We’re all familiar with Santa’s Christmas stocking. As discerning consumers, though, it would do no harm to make ourselves aware of the temptations of his Christmas stock too! The items I am referring to are of the bulkier variety – the ones that are too big to fit into such a humble garment of clothing; those unofficial ‘presents to self’, as opposed to the gifts we buy for other people. If we were to delay the purchase of Christmas presents for friends and family until the January sales on the basis of increased value for money we would, quite rightly, […]
The D Word
Words have the power to inspire. They also have the power to inspire fear. Like anything in life, it all depends on which way you choose to look at it. One word that tends to get a bad press is ‘discipline’. If you look no further than the process of discipline, enthusiasm will be in short supply. If, though, you focus on the wonderful outcomes that discipline gives rise to, it’s difficult not to be inspired. The Oxford English Dictionary defines discipline as ‘controlled behaviour’. Bringing discipline to bear on your money by controlling your day-to-day financial behaviour in the framework of a personal […]
Money Machine
I recently watched a documentary about the fascinating life of Henry Ford, the founder of the Ford Motor Company and the inventor of modern mass production. Little more than a century ago, Americans lead relatively primitive lives – having to spend much of their time and energy just getting from A to B by horse and cart. Henry Ford changed all that by making it possible for many of them to purchase their first car, in the form of the Model T Ford. This was the vehicle which, in effect, liberated Americans and enabled them to fulfil their true potential, […]
Sleep On It
Sleep is a wonderful thing. Not only does it improve our memory, fitness, intelligence and wellbeing, it can also make us financially better off. The phrase ‘to sleep on it’ denotes the delaying of a decision until the next day. And I was urged by my wife to do just that recently – right as I was about to commit to a large financial purchase, which I had managed to convince myself was a necessity. When I awoke the next day, however, it quickly became apparent to me that it was anything but. Thanks to the money I saved, taking […]
It Ain’t Over Till It’s Over
Yogi Berra, who died recently, was as much famous for his ‘Yogi-isms’ as he was for his distinguished professional baseball career. Indeed, it could be argued, it was these Yogi-isms that globalised his fame. By leaving his indelible mark on the English language, his influence went far beyond any one sport or country and extended throughout the English-speaking world. His legacy of wit and wisdom includes, “When you come to a fork in the road, take it”, “You can observe a lot by just watching”, and the celebrated, “It ain’t over till it’s over.” This last truism (‘a claim that […]
Taming the Plastic
Used correctly, 0%- or low-interest credit card balance transfers can be an extremely effective tool in paying off credit card debt as part of a planned personal budget. High interest debt is a bit like sugar in our diet, with credit cards being the financial equivalent of high-calorie desserts. Of course, just like a sweet treat, credit cards do have their place. Once card repayments start to dominate our finances, though, it’s like sitting down to an entrée of cherry pie, a main course of sticky date, and a desert of chocolate gateau. That once mouth-watering credit card quickly becomes […]