Weekly spending recap: July 10th – 16th

The most I’ve spent this last week was on protein bars. I didn’t take out any Fun Money this week as I wanted to compensate for the expensive dinner out last Friday. My only purchase was for 2 protein bars ($6) on the way to run some drills.

Today I am thankful for my wonderful friends. My Eye Candy & I hosted a fun patio party on the weekend and we spent the evening BBQ’ing ribs and sipping mojitos with our friends. When I first moved to Montreal four years ago, there were so many evenings that I was incredibly lonely in my new city; and to think that we now have to split-up the invites simply because our patio is not big enough to host all our friends at once is the best feeling in the world!

Money can’t buy happiness. One free thing I did last week that made me happy was teaching Miss Fergie to swim. A heat wave has hit Montreal and while our usual walking route is along the Lachine Rapids, we’ve never let Fergie go in the water more than a few feet. On Saturday afternoon, we decided to indulge her by walking to the pier and jumping in the water with her. Our Norwegian Elkhound is now a water dog and she has a fierce doggie paddle.   

I will consider this week a success if I create an itinerary for a dream vacation. My Eye Candy and I have decided on a few spots that we would like to visit some day so now I want to start planning them out and create a realistic budget.

My favourite summer cocktail is Malibu and Diet Coke. I mixed it up for one friend this weekend and she described it best with “it smells like sunscreen.” You can’t get more summer-y than that!

*Rosie*

Weekly spending recap: July 3rd – July 9th

The most I’ve spent this last week was on dinner out at Le Chien Fumant. A $155 was a pricy experience and you can read more about my sticker shock here.  

Today I am thankful for fresh fruits & vegetables! July is prime time for ripe and healthy sweet treats.  With so much food in season, my grocery bill is getting some relief.

Money can’t buy happiness. One free thing I did last week that made me happy was spending Friday afternoon with my friend Miss Fitness Champ. I got to check out her new luxe apartment in Montreal and enjoy an afternoon on the building’s rooftop patio next to the pool. Bliss!

I will consider this week a success if I firm up more plans with friends to enjoy activities from my Thirty Flirty list.  

The last impulse purchase that I talked myself out of was a puppy! Hanging out at the dog park with Miss Fergie is too much fun these days as there are a few dogs who are waltzing around with their litter of puppies. So while Miss Fergie is rolling around in the mud, I couldn’t help but be tempted to bring a new fur ball home. Fortunately, the memories of house-breaking Fergie and her recent need for $127 worth of antibiotics brought me back to reality. That being said, my Eye Candy has expressly asked me not to go to the dog park without him... And I leave you with some super cute pics of the puppies.

*Rosie* 

This is Miss Goldie Locks. She is a 6 weeks old, and an
affectionate & mischievious fuzzy retriever.

In the right light, Miss Goldie Locks and I have the same haircolour.
I'm starting to regret resisting her!

And these are Miss Goldie Locks brothers.
Yes - they have the same baby daddy!
There are 5 left in the litter who still need homes so act fast.

Weekly spending report: June 26th – July 2nd

They are back! I recently explained why I’ve moved away from typing up weekly spending recaps as I didn’t like to create a laundry list of my Fun Money expenditures [read full post here: How I’m saving $6 a week], but I have been inspired by the weekly blog post from My Pretty Pennies. I’m going to try following her example of weekly money check-ups and see how it goes.



Happy Canada Day celebrations!



The most I’ve spent this last week was on my half of dinner out at Griffintown Café on Notre Dame. My Eye Candy and I treated our favourite friends as an overdue thank-you for watching Miss Fergie over Easter Weekend while we were in Kelowna. It was a win-win as she got their company for a weekend and we got their company to toast the beginning of this long weekend.

Today I am thankful for living in a city as vibrant and inexpensive as Montreal. In one weekend I climbed Mont Royal, dined in Griffintown, sipped beer on the terrace of a local brasseur, ran along the Lachine Rapids, watched fireworks in the Old Port, enjoyed incredible music at the Jazz Fest, and soaked up fantastic weather. 

Money can’t buy happiness. One free thing I did last week that made me happy was a picnic with my Eye Candy and Miss Fergie at Lac des Castors on the top of Mont Royal. We BBQ’d our lunch in advance and took it up the mountain with us. We had a delicious and healthy spread, and enjoyed a bottle of Les Jamelles. It was absolute bliss.  

I will consider this week a success if I mix up my work-out routine. I’ve hit a wall despite working out 4-5x a week. I’m running faster than I’ve ever done before, swimming more often and even biking again, but I’m not seeing any change to my muscle definition. I need to start my own rendition of booty camp even if it’s just in our backyard.

If Kate & William want to hang out with me today in Montreal we would hit up the Atwater Market. Who can resist the local farmer’s fruits, veggies, and meats? And let’s not forget that the cheeses are 3 for $14! After all, I’m sure there are only so many trees that they genuinely want to plant and I’d be curious to see what kind of hat is appropriate attire for a market.

Weekly Spending Recap: May 8th - May 14th

I'm back! I will admit that I've been pretty much MIA from my blog since my return from my extended weekend vacations. The truth is, I've had a lot to catch up on work, wanted to make working out a priority, and I've been spending more time with friends. If I have the choice between sipping a glass of wine in the evening with friends versus typing on my computer, then you'll know where to find me. Here's how this past week shaped up:

Sunday, May 8th

Happy Mother's Day! We treated my Eye Candy's mom to brunch chez nous and my boyfriend bought her a cute little bird house for her balcony. It turns out that the condo board where she lives doesn't allow bird feeders... but this one was so chic that she is going to be a rebel and hang it anyways.

As for my Mum - she'll be visiting in a few weeks as I bought tickets to the upcoming Roch Voisine concert for her Mother's Day present. This purchase was made last December so it didn't impact my wallet this month.

$103 for groceries from Costco.

I'll be writing about this experience in an upcoming post, so stay tuned!

Monday, May 9th

$100 for my running course

While this is one of the cheapest forms of exercise out there (just you, shoes, and the pavement), I want to improve my technique and learn how to better pace myself. For the next 12 weeks, you'll find me running around the Atwater Market and Canal each Monday evening. This is part of my 4 week rolling budget. 

Tuesday, May 10th

No spend day!

Did a spinning class at the YMCA.

Wednesday, May 11th

$70 for our cleaning service

$98 at Costco for Reactin & Zone protein bars (more details to come!)

$9.17 at Canada Post to send some birthday cards overseas and a present via snail mail

$2.05 for a morning coffee at Cafe Depot

$1.88 at Second Cup post-work

$7.69 at AMC for kid size popcorn

I received guest passes for the VIP premiere of The Bridesmaids from my EC's mom and I went after work with a favourite colleague. We enjoyed some pre-movie sunshine on the patio at Second Cup, and once inside, treated ourselves with popcorn and a cute cupcake (free from a caterer sponsoring the show). The film is quite funny and ideal for a mid-week giggle session.

Thursday, May 12th

$7.69 at Subway for lunch

$8 at Cafe Theatre for a glass of wine

$20.51 at Guido & Angelina's for dinner

$13.50 at AMC for my ticket to see Something Borrowed

$11.48 at AMC for small sized popcorn

I couldn't remember the last time I went to the cinema and then this week, I went twice. Thursday night was ladies night and I met up with friends for a post-work drink, dinner, and then a rom-com. I absolutely loved Something Borrowed and I'll be adding this to my collection once I find it on DVD (in the previously viewed section, of course). Kate Hudson is adorable (I feel like we should be BFFs) and her outfits gave me so many ideas of what to wear this upcoming summer.

Friday, May 13th

No spend day!

My Eye Candy treated me to a glass of wine (or 2) at the Burgundy Lion. We spent the late afternoon sipping our drinks on the new patio and enjoying the short-lived sunshine.

Saturday, May 14th

$139.97 on new running shoes

I've never been so excited to buy sneakers before! The pair that I was wearing were long over-due to be replaced - they had done 2 half-marathons, 11 months worth of practice runs, and were worn while biking and spinning. Yikes! The moment I put my new NIKES on, my feet felt like they were in heaven and I will never go that long again before replacing a pair. I took these new babies out for an 18 km run in the evening (and in the rain) so they are broken in and ready for the Ottawa Half-Marathon in 2 weeks.

$178 at Costco on groceries for the upcoming week. More details to come!

All in all, I spent $85 of Fun Money this week so I was slightly over budget. I had more meals out than usual, but it was worth it. Plus, coming back from my vacations mid-week meant that I had some dollars to carry-forward. I no longer have a Vegas Baby envelope to put my extra Fun Money into. I've created a Girl's Just Wanna Have Funds envelope where my extra weekly moula-la-la will go for impromtu purchases. 

*Rosie*  

Weekly spending recap: April 10th - 16th

Sunday, April 10th

• $31 at the SAQ from our Grocery/Household envelope

We enjoyed a couple glasses of wine on our back balcony as spring's sunshine has finally sprung. This was post a beautiful run along the Lachine Canal so the carbs didn't count.

 

Monday, April 11th

• $14 on groceries

Did a spinning class at the YMCA which is part of my monthly membership for $52.

Tuesday, April 12th

• No spend day!

It was our first outdoor training session for my 3 Vitesses Triathalon Club. I’m pleased to announce that the club’s website (designed by the sporty, handsome and tech-savvy athletes known as The Spike & The Hammer) is up so if you’re interested in getting fit with some fun people, please train with us!

http://3vitesses.com/

Wednesday, April 13th

• $70 for our cleaning service (part of the 4 week budget)
• $3.69 on a secret item
• $23.12 at Canada Post to mail the secret item plus to stock back-up on stamps

My cousin is finishing his exchange in France and with less than 4 weeks to go, I’ve sent him a little something to remind him how good life is in Canada. I’ll share this “gift on a budget” in a few weeks just to guarantee the surprise element of snail mail for him.

Thursday, April 14th

• $178 to HYDRO QUEBEC

They have moved from a monthly billing post-usage billing system to a monthly pre-usage billing system so this covers from March to June 2nd and is part of my rolling 4-week budget.

• $44 at H&M for a blue & white striped blazer (Clothes Fund)
• $26 at WINNERS for a military inspired work dress (Fun Money)

Success! My coveted Cameron D blazer has been found, purchased and even worn. (See my post:

Changing my mind like a girl changes clothes.) I also picked up a another dress that is similar to one that I had torn out of a magazine a few months ago.

After diligently tracking my spending and building 4 week rolling budgets for 9 months now and finishing a 40-days of no shoes/clothes/accessories shopping, I have put an official “clothing” expense into my budget. I have decided to set-aside $100 a month for clothes that is above my Fun Money. While this is much lower than the old-me would have spent, it will be at my discretion how I use it each month… some months may be higher if I know I need to purchase running shoes or a fancy dress for a wedding, and other months may be lower if I put my weekly Fun Money towards clothes instead of entertainment, dinners, or random miscellaneous purchases.

The amount in my Clothes Fund is not significant as it’s my attitude that’s important. Over the last little while, I’ve come to appreciate the existing clothes within my closet and I spend time planning looks that I want to wear. When I shop, it’s now with a purpose as I’m looking for a particular item that I felt would augment my current wardrobe instead of a frivolous purchase that is a quick pick-me-up.

Friday, April 15th

• $13 at MONDOU
• $30 on groceries

After work, Fergie & I headed over the dog park where a woman and I started chatting while our furry friends played. She was quite concerned that Fergie’s collar did not have her name tag on it with my phone number. While Fergie wears her Montreal canine license with code, the woman pointed out that if Fergie were to get lost & hopefully found, it would be much faster for the finder to call us than go via the Municipality. With that, Fergie and I headed over to Mondou to get her a name tag. While this cost could have come out of our couple’s Grocery/Household expense, I decided to use my Fun Money as I purchased a heart shaped tag that has pink bedazzled crystals on it! Talk about fun! I feel like Fergie now has an extra bounce in her step as her collar looks so chic & stylish.

Saturday, April 16th

• No spend day!

We were treated to a dinner at my Eye Candy’s mom’s house and spent the evening catching up, enjoying Rouladen, sipping Flensburger beer and discussing the merits of Tom Selleck’s handsomeness as he has aged (ok, the last part was reserved for me + EC’s mom as I think the EC tuned out for that conversation).

$15 has been moved into my Vegas Baby Fund which was left over from my $80 weekly Fun Money.  With my Eye Candy away this past week in Dallas for business, my grocery/household expenses were only $75 for the full week (including the trip to the SAQ) so I moved my remaining allocated $45 over to our couple's Mad Money fund. I have to admit, these envelopes are becoming quite thick with cash so the good times in Vegas are set to roll. 

*Rosie*

Weekly spending recap: April 3rd – April 9th

I can’t be good all the time! This week I spent my entire $80 of Fun Money so there is nothing that will be moved into my Vegas Baby spending envelope. But at least I had fun in the process!

Sunday, April 3rd
$6.71 at Van Hotte Café
$120 on groceries at Loblaws

I spent the day walking around Vieux Montreal with my Eye Candy and Miss Fergie. Doesn’t she just look so regal on the red carpet? She is one posh pooch! We stopped for café lattés at Van Houtte and I picked up a water bottle for Fergie as we didn’t have our usual H2O supply in the back of the car. Unfortunately, I regretted this purchase as the barista gave me nothing but attitude. My French is not perfect, but I’m certainly capable of ordering 2 coffees and a bottle of a water. What threw him was my request for an extra cup (Fergie tends to choke if she drinks directly from the bottle) and he tried to charge me $0.25 for it. I don’t think so! As my fashionable friends say, some people spend $7 on coffee and they spend $7 on accessories. In this case, I wish I had opted for a ring or something else.

Monday, April 4th
$2.50 at LaSalle Aquadome for swimming
$5.70 at Jean Coutu for Tylenol
$3.80 at a Depaneur on almonds

What can I say? I had an exhausting day leading up to a grueling round of management meetings at work and the aspirin was a necessity. The almonds were also necessary as I worked late and need something to tie me over until I could get home for dinner.

Tuesday, April 5th
No spend day! My day was entirely devoted to powerpointing, studying and product labeling as it was the eve before our “Royal Visit” at work. Unfortunately, I missed my last spinning class as work got in the way.

Wednesday, April 6th
D-day! My management meetings went off without a hitch. Afterwards, I was too tired to spend anything.

Thursday, April 7th
Swam with 3 Vitesses at College NotreDame (part of memembership)
Paid $52 for my monthly YMCA membership
Paid $6 for monthly subscription to The Gazette
Paid $180 for my quarterly hydro bill
$65 at Burgundy Lion

To toast the start of my long-weekend, my Eye Candy and I hit up NotreDame and ended up at Burgundy Lion for fish & chips and a couple rounds of drinks. The evening was my treat as he was exceptionally supportive leading up to my meetings and deserved a little treat too.

Friday, April 8th
No spend day! My envelope is empty and I was forced to resist temptation on my day off. This wasn’t easy as I was on the hunt for a new blazer and ended up leaving the store empty handed. Check out my last post Changing my mind like a girl changes clothes.

The good news is that my sister’s boyfriend is now joining us in Las Vegas! I spent a few hours online and on the phone hunting down the best deal for him as our getaway is only 3 weeks away now. I managed to get him a trip that is $150 more than what we purchased 9 weeks ago with only a couple of tweeks. He gets to fly into Sin City with us, but is flying back on a separate flight as it was much cheaper… but overall, not too shabby.

Saturday, April 9th
A frugally fun day! My Eye Candy and I walked around the Plateau with Miss Fergie and we were going to stop at a favourite tavern Bar Bily Kun (they have ostriche heads on the wall!) when I realized that I had no Fun Money left.

Instead, we headed over the Atwater Market and picked up some cheeses, deli meats, spicy garlic pickles, and a bottle of wine using our weekly grocery money. For $45, we were able to enjoy our gastronomic treats on our condo’s balcony and watched the sunset together. The best part is that we have enough left over to do it again tomorrow! (It’s +8˚C here in Montreal and that’s practically swimsuit weather after the winter we’ve had.)


All in all, I spent my $80 weekly allocation of Fun Money. While the week started out as chaotic, stressful and challenging, at least it ended in a fabulously fun fashion.

*Rosie*

Weekly spending recap: March 27th – April 2nd

Success! My 40 days of no clothing/shoes/accessories came to an end and I did it! I went over a month without adding anything to my closet. However, my fun birthday gifts definitely alleviated some of the stress, but the truth is, I haven’t worn any of my new dresses yet as it’s just too cold here in Montreal.

Sunday, March 27th

- $95 at Loblaws on groceries which I paid from our Household/Grocery fund.

My Eye Candy was away until Wednesday night so this actually covered all my solo eating and got us through all our meals until today. With the cost of food continuing to increase, I’m feeling the pinch on my wallet so I’m getting more creative with pantry dinners and shopping the fridge for lunch ideas.

- $10 of Fun Money to buy tickets for my cousin’s cousins’ graduating design show. While I can’t be there in person to see his portfolio live, I still want to support his work. Plus, it’s an investment as I’ll finally have an interior decorating on my speed dial!

Monday, March 28th

- $47 on cat food for Fernando paid from our Household/Grocery fund. I opted for a bulk size so this should last my furry friend for at least 3 months.

Tuesday, March 29th

No spend day!

Wednesday, March 30th

No spend day!

Thursday, March 31st

- $10 on miscellaneous gift basket items from WINNERS & Loblaws. A colleague at work is going on maternity leave so a friend & I decided to put together a little care package for her. Some of the items I already had at home. I’ll do a post later to share some more “Gift giving on a budget” tips.

Friday, April 1st

My shopping ban is finished! Over the last 40 days, I’ve really learned to maximize my existing closet and I’ve slowly started to mix new outfits together. I also took the time to put together a little book of new outfits I’d like to wear for the spring. Most of the pieces can already be found in my closet (surprise!), but I do want some fun additions for spring. I also went through my closet and pulled out anything with a price tag on it that hadn’t been worn.

I spent my Friday night shopping with a friend at the Dix-30 and our first stop was H&M where I returned a shirt that I had never worn. With my $44 store credit, I picked up 2 new purchases that are slightly out of my comfort zone:

i) Olive-khaki rolled-up painters pants

ii) White short-shorts

The total cost was $5.80 of Fun Money after using my store credit. I’ve modeled them at home and played dress-up so I know have 6 outfits that can go with these 2 purchases. When I finally strut my stuff in them, I’m dedicating my outfits to FHTS for the ongoing inspiration and encouragement throughout the past 40 days.

My friend and I also recovered from our shopping spree at Cabana and for $13, enjoyed a glass of wine and checked out the bar scene of the South Shore.

Saturday, April 2nd

- $6.20 at Marché Atwater My Eye Candy and I enjoyed an afternoon strolling around the Canal with Miss Fergie and it was the perfect opportunity to indulge in a pain au chocolat + café au lait while watching the world go by.

I spent $47 of my Fun Money this week so I'm putting the remaining $33 into my Vegas Baby fund. The trip is now 27 days away (so is the Royal Wedding!) and I'm glad that I've made the effort to cut back my day-to-day spending so this vacation won't be such a hit to my wallet.

*Rosie*

Weekly spending recap: March 20th - 26th

This week's spending recap is especially exciting as I have zilch to report. Nada. Nothing. Nilch. Rien. Zero! Trust me, in the world of personal finance blogs, this is impressive news. I opened my Fun Money envelope this morning and saw 4 crisp $20 bills in there... I somehow managed to go the entire week without spending any of my Fun Money. Sure, I did spend dollars from our Grocery/Household fund, but when it came to my own day-to-day, my $80 weekly allowance stayed put. And the best part? I did have fun this week! (Sidenote: I was also working longer hours preparing a gigantic presentation for our upcoming Royal Tour with our president. This may have played a role in my lack of expenses - I was too spent to spend!)

Sunday, March 20th
- No spend day!
Pretty much stayed on the couch all day sipping gingerale and recovering from the best birthday party ever.

Monday, March 21st
- No spend day!

Tuesday, March 22nd
- No spend day!
Did my usual spinning class at UNI which I paid for last December. I also rushed home to take care of Miss Fergie as my Eye Candy was on an excruciatingly long trip to Atlanta. Our dog walker stopped by during the day at a rate of $15 for 45 mins, but the EC covers this expense... he travels = he pays.

Wednesday, March 23rd
- No spend day!

Thursday, March 24th
- $29 at IGA for all the fixings of a pizza and chicken wings.

We had a cheat night as my Eye Candy finally returned home after snowstorms on the East Coast left him stranded in the Philidelphia airport overnight & throughout the day. A 2 hour flight turned from Atlanta-Montreal into a 24 ordeal via multiple airports and after all that, I felt that comfort food was in order.

I missed my usual morning swimming work-out as the EC was delayed unexpectedly. It's too hard for me to swim and take care of the pup in the wee hours of the morning before work. (Miss Fergie hasn't tried swimming yet so her joining me is not an option... and perhaps not socially acceptable. Although this summer, I am making use of my parents' pools to teach her do butterfly - when my Dad goes for his usual afternoon siesta of course. No need to rock that boat.)

Friday, March 25th
- $22 at the IGA for groceries
I also went to the YMCA after work and I'll confess, my motivation was because I have all these new new Lululemon exercise outfits to wear. My spinning class was pure intervals for 60 minutes and needless to say, I may have looked good going into the class ... but came out looking disgustingly hot. My YMCA membership is part of my rolling 4 week budget.

Saturday, March 26th
- $23 at Future Shop for the Ufile software
Guess what I'm doing this evening? It's tax time! I know it's Saturday night, but it's Montreal and spring is not here so I have no desire to step out in -12˚C weather anymore. After a 60+ hours of work this week, I'm ready to take it easy. Since I'm expecting a tax refund, this may be the best ROI of an evening ever.

My Eye Candy and I will both use the software so we took it from our Grocery/Household expenses for the week. This was a grey area as I didn't quite know where to allocate this purchase... tax software just doesn't exactly scream Fun Money.

We also did a bit of browsing at Reno Depot this afternoon. I'm still on the hunt to find a chic bookcase for our living room to hide our DVDs/CDs and miscellaneous. I feel like we are beyond the IKEA billybob shelving unit in our home decor style, but the spot is tight and I'm having trouble replacing them a nothing seems to fit.

In addition to window shopping, I also popped by the library to pick up my next round of reading material. I'm very much enjoying the "freeness" of the library. I still browse through Chapters Indigo, but rather than splurging on books I simply take photos of the ones I want to read and then go online to reserve them with my local library.

My last little bit of fun this week was spent with the EC and Miss Fergie as we did a 2.5 hour hike up & down (ok, it was more like trail walking) Mont Royal this afternoon. It was the perfect free activity to finish the week and I now have an exhausted puppy who loves me just a little bit more today.

The $80 from my Fun Money is going right into my Vegas Baby envelope. With the trip a mere 36 days away, I need to start glitter proofing my clothes. If there are any other ideas for free ways to spend my time, please share!

*Rosie*

Weekly spending recap: March 13th - 19th

My spending last week was pretty minimal. Mostly because I was so busy accepting birthday gifts that I didn’t have time to splurge on myself. HeeHee!

Here’s where my moula-la went last week:

Sunday, March 13th
No spend day!I did some window shopping with my Mum and we checked out our favourite home décor stores. While there was plenty of “stuff” to browse through, I didn’t make any purchases.

Monday, March 14th
No spend day! I was in Toronto for work so all my expenses were covered. I did enjoy Springrolls for lunch which I used to love when I lived in TO. The restaurant should really hurry up and get to Montréal.

Tuesday, March 15th
$3.87 at Carlton Cards
(You would think after last week’s splurge, I would have bought enough stock… but I was looking for the perfect little card to thank my parents & my sister for spoiling me with the perfect birthday gifts and that’s not easy to find.)
$6.73 on Stamps
(What’s the point of buying cards if you can’t mail them?)

I did my usual spinning class at UNI which was paid for last December. It was an extra peppy class as the music was pure Weekly Top 40 so I was really able to kick up my speed a notch. Not everyone in the room shared my enthusiasm for the tunes. In fact, I do believe a certain spinner was asking for Rihanna to “please stop the music” at certain points.

Wednesday, March 16th
$70 for our cleaning service
Worth every penny!

$37.52 at Entrecote Saint-Jean
Dinner with my work bff and favourite friend! The ladies are also the fabulous fashionista bloggers that I follow if you’re looking for some inspiration on how to spend your money this spring season. With only 4 dinner option on the menu (steak, steak, steak or more steak) it was a relatively easy purchase decision. I splurged on a glass of wine.

Thursday, March 17th
Happy St. Patty’s! It was a no spend day for me, but I did get a night out on the town with my Eye Candy and friends at Café Griffintown. We enjoyed a few rounds of drinks and the most delicious Mac & Cheese dinner that I’ve ever had. (If you’re going to cheat with carbs, you might as well not hold back).

Friday, March 18th
Again, a no spend day!

However, my favourite highschool teacher was in town for so Mrs. H treated me to lunch at Java U. This is our annual March Break tradition to get together & catch-up. Not that I get to take vacation this week, but still, I like to escape the office even if it’s for an hour.
I also popped by the YMCA after work (paid for on a monthly basis) to burn off some steam with a 40 minute interval run on the treadmill. Ottawa half-marathon here I come!

Saturday, March 19th
Happy Birthday to me!
All my spending was associated with preparing for my party. To read the full recap, check out my last post Crazy Little Party Girl!

This was a weird week for spending grocery/household money since I wasn’t home for the start of it and I ate out a fair bit. All in all, I spent $48 of my weekly Fun Money so I’m moving the remaining $32 into my Vegas Baby envelope. The best part is that I resisted the urge to treat myself to a birthday gift… while I do have a Gift Fund its really not to a secret way to give presents to myself!

*Rosie*

Weekly spending recap: March 6th - 12th

I am a little bit behind on my Weekly Spending recap for March 6th – 12th. I travelled to Toronto for work so my personal receipts were all mixed up with my work expenses and I needed time to sort through them. Plus, I got to spend the weekend with my family so when Sunday night rolled around, I opted for some bonding time versus sitting in front of my computer and cleaning out my wallet. None the less, here is how last week shaped up:

Sunday, March 6th

• $34 at Wal-Mart on the basic household items
• $122 at Loblaws on groceries that would last us for 4 days of food. My Eye Candy was on his own for the rest of the week as I had my Mum taking care of me.

Monday, March 7th

• $2.50 for swimming at the LaSalle AquaDome
• $11.28 at Canada Post to send my cousin a care package. Considering the parcel is full of goodies (read my last post, Gift Giving on a Budget) on route to Afghanistan , I found this to very affordable.
• $25.24 at Carlton Cards. I went it in to grab two birthday cards and walked out with 6. Oops! They were having a sale (Buy 3 Get 3) and I absolutely love their Papryus collection so I took it as an opportunity to stock on cards for all those special occasions from now until June. What can I say? I’m a sucker for a sale.
• $1.31 at Tim Hortons. There is something about Monday’s as I’m just not able to get through the afternoon without a caffeine kick.

Tuesday, March 8th

• No spend day! I did my usual spinning class at UNI Training which was pre-paid in December. Now that Daylight Savings Time has sprung, I should be outside biking within a few weeks. Here’s to a season of staying on my bike and scar-free.

Wednesday, March 9th
Date night! Since my Eye Candy had been travelling a lot over recent weekends and I was set to go away, I treated him to a night on the town in Montréal.

• $21 on IMAX tickets to see Arabia 3D which I had purchased last month through our Social Club at work. I saved $7 off the regular ticket price. A fire alarm got pulled half-way through the show so we had to make an emergency evacuation, but please note, I did not incur any injuries. While it was a nuisance, IMAX gave us 2 tickets towards another show so I’m not complaining. Our next date night will be a freebie!
• $42 at Brit & Chips in Old Port for a post-movie dinner and round of beer. I made a fool of myself by ordering a 1/4 pint. What can I say? It's usually all I drink so it should be a standard size.

Thursday, March 10th

• No spend day! A bad snow storm hit Montreal so flights were delayed arriving into Trudeau’s airport. I spent 7 hours waiting to take a 90 minute flight to Toronto and trust me, the airport is really not that exciting. WestJet did serve us cupcakes in an effort to make up for the inconvenience. At least I got a sugar rush! All the rest of my expenses (dinner & drinks) are covered by work.

Friday, March 11th

• No spend day!

Saturday, March 12th

• $1.82 at Starbucks: my Mum drove downtown Toronto with me on route to have my haircut so I figured I owed her at least a cup of tea to thank her for her company (and the loan of the car).
• $94 for my haircut including tips and $5 for parking. This is the Personal Care expense that I had planned for the month. Please see my recent post Finding the "One" as this $99 pricetag left me feeling like a million-bucks and came in $1 under budget.

As a result of my splurge at Carlton Cards, I used up all of my $80 of Fun Money for the week and actually went over by $2.25. Not a huge deal, other than I like the satisfication of putting left-over cash into my Vegas Baby fund. Maybe next week!

*Rosie*

Weekly spending recap: February 22nd - 26th

Ladies & Gents, I present my first weekly spending recap. As part of my 4 week rolling budget, I have allocated $120 / week to groceries & households plus $80 of fun & frivilous spending cash. I'm trying to live frugally these days and save my Fun Money for my upcoming trip to Las Vegas.

Sunday, February 20th:
- $37 on groceries

- $20 to my Eye Candy towards the purchase of a bottle of wine & Scotch.

We had had my cousins over for dinner the night before and he picked up the booze. My contribution is somewhat minimal as Kumala, favourite cabernet sauvignon, is only $11 at the SAQ and ahem, only one person in our relationship drinks the Scotch. Sidenote: I am bitter about this purchase as I was a complete klutz when I took the groceries out of the car and my wine fell out of the bag and onto the concrete garage floor. It never stood a chance.

- did a strength training class + run at the YMCA which is part of my regular monthly expenses

Monday, February 21st
- $2.50 for a swim at the LaSalle Aquadome.

For this relatively cheap indulgence, I got a solid 1 hour work-out at 7:00 am and the opportunity to practice underwater martial arts as I fought against a 60 year-old lane hog who despite his size, had one fierce flip turn.

Tuesday, February 22nd
- no spend day!
- did my spinning class at UNI which I pre-paid for in December

Wednesday, February 23rd
- no spend day!

I was on a business trip to Toronto, so all my expenses were covered. My flight was late so Miss Fergie had to spend the night at the vet and I'm going to talk to my boss as I think this deserves to be covered too.

Thursday, February 24th
- no spend day!

Friday, February 25th
- $8.50 at SuperVideo.

I was home with a nasty cold and needed some entertainment. I spent the day sick as a dog, snuggling Fergie on the couch, and watching Lady & the Tramp plus 101 Dalmatians. Good times! After watching all that puppy love romance, I made myself a delicious & spicy spaghetti squash for dinner endorsed by my favouite Paleo Girls.

- $75 to register for the Ottawa Half-Marathon (planned for in my monthly budget)

- $65 for my year-long Saturday subscription to the Monteal Gazette (I have enough $ in my monthly budget to cover this and it saves me in the long run! Check out yesterday's post: Subscribing to Savings for more details.)

Saturday, February 26th
- $42 on groceries
- $23 on Fernando's cat food

I now have $50 left-over from my Fun Money that is going towards a new envelope, appropriately named Vegas Baby. From the remaining groceries/household contribution, my $20 is going toward our Mad Money fund. If this keeps up, I’ll have little jackpot saved up before the vacation starts… and isn’t that the way it should be?

*Rosie*