My Own Advisor

2012 is just around the corner.  It’s the time of year when people tend to craft New Year’s resolutions and then gut them out for 12 months.  If you’re anything like me, your list of resolutions can read more like a generic to-do list.

• Exercise more (like more cardio)
• Eat better (meaning, eat less potato chips)
• Learn something new (like software code)
• Pay down debt (kill the mortgage faster)

In the past, I’ve attempted to “get better” by “doing more”.  As I get older, I realize this doesn’t have to be the case.

If anything, some of the best resolutions can be about doing less.

Here is an outstanding article by Jim Collins about this very topic.  You may have read this article before.  (By the way, if you don’t know, Collins is the author of numerous best-selling business books like Good to Great.)

In the link above, Collins discusses a critical lesson taught to him by a teacher in his mid-20s.  He took a course on creativity and innovation from Rochelle Myers and Michael Ray at the Stanford Graduate School of Business and one day, Rochelle pointed to Jim regarding his “ferocious work pace” and said to him:

“I notice, Jim, that you are a rather undisciplined person.”   

After getting over his confused and stunned state Jim realized Rochelle was correct in her observations.

In the article above, Jim recalls the life lesson Rochelle gave him that day:

“She then gave me what I came to call the 20-10 assignment. It goes like this: Suppose you woke up tomorrow and received two phone calls. The first phone call tells you that you have inherited $20 million, no strings attached. The second tells you that you have an incurable and terminal disease, and you have no more than 10 years to live. What would you do differently, and, in particular, what would you stop doing?”

“That assignment became a turning point in my life, and the “stop doing” list became an enduring cornerstone of my annual New Year resolutions — a mechanism for disciplined thought about how to allocate the most precious of all resources: time.”

Jim’s article goes on to provide 3 focused questions to help you consider what is truly valuable to you.  Maybe you can consider them as you think about your 2012 resolutions:

1. What are you deeply passionate about?
2. What are you are genetically encoded for — what activities do you feel just “made to do”?
3. What makes economic sense — what can you make a living at?

For today’s post, I don’t have any definitive answers to the questions above but as I consider some personal resolutions over the next couple of weeks I’m going to do my best to answer them.

In my book, simple is almost always better.  In that spirit, I think doing less in 2012 could be more rewarding.

Life happens fast.  Instead of getting caught up in the vortex, I’m going to think a bit harder about what I’m not going to do in 2012.  

Whatever you consider for your “stop doing” list next year, I hope it gives you the focus and purpose you are looking for

 

Have you ever considered a “stop doing” list for your resolutions? 

Do you think you can be more successful in 2012 by doing less?

How many resolutions will you have?  Take my poll in the margin.

Until my next post in 2012 – a very Happy New Year everyone!

Thanks for reading and sharing this article.

A Very Happy Holidays Friends!

I hope you had a great Christmas.   Comes and goes SO fast doesn’t it?  All the lead up to the big day and then, poof…gone for another 12 months. 

Amazing how the time goes.  

Regardless how fast the time flies, I still feel like a kid around Christmas every year.  I hope I always do

I might not get to posting my usual Weekend Reading blogpost later this week, so I thought I’d offer you a list of great articles I’ve read over the last week or so.  Some articles have a holiday theme, others don’t, but I think you’ll find them enjoyable and insightful all the same.  

While I’m online today – any big plans for New Year’s anyone?

To answer my own question, my wife and I are headed to Toronto to see our closest friends, for a small gathering of food and drink for the evening.   We can’t wait.   We’re not ones for the big ballroom affair.  It doesn’t suit our style.  Good food, intimate atmosphere and great friendships are on our menu – which is our perfect plan. 

I hope whatever your plans are – you celebrate a little bit for the year that was and the year that could be.   I think that’s the thing I love about New Year’s…it just screams possibilities!

Ok, onto the posts….check them out!

Rob Carrick offered 12 ways to build wealth in 2012.  I’m going to focus on #11 and #12 myself.   By the way Rob, thanks for listing my ‘Twas The Night Before Christmas poem in the Globe and Mail.  Very much appreciated!

Kevin from Invest It Wisely is giving away a bunch of copies of Millionaire Teacher!

Nelson Smith had a good guest post over at Canadian Finance Blog – Will record debt levels lead to disaster?   Personally, I don’t think so in the short term.   If things keep going, inflation outpacing wage increases, we’ll have a problem long-term.  This is why debt paydown continues to be a top priority for My Own Advisor.

Big Cajun Man wondered why cash can’t be king for Christmas?!   

Dividend Mantra shared his thoughts on freedom, from consumption that is.  “I have learned that my time here on Earth is limited and that every minute that passes by is one less unit of life energy that I have left. I don’t want to spend 50% or more of this available time at an office trying to climb a corporate ladder to nowhere. I have learned that if you pay attention to the shadows (commercials for consumption), instead of the puppeteers (marketing companies for products) you’ll never escape those chains.”

My University Money said “Bah Humbug!  Presents Make No Economic Cents!“  Teacher Man made a case against a few things, but personally, I’m a fan of gift cards.  They work for me.   I just have to remember they don’t work for everyone else! 

Boomer & Echo reviewed Low Cost No Load Mutual Funds & ETFs by Lawrence Russell.   This book focused on one of the most important issues facing investors today: investing costs that are excessive and unwarranted.

Dividend Ninja wondered if McDonald’s is overpriced?   As MCD approaches $100 USD, I would say yes.  Check out the detailed analysis Ninja did on this stock, it was well done, and find out what he’s going to do with his MCD holdings.

Larry MacDonald offered a fine review of Dan Bortolotti’s MoneySense Guide to the Perfect Portfolio.  (I hope to get my review posted in January 2012.  Dan’s book was a fine read, I have lots of takeaways!)

Michael James told us he’s looking forward to a January 1st raise.  

Krytal Yee is leaving. Leaving Canada. For months. Many months. Going to Germany.  For real.   Her new site just might be GiveMeBackMyFiveEuros. I have to give Preet Banerjee all the credit for that one!  I wish Krystal all the best overseas and look forward to reading her articles posted in Germany every week.

Million Dollar Journey announced his giveaway contest winners and wished over 16,000 dedicated subscribers to his blog, a very Merry Christmas! (If you haven’t subscribed to his site, man, you’re missing out!)  Million Dollar Journey also informed us why he thinks cash is king. MDJ said “A growing cash war chest gave us options. We could pay down the house to save even more interest, pay down consumer debt to increase our cash flow even further, or invest the proceeds in the stock/real estate market.” Sounds like great options to me. Unlike MDJ, we have a sizeable mortgage, so I guess it’s good we grow our cash savings as well.

Andrew Hallam continued his epic series on how Canada’s banks are letting investors down.  Read Part 2 of 7 here.   In his recent post, he said:  “We’ve learned the importance of fighting for great mortgage rates, understanding that our banks don’t usually offer competitive rates unless we barter for them. And we’re starting to learn, slowly, that the same rule applies with our investments.”

If you didn’t follow any “green” Christmas protocols this year, there is always next year - Sustainable Personal Finance offered some green Christmas tree options.

Canadian Finance Blog, was joking, but the title scared me a few days ago – Christmas Is Cancelled!

Ray from Financial Highway told us about the cost of holiday overspending.

Mich at Beating The Index wrote about Parallel Energy Trust.   It has a generous yield but Mich wondered if it is sustainable?

Dan Bortolotti from Canadian Couch Potato released Part 1 in his interview with some folks from Vanguard Canada.  Part 2 is also here, where Dan shared some information Vanguard Canada’s plans for the future.

Young & Thrifty provided an overview of how to rent out your basement suite.  She offered folks some good tips to get started, such as taking lots of photos to support your rental ad.  As a former landlord, I believe you cannot do enough marketing since competition in most rental markets is tight.  Ottawa always is – lots of folks on contract with the government.

Passive Income Earner had great dividend income in 2011.  Well done!   I will be posting my passive dividend income update in January.  My unofficial goal for 2012 is $6,000 for the calendar year.

Tom Bradley from Steadyhand questioned whether things will be different this time.

Jim Yih from Retire Happy Blog completed a great review of Andrew Hallam’s book Millionaire Teacher.  In his post, I like what Jim said here:  “With my financial education programs I am in front of thousands of people a year and I’ve come to believe that the root of financial success is more about controlling spending and living within your means than it is about becoming a successful investor.” 

The Financial Blogger shared how he sucked and ruled, as it relates to his blogging goals in 2011.  His words, not mine!   Personally, I think TFB is doing an outstanding job, most definitely with the online income.   If you haven’t checked out his site, watching his online income grow and how he’s doing it, well, you’re missing out folks.

Preet Banerjee gave us an informative breakdown on the real impact MERs can have in an investment portfolio.  In Preet’s example, $100,000 invested, no annual contributions, growing at 5%; a 2.69% MER fund consumed 92.53% of your original contribution over 25 years and left you with 49.42% less money due to the effect of fees.  Ouch.  Whatta kick in the a$$.  Kudos to Michael James for the cool metric:  MERQ.

Prairie EcoThrifter offered 3 vital tips to start a frugal lifestyle.

BankNerd made some great user enhancements on their site. 

 

I’ll be back in a couple of days!

Holidays Cheers! 

Mark

Thanks for reading and sharing this article.

 

‘Twas the night before Christmas, when throughout the blogosphere,

Not a creature was stirring, not even Dividend Ninja – oh dear!

The stockings were hung by The Wealthy Canadian with care,

In hopes that Rob Carrick (err, St. Nicholas) soon would be there.

 

As Canadian Capitalist’s children nestled into their beds,

Visions of ETFs danced in their heads.

With mamma in her ‘kerchief and Big Cajun Man in his cap,

They just closed their blog for a brief winter’s nap.

 

When over on Moneyville there arose such a clatter,

Boomer & Echo jumped up, geez, what’s the matter?

Away to the window, Youngandthrifty quickly dashed,

So Dividend Monk joined her, and they threw up the sash.

 

The moon on the breast of the new-fallen snow,

Gave a lustre to stocks only Susan Brunner would know.

When what to Dividend Mantra’s eyes should appear,

But U.S. stocks on sale along with eight tiny reindeer!

 

With a little old driver, looking so lively and quick,

Preet Banerjee knew it must be St. Nick.

More punishing than taxes Michael James would exclaim,

Dan Bortolotti agreed, so they shouted by name:

 

“Now TFSA!  Now RRSP!  On Prancer and Vixen!

Great registered accounts, so get saving - Donner and Blitzen!

To the highest mutual fund fees, please avoid them all,

Andrew Hallam says so, and yells:  that includes covered calls!”

  

As debt-loads for Canadians reach into the sky,

Money Smarts Blog has a solution ready to fly.

So up to the house-top, the coursers they flew,

Krystal Yee brought some toys and St. Nicholas did too!

 

And then Invest It Wisely, heard on the roof,

The prancing and pawing of each little hoof.

As Retire Happy and SPF listened, their heads turned around,

Down the chimney St. Nick came, with a loud crashing bound!

 

He was dressed all in fur, from his head to his foot,

Yet his portfolio was tarnished, fund fees dirty like soot.

A bundle of options, St. Nick flung over his back,

Million Dollar Journey was not pleased when he opened that pack!

 

His eyes – how they twinkled!  His emergency fund how merry,

His cheeks were like roses, his nose like a cherry!

His savings account was full, very tidy, like a bow,

Something David Chilton would be proud of, something he writes about – don’t you know?

 

The stump of a pipe, he held it tightly in his teeth,

Like dividends smoke flowed, encircling his head like a wreath.

The Financial Blogger saw his broad face and his little round belly,

That shook like the markets when he laughed like a bowlful of jelly.

 

He was chubby and plump, a right jolly old elf,

So I bought some more shares in spite of myself.

A wink of his eye, a look to Passive Income Earner instead,

Soon gave me to know, bear markets we don’t dread.

 

St. Nick spoke not a word, but went straight to his work,

Filling stockings with bonds, fixed-income should always lurk.

And laying a finger, aside of his nose,

Beating The Index saw him, up the chimney he rose!

 

He sprang to his sleigh, to his team gave a whistle,

And away they all flew like a down of a thistle.

But I heard him exclaim, ere he drove out of sight.

Merry Christmas all bloggers, all readers and to all a good night!

 

Hey, I tried

 

On a serious note, as Christmas draws near, this is my opportunity to thank all the great bloggers and media in the personal finance and investing community, the dedicated readers and all the newcomers who have supported My Own Advisor in 2011.  You’ve made this an enjoyable and rewarding year for me, year one of hosting my own site. 

I’ve had the pleasure of interacting with many great people this year and for that, I am thankful.  I’ve learned from you and I hope you’ve learned from me as well.  I’m looking forward to 2012 and I hope you are too!

I’ll be back in a few days.  Until then – I wish you a safe, happy and healthy holiday!

 

Clement Clarke Moore (1779 – 1863) wrote the poem ‘Twas the night before Christmas also called “A Visit from St. Nicholas” in 1822.  Moore came from a prominent family and his father, Benjamin Moore was the Bishop of New York who was famous for officiating at the inauguration of George Washington. The tradition of reading ‘Twas the night before Christmas poem on Christmas Eve is now a worldwide tradition. The first publication date of ‘Twas the night before Christmas was on 23rd December, 1823.

Thanks for reading and sharing this article.

“You don’t have to be a fantastic hero to do certain things – to compete. You can be just an ordinary chap, sufficiently motivated to reach challenging goals.” 

Sir Edmund Hillary - New Zealand mountaineer, explorer and philanthropist. On 29 May 1953 at the age of 33, he and Nepalese Sherpa mountaineer Tenzing Norgay became the first climbers known to have reached the summit of Mount Everest.

From Bobby Orr (photo above) to Sir Edmund Hillary, it’s important to have goals.  I know my fellow bloggers feel the same as well.  I know this from a conversation I had with one prominent blogger I respect quite a bit, Michael James.

In fact, a few months ago, Michael gave us some free analysis on our personal finance and investing goals for 2011.  Michael noted while most folks look at goals on a pass/fail basis (sometimes I do this), he tends to look at dollar amounts (which are more specific).  I think Michael’s focused approach definitely has some merit.  So for this post, the final chapter in our 2011 financial goals, I’m going to do both – show a pass/fail and dollar values associated with our goals.  

Here goes!

It seems like a lifetime ago, but back in January, I wrote down our personal finance and investing goals for 2011:

• Goal # 1 – Increase mortgage payments by $200 per month.

• Goal # 2 – Contribute $5,000 each to TFSAs.

• Goal # 3 – Optimize our RRSPs.

• Goal # 4 – Continue my full DRIP with Bank of Nova Scotia.

• Goal # 5 – Start my full DRIP with Fortis.

• Goal # 6 – Build up our emergency fund to $10,000.

In April, I provided you with an update on our goals – some good progress was made early actually. In July, I provided you with our summer update and the progress continued into October.  

 

Drum roll and results…

Goal # 1 – Increase mortgage payments by $200 per month

Pass!

Since January 2011, we added $200 per month extra payments on our mortgage.  Not a huge contribution I know but much better than paying the minimum.

Goal = $2,400.  Result = $2,400.

Goal # 2 – Contribute $5,000 each to TFSAs

Pass and Fail.

Very early on this year, I maxed out my TFSA contribution for 2011.  Pass.  Unfortunately for my wife’s account this did not happen.   Fail.   We had the best intentions but other priorities took over.  More details will be under goal # 6.

Goal = $10,000.  Result = $5,000.

Goal # 3 – Optimize our RRSPs

Pass!

Thanks to some savvy financial tutors in the blogosphere like Canadian Couch Potato, Canadian Capitalist, Michael James, Andrew Hallam and many others in recent years, I’ve been schooled on the importance of managing our RRSPs efficiently for the long-haul.  That means keeping our management fees as low as possible.  We’ve decided to use ETFs in our RRSPs – no mutual funds folks!   We also tend to optimize our RRSPs, that is, we only contribute enough money to avoid paying any income taxes.  If anything, we might get a tiny tax return (which is fine).   As of calendar year end we’re on target to accomplish this prior to the RRSP deadline in late February 2012.

Goal = $2,000 for each RRSP ($4,000 combined).  Result = $4,000 combined.

Goal # 4 – Continue my full Dividend Reinvestment Plan (DRIP) with Bank of Nova Scotia

Pass!

Not only was I able to continue my full DRIP with Bank of Nova Scotia, I was able to accumulate enough shares this year to start my synthetic DRIP with my discount broker - one whole share will now be purchased every quarter when dividends are paid starting in 2012.  This compounding machine will be up and running very soon.

Goal = Needed ~ $1,200 to start synthetic DRIP at beginning of 2011.  Result = invested $950.

Goal # 5 – Start my full Dividend Reinvestment Plan (DRIP) with Fortis

Pass!

My full DRIP was started this year and I’ve recently closed it because I have enough shares acculumated with the transfer agent to add to my brokerage account to run a synthetic DRIP in 2012.  Another compounding machine ready to turn on!

Goal = no defined amount at beginning of year.  Result = invested $700.

Goal # 6 – Build up our emergency fund to $10,000

Big Fail!

This one barely got off the ground.  We had a line of credit (LOC) to pay down this year, and at 4% interest, that took priority.  It only made sense to put most of our efforts to our highest debt (the LOC).  We have a couple thousand saved in our emergency fund but not nearly enough for us to feel comfortable with.

Goal = $10,000.  Result = $2,000.  Variance = -$8,000.

While we bombed on this goal this year, the great news was we paid off over $15,000 on our LOC this year!  (It wasn’t a 2011 financial goal, explicitly, since the LOC started this spring.)  We’re extremely proud of this effort.  We’ve made a few small sacrifices to pay down this debt, we put off buying a car we needed for some time now (we owned not one but too clunkers) and we didn’t take any vacation (we took a staycation this year) but it was worth it.  We put ourselves into debt and we’re the only ones that can get out of it. 

With a few more thousand to go on the LOC in 2012, we should have it finished by the end of February 2012.  (Surely you can guess what our #1 priority will be for 2012 but that’s another post in a few weeks.)   We won’t get to relax much because a car payment is on the way in early 2012, we replaced one of our vehicles.  We’ve been fortunate though - we haven’t had car payments for almost 7 years now. 

Overall, we’re proud of our accomplishments.  Not every goal was knocked off as expected but few plans follow every ingredient in the recipe anyhow.  Life happens and you need to enjoy life as well.       

I’m convinced we accomplished many of our 2011 personal finance and investing goals because of this blog; writing them down, monitoring them and sharing the good and the bad with you.   I’m going to do the same for 2012.  I look forward to sharing our 2012 goals with you in a few weeks.  I’m also looking for feedback on them, that goes for you too Michael!  :)

Got any feedback on our 2011 goals?  Got any ideas for me, for 2012?

How are you doing with your 2011 goals?  Are you going to set some goals for 2012?

As always, share your thoughts!

Thanks for reading and sharing this article.

Well, we all knew it I guess.  Now we have some new stats to prove it.  

Canadians have set a new record for household debt.

Our household debt burden has surpassed levels of both the United States and the United Kingdom. 

Should Canadians be worried?  Are you worried?

In the Globe and Mail article I read, the concern is that any sudden negative event – such as a jump in unemployment, falling house prices or rising interest rates – could put many thousands of families in financial stress.   Falling house prices in particular, I don’t care about so much because personally, we’re not looking to sell and we have to live somewhere.  Unemployment, that’s another story.  I am worried about that and for that reason,  my wife and I are working to reduce our debt should anything bad happen.   On that note, the worrying, at least $200 per month, in addition to our regular mortgage payment, is going towards paying down our mortgage debt.  That’s a good start for us. We hope to increase that by another $200 per month early in 2012, when our line of credit (LOC) is paid off.  

Back to the article - ”the ratio of debt to personal disposable income hit a high of 152.98 per cent in the third quarter from 150.57 per cent in the prior three months, Statscan said Tuesday.”  ”The report comes as Bank of Canada Governor Mark Carney is again sounding the alarm over swelling household debt. “Our greatest domestic risk relates to household finances,” the central banker said in a CBC radio interview.”

Note to Mark Carney – if you’re THAT worried about consumer debt, maybe you should increase rates, just a bit.  Just a thought….

Until rates rise, the “easy money” will continue and you can’t blame folks for taking it. 

In other news this week, I want to give kudos to Dan Bortolotti from Canadian Couch Potato who informed us about a perfect plan for the holidays.  Literally.  In the spirit of holiday giving, Justin Bender, portfolio manager with PWL Capital in Toronto, approached Dan with an offer for Canadian Couch Potato readers. As part of Justin’s charitable giving program, Justin is offering to help up to four DIY investors design and set up a passive ETF portfolio in exchange for a donation to the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH).  An outstanding initiative!  Everyone wins, especially the CAMH.

In the spirit of the holidays, better to give than to recieve, no doubt Dan and Justin have this spirit mastered.  Well done gentlemen!

If you’re like us, you’ve been busy getting things in order for the holidays over the last week.   Finishing Christmas shopping, wrapping gifts and getting ready to entertain family and friends.  It’s a special time of year, so hopefully there’s some fun that goes along with your stress!

If you have some time this weekend, I encourage you to check out the following articles from the blogosphere. 

Next week, I hope to post an update and the final chapter in our 2011 personal finance and investing goals.  I think we rocked.   Stay tuned for that post and you can let me know your thoughts!

Until next week, stay safe, be happy and stay healthy!

Mich from Beating The Index wonders if there is a dividend cut coming for NAL energy. 

Boomer & Echo offered some advice about servicing your vehicle.

Canadian Capitalist did another fine job of sounding the alarms to investors about high MERs in a post entitled Feeling the MER blues?  Vote with your wallet.

Larry MacDonald gave us an update on what’s happening in the Euro Union. 

Miss T from Praire EcoThrifter encouraged us to take our lunches to work to save money. 

My University Money discussed pension envy. 

Passive Income Earner wondered if you’re ready to buy in Canada’s lifeco. sector?   I am, still, with my position in SLF DRIPping in my TFSA.

Youngandthrifty told us how to save some money on Christmas gifts this year.  Her big tip?  Make your own gifts, including homemade Baileys!   Yum.

Susan Brunner gave an overview of all the real estate stocks she tracks.  She was also nice enough to mention my post about what I thought were the top Canadian REITs.  Thanks Susan!

Big Cajun Man was a tad annoyed TFSA limits for 2012 didn’t rise.  Don’t worry BCM, you’re not alone – I want TFSA limits to rise as well!

DGI told us how to invest like a billionaire.  A good article but wow, I’ll take being a millionaire first!

Michael James on Money discussed black swan events and the dangers of leverage.  I have a mortgage, that’s enough leverage for me

The Loonie Bin told us that Fortis increased their dividend!   I love it, another raise for the portfolio!

Preet Banerjee was on The National again this week.  On Tuesday’s program, Preet told Canadians who he thought was the most impressive financial leader of 2011 (Mark Carney), the most disappointing financial leader of 2011 (Silvia Berlusconi), country he’d like to run (Luxembourg) (really?) and what he “got right” in 2011 – the need to save yourself and pay down debt.   He also provided readers with an update on his site’s top bid, as part of the Bloggers for Charity initiative.

Andrew Hallam was gushing but also very modest about the crazy success of his book Millionaire Teacher.  He was nice enough to mention my blog in his thank you list.  You’re most welcome Andrew!   Continued success!

TFB informed us how a guy potentially lost $10K while selling his website and how to put your blog up for sale.

Kevin from Invest It Wisely was kind enough to mention my blog in his recent post entitled the 3 Stages of Financial Freedom.   I wish I was in stage 3 but I’m working on it!

Dividend Mantra is a buying machine.   Check out what he bought here.

Million Dollar Journey’s net worth continues to climb and climb.   Well done FrugalTrader!   He’s going to be a millionaire within the next couple of years.   He might have to rename his blog then   

Jim Yih from Retire Happy Blog said investors need to pay attention to their investment fees.  Absolutely!

Dividend Monk said while investing is important in life, investing in your health tops the list.  Check out Matt’s thorough article where he suggests:  eliminating highly processed foods, eating more fish, buying organic fruits and veggies, and much more.

Although Krystal Yee made some great points in her article When Renting is Better than Home Ownership, overall I had to disagree.  Short-term, renting works for many Canadians for many reasons.   Long-term, renting is not getting you into the ownership game and ownership is where wealth is built. 

SPF dove deeper into donations for charities.

If you haven’t read his great article that appeared in Canadian MoneySaver, check out Dividend Ninja’s post that asked what happened to income trusts? – Part 2.

Just like every driver thinks they are better than average, I bet the same can be said for every investor and our friend the Dividend Guy told us so too!

Financial Uproar asked why women refuse to marry down? 

BankNerd said BMO InvestorLine has announced the launch of its new Gold Deposit and Delivery Program. The new Gold Deposit and Delivery Program is a unique feature that offers a simple and cost effective way for BMO InvestorLine clients to buy and hold physical gold in their portfolios.   Cool news, but not for me.

Mr. Cheap who had a post on Money Smarts Blog offered some last minute (cheap) Christmas gifts for folks.

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