It’s common sense that you pay extra for convenience but sometimes buying quality doesn’t cost more. A few shopping experiences over the last week has given rise to some gems. Here are some smart shopping tips: High-end salon promotion: Buy $100 of products (I bought bulk shampoo & conditioner – lasts the year) and receive […]

It’s common sense that you pay extra for convenience but sometimes buying quality or local doesn’t cost more. A few shopping experiences over the last week has given rise to some gems. Here are some smart shopping tips: High-end salon promotion: Buy $100 of products (I bought bulk shampoo & conditioner – lasts the year) […]

The first plus is that it’s a summer day in a not so summery Vancouver! It’s the end of July and finally a good day to go to Granville Island water park. The kids had a ball and free! It took a little effort to bring some food and drink which serves 2 purposes…food on […]

Who wants to think about budgets during the summer? Especially now that the weather has finally taken a turn for the better. Time to enjoy summer fun, weekends away, holidays, bbq’s, weddings and parties. The trick is to put enough in your budget to cover the bills so you can skip into the fall with […]

Congratulations if this is you! It doesn’t take long to switch your thoughts to wedding planning. There are a lot of hats to wear when arranging the big day and it can get a little overwhelming…..project manager, PR representative and psychologist to name a few. Weddings are big business and it doesn’t take long to […]

It’s a simple question, but there isn’t always a  simple answer. It really depends on 2 things: How much of a down payment do you have? What mortgage payments can you afford? A bank will use additional criteria to evaluate whether they will lend you money to buy a home including calculating your net worth, checking your […]

Emergency savings, contingency fund? Who has one? How much do you have? I suspect the answers are along the lines of: What? How do I get one? How much do I need? Without any warning, an emergency such as a sick family member, job loss or car repairs can throw a wicked curve ball. Few […]

Most of us face a cash crunch every now and again and this can cause anxiety. Many of us receive a steady pay check however those who don’t have a stable source of income often wonder whether there will be enough in the account to pay the bills at the end of the month. Cash […]

The key to cash flow is knowing what’s coming in and what’s going out! For many of us, what’s coming in is fairly steady. We’ll take a look at managing cash flow for self-employed, contract or part time income next time. That leaves us with what’s going out … expenses. The most important piece of […]

I suppose the first question is ‘Have you done your taxes?’ and the second question ‘Why do them?’. A) If you owe money, pay Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) promptly to avoid penalties and interest. B) If CRA owes you money then it would be nice to get it sooner rather than later.