Fruits

So, this post is actually going to include some prices which is rare for me but I think these are useful.  They are Canadian and I think they're fairly good for across western Canada.  So anyway...  A good general rule, that I have found, is less than  $1/lb for most fruit, but for berries less than $2/lb.  Fruit is best when it's cheapest and in season, which I think is super great.

Here is what I see is good prices for specific fruits:

Cherries (in season about now) - 1.99/lb
Peaches/Apricots/Plums (in season later in the summer) - the closer to .99/lb the better, if you can get them for less even better
Apples (fall) - less than $.99/lb, but the closer to $.49/lb you can get the better price they are
Grapefruits (in season in winter) - $.49/lb
Oranges  - Same as grapefruit
Strawberries (just out of season) - 1.49/lb at their cheapest, but I start buying them at $1.99/lb

Now, I know that isn't every fruit but that should give you a good starting point.

Also, last year cherries came closer to .99/lb.  It doesn't happen every year but last year, I'm pretty sure, was a bumper crop so they were in the stores longer and were cheaper than they usually are.

So, enjoy your healthy (cheap) fruit.

Unexpected Bills

For some preamble:  You may or may not know but only the last couple of months have we gone to a single income and I've become a housewife.  Now I will let you know that my husband and I have been planning since we got married just over 2 years ago that we would eventually live on one income.  Also, I like my savings accounts (I think we have about 5 plus a chequeing account.)

So, earlier this month I was thinking about something which is that in the last year or so we have had to put new all season tires on my car (approx $600) and we ended up replacing our patio door (approx $500).  Both of these expenses were paid out of my cheques when I was still working more full time.  So, now that's really not much of an option and I know that our appliances will likely need replacing sometime in the next couple of years and who knows what else.  That's where the unexpected bills account comes in.

This is a small amount (ours is $150/paycheque) that we put in it's own savings account.  This is to cover those things that we just can't cover on a paycheque to paycheque basis.   It's not meant to be dipped into every cheque, nor is it our emergency fund, nor is it for paying things like car insurance and property taxes.  These should have their own accounts.  It's for those things that aren't part of the emergency fund but still don't happen every month.  Things that I view this fund for are emergency repairs on the house and car repairs (outside of regular maintenance), other items like that.  “We want” items don't necessarily qualify. 

So, obviously this account won't be used all the time.... Hopefully, only once or twice a year.   By next summer I am hoping there will be enough money in that account that we can take a vacation with that money.  Yes, I know I should probably technically have a separate account for that but, I don't. Instead, this is the way I have chosen to do it.  Leave at least $1,000 to $1,500 in the account and then use the rest for a vacation or a “we want” item.  Peace of mind and a vacation on a single income, how much better can that get.