With the options for some first-time homebuyers growing more restricted, buyers are waiting a little longer or spending a little more to find the home of their dreams.

According to a new report from BMO, first time homebuyers in Calgary were more willing to increase their budget than anywhere else in Canada with 54 per cent of Calgarians prepared to spend more. As a result, buyers are also expanding their search to include a greater range of properties.

There is confusion among new gardeners when it comes to growing plants from seed. Can you really use toilet paper rolls to start seedlings? Sure – if you have a stack of them on hand and don't mind them falling apart just when you need them to hang together.

How about seeding into eggshells? Fine, if you buy jumbo free-range eggs. Some of the regular eggs are so fragile, it's difficult to get them out of the fridge without crumbling the shell. Free-range eggs are usually tough enough but are they big enough? A small container such as a tiny eggshell needs to be misted and watered continuously.

The fact that the words spring and cleaning have become nearly inseparable doesn't make the task any easier. Nor does it make it any less avoidable. Just as the changing of the seasons signals a return to warmer weather, it also indicates to those that have spent the winter months slumbering that their excuses have evaporated away along with the snow.

Needless to say, the task of tackling months of neglect in one afternoon or even a long weekend is far easier said than done. While it might seem very little work went into getting things to a state of disarray, undoing all that neglect can prove to be a monumental task. However, with a plan in mind and a little elbow grease, even the biggest jobs can be accomplished.

For those who've had their fill of the hustle and bustle of the big city and yearn for a different way of living, perhaps it's time to embrace the option of acreage life.

With Calgary surrounded by wide open prairies, rolling foothills and the majestic Rocky Mountains, opting to live outside city limits has some obvious advantages.

Debbie LeBlanc has spent the last 25 years living on an acreage between Cochrane and Calgary. Having previously lived in Calgary, LeBlanc says the move was encouraged in large part by the ability to be closer to the great outdoors.

Alberta's housing market continues to hold top spot in all of Canada, sitting "head-and-shoulders" above the rest of the province in several economic categories.

The province's place at the top of the national outlook is the topic of a recent release from BMO Capital Markets, which points to employment, wages and interprovincial migration as the biggest reasons for the province's prosperity.