Canadian Living February 2014

FEBRUARY IS NEVER OUR BIGGEST ISSUE, but we hope you’ll agree it’s one of our hardest working. Our savvy editors got busy investigating smart ways to save you money, from great everyday freebies (page 13) to top lo-cost beauty finds (page 21) to great budget-friendly recipes, all broken down by cost per serving. (Even our Ultimate Chocolate Cake—which I have personally triple-tested—is a mere $1.45 per slice. See page 89.) Now that the holidays are over, I felt it was also time to look at ways of incorporating realistic fitness goals into our everyday routines. Knowing we needed some real-life inspiration, we approached a group of energetic nurses from Moncton, NB, who had sent us a letter several months earlier about their successful weight-loss efforts. Before we knew it, they had…

“This month, the Style section debuts a new column, “Double Take” (page 24), in which we showcase one must-have piece (this month: the midi skirt) and style it two ways. Here, hair and makeup artist Olivia Colacci and I are doing some final on-set tweaks.” —Julia McEwen, director, Fashion & Beauty “We tried many, many approaches to the cute maple leaf on top of the Canadian Hot Chocolate (page 72). It took about five attempts—involving marshmallows, decorating sugar and stencils—before we hit on white chocolate. It was so much easier!” —Annabelle Waugh, director, Food “Calgary is emerging as a design hot spot, and one of the key players is the lovely Aly Velji, who I’d been dying to work with since meeting him on The Marilyn Denis Show. His budget-savvy approach to…

Certain moments in life can be so overwhelming they make you feel like you’re standing at the bottom of a sheer cliff with no climbing equipment. Becoming a homeowner is one of those moments. With prices reaching a fever pitch in major Canadian cities, and with the global economy so nail-bitingly volatile, making the decision to jump into real estate is incredibly nerve-wracking, but also one of the most rewarding and financially savvy decisions you can make. It’s all in the approach. We were just 18 years old when we first got into the market in Calgary, which at the time was going through a major real estate boom. We may have been young, but we did our research before we got started, learning everything we could about flipping properties. When,…

1 Catch up on the classics at booksshouldbefree.com, which houses thousands of free public domain audiobooks and e-books available for download in iOS, Android and MP3 formats. You can also borrow newer releases through your local library branch, and check amazon.ca for free Kindle e-books (type in “free” in the Kindle Store) on topics including cooking, gardening and personal finance. 2 Even if your school years are well behind you, education doesn’t have to end. Coursera.org offers 540 free, open online classes from the world’s top universities, including Yale University’s 15-week course on Roman architecture, an eight-week introductory psychology course through the University of Toronto, and even a 10-week Scandinavian film and television course from the University of Copenhagen. 3 Receive a free birthday gift when you register for Sephora’s Beauty Insider…

Shannon Lee Simmons is a financial planner, blogger and founder of The New School of Finance. She also founded the Barter Babes Project. What’s a Barter Babe, you ask? Well, Simmons basically invented the concept in 2010, when she quit her job on Bay Street to survive solely on bartering for a year. Since then, she’s been on the leading edge of personal finance. We talked to her about new ways to save. CANADIAN LIVING: Bartering is such an old-school concept. Is it coming back? SHANNON LEE SIMMONS: Absolutely. I didn’t realize when I first started that I was on the cusp of this big movement. It was pretty cool. I became part of the bartering community, which was so much bigger than I ever thought. As the economy stumbles along…

CoverGirl LipPerfection Lipcolour in Hot, $11, covergirl.ca. Chanel Rouge Allure Velvet in La Favorite, $40, thebay.com. Maybelline New York Color Sensational Vivids Lipcolor in On Fire Red, $10, maybelline.ca. Givenchy Le Rouge Intense Color Sensuously Matte Lipstick in Carmin Escarpin, $38, sephora.ca. The Body Shop Colour Crush Lipstick in Sweetheart Pink, $12.50, thebodyshop.ca. Maybelline New York Color Sensational Vivids Lipcolor in Fuchsia Flash, $10, maybelline.ca. Yves Rocher Grand Rouge Lipstick in Glorious Red, $19, yvesrocher.ca. Estée Lauder Signature Hydra Lustre Lipstick in Dune Rose, $25, esteelauder.ca. CoverGirl LipPerfection Lipcolour in Spellbound, $11, covergirl.ca. Chanel Rouge Allure Velvet in L’Éclatante, $40, thebay.com. M.A.C Cosmetics Lipstick in Russian Red, $18, maccosmetics.ca. Givenchy Le Rouge Intense Color Sensuously Matte Lipstick in Rose Taffetas, $38, sephora.ca. Estée Lauder Pure Color Long Lasting Lipstick in Scarlet Siren, $32, esteelauder.ca.…