There’s one subject many Canadian college and university attendees need to brush up on: how to budget as a student.

When it comes to saving, however, we’re not quite so successful. Only two-thirds of Canadians have an emergency savings fund. Compare that with the recommendation that everyone should have enough savings to cover three months’ worth of expenses. For some, that might feel lower on the priority list.

For many Canadians, credit cards are a convenient way to shop for everything from household goods to travel or gas. But with the cost of living on the rise, paying for essential goods or emergency expenses with credit has become a necessity for some families. The result can be a balance and interest payments that make it difficult to pay off credit card debt.