It’s been exciting past week or so. Last week my blog celebrated its 1 year anniversary…ok the celebrations were pretty tame, but I did put up a post recapping some of the stats so far.
Then earlier this week I was involved in 2 separate giveaways, one for $100 with a Valentine’s Day theme and a $999.99 cash giveaway put on by my employer StructuredSettlement-Quotes.com. If you haven’t entered yet, what are you waiting for?? Free cash money!
Then towards the end of the week Sean from OneSmartDollar.com hosted a poll to determine the top personal finance blogs of 2012. I was lucky enough to be nominated. So I’d appreciate if you could head on over there and vote for me. Considering who’s nominated I know I have zero chance of winning, but I’d like to finish in the top half, especially since he might’ve copied the poll idea from me 
Ironically my 2013 edition of the top Canadian finance blogs poll was scheduled to go live yesterday, one day after Sean’s poll went live. Show some love for your favorite Canadian bloggers and put in a vote. Or if you’re not sure of who to vote for, I hear that Modest Money guy is pretty likable….hint hint.
On the personal side of things my girlfriend and I have been browsing condo listings and might be looking to buy soon. We might even be going to check out some places in person tomorrow. I’ve only ever done that for rentals. So it’ll be interesting to see how much more critical I am when it’s going to cost hundreds of thousands of dollars. I’m pretty excited about it. It’s been far too many years of money being wasted on rent.
Modest Money Around The Web
Thank you to everyone who linked to Modest Money this week:
Blue Collar Roundup — It’s Still Winter on Blue Collar Workman
Mr.CBB’s Personal Finance Reading List #5- Hello Blackberry Z10 and Show Me The Money Ticketmaster! on Canadian Budget Binder
Mr.CBB’s Personal Finance Reading List #6 ~Worrying and Complaining Does Nothing, Now That’s Snow! on Canadian Budget Binder
The DQYDJ Weekender, 2/2/2013 on Don’t Quit Your Day Job
6 Months of Blogging! on Eyes On The Dollar
Eyes on the Dollar 20/20 Roundup #24-Oh No, You Didn’t on Eyes On The Dollar
My Goals For February – What Are Yours? on Life And My Finances
We All Need A Little Recognition! on Money Bulldog
Conquer The Insignificants! on Money Bulldog
The Round Table – February 1, 2013 on Money Smart Guides
The Round Table – February 8, 2013 on Money Smart Guides
Friday recap, two wheels and a swim! on Reach Financial Independence
Friday recap, five chicks and a lighter site! on Reach Financial Independence
Weekend Links – February 1 Edition on Vix Money
Guest Post: What Do You Want to Accomplish With Your Life? on We Only Do This Once
The Challenge – Changing Your Blogs Domain on Wise Dollar
Weekly Personal Finance Blog RoundUp – 2/1/2013 on Debt RoundUp
Weekend Business and Blog Roundup – Feb 8th on Freedom Thirty Five
Frugal Friday: Blog Posts That Ruled This Week, How Can it Be February Edition? on Frugal Rules
Frugal Friday: Blog Posts That Ruled This Week, I am Tired Edition on Frugal Rules
Shout Out Saturday #3 on Frugal Rules
Awesome Posts and $999.99 Giveaway on iHeart Budgets
Personal Finance Week in Review for February 3, 2013 – Super Bowl Edition on One Smart Dollar
Top Personal Finance Blogs of 2012 on One Smart Dollar
Updates: Jan 24 – Feb 2 on The Outlier Model
Saturday Blog Roundup on Personal Finance Beat
10 Super Tips to Save Money Now on Street Smart Finance
Friends of the Family: Super Bowl Edition on The Family Finances
Carnival of MoneyPros – Find Me a Holiday Edition on The Frugal Toad
Personal Finance Week in Review #49 on Work Save Live
For those of you who have bought a home before, got any tips? Anything you regret from your first home purchase?
My first purchase was a rental property in a bad neighborhood. I went early in the morning to visit (it was a realtor trick) and it looked fine but should have come back at night. I’d recommend you do check the neighborhood at different times of day for noise, shops, distance to conveniences, etc. and check the accounts of the HOA
Pauline recently posted..February goal: Declutter my digital and online life
Good advice about checking out the place at different times of day. One place we drove by a couple weeks back seemed fine during the day but the building beside it looked a bit sketchy. So I’m thinking it wouldn’t be too good at night.
Good luck looking at condos! Hope you find something.
Michelle recently posted..Can it just be Saturday forever?
Thanks Michelle. In all honesty there isn’t a lot in the price range we want in the area we’re looking. So we might have to be patient, but we’ll probably go check out some places soon anyway.
Our first purchase is the one we are still in….16 years later. We bought it on the fly way back when DH made almost nothing and I hadn’t found a teaching job yet. It’s teeny tiny and we could barely afford the mortgage payment. Now prices have skyrocketed and we’re kind stuck here. 850 square feet is way too small for four.
jolie recently posted..Top Canadian Finance blogs – you get to vote!
It’s great that you’ve been able to stay at the same place for so long, but yeah it does sound pretty small for 4. My 1 bedroom apartment is almost that big. At least you haven’t been stuck renting that whole time.
Have fun looking at condos Jeremy! It is a bit different when you’re looking at spending huge amounts of money vs. renting.
I am not expecting to come anywhere near winning the poll either. I think Mr. CBB is going to take it, he’s got quite the loyal fan base. 
John S @ Frugal Rules recently posted..Shout Out Saturday #4
It’s tough for anyone to compete with Mr CBB and all his followers. He’s doing quite well in both polls. I’m just happy getting some votes.
I feel privileged to be on the nominee list, but also have zero chance of winning!
Hope you’re having a good weekend mate and thanks for including our posts.
Money Bulldog recently posted..We All Need A Little Recognition!
No problem Adam. I’m not too concerned about having no chance of winning. There are some really good blogs on that list, many of which have been around for a while now.
Awesome to see you leading the polls on the Top Canadian Personal Finance Blogs, I’ll defiantly be voting for you. Have a good weekend.
Leading? I guess you meant hosting. I am happy with being fairly high up this list though. Enjoy your weekend too Chris.
Congrats on the nomination, and Voted! Of course.
Man, buying a place together… sounds serious!
Vicky recently posted..Weekend Links – CNY edition!
Sweet, thanks Vicky. Yeah it’s a pretty big step in our relationship, but I do think it’s the right move. We both make each other really happy.
Good Luck finding a place mate. I’m actually looking forward to your posts on the process. I’m betting we’ll get an earful from ya lol.. I know I can dish it out after what we saw when we were looking. It’s fun though. Cheers
Canadian Budget Binder recently posted..January 2013 Canadian Budget Binder Monthly Budget Update #1
For sure, it’ll be an interesting experience to write about. So I’ll be sure to write about what we learn. Hopefully we don’t make any major mistakes.
Good luck Condo hunting! It’s better to be on the buying side than on the selling side, at least that’s the way it’s been for me in the past. Jose
Wise Dollar recently posted..The Perils of Being an Emotional Investor
Yeah I think it would be. It would be a bit of a hassle having to keep your place always presentable for random strangers to come poking around. Then there would be all the lowball offers to deal with. It’s a lot more exciting trying to find somewhere to spend the foreseeable future.
Good luck finding a place, and thanks for the shout-out! Have a great weekend!
Anytime Tony. It looks like the condo search will probably be a long process, but I know I gotta be patient.
Good luck condo shopping! We’re just looking around and getting a feel for the market on our end of things. I hope you find a place you’re happy with!
Alex recently posted..Happy Thought of the Day: Snow Days
That’s the stage we’re at too…just casual browsing. There doesn’t seem to be a whole lot available with our criteria. So we’ll probably have to wait for spring for more places to go on the market. Good luck with your search Alex.
Good luck looking at the condos!
Thanks Marvin. I’m glad to say that the condo search is now over and we’ll be moving this summer. I can’t wait.