My children’s relationship to money

Donna WillanLatest, Money cents

In my previous column I reflected on my financial health and wellness – and realized I obsess a bit about money. So I want to develop a healthier, less anxious attitude to money – while still being conscious and purposeful about my financial decisions. This thought process has led me to reflect on my children’s ...

My relationship with money

Donna WillanLatest, Money cents

While thinking about this column I realized that what I really want to explore is my relationship with money. But what does that even mean? So I Googled the concept, and there is a lot out there encouraging us to explore our relationship with money, and asking: are you a spender, a miser, a buyer, ...

A budget that will work

Donna WillanLatest, Money cents

I spent a productive morning sitting at a lovely café trying to work out my household budget for the year. It’s going to be a tough year financially (but hopefully a good year emotionally) and there are so many factors to balance. Firstly, we need to assume an interest rate hike, food prices going up ...

Saving money on holiday

Donna WillanMoney cents

Finally, that well deserved year-end break is near! My question today is how can we relax and have fun without going into debt? Some of you may remember my column from the beginning of the year, where I talked about ways to have a holiday get-away without going into debt. I had two suggestions: firstly ...
Christmas budget

Christmas gifting, can we do it differently?

Donna WillanMoney cents

Wow, Christmas really is just around the corner! We spent this past weekend making Christmas crackers and cards, we put on the Christmas carols and the kids loved it! Yes, I hear you, this kind of Saturday fun often only works with young children; and I also respect that not all of us celebrate Christmas. ...

5 money tips from my mother

Donna WillanLatest, Money cents

I’ve been thinking lately about where we get our ideas and values from. For me, a lot comes from my mother, so I thought I would reflect on what I learnt from her about money. Although my mother never had much money – or perhaps precisely because she didn’t have much money – she set ...

Retirement blues already

Donna WillanMoney cents

Am I doing enough to ensure that when I retire I will be able to live comfortably? How much is enough? And can I do it? Oh this is a scary topic! I began by asking, ‘What is enough?’. First I re-watched the Just One Lap 100 second video on this topic (video is at ...

Do I need a credit report?

Donna WillanMoney cents

I often hear conversations about personal credit ratings, and a few people have told me that I really should know what mine says, so I went forth to find out more. In truth I did not really know what a credit record was, let alone what mine would say! I assumed it would tell me ...