Welcome to 2014. I am one of those lucky people that love what I do, but even as much as I love it, by the end of 2013, I was exhausted!! I took 3 weeks off and feel amazing, I am rejuvenated and ready to take on all the challenges that 2014 will throw me.

This got me thinking and I took some time out to start formally writing up my bucket list, not just my goals but all the things I want to do, such as: take a surfing lesson, learn Italian, visit Machu Picchu. I used a website www.bucketlist.org, but a piece of paper would work just as well.

Financial planning is just as much about understanding your buying and spending habits as it is about understanding how to manage cashflow and debt.

This year, I have discovered that I learn by doing, often the hard way. We recently bought my husband a new car. In the past we have traded our old car in to buy the new one but we always felt that we were losing too much. If we were to trade my husband’s current car in we would have been lucky to get $2,500, but we felt the car was worth $5,500, so we decided to sell it privately.

Budget is not a swear word

Do you feel like you are earning good money but never seem to know where it is going?  Do all your friends seem to be able to afford fancy cars and luxurious holidays but you can’t? We hear this a lot.  Many people feel like their money is just eaten up each month with nothing left over.  What can you do?