Review of my financial goals

Donna WillanLatest, Money cents

Most of us set financial goals in January, and then many of us, including myself, often forget about them within a few months. That’s why I thought I would reflect back and do my mid-year review of my financial goals to see if I am on track. In January, I wrote a column on my goals and ...
children and money

Teaching children the value of money

Donna WillanLatest, Money cents

All of us with children (our own or nieces, nephews, godchildren) will know the feeling of anxiety about our children and money. How can we raise them to be sensible and generous with their money, and not to be misers? I discussed this earlier in the year when I talked about my children and money ...

How to invest short term savings

Donna WillanLatest, Money cents

I am in a very fortunate position where I have a little extra every month for a 30-month period, and so I want to make some wise short term saving decisions. In my last column I reflected on starting my “New Car Fund” of R1 500 a month for four years. The other “big spend” ...
Need a new car, plan early

Need a new car, plan early

Donna WillanLatest, Money cents

So my car is the same age as my daughter, and she turns six next month – hmm how long can a car last, bearing in mind this is just a little Hyundai Atos. I guess I’ll be needing a new car in about four years. Now one of my basic money rules is ‘never ...

Cost of home security

Donna WillanLatest, Money cents

I’m feeling a little vulnerable right now, as two weeks back we had five incidents in our street in four days! Fortunately, we also had some arrests. So I have been thinking a lot about our home security – are we secure enough? Do we need to do more? Can I afford more? Can I ...

What are my big spends?

Donna WillanLatest, Money cents

A few weeks back Simon challenged us to reflect on our big spends. He asked: “Do you spend more on your car than your kids’ education? See the problem?” It was a question that really spoke to me – and made me think about what my big spends are. Do I have the right priorities, ...

What does on holiday mean?

Donna WillanLatest, Money cents

Wow here we are on holiday again, three long weekends over March and April, and two weeks of school holidays if you have children. Many of us are just paying off our credit cards from Christmas and back-to-school and there’s more holidays to break the bank! I’ve already shared my top tips on ‘inexpensive ways ...

Pets cost more than we think

Donna WillanLatest, Money cents

As you know by now, I am always trying to work out why my monthly spend is more than my budget. This week I looked at another ‘silent spend’ and realized that our pets cost more than we think! How many of us have a line item in our budget for our pets? I certainly ...