Hello Everyone,
Christine turned 16 today. And got her driver's license. I'm super proud of her and I think she's become an amazing young lady.
... and I feel old.
Monday, March 26, 2012
Friday, March 16, 2012
Reality check of Calgary real estate
Hello Everyone,
So the City is doing a major overhaul of a neighbourhood east of the downtown main core called East Village. For years it was a haven for drug addicts, crime etc. but now it's mostly cleaned up and they've got major development going on.
This is going to be a great neighbourhood and we thought it would be a good place to invest in our first home.
And there is a really great condo being built.
Just for people like us. Bike lockers, a bike wash, across the street from the pathway system, rooftop patio, cafe downstairs. I looked at floorplans and got really excited.
Then I saw the prices.
And the prices were cheaper than the other condos in the area.
1 bedroom condos start at $227,900
1 bedroom + den condos start at $273,900
2 bedroom condos start at $327,900
And the square footage with these starting prices are less than 600. But, you get a balcony.
So now I'm sad.
Because I don't want to pay $300,000 for a 1 bedroom + den, under 600 square feet. Oh, and $150,000 to the bank in interest. And some crazy $500+ condo fees.
Even though it looked really great.
When I looked at the fine print, you need $5,000 up front. Then you have 10 days to secure a mortgage. And within the 10 days put down 15%. That's another $15,000 (in my imaginary condo). But since it isn't built yet, you have another year or two before you have to pay for the rest.
It's very discouraging.
But Jerry and I have talked and we've put off home ownership for another two years. By then he'll be full-time, I'll be done school and have my career established. And that's two years of savings we can put toward a down payment.
For now, our apartment is pretty great :-)
So the City is doing a major overhaul of a neighbourhood east of the downtown main core called East Village. For years it was a haven for drug addicts, crime etc. but now it's mostly cleaned up and they've got major development going on.
This is going to be a great neighbourhood and we thought it would be a good place to invest in our first home.
And there is a really great condo being built.
Just for people like us. Bike lockers, a bike wash, across the street from the pathway system, rooftop patio, cafe downstairs. I looked at floorplans and got really excited.
Then I saw the prices.
And the prices were cheaper than the other condos in the area.
1 bedroom condos start at $227,900
1 bedroom + den condos start at $273,900
2 bedroom condos start at $327,900
And the square footage with these starting prices are less than 600. But, you get a balcony.
So now I'm sad.
Because I don't want to pay $300,000 for a 1 bedroom + den, under 600 square feet. Oh, and $150,000 to the bank in interest. And some crazy $500+ condo fees.
Even though it looked really great.
When I looked at the fine print, you need $5,000 up front. Then you have 10 days to secure a mortgage. And within the 10 days put down 15%. That's another $15,000 (in my imaginary condo). But since it isn't built yet, you have another year or two before you have to pay for the rest.
It's very discouraging.
But Jerry and I have talked and we've put off home ownership for another two years. By then he'll be full-time, I'll be done school and have my career established. And that's two years of savings we can put toward a down payment.
For now, our apartment is pretty great :-)
funny raffle downstairs
Hello Everyone,
There is a raffle going on in the lobby of our building in support of the Cancer Society (for one of their bike rides).
The prize: a stationary bike
The reward for buying a ticket: a donut
Anyone else find this amusing?
There is a raffle going on in the lobby of our building in support of the Cancer Society (for one of their bike rides).
The prize: a stationary bike
The reward for buying a ticket: a donut
Anyone else find this amusing?
Monday, March 12, 2012
Sore Thumb
Hello Everyone,
We had a nice weekend at Castle. It was too warm & rainy on Saturday to ski so we went into Pincher Creek to browse around. On Sunday, it was a bit cooler and there was some snowfall late morning. Jerry went off snowboarding and I went skiing.
Had three really good runs and I did my first blue (intermediate) run on skis. After that, my last two runs were not so good. I had two big falls that made me lose a ski and it took a bit to get my foot locked back in. The second time was on a steep part of the hill and I ended up injuring my thumb. I was on the incline and using my pole for balance when the ski slipped and I jammed my thumb on the pole. From what I read, I think I have a minor sprain, aka skier's thumb. It's achy and it's difficult to flip papers (which is part of my work task today). I'll take an ibuprofin when I get home and maybe ice it if it still hurts later but there's not much I can do anyways.
Have a good day!
We had a nice weekend at Castle. It was too warm & rainy on Saturday to ski so we went into Pincher Creek to browse around. On Sunday, it was a bit cooler and there was some snowfall late morning. Jerry went off snowboarding and I went skiing.
Had three really good runs and I did my first blue (intermediate) run on skis. After that, my last two runs were not so good. I had two big falls that made me lose a ski and it took a bit to get my foot locked back in. The second time was on a steep part of the hill and I ended up injuring my thumb. I was on the incline and using my pole for balance when the ski slipped and I jammed my thumb on the pole. From what I read, I think I have a minor sprain, aka skier's thumb. It's achy and it's difficult to flip papers (which is part of my work task today). I'll take an ibuprofin when I get home and maybe ice it if it still hurts later but there's not much I can do anyways.
Have a good day!
Friday, March 09, 2012
Student Again
Hello Everyone,
After taking a month off from school, I've registered in two classes. I wanted to see how well I can balance two courses, work and life. They are Medical Terminology 1 and Healthcare Professionalism. I have until mid-June to finish them and I'm looking forward to the material. I was starting to get a bit stir-crazy at home because I didn't have a set routine.
The snow has broke and it's been a lovely few days. We're up to a crazy 15C and it was nice to walk outside without a jacket at lunch. Jerry's birthday is on Saturday so we're off to Castle tonight for the weekend. It's hard to say what snow conditions will be like but I suspected it's going to be warm slushy stuff. I'll be skiing again (on rentals) so as long as it doesn't ice over, it'll be fine. Jerry's a bit more snow fussy so we'll probably not do runs together as he'll need to head further up the hill. That's fine with me though as I'm a bit self-consious of my lesser skiing abilities (vs snowboarding). I was deemed a wonderful wife because for an early present I gave him an avalance transponder. It's needed on certain runs and he used to have to rent one. I also gave him the warning that if he ever had the opportunity to use it, I'd kill him if the avalance didn't.
I also had boudoir photos taken. I bought a Groupon for half-off that included two 4x6 photos and it was a lot of fun. I think Jerry will like them. I had my make-up and hair done, tried out false eye lashes and felt very glamourous. The photographer was great and I lost track of time. For anyone curious, I think I paid $185 for the 1 hour photoshoot and $65 for the hair/make-up. I supplied the false eyelashes. It was funny because afterward, I put on my glasses and they brushed the lenses when I blinked. I've wanted to have some done for years but reputable boudoir photographers are expensive. I was really happy with my deal. The pictures looked very classy and I ordered an extra one for me to show my handsome nursing home attendent when I'm old and grey.
Have a great day!
After taking a month off from school, I've registered in two classes. I wanted to see how well I can balance two courses, work and life. They are Medical Terminology 1 and Healthcare Professionalism. I have until mid-June to finish them and I'm looking forward to the material. I was starting to get a bit stir-crazy at home because I didn't have a set routine.
The snow has broke and it's been a lovely few days. We're up to a crazy 15C and it was nice to walk outside without a jacket at lunch. Jerry's birthday is on Saturday so we're off to Castle tonight for the weekend. It's hard to say what snow conditions will be like but I suspected it's going to be warm slushy stuff. I'll be skiing again (on rentals) so as long as it doesn't ice over, it'll be fine. Jerry's a bit more snow fussy so we'll probably not do runs together as he'll need to head further up the hill. That's fine with me though as I'm a bit self-consious of my lesser skiing abilities (vs snowboarding). I was deemed a wonderful wife because for an early present I gave him an avalance transponder. It's needed on certain runs and he used to have to rent one. I also gave him the warning that if he ever had the opportunity to use it, I'd kill him if the avalance didn't.
I also had boudoir photos taken. I bought a Groupon for half-off that included two 4x6 photos and it was a lot of fun. I think Jerry will like them. I had my make-up and hair done, tried out false eye lashes and felt very glamourous. The photographer was great and I lost track of time. For anyone curious, I think I paid $185 for the 1 hour photoshoot and $65 for the hair/make-up. I supplied the false eyelashes. It was funny because afterward, I put on my glasses and they brushed the lenses when I blinked. I've wanted to have some done for years but reputable boudoir photographers are expensive. I was really happy with my deal. The pictures looked very classy and I ordered an extra one for me to show my handsome nursing home attendent when I'm old and grey.
Have a great day!
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