Category: Building & Tracking Spending

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Has Society Become Desensitized to Spending?

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Good question. Certainly, not everyone has, but spiraling levels of consumer debt have risen to record levels, indicating that Canadians are spending more money that they don’t have at an alarming rate.

Statistics Canada has released figures for the third quarter of 2014 indicating that Canadian household total credit-market debt, which consists of mortgages, consumer credit (mostly credit cards) and non-mortgage loans rose to 162.6 percent of disposable income. The Bank of Canada has stated that “high consumer debt loads and imbalances in the housing market” are a concern.

In short, people are using credit more today than ever before.

Two generations ago, very few people used credit. Society was based on a “cash on the barrelhead” philosophy that encouraged living within one’s means. This standpoint has been slowly eroded by rising home ownership costs (it is virtually impossible to purchase a home without a mortgage, and the length of time that the average family spends paying for their home gets steadily longer), the availability of consumer credit, and the replacement of “hard” currency with cheques, credit cards, and digital wallets.

It’s easier to access credit today than ever before, and advertising inundates us with constant messages promoting consumption of high-value items, usually on payments. It’s no wonder that people wind up in trouble with credit cards, loans, and lines of credit.

Creditaid exists to help people who have used credit improperly, or have been faced with unforeseen circumstances, and are having trouble dealing with their debt. We offer a free initial credit counselling review with professionals who can advise you on how to best manage and repay your debts. We’ll work with you in a judgment-free manner to develop solutions for your specific situation. We have a number of tools available to help you deal with your creditors, including debt consolidation and debt management solutions. If you’re feeling the pressure of collections, call Creditaid for help today.

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Paper or Plastic or Cloud? The Evolving Concept of Money

dollar-signYou need only to look at the recent demise of the penny, or see the “wave your card here” payment option at the supermarket to know that the way that we think of and use money is changing.

In ancient times, humans would barter objects or labour directly. A farmer might give his neighbour two chickens in exchange for a bag of flour, or might help build a fence and be rewarded with a sack of carrots.

At its core level, money is a substitute for human labour or resources, traded to someone in exchange for “payment”. This payment can then be used to obtain the things you need or want from a third party, not related to the first.

In the past we used gold and other precious metals to represent the value of our labour and goods, but switched to a system of currency consisting of minted coins and printed paper. In the 20th century, cheques and bank drafts simplified purchasing, and in the 1950s, credit cards were invented, to allow us to access money we hadn’t yet earned, in exchange for a “borrowing fee”.

Today, money exists in a number of forms. We still have “hard currency”, or cash, but its use is on the decline. The digital revolution has brought us more options. As more and more purchases are being made at a distance, instant transfer of money via credit cards and money transfer services have become part of the landscape.

At the end of the day, no matter how you spend your money, simple rules of budgeting must apply to keep your finances in balance. With so many ways to spend money that don’t involve any kind of currency, it’s easy to forget to budget. This is one of the ways that people wind up in financial trouble.

If you find your credit card and loan payments are making it hard to budget your money, contact Creditaid for a confidential assessment of your financial situation. We have tools that can help!

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Boomer Exodus Interrupted

The topic in this great article by Barbara Bowes is something that is sure to have already affected many lives, with many more affected parties to come!

What are your thoughts, do you anticipate the opportunities, or dread the skills gap that’s sure to result?

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No matter your stage in life, it’s important to keep the stats in mind: many are living from pay cheque to pay cheque now, when they could be taking action and planning accurately to avoid having to work through the retirement years.

Is it time for you to take action?

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New Year’s Resolutions for Your Budget

A New Year’s resolution is often about learning from the mistakes you made in the previous year. This is especially true when it comes to budgeting. You can really get ahead of the game; setting yourself up for a debt free year. For a long-term budget, we have some great tips to include in your New Year’s resolution.

Planning Ahead
Don’t get taken by surprise when it comes to your finances. Remember last year when your car broke down, and you had to break into your budget to pay for the emergency repair? Well, to truth is, this coming year isn’t going to be any kinder to you. There will always be some emergency to deal with, so having a safety net is important. Saving a little extra for a rainy day will help you avoid having to pay for emergencies with your credit card!

Think About Your Small Purchases Too
Everyone has their little pleasures in life, but indulging in them doesn’t have to break your budget. If want to splurge on treats, make sure to keep the costs reasonable. If you like to drink coffee in cafés, try finding one that offers a loyalty card or rates. Most businesses today offer discounts, so try to reserve your splurges for occasions when you can get a deal.

Set Goals
Give yourself something to look forward to by setting budgeting or having saving goals. Don’t set your sights unrealistically high; instead take one goal that is achievable within a fixed time scale, and then focus on that. You can save for a car, new furniture, a clear credit card bill, or anything else that will give you a sense of achievement. When you reach your goal, remember to give yourself a pat on the back!

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Visit Us Today

The New Year is fast approaching – and it’s a great opportunity to take some time to think about what you would like to accomplish in 2014. If getting your finances back on track is on your list for the year, take this opportunity to drop by and see one of our counsellors.

We are available today and tomorrow –

Monday December 30th  9:00 am – 5:00 pm
Tuesday December 31st 8:00 am – 3:00 pm

Have a wonderful holiday season!

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Shopping for Christmas?

For many people, a Christmas shopping budget consists of whatever they can spare in the last months before the holiday. However, to have a truly magnificent Christmas, you really need to budget throughout the year. You will find the holiday season much less stressful, and you will find that you’re able to afford gifts that will bring a smile to everyone’s face. To help you stay within your budget this holiday season, here are a few simple tips:

Incorporate your spending into your monthly budget
By incorporating your Christmas spending into your monthly budget, you are essentially making that money untouchable. Treat it exactly as you would credit card fees; only instead of paying for past spending, you are paying for what you will spend in the future. Before long, your Christmas spending money will just become another part of your monthly budget.

Set aside a budget
Your Christmas budget is a little different than regular payments in that you will have to calculate what you need, given the time you have to save. Be realistic with your budget, and try to aim for saving enough to buy the items you need throughout the year. When you have spare cash that isn’t allocated to your budget, make a point of picking up cheaper items while you can afford to.

Allocate smartly
If you need to buy gifts for ten people, do not work under the assumption that each gift will cost the same. Gifts for smaller children do not cost as much as gifts for teenagers, for instance. Don’t forget that you will need to buy food and drink over the Christmas season, so make sure to incorporate those costs into your budget, too.

Give yourself plenty of time to do your research
There is no point blindly choosing an amount to save each month, only to find that you have woefully under-budgeted. Do your homework, before you sit down to work out your budget, and you will have a realistic monthly figure to aim for. Some clever detective work will help you determine what’s on everyone’s Christmas list.

Don’t forget to download our Holiday Gift Giving Planner to help you through the holiday season.

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Christmas Shopping – Tips for Parents for Shopping on a Budget

Christmas is coming around, which means that plenty of parents are scrambling, trying to snatch up those last minute deals. If you are one of the millions of parents whose budget is stretched, don’t panic just yet. There is still time to save Christmas and start budgeting the right way for the year.

Ebay Best Buys – Ebay is a great site to find all your gifts. If you haven’t used the site before, here are a few insider tips to live by. Don’t jump on the first listed item that you see – shop around to see if other sellers have also listed the same item.  Look for sellers who have received great feedback and have verified status so you can take advantage of the best prices for quality items.

Free Shipping Prices – Remember, during the Christmas season big order outlets have a lot of stock to shift. Those items need to sell before the season’s end, so retailers will often offer free shipping as an incentive. Not only that, but you can search for free shipping coupons online for each of your favorite stores. If there are no coupons available, simply try searching “free shipping” on the site, or look for a filter that has free shipping listed as an option.

Family Christmas – Make time this Christmas for fun and games with your family. Break out the board games, watch some Christmas movies, or play your favorite Christmas songs. Sitting around the table together, sharing those special moments is worth a thousand gifts, but it won’t cost you a penny.

Prepare for Next Year – Don’t put off until tomorrow what you can do today. Plan your budget at the start of the New Year, but be realistic. Avoid buying gifts in the early part of the year, if you can. Kids go through phases; so what he liked this year may see a dramatic change by next Christmas. Regardless, the money that you budget should be considered untouchable for other expenditures.

Most of all, remember what Christmas gifting is really about – sharing, loving and appreciating what you already have. If you live it, your children will, too.

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Have a Debt Free Christmas This Year

We can all relate to how frustrating it can be to start a new year with last year’s Christmas bills.  With Christmas being only a few more weeks away, we can be prepared for shopping season by planning ahead and creating a budget to work off of.

Here are a few tips to help you stay within your budget this Christmas:

  1. Create a Budget – if you shop without a list, it is easy to overspend or give in to impulse shopping.  Download our Holiday Gift Giving Planner that can help you get organized.
  2. Comparison Shop – starting Christmas shopping early also means you have more time to shop around and check prices at different stores.  Many online stores offer discounted prices or one day only sales.
  3. DIY Gifts- there are many gifts that you can make to give as gifts that won’t break your budget. You can tailor the gifts to the person you’re making it for – all the more thoughtful!

Careful planning can help you debt free – you just need to invest some time now to get organized.