Boston Pizza in Ottawa

1640 Carling Ave, Ottawa, ON K2A 1C5, Canada

★★★★☆
(1017 reviews)
Categories: Pizza restaurant Family restaurant Sports bar

About

****Restaurant hours may differ from what is listed. Please call for the most up to date hours and for reservations.**** Boston Pizza is Canada's No. 1 casual dining brand serving delicious menu items such as gourmet pizzas and pastas, juicy burgers and our famous BP wings available for delivery or take out. Boston Pizza restaurants feature a sports bar as well as take-out and delivery options, making it a casual dining experience perfect for family, team and group outings of all ages. We have a wide range of options for your dining needs, choose from vegetarian, gluten-free, and kid's options. With over 380 locations, there's a Boston Pizza near you. Gather 'round at Boston Pizza.

Website
bostonpizza.com
Address
1640 Carling Ave, Ottawa, ON K2A 1C5, Canada
Plus Code
97H2+RM Nepean, Ottawa, ON, Canada
Time Zone
America/Toronto

Business Hours

Monday
11 AM–12 AM
Tuesday
11 AM–12 AM
Wednesday
11 AM–12 AM
Thursday
11 AM–1 AM
Friday
11 AM–1 AM
Saturday
11 AM–1 AM
Sunday
11 AM–12 AM

Services

Service options
Outdoor seating Kerbside pickup No-contact delivery Delivery Takeaway Dine-in
Highlights
Sport
Accessibility
Wheelchair-accessible car park Wheelchair-accessible entrance Wheelchair-accessible seating Wheelchair-accessible toilet
Offerings
Alcohol Beer Cocktails Coffee Late-night food Small plates Spirits Vegetarian options Wine
Dining options
Lunch Dinner Dessert Seating
Amenities
Bar on site Toilets
Atmosphere
Casual
Crowd
Family friendly Groups
Planning
Accepts reservations
Payments
Credit cards Debit cards NFC mobile payments Credit cards
Children
Good for kids Good for kids birthday High chairs Kids' menu
Parking
Free of charge street parking Free parking lot Parking

Photos

Reviews

4.0
★★★★☆
1017 reviews

Most Mentioned

sports (10) wings (9) food and service (9) server (8) game (8) bartender (6) gluten free (6) tacos (6) birthday (6) name (5)
5 stars
463
4 stars
308
3 stars
116
2 stars
50
1 stars
80
★★★★★
December 16, 2024

Pretty good Boston Pizza location! Can't complain! Everything was prepared well and tasted pretty good. Service was friendly and professional too!

★★★★★
November 30, 2024

My husband and I had so nice experience with Boston Pizza today. This is a very amazing restaurant! Everything was so tasty 😊 Thank you for Linea, our server. Customer service was the best 👌 Thank you very much ❤️ We appreciate it 🙏

★★★
November 4, 2024

Boston pizza is by far my favorite restaurant but I was extremely disappointed from my recent visit to the carling location. Food is always amazing, restaurant is clean and staff is usually really friendly but the bartenders attitude was horrible. Kathleen was rude and dismissive to many of us. Her aggressive tone and eye rolls when I had questions was enough to ruin my outting. As a mom who rarely gets out and is not a regular drinker, I wanted to enjoy my experience, but Kathleen made me feel like an inconvenience, and I left. Sadly, I will be finding a new bar to visit on my next night out. If she's that miserable, maybe she's in the wrong job.

★★★★★
October 4, 2024

Visited first time here on friday night and the place was houseful. Kudos to servers for handling the crowd and special shout out to gentleman Chris for serving us. Coming to food, pasta was good but burger was great. Loved it.

★★★★
July 24, 2024

If you're a meat lover and pasta lover, their pasta is a great choice here. Pizzas are also great and you can make them the way you want them to be.

★★★★★
May 27, 2023

Favourite spot for a chill date night. The service is fantastic. Food is always delicious and consistent so you always know what to expect. The restaurant has 3 sections: sit down area, bar area, and outdoor dining area. I like it when the bar and the restaurant areas are separated so that you can pick a vibe you are going for that night. Even tho it might seem like some prices are high, the portions are huge and you ll be taking food home! As for the drinks, you can actually taste that alcohol in it and not just soda with ice. I like that the restaurant is in a quieter corner of the street. There is always PLENTY of parking outside of the restaurant (free parking btw). Great place, clean space, very friendly employees!!

★★★★
February 3, 2023

Not once have I gotten a bad server, so I have to give the chain kudos for hiring good people. 🙂 The only thing I must say is the cost of eating out is getting ridiculous, so this is a general statement, not anything bad against Boston Pizza. I had the lunch special personal-size Meteor pizza (which was very good, btw), but after tax and tip it cost $17, and I wasn't full. At least I had a good time hanging out with coworkers. [2023-06-27] The hungry carnivore pasta is my ultimate favourite dish here. The Italian sausage and meatballs make this the heartiest meal on the menu. Plus the garlic bread with cheese and bacon is awesome!

★★★
May 21, 2022

Got pizzas for takeout at this location we've never been to before. It was late April 2022 and the measures were lifted, but I still felt uncomfortable that all staff members I saw (including the greeters at the front who handed me the boxes straight from the kitchen) weren't wearing any masks. What's worse is that once we got home we noticed that they forgot the extra ($) ingredient (spinach) I had asked for on my pizza and both pizzas were flat and undercooked. Nothing like we expected from being regulars in the west end of the city. For the price and the issues with the pizza I regret buying from there. I gave 3 stars because of the large parking lot, the ability to order and pay online and the good time estimate for pick up.

★★★★★
Local Guide
December 14, 2024

Great lunch deals...

★★★
Local Guide
December 14, 2024

Food wasnt good. Service was good.

December 7, 2024

This chain should be shut down. Pizza tastes like cardboard and the price is getting out of control. It does a diservice to pizza everywhere. Trash, just trash.

★★★★★
Local Guide
November 21, 2024

Great place, staff are excellent, the bar side on game nights is happen.

★★★★
Local Guide
November 21, 2024

Excellent service and food just a bit expensive, otherwise all good.

★★★
Local Guide
October 21, 2024

Protip: If you order the chicken Caesar Salad. Ask for light dressing. Otherwise, you might as well just drink ceaser dressing from the bottle.

★★★★★
October 21, 2024

My server named John was magnificent right from the start , such a gentleman, great with my three year old . Excellent service thank you Food

★★★★★
Local Guide
October 21, 2024

Shane was very helpful and he made our dinner very pleasant.

★★★★★
Local Guide
September 21, 2024

Bit loud as usual but food was typically fantastic. Great service and good food Thai chicken and cactus potatoes for dinner Food

★★★★★
Local Guide
September 21, 2024

Great place for lunch or dinner! Wonderful staff, tasty food. Good for groups, to watch sports, or just hang out. Food : 5/5

★★★★★
Local Guide
September 21, 2024

Good place to eat

★★★★★
Local Guide
August 21, 2024

Always great food and Fantastic service

★★★★★
Local Guide
August 21, 2024

Great location, great service and food.

August 21, 2024

Horrible service I ordered a chicken Caesar Salad and asked for halal chicken exactly and said no bacon but chicken halal they gave me just salad with cheese nothing else no chicken, wow I can do that at home myself thank you..and once I asked the waiter where s my chicken she told me I never asked for it and was rude never again will I come to this restaurant garbage attitude..

Local Guide
August 21, 2024

Giving a coustmer bad service and bad attitude dont expect tips , been more rude even after paying the bill wow !!!!! The restaurant was umpty no coustemers , I paid 80$ for doughy pizza ,cold chicken and bad attitude from the server I.m not coming back to Boston pizza carling ave

★★★★★
Local Guide
July 21, 2024

Good

★★★★★
Local Guide
July 21, 2024

Great spot where we watched Cup Final game 7. First come for seating, but very accommodating to our group of 12. Timely service considering how busy it was. The place got packed and had a great atmosphere to it Parking: Way more spots than theyd ever need. Easy parking

★★★★★
July 21, 2024

I m Italian and their Pasta is Fantastic. Favourite is Jambalaya Fettuccine. Wheelchair accessibility: Yes Food : 5/5 |

Local Guide
July 21, 2024

I had terrible experience here. Went at 10:30 PM, 1.5 hours before closing, the staff was so unwelcoming, they didn t ask us for our order for 15 mins, i saw my server chilling with another server there. We felt so unpleasant we finally decided to take out our food and leave. In the end, they made it even worse! We asked for cutlery, the server said i don t know what is CUTLERY , i said fork and knife please? He said, ohh!! It was my friend s birthday, and we had the worst experience!!! Worst service ever at a restaurant in Ottawa. I am so disappointed with this location.

★★★★★
Local Guide
July 21, 2024

It was amazing

★★★★★
Local Guide
June 21, 2024

One of my favorite places and very good pizza and beer

★★★★★
Local Guide
June 21, 2024

Is comfort and clean

★★★★★
June 21, 2024

jalapeño popper dip was awesome!

June 21, 2024

Ordered 2 things - ravioli bites and cactus cut potatoes. I liked those things but this time it was very less quantity and soggy. That was really frustrating as food costed $39!

★★★★★
Local Guide
May 21, 2024

Fast, friendly and still affordable. The Boston Brute continues to satisfy after all these years.

★★★★
May 21, 2024

Food was great! Service was a bit slow, not horrible though. The atmosphere was good we were seated in the bar, a bit louder than Id have liked, but was good considering! Parking: Lots of available parking Kid-friendliness: There is a kids menu available. Wheelchair accessibility: Has a built-in concrete ramp from parking to restaurant doors, didnt use washrooms, so unsure of that.

★★★★★
May 21, 2024

Three of us dropped in for dinner last night (12 May 2024) .. coincidentally Mothers Day .. but thankfully, we had a reservation. Despite the place having apparently being very busy earlier, we were seen too quickly and our dinners were delicious. I personally had the Hungry Carnivore with penne and it was superb. A special shout out to our server, James S. Despite having had a very busy night, he was personable, attentive and super helpful .. and always with a genuine smile. Thanks, James, from the three olde guys with the 6:45 reservation. Hope we werent too much trouble.

★★
Local Guide
May 21, 2024

I was pretty disappointed when I took my son here for lunch the other day. Service was fine but the menu was underwhelming. Had to look at it for a while to find anything that we actually wanted. Food was alright. But just that. Nothing you could get a dozen other places. Pretty disappointing. Left us with little reason to go back unfortunately. Kid-friendliness: You get a few crayons.. to draw in the paper kids menu.

April 21, 2024

Bartender told my friend he couldn t accept a health card as ID because it isn t legal even tho bars, clubs, the lcbo, basically everywhere accepts health cards. We mentioned this to him and he said he s in his 40 s he should know what s legal.

★★★★★
Local Guide
April 21, 2024

Had a wonderful dinner with the family at Boston Pizza location last night. Its not often you find a place that hits the mark on all fronts food, service, and atmosphere. Our server, James, truly made our celebration dinner memorable. He was attentive, knowledgeable about the menu, and went above and beyond to ensure we were happy with our meal choices. The food was delicious, and the ambiance of the restaurant made our evening even more enjoyable. Wed like to extend our thanks to James for his exceptional service. Highly recommend this spot for anyone looking for a great dining experience in Ottawa.

★★★★★
April 21, 2024

Kid-friendliness: Kids menu Food

★★★
March 21, 2024

Pricey standard restaurant.

★★★★
Local Guide
March 21, 2024

Dietary restrictions: Some gluten-free options. Food

★★★★★
March 21, 2024

really enjoyed our experience here - service, food, and general atmosphere were all really good. the host Caleb made for a great first impression of the place and was very kind on the way to our seats. Will definitely be back!

★★★★★
March 21, 2024

I dont usually write reviews but my parents and I love this location and have been coming for years, so I felt i should say something. Staff is always prompt and friendly...the food hot and good ..very consistent..the owner always happy to chat, and check up on tables..he even jumps in and helps out when it gets busy. Rare to find a restaurant so on point. 5/5

★★★★★
February 21, 2024

Amazing food!

★★★★★
Local Guide
January 21, 2024

Went to celebrate a friends accomplishments. Service was great, food was great. Kid-friendliness: With 5 children, the staff were very friendly and helpful.

★★★★★
Local Guide
January 21, 2024

Great lunch today. Busy afternoon. Staff really hustled. No waiting and went beyond the call. On top of everything. Nothing ignored.

★★★★★
January 21, 2024

Food was fantastic for a sports bar, was super suprised considering Ive been to other sports bar like restaurants and this one was the best yet for quality of food. Everything came out fresh and hot I couldnt of asked for anything better. The service was good but could of been better, server seemed to be nervous to chat with us, even when we complimented the food she was unsure how to respond. Also waited at the door for sometime before we seen staff to seat us. Thank God the food was great as it helped us over look the average service. All said and done we would return to this location.

★★★★
Local Guide
January 21, 2024

Great place to enjoy a meal with friends and watch sports. If you are into sports. Parking: Lots of free parking.

January 21, 2024

Went there with the girlfriend saturday night we were seated then brought water then ignored for 30 minutes. It was not busy. waste of time

★★★
Local Guide
December 21, 2023

The washrooms in this location are disgusting the smell of urine was so strong it made me lose my appetite

★★★★★
Local Guide
December 21, 2023

Bring the family,

★★★★★
Local Guide
December 21, 2023

No problem with pickup or dining in great staff good selection of food

★★★★
Local Guide
December 21, 2023

Good food. Great service! Food

★★★★
Local Guide
December 21, 2023

Chris did a great job serving us, he was the only person serving over 25 people, under staffed and he still did great. Thanks

★★★★★
Local Guide
December 21, 2023

Good pizza

★★★★★
Local Guide
December 21, 2023

Always a friendly atmosphere with great customer service It can be a little sluggish for service sometimes, even on slow nights but worth the wait for the yummy eats.

December 21, 2023

One of the staff took us to a table and once we settled, a rude waiteress came and made us change the table. It was a big disrespect and ruined our night. The manager cane and apologized after I made a complaint (and I appreciated manager s action), but you may guess how a rude waitress can ruin your entire night! I will not go to the place anymore. The food foes mot have a good quality either, plus the staff seem to be quite unorganized.

December 21, 2023

I tried ordering food through a delivery app. I ordered at around 6:45pm and the initial arrival time was 7:40pm. After almost two hours I contacted support and they said that the order had been confirmed and yet nothing was happening. I called the resteraunt and they said they didnt have an order from me. After three hours I cancelled the order and reordered - leaving it up to some random problem. I ordered, called the establishment, and they assured me it was confirmed and being prepared. Then silence. nothing was happening. The restaurant closed and I essentially waited 5 hours for nothing. My fault for being naïve but, do not order from this place online.

Local Guide
December 21, 2023

Store hours not acceptable AT ALL

Local Guide
December 21, 2023

Horrible customer service.

★★★★
Local Guide
December 21, 2023

Pretty typical food for a chain restaurant. The ribs were alright and the bourbon BBQ sauce was good if a little sweet. My spouse ordered the carbonara pizza and said it was quite good. The service was the best part. Our waitress was quick and friendly. She brought refills without needing to flag her down.

★★★★★
Local Guide
December 21, 2023

Great place for drinks

★★★★
Local Guide
December 21, 2023

Was good. We had a large group. The servers were great with lots of water and ice tea refills. My food was cold and not great. Everyone else seemed to enjoy their food.

★★★★
Local Guide
December 21, 2023

The service was great.

★★★★
Local Guide
December 21, 2023

Classic Boston Pizza. Great for late night dinner or early lunch

December 21, 2023

Very sleepy slow all the orders are delays

★★★★
Local Guide
December 21, 2023

good food and nice interior, not too busy either so was an enjoyable experience

★★
Local Guide
December 21, 2023

I was there on Sunday and unfortunately mor than half the food came out cold ,and when we asked to replace it they microwave it, my bill was under 400$

★★★★★
Local Guide
December 21, 2023

Had a great time with a group of 20!

★★★★★
Local Guide
December 21, 2023

The server was HOT lols just appreciating beauty when you see one.

★★★★
Local Guide
December 21, 2023

Very quiet on a Wednesday @ dinner time, had great service and good food

December 21, 2023

Dead customer service . However food was pretty good

★★★★★
Local Guide
December 21, 2023

DELICIOUS FOOD!!!!

★★
Local Guide
December 21, 2023

The quality to price ratio is low, meaning that you can order much better pizzas at Italian restaurants with lower price.

★★★★★
Local Guide
December 21, 2023

Very good food will definitely go back it hasnt changed still very good food and service still the same didnt change

★★★★
December 21, 2023

We ordered the grilled club house and kick n Memphis chicken sandwiches both very good. The only thing we would of liked is to have the bacon cooked more.

December 21, 2023

Took out a pizza tonight, and it was not only expensive but very bad. I have had better frozen pizzas. Definitely not the same Boston Pizza anymore.

December 21, 2023

Would rate - 10 stars atleast if I could. This is what a double pepperoni looks like from them. Unless you have time to wait for food twice don t buy here. In the last half hour 5 people I know have told me it s a normal thing there. Will never be back

★★★★★
Local Guide
December 21, 2023

Dietary restrictions: Had allergy to cheese I ate sweet potatoes fries and some chicken nuggies food was great a staff party service was good for how busy it was. Food

★★★★
December 21, 2023

Friendly staff and quick service

★★★★★
Local Guide
December 21, 2023

Nice to have this well stocked hardware store in this area.

★★★★
Local Guide
December 21, 2023

pretty good good had bugs and cheese milk had ice cubes (odd?) super weird location

★★★★★
Local Guide
December 21, 2023

Great spot.

★★★★★
December 21, 2023

Good place for eating and sitting

★★★
Local Guide
December 21, 2023

food was mediocre. service was lacking, and the place wasn t even busy, the server was just too occupied with taking shots with a friend who came to visit them. I wouldn t go back lol

★★★★★
December 21, 2023

Food was awesome.

★★★★★
Local Guide
December 21, 2023

Food is great, servers are wonderful. Enjoy when I go.

★★★★★
Local Guide
December 21, 2023

Probably the best B.P location in Ottawa. Never too busy and the service and food is always fantastic

★★★★
Local Guide
December 21, 2023

Pizza was good. I had the one with sriracha sauce it was good for the first few slices but I got tired of the flavour after awhile. Ill try a different one next time.

★★★★
Local Guide
December 21, 2023

Pizza dough/taste is amazing Tacos were average and not too much loaded with chicken. Food

★★★★★
December 21, 2023

Very good attention provided

★★★★
Local Guide
December 21, 2023

A pleasant enough chain with a deep menu. My stomach disagrees with some of their decisions, but my tongue cannot fault them.

★★★★★
December 21, 2023

Very good

December 21, 2023

They say they close at 1am but they close earlier than that.

December 21, 2023

Ordered spinach dip. It was okay and I also ordered chicken fingers tossed and honey garlic sauce. There was a large hair in my food. Told the waitress they did refund me for the chicken fingers but I did not eat my spinach dip because I was disgusted. I asked to talk to manager, she said not there Will not go back there

★★★
Local Guide
December 21, 2023

Vegetarian options: A few vegetarian options, spinach and mushroom melt heavy on cheese (but thats ok) Food

★★★★★
Local Guide
December 21, 2023

Nice and quick Parking: At the back of the building Kid-friendliness: Wax pencil and pper

★★★★★
Local Guide
December 21, 2023

Went served quickly ..good food

★★★★★
December 21, 2022

Excellent service! Ill go back!

★★★★★
December 21, 2022

I visited that place this week, the service was nice and the food was delicious!!! Very friendly environment...good job !!!!

★★★★
Local Guide
December 21, 2022

Fantastic oven baked wings...had to ask for cutlery a few times but whatever its not The Ritz lol

December 21, 2022

I live in Texas and I can tell you 100% that pizza in BOSTON does NOT look like THAT! I Have NOT eaten that PIZZA but I REFUSE TO PIZZA NEAR MY GENETICALLY SUPERIOR TEXAN TASTE BUDS, BUT I ASSUE YOU THAT IS NOT AMERICAN PIZZA!!! Very, VERY good customer service. Absolutely outstanding.

★★★★★
Local Guide
December 21, 2022

Great food always and great service

★★★★★
Local Guide
December 21, 2022

Loved it , REALLY GREAT service. So much so I think my server came to our table like 100 times to check on us, he was Super nice and the Spinach Dip is to die for as well as their Ceasars

★★★
Local Guide
December 21, 2022

Wasnt the best experience with take out kinda felt like they rushed the food and quality. Wouldnt order from this location again.

★★★★
December 21, 2022

Great

★★
December 21, 2022

No much for starters the food is average a bit over priced the staff are great very friendly the Milk taste like it powerd milk

★★★★★
December 21, 2022

Great, friendly, efficient service. We felt welcome The food was great

★★★★
Local Guide
December 21, 2022

Good food, good service, good time.

★★★★★
Local Guide
December 21, 2022

Was surprised by the quality of the food and the fish bowl of Bellini amazing.

★★★★★
Local Guide
December 21, 2022

We ordered Hawaiian pizza and chicken wings. Their pizza was the best Ive had in a long time. Would go again!

Local Guide
December 21, 2022

Worst location ever

★★
Local Guide
December 21, 2022

The food was good but my husband ordered Burger and asked for mayo and chipotle , they charged us 3 or bucks for those which Ive never seen in other restaurents.... !!

Local Guide
December 21, 2022

Not dog friendly despite all other people stating its dog friendly online..

★★★★★
Local Guide
December 21, 2022

Enjoy this locations, never packed and friendly service

December 21, 2022

Service is not good... I took pasta that had no sauce point!!

★★★★
Local Guide
December 21, 2022

A stable choice

★★★★
Local Guide
December 21, 2022

Great

★★
Local Guide
December 21, 2022

Roast beef sandwich was very poorly cooked and made. Pizza was not that good either. All the value has gone in the BP menu. RIP

Local Guide
December 21, 2022

Unsatisfactory customer service and dining experience

★★★★★
December 21, 2022

Amazing pizza....crust is so delicious. Toppings are so flavorful. A must visit to any Boston Pizza.

★★★★★
Local Guide
December 21, 2022

Wonderful food, with great taste and variety of dishes. Their staff is awesome, you will always feel comfortable. And prices are fair, not expensive nor cheap. Beer is great.

★★★★★
Local Guide
December 21, 2022

Always like the food here

December 21, 2022

Went in for lunch. They only had 1 server that seemed to be working the whole restaurant by herself whilst an employee (older gentleman in red polo) played on his phone instead of helping her. We waited very long ,around 15-20 mins, between each interaction with server. i dont blame her as much because she was the only one tending to about 10 tables but there were other front of house employees around to give her help but due to their negligence 9/10 tables had a bad experience. Very poor service.

★★★★★
Local Guide
December 21, 2022

Decent food and beers

★★★
Local Guide
December 21, 2022

Not our first visit, but somewhat dissappinting this time. French onion soup bit burnt on top, Calamari was overcooked and dry. Chicken Thai Bites were OK, some of the chicken a bit overcooked. Personal pizza very poor, ordered with double pepperoni, and only light on the tomato paste. No double pepperoni, too much sauce, toppings were sparse (6 slices of pepperoni), and cheese stopped well short of edge of crust.They have also changed their garlic toast. The new one had very little garlic butter, not grilled, bread was dry.

★★★★
Local Guide
December 21, 2022

The desert

★★★★★
December 21, 2022

Love it. But need to know if you guys changed the chocolate explosion cake recently?! Last time I got it it seemed different.

★★★★
Local Guide
December 21, 2022

Our server was very friendly.

★★
December 21, 2022

My pasta was more like a soup with the amount of sauce the noodles were floating in. I also ordered the brownies for dessert and they were stale. I had to microwave them so they werent so dry. Very disappointed and will not order from there again.

★★★★★
Local Guide
December 21, 2022

Food is always cooked to perfection and always amazing service

★★★★★
Local Guide
December 21, 2022

Pretty good restaurant. About what you would expect from a Boston pizza. Service was good and we enjoyed the food

★★★★
Local Guide
December 21, 2022

Food was good and came out relatively quick. Wings were a little cold but we did ask them to hold it with the rest of the food so that s on us they did kindly reheat it though. Staff were friendly, there s ample parking, and it was pretty clean. I will agree with some others and say that the menu did feel slightly limited. Overall, we d go back.

December 21, 2022

I went here and spent over $400 for drinks and the staff was rude.. do not waste your time at the bar. The employee s and management have no idea what they are doing.

December 21, 2022

We walked in and waited a while and no one came to seat us. We could hear staff talking and laughing nearby but out of sight. We opened and closed the door again as this triggers a door bell, still no one came. We walked out without ever seeing a staff member.

Local Guide
December 21, 2022

No one came to seat us so we left.

★★★★★
December 21, 2022

I love their pizza, always so well made.

★★★★
Local Guide
December 21, 2022

Its a good pizza place but more as a generic one.

★★
December 21, 2022

Avoid buying a fishbowl because they only fill it up about halfway for the small price of half your life savings