16 — Wednesday, October 27, 1999 — North Shore News

scrooge’s Chri
plans ma

EACH year I end up in
a race to don my finan-
cially festive Scrooge hat
ahead of the start of
Christmas advertising.
The day after Halloween
used to mark the start of the
shopping ads. But now the
kids are hardly back in schvol
before the focus switches to
spending for the holiday sea-
._. SON, as in: “If this is October,
‘ there must be pay’ 80 or so
opping days le before
; Christmas.

The key is to be busi-

nesslike about your spending

plans. After all, those business-

es have certainly drawn up

‘HOME EQUITY MORTGAGE

687.2020

- Lender Broker fees may apply

OF LAWYERS,

HAS. A TEAM.
SHOULDN'T. YOU?

Documents you sign can
be used against you. ©

north shore news

<p BUSINESS

Simas

their awn plans to encourage
you to spend as much as possi-
ble.

Decide new roughly the
total vou want — or can
afford — to spend on gifts.
food and drink, entertainment,
clothes, perhaps travel, and
any other categories.

Break down the total under
the separate headings. List
items in order of priority, then
trim from the bottom or rim
the amount for cach item so
you stay within the total.

Your holiday spending
should fic in with your over-all
financial plan — paying off
debts, making an RRSP con-
tribution (especially a spousal
one, which should always be
made by Dec. 31 to cut the
normal three-year waiting peri-
od to two years to avoid attri-
bution back to the contribu-
tor), other saving/investing. ©

eaten locate this money:

‘You have the moncy in a sav-
ings account, maturing: term
deposit, Canada Savings Bond
ctc.

1g

saving
ke budget sense

@ You will have money trans-
ferred every payday to a savings
account to fund vour holiday
spending.

@ You will bozrow the money,
cither through a personal loan
or by carrying an outstanding
balance on your credit card. In
this case, include the cost of the
borrowing as part of your holi-
day spending total. You also
need a plan to pay off the debt.

Set up a control mecha-
nism to Tnake sure you don’t
exceed your budgeted
amount. Put savings into a
separate account or even buy
travellers’ cheques. When the
money is gone, your spending
is done.

If you plan to buy now, pay
later, put your credit slips into
an envelope and keep a run-
ning total on the front of the
envelope.

Don't worry if you fala
little short of a perfect plan.
Any effort you make will pay
off by reducing the financial
hangover so many peoplc suf-

fer after the holidays each year.”

cw AYN October 19, we held

Smali Business Pro-

grams:

Build Your Client Base

Thursday Oct. 28, noon-
1:30 p.m.

Promote your business by
taking the opportunity to
meet a room fall of potential
clients over lunch.
Roundtable networking pro-
vides each person at a table of
five or six, three minutes to
introduce him/herseif and
talk about their business.

When all the people at a
table have had their turn, you
move to new tables seeking
as many new people i sit
with as possible. ~

Cheers Banquet Room,

119 East 2nd Street, $10.

paid in advance, $15 at the
door.

Phone or e-mail . Paul
Clausen at -. the
Vancouver

Commerce  <nvtour@cofc

“Tourism BC. -

North -
Chamber.: . of | -

northvan.orge to register,

Superhost
Friday

m.-5 p.m,

Customer service is the
key to retaining existing
clients and acquiring new
clients. Take the opportunity
to ensure you and/or your
staff are giving your clients
the customer service they
require.

The North Vancouver
Chamber of Commerce is
hosting a Superhost
Fundamenials course on Oct
29. You and your employees
will not only. walk away with
improved - customer ‘service

October 29, 9

- skills, but also a federally rec-.

ognized . certificate -froni 5
Call’ Tracy Ruch | at “the »

North” Vancouver... Chainbe:

i our 12” annual Young -
; Entrepreneur Awards" —
"- presentation. Some of. .
~ Canada’s most outstanding:
young entrepreneurs, each.
_-- Fepresenting a different .
_ ~province or territory,
were honoured. They. were .
then matched with a
‘distinguished business
leader who will act as their
ersonal mentor for a
_ 12-month period. It’s our .
“way of encouraging their
ontinued a growth.

pment Bank of Canada

Banque ded sence du Canada