The Mogo Blog

Save $100 in 10 Minutes: Go on a Savings Bender

When’s the last time you read a personal finance blog that told you to go nuts with your money? Buckle up, because I’m just about to… but not in the way that you’re hoping for. This concept was introduced to me by a friend of mine that likes to live it up on weekends. He takes trips, eats out constantly and generally appears to be loose with his cash. I asked him about it, and he told me that his finances go in two different extremes: He’s either very loose or very tight, and plans them both ac

Save $100 In 10 Minutes: When Saving Money Costs You Money: The Gym Pass

Sometimes our own good intentions and the desire to save money can get in the way of smart spending. We all want to be healthier and spend less money at times, so a gym pass is an item that many of us have bought at one time or another. I don’t know about you, but going to the gym all the time is tough for me. I go in spurts – lots one month and barely at all the next. However, with a year-long pass I’m still required to pay – even when I’m being lazy, sick or out of town. If you are a regular

Winter Car Care Savings Tips

As we wrote yesterday, winter is coming [http://bog.mogo.ca/?p=1357] and it might be even fiercer than we’re used to. Canadian winters are notoriously tough on cars, so go the extra mile to make sure you can drive the extra miles. If you’re a smart spender, your car is an investment and an important part of how you live your life, get to work and have fun. Work on making small expenses a regular part of car-maintenance rather than being stuck with car-emergencies when winter hits. These follow

Spend a Little, Save a Lot: Parking

If you own a car, you can set aside $5 to save $50. Even $1… that’s only ten dimes. That’s it. I didn’t do this, and now I’m kicking myself. It can happen to all of us. I live in Vancouver, and had to drive down town last week. I had to run around to knock a few errands off my list. I (perfectly!) parallel parked my car and went to run into the coffee shop where I was meeting a friend. It was relatively quiet street, and I didn’t have any change in my pocket (only a $5 bill), so I opted to ‘s

How Great Sales Can Derail Your Money Plans

Aimless shopping is brutal on your wallet. You know what it’s like: “Oh, I’ll just stop off at the mall to poke around; I’ll see if anything catches my eye.” This is a terrible idea if you’re trying to stick to a smart financial plan. Trips to stores like that usually result in impulse purchases that will bloat up your credit card bill and take cash away from purchases that you need. How does this happen? More often than not, sales. We’ve seen it before with coupons [http://bog.mogo.ca/?p=1075