LIVING frugally has
gained quite a bit of
respectability since I
started writing about
money more than 30
Years ago.

“Frugality boom highlights
fun and fulfilment of the sim-
ple fife,” savs the headline on a
Japan Times story about a real-
ity TV: show featuring nwo
young wonien living ona tight
budget.

® In Australia, there’s grudg-
ing admiration as Money maga-
zine names Josh Hurford its
Young Miser of the New

Millennium and details some of

his exploits.

money
matters

# Starving Shirley’s Savings
Page seems to have starved to
death. But a Google search of
the Internet turned up
829,000 other “saving money”
Web sites. Even “miserly” pro-
duced 24,900 sites.

@ “Anyone can achieve health,
wealth, happiness and wisdom

Business Development Bank of Canada
Banque de développement du Canada

For your Business Financing
and Consulting needs,
the North Vancouver Branch of
. The Business Development Bank
of Canada will extend it’s hours on
» ° Wednesday, November 29 and
Wednesday, December 6 until 8pm.

: Please cail 666-6007 for
an appointment or visit us at
Suite 6-221 West Esplanade,
. North Vancouver.

‘You’RE INVITED
The Board of the North Shore Health

Region invites you to attend its Public
Information Session.

“ When:

Where:

Wed., Nov. 29, 2000

7:00 p.m. - 9:00 p.m.

West Vancouver

Seniors Activity Centre
695 2Ist Street
~ West Vancouver, B.C.

The Board will present an overview of its_
activities and the floor will be opened for
questions and public discussions.

= For more information
please contact NSHR
- Communications at

BUSINESS

by spending less than they carn,
simplifving their lifestyle,
decreasing their savings, reduc-
ing debt and working hard to
achieve definite goals,” says Tan
Nicholson, publisher of The
Miser’s Gazette, who calls him-
self “North America’s #1]
miser.”

Sounds like basic com-
mon sense.

My early stories in the late
1960s about how to save
money (“buy enough on sale
to last you until the next
sale, share a bath, borrow
books from the library, split
dishes when eating out,”
etc.) often generated hate
mail.

People have always saved
money but they didn’t always
discuss it. Austerity used to
mean hardship — the
antithesis of living the good
life. But today’s tougher
times and uncertainty have
brought frugality into favour.

Michiyo Nakajima has
broadened her popularity in

frugal

Japan from “run-of-the-mill”
idol (bit parts in TV dramas
and commercials) co become
a star in her own right as
Japan’s first “cho-setsuvaku”
— super-ftrugal-idol. She and
Rika Unuma act out the
money-saving ideas sent in
by viewers, mainly penny-
pinching housewives, to help
stay within their monthly
budget.

{nm Australia, 21-vear-old
Hurford at Metro Tool &

Die never stops thinking
about ways to save money —
and ignores his workmates”
taunts. Said co-worker Lee
Hetel: “He's an absolute leg-
end around here. i've known
him for five years and never
seen him pay for anything. In
fact, P've never even seen his
wallet.”

Envesting has more status
than saving. Yet although
you can borrow to invest,
most people start out saving.

Never torget how tax effec-
tive saving is: Work to earn
$100, pay inconie tax and
keep roughly $30 io $75.
But work to save $100 and
keep all S100.

Mike Grenby is a columnist
and independent personal
financial adviser; he'll answer
questions in this column as
space allows but cannot reply
personally. Contact bim by e-
mail mike@grenby.com and sre
previous columns are

Diversification reduces risk.

Eric
Riuir

you can
bank on it

IF there is one rule of
thumb when it comes to
financial planning, it is
simply this: diversify.
Diversification is a simple
concept. Let's say you take
and invest all your money in
an Internet startup. Two years
down the road you could be

the next Bill Gates, but more.:
ly not the company
goes belly “P. Where does thar.
leave you? If you're lucky, you...
can get out before the entire ”
house of cards comes tum-
bling down. If nos, you can
lose everything.

PHOTOS WITH SANTA BEGINNING ‘SUNDAY, NOVEMBER. 197
Christmas memories begin with a photo of your child with Santa. © For only $5.00, you :
will receive two 4"x6” professional photographs to treasure for a lifetime. We are pleased-

to accept your donation of a toy or non-perishable food iteni for the Nenh Vancouver
- Christmas Bureau. Look for the donation bins in the Grand Court Food Court.

Relowstal

Photography

1 888 475-4447

1,

fn,
~ CAPILANO.MALL-..
Where Christmas Wishes are Granted