The Dough Report

LowestRates.ca’s #LRSuperMoms Mother’s Day contest is now over and we would like to wish everyone a Happy Mother’s Day.  We let our fans vote for their favourite SuperMom and the results are in!  Congratulations to Natt and her mom for submitting the most popular SuperMom story!

A few weeks ago we launched our #LRSuperMoms Mother’s Day contest and asked you to share your Super Mom story about yourself or a mother you know.  We received some heartwarming stories, picked our favourites, and now it’s time for you to vote.  Help us pick Canada’s top Super Mom and cast your vote on Facebook!

Last week we asked for our readers and fans to tell us their SuperMom stories and we’ve put together a list of our top 10 (and you can vote for your favourite story on Facebook here).  While we were reading your stories, we thought of our own mothers and how their financial advice helped shape us into the people we are today.  We learn from our moms everyday, and their personal tips and tricks to save money or stick to our budgets have been ingrained in us through the years.  Check out our video and infographic below!

Know a mother that does it all?  Does your family call you SuperMom?  This Mother’s Day, you can help LowestRates.ca show appreciation for these mothers by telling us why you’re a SuperMom or sharing a story of a SuperMom you know.  If your story gets picked in our top 10, you’ll win a $50 gas card and the most popular SuperMom will win a $500 getaway in Canada!

Each year on April 22^nd, over 1 billion people around the world celebrate Earth Day and discuss opportunities to act on environmental issues.

Today is the day that the Canadian Foundation for Economic Education is hosting its inaugural “Talk With Our Kids About Money Day.” The program is sponsored by BMO Financial Group, and is an awareness campaign that educates young Canadians about the true value of money.

Today is April Fools’ Day - the day where people deliberately pull pranks to entertain, annoy, or in some cases, infuriate others in their lives.  Individuals and companies alike have enacted their own April Fools’ campaigns in years past that have entertained some and angered others.

Over the last decade, the hybrid car has grown from a small concept into one of the most sought after vehicles on the market.  Hybrids were initially slow to catch on in North America, but as costs for traditional vehicles became less affordable, the North American culture grew to accept the hybrid as a cost and energy-conserving alternative.

March is most widely recognized for three events – March Break for students, the official start of spring for everyone else, and the recently passed St. Patrick’s Day.  But one other day is unrecognized by many people every year, and that day is March 11, also known as World Plumbing Day.  According to Canada’s favourite handyman, Mike Holmes, World Plumbing Day acknowledges the tradespeople who ensure homes have clean pipes.

Easter long weekend is only a few weeks away, which means families will put all their eggs in one basket – or more, depending on the number of children in the home. Filling those Easter baskets with chocolate eggs and small toys can become very expensive, especially if your family is on a tight budget.

If you end up struggling to maintain your finances, one of the reasons could be that you have an ineffective budget.  The concept of a budget seems simple – spend less money than you earn.  But the concept isn’t that easy for everyone, especially when sales and other incentives encourage you to spend.

It’s that time of year when students put the books aside in order to enjoy a little freedom through March break.  Although the week off varies depending on the school, now is the time of year to enjoy the end of winter or get an early start on warmer weather.

The spring season will officially begin as of March 20, and housing experts consider spring a very busy home buying season.  There are many home buying opportunities across the country as interest rates remain near record lows with the potential to lower in the short term, providing Canadians with a more affordable home financing plan.

LowestRates.ca made its radio debut in February and aired its first-ever jingle.  We think it’s got a nice ring to it, but we’re biased.  Listen below and tell us what you think!

Earlier this month, we launched our February giveaway, “My Lucky Valentine” and gave our site users the chance to win up to $300 with the submission of a mortgage, life insurance, or auto insurance inquiry form.  Yesterday marked the end of February and our contest and we are very excited to present to you our lucky winner!

Earlier this month, Justin Thouin, President and CEO of LowestRates.ca, was invited to 103.9 Proud FM for a special 1-on-1 interview with Mike Chalut. They talked about the company and then took a tour of the site to find a credit card. Mike’s lively personality added some spice to this interview!

LowestRates.ca and 103.9 Proud FM of Toronto held a contest last week from February 4-8, giving Proud FM listeners the chance to win 1 of 3 $100 prepaid credit cards.  The winners were annou

Valentine’s Day is a special day for lovers to express their true feelings for each other. However, those feelings can be expensive to express as the collective cost of jewellery, flowers, and dinner costs over $100 for an average Valentine’s date.

Congratulations to Chris Hadfield for living the dream of space colonization and for serving as a Canadian representative in the most foreign jurisdiction humanly possible.  Chris has been very engaging with the rest of us Earth-dwellers – such as using Twitter to send photos of Earth from space to his followers, and speaking via satellite to schools and the media while floating around in zero gravity.

Have you received your holiday credit card bill?  If the balance on the statement is more than you were hoping for, now is probably the time to negotiate a lower interest rate with your credit card provider.  You may not realize it, but a rate that is even one percent lower than your current arrangement can save you money.

They say December and the holiday season is the most wonderful time of the year – if that’s true, January and the post-holiday season can be one of the most stressful.  All that holiday spending catches up to us in the New Year when the credit card bills arrive in the mail.

Andy Samberg made a brief return to NBC’s “Saturday Night Live” with his comedy troupe “The Lonely Island” to share a new digital short called “YOLO”.  Featuring last Saturday’s host Adam Levine of Maroon 5 and musical guest Kendrick Lamar, YOLO is the latest music parody from “The Lonely Island” and takes a new approach towards the highly popularized motto, “You Only Live Once”, coined by Drake.

We're happy to present the winner of the $500 prize from our Christmas contest "12 Days of Piggy in the City", Lawrence Pernica of Vancouver, BC.

The Canadian government is doing damage control after losing an external hard drive that contained personal and financial information of nearly 600,000 former college and university students.

LowestRates.ca is excited to announce the start of our February giveaway, “My Lucky Valentine.” From February 1st to the 28th, by completing a mortgage, life insurance, or auto insurance inquiry form on our site, you will be entered into a draw to win up to $300.  Want to give yourself an even better chance to win some cash?  Refer a friend for additional entries to win!

Experts agree that housing is coming back across the US as homes have begun reclaiming some of the value they lost during the housing crash.  The recovery has returned value to homes of all size and style, but the most impressive turnaround has to be for what is arguably the country’s most famous dwelling – The White House.

If you’re contemplating any big purchases this year, planning ahead can get you discounts on items that stores are slashing prices for because of the time of year.  The holiday season has everyone buying gifts for each other so take the time now to plan ahead for your household purchases.

Many Canadians made resolutions on New Year’s Eve to avoid taking on increased debts, but staying committed to those resolutions can be difficult in a society built upon spending.  One of the ways to avoid taking on extra debt is to develop a strategy for improving your current debts.  By lowering the amoun

We all have our own personal financial goals and manage money in our own ways, but sometimes our methods aren’t necessarily the best means to reach those goals.  While we shouldn’t adapt to a financial plan completely outside our nature, some generic budgeting habits can help us reach our goals and live comfor

If you’ve committed to saving a few extra dollars in the New Year, you’ve probably considered bringing your lunch to work, cancelling any ongoing subscriptions you no longer need, or simply setting a concrete amount to put away for yourself.

Last week we had an interview with Susan Misner of GoldenGirlFinance.com and discussed the importance of financial education for women.  As today’s financial services and tax laws constantly evolve, financial matters are becoming increasingly complex.

Born out of a desire to help smart women take control of their finances, Golden Girl Finance has become an entrepreneurial success with its mission to inspire, motivate, engage, and support women into taking control of their financial futures.

Many of us choose to make New Year’s resolutions, often revolving around eating healthier, feeling happier, or being honest with what we want out of life.  Financial resolutions are just as important following an expensive holiday season, and are much easier to follow through with than we may think.

2012 has been a rollercoaster ride and we’ve witnessed many things, including: the power of virality in Kony 2012, the discovery of the Higgs boson particle, (another) NHL lockout, Felix Baumgartner’s space jump, Obama’s reelection, and more.

Putting up a Christmas tree was one of my favourite activities as a child. I had a mean roster of ornaments: super heroes and cartoon characters – all of them Christmas-themed.

Prize Pot (as of 9:30AM EST, Dec 14): $500

As the weather gets colder and 2012 nears an end, we hope you have been keeping warm and enjoying the month of December.  December is a month of giving and people often find themselves weighed down by the numerous gifts they have to buy, the end-of-year payments, and holiday rush in general.

Ever wonder why car insurance premiums vary between males and females?

We previously reported that cars damaged by Superstorm Sandy are being sold in Canada, and in light of that news we went looking for ideas to easily notice damages to cars.  Flood damages can usually be spotted using your own senses, such as seeing water lines in the interior, smelling any residual mold, or feeling damp moisture that has soaked in to the seats and carpeting.

Yesterday The Globe and Mail Personal Finance Columnist Rob Carrick hosted a Q & A session, in which all interested participants were invited to ask questions on interest rates, personal debt, or anything to do with personal finance.  Rob has been writing about personal finance, business, and economics for nearly 20 years, and yesterday’s session was a chance for readers to gather his perspective on critical personal finance trends.

Over the summer, the Mercer Consultancy Firm conducted the “Making Smart Benefits Choices” survey to determine the perceived value employees place on benefits.  The survey polled 10,000 workers in 10 different countries, and the majority of countries selected an increased salary as their preferred benefit.

It’s been a week since our official press launch and we have received some fantastic feedback.  It is so rewarding to see Canadian consumers saving time and money by using our site.  Is there something else you’d like to see on our site?  Something you liked?  We would love to hear from you at info@lowestrates.com.

Each year the Mercer Quality of Living survey is put together to help multinational companies determine fair compensation for employees on international assignments. This year’s results have a wealth of European cities dominating the top 25, but Canada had its share of the spotlight as well. For the most part, Canadian cities rankings’ remained unchanged.

The 2012 Los Angeles Auto Show opens to the public tomorrow and more than 40 new vehicles will be revealed to an audience of car enthusiasts and industry professionals from more than 50 countries.  One in every 10 new vehicles sold in the U.S.

It’s humpday!  We’re halfway through the week and we’re inching closer to the weekend.   Yesterday we announced our launch and made our press release available.  Today our press release was officially distributed to the Canadian media.  To supplement our release, we are making a press kit available to the public so that anyone can access a package of information explain

The Lowest Rates team is proud to announce the official launch of our Canadian website, LowestRates.ca.  We will be sending out a press release tomorrow to let the Canadian media and public know about our site and to encourage them to check it out.