Bargains & Freebies

You think you know what he'd like for Father's Day. But you don't. You really don't. At least I didn't. I thought he deserved a massage. And he does. But that's not what he wants. A new shirt? Nope. This year instead of trying to surprise him, I thought I'd ask him what Father's Day gift he'd most like. It turns out what he really wants -- and claims most men want -- is to be independent for a day or at least an afternoon and a night. He may even want to be treated as if he were 12 years old again. The good news is that this can be accomplished at a very reasonable cost. Here are five ideas on how to let your husband roam free at a discount.

He's a clothes horse but he's also a Dad, so although he wants to be stylish he also needs a bit of practicality incorporated into his wardrobe. If the man in question -- whether he's your Dad or Dad to your kids -- is fashion forward, or even fashion conscious, there's a lot to work with this season in the way of men's clothing that looks good but will fit in with the lifestyle of a busy father. Have a look at some Father's Day gift ideas for a stylin' Dad:

Now that the roads are clear, Canadians are dusting off helmets and reflective jackets and pulling out their bikes to get to work. It's not just cyclists who want to hit the road during the warmer months. Drivers who love getting out in their car in the great wide open have no doubt started planning where they'll be traveling to. But whether you're a cyclist or a driver or both, what you really need to start thinking about this time of year is making sure your "vehicle" is fit to go where you want to take it. Here's what the experts say you need to do to make sure your bike or car is tuned up for spring:





Related Links:
Top 10 Tips for Budget Family Travel
Do it Yourself: What You Don't Need to Pay for This Spring
Spring Cleaning: Seven Steps to Get Your Financial House in Order

It may not feel like it yet, but spring has sprung and summer is just around the corner.

Looks like there's no time like the present to work on that bikini body or maybe dust off that New Year's resolution to get healthy. Spring is a time of new beginnings, so why not get back on that horse and ride?

One reason might be the cost. Gym memberships can run you $40 to $50 a month or more and when you add the initiation fees, you're looking at at least $800 a year. In fact, Stephen Dubner and Steve Levitt of The Freakonomics Blog say that people over estimate their use of gym facilities by 70%.

But why break a sweat looking at your bank account balance when you could be breaking a sweat for cheap or even for free. Look, we're going to tell you what the gyms probably don't want you to know, there are ways to hack the exercise oligarchy and we're going to show you some of the best of these.

I don't know about you but with every new season I feel the urge to update my wardrobe. Spring especially breeds this feeling, perhaps because I know it means pretty soon I won't be hiding my fashion concoctions under a coat.

A new wardrobe can mean big money but if you're simply adding to it with some accent pieces or the odd new staple, staying au courant in this age of fast fashion can be surprisingly cheap. Here are some affordable finds to stay on trend this spring:






RELATED LINKS:
Do it Yourself: What You Don't Need to Pay for This Spring
Get More Bang for Your Spring Cleaning Buck
Spring Cleaning: Seven Steps to Getting Your Financial House in Order

It's been years since I've shopped for toys. When my kids were little, Toys R Us was the go-to destination for what they craved.

Even when dollar stores came into being, no one would expect to find anything but very cheap toys there. But things are improving. Here's the Dollarama toy story.

Once warmer weather arrives, those of us who own a car can't wait to wash all the winter grime off our rides. If, unlike myself, you're a do-it-yourself kind of person, you'll appreciate the brand name car care products now available at the dollar store at bargain prices.

Here's how you can spring clean your car for less with brand name products from Dollarama.

Working from home, I'm generally not awash in the same cultural and marketing nuances that most people are subject to in their day-to-day lives. Maybe that's why the pervasiveness of Tim Horton's roll-up-the-rim contest was and is so striking to me: I left the house the other day, and traveled to another country, and still, there weren't many human interactions lasting longer than ten minutes, that didn't involve mention of those red paper cups, or what people had won (or not) in that contest.

Maybe my family and friends drink more coffee than average, but I don't think so.

This is not a lecture about the cost of take-out coffee and how it adds up over the course of a year. Instead, I was curious: Just what are the odds that you might actually win one of those grand prizes, and how do those odds compare to other lottery or gaming contests?

Tim Hortons has done a pretty remarkable thing here. Not only are they 'the talk of the town,' in virtually every single town with a franchise, but despite the contest's size, people seem to believe in their chances of winning - the contest feels smaller than it actually is.

Ever enter a store intending to buy only one thing, only to exit with an arm full of bags? Sure, you could be a shopaholic who lacks self-control and doesn't know how to budget, but, in actuality, it's probably not all your fault.

Store layouts are meant to confuse and disorient you, so that you actually do have that feeling of literally getting lost among the merchandise. Just finding the exit in some of these stores can be a pretty heady task and it's meant to feel that way. The people at the store want to keep you there as long as possible because they know that the longer you are there, the more likely more and more money is going to start leaving your wallet.

Knowing all that, we've complied the tricks stores use in their layouts to keep you spending money and will thereby hopefully inoculate you against temptation forever more.


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