These days, I am trying to pay as much debt as I can. The Bank of Canada decided for now not to increase its prime rate. But this won't last for long. And as soon the prime rate will increase (probably of 1%), the more I will own on my debt in term of interest fees. Repaying my debt will be a long and painful road, but among the way, there're many things that I am doing to help me save money.
I was away on vacation for a few days in July-August and September is going to be a quiet month. I recently received an email from someone I used to do some self-employed work. I hope to get my hand on a few hundreds that way. To pay more debt, there's no magic trick, the best way is to earn more and save more.
Its always more difficult to make more money than to save. Saving money is like losing weight; if you work hard enough, results will show up.
Coupons are a great way to save money. The best is to be able to match the coupon with a current sale. I had a $1 rebate on any L'Oréal Shampoo or Conditioner:
My hair can be difficult. I color my hair and they are curly and thin, but I have a lot of hair. I was surpise one day when a hairdresser said that I had thin hair. Since that day, I try to select conditioner for thin hair. On top of thin, color and curly hair. My hair can get really oily. So I have to be careful to the conditioner that I use. If the product I use are cheap, well, the result will be cheap. Good hair products come with a price. I really like L'Oréal Paris Volume Collagen for flat, fine hair conditioner. L'Oréal shampoos and conditioners are currently at $3.99 at Shoppers. Its a good deal knowing that the original price is usually around $6.99:
So in total, my favorite conditioner only cost me $2.99+ taxes. Pretty cool isn't? Well, that's only a little overview on how to use coupons. I am not a fan of those extreme coupon shows we seem these days on television. If use right, coupons can make it easy to save money; but they should be use on stuff you usually purchase.
I try to focus on my everyday needs, on stuff I purchase on a regular basis and I try to get my hands on the precious coupons. Also, the bets is to save those coupons and wait when a sale show up - like the one at $3.99 for L'Oréal shampoos and conditioners. When both are combine, it can be a magic blind-blind easy save money.
With autumn hitting our doors, I am slowly storing my summer clothes out of the closet. I unfortunately don't have enough of a big closet to store my summer and autumn/winter clothes. So I have to find a way to clear some space.
My first taught was to simply fill some ugly black big garbage bags with all of my summer wardrobe but I actually find something much better at the Dollarama Store: the Zipper Seal Giant Bags.
Dollarama sell those lovely storing bag at only $1.50 for 2 bags. I purchase 2 kits for 4 bags.
Those are X Large big zipper bags perfect to store any clothes. I already began to use them and I find the bags very nice to use. Once the bag are filled, they can easily be store under a bed or in a tiny closet space.
See it for yourself:
The bag closed exactly like a Ziploc bag, which make it very convenient. I was really happy with my finding.
Other than Zipper Seal Giant Bags, I buy at Dollarama store a number of everyday articles : I buy all of my cleaning products there, Ivory body soap, Q-Tip, cotton pads (to remove my make-up), dish washing liquid (also Ivory). Its about what I usually buy at the Dollarama store.
While working at saving money, Dollarama is a great place to get a variety of items at a more than fair price. Cleaning products can cost a lot more at drugstore, so its important to know where to go to get the best of our bucks.
I have been quite busy in the past couple days and I haven't post much over here!
There's a couple of fellows on vacation at work and I had to do a bit of extra hours to put in so I could catch up with everything. Also, on August 27th, it was my birthday! Celebrating 33 years of sexy life. Otherwise, Montreal being what it is, I have spent my free time running around and the stock market was the last of my thing.
Love me tenderly because I am now more precious than ever. I AM 33. Listen to Love me Tender and tell me if there's any better love song.
Like last weekend, the St Laurent boulevard was closed to circulation and it was really nice to walk freely on the Main. St Laurent should always be closed to cars!! (Pictures should be post soon)
There's also the Festival des Films du Monde going on right now in Montreal. Its fun to see movies outside. (Same thing).
I had paid off $430 on my RBC credit line. I now have a remaining balance of $1 777.20. If everything goes well, I will be able to pay it off by October. That's great of course, but I have a few concerns regarding my balance on my TD Visa because soon, somewhere by the end of October, my promotional interest rate is going end. It will be the end of it!
I slowly began my search on what to do. I began with TD Canada Trust. At TD, they have a TD Emerald Visa card. The interest rate depend of your credit score. I guess my credit score is not very good because the best TD could offer was 10.75%. I have a better interest rate on my TD credit line. I told the guy that I had an account with TD Waterhouse,s and had several thousands invested with TD, but he wasn't much impress. He explained that the interest rate he was giving was directly link to my credit report. So I guess I don't have a very very good credit but I it doesn't matter.
I have experiment this before; its extremely hard to get good interest rates with banks. They are looking for fortunate people looking to get more credit. Middle class salary is not exactly welcome. However, I am curious to get a look on my credit file so I registered to TransUnion Credit Monitoring Unlimited. I don't plan to get it every months, but it just something I want to look at. But even if I don't care, I am curious to see what is on there.
Since I am working at paying down my debt, I decided not to move from my current apartment. My rent had increased of only $5 per month so I am now at $615. The benefits are that I am closed to everything, grocery stores, dug stores, parks, etc., including work. I don't have to pay for a metro pass every months. I only individuals tickets whenever I go tot he Casino. You can get 10 or so in a bunch for a price that make sense if you have the electronic metro pass. Also, I have a bit of furnitures included. If I move, I would have to pay for moving AND furnitures, and I probably have to pay $80 per month for transportation. That begin to make a lot of $$$. I really don't like to take the metro, all crashing up and the metro is not exactly clean. I prefer to make my way to work on my two feet.
I am currently on a weekend diet, I hope to lose a few pounds in the next coming 2 days. I am on a sevrage of food. its good to cut on eating once in a while. I think we all eat too much at some point. We need to make a bit of sacrifice for those who suffer of hunger around the world, for Syria and we have to pray. I drink jasmine tea this morning and I took a chocolate shaker for lunch and I just eat dinner, 2 eggs, 2 toasts and grapes. I don't feel like I am starving or anything. And I don't want to feel like starving tonight because I am going to the Festival des Films du Monde. Its the last weekend.
I guess I may go on a diet soup. ;) I am thinking.
Other than dieting (I actually bought a scale because I had no clue on how I weight and I had a bad surprise!!), quiet weekend so far. I went see Red 2 at the movies. It was really good. Tonight, I clean my place, went out to take a coffee, check on the two lottery tickets I bought on the day of my birthday - but I haven't win anything, and I went for grocery shopping. I expect to eat regularly at lunch time at work because I won't be able to concentrate if I am starving. on a everyday bases I want to cut on bread, candies and all the other stuff not good for me. Quaker and banana for breakfast, a regular lunch for work and for lunch, I will try a chocolate shaker and an apple. Still feeling hungry? Eat another f apple. lol I never been very serious about dieting before but now I am more than ever and if I could clear off 40 lbs of my sexy body, I will be even sexier. My booty feel a bit tight in jeans those days... I find green apple to be very good at cutting hunger cramps, just to let you know.
Losing weight is not easy, but I have done it before. It just that those days, I am working hard and I don't exercise as much as I should. And I eat too much too, so here's the living result.
And when I will be back on top I will go SHOPPING. And I will go to the Casino.
Well, you know, the usual stuff!!!!
I am planning a little vacation in New Brunswick in the middle of October maybe around Thanksgiving. So September will be a savy month. I plan to leave my credit card right at home and I will be exclusively on a cash budget. I will try Gail envelop methods. I still have a $20 left from a previous experience. I am a good saver, this is how I had been able to find money to invest. But now, I am trying to find money to pay off debt.
I need to go back to my saving days. But as I made more money, I had spent more. And its easy to do so. I have the money available. I have a salary that enter in the house every 2 weeks. It seem it was easier for me to save money BEFORE getting rich. Well, I guess you see what I mean by that right.
Montreal is a sexy playful city and spending temptations is EVERYWHERE.
I have my temptations, what are yours?
I have a few more posts coming out about my saving tips and also dieting and a bunch of sexy things. Just be patient.
Yesterday, I spent a few hours at the Montreal Casino and I blow away $80. Pretty insane isn't? I know its not the correct thing to do - especially while working at paying off my enormous debt. However, it was fun to play on my money. I like the excitement of playing on machines. Youhouuu!
I am not addicted. I know when to stop - and after losing $80, trust me, I ran out of there. I didn,t go to the ATM machine to withdraw money; I had enough! The interior of the Casino really suck right now. It doesn't look luxurious at all when you look down at their red carpet. There's been construction going on inside like forever now. The inside doesn't match the outside. The outside construction is really nice, but while being inside, no-no. It actually look old and need a complete refreshment from upside down. I only go once in a while, but there's still stuff going on. Its not very sexy to have like a cafeteria in a Casino. But they have that in Montreal... And now, you can bring your drink anywhere you want; which is not classy at all.
Anyway, I think you get the idea. Guys and girls working at the Casino have sometime to deal with complete morons. The fact that anyone can drink a bit everywhere now is not helping them in any way. And its not good for the security of visitors too.
Drinking right next to a slut machine is not sexy, it look dumb and unsophisticated. Drinking at a poker table is not sexy either because a poker table is a place to play, not to get drunk.
One day for sure, I will go to Vegas and I will blow hundreds and hundreds. I promise. It suck not to be able to win whenever I want but yesterday, the sky wasn't on my side.
It will be a lot more sexier to play on US dollars anyway.
My non-registered portfolio is at $116 113.20. We'll talk a bit more about it. There's some changes I would like to make. You'll see, it will be interesting!
But first, let's begin with my debt repayment goal. Yeah I know, times are changing, I am now paying my debt!!! Well, I would like to pay off my debt before I get pregnant, IF it had to happen. And no, there's no mister at this time. Getting involved in a relationship with a Quebecker is something just going out of my mind at this time.
This week is pay day on Friday. I already know what I will be doing with the money. A part of my pay will go directly on my $2 201.20 credit line. I unfortunately have to keep the biggest part for my rent. For the upcoming months, probably until the end of 2014, I will do my best to pay off a maximum of debt. I am carrying about 80k of debt at this time and I now find its way too much. One day, the interest rate could raised and I don't want to get stuck forever on heavy debt and too high interest rate.
I have to say that at this point, I find that what I have as portfolio is enough. It won't be never enough to retire on, but don't ask me why, I am satisfied the way it is. But I can certainly rearrange some stuff....
I read on the Financial Post that the one and only Warren Buffett had invested over $150 millions in Suncor Energy Inc. (SU). You can read about it all right here. I am not a Warren Buffett specialist, but I supposed that in his adult life, Buffett may had made only good investment choices - or it appear to be that way. Right now, Suncor Energy Inc. (SU) is trading at its top pike, but I am really tempted to invest in that stock just to be in the same game as Buffett. From now on, I will have at least ONE little thing in common with it and the thing will be a stock: Suncor Energy Inc. (SU).
Warren might be of a certain age, but I believe he will be around for a few more years and it will be interested now that worldwide economy is more complex than ever before, it will be interesting to follow where he's going when it come to the market. I must admit, I find oil investing very complex and hard to follow. I am not a oil fan. But like everyone, I need money and if Warren Buffett invested in Suncor Energy - it mean something to be. And so why not.
I have that stock, Exchange Income Corporation (EIF). Its a big holder of mine, I had more than 7k invested in that stock. Recently, it went down, but I am still on a profit with that one. So I thinking of selling 100 stocks of EIF in order to invest in Suncor Energy Inc. (SU).
Another option would be: I had been holding New Flyer Industries Inc. (NFI). I had invested in NFI a little way back. I invested more than 2k in that one. Holding NFI in my portfolio hadn't been easy. For a long period of time, NFI had loss in value, but it had now recover. I am now only under $180 to the original investment made. I was thinking of partly selling NFI and reinvest the money in Suncor. That could be actually a great idea.
I could also partly sell EIF to pay off some debt, or even sell it all.
I am not quite sure on what to do, but I will you post for sure!
In the meantime, I had over $600 available in my RRSP account. I had a GIC that I recently cashed out and believe it or not, after 5 years, I haven't earned any money from the GIC. I decided to no longer invest in GIC related to the stock market because they are too risky. Too risky to not make a single penny in profit. I decided to place a small investment in Tim Hortons Inc. (THI), which is a Derek Foste stock. I place my order today t a max price of $62 per stock, just to make sure the trade won't exceed the money currently available in my RRSP account.
That part was easy, but I just have a bit of anxiety about EIF and NFI. I wouldn't like NFI to go down account, I had been lucky that I had been able to recover on that one. As for Exchange Income, I am a bit surprise, I wasn't expecting that one to go down that much.
Having too much invested n the same spot is not a good thing, especially when it is about stock that I had picked myself lol...
But hey, I will figure it out soon.
So stay tune.
The list of my best tips on how to save money will come soon. You'll know about all my secrets!
Big dirty day at work today. I am just coming back from visiting an apartment. $550 not too far from my actual place but reallllll tiny tiny. Its a place to kind in mind in case of real need, but other than that, for what I saw today, no-no. The man asked me my age because he said he didn't want people less than 25 year of age as renters... I am 32, hitting the 33 soon. I mean, I look less than 25? REALLY?
I AM SOOO HAPPY!!!!
I had a big smile in my 32 year sexy face when I left the building. OH MY GOD!
I said it many times on this blog, I am giving myself something like 25, maybe 24-23. But don't imagine that its because I have small boobs. BECAUSE ITS NOT THE CASE OK. Otherwise, I will describe myself as more an angel beauty who look nice with makeup on. But without makeup, I am just like the stars, I look like nothing. I guess I look like a nice chick. Kind, really not aggressive what so ever. More than like a sex kitty with the soul of a soldier inside in the mind. And the mind is twisted by a criminal sex attitude.
I look young, but you know it, I wrote it before, I began to have a few white hairs. Which is strange because my mom only began to have white hair, she's pass 60, and for my father, he began to have white hair in his fifties. So I may not be the girl of my mom and dad, who knows.
I guess this is the perfect timing to say what I need to say. I couldn't mix the following information with the previous post about bed bugs. I couldn't write in that post that Derek Foster and his wife welcome their 6th child in this world!!!!
Isn't great?
For quite a time, Derek has 5 children, but I always had problem with that number. You might had noticed at some point. When it came Derek Foster, I had the number 6 in mind and here had came the miracle. The 6th child is born. I would like to be able to read in my own life that easily, but its not quite easy, if not that I used to have dreams with a lot of red in it. I was seeing red, nothing really specific, but something abstract, something broken, red flash and something black. I guess my English is just not good enough to be able to perfectly describe. What I saw was more of the like of destruction. And I had that in my life. Like when I returned to New Brunswick, I knew somewhere it wasn't to be for long. But I decided to go anyway, I had been promised a permanent job and I REALLY wanted to leave Montreal for the rest of my life. I went there for 6 months, after what I was laid off, the non-profit organization was closed to bankruptcy. I went to court, win a bit of money, nothing much. But it was my path to do so. In the process, I destroyed the ego of a bunch of people and I was very proud of of that. I am not afraid of fight and I LOVE to deal with F@ckers.
Its hard to imagine but we all have a path in life and it cannot be avoid, but it can be control. I enjoyed however my few months in New Brunswick because I had been able to be with my family and also, I took a rest during that time. No one can shit on me without consequences. I am not a criminal but I do have a criminal mind and when I think of revenge and I think of a gun full of bullets that I can put very high in the air, well you know, its not a physical gun, but an invisible one. There's many situations I am not able to handle but I do handle them anyway. I guess that living in Montreal again is giving me a lott of aggressivity (how come this word is turning red, its not like that we write aggressively aggresivity). Its seem like its not a word!!! You know and I know that F@ckers is not the proper way to write the word.
I hope to be able to make more money from my portfolio real soon or I feel I am going to lose control and to out with a 18 old little boy. lol
What I want for my readers is to have the exact sex attitude and to be fighters. I don't want of lazy, weak readers. I don't want you get boring with age you know.
I began my search for a new home. And its really not easy. By home, I mean a one and half apartment. The place where I live in is great, but my rent is $610 and they are looking forward to increase it of $10 extra and I am very mad. I don't have a very huge place, the balcony barely have enough place to put a chair on it and the apartment by itself is not huge and I have a old cooker, the wardrobe is small... See what I mean?
But the place is quiet and I am close to everything, including work. I don't have to travel using the bus and the metro each morning, and that's very precious to me. I could take the $10 rent increase, but it doesn't seem to be very fair to me, especially that I never had paid my rent late and I stayed there for many years now. But each and single years, the f rent increase. STOP.
So today, I place a few calls. I had a $540 one and a half located in Lafontaine Park, but the f owner, lol wasn't willing to make me visit during the evening or during the weekend, even after explaining that I was working during the day. Isn't a good sign that I work during daytime? It actually mean that I have money to actually pay the f rent every single month. So why is the owner isn't smart enough to make me visit? I decided to pass on that one. What a f moron!!!!
Seem like there's a lot of F@CK LOVE already? YOU ARE NOT READY TO READ WHAT'S GOING TO HAPPEN NEXT. LIKE F NOT!!!!!!
LOL
Ok, so here we go. You can only read following the : ONLY if you don't suffer from the heart or something like it.
Ready honey? OK now. LET'S GO.
So I place a few calls today, and one place it was close to the metro Laurier, it was $470. GOOD DEAL. But oh... wait. SOMETHING was wrong.
I call the number in the add to ask if it was still available. the lady who answered said it was going to be available on August 16th for visits. I was about to hang up when she said WAIT, I have something that I need to tell you. Do you know that in Montreal, bed bugs are a problem? I answered, well, I am in Montreal right now. She said: Well, i have to tell you this, we have bed bugs and we have exterminator coming every months for bed bugs and coquerelle (check that work in an English-French dictionary for me please ok). Before hanging dead on her, I said: Thank you very much for letting me know.
Do I really need to comment on this?
Following my day at work, I also went for a visit. I had an appointment at 18 h 30. I was there on time, but the guy was already with someone. The stairs were dirty, as well as the walls. Right there, it was a no-no for me. I try to call the guy on the number I got, but I only hit the voicemail. I could hear the guy with a girl and the girl seem to be very interested. I could tell that the apartment was tiny tall without even going in. I could tell just by looking at the stairs. I heard the guy asking the girl what was she doing as work blabla. The man seem to be nice, but I never saw his face and I didn't visit any apartment this evening.
I have another appointment for another place tomorrow. Looking around for a place to rent is not easy work. I thing i may even prefer to stay in my current hole lol.
Or is the Dividend Girl going to be homeless? Want to take me in? It won't cost you a damn penny.
Its a beautiful Sunday here in Montreal. I just post an update about the debt that I hold. I have a few problems to deal with...
One of the problem is my rent. My rent is going to increase of $10 per month starting September. I don't agree with this increase and I am really frustrated. I asked to stay at the same price, but I didn't hear from anything yet. In the meantime, I checked on some other places, but I haven't visited yet. I have until September 1st to decide what I do and if I don't accept the increase, I will have to move by October 1st.
The other thing is that if I move, I will have to buy a few furniture. And I don't exactly have the money for that at this time. Luckily, for the move itself, I will be a one shoot in a taxi van.
Another problem is my special interest rate credit cards. I have a $11 200 at 2.9% for 6 months at TD Visa. The promotional rate will stop being promotional in sometime October. While updating my debt profile, I suddenly realize that it doesn't seem like TD is going to give me anytime soon another promotional interest rate. I always paid my credit card on time, so I don't understand why this is happening. I had the promotional interest rate for many years now in my account.
Until October, I can save about 3k. This will leave me with a $8 200 balance. So I hope to get the TD Visa special interest rate by the end of October. If not, I will use 5 000$ of my TD credit line at 8.75% to pay it off. For the remaining of 3 200$, I will use my RBC credit line 9.5%. Its not the best plan ever, but I will be able to pay this debt completely in a couple of months.
In November, I have a $2 242.54 at 0% interest rate with American Express that is going to expire in November. But no worries for that one because when I arrived from my vacations, I have a nice little something that was waiting for me in my mailbox! I need to call American by October 10, 2013 to benefit from the transfer at this time 0.99% interest rate. Once proceed, I will have until April 2014 to pay the balance...
For now, I am really looking forward to pay off a part of those heavy debt. And I already began yesterday: I paid $750 on my RBC credit line. The next couple of months won't be easy, but I would like not to have more than 60k in debt. I think now is a good time.
And for the first time ever, I will soon gave you access to my best frugal tips on how to save money.
My non-registered portfolio is now under the 118k mark. At a bit more than 117k, the value is still great, but 118k would had been better. I had a limited access to Internet while being at home in New Brunswick, so I had been able to watch over my stocks. Luckily, the value of my portfolio had stayed stabilize. I normally checked on my portfolio everyday, most of the days.
I just came back from vacation, but I felt tired today and I would had stayed in bed all day. I didn't even take a shower before going to work. I was too tired to feel disgusted about it. I just spray on dry shampoo and perfume and I tied up the curls in a pony tail and I finally took a taxi to go to work. I never missed one single day of work of my entire life. I want it to remain that day. I need cash and right now, I need cash more than ever. And hourra, if I am not mistaking, I am supposed to received a pay tomorrow.
For the past couple months, I had said multiple times that I would get a part-time job, but I never did. I however try to expand my freelance activities, but I didn't get new contracts and for the past couple months, nothing had moved on that side. It is true that I didn't try very hard. I am just very curious to see what a few other tried may bring in. I was more successful as a freelancer when I was living in Ottawa. That was a few years ago, even before I started this blog. Back then, I wasn't the Dividend Girl. This make me think on how old I am. Be ready because I am turning 33 on August 27. Understand? Need to be ready for the pow-wow. I did not forget about the 600 000 view celebrations I was supposed to do a little way back. If you don't mind, we are going to celebrate it all together: me the chika turning 33 AND me celebrating the 600 000+++ views of myfirst50000.com
That domain address is totally out of control and is just soooooooooo cute. Don't you think so?
I spend a few hundreds on my vacation - without regret, but my debt is slowly adding up. I have debt, but I also my limit. For once, - it actually happen a few times occasionally when I really have nothing on my stock WANTED list. I have a few thousands I want to clear off. My 1k+ of tomorrow will go over the credit line that I used to pay off my taxes and from where I also withdraw fresh cold cash for my vacations.
Too bad, but my vacations are now over. I arrived today at 2 am. I didn't have too much problems on the bus because when I took the ride, I wasn't tired. So in result, I think for the first time ever, I went on the bus clean, drug free, under the toxic influence of nothing at all. I didn't take my usual Gravol pills or anything else to survive the trip.
I had a great time at home despite the mix of thunder, rain, and rain again; clouds and occasionally, one or two sunshine that never last very long. But I had been able to swim outside one little time, at least. It took me about 30 minutes to get in the lake but at least, I make it happen - one little single time. I swim in inside pool here in Montreal really often, but there's nothing better than a natural lake and, even better, the sea. The evenings were very cold in New Brunswick. The nights and early mornings were cold too, unfortunately.
Once back in Montreal I was all good and I waked up to the construction noises made in the building facing my apartment. There're some renovations going on and its been going on since this Spring. And it doesn't seen to be over yet. I did pretty much everything I had planned. The usual boring stuff, laundry and grocery shopping.
Its quite revealing that I had to immigrate in Quebec province, stealing jobs away from Quebeckers themselves, stealing their best looking men from the poor little Quebec female. Poor poor poor Quebec ladies. Its a shame but its like that for now. And I wonder what will happen tomorrow at work because I already have a bad surprise today so I just hope I won't get another one today. When I picked my mail today, I saw a letter from the janitor. Starting September, my monthly rent will be of $620 instead of $610. I had to take a $10 increase on my monthly rent. My Solidarity Tax Credit is of a bit more than $10 per month, so the increase will be cover that way. I am too lazy to search for a new place to live. And while being in Quebec, I don't live, I am just there, waiting for the money to jack in and accumulate and accumulate. Here in Quebec, I don't live, I am a ghost.
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I’m a proud French Canadian from New Brunswick with a passion for investing. On August 5, 2009, I hit a major milestone: reaching $50,000 in investment assets. This initial achievement was just the beginning of a lifelong journey toward financial independence. My ultimate aim isn’t necessarily early retirement but rather the freedom to live comfortably, achieve my goals, and enjoy financial peace of mind. Every journey starts with a first step, and for me, that was my first $50,000. Feel free to reach out and say hello at myfirst50000 (at) yahoo.ca—I’d love to connect!
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