McGavin's is at it again

Back to school bread savings -  Mcgavin's bread basket stores are great places to shop on any given day for great savings on bread and other baked goods but when they put out a coupon the savings are even better.  The latest coupon, 1.00 per loaf with coupon.  It's not a dime but it is still a huge savings and worth stocking up.  Click through the following link to their facebook page and claim your coupon.  You have to Sept 5th to claim the coupon and to Sept 11th, 2011 to redeem it.  

http://www.facebook.com/#!/McGavinsBreadBasket.GreaterVancouver

Happy Savings
Di

NINE Cent Photo Finishing deal

For all my scrapbooking and photo taking friends, Costco has a great deal for you.  NINE cent prints, valid to July 17th, 2011.

http://www.simplyfrugal.ca/2011/07/costco-photo-centre-4x6-prints-only-0-09-each

Thanks Simply Frugal for  posting this, if you are looking for more Canada specific deals make sure you check out this site, book mark it and check back often.  There are always great deals to be found.
Di

Saving outside the grocery box

Good morning saving savvy friends

So often I post about savings at the grocery store, mainly because that is what I shop for most often and it is the largest budget item therefore has the most potential for savings.  Today, I am posting about savings outside the grocery store.

It is a good day.  This is being said AFTER shopping for a bathing suit.  Ugh... next to shopping for a new bra, bathing suit shopping is my least favorite thing to shop for.
There are a number of reasons. . . .

1) I have long body, it is hard to find a one piece that fits well, and I am WAY past the 2 piece stage.
2) you have to take everything off down to the skivvies
3) you usually have to try on so many before you find one that works
4) Modesty for full figures in my book is far from what the swimsuit designers have in mind
5) they are SO expensive
6) Lycra / spandex  is not flattering
7) 3 or 4 min in  poorly lit fitting room is FAR different than wearing it for 3 or 4 hours and in the water
8) you have to be 100% sure because they can not be returned in most cases. Stress! 

True to form, procrastination rules.... I knew I needed a suit, holidays are looming on the horizon, but I so did not want to go suit shopping (see above list). I am sure many of you can relate.  However, having a child in need of a suit is pretty good motivation, yesterday was the day.   

The Sears Clearance Center is my new best friend.  3 min from home, we pass it 5 out of 7 days a week, but we rarely stop there to shop.  Then when we do I think, hmm, I should look here more often. True to most clearance center type stores, it is large, has a TON of stock, no fancy displays,  and you often have to really HUNT for what you are looking for.   If you have time it can be fun to see what you find, but for some it would be frustrating, yesterday was fun.   

I found 4 suits I liked, tried them on and was successful.  3 of the 4 would have worked. I chose one, YIPPEE!!!!

It fits, and it sucks things in at all the right places, supports in all the right places and it is as flattering as a swimsuit can possibly be.  This is a very good thing!!!

Regular price 98.00  sale price 20.00  (Savings 78.00!) YES!!!!!! 

Bonus  1 pair of shorts for 10.00 regular price 49.98 ( 39.98 savings!)

Extra bonus = Christmas gifts.  4 CD's for 10.00 (2.50 each)  regular price 19.98 each (total savings 69.92) 

Total spent tax included  $44.80
Total savings   $214.90  (with tax that would have been 240.68) 

That was just MY savings, my daughter also purchased 2 suits & CD's and saved a bundle.

Now I can relax and know that I will not have to be looking for a swim suit.  Bring on holidays, I am ready!

Organized, smorganized!

I am a creative soul, I like to play, I am easily distracted, I like to have options and choices when I create.  For the most part I do not multi task well, I am better when I give my undivided attention to something and complete it, than when I try to do more than one thing at once.  It took allot for me to acknowledge this in myself, I feel like I am letting my gender down, statistically, 'they' say that women are better multi taskers than our male counterparts.  It is highly likely that I have more than one thing on the go, I like to go back and forth as the mood strikes.  I can have a mess on my desk, but still be able to find things I am looking for however by nature I am not an organized person. I am capable of organizing, I LIKE things organized but I do not like the process of getting organized.  I like the look of neat and tidy, everything in it's place - I do not live in that place. 

I know I have issues, many, many issues.  Separation issues, emotional attachment issues to stuff - healthy?  I think not, I am working on getting over this, I have taken many bags & boxes to the local thrift store lately.  WAY more than I have in the past - this is good (not easy but good for sure)  I have been listing things on craigslist - not much luck there, however after a set time, if I get no bites there then off to the thrift store it goes. 

I need to reclaim some of the space in my house, to get a grip on organizing the things we actually USE, not just the things that I think I want to have or the things I think we NEED.  We live in so much excess, there are so many things in my home that others could put to better use.  I need help.... lots of help (trust me, LOTS of help)

I went searching for help  and I found a gold mine in the website  http://organizedhome.com/ .  I am on my way to actually getting it together - we will see how it goes.  I am going to tackle one thing a day and work on it till it's done.  Today = Freezer (yes again)  it is driving me crazy that I started this and did not finish so TODAY I am going to get it done.  Wish me luck.  I will give an update later today - TODAY!  I had better get of this machine and get busy.

Why re-invent the wheel.

There are tons of great websites that list daily deals, current coupons and facebook offers.  It would be silly to take the time just for the sake making it 'mine' to re-invent the wheel.  So here today I am giving kudos to the sites I frequent that list many great deals and who I think do an amazing job at keeping the Canadian world of deal seekers up to date and in the know.   THANK YOU.

http://www.smartcanucks.ca/
http://www.simplyfurgal.ca/
www.mrsjanuary.com

These are my three favorites - these are the ones I try to check daily.  Each of them is chalk full of great information for our Canadian couponing, deal seeking, shopping market.  I would highly recommend marking them as "favourites" so you can do the same.

Happy Saving!

Coming soon, frugal summer ideas

McGavin’s Bread Basket – $0.06 a Loaf until July 9, 2011

Quick link to an amazing deal on bread. SIX yes SIX cents a loaf. Sweet deal indeed.

McGavin’s Bread Basket – $0.06 a Loaf until July 9, 2011

Free stuff is good.....

I am working towards a "Free" Christmas this year.  Last year with using coupons and gift cards from grocery shopping rewards, in addition to watching sales fliers and NOT going overboard.  We managed to make it a debt free Christmas.  There was little stress in January when those credit card bills came - it was awesome.  So this year I am working towards a "free" Christmas - for the people who live under my roof. In all reality, it will likely be an almost free Christmas, BUT true FREE is the goal

How do I plan on doing that? ?

Hand made gifts with supplies I have on hand (oh how I have supplies on hand)

Right now, I have over 100.00 in Gift cards that I am saving.

I have enough airmiles for a night at the movie for our family of 5.

And then there are SWAGBUCKS.  I have Starbucks cards ready for gift giving, and over 3000 points waiting for redemption.  Likely at Amazon so many deals to be found there.  Swagbucks is a search engine just like google that awards you "bucks" for browsing.  SWAGBUCKS can then be redeemed for all sorts of great products and services, from books to music and electronics.  ALL FREE! (well you may have to pay shipping) .
Swagbucks are/ is awesome.  If you have yet to discover Swagbucks follow the link, sign up and add the swagbucks tool bar to your Internet browser page.   Use your SWAG search in place of google.  Accumulation at the beginning can be slow, but as you refer your friends and they begin to search you will see the points accumulate faster.  Join me on the SWAGBUCKS wagon and you too may be closer to a free Christmas, or free stocking stuffers to kick it off. 

All in frugal day's work

For years I have wanted to expand and re-design our out door living space.  There have been a few "obstacles" first we live in a co-op where rules need to be followed, second money has been tight. 

Rule #1 is easy to work around if you do not alter anything in such a way it can not be returned to it's original state.  OR your changes add in a positive way.  That along with approval of the appropriate people and you are good to go.  So this summer operation  re-design is under way. 

Here is the first instalment of what we Will be doing.

Operation "Bottom bunk conversion".  The bunk beds have been separated in our house since the girls got their own rooms and we know that they will never again be "stacked".  Shanna received a new bed - a more updated style, so this bottom bunk was not being used. For a while we thought that we would be giving them to friends for their younger girls but they found an alternative that works better for them.  So what to do with 1/2  a bunk bed - the top is still in use. 

Cost = Time & a little bit of electricity.

I used materials and tools we had here on hand. 

With the exception of going to my Father in Laws house and using his table saw (so much faster than the hack saw!) - We combined this with our Easter dinner, so no extra gas was harmed in the execution of this project.

Here is what happened... I will let the photos speak for themselves.

 

Now all I need is dirt, a SUNNY day and a firm decision on what I am going to put in this.

How well do you know your stores?

What about their points cards and reward programs? 

How many stores do you have represented in your purse? 
How many do you actually use to your advantage? 
Do you make a conscious decision to shop where you get points or shopping rewards? 

Until a few months ago, the only card,  I really paid attention to was my Airmiles - it meant free movies for us, that was about all. That is changing BIG Time. . .

In my wallet I have:

Airmiles (used mostly at Safeway, Boston Pizza and for gas at Shell)
Safeway club card
Save-on-More card
M & M Meats Max (used occasionally, mostly special occasions for Butter Cream Brownies -OH MY so good but oh so not good for the waist line)
Shoppers Optimum  (until recently only regularly shopped there for prescriptions - that is changing)
Petro Points (Petro Canada Gas)
Scene it (movies)
Starbucks (if you register your card, you get a free drink on your birthday, along with other perks)

There are so many of them out there I doubt that any one person could have them all, but then again maybe some do, I am not one of them. 

Today I want to focus on the Shoppers Optimum card -. This is a card I have carried and used here and there for years but certainly not to it's full potential.

Shoppers Drug Mart is where we have the bulk of our prescriptions filled. It was close to the girls pediatrician when they were young, it is on the way to many of our 'regular' activities and Royd's work.  Very convenient. Yup, I had a card, I knew it gave you points, I think I used them once, I never really thougth much about it, if I had my card, great! If not.. oh well.  It took me  a LONG time to amass the 8000 points it took to get the $10. savings.  
That was until recently, when a friend was talking about all the free stuff she was getting from Shoppers... (thanks Colleen) and told me to take a deeper look at how their points work.  I went from just about 6,000 points to over 12,000 in a months time.  It took me years to get the first 6 000.  

As a starting point you receive 10 points for every dollar spent, &  you have to have 8000 points before you can cash in and get your $10.00 savings.  You can see how it would take a while to add up.

I have discovered that all it takes is a little planning, watching their sales fliers, and logging into their optimum offers  web page, to see the points begin to pile up.  There are often 20X points events, and weekly there are bonus offers when you buy certain products.  You just have to keep your eyes open.  A few months back I literally had no clue, now I am cluing in.

There are a few no brainers....
I go through 2 - 4l jugs of milk a week  at 4.99 x2 that is 100 points a week, (5200 points per year)
eggs at 2.29 per dozen = 230 points every two weeks or so.   (5980 points per year)
Shoppers is located next to both of our "quick go get milk" grocery stores so it is not out of the way.  Just a conscious choice.

There is a points bonus on now when you spend $75 on almost anything in the store you receive 18, 500 points (that is approx $20) I have a birthday gift to buy this week, I will be taking advantage of this bonus.

Milk is 4.29 (this week, milk prices seem to fluctuate almost as much as gas recently),

Here is one scenario:
Enter store and purchase
1 10.00 gift card receive  100 points
1 50.00 gift card receive  500 points
1 25.00 gift card receive  250 points
      For a total of             850 points. 

This is before I actually start to shop - I have already earned 850 points.  This is money that I KNOW I was going to be spending today.  I will then use the gift cards to cover the purchases for the bonus points as well.

I will use the $10 card to purchase a tooth brush, milk and one U by kotex product
3.99 toothbrush = 39 points plus coupon for 3000 bonus then I have a 1.00 off coupon as well. 2.99 cost.
4.29 milk = 42 points
4.99 U product = 49 points plus a bonus of 1200 per product  (1.50 coupon) 3.49 cost
11.47 +tax   total points 4330

I am planning on purchasing a birthday gift that is just over the $75.00 mark.  So that will be a BONUS of 18,500 points.  on top of the regular 750.  For  a total of  19520

for a whopping grand total of 24,700points in one day! 

Now I just have to show a little self restraint and wait for the double points redemption day! 

I am not going to lie

These are my favourite kind of coupons to get. (valid to June 20, 2011) And use, I will not buy feminine hygiene products (a.k.a. girlie goodies in our house) with out a coupon - and it is one item I will always have stockpiled.  It is also a product that is easily "planned ahead for"  if you have pre-teen girls in your house, get a jump start on a stock pile.  You will be glad you did.


Image source:  Ubykotex.com

 Free samples are even better.  The sample pack is just perfect for the glove compartment in the car.   It certainly does not hurt to have a back up plan. ( Just for the record, this is one sample I do not send to my husband at work)

With 4 females in the house, there is no surprise there.  Saving even a small amount per box adds up.   I am thankful for the ability to stack at London Drugs (and now hopefully Save on Foods- I just have not tried it there yet!).  That pretty much translates FREE or next to free girlie goodies for this house. 

Potential savings per year: 
1.50 per box - if we go through 4 boxes per month (assorted varieties)  4 x 1.50 = 6 x 12 = 72.00.

Mail fun....

This is just a photo sampling of what came in the mail this week.

The Swedish Fish were a Facebook "Like" offer -Maynards Canada' page where I had to play a little game. You will have to have a Facebook account to play/ like the page. Value 1.99 plus the 1.00 off coupon.  I have received free cereal, hair dye, shampoo, frozen meals & lots of coupons through Facebook offers. 

The Gillette from P&G Brandsaver.  Sample packs are offered 2 or 3 times a year.  Value over $10.00

 

The mega stack of coupons - Well over $250 value was "payment" for filling out the randomly delivered Shoppers Voice .  These come in the mail.  It takes about 20 min to fill out, postage is covered for the return , I do it while Royd is driving or while waiting at doctors appointments or for the girls to come out of school.  The coupons received are geared to the way I answered my survey, so they are products that I would use OR they think I might like to try based on my answers. 

*Note:  I just noticed that there is also an online version of the Shoppers Voice survey.   If you like getting coupons, and do not mind filling out surveys, this might be right up your alley.  Good luck.

The other thing that came in the mail this week was the 2011 Canadian Census - we got "randomly selected" to do the LONG form this year.  35 min later - people will know who we are, what we did, ya da, ya da, ya da.. in  92 years.  Being a bit of a hobby genealogist this is sort of cool to think about. 

Where do you find your coupons?????

Is probably the question I get asked most often when discussing couponing. 

The second FAQ is do you think it is REALLY worth it.. I mean, .50 here and there does it really make a difference.  The answer to the second question is a resounding YES!  My year to date savings is up over 700.00 in coupon savings only.  Add to that $75.00 in gift cards received simply for shopping, points collected on a variety of cards, it is certainly worth it to us.  So back to the first question... where do I get my coupons. 

Many of you know of sites like Smart Canucks, an all inclusive informative resource site that is worth checking you.  Websaver, save.ca and Proctor and gamble are all personal favorites that will mail you coupons on request.   However the grocery store is the one place that I am always keeping my eyes open because you just never know where you will find a great coupon that can actually make you some money.

 

I saw this my last trip to the store.  Do I need Iced tea right now... no, BUT it is something that we will go through by the gallons when the weather turns, AND I had a $1.00 coupon that will expire at the end of May.
So despite the fact that it was not on sale (5.97), because it had $10.00 in coupons on it for frozen pizza I decided to pick it up during this trip. 
1) frozen pizza is something I like to have on hand in the freezer at all times.
2) I have learned that products with coupons such as these are a buy now or never see again (sort of like shopping at Winners or the thrift stores)
$5.97 less the $1.00 coupon = $4.97  Is not a bad price.



When I use all the coupons (which is a pretty sure bet in this house as this is one of the favourite pizza brands) I will have made $5.03 AND the Ice tea will have been free.   For me and my family this was a $5.00 no brainer (I actually bought 2 because I had 2 $1.00 off coupons).  Make sure you keep your eyes open when you are shopping, coupons are lurking in all sorts of places besides the obvious tear pads that often line the shelves. 

Remember however it is only a true deal if the product purchased and the products featured on the product ARE products your family will use.

Happy Hunting!

Cereal obsession part 3 = FREE

Free cereal coupon follow link below to have your free cereal coupon mailed to you.  Please note that it is valid for one day only  June 21st, 2011 - So mark your calendar so you will not forget. 
If you do not have a websaver account you will need to take a minute to sign up - the minute will be worth it once you see all the coupon potential at this site.

https://www.websaver.ca/en_ca/portal/cheerios/?source=gm_email&RNLUserUID=D323924D-A192-4980-A786-AC58A3EC2A52

Cereal obsession part 2

Coupons redeemed....

4l Ice cream on sale for $4.99 (regular $6.49)  FREE with coupons from cereal bought last month (total savings $12.98)

4 boxes Eggo waffles (regular $2.49) FREE with coupons from cereal bought last month (savings $9.96)

Grand total $22.94

Nightmares of a coupon disaster....

 Seriously could it get any worse? 

This is what happened, Saturday morning, just before I was heading out to meet up with some Smart Canucks to do some  trading... I walked by my open binder too quickly, and well, the photo pretty much tells the story.  100's of coupons on the floor.. they were organized, ready to trade and go shopping. UGH welcome to my nightmare!  I had to get them picked up and organized before I went - sigh, this could take hours.  I did not have hours so I devised a quick plan to make due until I had the time to get it all together properly.  It looked like this... 

     

To add insult to injury, sorry no camera for this one, when I was shopping, I dropped all my coupons there too. The ones I was planning on using, the ones I had filed just tin case I found a rocking deal, the ones I chose to pass on 'till next time. Crazy pile of mixed up coupons splayed on the floor yet again.  What a day! I am sure you can use your imagination.....slightly smaller explosion than the display above, but a mess just the same.  At home there was only my family to laugh and roll their eyes, at the store, people were stepping over me, giving me dirty looks, laughing (oh wait that was my daughter) and with the air current in the store they travelled a whole lot further than they did at home.  There I was in the middle of RCSS picking up & re-organizing... Ohi,  glad there were no hidden cameras! It was not my day. 

I think I need a better system.  I am going to have to put on the creative thinking cap on for this one. At least I do not think I lost any under the freezers or produce displays - That might have actually made me cry.

I did manage to pull it together and have a great shopping experience, got some great deals and had 0 hastles at the check out. Thanks to the amazing Carly, my cashier at RCSS -Westwood a painless and actually FUN time checking out.  Looking forward to the 90.00 in gift cards that will be coming our family's way.  Do not freak on me, I will be having the MIR's sent to 3 different addresses, home, mom & mil's (neither of who coupon or care to do the MIR's and are happy to help) so it's all good.  Life is good... Shhh do not tell, but I am saving the gift cards I am collecting to buy (get for free) an new TV for my hubby for Christmas... Should be no problem with deals like this.  ($50.00 already in hand, $90.00 on the way)  Working towards a "FREE" Christmas!

Sunshine and freebies in Burnaby

For 40 years the Burnaby Village Museum has been a 'go to' location for school field trips and event celebrations like Canada Day and Christmas.  It is also a great venue to have wedding photos taken, the quaint little church and gazebo have been local favorites for years.  This year being their 40th anniversary they have announced that admission to the park will be FREE.  The park is a great step back in time, volunteers dress in period costumes, crafts, music presentations and period demonstrations are  offered on site as well.  My personal favourite is the 1912 refurbished CW Parker Carousel - at $2.25 per ride, it is frugal family fun at it's best.   

The carousel is a great "rainy day" activity option as it is entirely indoors.  For me, the carousel brings back memories of Playland (which opens this weekend, but is not so frugal) visits with my Grandma.  Eating whoppers and waving as we swished by waving regally perched on our favourite steed.  Is there anything better than an activity that can transport you back to happy times from childhood?  I think not!

The Museum opens for the season on May 7th, 2011 and runs through September.

As an added feature this year, the Burnaby Village is also the home for the Burnaby Farmers Market. I love the farmers market, local artisans, farmers, fisherman, & ranchers, in one place.  Live music, fresh baking it is never the same 2 weeks in a row.  It is a great venue that brings the community together.   Look for me there every second week, I will be setting up & manning the Kics Lemonade Stand once again.  Please let there be sunshine the only thing that makes the farmers market better is a bright sunny day (or at least a day with out rain....)

Save even more at VV

http://www.valuevillage.ca/Super-Savers-Club.aspx

Shopping at VV is already a great place to start saving, sign up for this super saver club and save an addtional 25% - for even more savings.

Just a little Craigs list love....

Just before bed last night I quickly checked Craigslist.  And there it was... the entertainment unit I have been waiting for, well one that would work wonderfully for us.  It fit the criteria...  Pine, tall, not too big, FREE, not too far away.  The hitch.. it was 10:41 PM -  it was posted about an hour before that.  It would take us about 15 min to get there - it could be gone.  The question, do we go, or do we not go?  I debated for about 15 minutes before I put the question out there... 

I just have to say that my hubby is the best.  He did not even bat an eye when I said, "hey babe want to go for a little drive?" This is not the first time this crazy wife has asked such a question at such an hour of the night no less.  And still he says sure, I know many men out there would say NO way crazy woman.  Last time we did this it backfired, the item was gone.  And he still says yes, I do love this man.  This time we had success! This unit is beyond what I ever hoped to find.  It is a very well made piece of furniture, I am sure that when it was new it was well over $500.  Solid wood, it has doors that fold totally away so the TV will not be obstructed when viewing, and can be pulled out for better visibility.  Lots of storage underneath too.  Can you tell I am excited!  I actually did a little happy dance on the side of the road when it was still there when we drove up.  I am hoping that by having a unit to house our TV that can hide the TV it will be like the TV is not in the living room.   

I truly miss having it in a different room.  This just goes to show, that patience does pay off, and it is o.k. to ask odd questions at odd hours in this house. 

Hiding in the back corners...

Ugh.. I think my least favorite task to do in the house is clean the fridge.  Mainly because I leave it too long and it gets nasty with a capitol "N".   With that in mind I went on a little Internet journey to find tips for better organization of said beast.  WOW I love when the Internet does not disappoint, I gained tons of great ideas. And some very good knowledge of the correct way to store fruits and veggies for optimal freshness and shelf life.  I am filing that for a future post I think I will call "Things I wish my Mother had taught me" 

I am off to Value Village in search of a couple of lazy susans.  For years my mom had them in one of our cupboards at home they were great, I had never thought of them for the fridge - especially the back corners.  Brilliance!  I am hoping that these will not be on the "VV wish list" for long, my fridge is very much in need of this little addition.

1/2 dozen + 1 Tips
1) Set a "date & time" to clean out the fridge.  Weekly is best, do not let it go past 2 weeks.  The task will be much less daunting.  I have done this now for a month,  Monday is the day, morning is the time. 
2) Turn off the fridge - why waste the energy while the door is open for the 1/2 hour - hour this task will take. (With regular clean out, time will be cut significantly, and the gagging potential drops too.)
3) Remove EVERYTHING from the fridge before you start to scrub. Drawers, and shelves included. This makes it so much easier to wash, and see anything that is hiding in the corners.
4) Scrub from the top down.  All you will need is warm water and mild soap (I use whatever dish soap we are using at the time.)  Do not forget to wash the drawers and shelves.
5) For really stubborn spills, set a damp cloth (warm water) on the spill for a few min to soften, come back and in most cases it wipes right up.
6) Rinse & Refresh with a mixture of 2TBSP baking soda mixed with 1 litre of warm water.  Dry inside of fridge.  Turn on the thermostat.
7)  Do not forget to wipe down all items that are being returned to the fridge.

A clean fridge is a thing of beauty.

Patience pays off & THIS made my day!

Adopt the pace of nature:  her secret is patience. 

~Ralph Waldo Emerson

Patience is the companion of wisdom. 

~St. Augustine

Patience is also a form of action. 

~Auguste Rodin

Sometimes it pays to be patience, especially where Craigslist  or  Value Village are concerned.  I freely admit that I am addicted to both.  I think it is hereditary, my paternal grandma was a bargain hunter to the tenth degree, garage sales, thrift stores, and swap meets were no match for her bartering / bargaining prowess.  I like to think that she taught me well, before it was cool how to recycle, reuse and re-purpose, she told us that there were great things to be found that others had discarded. I have found that to be true over and over again, you just have to know what you are looking for and have patience to wait for them to show up.  

I have wish lists of things that I look for when visiting either craigslist or VV.

I check Craigslist free section daily to see if I can find any of the items on my list. It takes me about 5 min if that, and I usually do that while I download my email for the day.   Recently I have picked up a couple of book shelves and a CD tower to match the ones already in use for our DVD collection. ALL FREE!  Book shelves are pretty much a daily listing so that was easy.  The CD tower however,  I waited / looked for a number of months before one came up.  I was not in a hurry, I knew what I wanted, and was very specific. It was just a "it would be nice to have sometime".  It certainly was not a "I need it now item."   I still have the CD towers on my list, I am willing to wait, to see if it comes up again.

One thing to keep in mind with Craigslist, is driving distance to pick items up.  Is it worth the time / gas costs?  I was fortunate, both the book shelves and the CD towers were located no more than 5 km's from routes we regularly drive.  So the "free" aspect was not lost on gas usage.  Extra bonus. Depending on the item it may be worth going the extra miles to pick up.  

Then there are our regular visits to VV- the closest one is less than 3 min from home with another 2 within a 10 min drive.   We drive by often, in our day to day life, so none of these locations are "out of the way" a quick trip in can take less than 15 min because we know what is new on the racks or shelves.

Like when I go grocery shopping, I have a list. I do admit that I do not stick to it as tightly as I do my grocery list it simply acts as a guide and gives me a place to start.  VV shopping allows for a little more 'freedom'  simply because you never know just what you are going to find.  With that being said maybe my VV list should be more of  a wish list than a shopping list.  I have found that if you have patience you will find what you are looking for most of the time. 

My newest acquisition is prime example of just that. This past Christmas one of my hubby's aunts made traditional Lefse, I think it is Grandma's recipe.  So yummy!  The key she told me was to make sure you have the right tools, starting with the right rolling pin.  I thought great, I will go pick one up and be off making Lefse with my family... Not so easy.  First of they are not carried at any normal department / discount stores.  Secondly I have discovered that to purchase a new one could be anywhere from 25$.  I thougth that a little steep for a rolling pin and was not willing to pay that, so it went on my VV list.  I have been looking ever since. It may not look like much but it made me want to do a happy dance in the isle (much to the dismay of my children) when I found it this last week.  For a whopping 3.99!  So excited.  Now I just need to peel a few potatoes and make some Lefse.  

Cereal obsessed...

We eat a fair bit of cereal in our house, both my kids and husband are happy when there are sugar coated varieties in the mix.  I am happy to buy it when there are coupons on the box.  This is a very common site in our cupboards when it comes to cereal, boxes with 1/2 the back cut out.  There are currently 8 boxes at the present time in this condition.  The best part is I have coupons for FREE Eggo's ready to pick up when I have a little more room in my freezer.   Both make me smile.

Kellogs is running a great promotion right now on specially marked boxes of cereal.  Free, Eggo Waffles, Minute Maid Juice, Banana's, Yogurt, or Tasters Choice coffee when you buy specially marked boxes of cereal.  I found my boxes at the Real Canadian Super Store (Lougheed & Schoolhouse) on Sunday afternoon.  There were LOTS, but I suspect that they will be scooped up quickly. Sale price on cereal runs through to close on Thursday.

This is how I worked this deal.  

6 boxes @ 2.97 =17.82 Less $6.00 for coupons ( found in store, save 3$ when you buy 3)

Total paid 11.82 (1.97 per box) Regular price is around 5.00 per box

Total savings 61% 

Add to that the 6 FREE coupons for waffles a $17.94 value

Total out of pocket 11.82 for 47.94 regular priced items.

Grand total savings 75% 

Which is $36.12 still in my pocket! (which is 3 x the amount out of pocket - I like doing math like that!)

Happy Mail

One of the best things is getting mail that does not require response in the form of a cheque, or direct payment.  Happy Mail, it does exist. This arrived today, proof that happy can slip through the mail slot.

Free Hair colour coupon.  My grey will be happy.  

Here are a few offers that will bring some happy mail to your home.  Remember to act fast these offers may be limited.  (quantity and or time sensitive)

http://www.freeasana.com/get-your-free-tub.php 

http://www.facebook.com/home.php#!/maynardscanada  (you will have to log into your facebook account and play a little game for this one.  It took all of 30 seconds - and my free bag coupon will be coming in the mail)

Another quick reminder new coupons were listed at the beginning of the month on the brandsaver site.  These are some of my favorite, they make me very happy. 
https://www.brandsaver.ca/en_ca

What came in your mail that made you happy today?

New coupons out today....

Just a very quick post today.  One of my favorite coupon sites has new offerings today. 
P&G (Procter & Gamble) Everyday solutions has new coupons out today to order. 
https://www.brandsaver.ca/en_ca/coupons/  follow the link if you have not already set up an account with them do that then order away.  New coupons are offered about every 3months here.

Watch this weekend as their glossy coupons should be coming out in the papers as well. 

Do not forget, watch the sales circulars, match the coupon with a sale price to get the best deals.

These are my favorite to stack at London drugs....  I foresee much happy shopping in my future!

Have fun!

Blockbuster bonus.... WOHOOO! $72$

I wanted to post this yesterday but we were having serious Internet issues here.  It was not working - and not having any portable devices that would allow me to hook up somewhere else things got delayed.

We do not have cable in our house, I know, shocking to many right?  Over the years we have amassed quite a collection of DVD and VHS movies.  Many we watch over and over, others we have watched once and there they sit.  A friend told me about this great promotion on at Blockbuster video that  we should check out.  In checking it out I learned that  BLOCKBUSTER  video has some great promotions throughout the year.  This has not been our video store of choice, as it's a little out of the way and we have a great little local family video store within walking distance from home. That may be changing.  This past weekend we took my friends advice and took advantage of Blockbuster's DVD trade event.  Take in your old DVDs and as long as they were in good condition and on their "approved" list they were giving a $4.00 store credit.  WOOHOO that means free money to me.  We have a very extensive video and DVD collection.  Over the weekend we went through it and weeded out 24.  Sunday after church we headed to the store to see what we could do.  They accepted 18 of them and I now have a gift card in my purse for $72.00.

I am not sure how long the trade in event is going on, but it sounds like it is something that they do on an ongoing basis.   If you have DVDs laying around the house that you are not watching - hop on down to a local Blockbuster & you too can score some free cash... (Well gift card).

What does your grocery list say about you?

I have been Spring cleaning my computer, my "favorites"  files are getting the once over.  During this cleaning binge I came across this goodie... http://www.grocerylists.org/top10/.  A website dedicated to of all things grocery lists.... yes you truly can find anything you want online.  It is an entertaining visit to be sure.

What does your grocery list look like?  Do you even write one?  Here is a copy of the current one that is on my fridge I am pretty sure that the creator of Gorcerylist.org would laugh if he found this list in his travels. Notice; TP- Butt  & TP- teeth at the bottom of the list.. Yup that is pretty much how it get's listed.  It started when I was dictating a grocery list to one of my girls while driving on the way to the store a number of years ago.  The scribe asked .. hmm mom TP, what kind the kind for your butt or the kind for your teeth.  (because you know you would not want to confuse the 2). I am not sure what the WOW is for, will have to ask.  Everyone is welcome to add to this list at anytime however I have the final say when I make the master before I go to the store. 
I am learning that shopping and sticking to a grocery list is the # 1 way to save in the grocery department.  No excess buying,  no impulse buys, I can have my coupons ready and attached to the  list.  It truly helps. 
I also keep a list WHILE shopping.  If I see something that I think we need I list it on the second list, then come home and check to see if we really do NEED it at this time.  This cuts down on the impulse buys and unnecessary "extras" in my cupboards.  The only exception to this is milk.. because I do not drink it, and am not always aware of what is left in the fridge, if one of the girls says we need milk... I buy milk. This double list system is working well for us. 
What works for you when it comes to a grocery list?

To stash or not to stash that is the question....

How much of a good thing is too much?  Is there a limit?
When does stock piling or stashing items become hoarding?  Is there a difference?
When does "Getting the good deal" feed a deeper issue than just trying to feed your family, and keep them and the house clean?  (shopaholic?  OCD?)
When does "getting the good deal" cost you more? 
What about expiry dates and best before dates?  Things like toothpaste can go bad. 

I think these are questions you have to ask & answer for yourself.  Each of us will have a different answer for each question - and that is o.k.  I think that the problems come when we just shop and do not have limits and do not ask our selves the questions.  One person could have a different answer 2 months from now too as their life situation changes.  It's o.k. Life is about finding a balance that works for you. 

When I watch some of the extreme coupon shows on YouTube (no cable in our house) I think wow  excessive much?  Do we really need 40 years worth of toilet paper in the house?  Not likely, at least not here in North America where we have the convenience and privilege of a grocery store / department store or drug store on pretty much every corner.  With each of those stores featuring something new on sale every week is there truly a NEED for such a stock pile? There comes a time when "being prepared" becomes being obsessed and neurotic.  Sure in today's roller coaster economic situation it is good to be prepared, to look a head to save for a rainy day, but seriously, even the largest of families can not go through that much TP before things pick up or the next sale/coupon rolls around.  I think that we need to be realistic, what does my family use?  What does it really truly NEED?  This too will be different for each family.  I also very much realize and appreciate that these levels are different for different people and different family situations.

For example a family that lives a rural area far from decent stores will need a larger stash than a family like mine who has several shopping options within a 4 min drive. 
People living in areas with threats of extreme weather ccertainly need to have more items on hand, especially in those extreme weather months.
A larger family will require much more "on hand" in an average month than my family of 5. 

As with anything in this life the key balance.  A balance that works well for your family.  Balance that is not excessive and wasteful.  I have a small stash, small for several reasons;
One I am limited by space. 
Two I do not want to stock things my family will not use
Three I know the sale rotations of my local stores and know that the same product will be on sale again in 6 -9 weeks. 

For me and my family my stash is limited to items we will use in the time before the next sale rolls around. OR the sale with coupons added is too good a deal to even consider passing up. Which means a 90 -100% savings.  Even with coupon / sale combination I am considerate of the "shelf life" of the product.  My major " stash" item would be feminine hygiene products.. with 4 girls in the house,  that is pretty much obvious. With these items in my stash I have paid only taxes.  Meaning that with coupons and sale combinations I have gotten them for FREE!  Free is always good when I am going to pick them up and add them to the 'stash'   Items like Shampoo, toothpaste, tooth brushes and deodorant are also items I will continually stock up on - simply because we go through them on a continuous basis.  The other biggie in my stash is cleaning supplies, before I started couponing, and really watching sale prices cleaning supplies are one thing that I purchased sparingly, multi surface products that will do more than one job, not always the best job either, but it was a way of cutting corners.  Now I find that there are tons of coupons out for cleaning supplies and I often can get them for next to nothing if not free (taxes only paid).  So I have a 'collection' of cleaning supplies in my stash.  I guess you could say that in the long run I have trouble spending money on things that literally go down the drain.
So what is it that you 'stash' and would hate to pay full price for? 

10 things I will never pay full price for EVER

I'd like nothing better than to never pay full price for anything ever again. I know that this is not reality, I am however, committed to finding the best deal I can for the things my family needs.  Anyone who uses coupons, or considers themselves a bargain hunter will appreciate that. 

Since my girls were small we have always looked for used before new. Part of that was out of need, part of that was teaching them the value of a dollar, and the truth behind "one man's trash is another man's treasure."  We have truly found some treasures, often finding new, not just new to us, in the second hand stores. The best was the time we found a brand new pair of $60.00 gap jeans for $1.99.  That was just a week after seeing them at the mall and explaining to my soon to enter kindergarten daughter that paying $60.00 for a pair of jeans is insane for a 5 year old, that will out grow them in 6 months. 

Since starting on this coupon journey, my eyes have been opened to a whole new list of things that I will never pay full price for again, heck, even just a sale price is not good enough for this girl on these items.  Anyone who coupons has a list of things they will never again pull pay full price for. For me it is those things that literally either get flushed down the toilet, washed down the drain OR tossed in the trash.

10) Tooth paste
9)   Shampoo / Conditioner
8)   Deodorant
7)   Dish soap
6)   Any cleaning product
5)   Hair Colour
4)   Dental Floss
3)   Razors
2)   Shaving cream

And the # one item in this house I will never buy at full price.

1)   Feminine hygiene products (referred to in our house as girlie goodies)  with 4 females in the house I am sure you can all understand this. The savings are huge on that one item alone for our family.   

All of these items often have easily found coupons.  When you combine coupons and sale prices the savings truly add up and fast.  Knowing what the rock bottom price is on these will net you the best deal possible. 
If I can not get these items free or close to free I will not buy them unless the combined coupon / sale savings is over 60%.  That is just my personal challenge.  There are a few exceptions, the main thing being dire need.  I try never to be in dire need.  Having a small stash helps that along with an inventory list of what is on the shelves.  More on that later.

Here is a link to a coupon to help you save Expires June 2011. 

What do you like to save on?  I'd love to hear from you.

Happy savings to you all.

Fun spring break freebie....

Free is always good.  Free entertainment over spring break, when the weather is supposed to be not so hot at the end of the week is even better.   Here is my recommendation for FREE fun over spring break. 

I would like to introduce you to Goovy Lime games.  Free down loadable games for the whole family.  The game creator is a close personal friend who likes to build computer games in his spare time and created  the Groovy Lime website to share his games with the world out of the goodness of his heart. I am not suggesting this because he is a friend, but because the games are super fun, challenging, & creative.

Gliderman is our family favorite.   A game of block busting, bomb (not in a violent sort of way) exploding race against ones self.  The goal to turn the blue blocks green and advance to the next level.  BEWARE of falling cows, soccer balls and UFO's oh and a few rockets tossed in to keep you on your toes.  We have been playing for years, and now Trev has just finished the 3D version.  I downloaded it on Friday night, when my middle daughter saw it her reaction was "Sweet, something fun to do over Spring break"  I would highly recommend it for kids of all ages.  The only down side is I will now have to fight for computer time even more than normal.  Oh well it is all in a Groovy day's play. 
Happy Spring break one and all.

N.F.F.F

No Frills Friday Fun

I LOVE No Frills -  If you are not familiar with No Frills - it is a relatively new grocery store in our area (well in Coquitlam - which is 14 min down the road for me) and it lives up to it's name.  No Frills - no fancy displays, no fancy lighting, no in store bakery or butcher (those things are EXPENSIVE to operate) what it lacks in those fancy things it makes up for in deals!  They are a member of the Loblaw family (as is Extra foods & Real Canadian Super Store) so they are no stranger to the grocery shopper and the grocery shopper who loves to get value and quality without the high price. Every week, there are new deals to be had.  I do not get the flyer delivered to my home so Thursday night at midnight it is No Frills flyer check time I check out their current flyer and start making a list.  Then I go check my coupons and double check my list.

 Just a F.Y.I. side note; Flyer Land is an awesome place to be able to see all those fliers that you do not get to your door.

I especially love the No Frills sale this week. 
It's their $1, $2, & $3 sale!  ( I like easy math )
I was hoping that cake mix would be on as we are running low, sadly it is not but there were other great sales to take advantage of. 

Ocean Spray Cranberry Juice  950 ml $1  or FREE with coupon printed from here
http://www.oceanspray.ca/coupon.aspx?id=2331

Select zip lock bags $2 each or get 2 FREE with the coupon printed  from here
http://rightathome.ca/default.aspx?sC=1   Note: you will need to take a moment to register at this site,  then follow the link in the upper right hand corner of the home page then you can print the coupon.

Seasoned boneless skinless chicken breasts $2 lb.  These are frozen and in small packages which is great, no having to break up a big block of frozen chicken to get a meal sized portion.

Those are the items that caught my eye.  Though I did not end up buying the juice as I had forgotten my coupon at home on the printer.. sigh I really should have double checked that thing in the morning. 

Here is a quick rundown of my purchase

Milk  1 x 4L, (1 x 1L not in pic as it was for my mom)

3 pkgs chicken breast (each around 3.50 per pkg)

6 boxes assorted zip lock bags (coupons used = FREE)

1 loaf of bread

2 lean cuisine (1 for us 1 for my mom to try - if we like it will be buying more)

1 package frozen cubes

HST     1.44

Total   24.36

Less $20.00  (gift card received in mail a couple of weeks ago for a Proctor and Gamble mail in rebate)

Total out of pocket $4.36 -  Yippee!

Which was covered with the $5.00 my mom gave me to pick up milk for her. 

MY PERSONAL OPP....0 Dollars and 00 Cents. 

Total coupon savings this order $12.00!

Free Groceries make my day!

Getting creative with storage for my 'stash'

Weather you call it a 'stock pile' a 'stash' or practical hoarding  one thing for sure is you need to have a designated space to put things.  Oh how I wish I had a basement, a garage that was closed in, or even an extra closet.  That is not the case so I have to get creative with the space I have.  Creative is only the beginning, I have to make room, in our 4 bedroom town house is occupied with 5 adult sized bodies, this is not an easy task.  It is a work in process, it has taken me some time, and quite honestly some sacrifice of my creative space to come up with something that will work.  It has been a slow slog, it started with a major clean out of our linen closet....  

Here is where my "stash" started  about 8 or so months ago

It was apparent fairly soon that this space was going to be much too small.  The wheel's were turning. Eventually the sewing machine (that is the white box in the bottom left of the first photo) moved to a new home which gave me almost double the room - however in a couple of months that was full. 

I needed some sort of shelving unit, but did not want to put out any $$$$ to make that happen.  There were no shelves around home to make that happen so I turned to Craigslist and the free section, with in days I had new shelves that cost me nothing!  They were in a neighbourhood that we frequent often.  All the peices were coming together. You have got to love FREE!  They are not pretty, but they are clean & sturdy and will do the job.   I then cleaned out a corner in my creative space (studio)  (oh there is so much more work to do there....) and set up the  shelves. A Perfect fit! 



 A quick visit to my local dollar store where I picked up the coloured baskets for $1.00 each and the white wire hanging baskets for $1.50 (6.72 including tax).

The plan is to put smaller items like dental floss, and tooth brushes into the baskets.

The little things that will get lost on a shelf.

Larger and boxed items will stand on the shelves.

There is space washer & dryer so I am able to store extra detergent & fabric care product extras there. As well as lots of space under my kitchen sink for dish washing supplies. 

This worked out better than I had hoped, a little creativity and planning went a long way.  I especially love that it took very little out of pocket expense to pull it all together.  It makes me happy.

There is still lots of  "creative" space in this room plus a little room for expansion if needed for the "stash" as my family refers to it as. The sewing machine is back in it's original home, shared only with the toilet paper, just like the good old days. The task at hand now is to get the other end of the room sorted and organized, so I could actually create in my creative space, a novel idea seeings as I can hardly get to the table, right now it looks like a disaster zone.  Another project for another day.....