Over the years I have attended numerous wedding ceremonies.  Some of them have been very extravagant, while others have been simple.  What has really interested me is watching how the couples fare after their grand day financially.

I have found that those couples that spend a pile of money on their wedding usually wind up having financial difficulties.  Quite often these couples spend so much money that they need to get a loan to pay for everything.  This can set them back a number of years while they pay it off, unlike couples that stay within their means.

On the other hand, even those couples that opt for something as simple as practical favors instead of expensive ones usually come out ahead.  Instead of having a financial burden due to their wedding, they can move on into their new lives without the burden of debt.

So, if you are planning a wedding, try and keep it practical and within your budget.  Saving some money on your first day together can make the rest of your life together that much better.

I bet the headline got you to read this article, right?  Well, I know if I came across any way that I could save some money on gasoline, it would be a blessing.  The rising prices of gas have affected me more than I would like to let on, but it is getting harder and harder financially to handle keeping the gas tank full each month.

But I found a way to get free gas.

You see, my bank offers a gas credit card that pays you each time you purchase gasoline.  In my case, I get 5% cash back on all my gasoline purchases I make.  If you figure out the math, for every 20 tanks of gas I purchase, I get one gas fill free.

The funny thing is gas cards are not new.  In fact, I have a buddy that has had a couple of gas credit cards for a number of years now.  But they are becoming increasingly popular with the price increases on gasoline we are all forced to bear.

Next time you are at a service station, or your bank, ask if they have a gas credit card – and get your free gas too.

Every year, I have the same problem. The problem is with what to get my parents for Christmas. They have absolutely everything that they could ever need and if they don’t have it, then they just go and buy it. They are impossible to buy for and every year we get the same answer when we ask them what they want.

They always say that they do not want anything, except to have all their kids and grandchildren home for Christmas. It is such a cop out answer, so they usually end up with another fruit bowl or a new sweater or something equally as useless. This year, I determined that it was going to be different. I was going to get them something that they would absolutely love.

The idea hit me while I was trying to fall asleep one night. The last time we were all together, we took some pictures of all the grandchildren. I was going to look into putting photos onto canvas and giving them a large canvas picture of all five of the grandchildren together. It was something that they would find so spectacular. I couldn’t wait.

I am not here to tell you about some magic formula to get your immigration application into Canada approved, but if you could prepare for the tasks you will have to perform, wouldn’t that make your life easier?

I bet it would.

As a person wanting to immigrate into Canada, you will be tested to see if you would be a good fit as a Canadian citizen.  There is basically three tests you will take which will affect you eligibility to enter and live in Canada: a written test, an interview, and a driving test.

You can make your life a little easier by taking advantage of the resources available to you on the Internet.  In fact, if you do a search online, you will find that you can download an immigration interview sample right off the Internet.

You can also find samples of the Canadian citizenship test, and the Ontario G1 test online as well.

Here are the three steps to easy Canadian Immigration:

1.  Find and download the sample interview and tests from the Internet.

2.  Practice the tests.  Write the written ones and check the answer key.  For the interview, it is usually best to practice with a friend.

3.  Repeat.  You see, practice makes perfect – and it will help you to be more comfortable when it comes down to the real thing.

I wish you luck on becoming a Canadian immigrant!

I had the great opportunity of getting together and discussing the job of foreclosure assistance with a colleague of my father’s today. It is something that greatly interests me, as I feel it is always a worthwhile job when you can help someone out of financial ruin.

I learned that by going with PMI Insurance when you take out a mortgage, it is a lot easier to qualify for help if it ever comes down to it. I love learning these kinds of things, because I have not purchased my first home yet, and the more knowledge I have, the better equipped I will feel when that time does come.

We also had a chance to talk about life insurance and I will definitely go with term insurance to ensure that my loved ones will be taken care of if I pass away. The knowledge is one reason why I love to get together and discuss with my father’s various partners and colleagues.

As we grow up, we are all faced with a multitude of choices that influence our lives.  Whether you know it or not, by reading this post, you are influencing your future right now.

Some of the more notable choices we make involve choosing what kind of education that we choose to get (if any) and how we spend our free time.

For example, you could go to a free seminar which offers the opportunity to meet and grow rich by networking with other people that are on that path – or you could go to the bar.  Now, there is a cost to each action, but depending on your choice, your future will be different.

If you are looking for a different experience in life than everyone else, you will have to think outside the box – if you don’t your life will be very much similar to everyone else.  I mean that you will probably work till you are sixty five, only have three weeks of vacation each year, and save your whole life for retirement to live below your means.

Do you want a life like that?

I sure don’t.  But it is my life.  How about you – what is your next choice?

For a lot of people entering the housing market in many areas, there are not a lot of opportunities.  For example, in the area that I live in, the housing values have skyrocketed pushing some first time home buyers out of the market.  This is especially true for those people in the lower middle class who cannot afford the expensive mortgage payments.

For these people, they can either rent or try to find something.  One overlooked housing alternative is used mobile homes.  You can find these homes with similar square footage as a traditional home, but at a price that is in reach of most people.  Even though these house trailers could be moved, in most cases they are a permanent fixture of mobile home parks.

One notable difference is the way you finance a mobile home.  You do not get a traditional mortgage like a regular house, but instead there are manufactured home loans available.  They take into account the different construction and there quick depreciation.  If the home owner can find enough to put down a 20% down payment, quite often they can buy their new home without private mortgage insurance.  Talk to your lender to find out if this can apply for you.

Mobile homes fill the gap in the housing requirement for those people who do not have a large income, or live in areas with high home values.  They do have special financing considerations, but they do make affordable starter homes.

Anyone out there still own a fax machine?  Well I did until this past week.  You see, I think I bought the fax machine I had back in the 90s back when they were "cool".  It amazes me how much we used to depend on it to send things for our business, apply for loans, and communicate with the outside world.

But that all changed when the Internet became popular.  I used to apply for loans over the fax machine, but now they have payday loans no fax required.  Another good example is the debt consolidation program that I am involved in – I just send the monthly documents that I need to submit via email instead of my fax machine.

I have been thinking of getting one of those home refinance loans, and take some equity that has built up in my house out.  I no longer have to go down to the bank to do it, I can just go online and fill out an application form – that’s it.  It is a lot simpler than it used to be.

Now, that the fax machine is gone, I will have to find something to take its’ place, before my wife puts something there.  I don’t want any "girly" stuff in my office.

I am a Cancer survivor.  I overcame the disease by eating an organic diet and staying away from as many chemicals and pollutants as possible.  At the time when I was diagnosed and decided to forgo the chemotherapy and fight it naturally, my son was ten months old.  I immediately looked into purchasing organic baby clothing for him.

I had never thought much about organic baby clothes, but a brush with death gets a person thinking about things differently.  I thought about the fact that if I was more careful with what I fed him and how we lived our lives, I may be able to prevent him from having to go through this one day.

I was excited to find that my organics supplier has recently received a shipment of organic baby bedding, including the mattress for his crib.  Going organic has been very costly, but I feel like a better mom and I feel like I’ve given him a better life.

I have been mulling over a number of ideas for my kids for Christmas.  There are many things that they need and many fun things that I could get, but my wife told me that this year we needed to be practical.  Some form of clothing would be appropriate, but a game would not.  I thought I could come up with something that was fun and practical, I just needed to think.

It took me some time, but eventually, I was able to come up with something.  The kids needed shoes, and my wife thought that Crocs would be the way to go.  But what I thought of is that they needed rubber boots as well – so maybe they sold closed in Croc shoes (at least that is what I hoped).

So, I took a look online and found my answer.  They made closed in All Terrain Crocs that would make my wife happy and myself happy too.  I didn’t mention it to her, but when spring comes, the kids and I are going to play in the puddles and the mud.  If there shoes "happen" to get dirty, we can just was them off easily, and go get them dirty – seems like a win-win situation for me.