This thread has been quite the experience so far. Going through and reading about your guys' struggles but also outlook on life has been refreshing and perhaps even an inspiring reminder to be grateful for what we have. At least, that's what I've been able to take away from this.

My personal situation is very different from what has been shared so far. Being single with no kids or exes draining my resources, I have been free to do as I please for my entire adult life. Obviously, given the choice I'd love to start a family but it just hasn't worked out so I'm making use of my time doing other things.

In terms of financial situation, I suppose I am in the best shape and best position I ever have been throughout my career. Some of you may remember that I work in healthcare. Being perpetually short staffed (long before the pandemic) has always positioned us to be able to take advantage of overtime opportunities. Those who can stomach working more hours can always offset expenses and more recently, inflation. My job is actually quite average in terms of annual income but comes along with great health benefits as well as vacation hours. I'm up to 6 weeks per year now and was able to stretch that into about 7.

The pandemic really motivated me to see how much work I could handle. Multiple reasons were at play here:

1. better to earn money and hang out with friends at work than watch tv/game at home
2. see how far I could push myself in terms of working hours (physically and mentally)
3. see how far I could push my income to escape the "restraints" of my usual pay

OT hours per year have steadily increased over these last 3 years.

2020: 154 hours
2021: 540 hours
2022: 723 hours (possibly more depending on next 12 days)

As a result, I have hit an income number I honestly never thought I would reach in my lifetime. It's an accomplishment for sure but I still consider myself "Vancouver poor". Now comes other questions and considerations regarding what my future may look like. I have definitely neglected large parts of my social life in the pursuit of this goal and dating in general is a shit show out there. In regards to all these stories about dating Chinese girls..... let's just say I haven't found a good one yet lol. At least, good for me anyways.

The question I have for myself now is, how long can I keep this up? Working 6-7 days per week all year long isn't particularly sustainable and means that my free time is extremely limited outside of vacation weeks. Social life and other activities have been significantly reduced and neglecting those has obvious consequences. Can I date someone while maintaining such a work schedule? Depends on the girl and her expectations I suppose. Ironically, I do find that I make much better use of my time off. Before, I might spend an entire day doing butt fuck nothing and then maybe do something on the second day off. Don't get me wrong though, there certainly are 1-day weekends where I don't want to do shit. The advantage I have right now is that I don't have anyone nagging me to go out more lol.

Other than earning more money, I've also saved quite a bit through different means. Being close to work, I am able to walk or use my electric scooter (gas companies can kiss my ass). I cook and prep my own food all the time, rarely going out for meals unless it's with friends or the occasional date. Having nearly doubled my annual income, I am free to spend as I like. I've always been careful with my money, so being able to buy something even when it isn't on sale is a nice feeling I never really allowed myself to experience before.

I can honestly say, things are actually great for me. I find a lot of value in the work I do and it's something I really enjoy most days. I also work with a ton of good people and it makes passing the time at work a lot more enjoyable despite the difficulties we go through every day. While things in my personal life could see improvement, I can whole heartedly say that I'm happy and in a good place right now.

I'm feeling very fortunate for the financial position I'm in right now. I sold my condo in 2020, purchased a SFH and went variable. So as you can imagine the payments hurt. I left my previous employer of 6 years and took a new gig at the start of the year. I never would have imagined i would be earning this much at my age (31) but I haven't let it get to my head. I've doubled up my mortgage payments and saving as aggressively as possible. I know that in the blink of an eye everything can come crashing down so I'm doing my best to be in a financially sound position for when/if that day comes. As for everything else, yeah costs are high so less eating out, looking for discounts on groceries, etc.

I predict 2023 is going to be a very challenging year so instilling good habits now might be what keeps many people barely afloat.

Good for you making the jump from condo to SFH. Unless your condo was already in the higher end of the price range, that's a big leap.

SFH at age 31? Damn homie, don't let those SH girls find out or it's gonna be over for you.

hahaha!!!

poor shanghai girls. such bad reps

I'm in the burbs now. The goal is to one day have a house in Vancouver proper but that'll probably be when I'm 60 [emoji38]

Lol I have a HK wife but she came to Canada when she was 4yr old so she's basically Canadian but raised by typical asian parents. I'm the lucky Gwai Lo

Dahm dude, your a machine, I wish I had your determination

I find I'm getting lazier every year in regards to work, the option is there to work 50 hr weeks, but the past 2-3 years it's been an average of 30s.
Maybe it has something to do with being a work slut when I was an apprentice, 50s, 60s, and on-call for months in a row. Rolling up in a Z4 and C6 at the age of 21 and 22 was well worth it tho

Wow that's a lot of of OT. I dipped a bit into the world of OT this year and I don't think I can mentally / physically handle it year-round 6-7 days a week if it wasn't 90% WFH.

Just turned 27 a few days ago.

Good:
- Despite high inflation, recession, layoffs, and high cost of living, I'm grateful to still be able to move out and live in my own 1BR condo.
- 2.5x'd my income since graduation 3 years ago, but is slowly coming down as I take on less contract jobs and focus back on health
- Managed to save 12 months of emergency fund in a year after depleting 95% of my cash on a down payment and pretty much pay cheque to paycheque at the beginning of 2021.
- Sold some sneakers, churned random credit cards & accounts, and side hobbies added a bit of cash to spend on concerts, bday gifts, and going out.
- Financed a daily driver at a low rate 1.49% and trade-in value today is the same as what I paid for it, so I can hopefully take less than $5 - 10K depreciation over the next 5 years.
- Finished my CPA so I hope I can find a major pay bump of 25 - 40% in the next 6 months.


Things on the back of my mind:
- Total all-in housing costs will go from $2,250 to $3,050 if rates stay the same at the end of 2024.
- Early retirement is heavily set back as my savings rate went from 75% to 28%.
- I haven't been on a high protein diet since meat is up 20 - 40%, probably lost like 10 - 15lbs of muscle weight, been eating more carbs than ever before.
- Feeling financially irresponsible eating out/partying 2-4x a week since it's always someone's birthday every week. I ended up declining invites to scale back or only show up for dinner. Makes me feel bad.
- I went from 195lbs to 240lbs from trying to balance a FT gig, contract work, and studying for CPA.
- Lifestyle inflation is real, I started buying stuff that's not on sale, spending $300/month on golf, considering luxury items I use to think were stupid but I'm pretty good with not going through with it.

Trying to set some financial goals for 2023 but I think this year I'll prioritize health.

as crazy as it sounds, one coworker actually beat me this year. a bit of internal competition, if you will :rofl:

I think last year I motivated her to work more as we would tell each other how much we've made. This year she managed to beat me so my natural instinct is to destroy her next year hahahah. But ya, I am often referred to as a robot.

My role in emergency is actually as a backup/vacation relief person but I work OT there so often people think I own one of the full time lines. Being physically fit, having a good diet and ample rest is key to working this much. I find the nurses with spouses and kids to worry about even more durable than me because their responsibilities far outweigh mine outside of work.

Of course, 700+ hours of extra work is nothing to sneeze at. My eyes are always the first to cry for help when I'm doing 15-16 hour shifts. Nutrition, physique and rest can only take you so far :lol

Man you guys are hustling !!! I’m trying to do the reverse and get more money for less work. The older I get, the less inclined I am to go bust my balls for monetary gain. I just value peace and stability more than anything.

Coming from an industry where safety is pretty key, I’m honestly surprised how so much OT is still allowed, and possibly suggested in the medical industry. If a limit is surpassed in my industry, there is zero financial gain or incentive to continue (to extend a day, doesn’t apply to extra days worked). Taking away any financial bias which may be swaying you away from a fatigued state (causing mistakes).

Maybe I’m just sick of seeing the massive amount of screw up in the medical industry, but it just doesn’t seem right when lives are at stake.

Not a personal dig by any means, all the power to you to take advantage. I just find the system completely illogical, and completely financially inefficient from a tax payers perspective.

/end rant

Same in railroading. Only x amount of hours before they put you on mandatory rest. Which totally makes sense given how much concentration is required to work at full capacity.

People working 700 hours of OT

wHy IS tHe sYStEM brOkEn?!?!

I'm very lucky that I can walk into any dollarama and buy whatever I want.

Hope ya'll get to that financial goal and get to stay there, of whichever store is your choice in life.

Are you saying the system is broken because he worked 700 hours of OT?

Or are you saying healthcare is crumbling because people are burning out after working 700 hours of OT?

Everyone knows the system is broken, ridiculous OT is a symptom, not a cause.

Quit feeding our resident troll Hondaracer

Oh, you're relinquishing the title? :pokerface::lawl:

I'm a bit of an outlier when it comes to RS baller club, as in, I aint no baller.

Anyway, job wise, I was made a dept head at the beginning of this year and I got a raise of basically +$75/day which doesn't equal much in net pay Keepo

If I was living in Ass Rapids, Manitoba, then I'd be balling no doubt but I, like many of us are stifled by the Vancouver skew.

But being made a dept head meant more work. I went through 3 relationships this year. My 3rd one is holding well so far. The first two failed primarily because I was so busy with work which led to other issues. I'm also looking after my aging parents while living on my own and taking care of my own place and needs. As a result, this year just flew by. Sure I bought a few things (and sold others for a profit....whoo...side hustle passive income) but I've also been tired since like March 14. Money in the bank? Yes. Can I spend? Yes. Will I have time to enjoy? No.

But, really I want to do (and need to) is just get the fuck out of this cold ass city (literally AND metaphorically). It's becoming too clinical and meh for me. Luckily, my current gf is big on travel. Gives me more incentive to do it...

...if she's still around :concentrate:

EDIT: I just e-transferred a friend $45 for an uber after she got stuck in Richmond because transit stopped after 9pm apparently. She lives near 41st and Victoria. I like using my money to help others.

Double post / failed edit

:suspicious:

75$ a day even at 40% tax is 12k a year net

You ballin hard

Work visa, do it
We need you to enter the work holiday thread

At least donk is funny.

I 100% agree with you in regards to safety. There are actually anti-fatigue rules in place as well as OT bans (for nurses). These are the safe guards to combat (potentially) unsafe care. Let me reassure you, if I weren't confident in my ability to handle such hours, I simply wouldn't do it. What I do is very uncommon. In fact, amongst my peers there's literally only two of us who work like this. Some dabble in OT here and there and the rest simply pick up zero at all.

I am a staunch supporter of following rules and regulations at work. So much so that I'm often labelled as too high standard. Which, if you think about it, makes no sense because we're in a fucking hospital. Of COURSE standards should be high and kept high. Anyways, it's always a challenge to dissuade others from the shitty mindset some people have. I have faith in the vast majority of my colleagues to do the right thing though.

Wife spent the whole year until this week on maternity leave. On paper that is about a 75k decrease in wage for her for the year after the mat leave payments, so probably like 50k less in our pockets this year.
We had to buy a newer practical car that I feel we paid too much for, I stopped contributing to our investments for the year and we blew through about 15k in savings, but have padded it back up a little bit already.
Childcare is coming in at $900 month, down from $1300 for the 2 before that which is a big help.
We spent a ton on surgeries for our dog, which kept him with us for most of our daughters first year, so well worth it, but was a huge kick in the dick.
Variable interest mortgage is fucking me but our home costs are very low to begin with.
Food has probably been the biggest financial burden, as we are pretty specific with what we choose to eat.
I thought the e30 was going to be on the chopping block, but we made it through without dwindling too far, so now that she's back at work, I'm feeling pretty safe. We will need to move somewhere bigger soon, but I've put looking on hold for now while prices remain high and borrowing costs haven't had a major effect yet.

If I recall, your wife is a nurse. If she's part of bcnu, she should be able to get Supplemental Employment Benefits aka wage top ups for being on maternity and parental leave.