Did you have a good Christmas? Are you out there fighting your way through sales crowds trying to return the Deluxe Left-Handed Cheese straightener that you got for Christmas? I might well be doing that myself, and if I do that, then I can’t be writing excellent copy for this blog, now can I? All of this is to say, here are a few of my all-time favourite posts from my blog (in fact, if you checked the Faves Tab at the top of this page, you might find a lot of these posts).
Enjoy this retrospective across the five years of blogging I have been doing, and tomorrow I’ll start looking at what I have written this year in particular. Have a look at a few of these, and enjoy!
Personal Financial and Planning
- Free Banking
One of my favorite topics on how to get your bank to give you FREE banking for a while at least. - Quarterly Personal Finance Status Report
A way for couples to keep each other up to date on their financial status. - Debt is Like Fat
Another way to look at trying to get out of debt. - Debt Makes Me Sick
A frank article on my feelings about debt. - I Should Divorce My Wife?
An interesting point of view from the tax side of things.
Children
As most of you know, I have kids, and I write about their effects (affects?) on my financial life.
- Real World Example: Kids Allowances
Where I outline a system to ensure kids get their allowances on time. My kids were pretty mad at me until I implemented this system, and as a bonus, I am still watching them (financially). - Kippers
Not just a salted fish eaten for breakfast in the U.K. - Hidden School Costs
Not just for universities are there hidden costs in education, public schools rake a lot of money off parents too. - Advice to Future University Students
No, not money related, but still very useful.
Investment
- Einstein: The Rule of 72
Understanding what a doubling period is, and how the rule of 72 can help you with this concept is important to the start of your investment plan. - RRSP or Mortgage?
Should you invest or pay down debt, always a good question to ask. - Top 5 Investing Mistakes of my Life
This one hurts to read EVERY time, seeing how much money I lost.
Parables
In personal finances, sometimes a lot can be learned in parable format.
- Parable: Money and the McDonald’s Play Structure
How can my son getting stuck in a McDonald’s play structure have anything to do with money? Read and you will be amused to see where I went with this story. - Best Financial Advice Ever Given
Outlines a parable my Dad told me when I borrowed a large amount of money from him. I have used this parable many times myself. - Don’t Pass it to the Other Team
How does the Carleton basketball coach have anything to do with finances? Read and you’ll see a long stretch. - The Dangers of Advice
How I inadvertently gave very bad financial advice to a dear friend.
Humor
I enjoy a good laugh, mostly at my own expense and here are some of my favourite personal finance posts with a humorous angle.
- Always Have A Target
OK, yes, my humor normally drops to toilet humor, but this one is funny too! - God and a Stock Broker?
This is funny, except last week. - Why Banks are always funny
Going into banks, talking to banks, interacting with banks, etc., you had better have a sense of humor, because if you don’t you’ll go crazy. - Get Off the Throne
A perspective on the Throne Speech, that Stephen Harper might not have appreciated.
Previous Boxing Days?
I have written on the topic of Boxing Day a few times.
- Boxing Day? Big Bloody Deal! was my first rant about the day. In 2006 there were sales, but were they that exciting?
- Let the Boxing Quarter Begin does sum up the entire concept of Boxing “day”, it just keeps going on.
- Just because it’s on sale, another classic rant about impulse buying the day after Christmas, 2008.
- Holiday Cheer Volume 4 got lazy in 2009 and just put out a list of posts from that year.
- Carnival of Money Stories: Happy Pseudo Boxing Day! Back in the day when Blogging Carnivals were all the rage (2009).
- Sales and What is the Price?!? started to figure out the connection between Black Friday and Boxing Day sales. Neither really saved you much, did they? Not really in 2010.
- Happy Pseudo Boxing Day was just really a best of kind of post, no real commentary on Boxing Day itself.
- Mayhem and Sunday’s Best (on Monday) it seems that Boxing Day was an excuse for me to post a best of posts list? This article seems to prove the point?
- Advice for the day in 2012? Don’t buy crap, which is good advice any time. If something you need is on sale, buy it, if not, don’t!
- One Thing You Can Buy on the day is to buy something you need.
- Mayhem is always present on Boxing Day, but remember just because it is on sale, doesn’t mean you have to buy it.
- The 12 Days of Christmas Debt is something to think about on Boxing Day? Maybe think about that at Thanksgiving?
- Weirdest Boxing Day Ever? What do you expect during a Pandemic, I suppose?
- Happy Boxing Day 2023! Will we return to the mayhem we are used to?
Why “Pseudo”, Boxing day is purely secular, therefore it cannot be held on a sunday which is a religious holiday.
But it wasn’t boxing day either (Sunday)