[Eff-1]

I thought I'd ask everyone how things have changed for you, if anything, this past year with inflation, interest rate hikes, and various other economic happenings going on.

My wife is off work until Spring 2023 so our HHI has decreased quite a bit because of that, but generally we've been able to make it work by keeping expenses relatively low, with a few exceptions noted below.

She doesn't drive a lot, so the higher gas prices this year wasn't too bad for us. I mostly walk and I use transit to commute for the past few years.

We have a gigantic mortgage on our condo but are lucky to have avoided interest rate hikes after locking our rate back in 2020. Thank goodness. Strata fees did go up about 7% but that was pretty good that we kept the increase below 10% (I'm on the council).

We need a bigger place now, but higher rates makes moving somewhere bigger even harder, so I started renting a hot-desk at a place nearby to work from at since my wife is now at home all day with the baby. It essentially gives me back my own office that we converted to the nursery. This is one of those "wish I had a house" expenses. Like the money I pay 2x per year to store our snow tires at kaltire instead of having a garage to keep them in. I hate that.

Our grocery bill is where we have seen the biggest hit this year. Because of severe allergies and other health issues, we don't have a lot of flexibility in the specialty foods and brands we buy. So when costs go up, we literally have no choice but to spend more. We can't just easily switch brands or shop at a different store. Also we now have another member of the family to feed, although it's just baby formula for now which hasn't gone up in price, but was hard to find for a period of time.

We barely go out anymore. Our leisure/entertainment bill is next to nothing, but that's because of our new family lifestyle and not necessarily to save money (but saving money is a benefit!).

We don't go to restaurants, but we still order in 2 or 3x per week because of the time savings and convenience of not cooking/cleaning with the baby. Half the time I'll go pick it up to avoid delivery fees. But even so, every time I see the bill, I'm like wtf this is crazy expensive now for average food we eat in front of the TV.

We aren't taking any vacations and have no plans to due to the hassle of flying with a baby but also due to the flu/covid/RSV going around right now impacting kids. So I guess that saves money too.

One area I could save money (but still don't) is daily lunches. I eat out everyday and what used to cost under $10 is now $15 per lunch. This is one area I could definitely do better to help our finances and probably should start.

In spring when my wife returns to work, we are going to have daycare expenses. I know there are new subsidies in place now, but I am still expecting $1000 per month at least but hoping it might be less now. Once again, I am thankful for having locked in our mortgage rate given this new expense on the way.

In 2023, I'd love to see the cost of childcare continue to decrease for more people. Fingers and toes crossed.

[bcrdukes]

I got married and spent a shit load of money so that really hurt. All that money could have been saved for a rainy day fund or put towards paying off the principle amount on our home (or a new car hahaha)

Otherwise, strata/property management fees went up from $265 to $285. Mortgage rate is good until December 2023 so I am dreading that.

No serious plans for travel next year other than a few small trips to Vancouver and Los Angeles.

[Great68]

We've had a few financial plus/minus changes, overall they've basically cancelled each other out and stayed level and haven't really actively changed any of our financial approaches.

I received a bit of a raise in April

My Wife took a new job in March, moving from Private sector to Public. Took a ~15% salary hit, but gained full benefit package (had zero benefits from old job), pension (had zero RRSP match, or anything like that with old job), Flex Days, 35 hour work week etc... + Happier wife from leaving a toxic environment whose value far outweighs the straight salary loss.
Plus where before she was daily driving the F150 out to Central Saanich, now she busses or works from home so we're saving all the gas money there.

My son entered Kindergarten in September, so no more $900/month daycare payments. My mother in law finally bought a house within walking distance, so she takes care of morning/after care (Would have cost an extra $350/mo)

I made a few largish expenditures on the house this year, new gutters and Heat Pump.

Starting to extract funds from my dedicated "Mustang restoration and mods" savings that I've been nest egging for the last decade. Made my first $3k parts purchase, with another $4k in the cart. The big ticket items will be the new motor and transmission which be next year.

Have to renew my mortgage in April for the 3rd term. Thankfully should only be about a $250-300/m increase based on today's rates if I remain fixed. (I feel for you guys getting hit by the thousands of extra dollars)

We aren't planning any long major travels. These days we're happy to just kick around locally camping with our RV trailer or fishing trips with the boat.

[yray]

I went from leasing cars to buying old land rovers.

I guess its better throwing my money at gas than a no asset debt.

jokes aside... cooking more at home, less play money, rented out basement suite and the tenants ran the heat to 28C :fuckthatshit:

[CivicBlues]

Might come across as a bit of a humble brag but we're living life pretty much as we did in 2019. But in order to do that, had to job hop two times to get a 60% raise. However I'm now in a somewhat more precarious position with this job than the original cushy one in 2019. Also we're early 40s mid-career DINKS but still living like entry level new grads in many ways so generally we live way below our means.

Bad:
Mortgage payments went up 40%
Strata payments went up 40% as well (FU Insurance companies!)
Property Tax surprisingly went down this year by about 5% - big whoop
I'm now responsible for funding my own RRSP 100%
Groceries/Eating out - who the fuck knows exactly, probably a 50% bump up at least.

Good:
-Aforementioned raises
-Work from home is now entrenched so commuting costs are nil
-Eat at home more often but still enjoy a lunch out 4/7 days and a fancy dinner every 3 weeks
-Cooking skillz much better now


MEh?
-Seeing friends has pretty much been halved due to everyone I know moving further away or not wanting to spend money entertaining. No going out for drinks with colleagues because WFH
-Went on two Int'l trips this year and spent a shit ton but that was partially due to COVID credits from 2020 and well, FOMO. Probably won't do as much travelling this year except for work although I won't pass it up if I find a deal.
-Delayed looking for a bigger place (i.e. a more "middle age-appropriate" space) till god knows when. Just trying to be happy and grateful for what we have and live in the moment as much as possible.

[donk.]

This thread should get juicy in 12-24 months

[Eff-1]

Just trying to be happy and grateful for what we have and live in the moment as much as possible.

^ Same here.

It's hard out there for a lot of people right now.

For people who aren't being forced to cut back on expenses, and who are still generally able to afford their current lifestyle, that's a good place to be.

[inv4zn]

Got a raise of about 15%, everything went up in price by about 20%, still poor. lol.

[quasi]

I got a significant raise this year, my wife also got a pretty decent raise either end of last year or beginning of this year (time blends) taking a new position.

Our mortgage is locked in so haven't seen anything from the new rates on that yet, we have another 2 years at this rate I'm sure we'll be paying more in 2025.

My investments have taken a shit kicking but that's not shocking.

We haven't really done any vacations since covid other than I took a trip to Vegas this summer so we've saved some money that way however we plan to take a few in 2023.

I have a kid that is going to University in 2024 so that's on been on my mind.

Overall we've been doing ok I guess, probably have more disposable income than I've ever had in my life but at the age I'm at it's not that shocking.

I'm trying to save as much money as I can for anything unforeseen but we need a new fence, new hot water tank and wife needs a new vehicle so money will be spent.

Edit: One big change for me this year, I dropped about 50 pounds since spring, also dropped about 25 pounds right before pandemic. I went from 245 pounds down to 172, mostly from walking and being a little more conscious with my diet. I still eat all the things I like I just eat less of it. I walk just under 6 km's every day, I missed one day when it snowed but other than that I make it a point to get out and walk. It's been one of the biggest changes in my life. I plan to get back to the gym with my son, first time really lifting weights in almost 25 years, working at a desk the last 12 years my muscles have atrophied to the max and it's bad when you're wife say's jesus you need to hit the weights. I'm going to use the competitive nature between us to out do that little fucker but I'm pretty certain he can out lift me already at 16.

[EvoFire]

Wow it's been a long year.

Win - January we refinanced the mortgage and went to 1.1% variable, saved a few hundo a month
Win - April I started a new job with a 30% pay bump
Minor win - Found out that the bump up in cut off for property tax meant we now qualified, just barely, and saved $300
Lose - Interest rates have gone up by 4%, and we've had to bump up our payments by almost 50%. We are under paying right now, to match the new 5.1% rate we'd probably have to bump it up another $1000
Win - Sept we moved our son to a new daycare closer to home, the daycare fee was $200 cheaper, and the commute went from 45mins at dropoff/pickup to now 15mins, and gas savings.
Lose - Nov I got laid off and I haven't found a job yet. I bring home 66% of the income. The market is weird right now and it's Christmas.
Win - Dec the new daycare subsidy means our daycare costs go down again from $950 to $500 a month.

We have a new baby coming in a few weeks so it's not a great time for me. Hoping things look up in the new year.

Overall I would have called it a win if not for the layoff in Nov.

[twitchyzero]

with supply chain issues sorting itself this year for many things out i've had to catch on big ticket items that ive been putting off

when work used to be slow i shrugged it off, now im definitely more keen to see my hours sustainable enough to can keep lights on at home (figuratively)

workplace of going on 5 years gave severance as they couldn't get close to the raises i usually ask..onto a different position within a few weeks to even out inflation

respect to all the hustling out there. heart goes out to students and single parents

[Tapioca]

I switched industries for a 20% increase plus full time WFH last year. My wife switched companies and got a 20% increase this year. Our daycare costs finally went away this year, so you'd think we'd be doing well...

Not really as we're on a variable mortgage, which has basically wiped out our cash flow increases.

Food costs definitely are felt these days. We eat a lot less red meat than a couple of years ago. We also have switched brands to lower cost alternatives where it makes sense. We have cut down on sushi take out considerably due to the rising cost of fish. I'm also finding myself using loyalty programs a lot more (PC Optimum, Triangle, etc) to make the dollars stretch.

[underscore]

A year ago I was freshly unemployed and bleeding cash because my EI + the last of my wifes mat leave = peanuts. I got lucky and renewed my mortgage right after the first uptick in rates so that's not too bad. I also got a new job with a sizeable increase in base salary which was also nice. I get RRSP matching now so more is going into there while at the same time less is coming from my income which is nice. I'm full time WFH now so my insurance and gas costs went way down.

I feel for anyone getting hammered by their mortgage rates going up. Hopefully house prices drop at least a little like they seem to be already. With how much they went up, even with my past raises and now this large one, I wouldn't be able to qualify to buy my same house if I was buying it now instead of back in 2013. That's wack.

I'm in the same boat with food, young kids being picky + each kid having 3 different severe food allergies really limits flexibility with the grocery bill. It also saves us on takeout because there's only 1 place we can order from so that cancels out a little I guess lol.

2 weddings this summer cost a small fortune but that's done now at least. We barely went out before and don't now so nowhere to save there. My wife needs gas once a month and I'm once every two months. She's a SAHM so no direct childcare costs but it's good to see that coming down for other people. Part of why she's a SAHM is when we did the math she'd be working for basically nothing with the cost of putting 2 kids into daycare.

One thing I did notice jumping a lot is utilities. We went to all new high efficiency stuff within the past few years and the bills are still nuts so I shudder to think what it would've been like with the old units in place.

In the end even with income going up, the mortgage staying the same and some stuff going down my savings are still not moving very much. I guess that's life these days with 3 dependents, 5 if you count cats.

And speaking of cats even those fuckers need special food which has also had shortages so that's been fun. I was so happy when my toddler was done with formula because having cats that can only eat 1 food and a kid that could only drink 2 kinds of formula was a fucking nightmare when the supply shortages were at their worst.

Kinda backwards with rates going up but I hit the point in life where I'm willing to be a little riskier with finances to enjoy life while myself and my kids are young. They're still a bit too little to do anything too big with but once the youngest hits 5ish there's only at most 10 years before the oldest is busy with school and then their own adult life so I want to make the most of it. I have too many friends who lost a parent in their 30's/40's/50's/etc and know too many people who have had medical issues trash part of their retirement plan to be willing to wait patiently to do some things. Heck I was on a flight for work back from Toronto and this businessy guy that looked to be in his 50's had issues with his hip or something and couldn't sit for more than like 20 mins at a time. That'd make something like flying to Europe or Asia to travel pretty unpleasant. So I don't really care as much about retiring younger, I'd rather be able to enjoy things more now and have to keep working later on when my kids are too busy to want to spend time with me anyways :lol

[supafamous]

- Portfolio down 20%. Not sure retirement at 55 (8 years away) is possible anymore.
- Got laid off in Aug but found a new job in a month and secured a late start date so I lived off my severance for 3 months and spent more time with my kid and did some projects.
- We bought our forever home in Nov 2021 which took our out of pocket mortgage costs (after rental income) from ~$1600/mo to $5400/mo which has now become $7k/mo ($2k rental income) in a span of 12 months. We love the house, it's great and both sets of parents can move in with us as they get older.
- Definitely noticed the impact of inflation starting around Aug/Sept. Kinda shocked sometimes to see how expensive some things have gotten.

All in all, it was a rough year financially - net worth down, cash flow down, had to find a new job. Only upside was the new day care subsidies.

But still alive, still happy, and I have a great life. The big picture is good.

[Badhobz]

I read all your posts and my hats off to you gents who are hanging on. Economic circumstances arent easy and you Broskis are weathering the storm. Some are faring a bit better than others but I’m glad you’re all okay and safe. I’m not a religious person but I pray to all the gods and goddesses that you guys find wealth, health and happiness in this upcoming new year.

[bcrdukes]

Translation: Badhobz not impacted :lol

[EvoFire]

Translation: Badhobz not impacted :lol

I mean, how bad can it be with a ratrolla and an old Camry, it's cheap.

[hud 91gt]

Wife went on maternity, lost almost half our income. No longer buy steak. Stopped looking at my investments months ago. Lol trying to keep the credit card bill within our budget. Semi successful cutting back.

Saying that. We bought out our fixed rate mortgage about 1.5 years ago for ultra cheap variable. Needed ultra low rates for a year to break even with the fees. Guess that was a bad move. Luckily we never stretched ourselves.

[Badhobz]

I mean, how bad can it be with a ratrolla and an old Camry, it's cheap.

:inoutugh:

Life's pretty good in transportation for the past 2 years. we got big bonuses but next year the gravy train is ending (volumes dropping already). This year's office party we had will probably be the last "extravagant" office party. No more endless booze, no more lobster stuffed with crab, stuffed with filet mignon.

ITS OVER!!!!!!!! next year it'll be mcdonalds 4 us.

[donk.]

:inoutugh:

no more lobster stuffed with crab,



You guys hiring?

[Badhobz]

always! just be careful of the office politics. thats the only downside to these semi government gigs.

https://www.google.com/search?q=port+of+vancouver+jobs&rlz=1C1ONGR_enCA1002CA1002&oq=port+of+vancouver+jobs&aqs=chrome..69i57.2196j0j7&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8&ibp=htl;jobs&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwj55f7t5fX7AhXyHTQIHZi4BiIQudcGKAJ6BAgIE Co&sxsrf=ALiCzsbcBQPDxjLZLs1IN-cmLZIqZSIW5w:1670907059752#htivrt=jobs&htidocid=fYsplduMwcMAAAAAAAAAAA%3D%3D&fpstate=tldetail

[inv4zn]

My first post was a bit in jest - and in all seriousness, it's a good time to take things into perspective.

RS isn't a representative demographic economically, I'd dare say most of us here over the age of 30 are at least in the 25% of earners in the lower mainland. I mean don't get me wrong, the middle-class struggle is both real and hard, but there are people (and kind of worse, families) who aren't trying to decide between Kellogg's and Great Valu, but rather who gets to eat and who doesn't. We can sit here and complain our investments have taken a beating, but let's be honest, that's far better problem to have than trying to figure out how to pay for both electricity and food.

So, donate to food banks and charities, if you have older kids teach/take them volunteering, and all in all just take a minute to be kind to those in need.

If anyone here wants to do some kind of RS Drive for the foodbank or whatever, I'd be down to chip in.

[Badhobz]

Id totally be down for an RS food drive. Especially this winter.

I went to ba le on Kingsway today and this really old white lady was asking for spare change. I usually don’t give to these homeless types but she didn’t look like a drug addict or cracked out. Just a senior facing hard times. I gave her a twenty. She wept a bit. I told her to get on some government programs for seniors like bc housing or the ministry of social development and poverty reduction.

I also bought her two slices from straight outta Brooklyn pizza and She ended up walking away (I guess back home?). Broke my heart to see people like that.

[Eff-1]

Wife went on maternity, lost almost half our income. No longer buy steak. Stopped looking at my investments months ago. Lol trying to keep the credit card bill within our budget. Semi successful cutting back.

Saying that. We bought out our fixed rate mortgage about 1.5 years ago for ultra cheap variable. Needed ultra low rates for a year to break even with the fees. Guess that was a bad move. Luckily we never stretched ourselves.

I totally forgot to mention our investments. Probably because I stopped looking a while ago. It was too painful haha. We are now looking mostly at locked in investments and high interest savings accounts for keeping money in 2023.

And yeah maternity leave is a double whammy. You lose a lot of income while also the baby brings a lot of expenses. I sympathize!

[inv4zn]

London Drugs does a program every year, where they partner with local senior care homes, and they get "wish lists" from local seniors. These items are put on little tags on trees in every store, and you can purchase these items and LD will deliver them. You don't even need to buy them at LD, you can just bring the items bought elsewhere to the store, with the tag. No hand-made stuff though.

Honestly, it's pretty heart breaking - the items asked for are basic necessities like socks, toiletries, even stuffed animals.

For the past few years the adults in our extended family have all agreed to only get gifts for kids, and for adults to just go fill those instead.

https://www.londondrugs.com/stocking-stuffers-for-seniors.html

[dark0821]

Alrite guys, where do I begin. Sorry for the essay...

- took on a new job, so far so good haha, better pay and just happier, good people, good management, automotive industry. The no base pay didn't bother me as much as I thought it would. I guess having a decent amount of savings help, and the constant pick me up/free counselling I get from wifey is awesome. She is a fucking rock star for emotional support LOL

- you guys know the drill, I am the sole income earner in the fam. Not that my wife doesnt want to work, but with 2 kids, she wont earn enough to cover the child care, and my kids have too many things that needs constant getting around...so staying at home for her is better for our expenses

- mortgage didn't change for us, we are locked in till 2024 phew

- we don't really do trips to be honest other than camping (even before Covid). So I guess not much savings there. Full asian in that way, I would love to, but always think they are so expensive. The only international trips we did in the past were China trips, the red pockets that relatives line our pockets with for my kids will actually always cover the trip, so that sense, not really any expense.

- my wife is an amazing cook, we didn't really eat out at all before covid, and don't eat out now except maybe the occasional Costco Hot Dog. I have 0 apps on my phone for Uber eats/door dash etc etc etc. I am the guy who waits for MacDonald coupons before I would go to one, and now, even with the coupons I find it expensive loool. But no complaints on the home cooking, I still get to eat amazing food from home.

- One expense I didn't expect are the kids activities, from tutoring, swimming, painting, piano X 2 kids (every program/teacher) has approached us and told us they are upping their fees. I want to say I was comfortablly under $700/month is now doing $1100/month for the same shit... and I don't see this trend stopping

- Utilities are up, fuck... I was the stupid fuck that would totally leave the kitchen light on all night and having the computer on 24/7 to now being anal of turning off everything lool...

- Groceries are defn up as well, I can walk out of T&T after $100 and felt like we didn't buy shit, We will always compare walmart/superstore/crystal mall. Only going to T&T for the special shit that are not sold else where cuz we know T&T = $$$$

- Commute wise is pretty good, wife can do everything with the electric range for the prius, the gas bill for it is basically 1 tank per year (94 octane + octan booster), and that is us intentionally using the gas to rinse the fuel system and not letting gas go bad. The miata is great as well, maintenance is cheap like you wouldnt imagine, a brand new passenger rear caliper (not a rebuild kit) a new one from Mazda dealership is $119 after tax... fuel mileage is also hovering around 8L/100KM even with me driving like a dick... and full insurance is like $110/month...

-no big expenses this year, do have refundable deposits on the new GR Corolla, Z, Prius Prime, Type R and the manual Supra (original idea was to take the 1st one that is offered to me and cancel the rest) but honestly, now is hoping none of them calls me. The more I think about it, the more I am like Miata is everything I wanted, and I know it will just be $$$$ if any of those cars shows up. I think I am keeping the deposits though, just in case if I do get it, I will ask around for all my friends, if none of them are interested, I can still back out at that point.

*** but yea, still saving a tiny bit every month... as to saving a decent chunk before. But we are still going net positive which is nice...

*** and yea, same comment, for the people that are struggling, just stay positive. Good mindset changes alot of things. Good fortunes guys!

[Tapioca]

I think it's wild that there are so many single earner households with kids in this day and age in the Lower Mainland. Like, it's not just the 1%-successful business owners with single income earners, but I see so many regular families that often have a stay-at-home parent, even after the post-maternity leave years.

We went through some hard years when we were paying over $2K in daycare fees per month. Yes, my wife wasn't making that much extra income during those years, but the sacrifice paid off as she is now a senior leader at her company.

[Traum]

Interesting topic, and I wish I could come in here to flex LOL~ But nope, it is really more of a slow downward spiral as far as I can tell. And the worst part is, I don't see any solutions in the "near" future, say within the next year or so.

(Apologies for the long essay.)

2022 has been a very expensive year. Home repair costs were (literally) through the roof because multiple big ticket items failed -- we got a new roof, and while that was being replaced, we were recommended to do some repairs on our chimney as well -- who knew masons were that expensive? The (exterior) stucco wall needed fixing. 2 major appliances failed; the microwave died even though it was only a little over 3 yrs old. A sizable chunk of my savings evapourated to keep the house more or less intact.

There were really a few more home repair items that were needed, but I honestly couldn't stomach the cost this year anymore. So I DIY-ed the urgent ones -- with the results looking very amateurish, but at least I think they are functional -- and the less urgent ones are deferred for now. My driveway could really use a repaving, or at least some meaningful repairs at certain places, but those are not happening for now. If I am crazy / stupid enough, I might just try to DIY it next spring / summer...

Mortgage costs have gone up by over 20% compared to the beginning of the year as I am on a variable rate mortgage where the payments change with the interest rate. But as I have found out here on RS, my 20%+ hike is actually fairly tame compared to what some of you guys are dealing with, so I guess I can't complain.

Food costs seem to have gone up by almost 40% for us this year, and that is due to a combination of rising grocery costs on its own, us doing a lot more take out because of time constraints, and me and the wifey's mutual agreement that we really needed to re-expose our kid to some basic social etiquette, table manners and just trying out different foods this year since we have largely avoided eating out in the first 2 years of the pandemic. At the same time, we have also adjusted our food purchasing habits. We are buying "cheaper" stuff, and actively reducing / avoiding the expensive items. For example, I know this sounds really bad, but I love spot prawns and cherries, and we have really cut back on those this year. But even the bloody oranges -- I mean, those damn regular navel oranges, not blood oranges -- are like a solid 40 - 50% more expensive than before.

Utility bills have gone up quite a bit this year. After the heat dome last year, we got an AC early this summer ($$$ bye bye~), and IIRC, I think the operating costs worked out to be ~$1/hr. I had just received our gas heating bill recently, and the Nov bill was quite a surprise. I am guessing it must be a combination of the really cold Nov that we had, plus the gas rate hikes themselves, but between the two, our Nov bill this year is ~25% more expensive than it was last Nov. Dec seems colder than usual too.

Transportation costs have gone up this year by ~40% because gas prices have gone up significantly, and the managers at work love seeing physical bodies at the office again. We do have a WFH policy that allows for some WFH time, but overall, I am estimating that it roughly costs me ~$10 per day for the commute to and back from the office + parking, not to mention the travel time that I lose by not being able to WFH.

Income-wise, things have been stagnant for me, which means I am just eating all those inflation body blows. The wifey's is bringing home roughly the same amount as before, but her workload has increased significantly because her work partner is taking a leave of absence. Personally, I really enjoy my job because I have a good employer. The pay sucks, but the benefits and work-life balance are good, and I work with a very good team of people. But my shrinking bank account balance has me thinking about the possibility to get out of my comfort zone and look for something with a higher pay. For the time being, I think that would still be a bad idea because of the uncertainty of the economy. But as long as the household income-to-expense ratio doesn't improve, we are slowly heading for insolvency.

For now, I am still super thankful that I have a loving family, a roof over my head, and a sports car in my garage. Increasingly though, as I head down that spiral to insolvency in slow motion, I can just picture how I'd be giving up the sports car to buy us more time, and leaving a job that I love to pursue something that pays more (but most likely with a far worse work-life balance)...

Keeping my fingers crossed that things will turn around soon before drastic intervention measures are needed...

[k3mps]

Me and my partner bought our first home and for the first time in my life, I will be in debt.

I also lost a bunch of money in the FTX drama so my financial situation definitely took a 180.

[Hondaracer]

Always took the Reddit crowd to be a bunch of whiners/down and outers but the tone here isn’t much different than the Vancouver subreddit there. You know things are rough when the RS ballers are hit as well lol. Not making light of it just don’t know how restaurants etc. survive when literally everyone is pulling back on going out.

Personally I’m much like CivicBlues. We’re DINKS with rental income. It’s just meant substantially less disposable income, if any at all.

Think it’s time for both of us to look for a career upgrade as my current company seems like it’s going to go into an extended strike sooner than later..

[Badhobz]

I don’t think Richmond restaurants are impacted as much. Me and da wife can barely get reservations the day of at our favourite places. Prices have for sure skyrocketed but I hate her cooking so much I rather pay. I cook quite well but I’m too lazy to do it after working a whole day.

love this thread, one of the most honest and down to earth threads we’ve had on RS.

[Hondaracer]

Well yea because Richmond restaurants are full of people who got us into this housing crisis lol

[supafamous]

Id totally be down for an RS food drive. Especially this winter.

https://bc.ctvnews.ca/never-seen-anything-like-this-greater-vancouver-food-bank-demand-skyrockets-1.6190255

So many people need help from the Greater Vancouver Food Bank, the organization said it has never seen so much foot traffic or registered so many new clients.

Calling the situation “unprecedented,” the GVFB is taking-on about 1,000 new people in need a month, more than twice as many as the 400 at this time last year.

“Honestly, we’ve never seen anything like this,” said Cynthia Boulter, chief operating officer, a, adding that while they can still meet the growing demand, they are having some difficult conversations about the future.

“We’ve never had conversations at the Greater Vancouver Food Bank around ‘What’s our ceiling?’ But we are starting to have those conversations."

It's gonna be a brutal winter for a lot of folks. For what it's worth, the food bank prefers cash whenever possible - they can just buy so much more that way.

If you're a tech worker and looking for resume advice or career coaching - I'm donating my time in exchange for donations to the food bank. DM me for details.

[quasi]

London Drugs does a program every year, where they partner with local senior care homes, and they get "wish lists" from local seniors. These items are put on little tags on trees in every store, and you can purchase these items and LD will deliver them. You don't even need to buy them at LD, you can just bring the items bought elsewhere to the store, with the tag. No hand-made stuff though.

Honestly, it's pretty heart breaking - the items asked for are basic necessities like socks, toiletries, even stuffed animals.

For the past few years the adults in our extended family have all agreed to only get gifts for kids, and for adults to just go fill those instead.

https://www.londondrugs.com/stocking-stuffers-for-seniors.html

We did a bunch of these this year, will be doing it going forward for sure was a fun experience.

[Badhobz]

i wonder if RS can do something like a donation drive for the food bank. I know we can give directly to the food bank, but it would be nice to go for a drive w/ you broski's for a good cause.

[bcrdukes]

i wonder if RS can do something like a donation drive for the food bank. I know we can give directly to the food bank, but it would be nice to go for a drive w/ you broski's for a good cause.

This used to be an annual tradition but the tradition dropped as people either moved on in life (respectfully so) or a combination of lack of interest. If someone can step up to help lead this, it would be great to see this being revived again. I think rb might be able to provide some general guidance on this.

[68style]

I probably made money during the pandemic because I wasn't commuting and my job stayed the same / went up in value. I made money with some strategic used car purchases / holds / sales... and I made a bit of $ messing around with crypto at an advantageous time and not being invested when it went to crap.

Nothing huge...

But my family also sold our family farm for $3M and I got a small chunk of that.

At the risk of being too open personally..... unfortunately, I saw my household income drop in half because I split up with my ex and she moved out, had to pay her out a lump sum for increase in profits of the place I'm in (owned it before I knew her)... so lost a big chunk of loose money to that (which, at the very least, is still in my place if I sell it) and now I have 100% of the expenses.

My doggy is 16.5 and has cancer, I make all her food myself she doesn't eat dog food... she's on a mix that I make every week of salmon, turkey, chicken and then rice, carrots, veggies... she actually costs more $ to feed than myself lol... she's also on CBD oil and those costs are all on me now too.

All in all though I can't complain, I have a lot of hobby cars still and I could sell 2-3 of them at any time if I needed, I have some cash left from my small portion of the farm sale (my Dad took most of it as was laid out in my Grandma's will) and I'm much happier after my ex is gone and have a new gf who's fantastic. That said, dating is expensive af nowadays. I have no idea how young people do it, you can't even go to frickin Cacus/Earl's on a date with a couple drinks for less than $100 nowadays.

[Badhobz]

^can u plz find an rich chinese girl who can take care of you? youre in richmond bro, just go hang out at dolar hotpot and im sure we can get you hooked up.

p.s. Always makes me sad to hear about the family farm being sold too. i think sometimes it would be really nice to go to an agrarian lifestyle. Id wake up at 5:30 milk some moo moo's and then go grab breakfast from mrs clucky chicken head.

[68style]

hahaha I've had a few things with those type of ladies over the years, you think they're independently wealthy and then you find out AFTER the fact they have a remote husband somewhere in China/HK... they're always the biggest headcases... no thanks!

We held onto it for 15 years after my grandma died actually... but again at the risk of being tooooo open, my dad was horribly mismanaging it. He was renting the house for $800 a month in a market that commanded nearly $3,000 a month, cost us a 1/4 mill in revenue over that time and with many many many expenses coming for the house itself and other environmental risks, etc.... we had to make a call and my sister and I basically forced him into saying it was time to sell. Thankfully at the height of the market too.

I still have PTSD from spending all of last winter in the snow drifts cleaning up 70 year of junk and all my Grandma's stuff my dad never touched.

[Badhobz]

I DIDNT SAY MAINLANDER GIRL!!! jooo doing it all wrong sucka. find a nice, rich, HK girl or Singaporean girl or Canadian born Chinese (who's basically a white girl who likes chicken feet). They are more reliable, and honorable.

did you at least find anything cool in the farm? barn finds are awesome. maybe grandma had a vintage watch hidden around thats worth a crap ton of money. canadian pickers!!!

[68style]

omg lol.. well even at my old age I'm still a hopeless romantic at heart, my gf is lovely even though she's an artist... I'm still picking <3 over money. i'm not ruthless enough for that high $$$ crowd!

Found lots of old cans and I grabbed the '52 Ford tractor I used to drive as a kid and scuffled it away in someone else's barn.. sold her '76 Pontiac Grand Prix and the best stuff was old tin toys my dad had... big delivery van and a space robot driving a Mercedes convertible that shoots sparks etc... all made in Japan stuff I'm sure they're worth a small fortune. My granny was a farmer till she died, she didn't care about material stuff so no watches etc haha

We can prob chat offline sometime about it tho if you ever want, I don't want this to be the 68style thread lol

[Hondaracer]

^can u plz find an rich chinese girl who can take care of you? youre in richmond bro, just go hang out at dolar hotpot and im sure we can get you hooked up.

p.s. Always makes me sad to hear about the family farm being sold too. i think sometimes it would be really nice to go to an agrarian lifestyle. Id wake up at 5:30 milk some moo moo's and then go grab breakfast from mrs clucky chicken head.

I think everyone dreams of this farmer lifestyle until they have to actually do it and see that’s involved lol

[The Producer]

my finances changed Spring 2020 when my source of income was switched off like a light w covid restrictions. No events - no money.

This required changes to the way we did business, and changes to our lifestyle.

With no staff my wife and I were able to retool the shop into a survival mode for 2020 and 2021. Each time it looked like we were coming up there were new restrictions that put us back. During this time we put our income down to essentials only to service our mortgage and cover expenses. Almost all of our retirement contributions were put on hold.

Finally 2022 has brought about a return to some form. The business is leaner - but so are we. We pick and choose our jobs, take on only what extra labour we need and have prioritized profitability over gross income. I was able to add some major pieces of equipment to the shop w the help of rebuild grants.

I think the 2 years of lost retirement savings will cost me 5-6 years on the back end, but there's no getting around it. We did what we had to do.

On the plus side, our fixed mortgage (our only debt) signed early in 2021 will allow us to keep that retirement fund flowing rather than diverting it to increased mortgage costs. I really don't fear any downturn in the real estate market for us. We're DINK's, w relatively low expenses. Virtually no commuting means fuel prices are more of a topic of conversation rather than a personal hardship (although it's created increased shipping expenses for sure). Food costs for 2, they're more for sure - but we've always run pretty lean. In exchange for eating out 2 times per week we do a ton of meal planning, brown bag lunches every day. I've had the same coffee shop $20 bill in my wallet for 3 weeks.

The investment markets starting to come around a bit. We bought a bunch of stuff in the very early days of covid. Our investments/retirement have weathered OK. I don't fk w crypto, what happens to it really doesn't affect me (other than potentially driving more people back to traditional investments now)

It's interesting hearing from folks out there. Not just here - but everywhere. People who really didn't feel the squeeze until the past year (or even 6 months). For us, in year three - I feel like we've adapted to this new normal earlier - and perhaps have some of the mental tools to deal with it a little better now.

Best of luck to RS'ers out there. This will pass, and ultimately most will weather it and come out the other side.

[EvoFire]

I probably made money during the pandemic because I wasn't commuting and my job stayed the same / went up in value. I made money with some strategic used car purchases / holds / sales... and I made a bit of $ messing around with crypto at an advantageous time and not being invested when it went to crap.

Nothing huge...

But my family also sold our family farm for $3M and I got a small chunk of that.

At the risk of being too open personally..... unfortunately, I saw my household income drop in half because I split up with my ex and she moved out, had to pay her out a lump sum for increase in profits of the place I'm in (owned it before I knew her)... so lost a big chunk of loose money to that (which, at the very least, is still in my place if I sell it) and now I have 100% of the expenses.

My doggy is 16.5 and has cancer, I make all her food myself she doesn't eat dog food... she's on a mix that I make every week of salmon, turkey, chicken and then rice, carrots, veggies... she actually costs more $ to feed than myself lol... she's also on CBD oil and those costs are all on me now too.

All in all though I can't complain, I have a lot of hobby cars still and I could sell 2-3 of them at any time if I needed, I have some cash left from my small portion of the farm sale (my Dad took most of it as was laid out in my Grandma's will) and I'm much happier after my ex is gone and have a new gf who's fantastic. That said, dating is expensive af nowadays. I have no idea how young people do it, you can't even go to frickin Cacus/Earl's on a date with a couple drinks for less than $100 nowadays.

hahaha I've had a few things with those type of ladies over the years, you think they're independently wealthy and then you find out AFTER the fact they have a remote husband somewhere in China/HK... they're always the biggest headcases... no thanks!

We held onto it for 15 years after my grandma died actually... but again at the risk of being tooooo open, my dad was horribly mismanaging it. He was renting the house for $800 a month in a market that commanded nearly $3,000 a month, cost us a 1/4 mill in revenue over that time and with many many many expenses coming for the house itself and other environmental risks, etc.... we had to make a call and my sister and I basically forced him into saying it was time to sell. Thankfully at the height of the market too.

I still have PTSD from spending all of last winter in the snow drifts cleaning up 70 year of junk and all my Grandma's stuff my dad never touched.

omg lol.. well even at my old age I'm still a hopeless romantic at heart, my gf is lovely even though she's an artist... I'm still picking <3 over money. i'm not ruthless enough for that high $$$ crowd!

Found lots of old cans and I grabbed the '52 Ford tractor I used to drive as a kid and scuffled it away in someone else's barn.. sold her '76 Pontiac Grand Prix and the best stuff was old tin toys my dad had... big delivery van and a space robot driving a Mercedes convertible that shoots sparks etc... all made in Japan stuff I'm sure they're worth a small fortune. My granny was a farmer till she died, she didn't care about material stuff so no watches etc haha

We can prob chat offline sometime about it tho if you ever want, I don't want this to be the 68style thread lol

Judging from your posts, stay far far away from rich Chinese girls. A lot of them it's not their money but actually their parents and the helicoptering they do is insane. I know a few friends that went out with these girls and they don't end well.

I'm sure you are young enough. Though I'm surprised you have to give your ex money if you owned the place before the relationship. Things you bring in are supposed to be exempt from splits?

[CivicBlues]

https://bc.ctvnews.ca/never-seen-anything-like-this-greater-vancouver-food-bank-demand-skyrockets-1.6190255


If you're a tech worker and looking for resume advice or career coaching - I'm donating my time in exchange for donations to the food bank. DM me for details.

I'm in a non-technical role in the tech industry. Can you help me out bro? :D. I got a cupboard full of past BB date canned goods we panic bought during the early days of COVID.

I don’t think Richmond restaurants are impacted as much. Me and da wife can barely get reservations the day of at our favourite places. Prices have for sure skyrocketed but I hate her cooking so much I rather pay. I cook quite well but I’m too lazy to do it after working a whole day.


No one can afford to eat out anymore! Also: No one can get a reservation anymore! Especially at any of those newly minted Michelin starred or even Bib Gourmand places. Heck even the "regular" upscale places are packed whenever I visit every month or so. Who's eating at these places? Whites, Asians, Youngs, Olds. Can't really put a finger on it. There's still a lot of disposable income out there in the city. Or everyone's just gone YOLO knowing that next year everything could cost 50% more again. SeemsGood

[bcrdukes]

Revenge dining? COVID, inflation and looming recession being factored in, there are going to be a group of people who will YOLO and not GAF who will ball out and dine out for the IGs.

[68style]

Judging from your posts, stay far far away from rich Chinese girls. A lot of them it's not their money but actually their parents and the helicoptering they do is insane. I know a few friends that went out with these girls and they don't end well.

I'm sure you are young enough. Though I'm surprised you have to give your ex money if you owned the place before the relationship. Things you bring in are supposed to be exempt from splits?

I'm def not young haha

It actually changed for the better rules wise... used to be if someone shacked up with you long enough (ie: even common-law) you had to give them half of everything... I knew so many people who got absolutely robbed under the old system... now timing matters in the last few years...

But basically if you're common-law or married, even if you owned the place before them, they are not entitled to the place as a whole, but they ARE entitled to 50% of the increase in value from the point they became common-law/married. In the lower mainland, that's quite a lot over 10 years haha....... I had all my cars before I knew her so I kept those.

We didn't even use a lawyer or anything, just settled up on some figures and that was that.

[Eff-1]

Interesting topic, and I wish I could come in here to flex LOL~ But nope, it is really more of a slow downward spiral as far as I can tell. And the worst part is, I don't see any solutions in the "near" future, say within the next year or so.

(Apologies for the long essay.)

2022 has been a very expensive year. Home repair costs were (literally) through the roof because multiple big ticket items failed -- we got a new roof, and while that was being replaced, we were recommended to do some repairs on our chimney as well -- who knew masons were that expensive? The (exterior) stucco wall needed fixing. 2 major appliances failed; the microwave died even though it was only a little over 3 yrs old. A sizable chunk of my savings evapourated to keep the house more or less intact.

There were really a few more home repair items that were needed, but I honestly couldn't stomach the cost this year anymore. So I DIY-ed the urgent ones -- with the results looking very amateurish, but at least I think they are functional -- and the less urgent ones are deferred for now. My driveway could really use a repaving, or at least some meaningful repairs at certain places, but those are not happening for now. If I am crazy / stupid enough, I might just try to DIY it next spring / summer...

Mortgage costs have gone up by over 20% compared to the beginning of the year as I am on a variable rate mortgage where the payments change with the interest rate. But as I have found out here on RS, my 20%+ hike is actually fairly tame compared to what some of you guys are dealing with, so I guess I can't complain.

Food costs seem to have gone up by almost 40% for us this year, and that is due to a combination of rising grocery costs on its own, us doing a lot more take out because of time constraints, and me and the wifey's mutual agreement that we really needed to re-expose our kid to some basic social etiquette, table manners and just trying out different foods this year since we have largely avoided eating out in the first 2 years of the pandemic. At the same time, we have also adjusted our food purchasing habits. We are buying "cheaper" stuff, and actively reducing / avoiding the expensive items. For example, I know this sounds really bad, but I love spot prawns and cherries, and we have really cut back on those this year. But even the bloody oranges -- I mean, those damn regular navel oranges, not blood oranges -- are like a solid 40 - 50% more expensive than before.

Utility bills have gone up quite a bit this year. After the heat dome last year, we got an AC early this summer ($$$ bye bye~), and IIRC, I think the operating costs worked out to be ~$1/hr. I had just received our gas heating bill recently, and the Nov bill was quite a surprise. I am guessing it must be a combination of the really cold Nov that we had, plus the gas rate hikes themselves, but between the two, our Nov bill this year is ~25% more expensive than it was last Nov. Dec seems colder than usual too.

Transportation costs have gone up this year by ~40% because gas prices have gone up significantly, and the managers at work love seeing physical bodies at the office again. We do have a WFH policy that allows for some WFH time, but overall, I am estimating that it roughly costs me ~$10 per day for the commute to and back from the office + parking, not to mention the travel time that I lose by not being able to WFH.

Income-wise, things have been stagnant for me, which means I am just eating all those inflation body blows. The wifey's is bringing home roughly the same amount as before, but her workload has increased significantly because her work partner is taking a leave of absence. Personally, I really enjoy my job because I have a good employer. The pay sucks, but the benefits and work-life balance are good, and I work with a very good team of people. But my shrinking bank account balance has me thinking about the possibility to get out of my comfort zone and look for something with a higher pay. For the time being, I think that would still be a bad idea because of the uncertainty of the economy. But as long as the household income-to-expense ratio doesn't improve, we are slowly heading for insolvency.

For now, I am still super thankful that I have a loving family, a roof over my head, and a sports car in my garage. Increasingly though, as I head down that spiral to insolvency in slow motion, I can just picture how I'd be giving up the sports car to buy us more time, and leaving a job that I love to pursue something that pays more (but most likely with a far worse work-life balance)...

Keeping my fingers crossed that things will turn around soon before drastic intervention measures are needed...

Keep up the good fight brother. That is the quintessential quadruple whammy. Stagnant income, increased expenses to raise a family, increased mortgage costs, and maintaining an older home during a pandemic when trades/costs/supplies are higher than ever before. Not many people, with the exception of extremely high income earners, could pull all of that off comfortably. Fingers crossed that 2022 was the peak and 2023 is easier for you.

[supafamous]

I'm in a non-technical role in the tech industry. Can you help me out bro? :D. I got a cupboard full of past BB date canned goods we panic bought during the early days of COVID.

Technically I'll help anyone who donates to the food bank - I just wanna raise money. Anything up to $75 is a resume review, $75+ gets a 30 min coaching session.

No one can afford to eat out anymore! Also: No one can get a reservation anymore! Especially at any of those newly minted Michelin starred or even Bib Gourmand places. Heck even the "regular" upscale places are packed whenever I visit every month or so. Who's eating at these places? Whites, Asians, Youngs, Olds. Can't really put a finger on it. There's still a lot of disposable income out there in the city. Or everyone's just gone YOLO knowing that next year everything could cost 50% more again. SeemsGood

LOL. My wife and I have a date night on Saturday and I'm scrambling to find a nice place to go and can hardly find tables for 6pm. Even stuff like the Keg Burnaby is booked up. It's bizarre to me cause some restaurants are just packed especially the popular ones - I can't get a decent table at Savio Volpe 6 weeks out.

[Badhobz]

Judging from your posts, stay far far away from rich Chinese girls. A lot of them it's not their money but actually their parents and the helicoptering they do is insane. I know a few friends that went out with these girls and they don't end well.

I'm sure you are young enough. Though I'm surprised you have to give your ex money if you owned the place before the relationship. Things you bring in are supposed to be exempt from splits?

if they were common law, its as good as being married. she's entitled to half i believe. edit: nevermind, see 68 post above.

Not all these Chinese girls are bad. dont let a few bad experiences discourage you. the ones wearing Balenciaga short skirts in the middle of winter at dolar are probably the one you wanna stay away from.

[sonick]

I wasn't going to chime in here as I feel my wife and I have been very lucky and fortunate that things have not changed a lot. However, I think it's worthwhile as an exercise in gratitude to count my blessings, to realize my privilege, and not be too idealistic and understand this could go away very easily.

Last winter we bought a house and took on a big mortgage, but also sold our condo at the peak for a pretty huge profit.

I also had to sell some investments from my TFSA to make the down payment (we bought the house before selling the condo), which at the time the market was still quite strong. I intended to re-invest it after we got the cash from the condo sale, however I forgot/got lazy and didn't end up doing so. Which was super lucky since the market tanked shortly after.

Work had a strong year and continues to be strong (so far, knock on wood).

So all-in-all, with some luck selling some investments before the downturn, the proceeds from the condo sale, and work, while our mortgage payments and costs have continued to go up we do have a cushion to lean on.

Besides the house, we really don't have much overhead. No kids, used cars all paid in cash, I cook all the weekday lunches and dinners. Just 2 dogs so maybe some vet bills down the line as they get older.

Day-to-day in terms of changes, I think generally we are more aware of some bigger expenditures, like not going out to a fancier restaurant mid-week on a whim, or waiting on planning our vacation next year a bit to see how the recession might pan out and if it'll affect our jobs.

I am actually on sabbatical right now as the last year totally burned me out from work. And so my future is a bit uncertain at the moment, to find out what I want to do at the company when I return early next year, and if I can continue the same earning but still keep my mental and physical well-being.

A financial advisor in the bank reached out to us a few months back (since we probably triggered some alert when we put in a big amount into our account to do a lump sum payment into the mortgage) and ran an analysis, and we are pretty much on track for early retirement if nothing major changes; even with the short-term decline in the market.

[quasi]

Technically I'll help anyone who donates to the food bank - I just wanna raise money. Anything up to $75 is a resume review, $75+ gets a 30 min coaching session.



LOL. My wife and I have a date night on Saturday and I'm scrambling to find a nice place to go and can hardly find tables for 6pm. Even stuff like the Keg Burnaby is booked up. It's bizarre to me cause some restaurants are just packed especially the popular ones - I can't get a decent table at Savio Volpe 6 weeks out.

Time of year, small companies who have only a few employees taking them out for dinner for the holidays.

[Traum]

LOL. My wife and I have a date night on Saturday and I'm scrambling to find a nice place to go and can hardly find tables for 6pm. Even stuff like the Keg Burnaby is booked up. It's bizarre to me cause some restaurants are just packed especially the popular ones - I can't get a decent table at Savio Volpe 6 weeks out.
Holy that's insane... I know Christmas is coming but, but still... 6 weeks ahead at Savio Volpe???

I am supposed to meet up with a high school buddy that I haven't seen in person since the pandemic started. I guess we'll just be eating at the food courts then...

[Eff-1]

LOL. My wife and I have a date night on Saturday and I'm scrambling to find a nice place to go and can hardly find tables for 6pm. Even stuff like the Keg Burnaby is booked up. It's bizarre to me cause some restaurants are just packed especially the popular ones - I can't get a decent table at Savio Volpe 6 weeks out.

Christmas season. Holiday parties and get togethers. Busiest time of year for fancier restaurants, especially fri/sat nights.

[EvoFire]

Interesting topic, and I wish I could come in here to flex LOL~ But nope, it is really more of a slow downward spiral as far as I can tell. And the worst part is, I don't see any solutions in the "near" future, say within the next year or so.

(Apologies for the long essay.)

2022 has been a very expensive year. Home repair costs were (literally) through the roof because multiple big ticket items failed -- we got a new roof, and while that was being replaced, we were recommended to do some repairs on our chimney as well -- who knew masons were that expensive? The (exterior) stucco wall needed fixing. 2 major appliances failed; the microwave died even though it was only a little over 3 yrs old. A sizable chunk of my savings evapourated to keep the house more or less intact.

There were really a few more home repair items that were needed, but I honestly couldn't stomach the cost this year anymore. So I DIY-ed the urgent ones -- with the results looking very amateurish, but at least I think they are functional -- and the less urgent ones are deferred for now. My driveway could really use a repaving, or at least some meaningful repairs at certain places, but those are not happening for now. If I am crazy / stupid enough, I might just try to DIY it next spring / summer...

Mortgage costs have gone up by over 20% compared to the beginning of the year as I am on a variable rate mortgage where the payments change with the interest rate. But as I have found out here on RS, my 20%+ hike is actually fairly tame compared to what some of you guys are dealing with, so I guess I can't complain.

Food costs seem to have gone up by almost 40% for us this year, and that is due to a combination of rising grocery costs on its own, us doing a lot more take out because of time constraints, and me and the wifey's mutual agreement that we really needed to re-expose our kid to some basic social etiquette, table manners and just trying out different foods this year since we have largely avoided eating out in the first 2 years of the pandemic. At the same time, we have also adjusted our food purchasing habits. We are buying "cheaper" stuff, and actively reducing / avoiding the expensive items. For example, I know this sounds really bad, but I love spot prawns and cherries, and we have really cut back on those this year. But even the bloody oranges -- I mean, those damn regular navel oranges, not blood oranges -- are like a solid 40 - 50% more expensive than before.

Utility bills have gone up quite a bit this year. After the heat dome last year, we got an AC early this summer ($$$ bye bye~), and IIRC, I think the operating costs worked out to be ~$1/hr. I had just received our gas heating bill recently, and the Nov bill was quite a surprise. I am guessing it must be a combination of the really cold Nov that we had, plus the gas rate hikes themselves, but between the two, our Nov bill this year is ~25% more expensive than it was last Nov. Dec seems colder than usual too.

Transportation costs have gone up this year by ~40% because gas prices have gone up significantly, and the managers at work love seeing physical bodies at the office again. We do have a WFH policy that allows for some WFH time, but overall, I am estimating that it roughly costs me ~$10 per day for the commute to and back from the office + parking, not to mention the travel time that I lose by not being able to WFH.

Income-wise, things have been stagnant for me, which means I am just eating all those inflation body blows. The wifey's is bringing home roughly the same amount as before, but her workload has increased significantly because her work partner is taking a leave of absence. Personally, I really enjoy my job because I have a good employer. The pay sucks, but the benefits and work-life balance are good, and I work with a very good team of people. But my shrinking bank account balance has me thinking about the possibility to get out of my comfort zone and look for something with a higher pay. For the time being, I think that would still be a bad idea because of the uncertainty of the economy. But as long as the household income-to-expense ratio doesn't improve, we are slowly heading for insolvency.

For now, I am still super thankful that I have a loving family, a roof over my head, and a sports car in my garage. Increasingly though, as I head down that spiral to insolvency in slow motion, I can just picture how I'd be giving up the sports car to buy us more time, and leaving a job that I love to pursue something that pays more (but most likely with a far worse work-life balance)...

Keeping my fingers crossed that things will turn around soon before drastic intervention measures are needed...

Holy that's insane... I know Christmas is coming but, but still... 6 weeks ahead at Savio Volpe???

I am supposed to meet up with a high school buddy that I haven't seen in person since the pandemic started. I guess we'll just be eating at the food courts then...

I dunno how I managed to miss your essay.

Sounds like a rough year for you. We've put off some upgrades as well and we really should get some new windows. These 30yr old aluminum windows really suck. I thought it was our insulation but no it's the windows. And an inefficient 30 year old furnace for our hydronic heating system.

Our gas bill was $450 for Nov and it was $350 last year. Granted this Nov has been colder than last. It was $600 for Jan bill when the cold snap hit last winter.

The money thing is tough. It's hard to make a move when the market is so volatile right now. There are companies that hire and hire and hire up until they go bust or do layoffs. There were ppl that got laid off with me in Nov that had only just started a month in.

I'm sure you guys aren't heading to insolvency as long as you don't have to renew your mortgage anytime soon.

The food thing isn't too bad if you know where to look and avoid the super duper popular places. If you are looking for a good pasta place that's not as insane, Autostrada on Main Street is pretty good. I find that you can still get a seat at most places if you arrive early, and our schedule is typically quite early due to a 3 year old needing food right after we pick him up from daycare.


PS: I see you around a lot since my son's daycare is right around where you live. I would wave but it would be extremely awkward for me to wave when I am mostly driving the c lai X3 doing my best impression of a c lai.

[EvoFire]

if they were common law, its as good as being married. she's entitled to half i believe. edit: nevermind, see 68 post above.

Not all these Chinese girls are bad. dont let a few bad experiences discourage you. the ones wearing Balenciaga short skirts in the middle of winter at dolar are probably the one you wanna stay away from.

But those are the ones you want to date for :sleepingzz:

:D

I married a Shanghainese girl. I told myself and everyone I wouldn't after dating one in high school. Look at me where I am. Though, she doesn't come from a rich family and we've put in our fight in life to get to where we are right now.

Sometimes I wish her family could have just taken care of our mortgage though lol.... I would be driving a 911 right now HAHAHA

[Badhobz]

You married a shanghainese girl !? Holy fuck. I’m shanghainese and dark is shanghainese and we can probably both tell you this is a bad bad idea. Hahaha. Unless she’s born here… then she’s fine.

But OG shanghainese girls are a walking disaster. See my mom, aunts, cousins, friends. Everyone and anyone I still know back home.

As for Mr styles, he should get a rich but well adjusted one. Uhhh not sure if that’s possible. Sounds stupid even typing this out, but one can hope.

[dark0821]

^^^ 100% Holy ******

EvoFire .... dude man, let me buy you a drink!! Total respect man. That's the one rule for myself when I was dating.

Badhobz knows whats up...

Evo, do you
- do chores around the house?
- cook?
- hand over your income?
- get whipped?

The scary part is... they don't whip you like your gym trainer. Its like killing you with kindness, you cant put your finger on it yet you think back and realizes who wears the pants in the relationship...

Maybe she grew up here and its all good lolol. There are good and bad ones from every city. But women from Shanghai's reputation though....

Hahaha

Badhobz - thank you for keeping up the reputation of Shanghainese men and their cooking skills lolol, I cant for shiz and my wife still complains to her friends that she found a fake, Dark cant cook and doesnt really do chores...

[EvoFire]

Well shit I'm whipped. HAHAHAHA

We joke about it, how did you scam me into marrying you? I do the cleaning(her cleaning drives me insane), she does the laundry (I hate laundry with a passion), I cook cause I'm better at it. She deals with the kid, soon to be kids. We split our contributions evenly for a long time until in the last few years my tech salary rocketed and I doubled her income. Our own spending is our own spending, she doesn't approve of car mods but I do it anyways.

I mean I wanted a M3 and I went and bought one (I traded a small Prada purse so she won't complain, it was $900, less than a car payment). I wanted a house and we went and bought one. I want a 911 right now and... I haven't bought one yet. The money doesn't make sense, yet. And allocations.

She is SH born, but not raised fully there. She spent age 5-11 in Japan, and came to Vancouver at 12.

[Badhobz]

Us shanghainese men or men married to shanghainese women, needs a support group.

[EvoFire]

^ It's not THAT bad

[Badhobz]

Ohhhh you haven’t seen nothing yet bro. It’ll get worse. Don’t ever take her back to Shanghai. She’ll get recharged and all her ancestral memories will take hold and then GG.

[donk.]

People dating vancouvernese women need support groups

[supafamous]

Us shanghainese men or men married to shanghainese women, needs a support group.

LOL. My paternal line traces back to Shanghai - my grandparents are from Shanghai and for years I didn't understand what my grandma would say to me and then I finally realized that she was mixing Cantonese and Shanghainese.

My wife will tell you that I'm a pain in the ass to live with.

[EvoFire]

Ohhhh you haven’t seen nothing yet bro. It’ll get worse. Don’t ever take her back to Shanghai. She’ll get recharged and all her ancestral memories will take hold and then GG.

Her mom is very spoiled and very Shanghainese. Wife seems fine. There's that inner SH that comes out every now and then though. She's also year of the tiger and make fun of her calling her "lo fu la" sometimes.

[Qmx323]

Her mom is very spoiled and very Shanghainese. Wife seems fine. There's that inner SH that comes out every now and then though. She's also year of the tiger and make fun of her calling her "lo fu la" sometimes.

https://i.kym-cdn.com/photos/images/newsfeed/001/485/098/245.gif

:lawl:

[bcrdukes]

lol @ lo fu la

[Traum]

LOL~ Maybe we do need a dated Shanghaiese girl support group. I had an ex whose mom was a Shanghaiese, and my ex definitely picked up a ton of what I have later come to know as Shanghaiese women traits. At the time, I was just clueless, but a lot of stuff were like WTF LOL~

The income situation is tough because I really quite like my job. It doesn't pay well, but had there been reasonable raises that can more or less keep up with inflation, I can see myself potentially working in this same job for the next 15 - 20 years until I retire. But of course, the most important thing is -- the family financial situation needs to be sustainable.

Our mortgage is due for renewal in ~2.5 to 3 yrs, so I will naively hope that interest rates will return to a more sane and sustainable level by then. By my own estimates, the insolvency issue will happen if the status quo remains for the next 2 yrs or so, and we don't majorly alter our spending habits. As the buffer shrinks, however, of course we will adjust, just as how we have adjusted our food spending habits and our entertainment habits.

And then there is the sports car. A lot of savings can be had if we downsize to a 2-car family, not to mention that the car itself carries a small market value too. I'd really hate to give her up because amateur motorsports is probably the only remaining hobby that I have and love, but I also know she'll be one of the first things I let go if we get into trouble because it'll result in the least amount of impact for my family.

If you see me next time, WAVE! :hay: I'll make sure I do the same if I see a BMW SUV waving to me. (Somehow, I can't tell the BMW SUVs apart even if my life depended on it LOL~)
I dunno how I managed to miss your essay.

Sounds like a rough year for you. We've put off some upgrades as well and we really should get some new windows. These 30yr old aluminum windows really suck. I thought it was our insulation but no it's the windows. And an inefficient 30 year old furnace for our hydronic heating system.

Our gas bill was $450 for Nov and it was $350 last year. Granted this Nov has been colder than last. It was $600 for Jan bill when the cold snap hit last winter.

The money thing is tough. It's hard to make a move when the market is so volatile right now. There are companies that hire and hire and hire up until they go bust or do layoffs. There were ppl that got laid off with me in Nov that had only just started a month in.

I'm sure you guys aren't heading to insolvency as long as you don't have to renew your mortgage anytime soon.

The food thing isn't too bad if you know where to look and avoid the super duper popular places. If you are looking for a good pasta place that's not as insane, Autostrada on Main Street is pretty good. I find that you can still get a seat at most places if you arrive early, and our schedule is typically quite early due to a 3 year old needing food right after we pick him up from daycare.


PS: I see you around a lot since my son's daycare is right around where you live. I would wave but it would be extremely awkward for me to wave when I am mostly driving the c lai X3 doing my best impression of a c lai.

[Tapioca]

I wouldn't give up the sports car. Worst case scenario, you park it until you can afford to get it back on the road. Unless it's a Porsche or something similar, a small cash infusion is going to not do much for your overall finances.

Finances forced me to sell my beloved E39 several years ago. It wasn't so much the car itself that was hard to let go - it was the loss of a connection to a different time in my life. If you sell your sports car, you will likely regret it for a very long time.

[sonick]

Been awhile since I've seen a thread on RS get derailed so far lol.

[EvoFire]

Been awhile since I've seen a thread on RS get derailed so far lol.

The SH girl bit?



Unless you won't ever replace the car, selling the car doesn't make a lot of difference. I was thinking of cashing out the M3, but we still need 2 cars, and replacing it with a Golf R or WRX would cost a significant chunk of the money anyways. Not worth it at the end of the day and I get to enjoy a M3.

[dark0821]

^not until today that I realized we have a decent number of SH guys on RS

[Badhobz]

its only me and you who speaks the old shanghai tongue bro. we OG first gen.

[SSM_DC5]

In for link to YouTube video showing me what the SH girl traits are.

[rb]

First part of this thread was a bit depressing but the SH talk just really spiced it up for me :lol

Was involved with someone from another part of China but might as well be from Shanghai from the sounds of it. I think the Shanghainese gospel has been spreading

The new age motto of women in china is apparently, "rather cry in a bmw than be happy riding a bicycle"... or so i've been told

[supafamous]

I should add that my SH grandmother was a badass. When I stayed with her during summer holidays (in Vancouver) she'd go to her room after lunch every day and pour herself a glass of cognac and have a smoke (grandpa made lunch everyday). She also gave birth to 11 kids while running a business with my grandfather and was one of the last women to have her feet bound (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Foot_binding) which made walking pretty difficult for her.

[unit]

condo finally got built this spring and locked into a 5yr @ 2.24% which im pretty happy with, but on the flip side our commercial property has a 3m mortgage and we went variable 2 years in a row, 1 year too many. now we're paying 5k/month extra... huge mistake. the only good thing about that is commercial has gone up significantly so as long as we keep our gaze towards the long term then it takes the sting off the mortgage payments.. or at least thats what i keep telling myself.

girlfriend moved in but i havent asked her to start helping with finances yet, asides from groceries. she makes pretty little money since she's a part time care aid. they make about $25/hr but unless you're f/t you're only getting like 24hrs/week, so it pretty much equates to a minimum wage take home. we talked about adjusting her contribution based on salary, so like she would maybe pay 1/3rd as much as the expenses as i do or whatever, but since she was injured for a few months from a bike accident, i haven't really bugged her to start helping out yet since she needed a little time to pay off debts and get back on her feet. the good thing is that she does most of the house work since i'm working 50-55hrs a week lately, so i don't have to worry about that stuff too much.

investments are an area where we're just ignoring like most others here. had a lot in crypto, lost a lot in crypto, holding a lot in crypto, but at least i didnt lose anything massive like through FTX or Celcius or any of the exchanges that went bust. most of my investments are in eth which at least still has the potential to go up again, not shitcoins. all my nft investments have gone down but i havent lost money there since i took money out along the way and put it into my bank account, but a lot of lost opportunities for sure.

other than that, i think just like everybody my expectations for the future and my goals have basically been delayed/extended due to this market slowdown and interest rate hike. still cant complain too much, don't have difficulty paying my bills and putting food on the table, so i'm just going to tighten up my unnecessary expenses and brave the storm. times are tough so this xmas everyone in my family is getting a pair of socks lol

[Eff-1]

There is definitely an element of depression to this thread, but at the same time there's something comforting hearing from other people sharing their stories. It helps build a community around here and I think there's a nice feeling of knowing we're not alone and there's ben a lot of supportive comments too, which is great. So it's kind of depressing but also uplifting.

It also feels 100x better than Reddit where everyone just whines and complains and acts all woe-is-me. Reddit is full of whiners and complainers.

[320icar]

Coles notes: shits fucked fam

[inv4zn]

There is definitely an element of depression to this thread, but at the same time there's something comforting hearing from other people sharing their stories. It helps build a community around here and I think there's a nice feeling of knowing we're not alone and there's ben a lot of supportive comments too, which is great. So it's kind of depressing but also uplifting.

It also feels 100x better than Reddit where everyone just whines and complains and acts all woe-is-me. Reddit is full of whiners and complainers.

Reddit is terrible, you follow PFC and if you don't have a paid off house by the time you're 28, then you need to be eating rice and beans until you do.

[Hondaracer]

Lolol when EFF-1 made that post I was gonna reply “everyone in a similar thread on Reddit was saying they can only eat plain rice and beans”

Lol

[supafamous]

Reddit is terrible, you follow PFC and if you don't have a paid off house by the time you're 28, then you need to be eating rice and beans until you do.

Gotta drive a beige 12 year old Corolla or you're wasting your money.

As much as most of the stories so far are of a pretty rough 2022 I have a feeling that 2023 will be as bad or even worse. Fingers crossed that's not the case for people but I'm not optimistic.

[Great68]

Reddit is a circle jerk of self pity.

[Eff-1]

There are lots of people on reddit who aren't suffering as much financially but they never speak up because if they do, the mob will crucify them. Lord help anyone on reddit who reveals they a own place and go out to nice dinners once in a while. Yikes.

[meme405]

This is interesting, anecdotally speaking, between my friends groups I haven't really felt a difference, still go out the same, still travel the same, still spending money the same.

Based on things like restaurant wait times, seeing the amount of people spending $120/person to go to Mann farms for halloween, christmas events, I really felt like everything was pretty normal.

I'm variable on my mortgage for the house I closed on October last year, but my plan was always to make huge lump sum payments every year anyway. It does suck that the main payments aren't going to the principal as much anymore, but hopefully the rate increases calm, and next year they start to come back down, if so I will probably still be ahead of the 3.3% fixed rate I was offered.

[CivicBlues]

There are lots of people on reddit who aren't suffering as much financially but they never speak up because if they do, the mob will crucify them. Lord help anyone on reddit who reveals they a own place and go out to nice dinners once in a while. Yikes.

Reddit skews probably 10-15 years younger than RS now. I'm guessing the average age is now 40 here?

Also skews towards more newcomers. I don't think new immigrants are signing rushing to sign up to post on some BB board from the early 2000s. :lol

[donk.]

We gotta get some fresh meat on these forums, I wanna see more riced out 92 civics and cherry bomb mufflers

[Bouncing Bettys]

We gotta get some fresh meat on these forums, I wanna see more riced out 92 civics and cherry bomb mufflers
I still look for them on marketplace, only to see that they are automatics (instant nope), nowhere close to road worthy, or listed with massively inflated prices. Last month it was not easy finding a manual vehicle to replace the one I had.

[EvoFire]

Reddit is terrible, you follow PFC and if you don't have a paid off house by the time you're 28, then you need to be eating rice and beans until you do.

Some ppl are like that here

[donk.]

Some ppl are like that here

Your gonna hurt my feeeeeeelings if you keep calling me out like that

On a side note, what's PFC?

[CivicBlues]

r/personalfinancecanada

[Gerbs]

I remember going on /r/personalfinance, financialindependence, personfinancecanada when I was young. It taught me a lot but the mob mentality was that if you wanted a high salaries, you were scolded on how it's not attainable and how close to impossible it is.

Almost convinced me to not even try lol. I think that forum also fails to understand that the individuals that read a lot of personal finance content are likely to skew higher on income and savings.

[dachinesedude]

people who post tend to be the ones who has something to complain about, similar to google reviews (or any reviews)

[Tapioca]

Thought I would post this relevant r/vancouver thread here:

https://www.reddit.com/r/vancouver/comments/zoeosg/greater_vancouver_employment_incomes_2021_census/

Lots of people claiming they make incomes in the 90th percentile but can't afford to buy a house or live their best life.

[EvoFire]

Uhh I don't know about you and what your background is, but if 90th percentile is 125k for 35-44yr old, then yeah you can't buy a house. Condo 100%, even townhouse could be a challenge.

I'm at 5.1% var, and that's probably avg or cheaper than average right now. Say you are a successful individual and saved 300k. A 700k mortgage on a 1m TH at this rate right now is right at $4000 a month. Your take home at 120k is ~$6k a month. You won't be able to afford anything else after insurance (~700/y), property tax(~2k/y), strata fees(Lets say $400/m), utilities(avg $200-250/m), and food ($400/m if you are cheap and don't eat out much).

In Jan this year you could do it, but you'll be in a world of hurt right now if you went var.

[Badhobz]

130k for average family income isnt gonna buy you a house without some real stressing and saving in 2022.

[donk.]

Thought I would post this relevant r/vancouver thread here:

https://www.reddit.com/r/vancouver/comments/zoeosg/greater_vancouver_employment_incomes_2021_census/

Lots of people claiming they make incomes in the 90th percentile but can't afford to buy a house or live their best life.

Imagine making 125k/yr, living in Canada where quality of life ranks in the top 10 of 195 countries, and complaining that they aren't living their best life

90th percentile of a top 10 country puts you in the top 1% globally, quality of life wise

These people should do a "life swap" with any random person globally for a week, they will be begging for a one way back to Vancouver within the first hour

I useto have Reddit for about 3 months, ended up deleting it because it's a hyper version of Facebook. I feel like I lose IQ every time I go on there, from the comments that I read
this is how people probably feel on ricescene when they read my comments on here

[bcrdukes]

I'm sure life is better in Haiti right now than in Canada :troll:

[supafamous]

Imagine making 125k/yr, living in Canada where quality of life ranks in the top 10 of 195 countries, and complaining that they aren't living their best life

90th percentile of a top 10 country puts you in the top 1% globally, quality of life wise

These people should do a "life swap" with any random person globally for a week, they will be begging for a one way back to Vancouver within the first hour

I useto have Reddit for about 3 months, ended up deleting it because it's a hyper version of Facebook. I feel like I lose IQ every time I go on there, from the comments that I read
this is how people probably feel on ricescene when they read my comments on here

I scanned through that thread and it didn't seem to be people complaining at all - just folks pointing that at 90 percentile that they still can't afford a home which is a truthful statement. I've seen worse threads on reddit on this topic.

It can be both true that someone can appreciate how great life is here AND say that it's tough out there or that it's harder than it should be cause it IS shocking how expensive major cities in Canada are relative to income.

[Hondaracer]

I scanned through that thread and it didn't seem to be people complaining at all - just folks pointing that at 90 percentile that they still can't afford a home which is a truthful statement. I've seen worse threads on reddit on this topic.

It can be both true that someone can appreciate how great life is here AND say that it's tough out there or that it's harder than it should be cause it IS shocking how expensive major cities in Canada are relative to income.

Yea.. that train of thought it definitely not accepted lol.. here or there.

You should be thanking the homeless drug addict breaking into your building with the 950k 1br condo

[spoon.ek9]

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.

[Twi7ch]

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.

[Eff-1]

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.

[supafamous]

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.

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

[Badhobz]

hahaha!!!

poor shanghai girls. such bad reps

https://youtu.be/QF96Xh2nRcs?t=488

[Twi7ch]

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

[donk.]

2022: 723 hours (possibly more depending on next 12 days)

.


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

[Gerbs]

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


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.

[Gerbs]

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.

[spoon.ek9]

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

[Badhobz]

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.

[hud 91gt]

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

[Badhobz]

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.

[Hondaracer]

People working 700 hours of OT

wHy IS tHe sYStEM brOkEn?!?!

[smoothie.]

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.

[inv4zn]

People working 700 hours of OT

wHy IS tHe sYStEM brOkEn?!?!

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.

[donk.]

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

[inv4zn]

Quit feeding our resident troll Hondaracer

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

[GS8]

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.

[GS8]

Double post / failed edit

[donk.]

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


:suspicious:

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

You ballin hard



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...


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

[SkunkWorks]

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

At least donk is funny.

[spoon.ek9]

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


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.

[westopher]

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.

[SSM_DC5]

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.

[westopher]

The top up only is 3 months. Thankful for anything, but it disappears fast.