gdp's Comments

So Over This : 10 Things I Hate About Looking for Jobs

Mon, 2 Apr 2012 17:05:04 +0000

LOL... the DUI comment is priceless!

Give Me Back My Five Bucks : The decision to hire a house cleaner

Fri, 26 Aug 2011 17:36:43 +0000

The only reason I wouldn't hire a house cleaner is because I'm a neat/clean freak and I have a HORRIBLE habit of cleaning something someone else has already cleaned. My BF calls it a disease. Now if I could afford to hire a chef... life would be perfect!! My recent post Making Hard Decisions in the Name of Money

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

Wed, 24 Aug 2011 17:14:45 +0000

My BF and I split everything in the middle, but we do it informally. Being a Consultant, my income fluctuates, so sometimes I make more than him and other times he makes more than me. In the beginning of our relationship, I made significantly more than my BF. It never bothered him... I think he even liked it :) My recent post Where’s The ‘Personal’ in Personal Finance?

Give Me Back My Five Bucks : Why I won't buy an e-reader

Fri, 6 May 2011 15:38:27 +0000

Thanks for explaining this Cori! I've been confused about this for a while :) My recent post Should Your Resume Have a QR Code

Give Me Back My Five Bucks : Why I won't buy an e-reader

Thu, 5 May 2011 12:49:33 +0000

I got the Kobo a few months ago after lots of thought because, like you, I didn't think I would appreciate an e-reader the same way I appreciate books. I decided to get it because I was running out of space to store books and I liked the fact that I could easily borrow books from the library without even leaving the house. I was wrong about borrow books from the library being easy... I often have to wait 40 days or more for a book I want. I'm still unsure how a digital file can be 'out'. I love traveling with my e-reader though. It's wonderful to take as many books as I like without breaking my bag and the ability to download them whenever I like. My recent post Should Your Resume Have a QR Code

Girls Just Wanna Have Funds : 4 Reasons Why I Don't Utilize Extreme Couponing

Thu, 5 May 2011 12:32:36 +0000

I actually wrote about this on my blog yesterday and feel the same way you do. In fact, I think TLC's Extreme Couponing is pretty much a show about hoarding - organized hoarding. Not to mention that it's unfair to other shoppers who deserve to benefit from sales as well and having extreme couponers treat it like a sport is outrageous. There is absolutely no reason to have 80 boxes of cereal or 114 bottles of Tylenol. It's selfish and neither will be consumed before they expire.

You Have More Than You Think : How to Save Money on Damn Near Everything

Wed, 4 May 2011 16:03:31 +0000

I've had the most success with menu planning. Saving on groceries has been a challenge that I haven't been able to win for months. I started planning the week's menu around what was on sale and so far it's been working like a charm.

Give Me Back My Five Bucks : GMBMFB nominated for Canada's best personal finance blog!

Tue, 3 May 2011 18:57:56 +0000

Wow, that's exciting! I've personally learned a lot from your blog. Congratulations, you deserve it! My recent post TLC’s Extreme Couponing Exposed

http://www.mypersonalfinancejourney.com/ : http://www.mypersonalfinancejourney.com/2011/04/free-netflix-for-all-for-1-month.html?utm_source=fe

Thu, 28 Apr 2011 12:20:35 +0000

I got Netflix a few months ago because I was tired of renting videos. Not only do I end up saving money, but I no longer have to worry about going to the video store to return DVDs. I didn't expect to use it as often as I do and it's done wonderful things for my budget :) My recent post 4 Ways ATM’s Force You to Spend More Money

Give Me Back My Five Bucks : blog roll

Wed, 27 Apr 2011 17:54:32 +0000

Hi Krystal, I've been reading your blog for a while and have started documenting my debt struggle ($34,000) and determination to pay it all off by the end of the year. I blog at www.shebloggs.com I'd love to be included in your Blogroll :)

Give Me Back My Five Bucks : Spending Recap: April 18-24, 2011

Wed, 27 Apr 2011 17:46:01 +0000

It's great that you have 4 No Spend days! What's more impressive is that you didn't spend anything on the weekend. Last week I was able to get through the full work week without spending, but haven't been successful with weekend No Spend days. Good for you! My recent post 4 Ways ATM’s Force You to Spend More Money

Well-Heeled, With a Mission : Smiles

Tue, 26 Apr 2011 16:00:48 +0000

Congratulations!!!! Beautiful ring!

Give Me Back My Five Bucks : My First Home: breaking down the numbers

Mon, 25 Apr 2011 14:51:27 +0000

I have to admit that at first I couldn't understand why you would have paid off your car loan, which was at 0% interest , and incur CMHC fees. But once you explained that you'd only be decreasing your monthly mortgage payments by $100 if you had put the money towards the mortgage, I see that it was probably the right decision. Also, knowing that you have one less debt is a HUGE, HUGE relief, especially when you're responsible for your mortgage on your own. I'm also a worst case scenario planner and can understand your thought process. I'm so impressed that you spend $50/week for food. This has been one of my biggest challenges and can't keep food costs down. I've tried EVERYTHING. Congrats again on your townhouse!!!

Give Me Back My Five Bucks : A small hiccup in the buying process

Thu, 21 Apr 2011 14:45:18 +0000

That's sucks but like you said, it keeps things interesting. At least you'll have a story to tell afterwards :) I had to close on my place in 2 weeks and the story of running around to get things done on time is one I'm still telling today. I agree with Byrocat - I'd also rent a storage/locker close by. My recent post Men Who Don’t Have Their Financial Act Together

Give Me Back My Five Bucks : Realizing my dream of home ownership

Fri, 15 Apr 2011 13:45:37 +0000

That's really exciting! Congrats!! Having a Realtor who's not pushy makes a huge difference through this process.

Give Me Back My Five Bucks : Life changes, and moving on

Fri, 15 Apr 2011 02:42:54 +0000

Oh, I'm really sorry to hear about the end of your relationship. That is not at all what I expected from your tweet. Break-ups suck whether or not they are the right thing. Congratulations on sticking to your goal of buying a place! My recent post Ending Friendships

Give Me Back My Five Bucks : My Emergency Fund is finally at $5,000

Thu, 7 Apr 2011 18:15:01 +0000

That's awesome! Having different sources of income is so important, especially considering the fact that no job is stable. This is also my goal for the year - to have income from different streams. It's funny that you wrote about emergency funds because I was thinking about my emergency fund dilemma. I currently 5 months of comfortable living expenses (about $15K). I also have a huge debt and despite interest charges, I find myself reluctant to use my emergency savings (even a little bit) to pay off my debt. Being self-employed, having a 5-month emergency fund is what I find comfortable. I'm currently trying to decide if I should use some of it to pay off my debt instead. My recent post How I Started My Business with 1-015

Give Me Back My Five Bucks : Starting the property search

Tue, 29 Mar 2011 18:49:49 +0000

Congrats! Buying a home is exciting. I personally loved shopping for a condo. If I had to do it over again, I think I would have chosen a larger place. I bought a one bedroom condo thinking that it was big enough for me (I had been living in a studio before). Now that it's been 3 years and my BF has moved in, we're a bit cramped and if I had bought a one bedroom with a den, we would have been comfortable. I also agree with Payingmyself. I didn't take a look at my parking spot before buying and was shocked at how tight it was. Like you, I didn't expect to make money from buying a home, but I was pleasantly surprised to see how much my property has appreciated in the last 3 years. Good luck!

Ginger Won't Snap : Parting Ways With Employment

Fri, 25 Mar 2011 19:21:36 +0000

Sorry that this position didn't work out. You asked how to convince someone to give chance and I think that's brilliant! That's a question most job hunters don't ask themselves. As a Recruiter, I'm a strong believer that you can create a job for yourself. If you make a list of employers you would like to work for and contact them directly whether or not they have an opening, you're already showing your motivation. If you’re armed with a good sales pitch on why they should hire you and an awesome resume showing your accomplishments (not just a list of jobs), you’re on your way to success!! Good luck!

Give Me Back My Five Bucks : Amazon.ca gift cards = no Kindle

Fri, 25 Mar 2011 19:01:23 +0000

I got a $150 gift certificate for amazon.ca for Christmas and was so excited that I would finally get the Kindle, which I was salivating over for months. Like you, I was disappointed that it redirected me to the amazon.com site. When read about having use a US address, it felt like too much of a hassle. I ended up getting the Kobo instead and love how easy it is to walk around with a whole bunch of books in my purse without breaking my back. I also thought I would miss the feel of a book, but I honestly didn't. Not to mention how clutter-free my office is now.