Canadian Budget Binder

A List Of Foods We Freeze To Save Time and Money: The Grocery Game Challenge 2015 #4 Jan 26-Feb 1

January 27, 2015 By Mr. CBB 18 Comments

FREEZE IT AND FIND OUT! I thought it would be a great idea to come up with a list of foods you can freeze for later or foods you can freeze and re-heat when you have unexpected guests or are in need of a fast family meal. My wife and I were making our homemade macaroni and cheese bake tonight when we pulled out a pesto basil cube from the freezer to add into the cheese sauce. It was at that point I knew I had to take a look at our freezer inventory list to find out what foods we have in our freezer that some people wouldn’t typically think to freeze. You certainly can save money if you freeze food but one important tip I was told to keep the savings flowing is to make sure you keep the freezer full. The reason is that once the freezer is full it requires less energy to run which makes sense. Back about two years ago we borrowed a kill-a-watt electricity usage meter from the local library when the smart meter was installed on our home and we discovered our 1970’s freezer was costing us approximately $11 a […]

How I plan to retire at 28 using dividend income

January 26, 2015 By Mr. CBB 4 Comments

RETIRE ON DIVIDEND INCOME I’m Mr. Captain Cash and yes I have this absurd, unrealistic, or impossible dream by conventional standards of retiring before my 28th birthday on my dividend income. How do I plan to retire so early? To retire before my 28th birthday I intend on creating an investment portfolio that will generate $20,000 in annual dividend income covering my annual expenses. Once my annual dividend income exceeds my annual expenses it will mean I’m financially independent and able to “retire.” I used quotations around the word retire because I will not retire by conventional standards. To me the word retire or becoming financial independent means I will be able to spend the majority of my time the way I intend to as I am no longer reliant upon my work pay cheque to cover my expenses. For myself this means not working or only working a couple of days a week when I have kids to watch them grow up or the flexibility to travel for six months. In a nut shell it is to have the freedom to do whatever I want to do each morning I wake up. I always like to […]

Filed Under: Finance Tagged With: Canadian dividend income, dividend income, dividends, Retire, retire early, retirement income, what is a dividend

Scotch Broth with root vegetables and beef

January 25, 2015 By Nicola Don 2 Comments

SOUP WARMS THE SOUL If you’ve never heard of Scotch broth I can guarantee that you’ll want to make this delicious hearty broth based soup for dinner by the time you’re done reading this tummy-warming recipe. After a really cold week and it’s still not much better soup is on the menu for many of us in Canada. Mr. CBB asked a question the other evening on the “What’s For Dinner” post on Facebook -What is your favourite soup? I didn’t have to think long about that and decided to make it for all of you so I could show you rather than just tell you. Last week Mr.CBB shared his Fire-Roasted Red Pepper Soup with tomato and fennel so today I’m sharing a classic soup that I enjoy making in our home. Hands down my all time favourite is my mums Scotch broth soup which our entire family devoured. My mum would make Scotch broth every Saturday evening to enjoy on Sunday along with fresh homemade bread slathered in butter. This Scotch broth is so versatile that she could stretch it out to do us until Wednesday the following week. If you are looking for a frugal meal […]

Filed Under: Soups/Salads/Sandwiches Tagged With: British recipe, lamb, scotch broth, scotch broth beef, scotch broth recipe, Scotland, Uk

Should you be sent a bill if you are a party no-show? : The Saturday Weekend Review #106

January 24, 2015 By Mr. CBB 15 Comments

NO SHOW FEE IS NO JOKE The budget is tight these days for most people so if you plan to accept an invite to a party be warned that if you are a no-show you might be sent a bill. That’s right you might just miss that one event which you confirmed you were going and bam… you’re on the hook for your spot at the party. No it’s not going to become a law (yet) but make sure you read the fine print (if any) on your next invitation or the party patrol might hunt you down. It might read something like this… If you (person named on invite) are a no-show after confirming that you will attend this party please be advised that you will receive an invoice in the mail for the cost of your portion of the event. Payment can be made to my bank account or I don’t mind cold-hard cash $$$. I know I’m having a laugh as there wouldn’t be an legality behind this that I’m aware of but this really did happen for one dad in the UK. There are two-sides to the story and an easy solution.. in my opinion. […]

Filed Under: The Saturday Weekly Review Tagged With: bill, billed, birthday party, Budget, FRIBS, invitation, invoice, MTV Cribs, no-show, Uk, wild bill

Mom has meltdown over teen and financial responsibility

January 22, 2015 By Mr. CBB 7 Comments

TOUGH LOVE, TOUGH LUCK When a CBB fan came to me via email yesterday to help her with a problem she is having at home with her daughter I said sure. I thought to myself how difficult could it possibly be? I thought maybe she wanted a lesson on how to help her teen budget money or find ways to earn extra money on the side. Sadly, I was only half right. Teaching your kids financial responsibility starts from a very young age and some kids, well they just don’t get it. It’s easy to for kids to not understand just how costly it is for their parents to raise them and believe they are ‘entitled’ to handouts until they leave home, if they leave home. If you aren’t part of the process you won’t understand the process and that’s why it’s not until we are older that we look back on our lives and understand why our parents did what they did. I’ll be honest and say that when I first read her question the evil side in Mr. CBB came out and I thought… Why don’t you just kick your “teen with an attitude” out and teach […]

Filed Under: Parenting, Reader Questions Tagged With: Budget, Canadian Law, financial responsibility, jobless, money hungry, Parenting, resume, sacrifices, stealing money, teen, volunteer

How to control pantry pests in your kitchen : The Grocery Game Challenge 2015 #3 Jan 19-25

January 20, 2015 By Mr. CBB 31 Comments

PESTS IN YOUR PASTA… Pantry pests are the last thing I thought I would be sharing in the grocery game BUT it’s a very important part of your kitchen health and budget. Most families like to buy more than one package of pasta, cereal and other packaged goods especially if they are on sale or by using a coupon it’s too hard to pass up. The problem with stockpiling your pantry with food is that you MUST eat it. Some people seem to think that food will last forever if there is no expiry date and that’s just not the case. We haven’t been stocking up much on food the past couple of years because we have struggled to get through it and this past week was another sign as to WHY we won’t be stocking up any longer. We are very meticulous in the kitchen when it comes to using clips, cleanliness and making sure that food items are stored away properly. The other day though we were surprised to find a visit from the very pantry pests that we try to avoid, flour mites and weevils. They are more common than you think and unless you take […]

Filed Under: The Grocery Game Tagged With: bugs, flour mites, grocery budget, pantry, pantry pests, weevils. flour pests

How having a baby affected our budget : Shocking numbers!

January 19, 2015 By Mr. CBB 22 Comments

IT ALL ADDS UP… Although we thought having a baby would be pricey our 2014 baby expense numbers that I will share with you today prove that with determination you don’t have to spend a fortune! Were we shocked? You bet because we anticipated spending thousands of dollars more than we did. I’m pretty sure there are going to be moms and dads out there that could slash our expenses even further to save more than we did but the key here is to pick and choose what you need and don’t need. With most mothers going on maternity leave and some fathers on paternity leave this can impact the family budget significantly enough as it is so the last thing you want to do is pay full-price for baby related items if you don’t have to. Surviving having a baby on a lower-income is only half the battle. Although there are ways to earn extra money while on parental leave it’s not easy with a new baby on board but for some parents it’s a great way to earn a bit of extra cash for their bank account. Surprise, Surprise! Having a baby after the age […]

Filed Under: Parenting Tagged With: 30 weeks pregnant, 41 weeks pregnant, baby budget, baby must haves, best time to have a baby, designer babies, due date calculator, having a baby after 35, pregnant woman, ready to have a baby

Sneaky wife teaches husband a money lesson he won’t forget

January 15, 2015 By Mr. CBB 12 Comments

MY MONEY YOUR MONEY OUR MONEY It’s unfortunate in relationships when both partners aren’t on the same page financially and extreme measures are taken to teach a money lesson. It sounds a bit daft but to be honest when I read this fan question I felt sorry for her but I also applauded her for taking such a desperate step to teach her husband that money is a weighty issue. Although I am completely on board when it comes to telling all of you to talk about finances BEFORE you are married I also understand that for some people it never happens. In fact some couples assume the man is in charge of the money which seems a bit odd but that’s the way it goes. Most people I’ve ever chatted to it seems like the woman does all the money hugging and pays all the bills while the husband nods and takes it all in with a smile. Let’s be honest here money management isn’t a fun job for lots of people especially when there isn’t cash to splash around. I’m pretty sure when debt is deep or when money is on the brain because creditors will come […]

Filed Under: Reader Questions, Relationships Tagged With: allowance, cash manager, Marriage, money lesson, money management skills, my money