Broke the $30,000 net worth marker!

I finally broke through my next net worth marker!!

Despite my investments taking a hit this month, my net worth increased again over the past 30 days.  I'd felt lately similar to what dieters feel when they've hit a weight loss plateau when it came to my net worth.

But, this month I'm happy to share with you my updated net worth:

Assets	February 2012	June 1, 2012
Condo	$192,000	$192,000
Vehicle	$6,500	$6,500
Investments	$2,100	$3,744

Liabilities
Mortgage	$173,250	$171,592

Net Worth

$27,350

$30,652

This represents a change of +8.9% since February this year.  

While it should be at about +13% based on my planned savings (oops!), I am happy that it's going up.

Between February 15th and June 1st I have "taken home" approximately $11,250 (after tax deductions, but not pension deductions), while my net worth has increased by $3,302 through investments (RRSP and Pension, and paying down my mortgage) .  Not too shabby!

How to Earn a FREE $75 Gas Card!

Back in March I'd applied for and was approved for an MBNA Smart Cash MasterCard to replace my Shopper's Optimum MasterCard.  

I was thrilled with not only the Cash Back that I'd be earning just for using my MasterCard (no interest charges for this PF blogger!), but also with the sign-up bonus I'd received....$60.

Fast forward to today, and Rate Supermarket is offering an even better deal!!  When you apply and are approved for either of the two cards listed below, you'll receive a FREE $75 gas card. A cool $75 would have gotten me through two weeks worth of gas!

By applying you'll also be entered to WIN Free Gas for a Year (a $2,500 value)*! 

*Offer valid from 5.00am EST on May 16, 2012 to 12.00am on June 30, 2012.

Here's a breakdown of the benefits of each card:

MBNA Smart Cash MasterCard:

• Annual Fee: $0.00
• Rewards: up to 5%
• Purchase Rate: 19.99% 
• Balance Transfer: 1.99% (19.99% after 10 months)

MBNA Rewards MasterCard:

• Annual Fee: $0.00
• Rewards: Flexible! (Redeem points for cash back, travel, brand-name merchandise, gift cards from top retailers and charitable donations.)
• Purchase Rate: 19.99%
• 1,000 Bonus points after your first purchase + every year after 

My story : My credit card spending averages out to approximately $650/month - the usual charges are for food, gas, entertainment, car maintenance, gifts - which brings my year 1 cash back total to $228.
  
Since I pay my balance in full each month, the cash back feels like a gift for the convenience of using my credit card instead of cash; these cheques will go right into the travel account.  I LOVE free money!!

Apps I Love!

I purchased an iPad 2 back in August (2011) and I've loved it ever since!!  The $500+ price tag was one I mulled over for about a month before I decided to buy it. 

I thought I'd do a post today on my favourite Apps - some new, some I've been using for the past 8 months.  In no particular order they are:

1) Travel Wallet (Free lite version, $2.99 full version) - This app lets me keep track of spending on vacation.  Instead of keeping a spending journal, I have a real-time tracker of how much I've budgeted and how much I've spent.  I can attach a photo of any receipt to my trip expenses. I can calculate how much of my budget I've spent already and how much is remaining overall and in each category.  For my trip to Europe this summer I can see that I've budgeted $3,200, I have paid $1,900 and I have $1,300 to go. These expenses are in the following categories: food, souvenir, attractions (not including Olympic tickets), transportation within the cities, passport renewal, and park and fly Ottawa.

2) LoseIt! (Free) -   Since following the LoseIt! program since mid-march I have lost about 12lbs and am down 2-3 dress sizes, depending on the store.  I have been using the App when I'm at work or away from my laptop at home.  Features of the App are the same as what you'd see on the regular site.  What sets the App apart from the computer-based version is the fact that I can scan bar codes into the system instead of manually adding the food along with the calories, fat, protein, fiber, sodium, etc.  I've found that a few not-so-popular brands don't scan properly, but I've had success with most of what I've scanned.  

3) Budget Envelopes (Free for first 20 transactions, $1.99 thereafter) - Since I switched over to the MBNA Smart Cash Back card I've been spending on my credit card instead of cash via the envelope system.  The budget in gas, groceries, gifts, entertainment remained the same, I just spend the money using plastic instead of paper.  I use the budget envelope app the same way as I did my budget binder when I was spending cash. 

4) Couch-to-5K ($2.99) -This app will be getting a good workout the next nine weeks!  I'd used it in the past, but quit at about week 3.  Today, Destination Declutter and I are starting the Couch-to-5K program.  The C25K app will help me stay on track with the 3x weekly training sessions -- I've also downloaded running podcasts to track when to transition from walk to run and back again since I won't be running with my iPad -- for iPhone users I think this app would be more useful.

 

What are some of your favourite Apps?!

Free Dietitian Services - Yes, Please!!

While searching online for "healthy eating Ontario" I stumbled upon this website. 

"EatRight Ontario allows you to ask nutrition-related questions and receive feedback by phone or email from a Registered Dietitian. Nutrition tools and links offer many additional resources to support you in developing healthy eating habits for you and your family."

Wow, so instead of paying to speak with a dietician in person, I can call and speak with a dietician over the phone FOR FREE?!?

I checked around online and here are a few in-person options:
- London, ON - initial consultation: $90, follow-up appointments $30 for 30 minutes
- Ottawa, ON - initial consultation: $90, follow-up appointments $35 for 25 minutes
- Toronto, ON - initial consultation and plan: $125, follow-up appointments $5

I want to point out that if you're looking for a one-on-one ongoing relationship with a Registered Dietician, the in-person option is likely worth the investment and regular appointments would be more beneficial. 

In my case, yesterday I called Eat Right Ontario to speak with a Registered Dietician about calorie intake, to ask a few questions about coconut oil, and about protein, fiber, carbohydrates, and healthy fats.  I feel confident enough to design my own meal plan to ensure that I'm eating right (no pun intended) after having all of my questions answered, so for me, an infrequent use of  Eat Right Ontario is perfect.  If I wasn't, Eat Right Ontario has a meal planner too!

Just another tool in my back pocket to help improve my overall health! 

 

If you don't live in Ontario, does your province/territory offer a similar service?

Investing in my Health

......or rather Spending for my Health?!?

I ditched my gym membership; I just couldn't justify spending what amounted to about $6/workout.  I bought a bike (this one from Walmart), I'm eating healthier, and I bought a heart rate monitor (this one from Sport Chek).

Within the past month I've spent just over $230 on "sporting goods".  I've sacrificed a great balcony space for pieces of equipment that will improve my fitness and overall health.

I've also been eating healthier.  This is what I made for dinner tonight:

I've been shopping the perimeter and included only fresh ingredients found on the outside aisles for this meal: tortilla with 12g of fiber (so this puppy will keep me full for while), avocado, red leaf lettuce, cucumber, shredded carrots, grilled onions, red/green peppers, mushrooms - cooked in EVOO.  Alongside a big glass of water. I did cheat and use 1 tbsp of store bought salad dressing. For any fellow calorie-trackers....only 395 calories for both the wrap and salad!! 

Back to finances....Since I started eating healthier I've actually spent less on groceries.  I've been budgeting $240/month on groceries and I've been able to stick to it.  My fridge is always stocked with healthy foods and my freezer is full of ready-to-reheat-at-work for balanced lunches. 

While getting into smaller clothes (I'm down from a 16 to a snug 13) might be a budget booster for most people, I have been a smaller person - a 10 is the lowest I've been as an adult out of school.  I literally have an entire suitcase and 1 dresser drawer worth of clothes sized 10 and 12.  I know, not practical to store and move a wardrobe worth of clothes I don't fit into across the province, but I knew that I'd get down to a comfortable weight at some point.

Thank you again to all PF bloggers on twitter using #pfworkout.  When I check twitter every morning and see the hard work everyone is doing -- while I was getting up at my usual 7am -- it's an incredible motivator!!
 

Net Worth Update - April 2012

I'd posted my first net worth update back in February and I figured it was that time again to check in and see where I stand.

Here goes:

Assets	February, 2012	April, 2012
Condo	$192,000	$192,000
Vehicle	$6,500	$6,500
Investments	$2,100	$3,188
Liabilities
Mortgage	$173,250	$172,146
Net Worth	$27,350	$29,542
	Change	$2,192
		9.7%

I'm pretty middle-of-the-road happy with the progress.  I know that I could have done better in the savings department, and one of my goals for the year was to make two extra mortage payments and that has yet to happen, so over the next coming months I need to make that a part of my monthly plan.

My end of year goal is to have a net worth of $38,000 sooooo, only $8,458 to go over the next 8 months -- eek!!

Budget: May 2012

Budget for May is complete!!

Crossing my fingers that I'll be able to stay on track:

	Budgeted
Full Time Job	$2,810.24
Transfer from Planned Spending Account	$270.00
Mortgage + Taxes (3x this month)	$1285.54
Condo Fees	$75.01
Insurance (Car/House)	$97.69
Hot Water Tank Rental	$50.79
Car Maintenance/Licensing	$49.00
Extra Mortgage +Tax Payments	$65.00
Natural Gas	$95.00
Hydro	$45.00
Rogers	$140.00
Pension	$333.32
Emergency Fund	$50.00
RRSP	$100.00
Travel Fund	$200.00
Clothing	$17.00
House Stuff	$30.00
Gifts	$50.00
Food/Restaurant	$200.00
Entertainment	$40.00
Gas - Car	$140.00
Memberships	$15.00