Unimor Capital Corporation

Tag: tips

  • Meal Planning: The Money-Saving Ingredient

    Meal Planning: The Money-Saving Ingredient

    Meal Planning: The Money-Saving Ingredient

    Let’s call it a Wednesday, mid-afternoon. Lunch is a distant memory and you’re starting to feel a bit peckish. Just then, your phone buzzes. It’s your partner, roommate, or child, asking, “What’s for dinner?”

    If you’re like most people, that question is a source of low-volume stress every single day. In fact, the average person faces these five stumbling blocks:

    • No idea what to cook
    • No groceries to make whatever idea we do come up with
    • Short on skills or equipment
    • No time
    • Out of sync (not everyone in the house eats the same things or at the same time)

    There’s a fix to all of these problems, but it isn’t particularly glamorous or thrilling, and you might groan at the next two words: meal planning. Hear me out! Meal planning creates a framework to fall back on. It’s the first line of defence against all the dark arts conspiring to make you order take-out or convincing you to eat cereal standing over the kitchen sink. It puts you in the driver’s seat and makes you proactive instead of reactive. After decades of teaching home cooks, I can vouch that meal planning and shopping are the two most underrated, under-discussed (and yet most critical) elements of getting dinner on the table.

    Having a meal plan is also the best way to save money on your weekly food bill. With a plan, we make fewer impulse buys when grocery shopping and decide against picking up those aspirational ingredients we buy then never use (I’m looking at you, jar of sauerkraut at the back of my fridge), as well as those extra ingredients that end up in the compost bin. Plus, with a plan in place—and the groceries on hand—we’re much less likely to order take-out or delivery. Don’t worry if you’ve tried meal planning before and found it didn’t stick. I bristle against rules, so the classic two-week meal plan has never worked for me. Luckily, there are four other methods that still deliver all the benefits.

    The Camper method assigns a theme or protein to each day of the week, just like at summer camp (e.g. Taco Tuesdays, Chicken Wednesdays, Breakfast for Dinner Thursdays). The themes repeat every week or two, but the recipes themselves can change.

    Maybe you have time on the weekend to stock the fridge and freezer with big-batch recipes, then dish them out over the week. The Batcher system is perfect for people who have next to no cooking time during the week.

    If your day-to-day schedule changes on a dime, you might prefer to pencil in just three or four dinners and lean on quick pantry meals on other nights. This Semi system works well for me, and it’s also a perfect starter system for anyone who is reluctant to try meal planning.

    The fourth system, the Wingnut, is for those people who truly prefer to fly by the seat of their dinner chairs and simply rely on a well-stocked fridge and pantry. It’s a great system for retired chefs or young couples who don’t mind popping out to the grocery store at the last-minute, but not terribly helpful for most of the rest of us.

    Whatever framework makes sense for your life, there are two critical pieces I recommend for everyone. First, have a back-up plan—what I call a back-pocket dinner. This is a meal you can make without a recipe, using pantry staples, and in very little time. Back-pocket dinners are typically really simple dishes. My own is garlic spaghetti—a dish of pasta, oil, garlic, and Parmesan. If I had a dollar for every time, I’ve been so close to ordering delivery only to realize that garlic spaghetti is faster, cheaper, and smarter, well, I’d be rich. So bring on the grilled cheese sandwiches, the fridge-clearing omelettes, and the pita pizzas. When you can feed the family from what’s in the pantry, you’ve got a superpower.

    The second piece is to designate one night a week to eat what’s in the house. Whether that’s leftovers or something from the freezer, eating what you’ve got before buying anything new just makes sense. In our house, we call it Scraps Night and it’s usually on a Monday when we have a variety of leftovers from the weekend. This simple weekly ritual dramatically reduces food and money waste. If there’s nothing obvious to use up or eat up, just lean on that back-pocket dinner.

    While meal planning might feel tiresome or limiting at first, it will likely grow on you. I love how meal planning saves time, money, and energy, but most of all, I love having an answer to that daily “What’s for dinner?” question. It eliminates the dull stress of decision fatigue, and that’s a high-five everyone needs!

  • Simple Ways to Avoid Credit Card Fraud

    Simple Ways to Avoid Credit Card Fraud

    In today’s information age, your credit card information is at risk for theft. Fortunately, you can try to avoid credit card fraud by keeping your credit card information extra safe. Always be on guard for scammers who may try to trick you into giving up your credit card details. Below are 9 simple ways to avoid credit card fraud:

    1. Keep your credit cards safe.

    One of the simplest ways to avoid credit card fraud is by keeping your credit cards safe from thieves. Place your credit cards in a purse or wallet close to your body where it can’t easily be snatched away. If you’re shopping in a high traffic area, carry a smaller purse because it’s harder to steal or sneak into. For both men and women, carry only the one or two credit and debit cards you’ll be using that day. Leave all your other credit cards at home. Thieves can take pictures of your credit card with a camera or cell phone, so don’t leave your credit card exposed any longer than necessary. After you make a purchase put your credit card away immediately. Confirm you have your credit card back in your possession before you leave the store or restaurant.

    1. Shred anything with your credit card number on it.

    Don’t toss your credit card billing statements directly into the trash – they typically have your full credit card number printed on time. Shred them to keep dumpster divers from getting their hands on your credit card number. The same thing applies to old credit cards that have expired or been canceled.

    You can go a step further and put the shredded pieces in different trash bags for the extra eager thieves who might put shredded pages back together.

    1. Don’t sign blank credit card receipts.

    Always verify the amount on your credit card receipt before signing it. If you get a credit card receipt that has blank spaces in it, write $0 in those spaces or draw through them before putting your signature on the card. Otherwise, the cashier could write in an amount and send the purchase to your credit card issuer.

    1. Avoid giving out your credit card information.

    Only give your credit card number or other sensitive information on calls you initiate. Not only that, when you call your credit card issuer’s customer service, use the number on the back of your credit card. Don’t return calls to a phone number left on your answering machine or sent to you in an email or text message. It’s hard to be sure a scammer hasn’t left a fake number for you to call.

    Don’t give your credit card number to anyone who calls you requesting the number. Credit card thieves have been known to pose as credit card issuers and other businesses to trick you into giving out your credit card number.

    1. Be safe with your credit card online.

    Don’t click on email links from anyone that looks like your bank, credit card company, or other business who uses your personal information, even if the email looks legitimate. These links are often phishing scams and the scammers want to trick you into entering your login information on their fake website. Instead, go directly to that business’s website to login to your account. Make sure you’re cautious when you’re using your credit card online. Only enter your credit card number on secure websites that you can be 100% sure are legitimate. To be sure a website is secure, look for https:// in the address bar and lock in the lower right corner of your internet browser. Taking these extra steps will help you avoid credit card fraud.

    1. Report lost or stolen credit cards immediately.

    The sooner you report a missing credit card the sooner your credit card issuer can cancel your credit card and prevent fraudulent charges. Reporting your lost or stolen credit card as soon as possible lowers the likelihood that you’ll have to pay for any fraudulent charges made on your credit card. Write down your credit card companies’ customer service number now so you’ll have them if your credit cards are ever missing.

    1. Review your billing statements each month.

    Unauthorized charges on your credit card are the first sign of credit card fraud. If you notice a charge you didn’t make, no matter how small, report the charge to your credit card issuer immediately. Your credit card issuer will tell you whether you should close your account and get a new account number to avoid credit card fraud.

    1. Make strong passwords and keep them safe.

    Your credit card number may be stored in several places online. For example, you may save your credit card on Amazon, so you can make one-click purchases. Make sure you use strong passwords – a combination of upper- and lower-case characters, numbers, and even characters – and avoid writing or sharing your password.

    1. Check gas stations and ATMs for credit card skimmers.

    Credit card thieves sometimes place credit card skimming devices onto the credit card readers at gas pumps or ATMs. These skimmers capture and store your credit card information and credit card thieves come back later to get the device. Skimmers are placed on the regular credit card swipe, so if anything looks off about the place you’re swiping your credit card, go to another gas station or ATM.

     

  • Mortgage Approval Tips

    Mortgage Approval Tips

    For some buyers, getting financed can be a daunting task. It’s even more difficult if you’re self-employed. Working with an expert to navigate the application and fulfillment process is crucial. The following are several ways you can maximize your chances of getting approved for a mortgage:

    • Disclose all the properties you own. You have to tell your mortgage agent about all the properties you own and the mortgages involved.
    • Keep your taxes up to date. Lenders may decline your application if you owe taxes to Revenue Canada.
    • Communicate your reason for purchasing. Showing that you know what you’re looking for will make it easier to get the financing required.
    • Make sure your property meets minimum requirements. Each lender has different guidelines; we can help to make sure these are all met.
    • Know your down payment source. This is critical, as lenders want to know that the deposit is liquid and accessible.
    • At the time of application, keep your current financial situation stable. For the best rates, all income needs to be verifiable.
    • Be conservative with the value of a property. Purchasing a house beyond your means can become problematic in the future when you leave yourself with little to no disposable income.
    • Don’t look for the lender with the cheapest interest rate and then try to fit the lender’s policy. We can help you plan your financing and structure your loan with the features you need.
    • Use a mortgage broker. The paperwork that lenders require can be significant, and it’s important to get it right. We are here to guide you through the whole process.