With the newness of the lunch routine that started in September long worn off, many families are now buying their lunches (parents and kids alike) out of boredom with their regular packed-at-home fare.
There’s a huge discussion happening on Maureen Turner’s blog post, Breast feeding versus formula feeding: a rant. A lot of the discussion revolves around shame, guilt and judgment, and I feel the need to comment.
Gymnastics, art class, music lessons, swimming, soccer, hockey, ballet – the list of extracurricular activities you can sign your children up for is astonishing. While they all seem vital to developing a well-rounded child, many parents make the decision to choose certain activities over others based on their eligibility for the Children’s Arts Tax Credit or the Children’s Fitness Tax Credit.
When Melissa Vroon, co-founder of familyfuncanada.com, received an invoice for a transaction she didn’t remember, she began investigating. It turns out she had been the victim of credit card fraud. Though her banking institution reimbursed her, she still wanted answers. The invoice was billed to her name and address but had a different name and address for where the item was to be shipped.
A few weeks ago I blogged about free chequing accounts with the big banks. Now I want to talk about credit unions, and how they differ from the big banks, and how they might be right for you.
On my personal Facebook page I have nearly 600 friends, many of whom I actually interact with pretty regularly, even if only online. Occasionally I’ll notice someone has unfriended me (I don’t have that masochistic app that sends you messages when you’re unfriended, but sometimes I do notice).
If you’re determined to get control of your money now that we’ve begun a year fresh, here are a few books to help.
Money Smart Mom: Financially Fit Parenting by me! What, you didn’t think I’d recommend my own book? This is a great back to basics guide to the financial issues families deal with.
With Valentine’s Day approaching while credit card bills from Christmas are overdue, many couples will want to show their love in a more fiscally responsible manner. Because the Beatles had it right—money can’t buy you love.
Expressing love through a gift doesn’t have to come in the form of overpriced roses and costly restaurant meals. If you’re challenged by creativity and budget, here are a few budget friendly suggestions.
I learned so many lessons in running a business, and there’s one major rule that I see small business owners screw up on a regular basis.
Number #1 Rule in Retail: Make it easy for customers to give you their money.
Common sense, right? You’d think so. Instead, I watch small business after small business make it nearly impossible for me to spend my money with them. Here are the top two ways they make it impossible for me to give them my business.
The March 1 Registered Retirement Savings Plan (RRSP) deadline is looming—but is it the best savings vehicle for you?
An RRSP is a plan registered with the Canada Revenue Agency that holds investments. Contributions are tax-deductible, and the gains grow tax-free until you make withdrawals from the plan, at which point they are taxed at your income tax rate at the time of withdrawal.
Growing up a fair-skinned blonde meant slathering on plenty of sunscreen and wearing lots of wide-brimmed hats. But despite protecting myself from the harsh rays of the sun, in my late teens I noticed a distinct and perpetual red flush along my nose and cheeks.
As someone who tracks her grocery pricing to the penny and refuses to buy her kids even the most inexpensive Scholastic books, I’m a total Spendthrift Sally when it comes to my cell-phone bill.
The Zellers coupon fiasco of last week ended with the company receiving more than a thousand comments on their Facebook page. The Cliff Notes version is that Zellers released an online coupon on their Facebook page that permitted one item per customer to be purchased at 50% off—and sale items were included. So the mattress pad I’ve been eying was 60% off, then 50% off of that price—a total steal of a deal.
If you’ve ever read an article about working moms, or checked out an online forum or moms group about the issue, you know there’s this working mom versus stay at home mom debate. Millions of words have been printed trying to prove that there’s one perfect, ideal choice in the matter, and it can be scientifically proven. A recent study gained headlines for determining that working moms are happier than stay at home moms.
In a Moneyville article posted last week, a writer did the math on why she thinks cloth diapers are more expensive than disposable. While cloth diapers are certainly not right for every family, they make the most financial sense if you launder them yourself.
While I do a lot of my Christmas shopping throughout the year, some gifts, such as our gift exchange names, must necessarily wait until the busy season. I often have to drag my three kids with me on these excursions, and find myself worrying about losing them in a store or in the mall at large while I’m distracted by the craziness of it all.
Justin Hwang, Associate Vice President of Fraud Management at TD Canada Trust, says I should also be worried about someone stealing my identity.
It sounds like a great idea. You give a cash gift to a woman in need through an investment or gifting circle, which you heard about from a friend. In a few short months, you’ll receive your investment back – times eight. That’s right. Your $5,000 investment will turn into $40,000 in just a few short months.
Ok, I’m being facetious. I hope that premise doesn’t sound like a good idea at all to you. In fact, I hope you instantly thought to yourself, “That’s a scam!”
In a recent blog post I wrote about how much you should be saving for your retirement. In it I mentioned the Canadian Pension Plan (CPP). Do you know how much CPP you’ll receive? It’s likely not as much as you expect.
