As inflation eats into our hard earned and saved money, it is time to fight back by making these simple but necessary cuts to our spending.
Author: budgetsense
Money, Space, maybe even Time: Kindle E-Reader will Save you all Three!
While some people still prefer the look, smell and touch of flipping through a physical book and having that cozy home library feeling, a Kindle E-Reader has a lot of benefits when it comes to space, time and money you could save
2022 Showed me the Power of Emergency Savings and how Financially Empowering it is!
We have all heard of an emergency fund, where you set a set amount money on the side to use for a rainy day and the unexpected, be it expensive car repairs, medical bills, home issues or anything else that you couldn’t have foreseen and would cost money to tackle. And while most probably have…
Creating financial goals can help you get there easier, but there is an even better way!
One of my goals for 2022 is to get active with push-ups. To be more specific, I set to do 10 push-ups a day and increase that by 1 extra push-up per month. So for January, I started with 10 a day and I have since increased that to 11 a day for February. For…
From a Midlife Crisis to a Midlife Investment: How One Reflective Moment Led to a Personal Decade of Financial Growth
On October 31, 2015, I celebrated my 35th birthday. That was also the year I had became a father for the first time. Needless to say, it was a year full of milestones, changes and things to reflect on. That evening, after having taken my 6 month old son to visit relatives for his first…
My money motto: “what do you have to show for it?”
Have you ever had a job, stint or contract, which is long in the rear view mirror, which you are not only happy it is in the past, but was a bad experience? We have all had these jobs and experiences. But not appreciating that job is different from gaining something out of it: if…
New Saving Idea for 2022: ‘Junk to Health to Wealth‘
I am no slave to junk food. I may eat it once or twice a week, sometimes with the family. But despite it not being a daily habit, it still goes a long way towards causing damage to both my pocket and health, especially with the rising prices for food of late. So for 2022,…
I was Determined not to Enjoy my Pay Increase
If you get a significant pay raise, what do you do with the extra money? Say you get a 10% raise or $5K, assuming that works out to $175-200 per pay. Do you just spend it? Do you allocate to a category in your budget? Or do you pretend like you never got it and…
Creative and Life Shaping Holiday Gift Ideas for Kids in the Family
Are you struggling with gift ideas for that kid who has everything already, at least materially speaking? have you already bought every LEGO set out there? If you have more than a few kids in the family, be it your own, nieces, nephews or your friends’ kids etc, then chances are you have already bought…
My Daily Walks Make me Healthy, but even more Wealthy
My daily walks are more than for health reasons, they help me get wealthy and learn on the way too….
The best time to upgrade your resume and skills is when you are most stable at your job
When is the best time to update and polish your resume? This may seem counter-intuitive but the idea is simple: do it when you are stable in your job and feeling good about your future than when you are desperate. In the popular book ‘Think and Grow Rich’ , Napoleon Hill argues that the reason…
How I used two recent unrelated events to motivate me towards better finances, career and health
The field of self-help and psychology in general is full of different techniques, concepts and tricks to accomplish your goals, get more done, and make it easier to manifest more in life. Two recent, unrelated events, gave me the chance to use these tools and although both happened around the same time, the two are unrelated, but do at the end of the day help us get more out of life in general.
Want to Have the Time of Your Life in Vegas without Going Broke? This One Tool Can Help in a Big Way!
Las Vegas and budgeting are not two words that you can`t easily mix. If you go to Vegas,you will have to open up your wallet and be ready to spend money. There is no other way to do it, otherwise you may just stay home and not bother going. Or is there? Yes there is!…
Netflix, Starbucks, Amazon: the axis of time, money and space misuse
How to come out of the Covid-19 pandemic healthier wealthier and better overall
If 2020 was defined by a pandemic and lock-down, and nothing else for you, you still have time to make 2021 better and more productive year. Start by set some goals or even short term objectives.
Addicted to online gambling? here is how I beat it and with ease!
I am no gambler or a gambling addict. I go to the casino when I am on vacation and happen to be close to a casino (Vegas anyone?) . And where I live, I rarely go to the casion. So the whole thing is like a novelty to me. However, ever since OLG (Ontario Lottery…
The new gigconomy: more opportunities, less benefits, but more flexibility
I know a friend who has no real job. At least not in the traditional sense of the word, you know, the 9-5 one. But if you are talking gigs, then he has 3 of them going on at once. Maybe even 4 at times. Let us call him Mr. Gigsmith (name changed for the…
Go ahead and forget about booking that trip abroad: you will benefit yourself and the economy
It seems like the Canadian dollar exchange rate vs. the US dollar has been stuck around 75 cents for ever! Well, it has been at this level for at last a year and it is unlikely to change anytime soon. And with the Canadian economy not doing so well of late and job numbers being…
Our new and more effective approach to saving for 2017
Our family saving approach has been pretty effective, but we though it can get better, especially if we want to save to buy a new bigger house in the future. Seeing where house prices are heading, it will take a full and committed effort from both of us to save a good chunk for a…
Reviewing the new Tangerine Master Card: spend and earn at the same time
Tangerine now its own credit card which it brilliantly like to describe as a card that lets you ‘Spave’ (Spending + Saving) . I have been using the Tangerine cash-back Master Card for a few months now and I really like what I see. Based on my usage of the last few months, I will…
Where to find money in public? Let me give you three secret places that you are guaranteed to find money in!
What are the best places or spots to find money in the form of loose change in public? speaking from personal experience, the list of three places below is guaranteed to help you find money the next time you happen to be in one of them. Remember, take it only if the money can’t be…
Why you should skip the ATM machine and self-checkout aisles at your next trip to the bank or retail stores
The banking industry is changing. It is currently undergoing one of its biggest shifts. The future is all about technology. Your bank’s mobile app is slowly but gradually replacing your visit to your local branch. And as more people become comfortable with banking on their computers and smartphones, there will be less and less need…
How we paid off $6,500 in credit card balance in 3 months using one simple trick
There seems to be so many different creative approaches that people follow in order to pay off their credit card balance. We decided to come up with our own in order to eliminate $6,500 in credit card balance. To begin with, it is not that we weren’t already making payments to reduce and even eliminate our balance….
The one letter that confuses so many about TFSA and how to use them properly.
Do you know what TFSA stands for? ‘Tax Free Saving Account’ you say? you got it! But do you know what that means exactly? well most people think they know, when in fact they don’t. Why? the simple inclusion of the letter ‘S’ or the word ‘Savings’ throws people off. People assume and treat TFSAs…
How I simplify my charitable donations and get a bigger tax return
Charitable donations are just that: it is a way for people to donate from their money to help those in need. That is how it should be treated and not a way to get a tax advantage. However, and having said that, the government does make it possible to get a tax credit in exchange…
The shocking truth about your new year’s resolution: if you make it through January, it is a success
Is it time they renamed ‘New Year’s Resolution’ to ‘January’s Resolution’? Let me explain… Increasingly, less and less people are making any new year’s resolutions. The reason is simple: before January is even over, they will have declared it a failure and just move on without their resolution for the rest of the year. Whether…
How money I spend at the gas pump is financing my retirement
If you have a credit card, chances are you get some form of loyalty rewards for using it. Some get points, others get travel rewardss or airmiles while the latest craze is ‘cash-back’ credit card. Each has a preference and every card has certain advantages, but personally, I use the “Signature RBC Rewards Visa” ….
New proven methods for saving gas
The web is full of tips on how to save money on gas and have better fuel efficiency. Some are creative and can save you money while others are useless or we already know about. Here are some of my personal favourites which I apply myself. -Gravity is your friend: why even press on the…
Nepotism in the workplace may be a good thing for the environment!
Nepotism can be bad, as it overlooks talent in favor of hiring and giving preference to those who are related to the people with power. But it can also be good for the environment, especially when family members work for the same company and share the same ride to work. Nepotism can mean smart commuting….
How much do you owe your ‘wealth accumulation’ to psychology?
Ever read such books as ‘The Science of Getting Rich‘ or ‘The Power of your Subconscious Mind‘? If you did, then you know what I am about to talk about: how much of your wealth accumulation do you attribute to your positive thinking, believing in the ‘Law of Attraction’ etc.? In other words, do you…
Could this be a significant reason why the economy is not rebounding in Canada?
In the last 5 years or, house prices in Canada have gone up dramatically, especially in major cities like Toronto and Vancouver. This got me thinking: could it be that so many people are saving for a down-payment , and as a result, they don’t spend this money on other things that would otherwise revive…
Our seesaw struggle with our credit card and my determination to win the battle
The expenses never seem to end. But neither does my determination to lower my credit card balance and eventually make it disappear completely (balance of ZERO dollars!) It has been a big struggle to keep our-myself and my wife-credit card balance under control. Just when you thought you have made some progress, comes a wedding…
Is Amazon responsible for local job losses where you live?
No one can resist the temptation: you find an item on Amazon, and even after accounting for shipping expenses, it still comes out cheaper than what you would pay if you were to get the same item at a local store. I, too, have done this in the past, but not as much as others…
One essential strategy to use when looking for a job
Based years of job searching and trying to find jobs for family members and friends, I have realized that one of the best and unknown ways to get a job is to look for companies that are desperate. Let me explain what I mean by this. When a company suddenly has a need to hire…
Can you use your TFSA account to make extra monthly income?
TFSA (short for Tax Free Saving Account) was introduced in Canada in 2009, allowing each individual (18 years of age or older) to save up to $5,500 per year and earn interest on their money, without having to pay any taxes on the earned interest. As of 2013, the maximum annual amount has been bumped…
Paying for my 2014 Vegas vacation with my 2013 piggy bank savings
2013 is now behind us. Time to focus on 2014. Financially speaking, one of the basic and first things you should do is have a piggy bank. This is in addition to your regular bank saving account. You don’t take piggy banks seriously or think they are only for kids? think again! Personally, piggy banks…
The importance of positive thinking when dealing with money and finances
I just finished reading ‘The Power of your Subconscious Mind‘ by Joseph Murphy and it was one hell of a book and an eye opener. Shortly after, I picked up another book with a similar theme: ‘Think and Grow Rich‘ by Napoleon Hill, which I am in the process of reading as we speak. Two…
The Keys to Financial Success, what are they?
Guest Post I won’t make a mistake if I tell that each person dreams of financial success, but there is a question: do all of us know the essential measures to be taken to achieve it? Instead of dreaming and visualizing the winning of a jack pot isn’t it more useful to find out the…
Robots in the Workplace: How Taxing Automation Could Save Jobs
At the rate it’s going, robots could potentially take over more than 10% of the jobs that humans currently perform, and possibly even more in the not-too-distant future. For companies, this is a great development, as robots can perform tasks with high accuracy and consistency, without needing pay, training, or time off for illness. You…
Blackberry and Kobo Touch: why crappy Canadian products are not helping Canada’s technology case
This is the first time I am writing a critical review of any product. And unfortunately enough, it is a Canadian product. Being from Canada myself, it makes this review a little more significant. Two years ago, I bought a Kobo Touch e-reader for my fiance as a birthday gift. She loved it and…
Streetwise Entrepreneurship: Lessons Learned Roaming Athens in My Teens
Since childhood, radios have always fascinated me, particularly AM and SW radio. Arriving in Athens, Greece, in the mid-90s as a young teenager, I found myself without a radio, a necessity I sorely missed. However, at 14 and without a job, I wasn’t inclined to ask my family for money to purchase one, considering it…
Paying with debt or cash will help your local merchant and small business
Merchants pay up to 3% of every transaction back to the credit card company. Not only that, but these credit card companies have a lot of power and influence while small business don’t have any choice. One way to help your local small business is to use cash or debt when paying. Cash is even…
6 Tips to ensure your summer is not ruined by a nasty hydro bill
It is summer and it is July and it can only mean one thing: hot and soaring temperatures that can only be weathered by a cool and blasting AC! But we all know what that means for your pocket: a nasty bill at the end of the month or cycle. So how can you ensure…
Making the minimum payment on your credit card balance is a trap
When you see the ‘minimum payment’ (MP) field on your credit card statement, think of it as your credit card’s way of making you feel good and not to worry. It is their way of telling you “Don’t worry, though you have thousands to pay us, you only have to pay us a fraction of…
ING makes saving money cool and interesting
I have been using ING bank to save money since 2008 and it is one of the biggest reasons to which I attribute my increasing interest (pun intended) in saving money. There are a lot of places you can go to open a saving account but ING is different. Different for three reasons: higher interest…
How To Create the Right Emergency Fund
How To Create the Right Emergency Fund By: guest author ‘Alicia Sanders‘ Unfortunately, we live in complicated financial times when lots of consumers complain that they don’t have an opportunity for saving money because their budget is really tough. Many Canadian consumers don’t have any savings and that’s why when an unexpected financial problem arises…
Is time your friend or enemy? On the path to saving and paying off debt
Time is a very crucial concept when it comes to saving money and paying off debt. It could be your friend or enemy, depending on how much of it (time) you have. Generally and simply put, the more time you have, the more you are able to save money and pay off debt. Having said…
Make 2013 your best money year ever with this simple 5 step list
2013 is almost here and it is time to think about your finances for the new year and how to ensure they are in their best shape ever. With these simple steps and checklist, you can make it your best year ever. Most of these are things we have talked about extensively in the past,…
How to support your local economy this Christmas season? Buy the right type of gift cards
A lot of us prefer to buy-and receive-gift cards this Christmas season than real gifts. They are good for a variety of reasons. They save time, give the receiver the option to spend it on things they like and more. But when buying a gift card for friends and family this Christmas season, or for…
Did Jesus intend to bankrupt families? How to save money this Christmas
Don’t be surprised if the word ‘Christmas’ gets replaced with the word ‘Commercialism’ in the near future, because that is what it has unfortunately turned into. People feel so much financial stress and anxiety around Christmas time, trying to come up with money and gift ideas to buy for their close friends and family. And…
Auto Insurance Saving Tips and Strategies
Car insurance is a necessary expense, yet many people lack the coverage they need in an effort to get the cheapest rate. While the monthly premiums may be lower, the amount of coverage this allows in the event of an accident is limited. However, the quality of a policy does not have to be compromised…
Our new family motto: “Work.Save.Play”
As a newly wed couple, me and the wife had to sit down (literally) and discuss a new family budget together. Each had a budget already, but now that we are married, it was time to coordinate and combine it into one. But being from two different schools of thought on budgeting and how to…