June 2011 - The Outlier Model | The Outlier Model

Germany on a budget: Make your own neck pillow

Germany on a budget, travel on a budget, cheap travel, travel hack, travel tip, cheap accommodation

Brian / June 19th, 2011 / 1 Comment

Today is the big day! This evening, CF and I will head to the airport and begin our 9.5 hour flight to Frankfurt. Sleep on an airplane can be tough to come by, but in order to arrive fresh we’ll be trying to get as much rest as possible. On my recent work trip to Holland, a co-worker encouraged me to buy a neck pillow for the trip. I didn’t, and ended up getting very little sleep. I suggested...

Posted in: Life Hacks, Travel Tagged with: do-it-yourself, how to make a neck pillow, neck pillow, sleep on an airplane, socks, travel tips

Updates: June 5 – 11

Brian / June 12th, 2011 / 1 Comment

Another light week here on The Outlier Model, but with good reason. CF is wrapping up her first term of summer classes which has resulted in a succession of midterms, projects and a final all coming due in a two week period. She is currently out trying to get PHP and SQL to work together. I’m not a computer guy but I’m told this can be quite tricky! I have been thoroughly engrossed in the...

Posted in: Weekly Updates Tagged with: Canucks, early retirement, garage sale, second career

Updates: May 29-June 4

Brian / June 5th, 2011 / No Comments

Summer has finally arrived in Vancouver! CF and I just spend the last few hours checking out the local “Italian Day” celebrations and sipping basil flavored beer on an impromptu patio. Nice. CF is pre-occupied this week with an impending mid-term, so I’m stepping in with my first weekly update. Summer classes are pretty intense – following her midterm tomorrow the final is only...

Posted in: Weekly Updates Tagged with: basil flavored beer, Dividend e-book, Italian day, simple recipes

Paying off my student loans

student loans, paying off student loans, debt freedom, paying off debt

Brian / June 3rd, 2011 / No Comments

According to Statistics Canada, over half of Canadian students graduate from post secondary education with an outstanding government student loan. As you know, CF graduated with a large student loan, while I owed less to the government but more to my parents. On average, we had as much debt as everyone else. Not very appetizing for a couple who prides themselves on being different! Photo Credit:...

Posted in: Credit and Debt, Money Tagged with: compound interest, debt reduction, debt snowball, paying off debt, provincial loan vs. federal loan, sacrifices, student loans