Photo by gonghuimin468 on Pixababy

My mom has passed down an interesting trait – the absolute love of a good deal. One of my favourite things about buying my mom a gift is being able to tell her how great the deal was – it’s almost better than the gift itself. Over the years she has given me some great advice on how to spend wisely. The first tip she’s given me sounds counter-intuitive but isn’t.

Photo by Nattanan Kanchanaprat on Pixabay

The cost of living increases, not just annually, but sometimes month to month. A week ago, my husband received a notification from our mobility provider letting us know that our plan will be increasing by $20 –– an additional $240 annually on what we have deemed essential.

Shelves Photo by Jason Leung on Unsplash

'Tidying Up With Marie Kondo' has taken closets everywhere by storm in the few short weeks since it debuted on Netflix. If you haven't binged it yet, the show follows Japanese organizing consultant Marie Kondo as she helps people tidy up their homes through various seasons of life. Though her methods are centred around the home and finding joy in your space, her lessons can be applied to just about any part of your life — including your finances. 

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Ah, holiday travel. It's both an exciting and crazy time to be hitting the road. While it's a fun thought to throw caution to the wind and catch the next flight out, making sure you're prepared – at least with the bare necessities – is generally a smart way to travel, especially now. And guess what? Ultimate holiday preparedness is just a few minutes away.

Life doesn’t always work out the way we think it will, and sometimes we find ourselves scrambling to regain control of our financial situation. Illness, job loss, emergency expenses, less-than-ideal money choices – these can all trigger us to dip into our savings prematurely.

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Image credit: Magic phil Montes via Unsplash

No matter what age you are, it's always a good idea to start investing. You will always benefit from putting money away, whether it's intended for a purchase that's a couple years away, or for your retirement forty years down the road. While it may be ideal to start saving for retirement early, there is no reason you can't start later in life and still maintain a good nest egg. On a similar note, putting money aside on a new-grad salary will benefit you in the long-term, no matter how much you have to start investing. 

There are a lot of firsts that come with being a millennial. These firsts may include securing the first job in your career, or taking your first big job risk; the first move out of your college town and into the city, or maybe traveling across an ocean to explore what another country can offer you; or your first major house purchase, whether it be an apartment or a bungalow. Whatever you’ll be experiencing for the first time in your twenties, this new landscape comes with a new set of financial responsibilities and decisions to make. 

The housing market in Canada seems to be the craze these days, with millennials facing the challenge of finding affordable housing for their first home investment. To help make your house hunt a little easier, we share 5 tips for first time home buyers.