Hi –

When Nancy first asked me to contribute on a regular basis to her website my first thought was she’s gotta be kidding. She knows my personal financial history – what advice could I possibly have to offer? As we talked more, I realized that it’s because of my past that she wants me to record my thoughts and activities with my personal finances. So today I’ll give you a quick snapshot of who I am and where I’ve come from.

My name is Jeffrey and I’m a standard issue middle-aged white middle class gay man. Hard to say that out loud – “middle aged” – but once you hit your early 40s there’s no other way to describe it. You could say I’m “middle” everything – middle aged, middle class, and middle management. I’m in a serious relationship but still living alone. I live and work in Vancouver and have a teenaged daughter who lives with her Mom in Victoria.

I’m also what you’d describe as a late bloomer. It took all of my 20s and into my early 30s to grow up and figure out what I wanted out of life and what I wanted to be when I finally grew up. As a result, I spent a lot of interesting years involved in interesting rewarding work that paid very little money. And I spent all of those years evading debts, bill, and collection agencies. The sound of the phone ringing still triggers an attack of the cold sweats.

I moved to Vancouver 4 years ago for my current job and realized that I had “grown up” in every area of my life except my finances. I needed to learn how to manage them and ensure that there is enough for my future and my daughter’s. A daunting and terrifying task for someone who lived his life like Peter Pan. And that’s how I met Nancy. Over the course of several months we analyzed my current situation, immediate issues and needs, and future requirements. She then patiently and gently started setting up what I call “interventions” to change the way I think about and handle money and shift behaviours that weren’t working into more positive fiscal management.

Over the course of the next few months I hope to talk about these interventions, what worked and what didn’t, and try to honestly discuss the ongoing successes and challenges of going from a philosophy of “keep your happy thought and you can fly” to “keep on a manageable plan and you can both save money and live as you want.” And believe me – that’s really flying!

Talk again soon,
Jeffrey

My name is Kat.
I am a 39 yr old single woman living in Vancouver.

I relocated here a few years ago to make a career and lifestyle change. Formerly a Legal Assistant in Ottawa, I was well paid but after many years in the industry I was very ready for a change. I successfully made the transition to the Career Counselling industry about 2 1/2 years ago. I’m immensely happy in the work that I do, assisting others to re-connect with their dreams and choose work about which they feel passionate.

One practical reality of this shift, however, has been an initial “downsizing” of my income...to the tune of more than $10,000 per year! I was well aware that this would be the case as my former industry paid exceptionally well in relation to others. Regardless, I willingly chose my new career specificially because of the non-monetary rewards it offered. To stay true to this career path meant I needed to re-evaluate my finances and prioritize my needs. Enter Nancy Zimmerman of Your Money By Design!

I took Nancy’s course and have made several positive shifts in my finances since. This blog will be a record of the journey I am taking to free myself from debt.

My initial reaction to taking part in this experience was “eeeeeeeek! I’m still struggling to keep all the balls in the air, how can I be an example to others?!” Then it occurred to me that *no* successful journey is ever a straightforward march to the goal, we all experience setbacks and learn lessons during the ride. I imagine what I’m experiencing is probably quite representative of what much of the “middle income” Canadian population faces financially so hopefully you will read this blog with the understanding that I am an ordinary Canadian who wants to live debt free and have enough money not only to meet my needs but to enjoy life as I’d ultimately like to live it. Perhaps you’ll see a little bit of yourself in my experience….and hopefully you’ll learn something AND have fun along the way!

Cheers!
Kat