My Plan to Hit $35K in Savings While Staying in the Market

The TSX closed this Easter Monday at 24,008.86 points, down 183.95 points (-0.76%). The fact that we’re still in the 24,000-point range is encouraging, but it wouldn’t take much for the TSX to slip below that and fall into the 23,000s. We've seen worse before, but the stock market remains extremely volatile — definitely not an easy place to be.

My non-registered portfolio closed today's session at $149,257.01, my US portfolio at $6,189.97 USD, my RRSP (stocks-only) at $86,417.78, and my TFSA portfolio at $123,349.84.

Back in February, I made the decision to sell all my shares of TFI International Inc. (TFII). I don’t regret it — it allowed me to cash in on some profit. Since those shares were held in my TFSA, all gains were collected tax-free.

A few days later, it was announced that Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec would be acquiring Innergex Renewable Energy Inc. (INE) at $13.75 per share. I reinvested the proceeds in INE because I bought my shares slightly below that price, which should generate a small profit — possibly by the end of the year. While I wait for the sale to finalize, I’m also collecting dividend payments. I felt it was a safe bet for that money.

Following the sale of INE — likely by the end of this year — my plan is to withdraw the funds and move them into my savings. That should help me reach my goal of $35,000 in savings.

Nothing too exciting, but recently I did think about selling my INE position to invest instead in Canadian Natural Resources Limited (CNQ). However, I know that if I buy CNQ, I’d never want to sell it. So for now, I’m leaving things as they are. My main issue is that I currently don’t have much in savings, and I feel like this year is a great time to focus on building that up.

That being said, I still plan to invest from time to time. Recently, I’ve made several small investments, and many are already showing solid returns. It’s a great morale boost and a good reminder that investing still pays off, even in a rocky market. These investments are small — just a few shares — and I still have several thousand dollars in cash sitting in my RRSP portfolio, waiting for the right opportunity.

📈 Here are my recent gainers:

In my non-registered portfolio:

• Whitecap Resources Inc. (WCP): +5.37%

• Russel Metals Inc. (RUS): +4.39%

• Paramount Resources Ltd. Class A (POU): +4.06%

• Ninepoint Energy Income Fund ETF (NRGI): +3.63%

• Canadian Tire Corp. Ltd. Class A (CTC.A): +2.79%

• Slate Grocery REIT (SGR.UN): +2.30%

• Premium Brands Holdings Corp. (PBH): +1.61%

• SmartCentres REIT (SRU.UN): +1.62%

• Brookfield Renewable Partners L.P. (BEP.UN): +1.07%

• CT REIT (CRT.UN): +0.89%

In my TFSA portfolio:

• Diversified Royalty Corp. (DIV): +2.94%

• Plaza Retail REIT (PLZ.UN): +2.75%

• Boston Pizza Royalties Income Fund (BPF.UN): +0.29%

In my RRSP portfolio:

• Stantec Inc. (STN): +12.14%

• Bird Construction Inc. (BDT): +7.63%

• George Weston Ltd. (WN): +4.75%

I’m really proud of all my recent gainers. I especially like the investment I made in Boston Pizza Royalties Income Fund (BPF.UN) — it’s highly rated on Stockopedia. Another stock I really like, which is also well-ranked on Stockopedia, is Algoma Central Corporation (ALC). It’s a small-cap, so it should be handled with care, but I really like its potential.

Celebrating Easter with a net worth of $455,055.01!

I hope you had a happy Easter! Mine was great—I enjoyed the long weekend. I was quite pleased to see that I closed this special weekend with a net worth of $455,055.01. I'm now less than $45,000 away from hitting the famous $500K milestone. It’s a solid step in the right direction. When I experience good gains and partially recover from previous losses, I truly start to believe that the $500K net worth isn’t far off. It’s just a number, but it’s a psychological milestone I enjoy admiring from a distance—until it finally becomes real.

Earlier today, I also enjoyed this little delicacy shaped like the cutest lamb:

Chocolate is ridiculously expensive this year, so I only got myself a little one. Luckily, I’m not too into chocolate, but I do enjoy it on special occasions.

This past Friday, I had the day off. I went to the Eaton Centre to have lunch at their 9e restaurant. I’d been wanting to go there since it opened. I once stepped inside and asked if I could see their main dining room, but it was closed that day due to a film shoot. So this time, I decided to treat myself to an Easter lunch there. It was quite busy, but I was lucky enough to get a table without a reservation.

This is what I had for lunch as an entrée:

The tomato soup was good. I would have enjoyed it even more with some bread—or at least a few crackers. Bread was actually available, but only as an extra on the menu, so I didn’t get it.

For the main dish, I had the fish, which they listed in French as loup marin:

The fish was crispy and well-cooked—it was delicious. But I felt like something was missing from the plate! I would have really enjoyed a bit of rice with the fish, or some cooked vegetables. I have an appetite to satisfy—I’m not a tiny little ballerina. 

I came to the restaurant on an complete empty stomach. After those two courses, I was okay, though. I could have ordered some fries or something extra on the side, but I didn’t—because it was Good Friday. I also had an Americano and got one refill. The refill was free.

All together, my bill came to $59.70 after taxes. That amount doesn't include the 20% tip I left—the service was really good. The restaurant itself, named Île-de-France, was absolutely beautiful. I enjoyed the experience, although I did feel the plates could have included a bit more food.

I had always wanted to go there at least once because I’d heard stories about it from my grandmother. She had worked as a bonne for a wealthy Westmount family during the Second World War.

At that house, my grandmother was responsible for only two tasks: answering the phone (just answering—it’s funny because she didn’t speak any English!) and serving the family’s dinner plates (someone else did the cooking!). She didn’t work particularly hard—she was fortunate to have found herself in a very good situation for the time. She lived with the family, while my grandfather was working as a welder on boats in Sorel. They still saw each other regularly.

The family she lived with was that of Edmund C. Harder, who my grandmother described as a doctor "in aluminum." I never forgot that title—it sounded so mysterious to me. A doctor in aluminum? His letters were addressed to “Dr.,” and was indeed his field.

The Harder family treated my grandmother kindly, though there was two girls there would sometimes make fun of her—probably because she didn’t know any English at all and would just say “yes” to everything. One of the girls worked at a photography studio. The lady of the house, Charlotte, Mr. Harder’s wife, spoke French, so she could communicate with my grandmother. 

My grandmother stayed with that family for a few months until the end of the war. Then she returned to New Brunswick with my grandfather. Together, they built their home and started their family, thanks to the money they had earned during the war years.

Although my grandmother never had the chance to eat at the 9th-floor restaurant—also known as Le 9e or Île-de-France—she told me it was a place where Charlotte Harder, the lady of the house, often went for lunch. 

According to my research, during World War II, Le 9e was a restaurant exclusively for women. So I imagine it must have been the lunch spot for the wealthy women of Westmount. Then, in the evening, they’d have supper at home with their husbands... So you can understand my fascination with this establishment.

The architecture and décor are truly unique and well worth the visit. Here are the pictures I took—but trust me, they hardly do it justice.

This is the great room:

The Art Deco details are absolutely stunning.

A secret reception room inside the main room:

From the secret room, we have a view on the restaurant:

The lobby of the restaurant:

A bar on the side of the restaurant. It was closed during lunch time:

You have a lovely exhibition of Art Deco artifacts in the lobby:

As you can imagine, I have a great time! The day after, I went to do my citizen duty and I came across those lovely houses. There's a lot to see in Montreal.

This time, I vote Liberals.