Tag Archives: finances

Splurges and saves in a no regrets bathroom reno

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Renovating our main bathroom was the project of the year in 2025. I love how the bathroom turned out. I got the clean, traditional, farm look I wanted, and I did it pretty affordably. I feel like I found a good balance between high and low when it came to the budget.

Today, I thought I’d look at three splurges and three saves.

Splurge #1: Marble counters

I love marble and I really wanted real stone for the bathroom. I knew I was doing undermount sinks. This meant I had to do a solid surface countertop. I chose a beautiful marble, then added a custom edge, sculpted backsplash and sidesplashes and a ledge in the tub. All of these details were not cheap, but for me they were totally worth it. The marble is a statement for the whole bathroom. The backsplash and edge profile add a lot of traditional character to the room.

Cost: $4,500

Splurge #2: Heated floors

Our house does not have great insulation, so many winter days, the floor in the bathroom was cold. While I fixed the insulation in the walls, I wanted extra coziness with heated floors. It is such a nice feeling to step onto the floor and feel the heat under my feet. As someone who is usually cold, I will take any opportunity to be warm.

Cost: $1,245 (includes running a new circuit to the bathroom)

Splurge #3: Taps

I knew I wanted very traditional looking two handle taps. My plumber recommended Moen and looking through their inventory I found only one tap that I liked. When I saw the price, I questioned myself. Any taps I’ve bought in the past have been very inexpensive. $100 is usually my threshold. These were beyond that by more than a bit. I wasn’t willing to compromise on the look I wanted, so I decided to go for it. I have no regrets.

Cost: $1,220 (includes both sinks and the tub)

Save #1: Layout

Aside from bumping the tub out slightly to accommodate a new storage ledge, I kept the layout of the bathroom the same, which helped to save money. Plumbing and electrical didn’t have to move dramatically. Walls didn’t move. The window stayed where it was. The renovation stayed within the walls of the bathroom.

Save #2: Lighting

Lighting is very simple in our bathroom. There are two over the mirror vanity lights. That’s it. While layered lighting is popular in high-end design, the cost can quickly add up. We didn’t have wall space for sconces. I didn’t feel we needed potlights. I found two lights I liked and called it a day. The lights came from a big box store and were not expensive ($140 each).

Save #3: Thrifting, reusing and DIY

I felt like I was renovating two bathrooms in this project. The double sinks meant a bigger vanity, larger countertop, two sinks, two taps, two mirrors, two lights. Doubling the costs adds up quickly. So saving wherever I could was important. That meant the toilet that we installed 14 years ago went back in. It’s already low flow and still works well. The black metal hooks that hung in the old bathroom worked in our new design, so they went back up. The wooden towel rings, toilet paper holder, towel bar were a combination of thrifting and DIY. The shower curtain I sewed myself. The baskets in the hutch I’ve had since our first house. They fit and still look good, so I reused them.

Tip #1: Shop around

Sourcing everything for the bathroom took a while. I visited lots of shops, sent lots of emails, did lots of online searches to find exactly what I wanted.

The wood arched mirrors are a good example. I looked for years to find mirrors in the style and price I wanted to pay. When I finally found them, I knew they were a good deal and ordered them right away. When they arrived, I discovered they were on sale online. I called customer service and got a price adjustment.

For the hutch and vanity, I met with a few custom cabinet makers and received some exorbitant quotes. I regrouped and found the vanity I liked at Home Depot. (I discovered its price also fluctuated, but HD was not as accommodating about a price adjustment–lesson learned: pay attention even after you’ve bought something).

For the hutch, I found a local Mennonite builder that was pretty affordable. A large custom, solid wood cabinet designed to my exact specifications was $3,400.

Other choices were affordable without a lot of effort. My tile–the only one I liked at the tile shop–was $6 a square foot.

Tip #2: DIY versus professional help

Obviously, the fact that I was able to do so much work in the bathroom was a big saving. I was general contractor, carpenter, painter, seamstress and designer on this project. While I love DIY, I didn’t hesitate to bring in professional help where I needed or wanted it. The plumbing, electrical, tile and counter were all outsourced. I also worked with a consultant at a bathroom supply store to order most of the elements for the room.

I first went to the store for research. I thought they would have a good sense of what was available, but I assumed they would be waaaaaay out of my budget. When the consultant sent my quote, it was at or below any big box price I could find. They gave me “contractor pricing” on taps, tub, sinks, drains–everything I needed–and they included all the parts I needed. I didn’t have to go searching for the right drains and fittings because they supplied them all. Also, there was no fee for the consultant herself.

While I’m not anti-big box stores, I highly recommend visiting a store that specializes in what you’re looking for. They know the options and materials that are available, have great advice and often good prices. Along with the bathroom store, my other go-to specialists are my local lumber yard, my favourite trim shop and now my cabinet maker.

Total cost

The final cost for the bathroom was about $35,000. This is not an insignificant amount of money, but I feel like I did pretty well managing my budget. I had saved for this renovation and had the money to cover everything I wanted to do.

I believe the point of budgeting is not to spend as little as possible. It’s to spend your money wisely. For me, that meant buying the expensive taps, but saving on the lights. Hiring the professional tiler, but saving on the tile.

I have two goals with renovations: get what I want and do it as affordably as possible. Affordable doesn’t always mean cheapest. I want to finish my renovations feeling like I haven’t compromised. That’s exactly the result I achieved in the bathroom.

How do you balance splurging and saving in your life? What budgeting tips do you have? What’s most important to you in a renovation?

In case of my death

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One of my goals for this year is to prepare for the worst. An item that’s been on my list for a long time is to make copies of all my important documents.

Reading about fires and floods, documentation is always something that people discuss. As well, having been through Matt’s death, I know exactly how much paperwork is involved and how helpful it is for my executor to have it all in one place.

I know why I should do this. But it’s overwhelming to think about getting it all together.

Then last year, I saw an article about a “death binder” in our community paper. The author wrote, “a death binder is a comprehensive collection of documents and information that can help your loved ones manage your affairs in the event of your passing.”

He listed all of the items a death binder should include: personal and financial information like your social insurance number and bank account details, as well as important contacts, passwords, pet care instructions, messages for loved ones and more.

It was a clear, simple list. It felt doable.

Even better, it was divided into seven different sections. So I came up with the plan of doing one section a month. I also invited my Mom to do it with me.

January was for personal information. February was financial. In March we did properties and assets. Now we’re working on accounts and passwords. May will be funeral and burial wishes, June letters and messages, July any other considerations.

I’m making hard copies as well as digital copies of everything. I’ll keep one set for myself and give another to my executor.

Working through it piece by piece feels manageable, and I’m glad to finally be making progress on this important task.

Does anyone else have a death binder? What information do you think is most important to pass on?

Ten years of solar panels

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At the end of April, our solar panels turned 10. We celebrated the occasion with a sunny day and the inverters humming along (they actually hum as they convert the power). We also celebrated because over the course of the last year, the solar panels finally earned as much money as it cost to install them.

Here is my annual review of how much we’ve earned and how it compares to previous years.

If you need to get caught up, here are all of the previous updates and other details:

Let’s start with the big number. Ten years ago, we paid $40,727.46 to install our 40 panels. Since then, the government has paid us a grand total of $44,515.57 for the electricity the panels have produced (our rate with the province is $0.396 per kWh). So we are now $3,788.11 ahead. It took us 9 years and 2 months to fully “pay off” the panels, a bit longer than my original estimate of 8 1/2 years.

This past year the panels generated $4,311.71. This is a slight increase over last year, but I made an accounting change this year to reinstate HST on our payments, so the total reflects that more than any change in electricity generation. We’re just under our annual average of $4,451.56.

As usual, we made more than we consumed. We spent $2,661.31 on electricity over the same time period, giving us a profit of $1,650.40. (It always feels good to cover our hydro bills.)

Ten years also marks the halfway point of our 20 year contract.

For now, I’m content to let the panels hum along and see how this all plays out. Hopefully someday we can upgrade the panels, generate our own power and disconnect from the grid.

Regardless, I am proud of what we’ve accomplished so far and the choice that we made to go solar.

Nine years of solar panels

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This month marks nine years since we plugged our solar panels into the grid and started generating power. Each year I like to look back at how much we’ve earned and compare our results to previous years.

Solar panels

Here is this year’s solar report.

If you need to get caught up, here are all of the previous updates and other details:

I had hoped that in this update I’d be able to say we had made as much money as the panels cost to install ($40,727.46). We are oh so close. Literally 99% of the way there. We have just $523.60 left. (To be clear, we paid for the panels in full when we had them installed. I just like to use this calculation to gauge our earnings over time.)

This past year the panels generated $3,873.00 in total. (We’re hooked into the grid, and the province pays us $0.396 per kWh). This is our lowest income yet, aside from 2014-15, which was a partial year as the panels were just getting going. The decrease is partially due to an accounting change I made two years ago, which removed HST from our payments. It could also be due to the panels gradually not producing as much as they age. Or a less sunny year.

Regardless, we made more than what we consumed. We spent $2,786.05 on electricity over the same time period, giving us a profit of just over $1,000.

Over the next couple of months, we will finally pay off the panels, and then I will be looking ahead to the rest of our 20 year contract.

My ultimate goal is to disconnect from the grid and have our panels generate our own power. Though we would likely need to upgrade our panels for that. Technology continues to advance, and I’m sure there are much better options available today than there were nine years ago. While I like that the panels are an income source for us, I like the idea of self-sufficiency and clean power more.

Regardless, every year when I do this analysis, I am proud of what we’ve accomplished and the choice that we made to go solar. It’s something that we can build on and grow for the future.

Does anyone else track their utility bills and compare each year? How are you “going green” at your house?

Eight years of solar panels

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One of the most significant environmental steps we took when we moved to the farm was adding solar panels to the barn. Last week marked eight years since the solar panels started to feed their power back into the grid.

Solar panels on the barn roof

Here is this year’s solar report.

If you need to get caught up, here are all of the previous updates and other details:

This year the panels generated $4,196.79. (We’re hooked into the grid, and the province pays us $0.396 per kWh). This is a lower total than previous years. The decrease is due to an accounting change, not a panel change. Our previous payments had included HST (a tax that we then remitted to the government). I cancelled our HST number for the solar panels, as it was below the threshold that required us to file, and it seemed simpler to not have to deal with it.

We still came out ahead in terms of what we spent on electricity, as we do every year. This year, we spent a total of $2,713.70, which translates to $1,483.09 in profit.

In my original estimates, I had predicted that year 8 would be the year that we paid off the panels. We may get there. We’ve earned almost 90% of what it cost to install the panels–just $4,366.60 left. (To be clear, we paid for the panels in full 8 years ago.)

I’m proud that we made the decision to install the panels. While my analysis is all financial, the environmental angle is extremely important to me. I would love someday to be truly off-grid and self-sufficient. Panel and battery technology have come a long way in the past 8 years, and I feel like that will give us the opportunity to do more in the future.

Does anyone else track their utility bills and compare each year? How are you “going green” at your house?

How much of your furniture is new?

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Recently, I did a mental inventory of our house. I counted 6 pieces of furniture that we bought new. All of the rest are hand-me-downs, handmade or thrifted.

The basement reading nook shows our mix: Strandmon wing chair (new, though it was a birthday gift), ottoman (made by me), stump table (made by Matt’s Dad and me), monkey art (hand-me-down from Matt’s Grandpa).

Reading nook with Ikea Strandmon wing chair

I’m pretty proud that we’ve only bought 6 things new. I like walking through a room and seeing all of the things that I’ve made or found or rehabbed. I think it makes our home personal. It also makes me feel capable when I reflect on all of the projects we’ve done.

The environmental aspect is really important to me as well. By reusing and recycling we’re reducing our impact.

Here are my 6 newbies, along with the year we purchased them. I’m curious to know what’s your number?

  1. Ellie’s dresser (2018)

Another good example of a mix from Ellie’s nursery: dresser (new–Matt’s parents covered half the cost as I was stricken with sticker shock from buying new furniture), bookshelf (thrifted and repainted), Strandmon wing chair (thrifted this time), ottoman (made by me), triangle table (hand-me-down from my grandparent’s cottage). I should note that the crib was new as well (a gift from my Mom). It has since been passed on, so it is having a second life.

Ikea Strandmon in the nursery
  1. Basement wingchair (2013)
  2. Basement ottoman (2013)
  3. Basement couch (2012)
  4. Living room couch (purchased in 2006 for our first house. Does this count as vintage now?)
  5. Living room chair (also from 2006)

This total does not include appliances, mattresses, lighting (though all of our lamps are second hand), or accessories (art, pillows, etc.).

If you look at the dates above our “new” furniture is not all that new. Holding onto things for a long time is another way to reduce our impact.

Furnishing our house in this way is financially beneficial as well. The Strandmon wingchair that I bought secondhand for Ellie’s nursery was less than half the price of a new one. Keeping the same couch for 16 years is obviously cheaper than buying a new couch.

Here’s a final mix from the basement TV area: sectional and ottoman (new), wood side table (hand-me-down from Matt’s Grandpa), lamp (thrifted and repainted), TV cabinet (made by my Dad and me), TV (new, but bought mostly with points), chair (won), Monopoly art (made by me).

Basement TV area

Mostly, I thrift and DIY for fun. This is what I like to do and I love furnishing our house in this way.

How much new furniture do you have at your house? Any great thrifting scores to share? Do you have any DIY furniture you’re particularly proud of?

Preparing for the worst

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One of my home goals for 2022 is “plan for the worst.”

Matt’s death showed me how important it is to be prepared for your worst case scenario. There are absolutely critical things like a will to protect your family. Or everyday things like making sure someone knows where you bank, how you pay your bills, or even what your important passwords are.

Beyond illness or death, severe weather and natural disasters are other factors that have a tragic impact on people every year. And with climate change, these incidents are happening more frequently.

I want to ensure that I do everything possible to protect Ellie, myself and the farm. My plan is to focus on one “prep” task a month.

Here are some of the things on my list so far:

Insurance

Last month we received our renewal notice for our home insurance, so I called our agent to make sure we have the coverage we need. Our conversation was a lot of “If we have a wildfire/electrical fire/flood/tree fall on the house/ice storm/power outage/tornado am I covered?”

Ice storm 2013

Our insurance policy is very, very challenging to understand–I’ve tried to read it. Our agent was able to answer my questions and explain details of the coverage that gave me peace of mind. I also made sure the new garage and mudroom are included in our policy and that my freelance communications business doesn’t need any special coverage.

In addition to home insurance, life insurance is an important consideration for many families.

Documents

Our important documents are stored in a fireproof safe. They’re protected, but they may not be accessible in a disaster. I am going to make extra copies–both paper and digital–so that we have multiple options in case we ever need them.

Household inventory

A household inventory seems daunting. How do I list absolutely everything in my home? Chris Love Julia shared their experience after a fire at their cabin, and their advice is to take a yearly, personal inventory video. This is doable. I’m going to go one room at a time, open every drawer and every cupboard.

Wedgewood Oberon china

Go bag

Having a bag packed and ready to go in case we ever need to evacuate seemed like something I didn’t need to worry about. We’re not in an area that is prone to floods or fires. But then I thought about the big pines beside our house. What if one of them fell on the house? Could I get what we needed quickly and easily? A few things in a bag in the hall closet seems like a helpful idea.

Will

Matt and I made our wills when Ellie was born. When he died, our lawyer advised that I didn’t need to update my will, as everything was already set up to go to Ellie if I die. However, things feel a little different now that it’s just me–not as hypothetical. Most of what Matt and I decided together for Ellie still stands (her guardians, for example). But I want to make some adjustments to ensure that Ellie is as protected as possible.

Finances

I’ve made some changes to our finances over the last year. As a result I have some old accounts that need to be closed. Leaving them feels like clutter and could be confusing for my executor. I am also going to make a list of what accounts I have and give that to my executor.

Executor

My family is pretty open with each other, so we have talked about estate plans, end of life care and finances. I want to have this conversation again with my sister, who is my executor, to ensure that she knows what’s in place and what my wishes are. I’ll also be providing her with a copy of important documents and other critical information, just in case she ever needs it.

Queen Anne's Lace

These are not fun tasks, but I know they will give me peace of mind. And, if worst comes to worst, hopefully they will help to protect Ellie, our home, the farm and me.

How have you prepared for the worst? Have you gone through a disaster or tragedy? What helped the most?

Renovations and the art of compromise

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I recently said to my Mom that I feel like I haven’t compromised on the garage and mudroom reno. I did exactly what I wanted, and it’s turned out great.

Not so great for the bank account, but it does feel great to get what I want.

Renovating our first house, I was always thinking about resale. It was our starter house. We weren’t going to be there that long. We didn’t want to spend very much money.

It was a very different experience to move to the farm and think only about ourselves and what we wanted for the long-term. We’re still thrifty, but it’s all for us.

(On the topic of thriftiness, when Chris Loves Julia shared their budgeting philosophy it was an ah-ha for me. Allocating a budget to a project gives you freedom to spend that budget. Splurge in some places. Save in others. For me, this releases me from the “renovate for the least amount of money possible” philosophy.)

When it came to the garage and mudroom, I decided that I didn’t want to have any regrets (and we’d saved the money to make it possible to approach the project like this). We’re only doing this once. It has to last for Ellie and me for a long time. It’s a space we’re going to use every day. I want to like it every day.

So we added on. The pool would have made a comfortable two car garage. Or a generous single car garage with a big mudroom. It wouldn’t do both. But I wanted a two-car garage, and I wanted it to be big. Extra space on the side for recycling bins. Ten foot doors, so I didn’t feel squeezed driving in.

I wanted a big mudroom with details–heated floors, paneled walls and ceiling. A wide opening to the kitchen that matched the one in the living room–meaning a beam to raise the header.

Of course, with any reno, I realized once I thought about it that there have been compromises.

I decided not to go with the expensive overlay garage doors. I still love that style, but our doors are just fine. I chose another tile rather than waiting for my back-ordered first choice.

Certain things that may seem like compromises are just how I do things, and I’m not sure they’d change even if I had a bigger budget.

I don’t like to spend a lot on light fixtures. In fact, when I was shopping I sorted the light fixtures by price from low to high and stopped looking when I hit $200. Fortunately, I had already found fixtures that I really liked (for less than that).

I patched the drywall in the living room and kitchen myself, and I’m handling all the painting myself. I like DIY.

I thrifted a mirror and have some hand-me-down dressers that I’m planning on refinishing for the mudroom. I like reusing and repurposing.

I’m not finishing the mudroom with built-ins and cabinetry yet. Nor am I paving the driveway this year. I always planned to phase this project slightly to give the budget a break–and figure out exactly what I want.

Renovations are about a lot of different things. Better function in your home. Prettier appearance. Budget. Resale. It’s important to think about what matters most to you. That helps to guide the decisions–and compromises–as you go through the project.

What compromises have you made when renovating? How do you budget for home improvements? Have you renovated for resale? Or for yourself?

Seven years of solar panels

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Seven years ago, Matt and I decided to put solar panels on the barn. We felt like it would be a good investment (mostly Matt) and a way to do our part for the environment (mostly me). I feel like we’re fulfilling both of these goals.

Every spring (or summer when I forget), I run the numbers for our panels. Here is this year’s solar report.

If you need to get caught up, here are all of the previous updates and other details:

This year the panels generated the second largest amount of power ever. We made $5,036.38. (We’re hooked into the grid, and the province pays us $0.396 per kWh). We haven’t been over $5,000 since 2016-17. I wonder if this is perhaps an ominous sign that there are more sunny days due to global warming. I am happy that we have the solar panels to counteract our carbon footprint just a little.

Every year, we come out ahead in terms of what we spent on electricity versus what we made. This year, the total was $2,485.63 spent. With $5,036.38 earned, we had a $2,550.75 profit.

I always like to see how close we are to finally earning as much as we spent to install the panels ($40,727.46). This year, we’re three-quarters of the way there. $32,164.07 or 79% over the last seven years. I had originally estimated it would take 8.5 years to pay off the panels, and we seem to be on track for that.

Living at the farm, we’re close to nature and I feel strongly our environmental impact. I am grateful for the money the solar panels generate, and I’m grateful that we were able to make this choice for the planet.

Does anyone else track their utility bills and compare each year? How are you “going green” at your house?

Solar panels turn six

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Barn with solar panels at sunset

Six years ago, at the end of April 2014 (wow, that feels so long ago), we turned on our solar panels and started generating power. Every spring since then, I’ve written a post sharing how our little power station is doing (you can see the panels on the right side of the lower barn roof in the photo above). This year, our solar-versary beamed right by without me noticing. (Can’t imagine what else would have been on my mind.)

So today I’m getting caught up.

If you need to get caught up, here are all of the previous updates and other details:

Solar panels on the barn roof

Over the last year we spent $2,683.97 on electricity (this is our lights, pump, heat, fridge, stove, etc.). And we made $4,349.94 from the solar panels (we’re hooked into the grid, and the province pays us $0.396 per kWh). Yay to coming out ahead.

Annual income from solar panels

Last year we finally crossed the halfway point in making our investment back–over the previous 5 years we had made 56% of what we invested in installing the panels ($40,727.46). Now we’re passed the two-thirds mark–$27,127.69 or 67%.

Monthly income from solar panels

More than ever, I am grateful that we invested in these solar panels. Our finances have obviously changed since Matt’s death. Having the money from the solar panels and knowing it will cover our hydro costs is a comfort.

And even though I focus on the financials in this update, I strongly feel solar panels are the right choice for the environment, and I’m glad that we were able to take this step.

Does anyone else track their utility bills and compare each year? How are you “going green” at your house?