Found 115 posts tagged as "Tips"
James Nevison has a thrifty eye for tasty wines. Nevison, The Province's wine columnist (they call him the 'Wine Guy') and a 10-year veteran of wine tasting, has a proven palate for pairing poultry with Pinot Gris.
These days Nevison wants you to enjoy the best wines for less money. With the help of his new app, Had a Glass, wine enthusiasts can take his top 100 wine list to the liquor store and pick a winner for well under $20. No more battling bottle labels and perusing point-based reviews. Nevison has scoured the shelves and has hand-picked the top buys across Canada.
The wine descriptions in Had a Glass are wittily written and easily read, and can be searched by price, country, wine type, food pairing, and occasion.
I asked Nevison to share his top tips for picking the perfect wine on a tight budget.
The Toronto Star published an interesting article earlier this week. The article on tipping practices in Toronto is bound to do more than raise a few eyebrows. Based on the feedback I received for a similar article on tipping, Is it acceptable to tip less (or not at all) in a bad economy?, I know that many people feel that the practice is unnecessary and resent having to do it at all.
According to the Star, a 20 per cent tip could become the new norm. Several Toronto restaurants have changed the automatic prompts on their handheld terminals to account for 20 per cent, rather than the industry standard of 15 per cent. It is their belief that a larger tip is warranted by the “outstanding service” they provide.
Taking the plunge into a more frugal lifestyle can save you a lot of money, if done right. Over the years I've seen a number of well-meaning cost-cutting Canucks take to thrift, only to damage their financial bottom lines and become miserable.
To keep you from becoming 'penny wise' and 'pound foolish', here are five frugal living mistakes even thrifty people make:
Thinking of switching from paper bills to e-bills? Better be careful, paying your e-bills the wrong way just might cost you.
E-bills, which are electronic copies of paper bills emailed to the billee's inbox or or to a consolidated bill payment website, have grown in popularity in Canada over the last few years. The vast majority of Canadians I asked on my blog's Facebook page cheered in support of this greener bill payment method.
Leigh writes: "I enjoy e-bills not only for their environmental support, but I always misplaced the paper ones. I also like not having to keep my copies."
Many Facebook commenters switched to electronic billing during last summer's Canada Post strike to ensure bills would be received and paid on time. Frequent flyers and travel enthusiasts also prefer e-bills since they can be paid from anywhere in the world.
But despite this roaring support, there are a few glitches electronic bill payers should be aware of, as these mistakes could cost you some serious cash.
Here are three ways e-bills can cost you:
Doing a little bit of research before plunking down your money on a product could save you a lot of cash, especially if the retailer boasts a price match or price adjustment policy.
With a price match, a retailer guarantees to match a competitor's advertised price for the exact item -- some even offer to beat the price by 5% to 10% if you ask nicely.
A price adjustment policy can be just as lucrative for savvy consumers. Let's say you buy an item and find it on sale at the same store (or find it for cheaper elsewhere) within the next 7 to 30 days -- the retailer will then refund you the difference, padding your pocket with some tidy savings.
Savings can be scored on a multitude of items with both price match and price adjustment policies. Everything from groceries to baby gear, and electronics to clothing -- even furniture can be bought for less by knowing the steps to savings success.
Here's how to do it:
Recently, I read an article about a somewhat naive individual who invited perfect strangers into her home – alone and at night – in order to check out the couch she was selling on Craigslist. Luckily for her, nothing happened. The buyers purchased her couch and went on their way, but it could have been worse – much, much worse.
Currently, in Athens, Georgia, police are searching for “Craigslist thieves” who use advertisements to lure in their victims, and then rob them blind. The thieves have made off with iPhones, cash and even a $5,000 diamond ring.
Although Craigslist and Kijiji can be great sites for selling your unwanted items, you really have to be smart about how you do it. Here are some tips for safely selling your items online.
If you’re anything like me, then you’ve been collecting Air Miles since you first got your card, but have never redeemed them for anything. Like me, you’re probably sitting on a very small fortune (I might even have enough to get a movie ticket and a small popcorn).
It seems Air Miles has very recently changed their rules. If you’re a collector, as of December 31st, 2011, you have 5 years to use your existing points. After that, unfortunately, they’ll expire (bye-bye free movie). As of New Year’s Day, reward miles are only valid for 5 years after they’re first posted.
What would you do with an extra $205 in your pocket? Pay for groceries, pump fuel into your tank, clothe your kids, or travel? According to a new study, the average household active in loyalty programs earns a tidy $622 a year in credit card cash back, points, or miles, but fails to redeem $205 of those rewards.
We're literally throwing away over one-third of our credit card rewards annually and handing these programs around $16 billion in unclaimed value, reports the recent Colloquy Loyalty Census study.
I don’t carry paper money. I have $10 in my pocket right now and, even so, this is a rare occurrence. When I have money on me, I spend more, despite attempting to exert self-control over my purchases. Cash in my pocket just doesn’t work for me. And it’s not like I really need paper money, anyway.
But a couple of days ago, I blogged about a recent article that detailed places you don’t want to use your debit card. I’m guilty of using my card in three of the four places on the list. This got me to thinking about whether I use my debit card more than I should, and if maybe I should switch to using credit more (carrying cash at all times is still out of the question).
I have three credit cards and always make payments a couple of days after a purchase. I never accrue interest, though I do like knowing that I could delay payment on the bulk of a balance if necessary. I also have a couple of perks in place. With my American Express gold card, I collect Air Miles on every purchase over $20. And with my TD VISA, I get a monetary rebate each year based on how much I spend. My third card is more of an emergency card, as my interest rate is extremely low (under one per cent).
That’s not to say that I’m not in the market for another credit card.
Start the New Year by looking into the mirror and being honest with yourself. Did you keep a household budget last year? Did you track your spending even for a month? Have you tried to make a dent in your credit card debt?
If you can't answer yes to all of these questions, then perhaps now is the perfect time to get real with a budget, find areas to cut your spending, and make a plan to pay off your credit card debt.
These five frank financial bright ideas could also help to increase your bottom line in 2012:
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