Let’s face it, owning a house comes with a price which is not limited to the mortgage. There are leaky roofs to repair, old windows to change and painting to do. How can you go about making those repairs and still respect your budget? Estimate the Costs Whatever work needs to be done, the first […]

I’ve written my fair share of “homeowner war stories”. Last year I had to repair my roof after a freak windstorm. Before then I repaired my dishwasher and the list of repairs goes on. That’s why it’s so important to have an emergency fund. This homeowner war story is a little different. Instead of repairing […]

Paula Pant is the founder of the award-winning website Afford Anything and a writer and speaker specializing in money, business and real estate investing. At 34 years old, she owns 8 homes. Through her rental properties, she has been able to achieve financial independence and leave her 9-to-5 job. In my interview with Paula, we […]

One of my least favourite parts of being a homeowner is dealing with wasp nests. For some reason the wasps seem to love my house. Each year like clockwork wasps, hornets and bees seem to find a new place to build their nest on my property. I’ve found nests in my garage and hedge, under […]

One of the key selling points when I bought my house back in August 2012 is that almost everything inside and outside was brand-new. It had newer windows, new appliances, newly-renovated kitchen and bathroom and a new roof. Before making an offer on the property, I did what most homebuyers do and hired a certified […]

“Ah, the joys of homeownership!” It’s a familiar phrase homeowners utter during moments of frustration. When you buy a home, you’re buying all the good and the bad that comes along with it. Home repairs and renovations are often overlooked by new homeowner, but I can tell you first firsthand that’s a big mistake. They […]

When I purchased my house in August 2012, I had no idea I’d end up spending upwards of $25,000 on home renovations and repairs in my second year as a homeowner. Like most homebuyers I got a home inspection; nothing major cropped up, although the inspector mentioned I would eventually need to get the retaining […]

Are you tired of shelling out thousands of dollars to your cable company each year for hundreds of channels you don’t watch? Have you considered joined the growing trend of ditching cable TV? About 16 per cent say they no watch conventional TV and strictly stream online content, according to a report by comScore. Living […]

I woke up Sunday morning to discover I didn’t have any hot water. When I turned on the taps, the water was lukewarm. My hot water heater is rented, so I called the water heater company to have it serviced. I figured this would be a routine service call covered under my warrantee since I’m […]

After a long, stressful day at the office, it can be tempting to give in to temptation and order take out. Who feels like slaving over a hot stove, when you can have pizza delivered conveniently to your doorstep under 40 minutes? Even frugal old me used to be guilty of ordering takeout pizza on […]