Girls aren’t the only ones dropping big bucks on beauty. Guys are getting into the swim in a big way. Hair styling, skin care and the pursuit of rock-solid abs are no longer strictly the domain of the double x chromosome crowd. Ys are jumping in with both feet.

Want to make sure your savings are suffering for your self-esteem?

DIY-dye: Head to the salon for a touch up and you’ll drop $60. DIY with a box and not only won’t you have to pay for parking you’ll spend just $10. Do that six times a year and you’ve got $300 to save.

Pedi-me: Depending where you go, you can spend from $10 to $50 touching up your toes. (Ditto your fingers.) DIY or have a mani-pedi party and swap services with your sisters by another mother, and you can save $50 a month.

Drugstore deals: Some of the most popular skin care and make-up products live at the drugstore. If you’re paying top dollar for skin care at a department store, you’re a sucker. Did you know that most of all beauty and hair products are made by two giant cosmetics companies: Estee Lauder and L’Oreal? Even the fanciest dermatologists and skincare specialists recommend basic drugstore cleansers and moisturizers to their clients.

Skip the gimmicks: vibrating mascara and spray on foundation are two examples of the lengths to which manufacturers will go to grab your attention. Don’t be a sucker.

Make it last: Do you have four or five lipsticks that are almost done. Scrape similar colours into a clean container and mix. If you add a little Vaseline, you’ll have a gloss. Using a lip brush lets you get right down to the bottom on the lipstick. And if you use disposable mascara wands, you won’t have to throw away your mascara as often because you won’t have to worry about the six-month rule for mascara safety.

Supermarket finds: Many of the healthiest ingredients for your skin can be found at the supermarket and will cost far less than if you buy a pre-made product. Mis oatmeal, oilive oil and sugar together for an in-shower facial scrub. Hit the internet for recipes so you can DIY.

Dollar store treasures: Why spend more for staples like cotton balls, makeup remover pads, hair clips and all the other basic stuff you blow through when a trip to the dollar store means you’ll save you anywhere from 50-70%?

Okay, your turn. How do you save money on those must-have beauty products that you count on to make you gurgus?

I like using coupons. I’m not coupon crazy, but if someone wants to give me a buck or two off a product I’m going to buy anyway, hey, I’ll take it. I particularly like those shelf coupons that you can redeem immediately, and I often take an extra or six so that I can use it again if the product goes on sale… feels like a double win to me. I saved $40 on bread last year (two 50¢ coupons a week for almost a year).

You can improve your odds of saving if you visit sites like GroceryAlerts.ca, SimplyFrugal.ca, WebSaver.ca and Save.ca. And if you get in the groove of the 12-Week Cycle you can really pile up the savings. What most folks don’t realize is that stores don’t drive sales, manufacturers do, and items typically go on sale in 12-week cycles. So the hungriest deal hounds use a price book or a spread sheet to keep track of prices on the items they buy most often. When there’s a great sale – I’m not talking about a wussy 25¢ off here – they stock up with enough to last until the next great sale.

Completing consumer surveys is another way you can get a stash of coupons. Or write to the manufacturer directly and you might be rewarded with some high-value coupons.  And if you’re shopping online, make sure you search for “promo codes” for that retailer so you can fill in that enticing little box at check-out and save.

If an item is out of stock when you hit the store and you’re looking at a limited time offer coupon, make sure you get a rain-check so you can receive the same discount the next time the product is available. And take advantage of price-matching to save having to drive all over hell’s half acre to get the best deal. The gas line on your budget will thank you.

Of course, you actually have to SAVE the money. That means taking it out of cash flow and putting it somewhere to work for you. If you save 50¢ using a coupon and then you turn around and spend it somewhere else, you actually haven’t saved a thing. To SAVE you have to take the money out of your wallet and put it somewhere you can’t spend it.

Make yourself a Coupon Savings container that you can slip your savings into when you get home. Each time you return from shopping, go over your receipt and look at what you saved by being such a smart shopper. Now take that money and drop it into your savings container…plunk! NOW you’re saving. Once you have a bit built up – say $25 to open a high interest savings account, or $100 for a term deposit, you can put that money to work to earn even more money.

I used to have a PC Mastercard and the redemption process at the grocery store is way easier. I tap, they check points, I say how many I want to use, and BAM! Done. So I redeemed my points all the time.  They didn’t treat me very well as a customer, so that motivated me to go shopping for a better deal. I discovered I could get 2% cash-back on all my groceries, not just the President’s stores, and switched up my card for more savings.

Some points cards, like the Shoppers Optimum, want you to carry points for longer so they ramp up the rewards the more you delay your redemption gratification. You have to weigh how long it’ll take to get to those higher levels against the opportunity cost of redeeming at the lower level. As long as you have a plan, you’re fine.

But leaving your points to gather dust like coins in your couch is pointless (ha!). In fact, those points are losing value every day as inflation ticks up. So this week grab all your points cards, figure out how much you have and what you can get for them and redeem.

Don’t forget the next important step: For every dollar you save by using your points, open up a “points savings” account and deposit the money. Now each time you use your points for anything… groceries, gas, travel, whatever… deposit the equivalent amount in real dollars into this savings account. Now you’re really saving with those points!

Let’s take the Consumer Price Index (CPI) as a case in point. No matter how often it is referred to as a measure of your cost of living, it isn’t. Here’s why: Since it assumes that the same items are bought regularly, it doesn’t account for the fact that you do not buy a new car every month or every year, or the fact that today’s cars are much more energy-efficient than previous year’s cars. It also doesn’t account for changing buying habits after the base period. The price of every-day items such as orange juice, coffee and gas fluctuate based on a variety of factors, but the CPI does not.

Things weren’t cheaper in the good old days. The biggest difference between now and then is that our shopping lists have gotten longer and more complex. In the old days, we bought turntables. Then along came cassette players, eight-track players (not for long), CD players, satellite radio and ipods. In the old days we bought shoes. Now girls are tempted to drop hundreds if not thousands of dollars on shoes with someone’s name on them. In the old days we bought (or made) bread. But even the most basic food has been upgraded giving us dozens of choices with bigger and bigger price-tags. And even the most basic car now offers options you could only get on high-end models a couple of decades ago.

That’s not to say that economic indicators are invalid and should be ignored. We need to understand them so we can put them in context. What we should not do is feel panic, trapped and worried about economic indicators that have little bearing on our day-to day-lives. Yes, inflation, the CPI and our Gross National Product all have an affect on our money and its worth, but the more important question is this: how do they affect you personally? If they don’t, chill out. Stop worrying. Relax. If they will have an impact on you, stop worrying and do something about it. It’s all in your hands. You have the control over how you use your money.

So, what have you bought recently that five years ago didn’t exist? What do you buy regularly that never came into your household when you were a child? Are you happy with the way you’re using your money?

Shop with a list. If you aren’t meal planning and shopping with a list, you’re at the whim of all those smart marketing schemes designed to make you spend more money. Keep a grocery list on your fridge. As you run out of stuff or identify what you’ll be cooking next, add what you need to your list. And when you go shopping, buy NOTHING that isn’t on your list. (If you want to have a small amount set aside for taking advantage of great in-store specials, add an extra $10 to your grocery budget to stock up when prices are fabulous.)

Know what stuff costs so that when you see a deal you can buy in bulk. When salmon hits 99¢ a tin, when coffee goes on sale, when toilet paper is a bargain, stock up. It’s not going to spoil so buy on sale and save.

Calculate the per-unit cost. Companies use different sizes and formats for their products so it’s easy to become confused about which is the better deal. If you don’t calculate the per-unit cost, it virtually impossible to tell what is a deal and what isn’t. Just think of all the different versions of laundry soap out there. Whew!  Remember that just because the package is bigger doesn’t mean the per-unit cost is lower.

Get a rain-check. If you set out to buy something advertised as on special and it’s not in stock, make sure you get a rain-check so you extend the sale and get what you wanted at the best possible price.

Shop where prices are lowest. So obvious. And yet, not always the way we go. Would you be interested in saving up to 30% just by switching your supermarket? Hmmm. That would be $45 in savings on a $150 food bill. Over a year, that’d be over $2,300. That sounds worthwhile, doesn’t it?

Don’t buy shopping bags. Are you still shelling out five cents a pop for plastic bags when you go shopping? Are you kidding me! And here’s a news blast:  When stores tack on HST on those bags, they have to round up to the next penny. You’re paying 6¢ a bag and the retailer is pocketing 7% of the extra penny they’re charging you! Use bins. Use reusable bags. Quit wasting your money.

Check the “Just about to expire” stuff. Meat goes on sale at 30-40% off; you can bring it home and freeze it, or you can cook and freeze for nights when you’re just too tired to pull a meal together. Taking advantage of end of lines or about-to-expire stuff can save you tons.

Use your supermarkets’ rewards programs. Convert food purchases into gifts or travel savings. Some supermarkets have gas-bar affiliations that can save you money at the check-out. Hey, I’ll take two cents off a litre of gas to put towards my food.

Collect coupons for the products you usually buy. If you use the coupon when the item is on sale, you’re getting an even bigger bang for your buck.

I’ve always found that the most romantic gifts I got on Valentine’s Day were the things lots of thought (but not necessarily lots of money) went into. Gobs of flowers and a box of chocolates are, in my mind, the default; they’re the “I don’t want to have to think about this too much” present.

I remember the year my boyfriend of the day bought me a bunch of red and white balloons, which he blew up with his own hot air. Before he did, he wedged a bunch of notes and some of my fav candies (those candy covered almonds) into them. Then he blew ‘em up, attached them to skewers (like the ones you use for shiskabarb) and tied them together with a bow. I was very impressed. He got his just reward.

Back when he still cared to impress, my third husband used to make me breakfast on Valentine’s Day and everything was heart-shaped: the friend eggs, the pancakes, the toast. He’d quote me poetry in my card and declare his undying love.  It was very sweet.

If your Darlin’ has a sweet tooth, you could make a red velvet cake, bake heart-shaped cookies, or make cupcakes decorated with hearts. Or maybe you’d make your own truffles at home and put them in a home-made box decorated with hearts. DIY not only saves tons of money, it declares that the person is important enough for you to do something special for them.

How about making a mix of your favorite songs to listen to while you serve your Darling Heart’s favorite meal? Or if you’re musically inclined you could serenade Darling Heart by candlelight while you sip a bottle of home-made wine with your DH’s face on the label.

Plan far enough ahead and you could knit Valentine’s socks or a scarf of hearts for your Sweetie-pie.

How about the Ye Old Coupon Book filled with promises of massages and foot rubs, bubble baths drawn by candlelight, and whatever special treats your Lovey really loves. Just make sure you’re prepared when Lovey is ready to redeem.

Rent a romantic movie (or borrow it from the library) and pop some corn. Turn down the lights and snuggle up under a cozy blankie.

The more creative you can be, the more work you put into making your Hunney-Bunny’s day special, the more you’ll demonstrate just how important your he or she is to you. And that’s the point of Valentine’s Day, not seeing how much money you can spend on crap that’ll be forgotten long before the credit card bill even arrives.

Okay, it’s your turn: How do you plan to spend Valentines Day? What special sumthin’ sumthin’ are you planning for your Hunny-Bunny?

You have to be a good shopper. A dozen eggs cost about $2.70. That’s six eggs each in any form you want to make ‘em. Eggs are full of protein and, therefore, quite filling. Shop the sales: one week bread may be on sale, the next tins of salmon. Have a float of about $20 in your food jar to take advantage of the specials that will save you money over the month. Scour the fliers for deals and then hit the store with the price-matching policy. Peanut butter that usually sells for almost five bucks can be had for as little as $2.49 on sale.  (I bought four.)

You have to use everything you buy. Waste is the biggest enemy of a tight budget. Old potatoes become hash browns. Just-going-off veggies become stew fixin’s. Chicken bones become stock with addition of some onions (cheap) and left over veggies.

Look for alternatives. Beans are a great source of protein. Add a little sausage (you can buy a pack of 5 sausages for $3.49 and one to a meal for flavour), and bulk up with veggies that will give you the vitamins and minerals you need to be healthy. Overeating happens when you’re eating empty calories and your brain says, “keep going” until you get the nutrients it wants.

Invest in healthy staples. Peanut butter, oatmeal, rice, chickpeas and pasta all make your food budget go much further. Batch cook and freeze portions so you can jump-start dinner when you’re short of time or energy. Soup is easy to make and can feed you for days (or freeze it for a meal next week and in weeks to come for variety). I’ve got a squash and some garlic roasting in the oven right now. I’ll add one of my frozen containers of chicken stock (which cost pennies to make), some ginger (a little goes a long way) and I’ll have enough soup for 6 lunches.

Don’t buy prepared foods. Legumes cost less than a dollar a pound and one pound makes the equivalent of three cans. Making your own sauces means you can flavour it just the way you like (more or less garlic, with or without cilantro).

Add variety. Mussels are cheap (less than $2 a pound) and you don’t have to get too fancy with them. Add stock (do you know you can make fish stock from left-over shrimp tails along with fish skin and bones?), sweet onion, garlic, a bay or lime leaf and enjoy a fabulous meal. Or curry those puppies and then use the left-over sauce to cook your next meal of rice.

Eat the recommended size portions. We tend to over-eat big-time. Learn to eat less and take the time to enjoy every bite. Make eating a wonderful experience as opposed to something you rush through. Savour the flavours. Take smaller bites. Relish the freshness.

Stick with lots of fruit and veggies, and eliminate most of your meat. You might be surprised at how little meat you have to eat to be healthy.  As Michael Pollan says,  “Eat food, not too much, mostly plants.”

Yes, occasionally our banks do some bonehead lending or waste a bunch of money expanding into markets they didn’t take the time to figure out. But the money they make off the fees and interest they charge us are astounding. And you know what? You’re contributing in no small way to that profitability with your penchant for using credit and your apathy towards fees.

First up are all the idiots who pay ATM fees. I’ve looked through bank statements showing a $20 withdrawal holding hands with a $3 fee. Lord love a duck! That’s a 15% fee. Iffin you’re usin’ an ATM like a wallet, what’s wrong with you? That’s money you could be saving that’s doing nothing for you other than feeding your Lazy Habit.

Then there are the dopes that think living in overdraft is a good idea. Heavens to Betsy! I put this down to ignorance because I can’t believe a person with even half a brain thinks it’s okay to always have their bank account in a negative position. It’s not just the monthly fee (if you even have a plan, ‘cos I’ve seen some folks paying $5 a day for every day they’re in overdraft), there’s the interest charge too. No, that’s not 1.75% a year… that’s a MONTH, which translates into 21% a year.

OD was never meant as a cash flow supplement. It was always meant for emergencies. If you are always in overdraft it’s because you haven’t made friends with a budget. Do it.

I’ve saved my fav for last. A special shout out to the people who have to trick themselves into saving by using one of those “round up” accounts that transfers a little money after every debit card transaction to a tied-in savings account paying a pathetic return. Do you know you could double your interest if you just shopped around for a better savings account?  But because so many people have been convinced that there’s some mystery involved in finding the money to save, these products have become increasingly popular.

Only a total money moron thinks being tricked into savings s better than planning to save. And then when all those debits have bled dollars a day into savings (oh, see it works!) and the auto debit for a car payment or other pre-authorized payment bounces to high heaven because there isn’t enough money in the account, it takes all the money “saved” and then some to cover the extra fees. Well done!

Marketers know that consumers shrink from buying either the highest- or lowest-priced stuff. They default to the price in the middle. This is called the “compromise effect”; it’s a major predictor of how we buy and companies rely on it to increase sales of their most profitable items.

That’s probably why the salesperson at the TV store, car store or shoe store steers you toward the most expensive options first. They know you’re not going to buy them, but they want to establish what “high” is so you feel comfortable with their next offering which is more “in the middle.”

Hotels, airlines, and department stores use a similar ploy by posting “full” prices, deep discount prices, and the prices they’re banking on you choosing. Williams-Sonoma Inc. increased sales of its $275 bread machine by adding a second, slightly larger model to its catalogue at a price of just over $400. It works in Corporate Land too: Xerox Corp. saw it’s sales on it’s high-volume copier jump after it brought out a higher-priced model with extra bells and whistles that purchasing managers could feel good about rejecting.

So is there any way to avoid compromise effect and being manipulated to buy what the salesman wants you to buy? Sure there is. It’s called knowledge. According to one study, people with a high level of knowledge are more influenced by that knowledge than by the context they are placed in. So when you know the score, the high-low game won’t work on you. It would also behoove you to spend some time shopping around. It seems the more familiar you are with the product, the less likely you will be to choose the compromise option. So go hang out with the product you’re thinking about buying. Get to know it before you make the commitment to bring it home. Think of all the fun you’ll have shopping and all the satisfaction you’ll derive from having beat the marketing masters at their own game.

If the season’s gotten ahead of you and you’re in a rush to finish your shopping list, know that you’re going to be that much more susceptible to the marketing ploys being used to grab your attention and get you to commit to walking out of the store with “new and shiny.” And next year, don’t leave it to the last minute. A little planning will save you tons of money.

BTW: I’M LOOKING FOR IDEAS FROM YOU. I’ve been running the polls and have gathered some very useful info I’ve been able to feed back to you. Do you use the Polls? Do you like the info I gather? If so, what would you like to see a poll done on next year? Send me your top three poll ideas for a chance to win a copy of Debt-Free Forever, Never Too Late or Money-Smart Kids in paper… yup, it’s now available as a paperback for $6.99.

Helping kids create expectations you can manage is an important part of learning about how to make the most of what you have, as opposed to always wanting more, More, MORE. Suggest your kids make a list of four or five things they’d like as gifts. Make it clear that it isn’t your intent to buy everything on the list, but they’ll get at least one or two things. Now your children know what they can expect and it isn’t the world. And you can create a shopping list that fits within your budget.

Toys and electronics are often at the top of kids’ lists and tend to be big money-eaters. But there’s no need to hit a fancy toy store or high-priced electronics store to make magic. Your little mites won’t wonder how much you paid for that bucketful of Lego you found at the garage sale. And who cares if Barbie doesn’t come in a fancy package if she does comes with a boxful of clothes, all from a local toy-trade.  Many electronic stores have refurbished options that are a fraction of the cost of buying new. Shopping smart leaves you room in your holiday or birthday budget for the little extras that will make the day special.

During the year you can establish your own toy-trade to keep your kids’ toy-chests fresh and interesting. Meet once a month for a play-date with a few friends and each bring five toys you’re prepared to trade. Now your kids have new, interesting playthings that didn’t tap your budget.

Clothing is another of those kid categories where you can blow a fortune or save big-time. Second-hand and thrift shops are great places to score brand name clothes in good condition. But whether you’re Christmas shopping or getting ready for back-to-school, first, start with a list.

Keep an inventory of what your kids have and what they will soon need so you’re in a position to spot a bargain as you’re browsing. If you come across a great deal and it isn’t on your list, walk away unless you have plenty of money to spare. With kids growing at record speed, it’s unlikely that the clothes you buy will wear out before they are out-grown. Taking your child’s used clothes to a second-hand store is a great way to build up credits for when you need to get Little Missy a new leotard for dance class.

2. Verify before you buy. Before tossing anything into your shopping cart ask yourself why you are buying it. Are you just fulfilling your duty to give a gift? Are you showing off? Are you trying to keep up? Or are you giving something you can afford that your friend, sister, son or partner will truly enjoy receiving? Your mom, dad or BFF aren’t going to be happier that you put yourself in financial stress rather than giving them something that might be slightly less and within your means, if they really love you. If they are judging you on your pressie, then they don’t really love you and you shouldn’t be buying them ANYTHING.

3. Get gift receipts. Include them with the present. People often accept gifts gracefully because they are good people, only to be stuck with something they’d never wear, never use, never re-gift. What a waste. Loads of people say, “if you need the gift receipt, I have one”, but the gift recipient may feel it is rude to ask for it. Avoid the potential yuck and just include it in the present.

4. Use gift cards carefully. People use gift cards to make the holiday season easier to manage. Since you’re translating real money into retail dollars you can only spend in one place, make sure you choose a reputable retailer.

5. Learn from your mistakes. Want to avoid the sinking feeling that you’re going to come out of the holidays with a hangover next year. Make a plan. Set aside 1/12th of whatever you end up spending this year starting in January. Planning is the key to everything. Know how much you’ll need to spend on everything from gifts to wrapping, food to wine, hostess gifts to decorations, postage to travel, cards to photos, and then do it in bite-sized pieces. This time next year you can shop guilt free and without worry of a holiday hangover.

Your turn: What do you find most frustrating about holiday shopping and the “giving” season?

When exactly is the best time to use all of those coupons you accumulate? Good question. I always advise against using coupons the moment you find them (unless you were planning to buy the product the coupon is for, of course).  A better idea is to hold on to your coupons until a great sale comes along that you can match it with. This is key to saving boatloads of money at the store(s).

Stores have regular yearly sales cycles, so you can find most things on sale every 3 months or so. Let’s use an example of cake mix. Boxes of this product go on sale very cheap in December (when people are doing lots of baking for the holidays). Assume you found a $0.50 Betty Crocker cake mix coupon in November, when boxes of that cake mix sell for $1.99. As long as the expiration date is not until December or later, I suggest holding on to that coupon until the month of December when cake mix goes on sale.

Let’s say it goes on sale for $0.99 per box mid-December. THAT would be the time to buy your cake mix – get it for $0.49 per box, instead of the $1.49 per box you would have paid if you had not waited for a sale.

See what I mean?

Hold on to those precious slips of paper until you can match them with a great sale, to get products for free or very cheap. To make sure you don’t forget what coupons you have on hand, be sure to organize your coupons. There are many ways to do this, including using a coupon binder or envelopes.

Another great way to save money is by stockpiling. Stockpiling is when you purchase many items when they are at your rock bottom price and hold on to them until you need them, instead of running out to the store when you need them and paying full price.

Why should you stockpile? Well, the main reason is of course to save money. By purchasing items that are on sale for a very low price (or even free with coupons, if you are lucky!) and storing them until you need them, you are able to stretch your dollars further.

When you find items that are deeply discounted, pick up as many as you can afford and stockpile them. Be sure to only purchase what your family can easily consume before it expires. Store these items on a shelf in your basement or garage, an unused closet or scattered throughout your home in the areas they would be used (bar soap in the bathroom cabinet, laundry soap in the laundry room, cereal in the pantry, etc.).

It’s important to remember when you start stockpile that you do not compare yourself to others that also have a stockpile. Each family is different. Not everyone will stockpile the exact same items and not everyone will be able to store the same amount of items. Do what’s best for you and your family.

Interested in winning a copy of Cassie Howard’s eBook Money In Your Pocket? Leave a comment on this post, letting us all know how you save money during the holidays. Two winners will be drawn this week.  This contest is available to residents of Canada only.

1. Pretend You’re Santa. Make a list and check it twice. Who doesn’t need to be on there? To whom can you give a token gift to celebrate the season? How can you make your gift list fit within your budget? Secret Santa works at work, why not also among a brood of siblings? Once you have a list, jot down your gift ideas for each person on your list.

2. Don’t go hungry. As you grab your list and your keys, grab a sandwich and a drink. If you’re going to be out shopping for a while, pack a healthy snack and some water. Hunger and thirst have a way of muddling your thinking. Keep your energy up so your brain (and self control) can work properly.

3. Don’t self-gift while you’re shopping. The One-for-you-one-for-me approach to holiday shopping is just an excuse to be self-indulgent. According to an American Express survey, more than three-quarters of us buy something for ourselves while shopping for others.

4. Give of yourself. The very best gifts don’t have cost a lot. Offer up your time babysitting, cooking meals, house cleaning, massaging, sewing, knitting, transporting, or whatever else you’re good at. Clip a picture of the service you’ll provide and be clear on how often, as in “I’ll babysit one weekend a month from February to June.” Or better yet, make your own coupon book.

5. Shop with cash this holiday season. Why? Because if you take a card, you’ll think you can spend more and then you’ll get stuck paying the minimum payments. At 18% interest, $500 in holiday spending would take seven years to pay off and cost $365 in interest. Ouch! According to credit counselors, nearly 1/3 of us are still paying off the bills we racked up last year.

Your turn: How do you shop for the holidays and hold on to your sanity?

Do Shop with a Friend. If you shop alone you run the risk of not seeing all sides of the equation. Another set of eyes can be priceless when it comes to noticing the small details that can affect your decision.

Don’t Arrive Late for a viewing. The last thing you want to do is rush through your home tour. And you don’t want to run into other home-buyers because that might push you to do something stupid like getting involved in a bidding war. No house is worth going into more debt than you can afford to carry comfortably.

Do Take Photos and Notes. If you’re relying on your memory you’ll soon find that all the properties you’ve viewed start running together. Take a notebook, note the address and some of the details of the property, and take lots of pictures. Later, if you have questions about a particular property, you can note them on that property’s page in your notebook.

Don’t Focus on the Clutter. Most sellers now know to clean up and clear out. But there are still families that have to live in the homes they are selling, particularly ones with kids. Don’t focus on the stuff. Imagine the rooms empty. And remember that paint is cheap!

Do Go Bank and Look Again. Once you’ve short-listed the properties you like, go back for a second round of note- and picture-taking. Now you’re weighing characteristics of one home against another to find the perfect fit. Try to go at another time of day from your initial viewing so that you can see the property (and the surrounding areas) in a different light, literally.

Don’t Ignore Details. Transportation, parking, neighbours, shopping, schools, churches, where the sun rises and sets, traffic patterns, they’ll all have an impact on your life in your new home. Don’t brush them aside in favour of a fabulous kitchen or a spa-like bathroom. Yes, the features of the home are important, but so is the area in which you live and the amenities available.

Do Have a List of Questions. In the excitement of the moment, it can be easy to forget important questions you want to ask about a property: What does it cost a month to heat? What’s the traffic like in the area? Where is the closest grocery store? Have there been mould, termite or foundation leakage problems? Write down a list of whatever you want to know so you can make a sound decision. Then ask those questions and note the answers consistently at each viewing.

Everyone knows renting a movie is about 20% of the cost of buying the same DVD. Hey, you can watch 5 great flicks for about the same cost as buying one. So does the same thing apply to other stuff? Sure it does. And there are times when renting definitely has the advantage.

If you’re not sure your new acquisition will be fit you well then it may make sense to take a trial run. Sure that convertible looks really cute on you? But where will you put the suitcase or the cat-carrier? Better to try it on for a few weeks to see what the downsides may be. Ditto that expensive camera or sports equipment. How about that new gaming console?

My girlfriend, Jazz, decided against buying a car after we had the rent versus own chat. Turns out that since Jazz lives in the city and can get around just fine on transit, she’s way better off renting when she needs a car for longer jaunts. It’s also far more cost-effective for beginner skiers to initially rent equipment. It gives you a chance to hone your skills without brutalizing your own gear. And after you’ve mastered the basics, you can “try-on” more expensive gear to get a real feel for different lengths, styles and makes. When you go to buy your own stuff it’ll be an informed decision.

If you’re likely to use your new acquisition only a couple of times, then renting makes more sense than owning.  Think power-washers, carpet steam-cleaners, camping gear, and myriad tools and equipment. That treadmill sitting under all those clothes might also fall into this category, even if that wasn’t your intent. And that time-share you bought… well, maybe it wasn’t the deal you though it would be.

And then there are those special occasions when you want to live large but your wallet doesn’t have what it takes. Rather than buying on credit, you could rent that designer dress. Hey, if you want to tool around in a vintage car with the top down and you’ve got the daily rate, make your dream come true.

Before you decide if renting or buying makes more sense, do the math. Figure out what the item’s cost per use will be before you bring it home permanently. Sure, that steam cleaner is on sale, but if you only use it two or three times it was no bargain. Before you whip out your credit card, divide the purchase cost of the item by the number of times that you expect to use it in a given time period. ?Knowing an item’s cost per use will help you to see whether renting or buying is the better financial move.

There are some things you should avoid renting. If you’re planning to rent-to-own, you’re likely going to end up paying double or triple the cost. So when I’m talking about “renting” is for temporary use, not a way to have everything you can’t wait to get your sticky little fingers on.

Sometimes it’s tough to find a place to rent, or shipping costs are prohibitive so renting locally is the only way to go. If you’re determined to have that jukebox for your honey’s 50th birthday bash, you may have to shop hard to find what you’re looking for. But you may be surprised at what’s available and how much less expensive it can be.

When it comes to renting, make sure you know the rules before you put down your money. Does the price you’ve been quoted include everything? Very often set-up costs are separate. Find out what happens if the item you’re renting is damaged while in your possession. Insurance may be offered to offset your liability, but if it isn’t, see if your credit card company offers rental insurance or if it will be covered under your home policy. If you’re trying on with the intent to possibly buy, see if you can buy the item at a discount once you’ve rented. And if you’re done with your rental sooner than you expected to be, can you get a refund on your rental fee?