NUDE

Discover Purpose: Volunteering and Community Building in Beltline

There’s a common misconception that minimalism requires you to shed yourself of as many worldly belongings as possible. This really isn’t true. While that might happen somewhere down the road as a part of your minimalism journey, true minimalism is about finding your values, assessing your priorities and discovering purpose in your life. Only when we visit these tenets of minimalism can we begin to strip away the excess and live our lives to their fullest.

Finding opportunities to give back or help build community is a great way to begin a minimalist journey and find purpose in all shapes and sizes. Many of the organizations around Calgary have built-in mission statements that might even resonate with you. We took a dive into a few of these opportunities in the West Beltline neighbourhood near our newest project, Nude by Battistella.

CUPS

For nearly 20 years, CUPS (Calgary Urban Project Society) has assisted adults and families in Calgary living with the adversity of poverty and traumatic events to become self-sufficient. They do this through an integrated approach involving healthcare, education, and housing. There are many ways to get involved as a CUPS volunteer and many options are a great way to rally a community of your peers, friends, and family together.

1001 10 Ave. S.W.

http://cupscalgary.com/volunteer

Boys & Girls Clubs of Calgary

The Boys & Girls Clubs of Calgary works to provide a safe support place where children and youth can overcome barriers, build positive relationships and skills for life, and can experience new opportunities. Volunteers for this organization work to enhance the quality of services the Clubs provide to the children, youth and families they serve.

The Boys & Girls Clubs of Calgary operates a short-term housing chapter out of the West Beltline at 938 15^thAve. S.W.

https://www.boysandgirlsclubsofcalgary.ca

Beltline Neighbourhood Association

The Beltline Neighbourhood Association was founded by engaged locals who wanted to build a diverse community association open to all residents to get involved in make their neighbourhood an even better place. They’ve done some amazing work with projects like the Beltline Urban Mural Project (BUMP) which has changed the face of so many areas of the neighbourhood already.

With all of the exciting changes on the horizon for the neighbourhood, supporting the Association helps ensure the best outcome of any projects that will affect the area. There are many opportunities for volunteering with the Association, from events assistance to community and city building.

https://www.beltlineyyc.ca/volunteer

Beltline Resident Membership

Getting involved in the West Beltline community is as easy signing up to become a Beltline Resident Member. This $10 annual membership gives neighbourhood residents access to Beltline assemblies, city building committees, discounts from local retail shops and more.

https://www.beltlineyyc.ca/join_regular

by Battistella

Three Ways to Get Rid of Discontentment, Starting with Your Home

Discontentment can be a motivator in life – in relationships, in a career, or even as a person. And while it can change your life for the better, a Calgary whole-life coaching expert says when feeling discontented isn’t pushing you into a better place, it’s time to reflect on changes that will help to drive, rather than discourage you. Your home is a great place to start.

“Oftentimes your home is a physical representation of what’s happening on the inside. If your space is disorganized, then it might be a reflection of your brain, or what’s happening emotionally for you,” says Christopher Lawrence, Founder and CEO of Change My Life Coaching.

Once we begin to realize this fact, it’s easier to understand that contentment isn’t always an inside job. “Sometimes, people think they need to start on the inside — when we feel stuck or in a rut, or we’re discontent — sometimes it’s actually about starting on the outside.”

He says it is too familiar to think we need a bigger space, a bigger couch, or more things to fill our space when in reality, we need to clean up, organize, or even purge our space to create value in our home.

“Maybe what our space needs is to be simplified enough so we are encouraged to go out and meet people, to create experiences,” he adds.

Here are Lawrence’s top three tips for creating and maintaining a home of value:

Pawsitively Purposeful

Consider four-legged friendship. Or find a new bestie with scales. Gills are a great quality in a close friend, too. Although it might not be something you expect, Lawrence says research continues to show pet owners live longer. It’s also a fulfilling experience. “It’s a way of giving back, it’s something outside of yourself, and it’s a way of contributing,” he says. It is also a way of creating discipline with something that clearly relies on you, but that’s easy to commit to with a being that loves you so unconditionally.

Turn Off the Tube

Lawrence says creating a space for relaxation is important to whole health, with research continually pointing to the benefits of mindfulness, meditation, and reflection. But Lawrence says people should be choosy about this important space. “Not in front of the television … maybe not the bed either,” he suggests.

One Special Piece

Rather than fill your home with “stuff,” Lawrence says it’s important to place value on your home instead. “Choose something that reminds you of your values — the core of who you are. Maybe that’s words on a pillow, a piece of art, or even a big stone.” The items you choose to place in your home become a physical representation of your preferred mental state and can be incredibly helpful to diminish discontentment in your life.

Most importantly, Lawrence says, it's vital for people to understand that their home isn’t just a place to fall asleep at the end of the day. Being in a home that truly represents you will contribute to your contentedness. “Nothing starts without action, so why don’t you start with your home.”

Look around you. What objects speak to your values? What will you bring with you when you move onto a new space full of possibilities?

Register at battistella.ca/nude to discover our newest condo development with a minimalist flair beginning in the $190s.

by Battistella

Condo Boards vs Property Management: Who does what?

If you live in a condo you likely have a property management company that oversees the day to day management of your building. You also have a Board of Directors that oversees the management company. But who looks after what and how does it really operate on a day to day basis?

• Bylaws & Rules: The Board sets and approves bylaws and rules while taking recommendations from the management company.
• Rule Enforcement:
  • Property management will carry out the enforcement based on the Board’s authorization.
• Budget:
  • The management company prepares the budget and provides recommendations to the Board. The Board identifies upcoming expenditures then reviews and approves the budget.
• Maintenance & Repairs:
  • The management company obtains quotes, prepares analysis, provides recommendations, monitors performance and reports to the Board upon completion. The Board approves the quotes and the work to be done.
• Emergencies:
  • Property management takes immediate action and reports to the Board. The Board obtains the report and makes decisions as required.
• Financial Reporting:
  • The management company prepares monthly financial statements and distributes them to the board. The Board reviews and approves the statements.
• Relationship with Owners & Residents:
  • Owners and residents contact the management company with any concerns or questions. The Board receives the questions or concerts from property management and answers or makes decisions as needed. Property management will relay the information back to the owners and residents.

by Battistella

5 Reasons Why You Should Insure Your Condo

It’s true that your condo fees include a portion of insurance. This master insurance policy takes care of insuring any liability claims and damage in common areas, as well as the outer shell and anything inside the walls of your building, such as piping and wiring.

BUT it’s not entirely enough to protect individual condo owners. The master insurance policy doesn’t cover liability claims or additional property/content within your condo. Below is a list of what your an extra individual condo insurance policy can cover:

1. Personal Liability: Let’s say you or your tenant have friends over and one of them gets injured…you can be sued as the owner of the condo! Or maybe you accidentally cause damage to a neighbour’s condo…they can come after you for that too. Without proper liability coverage, you are left to defend yourself on your own and pay any damages.
2. Unit Betterments & Contents: If a fire breaks out in the building, the master policy will cover the repairs and rebuilding of your condo however some upgrades and contents might not be included. Your condo policy would provide this coverage…so your high-end fixtures, furniture and appliances, along with your granite countertops and hardwood floors would be replaced.
3. Loss Assessment & Unit Contingency: If there’s ever a special assessment on the building that exceeds the coverage on the master policy, the condo board can assess the repair bill to the condo owners for payment. Or, maybe you end up with a claim in your condo and the master policy coverage isn’t enough to cover it, or it doesn’t exceed the master policy’s deductible. In these cases, your condo policy will protect you.
4. Master Policy Deductible Protection: Your toilet cracks and floods your condo…as well as the five below you. The master policy may have coverage for this, however deductibles on these policies are usually as high as $25,000 - $50,000, and you may be responsible for paying this. You can find out what your master policy deductibles are and set the proper coverage limit on your condo policy.
5. Lost Rental Income: You decide to rent out your condo and then a fire in the building causes your tenants to move out while repairs are completed. Your mortgage payments don’t stop and you’re not collecting rent. A landlord condo policy offers lost rental income for up to a year while your condo is being restored.

Whether it’s your primary residence or a rental property, make sure you have extra protection. And there’s really no reason not to since condo insurance is also very affordable! For the cost of just a couple lattes every month you can make sure your investment is safe.

by Battistella