Telus customers can donate by texting in the following ways:
• Text “QUAKE” to 45678 to donate $10 to The Salvation Army in Canada
• Text “ASIA” to 30333 to donate $5 to The Canadian Red Cross Society
• Text “GIVE” to 45678 to donate $5 to UNICEF

Anyone can donate to Red Cross by texting ASIA to 30333 to donate $5 from your account to the canadian red cross’ tsunami relief efforts. (Rogers, Telus, Virgin, Bell customers)

Photo credit by Lost in Japan

GAH!

See this unsightly, unseemly pile? This pile, friends, this pile has been with me since I moved up here from Vancouver 2 years ago. I kept it out of sight / out of mind in the back of some shelving which worked until The Renovations (more another time on that) started this week. Nobody tells you to Beware the Resurfacing Piles when renovating, do they.

It’s time for me to deal with it, and deal with it I shall. There’s nothing crucial or time sensitive (or if there is, I’d better hang up my hat) but it’s a bunch of money-related its and bits I need to toss or sort and file. I reckon it will take 90 minutes. So, every day when I return from work, it’s straight to this pile for 15 minutes until it is all properly sorted.

Now don’t go all harshing on me for this epic failure. I bet several of YOU have a pile somewhere of financial papers that are in a similar state of disarray. Care to join me in ‘fessing up and dealing with it? And we can lift a glass to one another next weekend when we’re done?

Well this is a juicy week!

Canada is about to get its first plastic money.

Lululemon’s founder, Chip Wilson (I’ve met him a coupla times. Good guy but I’m so not a Lululemon person. No yummy-mummy, me! But I digress.).. Chip Wilson is now a billionaire

Angry Birds (I’m stuck at level 4-2. Where are you?) developers have raised $42M in seed (ha ha) money.

Public Servants probably need to shell out more from their paycheques to fund their future pensions.

and the UK holds their bank rate to 0.5%

PhotoCredit: Brian.Ch

Do you typically think the worst about your financial situation?

If so, that’s a common psychological phenomenon. It’s known as filtering.
Filtering means you take the negative or upsetting details and focus on them, while filtering out the positive aspects.

For example, clients of mine often focus excessively on their debt compared to their assets. While debt is worthy of attention and counter-strategies, it should be put in appropriate perspective as a part of overall net worth. Otherwise, debt can assume the drivers seat in financial decision making. This is usually counter-productive.

So here’s a financial decluttering task should you choose to accept the mission.
Identify an aspect of your financial life that may be upsetting you out of proportion. Do some “talk back” by articulating a corresponding positive aspect.

Examples:

• “I have $25,000 of debt AND I HAVE $80,000 EQUITY IN MY HOME”
• “I chronically overspend AND I AM FULLY CAPABLE OF ADJUSTING THAT WITH TIME AND PRACTICE IF I DECIDE I REALLY WANT TO”
• “I am underemployed right now AND I HAVE GOOD SKILLS THAT I WILL PUT TO BETTER USE WITHIN THE NEXT YEAR”

Photo Credit: SparkleIce

Do you ever get irritated by the relentless Gotta Get The Latest Bright Shiny Object?

I’m an apple fangirl – and a stockholder – so I’m a bit ambivalent about the release of the iPad 2. Yay for improvements and yay for continued growth of a mighty fine company in which I hold shares.

But … I shelled out nearly $700 just less than a year ago for my iPad v.1 and you know what? It’s still awesome! No camera, no facetime, a wee bit thicker and heavier than the new one but… it’s still in perfect condition and I still absolutely love it.

So this woman won’t be rushing for the iPad 2. In fact, I think I’ll be content with my current iPad for a few years to come.

ps – thanks again for nabbing me my iPad, Kyle!

Photo Credit: Jared Earle