Happy New Year! If you didn’t get around to sorting out your finances before or over the holidays, don’t worry, Dear Piggy Bank will catch you up. Start the new year with a plan that will make you feel like you have your finances under control and your money working for you. It’s easier than […]

Without an army of elves, being prepared for the holiday season is a challenge and as time ticks by, it becomes more difficult to stick to a budget. It’s the old ‘supply and demand’. As shoppers and mailers get down to the wire, the prices go up! We pay more for convenience, we pay more […]

No matter how organized we plan to be, the holiday season has a habit of sneaking up on us and before you know it, there are events to attend and gifts to buy. A bit here and a bit there has a sneaky way of adding up and can be tricky to keep track of. […]

Who thinks you need a budget for Halloween? It’s a fun occasion whether you’re hitting the town or taking little ones on a Halloween adventure it’s celebrated with parties, costumes, tricks and treats. The question is … Is there room in your current budget to cover the festivities? It doesn’t have to cost a lot […]

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 […]

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 […]