What to wear at a vineyard wedding?

You already know that I'm working on putting together a group wedding gift, which is 90% complete.  What I haven't talked about yet is what I'm planning on wearing to the wedding.....that's because I just don't know!!!

I spotted a dress at Ricki's that I fell in love with last month and saved money from the gas/grocery/entertainment/travel budget to buy the dress.  This dress is the first purchase of 2012 that I've paid full price for -- I love it that much!!!  I am just not sure yet if it's right for the wedding.

The wedding will be at Vineland Estates Winery.  I should mention that it's a day-time wedding.  That means an 11am ceremony followed by a winery tour then an afternoon with no dancing (no dance floor and no deejay).

Here's a shot from the vineyard's website:

 

(source)

I'm putting a call out there to PF Fashionistas!!  Here are my two dress choices:

 

Ricki's gold: Regularly $129.95...bought for $29.99 (yippee!)

 

Ricki's blue: Regularly $79.95....paid full price.

 

Okay readers.....which dress would you wear to the wedding??  

I have a big push to finish before the wedding in exactly 2 weeks.  I am currently a size 13....the gold dress is a size 12 and the blue dress is a L (I'm into a large currently, but would love it to fit better!).  You'll be seeing a lot of #pfworkout tweets from this blogger!!

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?!

February Challenge - Final Week!

February seemed to fly by in the blink of an eye - hopefully Spring will arrive just as quickly this year!

Here's what happened in the final week of my February No Spend Challenge:

February 22:
Esso - $30
Canadian Tire - $7.97 (at home herb growing kit)
Winners - $18.37 (flower pots)
Chapters - $8.19 (tea towels)

February 23: NO SPEND

February 24: NO SPEND


February 25:

Chapters - $39.30 (2 travel guides, 1 magazine)

Extreme Pita - $8.34

Tim Hortons - $2.75

February 26: NO SPEND


February 27: NO SPEND


February 28: 

Tim Hortons $2.75
Walmart - $34.61

LCBO -$14.95 (wine for dinner I'm hosting)

Loblaws - $30.71 
Loblaws - $15.19

Ikea - $23.71 (patio chair, 2 glasses)

Michaels - $18.97 (Easter wreath)


February 29: NO SPEND


Drum roll please......out of 29 days in February I did not spend on 18 days!  Originally my goal was to spend only on the weekends, but I ended up just aiming for 5 No Spend Days each week, meaning I should have ended the month with 21 No Spend Days -- not too shabby!!

 Any ideas for a March challenge?

February Week 1 Update

One week into my February Challenge, I've accomplished my goal for week 1 perfectly.

Here is my personal spending for the week:

Wednesday, February 1: NO SPEND

Thursday, February 2: NO SPEND

Friday, February 3: NO SPEND

Saturday February 4:
LCBO - $1.80 (I had a $10 gift card to cover the rest)
Walmart - $33.83
Loblaws - $26.89
Food Basics - $9.96
(All three grocery stores are within 2 blocks of each other....while it looks like a lot, I don't have to drive all over the city to hit all three)

Sunday, February 5:
Esso - $40.01

Monday, February 6: NO SPEND

Tuesday, February 7: NO SPEND

If I continue to knock this challenge out of the park, I will have 21 No Spend days in February!

30-Day Price Guarantee!

Last month I blogged about the fact that I still had a few items on my furniture 'to buy' list.  This included a dresser and a sofabed - I purchased from Leons just about two weeks ago.

I'd never shopped at Leons before, but thus far I'm 100% satisfied!!  I must have ordered a popular sofabed, because it only just arrived to the store for delivery over the weekend, but as far as their 30-day price guarantee, I am a happy shopper.

What I'd originally paid:
Sofabed: $799.00
Dresser: $399.00
Total: $1,353.74 including taxes

I've been keeping my eye on the Leons website to see by chance if between the purchase date and 30 days thereafter prices went down on either items, and to my surprise they did on both!  I called the store, gave them my phone number, confirmed my credit card number, and voila, $169.50 refunded to my credit card!

Just goes to show you that it never hurts to spend 5 minutes checking out potential price adjustments! Now, what to do with an extra $169.50.....?  Stay tuned next week for a travel update!

Note: Leons did not pay me in any way for this post, I'm just a happy customer!



So Close!

Last Sunday I began my No Spend Week and crossed my fingers that I could make it -- I tend to shop out of boredom, so come Saturday morning I was thrilled that I'd made it 6 entire days of not spending a penny.

Saturday afternoon I went with a colleague to see The Descendants (we both really liked it) and even brought my own snacks, apple slices, to fend off the temptation of buying treats.  I had enough Scene points for a free movie, so there was no cost involved.

Then, I decided that I'd check out Home Sense for a white ceramic vase to replace the one I'd shattered during the move.  I had a gift card with what I thought was about $48 on it.  Turns out, there wasn't $48, instead there was about $10 left -- I can't for the life of me remember what I'd bought using the card between Christmas and this weekend, but I'm sure I did.  So, when the cashier let me know that I still owed about $20 I debated cancelling the order and having her refund the $10 back on the gift card, or paying the $20, knowing that I didn't make it through the entire 7 days.

I paid the $20.  I'd have gone back to the store the next day to get the replacement vase anyways, and I was already happy with my 6 entire days....lesson learned: check the balance of your gift card before assuming what's left on it!

Tomorrow I'll post about my financial challenge for February!

Progress Update and an Unexpected Refund!

Well, four days into my No Spend Week, I'm batting 100%!  During my two day work trip my colleague who has a company credit card paid for meals, so I had no costs out of pocket.  I will be putting together a couple of Ikea pieces today and catching up on laundry, so I don't anticipate needing/being bored and wanting to go out and spend money!

Now, onto the surprise refund....my real estate lawyer let me know that the builder's lawyers had made an error in the figures I had to pay (they hadn't cashed the occupancy bank draft), and as a result I overpaid at closing by about $600.  Found money is always exciting, especially when it amounts to basically 1/2 a paycheque!

Here's my plan:
- Efund: $100
- RRSP: $100
- Travel Fund: $200
- Shoes: $75 (replacing a sensible black pair that broke)
- Car Fund: $75 (I have a replacement tire and oil change looming in the spring)
- Ottawa Fun Money : $75 (I've been itching to try snowshoeing and cross country skiing)

All in all, a good week thus far, and looking up....I have a movie date on Sunday!

2 for 2

Two days into my No Spend Week, I haven't spent a penny.....but, that doesn't mean that I didn't have the urge to shop!  Last night out of boredom I wanted to whip out my debit card and buy something, anything.  I was contemplating what I could buy at the corner store.

Hmmm, maybe this week will be harder than I thought.  Yesterday I plunked down another $13,000-ish on my final downpayment and closing costs for the new condo - yey!  But that didn't seem to satisfy my craving to spend.  Luckily I was distracted for a good 2 hours with the Bachelor and my corner store was then closed!

Today I am headed out of the city with colleagues for meetings, and over the course of two days I will need to spend money on food - it will be reimbursed by my company, and I'm hoping those couple of swipes of the debit card will put my itch to spend at ease. 

How do you keep your 'need' to spend in check?

Productive Weekend!

Friday after work, this is what my Weekend To Do list looked like:
- hang new blinds
- bake: broccoli and cheese macaroni, soup, butter chicken, rigatoni
- put together new bed
- put together shoe stand
- empty all luggage (last of the items to unpack)
- take donations to Goodwill
- hem curtains (pass - only had enough hemming tape for the grey curtains, not the white ones)
- hang magnet board
- wash floors
- grocery shop for the week
- hang photo wall (after realizing I am missing my Zurich photo I am postponing this task)

All in all, a very productive weekend!!   My NO SPEND WEEK began on Sunday, and thus far I'm 1 for 1.  With a completely packed freezer and fridge (see photos below) and a full tank of gas I'm 100% positive that I shouldn't need to spend money this week -- although I am down to 1/2 an onion, so I may need to borrow a couple from friends!

Hope you all had a great weekend!!

Weekly Spending: Jan. 24 - 30, 2011

Jan. 24: No Spend Day

Jan. 25:
$17.23 - Shoppers Drug Mart (paid with gift card)

Jan. 25: No Spend Day

Jan. 26:
$2.41 - Tim Hortons

Jan. 27:
$67.01 - No Frills

Jan. 28:
$8.75 - Lunch out to celebrate condo purchase

Jan. 29: No Spend Day

Jan. 30:
$102.78 - Kitchen Stuff Plus

Overall: $180.95 out-of-pocket spending.  Hadn't I purchased things for the new condo (eg. curtains, bathroom supplies, veggie steamer, zester) the week would have been a success.  I have listed about 7 items over the weekend on Craigslist and Kijiji, so next week I anticipate bringing in some extra money.

My Frivolous Purchase of 2010

In an earlier Post I mentioned that I went Boxing Day shopping in 2010 after a hiatus from both Boxing Day and Black Friday Shopping.

My only non-sale purchase of the day was a beautiful chair that I fell in love with at Home Sense.

Here she is:

If you haven't already figured it out from my goals and previous posts, I have an absolute love of travel - in 2009 and 2010 I went on two big trips hitting 15 countries....both trips paid for without incurring any interest on my credit card of course.  So, when I found this chair with cities around the world and old stamps featured I was sold!

Did you make any big "want" purchases in 2010?

Boxing Day Recap

After going on a 2 year hiatus from Boxing Day and Black Friday shopping my aunt and I ventured to London to spend some cash!  Anticipating a big spend, I had an ING account not tracked as part of my savings, knowing that I'd spend it, with just about $800 saved up. 

I didn't spend all $800, but here's what the damage was:

Store	Reg. Price Total	Boxing Day Total	What I Got
Pier 1	$52.98	$43.21	2 ornaments, bubble bath, 2 candlestick holders
Le Chateau	$7.90	$7.90	1 necklace
Chapters	$25.97	$15.92	Coupon sorter, next year's Christmas cards
Bath & Body Works	$29.95	$22.60	10 hand sanitizers, 3 soaps
RW & Co	$103.96	$33.80	Slippers, cardigan, pj pants
Globo Shoes	$79.08	$33.87	Sneakers, flats
Nine West	$107.35	$39.55	Purse
Home Sense	$5.64	$5.64	Glass potpouri holder
Ardene	$21.00	$21.00	Flats, slippers
Banana Republic	$235.04	$60.43	Cardigan, sweater, nice tank
Ricki's	$280.24	$96.02	Winter Coat, sweater, tshirt
Home Sense	$338.99	$338.99	Living room chair
TOTAL	$1,288.10	$718.93

The remainder of the money will go towards a brunch out with my girlfriends, and a lunch with my cousins.  When I get home I'm also in the need for new batteries for my inflatable bed, so I'll use this money for that purpose as well.



Did you do any boxing day shopping?

Spendy Weekend

I hope everyone had a relaxing, restful weekend.  Mine was filled with spending.....oops.  No trip fund contribution this month as a result, but I was smart with my shopping.

Old Navy was having a great sale, so I took advantage and bought everything on my wish list:
- pj bottoms - $8
- jeans - $20
- winter coat - $39.25
- yoga pants - $12
- dress for work function - $20
- sweater - $20

Total - $130 and change.
My bill said that I'd 'saved' $122.50 with all of the sales.

Unplanned spending, but I didn't need to go to the credit cards to pay for it.

How was your weekend?

Happy Black Friday!

It was only a couple of years ago that you would have found me every Black Friday over in the States doing some major shopping....mostly for Christmas gifts, but also for myself.  I'm a big fan of sales/clearances and have often found myself buying things JUST because they were on sale. 

Currently one of my wants is a new down comforter.  I am currently using a striped blue/black/beige comforter passed down originally from my sister to my mother, now to me.  Does it still keep me warm at night? Yes.  Does it go with the decor of my apartment? Yes.  So, it's a want.

There are likely handfuls of comforters on sale at Target, Macys, JC Penney, Walmart, etc. But I know that if I were to go over to the States to buy just a comforter I'd come out with much more.

My old Black Friday habit:
- Hotel room - $80 (one mall 2 hours from my old house opened it's doors at midnight, so I'd need a hotel to crash in at 3am and resume shopping at 8am)
- Gas - $50 (I'd go to 3 cities in Michigan for different malls)
- Shopping - $500 (that's probably a conservative guess)
- Taxes at the border - $70
TOTAL = $700

Wow, I'm glad that I turned around that bad habit!

Tim Hortons Temptation

Over the past two days I've seen a lot of coverage on the newspaper, evening news, and internet about Tim Horton's announcement that they will now be accepting debit cards at almost all stores (kiosks will still be cash only).

Because I often don't carry cash on me, unless I have some planned spending to do, I wonder if this newest convenience will tempt me to purchase the twice-daily steeped tea that I used to indulge in.  Without the $1.50 or so in my wallet it's been easy to cut that bad habit.  I always carry my debit card for emergencies, and I'll need to keep with that rule!

1 steeped tea @ $1.50/day for a year = $547.50 = A flight our West to visit a friend, or food for 7+ weeks, or a new flatscreen tv, the list goes on.

Will Tim Horton's announcement affect your spending?

Splurging Once in Awhile

This weekend was my biggest spending weekend in a long while.  And by spending I mean approximately $60.

A high school girlfriend came to stay with me for the weekend, and we had a few activities planned.  Here's how it worked out:
Saturday:
Ontario Science Centre = Free.  It was teacher and family day, so my friend used her teacher card to get us in. Would have cost $20+ in admission just for myself.
Sushi on Bloor = $17. A pricey lunch, but I wanted to fill up before the evening.
Food & Wine Show = $40. I purchased $20 in drink and food tickets. $20 was spent on my Mom's stocking gifts; a bottle of avocado oil, a bag of fancy chocolates with toffee and crushed roasted almonds.
Starbucks = $3. I took advantage of the 2-for-1 deal that took place these past 4 days

I made a plan to save for this weekend, knowing I'd spend more than what I'd alloted in my entertainment budget for the two week period, and it was well worth it.  No regrets from me.  Now the next event I'm saving for is being home over the Christmas break.  Knowing that friends will want to go for coffees/movies/dinners that I wouldn't normally do every week will need some planning.

New vs. Used vs. No Car

I've had a car since I turned 16 years and 8 months when I received my G2 Ontario License.  Since moving to Toronto in July I've been trying to live without a car.  Let me tell you, it's been tough.

I'll hopefully be sitting on a volunteer committee for an event outside of the city for which I will be attending meetings anywhere from once per month to once per week.  Calculating the options via TTC it'll take me approximately 1hr 15min depending on where the meetings are held.  So, I've been contemplating buying a car.

Note: All projected costs do not take into account possible lower insurance amount as car depreciates, fluctuation in gas prices/maintenance charges, or parking fees.
Option 1: NEW
2010 Hyundai Accent GL - 280.32/month finance, 60 months @ 0.0%
Insurance - $262/month
Parking - $15/month street parking
Gas - $50/month
Maintenance/Licensing - $40/month
Cost over 5 years: $38,839

Option 2: USED
2002 Hyundai Santa Fe - $3,995
Insurance - $198/month
Parking - $15/month street parking
Gas - $60/month
Maintenance/Licensing - $60/month
Cost over 5 years: $23,972

Option 3: NO CAR
TTC Pass: $40/month until 2012, $111 thereafter
Occasional Car Rental: $20/month
Cost over 5 years: $6,724

And my own verdict is: No Car is the best option.  Over a 5 year period not having spent a minimum of $17,248 makes a big difference to my lifestyle as well as options for buying a home.  Not tying up hundreds of dollars a month will allow me to save for a bigger down payment, pay off my mortgage faster once I get one, and will tree up travel money.

If some sort of circumstances life- or career-wise change whereby I need to think seriously getting a vehicle, then I will be sure to look at all options again!

Fundraising Gala Outfit

I will be helping at our organization's annual fundraising gala in a couple of weeks and realized that none of the dresses that I have are right for the gala.  I have only two possibilities and one is entirely red and I recently wore it to a wedding (a bit more "party" like than for a formal gala).  My other dress currently doesn't fit, so that one's out.

So, over the next couple of days I will be on the hunt for a reasonably priced gala-appropriate dress for under $50 (incl. taxes).  This will unfortunately come out of my clothing and entertainment budget.

I love the dresses that Ricki's currently has in stores, but this will have to be one of those temptation avoiding goals for the month!

Gift Card Trading Program

I've been holding onto two gift cards that I just wasn't sure what to do with.  I have a $15 iTunes card and a $25 Sport Chek card.  I've tried to sell them on Craigslist, but was getting low offers - $25 for $40 worth of gift cards. 

Reading an article on Moneyville today I learned about Gift Card Recycle Canada.  Let me tell you - I am in LOVE with this site.  I was able to trade my iTunes and Sport Chek for a Chapters gift card totaling $40.  I paid just over $4 in fees (you can pay either by credit card or PayPal) for the opportunity to trade my cards. 

One note I'll make is that while there is a big list of potential gift cards, you aren't able to trade for just anything.  A $20 gift card for the Gap for example could be traded for a $20 card to Build-a-Bear, Panago, or McNally Robinson.  A $40 gift card for Shoppers can be traded for a $40 card to La Senza, and a handful more less valued cards. 

Tomorrow I'm off to the post office to mail the company my two gift cards, and once recieved I'll be sent my Chapters cards.  Let me tell you, I'll be using this site again when I recieve a gift card at a store I'm not too keen for!

What new websites have you discovered lately?

Personal Finance Books

One of my 30-by-30 goals is to read one personal finance book per month and thus far I'm on track.

In this post I thought that I'd share a few of the tips that really resonated with me and what I loved about some of the books I've read so far.

1) 397 Ways To Save Money by Kerry K. Taylor:
Feature I loved: Month-by-Month Maintenance Checklist
Best Tip: Fly from a U.S. airport.....great for those of us who live close to a border!

2) Rich by Thirty by Lesley Scorgie:
Feature I loved: A list of file folder topics for a standard filing system
Best Tip: Always take free money.  In my last job my employer matched RRSP contributions up to 4% of your income.  It baffled me that not all of my colleagues were taking advantage of this money.

3) The Automatic Millionaire Homeowner by David Bach
Feature I loved: The Double Latte Factor Challenge - included writing down each bagel, donut, coffee, phone service, modem rental, etc. that you charge each month and tracking if the item can be either eliminated or reduced.
Best Tip: Don't be afraid to ask for a better deal when shopping around for a mortgage (not necessarily on the rate, but perhaps on the closing costs)

4) Thrifty: Living the Frugal Life with Style by Marjorie Harris
Feature I loved: The shopping tips - for a mattress, dishwasher, home decor, auction and estate items, and especially the garage sale how-to
Best Tip: Buy well and you buy once. Quality is the hallmark of thrifty shopping.

5) The RRSP Secret by Greg Habstritt
Feature I loved: The sample mortgages.  Having never purchased a home I'd never seen a mortgage document.
Best Tip: Do the math on your deal and you may find out that what seems like a high interest rate allows you to create a significant profit.

6) Home Girl by Brenda Bouw
Feature I loved: The Checklist and Common Mistakes to Avoid at the end of each chapter
Best Tip: To avoid nasty surprises [when buying a home] spend some time in your desired neightbourhood at different times of the day.

There are some wonderful books out there, and these are just a snapshot of the books I've enjoyed.

What are your favourite personal finance books and what are the best tips you've learned?