Money Saving Tips

2 Cheap And Easy Summer Treats

There are lots of neat things you can do to make this summer special and here are a couple of ideas that will refresh you and tempt your taste buds this summer:

Homemade Iced Cappuccinos.

Sure, a Tim Horton’s  iced cappuccino doesn’t cost a lot, but I recently started making homemade iced caps and they taste great. They’re cheap and easy to make, they just take seconds.

To make enough for two, all you need is to blend the following:

½ cup of French vanilla cappuccino mix – it’s best to buy it bulk as it’s the cheapest that way

¾ cup of milk

2 cups of ice cubes

Just blend well and enjoy!

Continue Reading

April 23, 2012
Shopping

How To Save Money When You Shop At Bulk Barn

In case you have never heard of it, Bulk Barn is a Canadian franchise that sells a wide variety of bulk foods including all kinds of candy, health foods, pastas, and much more.  If you have an allergy to gluten, there are many gluten-free products available including snack foods, chocolate, and brown rice pastas.  You can save yourself a lot of money by shopping at Bulk Barn, but here are a few tips to follow in order to do so:

1.  Watch your prices. Just like at any other store, some things are a bargain, but others are overpriced.  Although you may think that everything would be cheaper at a bulk food store, think again.  Certain products such as all purpose flour actually will cost you more if you buy it at Bulk Barn.  Also, you will often be able to find your cereals for less at a regular grocery store, especially if you buy cereal when it goes on sale.  And to all you junk food junkies, another thing to watch out for is certain types of candy.  Sometimes you can buy candy cheaper at Walmart or on sale at grocery stores.  A good example of this would be M & Ms.

Continue Reading

April 20, 2012
Investing

Roth vs Traditional IRAs – Which Is Best For A Family On A Budget?

Retirement funding may not be the first thing on your mind when you’re worried about soccer practice basic meal planning and making it to the weekend, but saving for retirement now when your family is young – even if you’re on a tight budget – will ensure that you have a more secure future. While many parents are more concerned about saving for college than retirement, this is backwards thinking. Always remember: Your kids can find alternative funding for college, but no one is going to scholarship your retirement.

With that in mind, let’s talk about how you go about funding your retirement with an IRA. The main distinction here is Traditional vs. Roth IRA, and it can be tough to decide which is best for your family when you’re on a budget. Here’s what you need to know about the essentials of how these retirement accounts work and how you can choose which option will work best for your family.

Continue Reading

April 16, 2012
Taxes

Finished School And Entering The Workforce? Think About Your Taxes

Employee expenses: Most regular employees are not allowed to deduct expenses related to their jobs – services such as dry cleaning or haircuts. But anyone who earns employment income during the tax year can claim the $1,065 Canada Employment Credit.

Tuition credits: If you carried forward unused tuition credits, you can claim it against your employment income and it could result in a refund.

Save for the future: Retirement may seem like a long way off but even if you do not contribute the maximum amount allowed to your Registered Retirement Savings Plan, you can carry forward your available deduction limit for future years. It means you can save more when you are earning more income.

Continue Reading

April 13, 2012
Taxes

New To Canada? Part Year Residents Need To File Taxes Too

People entering Canada can be classified as: non-residents, deemed residents or part-year residents. Although the tax treatment and deductions differ for each classification, part-year residents are the most common type. Here are some important tax tips that will help part-year residents:

  • In Canada, residents are taxed based on their world income. Part-year residents must report all income from anywhere in the world after their arrival in Canada.

Continue Reading

April 9, 2012