October 2017 – Stretching My Money

The Power of Generosity

The free dinner that changed my life.

This post was originally written on October 19th, 2017.

It’s Thursday night and I’m on vacation with my girlfriend. Around now I would start prepping my weekly Monday post on this recent trip through Newport, Rhode Island, Cape Cod, and Boston, Massachusetts.

I had it all figured our you see: I was going to write about what we did, the route we took, how much it cost me personally, and the frugal hacks I enacted along the way. It’s something I’ve done with pretty much all other travel posts.

But instead of focusing on the cents and the dollars, I’m going to talk about two people who made our vacation truly special. It all starts with a receipt:

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Lesson: We don’t all understand the meaning of the “F” word.

I had an interesting conversation with a colleague of mine a few weeks ago. I overheard two of them talking about Skechers walking shoes and I couldn’t help but chime in as a brand advocate (they are, by the way, simply the best walking shoe I’ve ever owned).

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I need to grow up, get married, and buy a house.

According to my dad. I wholeheartedly disagreed.

Should you buy a house — Someone get me a bucket to throw up in.

Like all children of parents, arguments happen. It probably happened as a kid when you were denied that thing you wanted – and for good reason. You probably didn’t need that thing. Your parents were smart, you were just a kid. But as you get older, the arguments start to get a personal – like marriage, homeownership, and children.

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My middle class privilege.

My parents gave me life, Canadian citizenship, and economic advantage.

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I was born lucky. Even before I exited my mother’s womb, it was predetermined for me that I would be a middle class Canadian growing up. Going to school was never going to be an issue, neither was having food on the table, a roof over my head, or a loving family.

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September 2017: Financial Update

Another wedding, rent increase, and a dividend income record.

September is historically a busy month and this year was no different: summer mode ends, work gets busier, and you try and cram as many outdoor activities as possible before the weather gets cold. Rent also went up 1.5% annually, as it does after 12 months of living in the same spot. That resulted in expenses totalling $2275.69, inclusive of a wedding for some close friends where I gave $200.

My savings rate this month dropped to 55.4%, even with reduced CPP and EI deductions from my paycheck – but at that savings rate, I’m not going to complain too much.

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