Welcoming the month of April in Montreal!

It’s now my second week in Montreal. Basically, I went from this—somewhere in New Brunswick—to this:

To this, Montreal:

In Montreal, The Bay is my favorite store, followed by Simons and Uniqlo. The Bay is located right downtown in an iconic building. I was quite sad to learn about The Bay’s financial distress. I had a gift card, so I went and spent it. I bought a nice top and a pair of sandals. The sandals weren’t on a super bargain sale, but I didn’t want to lose the money on my gift card.

Recently, I also bought a really nice black Calvin Klein trench coat and another Ralph Lauren trench in a great khaki green at Winners. I adore Ralph Lauren—it’s definitely my favorite designer. I own a few Ralph Lauren pieces: a blazer, a few t-shirts (which I call shoulder t-shirts), a pair of jeans, a summer dress, and now a spring jacket. I had a great spring coat from The Bay that I bought many years ago, but the interior started deteriorating, so I treated myself to a new one. Winners is a great place to shop for clothes, though I’ve never been lucky enough to find a good pair of shoes there. I know Ralph Lauren and Calvin Klein are U.S. brands, but at some point, a girl needs to put clothes on her back.

It always takes me a little time to adjust when coming back to Montreal, especially after spending the months from mid-October to mid-March in New Brunswick. This year, my father celebrated his 75th birthday (I’ll be turning 45 in August!). I wanted to stay at least until his birthday, and then my mom’s birthday followed shortly after, so I waited until after both their birthdays to return to Montreal. Coming back always comes with a bit of stress from leaving my old folks behind, but at the same time, I’m quite happy to be in my little apartment, enjoying my own space.

I'm trying to build a new routine. Yesterday was the first time I went to the gym in a long time. When I’m in New Brunswick, especially during the winter, I can’t go to the gym as much as I’d like. I also can’t go out or shop as often as I want. So being in Montreal comes with a lot of perks. One thing that affects my health when I’m in New Brunswick is that I basically live at the same pace as my old folks, and I don’t get to exercise as much as I should. And I cannot simply do whatever I want while spending the winter with them.

Last night marked my first day back at the gym. I managed to burn 600 calories in 57 minutes on the elliptical. I kept my eyes on the timer the whole time—goal achieved, 600 calories in 60 minutes. I’m not totally out of shape, but I definitely need to get more active. Let see if I can make it to 600 calories withing 55 minutes this evening. I usually prefer going to the gym in the evening. I am not a morning person—at all.

Now that I’m back in Montreal, I recently ordered a copy of Derek Foster’s new book, God and Santa. It’s obviously not one of his usual financial books, but I wanted to read it. You can learn more about it here: https://godandsanta.com/about-the-book/

Since returning to Montreal, I’ve already spent quite a bit of money, but it was expected. I went straight to the hairdresser as soon as I arrived—I badly needed a haircut. Of course, I also went shopping. I went to the movies and saw The Monkey by Stephen King. I highly recommend it. It’s a horror movie, but it’s funny—you’ll laugh out of disgust, if that makes any sense!

As for savings, I closed March with exactly $10,382.06. I submitted my tax return early and hope to get $5,000 back, though that might be a bit optimistic. I should be able to reach $15,000 in savings by June, or even more, depending on my tax refund.

The stock market remains volatile, and I think it will unfortunately stay that way for a while—possibly the next four years… But today was a good day. The TSX closed at a satisfying 25,033.28 points (+0.46%). Anything above 25,000 points is reassuring, considering the mess that is the U.S. government. Thanks to the idiots’ club, I estimate my current net worth to be around $464,000. My highest net worth ever was back in January of this year, at $469,813.55. Right now, I have everything I need to reach the $500K mark with ease. My portfolio isn’t just a portfolio—it’s a work of art, absolute perfection. But thanks to the U.S., I have no idea when I’ll be able to make my dream come true, and that’s frustrating. Nearing $500K, my net worth is finally starting to look like something interesting.

Here’s how my numbers looked at today’s market close:
Non-registered portfolio: $155,270.14
U.S. portfolio: $6,485.04 USD
RRSP portfolio (stocks-only): $87,226.57
TFSA: $126,350.25

My numbers remain solid, but investing in stocks isn’t an easy task these days. I still have over $13K in cash sitting in my RRSP portfolio, quietly waiting to be invested. And that’s okay—I’ll have cash ready when the TSX drops again.

Earlier, I received an email saying that I was featured in the 10 Best Canadian Dividend Blogs and Websites of 2025 on FeedSpot: https://bloggers.feedspot.com/canadian_dividend_blogs/

How cute is that?

I don’t know about you, but lately, I’ve been stuck on this song—I love it so much! Good job, North West! The other songs on FKA Twigs’ album are quite different and don’t have the same pop/dance vibe. But this one? That’s my song of the moment! I must admit that I didn't know FKA Twigs before hearing this cool song.