Well September is a tough month for saving, (seems like every month is eh?).. however with myself, I have Liz’s birthday as well as my brothers birthday. Add in the fact that it’s really the last month that anyone can do anything outside there are a lot of golf tournaments, social gatherings, etc. which make it tough to save any money.

That said, I’m still trying to stick to my budget as much as I can and get things paid off. I’m happy to report that I’ve paid off over $3700 since I’ve started as of right now. That’s not the great thing though, the great thing is that I have another large amount that I’m going to be putting on my line of credit in about 3 weeks. For those of you whom read this blog and are interested in the financial side of it, let me tell you this.

The best way to save money is to pay yourself first!

That really is the only way I’ve been able to save money for paying off my credit card and line of credit. I have money (10% of my paycheque) that goes into BellAliant stock. And since I’ve done this for so long, the money isn’t missed.. I work around it. So every 4 months or so, I transfer all that stock into cash, and then put it on bills. The only difference now, is that I’m not adding anything into my bills, I’m trying to reduce the amount I owe to nothing, then work on my mortgage.

Can you imagine how much everyone would save if they didn’t have a mortgage? Oh my god.. well.. it’s like the lottery, it’s worth a few dollars to just dream about what you would do eh? Only with a mortgage, it’s a reality if you’re smart and you can save money.

I figure once I have my line of credit paid off, I will be able to do a ‘double up’ payment once every 2 months… hopefully. That will accelerate both the mortgage debt, but as well the Smith Maneuver contributions.. which will.. hopefully, turn into a sizable investment portfolio by the time I’m ready to retire. Am I the only one who can’t wait to retire? Golfing all day and smoking Acid cigars then back to the clubhouse for some beers and a BBQ That’s what I’m talking about!

Speaking of which.. time to call my banker.. he’s avoiding me again