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 ...

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, ...

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 ...

Using ETFs for kids’ education fund

Donna WillanMoney cents

Regular readers may recall that I had to cash in my children’s university fund earlier this year, which I had with the government’s pilot scheme, Fundisa. I was advised not to go with a traditional university fund that many banks sell, but rather to buy ETFs – see my earlier blog on this. And yes, ...
listing boom

What am I worth?

Donna WillanMoney cents

I have just re-watched the 100 second tip on “My personal balance sheet” (see video below). I was curious, and slightly nervous, to see what I am actually worth and whether I am ‘poor’ or ‘rich’. We tend to measure this by how much cash we have by mid-month, or how much debt we have on ...

How indebted am I?

Donna WillanMoney cents

How indebted am I, why do we have debt and what should I do about it? I have just re-watched the 100 Second Tip on ‘Good Debt, Bad Debt’ (watch the video below), where the JustOneLap team make a clear distinction, reminding us that a home loan is cheap debt and therefore not all bad. ...

How to budget for time

Donna WillanMoney cents

Here’s an age-old question: how much is my time really worth? If I’m spending less money but a significant amount of time doing something I really don’t enjoy doing or find very difficult, am I really saving? Or am I wasting my time? I guess the question goes back to an earlier column where I ...