budget

Whenever we talk about trimming back our budgets we end up targeting stuff like coffee, lunches out and cable television. We’ve cast these as wasteful, pointless things that simply bring us pleasure but no long-term payback.

This season's best picks that won't hurt your budget

We spend a lot of money on food, don’t we? We know we should eat at home more, but we just can’t seem to find the time to make those meals from scratch.

Lately, every time it rains, the drain in our basement bathroom backs up. One very rainy night last week we called in a plumber to see if he could figure out what was wrong. He put a tiny camera down the drain and through the pipes as my husband and I looked on anxiously. “Wow” the guy said as the camera snaked its way under our basement floor. “Clearly a do-it-yourself job.”

I learned everything I know about shopping from my Mum. She has a great eye and can find something fabulous in places you’d never think to look. But while my Mum loves beautiful things, they’re not really what she wants for Mother’s Day.