Just dropping a quick line to say that there are some incredible Brandsaver coupons available in your paper today and online for your selection. They are great coupons so don't miss out!!!
Brandsaver Website
On another note, I've been super busy this month again so not many updates. Here is the reason:
WE BOUGHT A HOUSE!!!! Thanks to all my savings and scrimping, we were lucky enough to become homeowners!!! So the last couple of weeks we have been cleaning, painting and setting it up to how we like it. So I'm hoping that I will have some free time coming up to update this blog. Our official move in is tomorrow which means another week of cleaning and setting everything up and getting settled in so please bear with me!!! I love writing this blog and haven't been putting enough energy into it so I'm really hoping to change that in the next few months. I do live in a very cold location in the winter months and don't venture far....
Another, just wanted to make sure that no one missed out on the coupons available for your choosing! Happy couponing!!!
Friday, September 11, 2009
Saturday, August 8, 2009
~Save Money on Kids Art~
Do your kids love doing arts and crafts? Do they go through mounds and mounds of paper to create their masterpiece? Do you cringe every time, not only for the cost of the paper but the environmental impact? If so, you will love this post!
If you live in an urban area with retail clothing store chains chances are they have old signage that they throw away after an event is done that is perfectly good for art! I happen to manage for Reitmans and I know that for every one of our events there is usually a few posters that we throw away because they are outdated. The backside of these posters is plain white and it is a fairly heavy material. So I've started to take the ones we will be throwing away home for art projects. It's a win, win situation. My son won't care if there is marketing on the back side...he'll be thrilled to have a 2 foot by 4 foot piece of paper to create on...(In a few years though, he's only 15 months now:) For now the paper goes to his daycare for the other kids)
I also may be a bit weird but I keep the crayons that we are given at family restaurants and take them home. Right now, my son doesn't even use them so I'm taking home full packets but in a few years there will still be lots of usable crayon in them, no sense wasting them.
Speaking of leftover crayons...I can't remember what site I read it on but I read on another blog about taking little bits of crayons and melting them in muffin tins to create multicolor crayon disks. I also have a sister who collects empty glue stick containers and melts the crayon pieces and fills the glue stick holder with the melted crayon. When it dries you have a giant crayon in a holder that won't break!!! I love both these ideas and will use them for sure when the time comes!!!
Hope you can find a local retailer that will give you a call when it's time to change signs. You can really get some great art paper doing this!!!
If you live in an urban area with retail clothing store chains chances are they have old signage that they throw away after an event is done that is perfectly good for art! I happen to manage for Reitmans and I know that for every one of our events there is usually a few posters that we throw away because they are outdated. The backside of these posters is plain white and it is a fairly heavy material. So I've started to take the ones we will be throwing away home for art projects. It's a win, win situation. My son won't care if there is marketing on the back side...he'll be thrilled to have a 2 foot by 4 foot piece of paper to create on...(In a few years though, he's only 15 months now:) For now the paper goes to his daycare for the other kids)
I also may be a bit weird but I keep the crayons that we are given at family restaurants and take them home. Right now, my son doesn't even use them so I'm taking home full packets but in a few years there will still be lots of usable crayon in them, no sense wasting them.
Speaking of leftover crayons...I can't remember what site I read it on but I read on another blog about taking little bits of crayons and melting them in muffin tins to create multicolor crayon disks. I also have a sister who collects empty glue stick containers and melts the crayon pieces and fills the glue stick holder with the melted crayon. When it dries you have a giant crayon in a holder that won't break!!! I love both these ideas and will use them for sure when the time comes!!!
Hope you can find a local retailer that will give you a call when it's time to change signs. You can really get some great art paper doing this!!!
Friday, August 7, 2009
~Cheap Entertainment~
Think you have no money for a family trip out? Think again! There are lots of things to do around your area that will not only let you have fun but will create lasting memories.
Look up local U-Pick farms in your area. Take the whole family out to the farm and pick some berries. Not only will they learn about how food is produced but they will enjoy the sun, all the berries they can eat while picking and best of all, the fruits of their labor later when you make something yummy! When we go we pack a lunch for everyone and lots of water. Our U-Pick has an ice cream store on site so we each have one cone for a treat while there.
Go to the Library and Join a Summer Reading Program. The library usually has a summer reading program for kids and adults. At my local library if I complete my reading program my membership for the next year is free! I've also been taking advantage of the DVDs that I can take out for free from my library. Hubby and I sit down and list off the movies that we like or want to see and then I request them. It's always a surprise what movie will become available first so it keeps it interesting. At my library all movies can be kept for one week and you can renew for up to one more week. Not bad for my $7 a year membership (soon to be FREE).
Go Camping. Pitch a tent, light a fire, sing koombayah (yup can't spell that one)and have some s'mores. Everyone can do this, whether it's in your back yard or at a campsite, there will be fun!
Nature walk at the park. Take a walk with your family and collect items along the way that your kids can use to create art with later...leaves that can be pressed, used as stencils etc... Use this time to have some one on one time with each family member. Some of our favorite memories come from taking a walk!
Throw a picnic blanket, sunscreen and a beach umbrella in the vehicle and leave it there. All summer. Then if the urge strikes and the time permits you can set up with minimal fuss and enjoy a day at the park. In the winter we have crazy carpets in our vehicle...just in case we see a good hill and want to slide down it of course!
Airmiles reward miles redemption. Get yourself some Blockbuster and Cineplex coupons for free or B1G1 free movies. Or other gift cards that provide entertainment.
Community coupon books are usually a great investment. My local book has 4 free oil changes, 4 free haircuts, a whole section of B1G1 free meals and much, much more. It is well worth the $45 I paid for it plus the money I spent went to a good cause. Hubby and I are enjoying date nights lately thanks to the B1G1 free meals in that book.
Of course there are always local museums, parks and events that you can go to and have fun for next to nothing. The key is to pack a lunch, bring your own water and carry lots of sunscreen...great way to enjoy the summer!
Look up local U-Pick farms in your area. Take the whole family out to the farm and pick some berries. Not only will they learn about how food is produced but they will enjoy the sun, all the berries they can eat while picking and best of all, the fruits of their labor later when you make something yummy! When we go we pack a lunch for everyone and lots of water. Our U-Pick has an ice cream store on site so we each have one cone for a treat while there.
Go to the Library and Join a Summer Reading Program. The library usually has a summer reading program for kids and adults. At my local library if I complete my reading program my membership for the next year is free! I've also been taking advantage of the DVDs that I can take out for free from my library. Hubby and I sit down and list off the movies that we like or want to see and then I request them. It's always a surprise what movie will become available first so it keeps it interesting. At my library all movies can be kept for one week and you can renew for up to one more week. Not bad for my $7 a year membership (soon to be FREE).
Go Camping. Pitch a tent, light a fire, sing koombayah (yup can't spell that one)and have some s'mores. Everyone can do this, whether it's in your back yard or at a campsite, there will be fun!
Nature walk at the park. Take a walk with your family and collect items along the way that your kids can use to create art with later...leaves that can be pressed, used as stencils etc... Use this time to have some one on one time with each family member. Some of our favorite memories come from taking a walk!
Throw a picnic blanket, sunscreen and a beach umbrella in the vehicle and leave it there. All summer. Then if the urge strikes and the time permits you can set up with minimal fuss and enjoy a day at the park. In the winter we have crazy carpets in our vehicle...just in case we see a good hill and want to slide down it of course!
Airmiles reward miles redemption. Get yourself some Blockbuster and Cineplex coupons for free or B1G1 free movies. Or other gift cards that provide entertainment.
Community coupon books are usually a great investment. My local book has 4 free oil changes, 4 free haircuts, a whole section of B1G1 free meals and much, much more. It is well worth the $45 I paid for it plus the money I spent went to a good cause. Hubby and I are enjoying date nights lately thanks to the B1G1 free meals in that book.
Of course there are always local museums, parks and events that you can go to and have fun for next to nothing. The key is to pack a lunch, bring your own water and carry lots of sunscreen...great way to enjoy the summer!
Thursday, August 6, 2009
~Home Decor on a Budget~
Do you have a dated bookcase sitting in your living room and want to add a little something to your decor? Use these simple tips to transform what you already have into new pieces with cheap little tricks!
Bookcases can be changed to easily add another design element to a room. One way to do this is to simply paint the shelves and case one color and the backboard another complementary color. Or, paint the case one color, the top of the shelves another and line the backboard with a cool wallpaper print that ties it all together.
Perhaps you have an old wooden chair that has seen better days. Spray paint it a cool color, add some rich looking cushions and voila! New look for any room.
Do you want a dramatic piece of wall art for your living area? Take a plain beveled edged mirror, a glue gun and some shells or some other lightweight decorative material and glue them around the edge of the mirror to create a textured one of a kind frame! Or go out into nature and pick up some cool looking branches, spray paint them white, attach to a empty picture frame without the backing and voila another wall art. Branches can also be painted and put into vases or apothecary jars around a room to add instant art.
A good friend of mine, scoured garage sales and yard sales looking for an older style panel door. When she found just the one she took the hardware off, sanded it, painted it and mounted it above her bed for a headboard. It looks amazing!!!
So you can see, a little creativity, a glue gun a paint brush and some time and you can create your own style!
Bookcases can be changed to easily add another design element to a room. One way to do this is to simply paint the shelves and case one color and the backboard another complementary color. Or, paint the case one color, the top of the shelves another and line the backboard with a cool wallpaper print that ties it all together.
Perhaps you have an old wooden chair that has seen better days. Spray paint it a cool color, add some rich looking cushions and voila! New look for any room.
Do you want a dramatic piece of wall art for your living area? Take a plain beveled edged mirror, a glue gun and some shells or some other lightweight decorative material and glue them around the edge of the mirror to create a textured one of a kind frame! Or go out into nature and pick up some cool looking branches, spray paint them white, attach to a empty picture frame without the backing and voila another wall art. Branches can also be painted and put into vases or apothecary jars around a room to add instant art.
A good friend of mine, scoured garage sales and yard sales looking for an older style panel door. When she found just the one she took the hardware off, sanded it, painted it and mounted it above her bed for a headboard. It looks amazing!!!
So you can see, a little creativity, a glue gun a paint brush and some time and you can create your own style!
Wednesday, August 5, 2009
~Fix It and Forget It Cookbook~
The Fix it and Forget it Big Cookbook by Phyllis Pellman Good is jam-packed with 1400 Best Slow Cooker Recipes. A good friend of mine showed me this book when I was visiting her a while ago. When I got home I took it out from the library to get a better look at it. It is unbelieveable how many creative and tasty sounding recipes they have in this book. This is a meal planning must have!!!
It is on sale at Chapters for $25.70 or $24.41 with an Irewards card. Amazon has it for sale for $24.54...really boils down to preference at this point. With Chapters you can get either Cash back from Smart Canucks or Airmiles from Airmilesshops.ca. Plus if you are like me you probably have onlince Gift cards for Chapters from doing surveys so you likely won't have to spend any money through Chapters. But on the other hand you may prefer Amazon or have gift cards for them too! Whichever you choose, this is surely to be a favorite that you will pull out again and again whenever your schedule calls for a slow cooker meal.
Tuesday, August 4, 2009
~Cheerios Frozen Bananas~
Looking for a healthy, fun summer snack? Look no further! This great little idea popped into my inbox this week from the folks at General Mills.
Cheerios® Frozen Bananas
A three-ingredient frosty delight has good-for-you treat written all over it.
Prep Time: 10 min
Total Time: 1 hour 10 min
Makes: 8 servings
2/3 cup Yoplait® 99% Fat Free creamy strawberry or creamy strawberry banana yogurt (from 2-lb container)
3 cups Cheerios® cereal
4 firm ripe bananas
8 craft sticks (flat wooden sticks with round ends)
1. Line cookie sheet with waxed paper. In shallow dish, place yogurt. In another shallow dish, place cereal.
2. Peel bananas; cut each banana crosswise in half. Insert wooden stick into cut end of each banana half. Roll each banana half in yogurt, then in cereal to coat. Place on cookie sheet. Freeze about 1 hour or until firm.
3. Wrap each banana in plastic wrap or foil. Store in freezer.
Monday, August 3, 2009
~Mystery Shoppers Required!~
Got an email looking for shoppers to perform Visitor Information Center shops in Hinton,AB; Lloydminster, AB; and Walsh,AB. Pay is $65 and there is a small purchase required to prove your visit. ($2 or $3). You may take your friends or family with you on this shop and it is a great way to learn about these areas. If you would like more info about this contact me at scrapinitblue@yahoo.ca and I will link you up with the powers that be. I will be doing the one in my local area this month and have already seen the questionaire and they look to be fairly basic and easy shops to perform.
This company pays paypal and I have shopped with them in the past. Also Spot Check Services are looking for shoppers in remote areas. They pay well and also give one airmile per shop...payment is made via direct deposit on the 15th of every month. So check out their website to sign up and have some fun dining out and shopping.
This company pays paypal and I have shopped with them in the past. Also Spot Check Services are looking for shoppers in remote areas. They pay well and also give one airmile per shop...payment is made via direct deposit on the 15th of every month. So check out their website to sign up and have some fun dining out and shopping.
~Coupons and More!~
Well sorry folks, July got away from me and I elected to spend it outside with my family enjoying the sunshine. I live in far northern Alberta so warm sunshine only comes a few days a year and I want to enjoy it while it lasts!!!
So I'm back and have some quick little updates for this blog. While I was on hiatus from blogging London Drugs went and started an online weekly coupon distribution. You simply go to their site www.londondrugs.com and click on the link for coupon offers at the bottom of the page or follow this link: Coupon Offers Simply print off and gather up other coupons to stack and you are on your way to some serious savings!
This weeks best deal that I can see is on the Kashi granola bars. If you have any FPCs from Kashi from their promotion earlier in the year you can stack them with their own coupon and get three boxes of granola bars for free! (Well taxes of course)
My personal London Drugs best this week was on Herbal Essences Shampoo. I stacked 3 FPCs, 5 B1G1s plus a few $1 and $0.50 off with their in store promotion of buy any three Herbal Essences products receive a free styling product. I walked out of the store with 15 Herbal Essences Shampoo/Conditioners, 2 Hairsprays, and 3 bottles of Mousse for $13.41. Needless to say our hygienic needs will be met for the next little while!!!
I also picked up 2 cases of Pampers this weekend and paid $17.83 instead of over $80.00!!! Plus I'll pick up $2 in Futura UPCs and 14 Gifts to Grow codes which equate to around $2 in Futura transfer. Not too shabby if I say so!
Upcoming posts on Save a Loonie: Fun Summer Treats for kids, Cheap Entertainment, Home Decorating on a Budget and more money saving tips!!! Stay tuned!
So I'm back and have some quick little updates for this blog. While I was on hiatus from blogging London Drugs went and started an online weekly coupon distribution. You simply go to their site www.londondrugs.com and click on the link for coupon offers at the bottom of the page or follow this link: Coupon Offers Simply print off and gather up other coupons to stack and you are on your way to some serious savings!
This weeks best deal that I can see is on the Kashi granola bars. If you have any FPCs from Kashi from their promotion earlier in the year you can stack them with their own coupon and get three boxes of granola bars for free! (Well taxes of course)
My personal London Drugs best this week was on Herbal Essences Shampoo. I stacked 3 FPCs, 5 B1G1s plus a few $1 and $0.50 off with their in store promotion of buy any three Herbal Essences products receive a free styling product. I walked out of the store with 15 Herbal Essences Shampoo/Conditioners, 2 Hairsprays, and 3 bottles of Mousse for $13.41. Needless to say our hygienic needs will be met for the next little while!!!
I also picked up 2 cases of Pampers this weekend and paid $17.83 instead of over $80.00!!! Plus I'll pick up $2 in Futura UPCs and 14 Gifts to Grow codes which equate to around $2 in Futura transfer. Not too shabby if I say so!
Upcoming posts on Save a Loonie: Fun Summer Treats for kids, Cheap Entertainment, Home Decorating on a Budget and more money saving tips!!! Stay tuned!
Tuesday, June 30, 2009
~Brandsampler is Up and Running!~
Go get your samples!!!
To get them all enter that you are female, use Pantene shampoo, Use Disposable Razors and Kotex, Kotex. You will get them all then!!!
This time it includes: Always, Gillette, Head & Shoulders, Olay,
Pantene, Secret and Tampax.
Yay, can't wait for my little blue box to arrive!!!
To get them all enter that you are female, use Pantene shampoo, Use Disposable Razors and Kotex, Kotex. You will get them all then!!!
This time it includes: Always, Gillette, Head & Shoulders, Olay,
Pantene, Secret and Tampax.
Yay, can't wait for my little blue box to arrive!!!
Sunday, June 28, 2009
~How to Save Food: Part 3~
Make your own and save! In today's busy society it is hard to fit in home-made meals for your family. But if I can do it while working two jobs with a one year old then you can too! Planning is the key and if you meal plan (as discussed in this post: How to Save on Food: Part 1) you will have success!
I don't know if you have looked lately at the price of bread in your local grocery store but where I live it is $2.69 for the in store brand. Totally ridiculous! As I have posted before I make all my own bread using a bread machine. I recently purchased a new bread machine at XS Cargo for $69.99. Within 30 loaves of bread it will be PAID for! Considering that we eat around 2 loaves a week in our household this will be a quick return!
Also I can make my family healthy, non preservative loaves of bread and I will know first hand what types of ingredients go into it!
An added bonus to a bread machine is that usually they have settings for making lots of other things in them as well. In mine I can not only make pizza dough but I can do jams as well! It has all the settings for that as well!
When I started out making our bread I searched for some recipes online but finally decided to pick up this book:
It has all kinds of recipes for breads from basic to fancy types, jams, sweet and savory breads...you name it. It has paid for itself as well as it has given me invaluable tips on how to perfect my bread!
Happy breadmaking!
I don't know if you have looked lately at the price of bread in your local grocery store but where I live it is $2.69 for the in store brand. Totally ridiculous! As I have posted before I make all my own bread using a bread machine. I recently purchased a new bread machine at XS Cargo for $69.99. Within 30 loaves of bread it will be PAID for! Considering that we eat around 2 loaves a week in our household this will be a quick return!
Also I can make my family healthy, non preservative loaves of bread and I will know first hand what types of ingredients go into it!
An added bonus to a bread machine is that usually they have settings for making lots of other things in them as well. In mine I can not only make pizza dough but I can do jams as well! It has all the settings for that as well!
When I started out making our bread I searched for some recipes online but finally decided to pick up this book:
It has all kinds of recipes for breads from basic to fancy types, jams, sweet and savory breads...you name it. It has paid for itself as well as it has given me invaluable tips on how to perfect my bread!
Happy breadmaking!
Tuesday, June 9, 2009
~How to Save on Food: Part 2~
Shop smart to save money on food. Bulk stores like Costco, The Real Canadian Wholesale Club and Superstore can help you to save money by buying in bulk. this is assuming that you have somewhere you can stock up on certain items like a pantry and a deep freezer then you can start saving.
We purchase about 90% of our dry goods from Costco. I calculate a cost per can/net weight to compare prices with my mainstream grocery store. If it is lower then I stock up there. This post will cover the method I used to learn my prices...I would post these numbers but prices are so regional that it isn't relevant.
I got to the point of knowing my prices after a few months of tracking the things I buy frequently using a sheet similar to this one:
Grocery Price Tracker It doesn't take long to do but the information is very valuable. Simply take it with you to the store, or use your till receipt when you get home and copy the info into the sheet. I also started tracking the best sale prices that I saw at my favorite local grocery stores as their sales tend to cycle and you can get the same price a few times a year.
Here is a worksheet that I came across on the web with seasonal sale prices for items and the best time of year to buy them. It is really helpful for planning bulk purchases! Seasonal Food Price Worksheet
Once you have the prices that you want, using this sheet:
Grocery Price Log you can compile a master list to carry with you, or help to plan your shopping trip. (A special thanks to www.momsbudget.com for the great sheets that I've linked to, they have a lot of great printables on their site!)
Once this legwork is done it is just a matter of smart shopping! Buy on sale, use your coupons to maximize the sales, and make your own when you can.
We purchase about 90% of our dry goods from Costco. I calculate a cost per can/net weight to compare prices with my mainstream grocery store. If it is lower then I stock up there. This post will cover the method I used to learn my prices...I would post these numbers but prices are so regional that it isn't relevant.
I got to the point of knowing my prices after a few months of tracking the things I buy frequently using a sheet similar to this one:
Grocery Price Tracker It doesn't take long to do but the information is very valuable. Simply take it with you to the store, or use your till receipt when you get home and copy the info into the sheet. I also started tracking the best sale prices that I saw at my favorite local grocery stores as their sales tend to cycle and you can get the same price a few times a year.
Here is a worksheet that I came across on the web with seasonal sale prices for items and the best time of year to buy them. It is really helpful for planning bulk purchases! Seasonal Food Price Worksheet
Once you have the prices that you want, using this sheet:
Grocery Price Log you can compile a master list to carry with you, or help to plan your shopping trip. (A special thanks to www.momsbudget.com for the great sheets that I've linked to, they have a lot of great printables on their site!)
Once this legwork is done it is just a matter of smart shopping! Buy on sale, use your coupons to maximize the sales, and make your own when you can.
Monday, June 8, 2009
~LD Gift Card Promo!~
Just heard about this great promo that London Drugs is running! I will be taking advantage of this one!!! Don't forget to stack some coupons and really save! I don't know about you but I have multiple coupons for every one of those products and most of them expire this month!
Here are the details (borrowed from Smart Canucks!)
Free $10 LD Gift Card when you buy 3 of the following Johnson and Johnson products (excludes trial sizes):
Aveeno (excludes lipcare),
Neutrogena Sunblock,
Johnson’s baby products (excludes baby oil, 414ml and Powder 425g)
Tylenol EZ Tabs 150’s
Tylenol Caplets Ex-Strength 150’s
Tylenol Arthritis Pain Caps 100’s
Tylenol Rapid Release 120’s
Benadryl Children’s Liquid 100 ml
Polysporin (excluding Lipcare)
Bandaids
Date: June 1 - 30
Here are the details (borrowed from Smart Canucks!)
Free $10 LD Gift Card when you buy 3 of the following Johnson and Johnson products (excludes trial sizes):
Aveeno (excludes lipcare),
Neutrogena Sunblock,
Johnson’s baby products (excludes baby oil, 414ml and Powder 425g)
Tylenol EZ Tabs 150’s
Tylenol Caplets Ex-Strength 150’s
Tylenol Arthritis Pain Caps 100’s
Tylenol Rapid Release 120’s
Benadryl Children’s Liquid 100 ml
Polysporin (excluding Lipcare)
Bandaids
Date: June 1 - 30
Tuesday, June 2, 2009
~Upcoming Coupon Inserts, Etc~
Dust off your shoes to head out and pick up this weekends paper...there is a P&G Insert scheduled to be out in major newspapers this Saturday, June 6th. In addition there is a Shop & Save Insert scheduled in the same paper.
P&G will have their online system up and running again, enabling you to order the same coupons to be mailed to your home address. It also seems that they will have the P&G Sampler program open again. The date on the website says June 6th as well. Go here: P & G Sampler Program to sign up and select your freebies! Just saw that it is up and running on July 1st!!!
This is a great program and they've run it a few times now. There are always a great variety of products available and you complete a small survey and they give you the products to choose from.
P&G will have their online system up and running again, enabling you to order the same coupons to be mailed to your home address. It also seems that they will have the P&G Sampler program open again. The date on the website says June 6th as well. Go here: P & G Sampler Program to sign up and select your freebies! Just saw that it is up and running on July 1st!!!
This is a great program and they've run it a few times now. There are always a great variety of products available and you complete a small survey and they give you the products to choose from.
Monday, June 1, 2009
~Buy Refurbished & Save!!!~
Am I a bit of a brand snob, only like stainless steel appliances, like all the bells and whistles? You bet!!! But you wouldn't know by looking at my kitchen that I shop smart. I make sure to research whatever I'm buying for a few weeks to months before hand. I get a feel for the cost of it, what types of promotions are ran for it, where it sells and what they can offer, etc.
When I'm ready to buy I put all that knowledge into action. So far this year I have purchased a 10pce set of Henckel Stainless Steel pots and pans, a Cuisinart Griddle, a Cuisinart Convection Bread Machine, a Stainless Steel Oval Crock Pot, a Cuisinart 4 slice Stainless Steel Toaster and all new silverware, glasses and coffee cups. It has been a lot to budget for but I feel that I've gotten some great deals based on my searching.
So just by watching for deals and maximizing retailer offers I had the following success with these purchases:
10 pce Henckels Pots & Pans: Reg price $899.99, Paid $299.99 less I got 2.1% cash back from Smart Canucks, and used a $10 online coupon code for Sears.ca.
Cusinart Griddler: Reg Price $149.99, Paid $109.99 less I got 2.1% cash back from Smart Canucks and used a $10 online coupon code for Sears.ca.
Cuisinart Convection Bread Machine: Reg Price $149.99, I bought Refurbished from XS Cargo for $69.99. I still have 90 days manufacturers warranty.
S/S Oval Crockpot: Reg Price $49.99, Sale price $24.99, I used Gift Cards for Walmart that I received from a rebate offer so I paid ZERO.
4 Slice Cuisinart Toaster: Reg Price $69.99, Bought at Costco for $47.99.
Bought my cups, silverware, and glasses at Walmart, on sale, using free Gift Cards from rebate offers.
So as you can see, watching for deals and items you want from stores like XS Cargo and Liquidation World can save you a tonne of $$$. Once you sit back and spend the time to look for the bargains you can save in this manner too!
When I'm ready to buy I put all that knowledge into action. So far this year I have purchased a 10pce set of Henckel Stainless Steel pots and pans, a Cuisinart Griddle, a Cuisinart Convection Bread Machine, a Stainless Steel Oval Crock Pot, a Cuisinart 4 slice Stainless Steel Toaster and all new silverware, glasses and coffee cups. It has been a lot to budget for but I feel that I've gotten some great deals based on my searching.
So just by watching for deals and maximizing retailer offers I had the following success with these purchases:
10 pce Henckels Pots & Pans: Reg price $899.99, Paid $299.99 less I got 2.1% cash back from Smart Canucks, and used a $10 online coupon code for Sears.ca.
Cusinart Griddler: Reg Price $149.99, Paid $109.99 less I got 2.1% cash back from Smart Canucks and used a $10 online coupon code for Sears.ca.
Cuisinart Convection Bread Machine: Reg Price $149.99, I bought Refurbished from XS Cargo for $69.99. I still have 90 days manufacturers warranty.
S/S Oval Crockpot: Reg Price $49.99, Sale price $24.99, I used Gift Cards for Walmart that I received from a rebate offer so I paid ZERO.
4 Slice Cuisinart Toaster: Reg Price $69.99, Bought at Costco for $47.99.
Bought my cups, silverware, and glasses at Walmart, on sale, using free Gift Cards from rebate offers.
So as you can see, watching for deals and items you want from stores like XS Cargo and Liquidation World can save you a tonne of $$$. Once you sit back and spend the time to look for the bargains you can save in this manner too!
Sunday, May 31, 2009
~Ebay Your Unused Favorite Coupons!~
Are you feeling a bit of a pinch in your luxury spending? Need a few bucks to buy bread etc? Or just want the thrill of making money from thin air?
If this is you then ebay is your friend! For pennies you have access to mass marketing, a proven method, safe selling environment, lots of competition, millions of customers! No where else can you set up shop in a matter of a few minutes and have access to all that for the pittance of fees that ebay charges!
I use ebay to sell off coupons that I come across that I know will be favorites for someone but not neccesarily me. It takes only a few minutes to list them and if you set your price right you sit back and wait 4-7 days and make a little cash. Now if you are like me you just re-use that money to purchase 'wants' on ebay like games, books, more coupons... But by selling your coupons on ebay you are pulling money from thin air! Of course you can sell many other things on Ebay but people rarely think of coupons!
Ebay has special policies in place as well to help you recoup the cost of an unsold item. So you want to learn about all those types of tricks! Take out an "Ebay for Dummies" from the library and read up on how to be a saavy ebay seller!
I hope you've picked up a few pointers on making some free cash from your coupons! Happy Ebaying!
If this is you then ebay is your friend! For pennies you have access to mass marketing, a proven method, safe selling environment, lots of competition, millions of customers! No where else can you set up shop in a matter of a few minutes and have access to all that for the pittance of fees that ebay charges!
I use ebay to sell off coupons that I come across that I know will be favorites for someone but not neccesarily me. It takes only a few minutes to list them and if you set your price right you sit back and wait 4-7 days and make a little cash. Now if you are like me you just re-use that money to purchase 'wants' on ebay like games, books, more coupons... But by selling your coupons on ebay you are pulling money from thin air! Of course you can sell many other things on Ebay but people rarely think of coupons!
Ebay has special policies in place as well to help you recoup the cost of an unsold item. So you want to learn about all those types of tricks! Take out an "Ebay for Dummies" from the library and read up on how to be a saavy ebay seller!
I hope you've picked up a few pointers on making some free cash from your coupons! Happy Ebaying!
Sunday, May 17, 2009
~How to Save on Food: Part 1~
In most households the part of the family budget that can go way out of control is the food budget. Many factors play into your food budget and so therefore give many areas where you can improve. One area that most people know of but aren't sure how to get started in is eating at home. While it is nice to have a dinner out once and a while, it should be a treat, not a necessity because of poor planning.
Eating out at restaurants adds up so fast and before you know it you have spent more on a few meals out then you would on a whole months worth of groceries! Do I know what I'm talking about? You bet! My husband and I ate out a lot before we had our son. I happen to know that we used to spend over $600 a month on eating out plus another $300-$300 on groceries. FOR TWO OF US!!! As soon as we found out that we were expecting we knew we had to change our ways in order to be successful.
The first thing I did was to go through my pantry, freezer, fridge and cook books and identify favorite recipes and the ingredients they require. I then made a 'pantry list' of items that I use often so that I could watch for deals and make sure that I have them on hand. I keep a running list of items to watch for one sale with my grocery list whenever I go to the store.
Next I started to meal plan. If you want a great resource for meal planning visit Cooking for the Rushed and pick a book of Sandi Richards to take out from your library and check out her great tips for planning ahead.
I plan out our meals based on my work schedule. I work shift work so some nights I'm only home for an hour to eat and run back to work. So I plan meals that I can do in my slow cooker or that only require a little finish up by myself or my husband.
I usually plan my meals on the weekend and then make a grocery list based on what I need to fill in the ingredients that are missing. It is usually only fresh items as I try to keep everything else on hand and purchase when they are on sale.
I have a magnetic meal planner that stays on the fridge and helps us to keep ahead of it.
So far using this system we have cut back our dining out to around a $150 a month and our grocery bill is between $200-$350 a month. We chose to eat out about once every two weeks and for lunch on Fridays. We are happy, losing weight and saving money...a win-win situation!
Stay tuned for more tips on saving money on food!
Eating out at restaurants adds up so fast and before you know it you have spent more on a few meals out then you would on a whole months worth of groceries! Do I know what I'm talking about? You bet! My husband and I ate out a lot before we had our son. I happen to know that we used to spend over $600 a month on eating out plus another $300-$300 on groceries. FOR TWO OF US!!! As soon as we found out that we were expecting we knew we had to change our ways in order to be successful.
The first thing I did was to go through my pantry, freezer, fridge and cook books and identify favorite recipes and the ingredients they require. I then made a 'pantry list' of items that I use often so that I could watch for deals and make sure that I have them on hand. I keep a running list of items to watch for one sale with my grocery list whenever I go to the store.
Next I started to meal plan. If you want a great resource for meal planning visit Cooking for the Rushed and pick a book of Sandi Richards to take out from your library and check out her great tips for planning ahead.
I plan out our meals based on my work schedule. I work shift work so some nights I'm only home for an hour to eat and run back to work. So I plan meals that I can do in my slow cooker or that only require a little finish up by myself or my husband.
I usually plan my meals on the weekend and then make a grocery list based on what I need to fill in the ingredients that are missing. It is usually only fresh items as I try to keep everything else on hand and purchase when they are on sale.
I have a magnetic meal planner that stays on the fridge and helps us to keep ahead of it.
So far using this system we have cut back our dining out to around a $150 a month and our grocery bill is between $200-$350 a month. We chose to eat out about once every two weeks and for lunch on Fridays. We are happy, losing weight and saving money...a win-win situation!
Stay tuned for more tips on saving money on food!
Saturday, May 16, 2009
~Random Weekly Post~
Did you get your paper this weekend? Inside you will find an insert from Smart Source with some coupons that you may find useful! If they are not, hang on to them and trade them for something you can use!
Also, my favorite savings site, Smart Canucks, is doing contests and giving away a $10 Gift Card Daily! All you need to do is to visit their main blog page and see what they are looking for that day and maybe YOU will be one of the luck winners!!!
I'm planning a few more posts in the next few days with some helpful information and fresh new things to read about...I've had a sick baby for the last few weeks and this blog has had to take a back seat to that!
So stay tuned, maybe you will learn something new!
Also, my favorite savings site, Smart Canucks, is doing contests and giving away a $10 Gift Card Daily! All you need to do is to visit their main blog page and see what they are looking for that day and maybe YOU will be one of the luck winners!!!
I'm planning a few more posts in the next few days with some helpful information and fresh new things to read about...I've had a sick baby for the last few weeks and this blog has had to take a back seat to that!
So stay tuned, maybe you will learn something new!
Sunday, May 10, 2009
~Free Gifts to Grow Code!~
Happy Mothers Day to all my blog readers! If you are a Mom like me, you know what hard work we put into our families and lives...there should be a whole week of showing how much we are appreciated if you ask me!
Anyhow, I digress...the nice folks at Pampers want to thank us for being fabulous Moms too! They've added a new bonus point code that we can use to get one point!
So here it is:
HAPPYMOTHERSDAY
Perfect!
Enjoy and have a fabulous day...I'm off to enjoy my favorite hobby ~ Scrapbooking!
Anyhow, I digress...the nice folks at Pampers want to thank us for being fabulous Moms too! They've added a new bonus point code that we can use to get one point!
So here it is:
HAPPYMOTHERSDAY
Perfect!
Enjoy and have a fabulous day...I'm off to enjoy my favorite hobby ~ Scrapbooking!
Thursday, May 7, 2009
~Great Freebies Alert!~
I think summer is finally here, don't know about you all! So this time of year I yearn for a garden of my own...someday! I like flipping through gardening magazines but I don't buy them because I don't have a garden and that is kind of pointless, know what I mean?
So I was happy when I received an email from Dare Foods today offering me a free issue of Canadian Gardening Click on the link for your free issue!
Also found tonight was a great new promotion from Maple Leaf foods. Thanks to the ladies on Canadian Coupons Exchange for this link: Free Eggs and an Egg Poacher!!! You simply send in the mail in form with your proof of purchase and UPC from any Maple Leaf Fully cooked sausages and you get a voucher for free eggs and a microwaveable egg poacher. Sounds like breakfast to me!
So I was happy when I received an email from Dare Foods today offering me a free issue of Canadian Gardening Click on the link for your free issue!
Also found tonight was a great new promotion from Maple Leaf foods. Thanks to the ladies on Canadian Coupons Exchange for this link: Free Eggs and an Egg Poacher!!! You simply send in the mail in form with your proof of purchase and UPC from any Maple Leaf Fully cooked sausages and you get a voucher for free eggs and a microwaveable egg poacher. Sounds like breakfast to me!
Monday, May 4, 2009
~Great Deal Alert!~
Just checked out the Safeway Flyer for this week online at www.safeway.ca and saw that Tide laundry detergent is on for Buy One Get One Free. If you use 2 - $1 off coupons you could get both for a great price. I don't really know what the price of one is at Safeway but even at $9.99 regular, you would be paying $7.99 for two, which is a decent price for Tide. Plus if you combine it with the 10% off on Tuesday you'll possibly save another $1.98! (This depends if Safeway will take 10% off the free Tide, if not then it would be another 10% off the price of one before the coupons) *I hope this isn't confusing, LOL, it would be easier to explain if I knew the price of one Tide at Safeway!*
Another great deal for us Westerners is at Save-On Foods this week. They have Campbells cases of soup (mushroom, chicken noodle, vegetable and tomato) for $4.98. If you have any $1.00 off any campbells coupon that makes it a great deal at $3.98 for 12 cans! That's $0.33 a can!
So plan your trip out to pick up a few staples this week and save! Don't forget to use your FPC couposn at Safeway for a sweet bonus this week!
Another great deal for us Westerners is at Save-On Foods this week. They have Campbells cases of soup (mushroom, chicken noodle, vegetable and tomato) for $4.98. If you have any $1.00 off any campbells coupon that makes it a great deal at $3.98 for 12 cans! That's $0.33 a can!
So plan your trip out to pick up a few staples this week and save! Don't forget to use your FPC couposn at Safeway for a sweet bonus this week!
Sunday, May 3, 2009
~New Companies to Write!~
I just wanted to post that I wrote to Fresh Express salads and told them how much I loved their products and they sent me 5 - $1 off coupons! Now I usually don't buy packaged salads because they are pretty pricey but with this coupon and a sale you can't do wrong! I use mine to get fresh spinach when on sale as we eat alot of spinach in our house! So check out your local grocery store and see if they carry Fresh Express!
I also get some coupons mailed out from Dare for their Bear Paw cookies. I got cents off coupons but my sister got a FPC in the mail from them! So shoot them a letter and see what you get!
Finally, Blue Diamond Almonds mailed out some coupons per my request. I will be honest they weren't fantastic coupons, $0.30 off two cans of almonds, but if you get any other coupons and stack them at London Drugs it is helpful! They have no expiry date on them so you can hang on to them until you get coupons to stack!
I also get some coupons mailed out from Dare for their Bear Paw cookies. I got cents off coupons but my sister got a FPC in the mail from them! So shoot them a letter and see what you get!
Finally, Blue Diamond Almonds mailed out some coupons per my request. I will be honest they weren't fantastic coupons, $0.30 off two cans of almonds, but if you get any other coupons and stack them at London Drugs it is helpful! They have no expiry date on them so you can hang on to them until you get coupons to stack!
Friday, May 1, 2009
~It's Friday!~
Head on over to Smart Canucks to see the upcoming flyer specials and plan your grocery trip for the week!
Don't forget, Tuesday is 10% off at Safeway and 15% off at Save-on Foods also. I try to do my big monthly catch up trip at Safeway for their best deals on the first Tuesday of every month. If you didn't know it already if you use your FPC coupons on Safeways 10% off Tuesday they deduct the 10% off the value of the FPC as well. So you get a bonus 10% on top of your free product.
Hope you catch some great deals this weekend!
Don't forget, Tuesday is 10% off at Safeway and 15% off at Save-on Foods also. I try to do my big monthly catch up trip at Safeway for their best deals on the first Tuesday of every month. If you didn't know it already if you use your FPC coupons on Safeways 10% off Tuesday they deduct the 10% off the value of the FPC as well. So you get a bonus 10% on top of your free product.
Hope you catch some great deals this weekend!
Monday, April 27, 2009
~How to Save on Clothing!~
Would you believe that I refresh my wardrobe monthly and spend a little under $100 to do it? I have a walk-in closet that is full of clothes!
What do I do? Well first of all I work at Reitmans. As an employee of Reitmans I am entitled to a 50% discount on all products. Sweet eh? I also get a 25% discount at Penningtons, Addition Elle, Smart Set, RW&Co, Cassis, and Thyme Maternity. With that discount I can buy clothing for my family as well as gifts for others. If you work at any of those divisions you will get 50% off at them instead. However if you are not a plus sized woman working at one of the plus sized divisions you can usually get your discount applied to a division that will work for your size. Right now they are offering employees 50% off at Thyme Maternity as well! If you are a woman reading this you know how much maternity clothing is and how awesome this is!
Anyone can work with Reitmans, we have many people that work part time for 1-3 shifts a week to get the discount. If you do apply for a job, I would love the referral for it! Which is of course another clothing discount, gift certificates!!! Just shoot me an email to scrapinitblue@hotmail.com for info on the company and how to apply!
Aside from working for your discount, have you ever checked out Sears Outlet.ca? I have bought myself bras for $12.84 from there, dress pants for my husband (in Big & Tall nonetheless) for $13.84, and shoes for under $20! If you combine this with cash back from Smart Canucks or Airmiles from airmilesshops.ca you get even more savings. I always call Sears order line before placing my online order and ask them for a customer coupon code. They usually have one for $10 off any purchase over $100. Super quick 10% savings!
You can redeem your airmiles for gift cards for clothing too. 125 airmiles gets you a $20 Reitmans GC. There are others for HBC, Roots, and Gap but check your redemption rate to make sure you are getting a good deal!
Of course there is always Value Village and Goodwill and other thrift shops. Reusing clothing is good for the environment and your pocket book!
I have a large extended family and we share clothes with each other. One thing that I want to do soon is to arrange a clothing swap with some friends where we get to each bring a few pieces and swap and help each other make outfits. We'll make a night of it and maybe do a kids clothing swap at the same time!
On the topic of childrens' clothing, I have gotten a lot of clothing for my son on my local Freecycle site. It is a great community resource to share items that still have usable life with others.
My last tip is to plan ahead. If you know that you will need a winter coat for yourself or junior for next winter, shop in the Spring! Best time to find a coat on clearance! Right now at Reitmans we have gorgeous winter coats on sale that were regular $120 on sale for around $34.99. All retailers do this, they need to clear out stock to make way for new. If you buy key pieces in classic fits and styles and then buy a few pieces in season to keep you current then you will always be in style!
I hope you enjoyed saving money while looking fabulous with me today! Drop me a comment if you have any tips of your own!
What do I do? Well first of all I work at Reitmans. As an employee of Reitmans I am entitled to a 50% discount on all products. Sweet eh? I also get a 25% discount at Penningtons, Addition Elle, Smart Set, RW&Co, Cassis, and Thyme Maternity. With that discount I can buy clothing for my family as well as gifts for others. If you work at any of those divisions you will get 50% off at them instead. However if you are not a plus sized woman working at one of the plus sized divisions you can usually get your discount applied to a division that will work for your size. Right now they are offering employees 50% off at Thyme Maternity as well! If you are a woman reading this you know how much maternity clothing is and how awesome this is!
Anyone can work with Reitmans, we have many people that work part time for 1-3 shifts a week to get the discount. If you do apply for a job, I would love the referral for it! Which is of course another clothing discount, gift certificates!!! Just shoot me an email to scrapinitblue@hotmail.com for info on the company and how to apply!
Aside from working for your discount, have you ever checked out Sears Outlet.ca? I have bought myself bras for $12.84 from there, dress pants for my husband (in Big & Tall nonetheless) for $13.84, and shoes for under $20! If you combine this with cash back from Smart Canucks or Airmiles from airmilesshops.ca you get even more savings. I always call Sears order line before placing my online order and ask them for a customer coupon code. They usually have one for $10 off any purchase over $100. Super quick 10% savings!
You can redeem your airmiles for gift cards for clothing too. 125 airmiles gets you a $20 Reitmans GC. There are others for HBC, Roots, and Gap but check your redemption rate to make sure you are getting a good deal!
Of course there is always Value Village and Goodwill and other thrift shops. Reusing clothing is good for the environment and your pocket book!
I have a large extended family and we share clothes with each other. One thing that I want to do soon is to arrange a clothing swap with some friends where we get to each bring a few pieces and swap and help each other make outfits. We'll make a night of it and maybe do a kids clothing swap at the same time!
On the topic of childrens' clothing, I have gotten a lot of clothing for my son on my local Freecycle site. It is a great community resource to share items that still have usable life with others.
My last tip is to plan ahead. If you know that you will need a winter coat for yourself or junior for next winter, shop in the Spring! Best time to find a coat on clearance! Right now at Reitmans we have gorgeous winter coats on sale that were regular $120 on sale for around $34.99. All retailers do this, they need to clear out stock to make way for new. If you buy key pieces in classic fits and styles and then buy a few pieces in season to keep you current then you will always be in style!
I hope you enjoyed saving money while looking fabulous with me today! Drop me a comment if you have any tips of your own!
Wednesday, April 22, 2009
~Mystery Shopping~
Wanna earn quick cash, work from home, slave to your own schedule? Why not Mystery shop?
I've been mystery shopping for over two years now. I use it as a way to supplement my income right now while I'm looking for a good job and as a way for those little extras in life. I make anywhere from $50-$400 a month depending on how hard I want to work. Keep in mind I live in a small city and my options are limited so those of you in larger centers could have better opportunities than I.
First rule of mystery shopping is NEVER pay to shop for anyone. There is no fee for shopping with any legitimate company.
Second rule is don't plan on making millions at it. You won't. It does take a certain kind of person who has the patience and skill for mystery shopping. You can make decent money but you do make it in small increments. Alot of the shops I do on a regular basis pay only $7 or $10 to do. That being said I have been paid up to $200 to do one before too! It depends how desperate they are! I am choosy about the shops I take on because I know that some are more time and effort then they pay. You will learn as you take them on too! I take ones where I'll get something useful in exchange, ie a meal, stamps, merchandise. That way I get more of a benefit from it.
There are several message boards you can go to for more information. One of my favorite are the Volition boards. That is where I go to get reviews on companies before I apply for them. Some companies in the business are notorious for not paying.
There is a whole list of companies and the types of shops they do on this page: Mystery Shopping List
I personally shop with the following companies and they are very good ones that pay on time and offer a wide variety of shops. Here is the list of them:
Spot Check Services - they give one airmile for every shop and often offer bonus airmiles when they need something done urgently. Paid by direct deposit on the 15th of every month.
In Touch Survey - They do shops for companies that offer products that you can keep in exchange for shopping it. The pay is minimal but the products are useful and make it worth your time. Their forms are easy to complete and no hassle. Paid by direct deposit every 4 weeks.
Service Intelligence - I do most of my shops with them. They have many contracts in my area. The pay is good and they will always negotiate with you if they need something done urgently. I currrently do out of town shops for them on a regular basis and they give me a gas allowance to do them. The only downfall with them is that you need to complete certification exams before you can shop for a company. Sometimes they are a pain and full of glitches. The program specialist will help you to complete the course if they really need your help though. They pay by direct deposit on the 1st of every month. They also give you a schedule of when shops are being released so that you can plan to pick up work then.
Marketforce Shopper - based out of the States, and pay by cheque in American funds. They have only had a few shops in my area but they paid promptly and well. They have the easiest forms of all.
Gapbuster - They represent only one company in my area. It is a restaurant and you are paid to shop there plus reimbursed for your meal. The company they represent is very large so often they call you at home and ask you to pick up work. I believe they call from overseas so sometimes the calls come in at odd times of the night. They pay very well and pay promptly by direct deposit on the 20th of every month.
Premier Service They email you shops that are available in your area. All their reports are completed in Microsoft Word and require a great deal of detail. I would only recommend signing up with them if you can commit to a lot of detail in your reports. They pay fairly and through Paypal every month. They are really good to their shoppers, if you need to be paid earlier they will try to accomodate you.
Performalogics I actually have a contract with them to do audits on Husky Gas Stations but I am still able to pick up an occasional mystery shop. Their pay is a bit low since you usually have to pay for a meal or an item. They pay by direct deposit on the 20th of every month.
I can give a referral if you would like for any of these companies, just email me at scrapinitblue@hotmail.com and I will send you the information you need. There is no extra pay to me for referrals, but some companies don't allow new hires without a referral.
I have done regular work for all these companies and have never had a problem getting paid. There are many companies that do not pay, remember to check the Volition boards and see what others have to say before signing up.
I hope this info helped those of you thinking of getting into this fun line of work. Feel free to put any other questions you have here and I'll answer them as best I can to help you all out!
I've been mystery shopping for over two years now. I use it as a way to supplement my income right now while I'm looking for a good job and as a way for those little extras in life. I make anywhere from $50-$400 a month depending on how hard I want to work. Keep in mind I live in a small city and my options are limited so those of you in larger centers could have better opportunities than I.
First rule of mystery shopping is NEVER pay to shop for anyone. There is no fee for shopping with any legitimate company.
Second rule is don't plan on making millions at it. You won't. It does take a certain kind of person who has the patience and skill for mystery shopping. You can make decent money but you do make it in small increments. Alot of the shops I do on a regular basis pay only $7 or $10 to do. That being said I have been paid up to $200 to do one before too! It depends how desperate they are! I am choosy about the shops I take on because I know that some are more time and effort then they pay. You will learn as you take them on too! I take ones where I'll get something useful in exchange, ie a meal, stamps, merchandise. That way I get more of a benefit from it.
There are several message boards you can go to for more information. One of my favorite are the Volition boards. That is where I go to get reviews on companies before I apply for them. Some companies in the business are notorious for not paying.
There is a whole list of companies and the types of shops they do on this page: Mystery Shopping List
I personally shop with the following companies and they are very good ones that pay on time and offer a wide variety of shops. Here is the list of them:
Spot Check Services - they give one airmile for every shop and often offer bonus airmiles when they need something done urgently. Paid by direct deposit on the 15th of every month.
In Touch Survey - They do shops for companies that offer products that you can keep in exchange for shopping it. The pay is minimal but the products are useful and make it worth your time. Their forms are easy to complete and no hassle. Paid by direct deposit every 4 weeks.
Service Intelligence - I do most of my shops with them. They have many contracts in my area. The pay is good and they will always negotiate with you if they need something done urgently. I currrently do out of town shops for them on a regular basis and they give me a gas allowance to do them. The only downfall with them is that you need to complete certification exams before you can shop for a company. Sometimes they are a pain and full of glitches. The program specialist will help you to complete the course if they really need your help though. They pay by direct deposit on the 1st of every month. They also give you a schedule of when shops are being released so that you can plan to pick up work then.
Marketforce Shopper - based out of the States, and pay by cheque in American funds. They have only had a few shops in my area but they paid promptly and well. They have the easiest forms of all.
Gapbuster - They represent only one company in my area. It is a restaurant and you are paid to shop there plus reimbursed for your meal. The company they represent is very large so often they call you at home and ask you to pick up work. I believe they call from overseas so sometimes the calls come in at odd times of the night. They pay very well and pay promptly by direct deposit on the 20th of every month.
Premier Service They email you shops that are available in your area. All their reports are completed in Microsoft Word and require a great deal of detail. I would only recommend signing up with them if you can commit to a lot of detail in your reports. They pay fairly and through Paypal every month. They are really good to their shoppers, if you need to be paid earlier they will try to accomodate you.
Performalogics I actually have a contract with them to do audits on Husky Gas Stations but I am still able to pick up an occasional mystery shop. Their pay is a bit low since you usually have to pay for a meal or an item. They pay by direct deposit on the 20th of every month.
I can give a referral if you would like for any of these companies, just email me at scrapinitblue@hotmail.com and I will send you the information you need. There is no extra pay to me for referrals, but some companies don't allow new hires without a referral.
I have done regular work for all these companies and have never had a problem getting paid. There are many companies that do not pay, remember to check the Volition boards and see what others have to say before signing up.
I hope this info helped those of you thinking of getting into this fun line of work. Feel free to put any other questions you have here and I'll answer them as best I can to help you all out!
Monday, April 13, 2009
~Gifts to Grow~
Gifts to Grow is a points program that is offered by Pampers. They are planning on running it until March 1, 2010. It has been extended already by one year so perhaps they will keep it up for awhile!!!
Anyhow you find the Gifts to Grow points on the inside on diaper packages. Its' a little green sticker and it has a code on it that is alphnumeric and the date that the program ends. On wipes packages it is typed on the side of the package.
To get credit for the codes you go to the Pampers site and set up an account. Once your account is active you go to the Gifts to Grow home page and add points. You type the alphanumeric code in and it will credit your account with the points that apply. Typically you will get from 0.5 to 4 points per product. Wipes are 0.5 each, the size 4 boxed cruisers are 4 points and it varies depending on package size and size of diaper.
Once I reach 40 points I cash mine in for $5 in Futura Rewards. To do this you go to the Pampers site and log in to your account. You search the rewards until you find Futura rewards. It will have a 'redeem' button on it. Once you click that it starts you on the path of transferring them. It is a really easy to follow procedure. It takes a couple of days and then your Futura account shows the new balance!
From time to time Pampers gives away promo codes for people. These are the most current ones that there are!
Ohamandaawgtg08 --1 point
THRIFTYMOMMYGTG --1 point
WELCOMEBONUS089 --??
WELCOME2GTG0809 --1 point
HAPPYHOLIDAY089 -- 3 points
GIVE09UNICEFGTG --3 points
These add up fast I tell you, already almost a quarter of the way to our Futura Reward! Next on Save a Loonie, mystery shopping!!!
Anyhow you find the Gifts to Grow points on the inside on diaper packages. Its' a little green sticker and it has a code on it that is alphnumeric and the date that the program ends. On wipes packages it is typed on the side of the package.
To get credit for the codes you go to the Pampers site and set up an account. Once your account is active you go to the Gifts to Grow home page and add points. You type the alphanumeric code in and it will credit your account with the points that apply. Typically you will get from 0.5 to 4 points per product. Wipes are 0.5 each, the size 4 boxed cruisers are 4 points and it varies depending on package size and size of diaper.
Once I reach 40 points I cash mine in for $5 in Futura Rewards. To do this you go to the Pampers site and log in to your account. You search the rewards until you find Futura rewards. It will have a 'redeem' button on it. Once you click that it starts you on the path of transferring them. It is a really easy to follow procedure. It takes a couple of days and then your Futura account shows the new balance!
From time to time Pampers gives away promo codes for people. These are the most current ones that there are!
Ohamandaawgtg08 --1 point
THRIFTYMOMMYGTG --1 point
WELCOMEBONUS089 --??
WELCOME2GTG0809 --1 point
HAPPYHOLIDAY089 -- 3 points
GIVE09UNICEFGTG --3 points
These add up fast I tell you, already almost a quarter of the way to our Futura Reward! Next on Save a Loonie, mystery shopping!!!
Sunday, April 12, 2009
~Futura Rewards~
Futura Rewards is a program that allows you to accrue money in an account towards either cash savings, retirement savings, education savings, group fundraising, charitable giving, student loan payment, member to member transfer...It pays you in Futura Rewards for collecting UPCs of certain products, shopping at certain retailers, shopping through their online affiliates system, using a Futura Mastercard etc... 1 Futura Reward = $1 Canadian. So no messing around with points conversion or otherwise, it just equals the same.
Futura Loyalty Group is the company that manages Futura Rewards. They also manage the Aeroplan program and other reward based programs. They have been around for awhile so there is every reason to believe that it is trustworthy.
I personally collect Futura Rewards through mostly collecting UPCs from participating products. To see a full list go here: Companies. For this I cut the actual physical UPC off the product and tape it to a page. At the end of each quarter you mail them all in with a Tally Sheet that you download from their site (I use the PDF version from the website) and they credit your account with the value at the end of the next quarter.
I also collect the Gifts to Grow points that are found inside of Pampers products. You find the little stickers with codes inside all packages of diapers and it is printed on the sides of the packages of wipes. When you register a profile at Pampers.ca you are able to input the codes and collect these points for rewards. There are other things you can use the codes for and they change frequently but I redeem mine solely for $5 Futura Rewards. 40 GTG Points = $5. I will do another post on Gifts to Grow in the upcoming days!
I do surveys with Hotspex surveys and redeem my Hotbux for Futura dollars at a rate of 120 Hotbux = $1. I use Points.com to do this and they take care of everything for me!
Lastly I take advantage of offers that Futura sends me. I've gotten insurance quotes and made $5 off them. I used a sign up code FRUGAL10 to get a free $10 at sign up. It should still work so make sure you use that when you sign up!
The biggest key to maximizing your Futura account is family power! You can get your family members to sign up and collect for you and transfer to one account. In my case I opened an account for my husband and son. They each got the $10 sign up bonus, each got $5 for an insurance quote, they each earn Hotbux by doing surveys and I submit UPCs through these accounts. Some UPCs are limited to the number that you can send per quarter so it helps to have extra accounts that you can put them through. For example, you can only submit 3 UPCs for Stayfree...I was able to send in 9. I trade on Smart Canucks and get Futura UPCs in trades and that is how I get so many.
So by doing all these things I have managed to pull $256.16 out of thin air since I started collecting them in November 2008. That is like putting $50 away a month. If I continue to collect at this rate and do this for 18 years for E's education account at a meagre 3.5% I would have over $15,000!!! at 6% it would be over $20,000!!! Not bad if you ask me for FREE MONEY!!!
The finer details of Futura are that you can only transfer between members once your account reaches $25. You can only cash out your account when the balance is over $100. It is paid out by cheque and is subject to a $9.95 administration fee each time you cash it out. Pay outs only occur at the end of a quarter so if you request it in the beginning of a quarter you will not receive it until the end.
There are other ways to earn Futura Rewards. In some areas you can use your card and show it at cerain stores to gain credit. You can get a Futura Mastercard and earn Futura Rewards on your purchases using it. You can shop online through affiliated companies and earn up to 10% back in Futura Credit. You can get certain Financial services and earn rewards on them such as TD Insurance, Sutton Group and more! You can go here for more details!!!
I think that pretty much covers Futura Rewards. Let me know if you have any questions about it and I will do my best to answer them!
Futura Loyalty Group is the company that manages Futura Rewards. They also manage the Aeroplan program and other reward based programs. They have been around for awhile so there is every reason to believe that it is trustworthy.
I personally collect Futura Rewards through mostly collecting UPCs from participating products. To see a full list go here: Companies. For this I cut the actual physical UPC off the product and tape it to a page. At the end of each quarter you mail them all in with a Tally Sheet that you download from their site (I use the PDF version from the website) and they credit your account with the value at the end of the next quarter.
I also collect the Gifts to Grow points that are found inside of Pampers products. You find the little stickers with codes inside all packages of diapers and it is printed on the sides of the packages of wipes. When you register a profile at Pampers.ca you are able to input the codes and collect these points for rewards. There are other things you can use the codes for and they change frequently but I redeem mine solely for $5 Futura Rewards. 40 GTG Points = $5. I will do another post on Gifts to Grow in the upcoming days!
I do surveys with Hotspex surveys and redeem my Hotbux for Futura dollars at a rate of 120 Hotbux = $1. I use Points.com to do this and they take care of everything for me!
Lastly I take advantage of offers that Futura sends me. I've gotten insurance quotes and made $5 off them. I used a sign up code FRUGAL10 to get a free $10 at sign up. It should still work so make sure you use that when you sign up!
The biggest key to maximizing your Futura account is family power! You can get your family members to sign up and collect for you and transfer to one account. In my case I opened an account for my husband and son. They each got the $10 sign up bonus, each got $5 for an insurance quote, they each earn Hotbux by doing surveys and I submit UPCs through these accounts. Some UPCs are limited to the number that you can send per quarter so it helps to have extra accounts that you can put them through. For example, you can only submit 3 UPCs for Stayfree...I was able to send in 9. I trade on Smart Canucks and get Futura UPCs in trades and that is how I get so many.
So by doing all these things I have managed to pull $256.16 out of thin air since I started collecting them in November 2008. That is like putting $50 away a month. If I continue to collect at this rate and do this for 18 years for E's education account at a meagre 3.5% I would have over $15,000!!! at 6% it would be over $20,000!!! Not bad if you ask me for FREE MONEY!!!
The finer details of Futura are that you can only transfer between members once your account reaches $25. You can only cash out your account when the balance is over $100. It is paid out by cheque and is subject to a $9.95 administration fee each time you cash it out. Pay outs only occur at the end of a quarter so if you request it in the beginning of a quarter you will not receive it until the end.
There are other ways to earn Futura Rewards. In some areas you can use your card and show it at cerain stores to gain credit. You can get a Futura Mastercard and earn Futura Rewards on your purchases using it. You can shop online through affiliated companies and earn up to 10% back in Futura Credit. You can get certain Financial services and earn rewards on them such as TD Insurance, Sutton Group and more! You can go here for more details!!!
I think that pretty much covers Futura Rewards. Let me know if you have any questions about it and I will do my best to answer them!
Friday, April 10, 2009
~Points Programs 101~
So if you are like me you have a whole lot of cards in your wallet for points! You collect them and then wonder what you are going to do with them...sooo annoying!
So I will be going over how I have maximized my points so far! I look forward to hearing from others on their tricks and tips too! In todays' post I'll just cover the basics and delve into it further in later posts.
I'm sure you've all heard of some of the most popular points programs:
Airmiles, Aeroplan, Priority Points, Save-On, Shoppers Optimum Points, HBC, and many, many more. My favorite by far is Airmiles. I live in an area where I can get Airmiles from many retailers so it makes the most sense for me. You, of course, will need to evaluate your spending habits and what is available to make the best deal for yourself! In my area I can get Airmiles mostly from Shell and Safeway but I also use a Low Rate BMO Mastercard on which I earn Airmiles for my purchases.
The easiest way to rack up miles is to double dip whenever you can. For instance my Safeway has bonus airmiles specials weekly. They email them into my inbox after I signed up for it and received 100 bonus airmiles. Nice eh? Anyhow as I was saying, they email me deals. So I look them over to see if any are for items I need. If there are then I look for coupons for them to save money. I make my grocery list and estimate what it will cost me. I then go to Safeway and use my Mastercard to purhcase a Gift Card. I give my Safeway card and my Airmiles card and earn both rewards on the purchase of the gift card. Double airmiles though because I paid with my mastercard which earns me airmiles. I then do my shopping and then pay with the gift card and again give my airmiles card and Safeway card getting airmiles again. So on a $100 transaction you would normally receive 5 airmiles from Safeway. On my shopping trip I would easily earn 15 plus any of the bonus specials that I pick out.
One thing to think of course is redemption on the points. Airmiles has a relatively high redemption rate of $0.14 per airmile on average for items. I usually redeem my airmiles for various gift cards. I often redeem them for gift cards that I can trade for free product coupons for on Smart Canucks. There is no cost to me for them and I get the type of benefit that I'm looking for.
Of course you can also earn airmiles by shopping through airmilesshops.ca at many major retailers. It is all online shopping but if you implement some of my tips for online shopping you just might find a whopping deal.
I hope this whetted your appetite for more info on points programs. I want to spend some time putting out all the details that I know on the various programs that are offered. Look forward to more posts coming on this topic. Coming next on Save a Loonie: What is Futura Rewards?
So I will be going over how I have maximized my points so far! I look forward to hearing from others on their tricks and tips too! In todays' post I'll just cover the basics and delve into it further in later posts.
I'm sure you've all heard of some of the most popular points programs:
Airmiles, Aeroplan, Priority Points, Save-On, Shoppers Optimum Points, HBC, and many, many more. My favorite by far is Airmiles. I live in an area where I can get Airmiles from many retailers so it makes the most sense for me. You, of course, will need to evaluate your spending habits and what is available to make the best deal for yourself! In my area I can get Airmiles mostly from Shell and Safeway but I also use a Low Rate BMO Mastercard on which I earn Airmiles for my purchases.
The easiest way to rack up miles is to double dip whenever you can. For instance my Safeway has bonus airmiles specials weekly. They email them into my inbox after I signed up for it and received 100 bonus airmiles. Nice eh? Anyhow as I was saying, they email me deals. So I look them over to see if any are for items I need. If there are then I look for coupons for them to save money. I make my grocery list and estimate what it will cost me. I then go to Safeway and use my Mastercard to purhcase a Gift Card. I give my Safeway card and my Airmiles card and earn both rewards on the purchase of the gift card. Double airmiles though because I paid with my mastercard which earns me airmiles. I then do my shopping and then pay with the gift card and again give my airmiles card and Safeway card getting airmiles again. So on a $100 transaction you would normally receive 5 airmiles from Safeway. On my shopping trip I would easily earn 15 plus any of the bonus specials that I pick out.
One thing to think of course is redemption on the points. Airmiles has a relatively high redemption rate of $0.14 per airmile on average for items. I usually redeem my airmiles for various gift cards. I often redeem them for gift cards that I can trade for free product coupons for on Smart Canucks. There is no cost to me for them and I get the type of benefit that I'm looking for.
Of course you can also earn airmiles by shopping through airmilesshops.ca at many major retailers. It is all online shopping but if you implement some of my tips for online shopping you just might find a whopping deal.
I hope this whetted your appetite for more info on points programs. I want to spend some time putting out all the details that I know on the various programs that are offered. Look forward to more posts coming on this topic. Coming next on Save a Loonie: What is Futura Rewards?
Update
I had some technical difficulties with my post last night and it didn't publish! I will have it up this evening!
Thursday, April 9, 2009
Wow, Time Flies!
I just wanted to drop a quick post to apologize for absence this week! I'm just returning to work after being on maternity leave for the last year and it was a huge change in my schedule! Anyhow, I'm into my second week and things are getting smoother so I will be back to posting.
Tonight I will be posting on Points programs...a bit of an intro to a more in depth discussion in the future. I hope you will check back to read more about it!
Later!
Tonight I will be posting on Points programs...a bit of an intro to a more in depth discussion in the future. I hope you will check back to read more about it!
Later!
Monday, March 30, 2009
~Brandsaver Coupons~
Just wanted to drop a quick post with some details I found out about the upcoming Brandsaver coupons that will be released this upcoming weekend. Brandsaver as you'll remember is a coupon site for Proctor & Gamble coupons. So many of them we use in every day life!!!
On Canadian Coupons Exchange a very helpful member posted the coupons that we can expect to find in them this weekend. I thought it may be helpful information if you are planning a shopping trip this week. It may be worth holding off for a day or two until they are out and then combining them of course with the first Tuesday of the month discounts that will be offered on the 7th of April! If you can get the flyer version on Friday, head out to Shoppers Drug Mart and stock up on Liquid Downy softener, it's on sale this week in my area for $3.99! Bounce is as well for that matter!
Here is the list that she provided! Thanks to Brenda for this info!!!
Olay Facial Moisturizer AND Olay Facial Cleanser 6.00
Olay Facial Moisturizer AND Olay Body Product 6.00
Olay Body Wash .75
Always pad or liner 1.00
Nice'n Easy hair colour 1.50
Venus Breeze Razor 4.00
Venus Breeze Disposable razor 2.50
Venus Embrace razor 4.00
Satin Care product 1.00
Venus any disposable razor 2.50
Pampers Baby Dry, Swaddlers or Cruisers 2.00
Pampers Easy Ups 3.00
Pampers Splashers 1.00
Pampers Wipes 60ct or larger 1.00
Pampers Underjams 3.00
Mach3 disposable razor 1.50
Gillette Series shave gel or foam 1.00
Gillette Fusion Razor 5.00
Gillette Fusion Hydragel or Hydrasmoothe 1.00
Duracell Coppertop batteries .60 off 1 pack
Duracell Coppertop batteries 2.00 off 2 packs(excludes regular packages, AA4,
AAA2, C2, D2 or 9V1)
Folgers Gourmet Selections product 283-340g 1.00
Folgers any product 642-920g .50
Swiffer Sweeper Starter Kit 2.50
Swiffer Refill: Dry, Wet, Duster or Wetjet 1.50
Tide any detergent 1.00
Tide TotalCare detergent 2.00
Tide to Go .50
Bounce Dryer Sheets .50
Ultra Downy Fabric Softener or Downy Sheets 1.00
Febreeze Allergen Reducer 1.00
Swiffer Dusters Kit 1.00
Febreeze Noticeables Starter Kit 3.00
Febreeze 800ml Fabric Refresher 1.00
Febreeze Candles 2.00
Febreeze Ar Effects 1.00
Iams Dry Dog Food 2.00
Iams Dry Cat Food 2.00
Buy 1 Cascade Powder or Gel and Get 1 Cascade ActionPacs bag FREE(tubs not
included)
Cascade any product .50
Dawn any product .50
Mr. Clean 2.00 off any 2 different products
Crest Pro Health Toothpaste .75
Crest Pro Health rinse 1.00
Oral-B Pro Health manual toothbrush 2.00
Crest Pro Health toothpaste, Crest Pro Health Rinse AND Oral-B Pro Health
toothbrush 5.00
Make sure to log online to get these coupons plus grab your local paper that comes with your flyers to get the coupons from it too! Get extras for those great trades and trains!!!
On Canadian Coupons Exchange a very helpful member posted the coupons that we can expect to find in them this weekend. I thought it may be helpful information if you are planning a shopping trip this week. It may be worth holding off for a day or two until they are out and then combining them of course with the first Tuesday of the month discounts that will be offered on the 7th of April! If you can get the flyer version on Friday, head out to Shoppers Drug Mart and stock up on Liquid Downy softener, it's on sale this week in my area for $3.99! Bounce is as well for that matter!
Here is the list that she provided! Thanks to Brenda for this info!!!
Olay Facial Moisturizer AND Olay Facial Cleanser 6.00
Olay Facial Moisturizer AND Olay Body Product 6.00
Olay Body Wash .75
Always pad or liner 1.00
Nice'n Easy hair colour 1.50
Venus Breeze Razor 4.00
Venus Breeze Disposable razor 2.50
Venus Embrace razor 4.00
Satin Care product 1.00
Venus any disposable razor 2.50
Pampers Baby Dry, Swaddlers or Cruisers 2.00
Pampers Easy Ups 3.00
Pampers Splashers 1.00
Pampers Wipes 60ct or larger 1.00
Pampers Underjams 3.00
Mach3 disposable razor 1.50
Gillette Series shave gel or foam 1.00
Gillette Fusion Razor 5.00
Gillette Fusion Hydragel or Hydrasmoothe 1.00
Duracell Coppertop batteries .60 off 1 pack
Duracell Coppertop batteries 2.00 off 2 packs(excludes regular packages, AA4,
AAA2, C2, D2 or 9V1)
Folgers Gourmet Selections product 283-340g 1.00
Folgers any product 642-920g .50
Swiffer Sweeper Starter Kit 2.50
Swiffer Refill: Dry, Wet, Duster or Wetjet 1.50
Tide any detergent 1.00
Tide TotalCare detergent 2.00
Tide to Go .50
Bounce Dryer Sheets .50
Ultra Downy Fabric Softener or Downy Sheets 1.00
Febreeze Allergen Reducer 1.00
Swiffer Dusters Kit 1.00
Febreeze Noticeables Starter Kit 3.00
Febreeze 800ml Fabric Refresher 1.00
Febreeze Candles 2.00
Febreeze Ar Effects 1.00
Iams Dry Dog Food 2.00
Iams Dry Cat Food 2.00
Buy 1 Cascade Powder or Gel and Get 1 Cascade ActionPacs bag FREE(tubs not
included)
Cascade any product .50
Dawn any product .50
Mr. Clean 2.00 off any 2 different products
Crest Pro Health Toothpaste .75
Crest Pro Health rinse 1.00
Oral-B Pro Health manual toothbrush 2.00
Crest Pro Health toothpaste, Crest Pro Health Rinse AND Oral-B Pro Health
toothbrush 5.00
Make sure to log online to get these coupons plus grab your local paper that comes with your flyers to get the coupons from it too! Get extras for those great trades and trains!!!
Sunday, March 29, 2009
~Coupon Trains~
Today's post is brought to you by Deb, the moderator at Canadian Coupons Exchange. I chose to contact Deb and have her write how to do a coupon train as I have done many trains with her and find her to be most organized and efficient at them. She has helped me to save a lot of money by getting coupons not available in my area!
A way to save more is to trade coupons with other people, and/or join Coupon Trains. I'm happy to share what I know about trains and I hope it will help you to save alot of loonies!
First, as Wanda has said before, save all coupons you come across. Grab enough for yourself and a couple extras every time you see coupons in stores.
At Canadian Coupons Exchange we do alot of trains with our members. We have lots of trains that are for coupons, but some are for stickers and fun things too! It's like having frugal pen pals all across Canada! So hopefully my explanation makes it easy for you to understand and you'll sign up to be part of our wonderful group!
A train is where a conductor (person who is starting a train) makes a list of about 5people (passengers). The conductor prepares an envelope, which holds many various coupons. When you receive this envelope you may choose any of the coupons you can use, and then replace these coupons with other coupons. Always include the same amount (or more) that you have taken out.
Each envelope contains the coupons in the train as well as a passenger list with all the passengers contact info on it. So if you are passenger # 1, you will then need to send the envelope to passenger #2 whose address you will find on this list.
At the end, the train goes back home to the conductor.
Once you have mailed the train on to the next passenger you go online and post to the group and to the conductor the details of the train. So for example you would put information regarding how much you took out in value for yourself, how much was removed because they had expired, how much you added in value and then who you sent it to and when. You can watch the message board for a posting saying that a train is on it's way to you! It can actually be fun to save!
Thanks to Deb for this great information! I hope you all learned more ideas to save with coupons today. I just wanted to add that there are many other sites that host coupon trains, I get trains from a few. It can get hard to keep track of what is coming and going though so I would advise to start slow! I hope you'll log on to Save a Loonie again and read about the next topic: Points Programs 101!!! Plus what do you think of my new header? My hubby surprised me with it tonight! He's so handy!!!
A way to save more is to trade coupons with other people, and/or join Coupon Trains. I'm happy to share what I know about trains and I hope it will help you to save alot of loonies!
First, as Wanda has said before, save all coupons you come across. Grab enough for yourself and a couple extras every time you see coupons in stores.
At Canadian Coupons Exchange we do alot of trains with our members. We have lots of trains that are for coupons, but some are for stickers and fun things too! It's like having frugal pen pals all across Canada! So hopefully my explanation makes it easy for you to understand and you'll sign up to be part of our wonderful group!
A train is where a conductor (person who is starting a train) makes a list of about 5people (passengers). The conductor prepares an envelope, which holds many various coupons. When you receive this envelope you may choose any of the coupons you can use, and then replace these coupons with other coupons. Always include the same amount (or more) that you have taken out.
Each envelope contains the coupons in the train as well as a passenger list with all the passengers contact info on it. So if you are passenger # 1, you will then need to send the envelope to passenger #2 whose address you will find on this list.
At the end, the train goes back home to the conductor.
Once you have mailed the train on to the next passenger you go online and post to the group and to the conductor the details of the train. So for example you would put information regarding how much you took out in value for yourself, how much was removed because they had expired, how much you added in value and then who you sent it to and when. You can watch the message board for a posting saying that a train is on it's way to you! It can actually be fun to save!
Thanks to Deb for this great information! I hope you all learned more ideas to save with coupons today. I just wanted to add that there are many other sites that host coupon trains, I get trains from a few. It can get hard to keep track of what is coming and going though so I would advise to start slow! I hope you'll log on to Save a Loonie again and read about the next topic: Points Programs 101!!! Plus what do you think of my new header? My hubby surprised me with it tonight! He's so handy!!!
Friday, March 27, 2009
~Where to Get Free Product Coupons~
A great deal of my savings comes from the use of free product coupons. I have a coupon holder that holds just FPCs! Often they have long expiry dates and so I've got some that I'm saving for a rainy day! Where do I get them all? I get asked that all the time!
First place to look is in coupon inserts in your local paper. These inserts come out at random times of the year according to a schedule. There are two main ones that are listed on that schedule: Smartsource and Shop & Save. These inserts are usually found in your major city papers or the one that all your other flyers come in. It is worth it to pick up the paper on the weekend these come out! Coupon distribution varies across Canada so not every region receives the same coupons. There is also another insert that comes out in papers called the P&G Brandsaver. The Brandsaver coupons can also be selected online and are distributed by save.ca. Brandsaver doesn't tend to distribute FPCs but I have gotten BOGO offers from them. You can however find FPCs on Save.ca quite often. If you are surfing online they sometimes have banners for their current save.ca offers posted on different search engines. That is often how you can discover them! There is always of course the thread on Smart Canucks that I refer to all the time! They keep this thread up to date with current save.ca offers!
Second place to find them is on products. Cereal boxes often have them but they can be found on many products. You just need to keep your eyes out! Of course don't purchase the product if you don't need it unless the value of the product less coupons and the FPCS on it makes it free. In that case you can donate it to your local food bank!
Another place I get many is from trades! Many members on Smart Canucks put together bundles of FPCs and trade for gift certificates or other FPCs. I often get huge bundles of these by redeeming airmiles for GCs and then trading them for the FPCs that I can use.
On Ebay you can find sellers that are listing FPCs! I know you're thinking "Why would I pay for a FPC???" Doesn't make sense does it?!? Well sometimes it works out. For instance, I've purchased Source and minigo yogurt FPCs in bundles of 4-10 per at the cost of one yogurt. So I've gotten one less free, not a biggie to me. But I use mystery shopping payment money, or money I've earned by selling items myself on ebay to pay for them. I've never taken money from my bank account to buy coupons. It's always been 'extra' money!
Join companies mailing list or clubs! I've received Always pads or Tampons FPC, LaCoupe shampoo, Nestle Tollhouse chips, Kashi Cereal FPC. Also many will send out cents off coupons when you sign up! Sometimes these are one time offers so watch the forum at Smart Canucks for announcements!
Finally, and this is a little known fact, is to write companies and ask! Yup! if you shoot off a nice compliment letter that says something like: My family loves your (insert product name) and we use it all the time! I would love if you could share any coupons that you may have so that we can try other products you offer and continue to enjoy the ones we love! I use different variations of this kind of letter and write to companies via their online contact form and I've had a lot of luck. Companies that send FPCs include: Pinnacle Foods (Duncan Hines, Vlasic Pickles, Hungry Mans, Aunt Jemima Breakfast products) Cloverleaf (Tuna, Salmon, plus cents off coupons), SC Johnson (Saran, Ziploc ,other brands), Colgate/Palmolive ( will mail out $5-$10 off coupon), Clorox, Fleishmans Yeast, Johnson & Johnson (Replacement coupon for Parents Pack). Other companies replace their products if you have a legitamite concern with one you have purchased but most companies will mail something out even if it is only cents off coupons if you compliment.
It is trial and error but please don't abuse the good nature of these companies and only request one for yourself!
Happy hunting for FPCs! I hope you enjoy many savings with these tips! In the future I will post any particularily good FPCs that I come across and share with you all how I got them! Coupon Trains is next on the blog in a guest post from Deb, the moderator over at Canadian Coupons Exchange Yahoo group! I'm a member there and can't say enough about what a great group of people there are on there! There is a link on my sidebar to join up and be a part of the group! Looking forward to hearing any of your tips on getting FPCs! Drop me a comment and share with other readers!
First place to look is in coupon inserts in your local paper. These inserts come out at random times of the year according to a schedule. There are two main ones that are listed on that schedule: Smartsource and Shop & Save. These inserts are usually found in your major city papers or the one that all your other flyers come in. It is worth it to pick up the paper on the weekend these come out! Coupon distribution varies across Canada so not every region receives the same coupons. There is also another insert that comes out in papers called the P&G Brandsaver. The Brandsaver coupons can also be selected online and are distributed by save.ca. Brandsaver doesn't tend to distribute FPCs but I have gotten BOGO offers from them. You can however find FPCs on Save.ca quite often. If you are surfing online they sometimes have banners for their current save.ca offers posted on different search engines. That is often how you can discover them! There is always of course the thread on Smart Canucks that I refer to all the time! They keep this thread up to date with current save.ca offers!
Second place to find them is on products. Cereal boxes often have them but they can be found on many products. You just need to keep your eyes out! Of course don't purchase the product if you don't need it unless the value of the product less coupons and the FPCS on it makes it free. In that case you can donate it to your local food bank!
Another place I get many is from trades! Many members on Smart Canucks put together bundles of FPCs and trade for gift certificates or other FPCs. I often get huge bundles of these by redeeming airmiles for GCs and then trading them for the FPCs that I can use.
On Ebay you can find sellers that are listing FPCs! I know you're thinking "Why would I pay for a FPC???" Doesn't make sense does it?!? Well sometimes it works out. For instance, I've purchased Source and minigo yogurt FPCs in bundles of 4-10 per at the cost of one yogurt. So I've gotten one less free, not a biggie to me. But I use mystery shopping payment money, or money I've earned by selling items myself on ebay to pay for them. I've never taken money from my bank account to buy coupons. It's always been 'extra' money!
Join companies mailing list or clubs! I've received Always pads or Tampons FPC, LaCoupe shampoo, Nestle Tollhouse chips, Kashi Cereal FPC. Also many will send out cents off coupons when you sign up! Sometimes these are one time offers so watch the forum at Smart Canucks for announcements!
Finally, and this is a little known fact, is to write companies and ask! Yup! if you shoot off a nice compliment letter that says something like: My family loves your (insert product name) and we use it all the time! I would love if you could share any coupons that you may have so that we can try other products you offer and continue to enjoy the ones we love! I use different variations of this kind of letter and write to companies via their online contact form and I've had a lot of luck. Companies that send FPCs include: Pinnacle Foods (Duncan Hines, Vlasic Pickles, Hungry Mans, Aunt Jemima Breakfast products) Cloverleaf (Tuna, Salmon, plus cents off coupons), SC Johnson (Saran, Ziploc ,other brands), Colgate/Palmolive ( will mail out $5-$10 off coupon), Clorox, Fleishmans Yeast, Johnson & Johnson (Replacement coupon for Parents Pack). Other companies replace their products if you have a legitamite concern with one you have purchased but most companies will mail something out even if it is only cents off coupons if you compliment.
It is trial and error but please don't abuse the good nature of these companies and only request one for yourself!
Happy hunting for FPCs! I hope you enjoy many savings with these tips! In the future I will post any particularily good FPCs that I come across and share with you all how I got them! Coupon Trains is next on the blog in a guest post from Deb, the moderator over at Canadian Coupons Exchange Yahoo group! I'm a member there and can't say enough about what a great group of people there are on there! There is a link on my sidebar to join up and be a part of the group! Looking forward to hearing any of your tips on getting FPCs! Drop me a comment and share with other readers!
Wednesday, March 25, 2009
~Coupon Trading~
Like baseball cards coupons are traded all over Canada! Women and men who are saavy savers know that sharing with one another helps everyone! Coupon Trading is exactly what is sounds like, trading coupons with another person. I personally love this because I like to organize my savings with the use of multiples of one coupon. Sometimes I can't get enough of it to satisfy my use so I trade for them. For example: Nabob Coffee $2 off coupons. They started off with an expiry of Dec 31, 2008, then July 2009, now there are some for Dec 31, 2009. So I've been stocking up on the ones for the later expiry so that I have lots of time to use them. I wait till there is a good sale on the coffee then stock up. I currently have around 15 cans of coffee in my cupboard.
Anyhow, I digress, how do you do it you may ask? Well I do most of my trades through Smart Canucks. They have it set up there where you can list what coupons you want to trade under your profile and then people can either search you through a great search page they have or by clicking on your profile. (Here is a link to the Trading Page) There is also a forum on the message board where members post trades that they are looking for and offering. To negotiate a trade the typical protocol is to send the other member a private message through the message system with what you are looking for and ask what they want for it. They will respond and you negotiate what you find a fair deal. Whichever person is new to trading usually has to send their letter first and once the other person receives it they will mail yours out. So you would mail out the other persons coupons or whatever you are trading and would receive yours a bit later. They have a feedback system that works similar to ebay where you can describe how that person was to trade with. I like this system so far I've had no problems with any trades through there.
I have also done trades through the Canadian Coupons Exchange Group (link on sidebar) and had great success. Please be sure to read through each sites individual rules and respect other peoples private information.
There are other websites out there that you can do trades on and I have no personal experience with them as I have chosen to limit my use to only a couple because of time. I would like to make a list of these other sites though so if anyone has experience with them please leave me a message and I will post it on here for everyone!
So now you know why I've told you to save every coupon you come across...your trash is someone elses' treasure! I keep all the coupons I plan on trading organized in envelopes by type: Food, Baby, Personal Care... I am debating on organizing them by expiry date as it seems as though it may be easier to maintain. I will update you once I get a system that seems to be working. Feel free to drop me any suggestions! I would love to post pictures of how someone else does it!
You can get unique coupons through this method because some areas do not get all coupons that are available. I know in my area I don't get half the coupons that are out there. I like to search the trading page at Smart Canucks for coupons for products I regularily use by typing in a search for the product. You never know if someone has a unique coupon you've never heard of! Or possibly a FPC (free product coupon)!
Traders use alot of unique acronyms on the forum that can take time to decipher. Some of the regular ones you will come across are:
LF: Looking For
FT: For Trade
FPC: Free product coupon
WUB: When you buy
BOGO/B1G1: Buy one get one (usually followed by free or $ off)
SDM: Shoppers Drug Mart Points
GTG: Gifts to Grow Points
GC: Gift Certificate
Coming up on Save a Loonie: Where to get Free Product Coupons? Points Programs Explained, Mystery Shopping, Coupon Trains (by a guest blogger!), Freebies...keep posted that is in no particular order!!!
Anyhow, I digress, how do you do it you may ask? Well I do most of my trades through Smart Canucks. They have it set up there where you can list what coupons you want to trade under your profile and then people can either search you through a great search page they have or by clicking on your profile. (Here is a link to the Trading Page) There is also a forum on the message board where members post trades that they are looking for and offering. To negotiate a trade the typical protocol is to send the other member a private message through the message system with what you are looking for and ask what they want for it. They will respond and you negotiate what you find a fair deal. Whichever person is new to trading usually has to send their letter first and once the other person receives it they will mail yours out. So you would mail out the other persons coupons or whatever you are trading and would receive yours a bit later. They have a feedback system that works similar to ebay where you can describe how that person was to trade with. I like this system so far I've had no problems with any trades through there.
I have also done trades through the Canadian Coupons Exchange Group (link on sidebar) and had great success. Please be sure to read through each sites individual rules and respect other peoples private information.
There are other websites out there that you can do trades on and I have no personal experience with them as I have chosen to limit my use to only a couple because of time. I would like to make a list of these other sites though so if anyone has experience with them please leave me a message and I will post it on here for everyone!
So now you know why I've told you to save every coupon you come across...your trash is someone elses' treasure! I keep all the coupons I plan on trading organized in envelopes by type: Food, Baby, Personal Care... I am debating on organizing them by expiry date as it seems as though it may be easier to maintain. I will update you once I get a system that seems to be working. Feel free to drop me any suggestions! I would love to post pictures of how someone else does it!
You can get unique coupons through this method because some areas do not get all coupons that are available. I know in my area I don't get half the coupons that are out there. I like to search the trading page at Smart Canucks for coupons for products I regularily use by typing in a search for the product. You never know if someone has a unique coupon you've never heard of! Or possibly a FPC (free product coupon)!
Traders use alot of unique acronyms on the forum that can take time to decipher. Some of the regular ones you will come across are:
LF: Looking For
FT: For Trade
FPC: Free product coupon
WUB: When you buy
BOGO/B1G1: Buy one get one (usually followed by free or $ off)
SDM: Shoppers Drug Mart Points
GTG: Gifts to Grow Points
GC: Gift Certificate
Coming up on Save a Loonie: Where to get Free Product Coupons? Points Programs Explained, Mystery Shopping, Coupon Trains (by a guest blogger!), Freebies...keep posted that is in no particular order!!!
Monday, March 23, 2009
~Online Shopping~
If you are a saavy shopper then you know that online shopping can be the way to go. You can save alot of money just by doing a simple search for what you are looking for. Often, buying online from the same store you would shop at in person can save you 10-20%.
Start by searching to see if the store where you want to make a purchase has an online store. Then see if they have the same prices as the brick and mortar store. Always bear in mind that there may be shipping and handling fees. Alot of times though you can get the product shipped right to the brick and mortar store for pick up free of charge. Or if you meet a certain minimum they will waive the shipping fees.
Once you've found the store, search for a online coupon code. My favorite website to use is RetailmeNot You simply go to the site, type in the store you are shopping at in the search box and it will bring up any available coupon codes. This website has a rating system to let you know if it works or not. You have to read the fine print, some can only be used with certain purchases. There are limits to them. If you don't find a code for what you are searching for, don't give up too easily! Simply do a online search with store name AND Coupon code and it should bring up some other options. I usually have luck finding what I'm looking for on RetailmeNot though. Just be sure you are putting the proper store name, ie. if you are shopping Sears Canada you want to put sears.ca in the search box or you will end up with Sears USA.
Other codes that help you save are ones put out by Visa. I've had luck saving on a few purchases with this website: Visa Perks. Now you can only use one code usually per site so narrow down your options and pick the best one!
Another trick I have is to call the 1-800 # for the order desk of the company you are buying from and ask them for a coupon code. Sears is good for this one. You can always get a $10 off $100 purchase Customer appreciation code by calling. Sears also has little coupon cards at the catalogue counters that you can use in store or online. You can get some great savings just by stopping by the counter while in the store.
What do you do when you have these codes? Well you take them and enter them on the payment screen of the online store you are shopping where it usually says something like: redeem a coupon, enter coupon code. Once the coupon is applied to your order you should see the lowered amount.
Other ways to save when shopping online is to use a cash back system. I belong to three different programs that each provide something to me for buying through them. My most used and favorite by far is the Cash Back system at Smart Canucks. I always check with Smart Canucks merchant list before starting any online shopping to see if there is a store that sells what I am looking for. Chances are pretty good that you can find what you want through these merchants. You can accumulate some significant savings this way. The Smart Canucks system is very easy to use. Check the link above for all frequently asked questions about how this works. One thing to remember is that you cannot cash out until 30 days after your purchase. This allows for returns and adjustments.
Another cash back system that I belong to is the one offered to Futura Rewards members. I will be covering Futura in a future post but this is the same type of cash back system as Smart Canucks. You get a percentage of the money back to you but in this case it gets deposited into your Futura account. I haven't used this system yet because it is pretty new and I haven't had an opportunity but I'm sure I will in the future.
Finally, you can get points through programs like Airmilesshops for shopping at specific retailers. I am an avid collector of Airmiles but I prefer to use the cashback system for my online shopping. If there is something I am specifically saving my airmiles for I may use this system, or if they are running a huge special but otherwise I like the cash!
Don't forget Ebay when doing your online shopping. You can find ANYTHING on ebay...remember the toast with the likeness of The Virgin Mary on it?...anything can be bought on ebay. The major key when purchasing on ebay (and anywhere else for that matter) is how much is shipping, and what currency is it in. Many ebayers will combine shipping if you win more then one auction from them so you can save in that manner.
I hope you learned something useful in todays' post. In my next post I'll be talking about Coupon Trading!
Start by searching to see if the store where you want to make a purchase has an online store. Then see if they have the same prices as the brick and mortar store. Always bear in mind that there may be shipping and handling fees. Alot of times though you can get the product shipped right to the brick and mortar store for pick up free of charge. Or if you meet a certain minimum they will waive the shipping fees.
Once you've found the store, search for a online coupon code. My favorite website to use is RetailmeNot You simply go to the site, type in the store you are shopping at in the search box and it will bring up any available coupon codes. This website has a rating system to let you know if it works or not. You have to read the fine print, some can only be used with certain purchases. There are limits to them. If you don't find a code for what you are searching for, don't give up too easily! Simply do a online search with store name AND Coupon code and it should bring up some other options. I usually have luck finding what I'm looking for on RetailmeNot though. Just be sure you are putting the proper store name, ie. if you are shopping Sears Canada you want to put sears.ca in the search box or you will end up with Sears USA.
Other codes that help you save are ones put out by Visa. I've had luck saving on a few purchases with this website: Visa Perks. Now you can only use one code usually per site so narrow down your options and pick the best one!
Another trick I have is to call the 1-800 # for the order desk of the company you are buying from and ask them for a coupon code. Sears is good for this one. You can always get a $10 off $100 purchase Customer appreciation code by calling. Sears also has little coupon cards at the catalogue counters that you can use in store or online. You can get some great savings just by stopping by the counter while in the store.
What do you do when you have these codes? Well you take them and enter them on the payment screen of the online store you are shopping where it usually says something like: redeem a coupon, enter coupon code. Once the coupon is applied to your order you should see the lowered amount.
Other ways to save when shopping online is to use a cash back system. I belong to three different programs that each provide something to me for buying through them. My most used and favorite by far is the Cash Back system at Smart Canucks. I always check with Smart Canucks merchant list before starting any online shopping to see if there is a store that sells what I am looking for. Chances are pretty good that you can find what you want through these merchants. You can accumulate some significant savings this way. The Smart Canucks system is very easy to use. Check the link above for all frequently asked questions about how this works. One thing to remember is that you cannot cash out until 30 days after your purchase. This allows for returns and adjustments.
Another cash back system that I belong to is the one offered to Futura Rewards members. I will be covering Futura in a future post but this is the same type of cash back system as Smart Canucks. You get a percentage of the money back to you but in this case it gets deposited into your Futura account. I haven't used this system yet because it is pretty new and I haven't had an opportunity but I'm sure I will in the future.
Finally, you can get points through programs like Airmilesshops for shopping at specific retailers. I am an avid collector of Airmiles but I prefer to use the cashback system for my online shopping. If there is something I am specifically saving my airmiles for I may use this system, or if they are running a huge special but otherwise I like the cash!
Don't forget Ebay when doing your online shopping. You can find ANYTHING on ebay...remember the toast with the likeness of The Virgin Mary on it?...anything can be bought on ebay. The major key when purchasing on ebay (and anywhere else for that matter) is how much is shipping, and what currency is it in. Many ebayers will combine shipping if you win more then one auction from them so you can save in that manner.
I hope you learned something useful in todays' post. In my next post I'll be talking about Coupon Trading!
Sunday, March 22, 2009
~Coupon Tricks and Tips!!!~
You know how sometimes you watch American TV shows, newscasts etc and see how they use their coupons? You know, where they can triple them, match them, etc? I used to be so jealous of the ways that they can use them down there. (Well to be honest I still am) but now I've learned a few tricks that work in Canada too!
Stacking: Stacking coupons is when you use more then one coupon on a product. For example: I went to purchase diapers today for my son. I of course went when they were on sale for $27.99 at London Drugs. London Drugs allows you to stack. So for my diapers today I used 2 X $5 off coupons, 2 X $4 off coupons, 1 x$3.00 off, and 2 x $2.00 off. They were all different coupons with different bar codes but all valid on the product I was buying. I did not reduce the total to 0, which is another rule. I ended up paying $4.39. $2.99 for the Pampers and $1.40 for the tax. I live in Western Canada and London Drugs is the only one I know of that will allow stacking here. In Eastern Canada I have heard that you can stack coupons at: Pharmaplus, A&P, Petsmart and sometimes at Loblaws chains. I personally cannot verify this so if you have any experience drop me a comment and I'll update this post!
Price Matching: Simply put, price matching is exactly what is says. If you want to purchase something at a certain store then you take a competitor flyer to the store and go to the customer service with it and ask to price match. Some stores call the store with the sale to verify the product and if it is available at the location. It can take some time. There are various reasons for doing this. You may do it so you can coupon stack, so you don't have to drive to the particular store having the sale, to get points or rewards, or to participate in a rebate program.
Mail in Rebates: Many manufacturers offer mail in rebates for their products. Often it's either a merchant Gift card, sometimes it is a cheque. Walmart partners with alot of companies to offer rebate offers. The trick with them is to use coupons to achieve the rebate. For example: Walmart had a rebate offer on Pampers Diapers and Wipes last fall. You had to purhcase a case of each and you would get a $15 Walmart Gift card back. So I used coupons on my purchase, the highest value ones I could find, and maximized my rebate. As long as you follow the terms outlined on the form. With these it is smart to copy your receipt and the form and keep them until you receive the rebate back. Make sure you read all the term of the offer and the processing time. Then sit back and wait till the cards come in! I like to plan out my purchases for the gift cards so they don't get wasted. I just got quite a few back from a couple of offers in the last few weeks and I used them to stock up on some new towels and a crock pot. They were items I didn't need right now but would be needing soon. They didn't fit in my budget so I got creative and waited till my gift cards came in.
Rainchecks: Many retailers will offer a raincheck on an item that they have advertised on sale if it is out of stock. Take advantage of these and ask for some if you know you can use it and/or have coupons coming in for the product. Alot of times they are only good for a limited time so make sure you read it carefully. I just go to the customer service desk for mine.
Buy One Get One Free Offers: Or Buy 2,3, or more offers. You can use more then one coupon on these no matter where you shop. So you use the B0G0 coupon plus another coupon for the other product and maximize your savings. I do this most often with frozen foods. Safeway often has a buy 3 for $8 deal on frozen items I buy. I have a coupon for save $4 when you buy any 3. Plus I have coupons for $0.50 off that product. So I end up paying $2.50 for my three products instead of $8.00, a savings of $5.50!!! This also works with points programs. If you have a coupon for a Buy one Get one and an item is on for bonus points at your favorite store if you buy two, use this coupon (plus another if you have one) and really maximize your savings.
I hope you found this info useful! I have lots more information headed your way. Just getting it drafted up right now and hopefully I will have a more steady stream coming your way! Up next: How to Online Shop and Save!!!
Stacking: Stacking coupons is when you use more then one coupon on a product. For example: I went to purchase diapers today for my son. I of course went when they were on sale for $27.99 at London Drugs. London Drugs allows you to stack. So for my diapers today I used 2 X $5 off coupons, 2 X $4 off coupons, 1 x$3.00 off, and 2 x $2.00 off. They were all different coupons with different bar codes but all valid on the product I was buying. I did not reduce the total to 0, which is another rule. I ended up paying $4.39. $2.99 for the Pampers and $1.40 for the tax. I live in Western Canada and London Drugs is the only one I know of that will allow stacking here. In Eastern Canada I have heard that you can stack coupons at: Pharmaplus, A&P, Petsmart and sometimes at Loblaws chains. I personally cannot verify this so if you have any experience drop me a comment and I'll update this post!
Price Matching: Simply put, price matching is exactly what is says. If you want to purchase something at a certain store then you take a competitor flyer to the store and go to the customer service with it and ask to price match. Some stores call the store with the sale to verify the product and if it is available at the location. It can take some time. There are various reasons for doing this. You may do it so you can coupon stack, so you don't have to drive to the particular store having the sale, to get points or rewards, or to participate in a rebate program.
Mail in Rebates: Many manufacturers offer mail in rebates for their products. Often it's either a merchant Gift card, sometimes it is a cheque. Walmart partners with alot of companies to offer rebate offers. The trick with them is to use coupons to achieve the rebate. For example: Walmart had a rebate offer on Pampers Diapers and Wipes last fall. You had to purhcase a case of each and you would get a $15 Walmart Gift card back. So I used coupons on my purchase, the highest value ones I could find, and maximized my rebate. As long as you follow the terms outlined on the form. With these it is smart to copy your receipt and the form and keep them until you receive the rebate back. Make sure you read all the term of the offer and the processing time. Then sit back and wait till the cards come in! I like to plan out my purchases for the gift cards so they don't get wasted. I just got quite a few back from a couple of offers in the last few weeks and I used them to stock up on some new towels and a crock pot. They were items I didn't need right now but would be needing soon. They didn't fit in my budget so I got creative and waited till my gift cards came in.
Rainchecks: Many retailers will offer a raincheck on an item that they have advertised on sale if it is out of stock. Take advantage of these and ask for some if you know you can use it and/or have coupons coming in for the product. Alot of times they are only good for a limited time so make sure you read it carefully. I just go to the customer service desk for mine.
Buy One Get One Free Offers: Or Buy 2,3, or more offers. You can use more then one coupon on these no matter where you shop. So you use the B0G0 coupon plus another coupon for the other product and maximize your savings. I do this most often with frozen foods. Safeway often has a buy 3 for $8 deal on frozen items I buy. I have a coupon for save $4 when you buy any 3. Plus I have coupons for $0.50 off that product. So I end up paying $2.50 for my three products instead of $8.00, a savings of $5.50!!! This also works with points programs. If you have a coupon for a Buy one Get one and an item is on for bonus points at your favorite store if you buy two, use this coupon (plus another if you have one) and really maximize your savings.
I hope you found this info useful! I have lots more information headed your way. Just getting it drafted up right now and hopefully I will have a more steady stream coming your way! Up next: How to Online Shop and Save!!!
Sunday, March 15, 2009
~Organize Your Coupons~
The biggest key to being efficient to using coupons is being organized. Simply put, if you have to fumble with them at the cash desk while there are three people in line and a cashier glaring at you, you won't want to do it. Some people use envelopes, some use accordian folders, I use a mini photo album. I spent $2.06 and bought this small photo album at Walmart:
I sorted the pages into categories that I liked and used a black jiffy marker to write them on the page:
Cereals, Snacks, Meat, Dairy, Fresh Foods, Canned goods, Soups, Baby Pampers & Wipes, Baby Foods, Baby Toiletries, Cleaning...etc
This is what mine looks like:
There were more pages then I had categories for so I thought I would take it a step forward and put in pages for individual stores. When I sit down for the week and plan out our meals I make a grocery list at the same time using the sale flyers. Then I pull out the coupons I'll be using for that store and put it in their page so that when I go shopping there I have them at my fingertips. Here is a picture of them:
Then because I'm an organizing freak, I put in pages for my grocery list and to do list. This way I can set my photo book open on top of my purse and see my grocery list without having to keep track of a piece of paper. This way, it stays in place and you don't have to search for it!
For my last page I have a page for coupons to be used today. I put my coupons there if I need them for any store other then the ones I have specified. So another words, if I'm going to Safeway I will put my coupons for that store in the page for Safeway but if I'm going to Giant Tiger or say McDonalds and have a coupon I'll be using I put them in the last page.
My book is bursting at the seams so I started another photo album where I keep just my FPCs (Free Product Coupons)or higher value coupons.
So this my method of organization and it works well for me. Let me know how you keep yours organized.
I sorted the pages into categories that I liked and used a black jiffy marker to write them on the page:
Cereals, Snacks, Meat, Dairy, Fresh Foods, Canned goods, Soups, Baby Pampers & Wipes, Baby Foods, Baby Toiletries, Cleaning...etc
This is what mine looks like:
There were more pages then I had categories for so I thought I would take it a step forward and put in pages for individual stores. When I sit down for the week and plan out our meals I make a grocery list at the same time using the sale flyers. Then I pull out the coupons I'll be using for that store and put it in their page so that when I go shopping there I have them at my fingertips. Here is a picture of them:
Then because I'm an organizing freak, I put in pages for my grocery list and to do list. This way I can set my photo book open on top of my purse and see my grocery list without having to keep track of a piece of paper. This way, it stays in place and you don't have to search for it!
For my last page I have a page for coupons to be used today. I put my coupons there if I need them for any store other then the ones I have specified. So another words, if I'm going to Safeway I will put my coupons for that store in the page for Safeway but if I'm going to Giant Tiger or say McDonalds and have a coupon I'll be using I put them in the last page.
My book is bursting at the seams so I started another photo album where I keep just my FPCs (Free Product Coupons)or higher value coupons.
So this my method of organization and it works well for me. Let me know how you keep yours organized.
Tuesday, March 10, 2009
~Maximize Your Loonie!~
How do you stretch your loonie to it's fullest potential? Think of those areas in your life that are the easiest in which to over spend. For most of us, it's on food and entertainment. You can use simple strategies to maximize how much you get from your money. First thing I will tackle today is by using coupons.
As discussed in yesterdays' post you want to collect every coupon you can, stock up on the ones you will use and not use them just because you have them.
The simplest way to maximize your loonie is by using coupons in conjunciton with sales at your local stores. Every week I go through the flyers and make a list of where I can shop for the best price on items I need with the coupons I have. Once you do this for a while you will learn that stores go through a cycle with products of when they go on sale. Once you learn this cylce you stock up.
How I do this efficiently is I have a pantry list of items that I keep in my purse notebook. These are items that either I am running low on or we use frequently enough that I could purchase extra if it were a good deal. I hardly ever run out of anything using this method because I always buy when it is on a good sale. Once I have enough of it I remove it from my list. One thing I stock up on is Tide. I use Tide to wash my clothes. Expensive some might argue, why not use no name brand. I could but I like Tide. So I maximize my loonie by waiting until Tide goes on sale and collecting coupons to use and then stocking up. By doing this I haven't paid over $2.99 for a 32 load jug of Tide in 6 months. I do the same with Bounce, and Downy.
Many people use a price book to track the prices at different stores during different seasons. I do this to a lesser extent, tracking the sale prices and location for key items I buy. After some time you will know the prices. A simple search on the internet will find you resources of information in regards to times of the year when items are on sale.
My next post will cover the organization of coupons. Check back for those details in a few days!
As discussed in yesterdays' post you want to collect every coupon you can, stock up on the ones you will use and not use them just because you have them.
The simplest way to maximize your loonie is by using coupons in conjunciton with sales at your local stores. Every week I go through the flyers and make a list of where I can shop for the best price on items I need with the coupons I have. Once you do this for a while you will learn that stores go through a cycle with products of when they go on sale. Once you learn this cylce you stock up.
How I do this efficiently is I have a pantry list of items that I keep in my purse notebook. These are items that either I am running low on or we use frequently enough that I could purchase extra if it were a good deal. I hardly ever run out of anything using this method because I always buy when it is on a good sale. Once I have enough of it I remove it from my list. One thing I stock up on is Tide. I use Tide to wash my clothes. Expensive some might argue, why not use no name brand. I could but I like Tide. So I maximize my loonie by waiting until Tide goes on sale and collecting coupons to use and then stocking up. By doing this I haven't paid over $2.99 for a 32 load jug of Tide in 6 months. I do the same with Bounce, and Downy.
Many people use a price book to track the prices at different stores during different seasons. I do this to a lesser extent, tracking the sale prices and location for key items I buy. After some time you will know the prices. A simple search on the internet will find you resources of information in regards to times of the year when items are on sale.
My next post will cover the organization of coupons. Check back for those details in a few days!
Monday, March 9, 2009
~Coupons - Love em or Hate em!~
I have long held a love/hate relationship with coupons. In my early years out of college I would clip the occasional coupon and it would languish in the bottom of my purse until one day I would go surfing for a piece of paper to write something on and it would come out in a crumpled mess. They never got used. Back then, they cost ME money. You see, if you spend TIME clipping coupons but never use them it costs you. It's simple, your time is valuable.
Now that I'm a mother and a wife and living in a slow, scary economic time I've learned to LOVE the coupon. I've learned ways in which to efficiently and effectively use them.
Here in Canada we don't have the benefit of all the coupon websites and offers that they have in the United States, but they are getting better. Manufacturers' use coupons to gain the consumer. They start out with an aggressive coupon to get you to buy their product. Once that coupon expires the company will often offer another one, but for less off. Sometimes it's half, sometimes less. I assume it depends on how well the product is doing on the market. Sometimes a company uses coupons to improve their image. For example: Maple Leaf foods this year had a recall on thousands of food items; they now have a fairly aggressive coupon strategy out to recapture the average consumer confidence.
Now that you understand why we have coupons let's get down to the dos and don't of coupons!
Do...stock up on as many of a coupon that you can use before their expiry. For example, there is a specific type of cream that I like for my coffee. They have a coupon that expires March 31. So when I first discovered this coupon I collected enough of them to last me until expiry. To do this I figured out how many of the item I would be using in say a week, in this case it was 1 per week. Then I figured out how many weeks were left before the expiry. I got enough of them to cover each week up to the date of expiry plus a couple of extra. My cream, you see, has a couple of week expiry date on it so I can buy a few towards the end of March and they will still be good for a few weeks.
Don't...buy something just because you have a coupon. If you don't use it or if it isn't something you NEED, don't buy it. Just because you have a coupon and it will cost you less is not a good reason to buy it. The only time I veto this rule is if it makes the item FREE. In which case you can either keep it for yourself or donate it to a shelter or food bank.
Do...keep yourself organized Set up a specific day of the week to organize, clip and sort your coupons. Also create a method for organizing them. I personally use mini photo albums that I purchased from Walmart for $2 for mine. I have 2 that I use. I will cover exactly how I organize mine in a later post. Keep all your items necessary in the same area. Some people like to highlight the expiry date on their coupons. I sort my coupons right then and there into what I'll use and what I can get rid of.
Do pick up every coupon you see in the store, whether you will use it or not. Why you might ask? Especially when I said, don't use a coupon just because you have it?!? Well you will need to have extra coupons to use in trades and trains. I will cover these in another post as well! Just keep em, and organize them!
Do...buy on sale with coupons. In order to effectively coupon you need to be a smart shopper. Combining sales and club card discounts with your coupons is the way to go. I will have another post going over this in the future.
Do...take your coupons EVERYWHERE you go. Yes, everywhere. You will never know when you need one. You don't have to use them every time but if you are somewhere and you see something that is on a great sale and you have a coupon for it, it makes sense to have them with you.
Don't be embarrassed or ashamed to use coupons. Every dollar you save counts. I use a simple excel spreadsheet to keep track of my savings. When I see the total add up I know why I do it. If you have a cashier being rude or otherwise making you feel uncomfortable for using coupons just tell them like it is. It is your money and your time. They are being paid for their time to be there serving you and the company will be reimbursed from the manufacturer. Just remember YOUR personal reasons for using that coupon. It's no one else's business. Nope, not even that guy in line behind you rolling his eyes!
So that is the basics of coupons. There is lots more to cover! In tomorrows post I will discuss how to use a coupon to it's maximum potential!
Now that I'm a mother and a wife and living in a slow, scary economic time I've learned to LOVE the coupon. I've learned ways in which to efficiently and effectively use them.
Here in Canada we don't have the benefit of all the coupon websites and offers that they have in the United States, but they are getting better. Manufacturers' use coupons to gain the consumer. They start out with an aggressive coupon to get you to buy their product. Once that coupon expires the company will often offer another one, but for less off. Sometimes it's half, sometimes less. I assume it depends on how well the product is doing on the market. Sometimes a company uses coupons to improve their image. For example: Maple Leaf foods this year had a recall on thousands of food items; they now have a fairly aggressive coupon strategy out to recapture the average consumer confidence.
Now that you understand why we have coupons let's get down to the dos and don't of coupons!
Do...stock up on as many of a coupon that you can use before their expiry. For example, there is a specific type of cream that I like for my coffee. They have a coupon that expires March 31. So when I first discovered this coupon I collected enough of them to last me until expiry. To do this I figured out how many of the item I would be using in say a week, in this case it was 1 per week. Then I figured out how many weeks were left before the expiry. I got enough of them to cover each week up to the date of expiry plus a couple of extra. My cream, you see, has a couple of week expiry date on it so I can buy a few towards the end of March and they will still be good for a few weeks.
Don't...buy something just because you have a coupon. If you don't use it or if it isn't something you NEED, don't buy it. Just because you have a coupon and it will cost you less is not a good reason to buy it. The only time I veto this rule is if it makes the item FREE. In which case you can either keep it for yourself or donate it to a shelter or food bank.
Do...keep yourself organized Set up a specific day of the week to organize, clip and sort your coupons. Also create a method for organizing them. I personally use mini photo albums that I purchased from Walmart for $2 for mine. I have 2 that I use. I will cover exactly how I organize mine in a later post. Keep all your items necessary in the same area. Some people like to highlight the expiry date on their coupons. I sort my coupons right then and there into what I'll use and what I can get rid of.
Do pick up every coupon you see in the store, whether you will use it or not. Why you might ask? Especially when I said, don't use a coupon just because you have it?!? Well you will need to have extra coupons to use in trades and trains. I will cover these in another post as well! Just keep em, and organize them!
Do...buy on sale with coupons. In order to effectively coupon you need to be a smart shopper. Combining sales and club card discounts with your coupons is the way to go. I will have another post going over this in the future.
Do...take your coupons EVERYWHERE you go. Yes, everywhere. You will never know when you need one. You don't have to use them every time but if you are somewhere and you see something that is on a great sale and you have a coupon for it, it makes sense to have them with you.
Don't be embarrassed or ashamed to use coupons. Every dollar you save counts. I use a simple excel spreadsheet to keep track of my savings. When I see the total add up I know why I do it. If you have a cashier being rude or otherwise making you feel uncomfortable for using coupons just tell them like it is. It is your money and your time. They are being paid for their time to be there serving you and the company will be reimbursed from the manufacturer. Just remember YOUR personal reasons for using that coupon. It's no one else's business. Nope, not even that guy in line behind you rolling his eyes!
So that is the basics of coupons. There is lots more to cover! In tomorrows post I will discuss how to use a coupon to it's maximum potential!
Sunday, March 8, 2009
~How to Save a Loonie~
So this is the first post of many discussing how to save a Loonie (or more) without living a life of less.
I plan on discussing couponing strategies, how to earn free money, how to maximize points programs, how to save money on groceries, and lots more as I arrive upon it.
I will track my savings throughout the year and post them here monthly as well as the amount of free money I've earned. I hope you enjoy learning how to save and will share strategies with me!
I plan on discussing couponing strategies, how to earn free money, how to maximize points programs, how to save money on groceries, and lots more as I arrive upon it.
I will track my savings throughout the year and post them here monthly as well as the amount of free money I've earned. I hope you enjoy learning how to save and will share strategies with me!
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