Category: Blog

The Brookhaven Retreat, which treats women with substance abuse issues, recognizes Buy Nothing Day on November 24 as a way of shining a spotlight on the harm shopping addiction causes in women’s lives. In a culture of materialism where consumption and ownership have been equated with happiness, it is important to focus on the way some… Continue reading Brookhaven Retreat Recognizes Importance of Buy Nothing Day

2008 Media Coverage of Compulsive Buying nePsy.com (December 2008): Compulsive shopping: disorder or disease? NOW Magazine (December 29, 2008): http://www.nowtoronto.com/news/story.cfm?content=166605 Divorce360 (December 15, 2008): Married to a Shopaholic? Holidays Can Be Tough for your Marriage Wall St. Journal (December 14, 2008): This Year, More Than Ever, It’s Tough to Be a Compulsive Shopper. Adbusters Magazine… Continue reading Related Blogs / Articles / 2008 / 2007

A Financial Highway blogger compares two scenarios using the Toronto market as an example. Two similar condos are compared, one as a rental and one for sale. Playing out the numbers, renting costs much less monthly, but over the long term you come out ahead as a homeowner. Three things to keep in mind as… Continue reading Rent vs. Buy

The team at DailyWorth tells us that Apple, IBM, Dell and other major computer companies all sell refurbished computers that can often be a great deal, both from a financial and a quality perspective. When computers are returned, they might be “repaired, upgraded, cleaned, or simply tested and repackaged…,” and very few are found to… Continue reading The Case for Buying Refurbished Computers

Nearly every religious and spiritual tradition teaches meditation and mindfulness, and for good reason: these practices help us live in the present moment and deal with stress as it arises. The practice of mindfulness is not just for monks and nuns, it’s for anyone who wants to experience happiness and peace. We can be mindful… Continue reading How to Unplug and Be Present in Our Over-Connected World

Keeping sight of your long-term investment goals will help you keep your emotions in check as you encounter the invariable fluctuations in the investment markets. Fear due to losses and then subsequent confidence from gains can lead to unwise investment patterns and the paradoxical “buying high and selling low” mentality; the exact opposite of what… Continue reading Emotional Investing: Why We Buy High and Sell Low

Have a student loan? You’re not the only one; college debt is over $1 trillion in the U.S. To take control of your student debt, experts suggest starting with a clear assessment of your debt and debtors. Make sure your contact information is up to date, and keep it current. Federal education loans can be… Continue reading Student Loans: Your 5-Step Plan to Pay Them Off

Lori Lippincott of Loving Simple Living believes minimalism is a journey, and shares her view of the minimalist’s life cycle, beginning with a sense of searching; something needs to change. One becomes aware of the minimalist lifestyle and the idea resonates. Curiosity leads to action, which could be just cleaning out a closet. Excitement results… Continue reading The Life Cycle of a Minimalist

Kid in a candy store or bull in a china shop—which metaphor’s the more apt? At various times, either one: visiting a plant nursery can be (and has been) an overbuying trigger of the first order for me. Scents, textures, and colors, the forms of the flowers and the fruits of the vines and the… Continue reading The Plants Not Taken