tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-78328196751963205142023-11-15T23:23:48.630-07:00Reaching Financial PeaceFollow Steve, Beki, and their three small kids, as they work through Dave Ramsey's 7 steps to Financial Peace.
Beki considers it a full time job to save money while staying home with the kids.
This blog features a collection of money saving tips from a wide variety of people in the Edmonton area.Bekihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10958466065490888419noreply@blogger.comBlogger55125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7832819675196320514.post-33137650338864221972013-06-17T09:33:00.000-06:002013-06-17T09:38:53.031-06:00Headbands and HairclipsHere's a tip for all you moms out there who have walked through the boutiques and farmers markets and have seen those adorable crochet headbands with the big beautiful flowers on them. They look simply adorable on babies and toddlers, and when you borrow the flower clips and slip them into your own hair, they become elegant instead of adorable!<br />
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If you've seen the price tags on those things, you might think that paying $6 for a headband with a flower isn't too bad. I've got news for you... I purchased 50 headbands (several colors were included in the lot) and 50 matching flowers for $25. I gave away about 15 sets as baby shower gifts, and kept about 10 sets for my own daughter, and then I sold the remaining 25 sets for $30 on kijiji!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKYlAp099HB230YFEStS6FgVOwIKt2DFDqvEXx-Z4uKwIj8KQahTNsx5xmNyiK2ytZ9gH_BdsFao190-j3hrfoZuwQ8zmx-Vu-fibTvYbtBNSYtjnqYVvKJ5UE3VLult8JPlb4bF1bEYHk/s1600/Capturehairclips.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKYlAp099HB230YFEStS6FgVOwIKt2DFDqvEXx-Z4uKwIj8KQahTNsx5xmNyiK2ytZ9gH_BdsFao190-j3hrfoZuwQ8zmx-Vu-fibTvYbtBNSYtjnqYVvKJ5UE3VLult8JPlb4bF1bEYHk/s400/Capturehairclips.JPG" width="396" /></a></div>
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Now don't get me wrong, that was a fabulous deal, but it wasn't an extremely rare deal. If you go onto Ebay and type "Baby Headband Flower" into the search bar, I guarantee that you will find an assortment of those cute hair accessories. If you add the word "lot" to the end of that search, you will find the wholesale prices. Most of these are shipped from China or somewhere else in Asia, and a lot of them are shipped for free, or for a very low cost. <a href="http://www.ebay.ca/sch/i.html?_odkw=crochet+headband+flower+baby&_sop=15&_osacat=0&_from=R40&_trksid=p2045573.m570.l1313.TR0.TRC0&_nkw=crochet+headband+flower+baby+lot&_sacat=0" target="_blank">Click here to try it.</a><br />
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<span style="background-color: yellow;"><a href="http://www.ebay.ca/itm/Lot-of-40-hair-bow-accessory-baby-girl-20-Crochet-Headband-20-Daisy-Flower-clips-/261143274386?pt=US_Baby_Accessories&hash=item3ccd5a2392" target="_blank">The photo above was taken from an Ebay vendor. Click here to be directed to their site.</a></span><a href="http://www.ebay.ca/itm/Lot-of-40-hair-bow-accessory-baby-girl-20-Crochet-Headband-20-Daisy-Flower-clips-/261143274386?pt=US_Baby_Accessories&hash=item3ccd5a2392" target="_blank"><br /></a><br />
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Sometimes you have to look through a few pages of ebay items before you find the hidden gems. If you are into those sorts of things, Ebay can be a valuable tool to save money!<br />
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If you are really the crafty type, you can purchase the headbands separately, purchase the little clips and some ribbon, and make your own! Yes, you can even sell them! I personally do not have the time or space to keep them and make my own, but it's a great idea.<br />
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If you really find a good deal, you can always do what I did. Buy a whole bunch, save some for gifts, and sell the rest of them to someone on kijiji and make money on the deal. The lady who purchased the bag of 25 sets from me still got a fantastic deal! 25 headbands and matching flowers for $30 is still far less, FAR LESS, than she'd pay at the cute little shops that offer the very same things. I didn't feel bad at all for "ripping her off" because I certainly didn't! I took the effort to track them down and purchase them, and then wait for them to come in the mail. That is worth something too, and I was pleased to be able to make back my money with a $5 extra tip.Bekihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10958466065490888419noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7832819675196320514.post-87205564878277518252013-06-17T09:04:00.001-06:002013-06-17T09:04:51.123-06:00Reaching Goals and Starting OverIn the last post, I shared with you that we had bought a new (used - 2006) van. We are so thrilled to have made that purchase, and even more pleased with the fact that when we drove that van off the lot, it was 100% ours, with no strings attached.<br />
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However, (there's always a however...) the hard thing about reaching goals is that you have to start all over again on working towards your next goal. It was so liberating to pay for the van with cash... and then a little bit overwhelming to see our savings accounts dip lower than they have in years. Though we needed a new van, we also were hoping for a new house soon, and we sort of used a good chunk of our down payment fund for the van.<br />
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I remember going through this phase before, but never to this degree. We've been reaching for goals before, but never have we gotten past a goal of over $10,000 and then started on our next goal. It's a little scary and maybe even a little bit disappointing to look at our savings account and have that all-too-familiar feeling of loosing the battle. However, (there it is again...) it's worth it!!!<br />
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Upon reaching our goal for a new vehicle, we have eliminated the risk of suddenly being without a vehicle in the event that our other van breaks down. We've taken away the risk of having to search for and purchase a vehicle out of sheer necessity instead of making a slow and careful decision like we did. We also feel so proud of ourselves every time we get into the van, and thankful that God has brought us this far in our journey to Financial Peace!<br />
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As far as a new house goes, I'm sure that everyone around me figures it will never happen. I get all geared up and ready to go, but when it really comes down to it, we haven't found the right deal yet. If it's a good price, it's just too much work to make it liveable. If it's liveable, it's usually too expensive, in the wrong neighborhood, or we just don't want to lock into such a large mortgage.<br />
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Now that our son is just about out of kindergarten, schools also factor into our decision in a big way. He's happy at his school, and in all honesty, we'd almost rather stay here until he's a little older and ready to embrace a change in schools.<br />
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We are also not offering childcare in our home anymore for a couple of reasons. Firstly, the children that were in our home no longer need childcare, and secondly, we are making some personal decisions as a family that just don't work well with having other kids in our home. This knocks out some of our income, and puts us back in a place where I start to wonder if I can bring in more money. I go through this every time our income changes, every time I am not specifically bringing money into our home.<br />
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I know that God is bigger than all that, I know He will guide us and direct us in the ways that we should go. I also know that He is able to bless us no matter what happens with income and expenses, and that's a solid foundation that I've stood on for most of my life.<br />
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Starting fresh again isn't great, but each time we do it, it seems to get a little bit easier. It's not the shock that it once was. Eliminating our entertainment and dining out budget in order to send more to our savings account is not nearly as hard as it once was. Some days it's not fun, and my dear husband knows that some days I'd just rather throw in the towel on all this "saving for my future" stuff. Sometimes I just want to do what I want to do NOW, and then figure out my future later. <br />
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But that's when I take a deep breath and say no. No, I'm not going to go with the flow, I'm not going to leave the plan, even though sometimes I wander off of it and have to pull myself back on track. Someday, I'll be thankful I did. I am already thankful!! Whenever I look out our window and see the van in our driveway, I'm proud of ourselves.<br />
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We've been around this road before, and each time, the rewards get bigger. At first, it was a matter of paying upfront for every regular expense in a month. We were so proud. Then we managed to stockpile enough into our savings account that when we ended up taking a $5000 hit when everything broke at the same time, it hurt, but we were fine. And we were proud! When we were able to give bigger donations to our church, without thinking twice, we were so proud! <br />
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Each time we've started over, we've worked towards a greater reward, and for each goal that we've reached, we've felt even more proud of ourselves and ever so thankful to God than for the last one!<br />
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So here we are again, starting fresh, working towards an even bigger goal. Eventually, we'll reach it. And hopefully, one day we will be able to reach goals without giving everything we have. When that day comes, we will be so happy that we gave up our entertainment to plan for our future. (And there's no "however" after that one!!)<br />
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<br />Bekihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10958466065490888419noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7832819675196320514.post-19592760599677232602013-05-09T09:04:00.002-06:002013-05-09T09:04:53.237-06:00New Van!!For the last 2 years, I've posted about how our van was slowly breaking down more and more, and how we just kept fixing it and going on.<br />
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After a few more old-age quirks from our van, we decided to start looking for a new van. We found the van that we wanted (a Toyota Sienna, 2004+), and waited for a good deal. We waited for nearly a year, watching online ads and keeping our eyes open at all times, waiting for the right van to come along.<br />
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On Monday morning, I came across a van that I'd seen before, but it was listed as a 7 passenger. We were set on an 8 passenger van. I'm not sure why, but I clicked on the ad, and browsed through the photos. It was then that I realized that regardless of the title on the ad, this was definitely an 8 passenger van! I called the Lexus dealership that was selling the van and confirmed the number of seats. The sales person couldn't believe they had made a mistake like that- it virtually eliminated their chances of selling the vehicle! Anyone who wanted a 7 passenger would have seen the photos and realized it was an 8 passenger. Anyone who wanted an 8 passenger would never click on the ad, as "7 passenger" was written right in the title.<br />
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It was a 2005 Sienna with only 126,000 km on it, for $11,500. The other comparable vans for sale were all a good $2000 higher than this one. This one had come down in price by over $1000 since it had been on the lot since February. <br />
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After crunching the numbers and dipping a little into our emergency fund (technically not allowed by the Dave Ramsey Rules, but we were sure this was the right van for us,) we decided that we could pay cash for the van. Since Steve and I couldn't really find a babysitter at the last minute, we decided that I'd go do a test drive alone. I asked my dad to come along, mostly to help with the deal making. I've never bought a vehicle at a dealership before, and I wasn't sure what to expect.<br />
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I loved the van right away, and it took very little time to settle in and driving felt just as normal as ever. The van was in perfect mechanical condition, the dealer had put in nearly $2000 of work into the van to bring it all up to good condition. They even replaced the windshield because it was cracked. When I asked about the condition of the vehicle, the sales person said to me, "What?? This is a Lexus dealership. We do NOT sell anything that is not in excellent mechanical condition!" He had the work orders and the inspection results to back that up.<br />
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We worked out a deal for $12,000 final price, and I was pleased to find that they had thrown in free lifetime oil changes as an added perk to the deal. <br />
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My favorite part of the whole deal was when we came back the next day (Tuesday) to pick up the van. It was paid for in full, we didn't owe a penny. The van was ours, like 100% ours, no payments to make later, and no buyers remorse. We'd waited a long time to choose a van, and we felt that this was right for us!<br />
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We brought the kids to go pick it up, and we were so pleased to see that they had the van all shiny and polished up, parked inside the building right alongside all the other Lexus vehicles, waiting in front of some grand glass doors that opened to let us drive through. The kids were all so amazed that our van was in the midst of all the "race cars", and it was immediately dubbed, "The Race Van!" <br />
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We drove from the showroom floor out through the glass doors and felt like royalty. It was fabulous. They treated us so well, we really loved the whole experience. And the best part is that we paid cash, 100% cash for the purchase. No credit card debt, no car payments, nothing. <br />
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Thanks Dave Ramsey! Now we start building back our savings to get a down payment for a house! We accomplished one major purchase, and I have the confidence that with more hard work, we can keep saving our way to a paid-for home!<br />
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<br />Bekihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10958466065490888419noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7832819675196320514.post-15882908169925056662012-11-22T10:13:00.001-07:002012-11-22T10:13:44.584-07:00Black Friday - SAVINGS!!! (......Really?)As I looked through my inbox this morning, I was getting all excited with all the advertisements for Black Friday sales. Really, that sweater that I absolutely ADORE is 40% off? Old Navy has their entire store on sale for 30% off? Ooooh, those gorgeous earrings are 60% off! And all those warm turtleneck sweaters from Lands End are on sale too! This is wonderful! Think of all the money I can save!!!<br />
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.... But really, how much would I save? If I spend money on things that I want but don't need, even if they are on sale, how much am I saving? I have come to realize that when I don't have the budget for those things, it's ridiculous to pick them up anyways simply because they are on a great sale! In fact, unless I have the budget for them, even sales on things I need shouldn't sway me. In two days, I will have a fresh 2 week budget, and then, and ONLY THEN, can I justify spending more money.<br />
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Now, don't get me wrong. A couple of months ago there were more diaper sales than I could budget for. We went above our budget and used ...*gasp*... the credit card... on diapers. Some of those boxes of diapers were close to 50% off and I just could not pass that up. I don't have a budget for splurging when there's a good sale, but on occasion, I do it anyways. We didn't have to buy diapers for over 2 months! In that 2 months, we had to fix the van a couple of times and other stuff went wrong and I ended up being so thankful that the diaper budget could be used on other necessary things. (Can you hear the "BUT" coming?)<br />
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But, (here it is,) that was a rare occasion in which I know 100% for certain that I would absolutely need the product no matter what. When I get close to running out of diapers, I need more. That's just a fact of life for us right now. I knew for certain that spending more now would save me money later on something that I cannot possibly live without.<br />
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A sweater? Those earrings? All those awesome tunic style shirts that will actually cover my ridiculously long torso? Yes, if I have the budget, I can grab a couple. But I cannot justify "saving all that money" and getting things that I can live without.<br />
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The only way that purchasing sale items actually saves you money is if you have a budget for something. When you have a budget for something and you spend less than you thought you needed to, you actually have money left. That's saving. When you spend without a budget, I don't care how much of a discount it is, it's not saving! It's still spending more than you were going to in the first place.<br />
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Would I have gone out and purchased that sweater when it wasn't on sale yesterday? No way. Would I have gone out and purchased diapers when they weren't on sale? Yep. So there's the difference. If I wasn't planning to purchase the product without a sale, than unless I have the budget to use, I shouldn't purchase the product even on a great sale. <br />
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Be careful with all the "savings", make sure you aren't spending more than you budgeted for just because things are on sale. That's not savings at all, that's just a ploy to get more of your money, not less.<br />
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<br />Bekihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10958466065490888419noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7832819675196320514.post-90340278740267258282012-11-12T13:40:00.000-07:002012-11-12T13:40:20.095-07:00Fix the vehicle or buy a new one?Here's a question that we've had to really think through a lot in the past few months:<br />
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<b>When is better to just purchase a new vehicle instead of keep paying to fix an older one??</b><br />
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This question has risen up a number of times as we've paid at least a couple of thousand dollars in the last 2 years to keep our vehicle running. It's currently headed back into the shop this week, and we've got a rental vehicle so that Steve can continue to earn money while our van is costing us money. <br /><br />I've been watching the posts that come through my RSS Feeds from Dave Ramsey, and he talks a lot about this topic. People are constantly asking him about their own personal situation, as if they are sure he will say, "Yes, now is a good time to go into debt by purchasing another vehicle," but it never happens. <br />
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<a href="http://www.daveramsey.com/index.cfm?event=askdave/&intContentItemId=124883" target="_blank">Here's what Dave says over and over again: </a><br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<i>When you are driving a $1,000 car and a $2,500 transmission goes out,
that car goes to the junkyard and you get $500 out of it. It's a
throwaway–that's what it's for.</i></div>
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<i>If you are driving a $5,000 car,
you have to stop and think about whether to put a transmission in that
and whether that makes sense. Overall, mathematically, until you get
down to that level of car, if your car keeps breaking down, you can
mathematically fix a car forever until you get down to $1,000 value. You
can mathematically fix a car for cheaper than you can buy another one.</i></div>
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<i>If
you have a $10,000 car that always breaks and upgrade to a $20,000 car,
that's $10,000 worth of repairs you could have done. How long can you
keep something running for $10,000? Forever! If you have a $5,000 car
that's breaking down all the time and you buy a $10,000 car, that's a
$5,000 difference. How long can you work on a $5,000 car with $5,000
cash? A long time!</i></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i><br />Mathematically, repairs almost never drive the decision until you're
down to a $1,000 car. You really can't mathematically make the decision
to sell a car because the repairs are eating you up. It never works out.</i></div>
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So here's how that works out for us. We don't have a lot saved up for a new vehicle yet, because we are still working on getting our emergency fund back into place after it took a severe beating this last summer.<br />
<br />How much is our van worth? According to yesterday's hours of research online, I have to come to the conclusion that our van is worth at the very least, $3500. How much of a new van can we pay cash for right now? About $3500. What on earth would be the point of purchasing a new vehicle???<br />
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Some of you are staring at me like I'm crazy. I can just hear you thinking, <i>"What's the point?? Are you really going to keep throwing money into that old thing and let it eat you alive?"</i><br />
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Sure, I'd love to drive a shiny new vehicle. Sure, I'd love to be able
to take it into the dealer and say, "Fix this... it's on warrantee," and
walk out of there with a fixed vehicle and no less money in my bank
account. Sure, I'd love to show up in a snazzy ride that everyone oohs
and ahhs over. <br />
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Let me ask you something: Would I rather throw my own money into something that I own to keep it running, or would I rather borrow a bunch of money and throw way more of my own money at something that won't break down... at least for a little while. And then when I still owe about half of it, it will start breaking down and causing trouble, and then I'll be throwing money at my vehicle AND at my loan! Yay. <br />
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That's not the way I want to live. Ever. <br />
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So we shall drive a beater and until it costs us more to fix it than it does to purchase a new one, we'll keep at it. Besides... eventually, we'll have replaced so many things that we'll sort of have a brand new vehicle! :)<br />
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We'll keep saving our money by NOT purchasing another newer vehicle that we can't pay cash for, and we'll keep repairing our current vehicle and staying out of debt. Bekihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10958466065490888419noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7832819675196320514.post-1803462968351525002012-10-16T14:45:00.002-06:002012-10-16T14:45:50.267-06:00Interesting - Lesson Learned!If you have been following along in the last couple of months, you'd know that we have been going through a tight financial time. In order to combat this, we really pulled in on the budget, and then laughed as we quickly transferred the money back OUT of our emergency fund for a few things. We've managed to save very little, but at least we haven't gone into debt!<br />
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See, we've got a little guy who is just starting Kindergarten. Call me crazy, but I totally didn't realize how expensive it would be to get him all set up in school. We faced school fees, purchased school clothes, winter coat and boots, and a bunch of other things! Our little guy is super sensitive to anything touching his skin, so we had to make sure he had super soft pants, seamless socks (rather expensive!) and a bunch of other stuff that would be suited to making him feel comfortable at school. I didn't want his teacher to have to fight with him every day to get his socks back on, while he screamed that his socks seams were cutting into his feet.<br />
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We also ended up having to get new tires, a wheel alignment, and a couple of other things. It was kinda crazy.<br />
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The one mistake we made was to not bother getting cash out of the bank, and assumed that without the cash in hand, we'd spend much less. WRONG!! <br />
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I can tell you that without the cash in hand, we spent quite a bit more on groceries than we had before we cut the budget!! Like, easily $200 more! Wow... was that ever a wake-up call for us! When we cut out our cash budget, we spent more on the things that we used the debit for. I was baffled at how we were spending so much and yet, we were trying so hard to save more! Starting this week, we are back onto a cash budget... that will save us more money than spending with a debit card.<br />
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The second mistake I made was to cut out some of our grocery budget. With one of the kids in school, healthy snacks are a must. Easy lunches are a must. Unfortunately, I cut back our grocery budget to a completely unreasonable amount and then "overspent" even when I was buying just the bare minimum of our food needs.<br />
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In November, I'm starting up a dayhome, and that will replace my lost salary from the bookkeeping position that I quit in August. (It is the only job where I can honestly stay home with the kids and focus on them, without having to meet deadlines, work late hours, and neglect the kids when I'm busy with work.) I'm very excited to start this up, and have already been planning out a new budget. We'll go back to the same grocery budget that we had, but we'll try to keep out other expenses as low as possible. We should be able to save like crazy and see our emergency fund back up to the full 6 months of expenses within the next 6 months. We'll see. I know that there will be expenses that come as a result of the dayhome - insurance, a little more food, other random things, but I'm confident that we can manage those things well. <br />
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Well, here's to a new start... again! :D I am a very optimistic person and I don't mind starting fresh as many times as it takes to get back on the right track. As long as I start fresh from a slightly higher position than I started from last time, I'm happy!Bekihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10958466065490888419noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7832819675196320514.post-7244857769179839712012-09-06T09:55:00.004-06:002012-09-06T10:13:27.200-06:00Necessary wants, how to fit them into the budget!So last week I wrote about how we were pulling in on every front and guarding our finances from anything that might try and whisk them away. This week is a little different, and in some sense, is a contrast to all that talk about saving every last penny.<br />
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Once we got back on track last week with an extremely limited budget, we were able to regain the focus on saving that we've lost in the last few months. Things have come up that we do need money for, and not "needs". These are things like birthday celebrations and other stuff that you just really wanna do! <br />
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With no room in the budget for any sort of entertainment, you have to figure out how to handle it when things come up. Sometimes you have things that are not truly needs, but are necessary wants! For example, if friends get married, you need a gift! If someone comes into town that you haven't seen in awhile, you'll need to make the time to see them, and if that happens to be a family gathering at a restaurant or something, you'll need to go. You get the picture. Life happens, and life usually costs.<br />
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So how do you fit "life" into a strict budget?<br />
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Here's how we do it. We save $50 every two weeks into what we call our slush fund. This is not something that we just spend when we want to, it's kept in a secondary savings account and used as an pre-emergency fund. Every time we can gather a couple hundred bucks into that account, it gets transferred into the emergency fund so it doesn't get used on things that we don't really need.<br />
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It takes 5 business days to transfer the money from our savings account into our checking account where it can be put into whatever we need it for. Knowing that there is a 5 day wait for what we want usually helps us to decide whether it's really worth it or not. Generally, necessary wants are planned for at least a week before they arrive, giving us time to figure out where to get the money from.<br />
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God and others have blessed us so much though that sometimes when we think we'll need to pull from the pre-emergency account, we don't have to!<br />
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Here are some ways that I've found money to do the things I want to, even when the budget is super tight.<br />
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<ol>
<li>Sell stuff! Do you have an old bookshelf or table kicking around your shed? Sell it! Make sure you research the going price of such items before you list. If you need a quick sale, list it slightly less expensive than all the other options.</li>
<li>Cash in those points cards! Do you have a points card like Petro Points, AirMiles, or any other type of points card that is just sitting there gathering points? You can usually cash those in for gift cards or even items that you can use for gifts. </li>
<li>Pray! Sounds so crazy, doesn't it? God knows what you need, and believe it or not, He even knows what you want and what you are hoping for. I really wanted a treadmill to use through the winter, but I couldn't afford one. I would pray for one on and off through the last year, and a couple of months ago, I found one for free! God is bigger than we know, and far more concerned about our desires than we sometimes believe He is. </li>
<li>Pull in a few dollars from your other budgets. If you can get by with a little less gas money in a month, you can use that unused budget to cover for some other stuff. If you can avoid spending quite as much money on food or electricity, you'll have a few more dollars that you can claim for the fun stuff.</li>
</ol>
Bekihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10958466065490888419noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7832819675196320514.post-28267590217192020612012-08-30T09:59:00.002-06:002012-08-30T09:59:58.518-06:00Back to the Basics!Sometimes life hits hard and though you'd LIKE to continue living at the same level of comfort, you just can't. Well, no, you <i>can</i>, but it will take you into debt! We have just been through a financial storm, and though we were able to weather the storm nicely, we now have to get back onto our feet so we can prepare for the next one. Stuff happens, financial storms come and go. In the time between, it's up to you to get back up, brush the dirt off your back, and figure out how to strengthen yourself better for the next one. <br /><br />Living with financial peace is one of those things that takes a lot of sacrifice. Creating a budget is great, but only if you are willing to adjust it and pull it way back if the need arises.<br />
<br />My husband and I sat down together last week and decided that if we were going to get back to the place where we could weather another terrible storm, there would have to be some serious cuts. Adding to the equation was lost income due to the fact that I've recently resigned from my job. With the lost income and the financial struggles in the last month, some serious re-ordering was necessary. <br /><br />I couldn't bear to to back to square one and create a semi-permanent budget of very low spending. I just couldn't do it. So we decided to budget for the next 4 months only, and then re-evaluate in January. It seemed much easier to just focus on the next 4 months rather than feeling like we are back in a never-ending prison of sacrifice. Yes... I am a dramatic person, and that drama certainly pops up when I think about sacrificing to save money.<br /><br />How do you cut back a budget? The only way to cut back a budget is to sacrifice the things you don't actually <b>need.</b> Here's the funny thing. In the last year, we put about $500 a month into savings and lived comfortably on the rest of our income. As we now work with newly lost income, we have cut the budget and INCREASED our savings to be closer to $1000 a month. How can we do that? Simple. Sacrifice. <br /><br />We've totally nixed our eating out and recreation budgets. We no longer have anything towards entertainment, nothing towards our special savings for random events. We've cut our grocery budget by about 1/3, and we'll be back to the ground beef, eggs, rice, and bread diet! I didn't take anything out of the fruits and veggies budget because those are necessary for a healthy lifestyle. <br /><br />Some of you may be thinking, "Well you can't possibly live like that... with absolutely no spending money, no entertainment money, and no recreation money!" <br /><br />Wanna bet? This is where my dramatic side switches over to my competitive side. We've done it before, what's to stop us from doing it again?? You think we can't? You just watch and see and we'll prove you wrong! <br /><br />Even <span class="st">Gail Vaz-Oxlade, a money coach and financial guru, claims that no one can get by without at least $50 a month set out for entertainment. She's very wise in a lot of things, and I lover her advice 90% of the time. However, in this one thing, I think she's wrong. I know she's wrong. <br /> </span><br />
<span class="st">I can get by without cable TV! I can get by without eating out! I can get by without spending money on entertainment! I can get by without spending a single cent on clothing for myself, and only a couple bucks of clothing for my kids in the next few months! I can get by on a small grocery budget of just the basics! I can get by without costly recreation! I can and I will! <br /><br />I did it for more than a year as we started to build a financial foundation, and I can do it again! I can do it again because I know that under all this sacrifice is peace. Under all the frustration of trying to feed a family of 5 on a budget for 2, there comes a satisfaction as we watch our savings account rise back to the place where we know that we can last another 6 months on our emergency fund if the need arises. <br /><br />Financial peace isn't very peaceful at first. But, you know what Dave Ramsey says. "Live like no one else so later, you can live like no one else!" Right now, we are back to the first half of that statement, and though we are not really loving it, we are fiercely loyal to our plan so that we can reach the second half of the statement. <br /></span>Bekihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10958466065490888419noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7832819675196320514.post-11883604317668406912012-08-07T12:54:00.002-06:002012-08-07T12:54:40.106-06:00Lots of emergencies!In the last couple of months, we have come through some crazy financial emergencies. We've managed to take out 50% of our emergency fund on things that we totally didn't plan for and weren't too thrilled about! <br />
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Part of me wants to think of it in a very depressing and frustrated way. All that hard earned money just went down the drain! We worked so hard to save almost $20,000 as a good solid financial foundation for ourselves, and we just lost half of it due to stuff that came up. Black mold in carpets couldn't just stay there, we had to replace the carpet. A cracked bathroom sink and rotten out vanity cabinet can't be ignored, we had to replace it. Our van (our only vehicle and our means of earning money!) had some troubles and we had no choice but to fix it. <br />
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We also ended up starting our own business in February and didn't foresee some huge costs for various insurance items that are mandatory for a business like ours. Ugh. We had a slow work month in June and ended up not being able to take a paycheck in July. It's been rough!<br />
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Instead of dwelling on those thoughts, I can tell you that I have been extremely thankful. I'm thankful that we took Dave Ramsey's Financial Peace University course. I'm thankful that we worked so hard to save all that money. I'm thankful that when we walked through the last couple of months, we had the emergency fund to rely on! Most of all, I'm thankful that we sit here today with a small emergency fund instead of a huge credit card debt. <br />
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There are more things that are coming and need to be dealt with one at a time before winter, but hopefully we can handle them without touching any more of our emergency fund. We'll need new tires, new windows (the leaky windows caused the mold in the carpets), new front door and door frame (the snow blows in under the door), and we really need a new screen door for our patio door. Our current screen door is getting more and more taped up every day to cover the new holes. <br />
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Here's the thing though. Did we and do we still have financial peace? I can tell you honestly that we've had some doubts, but yes, we are still at peace. It's funny... a few years ago, we felt that we were doing reasonably well as we lived from paycheck to paycheck, constantly battling a few hundred dollars of credit card debt. At least we could find a lot of people that were in deeper debt or seemed less well off than we were. <br /><br />Now though, we've changed our mindset about money. We sit here feeling empty and broke because we've had to knock $10,000 out of our emergency fund and only have about a 3 month buffer in there now. We feel like we have virtually nothing and are doing everything we can to save our pennies to get us back on track! I can tell you, if we had $9,000 a few years ago, we would have been dancing our way to the store to quickly find something to splurge on! What a change! <br /><br />When I look at our entire financial picture, even the last few months have been peaceful. Crazy, and frustrating, and expensive yes, but there is an element of stress that has been replaced by the peace that we were ready for all of this. We didn't buy the bigger house (even though that would have eliminated the carpet costs and other house costs,) and have a bigger mortgage and new problems to deal with. I'm thrilled with our new carpet, it makes our house look bigger and more beautiful. I'm happy with the way things are, because I know that we were prepared. I also know that even if we lost everything, we could rebuild it faster than ever because we've done it once already before. We learned so much in the process that if we had to do it again, which we sort of do, we know how.Bekihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10958466065490888419noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7832819675196320514.post-71622421882179044252012-04-24T14:24:00.001-06:002012-04-24T14:24:18.766-06:00Telus - Not so bad after all...So our experience with Telus has been pretty good, considering the amount of trouble we had with setting up the installation meeting. <br />
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Our first bill included full price cable TV, and the disclaimer about being locked into a 3 year contract. As you can well imagine, Telus got an immediate phone call from me. I demanded a refund, but unfortunately, Telus only subtracts the money off your next bill, so no refund. They did make sure that I was NOT on any sort of a contract, and they switched the TV costs to the promised rate of $10 a month. <br />
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Since then, we've cancelled the TV subscription as we really don't use it. For even $10 a month, plus the $5 monthly rental fee for the cable box, it's still not worth it. We only watch TV for a couple of hours every month, and really, that ends up being quite costly for those two or three hours! Netflix is still working well for us, so the TV subscription will go.<br />
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Going forward, we will be paying $20 a month for full internet and telephone services over the next 10 months. That's an excellent deal! We have had no issues with the internet or telephone services at this point in time.Bekihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10958466065490888419noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7832819675196320514.post-1414453386956210262012-02-21T16:28:00.000-07:002012-02-21T16:28:15.603-07:00Cheaper Phone & Internet... but at what cost???So I had a Telus guy come to the door a week ago, and offer me full internet, TV, and Phone for $10 each, plus a $5 cable box rental. This would be offered for each month up to 12 months. After double and triple checking that there were NO contracts that would hold me from going back to Shaw, I agreed!<br />
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Well, I've been warned a million times that Telus has horrible customer service, but I want to save money! I agreed, and set up the installation date.<br />
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I got a phone call from Telus asking me for details around our installation date, and it was at that time that I realized that everyone is right about Telus. Don't believe me? Here's how the conversation went:<br />
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Telus: We will be disconnecting your Shaw phone a few hours before we come and install your Telus phone. Can I have an alternate phone number that I can reach you at on that day please?<br />
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Me: I don't have an alternate number. Why would you need one?<br />
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Telus: We need to call you and make sure you are home prior to sending our installation technician to your house.<br />
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Me: You are going to cut off my Shaw phone, then you want to call me to see if I'm home?? Can you please call me first, then cut off the Shaw line?<br />
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Telus: No, we have to do it this way. It's our policy.<br />
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Me: What happens if you cut off my line, then can't guarantee that I'm home? Then your technician doesn't come, and then how do I get ahold of you to re-book??<br />
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Telus: I just need an alternate number.<br />
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Me. I don't have one.<br />
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Telus: If we can't guarantee you are home, we won't send the technician.<br />
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Me: So then guarantee that I'm home BEFORE you cut off the phone line.<br />
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Telus: I can't. It's policy. Do you have a family member who can verify that you are home?<br />
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Me: You can call my mom...<br />
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Telus: Perfect, we'll call her.<br />
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Me: So let me get this straight. You are going to cut off my phone line before you call. Then you will call my mom, who lives across town, to ask if I'm home. She'll say yes, because that's what I now have to tell her to say, whether I'm actually at the house or not, and then you'll send your tech. <br />
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Telus: Correct.<br />
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Me: And what if he doesn't show up, or if he can't find the place? Then I'm left as a stay at home mom with three little ones with no contact to the outside world? Then how do I get ahold of you to figure out what happened?<br />
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Telus: You'll have to use your alternate number.<br />
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Me: Have you seriously never had anyone with no alternate number before??<br />
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Telus: Oh we do all the time, it's just policy, so they need to find one.<br />
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I was left baffled at the stupidity of this so-called policy!!! Are you serious? You disconnect my phone, then you want to phone me and see if I'm home?? Seriously???? Did no one with a working brain go to that policy-creating meeting?? No one said, "hmmmm... we should probably call them and confirm the appointment BEFORE we cut off their phone service."<br />
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Anyways. Yes, I see what everyone means, it's ridiculous. But still... it's cheap, so I'm staying so far.<br />
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It doesn't stop there though. Nope, it got worse. I received a letter in the mail from Telus stating that I had entered into a 3 year contract and it outlined the fees of cancelling that contract. I opened the letter, picked up the phone again, and called Telus. <br />
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After demanding that the contract be voided or I wouldn't switch from Shaw, I was told that I had already signed and wouldn't be able to go back without paying fees. I got transferred up through a couple levels of managers, and finally, a person with a fully functional brain!!! I stated that I had confirmed and re-confirmed several times with the sales person that this was NOT to be on a contract, and he had even called his supervisor to confirm for me. I would never had agreed to any sort of a contract. <br />
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The Telus representative said to me, "Well, I will make sure your account does not have a contract on it, as that's what you were told." <br />
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Wow... so at this point in time, we are still heading towards our Telus service, but with each passing day I wonder if the saved money is worth the frustration of all their policies and customer unservice. <br />
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If this keeps up, I'll be switching back to Shaw. Bekihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10958466065490888419noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7832819675196320514.post-28540710047089872252012-02-21T16:08:00.000-07:002012-02-21T16:08:39.939-07:00The proof is in the pudding... or at least in the bill.So awhile ago I mentioned that I may switch from Epcor to Enmax for our electricity. I did that in December and eagerly awaited seeing our electricity bill! Our normal bills through Epcor have been between $120 and $150 for the last year, and it went up to $170 in October. When I saw the bill for $170, I nearly choked and decided to take the plunge! <br />
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Enmax offers a NO CONTRACT plan, and at the time, I was able to lock in at a great rate! I can switch from locked in prices to floating rates at any given time, and back to Epcor if I want to. There are no fees to switch around. I figured it was worth a try! <br />
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My December bill was kind of screwed up because there were charges from Epcor and Enmax, and it was all too confusing to tell if I had actually saved any money. <br />
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I just got my bill for January... $80 for electricity!!! YAY!! We haven't had a bill that low for a couple of years! <br />
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For the record, we also switched our natural gas to Enmax, but didn't take their locked in rate. We are paying the same with Enmax as we would have with Direct Energy. I watch the rates closely though, and will lock in at any time if it will save us money. <br />
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Nope, I'm not being paid by Enmax to write this... (wouldn't that be lovely!!) I just wanted to share our newest savings. Bekihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10958466065490888419noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7832819675196320514.post-57207389972165140802012-02-16T09:26:00.000-07:002012-02-16T09:26:20.403-07:00Bread pricesFor a long time, I've gone to the Bread Basket for their 10 loaves for $10 special on day-old bread. That's a real deal, seeing as you could often find good healthy bread and other specialty breads such as bagels and wraps, all for $1 each, as long as you bought 10 of them. Unfortunately, they have raised their price to $12 for 10 loaves, so it does cost a wee bit more now. It's still a fantastic deal though, if you can find the good bread.<br />
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In the past three weeks, I've been heading to Superstore for my bread! Superstore sells 4 loaves of unsliced white or whole wheat bread for $3.89. That's a pretty good deal for bread! So I have to slice it... I can slice it if it means that I can save money! Granted... when my husband slices the bread, we use a lot more because those slices are pretty big... but still! :) <br />
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When I was in Superstore the other day, I found the bag of 4 loaves on the 50% off shelf! That's now 4 loaves for less than $2! I always check their 50% off shelf, you never know what you might find!Bekihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10958466065490888419noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7832819675196320514.post-16531498845464793422012-01-27T13:43:00.002-07:002012-01-27T13:44:52.460-07:00Stepping out of the nest!Well the time has come for us to take the next financial step in our lives. No, unfortunately it's not buying a new house or getting our new kitchen as mentioned before.<br />
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I'll give you some background to the whole thing. Firstly my husband, Steve, is a drywall taper- an excellent one at that. He's been working full time for a commercial construction company for the last 2.5 years, but in the last two months, he's been taking side jobs. The extra money has been nice, but the rest has not been easy. His long hours meant that the kids wouldn't get to see their Daddy very much. Keep in mind as well, that we only have one vehicle, and that's the vehicle my husband uses to get to work. This means that the kids and I are stuck when he's gone. Any activities such as grocery shopping must be done when he's home. That has been pretty difficult lately!<br />
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Anyways, we've decided that since it's possible for us to double our earnings by finding our own work, we are going to take the leap. We still have a good relationship with Steve's employer, so when we gave him our 2 weeks notice, he told us to let him know if we ever wanted to come back. That's such a generous offer of him, and we certainly appreciated it!<br />
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February 10 will be Steve's last day at work for his current employer, and after that, we'll be out on our own. We kind of feel like a little bird who steps out of the nest and jumps off the branch, hoping that he will learn to fly before he hits the ground!<br />
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Now is when we are sure grateful for our 6 month emergency fund that we built up over the last couple of years. That will sure help us out if we don't get as much work as we need.<br />
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I'm sure excited though, once we are established and have a lot of good work, we will be able to go much farther financially that we were before. I'm so glad that Steve is willing to take the jump, and I'll be right there beside him all the way.<br />
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As for the new house and new kitchen, those things will come in time. It's a little disappointing to give those up, but I know it's less giving them up and more of postponing them for a later time. I'm willing to be patient and make sure that we are setting ourselves up for a better future. After all, isn't that what the Financial Peace University was all about? Live like no one else so later you can live like no one else!Bekihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10958466065490888419noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7832819675196320514.post-11318104760233581612011-12-12T09:16:00.002-07:002011-12-12T19:15:16.438-07:00Financial Peace University wrap-upWell tomorrow is Tuesday, and for the last 13 weeks we've been heading over the the west end of the city to lead our weekly Financial Peace University. Steve and I have really enjoyed leading the course and seeing other people start down a path of financial security like we have.<br />
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We had such a great group, a good mix of ages, genders, and from all stages of life. Some were married, some were single, some were engaged. Some were grandparents, some had babies. Some people owned their homes, some rented, and some were hoping to move from renting to owning soon. It was a great opportunity for us to show what we had learned and to help pass that on.<br />
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By the end of the course, we had about 10 households pay off, or save up over $50,000 all together. I was so proud!! Quite a few of the families had completely paid off their debts and were working to get their emergency funds in place. Some families even accomplished their fully funded emergency fund!! We were very excited to see the progress that each family made.<br />
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As for Steve and I, we are now giving our kitchen a facelift, and the selling the house! We will be looking for a great deal somewhere, as we have been for a couple of years now. Our real estate agent feels that January or February should bring along a few great deals, and we need to be ready to jump on those quickly! We may even take the chance and sell our house before we find a deal. I'm not too eager to do that, because it puts us in a place where we could be without a home for a little while. At that point in time, we'd be far more motivated to make purchase and may not have the patience to wait for a great deal.<br />
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We are excited though, it's been 5.5 years in this little duplex, and we are simply outgrowing it. We are both looking forward to moving on to our next investment, another home that we can live in and add value to.Bekihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10958466065490888419noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7832819675196320514.post-41612293689532345392011-12-12T09:06:00.001-07:002011-12-12T09:16:52.219-07:00Electricity ProvidersAfter much research, we have finally decided to switch from Epcor to Enmax for electricity. In order to further our savings, we also switched our natural gas provider from Direct Energy to Enmax.<br />
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We locked in our electricity costs at a lower price than we've been paying for the last couple of months, and we kept a floating rate for natural gas. The natural gas costs will not be any higher or lower than the floating rate we were paying before.<br />
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After hearing the electricity prices were going to rise up to 40% in December, I decided that locking it into a non-contractual plan was the best option. With Enmax, I can switch in and out of the fixed rates at any time I choose. This means that there is virtually no risk involved, and if I don't end up saving money, or if it costs me more, I'll simply switch back to Epcor.<br />
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We won't get our first bill from Enmax until the first part of January, so we'll have to wait a bit to see if we will come out ahead, the same, or further back. I do expect to come out ahead... otherwise I never would have switched.<br />
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I'm not hoping for a miracle here, but if we can save a few dollars each month, it will be worth it!Bekihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10958466065490888419noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7832819675196320514.post-34329549090801705572011-12-05T11:58:00.000-07:002011-12-05T11:58:51.477-07:00Couponing in EdmontonSo today I am officially setting up a coupon binder!! This is not going to become a blog about couponing because I believe there are already a lot of blogs out there that do the job just fine. Here are a few:<br />
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<a href="http://www.canadiancouponmom.ca/">Canadian Coupon Mom</a><br />
<a href="http://www.moneysavingmomcanada.com/">Money Saving Mom Canada</a><br />
<a href="http://www.extremecouponingmom.ca/web/">Extreme Couponing Mom</a><br />
<a href="http://www.mrsjanuary.com/">Mrs. January</a><br />
<a href="http://www.frugaledmontonmama.com/">Frugal Edmonton Mama</a><br />
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Any google search will reveal a thousand blogs about couponing in Edmonton (and Canada), so it's not too hard to find that info. <br />
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I would recommend that if you get the opportunity to take a couponing course, you do so. These are usually only a few dollars, but they really give you a lot of insight into couponing and how exactly it's done legally and responsibly here in Canada. <br />
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My personal belief is that couponing is excellent, as long as it has some boundaries. Those boundaries include staying within the store coupon policies, and not spending a bunch more money on things you don't need just because you have coupons. I believe in finding coupons for the things I use, can use, or can give away. If I can find free things, I grab them whether I use them or not, because I can always donate them to a shelter or give them away. I also believe in taking the coupons that you'll use, and not taking coupons that are on products that you are not purchasing. <br />
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Using coupons can be very rewarding when done correctly. I look forward to progressing in my coupon skills, and I also look forward to being able to give a bunch of stuff away, and save money all at once! <br />
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Please feel free to contact me if you want to know more about couponing, but I think you'll find all the info you could need on one or more of those blog websites I posted above.Bekihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10958466065490888419noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7832819675196320514.post-71558007422419425942011-11-11T09:12:00.000-07:002011-11-11T09:12:47.791-07:00Another Personal Update - Financial PeaceLittle by little, we are reaching our goals of reaching financial peace. I'm very excited to share that we are completely finishes step 3, and have just over 5 months of expenses saved up in case of an emergency. I am also excited to share that we have started looking into our next options and have decided a good course of action.<br />
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With Steve working on some side jobs, our income has seen a bit of a facelift. It's nothing that will really make a difference yet, but it helps! <br />
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We thought about investing, and starting up my RRSPs again, and even looked into RESPs. At this point in time though, we've decided that we want to be moving to a bigger house within the next year. In order to do that comfortably, we are going to hold off on investments and focus on paying down our mortgage so we have a bigger down payment. <br />
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We even considered keeping this house as a rental property and buying another one to live in, but I don't think we are ready to take on that kind of risk yet. If the renters don't pay, or if we can't find renters, we are really in trouble!! Also, we still owe enough on this house that if the housing market really crashed, we could still be in a situation where we owe as much or more than the house is worth. If we turn our focus from the Emergency Fund and start piling that money into our mortgage, I think we can have it down considerably in a few months. Then when we go to sell, we can easily come up with a good down payment and feel good that we are saving a bunch of interest. <br />
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I have to admit, the idea of keeping this house as a rental property sounds good, and I know probably 95% of investment advisers out there would say that you want to keep a mortgage on your investment properties, because you can write off the mortgage payments on your taxes. Those payments offset the income that you earn through the rental property, and the theory is that you save piles of money. I just can't agree with that. I'd rather pay the government all that tax on the extra income, than pay all that interest each month and STILL owe a whole bunch on the rental property. <br />
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It would be much safer to have a rental property paid off, or very close to paid off, before I take the risk of having it trashed, empty, or simply not earning income. <br />
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Anyways, the outcome of all those discussions have let to one thing. We are going to focus on lowering our mortgage as much as we can, and once we find a new place, we'll be in a better position. We are looking for a place hopefully near my parents, and a house that we can take from being ugly to being a dream home. <br />
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We do know what we are getting in to, as we did that already once with this house! When we moved in, it really didn't look like much. After much hard work, paint, and soap, it wasn't too bad. Then when we tore out the basement and totally started from scratch down there, it was much better. Rebuilding the fence last year, and adding a deck this year, really helped the place to look much better too. I planted some bushes and shrubs in the front this past summer, in hopes of making the front part of the house look much more inviting and cared for. <br />
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There are a few things left to do here before we sell, little things that will bring up the value of the home, if only because it makes people feel better and have a better impression of the place. The last major project should be completed in February, and that is to renovate the kitchen. We want to replace the cabinets and the flooring in the kitchen, and possibly the counter-tops. If we can get by with replacing only the cabinets and not the counters, I'd prefer to do that. The counter-tops are still in fine condition and look nice. Once we do that, this house will be in great condition to sell.<br />
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I'm very excited to see our hard work pay off, but a little sad to think that the work will start all over again with the new house. Perhaps it won't be so bad though... but if it is, there's money to be made!!<br />
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So that's the update on our own journey to Financial Peace. One step at a time, we keep on keeping on.Bekihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10958466065490888419noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7832819675196320514.post-56330546912885867622011-11-08T21:36:00.000-07:002011-11-08T21:36:39.801-07:00Investment tool!Investing has always seemed a little scary for me... so many big words and so many variables! <br />
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We personally ended up in a bit of a pickle over some bad investment advice, and are still paying the consequences of our decision. In order to avoid the same mistake again, we've done our best to talk to lots of different people, researched things online, and have done our best to just get a general education on what investments are and how they work. <br />
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There is a fantastic site that we learned of in the last week, that gives you the ability to check out how funds, companies, and stocks have been doing for the last few years. If you have bought into a stock or other fund like that, you will have an ID number of some sort on that fund. Using <a href="http://www.theglobeandmail.com/globe-investor/">The Globe and Mail</a>'s website, you can enter the name of any stock or fund into their search bar near the top of the window, and use the tabs on the fund's page to view information on the fund. Most importantly, you can view how well the fund has performed in the last 10 years, and then make a solid decision on whether or not you want to get in. <br />
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I'm told that when investment brokers are showing charts, they can easily (and legally) leave some information out of the picture and make their graphs look rather rosy. The Globe and Mail tells it how it is. Good or bad, it's the real picture.<br />
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If we had looked at those charts before we invested, we may not have been so easily convinced to buy in. Thankfully, we are learning much more now and will not make those mistakes again. <br />
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As Dave Ramsey says, "Never buy into something that you can't explain- something you don't understand well enough to explain it to a 7th grader."Bekihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10958466065490888419noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7832819675196320514.post-36463882144710505812011-11-07T18:50:00.000-07:002011-11-07T18:50:15.980-07:00Granola Recipe! (Money Saving Breakfast, and healthy too!)When people find out that I make my own granola cereal for breakfast, a lot of people ask me for my recipe. I haven't ever come up with an actual recipe, as I usually just guess on every amount and keep tweaking until it works... until now. <br />
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I have officially come up with my Banana Granola recipe, that will save some money on healthy breakfasts. I'm not sure if this recipe is actually cheaper than purchasing puffed rice or corn flakes, but I can guarantee you that it's much more healthy! And for the price of the higher quality cereals, I think you'd be better off making your own!<br />
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This recipe has a banana base, rather than an oil base like so many other granola recipes. If you really want to save money, check for the overripe, brown bananas that the grocery stores will sell you at a discounted price!<br />
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</div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>Banana Granola</b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b></b></div><div style="text-align: left;">Preheat the oven to 300<b></b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b><br />
</b>Blend the following ingredients until liquified:</div><ul><li>6 overripe bananas</li>
<li>1 cup molasses</li>
<li>2 tablespoons vanilla extract</li>
<li>1 cup honey</li>
</ul>Once those are well blended, add:<br />
<ul><li>1/2 cup of oil</li>
</ul>Don't mix the oil for too long or it will make the mixture thicken into a mayonnaise texture! I usually mix for about 10 seconds on a low speed just to incorporate the oil, and then I stop.<br />
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In a separate bowl, or directly in the roasting pan you will use, mix together the following ingredients<br />
<ul><li>2.25 kg of rolled oats (about 24 cups)</li>
<li>6 cups of unsweetened coconut</li>
<li>2 cups of ground flax seeds</li>
<li>8 cups of unsalted peanuts</li>
<li>1 cup of bran flakes</li>
</ul> Bake in a large uncovered roasting pan (the kind that you'd cook a turkey in!) for somewhere around an hour, making sure that you mix well at 10 minute intervals. When you stir the baking granola, make sure that you scrape the bottom and sides very well as the molasses and honey likes to burn onto the corners of the pan if you aren't careful. Thoroughly stirring the granola also ensures even baking. The granola is done when it is looking a medium brown color, and looks fairly crispy. The granola needs to sit uncovered for up to 24 hours (cover with a sheer towel if you are worried about bugs) so that it can dry and crisp up nicely.<br />
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Once properly cooled and dried, this granola will keep very well for a couple of weeks (we've had it for up to 3 weeks) in a sealed, clean container stored in a cool dry place. <br />
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<b>Variations: </b><br />
This recipe is extremely easy to change by adding and subtracting ingredients, and switching them with what your family prefers. <br />
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Raisins and other dried fruits can be added, but only after the granola is cooked and has cooled for a couple of hours. If you add the raisins directly the recipe before cooking, they will all burn and you will have black little burnt raisins all through the granola. It's not very tasty that way! <br />
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You can add wheat germ, oat bran or rice bran in place of, or in addition to the flax seeds and bran flakes. If you want to add more than a couple cups of dry ingredients in this recipe, make sure you add another banana to the original blending mixture to offset the additional dry ingredients. <br />
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Instead of or in addition to peanuts, you can use almonds, cashews, walnuts, or any other type of nut that you like. Or, if you and your family don't do nuts, switch out the nuts for some nutritious seeds like pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, and/or sesame seeds.<br />
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Instead of vanilla flavoring, feel free to try some other flavors that will better match the other ingredients. For example, if you use walnuts, try using maple extract instead of vanilla. You can use almond extract as well to enhance the addition of almonds. <br />
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I like to limit the sugars that I use in my baking, so I am careful to use unsweetened coconut. "Normal" coconut has icing sugar in it. If your family prefers a sweeter taste, you can add more honey, 1/2 cup of corn syrup, sweetened coconut, or 1 cup of brown sugar to the mix. <br />
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So there you have it! If you have any questions or thoughts, feel free to leave a comment here and let me know what you think.Bekihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10958466065490888419noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7832819675196320514.post-11078306989150931092011-11-02T10:53:00.000-06:002011-11-02T10:53:12.436-06:00Frugal Edmonton Mama Ebook Special!For a limited time, if you haven't read the guide to using coupons and saving money in Edmonton, you can get the Frugal Edmonton Mama E-Coupon class for only $4.99!<br />
<div> </div><div> You will learn where to get the coupons, how to use the coupons and where you can start to get FREE items too. Just in time for the holiday season, you can change the way that you shop and be on your way to saving more money on your next trip to the supermarket - just by learning to time when you shop and other simple methods. </div><br />
Check out <a href="http://www.frugaledmontonmama.com/2011/11/frugal-edmonton-mama-ebook-special-499.html">Frugal Edmonton Mama's post</a> for more info!Bekihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10958466065490888419noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7832819675196320514.post-16067097503038378392011-10-22T08:23:00.000-06:002011-10-22T08:23:03.567-06:00Huggies Diapers - $16 off!!!So I did it!!! <br />
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I bought a $20 pack of diapers for $4.04. How? Armed with 4 coupons and a Zellers flyer, I made my way to London Drugs. I was admittedly pretty nervous, wondering if this could work! I was so nervous that I totally forgot to step into Superstore and pick up my fifth coupon which would have brought the price down to $2.02. <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0Tce7-qOXUrQQ8OU2fTIUbE1uoR7uFlDzUVXSaNgMpIXPuWq7XGS_h2AyxMwv4xWwDS10eWiUT0wePyCkGLASoodFTjKT0zntYVzO1K3ZKrSZqX4_MYfVOxyT5IuJRT4kZmFACf2W2sn5/s1600/Huggies-Supreme-Natural-Fit-large.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0Tce7-qOXUrQQ8OU2fTIUbE1uoR7uFlDzUVXSaNgMpIXPuWq7XGS_h2AyxMwv4xWwDS10eWiUT0wePyCkGLASoodFTjKT0zntYVzO1K3ZKrSZqX4_MYfVOxyT5IuJRT4kZmFACf2W2sn5/s1600/Huggies-Supreme-Natural-Fit-large.jpg" /></a></div><br />
I went and found the diapers that I wanted, and went to the customer service desk. I used the Zellers flyer to price match the diapers from $20.99 down to $9.99. Then I set out the coupons. I must have looked like a total coupon amateur as I sat there nervously watching the clerk read through the coupons. She scanned them and said, "That's $4.04 please." <br />
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I tried to act all casual, but inside I was literally leaping and dancing, screaming, "IT WORKED!!!" I had visions of myself dancing through some flowery meadow, receipt in one hand, diapers in the other, cash still left safely in my wallet.<br />
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I paid, and then left the store before my excitement came bursting out through my skin. <br />
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I am hooked. I purchased a <a href="http://www.frugaledmontonmama.com/">couponing how-to guide</a> for $12.99, and just saved $16 in one single transaction. I am so excited, if I can save money on diapers alone, I will be saving around $40 a month, if not more! <br />
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So my dear readers, if you want to start saving some big money, take a peek into the world of couponing. Not just using a coupon here and there, but look into actually figuring out the system and how you get stuff for free or at a very low price!Bekihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10958466065490888419noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7832819675196320514.post-30225326836324852802011-10-18T10:23:00.000-06:002011-10-18T10:23:22.368-06:00Couponing in CanadaAlright, so for a long time I have believed that it is virtually impossible to do couponing in Canada. Yes, I could save a buck or two for each grocery trip, but really, is that worth it? And I'd probably be buying the higher priced stuff anyways, where I could just use the store brand and save more!!<br />
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I used to think that. <br />
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Then I came across <a href="http://www.frugaledmontonmama.com/">http://www.frugaledmontonmama.com</a>. She helps people get free groceries over and over again!!! She claims that with her course, (only $12 for the e-course) she can teach you how to reduce your grocery bill by up to 90%!!! I think it's time I take the course.<br />
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With some tips from her site, I'm armed and ready to go get some nearly free Huggies diapers. If I could do nothing else but get my diaper costs reduced, I would save hundreds of dollars a year. <br />
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I will let you know how it goes... and I'll let you know when I decide to take the course. I may take her in-class course, which is more expensive, because I want to be able to ask questions- or even interrogate!! ...Nicely of course. :D<br />
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Check out the site for yourself, you might be pretty surprised at all the deals to be found here in our own city!Bekihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10958466065490888419noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7832819675196320514.post-16868987059972444242011-10-07T11:47:00.000-06:002011-10-07T11:47:58.618-06:00No analog TV signals means I have to get cable?So, as most of you have noticed, there are no longer any analog TV signals- which means that those of us who have old TVs and relied only on "peasant view" TV, are hooped! <br />
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With winter coming, the kids spend less time outdoors, and a little more time in front of the TV. That may be bad mothering on my part, but it's pretty much a fact of life in this house. I like to monitor when and what my kids are watching, but with all the TV signals disappearing, they have really missed some of their CBC Kids shows!!<br />
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I looked into getting cable or satellite, but was seriously turned off by the high monthly prices!! In order to get the few shows that would actually be worth watching, we'd end up with a bill of at LEAST $50 a month. But really, as far as bills go, the sky is the limit! It's crazy... totally insane. I cannot believe that people spend that kind of money so that they can turn on the TV and watch! <br />
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But... I too was going to go down that route in order to at least have something that the kids could be entertained by when I needed it.<br />
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My brother mentioned that if there were just a few shows that my kids wanted (Word World, Busy Town, Little Bear, etc.) I should look into Netflix.<br />
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<a href="http://www.netflix.com/">Netflix</a> is definitely the answer to my dilemma! With a free trial offer for the first month, and $8 each month after that, we decided to give it a try. I was immediately pleased with the results!! We use my computer or the Wii to view our shows, I don't have to worry about any commercials or shows that I'd rather my kids not see, and we don't have to wait until a specific time for them to watch what they want to see!<br />
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I've noticed that Netflix changes their lineup quite frequently... they used to carry all the Mythbusters episodes, but recently dropped those. My kids LOVED WordWorld, but in the last week, those are gone too. However, it's not like the kids won't find something decent to watch, there's always Veggie Tales movies, Little Bear, or even Dora. Steve and I have enjoyed seeing all the Blue Planet shows, and other nature style shows. If we want, there's a ton of movies to choose from as well.<br />
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I'm pleased! For $8 a month I can choose when and what my kids watch, without having to sign up for a cable or satellite connection that would cost me a lot more! Bekihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10958466065490888419noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7832819675196320514.post-59286330973109394222011-10-06T09:57:00.000-06:002011-10-06T09:57:43.127-06:00Electricity Calculator! How much does your stuff cost you?When I opened my Epcor bill last month, I nearly fainted. $180??? Are you kidding? We didn't really do anything differently, I certainly didn't have the AC running for the month of September, and I didn't really have the furnace on a lot either. <br />
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As I sat there staring at the bill, I do realize that electricity costs fluctuate, but for the most part, I wanted to make sure that what I was doing wasn't causing our bill to rise. I am pretty clueless when it comes to knowing what electricity costs... and even what it all does and how it all works. I had no idea how to know what used more and less electricity, and I didn't even know how to lower our usage! <br />
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I found this handy calculator that did all that funny math for me, and was very useful to my limited knowledge self! :) <a href="http://www.fortisalberta.com/Default.aspx?cid=359&lang=1"> FortisAlberta offers this electricity cost calculator on their website.</a><br />
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After typing in my numbers, I was shocked... I had no idea it cost me about a dollar for every hour that my oven was used. I didn't realize that to let my printer stay on in stand-by mode all day and night, it was about $10 a month. I had no idea that using a small burner on my stove used half the electricity as a large one. <br />
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I'm sure some of you are shaking your head right now at my ignorance, but I'm also sure that there some of you who are having a "light bulb moment" (okay, bad joke...) and are also learning the same things I just did.<br />
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If I'm to save money on electricity, I need to know what things are most effective in doing that. Obviously things like the furnace fan, some lights, and other odds and ends aren't going to change. But I can use my crock pot instead of my oven, and I can set my dryer to a setting that will leave the clothes dry, but not bone dry. I can limit the amount I use my dishwasher, and make sure that the lights aren't on when they don't need to be. <br />
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Here's hoping for a smaller electricity bill next month!! <br />
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Do you have any realistic tips on how to save electricity?Bekihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10958466065490888419noreply@blogger.com0