How to explain this to children? My daughters noticed the poppies that newscasters were wearing on their blazers and asked what they were. I explained that they are worn in honour of Canadian soldiers that had fought in past wars and for those who currently serve our country. I went on to explain that some […]

This is not a ‘favourite thing’ however most of us face these choices on a regular basis. They may involve large amounts of money (vehicle – new vs. used, buy vs. rent) or small amounts of money (daily coffee – buy vs. home brewed, vacation). Either way, making smart and informed decisions gets you what […]

Maybe you’ve been paying the rent or your cable bill without wondering whether you’re paying the same, more or less than others? Perhaps you want to move out on your own and would like to know what it will cost.

This may sound like an oxymoron but it is actually an art. Most of us have some idea of what things cost and what we are prepared for them. There is also the question of whether you are receiving good value for what you spend.

Eating out is so much fun but we all know that it’s cheaper to eat at home….right? It depends how you shop. Food is yummy and it’s easy to splurge on some fantastic items. Preparation time is another factor and time is limited which makes prepared foods attractive. Here are 10 tips to keep in […]

I spent a good part of Thanksgiving weekend tidying up and organizing a home. To give you an idea of the size of job there are 2 pieces of information. 1) 2/3 of the floor in the home was not visible and 2) No recycling or anything else had been removed for about 10 years. […]

Although most of the work on a budget completed at the beginning, it’s important to use your budget on a regular basis! That doesn’t mean looking at it everyday but it does mean taking a little time to do the following: Check your actual income & expenses to your budgeted income & expenses every 2 […]

We’re almost finished. We’ve tested our plan and found that there are a few adjustments to make in order to balance the budget and include some actions to achieve financial goals. This is probably the hardest part of designing a budget. Let’s take a look at how Lily did it. After taking another look at […]

It’s time to incorporate some of the mechanics of budgeting into your budget. Until now, you’ve used your spending history to make your budget. Take a look at your budget and review the income and expense categories and dollar amounts. Is there money left over after all the expenses are deducted from income? If so, […]

Budget Basics – Part Five will address how to determine how much to put in your budget for specific items. Most of us can list the regular monthly categories and also attach a reasonably accurate $ amount to each one but there are lots of other items to consider. There are many little expenses that […]