Tickets are expensive, parking is obscene, beer prices at the arena are outrageous, yet there are ways to be budget-conscious during your night at the rink.

Here are some of tips to help you play goalie and save money next time you plan an outing to an NHL game.

To view the gallery click here, or on the picture below:

There's nothing like the New Year to focus our minds, and Walletpop bloggers are especially focused on coming up with novel ways to save a few more dollars each day. We hope that by employing just one or two of the 20 ideas on our list, you'll be able to shave a little off your living expenses, pay off your debts quicker and start to save.

Click on the image below to learn how you can start saving.

So you've made your list of what you want to accomplish in the new year and you're sticking to it. That is until appointments and work deadlines and social commitments start to eat away at your time and your money. So review your list of New Year's resolutions, and be realistic. And think about the following mistakes to avoid so your money isn't eaten up by promises you've made to yourself that you really can't keep.

Click through the photo below to launch the gallery, or read the story that follows, to find out which resolutions could cost you in 2013.

(CLICK PHOTO TO LAUNCH GALLERY)

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Ever notice when you write Christmas cards you sometimes write 'Merry Christmas and have a prosperous New Year?' It's the time of year when we've opened our presents and are finalizing plans for New Year's Eve. While that's going on, some of us are indulging in old traditions that are supposed to bring good luck, love, prosperity and wealth into our lives for the new year.

Personally, it wouldn't be New Year's Eve if I didn't cook peas and rice and thoroughly clean my home. One friend of mine wears something yellow on December 31 for good luck, and another friend of mine buys grapes to eat on the stroke of midnight.

So if you're saving, paying down debt and looking after your retirement, a little tradition shouldn't do any harm. Most new year traditions focus on good luck which does include wealth but let's look at the traditions that focus exclusively on bringing wealth into the new year.

There may be a lot of economic uncertainty out there but it appears quite a few Canadians are sure of one thing -- they're still expecting to get their annual bonus.

A recent poll suggests that one third of Canadians in the workforce expect to get their year-end bonus which usually arrives by the end of February. It seems that those anticipating the reward also have high expectations when it comes to how much they'll receive -- 79 per cent of respondents who said they think they'll get a bonus said they expect it to be the same amount as last year or higher.

Well, the good news is you made the effort to get good advice and because of that, you increased your financial IQ and were prepared for Christmas.

The bad news? You didn't follow any of that good advice and now you're even deeper in debt than before.

We asked Alison Griffiths, bestselling author and host of 'Maxed Out', what options are available for people who are suffering Christmas hangover.

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The first days of a new year always bring with them a need to clean the slate and pledge new resolutions with the best of intentions behind them, but while the focus of these are usually on health and wellness, many forget that a healthy financial life is just as important in many ways.

Not only can such a thing free you to pursue your many life goals and dreams, but free you emotionally from the added stress of crushing debt.

This is why these days you see just as many money motivated resolutions right alongside the recommendations that deal with diet and exercise.

Yet with so many out there to follow, it can be hard to determine what is the best and most universally applicable financial advice. So here are ten diamonds in the rough we think everyone should take notice of.

1. Resolve Your Debts -- This is the one resolution that must be tackled before everything else, but it's also the one that takes the most discipline. The quickest path to living debt-free is to cut your spending and put the extra money in your budget towards paying off your debt a little at a time. The key is sticking with it, but you don't have to do it alone. A credit counselor can go over your strategy and support your effort, while a debt reduction service can settle debts over $10,000 to a smaller, more manageable amount for a fee.

Sometimes you just gotta make a buck, and if a yard sale isn't going to cut it, why not try one of these alternative methods for boosting your net worth?

For instance, would you consider moving provinces to be able to afford a home? Saskatchewan is booming, and in need of workers. So the government will actually pay you to move there - to the tune of $20,000 towards your home - as long as you live and work there for the next seven years.

For more ideas on how to make money in ways you probably hadn't thought of, click here, or on on the image below, to launch the gallery.

How long has it been since you've invested in yourself? It's easy to get caught up in investing for retirement but one of the best investments is in continuing education because you control the return. The harder you work the more the investment will pay off (and out). Here are some classes to consider that don't cost much but could be a huge benefit to your financial situation.

Financial Management
What better way to improve your fiscal fitness than understanding the ins and outs of money management. Many colleges have basic accounting courses you can take at night. You could also look into Credit Canada's Financial Coaching Series, which involves six sessions of basic financial coaching (each session costs $120 or you can attend all six for $600). This would be more personal than a basic college course since you're assigned a finance coach who will analyze your own situation and help you explore your own goals and beliefs about debt, credit and your financial future.

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It's no secret that with the weak economy, job growth has stagnated in Canada. A recent report from Statistics Canada shows that there has been minimal job growth over the past year, with a 0.7 per cent rise across all sectors. British Columbia, Alberta and Prince Edward Island were the only provinces to see job growth of over one per cent while employment was on the decline in Quebec and Newfoundland and Labrador.

With so few gains being made, and a lot of Canadians looking for employment, it begs the question, if there are any jobs, where are they? Depending on where you live in Canada, the job prospects may differ.

Let's break it down by province. Click below to launch the gallery or continue reading below:








Western Canada
British Columbia saw gains in the utilities and natural resources sectors as well as in construction, transportation and warehousing industries (the latter of which means there has been job growth in the areas of air and rail transport, trucking, postal services and in storage facilities).