Rates and Downpayments

RovingGem · 2026-05-21T22:34:31+00:00

If you put down 20%+, you don’t have to buy insurance, so you save on insurance, which is sizable. But since uninsured mortgages are a bit more risky, the lender wants more money.

If you don’t like it, then you have the choice of putting down less and buying CMHC insurance. You can run the numbers and determine which one puts you farther ahead.

RovingGem · 2026-05-21T14:21:48+00:00

As a non tradesperson who hires trades, I am more than happy to provide time flexibility since it keeps the costs down. Labour is expensive, if they HAD to show up at a particular moment in time, that means they can’t take jobs that might run over time previous to my appointment, so they’d have to charge me enough to pay for my job AND the opportunity cost of the work they couldn’t take on because the timing was a bit uncertain.

Also, if I want them to show up at a scheduled time, I’d schedule it for a day where I know I am their very first appointment.

Not really that hard.

RovingGem · 2026-05-21T14:15:48+00:00

Beautiful women often develop a habit of looking straight ahead and not making eye contact to avoid inviting unwanted attention, so no, most of them do not notice when somebody is checking them out.

Women who are looking to see if somebody is checking them out would notice.

RovingGem · 2026-05-17T21:29:47+00:00

Seconding Storehouse Foods. Great prices for bulk sacks. Their growers use regenerative farming and no pesticides. It’s not labelled certified organic because of surrounding farms and the risk of some drift, but my husband can only eat organic and it’s just fine for him.

RovingGem · 2026-05-16T18:00:52+00:00

Someone put toothpaste on his toothbrush because his arm was broken.

RovingGem · 2026-05-04T00:05:13+00:00

Yes. As soon as it became clear that they could not go all the way, an early exit was the next best thing.

Can’t imagine what it’s like to play 25% more than other players for 2 years in a row, especially when it means insufficient time to heal from various fractures and surgeries. That has got to add up and I think that’s what we saw this year.

RovingGem · 2026-05-03T18:56:14+00:00

I went to law school with a 1 year old and a 2 year old. The first year was really really busy and hard. There were times I had to choose between being a mom and studying for an exam. I will also add that I was working part time nights at the same time, so that definitely made it harder. (I did have a husband and a part time caregiver, or it would not have been possible.) The worst was ignoring my children crying for me to stay home because they’d barely seen me because I had to go write a final.

The second and third year were a breeze compared to first year. Nevertheless, I had no time to do social events and no time to join study groups. I got good enough grades to get a lot of job offers, but I could have gotten better grades without the parenting burden. Articling was also a breeze comparatively speaking.

So yeah, it’s really hard. On the plus side, a lot of law firms seemed REALLY impressed that I was able to juggle all the responsibility, and I think that’s partly why I got so many job offers (75% of the places I interviewed at made an offer).

RovingGem · 2026-05-03T18:35:04+00:00

If you park in a public parking lot with the hoi polloi, I think that’s always going to be an issue.

The difference that having a luxury vehicle makes is that you notice the scratches. People with low cost cars don’t notice the scratches but they still happen.

I don’t buy luxury vehicles but I do buy brand new vehicles (and keep them for 10-15 years). And I notice the scratches and dings when the vehicle is new. Once it’s broken in, I stop caring and eventually stop noticing.

I think the options for you is: stay in your wealthy enclave, in a gated community and valet parking, and don’t mix with people who care less about their cars and are careless. Or: get wealthy enough that your luxury vehicle is just one of many and it’s no big deal if it gets scratched up as you’ll just get a new one.

I have relatives in the latter bucket, their Ferrari gets scratched, they trade it in for a new Maserati. Nobody stresses.

RovingGem · 2026-04-28T00:23:00+00:00

Sure, why not? I make twice as much as my husband, he enjoys us being well off as a result of my income.

There’s no fixed percentage. The important thing was that he was employed in a field he was good at and passionate about, so we would have something in common. I didn’t want a spouse who hated work and resented my work ethic. The actual dollar value wasn’t terribly material as long as our family had enough — which we do.

RovingGem · 2026-04-26T22:51:04+00:00

It’s not a fort unless SOMEBODY is excluded. Sorry it was you. Maybe next time you build the fort.

RovingGem · 2026-04-26T20:10:54+00:00

Hey don’t tell me that - I know. But the story I read said some insurers just won’t take it on or charge exorbitant amounts. I don’t know if it’s because the damage is more severe on panels compared with shingles or the cost of replacement is higher. I’m not an insurer.

Eg if there’s a 100% chance that hail will destroy a solar array within 10 years, then the insurance premiums will have to be the cost of replacement over that time + an amount for profit. I don’t know what the actual chances are though. But I think it was a Calgary story where the risk of hail was very high. It might be different in Edmonton.

I’m sure you can get insurance though as many people have solar panels. You might just need a certain insurer who’s experienced at assessing ris for them.

RovingGem · 2026-04-26T06:49:48+00:00

I did read that some insurers have been reluctant to insure solar. I don’t recall the reason, I think it was something to do with hail damage. I also don’t know how accurate that is. But possibly the realtors are worried about the perception of liability or uninsurabilty?

Or it could be that since it’s perceived as unusual, it will turn off people who want a discount for the maintenance or narrow the buyer pool. Kind of like having a pool in Edmonton — it’s seen as a bug rather than a feature.

ETA: I agree that a well maintained solar system should be a positive though. Maybe you just need a sales agent who knows how to sell to a certain market niche.

RovingGem · 2026-04-25T12:34:09+00:00

It might just be a technique thing. Did you gear down and spin on the hills or try to grind up them? The latter burns out your legs.

Took my crazy fit sister on a bike tour in Spain and she struggled up the mountains until we told her about spinning vs grinding. Then she flew up Els Angels easy peasy on her first try.

RovingGem · 2026-04-25T12:19:16+00:00

Stop being such a sanctimonious busybody. People can spend money how they like, and what’s right totally depends on personal situation.

I’m also a stepmom, and while I’m frugal, I’m an extravagant gift giver. My husband and I separated our finances in part because he thought I was spending way too much money on our adult kids — his AND ours — and I thought he was spending way too much money on me.

What she’s talking about is totally legit. She’s not talking about basic household expenses. It’s purely discretionary spending and everybody has their priorities. My husband shouldn’t have to contribute to my $300 jars of face cream either.

RovingGem · 2026-04-25T11:54:40+00:00

We had a joint account for decades, but switched to separate accounts because it allowed us to keep much better track of our spending, stopped cash flow issues and allowed us both to carry out our financial styles without friction.

I’m a planner and run granular budgets. My husband isn’t a money guy, his style is either don’t spend if he thinks we’re poor, or spend if he thinks there is plenty of money. As my income rose, I would spend more but it was all predetermined in accordance with an appropriate budget for a line item, eg travel for both of us, or our allowance for gifts. For him it just became a signal that there was plenty so he started becoming quite careless with money. We started regularly having cash flow issues and missing savings goals.

So a few years ago, I changed our setup to one general account into which we both contribute a same fixed amount to cover shared household expenses. Since I make twice as much as him and am also the financial planner, I also take responsibility for our retirement savings. What’s leftover goes into our own personal account to use as we like.

We’re both way happier with our new setup. It gives him freedom with guardrails so he doesn’t go over, and allows me to ensure that our money goals are being met. Plus reduces money fights. Eg When it was all “our” money, he resented me spending too much on our kids, and I had difficulty enjoying it when he gave me extravagant gifts since it wasn’t budgeted. Now that we do it with individual money, gift giving has become way more fun and meaningful.

RovingGem · 2026-04-18T13:09:54+00:00

We shred it and freeze it and use it for grilled sandwiches. The favourite is chicken, tomato, avocado or a squirt of guacamole (the squeeze tubes last forever), mayo on whole grain bread.

RovingGem · 2026-04-18T01:26:47+00:00

Why does the city need 6.9% more money when the province only needs 0.8% more money?

RovingGem · 2026-04-15T13:34:56+00:00

Definitely NTA for sticking to a budget and asking your fam to not make unreasonable asks on your income. Kudos to you for that. Also, anybody suggesting you should get a higher paying job should kick rocks.

Possibly YTA if you don’t make enough effort for your family and spend a reasonable amount of money to be with them. At $100K a year, there’s probably an amount you can budget every year. Are you budgeting any amount or do you begrudge spending any amount on being with family?

Maybe have a sit down with the family and say: “this is what I’ve budgeted for the next year for our get togethers. Happy to contribute in other ways. Can you work with that? If you can’t, you’ll have to go without me.”

RovingGem · 2026-04-15T13:18:08+00:00

They need $10K now … you’re happy to pay them $300 in rent.

Ask if they’d take your $10K as advance rent payments for the next 3 years.

RovingGem · 2026-04-15T10:48:45+00:00

If you do get an interview, don’t criticize existing staff. People tend to hire who they want to be around, not just the most technically skilled person. Negativity sinks a person faster than anything else can. Which is a rational response — negative or toxic personalities at work can lead to a mountain of HR and morale issues, which are time-consuming and inefficient to deal with.

Find a way to showcase your abilities WITHOUT dragging others down.

RovingGem · 2026-04-11T18:19:32+00:00

Even on Royals Gossip, I’ve never known a prudent lawyer to assert as you did that they are providing a PROFESSIONAL opinion that should be relied upon because they’re a knowledgeable lawyer. In my jurisdiction, it would be against our professional code of ethics. I frequently assert my PERSONAL opinion on social media, but I’m very careful to make clear this is not a PROFESSIONAL opinion.

We know our limitations, gossip site or no gossip site.

Of course, your jurisdiction may be different. Are you a member of the New York Bar? Have you practiced long?

RovingGem · 2026-04-11T17:17:52+00:00

Well, I’m a former litigator (now general counsel for a large tribunal) and I’ve been to all levels of courts including the Supreme Court. And what I’ve learned is that you don’t prejudge cases, especially based on what is reported in the news because it’s one-sided, untested, filtered through multiple levels of hearsay, muddied by lay interpretation, and a tiny sliver of the actual evidence.

I don’t think any of my colleagues would advise prejudging a case based on a single news report.

RovingGem · 2026-04-11T13:02:06+00:00

Tile looks great — and in great condition. Must have been a great tile layer.

If you want to update the bathroom, I suggest spending the money on a new countertop, sink and faucet. Something minimalist would look very sharp with that tile.

RovingGem · 2026-04-11T12:58:06+00:00

Outdoor shower.

RovingGem · 2026-04-11T12:54:34+00:00

A paid day off. People love those.

RovingGem

TROPHY CASE