Last week I participated in a webinar with Katie Dunsworth-Reaich and Sandra Hanna of the Smart Cookies fame, moderated by our very own Yummy Mummy Erica Ehm. You can listen to the webinar here, or browse my top tips from each main discussion.
This is a question I get asked a lot. In fact, it’s probably one of the most discussed financial topics out there. Some experts have created guidelines that give you an idea of what you’ll need to put aside for retirement based on your age, but there are so many other factors to consider.
How much you’ll need to save depends on what age you intend to retire at, if you have a pension, if you’ll retire with no debt, and what kind of lifestyle you expect to have in your retirement.
A Yahoo article, which says saving is for suckers, caught my eye a few weeks ago. The article is a mess of contradictory statements and theories, but perfect for those needing something to justify their spendthrift ways.
Whether your home office is the head office of your business or your household, operating costs shouldn’t overwhelm you. Especially if you’re running a business, are a serious couponer or tending to a PTA commitment, office expenses can quickly get out of hand. Here are a few of my top tips for saving money in your home office.
I love my pantry. It’s not a decadent walk-in with custom shelving and natural light (that would be my dream pantry) but I’m very happy with it all the same. Sure, it’s small, and I wish the door would shut itself (the kids leave the door to it open approximately four thousand times a day), but all in all, my pantry is perfect.
My local Safeway has been trying to win back business from competitors, and recently began running coupons offering 250 bonus Air Miles with $100 grocery purchase, or 500 bonus Air Miles with a $200 grocery purchase.
As a frugal grocery shopper, committed to paying the cheapest price possible for our food, I keep a detailed spreadsheet with products, sizes, and the lowest price I’ve ever seen our favourite products sold at.
Just because you don’t need flip flop ready feet these days, there’s no excuse for letting yourself go in the name of a tight beauty budget. Here are a few tips for trimming the expense of your beauty routine.
Check local beauty schools – their prices are often significantly lower than salons.
Consider switching to a stylist who works out of their home instead of in a salon.
Make your own beauty products from pantry ingredients – visit this site for recipes.
Some people think meal planning is for the anal, controlling, Type A mom. As a slacker mom, my goal is always to spend less time on the things I must do (cleaning the house, feeding the kids, doing the laundry) and more time on the things I want to do (reading with the kids, scrapbooking by myself, girls’ nights out). So for me, meal planning is about making more time for me, not being some bionic super mom.
As I haul out my cheque book for another year of school fees, I’ve reflected on the ways I saved money last year, and what I wish I had passed on buying for my daughter.
When’s the last time you saw your spouse’s credit report?
Like Ronald Reagan used to say, "Trust, but verify." I strongly suggest couples request their credit reports annually and share them with each other. Many people, female and male alike, have been burned because they had no idea their spouse had mounting credit card debt on secret cards.
Not sure what’s involved in requesting and reading your credit report? Here’s the 411.
Who knew kids could grow out of all of their clothing, and lose all of their school supplies in the eight weeks since school let out in June? Of course they didn’t. So why do so many parents shop as if they had?
Here are some tips for those looking to spend less this year on clothing and school supplies.
When you’re trying to lose weight, you might join a group or program that has an element of confession involved – to the group at large, or an individual leader. So when you’re trying to spend less money, you might be interested in joining a money club. But do they work?
I love when my six-year-old tells me dramatically, “We have no toys!” My husband and I are quick to point out that we, in fact, have quite a few toys compared to many families in the world. But in her little world, she’s about right. Compared to the homes of my daughter’s friends, we have no toys.
I read a great blog post recently about how there’s a jealousy of a different kind when it comes to spending. Instead of feeling bad because you’re not making enough or spending enough to keep up with the Joneses, you might feel bad because you’re not spending less and bring more frugal like the Smiths!
In case you didn’t click over to read the blog, I’ve quoted my favourites bits, here:
When you write about money, you can be a bit of a mood killer at parties. People I talk to assume that just because I strive to be frugal and make smart choices with my money, that I never splurge on anything and only buy the lowest priced item available.
My six-year-old pairs slim fitting Justin Bieber t-shirts with flouncy skirts and wildly patterned tights. My three-year-old wears only dresses, the fancier the better. Even my 22-month-old has a distinct sense of style – she demands comfy zippered sleepers day and night. Me? I have no idea what I’m doing when it comes to clothing.
Our house was built in the mid-seventies, and while it has a decent footprint for a family of five, it’s broken up into a lot of little rooms. Last summer, my husband demolished a wall between the office and a bedroom, turning my three foot by four foot office into a positively palatial space 15 feet by four and six feet.
Often when I’m out with my three small girls, I get asked, “Are they all yours?” To which I reply, “Yup! Lucky eh?” I’m not being a smart ass – I love having three girls. The "frugalista" in me is thrilled to have three kids of the same gender, merely for the wardrobe savings.
The average Canadian family spends approximately $500 per year, per child on clothing. Us? I spend less than $150 per year to clothe all three of my kids, including clothing, footwear, and snowsuits. Here’s how I do it:
My daughter turned six in May, and I was really excited to present her with her birthday gift – a bedroom makeover. She’s been bunking with her three-year-old sister while our 21-month-old had her own room. We moved the two little ones in together, and Kate got a room of her own.
