I’ve read a lot (and I mean A LOT) of finance books over the past couple years, and once you’ve read more than five, you’ll realize that all of their key points for living a financially savvy life are basically the same. Personally, I find that kind of assuring to know, because it means that basic personal finance really isn’t that complicated. It’s only when you get to choosing the best stocks or learning how to run a successful business that things get a bit confusing. But if you are looking for the bread and butter of personal finance, these 5 tips are all you need to know:
As the frugal lady that I am, my number one priority before any expenditure is value. Of course when it comes to coffee, I’ve gotta go with quality and taste first, but then again there’s something to be said for those times when you need caffeine fix and you need it fast! So, after finding nothing on the internet I thought I would launch a full scale investigation into the matter. Meaning I went to 5 of the most popular coffee spots and wrote down their sizes and prices on my blackberry, then left without ordering anything. These are my findings:
Let’s be honest, we’ve all done this. We’ve all spent money on something we immediately regret because we know we’ll be bored with it 5 minutes later. Well, I’ve come up with a list of things that go above and beyond any usual dumb purchase. These I classify as SUPER dumb buys. The equivalent of throwing money directly into your garburator. Please, I beg of you, do not buy any of these things:
I used to be really into getting all of the latest freebies and samples, but honestly, I couldn’t keep up. It’s practically a second job, the amount of time you end up spending checking all the freebie forums and vying to get the free offers before the quotas have been filled. But that’s not to say that it’s not worth trying out, plus who doesn’t love getting something in the mail? Besides finding the freebies, the effort of getting the free goods is actually minimal. Usually it requires you to like their product on Facebook, which you can unlike after you get your sample, or signing up to receive their e-newsletter which you can later unsubscribe from. I’ve settled with a more lax approach, checking the latest samples out every few months. Here are some of my favourite places to check for freebies:
The other day I saw on canajunfinances’ twitter feed that the Canada Revenue Agency has a Youtube channel. Now, I’ve got a soft spot for the CRA as you might have discovered from my post about tax rebates, but you would too if the only CRA agent you’ve ever met was Mr. Rogers’ twin brother. Plus, I started watching Less Than Kind, an amazing gem of a Canadian show that’s nothing like Corner Gas (thank god!), and they had an episode about the CRA and it made me love taxes just that much more.
Essentially the YouTube channel is full of videos that explain different types of tax credits you can use when doing your taxes, such as the first-time home buyer’s tax credit, public transit tax credit and the registered charity tax credit. Honestly, I am pretty surprised that the CRA are not only on top of their social media marketing but actually produced these videos to make taxes make sense to everyone.
With 13 videos in all, it sure beats reading Tax Tips for Canadians for Dummies this tax season. I guess all there is left to do is get a started my taxes. I’ve never done them by hand before and this is the year I’m gonna do it. Ugh. This is gonna suck.
Before I knew how much I would have to spend to fix my poor computer, I was in desperate need of some alcoholic happiness. Straight from the Apple store I went to the Liquor store and I thought it would be a great opportunity to taste test some never been heard of cheap local beer.
I have a bad habit of always having a drink next to me when I’m on my computer. Be it tea, water, or a big ol’ cuppa Baileys, I love to drink and type. But alas, my good luck ran out while I was writing one of these blog posts and I knocked over a full cup of Baileys over my laptop. Instinctively I grabbed my computer, flipped it over and tried to shake all of the liquid out. I thought that did the trick so like a complete idiot I went back to typing for another 2 hours. Then the “h” key stopped working, then “shift” key. Then the screen went blank. Apparently what I should have done, says my BF, was immediately turn the computer off so it could cool down. Well, now I know. Also, a sugary drink like Baileys is probably the worst drink you could spill on a computer. Duly noted.
Hi there! This is a blog about all things money, written especially for the savvy, sassy, independent lady of today (like you!). Be it creating a budget, starting an RRSP, to talking money with your partner, or planning a cheap but stylish wedding, I'll be blogging about it all.
