Peep Peep - An Easter Story

Happy Easter Monday, everyone! Hopefully you've had time off over the last few days to relax and enjoy good eats with those you loved. 

One of my favourite things about Easter is that I get two days off from work (and for those of you who know that I usually work 7 days a week, this is a big deal!) I also get another chance to dream up some special holiday-themed cupcakes to bring in to work. I actually found the inspiration for this Easter's batch of desserts back in January and have been sitting on it ever since.

Ta da! This year's Easter Offering: Lemon Peep Cupcakes! Cake and icing are lemon, surrounding a gorgeous raspberry curd filling. DROOL. Between the flavour combinations and the decorating, I'm really happy with how these turned out. I got the design idea from Hoosier Homemade and the cupcake recipe from Your Cup of Cake. I'm a big fan of adding either sour cream or yogurt to your cake bases, as this helps create a very dense and moist cake once it's been baked.

To be perfectly honest, I've never actually had a Marshmallow Peep (the treat these cupcakes are modeled after) and I've never seen them sold in Canadian stores. Apparently they are a huge deal in the United States and many newspapers sponsor Peep diorama contests! The biggest contest is held annually by The Washington Post and they just announced their list of winners. My favourite? Hands down, "Everyone Peeps".

Surprise! Raspberry curd filling.

Coworkers definitely enjoyed today's sugary pick-me-up and I've left a few at home to nom on with the roomie. No immediate plans for the next batch because a) it's weird making cupcakes for your own birthday, and b) the next holiday to come up is Victoria Day, which isn't exactly inspiring me theme-wise. 

Maybe I'll have to wait until Canada Day to break out the next batch. Any quintessential Canadian flavour combos out there that you suggest I try?

In Case of Emergency...

In this volatile economic climate, it is very important to expect the unexpected. That’s where an emergency fund comes in. To put it basically, an emergency fund is money set aside for emergent expenses. In the economic crash of 2008, many people found themselves without a job or steady income stream. They got into further issue (read: DEBT) by relying on credit because they had no emergency fund and/or very little savings.

Do I have an emergency fund? No. Do I intend to set up a separate banking account for emergencies? ABSOLUTELY. I'm leaning towards a TFSA (but more on that later.) I do have about one month's expenses sitting in my chequing account but I'm loathe to change it over. Why? No clue. Laziness? Fright? Not having done the appropriate amount of research on which kind of account to use for it? Let's say a mix of all three.

Many people worry because they don’t have enough to set aside to cover the approximately one to six months of expenses financial experts advocate for. They worry because they either don't have the chunk of change available right now or just can't imagine ever being able to put away that kind of money. But I think you should think of an emergency fund as a long term goal: slowly but consistently put aside money until you reach the amount you would like.

Another point of contention among financial experts and people desperately trying to put together a workable budget is how much you should set aside. Some say 3-6 months of salary, others say a flat fee of $3000, or 3-6 months of expenses. For me, that would be three wildly different amounts! You have to decide this for yourself so consider how long you would need to use the emergency fund (how long would you expect to be out of work or paying for a medical procedure, etc.)

You also need to think about what constitutes an emergency. Is it replacing a dying computer? Probably not... unless that computer brings in your only source of income (but scroll down for a few thoughts on that.) On all the blogs I've read (see my Blogroll for sources), emergencies have ranged from sudden unemployment, to emergent medical procedures, or weather-related damages to a home that aren't covered under insurance.

Advice on emergency funds that I agree with most (these just seem to make the most common sense):

• If you have an unexpected bill that you construe as an emergency, try to come up with an alternate plan to pay for it (if possible.) Can you pare down on your cell phone data plan or commit to no restaurant food this month? On that note, if you can pay the bill by tweaking your lifestyle, is it really an emergency? Thoughts?
• Your emergency fund should stay untouched until you face a bill that you literally cannot afford to pay (and the new Marc Jacobs bag that you put on your VISA last month doesn't count).
• Can you decrease the cost of the emergency? Can you shop around for a better deal on the car you are replacing after it got totaled in an accident?

Please don't read this as me preaching about the financial do's and don'ts but instead slowly figuring out the workings of a successful grownup life. I need all the help that I can get! If anyone has any advice on emergency funds, I'm all ears. What about you guys? Is anyone socking away some bills for a rainy day (aka the day the rain leaks through the roof and floods the kitchen?)

Losing your job or dealing with a serious illness is stressful enough without adding money woes into it. Take care of yourself now and put money away so that you don't run into trouble later. You can't leave it all up to chance because there are way too many ifs in this world.

*If you're looking for more resources on the importance of an emergency fund, definitely check out Give Me Back My Five Bucks. I know I say it all the time, but Krystal Yee really knows her stuff!

Pretty Reckless

"Craving, not having, is the mother of a reckless giving of oneself." - Eric Hoffer

Have you ever gone to check your bank account balance, only to find far less money in there than you expected? You frantically scroll through your banking history, looking for the out-of-place purchase or fraudulent activity... only to find nothing of the sort. Instead you just find financial stupidity of your own design... willy-nilly bank withdrawals, Starbucks lattes every day, food court takeout lunches.

Those tiny purchases you barely blink an eye at are actually the foundation of some pretty reckless spending. "But it's just a dollar here or there," you say. "Does it really matter?"

 You're damn skippy it does. But why?

• You'll get charged bank fees out the wazoo for overzealous use of your debit card (ask me about the Christmas season in university where I got dinged $75 by the bank for all the extra times I used my debit card... that was more than all the money I spent on Christmas gifts combined!)
• You won't actually be seeing where your money goes or have an accurate idea of what you're actually spending
• You have no idea what your actual bank account balance is (and boy howdy will it come as a shock. It always does.)
• It destroys any chance of sticking to a budget
• Myriad other reasons not listed here (but for reference, go check out Gail Vaz-Oxlade's site or Give Me Back My Five Bucks)
• Straight up, you're throwing your money away. 

So how do you fix it? First, let's please remember that I am no financial wizard myself and have also been guilty of reckless spending a time or two... okay, a bazillion! I've included some tips from money wizards below, as well as a few things that have worked for me in the past. 

• Leave your debit/credit card at home.
• Why this works: you don't have access to it so you're not tempted to spend it.
• When you do go shopping, do it with a list.
• Why this works: This 'money rule' from Gail Vaz-Oxlade does test your willpower but makes you better off in the end. Her advice if you see something you want that hasn't been written down? "Put whatever you think you want on your list, and GO HOME. If you still want it in 48 hours, you can go back for it." 
• Take out cash at the beginning of the week and when it runs out, you're done.
• Why this works: a little self-explanatory, I think.
• Avoid places where you can spend money.
• Why this works: see above
• Sleep on it.
• Why this works: For one, this helps curb the dreaded impulse purchase. Research shows that 88% of impulse purchases are made on sale items... so after sleeping on the idea, you may come to the realization that the sale item really wasn't that great a deal after all. Vaz-Oxlade makes a great point when she says "If you walk away from the idea of the buy, giving your brain enough time to weigh the actual benefits against the actual costs, you’re moving from impulse shopping to problem recognition."
• Take more than a casual interest in checking your online banking history.
• Why this works: the more aware of the running total, the less inclined you will be to spend like a rapper... or a Kardashian... or the dreaded combo of the two: KIMYE. 

You are the architect of your own (financial) destruction (and if you can identify the TV show that line is from, I'll give you a virtual cookie). You are the only one that can make the changes that will keep you on the path to financial success. It truly is the little things that add up in the end.

Something Sweet

"And when I'm feeling down, I can always count on cupcakes... because cupcakes understand!" - Unknown

Let me put this out there right away: I love cupcakes. I love to bake them, I love to decorate them, and I especially love to eat them. I don't like the extra poundage they can bring (but that's a whole other story!)

Would I say I'm "good at cupcakes"? Probably as good as someone with a box of cake mix* and no stand mixer can be... and now that I've adjusted my powdered sugar to butter ratio in my frostings, I think I've gotten a bit better. ;)

Easter '13 - Lemon Coconut Nest Cupcakes

So what to do when you love to bake and love to eat what you bake... but don't fancy becoming 6000 lbs? Follow the old adage "to give is better than to receive" and share your goodies with your coworkers (and your roommates!)


 Due to my sweet obsession, my coworkers now wait expectantly every holiday (at least every major holiday) for me to bring in my cupcake shaped carrying case (yes, I carry cupcakes in a cupcake) filled to the brim with themed goodies. They like to eat the cupcakes, I like to see them eat them, and I love to get treats out of the house.

You always see those lists about the perks/pitfalls of working in an office (see this hilarious post from Buzzfeed here) and they mention cakes in the kitchen on every birthday. My company definitely isn't like that - these holiday cupcakes are just about the only desserts that come through our doors. I'm not sure if it's the flavour combinations or the sugar rush that excites my colleagues, but the treats seem to go over like gangbusters. And who doesn't love an ego boost like that? ;) 

Xmas 13 - Cherry Almond Snowflake Cupcakes

You can call me a baking nerd but one of my favourite parts of the entire process is planning out the decorations the holiday theme calls for - do I go whole hog and create little characters (like the Mummy cupcakes I made for last Hallowe'en) or do I just use Bulk Barn odds and ends to go somewhat abstract (the green cupcakes with gold coins for last St Patrick's Day come to mind). 

Now that I've awakened my sweet tooth, it's about time to plan for this Easter. Lemon chicks? Carrot cake rabbits? Stay tuned...

*For those of you who think it's cheating to use a boxed cake mix, it's not. The cake mix is a base to use while you experiment with other additions.