This weekend II

Remember the big birthday thing? Well my total came to $140. Instead of $100, I brought $155. This was lucky as dinner was $90. It was delicious. We also had two bottles of red wine. Afterward, cover for the club, and drinks + tips came to $50. I didn't spend any money on cabs. I walked over to dinner because it was close and I got ready a little early, then we walked over to the club, and my friend's bf picked us up after the club. So $140 is not too good but not too bad either.

I also went to breakfast with a friend of mine. I've been craving an eggs Benedict with smoke salmon and croissant for months now. That was $15.

I worked a couple of shifts at the café. The money won't really make a dent on my weekend bill. It helps though, and it's good to catch up with the regulars and the café staff again.

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Weekend fun

I hope you all had a great weekend. It was beautiful weather and I spent most of it outside hiking and walking around town. With the price of gas and my friend’s gas guzzler of a car (my car was being used by someone else this weekend) my cost came to a lot higher than before, $45. Still it’s lovely to be outside and spend time with friends.

I also went out on Friday. The first half of my night was company sponsored, free booze and free food. The second half was self sponsored. However, because I had a few drinks before at the company event, I didn’t spend too much on drinks for the latter part of the night.

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One cheap weekend

This weekend turned out pretty cheap for me. Because I have no long weekend, I worked on Saturday at the café. It was a no spend day because I haven’t the chance to spend.

Sunday, I went canoing with a friend. We rented a canoe and equipment, and grabbed some water and sandwiches for lunch. Total cost is like $23 for me. Then we just drove through the Rockies looking for a nice lake, which we found pretty quick so gas was about $15 each.

I got some tan now, which means my legs won’t be an ugly pale color for those summer dresses and shorts.

All in all it was very relaxing. Except the part where one of the stabilizers fell off on the way back and our canoe started sliding forward. If you see two girls trying to tie up their canoe on the highway this Sunday, that could be us.

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Canoeing

Sunday afternoon I went canoing with a friend. We had some free time and thought it'd be a good time to practice for a canoe trip we were planning this summer. I'm not an experienced canoe-er(?) so we started easy at the reservoir.

It was fun. A good work out too because it was quite windy. Canoe rental was $20 and we grabbed a drink afterwards. The whole thing worked out to be $15 for me. Not bad. It was great to be outside. We saw hardly anyone else. It was so quiet and peaceful.

Photo courtesy of peter bower via flickr

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Sex and the City

It felt like all the girls in the city dressed up to watch Sex and the City Friday night. I enjoyed it. It seems to me that it's as much about love as it is about friendship. You can get through anything as long as you have your friends.

I watched it with my group of four girl friends. We always have a good time and tonnes of laughs. When I need them they are my own personal support group. They are just the right combination of positive reinforcement and tough love.

What about you? Are you going to see it? Who are you going to see it with?

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Posh apartments, Swanky hang outs, and Jimmy Choos

Escape Brookyln has an interesting post about how in movies there’s a magic math that allows people to live extravagant lives on an ordinary budget. She gave two examples, Hitch and Devil Wears Prada.

Since I am going to see Sex and the City movie tonight (Yay!), I want to add my example. Carrie. She lives in New York, with a spacious apartment, which I imagine cost a fortune. Her hang outs – posh nightclubs, restaurants etc – look pretty pricey. Her fashion? Nuff said. How does she live the way she does on a Sex Columnist salary?

Admitted on one episode when she has to buy Aidan out on their apartment she had to get help from her friends because she had only $800 dollars in her bank account and a closet full of shoes. But how does she even afford all those shoes? And what about after? With the added expenses of monthly mortgage payments and condo fees, you don’t see any impact on her lifestyle at all.

Because movies and TV aren’t real. For me, they put all my wishful thinking into a neat little entertaining story with great outfits and pretty people. Afterwards, remember to get back to reality or risk over exercising your credit cards

photo by Arorra on Flickr

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Cirque Du Soleil

I bought 8 Cirque Du Soleil tickets. That's like $900 on my credit card. I hope my friends are quick about paying me for them. I'm always iffy about buying big tickets for people. Not because of the money, because my friends are good for it. But because of the responsibility of making the right decisions about dates and seating. I don't want them to spend a lot of money and not have a good time.

I think I got good seats though. I looked around and many people say there are no bad seats for Cirque du Soleil. I picked a happy medium between good seats and reasonable price. Of course I called everyone to make sure they are ok with the price first. Funnily everyone picked the same price range. It must be an interesting science to do pricing. How to set the pricing so we get maximum profits and a large market.

Now we just have wait until the performance. I'm excited.

Two of the tickets are for Sis and Bil. They are so sweet. Cirque Du Soleil is also going to their city, but they said they'd rather go with me. After I bought the tickets I thought that this would solve my birthday gift problem for the both of them. Bil's b-day is coming up in a month time, so I can give him the ticket. Sis's b-day is coming up right before the performance date, so that works out too.

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Assess the ski rental decision

Spring is here. Well it is, judging by the spring trail conditions posted on the cross country trails I check regularly. As I not fond of spring trail conditions, there will probably be no more skiing for me. I thought it would be a good time to assess my previous decision of renting instead of buying.

This winter in total I went cross country twice, and snowshoeing twice. Not a lot, but it really varies due to trail conditions and my schedule. If I bought skis I probably would have opted for skiing the both times I went snowshoeing. Then this year I would have 4 ski rentals at $15.75 each time (taxes included). That’s $63 instead of the $230 I would have spent on skis, not including the price of getting new boots, which I would have done.

Sure I’d have used them again for years to come. I need three years of good cross country skiing conditions and cooperating schedules to get my money’s worth. It would be longer if I’m too busy, or I want to go downhill skiing or snowboarding, or do other things during the winter. Who knows where I’ll be in a few years.

The best part of renting? New(ish) equipment every time. No maintenance. No storage problems. And not having to ship anything oddly shaped like skis when moving (important for someone who lived on one small suitcase and a backpack overseas, came home, and the moved cross country)

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Weekend photos

I went snowshoeing this weekend. My coworker came with his dogs and they were the cutest things.

Pretty inexpensive weekend too (compared to snowboarding). $20 gas, $16 snowshoes and boots rentals.

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Happy Holidays!

I'm on holidays until the new year. Posting will probably be intermittent.

Here are some photos I want to share from the weekend. Happy Holidays Everyone!

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Single Girl’s Christmas movie list

I love Christmas, all the cheerful decorations, the spirit of giving, and especially the movies and TV specials. Last Christmas when my roommate and I were both single we had a single girls' movie day. Well, we basically watched Sex in the City episodes until our stockpile of junk food ran out.

This year I’m starting a single gal’s Christmas movie list. I’m going to take a whole day (preferably a cold day when it’s snowing outside), stock up on yummy snacks and hot chocolate, and watch all the movies on my list, designed to make me feel all warm and fuzzy inside.

Here is what I have on the list so far, feel free to make suggestions.

• It’s a Wonderful life
• Miracle on 34 Street (I like the newer version)
• Elf
• Santa Clause (all three of the Tim Allen ones)
• Love Actually
• Both Bridget Jones Movies
  
• Serendipity
• The Holiday
• About a Boy

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Dream House

I watched the finale of Dream House Chattanooga on HGTV last night. The story goes like this. An engaged couple bought a piece of land and decided to build a dream house. The girl’s dad is the general contractor and her brother is the project manager.

I only caught a few episodes, but from what I’ve seen I think the dad should’ve given them some tough love. They are a young couple with no kids. Yet they are building a 5-storey house with about 6,500 square feet of space. What do they need with all that space?

Whenever I watched an episode, I get the impression they weren’t really organized and on top of things. They were very indecisive. Like paint for the exterior. It must have taken half an episode of people asking them to make a decision. Also, they have no clear memory of what they decided on and kept no records. The girl thought the cabinets where not what she had picked a month ago, but then couldn’t really remember what it was that she picked. They were about $85K over their original $415K loan and couldn’t afford kitchen appliances.

The dad was saying that after 35 years of being in the business he’s never been late or over budget. So why now? Maybe because it’s harder to be firm with family and tell them things they don’t want to hear.

The daughter admitted that they should have listened to dad more, but they just want, want, and want. How true. Often times we are not even exactly sure what we want. Sure I think I would like a 6500 square feet house with a great view, but then I think of the utilities, the mortgage and the isolation.

The couple put the home on sale a month after it finished. It was just too much space and too much mortgage (hmmm…they probably should’ve known that when they designed it and took out the loan). The home is listed at $1.2 million so they stand to gain from it. But think of the time, effort, and the stress on the family during that one year of construction.

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Library to the rescue

I recently read about this DVD series called “The Up Series” and really want to watch it. I looked all over the video stores and nothing. I thought I was going to give in and buy it online until I remembered the library.

I hopped online and 5 minutes later I have requested a copy of the DVD set to be delivered to my local branch. It's on its way now! How great is that?

I’m so excited. This is the description for the series: In 1964 a group of 7-year-old British children were interviewed and they have been filmed every 7 years since. It's also got a more detailed wikipedia description.

What an interesting concept! Our goals, expectations, and character change so much with life and circumstance. It’d be quite neat to follow these people’s lives and see how they’ve changed. I’ll write more after I watch the DVDs.

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Skis – Buying vs. Renting

Winter is coming. I’m starting to obsessively check weather reports in the mountains again. I’m so excited about cross-country skiing. It's something I started doing last year and I loved it. Compared to downhill skiing it’s cheaper and less crowded, and I get a great workout outdoors.

Anyway, I have been considering buying my own equipment instead of renting. The rental places sell their used equipment in the fall and it’s a great opportunity to get some deals. But all things considered I have decided to stick with renting.

A complete set of used equipment would cost about $230 (I was going to buy new boots so the price would be higher).

Renting cost $17 per trip. To justify $230, I’d have to take 13 trips. That is a lot of trips. I’d have to depend on the weather, trail conditions, my travel schedule, and my friends’ schedules. Sadly, I’d be happy if I get 5 trips in this winter season.

Also, if I rent I don’t have to store the skis, and I am guaranteed well maintained and relatively new skis every time.

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To each his own

I watched one of those real estate shows last night. In this show you have one couple who is looking for a property with a list of needs and wants, and a price limit. Then the show host and her creative consultant come up with several possibilities.

As is, these properties usually don’t meet the couples’ standards. This is where the creative consultant comes in with his magic and shows them how it could be with some renovations. The changes are amazing. It’s like several make-over shows all in one TV time slot.

Yesterday’s couple had three choices. Choice #1 was $2,000 under their budget after renovations, and meets all their criteria. Choice #2 was $11,000 under their budget, meets all their criteria, and has a pool. Choice #3 was $120,000 under their budget, and meets their needs the best.

I was so sure that they’d choose #3 or #1. A pool to me is just an unnecessary expense that will have a huge ongoing maintenance cost. But they actually went with #2 because of the pool. I guess everyone thinks about purchases differently. Otherwise we’d all have the same houses, drive the same cars, and dress the same.

Also, because I live in an area that is too cold for pool most of the year my valuation of a pool is different compared to those who live in warmer areas.

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Necessary Expenses

It’s terrible to be alone and it’s terrible to be in love but one is cheaper than the other.

I read this quote during the weekend and I thought it was funny. It reminded me of this blog entry I read, but I don’t remember where. This person was talking about how he saved so much money over the years by not dating.

Understandable. Dating involves a lot of going out, which usually means money. Similarly going out with friends usually means spending money. However, I see these as necessary expenses. It goes under the category of reasons why I save money – so I can spend it with friends and people I like.

By the way, the bf agrees with this blogger that dating cost money. Of course he says that I’m worth it and that I am relatively easy on his wallet anyway. This is true. I do a lot of business travel, and by the time I come home I never want to see a restaurant again. Sometimes I feel like eating nothing but fruits and maybe cereal. Result: we save a lot of money not going out to eat.

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Not paying regular for movie tickets

Usually instead of watching a movie in theatres I wait until it comes out on DVD. It’s cheaper and it’s nice and cozy to watch it on the couch at home. However, when I feel a movie need to be fully appreciate on the big screen I refuse to pay regular price ($12) until I’ve exhausted my options for reduced price.

Options 1: My work has a social club where I could order movie passes for $8 (including taxes). These passes work even on premier night, however, I have to order them ahead of time.

Option 2: CAA Member’s Price is $8.44 + GST = $8.95. Again these passes have to be purchased ahead of time.

Option 3: Coupons from the Entertainment book, pop boxes, or cereal boxes I collected.

Option 4: Even if I don’t get reduced price I at least collect points towards a free movie with my Scene Card . If I do feel the urge I can get 10% off concessions with my scene card.

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