I started out by asking myself if we lived ‘simply’ and determined after looking at our credit card bill that we don’t. Then I wondered whether we lead an extravagant lifestyle. I use the word ‘lead’ because distinguishing between our needs and wants sheds perspective on this question. Other than housing, utilities, basic food and […]

We’re well into the sunset of 2015 so it’s a good time to do a budget check. I did one before summer started but that was more than 4 months ago! In a nutshell: 1. Income As expected – no more, no less. 2. Expenses Spending too much on food, gifts, entertainment, vacation/travel and other Spending less than […]

I attended a conference last week and two of the keynote speakers stood out from the others: A Canadian astronaut A former Whitehouse Chief Information Officer Although each had very different experience and delivery style, their messages were based on common ground: Set goals and develop a plan to get achieve them Run the ‘worst […]

Many of us have never known ‘normal’ let along high mortgage interest rates although it wasn’t that long ago that 6 or 6.5% was the norm for a 5 year mortgage. When I started working at the bank (in the mid 90’s) the rates were closer to 10%!   How much difference would a 1% […]

Even though it was years ago, I remember the collision of thoughts and feelings when I heard the words ‘we don’t have a position for you after maternity leave’. I was on the receiving end of restructuring. I found out a couple weeks before I was supposed to return to work. Wow. I don’t remember […]

We’re going through our closets in an effort to divest ourselves of some ‘stuff’ and claw back some space. We went through the girls’ closet last weekend. It’s not a job I enjoy because even though we’re lucky to have lots of hand-me-downs and I’ve carefully sorted the clothes and labeled the boxes – It […]

Quite a lot – I think. No one likes them and neither one is the ticket to success. That’s the first question – How are you defining success? The key is to define your goal using SMART elements (specific, measurable, achievable, realistic and timely). You may begin by saying that you want to lose 10 […]

It’s like taking your car in for a scheduled service in that you dread the phone call if they find anything to fix. But isn’t that better than being stuck on the side of the road in the pouring rain with a broken car? Or worse, in an accident caused by a mechanical failure? The […]

It’s all planning until you turn it into reality…it’s not as tricky as you might think! It helps to be organized in terms of your filing system but the organization essentials are more about minimizing the administration. Credit Cards – Hold and carry 2 (put away or cancel the rest) Bank Accounts – 1 Chequing […]

This is Part 1 of a 2 part process to get your plan developed and implemented because it’s one thing having a plan but it’s another to make it happen! That’s the key – put your ideas into action to make your dreams a reality. There are essentially 2 steps to Part 1: Understanding the […]