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?