November 2013 - The Outlier Model

Updates: November 24-30

Black Friday deals, Cyber Monday deals, great financial blogs, great personal finance blogs, personal finance

Brian / November 30th, 2013 / 5 Comments

Another Black Friday come and gone, another day in which I spent $0 on Black Friday deals. Perhaps it’s the fact I live in Canada and most of the best Black Friday deals are in the US, but it’s just a day I’ve learned to treat like any other. In fact, I was reading yesterday about the economic case for ignoring Black Friday, at least in terms of what it tells us about consumer spending....

Posted in: Weekly Updates

Updates: November 17-23

my Dad's surprise party, birthday party, party hat, great financial blogs, personal finance, finance blogs

Brian / November 23rd, 2013 / 6 Comments

Today, I have to wish my Dad a Happy Birthday! Given the magnitude of the milestone (it ends in ‘0’), I decided to travel the few hours back to my hometown and surprise him for the weekend! As I struggle to build a fire in their wood burning stove, I remember all the little things you can take for granted in the city. Sure, my parents have electric heating, but it sure is more fun (and...

Posted in: Weekly Updates Tagged with: birthday, cheap music, extreme cheapskates, instant gratification, TFSA

Planning a budget holiday for 2014

Plannin a budget holiday, holiday vacation

Guest / November 22nd, 2013 / No Comments

This is a guest post. Planning a holiday is, more than anything, exciting. If you’ve got finances on the brain, however, it can also be a bit daunting. Here are some tips on how to plan the best budget holidays for next year so you can be sure your trip is filled with fun but doesn’t break the bank. Photo Credit via Flickr Travel in the Off Season If you’ve got a flexible schedule then...

Posted in: Guest Post Tagged with: going on a trip for less, holiday budget, planning a holiday, saving money on travelling

Why I am a mentor

CF / November 20th, 2013 / 9 Comments

Yesterday, I took my two student mentees out to dinner. I have two girls – one senior student who is about to do her first 8 month work term as a software developer and a second student who is just starting the computer science program. For an hour and a half, we chatted over Japanese foods and tea. The topics ranged from your regular pleasantries (“What are your holiday plans?”)...

Posted in: Career and Work Tagged with: mentoring, video game design, video game industry, women in computer science, women in technology, women working in male careers