The Saturday Weekly Review

The Saturday Weekend Review #53: Do you know your household debt ratio?

ByMo CanadianBudgetBinder

household-debtWORKING YOUR WAY OUT OF HOUSEHOLD DEBT

 

Household debt which is an all-encompassing definition of not only personal debt but also mortgage loans has been the talk of the economy for quite a while.

From a recently published CIBC Poll results, combined with the increased downloads of our personal Excel budget spreadsheet I started thinking about the facts and figures as I see them. The one particular figure that stood out was the 16% of Canadians that are prioritizing the paying down of their debt.

Having topped the Poll last year with the same issue, it made me wonder if anybody got anywhere closer to paying their debt off or at the very least reducing it significantly.

There was controversy last year when statistics were issued from various sources saying that for every dollar earned in Canada the average Canadian owed $1.64, then the way it was calculated by one bank suggested that the rate was actually lower. Either way, the debt ratio hasn’t really changed, although it has got slightly lower since the highs it obtained in 2012.

I was curious to see what our household debt ratio was, so I got trawling the internet to find out how it’s calculated.

There is a free handy calculator online for those who wish to know how to calculate your own household debt ratio. Ours is 81.67%, but please bear in mind that the calculation does not take into account any savings, investments or any other assets that you have.

Now, back to business. As I was saying, following the figures and the data released by various statistics and polls, it would suggest that Canadians are doing what they said and paying down their household debt.

Although, the percentage of people who are willing to build their savings is lower at 11%, the fact that it has gone up from the previous year is quite promising.

The facts create a picture of a slight turn around in the way Canadians are seeing their finances. Even though retirement planning was at the bottom of the priorities, we do not know the age range of the demographic.

Besides, if debt repayment is your highest priority followed by building up your savings, I’m guessing retirement planning for now is taking a back seat.

If you are one of the 16% who are prioritizing your finances to pay down debt, will you be using a budget in 2014?

 

 Canadian Budget Binder this week

 

If you missed any of my posts from the week here is the list of posts you can catch up on reading!

 

CBB at home and the blog

 

We’ve spent the last two weeks on holiday at the relatives and are heading back home this weekend. It’s been two weeks of family, food, fun and illness for both of us.

It’s always nice when I get an email from a fan who says thanks for what I do and in some cases have shared their experiences with me and how Canadian Budget Binder has helped, inspired and/or motivated them to make changes to their life and personal finances.

I also run the Making a Difference feature in this blog post every week to recognize other personal finance bloggers who are making a difference to share their blog with my readers.

It’s not every day someone comes to me to say, you’ve made a difference or we really love your blog and that their readers do as well. This was the email I received from The Brighter Life the other day. You know I’ve worked with The Brighter Life in the past and comment frequently on their site.

I was told that Canadian Budget Binder was chosen as one of their 2013 favourites for money along with many other Canadian Bloggers many of which I interact with as well as a blogger. I hope you get a chance to head over and check them out.

BrighterLife-Award-Money

With the year drawing to an end, we have gathered our favourites for money in 2013. We hope they will help encourage and inspire you to live a successful, brighter life.

Thank-You to The Brighter Life, I am honoured and humbled.

-Mr.CBB

 

Fan deals and inspirations

 

Submit your Brag or Inspiration

If you have a brag that you want me to share email me at canadianbudgetbinder (@) [yahoo] [.ca] or fill out my contact form by Friday each week to have your brag considered for the Saturday post.

 

Fan-Deal-of-the-week

Hey Mr CBB!

I hope you feel better soon.  I was out shopping today and got some deals which I wanted to share with the Canadian Budget Binder fans.

We hit up Target to return something my parents bought Adam and decided to see what they had on clearance.  Christmas items were 50-75% off.

This is what we got:

  • Dog toy (a Christmas gift for friends that just got a puppy) $3.49 (that was 50% off)
  • Napkins (Christmas) 4 x $.90
  • Napkins (Christmas) 2 x $.67
  • Christmas window clings 2 x $.30
  • Mini Goo Gone 10 x $.30
  • Gift tissue $.90
  • Pack of gift boxes $.75

Total $15.46

Have a great week Mr.CBB

-Jen P

 

Making a difference

 

Making a difference is a part of this post where I share a personal finance blog that I interact with daily and has made a difference in my life.

I have asked the blogger to introduce themselves, their blog and how they want to make a difference with their blog for the fans and for themselves.

Today, I bring you my friends Michelle and Jefferson who run the personal finance blog “See Debt Run”.

 

See-Debt-Run

When Michelle and I created See Debt Run , we were trying to hold ourselves accountable as we began to climb out from underneath our own mountain of debt.

Two years later we are debt free but we continue to share our stories of how we save money on our family’s expenses and how we are working to create a better financial future for our children.

We are contacted fairly regularly by people who are in the same situation that we were in two years ago.  A number of these folks have told us that our story and the success that we achieved give them hope that they too can escape from their debt problems.

We didn’t know if we would keep writing on See Debt Run once we finished our debt payoff, but it is this possibility that we can make a difference that keeps us moving forward.

 

Blog post sharing

 

I really appreciate when other blog owners recognize my hard work at Canadian Budget Binder and share my posts with their fans or even mention my blog on their blog or website.

Here are the blogs that did just that this past week, so please head over and check them out. If I’m missing you it’s because I didn’t get a ping back so please send me an email and I’ll add you next Saturday.

Since it is the Christmas holidays many personal finance bloggers have been taking a break from blogging so not too much link love for Canadian Budget Binder this week.

Let’s see what the new year has in store for CBB and all the blogs we follow and share with all of you.

-No one linked to CBB this week. 🙁

 

What is a blog carnival?

 

Some fans have asked me just what is a blog carnival so a little explanation is due here for anyone reading for the first time or for my long-time fans. A blog carnival is where a blog or website hosts what we call a carnival of blog posts from around the web.

Most blog carnivals have a theme and certain rules for submitting which must be followed. If you are a blogger and would like to learn what blog carnival directories I submit to each week you can find the information in a previous Saturday Weekend Review post that I wrote.

 

Carnival Glory

 

A big thanks to these pages for accepting my blog posts and sharing them in the following carnivals……….

 

 

Google-web-search-terms

 

Every week I get thousands of people visit Canadian Budget Binder because they did a search online and found my blog. Here are a few of my favorite searches that may have even brought you here and you’re reading this, right now.

  • Goat landscaping Canada– Here we thought it was funny but people really do use a goat to landscape.
  • Tips to convince your boss to give you a Christmas bonus: I’d like to know them as well… 🙂
  • Why ladies never fear men with money: I don’t know? Ladies… can you answer this?
  • Code 33 grocery: Anyone? I have no idea what this is.
  • How to make your coupon not expire?-Use it haha ;P
  • What section are pregnancy tests in the dollar store? – haha.. probably in the same section as the dollar store condoms… 🙂

That’s all for this weeks edition of The Saturday Weekend Review. Have a great week and catch me here again next Saturday with more updates.

-Mr.CBB

 

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2 Comments

  2. I have no idea at this point what our debt ratio is but the only things we have right now is the mortgage and a small amount on the redi-line from the bank. Currently there is nothing on M/C. I haven’t been in Sears in months so there is nothing there either. Christmas was paid for with cash, debit or points. Or made with stuff that was already here in the house.
    Jen got some nice deals at Target!!! We’ve cut through the Target at Maisonville Mall in London a couple of times as it brings us out right by a health food store to get some protein powder for hubby but we have yet to actually shop there or the new one in Stratford. My SIL works at the Guelph store…haven’t been there either.
    Thanks for the weekly chuckle with the search terms!!!

    Reply

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