Reviewing Our September 2024 Budget Update, Life in canada

Estimated reading time: 16 minutes

Join us as we review our September 2024 budget update. Explore our journey towards financial success and learn how to manage your expenses.

Why I Share Our Monthly Budget

For anyone new to CBB, this briefly explains our monthly budget update.

I look forward to putting this post together as it lets us see where we spend our money.

A budget also acts as a diary for your expenses so you can look back to see success and failure.

Our budget update also lets readers know that we are not perfect and must make changes like everyone else.

We use the tools (Free budget Binder), and I hope you have downloaded your free copy.

Alright, let’s get into this.

Percentages For Our September 2024 Budget

Our year-to-date percentage chart is another way to chart our household budget.

September 2024 Household Budget Percentages

Savings of 38.47% include investments and savings based on our net income.

Our life ratio is 28.76% and contains everything from groceries, entertainment, miscellaneous items, health/beauty, clothing, etc., all variable expenses.

Transportation is 8.58%, which covers gas, insurance, and maintenance for our vehicle, which is paid.

Our house and vehicle are paid for, and we have zero consumer debt; however, we still pay property taxes and maintenance fees. In September, this cost was 9.50%.

The projected expenses of 12.46% can change based on what we encounter monthly, such as a new item we need to save for.

Jr. CBB’s 52-Week Savings Challenge

Our son created a Moolah Jar label for his money savings jar, which I thought was funny.

52-Week Savings Challenger Update

As of September 2024, the yearly total is $185 in savings, which means he’s more than 50% to meet his goal of $300.

He had a tooth fall out in September, and the tooth fairy stopped by to put an extra $5 bill under his pillow.

Instead of spending the money, he added it to his savings challenge jar.

We’ve been looking at cars together, and he’s interested in saving for his first vehicle.

Update 52-Week Saving Challenge Participant

Below is the report from a CBB fan participating in the year-long savings challenge.

Hi there, TFSA Saver here, 

I am reporting with my savings this month.  

• Sold an unused household item on the Facebook marketplace: $40
• Found $1.10 on my walk
• Received $5 credit for shopping at Cobbs Bakery (give them your phone number and email, and they will notify you when you get a credit).

They also had a coupon for free bread with a more significant purchase, so I placed a larger order and put it into the freezer for later use. 

• Free Bread: $5.39 
• Used up a restaurant gift card balance of $18.18 
• Total for Sept 2024: $69.67 directly into savings account 

Hint for those with gift cards: I try to keep track by receiving a receipt when I use a gift card and bring it home, writing the remaining balance on my gift card with a Sharpie.

Some restaurants/stores have difficulty ringing through without you knowing the balance; it just takes more time. So I like to keep track so I know for the next time.

I had an awful time promptly using gift cards, so I do not remember how much was on them.

It feels good to get rid of another one that’s cluttering up the drawer. 

I also LOVE your idea of keeping a record of partially used gift cards, as you mentioned at the end of last month (and adding this page to your Budget Binder). Great idea. 

Keep up the great work, motivating us readers. 

Why thank you for the kind words!! Also, our local Cobbs gives away all of – Mr. CBB

September 2024 Budget Estimation and Actual Budget

Below are two tables: Our September 2024 Budget and our Actual Budget.

Our September 2024 budget represents two adults and a 10-year-old boy.

Budget Colour Key: It is a projected expense when highlighted in blue.   

Since May 2014, we’ve been mortgage-free, redirecting our money into investments and home improvement projects.

Spending less than we earn and budgeting has been the easiest way to pay off our debt and save money.

This type of budget is a zero-based budget where all the money has a home.

Estimated September 2024 Budget

For September, the estimated budget was $8179.33; of that, we used $7541.13.

We may not need all the money we budgeted for in each category; however, remember the number is only an estimate from the previous year.

Don’t forget to budget for projected expenses because your entire month can fail due to not planning.

Actual September 2024 Budget

Our Canadian Banks

Breakdown Of Our September 2024 Budget Categories

Below are some of our variable expenses from September that I will discuss.

I forgot to add $45.00 for our son’s new Canadian passport to the August budget expenses, which were added in September.

You’ll start to see an increase in our healthcare expenses as our son has used his $4000 for therapy and an Autism evaluation.

Everything we pay moving forward until Jan 2025 is out of pocket.

Clothing For Family

• Puma Canada $194.95 Kids and adult clothing
• BrownsShoes $146.90 The North Face Winter Boots
• SoftsFeel Shoes $60.57 Two pairs of shoes for Mrs. CBB for walking and plantar fasciitis.

Grocery Budget September 2024 Budget

Our monthly grocery budget is $900 plus a $25 stockpile budget, and in September, we spent $968.10.

I’m not too upset with the $68.10 overspend; however, it’s a reminder that we are on the red side of the fence.

We found great deals to stockpile $25 worth of food, mostly Flashfood.

You can find all the online groceries we purchase in the CBB Amazon Storefront.

Kids

Below are some expenses that we paid for our son in September.

• $40 Pizza order School
• $10 Terry Fox Run donation
• $5 Tooth Fairy – Misc
• Insure my kids’ school insurance $33 (year)

Our Flashfood Orders September 2024

Unfortunately, we had our first negative experience with a FlashFood order in September.

It was not the Flashfood company’s fault but that of No Frills employees who put money in front of quality.

Although Flashfood products have a short expiration date, this situation was different.

From the order details below, you can see that I purchased discounted eggs.

You would think that the egg is missing when you see an empty egg spot in the photo.

Although correct, we found that many of the eggs had cracks and were not removed from the carton.

Also, some of the eggs left in the carton leaked and were stuck to the carton.

This is likely why the eggs were still in the carton and not removed.

The cartons we refused to purchase had more than the amount of eggs broken according to the photo and were not hygienic in any way to be purchased.

Upon contacting Flashfood, they refunded us and apologized.

Customers Deserve Quality Products

Common sense was not applied at the store level when posting the eggs on Flashfood.

• Do not keep ANY broken eggs in the carton.
• If the carton is full of egg yolks and whites, do not hand it to the customer. Remove the good eggs and place them in another carton or vessel for travel. Think health and food safety.

If you are unsatisfied with your purchase, take a photo before leaving, do not accept the product, and contact Flashfood for a refund.

We will continue to use Flashfood as we save so much money, so please consider signing up using my affiliate code below.

As I do, you get $5 free when you place your first order. It’s a win-win for both of us.

Every person who signs up gets a $5 credit, a freebie Flashfood offers for new app customers.

Also, Flashfood has added a small service fee to every order, which I feel is acceptable.

Use my referral code, MOCD28ZN4, for a $5 credit.  

Your first purchase must be over $15.

Parking

Look closely, and you’ll see my whopping $576 yearly parking pass to my employer.

I never thought I’d see the day when I had to pay to work outside of petrol and regular vehicle maintenance.

Unfortunately, it happened, and now I’m responsible for this expense as part of my role in the organization.

Do you pay for parking at work? – Comment below.

Home Maintenance

I went to Canadian Tire to pick up custom paint to finish painting around the garage door and the front porch.

While there, I also stocked up lawn bags for fall outdoor maintenance of the bushes and trees.

Other than that, I updated my garage a bit more, but you’ll have to wait until the next newsletter.

I’ll post pics of what I’ve done so you can have a look.

Pets

Our pet budget is $350 monthly for two cats, including vet visits for shots and checkups.

We buy mainly raw dry cat food and wet cat food as we spend more time ensuring they get a proper diet.

Overall, we had a good September, coming in under budget, spending $221.54.

For any other pet owners out there, tell us whether you stockpile pet food if it goes on sale.

We do, especially from Chewy and Amazon Canada, where we find the best deals.

For example, Amazon and Chewy have great deals on Fancy Feast Gravy Lovers, but Amazon offers a spending deal that saves 15% when you spend $35.

Savings first, loyalty second.

I will be writing a Chewy Canada review soon for the blog, so if you have any questions you’d like me to answer, please let me know.

Also, if you have experience with Chewy Canada, message me and share it so I can add it to the blog post.

Chewy Canada 20 Percent Off Your First Three Orders Discount code 2024

Lastly, we’re hunting for a new catio to put outside next summer.

We bought a catio from Amazon earlier this spring, but it doesn’t work well for our cats since they fight too much.

Also, if it’s too sunny outside, we lay a blanket over the cage, so we’re looking more for a cat condo.

Canadian Tire Rewards Points

When my CT money balance increases, you know I’ve been spending money and taking advantage of flyer sales on 20x the points days.

Always activate your Triangle Rewards so you get the best bang for your buck at the many stores Triangle Rewards offers.

I have yet to write a Canadian Tire Mastercard blog review, but it’s in the making as my second favorite credit card.

Canadians Who Shop Online Use Rakuten

Do it if you order anything online and haven’t subscribed to Rakuten Canada.

Not only do you get $30 cash free from Rakuten when you use the CBB link, but you also get cash back from thousands of online stores.

I would never tell you to sign up for something we didn’t believe in.

You can read my full review of Rakuten Canada if you are still unconvinced.

We regularly receive cheques in the mail from Rakuten, which earns us money.

PC Optimum Rewards Points September 2024

Since 2018, we have earned over 8,768,000 PC Optimum Points or $8,768.

In the photo below, you can see the last 45 days of earnings in September 2024.

We started 2024 with under 7 million PC Optimum Points, currently have $7561, and are working towards $8000.

What would you do with the points? 

Share your ideas in the comment section below.

How We Saved So Many PC Optimum Points

The process of saving them started after our son was born in 2014.

Between diapers and formula, we amassed points faster than we could spend them.

Yes, we have redeemed many times, but only during their Mega Bonus Event at Christmas.

Below are blog posts for anyone wanting to learn how we earn PC Optimum Points.

TD Rewards Credit Card September 2024

Our TD Visa has a cash-back balance of $499.39 as of the end of September 2024.

I pledge that when the number hits $500, I’ll move it to our main TD bank account.

So close, haha!

Dream Air Miles Update

Most points are from our house and car insurance, which offers Air Miles.

There was a point where we had to choose Cash Miles or Dream Miles.

Since my family lives in the UK, we felt the Dream Miles would have worked best for us.

However, since my trip to the UK, I realized that maybe I should have gone the other route and chosen cash miles.

I haven’t looked into it yet, but I think we are stuck with the Dream Miles and are out of luck.

I’m hoping I’m wrong since we’ll probably be dead and gone by the time we save enough for a flight ticket.

September 2024 CBB Net Worth Update

Overall CBB September 2024 Budget + Net Worth Update

I’ve had a few people email me about our mortgage and why we don’t have one in the chart.

After purchasing our home in 2009, we paid it in full by 2014, which was not easy, but we did it.

Our current market home value is $924,000, and we bought the home for $265,000 in 2009.

In September 2024, our net worth increased by $37,409.69 or 2.17%, making it two incredible months.

Our son now has a Registered Disability Savings Plan, in which we placed $5000 to get the government to pay back to the date of his autism diagnosis.

I’ll write a blog post about the process we went through for Mrs. CBB and our son if anyone wants to learn more about our experience.

Comment below and ask me any questions you’d like me to address in the post.

That’s all for now,

Have a great budget month, and I’ll catch you back here for the October budget update in November.

Mr. CBB

You can find all the CBB monthly budget updates from 2012-present in our library.

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