It happens to the best of us: poor credit. It isn’t hard to develop. One unpaid $100 mobile phone bill and 4 years later, and your credit history is poor enough to make a banker shut their laptop so fast it blows your hair back. No loans for you. No mortgage.  No line of credit. No further questions.

Budgeting tips from your mother

This weekend was the big day: Mother’s Day. The day all moms look forward to as their annual chance to live like queens…or the day they don’t have to do quite as many household chores. Let’s be realistic, that’s probably what happened.

March: a time of great commitments. Commitment to spring breaks. Commitment to cold weather complaining and spring dreaming. Commitment to shamrock headbands and “Kiss me — my father’s second cousin was Irish!” shirts. But you don’t need to rely on the luck of the Irish to save for your retirement.

The winds in Niagara are blustery this month, and they were really whipping around as I attended the International Women’s Day event. I braved the winds because I was excited to attend this annual event put on by the Women in Niagara council. The event is a great opportunity to empower, educate, and celebrate women. Kind of like I do everyday, but in this venue with a room full of inspiring women.

March: the month that Niagara residents carry spring coats and parkas in their cars because the weather changes hourly. The month when green occasionally appears on the ground and more often in local pubs on the 17^th. The month when debt worries become overwhelming because it is well past Christmas and you still haven’t paid down what you’d hope to on your credit cards. Ok, that last one may not appear in your Facebook feed, but take a gander at the bankruptcy trustee billboards that sprouted like dandelions on your neighbours lawn. Debt is a big issue in Niagara and you are not alone if you count it among your daily struggles.