u/MooseyMcSaver

Visa gift cards are better than they used to be, but Heidi thinks they're still a garbage gift.

She tested the only two options in Canada: the Vanilla Prepaid Visa, and the Joker Prepaid Visa.

Both worked for basic purchases, but the fees and restrictions were not worth it. The $20 Vanilla card had a $7.95 activation fee (not including tax), which is almost 40% of the card’s value. That means you pay nearly $28 so your recipient can spend a measly $20.

Nor can these cards do everything a regular Visa can do. You generally cannot use them for recurring bills, pre-authorized payments, or cash withdrawals. And they're not reloadable.

Vanilla also clearly says it cannot be used for pay-at-the-pump gas purchases. Joker has similar restrictions, and some online retailers may decline it unless you pay an optional $2.50 verification fee.

It's also hard to use up the full balance. If your purchase is more than what’s left on the card, you have to ask for a split-tender transaction. Tell the cashier the exact amount left on the gift card first, then pay the rest another way.

Vanilla is probably the better pick if you must buy one, because it has slightly cheaper fees and clearer restrictions. Joker may be a little more flexible, especially because it offers cardholder verification and possibly more online acceptance, but that costs extra.

Heidi says don’t buy these as gifts unless you have a very specific reason. Cash, an e-Transfer, or a gift card to a store the person actually likes is the way to go.

Or, y'know, engage in some basic human interaction and get something relevant to their interests 🤯

My favourite part was when I asked if he’d ever missed a credit card payment, and he immediately said, “No, I’m very on top of that.”

Cool, do you have a system?

"I do have a system. It's called a calendar."

Sir, you basically said romance is a line-item expense and then casually shamed anyone who's ever missed a credit card payment. Ngl, I'm here for it!

This man is drowning in student loan debt, building a hydroponic herb garden, and still has the moral high ground over people ruining their credit because they forgot calendars exist.

Honestly? Let him cook.

Preferably with homegrown basil.

Stefani tested both cards by using them for everyday spending and comparing the rewards.

Neo earned more cash back in her test, but only because her spending lined up with Neo’s targeted cash back categories.

She earned $2.55 with Neo versus a projected $1.85 with EQ Bank, even though she actually spent more money with EQ. Neo pulled ahead because she used it more for groceries and gas, where Neo offers 1% cash back.

But EQ Bank is simpler. It gives 0.5% cash back on everything. There’s less guessing about categories, partner merchants, or how a store will be coded. That makes EQ better for general spending.

Neo is stronger if you regularly spend on groceries and gas, but the merchant coding isn't exactly intuitive. A butcher, dollar store, small market, or convenience store may sell groceries, but still not count as a grocery store for cash back.

Stefani says the best strategy for her was to use Neo for groceries and gas, then use EQ Bank for everything else.

Both are prepaid cards, so you’re spending your own money instead of borrowing. Stefani also noted that both accounts had a delay before transferred money became available, so neither is ideal if you need instant access to newly moved funds.

For Stefani, Neo wins for targeted spending categories. EQ wins for simplicity.

Using both might be the best move if you want to maximize cash back without using a credit card.

Do the boring stuff now so future you gets the reward!

This girl gets it.

She's living at home and making smart money moves that are already paying off. She has no credit card debt, uses two basic credit cards, has an 850 credit score, $20K savings in her FHSA, and a car loan that’s almost paid off.

Budgeting, saving, and investing aren't always fun, but they're fundamental to financial wellness.

Those boring money moves compound and give future-you more choices.

And more choices = more freedom

What boring financial thing are you doing right now that your future self will thank you for?

Erin compared 88 food items at Dollarama against Walmart, No Frills, and Food Basics. Only 36 out of 88 items were actually cheaper at Dollarama, which works out to 40.91%. Even if you include the three items that tied in price, that only rises to 44.32%.

And it's mostly to do with package size.

Dollarama often sells smaller versions of brand-name items, so the sticker price looks cheap, but the price per 100g or 100ml can be worse than grocery stores. For example, Honey Nut Cheerios were 272g at Dollarama compared with 430g at Walmart/Food Basics, and Kraft Cheese Whiz was 250g at Dollarama versus 450g elsewhere.

Some of the best Dollarama deals were tomato paste, Campbell’s Cream of Mushroom soup, strawberry jam, Quaker Harvest Crunch, Joe Louis, sardines, pickles, Starburst, table salt, and Viva Puffs.

Some of the worst buys were peppercorns, mayo, soy sauce, peanut butter, mustard, ketchup, granola bars, pudding cups, Jell-O, and Worcestershire sauce.

Dollarama still can be great for certain pantry items, small households, or when you only need a little bit. But if you’re feeding a family or already going to a grocery store, the better deal is often Walmart, No Frills, or Food Basics, especially when sales and store brands are involved.

This software developer makes over $100K per year and has a near-perfect credit score.

He said financing a $42,000 car was the worst financial decision he ever made.

And his best financial decision is actually an ongoing habit of setting money aside from every paycheque.

He makes six-figures running his own marketing agency. Maybe he should also consider motivational speaking because now I'm inspired AF.

He went bankrupt in his early 20s, then rebuilt his life as a successful entrepreneur making bank with an 875 credit score and no debt.

Oh, and he's worth seven figures.

He says getting married helped him rebuild his financial life.

I love that for him.

Heidi spent a full 40-hour work week trying to make money using only her phone.

The grand total was... *drumroll*

$339.

She tested the usual internet-approved side hustle suspects like Swagbucks, Fiverr, Upwork, Rover, Facebook Marketplace, odd jobs, and local gigs. The apps that promised “easy money” mostly delivered tiny payouts and platform headaches.

The real money came from the offline work she found. Heidi walked dogs, weeded gardens, and flipped some kids' clothes on Facebook Marketplace.

While obviously you can make money using your phone, the whole "easy/quick money" narrative is deeply unserious.

According to Heidi's experiment, your phone is useful for finding work, messaging people, applying for gigs, and getting paid. But most of the actual money still comes from doing something valuable, annoying, sweaty, skilled, or inconvenient.

She made $339 and learned that side hustle advice on the internet needs a reality check and maybe a light slap.

A student who only works during the summer and makes about $10,000 a year max said the worst financial decision she ever made was spending $300 on plushies in one shot.

Three. Hundred. Dollars.

On plushies.

While being financially supported by her parents.

Girl, what?!

Then she said the best financial decision she ever made was buying Papa John’s garlic knots the other day. And dear god, I hope she was being facetious.

But when asked what financial advice she’d give her younger self, she actually gave a pretty solid answer...

"Think of things as liabilities and assets," admitting she spent too much on liabilities.

Mistakes are part of learning. At least she’s self-aware and appears to be working on her financial literacy (fingers crossed).

He makes $92k, has zero credit card debt, and a 700 credit score.

His biggest win? Starting to save and invest early!

He keeps it simple with index funds.

Sandy turned her birthday into a carefully planned Toronto freebie crawl and collected 11 items worth $91.08 before tax, or $102.92 after tax.

She signed up for reward programs about a month in advance and added her birthdate to each account. Then she mapped her route to maximize value by clustering stores and matching hours.

Her best haul came from Denny’s and Freshii, while Subway delivered the most underwhelming reward.

Here’s where she went, what she got, and what each freebie was worth:

• Denny’s: Build Your Own Grand Slam breakfast, $14.59
• Tim Hortons: sausage breakfast sandwich on an English muffin, $4.59
• Paris Baguette: mango coconut cake slice, $9.49
• Chatime: regular roasted milk tea, $5.70
• Booster Juice: regular Açaí Avalanche smoothie, $9.69
• Subway: double chocolate chip cookie, $1.35
• Boston Pizza: Chocolate Explosion cake slice, $10.49
• Marble Slab: coconut taro ice cream cone with toppings, $9.49
• The Night Baker: Coco Pandan cookies, $4.25
• Starbucks: turkey pesto ciabatta sandwich, $7.95
• Freshii: Oaxaca bowl, $13.49

The Denny’s breakfast was the highest-value freebie and required Sandy to buy a drink and show ID. Freshii was the second-most valuable stop, and Marble Slab stood out as one of the most memorable because she watched the staff mix her custom ice cream on the slab.

By midday, she had already passed $60 in freebies.

In total, she got $102.92 worth of free stuff. Like wow, what a haul!

But this only worked because she planned everything well in advance and was strategic about where she went and when, so as not to waste time.