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Five Reasons to Stay in Debt
May 23, 20134 Comments
Are you in debt up to your hairline? Good! Here are five reasons you should stay that way: 1. Lenders are your friend! Let’s face it. You make way too much money and Lenders don’t make nearly enough. So why not help a friend out by coughing up 20% on your credit card or 300% [...]
Dream big
May 22, 20134 Comments
Today I want to introduce you to my friend Pam. At the risk of sounding like an awkward 14 year old girl, I would definitely describe Pam as my BFF. We all have people in our lives that influence us. Pam is one of mine. Let me explain why. I met Pam a few years [...]
Decisions, Decisions
May 21, 20131 Comment
‘Decisive’ is the title, so you can imagine the subject. Chip and Dan Heath (who wrote ‘Made to Stick’) penned this wonderfully engaging book about decision making. It showed me several tricks I can use to be a better decision maker. Here are a few of them. Widen your perspective – the authors made a [...]
If I were 18 again!
May 20, 2013No Comments
Do you ever wonder how different your life would be if you were 18 now? I have an 18 year old niece that I absolutely love, and when I look at her way of thinking and how I thought when I was 18, it’s totally different. For one, there was no Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, or [...]
Debt & Sweat – How To Shed the Debt Weight
May 18, 20133 Comments
Getting out of debt is just like losing weight; all of the same principles apply. Humour me for a moment. Have you ever started a new diet or “lifestyle change” with the best of intentions, only to de-rail a few days in and find yourself with 4 donuts in your mouth at once? So many [...]
Taking the Plunge
May 17, 20131 Comment
Yesterday I learned an important lesson from a plumbing accessory I’d rather not think about. Yes, a plunger. But let me back up. Today I received a text message from my husband asking where I kept the plunger. Oh oh. But not for the reason you think. Because, you see, I don’t keep the plunger [...]
Here we go again
May 15, 201310 Comments
It’s that time of year again. Spring is in the air and every teacher without a permanent contract is dusting off their resume and starting their job search for September. Last summer I blogged about my husband’s brave return to school a few years ago to become a teacher. Truly, it was the best thing [...]
Happy Anniversary
May 14, 20134 Comments
This post marks one year of writing here on Gail’s website. The expression ‘time flies’ seems very appropriate. As with any anniversary, it signals a time to celebrate successfully reaching a milestone and it provides an opportunity to reflect. Here are some questions to reflect upon that may help your financial awareness about purchases. Just [...]
I often laugh when I hear people say their banker is looking out for them. Unfortunately, just because your banker tells you, you qualify for a credit card, a loan, or a mortgage doesn’t necessarily mean you can afford those things. Companies that have a vested interest in making money off of customers will tell [...]
How many times have you looked at your credit card statement and said, “WHAAAAT?!” I have, quite a few times. I’ve seen fraudulent transactions, interest charged even though the bill was paid in full, paid services added to accounts without permission,… shall I go on? Some of these mysteries have happened to me personally, and [...]
Breaking Up is Hard to Do
May 10, 20139 Comments
I’m having trouble breaking up with my bank. This shouldn’t be so difficult, I know. To switch banks I just need to close one account and open another. So what’s my glitch? I don’t know if it’s fear of change or “the devil you know”…or the 15 years of loyalty I’ve given my current bank. [...]
Company Registered Pension Plan
May 9, 201315 Comments
One year after I started working for my company, I received notice of eligibility to participate in the company’s group RPP (Registered Pension Plan). Here’s how it works: Every payday, my company deposits the equivalent of 2% of my gross (pre-tax) salary into a Registered Pension Plan. This 2% is an amount given to all [...]
Situation Critical
May 8, 201313 Comments
I was at the grocery store over the weekend and the line-up I was in wasn’t moving. That’s pretty normal for me as I always seem to pick the slow line. You know the line I’m talking about…the one with the price checks or the cashier running around the entire front of the store searching [...]
Learn from My Mistakes
May 7, 20136 Comments
This week I made two errors: both costing me money. I hope what you read here saves you aggravation and money. Firstly, I always file my income taxes on time. In fact, on April 30th I received my Canada Revenue Agency notice back telling me that they were withholding my tax return money. What? The [...]
