your-money

Could you feed your family for an entire week without spending more than $21? That’s the challenge that Australian blogger and personal finance writer Fiona Lippey has for households in Australia

My husband and I have been talking about getting rid of our car — we live close to a public transit system that can take us pretty much anywhere we need to go. There are also more rental options around us, with Zipcar and Autoshare cars parked all over the place these days.

Being in a rush all the time is bad for your psyche – and it’s also really hard on your wallet, whether you’re shelling out money to save time or, like me, paying for accidents and mistakes made while rushing around. I think we all need to slow down a bit – sure, we might end up getting less done, but it could also help us to spend less money and, as an added benefit, enjoy our lives more.

When I was a kid, my grandfather gave me a Canada Savings Bond every Christmas. I thought this was a pretty boring gift — until I turned 17 and cashed in some of the bonds to help pay for a summer abroad in France.

Remember this guy who bought a box of unpublished photos of Marilyn Monroe at a garage sale for $2? Or this guy who walked away with what looks like an early Andy Warhol painting at a yard sale for $5?