You may not think of including Thanksgiving and Halloween in your budget and before you know it, it’s the Holidays. Once they’re upon us, it’s too late to budget for it! The little things add up quickly and occasions like Thanksgiving and Halloween are no exception. Although they may seem like low cost holidays,it doesn’t […]

I know that I was well organized in terms of a budget and longer term planning but this was also born out of circumstances. My parents helped with my first year and then it was part way through my second year that I started to think about my resources… I had done a couple things […]

The last steps….the ultimate goal is to finish post secondary school without any debt. No small feat. A huge achievement if you can do it. The annual loan amounts have a way of creeping up in total amount owing and this can mean some fairly hefty monthly loan payments. A few thousand this year and […]

By now the school year is in full swing, classes have started, assignments are in progress and midterm test dates are on the calendar. A few of the big bills are paid and you have a good idea of what to expect for expenses for the upcoming months. You have a budget. What’s next? To […]

How do you budget for the school year? What do things cost? Some expenses may be familiar and others might be totally new. The main categories are: Living (Housing & Food) Tuition & Books Transportation Entertainment Other Within each of these categories is a list of expenses many of which we all pay, some of […]

Not everyone is ‘good’ at math but all of us should be able to do our 1,2,3’s. The post secondary school year or a trade, technical or diploma program face similar challenges in that the money flows in and outs in an abnormal pattern. This makes it difficult to budget. The traditional monthly budget doesn’t […]

To me, the Labour Day weekend will always signal the wrap up of summer, the start of a new school year, the IPE and Armstrong Rodeo. Major events! This week our 5 year old began her school career…Kindergarten. Gradual entry (2 weeks no less before the first full day) is very, very gradual but it […]

September will forever mean back to school but this year September means the start of school for our 5 year old. Entry into Kindergarten is very, very exciting. Despite the challenges of transitioning from full time child care to the school year calendar and a new before/after school care, the difference between the 2 monthly […]

Finally, Step #3. Use your budget A budget is only valuable if you use it. It is a guideline to ensure that your monthly income covers your monthly expenses. The simplest way to use your budget is to monitor your actual income and expenses against your planned/budgeted income and expenses. At the beginning, it may […]

A recent trip to the Okanagan brought back memories and satisfied the taste buds. Memories of trips to the garden for vegetables or fruit for the dinner table. Many items could be plucked, washed and eaten while a few like peas and corn took a tiny bit more effort. I have very clear recollection of […]