NEED TO KNOW BASICS BEFORE BUYING A RENTAL PROPERTY So you’re ready to buy your first rental property. Maybe you’ve heard about all the money you can make just by buying a property, finding a tenant, and letting the cash roll in. Perhaps your parents had rental property and you know the money that can be made. Or maybe you’d like to buy a house with a basement suite and have someone help pay your mortgage. All these are great reasons to consider owning rental property. Where to Start? Evaluate Your Current Living Situation Where are you living right now? Are you happy where you’re currently living? Do you want to live in the same building as your tenant by having a basement suite or one side of a duplex to rent out or would you prefer to live in a dwelling away from your tenants? Do you own your home or are you renting? Are you living in a house or an apartment condo? If you live in a house, what do you like about living in a house? If you’re living in an apartment condo, what is it about condo living that really appeals to […]
How To Handle Food Recalls In Canada : The Grocery Game Challenge 2018 #3 Apr 16-22
AN INFORMED CONSUMER STARTS WITH KNOWLEDGE “Yet another food recall…” That was the same comment I expected to read by long-time Canadian Budget Binder reader when I posted yet another food recall in Canada on my Facebook page the other day. Christine like many other Canadians stays on top of current food recalls and trends because she wants to protect her health and that of her family. When food recalls get published it’s important for the public to take them seriously and share them where applicable. I received email notice two days ago of a Strawberry recall from the company Montana brand foods via the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA). There may be products found in Quebec and some stores in Ontario that may be on the recall list. I quickly found an online article which had already been put together by news media (I can’t beat them) and made sure to share it on my Facebook and Twitter page to alert my fan base and so-forth. Although I could have shared the alert from the CFIA it seems that news articles with photos garner more attention by online communities. Food Recalls explained Food recalls are taken […]
The Perfect Keto Crepes (Low-Carb)
CREPES ARE THE PERFECT TREAT ANY TIME OF DAY I know that making French crepes sounds overwhelming for some people but trust me when I say these are just as easy to prepare as you would make fluffy keto pancakes. This week we decided to make keto crepes for everyone to enjoy at home but without the gluten and sugar. Breakfast is typically something easy in our family which also includes pancakes, french toast or waffles. These beauties are my version of low-carb, keto crepes British-style however the only British in this recipe is the guy that makes them. I’m no stranger to making crepes though. Growing up in the UK we ate more crepes than we did pancakes so I’m familiar with this French cuisine thanks to my mum. Crepes with lemon filling sprinkled with confectioners sugar were one of my favourites in my teens. What is a crepe? A crêpe or crepe is a type of very thin pastry. Crêpes are usually of two types: sweet crêpes and savoury galettes.- Wikipedia Our aim is to keep any keto recipes that we create simple and without extra hassle because nobody loves to be in the kitchen all day. […]
Yearly Banking Fees of $1000 Seniors Could Have Avoided : Net Worth Update 2018 March (+0.51%)
MONEY OUT THE WINDOW OR MONEY WELL SPENT- THE CHOICE IS YOURS! You might be paying banking fees for every bank account you own whether it’s with the same financial institution or not. I know plenty of people who bank with several Big 5 banks and I’m not sure if they understand the costs of monthly banking fees and how it may be affecting their overall yearly savings power. Banking in Canada seemed fairly straight-forward to me when I arrived as a permanent resident. I was fortunate to set up my bank account at the time through President’s Choice Financial since my wife banked there but before I moved to Canada. It made life far easier for me especially when I needed to transfer money from my UK bank account to my Canadian bank account. What I loved about PC Financial what is now known as Simplii Financial Canada was that there were no banking fees. We didn’t have to pay for cheques either. If we had any issues we could make a phone call or visit any Canadian Imperial Bank of Canada (CIBC) for help. In total since I moved to Canada over 10 years ago now we’ve […]
Our Sunday Dinner Traditions With 6 Recipe Inspirations: The Grocery Game Challenge 2018 #2 Apr 9-15
SUNDAY DINNER DOESN’T HAVE TO BE A ROAST How do you celebrate Sunday? A roast beef for Sunday dinner every week could get extremely costly for today’s grocery budget but don’t let that stop you from creating new traditions for your family. I’m sure almost everyone has heard of the Sunday dinner where your parents cook up a hearty full meal as if it were Christmas dinner. That’s what it was like in my house growing up in England and something I hope to continue with my family here in Canada. The idea around Sunday dinner is that it was a time where family would come together for at least one full meal at the table. Even today families still prepare Sunday dinner as one of the few days of the week where time permits a full meal especially since life is far busier than it has ever been. Thank goodness for the crock-pot and now the Instant Pot. What’s for Sunday Dinner Mum? Growing up family dinners were pretty standardized in our house as far as meals and times would go. My mum likes to cook but was never adventurous so my siblings and I would look forward […]
Keto Fried Mozzarella Cheese Roll-ups
THERE’S NOTHING WRONG WITH ENJOYING GOOEY MOZZARELLA ROLLED UP WITH YOUR FAVOURITE LOW-CARB TOPPINGS Yes, you read that correctly, fried mozzarella roll-ups that you can stuff with just about anything. The best part is that this recipe is low-carb, keto and overall delicious for just about anyone who loves cheese. Oh, did I mention these fried mozzarella cheese roll-ups are practically ZERO CARB~ The cheese has a bit of carbs but that’s about it which makes these perfect for those who opt for no-carb cleansing days. How many of you like to rip the entire topping off your pizza slice and devour it? I do because it tastes so good and it’s addicting. I don’t always do that and yes I eat the pizza crust but for Mrs. CBB if you left her alone with a piping hot meat-lovers pizza you’d come back to it undressed. She loves pizza, and over the years we’ve created low-carb pizza in so many recipes some of which we have yet to post on our blog. If you love bacon and mozzarella today is your lucky day as I turn my keto mozzarella bacon bombs into something inside-out. We’re always trying to create […]
Canadian 2018 Income Tax Season: Your Questions Answered
FILE YOUR NEXT INCOME TAX RETURN WITH CONFIDENCE As we welcome another tax year I thought it would be fitting to get to know what’s new for the 2018 income tax season in Canada. The last thing any Canadian tax payer wants to find out is that an expense is no longer being offered as you prepare to file your income tax return. This has happened to us but this year we took control and made sure we knew the answers that would affect our family and our income tax returns. Expectations and reality are two different things with income tax in Canada which is why I did not hesitate to bring in the professionals to have your 2018 income tax questions answered. I was fortunate enough to have the opportunity to ask UFile resident tax expert Gerry Vittoratos your most important 2018 Income Tax questions. Earlier this month I asked you, the fans of Canadian Budget Binder if you had any income tax questions you for Gerry so we could get answers to the most important questions YOU have. Below are your questions all answered by Gerry along with information from Canada Revenue. Everyone ALWAYS asks this question, so […]
A Frozen Bank Account After Death Leaves Widow Broke : March 2018 Budget Update
LEARNING THAT YOUR SAVINGS ARE FROZEN MAY CAUSE FINANCIAL STRESS When dealing with the loss of your spouse life can be turned upside down especially when you are trying to use money that you have no right to get access to without following a process. No one expects a financial officer to tell them that their late spouse will have a frozen bank account which includes all the family savings. It’s certainly a stress not needed after death but very important to understand why and the implications. This exact scenario happened to my mother-in-law recently and I hope today that we shed some light on her situation in hopes of inspiring other couples to educate themselves about their finances before death. Even if you are named the executor in a WILL you still need to jump through legal hoops to unfreeze the bank account. Sadly, a frozen bank account happens quite often according to the banking representative we met with especially for couples who choose to bank separately. This sort of lit a fire under our butts since all of our bank accounts are not joint bank accounts. The costs of a funeral can run into the thousands of […]
