If you’re looking to reduce your grocery bills and improve your health, then gardening is the answer. Not only are home grown vegetables healthier than store bought produce, they are cheaper as well. Besides that you will also get a great sense of accomplishment when you harvest your own produce.

According to many botanists there are many ways to reduce the cost of starting and maintaining gardens . If you have the patience, using seeds instead of seedlings can be a good investment. When you think about it, all the nursery is doing is putting the seeds in the ground and waiting a week. That’s clearly something that you could do yourself if you had the inclination. Don’t forget that after the first round, if you’re careful you can save seeds from the plants you grow. Done properly, you’ll only have to buy seeds once.

Aside from the cost of seeds and potting soil, the remaining expenses come down to fertilizer and tools. Fertilizer needs to be replaced constantly but tools are a one time expense. If you live in a suburb then your yard is an invaluable source of fertilizer in the form of lawn clippings and dead leaves. Tools, on the other hand, you shouldn’t skimp on. You’ll only have to buy a good tool once so there’s no reason to economize. I’m not recommending that you get yourself gold plated shovels but at least get something that you can rely on.

Our parents generation used to have dozens of books on gardening. Thanks to the internet, that’s no longer necessary. You can find the equivalent of millions of books available on the internet for free and on subjects that you would be hard pressed to find a paper book on.

In recent weeks, Ontario’s government revealed that it plans to take away Cash Store Financial Services’ license to issue payday loans in Ontario for allegedly violating Ontario’s Payday Loans Act. The act was created to limit the fees that payday lenders are allowed to charge. Since Cash Store Financial Services is one of Canada’s largest cash advance companies, this is big news for residents everywhere. If the company loses its license, many citizens with imperfect credit who rely on payday loans will find it more difficult to obtain the money they need.

In Ontario alone, Cash Store Financial Services has over 200 outlets in 19 different communities including Ottawa, Toronto, and Kitchener. The Cash Store and InstaLoans are the two main branch names used by this company. According to the Ministry of Consumer Services of Ontario, Cash Store Financial Services is accused of charging customers higher fees than permitted. By law, the maximum amount a payday lender can charge is $21 per $100 borrowed. In addition to this, the ministry alleges that several customers were required to receive their borrowed funds in the form of prepaid debit cards instead of cash. Customers reported that they had to spend as much as $18 to activate the cards. In addition to this, they reported paying monthly maintenance fees for the prepaid cards and additional fees for adding more funds to their cards. These fees were in addition to the maximum $21 per $100 allowed by law.

To remedy these alleged offenses, the ministry is requesting that the company’s license be removed by a tribunal. In response to the allegations, Cash Store Financial Services requested a hearing. The company also said that it has stopped offering cash advances to the public in Ontario, so Cash Store Financial Services plans to continue its other services. In addition to this, the company claimed that Ontario’s government has made efforts to hinder lending activities and other services in the past.

In 2008, the Payday Loans Act was introduced to stop companies from taking advantage of the working poor. However, experts believe that it is time to revisit that act and make additional changes. They agree that the current maximum fee, which adds up to triple-digit percentages when spread over the course of one year, is unfair. At this point, their goal is to make an example for other payday lenders and negotiate more reasonable rates to protect Canadian consumers in the future.

The biggest cost account for any family isn’t their home mortgage or car loan. It’s the cost of raising their children in an increasingly expensive world. The basics alone like food and clothes can already cost hundreds of dollars a month without having to add education and medical expenses. There are also unforeseen emergencies that can drain the savings account almost immediately.

Fortunately, there are a few ways to cut down on other expenses in order to divert funds towards raising children. The home’s mortgage should be the top priority here. Instead of going for the usual, 30- year term, parents can try paying down the loan faster in order to decrease the interest expense in the long run. This can be done by either paying twice per month, or increasing the monthly fee. This might seem expensive now, but once the mortgage has been paid off, there’ll be plenty of disposable income for the family.

There’s also a great savings account for the children’s future education called the Registered Education Saving Plan or RESP. The family should pay regularly towards this account so that it grows substantially over the next decade. This should be treated with some conservatism however as some families commit the mistake of putting all their eggs in this basket, leaving their other financial priorities without a source of income.

The parents themselves should also look towards their future welfare by investing in a pension fund. The Registered Retirement saving Plan is the basic package for all employees, but this should be treated as a starting point in learning more about future savings plans. As with all the other investments out there, some other enterprising company will be able to offer more profit for a reduced cost.

Is it almost time for the sweltering summer we all love? Well, if you are like me, you really don’t enjoy the heat, but you also might not enjoy paying an arm and a leg just to keep cool. So I have devised six tips that you can use to keep cool over the summer.

Cooling off can be very easy with a cool washcloth on the back of your neck. This trick will cool your entire body off quickly, once the cloth dries out, just wet it again.

Installing a window air conditioning unit can be a great way of cooling the house off in an energy efficient way. This might be a bit costly upfront, but it tends to be much cheaper to cool just one room as opposed to your entire house.

Cooling down at night is much easier if you wear a pair of wet socks to bed with a fan pointed at them. The evaporation cools your entire body down and keeps you cool.

A fan relay is an inventive way of keeping cool air circulating. You can blow cool air from one side of the house to another using a number of fans.

Cooking can generate a great deal of heat, one great way to keep that out of your house is to cook outside on the grill, or eat a salad. If you have to cook inside, you should consider blocking the kitchen with a blanket to prevent the spread of heat.

How do you keep cool without burning money?

A retirement pension is probably the biggest consideration when you approach your golden years, but this is just the first of many things to consider. If you want to live out your retirement in relative comfort, you’ll also have to look at your health, your assets and many other items that can affect older people.

First of all, make sure your pension or retirement benefits are safe and secure. Understand the fundamentals of what you’re investing in, and ensure that what you receive monthly is exactly what you’re meant to receive. During this time, it might be a good idea to move to a new home or even a different province, so make use of your time by researching your options well.

As you approach your retirement age, you will have no doubt felt less youthful. There will be certain sore muscles and pains in areas you could have ignored when you were younger. This is definitely not the time to ignore them now, so consult your physician and follow his advice to the last letter.

A great home and secure pension can only go along way before you get bored with yourself. It’s also imperative that you ensure you have an active lifestyle. Aside from your hobbies, make sure you keep in contact with your friends and family. This is a great time to reconnect with your social circle and improve your relationships with those people you never got a chance to know better.

When it comes to managing money, kids should always be included. Learning about finances and money is the perfect way to get your child started on a healthy relationship with money. Learning about money is also the perfect way to protect them from thieves that includes peers, teachers, and salesmen. The first thing you should always do when it’s time to teach your child about money is to actually give them money. Showing them the difference between a dollar and a coin is the first step. After you have taught them the basics of money, you can then get them their own savings account. Money doesn’t grow on trees, and too make sure that they know that, teach them the value of a dollar by opening up a savings account for your child. Giving is also a huge part of the learning process ; teach your child that not everyone has money to save or spend. Teach them the value of a dollar by letting them personally donate some of their money to charity. It’s a good deed, and it will also teach them that having money can be fun when it comes to donating to those in need. Last but not least, your child learns everything from you, especially when it comes to finances, be a good financial role model, and handle money responsibly.

Financial success has a different meaning for everyone, for some people having financial success means paying the bills on time. Although those individuals feel like they’re having financial prosperity, they’re not. When it comes to having a financial life that is fulfilling and prosperous, there are things that you have to do to make the changes permanent. An entirely new financial lifestyle is needed. Things like your job, spending habits and even your bank will determine how successful you are in your financial life. No one is saying you will become a millionaire overnight, but never think that being one is out of the question for you. The main thing in your life that you need to do to obtain some form of financial security is to save. Saving money by cutting out restaurant meals, and shopping frugal is the first easy step. Live life frugally for a month and you will be shocked at how much money you will save. Hundreds of dollars that you usually waste can go right back into your bank account. A cool way to earn some extra cash is by investing. Invest smart, contact a stock broker; know that whatever you invest in has good returns. It takes money to make money, and when it comes to investing, it’s the fastest way to become a millionaire.

When it comes to managing money, kids should always be included. Learning about finances and money is the perfect way to get your child started on a healthy relationship with money. Learning about money is also the perfect way to protect them from thieves that includes peers, teachers, and salesmen. The first thing you should always do when it’s time to teach your child about money is to actually give them money. Showing them the difference between a dollar and a coin is the first step. After you have taught them the basics of money, you can then get them their own savings account. Money doesn’t grow on trees, and too make sure that they know that, teach them the value of a dollar by opening up a savings account for your child. Giving is also a huge part of the learning process ; teach your child that not everyone has money to save or spend. Teach them the value of a dollar by letting them personally donate some of their money to charity. It’s a good deed, and it will also teach them that having money can be fun when it comes to donating to those in need. Last but not least, your child learns everything from you, especially when it comes to finances, be a good financial role model, and handle money responsibly.