Thankful for Savings - October 2014 Frugal chatter thread

[Crochetlady]

WRT moving to lower housing costs. I think the only way we could do that would be to move into a senior geared to income apartment, but we`re not ready to do that yet.

Had a massage yesterday, came home and slept most of the afternoon. The therapist suggested I get a chiropractic adjustment to my neck...it`s not getting any better. I have my first one on Wed morning. She also has a client who left for Florida for the winter so I`m taking over his appointment so that I`ll be going every month now. At this point I think I would sell my soul to get rid of this neck pain.

I called this morning and made an appointment to get the car oiled. It was supposed to be done a few weeks ago but it rained that morning. We`re waiting for the garage to call but it`s been so rainy and they`re so busy that I doubt they`ll even get to it. Got the number for the guy my sister takes her car to.

Hope Lily heals fast.

I don`t do much decorating for Christmas anymore. It`s just hubby and I and we don`t have anyone in over the holidays. Got rid of my big tree a couple years ago...have no room to put it up. Now I have a 24" fibre optic tree and that`s it. We don`t put lights up outside anymore either...we both have issues with getting on the ladder.

Tomorrow we`re going to a Harvest supper at the local hall. Nephew and his wife gave us the tickets. I`m looking forward to a good turkey dinner.

[Andit]

In answer to the questions, first a little background on my situation:

When I bought the condo (bought off plans 2 yrs before I got sick), I had just started working for the accountants, was on a short term contract & bought more or less on impulse (I had looked at other condos, but hadn't told anyone my plans - went with a friend who wanted to check out this development & I fell in love with the neighbourhood, actually the view from the street). My parents thought I'd end up in debtor's prison and wouldn't be able to keep up the payments. BUT...I had quite a bit saved, had $ in RRSPs that could be used towards a down-payment ($20K) and was good with my money. Long story short, I had to live off savings for a year before I could apply for disability (company laid me off when I got sick), cause I was afraid I would lose the condo (there was a long delay in building it, many many strikes, etc), so I put less in than I had hoped. When I bought the condo, I bought the second smallest design in the building (I was seeing someone at the time & thought of it more or less as a place to stay during the week, then spend the weekends in the suburbs with my folks & the bf & my friends) & based on my income, I had hoped that it would be paid off within 10 yrs (I was aiming for 7 yrs). Needless to say, life got in the way.

Right now, my housing costs are roughly 95% of what I get from disability, leaving me less than $100 for food/phone/internet/travel/etc. Thanks to freebies & couponing (& tips I learned from this site), I live a very simple but comfortable life. I still manage to put aside a dollar here & there, try to keep at least one CC at zero balance (I have 3 CCs) and try to pay off the others as quickly as I can. I also try to help 2 other households who are in bad financial straights (one a senior on a small fixed income, the other a friend who's been out of work for a long while & the savings are gone). Whenever I can get some staples on sale (canned goods, I bottled some pickled beets for them, send over cookies I bake, etc) I share. I was working about 3 hrs/week (started as a volunteer & they liked me enough to give me a little job), but with all the stress & health issues I've had this year, I haven't been able to work since last Sept (it wasn't much money, min wage only, but it gave me a cushion to have a few treats). Right now, I owe about $500 (actually $600 with the vet visit Thursday) on the main CC, $200 on the other one and one is clear. & I still have nearly $60K on the mortgage. Not too bad in terms of debt, but more than I'm comfortable with. I had intended to pay off the CC debt by Jan, at this point it looks like it will take a bit longer. Part of the debt is that I was supposed to have taken a vacation back in the spring, but with the emergency surgery, I had to cancel, so lost my airfare (great deal but only for fixed flights, grrr) & felt guilty so insisted on paying for my friend's airfare (bff & I were supposed to go on a cruise - the cruise line was great about giving me credit for another cruise). I had saved up enough over the previous 4 yrs to pay for the vacation, but with oopsies, well, the money wasn't there to pay for it. Oh well, life goes on.


Do you have a debt repayment plan or course of action? Is it paycheque based, monthly based or do you pay the minimum or whatever you can afford, or do you put whatever is left at the end of the month on your debt?
At this point, I put in whatever is left over after I pay mortgage/maintenance fees/property tax and take a little $ out for groceries (depending on what's on sale, sometimes I buy 2 months' of groceries in one shot, then don't spend the next month). I also keep a little cash on hand in case I have to take a taxi or something comes up & I need to spend money.


What are your thoughts on spending $ or as some others call it an allowance for adults & kids.
I never got an allowance. Money was very tight when I was growing up & I was fully aware of it, even though my folks tried to hide it from me. Luckily all their friends were older and had kids who were grown or didn't have kids, so I got spoiled by them (lots of presents and a bit of $). Because I sort of knew money was important, from the age of about 5, I uwas careful. Any $ I got went into my "yellow purse" (a cute little girl's purse I got as a gift that I used as a piggy bank). I could be a bit brutal, tho, I still remember my Mom asking me if she could borrow $20 from the yellow purse cause she didn't have a chance to go to the bank - I told her sure, but only if she paid me interest (thinking I should have been a loan shark ). My Dad was not great with $, so my Mom gave him an allowance that was to cover the cost of gas to get to work & he took his lunches with him. Anything left over from the gas money (he never called it an allowance ) was his to use as he wished (coffee, treats, saving, etc).


QOTD: How do you know how much to budget for your rainy day/oops/emergency fund? Is it a percentage? A fixed amount?
At this point, my rainy day fund (was my vacation fund as well) is gone. Basically, any extra money that I have once CCs are clear & all bills are paid goes into this fund. With money being so tight, it takes a loooong time to save up for anything.


Have you or would you ever consider moving to a smaller and/or cheaper house or apartment to lower your monthly expenses?
I got a good deal on the condo (it's increased in value quite a bit in the 13 yrs I've lived here) & to move somewhere else wouldn't make sense. It's close to hospitals & specialists (big one for me ) and I have good neighbours that keep an eye on me. If I were to sell the condo & move into a rental unit, I would likely have to go off disability & live off my savings until the money runs out. Which wouldn't take long, since I would also lose the drug plan ($3K/month for meds for the transplant). It's not a large place by any means, although the new condos going up are a lot smaller than mine, can't imagine where another room could be placed in my studio (I have open concept, a real bedroom or 2 would be claustrophobic).

At this point, I have the $ to cover my basic expenses, so I wouldn't move. Plus with ODSP, it's too complicated to make changes. & since I would never live in govt housing, rent would actually be higher than what I'm paying now (realtor neighbour told me what the going rate is for my sized condo).



Think I'm caught up with the Q's now. Better go make lunch for the starving masses. You'd think no one ever feeds them.

[Andit]

When do you start decorating for Christmas.

Usually the last weekend of Nov/first weekend in Dec, depending on the calendar. I cover my island with my Xmas tree forest (I have 13 little trees) and the top of my small wall-unit with the other decorations (angels mostly). I also have a little decoration I put on my front door and a garland I wrap around some pictures in my hallway. And I usually take a pic of the brats dressed up in festive attire (Lily dog doesn't wear her Santa hat til a few days before Xmas, but does have a Xmas leash that goes on about 2 weeks before). Quincy cat gets to go to the condo parties dressed as Santa.

I leave the decorations up til after my b-day, so usually third week in Jan. By then I'm Xmassed out & need my island back.

When I was a kid, we stuck to the traditions my parents grew up with. Dec 6 is St Nicholas Day, when kids get fruit & nuts in their shoes. And the tree doesn't appear until the 24th (when my Mom was little, she & my Grandfather would go to the hospital to visit patients, then to an evening mass, when they got back home, my Grandmother had the tree all decorated). As I got older, the tree would appear earlier (& I would help set up the tree), but I always loved seeing the tree already decorated when I woke up in the morning. Since it was a bit much for my folks, they would have the tree set up on the 23rd & decorate into the night while I slept, then the tree would be all pretty when I woke up the morning of the 24th.

Still trying to figure out the logistics of getting the big tree to my Mom's place (it's in my locker, but we don't have the van anymore & my friend's car is a bit small). We'll see. If nothing else, I might have to rent a van. Sigh. On the plus side, we both missed having the big tree up last year (we set up my little trees, but with my Dad passing away Nov 21 & me recovering from emergency surgery, it was just not happening), so it is a priority for all of us & worth every penny I have to spend to make it happen.

[coupon girl]

to answer the question -would I ever move to a smaller house -hummmm we live in a 2 storey 3 bedroom 3 bathroom house -I always said If mom passed away we would move soon after -at least I said that -well she passed way in the hospital so tat was easier than at home(we fixed her old bedroom up and took it back to use as ours) new bathroom ,window-hardwood floors and w bought a new bedroom set and mattress-ours was older-we use he spare bedroom for my daughter/hubby when they sleep over
-I guess we are not ready to move just yet we both are 55 and can do the stairs -we kept my moms stair lift down the basement incase we live here longer and need to put it back on the stairs
-I love my house we have lived here 16years in fact my hydro/ waterbill was 233.48 for the past 2 months way lower than my neighbours -of course there is just 2 of us

-defrosting freezer today-my son Is getting his fridge fixed on Tuesday and needs to empty his fridge /freezer out -he has a little bar fridge ,they can use for milk/for baby-but I will store a lot in my small freezer -now I know what I have -only threw out a hamburg tube from 2008-yuchhhhh

[Angela273]

Which coupons are on the Aero box chocolates this year?

[lizzie bargain]

I would definitely consider downsizing to a smaller house or a smaller town once our daughter is grown and there are just the two of us-but only if necessary for financial reasons or health reasons-for eg into a one level place if/when needed. My dream retirement would eventually involve going to warmer places in the winter( once DD is grown) and if I could convince DH( highly doubtful!) then we would not need to keep a 3 br, 3 br house for just the 2 of us to rattle around in for 6 months of the year!

If I were younger and had financial stress, I would downsize or sell to rent( if cheaper) or get a roomate or do whatever it took to get my budget under control. Bobbiegirl in your case it sounds like you do need more space since you run a home daycare and presumably you can also write off some of the expenses-and as you say there are costs associated with selling a house. I am sure your relatives are well intentioned in giving you suggestions but only you and your DH can make the final decision as to what is best in your situation, knowing all your own personal financial and health details.

[lizzie bargain]

Andit-I truly don't know how you live on $100 a month-I think you are an inspiration to us all! I hope your health continues to improve!

[jasperandchar]

J & C: Wow that is a lot of meat Did you get some ground meat or mostly roasts? All that meat will come in handy as the cost of beef has been so high. I've never tried moose meat before but I enjoy venison roasts. DH doesn't hunt but my FIL has a friend who does and has shared some venison meat with him in the past. DH and FIL are more into fishing but didn't go at all this past year...

lots of ground moose (ground beef), lots of steaks and only tenderloin as roasts, we are not big roast eaters or atleast the kids are not

[jasperandchar]

Question of the Day:

Have you or would you ever consider moving to a smaller and/or cheaper house or apartment to lower your monthly expenses?

We live in the bush (very rural) and own 67 acres, the properties are much cheaper here in my area than the small towns which are 20 minutes away that have the groceries store, wm, marks, etc. But if we were to take the gas communuting $ we could definitely afford a house in the city no joke.

I personally like apartment living, no snow removal, hydro, hot water, etc which are mainly included in the high rise buildings in the city and it would be so much cheaper to live and to save BUT dh would never do it and to be honest I can't see myself getting used to neighbours again per say.

I actually need a bigger house but once the house is paid for in 5 years we plan to do a small addition to include a larger and much needed bathroom.

I guess you need to weigh the pros of a smaller home and the costs vs. your current home and expenditures, if you moved closer opposed to farther you would save in $ commuting and possibly get more daycare kids and could most likely charge more.

[jasperandchar]

Andit-I truly don't know how you live on $100 a month-I think you are an inspiration to us all! I hope your health continues to improve!

I 2nd that!!!

[Andit]

Which coupons are on the Aero box chocolates this year?

Coupons on the Nesle chocolates 90 count:
Turtles (300g/400g) - $1 off
After Eight (300g) - $1 off
Buitoni (any pizza) - $1 off
Delissio (any vintage pizzeria pizza) - $2 off
Nescafe (any specialty variety - cappuccino or latte) - $1 off
Carnation hot chocolate - $1 off
Nesfruta liquid water enhancer (any) - $1 off
Nestea liquid water enhancer (any) - $1 off
Carnation breakfast essentials (any 400g powder mix or 4 pack ready-to-drink) - $1 off


I had told my neighbour about the good deal on these & just heard a knock on my door a little while ago - I was thrilled at the prospect of getting the coupons on the box, imagine my happiness at getting the contents too! Sweet neighbour said it was a thank you for the free dishwashing tabs I gave her (I use my dishwasher for storage, prefer to wash dishes by hand as soon as they get dirty, saves me time & aggravation looking for things ).

[coupon girl]

I 3rd that andit -wow you are an inspiration for us
-wow got the sheets washed
-one load on line may not dry crappy damp out -look here comes the sun
-just cut back lawn -well half-I have to take a breather
-got a small roast in oven or hubby and I -my freezer looks lovely all defrosted now that its half full(ready for my sons 3 or4 bags of frozen stuff on sunday(it sure feels good when you accomplish jobs around the house-had to get hubby to wipe bottom of freezer as I am 5'4



-gee watched on t.v last night the ride home of "nathan cirillo" so touching he came home to our city -I shed a tear or two (I am an army child )infact I may donate a small amount to his son at t.d bank-so proud to be a canadian

[MrsSunshine]

dh and I are in the awaiting to be empty nester years. so at this point im not sure what our next step will be, condo living, smaller home?
if i knew what i was getting was going to be easier to clean (no carpets), nice looking(our place is near 25 years old, we've been here 17 and it looks it)
im ready for a change. for now. were here.

its been a beautiful and mild day here. a few things on the agenda. what truly gets done. hmm. will see.

[Andit]

Andit-I truly don't know how you live on $100 a month-I think you are an inspiration to us all! I hope your health continues to improve!

I 2nd that!!!

Thanks!

I'm very lucky in that the critters do well on grocery store food (puppy chow & kitten chow - prefer these since there's a higher protein content) supplemented with extras. And I've always had a fairly small appetite, so don't eat that much. I'm also lucky that I have access to a supermarket that often has good prices on meat (this week's flyer is meh http://topfood.ca/special.php). It used to be my parents who would bring me groceries from there, now it's bff who picks stuff up for me every couple of weeks when coming over for a visit. Last summer (2013) I bought a little freezer on sale & that has helped out, so I buy stuff in bulk & batch cook when I can to get freezer meals. I also like to hit up the local NF on Thursday mornings when the pink stickers go on (it's a dangerous place, there are a few overzealous seniors who will kill you to get a deal ). I try to freeze fruits & veggies when in season & fresh, buy the pink stickered veggies to cook up right away (for Lily dog's dinner & for dog cookies for a later date). Most of the groceries go on the CC (PC card, so use that for paying for groceries too), hence the CC debt. Some months I buy very little & live off what I have, other months when a sale is on I stock up & play catch up later with the bills. This week, the only thing I plan on buying is a pumpkin or 2 from NF ($0.88) which will be my Halloween decoration, then roasted and pureed to be turned into doggy cookies at some future date (likely Xmas). And I LOVE pumpkin seeds, so that will be a treat for me.

At this point, I'm taking advantage of having quite a few good days until things turn around. I have arthritis in my hands so sometimes they don't work properly (usually it's the first hit of cold weather, have already had a flare up which is early, sigh). Muscles also get a bit cranky in the colder weather, so energy levels crash (only good for about 3 work hours at the best of times, always have to take a break, which is why I can't work, sigh).

In terms of Xmas presents, a lot of my shopping is done via Amazon (thank you, Swagbucks ). In the past it was done via Chapters (thank you, Airmiles). I'm lucky that I don't have very many to buy for, and after the arthritis started, I took up jewelry making (a neighbour held an info night & been hanging out with her & making pretty things ever since) which takes care of gifts for most (well, the gals at least, although I did make a nice chain maille bracelet for a male friend one year for his b-day). The jewelry making is an indulgence, but it does work as a form of physio for my hands, so for me it's worth a bit of financial investment (part of my treat money is spent on baubles ).

In terms of entertainment, I LOVE live theatre & concerts. Lots of free concerts in Toronto, so that helps fuel my addiction. And there are some theatres near me that are always looking for volunteers - put in enough hours & I get to see a play. Friends & family also get together & every year as a Xmas/b-day present, I get a subscription to the Mirvish shows, to get my theatre fix.

Once in a while, friends will take me out for dinner & treat me. I do things for them, so it tends to even out in the end.

That's all I can think of off-hand to explain how I live on my budget. It's a very different lifestyle from when I was making $40K and driving all over town & going out clubbing, etc. But I like to think I'm also a wee bit more mature (ok, so if it weren't for my health issues, I'd still be out dancing til dawn ) and can enjoy the simpler things in life. I also have the brats to keep me well entertained. Some folks might think they're a luxury, but for me they're essential (besides who would want a slightly used crazy feline who thinks he owns the world? ). Lily dog does service dog tricks that help me out when I have a bad time of it (she picks things up, puts clothes in the laundry hamper, containers in the recycling bin, unties my shoelaces, undoes zippers, helps me off with my jacket, etc), which are as entertaining as they are useful (she likes to make a big production out of everything, she would make a great Hollywood diva ).

[SassyAshley]

Good Evening Everyone,
We went and did out shopping Mom said it was not bad as long as she was walking but standing still was killing her (pain). We manged to get everything we needed and I did play a few tricks, mostly when she started looking at something I would wonder off and start collecting what we need to lessen her walking and time spent in the store. We were also able to get it all done in 2 stores (Wal-Mart & Food Bascis). Pretty sure we came in under budget (still need to add it up, just finished dinner which was no take out, I was so expecting to have to pay for dinner out since we got a late start due to my having to work today).

Was talking to my Dad before I left work today, once the new location is open I need to work on talking to my Dad more. Growing up we did not have much of a relationship, I spent every other weekend at his house but most of my time was spent at the house with my Step Mom and siblings and Dad was mostly working except at dinner. Even than my Dad and Step Mom were what I would call kind of old school we all ate dinner together but than once we were done kids were excused and we were to amuse ourselves well they had adult time. Which I never understood growing up because I spent most of my time with my Mom's family and they always treated me like one of the adults, even when their friends were around I would sit at the table and talk with them all, I was always encouraged to join in so being sent away was odd for me as I felt I did not fit in the with other kids, they all liked the same things and I was the odd one. Well once I started working with my Dad we talked a lot as we shared an office, but since I moved to the other end of the building we can go weeks without talking again. So I need to put in more of an effort to go and talk to him and not always about work.

On that note it looks like some travel is in my future, around the end of October I will go to our new location for a week and work with our new branch manager. Than in January and February I will travel to each of our locations for a week to work with our staff and get everyone on the same page when it comes to our operating system. Should be interesting.

As for moving I am kind of in the opposite position, we are currently in a townhouse which does not work for us and we really need to move to raised bungalow but they cost pretty much twice what this house costs. So I would move in a heart beat if I could but not sure there are really any options that would lower our housing costs. Our main issue is when we purchased this house we were both working full time and we could both easily pay our half of the bills and have extra money. I am now the only one working full time and it costs pretty close to what I make in a month to cover the household bills/needs (mortgage, taxes, condo fees, hydro, phone, cable, groceries). Now where I am in a catch 22 is do I try to pay down our current mortgage with extra payments or do I keep the money tucked away in case I ever meet someone and want to purchase a place with them so I have something to pitch in as I know Mom will never be able to buy me out of our current house and I know I will walk away with very little if anything other than my savings. I would love to pay down the debt but my savings are pretty much all I have that is mine. As for lowing housing costs, not sure we have many options, I am planning to call Bell and Rogers this week and see if they can do anything, Mom does not like the idea of getting rid of our home phone and she likes most of the premium channels so these phone calls usually end up being useless as she shoots down every options but it makes me feel like I tried (and failed) but I did try.

Hope everyone has a great evening.