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!!!
Monday, March 30, 2009
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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