Category: Money/Investment

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$60K in RRSP

RRSP season is here again, what is RRSP ?  it’s the Registered REtirement Savings Plan in Canada and this year, if we don’t wanna pay our taxes, we have to put in $60K in our RRSP.  Yup! you heard me right, crazy right?  But if you look at it from a different angle, it’s savings for you and yours for old age.  But what if you don’t lived that long, I hear myself asking this?  I think if I am not wrong, a portion of it goes back to your spouse until he dies.  So it depends on how you look at it and for us, we think it is worth it – to save up for retirement.  There goes my $60K.

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Growing & Staying On Top

It had been a busy month for us both at the store front and also for my vlogging  business.  The store is growing and we know that we are going to have to buy a bigger place really soon.  So we’ve been on the hunt for the longest time and may finally settle on a place this year if the price is right.

As for the vlogging business, it has been going great, I cannot ask for a better advertising co-ordinator who does all the flying arrangement and meeting of clients for me.  All I have to do is show up and look pretty.  On the home front, it has been awesome too, we’ve hired a part time helper to help around the house, cleaning and re-arranging things and cooking for us as we’ve been so busy of late and I’ve been traveling so much more now.

Chloe is doing well in school , although I want her to do better, so a tutor may be in order soon.  As for her piano , she is doing awesome, and I cannot ask for more.   Health front, PB , Chloe and I are planning to join a local gym to exercise 3 times a week, I suggested yoga classes and we are currently looking into it.  I also took an x-ray for my legs and awaiting to hear back from my doctor.

 It had been a really busy January for us and even though we had many storm days, we were still on top of our sales as compared to last year.  So we are totally blessed.  And those who’ve time to sell me, please let me know.

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Busiest Year

This has by far been the busiest year we’ve had in the last 15 yrs in business.  And with my new vlogging venture with an American advertising company, I have very little time for anything else.  But all is good and I ain’t complaining , after all, that means we can do more of what we want in the future and retire earlier.

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Musical Instrument Shopping

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Yes, we finally bought a real piano for Chloe in Halifax because she had been taking lessons for more than a year now and attended her first recital this year before summer.   And since she is so good at it, we figured we should buy her a real piano.  Truthfully, I didn’t think that an acoustic piano would be so expensive, I was planning to spend like $3500 on it but an entry level acoustic cost about $6500 tax included.  But it is an investment and PB didn’t bat an eyelid paying cash for it.

Of course, he too wanted something from the  guitarcenter  since he was buying chloe such an expensive “toy” , he feels he deserved another one in his collection too.   Well, i didn’t stop him of course, after all he worked so hard for them and he is entitled to spend some money as long as we don’t use our credit card and use our line of credit.  Everything has to be paid in cash and that’s how I am teaching my kid.  If you cannot afford your toys, then don’t buy them.

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Family Insurance

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Yes, yes !  we did buy another house in town for investment , it is currently rented out to a couple who moved from Vancouver to here.  And just the other day, Chloe had asked if we had insurance for all our properties, in which I had replied that we certainly do.  Our current insurance company is just as good as  allred insurance  that my g/f uses in the USA for all her investment properties as well as health and life insurance.

Chloe is constantly worried about fire and us dying, I have no idea why.  If someone’s place is on fire from out of town, she is afraid that ours could be by a bush fire or an electrical outlet malfunction.  Just this morning, she told me, I hope you don’t die *slap forehead*  I don’t know why she comes up with things like that.  So I told her she don’t have anything to worry about because PB and I have life insurance, health insurance, the houses and cottages are insured, so we are pretty much quite safe.

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This Is Where I Come From – Singapore

Especially for those who don’t know where Singapore is – or where I come from. I’m very proud of who I am and how I speak – I have no intention to change my accent at all – hhahaha!! I never did when I was in Glasgow for 4 years finishing my university, so why would I start now? hahahha! I really love the way I am – and your lost if you can’t accept me as I am.

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FlipBurger

New venture, new business – in Halifax – do visit often when you are in the city, you will love the food and the hand cut fries and shakes – it’s da -bomb!

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A Round Up Of The Summer 2013

Yes, a little round up of what we did this summer.  We had planned to go to PEI but because of the closing of the cottage that we had bought only 2 minutes away from the beach, we had to change our plans but it was all worth it.

We loved the cottage and since its a 2 mins walk from the beach only, I forsee many, many more wonderful summers here with lots of BBQ and gatherings with friends and family.

PB bought me a new phone, because I told him my iPhone wasn’t big enough – so I’m using a Samsung Galaxy instead now.  No i’m not on contract, we bought the phone outright.

1ST bbq at Grampie’s this summer

Followed by a charity auction for this painting by local artist Andre Haines in support for the Hebron Art Center, I won the auction for $200 – really a steal.

We of course visited the farmer’s market.

Went to Cape Fochu for lunch one Sunday

And had a second BBQ at Port Maitland beach because Godma Lynn from Toronto came to visit.

We also hired someone to build Chloe a playhouse in our backyard

And headed up to Halifax for the Basker’s Festival.  Stayed for several nights and had more authentic Asian and Japanese food.

We also drove an hour to Digby to try out the new Japanese restaurant because the one in town wasn’t open yet at that time.

We headed out to the clay shop in Quinn pool for Chloe to do some clay art.

This year we went to Upper Clements Park with friends and family.

Bought a garden art piece for almost $200 from a local artist in town.

And went bowling.  All in all it was a pretty good summer.  Now to welcome the fall.

Oopsie !  and I forgot the wonderful airshow that we went to as a family but met plenty of friends there.

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Corporate Branding

I’ve just finished working on a corporate branding for a company in the States and this job was a referral job from a company that I had worked with last year.  Corporate branding are so fun and they actually makes the most money.  Sure it’s a lot of work but the caliber of the people that I worked with are highly professional and simply enjoyable.  The going back and forth is always challenging and the conference calls that I make and take can be at all hours of the day but I don’t mind it at all.  Plus, I’m very blessed because both PB and Chloe understands when I am working and they try not to interrupt.

My corporate branding jobs comes very often and word of mouth in our industry is so important, of course a good page rank from Lord Google is always good. Not many people around here knows what I do and when I try to teach them what I do, they usually, don’t want to do it because so much is involved from getting the right gadget for logos to HTML coding and different platforms to learn before you can get a good referral.  I’m very lucky and blessed because some 6 yrs ago, the industry wasn’t so competitive and some companies I’ve worked with have continued working with me and as the economy picks up in different parts of the world, the more jobs I get.

A professional corporate branding specialist can easily command a 5 figure payout and I have to say that the companies I’ve worked for are very generous.  I’ve never once had my work rejected nor not get paid for by any company. Companies pay me 50% upfront before I start work and after my first draft, I get paid the rest of it.  Upon finishing my work for them, I get paid another 10 % as a bonus when they are very satisfied with my work and I always get the 10 %  extra.  So if you see me up all night till wee hours in the morning, it’s gotta be that I’m working on a Corporate branding.  I love my online job!

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New Glasses For Chloe

We had gotten some new glasses for Chloe because she had complained that she can’t see that clearly with her old glasses even though it was less than a year old.  A eye test with the optometrist and eye doctor was scheduled as soon as the school term ended in July and true enough she needed new prescription.  We had wanted to recycle the old frames since they were still very new only to find out that with using the old frame, we won’t be getting the buy one get one free deal and it and if we were to get new ones, it would cost about the same amount albeit a little bit cheaper.

So we decided on getting her 2 new pairs that cost us about $500 because we chose the lenses which has that scratch proof thingie and very thin lenses, so that it won’t weigh so much on her.  We then donated the old ones to kids who needed them.  Chloe loves her new glasses and couldn’t wait to show them off to her friends at school.  We are not spendthrift but when it comes to the kid, we want the best for her, especially if it is a necessity.