A sexy girl on a budget. Its not that bad after all. Find out why.

My first 2 days on The $100 Challenge went well. I brought my lunch and only bought a medium Second Cup coffee (my favorite) during my hour long lunch break. I wanted to begin the challenge Monday, but Monday morning, what happen? I forgot my lunch at home. Eating out for lunch can be very expensive. You’ll spend around $12 on a meal + add the morning coffee AND the afternoon coffee, it make quite a bit of money on the long run. In my case, my expenses have been a mix of eating out and purchases, movies, and a whole bunch of stuff that I am pretty sure you don’t want to hear of. Not to mention that I went to New Brunswick back in the last days of October. I need to stay away from junk and I will just look sexier. I am doing something I haven’t done in a time: drink water. I cut some trench of cucumbers and but some in my glass. I read on the Web that it could be good for health. I haven’t been much conscious about this, but I am not drinking enough water. I drink coffee often and tea, but not only water or barely. And according to Annie Brewer, drinking water helps lose weight and improve health. Getting rid of 5-10-20-30-40 lbs LOL will make it just easier to fit in my outfits. Add to the water, the cucumbers give it a great taste. I also read about adding strawberry in could be benefit.

I know you love me and my body and I would like to let you know that the first 2 days of the challenge went well, 17 days left to go. Following what, I hope to stay this way and never fall again on an expensive mode. It should be easier after the 17 days period. And it will be easier because I quickly want to pay off the money I am borrowing on my 1.9% credit card to pay off my RRSP loan. I have a goal now. And investing goal was too large has I have been investing like forever now. For once, I decided to pay off m debt. But just the RRSP loan. I got a reader who writes to me “grow up and pay your debt”. Dude, what’s your problem? 

All the debts I own are giving me a tax credit, at the exception of the RRSP loan. It’s the only reason why I am paying it off. 

I just have the credit card balance transfer. Tomorrow lunch time will be busy. Its tomorrow that I am going to pay off my RRSP loan! It will allow me to keep an extra $80 in my pocket. My RRSP loan was $108 a month. I used to have around 8k debt on my TD Visa at 2.99%. The monthly payment was at $28 per month. Now, that I have double that amount because I used my TD Visa to pay off my RRSP loan, the monthly payment for the next 6 months will be of $56. Those changes and many others are from my revisited budget.

Since I unfortunately have to move back to Montreal to find a job, I qualify to receive the Quebec Solidarity Tax credit. I am about to be permanent on my job sometime next week, so I guess it could be a good idea to see how I can received the credit. I calculate something like $30 a month. Not that much, but when you are trying to live on a tight budget, any extra cash is always welcome. I used to get as much as $50 from the Quebec Solidarity Tax credit. But now, they are giving away much less. And knowing how much Quebec has debt, they shouldn’t be giving any money away.

My $100 Challenge

I am about to have my RRSP loan completely paid off. I am using my TD Visa at 1.9% for a credit card balance transfer. My RBC Visa is completely paid off, my I have requested to transfer over $7 500. Once the transaction completed, this should leave a positive balance on the credit card. Following what, I will transfer the funds over my banking account and write a cheque to completely pay off my RRSP loan. This is about to happen soon!

My TD Visa will be at a balance of 16k for about 6 months. At the end of the 6 months period, I plan to pay off $7 500 on the credit card. But during the 6 months, all the money I save will be applied on my margin. I should be able to pay off the debt in 5 months. That’s the plan.

In the in-between, the goal is to watch my spending. I have giving myself $100 to cover my grocery and coffees until December 21 (day I am finally leaving Montreal for a few days). This is what $100 look like. 

I may completely skip my coffee treat and other delicious treats but hey, there’s nothing I cannot work around right. I am the Dividend Girl after all.

I haven’t spent one cent of the $100 yet. The challenge started today. Basically, the $100 is for my grocery. There’s will be no eating out (for once) and I guess I will be eating more vegetables and turn into a sexy little rabbit. In the mean time, don’t you ever worry for me, love, I have a few items pack in my fridge and I have some pasta too, eggs, cereal. So calm down.

I am doing this because I need to stop my spending habits NOW. I am leaving my credit cards home. Basically, I will have just a $40 or so in my purse. I won’t have anything to spend, basically. Just like if the end of the world will be coming.

I have over $1 100 to pay on my BMO MasterCard you see. I really have to slow down on my expensive. I don’t need any lipstick, any mascara, any makeup. I don’t need any clothes. I have everything I need. Now, I just need to get back on track, I need to get on the same discipline that I use to have. I really know what I need to do. CONTROL. 

Enjoy those pictures of me in the meantime:

The Lower Churchill River project of Newfoundland and Labrador: the dream is about to happen

I was very EXTREMELY upset when I learn that Quebec province is actually trying to stop the Lower Churchill River project in Newfoundland and Labrador from happening. Quebec has their establishments, in this case Hydro Québec. It seems to me that Quebec province never has been able to expand outside their province. They once tried to get into New Brunswick and they received the hell of a response... Do you think it work out? Do you think that New Brunswickers like myself accepted to be control and dependable of Quebec province, an unbalanced province that cheat on Canadians so many times? And what if Quebec separate? We’ll have to deal with them anyway?

Of course, we protested and the takeover deal had been cancel. There will be no f Quebeckers controlling our territory and our electricity, that for sure. I think that in New Brunswick, we all think the same way when it comes to Quebec. We are totally disgusted by them.

New Brunswick province is a smaller territory and we don’t even have 1 million in term of population. The North of New Brunswick is poor and there’s a lot of pollution. I remember being young, we could go for a swim in a small river located close to home but now, forget about it. We have one lake however that remains beautiful, but it’s about it. There’s a lot of pollution too in the very north of New Brunswick. The provincial government never been careful about the industries getting there. Because of the lack of job, they accepted anything and everything. In result, people are dying of cancer. For the small population that we are, there’s a high level of cancer in New Brunswick. So high that even small hospitals of the North of New Brunswick are provided treatment for cancer. Luckily, no one of my family, immediate or extended never got cancer, except my aunt. She went through a small but rough treatment, didn’t lose her hair and now seem to be well.

The Lower Churchill River project won’t happen in New Brunswick, but it could be a solution for us to get the electricity that we so desperately need. The Lower Churchill River project is also a way to reward Newfoundland and Labrador to be part of Canada. If I remember my history class correctly, Newfoundland and Labrador was the last territory to be annexed to Canada. Newfoundland was once even worst than New Brunswick. There was no job and the number of people on welfare was high as well as the unemployment and people on EI. But things eventually became better and Newfoundland is booming.

As Canadians, it’s important to work hand in hand with the federal government to be able to push on some important projects. In their extreme arrogance, Quebec doesn’t want the federal to be involved in topic that is of the authority of the province, like health, education etc.

My word is, you have to trust the country, you have to trust the nation. The Maritime provinces need the help of the federal to establish themselves and its ok that way. We are not arrogant, we are dumb, we are not stupid. Newfoundland and Labrador has understood the way to go. We are one united country and the richness that will be created in Newfoundland will benefit, indirectly, to the rest of Canada. If Quebec could have the same ethic and understanding, they wouldn’t have those “600 milliards” (that part is in French, sorry) in debt, they wouldn’t be stuck in their corruptible system, they will be healthy. Instead of focusing on what is wrong, on wanted to be a country of their own, Quebec should have concentrated its effort at pushing their economy. Now, try to explain that to a Quebecker that have vote Pauline Marois and the Bloc Québécois at the last election. 

Quebec is where it is to be. They are paying the price of their freshness and now, they look pretty dumb at trying to stop the Lower Churchill River project from happening. By doing so, I hope that business owners of other provinces will wake up and stop dealing with Quebec. There’s a need for punishment for what they are intended to do. I hope Quebec will pay. Quebec government should be ashamed.

Emera Inc. (EMA) is a new safe heaven in the Canadian stock market

Please read:

"OTTAWA, Nov 30 (Reuters) - Canada's federal government will provide a loan guarantee of up to C$6.3 billion ($6.3 billion) for Lower Churchill River hydro-electric projects in Labrador in a move that could cut the cost of power to residents of two Atlantic provinces.


The loan guarantee, announced by Prime Minister Stephen Harper on Friday, is intended to give new impetus to the long-stalled Muskrat Falls hydro-electric generation station near the Quebec border in Labrador and to three transmission projects.

The loan allows the project proponents to seek financing at lower costs, eventually making electricity cheaper for residents of the provinces of Newfoundland and Labrador, and Nova Scotia.

"The federal loan guarantee will lower the costs of borrowing for the proponents, with projected savings of over a billion dollars for ratepayers in Newfoundland and Labrador and Nova Scotia," Harper's office said in a statement.

The guarantee, which Harper promised in the 2011 federal election campaign, will remain valid for 35 to 40 years. The term sheet for the deal was signed by Ottawa, the premiers of Newfoundland and Labrador and Nova Scotia and by the two energy companies involved.

Newfoundland and Labrador has been looking since the 1970s at harnessing the Lower Churchill River, which can produce more power than the province needs, but it did not start active development until the last decade.

In November 2010, Newfoundland government-owned Nalcor Energy and Nova Scotia-based Emera Inc announced plans to develop the 824-megawatt Muskrat Falls plant and related transmission lines.

The estimated cost of the projects is C$7.4 billion. Muskrat Falls is expected to start operations in mid-2017, generating 4.9 million megawatt-hours (MWh) annually.

Nalcor will build and own 100 percent of Muskrat Falls and will also build one of the transmission lines through a joint venture with Emera.

It will build the Lower Churchill project in two phases, the first at Muskrat Falls and the second 2,250-MW phase at Gull Island.

The cheap and clean power produced at Muskrat Falls could also attract buyers in New England.
The project plays into a longstanding dispute between Newfoundland and Quebec over energy development on the Churchill River. The dispute spurred Newfoundland and Nova Scotia to become partners to find a way to deliver power to other markets while bypassing Quebec.

Quebec's new separatist government immediately criticized the loan guarantee, saying Ottawa was giving preferential treatment to one region.

The federal government said the Muskrat Falls facility would reduce up to 4.5 million tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions annually."

Don't be left behind. Invest NOW in Emera Inc. (EMA). The deal with go through the little f@ckers of Quebeckers cannot do ANYTHING to stop this. God will protect us. May Quebeckers who try to stop this burn in HELL.

This is soooo exciting! HOT HOT HOT.

Are you ready to get rich on Emera Inc. (EMA)?

I had been holding Emera Inc. (EMA) for a little while now. Since inspection, I made a profit of 35.04%. No one can beat the Dividend Girl on that one, that’s sure.

Right now, a bunch of little f of Quebeckers are crying like babies because the province of Newfoundland and Labrador received a guaranteed loan from Ottawa. Quebeckers have pick Pauline Marois and the Parti Québécois as provincial political party. Quebeckers, once again, had made the wrong choices. Basically, Quebec society is a complete failure. You just need to watch and read about the Charbonneau commission, you’ll see what I mean. The commission is about the most hilarious thing of all. Those poor Quebeckers think they’ll be able to clean their system from corruption. They will fail, one more time.

If Quebec decided to go with Pauline Marois and the Parti Québécois, they must accept the fact that they will never received anything from the federal government. People from the Maritimes like myself, we are ultra smart, we can move mountain, we can build fortune from scratch, there’s nothing that can stop us from being successful. 

I had deal with more than one difficult situations in my life and I always went through because what, do you thing? I am proud of my roots, proud of being a French Acadian New Brunswicker, proud of being from the Maritimes. I am proud of being Canadian.

In their extreme freshness, Quebeckers thing they are ready to be a country of their own. What a joke. They cannot even manage properly the money of the province, how in the world are they going to land out as a country. They will finish as broke as Greece and Spain. Completely broke.

It’s not like we are facing people with a vision, with goals and dreams. Quebec is lazy and in slow motion. They cheat our country and now they are wondering why they are not receiving any subventions like the one receiving by Newfoundland and Labrador. I mean come on. Quebec society made the wrong choices, now have come for us Canadians to celebrate our success and richness. Quebec needs to be left behind. As country, we need to build ourselves stronger and create a united Canada without Quebec province. Quebeckers are liars and cheaters. Many Quebeckers took advantage of Canadians in the past, like Brian Mulroney. This must stop. We need to secure our heritage and protect our society from the dumb ass Quebeckers. Don’t you think so? We need to stop doing business with Quebec province, we must grow by our own. That way, we’ll become stronger.

Today, Quebec society got what it deserved. Quebeckers arrogance had driven them to where they are and I am extremely please what I see now. This is a period of complete social destruction for Quebec. This is not going to e3nd anytime. God has punished the offenders of the Canadian country.

There’s no quality in Quebec, I have been long enough to tell so and I share my experience many times. What I have faced as an individual was the consequences of actions made by stupid Quebeckers. But I never accepted to have my destiny in their hands and I always fight back. Fight your enemies, never let it go, don't let anyone have control over you. NEVER.

Who look dumb now? The girl with no tattoo with more than 80k of her own or Quebec rats? Tell me.

Now is the time to invest in Maritime stocks. It’s time to invest now before the super powerful companies’ cash in their valuable profit. The Churchill project has been on its way for quite a long time. Now is time to invest in Emera Inc. (EMA).

Celebrating 430 600 pageviews and counting. Annie Jean Brewer books giveaway

You read it right: this blog had been read over 430 600 times since 2007! This is quite something and we are going to celebrate! I am giving away 2 books of fellow blogger Annie Jean Brewer: Minimize to Maximize and The Shoestring Girl.

Annie Jean Brewer is a minimalist expert, which mean how to life on less but for the fullest. I guess I got you here. What's the point between investing and minimalist? Well, while being a retail investors, small investors - while not using margin - will use their own money to invest. By saving more, you can invest more and build a stronger portfolio.

This is the important relation between minimalist and investing. By using Annie Brewer methods to live a simpler and easier life, you'll have more money left in your pockets to invest. Interesting isn't? In my case, it seem like I am spending more money more than ever and I decided to make it to an end. To help me, I read Annie Brewer two books and decided to share them both with you. Would you like to win one of those 2 books?

Here's your chance but the chance come with a PRICE. If you want to be consider, post a nice comment about me. SOMETHING NICE. I am tired of chitty comments. Make me feel like a Queen and if you are good enough with the bullshit, you may qualified to win a free book. Its really that much simple. The two best compliment comments will win. Contest is open until midnight Eastern time, December 6, 2012. Give it your best shot.

Home Sweet Home

Its not anytime soon that I am going to post a pic of myself on my financial blog, so you'll never know how good looking is the rich chita. But this being said, I can always show you pictures of my one and a half apartment, right? So there you go.

There's nothing much to see if not that beautiful Christmas flowers, which I adore and as soon I saw them, I bought one. My place isn't really decorated so its quite plan. I don't like the color of the curtains but I didn't pick the color. My mom bought them as well as the metal thing of the top when she came for a visit 2-3 years ago. I would have like something like dark purple. It would have match my new bedspread. I just bought the bedspread today with the pillows and everything for $60 tax included. A good deal and with winter coming (we have snow today in Montreal), I will need something to keep me warm at night. So there you go. I have spot some new curtains (that word sound strange to me and I have to look in an English-French dictionary to pick it all, that word is not at all natural to me). Anyway, I could have bought some curtains for $35 but I didn't becaause I have just cleaned my place last Sunday and that cleaning session included the cleaning of the window and the curtains in the washing machine.

Is there anything else you want to know? LOL.

My apartment is quite small as you can see. I also have a bathroom but it hasn't been photograph. So this is where I had been living since certainly 2009, if not even 2008. I went back to New Brunswick, but when I came back this summer, I got the exact same apartment. I like the location but back in the days, the apartment was a lot cheaper, like $550, and now its $610. I plan to stay here for the winter months but eventually I will move in something cheaper, if not larger. One benefit of staying here is that I am close to everything, including my workplace which is abut 40 minutes walk. I don't have to purchase a metro place of $75 up and my landlord is friendly and always available when I need or something happen. The place is extra quiet too. I never hear any noises at night. I don't have any problem to sleep. Those need to be taking in consideration.

I heard some nightmare stories about apartment renting. One guy I knew was always carrying is laptop with him because his window was so thin that he was always scared to be rob. And another one has a nice apartment but people living upstairs were making noises at night. He could hear them walked and they were carrying heavy stuff around. I never have any of those problems. Renting at $610 is certainly expensive, but I have my peace of mind and oh, best of all, I don't have to sign a lease. That's one of the reason why I got here in the first place. And I came back.