Many of us have been faced with this work dilemma: you already have a job that is close to home and pays OK. In other words, it is a job that may not make you very wealthy any time soon but it also gives you a stress-free comfortable life, where you can spend more quality…
Are people actually waiting for a real estate crash?
There is no denying that we have officially-some time ago actually-entered an unchartered territory for Canadian real estate prices. Prices for houses and condos are through the roof. They are up some 10% in just the last 12 months which is quiet amazing! Some of these price increases are fueled by competition and price wars. Others…
A Simple and Effortless Method to save money off your gas fill-ups
If you are paying cash, don’t fill it up 100%, instead stop at 98% or 99%! Let me explain why: If it is going to cost you $65 to fill up your car, you should stop at $64.75 or $64.90 etc. Why? Assuming you are paying with cash, this will get you a few cents…
Easy solution to reduce spending: two bank accounts
Do you find yourself spending your paycheck within a few days and then nothing is left to pay off your bills, let alone for savings? There is a simple solution: having two bank accounts. One will be your central and main account, where your paycheck is deposited. You will use this to pay off bills….
Don’t feel Envious of all the new Facebook Billionaires, learn from them!
Feeling all depressed and envious reading and hearing all the endless talk about Facebook’s 100 billion IPO? Don’t be, or at least try not to. As much as I believe the hype and valuations are highly unjustified, I still say good for Facebook and its founder Mark Zuckerberg. To be able to create a company…
The New World of Efficiency and Austerity and how you can stay ahead
You hear it all around you, cutbacks, austerity measures, new efficiency programs and other measures that are being implemented by companies and government worldwide. It is the new world we live in. World economies and finances are in the worst shape they have been in decades. It all started in 2008 with the US sub-prime…
It is January 1st, 2012: Get started with Saving NOW!
Happy New Year! Having cleared that out of the way and all the celebrations that come with a new year, let us get down to business. Yes, right here and now, on January 1st. We don’t have much time to waste. Not even having an extra day from this being a leap year is an…
Good News for 2012: Food price increases to ease!
Let me try and blend both the good news and bad news together: while Canadian (and North American in general) food prices will continue to go up in 2012, the increases won’t be as large as the ones we saw in 2011. According to an article in the Toronto Star: “University of Guelph economists predict…
What is a Debt Consolidation Service and when to use them?
In the last three years, dating back to the start of the global recession and the worsening economic conditions, we have been hearing a lot about bankruptcies. Both business and personal. Ignoring the ‘business’ side of things, when it comes to ‘personal’ cases of bankruptcies or being on the verge of sinking into one, a…
If you Budget for it, you won’t feel the pinch!
I noticed something about the way I pay for big purchases which may not be very obvious to people often: if I have budgeted for a big purchase, I will actually pay for it with a smile. In other words, I am not feeling a big pinch from having to pay so much money for…