Tag Archive: budget

Final upgrades

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Thu. March 27, 2008

Bloody hell. I just wrote a couple of paragraphs about my day and the damn browser crashed on me. Ugh. Well here we go again.

Whoo, I’ve had a full morning. Today I had another appointment at the design centre to finalize all of the selections the consultant and I had drafted out during my previous visit. In the end, I did decide to go with my full wish list–so yeah: that’s one big chunk of change. Throughout the process I was letting out big sighs of disbelief. I mean, the whole thing was like this weird dream where I’m signing away large amounts of cash. It felt totally unreal. I mean, how often do you get to do that, right?

The lead up to this morning has been mildly rough. I’ve been really apprehensive about the whole thing because I’ve been worrying about where I’m going to get the funding to do everything that I want to do for my place. When it comes to monetary things, often I worry a great deal. In the end, things usually work themselves out due to paying close attention to flow or other circumstances, and I end up having worried for nothing. It just turned out that this morning’s meeting was just another case where circumstance was on my side.

OK, so here’s some background. I have to pay 15% of the purchase price as a deposit for my place. I’ve already paid off a large sum of that, but not the full percentage yet. I have to come up with the balance of that cash (which is a couple thousand) by my possession date next April. Secondly, since I’m trying to finance my upgrades, I only have to pay off 35% of the total cost of the upgrades as a down payment. That can be spread out, but it’s still a hefty bill. So you see, that’s why I was concerned. I mean, I was worrying about where I’d come up with the cash to take care of both. So this morning is where the magic happened.

As I signed away on pages and pages of forms, the design consultant told me that the down payment for the upgrades would count toward the 15% balance. What in the world?! She punched in the numbers into a document, and after deducting the upgrade cost, the remaining balance due next year turned out to be just a few hundred. She wasn’t sure that the numbers were right, so we calculated it all out together, and indeed, it was correct. Oh, but since it was just a few hundred, I told her that I could write another cheque for that balance and throw it toward a larger down for the upgrades. So I did that, and when she punched in the numbers into the document, the balance listed was $0.

$0.

What in the world??? Effectively then, I don’t have to pay any more come next April. Again, we were both questioning the numbers, but yeah, they worked out. That is absolutely insane. It frees up funds for other uses! It’s certainly one less thing for me to be stressing out about. Craaazy! I may have had doubts before, but seriously, I can do this! I’ll be honest and say that I really feel blessed that something this important has a bit of resolution, know what I mean?

And so, today was a good day.

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Showroom glam

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Sat. March 22, 2008

I took time today to head up to Vaughan today to check out the suggested big appliance showroom located there. Yeah, even though possession is still on April of next year I was told to go there and get measurements for the stove that I want. See, I’m planning on upgrading to a slide-in range, and for that to be accepted they need the measurements when I finalize the upgrades so that they know how much to cut from the counter top. To me, it seems ever so slightly ridiculous because I won’t be sure whether the model I want now will still be available or have the same dimensions when it actually comes time to buy the darn thing. Now, I’m not even required to buy anything at the moment, so really this trip was for exploratory purposes.

Anyway, I was sort of in awe of everything in the showroom. So many choices! I went in with stainless steel appliances in mind. See, the condo comes with five appliances. They’re plain white and pretty basic. I sort of want to go the stainless steel route just for the sake of making it all look rich, you know? It also increases resale value when it comes time for all of that. By going to that showroom place, I’m getting decent credit for those white appliances if I upgrade them.

All in all, I don’t think I need to touch the washer/dryer since that part is pretty tucked away anyway, right? So that leaves the fridge, stove, and dishwasher. For stainless steel, I wasn’t expecting to really go far over $2500. Hoooly crap was I wrong. I think I was seduced by all of the showroom glam. I sort of gravitated over to the Kitchen-Aid appliances which…yeeeah. They’re expensive, and yet, so very very nice.

*SIGH*

I can’t directly afford it all right now…but I will be able in the future when I actually need to buy the darn things. So, I’m not entirely scared of drowning yet. However, man, it’s just adding yet another thing to the pile of expenses that I need to consider for this whole thing.

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Vicious December

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Thu. December 13, 2007

When I left work for home, I saw a long line up for the streetcar so I decided to hike up to the station. I love cooler days like this because I find it easier to free the mind of thoughts. In the summer, I tend to focus on sweat which isn’t so much of a pleasant thing to meditate upon. By the time I left though it had just finished snowing a couple of centimetres. So the sidewalk was covered by a layer of watery slush. I was wearing my Rockports, so I found it pretty difficult to deal with the slush. My footing slipped many times as I shuffled along. I didn’t fall, but I very well could have if I kept going. In the end, I gave up after a few blocks and headed for the nearest streetcar stop.

I have boots, which is what I’d normally wear when I’m anticipating this type of weather. It’s just that they’re ridiculously heavy. I wore them for one week a couple of weeks ago. By the end of that period my knees were achy and my legs were constantly worn out. So, I’ve stopped wearing them and have been wearing my summer shoes in the meantime. Of course, that’s problematic. They’re not suited for this type of weather. The shoes need good traction. So, I think it’s really time to buy proper footwear once again.

I need to head into the malls sometime soon. Thing is, do I really want to brave the crowds? I’m really tempted to put this off until later. Besides that, I don’t want to add yet another thing to my growing list of expenses this month. December is a month that’s vicious on the bank account. Spending can easily get out of hand if it isn’t kept in check, right? I’ve still got to buy gifts. I also have to pay for a windshield replacement–it’s been cracked since before my Arizona trip. There’s also an anticipated expense taking place on Wednesday of next week–I’ll talk about that one when the time comes. There’s a lot to do, and a lot to buy.

I figure that I can rest a little bit once the month is over, but meanwhile…eternal vigilance!

Uh…and less long walks to the station.

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The design book

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Thu. December 6, 2007

Last night I got a message on my cell telling me to come into the home builder sales office to pick up my design package. Damn I was excited. I mean, for a while now I’ve been imagining just how everything would look in the condo, and now these docs are bringing me steps closer to having a clearer image of it all. I stopped by the office right after work. When I got back to the car, I opened the envelope and proceeded to “ooh” and “aah” at what I was seeing despite the fact that it was pretty dark and I wasn’t getting a clear view of it all.

So, here I am at home now. I’ve had a good look at everything, and damn, things are going to cost a lot. I’m pretty torn. Heh. I want to make the place all fancy but I have to be conscious about my budget. Just how much can I pile onto the mortgage before the budget becomes too tight? What kind of luxuries can I afford to live without? For example, do I need granite counter tops in the bathroom? That’s only ~$480. Hardwood flooring would be an extra ~$4500 (!). Laminate is included–is it worth it to upgrade? The super-fancy kitchen upgrades would cost anywhere between $2300 – $4300. Did you know you can get an elongated toilet for around $800? Is an elongated toilet any more comfortable? I dunno. I’m curious.

And what about appliances??? ARGH!

Oh man, so much to think about. I guess I need to do a few things to get my thoughts organized (because right now they’re scattered all over the place). I should do the following.

  1. Set a budget.
  2. Prioritize the areas that I would want to pour money in.
  3. Differentiate between needs and wants.

Eventually I’m going to be called in to meet with the design consultant. I’m sure everything will become clearer after speaking with him/her. In the meantime, I’m going to have to adjust to my mind being in hyper mode for the next little while.

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Home decor is going to cost a lot

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Sat. September 22, 2007

So, after eating, and prior to the start of the movie, Sharon and I went walking around the big box stores around the theatre. We went into both Home Outfitters and Pier 1 Imports. Even though the condo won’t be done for another 14 months or so, we thought it would just be good for me to get general ideas on how to decorate the place. This was really the first time I’d gone into these stores for that particular purpose. Man, it’s going to be expensive to decorate. I mean, I knew that it would cost a lot, but that thought was never really “solid” until now (the thought was just floating around in my head).

After wandering around with her, I figured out a few things. Previously, I had the idea that I wanted an autumn-type colour palette. I was considering black, rich, dark browns, crimson, burnt orange, creams, etc. One of the stores was set up with these colours for the fall season. After seeing it there, I’m now convinced that it’s a good fit. If I work with these colours though, I don’t want the look to end up all nature-ish, which is possible since the palette evokes images of forests of trees in autumn, yeah? Instead of evoking nature, what I’m thinking about is…probably a man-made organic feel, does that make sense? I want it to feel human, and quite masculine.

Furniture wise, I think I want an L-sectional. I like the idea of having a bit of a corner to curl up in. It would be nice if my dinner table was thick glass, maybe with wood or some other strong support underneath. I want a nice lounging chair on the balcony. I would love to have stainless steel appliances, and a front-loading washer/dryer. All of this is well and good, but I wonder if I’ll even have enough room for all of this stuff. I’ll have to get creative with placement.

In the end, I’ll have to set aside a couple thousand to achieve something close to what I want. Saving up those resources might take a while. I have a feeling that I’ll be starting out with a real hodgepodge of styles. Really though, isn’t that how so many people start out? With that knowledge, I don’t think I’ll feel so bad if things look a bit ugly for the first while–just as long as I’d be working toward changing it and improving.

Of course, this is still more than a year away. A lot can happen between now and then: I might change the way I envision things. If I do, I guess all I have to do is head back into the stores and see how I can make my vision a reality.

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Playing by the rules

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Mon. August 20, 2007

Earlier today, as I was typing away at my terminal, I suddenly stopped and stared up at the ceiling. I thinking to myself about how I wasn’t really enjoying my field of work. Malaise was setting in as I wondered why I was still doing what I was doing. What snapped my out of my daydreaming was the fact that my screen switched to the screen saver. I nudged the mouse and got back to my programming duties.

What, with all of the expenses looming on the horizon, I’m currently set on a certain path for the next little while. I don’t necessarily have the luxury of switching gears right now. I’m just unable to do so because I’m not willing to but my expected stability at risk. So, all I can do is work hard at my station in life (for now) to advance myself as much as possible. I’m doing so in hopes that it will afford me the luxury to have some more freedoms in the future. It’s a pragmatic approach to life, but sometimes you just have to play by the rules to win the game.

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Buying into consumerism

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Sat. September 16, 2006

Eh, well, I’ve been on a diet since…April, it seems. I’ve been trying to make sure the numbers have gone down at a steady rate, but some days they’ve dipped down by large unhealthy amounts. I’ve dipped down under 200 at some point, and to be honest, I never thought I’d get there.

Of course, I’m talking about my bank account, not my weight. Hahah, frankly I can’t imagine weighing until 200. It’s been a spending diet! Anyway, after graduating, I’ve been trying to tighten up on my spending habits (not including my Japan splurge), if only because I didn’t have a steady income. It has been tough, and to be honest, I’ve given in many times. The lure of spending to socialize was often too great. As such, money flowed like…um…maple syrup (definitely not like water, but not as thick and slowly as molasses).

Well, even though I didn’t get paid this week, I’ve lifted my spending block. Sort of. I have gift cards for some stores that I’ve been holding onto until I’ve been in a spending mood. So, I’ve been using those, as well as putting things on credit. It’s all right though because I know that I’ll be coming into money really soon. So, I’ve got some new clothes now, as well as Futurama Vol. 2 and Drawn Together Season One. I’m going against conventional wisdom, and all, but I kind of enjoy shopping. I like getting nice things. So, I mean, knowing that I can spend again kind of feels good. It’s like I’m no longer forcibly cutting myself back.

Ah, but now that I’ve splurged, I have to cut back once more until I get paid. I can last two weeks.

I think.

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Neither here nor there

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Wed. June 14, 2006

Hmm…

Right now, I just want to head off on my trip to Japan. Yeah, I’m excited about seeing the sights and such, but there’s also a secondary reason why it’s so important. Just the other day I finally took a few more baby steps towards finding a job. I opened up an account at Monster and posted my resume publicly. I’ve been poking around the job listing and a few seem interesting. The thing is, I believe I’ve put up a mental block with regards to applying. The fact that the trip is coming very quickly is making me not want to apply to anything in the interim. The reason? I don’t want the interview process to be broken up for 2 weeks. Sure, the trip is only 10 days, but I suspect I’ll be needing some time to recover. I know there will be just as many job opportunities once I return.

See, thing is though, there are some things scaring me right now. My dwindling bank account balance is hitting critical levels. This is a problem, especially when I’ve got things to pay off…like this laptop. Things are going to be tight for the next few months. I’m kind of stuck in limbo. It’s not bad…it’s not good either. You know?

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