Summer came & went; September arrived in the blink of an eye and the traditional school season began. Some of us at AU took a break from our studies, and some didn’t. Some AU students went on long road trips and adventurous travels. Others chose to stay at home and enjoy their downtime lounging around… Read more »
Life emergencies happen. We have all dealt with Murphy’s Law—if anything can go wrong, it will—at one point in time. A furnace that breaks down in the middle of a prairie winter is bound to happen once in your lifetime. A vandal slashing all four tires of your car, in a highly condensed, populated area… Read more »
Our family is on a strict budget to make progress with our debt reduction plan—this includes sticking to our grocery budget, of course. We decide on a set amount to spend for groceries each month, withdraw the cash on the first day of the month, and that is the exact amount we spend for food… Read more »
A few months back, I began experimenting with the concept of “money-free entertainment”. Since embarking on our “debt-free journey”, one of my biggest realizations is that many activities we used to do regularly and take for granted were really bogging down our budget. They had to be put on pause for a while if we… Read more »
Spring is in the air, summer is just around the corner, traditional students are nearing the end of their semesters (not us AU die-hards, obviously), and everyone is dreaming about warm, lazy sunsets and BBQs. But for those of us at AU who were not lucky enough to have escaped this past winter, wanderlust is… Read more »
Remember your very first paycheque? The one from that paper route you had in minus-thirty-degree weather? Or from the babysitting gig for the neighbour’s little angels who turned into Damien when their parents walked out the door? Did that paycheque come with “how-to” instructions? Unlikely. I know I blew my first paycheque getting pink fuzzy… Read more »
Many online behavioural blogs claim that how we deal with finances is directly related to our first memory of “money” or what it symbolizes. Digging deep into our money memories helps us gain awareness about how we think and feel about money and about how we handle our finances—whether we perform these actions consciously or… Read more »
Many people, at the beginning of each year, set a resolution to get out of debt. They resolve to sort out their finances in the new year and to control their wallet, and they may do great the first 2-3 days. They track their spending, maybe even go so far as to make a budget,… Read more »
Dear Barb: Christmas is over and the Christmas bills are starting to roll in. I didn’t realize I had spent so much money, even though I was trying to control my spending this year. It’s so frustrating. Although I had a great Christmas, the feeling is being spoiled by all these bills. I would like… Read more »
Having a crippling study load and limited resources doesn’t have to mean a life of squalor. You can keep your crib neat and clean with in limited time and with little money with this set of tried and true tips from the bohemian quarter. Visit the bucket and plunger laundrette. There will be days when… Read more »