A personal update

There have been a few changes since my last post... specifically a new baby boy!  Josiah was added to our family on April 2, and is such a blessing to us! 


I have also snagged a bookkeeping job that I can do at home, so that has REALLY been helping to stretch out the budget a little.  Our diaper budget is going up a little now that there are 3 in diapers, though the oldest only uses a diaper at night.  He may be ready to leave the diapers behind all together, but I don't want to be doing laundry every morning or in the middle of the night if he isn't. 

Grocery budget is going up as well, as we have added some extra in there due to the fact that I now have a job.  It's really a priveledge that we've worked hard for, and now we can "splurge" a little without touching the amount going into savings each month.

I'm so very excited to say that this year we bought a new laptop, digital camera, built a deck, and are planning a vacation- and we did this all without going into debt or spending money that was designed for something else.  We've been saving for a deck since last year, so when it came in underbudget by about $1000, we were thrilled!  My old laptop bit the dust that week, so we were able to purchase a new one, and a digital camera, with the let-over funds from the deck.  The vacation was also being saved for, and we are excited to be going soon!  The vacation is nothing extravagent yet, but sometime in the coming years, we will be going all out on a vacation.

It sure is nice to know that all these things were planned for, saved for, and will cost us nothing for interest and fees.

We are also VERY excited that our emergency fund is very rapidly reaching the top!  By the end of August, we will have a Dave Ramsey style Emergency Fund.  This is very exciting!!

We are starting to look into RESPs for the kids, RRSPs for us, and possible investment opportunities.  It's kind of scary... we feel like we are slowly stepping into the world of the wealthy people.  We have a LOT to learn about investments before we will make any decisions as we are certainly not interested in getting into something that will hurt us. We realize that investments have risks, but we want to understand each one completely before deciding what's right for us.

So that's our update.  We are still plugging away at the 7 Baby Steps that Dave Ramsey lays out, and we have nearly completed step 3.  Once our Emergency Fund is in place, we will be saving towards a down payment for our next house (hopefully next year).  Dave calls this step 3a. 

Hope you are all doing well!

West Edmonton Mall Toddler Time

West Edmonton Mall offers Toddler Time so parents and their young children (up to and including 5 years old) can enjoy some of the attractions at a discounted price.


Here's the details, as taken from their brochure:

World Waterpark Toddler Time
Monday to Thursday: Noon to 3 p.m.
Admission is only $10 per child five years of age and under!
One adult may chaperone each child for free.


Galaxyland Toddler Time
Monday to Thursday: Noon to 3 p.m.
Admission is only $10 per child five years of age and under!
One adult may chaperone each child for free.

Ed’s Rec Room Toddler Time (Bowling) 
Monday, Tuesday, Thursday & Friday: 11 a.m. to noon
Play a maximum of two games of bowling (offer includes shoe rentals).
Plus: Lanes use automatic bumpers.
Admission is only $6 per child five years of age and under!
One adult may chaperone each child for free.


According to one source, the waterpark only charges $10 for any number of children (from one family) under the age of 6.  This has not been confirmed by anyone else, and does contradict what the website brochure advertises, but hey, it's worth a try!

I've been told that ( at least for the waterpark) you are not kicked out after 3pm, and can stay through the main public attraction times later on into the evening. 

If you'd like to take advantage of those prices, and I do certainly hope that the all for $10 works for you, this is a good opportunity to take the kids out for some fun.

Cell Phone Bills

I was recently reminded of a tip regarding cell phone bills that I feel is very important to share with you readers. Always, ALWAYS check through the bill and make sure there are no charges for things that are already included in your plan!

I worked as an administrative assistant for a large Edmonton business before I had kids, and my responsibilities included coordinating the cell phones for many of the employees there.  Every month, I went through the details of each bill and regularly saved the company over $100 on their bill. Most of the time, these charges were for long distance calls that should have already been included in the plan. 

Nothing frustrated me more than seeing extra charges for things that we had already paid for!  It was usually a hassle to get these charges turned around into credits, but a little time and perseverance goes a long way.  If you were wrong, and the charges are valid, you can always change your plan or avoid those charges in the future.

When dealing with the cell phone companies, it's best to stay calm but very firm about what you are asking about.  Do not take their word for it until it makes sense to you and you see clearly why you should pay for the charges.  I have spent hours on the phone with various cell phone companies and I know that at first, they seem to think you are completely clueless.  After all, how could they be the one who made the mistake?  If you are not getting through, immediately ask the representative to escalate your case to a manager or supervisor.

I don't believe that the cell companies are specifically out to get us, (though sometimes I wonder!) but people and computers do make mistakes. 

Check carefully through each cell phone bill to make sure that any additional charges are things that you actually need to pay for. 

Kijiji (Local online ads)

So, I've mentioned Kijiji (Pronounced "Ki- jee- jee") before, but I just want to give you an update of the excellent deals you can find on that site!

Kijiji is a free classified ads site, which you can set to view only ads in your area.

I've found many deals on Kijiji, in their free section and throughout the rest of the site, but most recently, I have found another interesting way to get what I want for less money. Kijiji offers an option for you to post ads for the things you are hoping to find. Instead of checking the site every day for what you are looking for, you can simply post a wanted ad, and see if anyone replies!

In the last two weeks, I posted ads for dressy shoes and a bathing suit for my daughter. In both ads, I specified my budget, (up to a max of $5 for each item) and wrote what I was hoping to find.

For example, I wrote:
I am looking for nice girl's black dressy shoes, toddler size 5. I am not willing to pay over $5. They don't have to be in perfect condition, but I am hoping for something she can wear out to some upcoming special events. Will pick-up in the Edmonton area.

I had a few replies and was able to find a beautiful pair of shoes for $4!!


I was successful in my search for kids items as well. I purchased 2 bathing suits, one in my daughter's size, and one in the next size up, for $2 each! For my son, I found a suit (pants, dress shirt, vest, and coat) for $10, and a pair of winter boots for $3.

If you post a wanted ad, someone is likely to see it and think, "gee, I think I might even have that boxed away. I might as well get some cash out of the deal!" Most of the people who respond to a wanted ad haven't ever really thought of selling their item, and are therefor not set on obtaining the highest dollar possible for what they sell. Stating your budget in the ad will help people too know whether it's worth it to them to reply.

On a site like Kijiji, you have to remember that you may have to be patient, and possibly re-post your ad before you will get what you want. At times, you'll have an answer immediately, but sometimes it takes awhile for your ad to be read by the right person with the right deal on the right item.

The other side of Kijiji want ads is that you can find things that people want, and sell it to them! You may have never thought of selling that box of old Christmas ornaments until someone specifically asks if anyone has any for sale. Clean out your clutter, make a buck, and help another person get an excellent deal!

It's a winning situation for everyone. (And if it's not, you can just refuse the offer or sale!)

Walmart - Follow-up on fresh product

I wanted to pop in here and follow-up on my last post about the Walmart Super-center in NE Edmonton. 

The fresh produce department is now open, and on Saturday, I managed to take a good long walk through there and compared some of the prices.  I'd say that the produce prices are equal, and possibly a little cheaper than Superstores, depending on what's on sale at the time.  Though the produce looks fresh and of great quality, the prices still cannot beat H & W Produce.  Apples are at least $0.20 cheaper per pound at H&W, and potatoes are about half the price.

H&W doesn't have the brand name bags of potatoes, and their apples are sometimes bruised and marked.  But again, that's what makes it a discount store, and that's why their prices just can't be beat.

Walmart had bananas for $0.57 a pound, which matches perfectly with H&W's regular price.  Lemons, limes, and pineapples were also priced similarly. 

All things considered though, I have to say that I'll be sticking with H&W for my fresh produce and only purchasing produce that is on sale at Walmart. 

Walmart - 137 ave & 40 Street, Edmonton

Okay folks.  So I've raved about Walmart's recent grocery prices, specifically their "Great Value" brand items, but now it got even better.

At the Clareview Walmart here in Edmonton, AB (137 ave & 40 Street), they've just added a fresh food department.  I was a bit skeptical about the quality of their food verses the prices, so I went in to see for myself.  When I walked in, I was slightly overwhelmed at the magnitude of the changes in the grocery department.

To me, Walmart is full of clothes, toys, kitchen gadgets, electronics, and health and beauty supplies.  When I walked in and saw bins of potatoes, piles of yellow bananas and fresh tomatoes, and a host of other fresh foods, I was amazed.  Then I started to see the prices.  $0.57 a pound for bananas?  $6 for a massive pizza that doesn't even fit on the biggest pan I own?  $12 for two healthy looking roasting chickens? $23 for 2.5 kgs of frozen chicken breasts?  $.1.50 for a 900g package of pasta- no matter what type of pasta? That impressed me.

I have yet to try the Great Value brand meat, and haven't yet tried too many of their vegetables, so I cannot comment on the quality yet.  What I can say though, is that I was very impressed with the prices on nearly every grocery item in the store.  Even the brand name products seemed to be well priced.

Since shopping for 80% of my groceries at Walmart, I have been able to save a lot of cash.  I notice only minor quality differences.  For example, the Great Value brand pasta is a little stickier than Catelli, and it takes a little longer too cook.  The Great Value cheese seems to be softer and more difficult to slice than some of the other brands.  To me though, these differences are not worth the money I save by not purchasing brand name products.  I don't mind if my noodles aren't perfect, a little sauce will cover that up nicely.  My cheese simply looks a little squished when I slice it, and that's just too bad!

For bread though, I still hit the Bread Basket for their 10 loaves for $10 sale.  All the day-old bread is $1 a loaf, provided that you purchase 10 loaves.  There is usually a good selection of what types of bread you can purchase, everything from bagels to wraps, to nutritious breads.  I freeze 9 loaves, and put one on the counter.  If you don't have the space to freeze the bread, try finding a friend who would like to split the deal with you, $5 for 5 loaves each.

Is there better places in Edmonton to shop for groceries? Let me know!  I'd love to find new places to save money, and it's a bonus to be able to share with others and help them save money too.

Cell Phones

Well, one MAJOR lifestyle change in the last few months has revolved around my cell phone.

Because I was locked into a voice and data plan, I was paying at least $150 a month for the cell service.  Because we didn't have a land line phone, we couldn't put the cell phone onto a less costly plan.  I used a lot of minutes each month, including a lot of long distance minutes. 

At first, we looked into pulling the cell back to a very basic plan, and getting a land line.  Unfortunately, that would have been just as expensive, as I was still locked into a voice AND data plan on the cell.  I asked about getting the cell phone contract canceled, and was told that it would cost me over $500 to do so. $500 seemed like a whole lot of money to spend in order to save money. 

I then came up with a plan to give the cell phone contract to someone else, and include the cell as an incentive.  I had a really nice Blackberry, and though I was fiercely attached to it, I am more attached to the idea of saving money.

After trying to give away the contract and the phone, we were unsuccessful.  Truthfully, this made me cheer on the inside because my cell phone was pretty much my life.  It was my phone, my calendar, my email, my alarm clock, my kids time-out timer, my camera, and my entire life organizer.  It seemed like I would have nothing if I did not have my phone.  I felt naked without it, and usually panicked at the thought of leaving it behind.  Yes... I was truly addicted. 

Over the summer, I kept looking at ways to save more money, and the one thing that kept coming up was the large cell phone bill each month! I had to come up with a solution.

I finally resorted to paying someone $150, to take my cell phone plan, and offered the phone too as a bonus.  The person who took the contract was not actually interested in the phone, so I lucked out!  I sold the phone on Ebay for $90, so I made back some of my "closing costs" on the contract.  I was a little scared to begin life with only a land line, but thrilled to save ourselves $150 a month.  That's $1800 a year!!

I have learned that life without a cell phone is actually easier!  It's surprisingly less busy, and though I tend to be a little harder to get ahold of, that's okay.  If I go out for a walk with the kids, people simply have to wait until I get back home to know that they called.  It seems like such a foreign concept, but it actually much less time consuming.  I spend much less time "tinkering" with my phone - checking emails, checking social networking sites, checking text messages, random tweaking, and all that stuff.

I have saved a lot of time and money by not having a cell phone.  My husband still has a cell phone because his employer requires him to carry one during business hours.  I use this phone if I go out in the evening without my husband, but for the most part, I am cell phone free.

What did I learn?  Sometimes our "needs" are not needs at all, but just very high priority wants.  Sometimes, it's okay to let go of those things in order to save money, and sometimes, it can even be better for us when we do let them go!