Money & Career

Our five-year fixed rate mortgage term ends in July. I called our mortgage broker just before the recent rate hike to see if I could get preapproved and lock into a lower rate with a new provider on the early side (doing this at least gave us the option to switch lenders to a lower rate). Our broker came back to us with a much lower rate with a major bank.

According to this article from CNN Money, shopping is a hot zone for married couples - 80 percent of those surveyed hide purchases from their spouse on a regular basis. And men are more likely to do the hiding.

When I was a kid in the 70s, my folks gave me an allowance of $1 a week and I could do what I wanted with it. I would save the dollar bills in this orange plastic wallet and watch it get a bit fatter week after week.

Three simple steps towards financial and relationship harmony

My husband is a very patient clothes shopper - he makes a point of going back to his favourite stores, waiting for stuff to go on sale. The guy can stalk a pair of pants for weeks (months even) until they get cheap enough.