Another week has gone by and 2 more people have been laid off at Hubby's work. We are still watching our pennies closely and trying to stock pile groceries and house hold essentials, like Toilet Paper, Laundry Detergent, in the event of a lay off. We are continuing to save as much as we can.
This weekend, we went out of our "regular routine/comfort zone" and began "really" reading ALL the flyer's, not just the ones where we regularly shop. We took advantage of different sales at 5 different places, a little more work and perhaps a little more driving around, but I feel we were able to save a reasonable amount, to justify the time and driving to different stores.
We also stocked up on some block cheese (mozza lite and Cheddar lite) that was on sale, and this morning I shredded it up and put it into medium sized Ziploc bags. In the past I would have just bought the cheese already shredded, so a little step in saving some money.
I also have a bunch of pampered chef stone ware items, that have been given to me over the past years, which are still in their original boxes, so I'm going to try to use one tonight, when I make a baked pasta dish - with no name pasta, and a different spaghetti sauce, in a can, that I was able to pick up for a fraction of the cost of the jar spaghetti sauce, I usually use. So I'll add that with some of my shredded cheese and hopefully it will be tasty.
It is very cold in our house, but I've put on warm socks and have an extra sweater on and when I'm sitting down, a nice big blanket to cover up with, so that we won't have to turn on the heat. Once I put the oven on for the pasta bake, the house should heat up a little.
Bye for now...
Sunday, October 2, 2011
Sunday, September 18, 2011
Every Little Bit Helps
In our quest to use up what we have in the pantry and freezer, we are still amazed at our grocery bill, and seeing how expensive fruit, vegetables and basics like milk, butter, etc are. Even though we are trying to watch our pennies, we still want to eat somewhat healthy. We do eat 5-7 fruits and/or vegetables servings at least 5 days of the week and we make sure to have at least 1 good source of protein a day, along with getting in our minerals and vitamins on a daily basis. Plus, we try to drink 2.5 litres of water a day, we are pretty good at this, for at least 5 days a week. We have to work on it, all coming together for 7 days a week, but for now, we'll do what we can.
I'm amazed at what we have in the back of our pantry and frustrated with myself, for letting some things, sit there, unused, that have expired years ago. However, I have still used them all, within the past weeks, with the exception of a bottle of lemon juice,and we haven't gotten sick, so I feel better by using them up, but, I will definately make more of an effort in not letting things just sit around and not be used up.
Saturday's are always our "errand" day, this way we can cut down on the gas used in the vehicle - I think it is mucher higher here in Canada than the States to fill up your tank, so we are trying to be conscious of our driving routes and cluster everywhere we have to go. I use the odd coupon here and there, on stuff that we usually buy. I ended up with an amazing deal this weekend, Walmart had Gilette Gel underarm deoderant on sale for $1.97, reg price is $3.48 here, I had a manufactors coupon for $5 off if you bought any 3 Gillette products. So since, Hubby would be needing more deoderant in the next couple of weeks, I bought him 3 at $1.97, used the coupon and all in all, paid only 91 cents for all 3. That is the best deal I've ever had. In the future, I'm going to try to pair up any coupons I receive when the stores have extreme deals on that particular product. I plan on going through our flyers more diligently from now on, and maybe this extra time, will result in more savings in our pocket.
I'm amazed at what we have in the back of our pantry and frustrated with myself, for letting some things, sit there, unused, that have expired years ago. However, I have still used them all, within the past weeks, with the exception of a bottle of lemon juice,and we haven't gotten sick, so I feel better by using them up, but, I will definately make more of an effort in not letting things just sit around and not be used up.
Saturday's are always our "errand" day, this way we can cut down on the gas used in the vehicle - I think it is mucher higher here in Canada than the States to fill up your tank, so we are trying to be conscious of our driving routes and cluster everywhere we have to go. I use the odd coupon here and there, on stuff that we usually buy. I ended up with an amazing deal this weekend, Walmart had Gilette Gel underarm deoderant on sale for $1.97, reg price is $3.48 here, I had a manufactors coupon for $5 off if you bought any 3 Gillette products. So since, Hubby would be needing more deoderant in the next couple of weeks, I bought him 3 at $1.97, used the coupon and all in all, paid only 91 cents for all 3. That is the best deal I've ever had. In the future, I'm going to try to pair up any coupons I receive when the stores have extreme deals on that particular product. I plan on going through our flyers more diligently from now on, and maybe this extra time, will result in more savings in our pocket.
Saturday, September 17, 2011
Work Saga Continues...
Hubby came home last night, and said 2 more people received their lay off notices yesterday. So far, we have been lucky, but we feel terrible for the people who have been laid off, as not only are/were co-workers, they were friends. There were only about 25 employees in total before with the company, and now with the previous layoffs last month plus these two of yesterday, the staff are slowly dwindling. Hubby is feeling quite under the weather this morning, and he's a guy who hardly, if ever, gets sick. I know the stress I feel, he must be feeling the stress 10x more. He's already been working on his resume and cover letter and checking out job opportunities in his field. The previous owner, had pulled him aside a few weeks ago and said his department will have jobs with the new owners - but can the previous owner be trusted? What if it's just a ploy to keep Hubby's dept around until the Jan 2nd deadline - as they do all the shipping and receiving for the company? So many questions - so little answers.
Friday, September 16, 2011
I'm Back...
I've been missing in action - alot has happened.
To start off, we were having a really hard time trying to rent out our condo (investment property) and between the months we had to pay for it sitting empty - the mortgage, the condo fees, advertising - we've had to really dip into our Line of Credit and isn't pretty. Right before our scheduled vacation, we finally had a renter - but only for 3 months and a reduced rate, but hey, at this point who cares. We still have to subsidize the monthly payments as the rent we are currently getting, will only pay for approx 1/3 of the costs, but that is okay. It's way better than NOTHING!!!. We just hope that our renter's work contract extends past October, otherwise, come November, he will head back to Ontario we will be looking for a new renter.
Vacation Time - we had a wonderful time and came in under budget by about about $1,000. We always save up for our vacation ahead of time, so the extra $1,000 will be/was distributed as follows - $751.25 went to finishing off our fence work, $190 is set aside to pay for the "annual fees" for our reward points credit cards that will be due this Fall and the remainder went to cover our little fur baby's vet bill - annual check up and shots.
Hubby's Job - 3 days after returning from vacation, his boss announced that the company had been sold to a competitor company, from another province (area of the country). This came as a shock to everyone, as this has been a family owned business for the past 38 years. Hubby has worked for them for 15 years. So of course, everyone's main question is - Does everybody have a job going forward? - not sure - so far, 4 people of been laid off. No one "higher up" is committing that jobs will remain the same. The "rumor" is the new company will be relocating, one of their warehouses to our city, but if they do, it will not be at the current location. The only thing that is for sure - so it is said, is that the matching RSPs will stop, effective Jan 1st. The new owners are saying that Jan 2nd is when people will know if they have a job and if so, at what pay. Now, hubby has been making a pretty good wage - but $8,000 net of that is through bonuses and overtime - if the new company does not "do overtime" then we are Royally Messed Up! So it's been quite stressful in our household. This has been a company where 98% of the employees have been there 10+ years. To say that it was a shock, is an understatement.
- We are fortunate, that as part of our financial planning, we have always updated, what our "Emergency Budget" Vs our "Normal Every Month Budget" would be, and we have always kept it current. We also have money that has been set aside for Emergencies - though I hope, we will not have to tap into it - it has taken a lot of work to build it up and over time it has become approx $20,000 of liquid monies that we could access immediately if need be. We also have our Retirement Savings that we could access if worst comes to worst. We currently also pay extra on our mortgage each month, to try to pay it off faster, so we could always stop the "extra" we are putting towards the mortgage, if we had to.
- At the abosolute extreme, we would sell our house and move into the condo that is our investment property.
- I am so glad that we don't have any credit card debt and that Hubby and I are on the same page. I'm hoping that by being prepared, that everything will work out, come Jan2nd. If it doesn't at least we have a plan.
- Right now, our plan is to try live below our "Normal Monthly Budget" and save as much as we can. Hubby is picking up as much overtime as he can get between now and the end of the year. Hubby will continue to participate in the work's matching RSP to the max, up until the end of December - when it's finished. We have decided to continue paying the extra each month on the mortgage until we know for sure what his paycheques will be in the New Year - assuming he will have a job.
The areas we are cutting back on are - groceries - I've had to become even more creative with what is currently in our pantry and freezer, no eating out at all and extending the times between our personal grooming - hair cuts and our dog's grooming. We didn't buy any firewood yet, we have been picking up stray pieces from business that use wood crates, pallets, etc. so right now, in 2 weeks, we already have( 2) 4 ft boxes filled. Hubby is having to take out all the nails and cut the wood down, but I'm impressed and appreciative of his efforts.
So there is our story for now...
To start off, we were having a really hard time trying to rent out our condo (investment property) and between the months we had to pay for it sitting empty - the mortgage, the condo fees, advertising - we've had to really dip into our Line of Credit and isn't pretty. Right before our scheduled vacation, we finally had a renter - but only for 3 months and a reduced rate, but hey, at this point who cares. We still have to subsidize the monthly payments as the rent we are currently getting, will only pay for approx 1/3 of the costs, but that is okay. It's way better than NOTHING!!!. We just hope that our renter's work contract extends past October, otherwise, come November, he will head back to Ontario we will be looking for a new renter.
Vacation Time - we had a wonderful time and came in under budget by about about $1,000. We always save up for our vacation ahead of time, so the extra $1,000 will be/was distributed as follows - $751.25 went to finishing off our fence work, $190 is set aside to pay for the "annual fees" for our reward points credit cards that will be due this Fall and the remainder went to cover our little fur baby's vet bill - annual check up and shots.
Hubby's Job - 3 days after returning from vacation, his boss announced that the company had been sold to a competitor company, from another province (area of the country). This came as a shock to everyone, as this has been a family owned business for the past 38 years. Hubby has worked for them for 15 years. So of course, everyone's main question is - Does everybody have a job going forward? - not sure - so far, 4 people of been laid off. No one "higher up" is committing that jobs will remain the same. The "rumor" is the new company will be relocating, one of their warehouses to our city, but if they do, it will not be at the current location. The only thing that is for sure - so it is said, is that the matching RSPs will stop, effective Jan 1st. The new owners are saying that Jan 2nd is when people will know if they have a job and if so, at what pay. Now, hubby has been making a pretty good wage - but $8,000 net of that is through bonuses and overtime - if the new company does not "do overtime" then we are Royally Messed Up! So it's been quite stressful in our household. This has been a company where 98% of the employees have been there 10+ years. To say that it was a shock, is an understatement.
- We are fortunate, that as part of our financial planning, we have always updated, what our "Emergency Budget" Vs our "Normal Every Month Budget" would be, and we have always kept it current. We also have money that has been set aside for Emergencies - though I hope, we will not have to tap into it - it has taken a lot of work to build it up and over time it has become approx $20,000 of liquid monies that we could access immediately if need be. We also have our Retirement Savings that we could access if worst comes to worst. We currently also pay extra on our mortgage each month, to try to pay it off faster, so we could always stop the "extra" we are putting towards the mortgage, if we had to.
- At the abosolute extreme, we would sell our house and move into the condo that is our investment property.
- I am so glad that we don't have any credit card debt and that Hubby and I are on the same page. I'm hoping that by being prepared, that everything will work out, come Jan2nd. If it doesn't at least we have a plan.
- Right now, our plan is to try live below our "Normal Monthly Budget" and save as much as we can. Hubby is picking up as much overtime as he can get between now and the end of the year. Hubby will continue to participate in the work's matching RSP to the max, up until the end of December - when it's finished. We have decided to continue paying the extra each month on the mortgage until we know for sure what his paycheques will be in the New Year - assuming he will have a job.
The areas we are cutting back on are - groceries - I've had to become even more creative with what is currently in our pantry and freezer, no eating out at all and extending the times between our personal grooming - hair cuts and our dog's grooming. We didn't buy any firewood yet, we have been picking up stray pieces from business that use wood crates, pallets, etc. so right now, in 2 weeks, we already have( 2) 4 ft boxes filled. Hubby is having to take out all the nails and cut the wood down, but I'm impressed and appreciative of his efforts.
So there is our story for now...
Wednesday, June 8, 2011
The next 5 years...
Where do you see yourselves financially on 5 years? There is a bank commercial that plays on our local station that asks that this question, so it got me thinking. In 5years our mortgage will be a bit lower, our Registered Retirement Savings Account will hopefully be higher in value and both our vehicle loans will be paid off by them. We'll have more travel experiences under our belt, but other than that, I don't see too much different from where we are today, to where we will be in 5 years time.
Looking back on 5 years ago, alot has changed as in, I'm married now to my best friend, have a lovely detached bungalow (along with this comes a not so lovely mortgage), have an adorable little dog and have more in my retirement account and savings than before. We have a rental property (that really is more headache than I could have ever imagined).
What do your next 5 years look like?
Looking back on 5 years ago, alot has changed as in, I'm married now to my best friend, have a lovely detached bungalow (along with this comes a not so lovely mortgage), have an adorable little dog and have more in my retirement account and savings than before. We have a rental property (that really is more headache than I could have ever imagined).
What do your next 5 years look like?
Tuesday, June 7, 2011
The $682.50 weekend...
I know this is not being that frugal, but Hubby and I decided that for our Wedding Anniversary, which is in August, we would buy a season pass to the Mayfield Dinner Theatre, here in our City. We really enjoy their productions and the atmosphere is very relaxing, but elegant and the food is great. There are 5 shows for this season and they play out between September 2011 to August 2012. We've been talking about doing this for a few years now, but finally bit the bullet and did it. We purchased one of the cheaper packages, for $682.50, this is for Sunday Brunch with show (The evening dinners with show was quite a bit more). Hubby and I currently each have about $1,000 each, in each of our gift savings accounts, so we split the cost and are each contributing $341.25. Surprisingly, I'm not feeling guilty about spending this money. It's part of my living more in the now.
Friday, June 3, 2011
May Recap
The latter part of May has been busy, both at work and at home.
Our tenant in our rental condo, left the place in a terrible state, so we've been cleaning it up and repairing some of the damage.
Pay came and went and all the bills have been paid and a few dollars saved. We were able to put an extra $50 into our Retirement Savings this week, this is on top of our regular automatic contributions, and put an additional $80 into Savings and $200 towards Vacation.
I've been focusing on "living in the moment" and enjoying the here and now. This has led to some extra money having been spent, but all in all, a good month. We were fortunate enough to receive tickets to two different events, without any cost (only had to pay for parking which came to $5).
I think I focus too much on the future, so am trying to keep a balance of still focusing on the future, but also "living in the moment" and enjoying what today has to offer.
Here's to a very Happy June for everyone!
Our tenant in our rental condo, left the place in a terrible state, so we've been cleaning it up and repairing some of the damage.
Pay came and went and all the bills have been paid and a few dollars saved. We were able to put an extra $50 into our Retirement Savings this week, this is on top of our regular automatic contributions, and put an additional $80 into Savings and $200 towards Vacation.
I've been focusing on "living in the moment" and enjoying the here and now. This has led to some extra money having been spent, but all in all, a good month. We were fortunate enough to receive tickets to two different events, without any cost (only had to pay for parking which came to $5).
I think I focus too much on the future, so am trying to keep a balance of still focusing on the future, but also "living in the moment" and enjoying what today has to offer.
Here's to a very Happy June for everyone!
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