The Radio Girl

And Even MORE RV Renos

Me and Home Depot.

Clearly we have a little 'thing' going cause I can't seem to stay away from that place.  I had another brainstorm a few days ago to spice up the bare wall in the kitchen of JohnnyDisco.

Before

And after

We covered the wall with back splash paneling that's stamped to look like tin, but it's actually heavy duty plastic. It's very light weight and easy to wipe clean. 

The panels are supposed to be attached to the wall with special trim, but after calculating the cost of all the trim we'd need, I decided to buy gold colored screws instead.  The screws compliment the color of the panels and the project looks even better than I expected.  

The total cost was about $86 for all 4 panels, plus the screws.  And it looks so rich we might even do the wall space above the counter too, which is what this paneling was actually made for. 

Our little place is really coming together...

Thanks to My Handsome Construction worker, the brawn behind our little operation.

I bribed him to smile by telling him I'd call him handsome in this post  :)

Valentines Stuff

My Fella and I don't buy each other many gifts.

But for Valentines Day we did get each other a few fun things.

For My Fella:

• Sid Meiers SIM Golf
• Sid Meiers Pirates ... "Arrrrgh, matey!"
• big bag of peanut butter M&M's

For moi:

• three scented organic candles on sale from Bed, Bath and Beyond 
• a replacement engagement ring after losing my first one 18 months ago (in my defense it was too big and kept slipping off.  And I don't ever wear jewelery, especially big diamonds.  Oh yeah - and I'm an idiot.  I still can't believe I lost it.  I just hope whoever found it really needed the money  :(

The video games were purchased thru eBay (half the price of gaming stores) and the M&M's were on sale at Fry's.  

My replacement faux engagement ring was found in a little Tucson store selling southwestern art.  It's opal, with a man made emerald in the center and 4 little cz stones, set in white gold.  It was on sale for $63... a fraction of the price of my diamond engagement ring but if I lose this one too it will be cheaper and easier to replace.

And while running errands yesterday we stumbled into a Blockbuster movie close-out sale.  We picked up these three flicks for $9 - the same price as one adult movie admission in Canada.

We spent just under $130, but we're both happy with what we bought and we'll make good use out of everything.  

And no expensive restaurant dinner for us tonight; we'd rather stay home to eat turkey bean chili, watch one of our new movies and hang out with her...

Oh.  

And him too...

More details about this little monster coming up  :) 

A Long Boring Post About Money

Numbers Geek.

That's what it would say on my business card if I still had one.  Since I don't have a job, a business card seems kinda silly.   

If you've been reading this blog for a while, you probably know a bit about us:

• Saving money and retiring early has always been my Major Goal  
• As a radio announcer I made ($35k to $65k/year) over the course of 18 years - not a large salary, but I saved and invested a lot of that cash
• I also made great $$$ buying/reno-ing/selling houses during the real estate boom in Calgary - no major skill involved there, it was more 'right place, right time' 
• My Fella and I met in April 2004 ... after he pursued me shamelessly, I finally broke down and decided to spend my life with him (please note, his version of this story may vary a teeny bit  :) 
• From that point we began working towards the common goal of retiring super early and spending our summers in Canada and six winter months in the south (preferably Mexico)
• In 2007, I quit my full-time radio gig and we moved from Calgary to BC
• In late 2009, we sold our home and gave away most of our 'stuff' 
• In early 2010, we bought a Tiffin Allegro that we named JohnnyDisco and became full-time RV-ers
• Our RV holds everything we own, which is really everything we need  
• Last spring My Fella (the golfer) accepted a dream job at sweet resort golf course in Canada, working 7 months a year
• During the off season (mid October to April) we can follow the sun to warmer spots like Mexico
• Our stock investments are structured to pay out xxx amount of dividend income every year.  In other words, our investments cover our current living expenses, plus savings for future retirement so I don't have to work anymore.  But I really enjoy trading, researching companies and watching the markets, so that's how I spend about 5 hours every weekday 

And it all started with spending less than I earn.  Just like  the ING Direct  guy says:  "Save your money!"

Unfortunately, the above story takes far too long to explain to all the RV-ers we've run into who constantly ask "How can you guys do this at your age?"  We get that question at least once every couple days.  Maybe I'll just print off this blog post and have it laminated so we can carry it around and whip it out when necessary. 

I'm always interested to hear how other people live/spend their cash, especially people in our age range (33 to 40 years old). FYI:  I'm 40, My Fella is 33.  

A few days ago I was doing some research on how average folks spend their hard earned cash and I stumbled across this survey.   It's from the US Department of Labor - or Labour, since I'm Canadian, eh?  :)

you have to click on the picture to see the whole thing

The stats are from April 2009.

Even though it's an American survey, it was interesting to compare this to how My Fella and I budget/spend.  

One of the reasons we can winter in the south and still save so much money is that we only fork out 9.7% of our annual budget on housing. That's the beauty of full-timing in an RV.  There was the initial cost of a new motorhome, but that was paid for in cash, not financed.  And our pad rental and utilities are super cheap.  Most other folks spend at least one third of their annual family income on Housing - which (in the above survey) covers:  mortgage or rent, utilities, home cleaning supplies, household furnishings and equipment.

As I got deeper into the survey, I noticed there were a lot of missing expenditures.  For example, there is no specific category for internet, telephone or cable, but perhaps that's covered under the subcategory Household Operations, which is 2% of annual expenditures.  Not sure what else household operations could mean.  Security system, maybe? 

There is no category for charity/donations.  Yet I'm sure that many Americans are quite charitable.

And what about family vacations?  Or holiday spending (Christmas, Valentines Day, Halloween, birthdays, etc.)  There is no specific category for that.

The above US survey also neglects to mention pets, yet other studies show that 1/3 to 1/2 of all US households have a dog or cat. We budget $800/year for our pup, but that doesn't include major medical emergencies.  We have a big stash of emergency cash to cover The Unknowns like pet emergencies, major dental work, a new vehicle, or a stretching machine if I ever want to make myself taller.  I'm 5'7', but I'd like to be 5'9" without shoes.       

And there is no category for property taxes or debt repayment.  So the average American doesn't pay property taxes or credit card debt?  How about a line of credit or student loans?  Can't see those listed anywhere but I'm sure the majority of adults in the States have one or the other.  

Enough nitpicking - back to the survey...

There is a category in the above study called Cash Contributions.  I have no idea what this one covers.  Pocket money?

There is no visible category for house insurance, tenant insurance or vehicle insurance. There was a subcategory for personal life insurance - which was 0.6% of annual income.  But no auto or home insurance??? 

Another category where we personally save a ton of money is Transportation.  We own one fully paid for nine year old car.  Repairs have been minimal so far and our insurance in $650/year.  This accounts for 2.7% of our overall budget.  Yet the above survey suggest most folks spend closer to 17.6% per year on transportation.  Holy Moly.  And again, that doesn't include car insurance.  

The Entertainment Category for this survey suggests that Americans spend 5.4% of their income on fun stuff.  My Fella and I must be super lame since entertainment is only 0.7% of our annual budget. That 0.7% includes a new tennis racket or pickleball paddle, whacking a bucket of balls at the driving range or $1.50 movie on cheap Tuesday at the theatre.  We would rather play crib or yahtzee at home, and have people over for snacks instead of going to a bar/expensive sporting event.  And we play a lot of free sports: basketball, tennis, hiking, gold-panning, etc.       

My Fella gets treat cigars occasionally, but we don't have an actual Tobacco Category in our household budget.  Although our Alcohol Budget is double what the above survey suggests ... And that's all me folks, cause My Fella doesn't drink.  On closer inspection, the above survey is misleading when it comes to alcohol since drinks are probably also included in both the Entertainment and Eating Out categories.

On the topic of eating out, I'm amazed that 5.4% of the average American's annual income is spent at restaurants - one of the quickest ways to suck cash out of your pocket.  Wasn't there a time when going out to eat was a big deal, almost a treat for the family?  Now it seems that folks eat out a few times a week, without blinking an eyeball.

My Fella and I spend only 0.2% of our annual budget on restaurant food.  We can eat much healthier and cheaper at home.  

And because of all those fruits/veggies, whole grains and low fat foods we eat at home, we don't need much in the way of medical care.  The survey above shows that most American families spend 5.7% (or $2853) of their household income on healthcare - that's for two adults and one child.  

I find this amount very puzzling, because we always hear how terribly expensive US healthcare is and how we have it so much better in Canada, but in our little family (2 adults) we easily spend a minimum of $2000 per year on very basic healthcare and prescriptions.  Neither of us are covered under a company plan and we pay extra for our dental.  

Why is healthcare considered so much more expensive in the USA? Can anyone answer this?

Or have you fallen asleep after this marathon post?  Sorry 'bout that.  But remember what I said at the beginning?  I am Numbers Geek.  

I Live for stuff like this  :) 

Squeak Fetch

It's been really chilly here in southern Arizona since Tuesday.

It was sunny today, but the high was only +4C (39f).  My Fella was doing some research online and discovered that last night was the coldest it's been here since the 1930's. And the local forecast is predicting we'll drop down to -8C (17f) tonight.  

JohnnyDisco hates this weather as much as I do, so My Fella disconnected and drained the main water hose and made some adjustments to stop our main pipes from freezing. (There's not much else he can do, but if you have any good cold weather RV tips, please share - after only one year full-timing we're still new at this...)  

To keep warm inside, we:

• run the propane heater in JohnnyDisco
• cuddle
• play a lot of Squeak Fetch with Shelbert

If you were loitering outside our bathroom door, here's what you'd see.

Yes, I look like a complete tool when I play Squeak Fetch.  But look how sweet The Bert is ...

Here's what we'd look like if we played blindfolded.

Shelbert has excellent doggie sense so even blindfolded, she would avoid all obstacles.  

Unfortunately, my aim wouldn't be as accurate.  The cameraman (hi honey :) would probably get accidentally conked in the head with the Squeak toy.  

Perhaps we should test this theory.  We have nothing else to do in these frigid temperatures   :) 

FYI:  we refilled JohnnyDisco's (24 gallon) propane tank yesterday.  There was just under a quarter tank of propane left and the fill up cost us $46 (USD).  It's hard to say how much propane we use since it completely depends on the weather, but the last time we filled the tank was May of 2010.

Eleven Months In JohnnyDisco

As of this week, we've been full-timing in JohnnyDisco for eleven months.

We've made a few significant changes to our lifestyle since the dream of full-time RV-ing began:  

• selling our house and furniture
• giving away a lot of stuff
• cutting our annual housing budget by roughly 2/3 

Making JohnnyDisco our home is still a work in progress, but I'm a fickle gal so things change pretty quickly around here.  For such a small space you'd be surprised at the number of times My Fella has been told sweetly asked to move the couch.

We've made quite a few more changes since we've been back from Mexico and I'll post pics in the next few weeks.  One thing that won't be changing any time soon is the huge fluffy blanket on the couch.  

Or the spooky blanket monster that lives there.

The scary white, fluffy, one-eyed monster. 

Okay.  Two-eyed monster.  And really not so scary.  More fuzzy than scary.  Perhaps even a little irritated at the constant camera flash. 

MY Fella gives me this exact same annoyed look when I sneak pics of him napping on the couch.

While going through blog entries from the past month I noticed I haven't posted year end portfolio numbers or an update of current equities. 

For a little perspective, here are some benchmark returns for 2010:

• S&P/TSX 60 Total Return = 13.84%
• S&P/TSX Composite Total Return = 17.61%
• S&P 500 ($CAD) Total Return = 9.35%
• MSCI EAFE ($CAD) Total Return = 2.84%
• MSCI World ($CAD) Total Return = 6.76%

Our overall return was +19.24% ... five different portfolios composed completely of Canadian equities and a teeny bit of cash. 

Current equities, in order of weighting:

• Student Transportation
• Alaris Royalty
• New Flyer Industries
• Cash
• Inter Pipeline
• Pembina Pipeline
• Artis REIT
• Data Group
• Chorus Aviation
• Avenex Energy

Looking forward to crunching my January numbers at the end of the month.  

Hard to believe there's only one week left in this first month of the new year.  And only three months 'til we head back to beautiful BC for another golf season.

Crossing the Nogales Border

Our drive in to Mexico was posted here last week so this post will be mostly pics.

Whether you are crossing from Nogales, Mex to Nogales, Arizona by car or RV, the lanes are well marked and there is new signage up everywhere in both Spanish and English.  It's very clear that cars, small trucks and RV's stay left and cargo trucks or semis cross in the right hand lanes. 

The word 'estacionamiento' means parking in Spanish, which explains the big letter E with a red line through it - NO PARKING!

There were four border lanes open for cars/RV's but there were quite a few folks ahead of us so it took almost an hour to inch our car up to the US immigration officers.  The guy was nice and asked us 5 or 6 questions and then we were on our way.  Don't know about your experiences with immigration officers but the American ones have always been more polite to me than Canadian ones. 

After crossing back into Arizona, there was another check point within a half hours drive.   

This one was set up by US Border Patrol guards and it was a lot quicker.  Not sure if they were checking for drugs or illegals but they took one look at our Canadian license plate and basically waved us through.

Although we did slow down long enough to point out this sign to Shelbert.  

Yes, my little four legged friend, some dogs really do have to earn their kibble.

Roughly three hours after this check point we hit the outskirts of Tucson and were ready to pick up JohnnyDisco from the RV dealership.

Quick money stats about the round trip to San Carlos:

• Gas:  $60 CAD, included touring around San Carlos and Guaymas
• Mexico highway tolls:  $22 CAD, round trip
• Food/booze/snacks:  we spent $150 for food at the Walmart in Guaymas and then a few quick trips to the local market for fresh veggies.  The Walmart bill included a kitchen knife, a can opener, some Corelle dishes, 3 dish towels, 2 dish cloths, liquid dish soap, salt and a few things I'm forgetting. Without these items the groceries would have cost less than $100 and the bill did include expensive items like meat, cheese and pistachios (and if course, BEER  :) 

*One more thing to mention:  Before we crossed the border, we did stop at the Mexican immigration building where you get your tourist card and we returned ours.  Not sure if this was necessary and I've never returned my tourist visa during past trips, but since the process has changed this year we decided to stop and return them.  The building is right across the highway from where you need to return your car permit, so it's not a big deal to return your tourist card as well.  

New Year, New Budget

Temps dropped to -5C (23f) in Tucson last night, close to a record low.

We definitely hit an all-time low temperature in JohnnyDisco last night when the interior of the rig hit 4C (39f).  No wonder we wear touques to bed.

We're not too cheap turn on the heat, by the way.  

Turns out the furnace wires are crossed in our motorhome, and while the a/c and fans work (although they cool the opposite end of the RV that they are programmed for) the bedroom/bathroom heater doesn't work at all.  We didn't need the heater last February when we first bought our unit so we had no idea it didn't function properly until we got back to Canada.  The entire rig is still under warranty and the furnace wires are the first thing on the list to be repaired when we bring JohnnyDisco in for maintenance this week.  

In the meantime, space heaters work just fine for our teeny 360 square foot home.  Except in the middle of the night when it's freezing and we're too lazy get out of bed and turn them on.

The last couple days have been chilly and rainy here in southern Arizona so we've all been stuck inside.  My Fella was definitely stir crazy today so he ran out to the grocery store to grab veggies for lunch.

Yay - alone time!  Gives me a chance to revise and finalize our budget for 2011.  My inner nerd is rejoicing ... I love all this numbers stuff   :)     

2011 Annual Budget, based on Gail Vaz-Oxlade's most excellent budgeting guide:

Home expenses - suggested to be 35% of budget, ours is only 9.7% or $8100

• RV pad rental        3300
• RV gas                  2400
• RV propane             200
• RV maint./repair    600 
• RV insurance         1600

Transportation - suggested to be 15% of budget, ours is 2.7% or $2290

• Car gas                  1560
• Car insurance          650
• Car maintenance       80

Debt Repayment - suggested to be 15%, ours is 14% or $12,000 (the interest is written off against my taxes so I'm NOT paying this off aggressively)

• Investment line of credit    12,000    

Savings/Investments - should be 15% of budget, ours is 36% or $30,000 

• TFSA's, non-reg brokerage account    30,000

Life (includes everything else from groceries to insurance to donations) - should be roughly 25% of budget, we are right on target at 25% or $21,000   

• Groceries, booze, household, toiletries, laundry, gifts    10,960
• Shelbert  (food, snacks, grooming, shots, squeak toys)       500
• BC health insurance                                                         1250
• Travel medical insurance                                                   500
• Internet                                                                            210
• Cell phone                                                                         180
• Sirius satellite                                                                   200
• Clothes/shoes                                                                  1200
• Charity/donations                                                            1400 
• Entertainment (movies, driving range tennis balls, etc.)      600
• Misc. RV outdoor (solar lights, patio mat, blower, etc.)        500
• Misc. RV indoor (curtain rods, bedspread, towels, etc.)        500
• Misc. small emergencies (dental, computer repair, tires)    3000

Outside our annual budget is a separate fund for any bigger emergencies (new car, major RV repairs, lobotomy, etc).  

The reason we can save 36% of our annual income is because we live full-time in JohnnyDisco.  Our housing costs are teeny weeny compared to most folks.

Transportation costs are super low too.  My Fella has a 2 minute commute to his golf course job during the summer season.  

And my vehicle commute is non-existent, since:

1. If it's realistic, I prefer to walk
2. I don't really have a job
3. My stock stuff is all done from our home office, smack dab in the center of the RV and seven steps to every corner of JohnnyDisco

This budget will be adjusted as the year goes on.  Not necessarily 'cause it needs changes, I just like playing with the numbers.

Hope you had a wonderful holiday season ... Feliz Ano Nuevo from our little family to yours.  

"A chicken liver rawhide is a great way to ring in the new year."

RV Curtain Exchange

The windows in JohnnyDisco look great.

Last night My Fella took down the rest of the ugly window treatments in the main living area and put all the black sunshades back up on the windows.  

Then it took a little head scratching and problem solving to get all the curtain rods up because some of the spaces were too tight to use the drill.  

My fella looks a little irritated here.  

Is it because:

• I see myself as the project manager yet he ends up doing most of the work  :) 
• Shelbert just peed on the battery charger for the cordless drill
• He's tired of me saying "look up and smile honey" and then being blinded by the camera flash
• I've got BNN streaming live from my laptop and keep mentioning "for an old guy, Howard Green is a goodlookin' man..."
• ALL OF THE ABOVE 

We now return you to our regularly scheduled post...

It's amazing what a difference the curtains make.  The main living area now feels more like a small living room than a generic hotel room.

And they offer as much privacy as the blackout shades.

The project was pretty easy and took about 5 hours, including shopping for curtains and rods.  Cost for 4 windows:

• 4 packs of curtains    4 x $14
• 4 curtain rods            2 x $4, 2 x $6

Total cost = $76 plus tax, already accounted for in the RV Purchases budget.

How We're Spending Our Time

My Fella and I have been in southern Arizona for about six weeks now. 

The only local attractions we've seen are Kitt Peak National Observatory (home of the cool monstersize telescopes) ...

... and of course we've checked out the national desert parks.

Over the next few months we also wanna visit the local zoo, the Pima Air and Space Museum and the little mining town of Bisbee, Arizona.  We have 2 for 1 coupons for both the zoo and air museum so the total cost will be $22.50.  And touring Bisbee will only cost us the gas to get there.

We've spent most of our days doing free things:  hiking the desert, walking Shelbert, touring local streets and neighbourhoods and playing tennis at the public court, which is free and always empty.  

It's not all fun and games of course.  We still have our daily chores, plus I wake up early for the biz news and to watch the markets and try make some money.  Speaking of cash, we've certainly been good for the local economy.

In six weeks we've spent:

• $134.95 on gas for the car (under budget)
• $453.46 for outdoor RV purchases - solar lights, rope lights, patio mat, a ladder, tire covers, bungee cords, valve covers, cleaning supplies (most of these are one time items, on budget)
• $390.52 for indoor RV stuff - drapes, curtain rod, bedspread, blankets, sofa cover, candles, poinsettia, rugs, a rolling computer stand (one time items, on budget)
• $871.51 - clothes and shoes (seems like a lot of cash but we buy all of our clothes/shoes in the USA so we're still under budget for the year ... AND we're both sick of clothes shopping)
• $112.78 for Shelbert - doggie stairs, doggie shampoo, grooming, snacks (on budget)
• $996.66 for food, booze, snacks, toiletries, household items, laundry (way under budget)

We go grocery shopping a few times a week and are still amazed at the cheap prices compared to Canada.  We buy lots of fresh fruits and veggies (similar prices in Canada) but other stuff we eat is super cheap in the USA - beans, rice, tortilla shells, salad dressing, cheese, bolillo buns, canned corn, burritos are all half the price they are in Canada.  Beer, pop and wine is half or a third the price.  We don't eat a lot of snacks but nuts and sunflowers seeds are cheap and a super-size can of reduced fat Pringles (my fave snack) only cost 99 cents at Fry's.

Fast food is pretty cheap here too but we haven't eaten out at all - the smell of most drive thru places makes me gag.  Next week we may join the owners of this RV park and hit up the cheap casino buffet where two people can eat for $8.30.  I have no problem eating MY WEIGHT in salad and boiled shrimp  :) 

There were a couple weeks of cool daytime weather but it's back to sunshine and +25C (77f) so we're spending lots of time outside.  

My Fella on his patio chair and The Bert on her ... Box?

Our RV site backs right onto the desert and our neighbours include bunnies, coyotes, roadrunners and snakes. Luckily the bunnies and coyotes don't visit at the same time.

Here's the daytime view from our patio chairs.

And at night...

Interesting tidbit: the RV resort we chose isn't fancy shmancy, but it's clean, quiet and the lots are much bigger than any we've seen so far.  About 2/3 of campers here are American and 1/3 are Canadian.  And at least half the American campers have guns.

One fella we've gotten to know quite well carries his pistol on a holster in plain sight.  Like he's on the set of Gunsmoke.  It's kind of strange to see.  

Yesterday I asked him why everyone had a gun.  His reply?  

"Because of the bad guys."  

Oh.

The Bowling Craze is Over

Looks like bowling was a one time thing for us.  

My Fella and I are both pretty active and have been doing tons of different outdoor activities since we've been in southern Arizona - tennis, baseball, hiking, etc.   And last Sunday we went bowling.  

It turns out that two quick games of ten pin bowling is equal to lifting a ten pound weight repeatedly with the same arm for an hour.  My right forearm has been throbbing all week.

Ouch.  

We've played tennis three times since we went bowling last weekend and while we did manage to knock the ball around, my arm was sore every time.  My forehand is almost back to normal but my backhand shot is totally lame due to lack of strength.  Frustrating.

This nasty case of bowling-itus is really messing up my everyday life.  Last week I attempted to map out our 2011 budget and my right arm was too sore to write.  Even more tragic, it's become a huge challenge hauling my heavy box of white wine out of our teeny little RV fridge  :)  

Tennis is my fave sport (been playing since I was a tyke) so if it comes down to bowling or tennis, I gotta say 'bye bye bowling'.  But it was fun while it lasted.

crazy bowling eyes

Haven't talked about money or budgets for awhile, but even as we're parked out here in the Arizona desert, we're staying on top of financial things.  Perhaps more so since our fall/winter expenses are different from summer life in BC.

Soothed by the white wine in the fridge, I was able to complete a rough draft of our  2011 Annual Budget  - from most expensive to least expensive items:

• $24,000    savings/investing 
• $12,000    investment debt repayment (line of credit, tax-deductible interest)
• $10,800    groceries, household items, toiletries, booze, laundry
• $3300       RV pad rental  (includes water/sewer/hydro)
• $3000       income taxes
• $2400       RV gas
• $1600       RV insurance
• $1560       car gas ($30 x 52 weeks)
• $1400       charity/donations
• $1250       BC health coverage (12 months)
• $1200       clothes/shoes
• $1000       RV maintenance (minimal amount while it's still under warranty)
• $1000       misc. one-time RV purchases (solar patio lights, ladder, blower, etc.)
• $800         RV propane (think I over-estimated this cost)
• $650         car insurance
• $600         entertainment (movies, driving range, tennis balls, etc.)
• $600         misc. (if not used, it will go to charity)
• $500         travel medical insurance (5.5 months)
• $500         Shelbert (food, grooming, snacks)
• $210         internet ($30 x 7 months)
• $180         satellite radio
• $105         cell phone ($15 x 7 months)
• $100         car maintenance (oil changes) 

No categories listed for: Shelbys medical needs, emergency dental work, RV content insurance or major car maintenance.  These things are covered (as needed) with cash from savings so we don't include them in the regular budget.

And if the poop hit the fan, we could certainly cut out a few categories including:  satellite radio, entertainment, misc., cell phone, new clothes/shoes and misc. RV purchases.

Even though I just retired from the rat race in my late 30's, I still have major $$$$ investing goals.  And the biggest difference between our annual budget and most others I've seen is that we categorize investment savings/retirement savings as a 'necessary' expense, not a 'want'.  

New shoes* are a want.  Investment savings are a need. 

But we also plan to enjoy life along the way.  

*Although in a ironic twist of budgeting fate, I have actually bought not one, but THREE new pairs of shoes since we've been in the USA.  3 pairs of shoes + HUGE shoe sale = $40 including taxes. 

Wants, not needs.  And comfy as bowling shoes, but way cuter  :)