This time of year can be very demanding on your bank account. You’re buying Christmas gifts, preparing for holidays plus dealing with increasing mortgage rates and increased cost of living. It’s a lot. It’s a lot extra when “normal” might already be a lot right now. So how do you manage it? By doing exactly that - managing it rather than it managing you. [...]
Girl Maths… what even is this? Is it a new phenomenon or am I just late to the party? If I’m late the the party I think I’ll change my RSVP to no. Thank you, but no. I know it’s tongue in cheek and a bit of fun… but it’s not really and it seems to be rife right now with Black Friday sales [...]
We're heading fast towards the crazy end of the year so it's important that you do all the things you want to do and none of the things that you don't. People get busy, offices close for the Christmas/New Year period, restaurants book out. Don't miss out simply because you didn't pre-plan and think ahead. If you want to buy a house, get your [...]
Do you ever feel like you're an all or nothing kinda person? I'm a pretty driven, focused woman and every now and then I get my teeth into something and I love it. I don't just love it. I LOVE IT! I can see where it's leading me, I can see what it will bring. I'm energised and excited by it - whatever "it" [...]
If you bought your home a few years ago and have been diligently paying off your mortgage, chances are high that you have built quite a bit of equity. The equity is the difference between what the home is worth and what you owe - and the more the value grows and the more you pay off, the more that equity grows. The great [...]
I came across a quote the other day that I just love. It's from American speaker and author, James W. Frick, “Don't tell me where your priorities are. Show me where you spend your money and I'll tell you what they are.” So many of us are a little delusional, saying that we're saving for this or working towards that, yet we're still eating [...]
My parents owned a corner store and I learned from them that we had to offer excellent friendly service and be price competitive otherwise people would buy from somewhere else. (Good lesson) I also learnt that when you needed money you could take it from the till. (Not so good lesson) For them it wasn't a problem - it was their business, they knew [...]
One of the things you need before you buy a home is a clear financial plan. This is needed for a couple of reasons: to demonstrate to the lender that you’re a “good risk” - that you can manage your money and chances are high that you’ll pay off the loan as per the agreement that you sign. to demonstrate to yourself that you [...]
When you’re saving money, you need a goal and a plan. In my experience, it’s pretty hard to save for “nothing” but totally different when you’re saving for “something”, whatever that something is. And if you’ve got nothing to save for right now, I suggest that you make up something great because, again, in my experience, it’s pretty easy to fritter away your money [...]
One of the really important things that I always stress to my clients is that living to a spending plan sets you up for success in life. Knowing what you’re spending your money on is not just being responsible, it’s being respectful of the fact that you’ve worked hard to earn that money. Tracking where your money is going, knowing what it costs you [...]
