I thought Vacations days were supposed to be relaxing?

So, the pool is gone, as of this afternoon. I took the day off work, and now I've successfully made a big hole in the back yard.

Taking down the pool was a lot harder than I expected in some ways, and easier in others.

Things I learned:

1. Don't even TRY to save the liner when you're removing an above ground pool. It adds so much time in prep, and we failed anyway, while being so careful. The seals around the jets, skimmer, as well as the fact that you're trying to get it away from sharp sheet metal makes this basically impossible.
2. Our "Above ground" pool, was buried 6-24 inches in the dirt - our back yard is sloped...   A lot of digging.
3. HOLY CRAP I hate spiders. Huge spiders every where. I screamed like a little girl, but thankfully it was a hot day so everyone had their A/C on and their windows closed. I don't go out of my way to kill something, but I'm apparently part ninja and I killed those suckers to death before I could stop myself.  (In other news, its going to rain for the next 4.5 years)  
4. I had to pick one of the HOTTEST friggin days to REMOVE my pool. When finished, my first thought was - "Oh, I'd live to go for a swim!" *face palm*

I made a hole!

I sold the pool for a very fair 250 dollars.

It was a very nice, one piece metal walled, above ground pool. The liner was shot, but that's only 150 to buy new. So for $400, my buyer got a $2,000+ Pool, Sand Filter, and 1HP Jacuzzi brand pump.  I, got some help disassembling it, so he could see how to put it back together. and The deal is done, and we're both happy. I think it was my dad that told me that a Fair deal is one where both parties are happy, or both people feel screwed - I agree!

My neighbors and their amazing kids (all 4 of them!) had some soil left over from some yard work, so We worked out a trade and they even helped me drag it into my back yard. I've got about 1/4 the dirt I need to fill in the new hole I've successfully made. Dirt compacts quite a bit over time, so I'm planning on using about 25-50% "more" dirt than I think I need, to turn that hole into a bit of a dirt "dome" in assumption that it will settle over winter to become flat.

It feels like my money is going down a hole lately...

This summer has been BRUTAL on us. $1500+ on car repairs in the last month, and I found out we need a roof more urgently than I had ever thought... and of COURSE I just put the deposit on our honeymoon!

The Owner of Urban Roofing came by to give us a quote tonight, and it was very informative. I'll share what I learned in my next post!

Bye Bye Pool!

So, We've Decided to Sell the pool.

There are a number of reasons why we've decided to, and I'll go over them in detail below.

First, The pool:

Its one of the smallest "permanent" pools you can buy - a 12 foot round, 4 foot deep pool. Its got a Big Sand Filter, and a 1 HP Jacuzzi Pump, which are both great brands and long lived.

Before we sold it, I tried a few things to justify keeping it:

Cost Cutting:

I set the pump to run only 4 hours a day, However, quickly realized that that wasn't enough - the pool turned green as I use chlorine pucks, and the lack of water flow caused them to sit there and not dissolve. It then cost about 40 dollars in chemicals to bring it back into line.


Using it more: 

I bought a new Solar cover to get the pool to be warmer. Result: during colder weeks, the pool reached a very respectable high 70*f 's range, However, It was cold out, so we didn't use it.
When it was hot out, The pool got above 90 degrees... which wasn't refreshing at all. So... we didn't use it.
When the solar cover was off on a heat wave, the chlorine was eaten up within 24 hours and I had to shock the pool, making it pretty much un-fit for swimming, Although, that didn't stop everyone from using it.


Cutting off the A/C to the house:

I got that Nest thermostat - I set it to perma "Away" mode. This made both of us cranky, and not sleep well. We did use the pool more, but the overall quality of living went down, so that lasted about a week or two.

Game Over man, Game over!

Last week we made the decision to sell it. It didn't last long. 2 days later (a.k.a. Yesterday) and its sold. I've already got it drained, and the fellow is helping me take it apart Monday night.

Why?

Its too close to the fence:

I can't get the lawn mower around the pool. The result is 3 foot tall weeds, unsightly, prickly plants. its made it so I don't want to entertain.

Its just too big for our backyard:

We have a Semi-Detached "link" home. 30 foot wide lot, and our back yard is maybe 25 feet deep. Between the large Deck, and the pool, we have about a 10X15 patch of lawn to "play" in.

Monthly Cost of running the pool:

Running a pool pump 24/7: $60
Chlorine Pucks: $20
Shock, Algaecide, PH-Up, Calcium, etc: $5-10
Budgeting for wear and tear (new tarps, Solar blankets, floaty toys, etc) : $5

Total Monthly cost for that small pool was around $90/Month!

Over the summer so far, I've used it 5 times in 3 months.

Averaged out, that's $54 per swim. 

On that reason alone:

Bye Bye Pool!

My pool turned Green

Ugh.

So Thursday I noticed that my pool was looking a little bit off. Not as clear as it should be. It was pouring, so I made a mental note to check it in the morning.

Still pouring in the morning. To be "safe", I asked Megan to put in some chlorine pucks when it stopped raining. She did it all perfectly, ran the pump for the day and I assumed all was well. We got home last night late after fireworks, and this morning, I look out the back window to a GREEN pool. not "safe" enough I guess!

UGH. (again)

So, I did what I thought was best at the time - I threw in an unknown amount of algicide I had laying around (algicide 10?) and two chlorine pucks into the skimmer basket (the one was still in our floaty thing) and turned on the pump.

Here's hoping its magically cleared up when I get home. I'm assuming I'm going to have to scrub the pool down to clean it. :-(

Getting closer and closer to getting rid of the bloody thing. Used it twice this year so far. Megan uses it more often. It also pops the breaker whenever I use anything in the garage (vacuum, compressor, saw, etc) so I have to remember to unplug the pump constantly. I spend a lot more time maintaining it than using it. However I think that when Megan and I have kids, they'd love it, however thats years away and it'll probably need an expensive liner/parts/etc by then... which turns me off even more.

Basically, its like driving a car into the ground - if something expensive breaks (pump, filter, liner, etc) I'm getting rid of the thing. I'd like to replace it with a gazebo thing and/or a Koi Pond instead. Something that would actually be relaxing. lol

Part of my issue with the Green pool may be related to the PH - something I've largely ignored. its possible that I've had a PH Crash which has "used" all my Chlorine quickly. Its doubtful as my pucks have stabilizer in them, but I'm going to have to go buy a decent (aka not the 7 dollar one I got from crappy tire) Chlorine and PH tester for the pool.

Updates to follow! I should have taken a picture... :-(

Stop those damn telemarketers...

Hey Everyone! You might want to read this:

This fall is the 5 year anniversary of Canada's "Do not call" list going live.

What most people don't know is that you have to re-register your number every 5 years - or you get removed from this list!

Check your registration status here:
https://www.lnnte-dncl.gc.ca/verins-chkreg-eng

Takes not 2 minutes to renew, and can save you some annoying telemarketing calls.

You can also rat out people who call you at the same site. Menu bar on the left!

For U.S. Readers, You also have a Do Not Call list as well, Located here:
https://www.donotcall.gov/

There's a special place in hell for companies that telemarket aggressively and irresponsibly. Putting yourself on the do not call list allows you to register complaints when you do get called, and the government can (and has) sued corporations that break the rules.

Installing The Nest!

So as a mini Recap of the last few posts:

My thermostat Broke. AC was getting stuck ON, or stuck OFF.
I looked into replacement thermostats, and found one that is super overkill, but nerdy, which I decided I must have.

Since I have an older house (1977) I had to make sure it was compatible with my furnace/AC system. (It is!)

So now, I present to you: NEST.

I went over WHY I wanted the nest in a previous post... But i'll be straight up:

This is 50% toy, 50% energy saving thermostat.

It does, however have the potential to save energy for anyone. Its just a very premium thermostat, that also looks amazing as well, rather than having a white VCR-Like LCD control system in your living room. This is a sleek little black and brushed steel circle that only lights up when you walk directly toward it.

The slick look isn't just in the wall, but also the packaging:

It includes ALL you need to install the nest:

Contents:

• Multi Tip Magnetic screw driver (Really nice! I'm keeping this for computer work!)
• 2 snazzy drywall screws 
• Back Plate
• Wall Plate
• Box Mount
• The Nest Unit itself
• The directions I completely ignored.

I didn't need the box mount, because my wires literally come out of a hole in the wall.

I did use the face-plate, so I could hide the lines caused by years of painting around the Old thermostat. I debated sanding this down (I actually DID sand it down) but realized I was going to need to some putty and a scraper, and then repaint... and then I eralized they had painted over wall paper... *facepalm*

It required a lot of work, and I've never had to do this where it really mattered (I've done it in warehouses, Homeless shelters... but not in a living room that would be under constant scrutiny) so I did touch up the paint a bit and decided to use the face-plate, which was optional. (But if you can avoid using the face-plate, It looks better without it, In my Opinion, as the nest reflects the color of your wall and blends in)

Anywho, to the installation:

Remove your old thermostat base plate, by removing the drywall screws, and loosening the screws that hold the wires down.

Make sure your wires don't fall into your wall, or you're going to have a good long session of curse words as you try and fish them out again. (thankfully I avoided this. You might want to wrap the wires around a pencil to help with this.)

Get the nest's Back-plate, feed the wires through the hole in the middle. 

Screw the back-plate onto the wall loosely.

Rotate the back plate until level (there's a baby bubble level built into the backplate! Cool!)

Tighten screws

Straighten out the ends of the wires. They were probably curved around the screws in your old thermostat.

push the into the properly labeled holes. (G for green, Rh for Red ( h is for hot, as in live power with 24 volts), etc.

The wire has been inserted far enough with the button on the outside depresses itself. (slick!)

When that's all done, tuck the wires into the wall nicely

now, the nest just pushes onto this faceplate!

Tada! Completely installed, with Minimal to no bloodshed!

When it fires up, it goes through a super simple setup, which you control by tapping the screen and rotating the dial. (the dial feels like a really expensive volume dial on a stereo system)

It asks you:

• Age of your house (for Insulation purposes)
• Type of heat/cooling (gas, Oil, Electric, etc)
• Any other Thermostats in the house?
• Wifi network and password
• and then gets you to set the temperature via a little wizard.

Its truly idiot proof!

So, over the next few weeks, it will be memorizing our living habits. When we like it warmer, when we like it cooler, when we leave the house (it has a motion sensor) and various other things.

After a few weeks, I'll post how I find it, and if it was worth it to make the leap to an overly expensive thermostat!

I leave you with the nest installation video:

Furnace wiring - Easier than you think! (Preparing for the "Nest")

Hi all,

In a previous post, I let you know that my Thermostat had died on me - It was getting stuck off, or stuck on... I took a look at my Energy bill... and could see exactly how much it cost me - A/C got stuck on for 3 hours, for a grand total of  3KwH of juice every hour it was stuck on (about 20 cents during non-peak/weekend time)

What I've also realized is that I can control the Furnace/AC by shorting out some connections.

Its all a 24 volt system... which may tingle a little bit if your fingers are wet... but generally one should be afraid of touching exposed wires in a building, let alone doing it with wet fingers. (Darwinism, Preservation instinct, are a few topics that come to mind)  

However, these wires (provided you have a "low voltage" 24volt system) are completely safe to handle.

So Depending on your setup, you'll have anywhere from 2 to 6 or even 8 wires. MOST places with A/C will have 4 or 5 wires. Heat only might just have 2.

Basically, There's a bunch of wires going to your thermostat.
In my case, "There. Are. Four. Wires!"  (we'll see who gets that reference)

I have a fairly standard setup.  (yay! something simple and straight forward for once!)

The Colors:

Red: 24 Volts - basically the power source to switch the other wires "on"

Green: Controls the fan/blower in the furnace - used for both Heat and Cooling!

White: Controls the Heating.

Black: (NORMALLY called the "Common" wire, also normally supplies 24 volts... but because my house is older, I can tell its been taken over to signal the A/C to engage, hense why its hooked into "Y" on my broken thermostat.

Yellow: (if you have it) is dedicated for Cooling. my "yellow" is being run through a repurposed Black "common" wire, which is fairly "common" practice (har har...)

More wires may exist if you have a new house with a fan-dangled high-end modern HVAC system thingofabob. (Like geothermal, Heat Pump, 2 stage, Variable Speed DC Fans, etc.)


Bottom line is, after looking at these wires, I have learned is that there is a 99% chance that the NEST Thermostat will work fine for me.

It is a mini computer, and leaches power from that 24 volt line, so ideally, That black line should have been "common" so it wouldn't weaken the red wires "signal" to the furnace - However the nest has a built in battery to help isolate itself and avoid problems - Here's hoping it works... or I'll be standing in line at the returns at Home depot in a few days!

Another trick looking into all this has taught me is that if you are ever in a bind, and your thermostat breaks down in the middle of winter - Just tie the red and white wires together, and your furnace will turn on. (or use a paperclip to bridge the connectors if you have a removeable faceplate like I do (pictured earlier on)

Because I'm a nerd, I'm actually super excited to get my hands on this Nest.

Next post: Installing the Nest!

I'm impressed!

So, a precursor to this post.  I am a computer nerd. While I did spend summers camping/working outdoors, the majority of my spare time is spent in front of the computer. Some people are flabbergasted by new technology. When I see new technology, I get excited, but I think "About time..." not "wow! its magic!"

So Last fall, I actually planted a few things: Garlic, Some Tulips, and some other random bulbs that were on sale.

This spring, they all grew up into flowers. *shock*

I find this astonishing. What looks like Plant poop, that has been sitting around home depot for god knows how long, is buried into the ground, Frozen for 4 months, and then grows and flowers just weeks after the ground thaws.

Some people think technology is amazing. It is. But so is nature!

Next year I'm going to try and make a "butterfly garden". Megan loves butterflies, so we'll see what sort of cool/beautiful bugs we can attract!

Update:  My Garlic looks like its doing really well (all 3 of them that weren't dug up by the rabbits/squirrels that is)

Some photos from a week or two ago:

Regarding my vegetable garden:

My Radishes are growing, lets hope they don't crack open this time. I've also planted 2 Pumpkin plants, and 3 pea plants to climb the fence - I haven't seen them yet - Not very hopeful, sadly. :-(

However... I'm starting to think it is no fault of my own...
I now know why some of my plants aren't growing.

RABBITS!

they are super cute (and theres more than one) but they're eating my radishes, and pruning some of my flowers!

They aren't very good at being covert...

So for next year, if I want to plant any rabbit food, I'll have to get some wire up around the garden. Pesky wabbits!

Thermostat Broken - watch for Finger

So, after I spent all that time cleaning out my AC unit, we didn't even use it until 3 days ago, When it was 32 Degrees and super humid!

So yesterday, I was watching TV in the basement (where its always cold) and I noticed that the furnace fan had been on for a long time.  I went upstairs - and it was freezing as well.

20 Degrees.

The thermostat was set to 24!

The thermostat shows that the system was off... but clearly the A/C didn't get the memo.
I did the most scientific testing to try to see if I could fix it...
Took a step back... cracked my knuckles... and pointed my finger at the unit with great authority. Like Crocidile dundee staring down a wild beast.

I moved forward, warning it not to test me... and then I tapped the unit with my finger a few times.

With the first tap, I heard an audible "click" and the the fan and A/C turned off promptly.

Success! All-powerful Finger: 1, Thermostat: 0

There is a relay in your thermostat which is basically just like an electronic switch. I'm thinking mine was stuck.

Hoping it was a one-off thing I adjusted the A/C to 23.5 (again, scientific testing) and walked away.

Apparently, The fear my index finger inspired was not long lasting.

Cunning little devil... - It waited until I was asleep to misbehave again.

This morning, it was a nice and balmy 27 degrees in my house. I woke up feeling super gross. Go downstairs - Thermostat shows 27 Degrees, with cooling "ON".

Thermostat: 1, Finger: 1. Tie game!

Again, with great authority I tap the unit with my "omnipotent" finger - "Click!"

A/C is now on. Confidant - I walked away.

Thermostat: 1, Finger: 2!

It was only 23 degrees outside and a nice breeze, so I let the A/C run for a few minutes, turned it off and opened the windows.

Later in the day, its getting hot and humid - I turn on the A/C again.

I TURN ON THE A/C.

... I TRY and turn on the A/C.

This time, I've got it down. I warm up the ol' finger and give it a good tap. Nothing.

Tie Game. 2 all.

...But a punch worked!

I take the lead again! 3-2 Good Guy

However, I can't have the A/C clicking on when I'm out and refrigerating my entire house for a weekend.

Time to look for a replacement, as I believe the internal relay is sticking.

I COULD probably take the thing apart and solder on a new one, but finding the perfect size relay which is soldered on to the main board would be pretty involved. I'd probably have to wait for shipping, and My favorite electronic component supplier (digikey) usually has a minimum order size. (these are all excuses...)

The thermostat I have isn't OLD... it is programmable 7 day, but If I'm going to replace it, I'm probably going to pick something geeky and snazzy, with an added benefit of being "green"

Right now - that's looking like the "Nest" Thermostat. 

I'll cover the Nest in a later post - as I don't have the funds to grab one right now. For the next month or two, We'll basically treat our existing thermostat as an "on/off" switch, as I don't trust it not to refrigerate our house if we go away for a weekend. This would quickly add up.

What I like about the nest is that You it does everything a "normal" programmable thermostat does... but its better at it.

I "must" have it because:

• WAY cooler and a total luxury I don't "need"
• Only about TWICE the price than one I would "need" to buy (these first two were dripping with mixture of both sarcasm/truth)
• Lets me control the house temperature from anywhere in the world
• Allows me to monitor my heat/cooling usage
• Has a motion sensor to detect when you're home/not home
• Understands how LONG it takes your house to heat/cool, also taking into account outside weather.
• Alerts you when you're being "green" and "not green" 
• Fully programmable fan control - My basement is cool all the time. Why not run 10 minutes with just the fan to see if recirculating the air around can cool the house before turning on the A/C?
• The problem with "programmable" thermostats is that Megan works every other week.
• There are none out there that accommodate this, so we find our self constantly "cranking" our A/C or heat. 
• This do-dad knows exactly when we're in or out, 
• We can send it a message with our Android phones to let know when we'll be home, so it can get the house ready for us. 
• It knows Sleeping patterns, Work schedules, when we go away for weekends,
• If only it could turn on the coffee maker. *sigh*

Cost Savings:

Most people find it lowers their heat/cooling bills by about 20%. Since the A/C is about 60 bucks a month in the summer, and the heat is about the same in the winter, I'm thinking it'll pay itself off completely in about 2 years, while keeping us more comfortable. (basement warmer, whole house cooler - Finally!)


Right now Megan and I are in savings mode to save up every penny we can for our wedding in just under 10 months - Normally my policy toward spending money to "save" money means I need a return on my investment before our wedding - This one won't pay itself off that quickly, However it will cover the extra expense of itself over a direct replacement of what we have (100 dollar thermostat) So, next pay day, I'll be picking one of these bad-boys up. With red flag deals, you can get 4% cash back at Home depot, so at least it'll be 10 dollars off. (they don't ever appear to go on sale, after many Google searches)


Research time! I need to find out more about my furnance, and what features/wires/voltage it runs on. More on that in an upcoming post!

Air Conditioner Maintenance

So its been really nice for the past week, and we've had the furnace OFF for the last week as well. Yay Energy/Gas Savings!

Its been perfect weather, that I haven't had to turn on the A/C either. However, it made me remember to get it ready.

I thought I'd outline the steps to get your Central A/C Unit ready for another summer of Cooling.
Doing these simple steps every spring can greatly prolong the life of your A/C unit... Saving you money!

Most people almost NEVER clean their Air Conditioner. The outside unit is basically just a big radiator, that dispels heat. If its dirty, it doesn't do its job well. It results in your A/C unit working harder, Longer, and your bills being higher!  Its super easy to clean.

I did a "big" clean this spring, as I doubt it was ever cleaned before I bought the house.

• Make sure your Thermostat is set to "off" (instead of Heat or Cool)
• Ensure the A/C fuse/breaker is Off on your breaker panel
• Just for safe measure, Most A/C units are required to have a shutoff located outside, near the unit. Pull this.

Now that you're sure the A/C unit won't go on.

Now, Assemble your tools:

•  A Garden Hose,
• A wrench or ratchet with socket set (mine was 8mm) 
• A shop vac, if needed. (or your good ol' hands)

Remove the 4-8 bolts/screws holding down the top grill. Your fan is probably attached to this.
Flip this grille/fan assembly over to access the very simple innards of your A/C Unit.

*NOTE* be careful that the metal doesn't cut the wires at all. That would be bad.

Now, use your shop vac/hands to remove all the leaves, crud, shingle bits from the inside of the unit. Be gentle with the shop vac - you don't want to damage/bend/break any of those delicate radiator fins!)

Once relatively clean, its time to break out the hose. Use the "jet" setting and blast at the radiator fins dead on, from the INSIDE of the unit. Once you've got it all covered, you can do the same from the outside as well. I don't know if a pressure washer is appropriate here - a regular old hose did fine.

Once done... you're done!

Put the grill/fan assembly back on, don't over tighten the screw/bolts, as they may strip.

plug/switch the circuit breakers back in. You're A/C unit is now Cleaner (and cooler) than ever.

Before...

and after!

Its hard to see from photos - But when you're looking directly through these fins, you can actually see through them. Before they were all gummed up with stuff.

Now would also be a great time to replace your furnace filter.

You don't have to go all out like this, you will be helping a lot just by hosing off the radiator from the outside!

Time to Chill out!

A Flood of questions - Are you covered by your insurance?

There has been some crazy flooding up north lately, and it got me thinking about Insurance. Would my house be covered by insurance if there was a flood?

Thankfully, I don't have to worry too much about a massive flood - I live only a few KM from the top of a cliff. No rivers are going to wipe out my home!

However, what about runoff, or heavy rain, or if my pool breaks and floods my house?

The sad and complicated answer to this question is:  It Depends.

Call your insurance provider, and find out. Some times the term "acts of god" are thrown around.
This amuses me, as in my opinion, Insurance companies are nothing more than an algorithm that calculates the amount of money they make, vs the amount of money they pay out, and for what causes. "God" was written out of the Insurance industries equation a long time ago, as insurance companies are more than willing to leave you out of house and home if you're not covered!

For example:

It costs more to insure a house with a wood fireplace.
Why? Over the years, they have figured out that houses with fireplaces are 0.01% more likely to suffer fire damage. So if they insure 100,000 houses with fireplaces, odds are, one will burn down, as a result of having a fireplace. If each house cost 300,000 dollars, they'd need to charge you an extra 3 dollars a year to cover their costs.  Naturally, some years, more houses may burn down (colder winters? more fires? etc) that's all entered into this "magical" calculation, so they charge more than that 3 dollars a year, to build up a "float" in case of a sudden increase in these fires.

They do this to almost every aspect of your house.  "Oh, you have a fuse panel instead of a breaker panel?" +.08% chance of an electrical fire (I'm making up numbers here) Another few bucks.

All these variables add up, and the insurance company figures out how much to charge you, and to make a healthy amount of profit.

But when it comes to an "act of god" aka Flood/hurricane/earthquake/volcano/forest fires, etc your regular home insurance policy does not cover this.

Each variable they look at affects your pricing, However an "act of god" has the potential to wipe out an insurance company financial reserves (and a few neighborhoods) very easily.

Look at Hurricane Katrina - over 300,000 homes were destroyed. Average cost of a home being hundreds of thousands of dollars, plus your belongings... We're looking at Billions of dollars. There's no way a company could pay out all those people. All those people were left "low and wet" ("High and dry" seemed to be inappropriate...)

Water is kind of a Tricky thing.

You're probably covered if:

• A pipe bursts
• Your roof leaks*
• A Pool breaks and floods your house (provided the insurance company was aware you have (or had) a pool)

You probably are NOT covered if: 

• Your basement leaks
• A storm results in flash flooding
• A river/lake floods
• Standing water drains into your home, resulting in damage
• Sewer Backs up.
• Property Drainage Issues

And it gets even a bit more complicated...


Some Scenarios:
Roof Leak:
If your roof leaks, and damages your drywall, furniture, floors, etc, Your insurance policy will probably cover the Damage to your home.  However, they will NOT pay to get your roof fixed.
If you fail to get it fixed, it will be negligent on your part, and they would deny any further claims.
But: if a Tree falls, and wrecks your roof, and results in the leak, They'll pay to remove the tree, repair the roof, and fix the water damage as well.

Pipe Burst:
If your Pipes burst when you are home, you are covered, However, if you were on vacation and turned off the heat and they froze, they'll deny the claim. Its pretty interesting (read: horrifying) as to what you THINK you are covered for, and what you actually are covered for.




All this being said: If you can name it, there's a specific insurance policy to cover it.

• Volcano insurance: Check
• Earthquake Insurance: Semi-Sketchy Check
• Flood insurance: Super Check
• Forest fire Insurance: Check

People have even had their Tongues insured! (I'm not kidding here - There's a professional Ice-cream taster in the states that has his tongue insured, as well as a baby-food test taster in the UK)

Bottom line: Call your insurance company. Or read your policy closely.

Credit Ratings and your Mortgage

If you're shopping for your first house, You'll probably need a Mortgage.
If you need a Mortgage, you'll need Credit History. The more (positive) credit history you have, the better your rates and credit score will be.

Why?

Pretend (or know) that we don't know each other:

• I come up to you and ask to borrow 20 dollars.
• You ask around, and nobody has ever heard of me before. You have NO idea if I'm good for the money.

You really have two options: 

1. Say "No"  (its not worth the risk to loan me money)
2. Say "Yes" but I've got to pay you back 30 dollars, even though I'm borrowing 20.

• The smart person would probably make up some bull excuse about how they have no money right now, or how they happened to "forget" their wallet at home.
• The Person who's willing to gamble a bit would say Yes.

Since the Gambler is charging a huge (in the loan world) premium, He understands that a good portion of people won't be able to pay back the money. So, the "gambler" charges more for this fact, Hoping that if he charges 50%, at least HALF of the people will pay up and he'll make profit. Its hard to find mortgages this way.

So, many years before you buy a house, You want to build up your credit.

Its a scary thing, and a slippery slope for some.

Building up your Credit:

The majority (2/3rds) of your credit rating is calculated by two things:

• Your Payment History
• Your Credit Utilization

The Good:

• Paying all your bills on time
• Using your credit, but not exceeding 50% of your available limits.
• Car Loans that are paid off/being paid off.
• Having Cell Phone Bills, Utility companies that you pay regularly.
• Having a Long Credit History
• Installment Loans (not revolving)

The Bad:

• Late Payments
• Missing payments
• Lots of "revolving" credit. (Lines of credit, Credit Cards)
• Too many Credit Cards
• Lots of "new" credit
• Maxed out Credit
• Excess Credit Limit Increases
• Bankruptcy

So what this means: Don't go out and rack up a bunch of debt. But get a credit card if you don't have one, and use it like a debit card - Pay it off every month, don't carry a balance. Having a car loan isn't a bad thing, but they'll probably want credit history too. Getting your folks to co-sign can help this - but its not fair of you to ask this of them.

Build History. a GOOD history, of paying your bills, Not maxing out your loans, and staying out of overdraft on your bank accounts.

Now to scenario #2:

You still don't know me. But I come up to you and ask you to borrow 20 dollars.

You ask around, and:

• Visa says: "Oh yeah, He's used our visa card for 8 years - Never late!"
• My cell Phone provider says: "Loyal customer for 6 years - Never late!"
• My bank says: "He's been here for 15 years and is in good standing. No Bounced Cheques. - He's not going anywhere any time soon!"

So now you know I've got some large, very reputable companies reporting that I'm a sure thing, Have control of my financial standing, and pay my bills. The likelihood of me not being able to pay back my bills/loans is very, very low, compared to the "unknown" who asked you for money the first time.

What does this mean?  You, (or the Bank,) would be much more likely to lend me money, and because It looks like I'm a sure thing (going to pay you back) you'll offer me a low rate, so I'll borrow from you, and not someone else. (so you can make SOME money, rather than none.)

Credit/Credit Cards/Loans is a scary thing, but a necessary evil if you ever plan on getting a mortgage. The more positive history you have, the better your chances at being approved for a Reasonable amount based on your Income. If you have a prefect credit rating - You're not going to get a $1,000,000 Mortgage if you only make $50,000 a year!


Credit Ratings and Mortgage Shopping - Checking your Credit can lower your score

Checking your credit rating every now and then (once a year?) won't effect your rating - Checking it every 2 weeks will. it sends the "this guy is in desperate need of a loan" vibe that scares lenders off. However, when you are mortgage shopping, each company will need to do a credit check - Transunion and Equifax (the two main credit history agencies in Canada)  know this will happen, so what happens is once you have 1 credit check, for the next 14 days, following credit checks won't impact your credit rating - so when you go mortgage shopping, use a broker, or go from bank to bank and rate-shop within a 2 week window. As a rough rule of thumb, excess credit checks can reduce your rating around 5 points each. The 14 day window prevents this from happening.


Getting your Credit Report:

You can get a credit report for free by mailing Equifax for it. Or if you are impatient, you can get it for 16 bucks online instantly. This is just a report, which is super useful in seeing if you have any accounts open you didn't know about, or Fraud, etc. It also lets you dispute negative marks against your credit - If a company wrongly charged you and flagged you for unpaid bills, etc.

However, most people are looking for that magic number - whats my credit SCORE. This number doesn't really mean ALL that much to a bank, but it is an overall indication of how your credit "rep" looks to lenders.  Ideally, you want to be above 760 out of 900 on equifax. Just over 50% of all Canadians are in this range, and its the best place to be. Anything lower, and there's a chance you won't get the "best" rates from a bank on a loan/mortgage. A credit Score is about 25 dollars to get, and includes the credit report.

I make a habit of getting my report/score once a year - Mostly because I've moved so many times in the last few years, I want to make sure no companies out there are slandering my credit history or kept accounts open I don't know about. It also tells you who has "probed" your credit (which can scarily be done without your consent), and who has done a full credit check on you in the past few years.

Bottom line - You need credit to build credit - Just don't dig yourself into a hole!

As always, if you have any questions or comments, let me know in the comment section below!

Homestars - Contractor Review

So, I've posted a lot of DIY stuff so far... but there are things that no homeowner will probably never touch:

Gas Lines
Major Electrical (replacing a fuse/breaker panel)
Roofing
Basement Water-proofing
Additions
Major Renovations
etc.


First of all, let me start out by saying I have only really contracted 2 people for my home.

As an I.T. Guy, I have worked with many vendors and contractors to get specialized jobs done, and this experience transferred to my hunting down qualified people to look/work at my new home.



First:  Figure out what you need.

Knowing what you want is an easy way to keep costs down. Everyone you call wants your money. They probably want more money than you want to give. In I.T. we call this "setting the scope". Focus what you want to achieve, and don't let the project blossom out of control - you'll end up over budget and blow your timelines as well.

Sometimes, you won't know what you need. this is where a contractors valuable advice comes in. Get as much advice as you can before you get a quote. Once you have that quote, Get a second opinion, and see if the advice and charge is roughly the same.

Second: Find the best of the best.

Whos the best?  Its probably not the person whos the cheapest, or the most expensive. I used a website called http://homestars.com to figure this out. If they have a few years history, there's less worry of them closing up shop and stealing your money.

I used this criteria when looking:

• In business Greater than 5 years
• Positive reviews throughout ownership
• Local - Within 10-15km preferred.
• Has worked on larger projects than mine
• Does not subcontract out.*

*A Note about Sub-Contracting:
Subcontracting is unavoidable in some cases. In the example of a big reno - you'll need a roofer, electrician  drywaller, Brick layer, etc... No one person does this all (legally, anyway))
What I mean by avoiding subcontractors: I want to avoid someone who says "yeah, I'll do your roof" and then just hires some college students to do it. I want a team of Full-Time, Dedicated roofers who have known each other and worked for the company for a while. It really helps with quality work.

Educate yourself - Be involved:

Hiring a contractor isn't like using a crockpot. You can't just set it and forget it. You need to be involved, and understand (at least a little bit) what they are doing. a GOOD contractor will want to educate you, and take pride in their work and show you what they are doing and are going to do. Knowing at least a little bit will let you know if you're being fleeced or not.

www.Homestars.com is useful because angry people are very vocal. If a company isn't listed on homestars, its probably a brand new company. You'll always get negative reviews - some people are just impossible to please. However, Read into the reviews - The contractor always has the ability to reply to a complaint. (like E-bay feedback!) and it really gives you the feeling of "what kind of company" you would be dealing with.


I've only used two contractors so far, and will be replacing my roof in the next year or so.

Here is how I found them:

• I went to google maps, and focused around my neighbourhood.
• I googled the service I was looking for: "Electrician" 
• I then started looking at reviews of each place near by.
• I found a few, and called them up. Those that actually answered the phone or called me back quickly got brownie points.
• When I got a warm body on the phone, I pumped them for information. They at first asked me questions I wasn't prepared for - a good sign on their part, Poor planning on my part. "How many breakers in your panel? What amp service? How many 240 volt lines? etc.
• One of them even asked if I could e-mail them a picture of the breaker box - I was impressed. They were willing to come on site if they needed - (for free, to give a quote) but my photos were plenty enough info for them.
• I asked about all of the potential costs (maximum), and what the costs would most likely be. No surprises then. I called a few other companies, and did get cheaper quotes, but most seemed "too busy" to answer my questions, or didn't ask me any questions "yeah, sure we can do it."

So I had my Top 3 choices based on how they treated me on the phone/e-mail, and then searched Homestars. The feedback really did match how I felt about the three companies. My preferred contractor had all positive reviews, and I could see they had clearly tackled much larger projects, so I knew they were capable:
http://homestars.com/companies/2774739-lopinski-electric?service_area=1787943


The same was for my Building inspector. He wasn't local, but was the nicest guy I could find. Very well educated, and plenty of experience, with up to date technology at his disposal, and again a gleaming record on homestars. In fact, only recently has he gotten his first "negative" feedback, and quickly replied to it to settle the situation. (its unfortnuate as it got rid of his perfect "10" rating.)
http://homestars.com/companies/2773029-nook-n-cranny-home-inspections?service_area=1786233

So Recap: When looking for a contractor:

1. Figure out what you want
2. Educate yourself on the subject
3. Call contractors
4. Get Quotes
5. Check reviews/feedback
6. Hire your contractor
7. Stay involved.
8. Don't pay for it all until the job is done. 
9. Leave feedback on www.Homestars.com so others (like me!) can learn from your experiences :-)

Hope this helps!

"Home"

I feel like all I've really talked about is how a house is a great investment (usually) and the financial side of things.  But really, a house is so much MORE than a house. Its a HOME.

When I moved out from my parents.... "Home" was always wherever my parents were. Home cooked Meals, Family, Friends and Shenanigans.

Even when Megan and I moved in together in Burlington... It felt like I didn't quite have "Home". My parents had moved from my childhood home, The apartment wasn't really ours, and we couldn't make it "ours" outside of hanging up paintings and such.  It was a great place, don't get me wrong... but it was our "living quarters" a Place we both went to sleep after work, and occasionally hosted the odd gathering at. I didn't have a huge amount of pride in the place - I kept it looking nice, but we didn't bother painting and towards the end... And after Buddy (My dog) passed, I feel like we just gave up caring about it.

Its hard to describe...  When we were renting, and we presented with the option of having family over for supper, or GOING to family's house for supper... we almost always preferred to travel, as it felt like we were going "home"

But its changing now.

So buying a house... making it ours, has provided us with a home. A place we want to go back to, to spend our time at. To unwind, put our feet up, and just be away from the world. At the end of a long weekend, I WANT to go home. I long for it. We've become a bit less social as a result, and my friends rarely come over now that its a 45 Minute drive... but overall... it's a relaxing oasis that is OURS, and nobody can change that.

If the fire alarm goes off, Megan is cooking. (Just kidding...)
If The water is being shut off, I actually am in control of it.
If the garbage stinks, its because I forgot to take it out on Sunday.
If its loud,... I'm probably watching a nerdy movie.
No complaints, No snoopy neighbors, and no Site Super to hound to fix stuff - Its all me.

One day our children will run through the halls, scuff up the walls, and call it home as well.

Its our home, and we're living in it, and loving it.
And that, regardless of any "investment" value... is priceless.

Losing Sleep...

As a home owner... you will have nightmares and lose sleep worrying about the biggest investment of your life... 

My dad actually asked me how I slept the first night in our house. My answer was "like a baby" because It had been a CRAZY and long day. He asked if I had any nightmares. I thought it was silly... but now, almost 6 months later, I know EXACTLY what he was getting at.

Nightmare #1

If you are going to have a leaky basement... it will be today or tomorrow.

Why?

Think of the weather the last few weeks.

COLD. Bitter cold.  This cold freezes the ground, and where we are (Ontario, Canada) this means the ground can be frozen to 4 feet deep.

Frozen ground does not absorb water. It lets the rain flow over it.

However, your nice toasty warm house (and its basement) heat up the ground a few feet around your house - So it thaws first once the weather gets nicer. This makes a very nice little, thawed area of ground that you mind as well call "the water holding area", all round your house.

Now, the temperature has warmed up. All the snow has melted VERY quickly, providing tons of water and saturating what little Unfrozen ground there was.

Now throw in a downpour. If the ground on your property isn't well graded (sloping away from your house)  You now have your house basically sitting in a bathtub of water. Even the smallest crack will start to allow water in.

So, Every morning, and evening, I look in my basement for signs of water. None yet.

Nightmare #2

Now, Throw in the wind. And the Cold/Hot/Cold/Hot weather we've been having.

This is the weather that kills roofs. 

Hot weather sets in. Water on your roof. Flash freeze. That water which is in the cracks between your shingles, which the wind may have driven up a bit under the shingles (perfectly normal) Is now freezing, and EXPANDING. This wears out your shingles. Even expanding between the gravel stuck to your shingles with tar. So the gravel comes off, your shingles lift a bit... and then the heavy wind comes.

So, Every Morning, I check the upstairs for a leak. Nothing crazy...  but I just glance at the ceilings in each room. Just in case. Nothing yet!

Nightmare #3

Things that go bump in the night.

Lately, with the wind, I've been hearing a quiet metallic screech while I lay in bed. I'm fairly sure its my rotary vent in the attic just squeaking a bit...

But what if its not? I did put in a new vent for the bathroom fan. What if I screwed it up? What if its a bird or other critter in my attic?

Whats made it worse is that the air purifier in our room started to smell "hot" so we've had it off for the last couple of days. The lack of white noise lets me hear EVERYTHING.

But yes, every time I hear a sound in the house, I think "I wonder what that is, and if its going to cost me money eventually..."



Worrying about all these things is perfectly natural - (I hope!)

The important thing is to prepare for it. In I.T., we have something called "DR" which is "disaster recovery"
Basically a plan of what do you need to do if Disaster strikes.
Odds are that none of the above will ever happen (Especially if you properly maintain your house!)


But... Because I'm weird, I made a mental plan for each "nightmare" scenario above.

If I found out for some reason my Attic was leaking, I'd get up there STAT and see if I could find where its coming from and put a bucket in the Attic to prevent further damage to my ceilings. (I keep a few Deck Boards in the attic for moving around) I'd call a roofer right away.

For the leaky basement, the second I see any water, I have a simple floating laminate floor. I'd disassemble and pull that away  from the leak, put down some towels and get my dehumidifier by there. I'd also (probably fruitlessly)  put some tarps down roughly where its leaking and slope them away from the house. Also, My eaves troughs drain into a tube in the ground. I'd pull those out, and instead of going into the ground, i'd run them away from the house via these little plastic "aqueduct" kind of things: (see right) 

As for that noise... I'll poke my head up there on a windy day when I can borrow the ladder from my Father in Law. Maybe with a bat... just in case my nightmares come true :-p

Sweet dreams all...




Note:  I've finished my Kitchen "shuffle" but my pre-written blog posts... are no longer valid - Lots of Unexpected items. I'll hopefully be able to re-write them this weekend to post up by Sunday.

Stay tuned!

Why I hate my Kitchen...

So, Our Kitchen is a kind of neat layout.

However, there's three things (maybe even three and a half things) that I hate about it.

I've drawn a picture in Paint. I'll refer to this over the next couple of posts (never learned autocad, sadly...)

We have One drawer.(beside stove, facing sink near Orange star)

That's it. One drawer. It holds all our cutlery, Most knives, all of our cooking utensils, measuring devices, chop sticks, Lighters, Birthday Candles, Serving spoons etc. its a PITA to close, and things like tongs always get in the way.

I can't open my freezer door (Red Box with yellow star)

We have a "vertical split" freezer, with a ice/water dispenser in the freezer door. The breakfast bar is flush fit against the freezer, so when I open the freezer door, it hits and is stopped by this breakfast bar (which is bolted into the wall) and I can't open my Freezer door more than about 8 inches wide. Very annoying!

When I cook, the whole house stinks (Yellow stove, Green Star)

There's no Smoke Hood.
As a result, anytime I make something that requires a bit of smoke/frying, the whole house stinks for days. I'm a poster child for Glade Plug-ins (at 5 watts of power each, we've got 4 around the house... they last a month... its costing me about 20 bucks a month to counteract cooking/garlic/oil smell with linen and apple pie smells..)


The Water from the fridge tastes a bit off sometimes... (.5) (Fridge is Red with Yellow Star, blue star is water feed)
The water line from the fridge actually is routed through the floor, across the basement, back out where the stove is, and then through the wall (green star) into the bathroom sink plumbing. (Blue star)
I'm assuming that the 25 feet of plastic tubing means that there is water sitting in there for a while before it actually gets all the way to the fridge.



What am I going to do about it?

Well, I have 125 dollars in home depot money from Christmas.

The most efficient way I can improve the kitchen is to have the stove and the fridge swap places.

Logic:

• The Fridge blocks off the breakfast bar from the rest of the kitchen
• The fridge is too far from the water feed.
• Moving the stove next to an outside wall will make it easy make a hole to outside to vent a fume hood when funds permit me to buy one.
• Eventually, I'll get a Microwave cabinet over top of the stove, mount the fume hood to that, and have more storage space, AND more counter space. (win win)
• The stove currently is beside a full height pantry cabinet, so the fridge being there won't "close off" any of the kitchen.
• The fridge is 1.5 inches deeper than the cabinets. this 1.5 inches will allow the door hinges to be unobstructed (and I'll be able to open my freezer)
• The watefeed is behind where the stove is anyway, so I'd be cutting out 15 feet of water-line to the fridge
• There's a electrical socket behind the stove already - Easy to do.
• The Fridge is over top of the Electrical panel in the basement - Easy to wire!

The Only negative aspect I can think of is that the "hallway" between the two counter tops will be a good 4 inches narrower because of the fridge/Fridge door Handles.  It will also mean people have to come into the kitchen "more" to get water... but it does make it easier to access from the dining room. All in all, An easy compromise.


Here's the plan, and the topic of my next 3 posts, as I do this over the next week (with lots of pictures, and maybe even video!)

Step 1:
Make room for the fridge!
Step 2:
Plumbing for the Fridge
Step 3:
Wiring in a 230v Plug for the stove
Step 4:
The Before and After, Conclusion, and Lessons Learned, and Next Steps.


Stay tuned! I start this weekend!

Budgeting 101

This is almost Part 2 to my previous post: Live Below your Means

Megan and I are getting Married.

We had to decide: House, Or Wedding First.

Logic ended up winning out over emotion, and we bought the home. (it was a close decision)
Because of the First Time Home Buyer Program in Canada (where you can use up to 25,000 of your RRSP's as a down payment for a house without a tax hit if you pay it back within 15 years) we realized it wouldn't delay getting married by more than a year.

So now we're saving our "pennies", the date is set, and we're looking good to go.

How we're saving money:

Cars:

 

Cars are our biggest expense after the house. Between Gas, Insurance, payments, and Maintenance, its over $1000 a month for both our cars.

Mine is paid off, but over 180,000km. Its going to need work to keep it on the road. I plan to drive it to 300,000km if it'll let me, but I'll sell it if maintenance costs more than $300 a month averaged over 9 months. (a new car would be cheaper then)

 

So far, on Megan's Mazda5, I've saved over $1,000 bucks in the last 6 months. To SAVE that money, I did spend about 200 bucks in parts/tools. (For every new job, there's a new tool :-) )

What I realized is - Dealerships... really do deserve the name "Stealership"  Mazda wanted 900 bucks to fix her door lock. It took me 86 bucks from an auto wrecker (including shipping!) and an HOUR to figure it out on my own. Dealership wanted 290 for the part, and then 4 hours labor  for $790+tax (Total savings - $810 dollars)

Also replaced her rear struts, at a cost of 70 bucks to me, and a 50 dollar Torque Wrench. (dealership wanted 380 to do it - total savings $260 bucks)

I also swap over our tires from summers to winters (winter tires get you 5% off your insurance)
that's 50 bucks a year, per car (so $100) plus the 5% off your insurance)

Also - I've slowed down. Instead of doing 130 on the highway, I'm doing 110. Went from 9.0l/100km to 7.2l/100km when I'm not stuck in traffic. On the whole, I'm averaging a 15% reduction in gas (which is a lot, because I drive ~2100km a month to work and back)

Home:

 

An earlier post about LED lights, Saving energy. Simply putting my power hungry "server" computers to sleep when I'm not using them... dropped electricity usage by about 25 bucks a month

• No TV Service - Download our favorite shows.
• No Home Phone Service - Cell phones!
• Buy In Bulk/sale items- Chest freezer FTW!
• Lowered the heat - Bought an Electric Mattress heater for megan, so the housecan get down to 18*c at night, 20*c During the day. (The difference between 20 and 23*c is about 15-20 bucks a month)
• Cold water Laundry and after 7PM - saves about 40 cents a load. (4 bucks a month?)

Insurance

 

We switched everything over to one company (Bel-air direct)

They're not the most "friendly" company when it comes to a claim... but they are, without a doubt, the cheapest. I've been with them for 5+ years now. We just switched megan over now that we're classified as "common law" and as a result, we've stacked up discount ontop of discount:

• My 5+ year loyalty bonus
• Winter tires 5%
• Car Alarm ~2.5%
• Multi Vehicle 20%
• Multi Plan (home insurance) 15%
• Good driving record which gets me a deal too. (Megan is haunted by a not-her-fault writeoff... (being t-boned by an old man running a red light SUCKS)

So in total, for Home, and our cars, our insurance has dropped almost $200 a month by putting it all under one account. Score!

Budgeting

 

For this, I have my own kinda method. it involves a lot of bank accounts! Its kind of like the "magic jar" method from "till debt to us part"

Savings - This is what all the utilities come out of, Mortgage payments, etc. At the end of the month, I put a minimum of 75% of the leftovers into saving for the wedding.

Chequing - I transfer my "expendable" money to this account. if I want to buy something I generally wouldn't buy... the "spare" money in this is for that. I put about 3% of my paycheque in here. Its kind of my "guilty pleasure" money. (i.e. tech toys, Video Games, Cosmetic Car stuff, etc)

Visa: If a place accepts visa, I use my visa instead of savings. When I get home, I look at the receipts and transfer money to the visa, before it even shows up. I do this mostly for the points. It'll help with the honeymoon!

E-savings - Some money set aside for my car - its going to need some major work sooner or later.

TSFA - Its just there... I don't touch it. I consider that the "Oh crap we both lost our jobs and we're going to lose the house" emergency money. (I'll also get raped by the tax-man if I ever do touch it)

Wedding Savings: I throw as much as I think I can afford on payday, and then most (75%) of any leftovers at the end of the month. I HAVE overestimated in the past and put too much in there on payday, but rather than taking it back out a week later, I try and live like a hobo until the next payday.

The last, and KEY thing that helps me manage money is actually Royal Banks' "My Finance Tracker" It's an online money manager that lets you set budgets for each "area" of spending.

At any time, I can look up exactly how much I spent, at what store, and when. I go in every week and check to make sure everything has been categorized.  All this is key to realizing where you are hemmoraging money. (Interest, Starbucks, Monthly subscriptions, Dining out, etc)


True Story:
When Megan and I started dating (when I was "wooing" her) I was HORRIFIED to discover that my "entertainment" and "Dining" categories jumped up over $1200 a month. Now a days, I make sure we have 1-2 "Date nights" a month, and hanging out with friends either is watching a movie at someones house, or playing cards for 3 hours over a 5 dollar Bubble Tea at Forever Tea Shop Much cheaper than Movie theater + Dinner (80 dollars) or something similar. We re-discovered the lost art of "cheap" dates. A walk along the shoreline and an ice-cream cone replaced a night on the town.

Track your little expenses. Coffee is a bad one. Dining out (Guilty!) is also a huge expense. Packing a lunch costs about 2-3 bucks. Buying a lunch is usually 7-12 bucks. replace dining out with packing a lunch and you're saving over 1000 bucks a year - EASY.

So, A couple lifestyle choices, and we will have "saved" ourselves the wedding that we both have been looking forward to for many years!

Live Below your Means

"Live Below your Means"

Megan and I have a "4 walls" approach to our personal finances - As in, Our personal finances never leave "these four walls" and we don't talk about them with anyone else.

Talked it over with Megan, and because this is mostly about me, and it is the past (albeit a past that I'm still paying for) I'm OK to go a little more into depth.

If there are any students out there reading this, this is heads up of what is to come.

My Past:

Generally, You inherit  your first bank account from your parents. The one they put your birthday money in when you were a kid. That's what happened to me. Living at home, I didn't have a need for even a debit card until I was 18 or so. As a result, I actually had a bit of money in my savings going into college.

That dried up. Completely. College was like this whirlwind of awesome times, that was fueled by money.

Problem Number 1:
Before it dried up, Royal bank gave me a visa card. I didn't ask for it - They just offered me one.
What 19 year old Alex saw was this:  Free money, No monthly fees.

Problem number 2:
When I graduated college, I got a job that was about 50km away via 407 ETR, and they told me I HAD to have a car. So I bought my Mazda3, new. Its an awesome car, Its been great to me, and i'm going to drive it until it dies, or is not financially feasible to keep maintaining.

What ended up happening is that I was working, just to own my car. I barely made any money. It was a sales job, and my base salary barely covered my car and basic food/entertainment. When I made a deal (placed someone) I'd get about a $1,200 Payday, which I felt compelled to "reward" myself with, rather than save. (or pay off the little bit I had put on my visa)

Problem number 3:
The moment I got a better paying job, I was able to "afford" to move out. I had no "safety net" of cash anywhere, and I did not have the ability to "save" any money, as about 95% of my paycheque used for rent, Insurance, Gas, car payments, and food.  So when money was eaten up by "unforeseen" expenses (like $500 side windows when my car was broken into 3 times) The visa, Otherwise known un-affectionately as "Cousin Vinnie", came in to "save the day"

Problem number 4:
Growing up, my parents rarely just bought us big ticket items. Generally what would happen is that I would be required to save up money to buy what I wanted (Sound Card, Bicycle, PlayStation,  CD-Rom Drive, Computer, etc) (I was a nerdy kid) and most of the time, My parents would swoop in at the last second (usually at the checkout counter) and cover half of it as a Christmas gift or birthday gift or what have you. I never expected it, and I knew if I ever DID expect it, I'd be sorely surprised. I had to "earn" something completely, even if I didn't have to pay for it completely.

Apparently 8 year old Alex was smarter than 19-23 year old Alex.

This SHOULD have taught me the value of a dollar, and how to save my money... But once I moved out, I developed this "I'm an adult now and need to live like a successful adult" mentality.
I had this stupid impression that I didn't have to live thrifty or lower my quality of life... I just needed to make more money.

I had a false sense of entitlement, and bought things on impulse (I'd research the best value/features of whatever I was buying, and then buy it.) I still battle impulsive tendencies to this day, and there's a new 8 gallon aquarium I bought after Christmas in our foyer which reminds me daily of this fact.

So: When moving out and moving up in the world, If you can't buy it with cash because you don't have any... Don't Buy it.

Back on topic.

If I was spending every penny (and then some) just to "live"... What did I do when something out of the blue happened?

Cousin Vinnie. (The visa)

Royal bank just kept upping the limit without asking me, and I didn't complain. I don't ever think it was maxed out, but it took a while to realize I was paying well over 100 bucks in interest a month, and that it had become this monster.

So, a little aside - Girls - You cost a LOT to date.

Enter Megan.  She moved out on her own about a year before I met her. Had an old used car, No monthly payments, and her idea of entertainment was really just sitting around, reading a book, and watching Dr. Phil. She was the Gift Card/Coupon queen, and luxuries were usually a result of Birthday/Christmas, she just managed them so she would have them last throughout the year.

I learned a thing or two, but She lived in Hamilton, I in Mississauga. I Still lived AT my means, but considering the amount of travel/date money I was spending, I was able to shift around my "costs" to keep my bank balances relatively level. Only once we moved in together (aka I stopped buying dinner for us both every other night) did I successfully lower our "quality of life" to a level that I could make headway and pay back "Cousin Vinnie"

Bottom line...

Keep your monthly expenses UNDER 60% of your wages. Put 20% away for Savings/RRSP, but the other 20% toward "spendable" money. (Groceries, Clothes, Entertainment.)

Monthly expenses include:

• Rent/Mortgage
• Insurance
• Water, Hydro, Natural gas
• Car Payments (and insurance)
• Phone
• Internet  (Lets be honest, Internet is a Utility/Tool... TV is a luxury)
• I like to include gasoline
• Loan Payments

If you have any leftover money at the end of the month... reward yourself by putting it aside for a rainy day - That way you won't be screwed over when something bad happens. (and it WILL happen... budget for it!)

If you are paying off debt you've already got... it pays to pay it faster. Interest is really like that douchebag talking a little too loud about their personal workout routine at a nice restaurant - The longer you are aware of it, the more it pisses you off.

These are all lessons my parents taught me growing up, but I was just too young and stupid to heed their advice.

...now I'm just young and good looking ;-)  (and maybe a bit in denial)

Next post is about sacrifices choices can make to help secure, or recover your financial future.

Staying on top of your home...

So, after almost 6 months, I've figured out theres 4 ways of maintaining your home.

1: Don't. 
We saw a number of houses that were simply "used up"  everything was worn down, half broken, blast from the pasts and nothing was updated. They're basically houses where you have to re-do everything. If you do this to your house, you're going to take a serious hit on its resale value. Sometimes a coat of paint will dress it up enough to show it, but any "seasoned" buyer will be able to see right through that... to the shag carpeting and the 30+ year old appliances.

2: Pay someone to do it. "Yuppie" style.
This costs the most money, but done right, it looks the best, if you can afford it.
Includes hiring a Landscaping companies, Paying a bit too much for things the average joe could probably do (Paint, Clean clogged drains, Mow Lawns, etc). While you're getting contractors in to do most of your projects/repairs, You'll still need to know at least a little bit to avoid being robbed by those people.

3: Maintain a perfect household. 
This basically means - Keep it spotless, repair and clean every little thing that happens. It'll still "wear out" but a well maintained house that's dated shows a lot better than an abused and used house.

4: DIY Updates + Maintenance.
My selected method. I don't keep a spotless house, But I understand that a clean house is a house that stays nice. Dirt wears stuff out, so when I see something dirty, or slop something on the floor, I clean it right away. I need to keep doing little projects that will keep the house looking nice and new, so that it never "gets away" from me.
All these projects are really cosmetic in nature. For example, A fresh coat of Paint. New light fixture here and there. Replacing grungy switches and worn electrical sockets, Gardening. etc.

Some Jokes I made up over the past few weeks:

Home Ownership Might not be for you if...

• If you expect to actually park a car in that single car garage... 
• If your building inspector tells you that your fireplace has a Flu, you ask them how to make it better.
• If you think your contractor is gay because he keeps looking for a stud.

You've won a trip! How to avoid Social Hacking.

One of the things to dread when owning your own house is Cold-Calls

Cold Calls are essentially where someone makes contact with you, without knowing anything about you, In hopes to glean information from you and sell you a product, Sell your Info, or in some cases, Take your Assets or Identity.

They come 3 forms:

1. Mail
2. Phone
3. In person

As an I.T. Admin, and former I.T. Recruiter (Involves Cold Calling), I've got a fairly keen sense of when something is a hoax, or too good to be true. Quite a few things set off my Spidey sense.

Mail:

Probably the easiest to discard and detect items high on the bogus scale.

• Prizes and Raffles
• 3rd Tier Gas Companies
• "URGENT" letters without your name on them
• "PAST DUE" notices without your name on it
• "Pre approved" fake paper credit cards

Bottom line is, if it seems even remotely fishy, and your name isn't on the letter, its junk. I open everything anyway, unless its clearly just spam mailers. I love the fact that I get Bell Internet mailers even though They don't service my area is hilarious. Such a waste of money on their part.

Phone:

Probably one of the more successful and "safe" ways of scamming someone, Is via Phone.

The Phone has this sense of closeness and personal communication that lacks in Mail or E-Mail. And, if you call BS, they can just hang up and call again later.


Today, I got an awesome phone call. I had apparently filled out a ballot at a store in the GTA that entitled me to a free vacation.

The man on the phone was very accented, and the area code was 716, Buffalo (which I quickly googled while trying to understand him)

I had two choices, a 5 day 4 night stay at any hotel in America, including Niagara falls (which is in "On-tear-eo" Or 4 days 3 nights at a resort in Mexico...

Both choices were open during the whole year, at my leisure.

I asked what the catch was. (There's always a catch)  he said there was none. No cost to me. I Started asking questions, and he was asking why I wasn't excited. I told him I wasn't aware I filled out a form at walmart or zellers (?!?) I asked for more details.

he went very quickly to a scripted "I am calling from SuiteLife Vacations a BBB accredited organization at suitelifevacations dot com. You are 1 out of 150 winners of a choice of our 2 prizes.

I had more questions, but he quickly pushed the call along and asked why I wasn't excited. I flatly claimed that this seemed too good to be true and if I didn't get more details, I'd be hanging up. he started the script again, and I interrupted with "Whats the catch"

He went on a variation of his script saying that word of mouth advertising about their services is the best kind (true) and that My prize was usable untilt he end of 2013, to a destination of my choice.

He asked some very generic questions which I simply responded yes or no. He asked if My household income was 70 thousand 70 hundred. I just said yes. he asked if I lived with someone, I said yes.

I then asked him what information was on the ballot, and he deflected, saying that his manager would call me back with my prize code. I hesitantly said OK... and then hung up

10 minutes later, I surprisingly actually got a call from his "manager"

However, I had googled. This place is a borderline illegal scam.

Basically, your "prize" is a trip to a hotel anywhere in the US, where you pay all transportation, food, and fees/taxes. Your hotel is "free" but you have to pay $17 US to reserve your prise booking, and then $40 in Booking Fees, and then $75 for some gratuity fee or something.

On top of that, you have to drive to Woodbridge (industrial area) for a 1 hour meeting, where they promise you dinner (steak or chicken) and then don't deliver unless you buy an upgraded package.

Many people have reported flying down to their destination, renting a car, and showing up at their "hotel" just to pay all but the basic 40 dollars a night rate (Taxes, fees, etc not included)

So, When the guy called back, I asked him one simple question:  "Whats my name?"

He started the spiel of "I am calling from suitelife"... I interrupted him and said "What is my name?... if I filled out a ballot, you'd have more than just my phone number."

(I started to laugh thinking of American Pie: "Say my name B!tch")

I told him that any reputable company would know the name of someone who just won a prize. i told him i also googled the company, and that you have a C- Rating on BBB, and there are many unresolved complaints of people being stranded at your destinations. I told him to remove me from his caller list and databases. He got angry at me for 'turning down a prize" and hung up on me mid sentence.

Just one example!

Bottom line: If someone is calling you, They should have your info already. Don't give it up willingly. Ask them where they got your number. Ask them your own address. Don't give them anything they don't already have. Don't verify what they DO have until you are sure they are reputable. Check the BBB Website for their company name. Not listed or below B+ Grade? Hang up!

Also, if someone calls from Microsoft - Hang up.


Final type:  In Person

This is a tough one. Most people are naturally weary of someone coming to their door. As soon as I see a clipboard, I know someone is selling something (Cookies, Gas, Frozen meat?!?)

But if there's no clip board, I'm thinking "this guy is sketchy..." So the Clip Board is a double edge sword.

When someone comes to your door, Common sense is required.

• Don't sign anything.
• Don't Show Fear.
• Don't Let them run the conversation - Control it yourself, Ask them questions. It'll throw them off of their routine, but it'll also get you the information you need to quickly Dismiss or engage them further if you want.
• Don't tell them when you won't be home, Just tell them when the "best time" to reach you is.
• Don't Invite them in - Let them freeze and talk to them from the doorway.
• Don't be mean. There's a few reasons why I say this: 
•      If you're not memorable, its a good thing
•      If they are someone with bad intentions, You're more likely to be targeted
•      If you're not interested, Speak strongly but nicely that you are not interested.

Sometimes, people don't get the hint

I've never had to do this, I don't know anyone who's had to do this, but I've heard of a few things that can help you if you have someone showing up regularly who is not wanted at all, and won't get the hint, now matter how nice, or firm you are. First, Find out what company/group they are from. This way, you can confirm they are from the same group/company and are "harassing" you and it will allow you to make good on the end all of rejection statements:

"Please leave. This is your notice that YOU, and ALL the Employees/Members of your company/group are no longer permitted on MY property. Further visits will be construed as Harassment, and anyone found on MY property in the future will be photographed and/or charged with trespassing"

That'll pretty much send anyone running for the hills, and is completely legal and not a physical threat that can come back to bite you in the ass.


Harassment: (Quoted from Canadian Criminal Code, Section 264)

"No person shall, without lawful authority and knowing that another person is harassed or recklessly as to whether the other person is harassed, engage in (the following) conduct ...that causes that other person reasonably, in all the circumstances, to fear for their safety or the safety of anyone known to them:

• Repeatedly following from place to place the other person or anyone known to them;

• Repeatedly communicating with, either directly or indirectly, the other person or anyone known to them;

• Besetting or watching the dwelling-house, or place where the other person, or anyone known to them, resides, works, carries on business or happens to be; or

• Engaging in (such) threatening conduct directed at the other person or any member of their family."

Trespassing:

Is kind of a fluff charge. If someone is trespassing, you call the police. If they are still on site, you explain tot he police that you asked them to leave, and they are trespassing. They'll issue a trespassing warrant. If that person breaks the conditions (effectively a restraining order) and shows up again, THEN they are in some deep doodoo. That's what the "photographed" bit is for.

You do have the legal right to "defend" your real property or dwelling from trespassers. (within reason) a Trespasser is anyone you have told are no longer welcome on your property or dwelling.

The bottom line:

Home Ownership means you have some sort of asset. (aka "worth")

You have something that everyone else wants to get - Some in less honest ways then others.

Your "firewall" is your common sense - sadly there isn't an anti-spam program for Life!