gdp's Comments

Give Me Back My Five Bucks : Dating etiquette: how to split the costs

Wed, 24 Aug 2011 17:10:57 +0000

When we were dating, usually he paid, but there were a few times when we split it or I paid, just so he didn't feel taken advantage of (we dated for a year and a half before getting engaged, so it was a good practise - you really don't feel the cost of things when you're never paying!). My recent post Money & Missionaries: An Interview – Part 1

Give Me Back My Five Bucks : Spending Recap: August 15-21, 2011

Wed, 24 Aug 2011 02:16:59 +0000

I am FEARING going through our receipts from our recent vacation. I'm not sure if I have the balls to post what we spent on food. Definitely got suckered to pay tourist prices, bought a lot of seafood and dessert. *oy*

Give Me Back My Five Bucks : Saving up for renovations

Tue, 9 Aug 2011 20:17:31 +0000

This is friggen glorious. Where was this husband-wife construction team? Are they comparable to home depot? My recent post Email “Couponing”

Give Me Back My Five Bucks : Dreaming of the Oregon coast

Tue, 26 Jul 2011 20:30:58 +0000

I think I'm your new biggest fan. You inspire me. a) Because you make money writing and you're in your 20s, b) Because you write for Moneyville (Toronto Star!!!) and you're in your 20s, c) because you love travel and you DO IT, d) you live in Vancouver, the most inflated cost of living place ever, and you're writing a personal finance blog, and you're in your 20s!, e) you do freelance graphic design. I write a personal finance blog in Toronto, I'm in my 20s, I don't technically make money writing but I do freelance graphic design and I work as a Communications Specialist. So ya, thanks for sharing your mad skills at achieving goals, it reminds inspires a P like me. (What's your myers-briggs?) My recent post Making Friends

Give Me Back My Five Bucks : Inside my grocery bag

Thu, 21 Jul 2011 18:53:30 +0000

This is fun! I should totally do this. For some reason, pictures of groceries is exciting. I try to buy spaghetti sauce in cans, it's usually cheaper. I used to always splurge on Classico sauces - still a splurge when on sale, because really, it's the best pasta sauce from a jar - but now I know a bit more about spices and the power of FRESH tomatoes (or canned tomatoes) and I make my own pasta sauce. With chickpeas? OH YUM. This recipe is my homeboy: http://www.marthastewart.com/316437/pasta-with-ch... I'd love to hear if you have reasons for choosing what you did. My first thoughts were: buying the garlic loose is usually cheaper; field cucumbers, rather than the English cucumbers that comes wrapped, usually save you about 30 cents. And those small potatoes are more expensive than the big ones (but I do like them better because you don't have to peel them - I just stick to the big ones and scrub 'em real good and chop them up to the size of the small ones). Time = money, I suppose :P and then eggs last a long time, even past their best before date, so buying 12 is more economical even if you don't eat very many. Does weight play into what you buy? I'm always limited to what I can carry home, and I have limited upper body strength :P :) My recent post Rich Christians

Give Me Back My Five Bucks : Can you feed yourself for $100/month?

Mon, 18 Jul 2011 17:41:40 +0000

This exercise is great as a 20-something and also as a single person. I think a lot of people don't think about grocery budgets in their twenties until kids come along and then all of a sudden it's a panic because the "OH MY GOSH DIAPERS COST HOW MUCH?!"- reality kicks in and all of a sudden you can't just buy willy nilly at the grocery store. I feel like my time now (married, no-kids) is both about enjoying the no-kids life, where we have the time to make fancy dinners once in a while, and a time for practicing cooking and eating and living with less, in order to be ready for the future. Plus, it makes great blog fodder :)

Give Me Back My Five Bucks : Q2 Review: 2011 Goals

Tue, 12 Jul 2011 20:23:03 +0000

You're AMAZING. Do you know your Meyers-Briggs Type profile? You're definitely one of those types that accomplishes stuff! I'm so glad I found your blog (off of Moneyville) - I'm following.