Oh, Calgary Stampede. You are the greatest outdoor show on earth and people come from all over to partake in your festivities. Wow, you are fun. But wow, you are expensive.

These days, with global warming only being denied by right-wing nut-jobs and folks with tinfoil hats , it seems like everyone is worried about the environmental footprint of what they drive. And even though gas prices are down, this phenomenon looks poised to continue.

When you’re trying to get the most out of your budget, sometimes it’s easy to get distracted by the almighty dollar. A lot of us will pass by things like the local produce aisle because it’s more expensive. And it’s true, most if it is more expensive. But there are a lot of pluses to spending the extra few dollars to buy local. Here are five of them:

“Do you really need to buy a whole new living room set?”

I asked the girl I was dating at the time this question. Yes, it led to an argument. I wasn’t in the mood for shopping all day and I certainly didn’t feel like assembling furniture.

Editor's note: Good morning. Boy Oh Boy do we have a fantastic surprise for you today. Our friend Vanessa from Vanessa's Money recently got engaged, is getting married in October and she's sharing her journey right here with us. Not only is Vanessa getting ready for her big day, but the man of her dreams is none other than our own blogger Nelson Smith. Please join me as we wish them nothing but a happily ever after.

So this is it. You’ve walked the stage and you’ve received your diploma. You are a freshly minted grad ready to take on the world. Congratulations! You’ve got some big decisions ahead of you.

Recently, I look a closer look at whether it was a better deal to rent or buy in Toronto, Vancouver, and Calgary. Like that friend who just will not go home no matter how many times you hint about an early morning tomorrow, I’m keeping the party going. Today’s city: Ottawa.

When I was 10 years old, I was a staunch believer in ghosts, UFOs, and all sorts of other stuff that I’d scoff at today. Because of that, I was very concerned when I found out we were moving to a new house. My first question: “Has anybody died in the house?”

Happy Canada Day from the Lowest Rates team! What are you up to today?

“I have to pay you cash because I don’t have a credit card at the moment.”

I was surprised when my buddy told me this before a trip. We were going away and the time came to pay for the trip. He couldn’t put his credit card down because he didn’t have one. This guy was always good with money, but something went wrong.