Obviously, the best time to start getting your finances under control is right now. Not tomorrow, not Monday, not the first day of next month or the first day of the new year. Delaying is just another form of procrastination. My very favourite one I implemented on myself, was after I cut up one of my...

A girlfriend who recently lost a lot of weight said to me a short time ago “it’s all about the small decisions”. Her theory is that the single decision to slim down isn’t enough. You don’t gain weight just by deciding to, or because of one piece of cake or one failure to...

There’s a poster in our garage (don’t ask) that the words “if not now, when?” is written on. It’s had me thinking. Back in the days when I was sitting atop my mound of nearly $40,000 in consumer debt, I often thought being debt free, but for many years, didn’t take...

There’s just something about deciding to overhaul some aspect of your life, isn’t there? Whether it’s quitting smoking, losing weight, getting in shape, finding a job you’re passionate about or getting control over your finances it can be a very empowering and optimistic experience. Sadly,...

This is part b in a series on creating a budget that actually works.You can read part a here. In part a I set the homework of spending a month putting all bills and receipts into a shoebox. Here’s what you’re going to do next. Before you start, you’ll need your shoebox and a computer...

Alright, here’s the deal with budgeting. There are many different systems for creating and writing a budget, from extremely high level (pay your bills first, chuck some in a savings account and blow the rest as you see fit) to incredibly detailed (write down every little thing including the $2...

Setting yourself financial goals might seem like an arduous and boring task; the sort of thing you have to do at work or school. For me though, setting goals is one of the most enjoyable things about personal finance! The problem I think that most people have is that they try to set themself financial...

As I’ve said previously, on many an occasion before I became a reformed spendthrift, I would decide to get my finances under control. The biggest barrier to success wasn’t my lack of understanding that things needed to change, but rather a major deficit in my appreciation as to just how bad...