Below you'll find a list of all posts that have been categorized as “Frugal Living”
If you’re reading this blog, I’m going to assume you’re a bit of a personal finance nerd. No shame! But as a personal finance nerd you’ve been conditioned through hundreds of blog posts published by dozens of blogs to save, save, save your money. Save for that down payment, save for retirement, save for a rainy day! Those blogs aren’t …
The day I’ve been waiting for has finally arrived! The sun, which has been weakly shining for weeks, has finally gained enough strength to make it feel like Spring outside. I’ve been hard at work cleaning out our backyard and prepping it to be our summer oasis, and at the end of a day of gardening, there’s nothing I look …
This post is sponsored by Capital One Canada. Thank you for supporting the brands that support this blog. What happens when someone steals your credit card information, really? Does someone withdraw a bunch of cash from your credit card and disappear into the night? Do they use your information to take out a loan in your name? Or do they …
This post is sponsored by H&R Block Canada, but the views expressed are entirely my own. Thank you for supporting the brands that support this blog. It’s that time of year again – cue ominous music – tax season. Filing taxes online in Canada is not the most comfortable experience, there’s always that niggling little bit of uncertainty that you …
Throughout my life, I’ve made many decisions that have actively made my life more difficult in the name of saving money. For example, when I was 22, I lived in a 400 square foot cottage for almost two years. It was tight quarters with my husband and my cat and my dog, but we made it work. I also …
I’ve been a semi-regular exerciser for the past ten years. I didn’t exercise at all in high school, relying on my natural slimness and a severe deficit of hand-eye coordination as an excuse to shun all things athletic. In university, I started practicing yoga at a local studio and tried my first hot yoga class. At $15 a pop, …
A commonly made mistake by would-be homebuyers is to assume that they can afford the same mortgage payment as the rent they are currently paying. For example, if they’re currently paying $1,500 in rent, they assume they can afford a $1,500 monthly mortgage payment. This assumption is a mistake because it leaves out all of the other expenses that come …
The thing about buying an old, small house is that they are old and small. That means dealing with awkward layouts, lights in weird places, a lack of closets, and electrical outlets that are always in the wrong place, or not there at all. Since I’m planning on renovating basically every square inch of my 87-year-old 1,000 square foot home, …
A year ago I bought my first grown-up bicycle: a Kona Coco. It’s a great bike. It’s got a step-through frame which is perfect for stepping on and off while wearing a dress. It’s got swept back handlebars which allow me to sit up nice and tall above traffic, but it’s also got nine gears and is sufficiently light that …
One of the age-old phrases of selling is ABC: Always Be Closing. When it comes to budgeting, the ABC’s still apply, but slightly modified: Always Be Cutting. Listen, folks, lifestyle creep is real, and I’m not talking about going out to restaurants more than you should, or a shopping spree; although those are bad too. I’m talking about fixed costs. …
