June 2012
1 post
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May Link Love: Some Top Notch Posts Written by...
This May has been an interesting month to say the least. First off, as you may have noticed, and as I mentioned in my post about making a few changes to my blog, I’ve cut down from posting everyday to only 3 days a week. It puts less pressure on myself, I’ve got more free time to explore some other areas in my life, and I’ve also got more time to read other great blogs! So,...
May 2012
17 posts
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Living with Roommates: The Pros and Cons
Hey guys! I’ve got great guest post for you today from Vanessa over at Random Thoughts & Acronyms and she’s gonna talk to you a bit about her experience living with roommates and subletting suites in her place to make some extra income. Take it away Vanessa!
Hello! My name is Vanessa and I write a bit about everything over at Random Thoughts & Acronyms. I just turned 24 and...
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Two Men Talking About Personal Finance on a Bus
One of the great things about taking the bus is the interesting conversations you get to eavesdrop on. The other day, I was privy to one such conversation about personal finance between two middle aged men from East Vancouver. Now, these men weren’t telling each other “Oh yes, I just love the rate my TFSA mutual fund is giving me right now.” Oh no. Before they started talking...
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10 Classic Movies You Should Watch Because They...
I think I’ve mentioned in one of my posts before that I got my Bachelor’s Degree in Film, so I’ve watched my fair share of films. Actually, I’ve seen a shit-load of movies. That documentary about paraplegics playing rugby: Yup, I’ve seen that. That Akira Kurosawa film that inspired George Lucas’ Star Wars. Yeah, I’ve seen that. That Canadian indie movie...
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So, You're Job is Being Replaced by a Computer. I...
So, I’ve mentioned before how I have a second job, but I have a feeling it won’t last that much longer. I’m slowly being replaced by a computer. And a foot pedal. You see, my second job is a Teleprompter Operator at a news station. Sure, being a Teleprompter isn’t exactly rocket science, but I did have to do a month’s worth of training and it’s actually quite...
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How to Effortlessly Get Everyone's Mailing...
I love my older sister. She is an amazing lady and so far the best Maid of Honor ever. I honestly don’t know where she finds all these cool websites that I’ve never heard of before but God bless her for it! Her latest find is a site called postable.com. Now, as I mentioned in my post about free wedding websites, I definitely plan on sending out paper invitations for my wedding, but...
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How My Homemade Banana Bread Will Always Kick...
Everyone knows that cooking from home is cheaper than eating out. Well, except for my BF who doesn’t quite believe this is true. Maybe it’s because when we go to Costco our bill always ends up being over $100 just for some shampoo, chicken, and fruit bars. Anyways, I thought I would try to calculate just how much cooking from home actually costs starting with my banana bread recipe...
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Student Loans: Borrow With Caution!
Hey everyone! Today Bridget from Money After Graduation is guest posting on a topic I think most of us students and ex-students can relate to: student loans. Take it away Bridget!
I took out my first student loan in 2009. I’m lucky because that was my third year of university, which means had I funded my first two years the same way, I might owe twice as much as I do now. Before I go on, I...
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I Think It's Time for Some Goal Restructuring...
As I mentioned in Friday’s post, I’m making a few changes to my blog so I can have some more time to focus on a few other areas of my life. Since it’s somewhat of a new beginning, I thought it was also time to look at some of the goals I set for myself in January and do a bit of restructuring. These were the goals I set at the beginning of the year:[[MORE]]
1.) Save up $15,000...
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I Did It! I've Reached 100 Posts! Now for Some...
Today, I have officially published 100 blog posts since I launched Mo’ Money Mo’ Houses on December 15, 2011 (that’s minus all photo and guest posts of course). That’s 100 posts in only 4 1/2 months, and I’ve gotta tell ya, as much as I am so in love with blogging and so thankful for such an incredibly supportive personal finance blogging community, it’s...
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The Weirdest Google Searches I've Gotten Thus Far
I started this blog back in December, but it wasn’t until mid-February that I actually started getting visits via Google Search. And I’ve gotta tell you, the searches that are drawing people to this blog are totally bizarre and I love them. I know this isn’t a completely original idea to list some of the weirdest Google searches as a post, but I just really wanted to share...
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My Trip to Portland - Part 3: Trip Photos
So since I’ve been yabbering on and on about my trip to Portland, I thought I’d finally show some of the photos I took so you can really get the full trip experience.
Crème brûlée french toast at The Original. So good, you don’t even know! My BF got this other dish called the Elvis Presley, which I believe was french toast, peanut butter, and bacon. It sounds gross but it was...
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My Trip to Portland - Part 2: The Dream of the...
Well, the dream of the nineties wasn’t really alive in the part of Portland that me and my BF visited. Our hotel, the Hotel Deluxe, was situated downtown and I guess that’s just not where all the hipsters hang out. During the daytime at least. At the stroke of midnight, they all seemed to come out in their plaid shirts and big plastic glasses, lining up around Voodoo Donuts and...
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My Trip to Portland - Part 1: Getting...
As some of you may have read from my Twitter and Facebook updates on Friday, the journey to Portland from Vancouver via Amtrak was not a pleasant one. Actually, it was probably one of the worst traveling experiences of my life. But first, let me give you some backstory.
My BF and I had been planning to visit Portland for almost a year. We’d both heard from a number of friends that...
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Sassy Blogs I Love, and You Should Too
The main reason I wanted to start this blog was because I love reading personal finance blogs myself. They inspire me, they motivate me, and eventually they got me thinking of starting my own blog to document my own money journey. Plus, I’ve always wanted to be more creative in my daily life, and having a blog to write on almost everyday not only forces me to write more, but it also gives...
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I Think I'm a Workaholic...and I Think I'm Okay...
First off, I want to say I really don’t like the word workaholic because I can’t help but picture some heartless Donald Trump type guy who would rather work at the office than spend anytime with his family. I don’t know why that even bothers me because it’s just me and my BF right now. I mean, it’s not like I’ve got a truck-load of kids at home hoping that...
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How to Save Thousands of Dollars By Going to Sleep...
So, a few months ago when I decided to join the Yakezie challenge and try to reach below a 200,000 Alexa ranking, I had to install the Alexa toolbar onto my web browser to track my blog’s progress. As much as I do enjoy getting up in the morning before work and checking if my ranking has gone down, the main reason I like having the toolbar installed is that it also displays a link to the...
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Free Personal Finance E-Book Giveaway!
Hey Mo’ Money readers! I’ve never done a giveaway before, but I just couldn’t pass up this opportunity to give away the e-book The Super Duper Simple Book on Money by personal finance expert Alan Akina. First off, it’s free for two weeks as of today (who doesn’t love free), secondly it’s a very easy read (I finished it in less than an hour), and lastly...
April 2012
21 posts
1 tag
The Importance of Pre-Shopping for Your Wedding...
I’m giving full credit to my mom for the great idea of doing a pre-shopping trip for wedding dresses a few weekends ago. I was compiling a list of stores in New Westminster, and after reading a bunch of reviews about some of the stores, I started feeling overwhelmed and confused as to where I should book an appointment. What if my perfect wedding dress is in one of those stores with a bad...
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Quick Ways to Find Cheap Places to Drink
I love going out for drinks but I can’t stand paying $9 for a martini. That’s why no matter what’s on special, that’s usually what I get. Apparently, I’m not the only one who thinks this way because I just discovered drinkowl.com, a website that tells you what places have what drink specials in your city. It’s pretty amazing. Almost as amazing as...
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How to Make a Low-ball Offer When Buying a New...
Hey everyone! Today I’ve got a guest post from Anna, owner of Bargainmoose.ca, a site for Canadian coupon codes, discounts and shopping deals. She has recently purchased her first home, and wants to share her research and insights into how to make low-ball offers, to bag yourself a super bargain on what is likely to be one of the biggest purchases of your life. Take it away Anna!
Tip 1: Do...
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Stop Comparing Yourself to Others, You're Doing...
When I was little, I always wanted to be just like my older sister. She was super smart (still is), got straight As in school, and although my mom told me not to, I couldn’t help but compare myself to her. Whenever I got a B, I felt like I just wasn’t as smart as her and pushed myself to try harder. Eventually I realized it wasn’t healthy to compare myself to her or anyone...
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Hello? Yes, You've Called 8-1-1 a.k.a the Number...
Over a month ago my BF went snowboarding with a few friends and ended up hurting his wrist. Now, if it was me and my wrist was in pain, I would have gone to the clinic the next morning. Not my BF. He just complained about it for a month and hoped it would sort itself out. I think it may have something to do with him not liking to go to the doctor (or the dentist for that matter), but eventually...
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Is Counting Every Penny You Spend Healthy?
A common trend I find on other personal finance blogs are end-of-the-week spending recaps. In case you aren’t familiar with them, they are a recap of what that person has spent from Monday - Sunday plus any income that’s come in. This is definitely a good way to find out what you are spending your money on so you can analyze your habits and adjust, but I find you can do this minus...
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It's Friday Again, Which Means It's Cheap Wine...
Does Biggie Size even exist anymore, or was it kyboshed after Super Size Me was nominated for an Oscar? In any case, this is the second edition of Cheap Wine Review Time and it’s been up-sized. Oh yes, I’m not just reviewing wine under $10, but I’m reviewing 1 litre bottles of wine under $10! Now, my last review compared two different Chardonnay’s under $10, one fairly...
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How to Get Rid of Telemarketers
Have you ever gotten a phone call from a telemarketer? Please, of course you have. Everyone has. I never really got any calls myself, that is until last month when all of a sudden Telus started calling me daily. No exaggeration, they called me everyday for an entire week. Always at 3pm on the dot, while I was at work and thus couldn’t answer my cell phone. Finally, the following week I was...
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2012 Wedding Trends - How They Might Save You...
The other day, when looking for DIY wedding decor ideas, I happened to find this little gem of a diagram, which goes through all of the top wedding trends of 2012. I love diagrams, I don’t know why but they just make me happy. What I loved about this particular diagram is that it shows that less is more is in!
So, I guess my idea for a rustic themed wedding is anything but original, but I...
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If You Love Lists, You'll Love Workflowy
I love lists. I’ve been making lists since I was in high school and they are seriously what keep me sane when I’ve got a bajillion things to do. I used to make a list every year in high school with goals that I wanted to accomplish and classic movies I wanted to watch, and I would tape it to my bedroom wall next to my bed. Yes, I was an odd teenager, but hey, I think I turned out...
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It's Spring Cleaning Time, and That Includes Your...
It could be the clean freak in me, but I just feel more relaxed and generally more optimistic about life when the dishes are done, the bed is made, the laundry is folded, and my desk is clear. When my apartment is organized, so is my life, and all the worries of the day seem to vanish. This also goes for my twitter account.
Now, like most of you I’m sure, I’ve got a love/hate relationship with...
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Everything Else You Need to Know About Living on...
Well, everything must come to an end, including this post-grad themed blog series. I’ve covered employment (or lack thereof), health benefits, and getting your first place all sorted, so this post is kind of a hodge-podge of everything else I can think of that you may need to know before you start your grown up life.
1.) If you plan on living with a roommate, make sure to keep a running...
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A List of Things You'll Need When You Move Out
I’m including this post in this post-grad blog series because honestly, when I was about to move out, I had no f***ing clue what I needed to get for my new place. I mean, I knew I needed the essentials, like plates and bowls, but other than that I had no idea. So, I started making a list of things at my parents place and tried to find some answers via the internet, but even still it...
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How to Spend Only $21 Per Month on Transportation
For the majority of my 5 years at university I had my own car, handed down to me from my sister, who got it handed down to her from our dad. It was a red Toyota Tercel (remember those?) and I loved it. Besides a few dents and scratches, it looked pretty good for a car from the early 90s and it ran just fine. Well, that is until it finally died in my parents driveway during my last school year.
...
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Getting the Best Deal on Cable & Internet
When I first moved out, I lived without cable for an entire year. Honestly, I didn’t really want it anyways. I find when I have cable, I’ll always choose to watch TV over reading a book, exercising or doing something more productive. That being said, I didn’t really live without TV for that year. For a brief period I had Netflix, but if you are a fellow Canadian you’ll...
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Furnishing Your First Place for Almost Nothing
Okay, so we’ve established last week how to survive unemployment after graduation, taking advantage of your work health benefits, how to find your first place, what you should expect to pay for a place in Canada, and how, no matter what, you need to get rental insurance. A lot of useful info I really wish I had known before being thrust into the real world without a clue, but I guess I...
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Yes, You Can Afford Rental Insurance You Cheap...
I’ll be honest, before I moved in with my BF, I didn’t have rental insurance for my last place. It wasn’t because I didn’t think I needed it, I just didn’t think I could afford it. I remember how much car insurance was, so i just assumed that since an apartment is way bigger than a car, then obviously the cost of insurance would reflect that. How naive I was....
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How Much Should You Be Paying for Rent in Canada?
This is sort of the second half of yesterday’s post, elaborating a bit more on how much you should expect to pay in rent, crackhouse or not. It’s funny, I always thought I had a good grasp on the value of things until I was on my own and realized I didn’t really know how much things cost beyond clothes, shoes and tuition. When I started looking for my first place, I was...
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Finding Your First Place: Be Prepared to Live in a...
Hey, there’s nothing to be embarrassed about. Everyone’s first place is a sh** hole, they just may not see it that way at first. When I got my current job almost two years ago, I knew two things: I needed to move out of my parents’ place in the ‘burbs so I could live closer to work, and I needed a roommate because I couldn’t afford to live on my own in Vancouver....
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Just Got Your First Real Job? Then It's Time to Go...
After I got my first full-time permanent job, I was so flippin’ excited to finally have a steady paycheque and be able to afford to move out on my own, the last thing I was thinking about was health benefits. Sure, I knew they were included in my job, but it wasn’t until about 6 months into it that I actually took a good look at what I was getting. Something to keep in mind is that...
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How to Survive Unemployment After Graduation
It’s April and I know what the means. A fresh batch of undergrads are going to be tossing up their graduation caps and entering the real world soon. So, for the beginning of this month my posts are going to focus on life after graduation. I’m sorry for starting this series off with a post that’s sort of a debbie downer but I really wish someone had written this when I was about...
March 2012
22 posts
1 tag
Why You Should Get a Free Wedding Website (If You...
I’ve mentioned before that my BF and I have been together for a while now, so as much as his proposal on Christmas was a surprise, I knew a proposal was imminent. I mean, for about a year prior while I was living with my roommate I had been covertly gathering photos of wedding dresses, cakes and invitation designs and putting them in a secret folder on my computer. Now, at the time I didn’t think...
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How a Robot in Disguise Took Control of His Debt
Hello Mo’ Money readers! This is my first guest post, and I’m so excited to introduce to you my friend Jon, a great writer, photographer and Robot in Disguise blogger, who said yes to sharing his debt story and how he’s on his way to becoming debt-free. Take it away Jon!
Like most of us, when I was in my early twenties I got a credit card. It felt like a gift from the money...
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Things You Shouldn't Spend Much Money On (Because...
In continuation of yesterday’s post, here are some more things you should either buy at IKEA, Winners or the dollar store because I guarantee you will break these:
Wine glasses - I break about 4 or 5 of these a year. One day I’d love to be a non-clumsy, real adult and buy some Riedel wine glasses but until then, it’s the cheap stuff from Winners for me.
Couch - Do you have a...
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Things You Shouldn't Spend Much Money On (Because...
There are some things you should pay a bit more money for to make sure you get the best quality, such as a car or a house for instance, but there are some things that you probably should cheap out on because you will lose them:
Sunglasses - It’s nice at the time when you just shelled out a couple hundred bucks for some Gucci sunglasses, but guaranteed within a year you will either...
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My Trip to the Vancouver Wedding & Honeymoon...
Now, I’ve been to about four wedding fairs since I got engaged on Christmas, so I feel like I’ve pretty much seen it all. The first one I went to, The Wedding Fair, was chaotic. There were hundreds of vendors and a million brides with entourages elbowing their way through the crowd to enter each booth’s prize draw. I had a fun time but I think I could only do one or two of...
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Cheap & Healthy Fast Food Alternatives
Come Friday or Saturday night, I’m usually in need of a quick meal before going out with friends or catching a movie. Usually I just want to order some Domino’s or grab some Wendy’s, but after watching multiple seasons of Bulging Brides and The Biggest Loser I’ve become a bit more selective with my fast food choices. So, I’ve come up with a few fast food...
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Frugal Tips I Learned from The Hunger Games
About a year ago both my sisters insisted I read The Hunger Games. After they explained that it was about a bunch of hungry kids fighting to the death, I said I’d pass. Then I started hearing all the buzz about the movie coming out, and all of a sudden everyone I knew was reading the series. Not one to usually jump on any type of bandwagon, except maybe when it’s Game 7 of the...
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Do You Know What You're Paying for When It Comes...
This Christmas I got this amazing set of 18 OPI nail polishes from my sister and ever since I’ve been painting my nails weekly. I used to be terrible at painting my nails, essentially painting my entire finger then spending the next hour cleaning up the mess with Q-tips and nail polish remover. Thank god practice makes almost perfect because I’ve got it down to about 20 minutes now.
...
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Battle of the Books: Google Books vs. The Good...
Umm…so has Google Books been around for a while or have I just been living under a rock until now? Ok, maybe I’m getting too excited about free books, but sometimes I hate physically going to the library. No other explanation besides I’m just really lazy. Don’t get me wrong, when I’m at the library I love it. I get into my bookwormy happy place where I pretend that...
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The Smart Consumer's Guide to Online Shopping
I love online shopping, I mean LOVE. Luv. Lurrrve. Okay, you get the idea. Seriously though, how else could I shop in my pajamas while eating a messy taco at two in the afternoon on a Sunday and not be judged? Internet, what would I do without you? Of course there are some definite do’s and don’ts to ensure you get the best price and avoid buyers’ regret, so here are my top 4...
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5 Great Websites to Watch TV Online for Free in...
One thing I’m really jealous of all you Americans for is the selection of websites you have to watch TV online for free. I mean you’ve got Hulu, NBC.com, ABC.com and HBO.com just to name a few, all the while us poor Canadians are denied access. So, I thought I’d do a bit of research on what we’ve got up here to compete, and although the selection isn’t as great,...