just log onto their site, sign in, and then they have some sample packs they will send you. This time they also have a P&G Brand Sampler for Men, but you have to sign in two separate times (still using your same login and password, though). I can't wait to receive the packages in 6-8 weeks, they estimate. I will try to remember to take a picture when it arrives and post it. Maybe I'll keep my husbands stuff when it arrives, for his Christmas stocking, since he doesn't know anything about it, and he rarely reads this blog. Last year, some of the samples I received were: Pantene Shampoo & Conditioner little bottles, Hand Cream, Mr. Clean Magic Eraser, and Dish Tabs.

Tax Refund...

In checking our bank balance online, I noticed that our tax refund was electronically deposited into our bank account yesterday. It took just over a week to get the refund, as we filed electronically. That $1,415 will sit in there until we have our Property Tax Bill, which should come in next month. I feel relieved that we have the money for this, I'm sure some people are dreading the annual property tax bill. I know I used to. Our tax refund won't cover all of it, as I'm estimating that this year it will be about $2,300, but we put money aside into a Money Market Account, on a monthly basis, specifically designated for Property Taxes, and there is more than enough in there to cover the shortfall. Part of why I want to contribute more to RSPs (Registered Retirement Savings), is for the tax break also, the more we put into our RSPs, the more we will get back and the more we will have in the future (hopefully the markets co-operate).

Saving Sidebars...

I wish I knew how to do the sidebars, that so many other great blogs have, along with some images, but ... I'm not very computer savvy. If I could figure out the whole sidebar thing, I would put up one for our "fabulous Cruise Vacation in 2014", the "additional RSP contribution", "Christmas Savings" to name a few.

I keep track for my own records, on Excel Spread Sheets. I find that visually seeing each category grow, makes me strive even harder to continue on the saving path.

Happy Savings Everyone!

House Maintenance Fund

Do you have a house maintenance fund? We don't. We pay for house maintenance as it happens, through our Grocery/Misc Budget allowance. Gail Vaz-Oxlade, the host of 'Til Debt Do Us Part, says that everyone should have a house maintenance fund in addition to an Emergency Savings. I'm feeling stretched to the limit with all that "we are supposed to be saving" according to the experts. Life needs to be about balance and I feel really strongly on this point. I wonder how many people out there in the general public, even have an emergency fund that could sustain them through 6-8 months of unemployment (factoring in unemployment insurance), let alone a house maintenance fund. I think it's a good thing to have, but I know for us, if we need to repair something, we just adjust our grocery budget to account for it, so that we still remain within our over all budget.

'Til Debt Do Us Part - Home Editon

I am so excited that Gail Vaz-Oxlade's new show on HGTV canada starts tonight. Her new series is called 'Til Debt Do Us Part - Home Editon. This new series is about the realistic life of home ownership. I went to hear her speak a few years ago, and she definitely has a large presence. She tells it like it is, whether on camera or not.

Ahh, the 1st of the Month...

I love the 1st of the month, because I'm weird, and I love the thrill of paying the bills. Paying off our credit cards in full each month, assures me that our budget planning is working and I know that with each payment, our mortgage is one step closer to getting paid off, our vehicle loans are one step closer to being paid off and our Savings are growing each month. We had $45 extra left over this month from our budget so I put $20 towards liquid savings and $25 towards my RSP.

I feel very optimistic going into April, how about you?