BBQ Waste land

I often wondered why they can't make a BBQ to last.
At our local dump there are always lots of dead BBQ's. Mostly cheap ones but not always. I thought for sure the BBQ that my Father bought for us as a home warming gift before we even started building the new house (you don't want to know) would last.

Why you ask?

Well it cost over $500.00 at the time we got it which is, I'm thinking, at least seven years ago. It's a big heavy thing, all stainless steel and cast iron. We thought that it would be hardier than a battleship. Well, it was, for the first year.

The first thing to go was one of the hinge pins for the lid. Hubby fixed it by replacing it with a nut and bolt and luckily he had another set for the other corner when that one broke shortly after. Then the igniter wires started burning off. That was annoying but at least there are two holes in the sides where you can shove a lighter in (almost like they knew we would need them). Then the burner control knobs went, one by one, getting stickier and stickier till we couldn't even turn one of them which means we can't use one of the 4 burners at all.

Then there was the day that the gas line going to the extra side burner melted and then caught on fire. Hubby was just able to get in to shut off the tank before it burned the place down.

Oh yeah, and the inner liner to the lid is now so rusted that we have to be very gentle when we close the lid to keep the loose scale from falling onto the cooking food. No amount of scrubbing seems to be able to eliminate the problem.

In all the time we have been dealing with this stupid thing we kept telling ourselves that it would be a shame to get rid of it because of the stainless steel cabinet and the initial cost of it. However, this week one of the door hinges has rusted through and the door is just hanging off. No way we're fixing this. It's time the damn thing goes to the dump.



The really sad point to this story is that it was the last thing my Dad bought us before he passed away and Hubby has been fixing it every time something breaks down on it just because it was from Dad.

Why can't they make stuff to last? I guess because they have us for suckers. We really don't want to be without a BBQ so I guess it will be something to add to my side bars to save for.

Sorry Dad that we have to junk it, I know you were so proud when you bought it for us.

Work and Retirement

It has been awhile since I have written about money and work.

I started this blog to help track my goals with money and motivate me to pay off the mortgage before I retire. My goal for both work retirement and mortgage retirement is less than 5 years. Yup, you read that statement right! Five years. I’ll bet that gets you to thinking “How old is the Witch, anyway”. I'll never tell; you'll just have to use your imagination for that one.

When I started things here I had a lot of information in public view in a series of sidebars. It was fun to keep them updated to watch them advance towards each goal. However, I took them down for privacy reasons, (my sister’s advice) and now I find it hard to blog about money anymore, which is a real bummer for me. So, in case you’ve been here from the start, here’s a little update.

I'm still paying extra every month on the mortgage as I have for the past two years. I wish we could continue in this vein, but it has come to the point now where we are probably going to have to buy another truck and that will eat up the money we are using to make the extra payments. That might mean that we will have the mortgage for longer than we planned and that may have an impact on my retirement date. Maybe we can still keep the vehicles going for awhile longer (one's 16 years old the other 10).

On a more positive note, I have met and even exceeded my emergency fund goal, it a real comfort to know that it is there as backup, and our modest little vacation was bought and paid for with money left over for next time. So, I guess I’m doing pretty well!

So I guess this is where the work part comes in. I work for a great company and have had a promotion to a new job for which I'm still training. It’s a very complex and difficult position but I really love the challenge. The individual who is my trainer is very knowledgeable and so far it has been fantastic to learn from him. I may be retired before he gets through teaching me, though. Anyway, I guess if the truck becomes a reality I might have to work some overtime to continue putting the extra down on the mortgage. At least I have the option of picking up the extra shifts. Hubby works a lot of overtime and we are both going to retire at the same time (hopefully).

As for the sidebars, I’m going to put a couple of them back up. That is, as soon as I can remember how to do it. I might have to call in my Tech Support Team. “Hey, Hubby! What’cha doing?”

Vacation is over, RATS!!!!!

We had a great time on vacation and I really don't know where to start to describe all the wonderful things we did in two weeks. The new pictures will show you all just how busy we were.

As I wrote in the last post, we started off the first week with making a couple of different kinds of pickles and then we turned those grapes I showed you into jelly. The results came out the best we have every done. Tart, sweet, and they set up just perfectly. We've already finished off two jars, mmm. We used all the grapes but I don't think it will last very long.

We went to visit my Grandmother and brought her a jar of Mustard Pickles. It was a real joy to see her face light up when she tasted it. Thanks Granny, for showing me how to make the best Mustard Pickles in the world.

Ribfest was a great success. We had lots and lots of food and a delicious dessert (Devil's food cupcakes), all shared with the best company and friends anyone could hope to have.

Then we spent a couple of days just hanging out around the house before going away for four days to a rented cottage by the beach. It was perfect, exactly what I was looking for. It was a beautiful property and a pretty little building with vaulted ceilings, wood paneling and a fireplace. Very cosy!

We did a lot in those four days, lots of sightseeing, canoeing (with the seals) and just plain relaxing. I was a little scared about being out on the water with the seals. I was sure that they would come too close and tip over the canoe. Hubby had a great laugh at my expense, yelling "Look out here comes FLIPPER!!!" every time one would pop up it's head. Happily they kept their distance and we made it safely back to shore after a nice paddle around the bay.

It was just a great get-away, and it was made even better when Hubby announced that he had been skimming the household budget every week for the past 4 months. He had managed to squirrrel away enough to pay for the entire trip, including food, drink and lodging! Even the wine we bought at the winery we visited was included, yah! Thankfully, we are not in the Mafia. I'm sure a person could get whacked for doing something like this. Anyway, I'm sure that my mentor for all things finacial, Gail Vaz-Oxlade, would have a laugh over this one. She might have even been proud of us. So yes everything was paid for in full and we also had lots of money left over. So very HAPPY!!!!!!!!! THANKS HUBBY. Love ya, but you already know that.

Well, it's back to work on Monday, but I know I'll be daydreaming of canoeing with the seals and other things to keep the vacation alive as long as possible.

Vacations are great but way too short.

Update To My Goals For This Year

I thought that this would would be a good time to udate my resolution list for the year. I'm actually making pretty good progress for seven weeks! What do you think? How are you doing with your list?

1. Continue paying down that mortgage as fast as possible.
   We have decreased the tax portion of our bi-weekly payment by about $40 while increasing the total we are paying by $30 which means that we are paying about $150 extra per month on our principal.



2. Buy skates and use them.
   I bought a used pair from the old guy at the skate shop. I felt very sorry for him as it seems that he is not very well-off. I think that I will buy him a meal sometime as it looks like he may need it. As for the skates, now that I have them I'm afraid to use them in case I fall and break something.



3. Buy a Kayak and try and get over my fear of the water with a life jacket of course.
   No kayak yet and that water still looks scary.



4. Learn to play poker and get a good poker face.
   No poker yet either and I guess I'm sticking with the face I've got.



5. Smile more often (maybe that will be my poker face).
   I haven't been laughing too much lately because they have been "5 S"ing my shop at work. You'll know what I mean when the program comes your way.



6. Drink more water at work and home.
   This one has been easy and I'm loving it, even though I gurgle now when I walk.



7. Try new recipes.
   We have tried a few but no real winners yet.



8. Exercise more often, and use my hand weights.
   I am still just doing the walking thing, a couple of kilometers per day.



9. Lose 10 pounds (I have to weight myself first, so I may need to buy a scale).
   I haven't gotten around to getting the scale yet so I well on my way to achieving this goal (go ahead, prove me wrong!).



10. Open a TFSA account and try to max it out if the rates are worthwhile without those darling bank fees attached.
    I'm proud to say that I opened my TFSA two weeks ago and maxxed it out for the year. This will be our emergency fund for now.



11. Take a real vacation somewhere in the Maritimes.
    Vacation is still a long way away but it will happen.



12. Try to let go off the past and learn to live in the moment.
    This one is not so easy but I'm trying.



13. Make more time for myself.
    This one ain't easy either, always too much housework.



14. Read more books.
    I'm on my third book now.



15. Have more dinner parties and play some game boards.
    Not yet.



16. Get a complete physical.
    Coming soon to an examination room near me.



17. Learn more about my computer and what it can do for me besides surfing the internet.
    I'm sure it can do lots but right now it's too easy to ask Hubby.



18. Continue to declutter.
    This will be an on-going process.



19. Continue to work on our basement renovations.
    These are on hold for now, there's just too many other ways to spend the money,



20. Paint our t.v room and maybe buy some new furniture for it.
    The painting will happen soon and the search for new furniture continues.



21. Tweak the budget throughout the year.
    We have done some tweaking already and we will continue to maximize our savings where possible.

Valentines week

All week I have been cooking and preparing for the big day when I can surprise Hubby with my amazing Valentine's Day cookies for him to enjoy, (I hope). They have taken a total of three days to prepare and decorate but he is worth the effort. On top of that, I had to hide them for the finally viewing. Not a easy thing to do when you have a cookie hound around.

I hope you all enjoy the pictures. Look good, don't they?!!! Martha I'm still waiting for you to discover me.....







Hubby got a hair cut today and then we cleaned the house from top to bottom which is a regular Sunday chore. Have I told you how much I hate Sundays for this very reason? Plus, you know tomorrow is back to work. Where do the weekends go?

Today, I'm making a big batch of chilli and then we are also baking a pork loin roast in a honey garlic glaze and some rice. It's a Sunday power cooking day here which will make it easier through the week if one of us has to work late.

We have lots of snow down and it just keeps on coming every day. What's up with that?! I want Winter to be over NOW, YES, RIGHT NOW! Damn, nothing happened, the white stuff is still here. I do have to admit though, that in the mornings going to work it looks like diamonds on the road and I really like that effect. What girl wouldn't like diamonds and plenty of them.

This week we have to go into the Credit Union and deposit some money into an RRSP so we can lower hubby's tax exposure and then take the refund to pay down the mortgage. We have also increased the mortgage payments again slightly by lowering the tax portion and increasing the total amount we pay every two weeks, so hopefully we can get closer to our 5 year goal of paying this off. YAAAAA!!!!!!

I also want to max out my TFSF. I just need $400.00 more and our emergency fund is in place. Out of sight and out of mind. Then I want to start saving for a vacation this year. It will probably be in the Maritimes somewhere because it is really truly a beautiful part of Canada. We are very lucky to be living here.

A Conversation With Gail!

I was surfing this morning and I happened to land on a site where I noticed that they were going to have an on-line discussion with Gail Vaz-Oxlade titled "Keeping your head above water in a recession" and they were inviting readers to send in questions for her to answer. Well, all week we have been trying to decide if putting money into RRSP's was a smart idea this year and now here was my chance to get some advice from a real expert! So, I fired off my question to the comments section...

Hi Gail, I listen to your advice all the time and I love your show.

We have about $10,000 in our savings (thanks to you, in part!) and we want to take the most advantageous use of the money. We want to put it into an RRSP and then use the tax refund to pay down on our mortgage. The question that keeps us up at night is, with the financial state of the world right now, is this a good time to be buying into mutual funds? Would we be better off applying all the money to the mortgage this year and waiting to see some recovery before investing in RRSP's next year?

Thanks,

Two hours later I checked back and, wow, they'd added my question and Gail wrote a response!! I was so excited.

Gail Vaz-Oxlade: *, you're asking me if I think market timing is a good idea and my answer is absotively, posolutely NOT!

Since the markets are down, the money you put in now will actually buy you more units of the mutual fund of your choice than it would have a year or two ago. And that's the beauty of a commitment to regular investing. You don't have to worry about timing the market, you can focus on just doing the right thing. Your plan to maximize your RRSP and use your refund to pay down your mortgage is a good one. Go with it. If the markets scare you, consider an index linked GIC that will tie your return to a positive move in the market, but keep your principal safe. Good luck. G

Wow, what a day!!!!!

That's not all. After lots of discussion, we decided to open a TFSA today and I nearly maxed out my contribution room for this year at $4,600.00. Yay, today was a really goooood day! Plus hubby surprised me and he took the day off work,too. Life doesn't get much better than this.

We are also going through with the above mentioned RRSP some time this week and when we get the tax refund it's going straight down on the mortgage. With all the extra money we have put down over the last 2 years it is starting to drop quickly. My side bars are now adjusted to show this.

I bought a Sandisk Fuze MP3 player on the weekend and hubby and I are trying to figure out how to use it. Actually, it's just me who is having problems, as I've mentioned before, I'm not the most techy person around, but I'm learning. I know that it's not an I-Pod but I really counldn't justify the price of the I-Pod over this unit. With taxes in it was just under a $100.00. I'll let you know what I think of this new purchase in the upcoming months.




I've added some more pictures of my baking which I did last week.
Banana muffins and chocolate chip cookies. Yum, and they didn't last long either so I guess there is no taste testing.

Oh, and here's a picture of the delicious Chinese fondue we had this weekend. This is one of our most favorite meals.

I got my paycheck last week with my retro pay and new raise. It works out to be about $120.00 more a month so now I will have to budget as to where this new found money should go.

Today is Ground Hog day and yes, the bugger saw it's shadow, so another 6 weeks of winter for sure. Plus, I just heard on the news that we are supposed to get another storm and 10 centimeters more of snow. Urg. Poor Hubby as he is the one who has to blow out the driveway each morning and night before we can get in or out. (He is my hero).