For many Canadians, the dream of home ownership is just that -- a dream.

Buying your first home is probably one of the biggest financial decisions you will ever make.

So before you jump into making the dream a reality, it is important to do your research and find out the true costs of home ownership before you get trapped in a financial nightmare -- much like the movie Money Pit.

Ever wonder what to do with your old mobile phone?

Or that outdated iPod that you upgraded from years ago?

Or the myriad of chargers tangled up in a drawer that don't seem to fit any of your current gadgets?

If you're hungry for an answer, Pizza Pizza might be the solution.

In delivering on its commitment to the environment, the pizza giant is offering up free pepperoni slices in return for your old phones, iPods and chargers during the month of April.

Eggs...check. Baskets...check. Chocolate...check. Presents...check. Budget...what budget?

Believe it or not, Easter is the second biggest gift-giving holiday occasion for Canadians next to Christmas.

From organizing an Easter egg hunt for your kids to buying gifts, flowers, food, candy, visiting relatives -- it all adds up. And, if you didn't already have it included in your annual household budget you may be stretching it a little bit.

If it sounds too good to be true -- it probably is.

The Competition Bureau wants consumers to be aware of scams as part of its 2 Good 2 Be True campaign during Fraud Prevention Month in March.

Among the various scams out there, the Competition Bureau wants consumers to recognize false online testimonials and subscription traps on mobile devices.

Credit cards can be your best friend or turn into your worst enemy if not used responsibly.

Getting your first credit card is a big deal when you're coming of age. But learning how to use them responsibly is something that requires a little bit of maturity and a little bit of credit card know-how.

"Credit cards are powerful tools to help build credit and financial skills," says Jeffrey Schwartz, executive director of Consolidated Credit Counseling Services of Canada, Inc. "Unfortunately, they can also be dangerous if not used responsibly."

It appears Canadians aren't ready to stop pinching their pennies quite yet.

In what could turn out to become a long goodbye, a new BMO Bank of Montreal report has found that many consumers are not ready to bid farewell to the beloved one-cent piece.

In fact, 73 per cent of those polled in the survey conducted by Pollara expect retailers to continue to accept pennies for their purchases at the check-out counter.

What if you made your morning coffee instead of heading to the drive-thru on your way to work? Crazy idea isn't it?

But is saving some extra money really so crazy?  Believe it or not, those trips to the coffee shop really do add up.

According to the Office of Consumer Affairs (OCA), if you save the $5 instead of buying that latte -- even at 1.5 per cent interest -- you will save about $5,500 over 25 years. Not too shabby, eh?

Lovers may be ringing in Valentine's Day with hugs and kisses, but Canadian retailers are hoping the special day translates into some ringing in at the cash registers.

With sales a little sluggish after the holiday hoopla winding down, retailers are counting on Valentine's Day to give them the extra love they need to spice up their bottom line.

Retail sales typically fall about 4.4 per cent in February.

However, BMO Economics predicts we may see stronger sales for Valentine's Day due to stronger job growth at the tail end of 2012 bolstering consumer confidence.

But even though some retail sales may be in decline, there are still some sectors that are poised for gains, according to the report.

While many wine lovers will tell you otherwise, the most dominant flavour in that glass of Merlot may its price tag.

"We’ve known for a long time that there’s a correlation between what you pay for a wine and how good it tastes to you, but this correlation only exists, of course, when people know the price," says Dan Ariely, author of The Upside of Irrationality.

To prove his point, he references the work of wine critic Robin Goldstein, whose paper detailing more than 6,000 blind tastings maintains that “individuals who are unaware of the price do not derive more enjoyment from more expensive wine.”

Goldstein argues that most people buy wine based on image rather than any combination of smell or taste and that our expectations do influence our enjoyment.

As a result, when most people are given wine without seeing the label, they’re just as likely to prefer cheaper wines as compared to more expensive wines.

Ghost Money defined: dead money, money wasted on stupid things, money that should have been invested instead

1. Magazines. Never buy them off the rack. Rack prices are inflated, so it’s the most expensive way to get your fix. Always subscribe, or get a tablet and download them. Local libraries let you read them for free. And if you work in an industry where it’s important to stay abreast of news and current affairs, convince your boss to buy the magazines for you. Besides, chopping trees down for magazines and newspapers is going to become an obsolete practice. We live in an increasingly wireless, paperless world. Embrace it.