Covid Lockdown – I Can Get Used to This

I Can Get Used to This – Covid Lockdown

Hey Everyone

I hope you are enjoying another day of lock down… Fun Fun..

Here in Ontario things have been pushed back even further and the list of non essential jobs have gotten larger. More people can’t work, although I see a bunch of contractors working who shouldn’t be. The fines are huge and this is one of the biggest problems I see with this at the moment.

We have one client in particular who keeps calling asking when we will do his yard cleanup and mulching. (First thing we do each year before landscape construction) We tell him we aren’t able to work at the moment, but he will say oh this company is working….. They shouldn’t be, it’s Illegal… Secretly I hope those companies get fined, but at the same time I don’t… Just want a even playing field.

Landscape Ontario has been telling contractors to not work, hold on to their cash. Someone offers you a piece of equipment at a amazing price? Say no. They even state that if you want to grow your business be prepared to buy other landscapers in 4 months…. That is eye opening stuff right there… LO is all about bettering the industry, helping companies, growing your business and health and safety. If they are saying this, wow…

Clearly in this environment with huge unemployment stats, people staying home not allowed to go out and Professional organizations urging their members to hold and stack cash the market has got to be red right? Not at all. We are rallying big time! Some stocks are hitting new all time highs….

This is one of the hardest parts of being a investor at the moment. The fundamentals look horrible for the next 2 quarters at least but the fed’s are firing up that printing press and boosting that market. Should we fight the fed? I dunno. Of course certain sectors will get a boost from this consumer defensive, utilitys, cloud computing, telco’s and I even think richie bros auctions should do well, as some people have to liquidate their equipment, but the market as a whole should not be jumping like it is in my opinion.

Our finances have gotten a lot better this last week as all these govt programs deposit money into our accounts, combine that with our passive income streams and we are sitting pretty good. I really give prop’s to how Canada and Ontario Governments went about things. I think they have done a great job. Come tax time next year if things are looking better, I’m sure we will be paying this back though. Heck our kids, kids will be paying this back unfortunately.

So we have some cash on hand now, I’m just debating to invest it, hold it for emergencies or wait until the market comes back to reality. That’s my thoughts on the situation at the moment and the market…. Who really knows?

I Can Get Used To This – Life’s Good

I have always said Fire (Financial Independence Retire early) is not for me. I like to keep busy and work. I never cared to retire early. This long break with the kids and wife has changed that perspective. Sure there are definitely moments – well lots of moments that I’m going crazy.

These kids 7 and 2 can be a huge handful, but that’s what booze is for right? Now I understand why the lcbo is considered an essential service. At the same time though, they really do grow so fast. The bad moments are outweighed by the good.

Recently me and my son decided to try a couple casts and made a day of exploring the creek in the bush behind our house. Someone told me there is pike and bass in there but no trout. The water is crystal clear and we found some solid holes, surprisingly my son was fishing and a huge trout went for his lure. Unfortunately trout season is closed until the end of the month, so I guess we won’t be fishing there until later. Good to know there is definitely trout there though, right in our backyard! Hopefully we will have some pics of lunker’s soon enough.

The kid’s have been using the trampoline like crazy and the power wheel’s always needs another charge. The hammock has gotten a lot of use, chilling in the sun.

With the wife at home that honey to do list is never ending… never ending. I have done a bunch of projects now – redid half our deck, laid some flagstone and created another raised garden bed with a nice curved retaining wall. The gardens are all mulched and the plants are starting to color up. It feels really good to knock that list down….

My diet is completely shot. The wife’s a fantastic baker and I like to show her how much I appreciate her food by eating most of it. =) I now have 1 solid ab.. Tony Little would be jealous. Hopefully this covid thing doesn’t go much longer. We have also raided that Easter egg stash already. Those creme eggs and whoppers never had a chance..

Luckily for the kids, I did the Easter shopping this year. They got spoiled and I destroyed that budget. Personally I think in times like this they deserve to have a even better Easter egg hunt here. There is no community egg hunts or anything at the moment.

Conclusion

Overall life is pretty good. I’d love to see our family’s and friends, but it is what it is. The world is working to find a solution and I believe they will. In the meantime we just videochat online with zoom and houseparty. Life can be busy if you want it to be or you can just netflix and chill. Well not with kids…. no chilling…

I look forward to getting back to normal, but with our son working on school at home now that will be a huge chore once we are both working again. The market is mind blowing to me at the moment, but I think we will be setting new lows before new highs… Most likely we will stick with the plan and make one purchase this month and add 250 to that etf.

Having this much time off together as a family, has been a eye opener for sure. Maybe we will turn on the jets a little more in the pursuit to fire. While I don’t know what the stock prices will do, those dividend’s keep on coming. For me cash flow is key. At least our expenses have dropped dramatically, I don’t even know the last time I filled the cars. Although groceries are getting costly. 8 bucks a bag of milk now at walmart or 4.50 a carton, if you are luckily enough to get them.

Well this is life…..

I wish you and your family a fantastic Easter full of chocolate, white rabbits, kinder surprises and smiles. Stay healthy and enjoy these moments. Time fly’s. Wealth with surely come if you stick to the plan, but don’t stress about investing at times like this. Hopefully the covid lockdown’s are just temporary..

From My Family to yours

cheers!

Rob

Hey I’m Rob, creator of Passive Canadian Income.

In 2011 me and my wife had almost $60,000 in debt and a negative $7,000 Net Worth. Through hard work and financial education we paid all that off. Now we are focusing on increasing our Passive Income Streams to make the money work for us. Feel Free to Follow along the Journey by clicking the Social Media links below or subscribing to get notified of new posts on the sidebar.