Today, I have a challenge for all you readers, bloggers, PFers, women, men, and who ever else stumbles across this insane post. I challenge you to Toot Your Own Horn!
No, I don't mean your car/van/e-bike horn either. I want you to tell me (either in a post on your own blog or in the comment section here, which I may or may not make into a post of its own) about your accomplishments, personally, financially and otherwise.
The inspiration for today's post comes from Captain Sweatpants, who posed a question to female readers on his blog a few weeks ago. It made for some great discussion about accomplishments great and small, as well as talk about humility gender roles in society.
His question was: "Why is it that women don’t ever admit that they’re awesome? Do you actually know you’re awesome but just don’t want to verbalise it? Or (this is worse) you don’t even realise you pure awesomeness?"
Here's the catch: I want you to do objectively. As if you were listing the accomplishments of someone you admired, and wanted to point out all their good traits, and multi-tasking skills.
So who's up for this challenge? I will start tomorrow with my own post (God grant me the strength to do this) and see where it goes from there.
P.S. - To get your giggle factor going, I would like to share that when I clicked on the spell-check for this post, it highlighted PFers. When I clicked in the highlighted word for alternate suggestions, the first one on the list was 'Pervs'. I found that insanely funny!
Monday, September 5, 2011
Saturday, September 3, 2011
Woodland Cemetery Walking Tour
Today's post is about a frugal activity that a person or family could do that incorporates healthy lifestyles (walking), a history lesson, and an opportunity to open up discussion with those closest to you about the taboo subject of death.
As you may already know, I live in London, Ontario. My hometown is rich with history, being chosen for the provincial capital in 1793. While it never did become the capital of our beautiful province, our city was founded in 1826. Not as old as some other cities in the country, it does have a history unlike any other.
Recently, a Facebook page was started on a whim, to talk about what Londoners remember from our past (and perhaps learn a thing or two as well). Entitled, "If You Grew Up In London, Ontario, You Will Remember...", there are tons of pictures and documents talking about the near and far history of our beloved city. It's also being used as a springboard for the London and Area Heritage Association to get new members, and to gain votes for Canada's Favourite Ballpark Contest (It's down to 2: Our own Labatt Park and Thunder Bay's Port Arthur Stadium. Visit www.baseball.ca to learn more an vote.),
Of course, my contribution would be to say that you can learn much about an area's past by visiting the local cemeteries. We have several in this city that I will feature on my blog, but today, I want to talk specifically about Woodland Cemetery.
Located at 493 Springbank Drive, Woodland Cemetery has it's roots in the Anglican Church. For the history of the Cemetery itself, visit Woodland's History page. Woodland opened in 1879, but has graves that had been moved there from burials dating back as far as 1830.
If you visit the Cemetery Office, you can ask for a Walking tour pamphlet, which will point out some interesting facts about the cemetery and points of interest during your stroll. The are some notable figures buried here, including John & Amelia Harris, who lived in what is now known as Eldon House (another fantastic London historical landmark), John K. Labatt (of Labatt's Breweries), Bishop Benjamin Cronyn, and Josiah Blackburn (founder of the London Free Press).
If you take this walking tour, you will also see the Railway Monument, a tribute to the nine railway men who lost their lives as a result of accidents on the Great Western Railway between 1857 - 1873. It would also be difficult to miss the McClary Monument, a tall grey obelisk that rises 9.6 metres above the ground (that's over 31 feet). There are also rare, hillside vaults, built in the early 1880's. Nothing of it's kind is used in this day and age.
Also buried in Woodland Cemetery is George J. Goodhue, who is often described as London's first "millionaire". His son, Charles built Waverley Mansion in 1883, with the money inherited from his father, which is located on Grand Avenue, and is still standing, being used as a retirement home.
If you were to take this walking tour, I would imagine that following the route set out by the cemetery, it would take about 1 - 2 hours, stopping at all the points of interest along the way. If you have never been in this cemetery, I suggest you take your time, and read some of the monuments other than the highlighted ones. The grounds are beautiful throughout the year, but especially fall, when all the trees are showing off the glorious colours of autumn.
Take a water bottle, wear comfortable walking shoes, and encourage discussion about our city's history with your family. This tour could have off shoots of visits to different parts of history in varying other parts of the city, and could become a memorable event for your family. I invite you to give it a try.
As you may already know, I live in London, Ontario. My hometown is rich with history, being chosen for the provincial capital in 1793. While it never did become the capital of our beautiful province, our city was founded in 1826. Not as old as some other cities in the country, it does have a history unlike any other.
Recently, a Facebook page was started on a whim, to talk about what Londoners remember from our past (and perhaps learn a thing or two as well). Entitled, "If You Grew Up In London, Ontario, You Will Remember...", there are tons of pictures and documents talking about the near and far history of our beloved city. It's also being used as a springboard for the London and Area Heritage Association to get new members, and to gain votes for Canada's Favourite Ballpark Contest (It's down to 2: Our own Labatt Park and Thunder Bay's Port Arthur Stadium. Visit www.baseball.ca to learn more an vote.),
Of course, my contribution would be to say that you can learn much about an area's past by visiting the local cemeteries. We have several in this city that I will feature on my blog, but today, I want to talk specifically about Woodland Cemetery.
Located at 493 Springbank Drive, Woodland Cemetery has it's roots in the Anglican Church. For the history of the Cemetery itself, visit Woodland's History page. Woodland opened in 1879, but has graves that had been moved there from burials dating back as far as 1830.
If you visit the Cemetery Office, you can ask for a Walking tour pamphlet, which will point out some interesting facts about the cemetery and points of interest during your stroll. The are some notable figures buried here, including John & Amelia Harris, who lived in what is now known as Eldon House (another fantastic London historical landmark), John K. Labatt (of Labatt's Breweries), Bishop Benjamin Cronyn, and Josiah Blackburn (founder of the London Free Press).
If you take this walking tour, you will also see the Railway Monument, a tribute to the nine railway men who lost their lives as a result of accidents on the Great Western Railway between 1857 - 1873. It would also be difficult to miss the McClary Monument, a tall grey obelisk that rises 9.6 metres above the ground (that's over 31 feet). There are also rare, hillside vaults, built in the early 1880's. Nothing of it's kind is used in this day and age.
Also buried in Woodland Cemetery is George J. Goodhue, who is often described as London's first "millionaire". His son, Charles built Waverley Mansion in 1883, with the money inherited from his father, which is located on Grand Avenue, and is still standing, being used as a retirement home.
If you were to take this walking tour, I would imagine that following the route set out by the cemetery, it would take about 1 - 2 hours, stopping at all the points of interest along the way. If you have never been in this cemetery, I suggest you take your time, and read some of the monuments other than the highlighted ones. The grounds are beautiful throughout the year, but especially fall, when all the trees are showing off the glorious colours of autumn.
Take a water bottle, wear comfortable walking shoes, and encourage discussion about our city's history with your family. This tour could have off shoots of visits to different parts of history in varying other parts of the city, and could become a memorable event for your family. I invite you to give it a try.
Friday, September 2, 2011
A Matter of Choice(s)
Thanks to Makky's Mom, I felt compelled to post about the choices that we all have with regard to our own wishes for our funerals.
Basically, you have two options: Cremation or Earth Burial.
Here's a list of things you need to think about with regard to both options.
Burial:
Typical caskets are constructed from wood or metal. Cremation containers can vary from cardboard to the most elaborate wood casket you can find.
You need to think about if you want a service of any kind. This can range from no service of any kind, a memorial service with or without casket/urn present, to a full traditional-type funeral service with visitation.
Your casket can be buried in the ground, or put in a mausoleum. Both can be costly.
Your cremated remains can be put in an urn, and kept by family members for private disposition. Or you can have them buried, put into a niche in a columbarium, or scatter them in a certain area within some cemeteries.
Cemetery property can be expensive, even if you are only buying one plot for cremated remains in an urn.
I am only aware of one Green Cemetery in Canada, located somewhere in British Columbia. This page can provide you with more information.
Biodegradable caskets come in all shapes, sizes and differing construction materials.
So do Urns. Here are some examples.
Taking an example of a friend of mine, even with choosing lower cost options, they are looking at $1800 for cremation and professional services, $1900 for one plot, $400 for an Urn, and $7000 for a monument. Add in about $850 for a memorial service, and $600 for a cheap-o reception, they are looking at a total cost of about $15,000 for two people.
There are so many choices to be made. Funeral service or cremation. Which cemetery? Burial or scattering? Embalming or no embalming? To have a visitation (viewing) or not? Should there be flowers? Memorial donations? Which Funeral Home to involve?
Consider this. Most funerals/cremations are paid for by way of a funeral/insurance plan, life insurance proceeds, and on a credit card.
A Credit Card?!?!
Yep. A credit card. Lots of folks have credit limits that could swallow the cost of an entire funeral service, with, excuse the term, all the bells and whistles. Most funeral service establishments require some type of deposit before services are rendered. Anywhere from 50% of the total and up.
Would creating a Funeral Fund seem morbid to all you PF-ers out there?
I'd rather be morbid than have my spouse or kids put my casket on their credit card, and end up paying it off for the next 30 years, with interest.
What say you, readers? Have you ever even given your final wishes any thought?
Note: After I wrote this post, I found an interesting article on cremation. Of course, it doesn't cover every last detail, it will give you a good idea of what to think about. http://blog.yourmoney.ca/2011/08/cremation-costs.html
Basically, you have two options: Cremation or Earth Burial.
Here's a list of things you need to think about with regard to both options.
Burial:
- casket type
- service details
- cemetery property
- monument (headstone)
- reception after service
- container/casket type
- service or memorial details
- type of urn
- what to do with the cremated remains after all is said and done
- reception after service memorial
Typical caskets are constructed from wood or metal. Cremation containers can vary from cardboard to the most elaborate wood casket you can find.
You need to think about if you want a service of any kind. This can range from no service of any kind, a memorial service with or without casket/urn present, to a full traditional-type funeral service with visitation.
Your casket can be buried in the ground, or put in a mausoleum. Both can be costly.
Your cremated remains can be put in an urn, and kept by family members for private disposition. Or you can have them buried, put into a niche in a columbarium, or scatter them in a certain area within some cemeteries.
Cemetery property can be expensive, even if you are only buying one plot for cremated remains in an urn.
I am only aware of one Green Cemetery in Canada, located somewhere in British Columbia. This page can provide you with more information.
Biodegradable caskets come in all shapes, sizes and differing construction materials.
So do Urns. Here are some examples.
Taking an example of a friend of mine, even with choosing lower cost options, they are looking at $1800 for cremation and professional services, $1900 for one plot, $400 for an Urn, and $7000 for a monument. Add in about $850 for a memorial service, and $600 for a cheap-o reception, they are looking at a total cost of about $15,000 for two people.
There are so many choices to be made. Funeral service or cremation. Which cemetery? Burial or scattering? Embalming or no embalming? To have a visitation (viewing) or not? Should there be flowers? Memorial donations? Which Funeral Home to involve?
Consider this. Most funerals/cremations are paid for by way of a funeral/insurance plan, life insurance proceeds, and on a credit card.
A Credit Card?!?!
Yep. A credit card. Lots of folks have credit limits that could swallow the cost of an entire funeral service, with, excuse the term, all the bells and whistles. Most funeral service establishments require some type of deposit before services are rendered. Anywhere from 50% of the total and up.
Would creating a Funeral Fund seem morbid to all you PF-ers out there?
I'd rather be morbid than have my spouse or kids put my casket on their credit card, and end up paying it off for the next 30 years, with interest.
What say you, readers? Have you ever even given your final wishes any thought?
Note: After I wrote this post, I found an interesting article on cremation. Of course, it doesn't cover every last detail, it will give you a good idea of what to think about. http://blog.yourmoney.ca/2011/08/cremation-costs.html
Thursday, September 1, 2011
September Goals
First, I'd like to go over last month's goals.
1. Deposit the remaining $347.29 needed into the Emergency Fund. Check!
2. Put $500 into the rent account to start paying back the loan. 313/500
3. Spend the vacation money we have taken out, and to spend it without regret or guilt. Check!
4. Put any leftovers from vacation into rent account. No leftovers to add. :(
5. To earn $500 total from all side gigs. Check!
6. Draft some blog posts and see if they will actually post while I am away on vacation. Check!
4 out of 6 isn't bad, I guess.
September goals:
At least we aren't using any credit cards. :)
1. Deposit the remaining $347.29 needed into the Emergency Fund. Check!
2. Put $500 into the rent account to start paying back the loan. 313/500
3. Spend the vacation money we have taken out, and to spend it without regret or guilt. Check!
4. Put any leftovers from vacation into rent account. No leftovers to add. :(
5. To earn $500 total from all side gigs. Check!
6. Draft some blog posts and see if they will actually post while I am away on vacation. Check!
4 out of 6 isn't bad, I guess.
September goals:
- $75 for the pager; this will pay up the account until June 1/12
- Continue making small-ish deposits to Emergency fund, EEE Account, House fund, Vacation fund, car fund, and laptop fund.
- Start 2 new funds for Business Equipment and Dental Work.
- Our Insurances are coming due. Pay off #1 & #2.
- Catch up with all paperwork for business. o_O
At least we aren't using any credit cards. :)
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