In recent weeks, the price of gas in Canada has broken through the $2 a litre barrier that didn’t seem possible even a few months ago. News reports about the impact of high oil prices on our lives have me thinking about the importance of vehicles in our lives, and whether high gas prices will make us change our driving habits.
Regifting rules – When it makes sense and how to do it right!
Ahh. The perfect gift! Is there really any such thing? We’ve all had the experience of receiving a gift that isn’t right for us. When you get a gift that’s far from perfect, you may be tempted to regift it. Today’s post will look at circumstances when regifting makes sense. And, I’ve got five simple regifting rules to make sure you don’t end up in a tricky situation.
7 ways to make home ownership more affordable
Rarely a day goes by that I don’t see a headline about Canada’s housing crisis. Escalating prices, and bidding wars over rental properties, are enough to give anyone a headache. And affordable housing is a concern in other countries as well.
Today, I continue my Financial Literacy Month series by bringing some perspective to our housing situation. Plus, I’ve got 7 ways to make home ownership more affordable.
Is the FIRE movement a smart money strategy or an unrealistic dream?
November is Financial Literacy Month in Canada. For the rest of the month, I’ll dedicate my Wednesday posts to money issues.
Today, to kick things off, I’m looking at the FIRE movement. If you’re not familiar with FIRE, it stands for Financial Independence, Retire Early. It’s a popular movement, but is it a smart money strategy or a dream that’s beyond the reach of the masses?
20 home energy saving tips – Save money & reduce your impact
When it comes to home energy consumption trends in Canada, there’s good news and bad news. Between 2000 and 2019, energy efficiency in Canadian homes increased by 32%. But, over the same time period, our overall household energy use increased by 11%. Read on to learn the main drivers of household energy usage, and 20 home energy saving tips that will save you money and reduce your environmental impact.
Top 10 parenting tips you need to know
It’s official! I survived! We recently celebrated our youngest daughter’s 18th birthday so I can proudly say I am now the mom of two young adults. As I paused to reflect on the last 21 years, I made a list of my top 10 parenting tips to share with you.
If you’re just starting your family, I hope these little nuggets of wisdom will be valuable. If you’re embarking on the teenage years, just know that everything will be okay.
12 practical ways you can cut food waste
It’s Stop Food Waste Day – a day to bring awareness to a problem that contributes to many of the world’s challenges.
Today, I’ll share some alarming stats on food waste and why it’s something we all need to be concerned about. Then, I’ve got 12 easy and practical ways you can cut food waste.
What I learned from the Buy Nothing Challenge
This year, instead of giving up the usual things like chocolate or potato chips for Lent, I decided to do something I had been thinking about for a while – a Buy Nothing Challenge. How hard would it be to avoid all non-essential purchases for six weeks?
In today’s post, I’ll recap my experience and share what I learned from the Buy Nothing Challenge.
World Water Day – 10 ways you can use less water
March 22 is World Water Day. This day is all about valuing water and the role it plays in our lives. In today’s post, I’ll talk about the importance of this vital resource, and why we need to conserve it. Then, I’ve got 10 ways you can use less water.
5 ways to be both festive and frugal
I love Christmas! It’s one of my favourite times of the year. What I don’t love is how our culture has turned this beautiful season into an over-commercialized spend fest. In today’s post, we’ll look at 5 ways you can be both festive and frugal. It is possible.