Why Budget Culture Often Fails (and What to Do Instead)
We take a deep dive into budget culture, explaining what it is, the benefits and downsides, and provide an alternative, simpler model to understand your household finances.
Derek Hopfner
Credit Scores: What They Are & Why They Matter (Plus Much More!)
Everything you've ever wanted to know about credit scores: the history, soft v. hard credit checks, why BNPL doesn't quite count yet, where to get it for free, and what counts as a good score.
Has the Rent Gap Between Large and Small Canadian Cities Ever Been This Narrow?
The long standing gap between big city and small city rents in Canada is shrinking, as asking rents in major urban centres cool and prices in smaller cities continue to rise, reshaping assumptions about affordability across the country.
Subscription Overload: An Easy Way to Audit & Understand When to Unsubscribe
Learn how many subscriptions the average person actually has and how to conduct a quick subscription audit to save money.
Summer Vacation 2025: What Families Are Really Spending, Where We're Going, And How To Make The Dollars Work Harder
Summer Vacation 2025: A rundown on what families are spending on their summer vacation, the top destinations, and tips on the best places to save and splurge.
CMHC Mortgage Consumer Survey: State of Homebuying and Mortgages in 2025
A review of the recent 2025 CMHC Mortgage Consumer Survey and what it means for Canadians looking to buy their first home or renew their mortgage.
Guide: How to Maximize the Value Of Your Credit Card Points
Nook's guide to maximizing the value from your credit card points for travel. We cover the target cents-per-point benchmarks for the major programs, a playbook for high value travel redemptions, and when cash back cards are a better alternative.
A Field Guide to Buying a Home in Canada, mid-2025
It’s May 2025, the Bank of Canada’s policy rate sits at 2.75% after seven quarter‑point cuts, and, despite this cheaper money, the national average resale price is still $678,331. This is down 3.7% from a year ago, but it still puts the majority of
The Science of Saving: Why Saving Money Feels Disproportionately Good
There’s a certain kind of joy that comes from saving money. Not life-changing amounts—just little wins. Driving ten minutes out of your way to save five cents a litre at the gas station. Waiting in line for half an hour to get a free donut you weren’t
Emergency Fund: Why You Need One and How to Start
Given the uncertain economic environment influenced by ongoing trade disputes and fluctuating tariffs, financial stability has become increasingly important for Canadians. Unexpected events like job loss, emergency repairs, or surprise car issues underline the necessity of having an emergency fund. In this article, we provide a straightforward guide to help
When Does an Uber One Membership Actually Pay Off?
If you regularly rely on Uber for getting around or grabbing meals, you've likely considered Uber One—Uber's subscription promising savings for frequent users. Still, with a monthly fee of $9.99, it's fair to wonder if the savings justify the cost. In this
Breaking Even at Costco: The Fastest and Slowest Ways to Justify Your Membership Fee
For many shoppers, a Costco membership feels like an automatic money-saver. But is it? At $65 per year for a basic Gold Star membership and $130 for Executive membership, the real question isn’t whether Costco has good deals, it’s whether those deals save you more than what you