Do you feel like you’re living on a tight budget? If you do, tightening your belt before you’ve slimmed down to fit the new belt notch doesn’t feel very good so we’ve provided a simple process to get you started on the path to financial fitness.

I hope everyone had a good Thanksgiving weekend. We did! The weather was spectacular which is a bonus this time of year. We traveled to Armstrong for the weekend to visit with family and friends. We purposefully left Vancouver after having a bite to eat so that we wouldn’t have to make any stops and […]

Whether you’re saving for something special, something shiny and new or your future, here are a few are some tips to get you started. Do you work better with a goal? I do, I’m one of those people that likes to know where I’m going and typically I know what I want. I don’t always […]

The leaves are changing colour and falling to the ground and I see squirrels gathering fallen  nuts to store for their winter meals. I’m not sure if that’s why the Fall is also ‘investment season’ but in as much as our ancestors put a lot of energy into preparing for the winter months, we are […]

Despite best efforts, many leave post secondary education with student loan debt and the job market isn’t always so friendly. Taking a look at some numbers can give an idea of what to expect in terms of income and expenses (including loan payments). If you can earn $22/hour or $44,000/year, this will put about $3,000 […]

The first week of school is almost finished and all those ‘back to school’ parties can be distracting! A lot of money changes hands during the first couple weeks of school…mostly it flows in one direction, out of your hands! There are lots of big expenses as well as little ones that all add up. […]

What’s your motto? Live like a pauper and graduate a princess or prince? You may think the goal of graduating without student debt is lofty to say the least. It’s not easy but a challenge worth accepting. Just like any other budget, if it doesn’t balance (that is to say that expenses are greater than […]

One more week of summer means a last scramble to get organized for back to school. Now that you’re on your own, are you looking after yourself? It’s easy to work through the checklist of registering for courses, gathering supplies and packing your bags but have you taken the opportunity to work through the dollars […]

Dear Piggy Bank, Each year I promise myself I’ll have a better handle on back to school expenses and here I am again, it’s three weeks until school starts. What should we budget for and how much? Baffled on Back to School Budget Dear Baffled on Back to School Budget, It’s hard to believe it’s […]

Dear Piggy Bank, We both work full time and we try hard not to eat out or order in too much and I think we’re doing a pretty good job. Where we are having trouble is our grocery bill. I’m not really sure how it happens but I’m surprised at the amount at the check […]