Back To School Shopping: In With The Old Out With The New Back to school is typically associated with buying new school clothes and supplies only because we’ve been sucked in by a mass marketing system. The further we get pulled the more we believe and want rather then simply spending money because it’s a need. As soon as August rolls around the Back to School deals start showing up in the local flyers and media because they want parents to get ready ahead of time. With many families struggling to get ahead financially spending a fortune on school clothes is just out of the question. Then again you might be a parent who buys a new wardrobe year after year to go to work. Why is there this need to always wear something new or different? I’m pretty sure most people spend their time worrying about other things rather than what John or Suzie wore to work. Maybe clothing is the next step up the career ladder and if Suzie dresses better than Sarah she’s a shoe-in. Sounds daft BUT this really does happen. We put too much emphasis on what people wear rather than what their skills […]
Men, Women, and How They Think About Money
MONEY IS MONEY BUT ADD GENDER TO THE MIX AND THE MEANING BECOMES SOMETHING MUCH DIFFERENT. Money is central to our existence and we all know it. We need, want it and got to have it. There’s nothing new to report here about any of that. It’s the basic reason we all get up every morning, battle the elements and the traffic, and hunker down at our jobs every day. Whether you are a Canadian or an American like me, there are differences between the genders. If you’re a man, you’re more likely to be coming home from work each day, unwinding and spending your time as you see fit. If you’re a woman, not so much. For as long as there have been people working outside the home, women have born most of the burdens of taking care of the home, kids, chores, and those kinds of things. When you look at the last 30 years of changes to our society, i.e. the big addition of women to the workforce, there may have been some changes in that old school approach…but not enough. Men still fundamentally think of women as the responsible party when it comes to family, […]
5 Inexpensive Gadgets All New Parents Should Own : The Saturday Weekend Review #220
IF YOU’RE LOOKING FOR A BABY SHOWER GIFT THESE GOODIES HAVE BEEN THE BEST PARENTING INVESTMENTS YET. I’m sure many parents reading this can think back to some baby gadgets or products which made their new role as parents a bit easier. Hands up if you’re one of those parents who bought too much useless baby stuff just because you thought you’d need it. Yes, that was us. >>>Both hands in the air. Now that our son is almost 3 years-old (wow where did the time go) Mrs. CBB and I have gone through boxes and boxes and boxes and boxes of baby clothes (I know, right?) and piles of stuff we never used. The biggest problem was that we read too much, believed too much and fell into the “new parent syndrome” mode making sure we were fully stocked with what we needed. Related: How having a baby affected our monthly budget I will admit that we have boxes of baby diapers that haven’t been opened yet, clothes that still have the tags and other crazy things that have never come out of the box. We have a formula mixer that we bought just in case our son […]
What Basic Money Skills Should Be Taught In High School?- The Saturday Weekend Review #216
PERSONAL FINANCE IS MORE THAN JUST BUDGETING YOUR WAY TO FINANCIAL FREEDOM. Teenagers may find out the hard way in the world of personal finance if they don’t understand finance basics. In the past parents were the financial leaders responsible to teach their kids about money. They still are but things are about to possibly change in Ontario. Personal finance for teenagers has slowly been easing its way into the education system because it’s not just a need it’s critical. This is something that we should all be happy about because not all kids get taught about finance basics at home. The other thing to consider is that the kids are getting taught enough about money or aren’t getting the hands on experience. There’s the learning and then the doing and this is how we build a stronger understanding of what is right and wrong and how to prevent financial disaster or at least avoid it. Personal finance education has long been discussed in Ontario and Education Minister Mitzie Hunter will be announcing the plans for rolling out a Pilot Project teaching 700 teenagers in 28 local high schools about Basic Money Skills in the next week. Personal finance […]
How Should Couples Split Household Bills?
WHEN YOU MOVE IN WITH SOMEONE YOU SHOULD NEVER EXPECT TO PAY LESS OR MORE BASED ON YOUR INCOME LEVEL. Moving in together is a big step for couples and with that comes an entirely new set of financial rules mainly called, splitting. When should you talk about money in relationships? Whenever it is right for the both of you but certainly before moving is ideal. Don’t be afraid to pull out the money card because if you’re thinking it then it is important to you as it should be. Living together may be economical especially if you are spending every day with someone you care deeply about however there is much to discover before you take that step. Some couples just end up moving in together without even knowing it. A shirt here, pants there and before you know it your bathroom counter shares his and her health and beauty products. What in the world just happened? You moved in together and with that comes financial responsibility. Unless you plan to fork over all the money for your partner who now lives with you, talking about splitting household bills is a good idea. Generally doing this before-hand is […]
