This month, we’ve also decided to budget. On the first day of the month we took out a certain amount of money that we think we can live off of for the month, and that’s what we have for the month for everything besides all of our bills. It includes groceries, subway tokens, gas, and all of those extra things that always add up like crazy. We can’t use any credit cards or debit cards whatsoever. It will be interesting to see if we can do it or not… although the amount we gave ourselves is definitely not sustainable because it doesn’t leave us room for very many extra, fun things that cost money. Next month we’ll have to take that into account.

In a way this feels like a game more than anything (but a game that we take seriously!) We aren’t anything like the couples on Til Debt Do Us Part who are ridiculously in debt with huge spending addictions, and if we fail we will not be out on the streets. Which is good, really, because the jar system they use on that show would confuse the heck out of me. I think it’s just a good way for us to learn to manage our money as a team and think about each other and our long term goals first and foremost and save as much as we can.  Neither of us  have bad spending habits in the first place, really.

Do you budget, either as an individual or as a couple? If so let me know what your plan is. And if you feel like answering this, how much would you give yourself to spend per month if you were using our system?

Recently, my wife best friend Nat wrote this and offered to lend it to the blog which of course I am because it is wonderful. These are Nat’s thinking outside the box tips to budgeting. (It’s lengthy but amusing and worth your time!)

Recession or no recession, what 24-year old girl who lives on her own in one of the most expensive cities in the country doesn’t need to save money? I forgot to mention that I am in social work a.k.a. one of the most underpaid fields in my opinion.
Recently me and one of my besties have become obsessed with saving/not spending money. Here’s some of my suggestions on how to be frugal on a daily basis:

1) Rent movies at the library for free instead of at Blockbuster.

2) Sit at the bar instead of at a table when you are out with your girlfriends. It increases the likelihood of getting free drinks. (Note: This works. Trust.)

3) Save your Canadian Tire Money. So far I have got garbage bags and Swiffer refills for free. Now I’m saving for a Slow Cooker.

4) Pack your lunch every day. Even if you go out for lunch twice a week for a $10 meal, that’s $1,040 a year!

5) Instead of donating your unwanted clothing, use consignment shops and get money for them. In Calgary: Trends Fashion in Kensington. In Guelph: Wild Rose.

6) Buy your meat at Costco. But use your friends’ memberships.

7) Have board game nights with friends. They don’t (necessarily) require alcohol and they are SO! MUCH! FUN!

8 ) If you see a shirt you have to have RIGHTNOW don’t buy it. Wait a few days to see if you still feel incomplete without it.

9) Do you reeeeeeeally need a data plan? (Note: Yes I do)

10) If you have 10,000 prescriptions like me, shop around for the pharmacy with the cheapest dispensing fee. Hint: It’s not Shoppers Drug Mart.

11) If you hair is its natural colour, you don’t have to get your roots done every six weeks. You’re prettier au naturale anyways.

12) Eat your leftovers.

13) Buy a coffee mug and take your coffee with you each morning. One large coffee before work every day is $8.20/week, $32/month, or $1,700/year.

14) Buy your beer at the Superstore Liqourstore.

15) Babysitting is not just for 15-year-olds!

16) Have potluck dinners with your friends rather than going out for supper.

17) Use kijiji. My friend gets clothes from there and my dad bought a pontoon boat. I made a profit selling a pair of snowboard boots.

18) Who said PB&J sandwiches were only for kids?

19) Have a baby shower to go to? Buy children’s books at the dollar store. Babies don’t know the difference.

20) Steal pens and post-its from your office.

21) When you need (errr..want) something new to wear, raid your friend’s closet.

22) Wearing Lancome/Clinique/Chanel eyeshadow is unnecessary. Covergirl works just fine.

23) Call your credit card company and find low interest cards. My interest rate is only 9% versus the usual 19%. Having said that, pay off your credit card in full each month.

24) Use incentive cards: optimum, Esso, Petro, Safeway. They work.

And the things I will always spend too much money on:

1) Tea

2) Yoga/Spinning/Kickboxing classes

3) Acupuncture

4) Haircuts

5) Spoiling my niece and nephews

Thanks for hanging out with the Fiveblondes today, Nat! Great ideas.

What are you whining about lately? Let it out.

Mom: “I checked my email this morning and there was an email from your prof Owen, want me to read it to you?”

Kate: “Sure, I guess” (thinking that this will be about a course that mom was interested in and wondering why she would want to read the email to me)

Mom reading the email: “I have some good news, and because I don’t have Katelyn’s email address I’m contacting you hoping you will pass this on to her. Katelyn’s
“Dairy Days” video won a bronze award ($100) in the Canadian Farm Writers Federation annual writing and broadcasting awards last weekend”

Kate: “Woo Hoo $100!”

Well I guess the rest of the conversation doesn’t matter because woo hoo I won!

The Canadian Farm Writers Federation (CFWF) is a group of ag journalists, which includes reporters, editors and broadcasters in business and government, specializing in agricultural communications. The CFWF represents over 350 members who belong to organizations all over Canada. In conjunction with their daily reporting, they put on a competition annually, which includes categories such as “television, radio, and daily, monthly and weekly press reporting; media release; press column; press editorial and press feature.”

I won the bronze award in Television News Reporting. I made the video in my Agricultural Communications course at Guelph in my last semester there, it was one of the assignments that we had to complete. The topic assigned to me was ‘Dairy Days’, which is a program put on for Oxford County students in grade 4 to get a first hand look at dairy farming. I did research before the event (there was not very much information!), contacted people to interview, attended the event with our production team who get footage of the event and edit the video, interviewed people at the event, put together a script, taped voice overs (my fave part!), and then got to watch the final video.

My prof entered a bunch of videos from the class and amazingly enough our classes work came in 1st 2nd and 3rd! The must make him feel good as the prof.

So I’m guessing you want to see the video now right? Ok no laughing, I do look kind of silly… but here you go! And feel free to take a look around at other videos on Youtube added by “AgriComm” that our class produced, I do have another video on the site, see if you can find my other one.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7hNbBYT_Oig]

If that does not work please go here DAIRY DAYS

Scott and I went furniture shopping last night to browse and get an idea of what’s out there and how much it will cost. We went to 5 stores (!!) in 1.5 hours. We call it speed furniture shopping, see how much you can see in a small amount of time. We hit up Bad Boy, Leons, The Brick, Sears Home Store and Teppermans.

We learned that we don’t like any couches out there and that couches are actually pretty expensive. For couches we found the best deals at Teppermans, and found some pretty reasonable prices in the clearance section. Sadly this was our last store and we did not have enough time to look at everything and they even started turning lights off while we were there.

We learned that we both like dark coloured wood for furniture. For example see this kitchen table that we liked, which is on sale for $498 for the table (including a leaf you can add in, ) and I think 4 chairs.

For bedroom furniture we also found a few that we could tolerate, which were dark wood. We also don’t like bulky sets, which is good because it is not practical for us, as we are renting a house for the first bit of married life, and we will expect to move a few times until we settle down. The set below costs $1299 for 6 pieces (headboard, footboard, rails, nightstand, mirror and dresser). The price is in the lower price range, basically the only one we could afford if we bought a full set.

Don’t even get me started on mattresses. We got nowhere with those. I seriously have no idea how to decide what to get, because I know I will have no idea if I will like it or not, unless I am sleeping on it.

Lucky for us the house we are renting has a fridge, stove, dishwasher, washer and dryer. If we had to buy those we would be so poor. Oh wait, we already are..