Tag: household debt

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Living as a Couple – Time for the Talk

Your relationship is going well, and you take the big step to move in together. However, reality soon comes crashing down. Before you know it, the honeymoon is over, and you’re disagreeing about every little aspect of your lives together.

One of the biggest sticking points for couples is finances. You may find that you each hold completely different views about the importance of budgeting, or when you do budget, you disagree on what is or is not a priority. These are the times that will try your relationship, but the good news is, you can get through it and reach an accord.

First of all, there is no way around it – you need to be honest with each other. Discuss all your assets and debts, so there are no unpleasant surprises. You then need to decide whether to share financial responsibilities and to what degree. One person may be bringing a lot more debt to the relationship, which is why it is important to have this conversation early in the relationship.

Make sure to discuss your individual credit history, too. Your ability to borrow as a couple will be greatly impacted by your past spending. Don’t panic if your partner has taken out a lot of credit in the past; this is your opportunity as a couple to explore options for getting to a place of financial stability. Talk about setting a budget and goals for clearing debt, and decide on a ratio of responsibility for that debt.

While it is important that both of you contribute financially to your budget and the paying off of debts, you should also play to your strengths. The person who is better at managing monthly bills should take care of that side of your finances; however, it is important that both people in the relationship share the overall responsibility of maintaining the budget.

Compromise and communication are key to a strong financial relationship so make sure you discuss and come to an agreement on where your money is going and when. A relationship takes work, but by having this honest conversation early on and staying on track with budgeting and spending, you may find that your relationship is stronger for it.

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Unexpected Repair Bills Can Put You in Hot Water

Owning your own home is something that gives a person a sense of independence and accomplishment. You are no longer paying monthly rent payments on property that doesn’t belong to you. You are building equity in your home instead. When you purchase your home, your mortgage company will generally assess your financial situation to determine whether or not you can afford the payments on the home you are purchasing. They know that it is in their best interest to keep you from purchasing a home you cannot afford.

In spite of this careful financial screening by your mortgage company, financial positions can change after you make the purchase. Even when you are able to make your house payments, there may be little, if any, extra cash for repairs and maintenance to the home you own.

Unfortunately, repairs to your home can’t always be planned for. If your furnace dies in the middle of the winter, you have to replace or repair it. If you have water damage that isn’t covered by your insurance, those repair costs will have to paid by you, the homeowner. These types of unexpected expenses can break a family’s budget that is already stretched to its limits.

If you’ve found yourself in this spot and don’t know how you’re going to get out of this downward financial spiral, Creditaid may be able to help. Contact us for your free consultation.

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Getting Your Financial Life in Order

Just as spring is often the time that we clean-out and reorganize our homes, it is a good time to bring some order to our financial lives as well. We’ve put together a few tips to help you do just that.

1. Balance your checkbook. For some people, this may be a ‘duh’ statement, but for others it is actually a big step. If you have not been balancing your checkbook with your monthly bank statement each month, now is the time to start. Knowing that the balance in your checkbook is accurate can relieve a lot of stress and save you plenty of money in overdraft fees. If you’re having trouble getting it balanced, take it into your bank and ask them for help. They can help you get to a good clean starting place for the spring.

2. Write out a monthly budget. It doesn’t have to be overly detailed, just start by listing out all your monthly bills and the average amounts due each month. Then add in budget amounts for groceries, fuel for your vehicles and other expenditures you make that do not come to you in bill form, like entertainment, giving and clothing. Schedule when each bill will be paid on a calendar, based on its due date and when your income comes in.

3. Make an appointment for credit counseling. There are experts available to help you sort through your finances and give you the advice you need. Pick up the phone and make an appointment with one of our credit counselors.

4. Open a savings account. Even if you don’t have much to put into it, open a savings account and begin the process. Determine an amount to deposit into it each week or each month. Perhaps you’ll want to set aside a few dollars from each pay check, or maybe you’ll do the ‘save my change’ game and deposit your extra change each week. No matter how small it is, begin the process of building a savings account for yourself.

These are just four simple steps to help get your financial life in order and heading in the right direction. Spring is as good a time as any to start fresh.

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Tips for Saving on Kids Sporting Activities This Spring

As parents, we want our kids to be involved in sports. We recognize the benefit these activities give to our children’s lives. Sporting activities provide enrichment physically, socially and psychologically. In spite of all the benefits, sports can be very expensive to participate in. So, we’ve come up with a few tips to help you keep your kid’s activities affordable.

Buy Secondhand – You can often buy used sporting equipment from other parents whose kids have out grown their previous year’s equipment. There are also secondhand shops that specialize in recycled sporting goods. Garage sales and craigslist are two other sources for buying used sporting goods.
Family Discounts – If you have more than one child ready for sports, try and enroll them in the same sports program. Often times there are family discounts for families who have multiple siblings enrolled in the same program.
Early Bird Discounts – Don’t wait until the last minute to get the kids signed up. Many sporting activities encourage early enrollment by offering early bird discounts.
Avoid Traveling Teams – Having to travel out of town for your kid’s sports activities can be very costly. Try to find sports where the teams compete locally, rather than out of town.
Swap Skills – Check to see if there are discounts for parents who help with the coaching or management of teams. See if there is another service you can provide in exchange for the service your child is receiving.
Choose Lower Priced Sports – Sports that require expensive equipment will be more expensive, such as hockey and bike riding. Swimming and running have very little equipment involved, and therefore, much less expensive.

Simply put a little extra thought into the choices of your kid’s sporting activities can save you plenty.

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Managing Your Budget with Rising Food Costs

Grocery store sticker shock has become all too common for shoppers, and finding ways to reduce food costs can take some creativity, and a bit of self-control. Here are some tips on how to get your wallet safely out of Safeway:

1. Eat First – You’d be amazed at how much less food you think you need when you’re shopping on a full stomach. Take some time to fill your belly instead of your shopping cart.

2. Buy Low – No, we don’t mean prices, we mean shelves. Grocers place their high-profit merchandise at eye-level in order to get you to reach for it first. Look down lower for the bargain stuff.

3. Buy Bulk – Even if it means buying more than you need (you can split it with the neighbors), buying in quantity can bring some real savings. Look for bulk buys at places like Costco, and save gas and food costs.

4. Grow Your Own – It may be time to see just how green your thumbs are, and start a veggie garden. The benefits to growing your own produce can go far beyond the financial savings.

5. Take a Calculator – There’s nothing like keeping a running tally of your expenses as you traverse the aisles to get you re-thinking those extra goodies in the cart.

Remember, it doesn’t have to hurt your appetite to save on your food bill. All you need is the stomach for playing it cool and smart.

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Stretching Your Gas Dollars

As the average gas price across the provinces hovers around $1.20/ litre, the importance of making the most of your trips to the gas station is greater than it’s been since the crunch of ’08. So it’s a good time to take a look at some ways to ease the pain at the pumps.

1. Combine Trips – Try to coordinate errands and appointments in order to reduce the number and/or distance of your trips.

2. Adjust Your Work Schedule – Consult with your employer about the possibility of working four 10-hour days to save a day’s commute, or working a flexible schedule to avoid traffic delays.

3. Lighten the Load – Every little bit helps – or hurts – your fuel economy. Inspect your trunk or cargo area for any unnecessary weight, and leave it at home.

4. Check Tire Pressure – Under-inflated tires can add undue friction to your car’s ride, thus reducing fuel economy. Make sure they’re at the prescribed air pressure when gassing up.

5. Carpool – If changing your work schedule isn’t an option, see if you can share the commute with co-workers instead. It not only saves on fuel costs, but overall car maintenance.

It may even be a good time to keep that New Year’s resolution – to lose some of that winter bulk (and put some back into your wallet) – by leaving the car at home and dusting off that bicycle in the garage.

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Household Debt By Region Assessed

TD Economics released their report on household debt vulnerability by region today.

“The focus nationally on household debt has raised questions about which regions face the most significant challenge,” according to Craig Alexander, TD’s Chief Economist
and co-author of the report. “This new index does not predict events, but it does shed light on those provinces that are most susceptible to downside risks.”

Its good news for Manitoban’s who are the least vulnerable. Households in British Columbia, Alberta, Ontario and Saskatchewan households were found to be at greater risk with Atlantic Canada and Quebec in the middle.

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Holiday Spending Hangover

You did what you said you wouldn’t do over the holidays and that was over spending. Unfortunately, what’s done is done, you beat yourself up over it, and now you just need to move forward to fix it.

First thing to do is to assess the situation. See how much you have spent over the holidays and how much damage was done to those debit and credit cards. Then figure out a payment plan. Determine which debts to pay off first and prioritize when you will pay them off. While doing this, take a look at how much you will be bringing in over the next couple of months and if you have money left over after paying off your fixed debts, put that money towards your extra debt you accumulated over the holidays. Also, stop all unnecessary spending habits such as shopping, dining out, movies and entertainment, and vacations. It may be painful to give up some of your luxuries for a while, but it will be worth it once you have paid off your debt.

Additionally, to find extra income during this financially trying time, try getting your taxes done early and you never know, you might receive a significant amount on your tax return that you can put towards your debt.

The final tip is to learn from this preventable mistake. Plan ahead for the next holiday season and you are sure to make all the right choices next year.

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Canadian Government Tightens Mortgage Rules to Stem Consumer Debt

Federal Finance Minister Jim Flaherty announced new mortgage changes this morning to combat the rising household debt levels of Canadians.

Three main changes are:
· The maximum number of years the government will back a mortgage was lowered from 35 to 30.
· The upper limit that Canadians can borrow against their home equity was lowered from 90 per cent to 85 per cent.
· Government insurance backing on home equity lines of credit, or HELOCs, has been removed.

The home equity change is the result of the Government’s concern that homeowners are rolling too many consumers purchases into their insured mortgages. “These loans are not used to create housing. They’re used to buy boats, and cars and big screen-televisions,” Flaherty said. “That’s not the business that home insurance was designed for.”