BIRDS CHIRPING, EARLY SUNRISE, KIDS PLAYING, WATER SPLASHING, GRILLS ON FIRE, MUSIC AND LAWN MOWERS BLAZING-IT’S THE LONG WEEKEND VIBE!

 

The first long weekend of the year is upon us this Monday for Victoria Day 2017 and I’m at work, but maybe you’re not. You will want something to do even if it’s an hour or two just to get out of the house or short travel to destination to enjoy the sunshine.

Don’t you just love the feeling you get go through your body and mind when you wake-up knowing it’s a long weekend and you don’t have to work? I do too but sadly that won’t be me for the Victoria Day long weekend. What I love about a long weekend is that people seem to be  relaxed and they tend to smile more and become engaged.

This may be the best time to ask your neighbours to split a cost for a new fence or ask for help, haha!

Even though we’re scheduled for some rain in the Greater Toronto Area on Sunday for the long weekend don’t let that hamper your plans. Grab an umbrella, rain boots and away you go whether you have a family, partner or you’re alone there is fun to be had. Most often Mother Nature is just playing weather games with us for a laugh. Even if she’s not it’s best to be prepared.

For most people who aren’t scheduled to work the Victoria Day long weekend without plans I’ve got you covered. Please don’t hang out at home just because you don’t have the money to explore paid events. There are so many things to see and do that cost nothing but you have to be engaged in wanting to explore these avenues.

I’ve always been a fan of statutory holidays especially when they fall on days that I am not scheduled to work. Unfortunately this doesn’t happen too often which means I’m stuck at work all day and Mrs. CBB and our little guy is at home.

That won’t stop them from enjoying the long weekend though. I’ll tell you what you can do and can’t do this long weekend. No fuss…just plain summer-time fun and maybe a bit of rain.

 

Victoria Day – What’s Open and Closed for the long weekend?

 

What’s open on Victoria Day long weekend depends on where you live. The best place to source this information is on your local city hall website or community newspapers online. You could call a mate who knows what to do and the hot spots (everyone has one who knows it all and plans months in advance) or just tour around the city and invite yourself to local events.

What’s closed on Victoria Day long weekend is pretty standard across the board in Ontario. Don’t go crying if you don’t have your summer drink mix on Monday when the LCBO is closed. Get it today. You’ll find your government offices closed, Banks, LCBO, The Beer Store, Public libraries and most malls and shopping centres.

In Toronto, Ontario almost all of the major tourist attractions will be open as well in the Niagara Region you can visit wine country and Niagara Falls for family fun all day long. Head over to Wonderland for more fun but check and see if your employer has any employee discounts as it can be pricey.

Related: What is Open and Closed in Toronto for the long weekend 2017?

 

Discounted events

 

There are plenty of businesses open during the Victoria Day long weekend especially in the Toronto, Ontario area. Places such as the CN Tower, Ripley’s Aquarium, Ontario Place and many other places are doors open and ready for business. Keep your eyes open for discount coupons or ways to get in for free. Online opportunities are the best way to source any deals to be had.

If you don’t have the cash for the long weekend then find something else to do that appeals to you and your budget.

 

Travel Safe and Travel Smart

 

A word of caution though, make sure you have plus road side assistance, an emergency kit including food in your vehicle and a cell phone if possible. Getting stuck on the side of the road or in a city you aren’t familiar with on the long weekend might take hours to get you sorted.

Trust me…we know from recent experience and it wasn’t fun either (watch out for an upcoming blog post). It  might sound like too much money to invest in road side assistance but you’ll be kicking yourself when you’re stranded and have nothing but two hands, two feet and a heartbeat to get you where you need to go.

 

Explore your city

 

While the highways are jam-packed for the long weekend with people trying to get out to cottage country or other planned destinations some of us are sticking around town.

Besides all the things that can go wrong there are plenty of activities that will keep your mind busy and your body active this long weekend. I don’t often get the opportunity to explore our city so one of my favourite things to do is just that.

It’s amazing what you can find out about your community by going for a walk downtown or popular destinations or parks throughout the city. For example, last year we went to a local park with our son that we hadn’t visited only to find out they have a free public splash pad and new playground equipment.

Explore what local businesses that are open in your community to support small shops. They rely on you to help keep the doors open so why not take a peak and see if you can find a bargain this long weekend. You might even meet new people, have a laugh and make friends.

Not everyone rushes to the cottage or has plans to visit provincial parks in Ontario free with their parks pass 2017 (Did you get yours?). Even if you still want to you can try but most often places are booked solid by the day of or just before the holiday. Doesn’t mean you can’t try though.

Let’s explore what else you can do for the long weekend.

 

Hang out with friends

 

Make a phone call to see if any of your friends are sticking around town. Invite yourself over (lol) or just drop in unexpected (people love that) with a case of beer and snacks. If your friend has a pool that’s a bonus a bigger bonus would be if they lived on the lake. Don’t miss this opportunity. In all fairness it’s nice to call ahead.

 

Accept party invitations

 

If your family, friends or next door neighbour is hosting a backyard BBQ party this long weekend suit up and get out of the house. Sunshine is meant to be enjoyed and the best place to catch some rays is outdoors. Always protect your skin from the harmful rays of summer though.

Be courteous and offer to bring something even if it is your beverages, snacks or a homemade dish for everyone to enjoy. One of my favourite backyard party dishes to bring is a huge 7-layer dip or a tray of fresh vegetables and homemade dip.

 

Fun at home

 

Sometimes just enjoying your own back garden is a pleasure especially if you’ve put blood, sweat and tears into the landscape and surroundings. After I built our deck and installed the deck lights and garden lights I hardly was able to get out to enjoy it. I find that the best time to do stuff around the house is when a long weekend appears and a stay-cation is the fun of choice.

Playing with our son in the blow-up pool or playground set in the back garden always goes over well. He just loves playing like any other kid even if it’s swimming in the sandbox…yes our little guy is a piggy-wiggy, always dirty. Oh, to have that pleasure again in my life. Maybe I’ll join him this long weekend after I’m done work.

Other passions around the house for myself is gardening. There is never a shortage of things to get done outside. I don’t view it as work but rather a way to enjoy the beauty of nature and just forget about work. I like that I can take my time and do things right without rushing.

 

Explore your neighbourhood

 

Maybe you’ve just moved into your house or taking a walk around the neighbourhood is far and few. Take the opportunity this long weekend to explore your neck of the woods and maybe you’ll meet some of your neighbours, make new friends and find out the gossip circulating. Ha!

 

Go on a Road Trip

 

There are so many parks and beaches in Ontario that you should have no problem setting up a spot to sink your feet into hot, glorious sand. Pack a lunch, lots of drinks and all the necessities needed for a beach trip and spend the day alone or with family and friends.

Some people like to travel from city to city or town to town (which I like to do). This way we get to visit small shops, meet the locals, enjoy fairs and other community activities that the big cities might not offer.

Photos… I love taking photos. Road trips are the best for nature lovers and photography buffs like myself.

 

Garage Sales

 

If you’re into saving money and love vintage, used and even brand new stuff for sale, go to garage sales on Saturday, Sunday and Monday. The long weekend is a time that families open their pools and sell anything they’ve pitched in the garage after Spring cleaning the house. You’ll likely find an abundance of garage sales in your area so why not go for a walk or a drive and check them out.

Garage Sale Tips for buyers and sellers over the Victoria Day long weekend

• How to stop wasting valuable time at garage sales
• 20 Garage Sale Tools You’ll Need to Attract Buyers
• How to host a community garage sale
• Garage Sale staging secrets
• How to negotiate at garage sales
• What you can and can’t sell at a garage sale
• How to price garage sale items

 

Free community events

 

Most communities will host long weekend events such as the Victoria Day weekend. This year in Brampton, Ontario the Garden Square announced 2 free movie screenings in the park. All you have to do is bring lawn chairs, snacks and a smile. How cool is that?

Go online and explore hot activities in your local community that will be happening for the long-weekend and get out and enjoy them. Even if there is a charge it most likely won’t be something outrageous that will crush your budget. The key is to always bring the food and drink because that’s where the money is at.

The long weekend either means spending money to have fun, finding ways to have fun for free or spending as little as possible for as much as you can get. There are always ways around enjoying what our world has to offer without dipping into your wallet too much.

Oh…and so what if you get a bit wet…enjoy the feeling.

Discussion Question: What are your plans for the Victoria Day long weekend 2017?

 

A Week In My Life

 

You might have noticed that there were no blog posts this past week. There is good reason. 1- I typically write all of my blog posts. 2- I don’t plan months in advance..tis tis and 3-It was an emergency.

As you may or may not have heard we had a family member pass away this past week. We attended the funeral which was a 10 hour drive for us one way and then came back the next day. Needless to say we are exhausted and just spent after an emotional gathering that brought family together, some for the first time.

This week will be about cleaning up the emails and getting the blog back in order. I also have to sort out our vehicles both of which have caused us some major and not so major issues. I’ll explain more in an upcoming blog post.

I’m also getting ready for a new career opportunity so I plan to give it my all next week and see what happens. Life may be about to change for our little family if I do get the job.

That my friends was our exciting week! How was yours?

 

Top Finance Post

 

I made a trip over to the Money Tree Man to read a post about why saving money is a privilege. At first I wasn’t sure how much I agreed with this since so many people blow money they could save.

On the other hand not everyone has money to blow and every nickel and dime goes to the necessities of life. This means no cable, internet, home phone, cell phone. We’re talking straight up needs.

You see saving money is a privilege. One that many people on this planet cannot afford. If you have the ability to save any extra money – even if you have had to cut back spending to do it – you are in a far better position than those that cannot.

Then I realized how lucky I’ve been on my path towards financial freedom and recognized that not everyone can walk the same path. It’s easy to say get off your butt and make more money or spend less but for some that’s impossible.

Interesting read.

 

CBB Published Posts

 

If you have a question that you would like to ask me fill out the Contact Mr.CBB form on the blog home page and I’ll do my best to reply to each question.

If you would like to share a story via a Fan Question please ensure that there is minimum 500 words and lots of details…we love details!

Contact me for more info at canadianbudgetbinder@yahoo.ca or you can find me on Twitter (@Canadianbudgetb), Google Plus, Facebook, Tumblr, Stumble Upon, Flipboard.

Top Post This Week: How Much Should My Grocery Budget Be?

I wasn’t able to post this week due to the circumstances my family was under. Sorry.

 

Making a difference (MAD) 2017

 

Welcome to the 2017 Making A Difference series! Join the networking movement of Personal Finance Bloggers around the world.

If you are a personal finance blogger and would like your blog to be featured simply drop me an email. I’m currently booking June/July/August 2017-Limited spots.

Personal Finance Bloggers and Fans: I’m currently recruiting for guest posts on the blog while we go away on holidays. This is your opportunity to get published on CBB. If you have a topic idea and interested please contact me via email. canadianbudgetbinder@yahoo.ca let’s talk.

Hey CBB readers!

We are Liliana Almeida and Kaitlyn Masai, creators of Richer Insight. We are Doctors in Clinical Psychology, currently in training to become Clinical Psychologists. During the last few years, we have spent much of our free time learning about the influence of habits and mindsets to achieve wealth and success.

After years of graduate school training, this isn’t a topic we intended to help others with. However, through our interest and wish to change our habits and overcome our own psychological barriers, we have realized the need to help others.

There are many motivating books, podcasts and blogs out there that can give you an abundance of knowledge, but what most lack are the therapeutic skills required to create lasting change.

Many people know what they need to do but can’t seem to translate that knowledge into action. This is because we all have psychological barriers that get in our way from achieving financial and personal success. Our combined 24 years of training in human behavior allows us to fill in the gaps.

Each week on our blog, we discuss the psychological principles of wealth and provide therapeutic skills and techniques to create change. By helping build insight and awareness, they can overcome the emotional/psychological barriers and change their habits and behaviors to live a wealthier, more successful life.

Thank-You

 

Fan Brag of the Week

 

Send in your deal or brag of the week to canadianbudgetbinder@yahoo.ca along with a photo and small write-up to be entered into our yearly draw.Enter as many times as you like. If your brag gets featured you get an extra ballot in the draw.

Hi Mr.CBB and Fans!

I’ve got a grocery shopping deal for you this week that I just have to brag about.

• 6 Miracle Whip for 99 cents each regular $3.99 ea for a saving of $18.00
• 12 tomatoes for $2.12

Woohoo!!

Colleen K

 

CBB Words of Wisdom

 

I think this is a pretty straight-forward quote especially for those of you who are looking for support whatever the reason may be.

 

I Want To Eat This

 

Food is a big part of any budget and a struggle for so many people which is why I’ve created frugal recipes for my family and yours for many years.

I have a second Facebook page called The Free Recipe Depot where I exclusively share recipes from Food Bloggers around the world.

Check out the Free Recipe Index on CBB compiled of frugal recipes that are 100% tested and accepted by family and friends!

I must be on a pineapple trip because this weeks recipe pick has pineapple as the star of the show. I remember first trying this at a Filipino BBQ party that I went to.

All I have to say is the Filipinos know how to BBQ and they love their kabobs (so do I).

I vividly recall a night of dessert consisting of pineapple grilled on skewers and loaded with flavours.

I just so happened to stumble upon Brazilian Grilled Pineapple over at Kitchen Dreaming and am now going to try it this summer. The perfect dessert for any Frugal Back-Yard BBQ party.

 

DIY Weekly

 

Over the course of two days travelling for the funeral we attended I learned about Fidget Spinners. I had no idea what they were until my 5-year-old nephew explained them to me. He has 3 Fidget Spinners and was gifted 3 more from his aunt this weekend.

Needless to say I wanted to understand the big rave for these toys. The cost for a Fidget Spinner in the U.S.A was $4.99USD. I’m not sure what the cost is in Canada as they were sold out at Walmart. My guess is under 10 bucks since I’m seeing an abundance of Fidget Spinners on Kijiji Canada for sale at $10 each.

Anyways, then I found this Totally Rad DIY Fidget compilation over at the Lemon Lime Adventures blog. My favourite has to be the bolts Fidget Spinner DIY. It’s amazing what we can do if we put creativity into our imagination.

 

Search Term Giggles

 

Always begin and end your day with a SMILE!- Mr.CBB

Every week I get tens of thousands of people visit Canadian Budget Binder because they did a search online and found my blog.

Most times funny, Sometimes serious.

• How to deal with a spouse that spends money but blames you– Well, sounds to me like you have some deeper issues to deal with other than money.
• How is my parent seeing my banking– We have eyes in the back of our heads. Perhaps they have your login information? Talk to your bank or even better, your parents if it bothers you.
• Spouse disinterested sexually spending more money– Woah, that’s new. I have a few ideas where the money is going, haha!
• Cash for share my wife Cash– Words, I have no words except sadly, this happens.
• My wife eats at the grocery store anything she wants without paying– Maybe you should feed her at home then. lol. This could be a problem if she gets caught.

That’s all the fun for this week, thanks for dropping by and we’ll see you all again next Saturday.

Mr.CBB

Don’t forget to Follow me on Social Media and Subscribe to the blog.

Hey…if you see any mistakes let me know. I’m not an editor just a guy who likes to write and yes I make mistakes.

• The Saturday Weekend Review #219: How To Stop Wasting Time At Garage Sales
• The Saturday Weekend Review #220: 5 Inexpensive Gadgets Every Parent Should Own
• The Saturday Weekend Review #221 : Crazy Notions About Being Young And Debt Free
• The Saturday Weekend Review #222: Why This Senior Doesn’t Care If He’s Retirement Poor
• The Saturday Weekend Review #223: Change Your Life With The Perfect Pair Of Shoes

Save

Save

Save

Save

Share to...