After buying a house, moving to Mississauga and leasing a car, my budget has changed just a little bit... Well, a lot! xD So here you go, a budget for 2 with house and car living in Mississauga and working in Toronto :)
House payment -1,600.00
Hydro -150.00
Gas -153.25
Water -50.00
Fido -100.00 (Cellular phones)
Rogers -145.00 (Home phone, Internet and Cable)
Home Insurance -70.20
Life Insurance -46.21
Car Insurance -262.65
Car Leasing -259.18
Food -300.00
TTC -100.00 (Tokens that we use from time to time)
GO/MT Aiglee -200.00 (Go train and Mississauga Transit buses)
GO/MT Igor -150.00 (Go train and Mississauga Transit buses)
Car Gas -100.00
Total $3686
Of course this a 2 salary budget and you can always save not having cable and things like that, but you can have an idea of how much would cost now!
Sunday 25 January 2009
Monday 19 January 2009
Buying a car
When buying a car, there are a lot of different decisions you need to take care of, like a new car or a used one, leasing or buying, budget, type, company and color and who knows how many more.
For us was pretty easy since we already had a year here and just bought a house, so our credit rating was pretty good. We wanted a new car and I really wanted a Toyota, so we went to Motorway Avenue here in Mississauga, that has all the car companies in the same street! that way is pretty easy to go from one to another one if you want to ask in different places and they compete for you, so you can get better offers ;)
We decided to lease a Toyota Yaris Sedan, which is like a very long rental (5 years in our case) and is more economic than to buy the car; if you do this, you can return the car in 5 years and just get another one! The monthly payments are going to depend in your initial payment and the price of the car.
It took us a grand total of 3 days to say which car we wanted and to have the keys in our hands, so it was pretty easy :D
The big problem now is to get all the snow off it almost every morning ^^
For us was pretty easy since we already had a year here and just bought a house, so our credit rating was pretty good. We wanted a new car and I really wanted a Toyota, so we went to Motorway Avenue here in Mississauga, that has all the car companies in the same street! that way is pretty easy to go from one to another one if you want to ask in different places and they compete for you, so you can get better offers ;)
We decided to lease a Toyota Yaris Sedan, which is like a very long rental (5 years in our case) and is more economic than to buy the car; if you do this, you can return the car in 5 years and just get another one! The monthly payments are going to depend in your initial payment and the price of the car.
It took us a grand total of 3 days to say which car we wanted and to have the keys in our hands, so it was pretty easy :D
The big problem now is to get all the snow off it almost every morning ^^
Saturday 10 January 2009
Medical emergency without healthcard
Many wonder if it's worth it to get medical insurance in Canada while you don't have a health card, would I be save? How much would it cost to pay for the emergency?
Well, when my mother in law was here a few weeks ago we went to Barry to do some snow tubbing, but as soon as we arrived she slip in the snow! She was in a LOT of pain so we had to take her to the hospital and get her to the emergency room.
The wait wasn't that long, maybe around an hour, although when you are in pain, I can imagine that it feels eternal. They take care of people in order of how sick you are or arrival, depending of how big the emergency is. The nurse saw her ankle and said she was sure she broke it, so she had to go and see the minor injuries doctor and have some x-rays done.
When the doctor saw her x-rays, he told her that yes, she had broken her ankle in 2 places and that they had to talk about the options... options? in plural? Well, he called a surgeon because she needed a surgery to fix those bones :S
The surgeon told her that having it here would cost around $6.000! Ouch! Since we couldn't pay that kind of money and she had medical insurance back in Venezuela, they put some kind of cast and sent her home. We came back, changed the flight and she is now in Venezuela waiting for her surgery there.
How much was the hospital bill? A little over $700! $100 for the doctor in minor injuries, $150 for the surgeon consult, $30 for the crutches and everything else hospital charges. After this I'm more than sure that people should get medical insurance when they can.
Well, when my mother in law was here a few weeks ago we went to Barry to do some snow tubbing, but as soon as we arrived she slip in the snow! She was in a LOT of pain so we had to take her to the hospital and get her to the emergency room.
The wait wasn't that long, maybe around an hour, although when you are in pain, I can imagine that it feels eternal. They take care of people in order of how sick you are or arrival, depending of how big the emergency is. The nurse saw her ankle and said she was sure she broke it, so she had to go and see the minor injuries doctor and have some x-rays done.
When the doctor saw her x-rays, he told her that yes, she had broken her ankle in 2 places and that they had to talk about the options... options? in plural? Well, he called a surgeon because she needed a surgery to fix those bones :S
The surgeon told her that having it here would cost around $6.000! Ouch! Since we couldn't pay that kind of money and she had medical insurance back in Venezuela, they put some kind of cast and sent her home. We came back, changed the flight and she is now in Venezuela waiting for her surgery there.
How much was the hospital bill? A little over $700! $100 for the doctor in minor injuries, $150 for the surgeon consult, $30 for the crutches and everything else hospital charges. After this I'm more than sure that people should get medical insurance when they can.
Wednesday 7 January 2009
On my way to work
Before moving from Toronto, I used to take the subway to work, a 30 minutes ride at any moment, and almost nothing from the subway station to the office!
Now that I moved to Mississauga, since I work at Downtown Toronto, the story is a little bit different... I have to leave the house around 7:28, when is still a little bit dark ^^
In 10 minutes I arrive at the bus stop, and you can see that there is more light now :) So I'm leaving the house just at the sunrise xD
The bus ride takes around 10 to 13 minutes and leaves me at the Go station, where I have to wait aprox. 5 more minutes for the train to arrive... Both the trains and the buses are really on time!!
The train takes around 35 minutes to get to Union Station in Toronto, which I can use to read or watch anime in my new psp :) ... Once I get to union station, I use the path to walk to work:
It takes me around 10 minutes underground (using the path) and around 5 minutes on the cold to get to work ^^ ... So I'm leaving at 7:28 and arrive at work at 8:55, is a much longer trip but enjoyable! Sorry for the quality of the pictures, it was SOOOO cold that I couldn't take time to really take them hehe. Imagine, it was this cold:
I didn't use any zoom ;)
Now that I moved to Mississauga, since I work at Downtown Toronto, the story is a little bit different... I have to leave the house around 7:28, when is still a little bit dark ^^
In 10 minutes I arrive at the bus stop, and you can see that there is more light now :) So I'm leaving the house just at the sunrise xD
The bus ride takes around 10 to 13 minutes and leaves me at the Go station, where I have to wait aprox. 5 more minutes for the train to arrive... Both the trains and the buses are really on time!!
The train takes around 35 minutes to get to Union Station in Toronto, which I can use to read or watch anime in my new psp :) ... Once I get to union station, I use the path to walk to work:
It takes me around 10 minutes underground (using the path) and around 5 minutes on the cold to get to work ^^ ... So I'm leaving at 7:28 and arrive at work at 8:55, is a much longer trip but enjoyable! Sorry for the quality of the pictures, it was SOOOO cold that I couldn't take time to really take them hehe. Imagine, it was this cold:
I didn't use any zoom ;)
Monday 5 January 2009
I'm back
Hi!!! I'm back :) and I'll be trying to write as much as I did before, even if I have to write them beforehand! I'm sorry for not writing in so long but I promise to write more and to answer the comments you have done in previous posts! Thank you so much for the loving words, the christmas cards and all the good wishes!!!
Many things have happened in the last month and I'll be trying to write about all of them in the next few weeks... Our house is looking better and better, we learned how to handle the trash with the restrictions the city has, we bought a car :) Igor's family came to visit, we saw Niagara Falls in winter! We had a trip to the hospital with someone without health card (she is ok), and I haven't told you about my new trip to work and many more things :)
Well, I think is enough for this post, now to write 1 or 2 more posts ;) Thank you for waiting for me!!! And I wish for you to have a very happy new year :D
Many things have happened in the last month and I'll be trying to write about all of them in the next few weeks... Our house is looking better and better, we learned how to handle the trash with the restrictions the city has, we bought a car :) Igor's family came to visit, we saw Niagara Falls in winter! We had a trip to the hospital with someone without health card (she is ok), and I haven't told you about my new trip to work and many more things :)
Well, I think is enough for this post, now to write 1 or 2 more posts ;) Thank you for waiting for me!!! And I wish for you to have a very happy new year :D
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