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Author Archives: Kristina Tahnyak

Avatar photo About Kristina Tahnyak

Tahnya is a Certified Financial Planner and former Investment Advisor turned marketing and communications professional She holds a degree from Concordia University, is debt free and currently works in the field of digital marketing.

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Do you believe in couples therapy?

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couples therapy, couples problem, marriage problems

Good morning Dinks. Let me ask you a question, have you ever been to couples therapy? You don’t have to answer out loud but I am just wondering how hard Dinks work on their marriage.  I keep reading about couples who take a vacation as a way to save their marriage and I am just wondering what kind of problem can be solved by a vacation.

Talking about conflict can help resolve the issue

I agree that sometimes it’s a good idea to just get out of our daily routine and get outside of our normal element as a way to refresh and recharge, but if you are not getting along with your spouse do you really want to be stuck with them in a hotel room in a foreign country? I am not so sure that is the solution.

Since we are all Dinks here maybe we can help each other out and share our personal stories to help other couples work through their tough times. No marriage is perfect and every relationship has their ups and downs but like my boyfriend Nick says if everything was lovey-dovey all the time our relationship would be boring.

Working through the issues as a couple

Nick and I don’t argue a lot but when we do it’s usually for the same reason and we most always find the same solutions, it’s almost as if it’s a part of our routine…every six months or so we disagree, we lose our tempers (really for no reason), we don’t talk for a few days and then we move past the issue.  Of course this doesn’t solve the problem or fix the issue in our relationship, but at 32 years old I don’t foresee a change in either one of our personalities in the near future.

I am not 100% convinced that couple’s therapy is a very effective method because not everyone is open to talking about their issues with their spouse while their spouse is sitting right next to them on the couch. So in an effort to keep this Dinks community alive and lower the rate of divorce let’s help each other work through our relationship issues. I call them issues because issues are just a little bump in the road whereas problems in a relationship may be a deal breaker.

If your couple’s issue is money

Very often people disagree about money in their relationship.  The way to work through money issues is to put personal views aside and just look at the bottom line.  How much money is being spent and why? If the purchase is worth the cost of the item or if you really need the item then you have to make an agreement as a couple if the money being spent is worth the value of the item.

If your couple’s issue is work

Dinks have been known to spend a few extra hours at the office and very often this habit creates friction in our relationships. We all want to exceed at our jobs but is working longer than 9 to 5 really worth our relationship? If you and your spouse argue about your hours at the office think about this, is it better to come home at 5 pm to your loving spouse or is it better to come home at 7 pm to no one?

Photo by mikebaird

Are dogs the new Dinks kid?

Posted on by 11
dogs, furry kids, pets

Good morning Dinks. Lately I have been seeing posts around the web and watching commercials on TV about people who choose to get a dog instead of having kids.  I don’t have plans to have kids any time soon, but I would personally love to have a dog. I grew up with a family dog and so did my boyfriend Nick. I would love to have a dog in my life again but Nick doesn’t think that it is fair to have a dog in an apartment. I don’t think that a dog replaces a kid but nowadays it seems as if couples are choosing one or the other.

There is a dog food commercial that I saw on TV and the woman was talking about the healthy food that she feeds to her dog.  She feeds her dog organic food because she wants him to live a long and healthy life.  At the end of the commercial she says, after all he’s not our family pet he’s our oldest boy. I am not sure what is but something about that statement just didn’t sit right with me.

So let me ask you a question Dinks – you don’t have kids, but would you get a dog?

I think that having another living thing, aka a dog, in our house will completely change the dynamic of our home. I would like to have someone to take care of, but that same someone has to be able to also function on their own if I decided to go out with friends after work or take a weekend road trip. It would be nice to have a dog with me on my daily walks through the park but the cleaning up after another living thing does not exactly appeal to me.

Having a dog is a commitment and I’m not sure that I am ready for that.

One of the reasons that people choose not to have kids is because kids are a huge time and a huge financial commitment, but on the other hand isn’t a pet also a huge time commitment. Yes it’s true that dogs don’t live as long as kids so ideally they should be cheaper, but at the same time dogs need shots, food, toys, grooming etc. and all of that can add up.

A pet can be a great addition to any home but at the same time it is a big responsibility, and just like my fear of having kids, what if I fail? If you have a dog or a pet how did you decide when you were ready to have a pet and how did you know that you would be good at taking care of another living thing.

Here are some personal finance posts about dogs and pets:

– Common Cents Wealth When is the Best Time to Get a Dog?

– Conquer Your Debt – How to prepare financially for adopting a pet.

– Mint Life – Which is Cheaper: Cats or Dogs?

– L Bee and the Money Tree – How much does a puppy cost?

Photo by epsos  

Are you jealous of other people’s net worth?

Posted on by 11
net worth, financial bloggers, money earned

Good morning Dinks. Do you love reading posts about other people’s net worth? If you answered yes let me ask you a question – why? I used to think that bloggers posting about their net worth was a dumb reason for a post because it seemed like they were bragging, but then as I read more and more posts about peoples net worth I found them to be very motivating because behind the bottom line financial bloggers are actually sharing their success stories of how they made their millions.

When I see bloggers posting about their net worth I am happy for them because they are achieving their goals. Growing my net worth to a certain number is not actually one of my personal financial goals but I enjoy reading about other bloggers who are achieving their personal goals

Outside of the online world are you happy for people who brag or talk about their net worth? In finance it is very common for coworkers to discuss their stock portfolios, the price of their new car and the profit they made when they sold their home. Comparing net worth’s and the value of stock portfolios is very common in personal finance, is this also common in other fields of work also?

Here are what some bloggers had to say about their net worth’s:

– J.Money @ Budgets Are Sexy started blogging with a net worth of $58k and now over four years later his net worth is close to $380k. Do you want to know how he did it? Don’t worry he gives a very detailed play by play each and every month.

Mr. J Money and his wife Mrs. Budgets Are Sexy set goals for themselves, they live with the basics without depriving themselves, they work their butts off and they save almost every single dollar that comes in. J Money and his wife welcomed their little bundle of joy Baby Money into the world almost a year ago and they already have over $3,000 saved for the baby’s college fund. Now that’s a goal worth saving for.

– I am 1 percent  tracks their net worth almost every single day and updates it on a monthly basis. If you have a question about anything in I am 1 per cents net worth updates please feel free to ask any questions because there is complete and total transparency here. Ask questions and get honest answers about how to constantly grow your new worth.

– Free Money Finance started tracking their net worth in 1996 and decided to take a macro approach to their net worth. Instead of updating their wealth on a daily, weekly or monthly basis they update their net worth every year to make sure they keep on track with their personal and financial goals, which includes donating to charities.

– The Financial Blogger tracks his assets and liabilities in his net worth updates and provides details about how he makes income from various sources.  The Financial Blogger’s income generating projects include niche sites and eBooks. He increases his net worth by always searching for new ways to earn income, invest wisely and pay down his debt.

Photo by LCNottaasen

Weekly roundup: Super powers, paying off debt and using credit cards

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Happy Friday Dinks. This weekend marks another release of a super summer blockbuster movie. This weekend the new Superman is being released and right now all around the country people are lined up to buy tickets.

Let me ask you a question Dinks, if you could have one super power what would it be? I think that I would like to have the “flame on” power from The Fantastic Four, but since I’m afraid of heights that may not be a good idea. I think that it would be really cool to have a super hero power, I am just not sure which one I would like to have for the rest of my life.

Which super power would you like to have?

Have a great weekend Dinks and enjoy these great posts from our personal finance friends.

Money Crashers – How People Use Credit Cards in Foreign Countries Other Than the U.S.

Passive Income Now – Merging your credit card payments through debt consolidation – Is this the right choice?

Money Crush  – Taking the Fear Out of Investing

Budgets Are Sexy – Would You Take a 10% Pay Cut to Get All Fridays Off? (Oh yes!!!)

LearnVest – I’m a Financial Planner: How I Got into $50,000 of Debt

Photo by fonzies cousin 

How to have fun in the rain

Posted on by 3
rainy season, enjoy the rain, rain funds

This year June has definitely not brought the good weather.  For the past few weeks it’s been rainy and cold and grey overcast here in the Northeast. Every single year I look forward to the spring because it means that the winter is over. Normally when winter is over the grey skies and cold weather go away, but not this year.  This year the cold weather decided to stay and I for one am getting a little bit of cabin fever, actually I am going absolutely stir crazy.

I am sick and tired of being indoors with nothing to do so I decided to start enjoying my summer, whatever weather it brings because before I know it Fall will be here and winter will be back.

Over the past few weeks I have found creative ways to enjoy my time indoors and have fun without touching my rainy day fund. Contrary to it’s name your rainy day fund is not actually meant to be spent on a rainy day.

3 fun activities to keep you busy on a rainy day

Get organized and clean out your closet. When I am stuck in doors and I don’t feel like lounging around and watching movies I like to clean.  In particular I like to clean out my closets. I know it may sound weird but cleaning can be very calming and more importantly cleaning and organizing takes up a lot of time. I could spend all day in my apartment cleaning out my drawers, getting rid of old items and donating unwanted stuff.  Cleaning out my closets also helps us earn money because we can sell our wanted stuff.

Call your friends and have a party. If you are one of those people who don’t like to be alone then call your friends. Being stuck inside with your friends is better than being stuck inside all by yourself. If you don’t have the money to throw a big party don’t worry, have each of your friends bring some food or drinks then all you have to do is plug in your iPod and enjoy your party. I couldn’t think of a better way to spend a rainy day then to spend it with my friends having fun.

Get in the kitchen and bake something. I am the first to admit that I am not a good cook…at all. But to my surprise I am actually an ok baker.  I like baking because it almost seems easier than cooking.  I also find that baking is a lot cheaper than cooking because baking has less quantity and most of the time less ingredients.  Baking cakes, cookies and muffins also use a lot of the same ingredients so we most likely only have to buy the ingredients once and then we can use them over and over again. The other thing that I love about baking is that it makes my entire apartment smell great.  There is nothing better than sitting on my couch with the smell of banana bread filling my apartment.

 Photo by madisonguy 

Is financial planning only a modern-day concept?

Posted on by 6
retirement planning, saving for retirement, financial planning

Good morning Dinks.  As a financial planner I had a lot of clients in their 30s and 40s. Over the years I have had a few clients who are older and retired, but not too many.  My older clients weren’t actually looking for financial planning advice; they were more looking for wealth management, tax efficient and income generating ways to preserve their wealth.

Different age groups definitely have different financial planning needs; after all this is the philosophy behind the entire life stage financial planning concept.  As financial savvy Dinks we know that different people at different ages have different financial needs, but is the overall concept of financial planning also dependent upon different age groups?

How are your parents planning for retirement?

Think about your parents for a moment, when they were are age did they seek the advice of a financial planner? I know that my parents didn’t.  My parents had two income and two kids and they spent money where and when they needed to and that was it.

Nowadays financial planners preach the importance of planning and saving for retirement, but that was not always the case. Other than a company pension my parents did not start saving for retirement until much later in life. This is not to say that my parents won’t have a financially stable retirement, it is just to say that it was never one of their main financial priorities.

Employer pension plans are also becoming a thing of the past. Not many employers nowadays offer a guaranteed pension plan for their employees that doesn’t not require mandatory employee contributions. My father was luck to be employed at the same place for most of his adult life, this allowed him to retire at 55 years old with full pension benefits. How many of us can say that is a retirement option we have? That type of employee loyalty is a thing of the past and so is that type of benefit.

Will you support your parents retirement?

Some parents are not lucky enough to have an employer pension plan and they were not fortunate enough to have the advice of a Financial planner when they were younger. However they did have the smart idea to purchase a property at a young age and pay it off as quickly as possible.

I have an aunt who doesn’t have a pension plan but she does have a home worth $600,000 that is fully paid for.  When my aunt is ready to retire she will sell her home, downgrade to a smaller living space and live off the remainder of her profits.

Maybe your parents will move in with you at retirement, or maybe you will move in with them.  It is common for parents to move in with their kids to help reduce monthly living costs. My grandfather lived with my father and I believe that my father really enjoyed it.  As a teenager it was amazing to see my father still be seen as a child in my grandfathers eyes.

Photo by angelasdreams 

Save money on your next trip to the grocery store

Posted on by 9
grocery shopping, food shopping, saving money

Good morning Dinks. I don`t know about you, but I spend a lot of money on food. When I was younger and financially irresponsible I used to spend a lot of money eating out in restaurants and buying take-out food. Now that I am older and more mature and I learned how to budget I spend a lot of money when shopping at the grocery store.

Admittedly I am not a very good cook and I have a very limited sense of taste, so basically I tend to buy and eat the same types of food each and every week. Last Saturday while I was at the grocery store I had an epiphany about my weekly cost of groceries and I wanted to share my savings tips with you.

2 tips to help you save money at the grocery store

Think outside the box and skip the list.  I will be the first to admit that a life without lists is a life with chaos, but I am learning that when it comes to the grocery store this rule may not necessarily be true. Every week I buy the same food at the grocery store regardless of the price, this means that every week my grocery bag is full of the same produce but my bill is not the same amount.

I recently started planning my groceries differently. Now I have a fixed budget in my head and I go into the grocery store no expecting to pay more than I planned. This requires me to put down my list and try new foods. If I need fresh fruit and strawberries are on sale, I can forget my normal blueberries and pick up a pint of strawberries. My list of veggies usually includes tomatoes, lettuce, potatoes, carrots and peppers; but maybe I can substitute some of my regular veggies for new items such as beans and spinach. Thinking outside of my list will help me buy more items on sale and save money on groceries every week.

Grow your own veggies and eat them fresh.  I live in an apartment so unfortunately I don`t have the luxury of creating a vegetable garden.  In my apartment I can`t grow carrots and potatoes but I can grow fresh basil and cherry tomatoes. I personally love everything about basil, I love the smell and I love the taste so the fact that I can pick it fresh any time is a big plus.

Eating fresh fruits and vegetables is good for our health and growing them ourselves is good for our wallet. I know that some of our Dink friends grow their own veggies and I think it`s a great idea. I live in the snowy Northeast and we get six months of good weather every year, if we are luck so I definitely like to take advantage of the warm weather and grow my own herbs and veggies while I can.

What is your favourite tip to save money at the grocery store?

Photo by Angela dreams 

Weekly roundup: Birthdays, Gifts and Good Times

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Happy Friday Dinks. This weekend marks the start of a very busy season for me, actually what I should say is that it marks the start of a very expensive season for me.  It all started a few weeks ago with Mother’s Day, but it gets really busy this weekend.  Within the next month I have my mother’s birthday, my sister’s birthday, Father’s Day and then my Dad’s birthday. Wow I am stressing out just thinking about it.  Oh and I forgot to add in the cost of my friends baby shower, which I am hosting.

I live approximately 7.5 hours away from my family so not only do I try to find the perfect gift for every occasion, I also have to find a gift that offers free shipping.  Right now I am into gift box subscriptions so for Mother’s Day and their birthdays my sister and my mother both received a box full of cosmetics in the mail.

What is your favourite gift to give?

Have a great weekend Dinks, enjoy these posts from around the web.

– Take Our Stuff is giving away City Skyline Prints

– Yes, I Am Cheap – 5 Easy Ways to Make Money by Using Your Credit Cards

– Everything Finance – The $3000 Wedding. How We Did It.

– Thirty Six Months – So What Do You Do For Work?

– Young and Thrifty – Compound Interest In Your 20s and YOLO-ing

– Good Financial Cents – 4 Money Problems You Don’t Want to Experience the Hard Way

Photo by DroidGingerbread

Get outside and DIY this summer

Posted on by 5
go outside, DIY, summer ideas

Good morning Dinks. It’s almost officially summertime, are you ready?  All around the county people are refueling their barbeque tanks, setting out their patio furniture and cleaning out their pools.  Are you getting your house and your backyard ready for summer?

Four helpful tips to DIY and get your house ready for summer:

Make your backyard gorgeous with a garden. Have you ever wanted your own garden but didn’t know where to start? Some people think that gardening is back breaking work and it can be if you bend over instead of crouch down but it can also be a lot of fun.  Gardens are a great way to get fresh veggies for free all summer long. So before you head out to the market think about growing your own veggies, it gives you a chance to get outside, soak in the rays, get some fresh air and save money on groceries at the same time.

Update your patio furniture with a fresh coat of paint. Patio furniture definitely takes a beating during the seasons with rain, sun and snow.  The elements can harm the esthetics of your patio table, chairs and loungers but you don’t need to head to Home Depot.  All you have to do to update the entire look of your outdoor space is buy some paint.  A new bright colour and a fresh coat of paint can make any outdoor space seem new. I personally love doing some DIY outside because we don’t inhale as many paint fumes and I get a tan while doing it.

Keep your curb appeal with landscape skills.  There is no need for a professional landscaper this summer, search the web for photos that you like and then DIY your landscape. When I was a kid I absolutely despised cutting the grass but as I got older I actually started to like it. By the time I was sixteen I was begging to cut the grass because it let me work on my tan.  Taking care of your grass, gardens and plants is a great way to make your outdoor space gorgeous and you can DIY. So before you hire a maintenance company to take care of your lawn grab a shovel and a hose and DIY. My dad borrowed a book from the library, watched the Home and Garden channel for a month and then dug his own pond…with the help of my two cousins.

Turn up the night time heat with an outdoor fire pit.  There is a show on the DIY channel that I love watching called Yard Crashers. In a nutshell a professional landscaper hijacks someone’s day while they are shopping at Home Depot and offers to redo their entire backyard. So what’s the catch? The shopper has to get their hands dirty and help out and they can’t object to any of the landscaping designs.  Almost every single episode the landscapers put a fire pit into the backyard.  I personally love the smell of natural fire and there is something really soothing about the crackle of a fireplace at night. So grab a shovel and a few bricks this summer and make your own relaxing fire pit.

What is the best thing you ever DIY’d?

Photo by sskennel

Was your education worth it?

Posted on by 11
student debt, college loan, student debt

Good morning Dinks. Let me ask you a question, when and why do you use your credit cards? Some people get into debt because they don’t have enough income to pay for all of their expenses and some people get into debt because they have a big expense and they don’t have enough of an emergency savings fund.  Some people get into debt because they are buying assets and some other people get into debt because they are investing in themselves in the form of a good education.

When you graduated from college how much debt did you have?

According to Credit Karma 44% of recent college grads have student loan debt. I graduated with approximately $16,000 in student loan debt, a university degree and a full time job at a bank.  I worked full time while I was in school and an extra $4000 per year in the form of student loans made my life a little bit easier.

I know that a lot of students graduate with debt, in my opinion education should be affordable for everyone but that’s a whole other issue. An education is always a helpful thing to have but debt is not always worth it.  If your profession is not a high earning profession it may take you forever to pay off your student loans.  If you can’t afford to pay off your student loans it may be smarter to take less classes each semester, take summer classes and take longer to finish your degree so that you can afford the tuition without taking student loans.

I personally also think that it’s ridiculous that students have to pay for their tuition in a lump sum at the beginning of each semester. I know that my life (and my finances) would have been a lot easier if I could have paid my tuition in biweekly payments throughout the semester, but again, a whole other issue.

When I spend money the cost has to be worth the benefit and this means that I have to get something really great out of it…like a good education.

If you had to do it all over again would you do it differently?

Looking back on my four years in college I wish that I didn’t have to work so much because my personal sanity and my grades definitely suffered.  However working full time during university gave me four very valuable years of experience.  People do a lot of growing up between the ages of 20 and 24 and I’m glad that I came out with both a university education and four years of work experience.

If I was 20 years old again I don’t think that I would apply for student loans. I realize now that if I knew how to live with only the necessities, cook my own meals and budget I would never have gone into debt for my education.  However, I didn’t know any better so when money was offered to me I took it.

Do you regret taking student loans during college?

Photo by Univers beeldbank

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