Let’s be honest, budgeting is the most boring adult thing you can do. You get your first job and you want to finally be able to have fun with your own money. But wait, you want a car, right? You want a house eventually, don’t you? Even if these goals are further down the road, starting to save now is the smartest thing you can do.

Here are two types of budgets that can make “adulting” (aka: budgeting) a little easier:

1. A Cash Diet – This is a bit of a novelty because it involves, wait for it…ACTUAL CASH. That’s right! No cards are involved at all! Crazy I know, but hear me out. How it works is you start by writing down how much is coming in and how much is going out. MAKE SURE TO INCLUDE SAVINGS! Now I’m not saying that you go and pay your landlord or utility company with an envelope full of cash like you’re Heisenberg or something, but after you calculate how much you need for those bills, you take the rest out in actual physical currency. This allows you to have a physical representation of how much you actually spend on things like groceries, transportation, meals out, etc. If you spend 20 bucks buying something on Amazon, take $20 out of your wallet and put it in a drawer and use it towards your next withdrawal.
2. Percentage Budgeting – This is the post-grad of budgeting. You’ve learned the lessons of the Cash diet and you’re ready to graduate to something a bit more modern. And you get to use your precious cards again! Here’s how it works: you take your post-tax income and lay it out as 50/20/30. This means that 50% will go toward those fixed expenses like rent, student loans, cell phone bills, you get it. 20% you put DIRECTLY into a savings account or RRSP, keep in mind this is not a fund to use in case you run out of fun money, this is for that major purchase you’re dreaming about. 30% goes to lifestyle and flexible money, groceries, transportation, basically everything you were using your cash for before.

There are other types of budgets out there, but these two are a good way to train yourself to think realistically about the money that you’re spending. Being honest with yourself now about where your money goes is a good way to ensure that your financial future is healthy and you can actually afford to make those big purchases down the road.

Breaking into the housing market is a daunting prospect. You have to do things like paying off student loans, afford rent, and still have some sort of a social life, all the while trying to put away thousands of dollars to purchase a place you can finally call your own. Here are six tips to maximize those savings efforts.

1. Move in with your parents or in-laws – Everyone likes to give millennials a hard time about not moving out of their parents’ homes. But with the price of housing skyrocketing and wages staying stagnant, the best way to save money is to eliminate your largest expense, which is rent. A $1,000 dollar-a-month rent payment over one year can put $12,000 in your pocket. Even if you still have to pay a token rent payment to your parents, you can easily save for a down payment in a fraction of the time you would have otherwise
2. Find a less expensive place to rent – Moving in with your parents seem like an extreme measure? Try finding a less expensive apartment. Do you really need that second bedroom for the three times a year people come from out of town? Is being right in the heart of the city an absolute MUST? Take the money you are saving and put it right in the bank instead.
3. Use public transportation – Getting rid of one of your vehicles or going completely vehicle free not only saves you money on the cost of that vehicle, but you also eliminate the cost of gas, parking, insurance and maintenance. Did I mention INSURANCE?
4. Stop eating out – You don’t need to buy lunch every day. Using leftovers from the night before or picking up the right groceries during your weekly shopping trip will not only be cheaper, but probably a heck of a lot healthier as well.
5. Take smarter vacations – Maybe you don’t need to go to Mexico this year. A weekend trip to a Bed and Breakfast or staying home to explore your local attractions can save you thousands.
6. Pick a price limit on gifts – Is it really necessary to buy a $250 birthday gift or Christmas present? Do you need to go out for Valentine’s Day dinner AND purchase a gift? Be smart about the things you actually want vs need and think how much better those celebrations will be once you have your own place.

The sweet feeling of walking through your own front door is way better than any take-out burrito. Small financial savings, over time, make a big difference in your ability to buy your first home.

Listen, there are a bunch of basic techniques that you’ve heard your entire life about saving and investing. There are the things that your parents have told you since you received that first paycheck: “I wish I would have done x at your age, I would have been so far ahead”. Whether this advice was “Pay yourself first” or “Make sure you diversify”, you know them by now and have either made them work for you or not. Here are 4 things that you need to understand about money – as a Millennial – in 2018.

1. Other people have no problem spending your money – Summer is upon us, and everyone in your life is looking to celebrate their once-in-a-lifetime special day. Whether it’s their bachelor/bachelorette party, wedding, baby shower or 50^th birthday, these special events are going to add up. It is hard to tell your best friend/cousin/old roommate that you appreciate the invitation, but you’re going to have to pass on their monumental event because you have 6 other monumental events in the next couple of months. Make sure to keep an eye on that money drain.
2. Investing and Savings apps work, but don’t solely rely on them – There are a lot of apps out there that will automatically hook into your bank account and take out either a small amount each month and put it into a savings account, or round your purchases to the nearest dollar and invest that spare change for you. These are a great way to start investing, but spare change is not going to make as meaningful an impact unless you are going to be proactive about it.
3. Small purchases add up – Yes, this one is DANGEROUSLY close to the parental type advice alluded to earlier, but not in the context of ‘that chocolate bar you bought today along with that coffee you went out for yesterday could eventually bankrupt you’ type thing. What adds up is the routine of doing it. Go for that chocolate bar, if you’re looking to treat yourself. Get a coffee with a co-worker as a little pick me up. That’s fine occasionally, but doing this every day will keep your bank account from growing.
4. Saving is hugely important, but negotiating is key – So we’ve established that savings is important, but an even more satisfying way to get yourself more money for that house is not to get it from your own bank account, but to get it from your employers.  You need to be prepared when that annual review comes around at work. Sure, you know you may be getting that 3% per annum bump, but that’s to cover inflation and won’t help in the long term. When you go in, be prepared to explain why you deserve this raise, show how you’ve improved, what major projects you’ve been working on, and what new duties you may have undertaken. What are people in a similar position in a similar company making in your area? Some financial analysts say you could be leaving as much as a million dollars on the table over your lifetime by failing to negotiate.

No one wants to be living from paycheck-to-paycheck their entire life and it’s the dream of many to be able to afford a place to call their own. These things may seem more difficult than ever now, but keeping these things in mind can do nothing but assist you in the long term, and maybe you can annoy your kids with this advice one day.

Canadians have amassed a $2-trillion mountain of household debt that’s casting a big shadow over the timing of the Bank of Canada’s next interest rate hike, governor Stephen Poloz said in a speech Tuesday in Yellowknife.

To Poloz, the “sheer size” of debt burden also means its associated risks to endure for a while, although he’s optimistic the economy can navigate them.

The debt pile, he said, has been growing for three decades in both absolute terms and when compared to the size of the economy _ and about $1.5 trillion of it currently consists of mortgage debt.

The central bank has concerns about the ability of households to keep paying down their high levels of debt when interest rates continue their rise, as is widely expected over the coming months.

“This debt has increasing implications for monetary policy,” he said in his address to the Yellowknife Chamber of Commerce.

Poloz has introduced three rate hikes since last July following an impressive economic run for Canada that began in late 2016.

But the central bank stuck with its benchmark rate of 1.25 per cent last month as it continued its careful process of determining the best juncture for its next hike. The bank’s next announcement is May 30, but many experts only expect Poloz’s next increase to come at July’s meeting.

Poloz said Tuesday that the volume of what Canadians owe is one of the key reasons why the bank has been taking a cautious approach to raising its trend-setting rate. He called it an important vulnerability for individuals and leaves the entire economy exposed to shocks.

“This debt still poses risks to the economy and financial stability, and its sheer size means that its risks will be with us for some time,” Poloz said.

“But there is good reason to think that we can continue to manage these risks successfully. The economic progress we have seen makes us more confident that higher interest rates will be warranted over time, although some monetary policy accommodation will still be needed.”

Poloz said debt is a natural consequence of several factors, including the combination of a strong demand for housing and the prolonged period of low interest rates maintained in recent years to stimulate the economy.

The governor also provided detail on issues the bank is examining as it considers the timing of its next rate increase.

If it raises rates too quickly, the bank risks choking off economic growth, falling short of its ideal inflation target of two per cent and could lead to the type of financial stability risk it’s trying to avoid, he said.

But if the governing council lifts the rate too slowly, Poloz said it could intensify inflationary pressures to the point it overshoots the bank’s bull’s-eye. Poloz added that moving too gradually could also entice Canadians to add even more debt and further boost vulnerabilities.

In his speech, he also noted several other areas of concern the bank is monitoring closely as it considers future hikes. They include the economic impacts of stricter mortgage rules, the ongoing uncertainty about U.S. trade policy, the renegotiation of the North American Free Trade Agreement and a number of competitiveness challenges faced by Canadian exporters.

“These forces will not last forever,” Poloz said.

“As they fade, the need for continued monetary stimulus will also diminish and interest rates will naturally move higher.”

Toronto home sales are off to the worst start in nine years, as tougher rules for mortgage qualifications and rising interest rates continue to push buyers out of the market.

Sales fell for four straight months on a seasonally adjusted basis, with the fewest transactions to start a year since the 2009 recession, according to data Thursday from the Toronto Real Estate Board. April itself was one of the weakest months in the past 15 years for sales in Canada’s biggest city.

Prices, however, continued to stabilize. The benchmark, which is weighted to account for differences in home type, climbed 0.7 percent from last month to C$766,300 ($595,700). The condo apartment segment helped boost prices, jumping 10 percent to C$495,600 from a year earlier. In contrast, detached home prices tumbled 10 percent from April 2017 to C$927,800.

Similarly, Vancouver benchmark prices rose 14 percent in April from a year ago, while sales fell 27 percent to a 17-year low for the month, according to the Real Estate Board of Greater Vancouver.

Canada’s once-hot housing market has been correcting in recent months, adjusting to a series of tighter regulations aimed at taming prices and debt levels. Sales have cooled particularly for ’s pricier detached homes, as new mortgage guidelines that came into effect on Jan. 1 make it harder for buyers to qualify for loans. The slowdown has put the market on edge as it enters its traditionally busy spring selling season.

Toronto sales were down almost a third in April from a year earlier to 7,792 units, the fewest for the month since 2003.

“Market conditions should support moderate increases in home prices as we move through the second half of the year, particularly for condominium apartments and higher density low-rise home types,” Jason Mercer, TREB’s Director of Market Analysis said in a statement.

The high-end of Toronto’s housing market continued to weaken after last year’s boom. Sales of detached homes worth C$2 million or more accounted for 5.5 percent of the segment’s total, down from 10 percent a year earlier.

New listings fell 25 percent from April 2017 to 16,273. Average home prices in the Toronto region fell 12 percent over that period to C$804,584.