how to get rich

Why do we want so much stuff?

Donna WillanMoney cents

Why do we want so much stuff? I reflected on this in my last column and we really, really don’t need so much stuff; yet many of us seem to be hooked into this culture of wanting more and spending more. But why? When I think about it we really only need a few things: ...

Wants vs needs

Donna WillanMoney cents

“What do we Want? What do we Need? Do we know the difference?” This was the topic of one of Simon’s ‘100 second tips’ a few months ago and it really hit home for me, so I thought I would re-visit the idea today. How often do I manage to convince myself that my wants ...

Outsourcing to save money

Donna WillanMoney cents

Last week I managed to wrestle my pool back from green to murky blue. But as I wrote in my last column, I had an epiphany – we cannot do it all, I cannot do it all! So once in a while, if you can afford it and if it’s a task that’s not in ...

Reviewing my financial goals

Donna WillanMoney cents

It’s May and we are already a third of the way through the year, time for some reflection on my financial goals – am I on track? First a confession, I didn’t really articulate my goals in January, so let me do so now! First I will try to keep them SMART (Simple, Measurable, Achievable, ...

Inexpensive pleasures

Donna WillanMoney cents

In my first blog post I was lamenting how much money we spend over holidays. I promised to try to do it differently and to let you know how this panned out over the Easter holidays. A four-day weekend and school holidays is a lethal combination that can certainly break the budget that I was ...

Budget blues

Donna WillanMoney cents

Ever since I started my first ‘real’ job I have always had a detailed household budget listing income and expenses, ensuring that expenses do not exceed income, and yet this seems to only work on paper. I update it every time my bills increase, but somehow, despite what the budget says, it doesn’t seem to ...

What am I teaching my children about money?

Web AdminMoney cents

How can we support children to have a healthy attitude towards money? Children watch what we do with money and they absorb our attitudes like sponges. So what am I teaching my children? There are three critical things I want my children to absorb when it comes to money: firstly, money is a finite resource; ...

Retirement: Challenge accepted!

Web AdminMoney cents

“Retirement – am I doing enough to ensure I can retire at a decent age, or will I be working forever?” These are the words I used to end my last column and they have haunted me; I do not want to work forever, so I need a plan to retire. I am a single ...

I want to afford holidays

Donna WillanMoney cents

Holidays. I want them, I need them, I deserve them. But can I afford them? I am thinking about different types of holidays – perhaps a short, local, get away; or a big two week holiday; or simply time at home relaxing and doing fun things that we never have time to do. Yes I ...
listing boom

A personal finance column by Donna

Simon BrownUncategorized

I’m in my mid-40s, a professional with an average income, a single mother with two young kids, and I have a big bond hanging over my head – who doesn’t right? I’m trying to get better at managing and understanding my personal finance; by having less debt and more disposable income – which would be ...