If You Want to Fall in Love, Just Fake It?
I’m all for faking it till you make it, but could this really work?
Sounds like asking for trouble if you ask me…
Links
Halifax’s donair: The tastiest treat you have probably never heard of
Halifax’s donair: The tastiest treat you have probably never heard of
There’s nothing like it 😉
Debt-ridden and unemployed: We are the Class of 2012
Debt-ridden and unemployed: We are the Class of 2012
More on the Globe and Mail conversation of youth unemployment… Check out the graphs and stats laid-out in this article. Scary.
Also, here is a nice excerpt from a related article.
Charlotte Bumstead, a 24-year-old writer from Newmarket, Ont., said the chance of finding a decent job with a livable salary was comparable to winning the lottery.
“On behalf of my generation, we don’t want your pity,” Ms. Bumstead wrote. “Go ahead and call us ‘lazy and entitled,’ we’re happy to prove you wrong.”
Smart Cookies
For those of you who haven’t heard of the Smart Cookies, this will be a real treat. I was reading an article today in the Globe and Mail again about how life as a twenty-something is financially challenging (ya think!?!). It made an interesting point. Instead of trying to maintain or achieve a luxury-item-based lifestyle in the wake of growing debt and dwindling career prospects and paycheques… why don’t we learn to embrace frugality?
Today I wore a $10 dress I found on the clearance rack at Walmart. I’ve gotten a number of compliments already and it’s only 11:30. My new sunglasses are cute and fashionable, and they were only $14.99… sure they might not last more than 1 season but I’d rather not be tied to wearing trendy sunglasses longer than socially acceptable because I spent a large portion of my paycheque on them.
Two Christmases ago Sandra Claus gave me the book The Smart Cookies’ Guide to Making More Dough. It took me 6 months before I would even open it. My finances as a grad student were in such dire straights, I didn’t even KNOW what my balances were on my lines of credit and credit cards were.
This is dangerous territory indeed.
Once I started working my internship last summer I was bringing in a decent paycheque every two weeks and finally cracked open the book… I even brought it with me to Ottawa knowing it would eventually get read. It was great! Written by 5 Canadian ladies, I loved how I could relate to the little things they spoke about… (e.g. Instead of Tim Hortons, bring coffee in a travel mug from home instead).
I devoured this book.
While I may still be in a precarious financially position as a recent grad with plenty of student debt and meager current earning, my attitude has definitely shifted. I know my financial position… knowledge is power. I pay my bills early. I make more than the minimum payments (sometimes even double). I know my interest rates, I know when money is coming in and when it is going out.
The one area I need to improve upon the most is savings. I know I could be doing better. And that is what I am aiming to do. I know the right people to ask. So it’s just a matter of doing it.
A 29 year old on the difficulties of landing a first job
A 29 year old on the difficulties of landing a first job
This is a follow-up to an ongoing series/conversation about recent graduate (un)employment issues. It’s a letter from a reader.
Protesters storm Montreal university, gang up on students in class
Protesters storm Montreal university, gang up on students in class
This is INSANE!
Shame. It is never okay to threaten or physically intimidate others to try to convey your message. You chose to protest, they chose not to.
Deal with it.
There are no bad jobs, says Flaherty
Bahahaha… I wonder how much does Jim Flaherty makes?
I’d like to see him commute via public transit over an hour each way for minimum wage without proper childcare like so many Canadians will be forced to.
For A Week I Resolve to be Positive
For A Week I Resolve to be Positive
So many of us fall into the habit of negative talk, negative thoughts, and this results in a general feeling of negativity.
Who needs that?
Why not try a week without negativity?
I think I will.
Times are Tough
I came across this article today in the Globe and Mail.
As someone who was born in 1984 and finding myself in the post-graduate hamster-wheel, I found this article refreshing. Finally someone acknowledging the fact that it is really tough to be a young adult right now, and that we are not all self-entitled cry-babies.
Today I called the Canadian National Student Loans Centre and was relieved to find out I have another month before I have to officially apply for repayment assistance. I got all the figures explained to me though. It is mind-bloggling that I can only make minimum wage (approximately $10.00/h) working 37.5 hours a week for 4 weeks to qualify for a 6 month $0 repayment schedule. Anything over that and I would have to still pay a portion of my loan principal. Believe me though, if I didn’t have sweet living arrangement that I have right now, I would not be able to live on minimum wage with all the other types of debt I have incurred during my university career that unfortunately do not allow for a 6 month after completion of studies grace period.
So for now, I can breathe easier…
Ask me again in a month.
Not So Skinny Genes 