GETTING INTO YOUR FIRST HOME MAY BE EASIER THAN YOU THINK After my wife and I got married we decided that we would slash our spending and start tracking our expenses so we could save aggressively for a down-payment on a home for us. This wasn’t the birth of our budget rather we were spending less than we earned but we had no idea how much savings power we gave up going this route until the CBB Budget was created. Once we felt we were nearing our 20-25% down-payment goal that we wanted to have for a house priced around the $200,000-$300,000 price tag we started chatting with a real estate agent. Thankfully we have a friend who has been servicing our community as an agent for many years. Since I was new to Canada one of the questions that came up was whether we could participate in the RRSP Home Buyers Plan (HBP) in Canada for first time home buyers. It was clear that I had never purchased a home in Canada before but this wasn’t Mrs. CBB’s first rodeo in real estate. It was still worth looking into though. If the HBP means nothing to you […]
The Ultimate Guide To Prevent Garage Sale Theft : The Saturday Weekend Review #255
BE AWARE WHAT IS HAPPENING AT YOUR GARAGE SALE BECAUSE THEFT IS A BIG ISSUE BUT NOT WIDELY DISCUSSED. Spring and summer is the perfect time to de-clutter the house but before you host your garage sale this weekend keep garage sale theft and scams on your mind. There comes a time when even blogging about garage sale theft is a hot topic because it happens and it occurs more than you think especially to unsuspecting sellers. The problem is homeowners don’t know about it, aren’t aware or don’t care to discuss it because they are embarrassed. How would you feel if something you worked hard for was swiped when you turned your back or if someone went a step further and had a master plan with a few friends or family members? It really boggles my mind how far someone will go to get stuff for free at the risk of getting arrested and charged with theft at a garage sale. How bad do they really need it? Typically garage sale prices are already super low so why does someone steal? Because they can. I’m the type of person who would say if someone really wants something and […]
How To Return Food To A Grocery Store Successfully : The Grocery Game Challenge 2018 #4 May 21-27
YOUR MONEY IS IMPORTANT TO YOU SO MAKE SURE YOU GET WHAT YOU PAY FOR Step-by-Step I’m going to walk you through how you can return food to a grocery store so the next time you’re not a happy customer you know how to get your money back! I don’t often return food but when I do I make sure I get our money back How many times have you eaten something new or food that you were familiar with from the grocery store and you just didn’t like it? I’m betting you can count a few times on one hand in your lifetime but I want to know, what do you do about it? Today, I’m going to walk you through exactly how we would return food to a grocery store including what we would say and do. When I first moved to Canada there was no way in hell I was returning anything food or not. In fact, I had no idea how to grocery shop in Canada which meant I was starting from scratch. I’m not alone, this happens every day even with people born and raised here. Today, my views and experience have greatly changed […]
8 Costly Baking Ingredients To Include On Your Flyer Watch-List : The Grocery Game Challenge 2018 #3 May 14-20
STOCKING UP IS THE ONLY WAY TO GET WHAT YOU WANT FOR LESS Walking down the baking aisle at the grocery store or even the bulk food shop is cringe-worthy at times when you start to see the prices of baking ingredients. Here’s the thing though, you have to understand that food costs money and eating well is possible on a budget but YOU must do the work to find the deals. If you are a savvy shopper you need a flyer watch-list which simply means a master list of products that you WILL use but are far more expensive than others you purchase. This means that you will keep an eye on prices for those products in particular because when the time and price is right you should stock up. This is where a reserve fund or stockpile budget really comes in handy for the everyday consumer. Baking ingredients have always been higher to the consumer who values pre-made products over baking only because we see what we want to see when it comes to pricing. It’s far more convenient to buy a 6 pack of muffins for $5 rather than a bag of flour for $8 especially […]
How To Bring Affordable Organic Food To Your Kitchen Table : The Grocery Game Challenge 2018 #4 Apr 23-29
NOURISH YOUR FAMILY, SUPPORT LOCAL FARMERS AND PRESERVE THE ENVIRONMENT I’m 100% certain no one can talk me out of why organic food is not better than the other stuff but I will agree that costs may be higher for budget conscious shoppers. There are ways around that though through savings, growing it yourself, trading, markets and home delivery which I will talk about further down. The new organic food trend for the busy family is moving more towards delivery than digging dirt or picking and choosing at the local markets. I agree with my late father-in-law who once told me that the only way you know you are eating organic produce is to grow it yourself. Just like anything in life if you want it done right sometimes you have be the one in charge however not everyone is willing or has the time to sow a garden. Properties are also getting smaller and house prices are not getting any cheaper. This leaves little to no room for homeowners to grow a vegetable garden apart from using pots or even raised gardens although not everyone wants to do this. Related: How to grow organic potatoes in a pot […]
