The Cost of Moving, Part 1

According to Mint.com, I have spent over $7,000 this month.  Whoa, what?  But when I break down the costs and see where it all went, it was use for mostly necessary expenses, with several hundred spent on unnecessary things like birthday dinners, movies, etc.

Just to break it down, here is a (selected) list of items detailing what my cost of moving has been, to date:

-$150 in gift certificates to the LCBO for the people I couchsurfed with for four weeks

-$50 gift certificate to my recruiter who landed me this awesome job

-$87 to rent a cube van for the day

-$1894 for first and last month’s rent

-$529 for half month’s rent, since I moved in July 15

-$50 for refundable key fob deposit

-$1,049 for new Sealy Queen mattress and dust cover

-$227 for a year’s worth of tenant’s insurance, paid upfront

-$179 miscellaneous items from Zellers, including shower curtain, bath mat, cleaning supplies, refreshing drinks for my moving team

-$120 for IKEA bookshelves (bought off of Craigslist, would have cost $230+tax brand new, and they’re in great condition)

-$40 for antique dresser

-$20 to ex-boyfriend who helped me pick up all the items, to cover his gas

There were many other small expenses that added up, hitting the dollar store for supplies, home depot, eating out while I still didn’t have my own kitchen.

This is also just the financial cost – the emotional cost has been stress, friendships, and difficult sleep-deprived days at the office.

All of this in addition to my normal monthly expenses of car (approx $650+ per month), cell phone, groceries, entertainment, and other necessities (for example, I desperately needed a wheel alignment, which cost $124).  I need to buy a new bike since mine sucks and I have my triathlon in just under a month.  I don’t know if I’m going to be able to, not until my savings account is topped up again to at least $2500. 

Well, I don't know about that...

I also haven’t paid the piper yet for my Canada Day long weekend trip to Algonquin. But, as of next week, my credit card will be paid off in full, and I don’t owe any rent money until September 1st. I’ve informed my part-time writing job boss (who is honestly so awesome, really cool lady) that I’m willing and able to take on any projects she wants to throw my way. I still have about $1800 in my emergency fund, and with the exception of a new couch, I don’t have any major expenses for finishing up my apartment. I anticipate that, including a new couch, it’ll take me another $1000 to finish up the apartment, but I’m not in a rush. I have all my necessities, I can wait for the rest. Again, I am hesitant to furnish too much, but I could ALWAYS sell everything off if I really needed to, and at this point it makes more sense to pay to move everything to wherever I end up next instead of buying new all over again.

In addition, most of my decor is going to be done on the cheap/homemade. My art on the wall is going to be pressed flowers that I plucked in the Don Valley on one of my many bike trips. The table on the balcony will be picked up from Value Village, and I’ll turn it into a beautiful mosaic table. I’m going to sand and repaint my dresser with distressing techniques to make it look shabby chic. I’m sewing my rocking chair’s slipcovers and throw pillows with fabric that I’ll pick up from Queen West. So even though I’m investing a lot of time, it won’t turn out to be a lot of money, and the apartment will be purely “me.”

As the Frenchman, always the banker, says: money comes and goes.  Just enjoy it in the moment. If it goes away, it’ll be back.

Still. Even though I’m trying to not get stressed, I’ll be looking forward to my next few paycheques, and to a stabilized “normal” month, so I can draw up a new budget accordingly. It sucks to burn through so much money so quickly, especially because it doesn’t even feel like I’ve spent a cent.

Big thanks to my parents who came, brought me a ton of beautiful furniture from home, and help me set myself up.  Also big thanks to the people who helped me move, from start to finish.  You know who you are.

P.S. Fitness update – my arms are getting mega sculpted.  BF called me a tank yesterday and wasn’t being sarcastic.  I’ll be posting (headless) before and after shots, but they are going to be dramatic!

P.P.S.  I just added this in, but the lovely Vikki Vansickle, who I am proud to have had the opportunity to speak with and become friends with, addressed city council this morning at 4am (waiting over 18 hours to be heard for 3 minutes), only to have His Worship Mayor Ford say the following comment under his breath, that really has to be heard to be believed.  You be the judge.  

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July 29, 2011 | Money Rabbit | 4 Comments »

How much money do you need to retire?

Lately, I’ve been starting all my posts with an excuse as to why I haven’t been writing.  The excuse du jour is that I’ve been getting political. If you’re at all interested, my explanation and reasoning is at the bottom of this post.

The Frenchman came over last night, and over a Paleo Diet dinner of Pork Tenderloin with Mango Salsa, he asked me how much money I would need to retire, right then and there.  I thought it over, then said “1 million dollars.”  However, after rethinking the question, I told him my number would be $2 million.

Here’s my reasoning:

I would invest half of the money and keep the other half as cash.  I’d use that money to travel the world, work on community projects that I’m passionate about, and take the time to write some books.  When the cash ran out, maybe after ten years or so, I could take the profits from my moderate-risk investments and repeat the whole cycle.

If I wasn’t working, I think I’d be following Tim Ferriss’s lead and trying to learn everything I possibly can, all while having extreme adventures around the world.  My short list of things I want to do is:

-Learn Kung Fu

-Learn how to do the following dance: tango, salsa, all ballroom, swing, hip hop, jazz, Bollywood, ballet

-Go ziplining through Costa Rica

-Explore the ruins of Machu Picchu

-Start community gardens in an urban neigbourhood

-Backpack through the United Kingdom

And so on and so forth.  The funny thing is that when I started thinking of total freedom and what it would taste like, my mind started throwing up barriers, like, “you can’t do that.”  If I had $1 million in the bank right now, I’d pack a bag, hire a taxi to go to Toronto Pearson Airport, buy a first class ticket to Italy, and off I’d go.  Why not?

Turns out that Frenchie’s number is $5 million.  He’s much more ambitious than I am, but I have the feeling he’s going to make it.  He’s got that spark and drive, and I’m excited to be around, even just in this preliminary stage, to witness it.  And he was never more attractive to me than when he said last night that he thinks that the Oil Sands initiative in Alberta is disastrous.  Environmentalism is sexy.

What’s your dollar figure for retiring?  What amount of money would you need right now to quit your job (if you wanted to quit), and do whatever it was your heart desired?

(begin political rant)

Read the rest of this entry »

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July 23, 2011 | Money Rabbit | 11 Comments »

The Furniture Rule

Four days into my new apartment and I already have a list the size of Nebraska of things I need to buy/acquire.  Some are big (like a new sofa), some are little (like ice cube trays).  But they add up, and some I would classify as necessities.  For example, all my beloved books are boxed up and unable to see the light of day, since I have no shelves to put them on.  So at the present moment, I’m using these boxes to press flowers that I picked from the Don Valley today.

However, I quickly realized that I’m going to have to be patient with furnishing.  I want to take my time and really understand what I want vs. need.  I’ll be able to use most of the furniture that my parents donated, and my parents have offered to buy me my bed frame as a joint birthday/Christmas gift (since they fall almost within a month of each other).

My not-so artistic rendering of how I want the dining room to look. The shelves are an ikea unit, pretty common.

I am looking forward to investing in a pretty couch, but at the same time, it scares me, since I have never been rooted anywhere and I’m terrified that if/when I move in a couple of years, I’ll just end up having to sell it.  Okay, “terrifies” is a strong word, but it makes me nervous to be buying something that I can pretty much only keep if I stay within the province.  Which I may not do.  We’ll see.  I think I need to keep living in Toronto for now, but I don’t think it’s “the One.”

So here’s my rule:  for every piece of large furniture that I buy, I have to put 50% of the purchase price (before taxes) into my savings account.  So if I buy a couch for $599, I need to also have $300 cash available to be socked away in my savings.  This will slow down my acquisitions enormously, but at the same time, if it takes me a couple of extra months and I wind up financially ahead, it’s a win.

My big purchases are: bed (covered by parents, up to a certain price point), coffee table, sofa, clothing dresser, curtains, bookshelves.  The rest are minor, but they’ll also add up significantly.

My Visa bill is through the roof right now, since I had to pay my tenant’s insurance up front in one go (see my previous post), cube van rental, and my mattress.  I hate seeing it in the four digits, but that’s the price of moving.  I won’t have to pay rent until September 1st, which is a huge bonus.  I bought a travel mug and will be bringing coffee with me to work now.  I’ll start bringing lunch with me to work as well, since my boss bought me a microwave.

Goal is still to pay off the car loan as quickly as possible, although I’m relaxing about it.  First, I have to top up my emergency fund again, since my wheels desperately need an alignment.  I’d like to get $3500 into my emergency fund again, then start attacking the car loan.  I start getting my deal-specific bonuses in August, so that will help immensely :)

Living room - neutral furniture, colourful accent pieces, feminine country meets spa meets cozy

I'm calling this the "Music Room," even though it's just a section of wall. Installing two shelves, to hold sheet music and bric-a-brac.

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July 19, 2011 | Money Rabbit | 11 Comments »

I moved!

Of course, nothing is ever simple.

Yesterday, when I was supposed to get my keys, I received a call from the building supervisor saying that head office hadn’t received my proof of insurance yet.  Unless they received my proof, I wouldn’t be given my keys.  I said, “Um, what?!”

Turns out I had to a) fax them my insurance info, which is crazy considering I didn’t even know their fax number, and b) provide proof of payment in full for the whole year.  I’m with TD insurance, which does it monthly, and my term that I bought for my previous apartment and transferred to this one lasted until the end of July, so they couldn’t charge me for a policy that hadn’t started yet.  They also refused to email or fax proofs of payment.

I had to spend a very tearful hour on the phone with TD, who then called up my property managers, and after another half hour we were able to compromise with me paying for the entire year in full on my credit card, the company taking my word for it, and the policy would be effective from the end of July 2011 to July 2012.

All of this happening around 3pm in the afternoon.  Their office closed at 4:30pm.  I have my furniture arriving this weekend.  If I hadn’t gotten my keys, I don’t know what I would have done.

BUT that was (I hope) my final snag in this whole ordeal.  I moved in the majority of my stuff last night, I’m only missing pieces of furniture and my piano, and I’m ready to rock and roll.  I spent about an hour or so last night just unpacking and moving things around.  I had the most AMAZING moving team a girl could ask for, and I’m thanking them by cooking an “appreciation dinner” once I’m settled.  They offered to stay to help me unpack, but I’m weird, and after all these moves, the process of unpacking is sacred.  Finding a new home for each and every one of my things is actually a joy.

Of course, I didn’t think of basic things like toilet paper, bath mats, etc., so I’m going to have to load up on those.  The move has been so expensive, but entirely worth the cost.  The views are spectacular, I’m literally a floor away from my cousin, across the street from my other cousin, and the building you see closest to me from my balcony is the library.  My building has an indoor pool, and there are groceries, gas, shopping, trails, all around me.  As a motorist, it’s WAY less stressful owning a car up here, since everything is much more car friendly.  It feels almost suburban, except I’m still in the city of Toronto.  CRAZY!

I’ll post more pictures as things arrive, and as I decorate.  For now, enjoy!

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July 16, 2011 | Money Rabbit | 9 Comments »

Operation: Buffy the Vampire Slayer

What a week, and what a month!  I’ve been practically bleeding money, and will continue to do so until the end of the month, but August should stem the flow.

The Frenchman and I finished the biggest part of my move on Friday, which took two hours almost right down to the minute.  I had to rent a cargo van (about $80 – pretty damn good, in my opinion), but it was worth it, just to be able to do it all in one fell swoop.  I was incredibly grateful for his help; after moving three nights in a row, I don’t know if I could have kept going just on my own.

I came back from the Canada Day long weekend exhausted, bitten to pieces by mosquitos, but incredibly happy.  It was a really wonderful trip, and I was thrilled to have the chance to get to know everyone better.  Even though at the end all I wanted was a shower, the trip was amazing.  Again, I still don’t know how much I owe for this particular trip, but I’m guessing close to $500-$600 or so (canoe rental, camp site fees, food, equipment).

I get my apartment this Friday (fingers crossed!) and I’m pumped.  I’m sick of living out of boxes and bags, which I’ve been doing for the past 45 days.  I’m psyched to decorate it, get settled in, and start feeling like I have my own life again.  Even though things are finally on track for my career, I think it’ll be much easier to get my personal life back together once I have my own place again.  It’s been really, really tough, but the end is so close, and it’s going to be here before I even know it!  I’m so excited to have a one-bedroom apartment, it’s going to be amazing.  I’m even getting a whackload of furniture from my parents – a couch, a kitchen table, and two wing chairs.  None of them match, but that’s the glory of slipcovers.  I may have to wait a few months before I can afford slipcovers and before I determine my colour schemes, but that’ll mean I’m absolutely certain about my choices.

You may have noticed the title of this post, and yes, I am on a Buffy kick again.  Except this time I have a huge deadline coming up – my triathlon is at the end of August.  It is just a small triathlon (400m swim, 10k bike, 2.5k run), but I still need to be in top form in order to get a good time for the race.

I also want to use my new space in order to get back into my peak level of fitness.  I am SO close to a Goodlife gym, that it’s really embarrassing if I don’t start going again.

I find sometimes it helps if I remind myself of the reasons I’m getting in shape, which are:

-I’m able to participate in more events, like races, volleyball, triathlons, trips, and general adventures

-I feel wonderful and energized, which translates to a better work ethic

-I look great, which translates into higher self confidence

-I’m doing myself a huge favour and prolonging my own life

I think one of my problems lately has been that I have been so social that I’ve been neglecting my fitness.  I’ve been visiting with friends, going on dates and outings, so when I’m home the last thing I want to do is work out.  I think I need to trim down my socializing by quite a bit, because another consequence is that money has been gushing out of my accounts.  I haven’t been preparing my own lunches or dinners, I’ve been out to eat more often than not, and I have stuff to buy for my new apartment (like a mattress).

So I’ve started a wager with the Frenchman, or at least I hope I have, because he hasn’t responded to my challenge email yet.  I’m calling it, Operation:  Buffy the Vampire Slayer (or Operation Buffy for short).

Oh, six pack, how I long for thee.

He’s going away to Australia for pretty much the entire month of August, so he’ll be able to see visible results.  I have challenged myself to attain the following things by the time he returns to Canada:

-Visible lady-version of six pack abs
-Visibly toned shoulders and arms
-Be able to run 10k
-Be able to (mostly) do the splits again
-Be able to (mostly) do a handstand

Since I’m starting from scratch, and will be filling up my cupboards anew, I’ll have a chance to be much more selective with the foods I eat.  I eat a lot of sugar, since I have a major sweet tooth, so I’m going to try and cut down on that.  I have to eat way more protein, and cut down on carbs.  A friend of mine has lost close to 70lbs on a diet he himself devised of proteins and fats, excluding sugars and carbs almost entirely.  He feels great and looks amazing.  We’re going to be gym buddies when he’s back from the Middle East.

The only thing about me getting in shape is that I tend to lose weight very, very quickly, much to the alarm and chagrin of my family/close friends.  In fourth year, I had a girlfriend approach me saying, “Um, are you still eating?”  The answer is yes, I love to eat.  My end goal is to build more lean muscle in place of fat, NOT to lose weight.  If anything, I should be gaining weight, although my waistline will in turn lose a couple inches.

Being in peak physical condition makes me feel powerful, confident, and ready to take on any challenge that presents itself.  I’m in a relationship right now with an incredibly independent guy, who is showing me the power of taking time to develop yourself.  He’s always taking classes, lives alone, and has very high standards for his way of living.  As a result, at 26, he already has one of the most powerful work ethics I’ve come across, and is extremely knowledgeable in areas that he’s very passionate about, like wine.  It can be a little intimidating sometimes, but it pushes me to keep working, and reminds me that putting my development as a priority is okay.  I’m in a good place with my career right now … it’s time to move on and start working on my body.

Six pack and handstand, here I come!!!

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July 11, 2011 | Money Rabbit | 5 Comments »

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