In this episode of Money Feels, we talk about something that's deeply personal and also big business: fertility, IVF and egg freezing. Having a baby is expensive no matter how you do it, and this way costs even more. A lot extra.

Alyssa and Bridget look at the IVF industry through a money lens: the real costs, the odds most people don't hear about, and why "I'll do whatever it takes" is the most expensive sentence in fertility care. They also take on egg freezing as a corporate perk, and why "empowering" might be the wrong word for it.

This one comes from a place of care, not judgment. If you're going through IVF or have experienced pregnancy loss, please look after yourself, and feel free to skip this one and tune in next week.

In today's episode, we discuss:

• How IVF actually works, step by step, and why there are fees at every stage
• The real odds of a live birth by age, and why they're so rarely talked about
• The Cut article: 11 rounds of IVF, $250,000 and no baby
• Why longing is never where anyone makes a clear money decision
• Add-ons, experimental treatments and clinics with no age cut-off
• What would happen if a financial product had IVF's odds
• Why egg freezing as a workplace perk is really an investment in not paying for maternity leave
• Egg freezing as "buying an option"
• Universal child care and fully paid parental leave
• What repeated loss does to your relationships
• Public funding for IVF in Canada

Thanks for listening to another episode! For bonus episodes and more, join our Patreon! Until then, follow us on Instagram @mixedupmoney, @bridgiecasey and @moneyfeelspodcast, and we’ll see you next time!

In this episode of Money Feels, we're kicking off season 10 by saying something that doesn't often get said out loud: the middle class might be the loneliest group in society. Not in a "cry me a river, it must be so hard to be comfortable" way. In a structural way. When we eradicated middle-class wealth, we also got rid of middle-class community.

Alyssa and Bridget break down who the middle class actually is in Canada, why so many people in it feel stuck between "too rich for a potluck" and "can't afford a private chef," and why there's no shared rule book for how to show up for each other.

This one is equal parts economics and feelings. Because small talk is what leads to big talk.

In today's episode, we discuss:

• How Statistics Canada defines the middle class
• What the K-shaped economy is
• Why a middle-class income doesn't buy the life it did 30, 40 or 50 years ago
• The gap between the "average Canadian"
• How lower-income communities survive through interdependence while wealthy families outsource everything, therapy included
• Why the middle class has no shared code for asking for help
• Self-actualization vs. status anxiety
• Whether "you don't owe anyone anything" is a personal value or a survival mechanism
• The neighbourhood coffee morning experiment, and why gratitude isn't the same as reciprocity
• Why building community starts with a low-stakes first move

Video mentioned: @lynn.allure on TikTok

Thanks for listening to another episode! If you want bonus episodes and more, you can join our Patreon! Until then, follow us on Instagram @mixedupmoney, @bridgiecasey and @moneyfeelspodcast, and we’ll see you next time!

In this episode of Money Feels, we break down the thing that makes most people's eyes glaze over: Canadian taxes. And actually make it make sense. Not just the numbers, but the feelings. The confusion, the resentment, the sneaking suspicion that you're being robbed. We're going there.

Alyssa and Bridget walk through every layer of the Canadian tax system, from federal income tax all the way down to the municipal mill rate, and tackle two of the most misunderstood — and politically charged — conversations happening in Canada right now: the myth that Canadians pay over 50% in taxes, and what Alberta separation would actually mean for your wallet.

This one is equal parts financial education and myth-busting. Because you deserve accurate information, not social media math.

In today's episode, we discuss:

• What a progressive tax system actually means
• The four layers of Canadian taxation: federal, provincial, municipal, and GST/HST
• Why CPP and EI deductions aren't money disappearing
• How Alberta compares to other provinces
• The truth behind the "Canadians pay over 50% in taxes" claim
• Why GST hits lower-income earners harder
• What Alberta separation would actually mean
• The credits and deductions most people leave on the table without realizing it
• How to look at your own pay stub and actually understand where every dollar is going

Thanks for listening to another episode! If you want bonus episodes and more, you can join our Patreon! Until then, follow us on Instagram @mixedupmoney, @bridgiecasey and @moneyfeelspodcast, and we’ll see you next time!