All good things must come to an end

I’ve been a saver for as long as I can remember and while I love watching my cash grow, my saving sprees tend to be goal oriented. As a child, I would save up my Dad’s spare change for book purchases, or as a teen I diligently put away baby-sitting money for tuition fees, and as a summer intern, I’d stash away my salaries for European travels during my semesters abroad.  

It comes as no surprise then that I’m in love with ING. Their motto of “save your money” speaks to my soul in the same way that Madonna’s music does. In addition to switching from CIBC to ING's THRIVE chequing account and a having Registered Investment Savings Plan with them, I have several savings accounts that receive automatic deposits with each pay cheque.  My favourite part of their savings accounts is that I can give each account a cute nickname and establish a goal for the account. ING then sets up a bar graph to show me how I’m doing and their CEO, Peter R. Aceto even e-mails me to congratulate me when I’ve reached my goal. 

At the moment, I have 5 savings accounts: one for a cash down payment on our next home, another for vacations, one for Fergie & Fernando should they need unexpected vet care, another for Christmas gifts, and finally an emergency stash that also covers out of pocket medical bills like my glasses or enormous bulk purchases of Reactin from Costco.

This morning I went to set-up another 2 savings accounts: one for our wedding in summer 2013 and the other for a king size bed. The only problem? A giant error messaged appeared announcing that ING limits the amount of savings accounts you can have. Darn! While I appreciate the other accounts that ING offers, they don’t suit my savings needs and I really love having one account per goal.  

In one Error message, ING broke up with me.
It's almost as bad as doing it via text message!

What’s a girl to do? I’m considering taking out the cash each month and stashing it into two giant piggy banks, but this seems unpractical. 

My love affair with ING savings accounts has reached its peak, and I’m going to have to look elsewhere for my savings options. I feel like I’m about to cheat on  my favourite bank, but then again, ING is the one who is ending our relationship out of the blue. 

*Rosie*

Sacrificing space to save money... is this just silly?

When I first moved to Montreal, I found a 3.5 apartment with 800 square feet for $918 a month in the neighbourhood known as the Golden Mile. I was a 10 minute walk from work and in the heart of downtown Montreal. I was also within walking distance to every shop you could imagine and the metro. As I had moved from Toronto, I thought that this was a score! Friends of mine were easily paying $1000 a month for less space and had the pleasure of living with a roommate just to be in the core of downtown TO.

However, I quickly discovered that I was paying a fortune by Montreal standards for my place. I then moved a couple more times into different neighbourhoods and with each move, my rent got a little bit lower. While I did sacrifice some space on my quest for a better rent deal, I never got as low as 90 square feet. Check out this woman who lives in NYC's smallest apartment for the "deal" of $700 USD a month. I don't think I could do it! I'm all up for saving money, but this would leave me feeling squished. My sanity is worth paying to protect and I think is small space is so extreme that it seems silly.

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/life/home-and-garden/decor/living-spaces/what-its-like-to-live-in-90-square-feet/article1972170/

For someone who claims to be a professional organizer, I don't feel like Felice Cohen's apartment is all that streamlined or minimalistic... but maybe that's just me. I would have the apartment looking for like a chic dollhouse and with less piles everywhere.

What are the biggest (or smallest!) sacrifices you have made to save money?

*Rosie*