New to Squawkfox? Thanks for dropping by! Here are the best posts that represent what this site is about.
50 Ways to Save $1,000 a Year
You wanted to boost your savings in a tough economy with little effort or pain. I gave you 50 (fifty) ways to painlessly stash some extra cash without losing a limb or getting a second job.
The real reason you’re broke
I took a moment to be mean, and you liked it. Your feedback was instant, and the media responded quickly too. This tough-love post got a big mention in Rob Carrick’s Globe and Mail roundup Broke? Cry me a river, was featured in a two-page Toronto Star spread Broke? Stop Whining!, landed a link in Time’s Your Money Blog, and was chosen as the “absolute favourite post of the year” by Kevin Press in Today’s Economy blog.
The media mentions are cool, but that’s not why this post tops my list — it’s because you didn’t hate me after I wrote it. 
6 Words That Make Your Resume Suck
You wanted to know why your resume sucked, so I told you. Within the span of 24 hours, this snarky post hit the front pages of Digg, Delicious Popular, and Lifehacker.
The Best Things in Life are Free
I introduced you to my friend Simon and shared a short story about a very long bike ride. The story is only 320 words. The bike ride was 112 miles. This is my favorite post.
This is an actual photo of Simon and me. Many people ask. Now you know.
How to Microwave Gourmet Popcorn in a Brown Paper Bag
I wrote a fluffy piece about a tasty subject, and the internets gobbled it up. This post went a little viral after being featured on the front page of Lifehacker for two days, and the social media attention from StumbleUpon, Facebook, and Twitter together pushed the popcorn pageviews to over a million before year’s end. I guess you guys like affordable snack food. Yeah, me too.
Track your money with the Free Budget Spreadsheet
One of my most popular downloads is the Free Budget Spreadsheet. This makes me happy ’cause I think budgets and spreadsheets are pretty darn cool.
5 Ways To Screw Your Credit Card Company
Credit card companies can be sneaky sneakers, and it’s not hard to fall prey to the power of plastic. You showed them by sharing your legal ways to stick it to them!
Tiny Tarts: How to make Pie in a Jar
It’s a proven fact — jars make all frugal gifts better. Most posts on Squawkfox take me around 10 hours to write, edit, photograph, and publish. Pie in a Jar took me at least 20 hours. Since I snap every picture on this site myself, the posts with photos are the most time consuming, and thankfully among the most popular with you guys.
6 Action Words That Make Your Resume Rock
Resume words and resume advice are popular topics on this blog. This post hit the front pages of Digg and Delicious.
Date with a Dragon
You like reading about first impressions, millionaire rich guys, TV shows, and Fluevog boots. So I wrote a long story about a short interview with rich guy Robert Herjavec from the TV show Dragons’ Den, and gave you some insight into the inner workings of my brain before a big interview. Yes, I was a bit of a mess. But the encouraging email you sent me was amazing. Thank you!
Free Printable Workout Log
You wanted to get fit and not spend a bundle at the gym, so I shared my workout log with you. This little exercise tracker helped me train for and complete two Ironman Triathlons. This post also hit the front page of Lifehacker.
How to Buy a Slow Cooker or Crock Pot
You love your slow cookers, and I had fun sharing my thoughts on the humble crock. The slow cooker is a fabulous way to stay frugal and feed a family for less. Yum.
The Killer Credit Card Calculator
You wanted to reduce your credit card debt faster. I don’t blame you. Paying more than the minimum balance is key to killing that plastic debt and this Credit Card Calculator is just the tool to prove it. Warning, results may shock you!
4 Swiffer Cleaning Hacks for Cheaper Dust-Free Living
I felt a little bit silly showing you my Swiffer hack, but you liked this simple way to save money on refills while doing something good for the environment. PLUS: it works great on pet hair.
Printable Grocery Shopping List
I created this grocery list to help you find affordable (cheap), healthy, and delicious foods while grocery shopping, fast. It’s a great printable template. Download away!
Anatomy of a Killer Resume
Some of you loved the humor. Others liked the resume writing help.
How to Set Financial Goals
Do you have a financial goal? Yeah, I’m sure we’ve all dreamed of making a million, but have you ever figured out what it takes to get there? Everyone who downloaded these three goal-setting worksheets knows what I’m squawking about.
10 Reasons Soaking Dried Beans Can Change Your Life
You’re a bunch of keener beaners. I’m gassed by email I still get about soaking dried beans. Bean there. Soak that.
397 Ways To Save Money
You all must like free s$it, because after introducing my first book,
397 Ways To Save Money, I decided to give away a few signed copies to some savvy readers.
Anytoobad, the contest is long over. But you can still download a free excerpt of my Amazon Canada Top 100 Bestseller. Thank you to everyone who bought, browsed, or borrowed my book from their local library.
How to Be a Woman
I slapped my red brassier on a set of gorgeous grapefruits and got in touch with my feminine side. How to Be a Woman garnered more email and Twitter messages I could manage. You told me your stories. You picked your favorite points. I even got a marriage proposal. Seriously.
50 Reasons to Go Green with Reusable Grocery Bags
Living on an organic farm I often see discarded plastic shopping bags blowing into and littering our fields. I felt compelled to write about a better way.
Dig yourself out with the Debt Reduction Spreadsheet
You wanted to get down to the business of paying down your debt, so I shared my debt-busting tools with you in my popular budgeting series. It took me a long while to write the How to Make a Budget series — complete with worksheets, spreadsheets, and free goodies — and the dang thing nearly killed me. It’s a good thing you liked it.
Five Cheap, Easy, and Healthy Family Dinners for $5
Feed your family on five bucks with these yummy and frugalicious dinners. You won’t be eating fillet mignon, but you may feast your eyes on the yummy photography. This article inspired the eBook: Frugal Food & Fitness: Get fab without spending a fortune.
Ten Reasons the Diva Cup Can Change Your Life
I went there. I ragged on so-called “feminine girlie products”. I didn’t expect anyone to comment. I was wrong. You all love your Diva Cups and had a good laugh when I told you the reasons I love mine. Some brave fellas commented too. Kudos.
How to Get Rid of Fruit Flies with a Homemade Trap
You bugged out and killed fruit flies dead with this frugal trap. I felt silly posting this do-it-yourself project. But after our fruit harvest, the flies were driving me buggy. They must have bugged you too.
How I Paid Off My Student Debt in Six Months
I’ll never forget the feeling of graduating from school with my degree in one hand yet starting a new life with 17K of debt in the other. To put it bluntly, the feeling sucked. Don’t let student debt get you down.
What Were Your 3 Worst Financial Decisions?
A few months ago I started the Squawkback feature where I ask a question and you answer in the comments. In this instance we looked at our money mistakes and considered the lessons learned from our financial folly. Your financial wisdom has helped thousands of people.
Just say “NO” to crap!
There’s nothing crappy about this article. I launched an anti-crap campaign. I wanted you to say “NO” to buying crap. Many of you sent me email about your own attack on crap. One of you printed out this post and stuck it on your refrigerator. I am honored to be “refrigerator worthy”.
My name is not really Squawkfox
You wanted to know my real name, so I told you. Thousands of people “Googled” my name the day this post went live. I guess you were looking for some good digital dirt? Snicker. Or maybe this post was so popular because I shared the secret to getting laid? Silly, I know.
Best of the Money Blogs
I was never one of the cool kids in school (maybe you weren’t either), so when The Globe and Mail readership voted this bloggy blog the #1 Money Blog in Canada, I nearly fainted. Seriously. You can read the full Globe and Mail article here: The best of the Canadian money blogs.
For my American and world-wide readers, don’t let my Canuck citizenship scare you — Canadians are super friendly people, and Squawkfox is a blog where frugal living topics are broadly written for everyone. Yay!
There you have it, your favorite posts from the past few years. Did I miss one?
50 Ways to Save $1,000 a Year
The real reason you're broke
The Scary Credit Card Calculator
Make a Starbucks Frappuccino for $0.32
Microwave Gourmet Popcorn in a Brown Paper Bag
Is Costco really worth it?
How to make a budget (series)
How to write a resume (series)
5 Investing fees that devour your savings
Frugalicious Recipes
How I Paid Off My Student Debt in 6 Months
Why the Diva Cup can change Your Life
Your Two Cents:
Hey Foxy, LOVE the site! Looks fantastic, IS entertaining and highly educational and brings me back wanting more.
I “arrived here” by accident when I read your beautiful story about Simon. What a great person he was and how lucky for you to have crossed paths, ‘though I’d say that luck had nothing to do with it at all as I firmly believe that “good begets good”.
Love your stories, great perspective and awesome insights, thanks. It sure helps running across your site at a time when I’m trying desperately hard to be frugal yet still live life well. Plus, that red bra is to die for – so sexy!
I am doing my first IM – IMC, as a matter of fact – this year so I am even more drawn to you as a cool woman to “know”.
I think I have a lot to learn from you-
you my dear is made of win.
I just barely found your blog (even though I’ve been around in the financial blogosphere for nigh unto a year) and LOVE it!
You’ve got truly unique content, a great perspective, and a quality presentation. I have a lot to learn from you, and am excited to have found your blog.
Keep up the good work!
really love the site, but I’m confused as to why I can’t download your lovely looking e-book now that I’m a bonafide subscriber. Can you help?
@Vicky I just sent you an email. Your ebook can now be downloaded.
This site is great. I like the fresh new looks and ideas. You have really good takes. Thank you much.
Love your website,lots of usefull information.Wonder if you can help me. What recourse
, if any, is there when a large mutual fund freezes all monies,resulting in no income and depletion of principal.
Hi Brian, The Globe and Mail is looking for stories like yours.
They ask, “Have you been a victim of financial fraud? If so, tell us your story. http://tgam.ca/JI2 ”
They may be able to help.
Hi Fox, I love your blog; the charts, worksheets, downloads etc. I found you from the wisdom carnival (i’m in it too). Really usable stuff!!
Does anyone have any thoughts about Ally Bank Canada? The interest rates are great, but its a pretty new bank..
Hi: now my friends can no longer call me cheap, as you have made it sexy to be thrifty. Thanks to G&M, I found you. Did I miss it? I did not see some of my favorites money saving tips. Here they are:
1. use a clothes line: no need for a dryer. I was completely aghast when I lived in North Vancouver and bylaws prevented using clothes lines, so I dried everrything on chairs backs, clothes racks and porch rails. Even in Quebec, in winter, my mom never used a dryer.
2. with boomerang kids, it makes for laundry a bit haphazard. My friends take pride in their kids doing their own laundry. I don’t: it means doing a washing with barely a few items in the laundry machine. So I institute a “laundry day” like in my grandma days: then we make piles of whites, light colour,and dark colour laundry. And every one takes a turn. So grown up kids get to do laundry as well, but on rotation.
Thanks for educating the masses. They severely lack these tips of wisdom. Plato would adore you.
I’m trying to save money on our electrical costs. I made up a chart listing all the light fixtures in our house in one column. Three other columns are “Incandescent”, “CFL”, and “LED”. My first audit resulted in 1/3 of the bulbs in the house were checked off as Incandescent and the other 2/3 were checked off as CFL.
Although LED bulbs use less energy by far, they are the most expensive to purchase. I am replacing the remaining incandescent bulbs with CFL’s for a quick energy savings while replacing the CFL’s room by room as they burn out with LED bulbs as money allows.
I picked some storage areas to try out different types of LED bulbs before committing to using them in frequently occupied rooms. This is important because LED bulbs come in different types such as Blue, White, Warm, etc. If you like the warm lighting in your living room then you may be shocked at the bluish tint given out by your new LED lighting. It’s best to discover this with one bulb in a storage room vrs. 4-8 bulbs (@ maybe $70 each) in your living room. Choosing a brand with superior Luman output is important too. Not all “65 watt equivilant” LED bulbs are created equal. Read the specs – look for Luman output!
I don’t think my wife wants the bluish tint in the living room (I don’t either) so I’m going to order the “Warm” version of the bulb. If the light tone is acceptable I’ll order more and put them in the living room, bathroom, etc. If the Luman level isn’t quite high enough for a big room I can always replace our ceiling fan with one that has built-in lamps (also refitted with LEDs) to provide even more lighting.
One final suggestion, after testing the light’s hue and brightness in an out-of-the-way area, try to switch to LED lighting first in the rooms you use most frequently to get the biggest bang for the buck.
Love the website, fantastic information presented in a fun, creative and informative way. Havn’t recieved the free ebook yet though and wondering what the process is? Thanks Fox
@Bonnie The eBook email just went out. Please let me know if you’re still waiting.
Hi there Kerry,
I love your site – I’m so glad I found it after holding onto a Globe and Mail clipping from two years ago that mentioned you…I applaud all your work and great writing!
I too, have not received the e-book…just wondering if you’re on holiday maybe.
I’ve seen the diva cup in Nature’s Fare but was too intimidated to pay forty bucks!
Also, was wondering what your opinion was on ” You Need A Budget ” software (YNAB).
Thanks, again,
Tanya
@Tanya The Globe has been very generous with covering my blog. So happy you found me through them.
I just sent out the eBook emails — let me know if you got it! The Diva Cup in Canada is pricey. Try their Store Finder: http://www.divacup.com/en/search/ to locate one cheaper near you. I bought mine through Amazon.com for about $20USD. I just took a peek at YNAB and it looks fabulous — there’s a free 7 day trial so you can try before you buy. YNAB also supports Canadian banks (Yay!).
LOVE YOUR SITE… I am a new wife and wanting to start at site about “The first year of marriage” and I love the way yours flows and is formatted… do you use blogspot? Is this a custom template. I assume you did not pay tons of money for it, that would not be frugal right? So any tips to a great looking site like this one on a budget?
Thanks
Kelly
Thanks Kelly.
I get a lot of questions about my site theme. My husband and I are software developers so we custom built Squawkfox for fun. The cost is just our time — which is substantial, so I very much appreciate your praise. For new bloggers without the programming prowess, I highly recommend starting with a free theme (just Google around) and then try to write some content. Starting a blog is more about consistency and getting posts online to get a feel for it. If blogging quickly becomes something you love, I recommend buying a theme (Thesis or Frugal are popular) and customizing your site from there. Enjoy!
I just wanted to say that I LOVE your blog all the way from sunny Jozi in South Africa. I adapted your free downloads to our currency and they work fantastic. Thank you, thank you for a great, great blog
Hello!
I have just discovered your site today.I simply love it!.I already have a crockpot about two years old.Its a Rival one and the feature LOW its not low at all(I have read somewhere most of the new generation are all the same
in which the food is left “mushy”.Is anybody aware of any crockpot in which this inconveniency is solved?Your input
and suggestions (name of the appliance will be appreciated)
are appreciated,Dante.
Well, hello there! I’ve just stumbled upon your site during my hunt for the *perfect* method to organize my sizable sewing pattern stash. Very impressive. Thank you for making so much information available to your readers. There is absolutely no reason for us to continue to be plugged into the insane levels of consumption and all of the lies of corporate America.
How does one extract their investments from an investor so as to find a better deal and save MER fees? Do banks do a good job?
Any sugggestions would be greatly appreciated.
Thank you.
Hey, I’m 61 and been married 40 years, could be your daddy, I love your website! You are the modern version of our hippie back to the land days. Keep up the good work!
By the way, we almost emigrated to B.C. in ’72, still love the area.
I want to save $ for travel. What is the best credit card for collecting flyer points in Canada (to be redeemed for travel abroad) Yes I pay it off each month
Joann,
I like Diners Club, which is a MasterCard. The annual cost is lower than most other fee-charging cards. The rate of return is 1.7% . It is very convenient to use because you just book your planes, car rentals, hotels in whatever manner you wish, getting the best possible deals. Then, after your Diners Club bill comes in and you have paid it, you phone them up and ask them to apply your points to what you have already paid for travel. They do this right away on the phone.
You never have to worry about expiries or about making sure you keep your account “active” by booking some hotel you didn’t really want to stay in etc, and you can continue to pursue the best possible travel deals. Because of this flexibility, I think the return is actually significantly better than 1.7
If you were to discontinue the card, you would lose any remaining points. But I think all the cards are like that.
The other thing you need to bear in mind is how much money you put on the card in a year. You need to be spending a fair bit on the card to justify the up-front cost of the card. You will need to figure out how much you spent over the last year before you decide. Generally speaking, I find the most expensive cards are not worth it, even though I do put a lot on the card.
Whichever card you choose, make sure you get another no-fee card from the major competitor. If you have Visa for points, get a free one from MC, and vice versa. This is because you will find sooner or later that your card is denied for some inexplicable reason – often during the Christmas season! In my experience this problem happens more frequently with MC.
A lot of people like the President’s Choice card. The rate of return is not as good as Diners, but there is no fee. So it is a good deal if you are not spending as much on your card, but only a so-so deal for those who spend more.
If you don’t want the US government snooping in your personal affairs, try to find a bank card that does not use a US clearing house, as those ones are all subject to new US laws. I can’t advise you on that because I don’t know which ones don’t use US clearing houses, although I think RBC doesn’t, and CIBC (which runs PC) does. The ones run by MBNA and Capitol are all channelled through the US, but they are very popular for good returns.
Kerry,
I love your website and style. Have you ever commented on CAA membership and its usefulness.
Would love to have yor comments on it. Pls also include any competitor services you might have considered.
Is this worth the money?
Kerry,
I have been receiving your emails for years now, and have always found them interesting and useful. They remind me of when i started out, as a student, to save money and keeping budgets over the years, wish i had had some of the spreadsheets you have developed when I started 30 years ago. Thanks for the link, the info and the downloads. I see that people ask for your advice on all sorts of things, lots to keep you busy! Keep it going, i enjoy your blog.