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).
Tuesday, March 29, 2011
Saturday, March 26, 2011
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?
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?
Friday, March 25, 2011
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?
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?
Monday, March 21, 2011
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.
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.
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.
Happy Spring break one and all.
Friday, March 18, 2011
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.
Milk 1 x 4L, (1 x 1L not in pic as it was for my mom)
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!
Wednesday, March 16, 2011
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.....
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