From the category archives:

Holiday Spending

And on the 13th day – I got the bill. (sung to the tune of the 12 days of Christmas with apologies)

January 10, 2012

-And on the thirteenth day of Xmas, the mailman gave to me, a credit card bill for free . So Happy New Year! You thought that you recovered from your New Year’s hangover. Then you open your mail. Everything was good in December and then you decided that you would buy a few things. Besides [...]

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Post-script: Boxing Day Sales. Please give it a rest.

January 5, 2012

It’s the New Year. But here’s a little post-script regarding the holidays that have just passed.

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Christmas frenzy.

December 20, 2011

I found it rather coincidental that on the day I decided to start shopping (Black Friday), my Moneysense magazine came in the mail with a startling declaration. The editorial ,”Overtaking America”, stated that in the Credit Suisse 2011 Global Wealth Report that we are currently wealthier than the Americans. Apparently, our net worth median income [...]

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My dinner with Santa. An exclusive interview.

December 15, 2011

I would like to thank a colourful, wee elf named Undlin Neldth for arranging dinner last week between me and Father Christmas himself, St. Nicholas Claus (aka Santa). Undlin, who is in charge of Santa’s publicity department, recommended me to his boss for an interview after surfing the Net and chancing upon a blog I [...]

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Be a Grinch with your personal information these holidays (tips from Justin Hwang).

December 13, 2011

I wanted to share with you Justin Hwang’s tips to help you prevent fraud this season.  Justin Hwang is Associate Vice President of Fraud Management at TD Canada Trust. With the crowded shopping malls and long lines, some Canadians may be putting their personal information at risk if they let the chaos of the holiday season [...]

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This holiday season, Canada’s ho ho holding on debt.

December 1, 2011

I have to say, I’m already feeling pretty joyous about the holiday season. There are real signs that many Canadians will not suffer from those post-Christmas-spending blues come 2012. Ulcers resulting from debt created by the purchase of video games, iPads, fuzzy bears and the like will for many be a thing of the past. [...]

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Know where you’re at before you start roaming. Just ask Bob.

November 10, 2011

After a decade of neglecting to visit family members strewn throughout western North America, my hardworking Toronto friend Bob decided to take a three-month sabbatical to make up for all the missing face time. He would visit his three siblings and a raft of nieces and nephews by spending a month in Alberta, a couple [...]

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Santa never sleeps.

September 29, 2011

Sorry to bring this up but (achoo) cold, wind, sleet and snow will soon be upon us, and you know what that means – a rotund, white-bearded fellow in an outlandish red outfit will be crawling down chimneys to deliver gifts under evergreen trees in living rooms across the land. The old boy never sleeps. [...]

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Thanks Jill for saving me a bundle on my recent staycation.

August 4, 2011

I’m finally friends with Jill, the navigator who gives directions to Never-Neverland addresses I call flea markets, antique stores or garage sales, where my husband instantly changes into a child again! I am done contemplating whether or not buying a GPS was worth it; it turned out that it was. I spent my last vacation [...]

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A little birdie told me so. Cheap, cheap, cheap summer holidays.

June 23, 2011

I’ve said it many times before and I’ll say it again. Today’s Internet is a powerful, wonderful tool for money-related problem solving, including finding answers to the pressing question, what can a cash-strapped family do for a fun summer holiday? Start by thinking cheap and free. Then get your Google in gear. Type in cheap [...]

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