The Mogo Blog

The textbook cost debate

With the return of fall I was reminiscing about my college days. I thought about all of the good stuff, of course—new friends, girlfriends, dorm experiences, nightlife experiences (so to speak) when I came across this article about the rising costs of textbooks [http://www.cbc.ca/news/offbeat/story/2012/09/23/toronto-ocad-art-textbook-cost.html] . And then I remembered how terrible that was. I went to school right at the turning point between print and digital texts, and I still recall the firs

A Better Memory in 5 Easy Foods

Having a better memory would be incredible! Just think of the applications; wowing dates by remembering their names, the names of all their family members and every adorable thing they ever told you. Or remembering everything you ever read, especially when it comes to reports at work, or which cards your poker buddies have played. Now you can eat your way to an excellent memory with these five brain-building foods. Fatty Foods No, this doesn’t imply that pizza is good for your brain, we’re tal

In Praise of the Tiffin

With all of the options for packing your leftovers these days, it’s easy to get lost in a mountain of plastic. And as recent reports suggest, much of this plastic leaches into your food, which can be cancer-causing. But then I discovered something, while out for dinner with a friend at an Indian restaurant. Ladies and gents: the tiffin. I’d seen them before, but I’d never considered how awesome a tiffin could be, so I bought one and I am hooked. I also looked a little deeper into how this great

The Homebuyer’s Dilemma: To fixer up, or to not fixer up?

Like many Canadians, I once dreamt of owning my own home. Eventually I was able to buy a condo in an okay building, and I’m still sitting on it with fingers crossed that the value will go up, but my hopes of own a freestanding structure get a little less as years go by. That’s why I was interested in this article in the National Post [http://business.financialpost.com/2012/09/01/the-pros-and-cons-of-buying-a-fixer-upper/] the other day that talked about fixer uppers. I figure that if I ever do

Make Your Own Chalkboard Paint

You may recall that a little while ago I ended up pulling a last minute babysitting mission and was left with not a lot of time to plan some activities (we made a board game from scratch). Well, I was apparently enough of a hit that the kids wanted me back, and so I figured I’d better up my ante this time. I’ve been thinking about painting my closet door with chalkboard paint so I can use it as a to-do board and shopping list, so I’ve been researching what paint is the best. In my research, the