I unfortunately was a bit busy this week which meant that I couldn’t squeeze in a non-week in review post mid-week. I’m going to use the excuse that Canada Day on a Tuesday really threw me off oh and the month change. Happy belated Canada Day to all and 4th of July to everyone reading and hope you enjoy my second of many week in review blog posts.

Not-So Frugal Guilt

I’m going to start with the bad and end with the good, I spent a lot of money out at dinner this week and did eat out quite a bit this week. Meeting up with friends from university (Laura, Ashley and Nicole) we went to Joe Badalli’s on Front Street to try out a Summerlicious restaurant. I then ended up spending about $50, and the Summerlicious menu wasn’t available. Yup, holy shit. Usually I like to max out on $20 dollars for a good meal but just went nuts, might have been a serious Italian and got an espresso after dinner as well. Overall dinner was great since I was able to catch up with friends, and the sangria was definitely worth it which really wiped away all the guilt I had. I’ll try to actually hit up a Summerlicious restaurant at some point this month before I head out to Greece, but we will see how timing goes.

More City Exploring

Checked off a few other things from the Toronto bucket list this week including trying out Pho and going to Wards Island (one of the many beautiful Toronto islands). First off Pho was just as amazing as everyone said it would be so that’s definitely something I will be going to again. I went authentic and checked out Pho Hung in Chinatown just near Kensington Market, relatively close to home and it was really well priced at about $8 for a large serving. Yesterday I went to Wards Island for the very frugal price of a $7 round trip ferry ride (check out a pic of the beach at the beginning of this post). There were minimal kids since they all went to Centre Island where I used to go as a child as well which was kind of a bonus. The age group seemed to be in their 20′s and 30′s which was great and everyone was having a good time. We were able to take food and alcohol over as well and stayed for at least 4 hours with a view opposite of the city sky line and most likely much cleaner waters. Also a must go again location, might be a great place to celebrate my ever approaching birthday….

Reading

What would one of these posts be without something about my reading activities? I finished up The 4-Hour Workweek which was a great read and something that has opened my eyes wide to how horrible the 9-5 work week really is. I then powered through Think Like A Freak which is written by your favourite authors of Freakonomics and Superfreakonomics. I really enjoyed this one and it was actually a bit different than the previous books, with more of a “how to think like a freak” theme than just crazy, how your name creates your destiny chapters. Up next I think I’ll have to get a really good fiction book to mix it up and I’ll definitely bring that with me to Greece. Anyone have suggestions?

Old Hobbies

It’s been a while since I’ve golfed, last May to be exact, and it was pretty infrequent before that too. I know golfing is not frugal at all but it’s something that I think I’ll be doing more in the summer. I’ve managed to make the majority of my golf equipment purchases or acquisitions pretty low cost, either on sale (my glove), TaylorMade iron set (passed down from my uncle), woods and driver (about $5 from the warehouse sale from my last job) and my golf bag (off craigslist). Somehow this week after a long break I’ve gone to the driving range twice and shockingly can still hit a golf ball so I’m on the right track.

I’m hoping to get a round of golf in at the city course nearby before I head to Greece in about 2 weeks, but we will see if that’s doable.

What’s Next?

I need to start getting prepped for Greece and managed to already get a few items from Target that I’ll be taking with me. I have to say I highly recommend going if you want to grab a new bathing suit or cover up. Also for my job starting in September I will need a car so the next few weeks or when I get back could be filled with test drives and figuring out what I want to buy/lease. Should be interesting that’s for sure, stay tuned for a buying a car post in the future..

Favourite Posts of the Week

Frugal Find Friday: Volunteering for Free Admission – Erin @ Broke Millenial

Why You Need A Financial Binnual Check-up – Nick @ A Young Pro

Monetize Your Fitness and Weight Loss – Bridget @ Money After Grad