2015, We’re Here!

Why hello there. We’re 12 days into the new year. Happy 2015! We’ve been moving slowly for the last two weeks. I didn’t mean to take time off from the blog; I tried to write a few posts during the holidays, but we just relished in the fun and celebration. In fact, we had to much fun that we needed 12 days to recover!

And here we are, on the other other side of the holidays. We greet the new year with joy, hope and thankfulness. We are excited for the adventures the year  will bring and what God has in store for us.

2014 was quite a year for Urban Departures and our family: moments of chaos and simplicity, , new projects, new places traveled, lessons learned, twists and turns, and many blessings. We were challenged and stretched- spiritually, physically, emotionally- in ways we never intended to be; we’ve learned and grown so much. Here are a few of our of favourite posts from 2014:

HOW TO SAVE ON AUTO AND HOME INSURANCE – We reduced our insurance rate by 12% using these  tips.

ARE OUR KIDS FATED TO LIVE A LIFE OF EXCESSIVE CONSUMERISM? – This is how we’re trying to teach our kid that life isn’t about ‘stuff’.

EFFECT OF MANAGEMENT EXPENSE RATIOS (MER) ON INVESTMENTS – Learn about the importance of low investment fees and see how they affect your rate of return.

CBI USA: AN AMERICAN SHIPPING ADDRESS SERVICE FOR CANADIANS – Fellow Canucks: tired of the price discrepancy of goods between Canadian and American retailers, and those high shipping fees to Canadian addresses? Ship to the border!

THE HITCHHIKER’S GUIDE TO GETTING RICH – William Bernstein’s If You Can: How Millennials Can Get Rich Slowly was one of our favourite reads of the year. Short, concise and informative.

THE ADVENTURES OF URBAN FARMERS – We started our own urban garden for the very first time, and gardening was one of the most memorable and rewarding lesson this year.

2 LESSONS FROM MEDIA DETOX – Second most rewarding challenge? Going without television, internet, texting and social media for a month.

REAL ESTATE COMPARISON: THE COST OF HOUSING IN TORONTO – How much house can you afford in Toronto? See how other cities, such as Montreal, Calgary, Washington, San Francisco (and more) compare. I want to move to Portland.

HOW TO OPEN A TD E-SERIES ACCOUNT – If you’ve been holding out on opening an e-Series account, wait no longer. We’ve even got some pointers on how to fill out the Investor Questionnaire

Oh, and last but not least, we got everything sorted out on our financial bucket list for the year. We’ll share the importance of drafting a will and our process for choosing life insurance.

And as for 2015? Well, we’re not quite ready to reveal our plans, goals and resolutions… Okay, fine. I admit, we haven’t given it much thought until this weekend. Over the weekend, we shipped the kid off to my parents, glued ourselves to a coffee shop (with lovely cakes and pastries!), and gave ourselves an opportunity to dream about the next 12 months.  We’ll share when we finalize our plans. In the meantime, happy new year!