It is time to replace my aging 2006 Chevy Equinox, as it quickly approaches 300K in mileage! I have done my research and narrowed it down to just two models (both are crossovers). And between these two, there is very little difference except for gas mileage. One of them has superior gas mileage, and with…
Author: budgetsense
There is a new war in Canada: “The War on Gouging”
Canadians have often been known for being polite, soft, apologetic, charitable and generally friendly. But could these nice attributes be the very reason why Canadians are also such sloppy and not very wise consumers? Unlike their neighbors to the south, they let retailers and companies gouge and walk all over them, and not say or…
Impulse Buying is Killing Canadians’ Budgets: how and what to do about it?
I have talked and warned about ‘impulse buying’ in the past and recent bank polls re-affirmed and legitimized my warnings and fear: impulse buying is indeed killing the budgets of Canadians. According to a BMO poll, Canadians spend an average of $3720 on impulse purchases, which include clothing, shoes, electronics and even food (possibly leading…
From Wedding to Honeymoon: The Importance of Budgeting and Saving for Life’s Special Moments
It has been some time since I last wrote anything here and that is due to big changes that happened in my life recently : I am now a married man! My wedding was in mid August and that was followed by an exciting and lovely honeymoon in Europe, which included 4 day stay in…
Job Switch: more money or closer to home?
Many of us have been faced with this work dilemma: you already have a job that is close to home and pays OK. In other words, it is a job that may not make you very wealthy any time soon but it also gives you a stress-free comfortable life, where you can spend more quality…
Are people actually waiting for a real estate crash?
There is no denying that we have officially-some time ago actually-entered an unchartered territory for Canadian real estate prices. Prices for houses and condos are through the roof. They are up some 10% in just the last 12 months which is quiet amazing! Some of these price increases are fueled by competition and price wars. Others…
A Simple and Effortless Method to save money off your gas fill-ups
If you are paying cash, don’t fill it up 100%, instead stop at 98% or 99%! Let me explain why: If it is going to cost you $65 to fill up your car, you should stop at $64.75 or $64.90 etc. Why? Assuming you are paying with cash, this will get you a few cents…
Easy solution to reduce spending: two bank accounts
Do you find yourself spending your paycheck within a few days and then nothing is left to pay off your bills, let alone for savings? There is a simple solution: having two bank accounts. One will be your central and main account, where your paycheck is deposited. You will use this to pay off bills….
Don’t feel Envious of all the new Facebook Billionaires, learn from them!
Feeling all depressed and envious reading and hearing all the endless talk about Facebook’s 100 billion IPO? Don’t be, or at least try not to. As much as I believe the hype and valuations are highly unjustified, I still say good for Facebook and its founder Mark Zuckerberg. To be able to create a company…
The New World of Efficiency and Austerity and how you can stay ahead
You hear it all around you, cutbacks, austerity measures, new efficiency programs and other measures that are being implemented by companies and government worldwide. It is the new world we live in. World economies and finances are in the worst shape they have been in decades. It all started in 2008 with the US sub-prime…