Pricebusters Saving Your Hard Earned Money

Costco Deals

2012-01-25T16:46:00.000-08:00

I popped in to Costco and thought I would share the deals!
Pork Sirloin Boneless Chops $1.99/lb or $4.39/Kg
This is a great deal! I brought it home and divided it into 4 Ziplocs.
My sister in law cuts each chop in half as they are the thick ones.
I just had some gourmet ones this week, that were stuffed.
I think I might try that.
The bananas are 3lb for $1.69 or .56/lb!

Veggies and Ice Cream!

2012-01-25T12:07:00.000-08:00

Want some ice cream? Did you know you can email Chapman's Ice Cream once each year and get a $5 coupon? Here's the link. Enjoy!

Some good deals on fruits and veggies!

Oasis Free Juice

2012-01-18T11:34:00.000-08:00

Do you want to hear a story? If the answer is no...just skip reading this!
Do you remember back to my Mega redemption shop? Do you remember seeing this juice? Well, I bought one of these with my free points and it had a $2 off coupon on it. I find our 24 hour store often has these $ off coupons on the juices, so you might want to check that.

When we finally drank it at the end of December and when I took the label off to get the PIN I discovered the
promo was from Sept 6-Oct 31,2011.

I went to the website anyways and found the promo had been extended until April 30,2012.
When I typed in my PIN it directed me to the save.ca site to get my coupon for a free juice mailed to me, but it wasn't there.
So, I emailed the company from their free juice site and gave them my PIN and told them what had happened.

Very shortly thereafter I received an email saying they were looking into it.
A few days later I received a letter and a $5 coupon for any of their products!
Yesterday, at 20X the points day at Shoppers I used my coupon and bought 2 more
juices with the free juice collar. This morning I tried the site out again and 2 free juice coupons
are on their way!
So, in the end I got one free at the redemption.
I bought 2 for $7.98-$5.00=$2.98 and 2 more free. So that's 5 fruit juices for $2.98! (I will use my free juice coupons at Safeway's 10% off day for the discount and air miles.)
I was very impressed with the customer service from A.Lassonde Inc.

It's Cold Outside....

2012-01-17T16:57:00.000-08:00

Well..seems there's a bit of a cold snap, huh??? Let's not talk about that! Let's talk about hamburger soup! Years ago my friend Kerry taught me to make hamburger soup. I always think of you as I make it!

Start by putting a little olive oil, garlic and onion in a large pot. Soup is not an
exact science as far as I am concerned so feel to substitute, omit, etc!
America's Test Kitchen cooks always talk about the importance of salting the onions to
release their flavor, so do that if you please!

Remember the on sale hamburger this week? Add about a pound and brown.

Here's some fun things to add.
A can of stewed tomatoes and a can of tomato soup. I added about 4 cans of water.

Here I added the on sale broccoli stems.
Not the yucky bottom part, but the tasty part
just below the tree part(don't you love my
ability to name that part!).
I also tossed in two small handfuls of barley.
If you don't like barley(I don't understand why not!)
you could add some rice or noodles.

Here we have some potatoes cut up small and on top I added some
ground pepper and coarse salt. I also cut up carrots small and added them.

It needs to cook for awhile to tenderize the potatoes, carrots, broccoli ends and
to cook the barley.
This is one of my family's favorite hearty soups. Soups are a great way to use up things in your fridge and to serve a yummy meal. It is also a great way to reduce your food budget. We try to have soup once a week in the winter. It's great to have a nice soup in the crock pot when you get home! This one can easily be cooked that way once the beef ,onions and garlic are browned.
Well..try and stay warm...
Why not enjoy some soup???

I've Got Lots of Cheerios and Peanut Butter!

2012-01-16T15:08:00.000-08:00

Did you get the Cheerios at Costco last week?
This is a lovely, easy snack!
Only 4 ingredients and it takes about 5 minutes to make!
Cheerio Crispy Squares!
1/4 cup butter
1/2 cup peanut butter
1 package marshmallows(6 cups)
5 cups Cheerios
Melt butter over low heat.
Once it is melted add the marshmallows and peanut butter.

Stir until smooth.

Mix in the Cheerios and press into a 9X13 greased pan.
ENJOY!

I love your deals!

2012-01-15T09:47:00.000-08:00

I love it when you email me about the deals you find!
Thanks Denise for the heads up that the Purex TP 15 double rolls is also at Safeway for $5.99 and when you buy 2 you get 50 airmiles! Might as well get some airmiles with your toilet paper!!

This Week's Sales

2012-01-14T15:30:00.000-08:00

Check out the glassy surface on the lake....picture taken by Terry.
This Week's Sales
Seems finally there are some deals to share!
At Costco they have 3lbs of bananas for $1.69!!
Also Cheerios are 1Kg for $4.99
Their sales usually end Sunday.
Superstore 13-19
This week they have the spend $250 get $25 PC GC
I have found it really hard to buy $250 worth of groceries and find it makes the 10% off advantageous. Because I buy loss leaders and groceries on sale, when I check prices of the filler items I would buy to reach $250 I just don't usually find it worthwhile.
That being said there are quite a few good deals and if you buy $250 worth it pays off!
Stewing Beef $2.98/lb
Lean Ground Beef $1.98/lb(limit 4 club packs)
Broccoli .96 each(they were nice big bunches!)
Snow Peas 200g .98
Field Cucumbers .88
NN Cheese 800g $7.43 limit 1
NN Apple Juice 1L .88
NN Pineapple Juice 1L $1
Purex TP 15 DBLS $5.98 limit 2
I spent some quality time at the grocery stores yesterday....one thing I did was hang out in the TP aisle, trying to make sense of the deals. Charmin is on sale and I had coupons so I carried this Purex over to the Charmin and NN section. When I compared sheets on the roll and size of sheets and # of rolls the Purex was still the best deal!
Seafood Medley 340g $3.88
Dole Classic Mix Salad $1
NN Pasta 2Kg 2/$5

Walmart 13-19
Armstrong Cheese 750g $6.97

A couple of things.....there is a buy $40 worth of P&G products and get a $10 PC GC. I thought I would check out the large Cascade dish washing. If I was to buy $40 worth(4 boxes) and get $10 back, so pay $30, it still would be more expensive than what it would cost for the same 4 boxes at Costco! So, I don't think I will be participating.

SCOP
What is it? The scanning code of practice is when something is listed as one price at the shelf and comes up another at the cash register. Want all the details? Read here .
When I did my shop yesterday I was unable to stand and watch the till as the place was a zoo and I needed to get my stuff packed up before it became one squished pile at the end of the belt....can you relate? Well, when I was all done I stood to the side and looked over my bill. One of the items, rang in at $3.17, but I had bought it because at the shelf it said $2.49 for the first 4. I wasn't in a rush and so I lined up in the customer service area. I explained to the teller what had happened. She went to the product's aisle and brought back the tag from the shelf. I got my item for free! I was sad to think of all the people who were overcharged all day! She changed it after my purchase! It pays to pay attention!

Mail in Rebate for Junk Food

2012-01-06T09:09:00.000-08:00

You may remember last May there was this promo. Well, it looks like there is a similar one This time you spend $20 and get a coupon booklet. In the past this has been for free products similar to what you may have just purchased.
I think I am going to wait and see if Superstore does the one where you get the $20 worth of PC gift cards. Supposedly MIR forms will be in stores by Jan 12,2012.
Another idea might be to wait and do this on a 20X the points day as it will be almost half of your $50 purchase!
If you want to find out how people are making out with this promo you can go to Smart Canucks and read the forum here.

Participating products must be purchased between December 25, 2011 and February 13, 2012 and must be purchased at the same time and in the same transaction to be eligible for the Coupon Booklet Off er.
ALLOW 6-8 WEEKS AFTER February 29, 2012 for delivery of Coupon Booklet by mail.
Limit one (1) Coupon Booklet per address or household.

How to Get a $20 Coupon Booklet back by mail:
1. Purchase any combination of the following products for a total of $20 or more (before taxes) at participating retailers across Canada: Lay’s* potato chips, Tostitos* tortilla
chips, Ru es* potato chips (180g – 420g/all avours), Tostitos*, Ru es* salsa/dips (400mL – 645mL/425g – 432g/all varieties), Pepsi*, Mountain Dew*, Mug*, 7UP*,
Dr Pepper**, Crush**, Schweppes** soft drinks (all sizes/varieties), Brisk® beverages (all avours/varieties/sizes), Gatorade* and G2* beverages (all avours/varieties/sizes).
2. Enclose the original itemized store-identi ed cash register receipt dated between December 25, 2011 and February 13, 2012 with the purchase price of each participating
product circled. All products must be purchased in the same transaction to be eligible for the o er.
3. Complete this o cial mail-in coupon o er with your full name, address (including city, province and postal code) and phone number.
4. Mail all of the above (with su cient postage), postmarked by February 29, 2012 to:
PEPSI/TOSTITOS $20 Super Bowl Coupon Booklet O er, P.O. Box 12505, Saint John, New Brunswick, E2L 5E7

$5 Ski Nights have become $10 Ski nights

2012-01-05T12:27:00.000-08:00

Well, it's that time of year again! Time to hit the slopes for cheap! However, the lift ticket prices have doubled! Since we started skiing, almost 4 years ago,the price was $5 for night skiing and $10 for rentals. Now the price is $10 for night skiing and rentals are the same.
This starts on Friday Jan 6, 2012 at both Silverstar and Big White. (click on the underlined ski hills to go to their sites)
The times are 330pm-800pm.
Friday night ski prices run until March 31, 2012.
Silver Star has Saturday night skiing, same times same price as Fridays. They also have $5 dinner at Town Hall.
Silver Star and Big White are also offering a punch card each night ski. Go skiing 4 nights and get your 4 punches and you will get 50% off a day ski.

Our experience has been that having your own equipment is a great way to go. It can save you time(waiting in the rental lines) and money(all those rental fees). We get our equipment at garage sales, castanet, and as hand me downs! Last summer I was looking for boots and my garage saling partner, Yoon Hee, spotted these! They are brand new and the box had the original ticket price! I paid $50!

Soon to Expire Foods

2012-01-05T10:42:00.000-08:00

I went shopping on the first Tuesday of the month.
These are some of the things I bought and what I plan to use the foods for. One of the things that will help you spend less on groceries is combining sale prices and menu planning.
Many grocery stores discount foods that are about to expire.
Combining expiring foods with creative menu planning is another was to spend less.
This was my Extra Foods Shop. I paid $35.91 for this.
The Special K was free. The Rice Krispies were on sale plus there was a $3 coupon when you bought 3, plus there are coupons on them and a free calendar. The FINISH dishwasher cleaner is the MIR. The whipping cream and yogurt were on sale and had coupons.
The yogurt is plain and I will freeze it in ice cube trays and then pop it into Ziplocs for my buttered chicken recipe.
As you can see I got some
50% off soon to expire things.
The cheese slices and the eggnog.
First, I need to post a list of expiry dates and the items on my fridge.
I'd show you my magnetic board and how I made my list, but it's just too messy.
All I did was write
EN-Jan 5
WC-Jan 7.
CC Jan 9.
Yog Jan 8
CS Jan 11

I froze one of the packages of cheese slices(CS)
for grilled cheese sandwiches or hamburgers in the future.
With the eggnog(EN) I made eggnog ice cream and eggnog cake and have found some fun muffins to use it up.
The cottage cheese(CC) I froze 2 containers for future use.
I used one to make 2 trays of lasagna. We ate one for lunch and breakfast.
I have a feeling we will easily plow through the last 4 as we like to just eat it as well as I have some 3 Cheese Pinwheels to make. I will watch the expiry dates and use it up as soon as possible.

This is a Costco shop. It cost $21.67.
The crackers are on sale this week for $2.39.
The spaghetti is on sale for $3.99.
I got some spinach to make salads.

This was my Superstore shop. The total was $62.78.
It's a lot because of the cod. I bought 4 @ $5.98 which is a great price. Hubby loves fish and we have an America's Test Kitchen for Fish and Chips that we love!
The whipping cream will be used for a shrimp recipe we like(thanks Louisa!) and I will hunt around for other recipes.
Some of it I will whip and freeze(like having your own cool whip only way tastier and no additives).
The banana yogurt is almost gone. (It's actually quite good! Who knew!)
Creative cooking is actually quite fun! Even for someone whose not super confident in the kitchen!

Happy New Year!

2012-01-02T15:52:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year everyone!
To start the year off right it's 10% off day tomorrow!

Extra Foods has their family appreciation days today and tomorrow.
These aren't the current coupons pictured(I was too lazy to scan them)but the amount to spend and the discount is the same. They are available on the front of the flyer and are effective Jan 2 and 3, 2012.

I think I will try to get the Free Box of Special K Oats and Honey or Blueberry Flavour Cereal.
They have SeaQuest cod,sole, basa fillets 680g $5.98 limit 4.(good price)
No name cheeses are $7.98 for 800g at 10% or more off this is good.
No name pasta is $1.38 for 900g.
Rooster brand instant egg noodles 400g .78.
I think I might also do the MIR for the Finish Dishwasher cleaner.
I like the flexibility of only spending $25 as I often find it hard to spend more. If there are good deals and can see if I reach the higher discounts.

Cooper's 2-7
Pineapples $2.49
Onions 3lb $1.29

Save On Foods 2-7

WF Chicken Breasts 3Kg box $19.78($2.99/lb)
Kraft Cheez Whiz 1Kg $4.99 first 2

I've got lots of Apricots!

2011-12-30T20:51:00.000-08:00

Everyday Foods....a wonderful cookbook/magazine!

Apricots thawing.

I cut into it to test it....should have taken the picture first!

Thanks to my smart daughter, we used a plate to cover the cake for flipping it to this position.

It is soooo yummy! What a wonderful use for all those wonderful apricots!

20X the points at Shoppers

2011-12-30T20:38:00.000-08:00

Now that the mega redemption has passed and a new year is on the horizon I thought I would do a post about 20x the points days and when they are worthwhile to do.
Tomorrow Shoppers is offering 20X the points when you spend $50. To make this a good shop here are some key steps.
1. Buy a Shoppers Drug Mart gift card,you get points for buying their cards $50=500points (if you have the Shoppers Optimum Mastercard you get more points if you buy the gift cards with that, or wait until Nov each year to get bonus points for buying gift cards)
2.Plan your shop carefully with the flyer and the sales and coupons(coupons are available at save.ca, websaver.ca, brandsaver.ca, and gocoupons.ca)there are some great discussions on the Smart Canucks forum
3.Use Mail in Rebates. Right now there are 2 you can print off. You usually need to send in your original receipt so you need to do one at a time. The scented oil Air Wick starter kit is here They will give you up to $11.99 for the product and it's taxes. It seems to be around $7.49 at Shoppers. The Air Wick scent ribbons candle is here They will give you up to $13.99 for the product and it's taxes. It seems to be around$10.99 at Shoppers.
4.Combine bonus points on products when possible. Bonus points are updated regularly here.

5.Use worz to calculate your shop. It calculates tax at 13% so adjust according to your area. You can make an account for free and then click on calculators and then Shoppers Drug Mart. It will total up your shop with and without taxes and coupons! Very helpful.
You can click on the pink picture to make it large and see a sample shopping list.
With this list you would get 10200 points. At a Mega Redemption 95000 points is worth $250 so one point is .0026315(approximately, ha ha!) so at that level these 10200 points are worth $26.84
This shop cost $42.77 - MIR of $12.30 for a total of $30.47. If you were to subtract what this shop would be worth at a Mega redemption($26.84) this shop would cost $3.63.
Sometimes there aren't good enough sales to make it worthwhile, but this time it seems like there is!

Top 3 Favorite Christmas Treats

2011-12-29T18:54:00.000-08:00

This Christmas I asked which Christmas treats I should make. These are the top 3.
Peanut Blossom Kisses

I don't usually buy the actual kisses, I usually use chocolate wafers(the same ones I use to make chocolates).
However, this year with the big Mega Redemption shop at Shoppers I splurged!

Fudge

I made one batch with nuts and peanut butter and the other using just chocolate chips.

Snowballs

Why do I only make these at Christmas?

Which recipes are your Christmas favorites?

50% off one item at ZellersI

2011-12-29T07:36:00.000-08:00

Zellers is offering a 50% off one item coupon.

You can print it by clicking ~~here~~ (Zellers has removed all coupon links, but if you have already printed it you can use it still but only on regularly priced items, not things on sale) It is good until Dec 31, 2011.

I bought this crockpot when my last one died at Value Village. As you can see it cost $9.99. Now, a slow cooker is supposed to cook...slowly, right? This one only knows turbo cook and so has been VERY challenging ! I decided that with my 50% off coupon I would buy a crock pot. I have had bad experiences with Hamilton Beach crocks(brand new ) and so I didn't see any point in getting one of those. Then I saw the Crock pot brand crock pot and thought, surely this one will work well! So, the original price was $39.99 and I got $20.00 off. A little while ago I got a notice from my HBC credit card saying they were changing banks and if I would verify my identity they would give me $10 on my January statement. So, that makes this brand new crock pot $10,plus taxes and enviro fee.
What are you needing???

When Life Gives you Lemons(or Grapes)......

2011-12-20T15:08:00.000-08:00

My husband loves pie! I don't really do the pie thing as the whole pie crust making is daunting...My sister-in-law and I took a pie making course many years ago and we walked away saying..."We aren't cut out to make pie!" My mother-in-law however IS cut out to make pie, great pie! Whenever she visits and asks what to bring I often ask her to bring a pie for her son!
My girl friend is in town...and her husband likes pie too! They were coming for dinner and so I thought I should make pie! I went down to the grocery store and used my coupon for Tenderflake pie crusts( My total was $1.47!) So, I didn't feel bad about skipping the homemade crust making! :)
Then I got out my America's Test Kitchen Baking book and found a lovely recipe for blueberry pie. It made a point of saying don't use frozen berries so I was feeling quite organized as I took out my big Ziploc of blueberries the night before.(Ever heard it said pride goes before a fall??)
The next day as I was about to rinse and drain them when I thought to myself, these blueberries aren't quite the right shape. The size was right, as the blueberry patch where we pick has huge berries, but it didn't have that little blossom thing on the bottom. On closer examination(I know....I should get my eyes tested soon) I realized my blueberries were GRAPES!
Well, what does one do when they are handed ~~lemons~~ grapes when you were thinking you were getting blueberries? Well, what I do is run to google! After a quick search I found this recipe for GRAPE PIE! Why do you care about grape pie when Concord Grapes aren't readily available??? I blog this for next summer when grapes are plentiful and I write this to say improvising is allowed....even a good idea! Don't let the naysayers in your life tell you otherwise!

I didn't follow the recipe exactly as our grapes have no seeds. So, I skipped the taking the skins off step. I also used an extra 1 1/2 cups of grapes. I did all the cooking(5-10 minutes) in the microwave.

There is a nice crumble for the top crust.

I baked it the whole time with the crumble on so it would brown nicely.

I made sure to make this way before supper so it could cool and set. It had a nice sweet and tart taste combination. I must say some people were skeptical about my grape pie...but in the end this is the last lonely piece!

Tasty Christmas Treats

2011-12-14T18:46:00.000-08:00

I don't think I have ever blogged about making chocolates.
They are very easy. I got all my molds at garage sales. I have Christmasy ones, Easter ones, Barbie ones???and multi occasion ones.
You can fill your chocolates with anything you can think of.
Today I wanted to make caramel chocolates and chocolates with cashews inside.
I bought these chocolate wafers at Cooper's. You can get them at almost all the grocery stores. They were .59/100g. You can also buy some specialty chocolate at the bulk foods stores.

I bought 2 bags like this which were just under 2kg in total weight for $12.83. This will make A LOT of chocolates. As you can see in the cup in the first picture you only need a handful of wafers at a time. The chocolate hardens quickly so just warm what you can use up quickly.

First step is to melt the chocolate wafers in the microwave. Usually a minute or two depending on how hot your microwave runs! Put them in for a minute and then stir. Make sure no water gets in your chocolate!
Here are the empty trays. The square ones are perfects for caramel chocolates or even Nutella. The peanuts work great for nuts and
peanut butter.

Next you CAREFULLY paint the trays with a thin layer of chocolate. Why carefully??? Well, if you miss a spot(it's never happened to me!) you will have a whole in your chocolate where your filling can run out. It's easy to check, you just lift your tray up and look underneath for clear spots. I am sure there is a special tool for painting chocolate molds, but I don't have it. We used to LOVE McDonald's little plastic spoons they had to stir your coffee, do you remember those? My neighbor in Alberta would have coffee there almost everyday and when he found out I loved those little stir sticks for chocolate making he gave me his. Problem is they broke and got lost and now they are no longer. So, my point is find a very small spoon. You need to use very little chocolate so that you have room for the filing and the coating. Now set them outside, or in your freezer for a few minutes so the chocolate can harden.

Next you add the filling. These ones I filled with liquid caramel. It's in the jam and honey section at the grocery store.
I just warmed it for 30 seconds in the microwave so it softens.
You want to fill your trays below the top so you have room to put
the last layer of chocolate on.

Here you can see the cashews in the peanut trays. The top ones have already been covered with chocolate. Now they need to be set outside, or in the freezer to harden. Once they are done you turn the trays upside down and pop them out onto waxed paper.

Here I put them in a plastic container from store bought chocolates.
I have also used Christmas tins in the past.

There is still room for another layer of treats so of course I HAD to make some microwave caramel popcorn. The recipe is here. My next problem was packaging! I wanted to put another layer in here, but you CAN'T give someone just a small bit of caramel popcorn....it's just not right! So, since I seem to be very low on Christmas tins, I decided to use a gift bag lined with a waxed paper bag.

I am sure you can do something fancier than this, but here's what I managed to make as a gift bag liner bag. A little tissue paper and you are all set.

I tried to get that Ferreo Rocher sticker off but it just wasn't budging! The best way to make homemade chocolates is to do it with friends with Christmas music and something hot to drink. It's easy but can be a bit tedious so conversation and atmosphere help! If you are all inspired now and want to make chocolates right away you can look for the molds at your neighborhood second hand store. You could also buy them at Michael's using their coupon they usually have on their flyer. If you are going to Michael's can you check to see if they have a chocolate painting tool??? Now I'm curious! Happy Chocolate Making!

Homemade Cleaner

2011-12-13T09:09:00.000-08:00

Yesterday I felt like washing my kitchen walls and ceiling. Usually when I feel like doing something like that I lie down and the feeling passes! :)
Actually, to be honest....Christmas is at our house this year and I thought it just had to be done!
I wanted a cleaner that would work well for ceiling paint. (I can't tell you how happy I am they don't usually put popcorn ceiling in kitchens!) I had tried spot washing it before only to do a little spot smearing! :(
So, I decided to try this one and I LOVED it. Not only did everything smell nice and disinfected....it washed my ceiling and walls beautifully(whenever I think of washing walls I think of my high school friend, Jackie, who says whenever her walls need washing she paints them!)
I am posting this so you can try it, if you feel so inclined and so that I have a forever record of the recipe, just in case someday I feel like washing ceilings and walls again!
Homemade Cleaner
1/4 cup vinegar
1/8 cup of baking soda
1/2 cup ammonia
2 liters of warm water
Mix all together. Wear plastic gloves.
I actually made double this recipe....so, I have that bucket in the picture left....maybe today I'll do the bathroom????
Happy Cleaning!!

Blogging Help!

2011-12-12T06:48:00.000-08:00

Do you blog? Would you like to be able to do neat things on your blog? Want to learn how? Head over to Sneaky Momma Blog Design. I learned how to do my picture banner, snow, adding links and many more things! Jill is a great teacher! Her instructions are simple enough for me to understand! :) She has tips for beginners to expert! Head over and check her out, I am sure glad I did! Thanks again Jill....it's snowing!

When Saving Money Isn't a Good Idea!

2011-12-06T17:39:00.000-08:00

I think you should have a laugh, at my expense. I want to tell you a story. Now that you have seen my Mega redemption pictures you know I color my hair(I know shocker!)My natural color these days is a dirty blonde(emphasis on dirty) and gray!(I know don't tell anyone!)Anyways, my mom used to be a hairdresser, and so when I started coloring my hair she said,"Don't buy the really cheap colors, and once you find one that works DON'T SWITCH BRANDS!" Well, that advice worked until the first time I found a box of color at $3.99! My regular brand goes as low as $8.99, but not often! So, I thought I'd be frugal and save some dollars! :) The result???? Greyish pink hair! YIKES! Well, I wasn't going to do that again, right? Wrong! Fast forward a year and suddenly....you guessed it, more on sale hair color, only this time it is the same company, just a different type of color..it only takes 10 minutes. Okay, so maybe I am frugal and a tad impatient at times??(really working on that second one...wish I could hurry up and get patient!) This time my hair is a very sad shade of brownish orange(I know what was I thinking??). Well, this has happened more times than I care to confess here, so suffice it to say I got lots at the Mega in hopes I wouldn't be tempted to buy on sale hair color because I was out of mine. When is saving money not a good idea? For me...it's on my hair color. What is it for you?

10% off Day and TOO MANY FLYERS!

2011-12-06T12:54:00.000-08:00

So, obviously I have TOO many flyers at my house! Somehow last week's didn't get ~~thrown out,~~ recycled, so my list for what to get at Extra Foods was a week late! Yikes! I still didn't clue in until I got to the store where the very kind dairy man was stocking the cheese. I asked him how come I had a different price in my flyer, from what was on the shelf. He was puzzled too, until we discovered it was last week's flyer! I guess I was thrown off by the 10-25% off coupons being on last week also! Anyways, I ended up getting some nice big mandarin oranges and a few other things... :)

This is what I got at 10% off day at Safeway. The pile on the floor to the far left, those products were all free.

You can click on this picture and make it larger so you can read the numbers. I was off on my idea of what those Kraft product prices would be! My grand total before coupons and 10% off was $75.74. I got $5.89 off for the 10%. My coupons were $28.33. The eggnog was on sale and discounted due to expiry date, so that was $1 off. My total was $40.52. I received 91 airmiles(or half a full movie package :)
I don't think you can bring your total below $35 before tax, that's what they always tell me...I need to check into that. Anyone ever done it???

10% off Tuesday and Combining Deals

2011-12-05T10:58:00.000-08:00

As you probably already know, Tuesday is 10% off day at Safeway. I don't often participate in 10% off day as I find it quite difficult to find $35 worth of stuff that is at a good price! Well, this week I am going to do some combining of deals to get to $35. I will use these coupons. If you got the Kraft Sample box you will have also received the top 3 pictured here. I am guessing that each product will run me about $3-$4 each. That's $9-$12. The Tampax will probably be $3-$4 each. The oasis juices are $1 each when on sale, but at Safeway they can be close to $2 each! So, I am close to $20 dollars here. I need to buy tp and the Purex is 24 for $4.99 plus 30 airmiles for buying 2. Right there I am pretty close to $30! I will get a few limes 2/$1, maybe some Imperial Margarine if it is a good deal(it says BOGO on the front of the flyer) What I noticed the last time I did the 10% off day was that they added all the REGULAR prices of the items I was buying and gave 10% off of that! Bonus! So a $35 shop actually saved me $6 plus the coupons I used!

These are some mail in rebates that are available right now. The ones on the left are good for Air Wick Scented Products. One is worth up to $13.99 which covers the cost of the item, it's taxes and postage. The other is worth $11.99. You can print off your own form here The one for Finish is from the Smartsource insert that was in your newspaper.
Now,with these mail in rebates you need to send in your receipt. So, usually I do each one separately. In order to combine deals you could buy the $13.99 one next Saturday if you are going to do the 20X the points day at Shoppers. I used these mail in rebates many times with many different products to bring down my total at Shoppers 20X the points days.(There were lots out there last year!)
If it's a regular 20X the points you will need to spend $50 to qualify. So, this would bring you down to less than $40, needing to be spent.
You could buy one at Safeway. I might use the Finish one on 10% off day.
There are also the 10-15%off coupons when you spend $25-$100 at Extra Foods. They have the following:
Pineapples $1.97
Yams .46/lb
Cabbage is .38/lb
Broccoli Bunches are .96
No Name Cheese is $7.98 for 800g (limit 4)(I will buy some and grate it and freeze it.)
These are just a few ideas for combining deals and saving money. What do you do to save on groceries??

Shoppers Drugmart Mega Redemption!

2011-12-03T14:57:00.000-08:00

These pictures were taken at 2 in the morning, so please excuse!

This weekend is Shoppers Mega Redemption. What is that you ask? Well, if you have a Shoppers Optimum card(they are free)you get points every time you buy something at Shoppers.

Last November I decided to see what all the fuss was about as I thought of Shoppers as having the odd loss leader but overall was overpriced. Thus, I decided to "study" the way of Shoppers Optimum points. My first stop was the Smart Canucks Shoppers Drug Mart Forum

I learned that Shoppers has 20X the points days that are the best time to buy things if the things you need are on sale. I also learned that you can use coupons to lower you out of pocket expenses.

I learned that it is best if you buy a Shoppers Drug Mart, preloaded gift card before you do your shop, as you get more points that way!

Long story short it works! I redeemed in Feb($200) and then carefully tracked everything I bought at Shoppers from then on.

I participated in 7 20X the points days. I made sure that the loss leaders were things I used and needed. For example, milk, eggs, bread, butter, toilet paper.

Since Feb I spent $631.00. This weekend I had enough for $625 worth of redemptions. This is what I got!

More gifts...had coupons for the deodorant.

More Christmas gifts. The yogurt had a $2 off coupon.

More Christmas gifts and stocking stuffers!

Hubby picked some Christmasy treats, I had a coupon for one! I had coupons for the dishwasher detergent. The iTunes cards are stocking stuffers and had an additional 2500 bonus points.

There are presents and stocking stuffers and chips for hubby! I had a coupon for the razors.

The spatula was a fun present to me as mine fell apart a long time ago!

The Oasis came with a coupon for a free 960ml-1.75L of juice. There was a $2 off coupon attached to the juice. I had a $3 coupon for the dishwasher soap and a $1 for the cereal.

The yogurts, the juice and the creamers had coupons off attached to them. (the advantage of shopping at midnight!) The Janes chicken has $11.50 worth of coupons inside.(I didn't realize this until I got home!) I had coupons off on the margarine and High liner fish.
In the end the grand total spent(not including the iTunes) was $640.94. I had to pay the taxes on anything taxable, so my total out of pocket cost was $45.20(less than the cost of the 2 Wii contollers!).
I used $26.25 in coupons. I got another 7621 in Shoppers points, a free juice and $11.50 in coupons. Like I said my spending for the year was $634. I enjoyed this experiment! It was fun to have extra grocery and present money at Christmas! Maybe you want to do your own Shoppers experiment???

Saving Money by Combining Deals

2011-11-25T11:50:00.000-08:00

So, today I got some flyers! Some would be an understatement! I am swimming in them! So, quickly I would like to post some deals.
Today at Superstore they are having the no tax event. All this week they are having their gas coupon savings. So, combine buying your gifts with no tax today and getting the gas savings! I have found this gas coupon is very worthwhile. Last time they had it it saved me $23.75 at the gas pump, plus I got $3.33 in gas bucks!
Staples has door crashers again, today only. Their Brother Wireless Inkjet 4 in 1 is $29.52. If you need this why not check first at Superstore and price match with no tax?
Staples also has 32GB USB drive for $19.98(I checked, Superstore doesn't carry this one)
Safeway has an offer of buy 2 of their $30 iTunes gift card packs(which contain 3, $10 cards) and get them for $15 off. So that would be $60-$15=$45 for 6 gift cards. Might make nice stocking stuffers or you can save them for upcoming birthdays. I called Superstore and they said they would match this deal as long as I have the flyer in hand.
Rexall has a coupon for the iTunes cards also. Their deal is buy $30(3X$10)and get $5 off. Maybe a better idea if you don't need 6???
Toys R Us will match any advertised price. They have the spend $100 get a $15 gift card that must be used between Dec 2-15th and you must spend $50.(Toys R Us now has airmiles)
What I do is shop when there are sales like these. In the past I then tried to be efficient and wrap at the same time...BAD IDEA...now I wait and watch the flyers to be sure my item doesn't drastically drop in price. If it does I ask them to price match or return it.
What are your ideas for shopping smart at Christmas???

Handy Dandy Budget Calculator

2011-11-23T17:58:00.000-08:00

My thanks to Karen for this great resource! I met Karen in Edmonton when I was there to do a shopping seminar, a few years ago. She and I have stayed in touch via email. She recently sent me this link. It is a Canadian government site for resources to do with money.

I right away tested out the budget calculator. I found it very easy. It also was extensive. Usually these tools are missing categories. The only thing I would have liked would have been the ability to name a few. For example: in the income category it would be nice to add Income tax return, or odd jobs. Otherwise, you have a dollar amount and no idea where it came from.To remedy this, when I printed it I added my own categories by hand.

I loved how it tallied everything up for me! I loved how each page gave you a look at where you are at. In the end it even gave you a percentage amount that you spent in each sub category. I found this is very eye opening as you can see what percentage of your income goes where. At the end it does up a nifty pie chart and graph. You can choose to save it as a PDF, excel, or print it off. I am definitely going to use this for my planning for next year! I am pretty excited! How about you??!! Thanks again Karen!

Stamps on Sale

2011-11-22T08:30:00.000-08:00

Do you, like me, have good intentions of sending Christmas cards??? You are going to need some stamps!

Stamps now have no amount printed on them...so they don't expire, and when stamps go up in price....yours are still good!

This week at Shoppers you can buy your stamps for 10% off(limit 2 per transaction). Combine this by using a Shoppers gift card, preloaded with a money amount, and your Shoppers Optimum card and you'll earn points.(you need to buy the stamps at the front till not in the post office). Want to know more about the Shoppers Optimum Points program??? I am hoping to do a post in the next 2 weeks as I have done a little experiment this last year....it's gone well! :)

Hopefully, with stamps...the cards will get sent????

Keeping a monthly tally....Budget Talk

2011-11-21T20:01:00.000-08:00

Again....by M.
So, it's November...only 2 months left in 2011. How's your spending? I have always found that when I keep track it seems to keep me on track!So,for November I am going to keep close watch! One of the ways I will accomplish this is that I am doing a survey on spending habits. I do this every three months(I think that's right). I get paid a small amount to relay how I spent my money that month. Not only do I find it interesting, I also tend to do better those months! How about you? How do you keep track? Why not try it for one month. Try tracking everything that you spend money on. If you do it for November and December you'll have a pretty good idea of how to budget for 2012.

Free Special K Cereal

2011-11-21T13:47:00.000-08:00

I got this email from Kellogg's this morning for Free Special K Cereal. Click here to go to Websaver and get your coupon. This coupon is only good on Jan 3, 2012. I tried to do this the last time there was free chocolate cheerios, but was unable to find them anywhere! How about you???

Oh, I just heard from Cory! She said she went in to Cooper's on the last free cereal coupon day(I am sure Safeway would do the same)and they gave her a voucher to get a box when they came in! Thanks Cory! :)

Samplicious

2011-11-18T19:21:00.000-08:00

I blogged awhile back about the Samplicious offer from Kraft. It arrived today. Thought you might like to see what's inside. Did you get yours?

WestJet Flight Sales

2011-11-17T05:01:00.000-08:00

Thanks Lisa for the tip for saving on airfares! Seems WestJet has a Blue Tag sale every Thursday starting at 1pm MT time and going until 4pm. I am going to check it out this afternoon and see what kind of deals they have. Then I can dream about going someplace warm. How about you? Are you needing a flight somewhere? Why not check this out?!
Some info from their website:
Blue Tag quick facts

Destinations change each week

Discounted fares will be for select flights from select cities on select dates

As the destination changes, so too will the details of when you can fly to receive these great deals

Blue tag deals can only be booked through westjet.com

A promo code isn't necessary. All you need to do is select your city, choose your dates, and start booking. (oh, and start packing).

I've Got Lots of Cornmeal: Raspberry/Blackberry Cornmeal Crumble Bars

2011-11-14T14:50:00.000-08:00

I have a way to big bag of cornmeal....wants some??? I don't know what I was thinking when I bought this 2Kg bag! Oh wait, I know....it was cheaper than the small bag! :)
So, this recipe made me really happy...look it needs cornmeal! I modified the recipe from Everyday Foods magazine(how I love this little reference book)by using blackberries(grown right here in the Okanagan!)not raspberries.

If you click on this picture you can enlarge it to see the recipe clearly.

So simple, sooooo tasty. A little scoop of vanilla ice cream can't hurt! Enjoy!

I've Got Lots of Quick Cooking Oats!

2011-11-14T08:55:00.000-08:00

This morning it was very snowy and blowy.....I decided we could all do without the picture! :)
Instead, it's time for some yummy hot cereal. Now, I know you could just open a package....but why not save yourself some money and some preservatives and make it yourself? Once you do the initial grinding it's just as fast.You can add almost any fruit you have on hand and make a tasty, healthy breakfast(or maybe even lunch?) Add some apples and cinnamon, or whatever your creative brain thinks of! My grandpa lived until he was 96 and he ate oatmeal everyday.

Homemade Quick Oatmeal
Take some quick oats and grind them up in your blender or Magic Bullet,mine died shortly after this picture was taken :( . Grind them up fine. Place them in a small container or plastic zipper bag. Write the recipe on the outside so you don't have to search for it!
1/4 cup quick oats(not ground)
2 Tbsp ground up oats
3/4 cup boiling water
Mix up the oats and your raisins or berries(my strawberries were frozen so I microwaved them for 35 secs first). Add your boiling water and let sit for 2 minutes. Enjoy!!!!

Price comparison? I recently bought Quick Cooking Oats for $1.10/kg. Right now in the flyers the ready made packages are $8.98 for 2Kg. That means the oats themselves would cost $2.20/kg compared to $8.98 for premade!
Just in case you are interested..these are the ingredients in packaged instant oatmeal
Ingredients:

WHOLE GRAIN ROLLED OATS, OAT FLOUR, CALCIUM CARBONATE, SALT, GUAR GUM, CARAMEL COLOR, REDUCED IRON, VITAMIN A PALMITATE.

This Week's Sales and Buttered Chicken

2011-11-12T14:45:00.000-08:00

Another of my daughter's pictures!
Some of you have emailed to say you want the Buttered Chicken Recipe I used in the last post. It can be found on Video Jug here
This Week's Sales
Superstore 11-17
Dan-O-Pak of Cashews salted or unsalted 908g $10.98 limit 4(you need to go to the International Aisle for this)
Chestnuts .98/lb
Bag of 5 Avocadoes $2.95
Fresh Suet Choy .48/lb
Fresh Bok Choy .48/lb
All Purpose Flour selected varieties 10Kg $6.98(limit 1)
Ragu $1.24 limit 2
Perogies 2Kg $2.98
NN Frozen Vegetables 2Kg $3.48
NN Peanut Butter 2Kg $4.98
NN Pasta 2Kg $3.28
Terra D Extra Virgin Oil 3L$14.99

Walmart 11-17
Gala or Spartan Apples .67/lb
Donatello's Pizzas 355g-775g $3
Celery .88each
Onions 3lb $1

Zellers 11-17
Christie Crackers 100-300g $1.69

Coopers 13-19
Medium Onions .39/lb
Green Cabbage .49/lb
Lots of BOGO

Naan Bread the Easy Way!

2011-11-10T07:42:00.000-08:00

I love buttered chicken! Years ago my sister in law introduced me to it. In the past few years my friend Clayton has made it for us several times and it is fantastic! I love Naan bread too. If you are having buttered chicken you need Naan bread(sounds like If you give a mouse a cookie!) I decided to try and make it myself. I found this incredibly easy recipe...which I proceeded to write on a small piece of paper and I neglected to copy the website where I got the recipe from! Oops! So, today when I was excited to share it with you I had to hunt for an incredibly small piece of paper in my recycle!(Happily there was reference to the website!) Why do I do this to myself?! Over and over I find a recipe in a cookbook, or online and I make it and can't find it again! Thus, I blog! My online recipe book....hopeful I won't lose it! :) It is incredibly easy and costs less than a dollar to make!

Naan Bread

1 1/2 cups warm water

1 tablespoon sugar

2 teaspoons active dry yeast

1 teaspoon salt

3 cups flour
Combine the warm water and sugar. Sprinkle the yeast on top. Let it get foamy, about 5 minutes.
Add the salt and flour and knead for 5minutes. Put someplace warm for 30-45 minutes. It won't really rise.

Roll out the dough on a lightly floured surface. Cut into 8 pieces. You can make circles or squares. Mine are far from beautiful!

Add some olive oil to your frying pan. Brown each side for 2 minutes!

This Naan bread is FANTASTIC! It's soft and chewy on the inside! A wonderful addition to buttered chicken or some other wonderful dish you need a nice bread for dipping! Enjoy!

Fruits and Veggies

2011-11-09T07:14:00.000-08:00

Mmmm, fruits and veggies!

Quality Greens has Okanagan potatoes $2.99 10lbs
Anjou pears .79/lb
Honey Crisp apples(what a wonderful name!).79/lb

BC carrots 5lbs 2/$5.00
Cantaloupe is .59/lb.

Thanks for the Pumpkin!

2011-11-05T20:26:00.000-07:00

My mom and dad brought me a small pumpkin(hehe)!
Thanks sooo much mom and dad!

First I sawed it apart! Seriously! :)

Then I cut up 2 cookie sheets full(to start!). I put a bit of water in the bottom of the pan and baked them for 50 minutes at 400.

I also used my double decker steamer...have I told you how much I enjoy my double decker steamer???

Then I threw the steamed pumpkin pieces into my handy dandy food processor.( I am always a bit boggled by the instructions saying not to use with hot food....)

This is the result! Pumpkin puree!!! Nothing added. Pure pumpkin yumminess!

Here's the final product mom! 4 huge bowls of puree and 2 large bowls of pumpkin broth! Plus, I already took out 2 3/4 cups for the bread and buns! I put it out on the deck to cool before packaging it up.

I found a wonderful pumpkin bread recipe here . Thanks Ashley! I was so excited that it needed 2 cups of pumpkin!

As well I made pumpkin cinnamon buns(Yowsers! they are really!!! good) which I read about on my friend's blog here, and the recipe is here. I used the cream cheese and honey icing Heather, it was fantastic! Thanks!

In the end, after much processing(and cleaning up so I could take pictures for this blog!!! :) Here are the rows of 1 and 2 cup freezer bags full of pumpkin puree goodness. A grand total of more than 40 cups of puree!!!What will I do with all that pumpkin? Well, my daughter can take us much as she wants when she's home. She likes to make pumpkin cookies with it. I will definitely be making more bread and buns! I also will be scouring the Internet for recipes that use 2 or more cups of pumpkin. Any suggestions?

Breakfast Ideas: Waffles

2011-11-05T11:41:00.000-07:00

These waffles are one of our favorite breakfasts. You can make a double recipe on a weekend, freeze the remainders and have your own ready made waffles in your freezer! (You can put the dry ingredients together the night before so that there is one less step.)This waffle iron was purchased second hand. You can usually find them at thrift stores or garage sales.

This is my grandpa's recipe!
1 1/2 cups flour
2Tbsp sugar
1Tbsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
Stir together, make a well.
2 egg whites, room temperature
2 egg yolks
1/4 cup melted marg
1 1/2 cup ,milk
Beat egg whites until stiff. Using the same beaters, beat egg yolks in separate bowl. Add marg and milk. Mix. Pour into dry ingredients well. Mix. Fold in egg whites. Pour batter into preheated waffle maker. Let bake for 4 minutes.
I decided to go to the Kellogg's site and get the ingredients for homestyle waffles so we could compare.
Kellogg's® Eggo® Homestyle waffle
Nutrition Facts
Ingredients
ENRICHED FLOUR (WHEAT FLOUR, NIACIN, REDUCED IRON, THIAMIN MONONITRATE [VITAMIN B1], RIBOFLAVIN [VITAMIN B2], FOLIC ACID), WATER, VEGETABLE OIL (SOYBEAN AND PALM OIL), EGGS, LEAVENING (BAKING SODA, SODIUM ALUMINUM PHOSPHATE, MONOCALCIUM PHOSPHATE), CONTAINS TWO PERCENT OR LESS OF SUGAR, CALCIUM CARBONATE, SALT, WHEY, SOY LECITHIN, VITAMIN A PALMITATE, REDUCED IRON, NIACINAMIDE, VITAMIN B12, YELLOW #5, PYRIDOXINE HYDROCHLORIDE (VITAMIN B6), THIAMIN HYDROCHLORIDE (VITAMIN B1), RIBOFLAVIN (VITAMIN B2), YELLOW #6.
One of the advantages of making food from scratch is skipping some of the perservatives and additives. Anything with a #6 and a color....hmmm..I'll pass. :)

You can alter this recipe in many ways. Add some whole wheat flour, flax, chocolate chips, or berries.
I decided to figure out what this recipe costs, approximately. I figured it out with the purchase prices of late.(For example the last time I bought sugar and flour.)
The grand total came to $1.40 for a single recipe. Which makes about 12 rectangles.

We had some yummy frozen blueberries which I heated up to pour over our waffles.

When I make a double batch I usually have a dozen to freeze. I lay them out on cookie sheets and freeze them. Then I pop them into freezer bags. They are all ready to go into the toaster! Hope this makes your morning happier! :)

This Week's Sales

2011-11-05T11:35:00.000-07:00

I just love this picture! It was taken by hubby up at Conkle Lake this summer!
This Week's Sales
There isn't a ton on sale this week. I have been resorting to using what I have in my freezer. What about you?
Save On 6-12
20lbs russet potatoes $4.99
Boneless Pork Loin $1.99/lb
Broccoli .99/lb
Red Grapes $1.29/lb
Plantation Rice 8Kg $7.49
Bagels 4/$1!!!!!!!(I have tried to make these and failed miserably, I think I'll buy them!:)
Waldorf Baguettes $1
Imperial Marg 1.36kg $2.99
WF cream of mushroom or tomato soup 12/$4.99

Zellers
Old Elpaso kits 275-510g $2.99

Walmart 4-10
Carver's Choice Bacon $2.47
Pears .77/lb
Squash .67/lb
Colgate toothbrush and 130ml toothpaste packs $1.97

Superstore/Extra Foods 4-10
Pineapples $1.97
Pork Blade Steak $1.88/lb
Cabbage .38/lb
Red Peppers bag of 4 $1.98
Cooked shrimp 340g $3.99 limit 4
Ginger Root .86/lb

Safeway 4-10
Imperial Marg 1.36kg 2/$6 limit 4
Oven Joy Bread 3 for $4
Cooper's 6-12
Pork Side Ribs $2/lb
Broccoli $1/lb

Shopper's 5-11
Sun Mon only
Milk 4L $4.39
Eggs $2.49 limit 2

From Nov 5-18 Buy a selection of gift cards and get points. Shoppers is offering 8000 points, which is equal to a minimum of $10(if you cash out at a regular redemption ),$16.84 at a bonus redemption at highest level, and $21.05 at a mega redemption.
So, if you give gift cards for gifts, or if you know you are going to be spending money at Home Depot, or any of the other retailers, and if you have the cash on hand, now may be a good time to buy them.

1000 Save On Points

2011-11-02T07:26:00.000-07:00

Another photo by M!
Do you have time for a quick survey? Complete this survey using the link in the post on the Smart Canucks site and get 1000 free Save On points.Thanks to Smilesaver from Smart Canucks for passing this on! What do you do with your Save On points? I usually use it to get a discount on groceries.

London Drugs Stimulus Pricing

2011-10-30T19:18:00.000-07:00

My daughter is taking a photography course and this is one of my favorites! The autumn colors she captured are amazing!

Hubby has been saving his birthday and Christmas money for quite sometime in order to buy a new TV. While shopping around the past few months we came across London Drugs' stimulus pricing. They have great discounts on TVs on Saturdays and Sundays. These are unadvertised sales and we have seen that they make the difference of several hundred dollars below the lowest price we found. If you are in the market for a TV be sure to check out London Drugs on the weekends!

I've got lots of apricots!

2011-10-28T13:40:00.000-07:00

These lovely apricots were picked at a friend's house. Thanks again Geneva!
As soon as I picked them I just sliced them in half, froze them on cookie sheets, and then popped them into freezer bags. I was thinking how nice it would be to make a sauce to go with pork chops.
Here's what I made.

Apricot Sauce for Meats
10 or so apricots(this is so not an exact recipe)
1/2 onion finely chopped
1 tsp sugar
1 tsp ginger
1/2 tsp cayenne
Taste as you go, add more of any spice you like to get the right taste.
Put it all in a saucepan. Bring to a gentle boil then turn down to low and cook slowly for up to 2 hours. It has a tangy tart taste that is an excellent sauce for meats, but I loved it so much I ate it plain for lunch. Serve hot or cold! Enjoy!

Kraft Products

2011-10-27T18:55:00.000-07:00

This is a fun coupon! It expires Oct 29th(Saturday)so you'll have to hurry. I saw them at Cooper's in Rutland as soon as you walk in the door on a board above where they have the store flyer. They are valid only at Overwaitea, Save On Foods, or Cooper's in Western Canada.

Here's another Kraft offer. Click on the link if you decide you would like to try this it costs $9.95 plus your province's taxes. This is what I am getting(I chose Chips Ahoy!)

Chips Ahoy! MiddlesChocolate Chip280g$ 3.59$ 0.00
Chips Ahoy! MiddlesDouble Chocolate280g$ 3.59$ 0.00
Triscuit Thin CrispsCheddar & Fine Herb225g$ 3.19$ 0.00
Triscuit Thin CrispsApplewood Smoked Barbecue225g$ 3.19$ 0.00
Kraft Dinner Smart mac ‘n cheeseFibre200g$ 1.79$ 0.00
Wheat Thins StixPizza226g$ 2.99$ 0.00
Trident SplashGrape with OrangeN/A$ 1.39$ 0.00
Trident LayersPeppermint + SpearmintN/A$ 1.79$ 0.00
Trident LayersCool Mint + Melon FrescoN/A$ 1.29$ 0.00
Trident WhiteWintergreenN/A$ 1.29$ 0.00
TridentHydramintN/A$ 1.79$ 0.00
TridentHydracitrusN/A$ 1.79$ 0.00
aMOOza! Twists cheese (coupon)Mozzarella-Cheddar252g$ 5.79$ 0.00
Philadelphia Dill Cream Cheese (coupon)Dill250g$ 3.99$ 0.00
Pure Kraft Salad Dressings (coupon)Ranch or Caesar355g$ 3.99$ 0.00
what's cooking magazine$ 3.50$ 0.00
TOTAL VALUE: $ 45.00
Shipping & Handling: $ 9.95
GST: $ 0.00
HST/PST/QST: $ 1.19
You Pay: $ 11.14
If you want to do this you'll probably need to hurry as it is a limited time offer!

I've got lots of eggs!

2011-10-25T13:25:00.000-07:00

Thanks to my mom and dad!!! I've got lots of eggs! My oldest daughter made this cookbook and made us Chicken Caesar Crepes one day. They were delicious so I thought I'd share the recipe with you. First off I doubled the recipe above, as one batch only makes 4 crepes.

Meanwhile I had some chicken that I had precooked, warming.We spread some Caesar salad dressing, a little grated cheese and Parmesan, as well as the chicken and some salad greens, then we rolled them up. Serve them with a salad or soup. Yum! It's a great busy night supper as you can premake the crepes(this takes less than 15 minutes) and precook the chicken.
Thanks for this great supper B! Love ya.....mom

25 Air Miles

2011-10-23T09:30:00.000-07:00

Just got this email. Sign the Healthy Lifestyles pledge and get 25 Air Miles!

Takes all of 2 minutes.
What are you saving up for?

Nesters

2011-10-19T09:38:00.001-07:00

The yogurt is an amazing deal!!! I don't see a limit.

Fruits and Veggies

2011-10-19T06:31:00.000-07:00

This week at Quality Greens(oct 19-24) they have potatoes!!!!

They also have ambrosia apples .79/lb

Blackberry Problems????

2011-10-18T12:54:00.000-07:00

Have you had trouble with your Blackberry? As of tomorrow, Oct 19, Blackberry(RIM) will be offering Blackberry users free apps. There is a list on their press release, here. Supposedly there is up to $100US worth of free apps which will be available Oct 19- Dec 31. There are some games as well as some neat speech to text apps. Worth checking out if you have a Blackberry.
RIM is also offering one free month of technical support. Must apply before Jan 17,2012. Kind of nice to see this in the day of very little customer service. Looks like Blackberry is trying!

I've Got Lots of Potatoes!

2011-10-18T08:29:00.000-07:00

My parents came to visit for Thanksgiving. They brought gunny sacks of HUGE potatoes! Thanks Mom and Dad!

America's Test Kitchen's Oven Fries
Peel potatoes and cut into wedges

Soak in HOT water for 10 minutes(this makes them crispy on the outside and tender on the inside)

Drain and dry the fries.

Cover 2 baking sheets with foil. Put 4 Tbsp oil on each sheet. Take your dried fries and toss with 1 Tbsp oil. Spread fries on cookie sheets, season.

Cover tightly with foil and move your oven rack to the lowest position. Heat oven to 475. Place foil wrapped fries in oven for 5 minutes. Remove foil. Continue to bake for 15-20minutes. Rotate pan after 10 minutes. Use metal spatula, scrape fries and flip. Bake until golden, 15-20 minutes longer. Rotate pan as needed.

Place fries on paper towel and serve! Thanks mom and dad!

Buying a Fridge

2011-10-17T14:46:00.000-07:00

Last week I was out of town. While I was away my fridge quit! Hubby tried to fix it but it looked like it was going to be an expensive part. Once again we were thankful to have a little emergency fund left, as this qualifies as an emergency! As I said I was out of town and hubby was home. He shopped around home while I shopped in Surrey. I learned that BC Hydro gives rebates for energy efficient appliances.

This is from their website:
Refrigerators must be at least 25% more efficient than the federal standard.

While shopping I learned that until the end of Oct, the usual $50 rebate for qualifying fridges, from BC Hydro, is doubled at Future Shop and Home Depot.(for a complete list of all the store deals with double rebates look here .) There is an area where you can check all the brands and models to see if they qualify here . It wasn't easy to find one that qualified AND fit my spot!
Turns out that finding a fridge to fit in my spot was WAY harder than I thought! At Home Depot online they took my measurements and out of all the fridges they had only 4 would "kind of" fit my spot! Turns out
fridges have become taller over the years! So, thankfully I have a handy hubby who was able to take out my cupboards above where my fridge goes. Once we could handle more height our options were increased!
Next problem was color! I have white appliances right now, but I was encouraged to go stainless steel. I wasn't sure what to do about this as I don't want to replace all my appliances(unfortunately I will have to, but I don't want to rush it!) and I wasn't sure if it would look really strange(like it would be the first time something at my house looked strange! :) .
So, I arrived home on the Friday of Thanksgiving...my parents and brother and his family were on route to BC. The first night dinner was at our house! Thankfully, hubby had narrowed the shopping down to 3 stores. The first was Wagner's Appliances, which has scratched and dinted appliances. They had the same fridge I had been looking at in Surrey, but for a considerable discount as it had a bit of a wow in the front panel. (It is hard to see and can only really be picked out if you are really looking for it.) The next 2 stores had similar fridges for lots more money, and only one year warranty(Wagner's gives 2!) I just couldn't see spending more for gadgetry(digital water outside the fridge..wouldn't those be fun buttons for kids!) that I just don't need. These fridges were going to double the price! We went back to Wagner's. They threw in delivery and old fridge removal and were able to deliver that afternoon!
So, I went shopping and hubby went home to unhook the old fridge and wash behind it(isn't he a gem!). By the time I got home the new fridge was in place, running and full of food! A happy ending!
Imagine my surprise when I got home and checked the BC Hydro website and found my new fridge qualified for the rebate! And to top it all off, Wagner's does airmiles! So, that's a nice little bonus.

In summary.....Ways to save on appliances
1. Shop around(even if it's quick because your much needed appliance dies). Our fridge died on Wednesday and hubby did coolers until friday!
2. Only buy what you need, try to ask yourself if the bells and whistles are what your family really NEEDS. If you think you can't live without them, then that is what you need.
3. Have an emergency fund....emergencies happen whether you have one or not...having one saves stress :)
4. Look for rebates, buy back programs, or sell your old appliance for parts???
5. Pay cash(or if you are a points or cash rebate credit card carrier use it but pay it off before it's due)
6.Another option is to buy used, but be sure and do your research before buying.
7.Ask other people about their fridge and what they like and don't like

PS. If your fridge is still working BC Hydro will buy it from you for $30!

This Week's Sales

2011-10-14T09:37:00.000-07:00

We were in Surrey last week. This is one of the times we were at the beach!

This Week's Sales

It's been slim pickings for great grocery deals lately! Time to use what we have!

Superstore

Lean Ground Beef $1.98/lb
Campbell's soups 2/$1 limit 6
Red and Green grapes .96/lb
Bag of Red peppers 4 in a bag $1.98(it's cheaper to buy them at .99/lb)
Suey choy .48/lb
Blade Roast $2.28/lb
NN Pasta 900g $1.48
20lb Red potatoes $4.96

Shopper's all week eggs are $2.19
Sun Mon only(16-17)
Colgate toothbrushes .88
Colgate toothpaste .88

I added the flyer below for those of you who are visual! In the middle of the flyer you can see that if you buy a carton of Silk beverage you get a box of Kashi cereal free. This is at all the grocery stores, so if you already use Silk it's a bonus! Details are on the Silk carton.

Hurry for $5 worth of free Kernels popcorn

2011-10-12T09:15:00.000-07:00

Do you like Kernels popcorn? We do! It makes a great gift too. Usually, we don't buy it very often as it is expensive, but right now FabFind is offering a FREE $5 gift card for Kernels just click here. FabFind is in some major cities in Canada, but not all, however this doesn't affect you being able to join. I just used Vancouver as my city and signed up no problem!

Now, if you want to do this you need to be REALLY!!!!! patient. Every screen is EXTREMELY slow to load! At the time of this writing there were around 4000 free gift cards left.

Do you have an Entertainment book? In ours there was a buy one medium bag of Kernels popcorn and get one free. Use your gift card to pay and get 2 bags cheap! Now, if this is too much hassle for you, you can make your own at home for a fraction of the cost of the regular price! I blogged how to make microwave popcorn here

Brandsampler

2011-10-11T13:58:00.000-07:00

Samples are available at Proctor and Gamble Brandsampler. Hurry they go fast.

This Week's Sales

2011-09-30T06:20:00.000-07:00

Isn't this lake color just stunning!? This is Kalamalka Lake.No wonder it was voted one of the 10 most beautiful lakes in the world!

This Week's Sales

With Thanksgiving just around the corner now is a good time to stock up on turkey! We always like to have a spare one in the freezer as it's nice to have turkey at a non turkey time! :) The smaller ones can make a nice meal with left overs for sandwiches.Mmm turkey sandwiches!

Walmart Sept 30-Oct 6

Grade A or Utility Turkeys(I take it you need to make sure you look to get a grade A if they are all together) .97/lb
Red Path Sugar 4kg $3.27!!!!! Sugar has increased in price dramatically and now this is a good deal! It's normal price is 10kg $11.99, so $1.99/kg. This works out to .82/kg!
Butter 454g $2.97
10lbs Russet potatoes $2.47
Grapes $1.27/lb
Rutabagas .47/lb(I have never cooked these before...are they good?)
3lb bag onions $1.27
Celery .77each
Baguettes $1

Safeway also has Grade A turkeys on for .99/lb, combining this with 10% off day on Tuesday would make your turkey .90/lb! Remember you have to spend a minimum of $35 to get the 10% off.

Superstore Sept 30- Oct 6

The coupon on the front is buy $250 get $25 off.
The 340g bag of cranberries is $1.46
5lbs of carrots $1.96
Broccoli .96 each
Brussels sprouts .76/lb
Sweet Potatoes .46/lb
Cabbage .38/lb
Bok Choy .38/lb
Pineapples $1.96 each
NN Perogies 1kg $1.48!!!
Kraft shredded cheese 340g $5.99(free with the coupon from the Old El Paso taco kits.)

Extra Foods has the coupon for Oct 2-3. Spend $25-$100 and get 10%-15% off

Lakeview Market has coupons inside the Event paper each week. This week they have local Spartan apples for 2lbs .98

Costco Brownies Vs Scratch Brownies

2011-09-21T14:07:00.000-07:00

So, I was in Costco this week and saw the brownie mix was on sale. I have friends and family who swear these are better than anything you could make at home and they think cheaper. Well, being a family that learns at home, we decided to give it a whirl!

First, I found a recipe that was similar ingredients-wise. The one I chose was America's Test Kitchen brownies as most things ATK are very tasty and don't fail. Then I priced out all the same ingredients. The homemade was costing $5.56 and the Costco $5.49(this is for 4 square pans of brownies, note I substituted chocolate chips in the ATK recipe). So, cost-wise it's very similar.

Then, we had my son time my daughter and I as she made the mix and I made the scratch recipe. The mix took 5 minutes from bag to pan and the scratch took 6 minutes. I baked them both and then the kids did a blind taste test.

The pan on the left is the mix, the one on the right is the ATK brownies. The verdict??? The mix is tastier!(We also had our neighbors be in on the blind taste test and they too chose the mix!(probably time to go to Costco, huh?)
It is more moist and chocolaty! This usually isn't true when you make a bagged mix, but not this time!

With the ingredients you add it works out to about $1.65/pan of brownies! On sale this week at Costco.

I've Got Lots of Peanut Butter!

2011-09-21T08:23:00.000-07:00

I needed to make some squares for a due and I was thinking I really need to use up the peanut butter I got on sale at Costco. So, I went hunting for a yummy square recipe that would use LOTS of peanut butter. This is a recipe my mom used to make at Christmas. She would bake up a storm and freeze it for when we had company. Us kids would raid the freezer whenever possible and so I know these freeze well and taste good frozen!!

Peanut Butter Bars

1cup crunchy peanut butter(nice!)
2/3 cup butter/marg, softened
1 tsp vanilla
2 cups firmly packed brown sugar
3 eggs
1 cup flour
1/2 tsp salt

Icing
(be sure to read the directions before making this)

3/4 cup icing sugar
2 tsp water

1/4 cup chocolate chips
1 tsp marg

Combine peanut butter, butter and vanilla in a large bowl; beat until well blended, beat in sugar until light and fluffy; beat in eggs one at a time. Stir in flour and salt just until well blended; spread butter in a greased 13X9X2 pan. Bake in moderate oven(this means 350..I always laugh when I read old recipes that assume I know what a moderate oven is! :) Bake for 20 minutes and then check!! The original recipe wanted 35 minutes and I found this was WAY to long. The center will spring back, the cake will be browned, or a toothpick will come out clean.

Icing....I screwed up on this part as I am not a great direction reader!!! The icing sugar needs to be combined with the water in a small bowl and stirred until smooth: drizzle from a spoon over still warm squares.
Melt the marg and chocolate chips in microwave. Stir until smooth and drizzle over with a spoon. Try to make a nice design...mine was kinda blotchy.
Go ahead and cut up and freeze if you can. What I did was I made a double batch, one to take to the due, one for the family to dive into! Good thing as I screwed up the icing on the first one! It looked bad, but tasted great! Enjoy!
Next time I search everywhere for this recipe, I can find it....along with the "Sue don't do this instructions! "A major advantage to blogging favorite recipes, don't you think???!

Old Town Sales!!! Sept 14-19

2011-09-14T11:19:00.000-07:00

This Week's Sales

2011-09-09T11:33:00.000-07:00

Marketplace IGA is not one I post about usually as they don't send out flyers in my area and their sales run up to and include Saturdays. Their website is http://www.marketplaceiga.com/ I just noticed these deals!
Sept 4-10
Bananas .49/lb!!!!
Bread .99
Potatoes 15 lbs $4.99
Green Peppers .99/lb
Old Elpaso Taco kits start at $3.78

Superstore Sept 9-15 Coupon is free PC TP 30 jumbos with $150 purchase
Iceberg Lettuce .86
Bnls Blade Roast $2.28/lb
Sugar Snap Peas 2lb $5.98
French Bread $1
Sour Cream 500ml 2/$2.98
Pickles 1L 2/$3
Kraft PB 2kg $4.98 limit 2

Safeway 9-15
Lucerene Icecream 4L 2/$8 limit 4
Oven Joy Bread buy 3 and pay $1.19/loaf
Kraft Shredded Cheese 380g $5.99(this is the one you get the coupon for $6 in the Old El Paso taco kits)
On the back of the flyer there is an interesting Club card deal Buy 4 Kraft products and get 3 Free bread! 3 bread is worth $3.57 so if you were buying the puddings for example and they were $1 each that would be $4 total and so your puddings would cost you .43 for 4 packages. Make sense? I'll check it out.

M&M meats has 2lbs of Chicken Nuggets for $5.99..only valid Sept 9-11

Rexall Drugs Sept 9-11
Campbell's soups are 2/$1 limit 6
Rexall facial tissue .49 limit 4
Dove soap 2X90g Lever Body wash

Walmart Sept 9-15

Potatoes 10lbs $2.97
Onions 3lbs $1.27
Brocolli .97
Ravoil 1.13kg $2
Tacos Old El Paso $3.47(free cheese coupon inside)

The ever shrinking package

2011-09-07T19:08:00.000-07:00

I had to blog this as I was utterly surprised. Like me you probably have noticed that the things you buy are in an ever shrinking package. Your 1kg has become 750g and you are paying the same price or even more than before! Well, the other day I was in Costco, I desperately needed chocolate chips. There they were on an end of the aisle sale for $10.79. I looked in my price book and was sad to see that they had gone up, but isn't that the way of groceries these days??? Imagine my surprise when I noticed(once I was home) that it was actually a larger size! Usually this comes in the 2kg size, not it's 2.4kg. That's $4.50/kg! I have lots of peanut butter so peanut butter chocolate chip cookies or granola bars will be made as soon as the heat wave passes!
By the way, these are still on sale at Costco this week.

I've Got Lots of Crab Apples

2011-09-07T12:59:00.000-07:00

Last year I blogged about crab apple roll ups. Again this year my in laws were kind enough to bring us a box of crabs!(Thanks mom and dad! :) I thought I should show the process I use.

Crab Apple Sauce

First, I take my large pot and fill it almost 3/4 full of washed crab apples, I don't core, stem or deblossom them. Add a bit of water, just a bit. I don't add any sugar because they are oh so yummy without any sugar!I put this on the burner on medium and stir occasionally. It takes 15-20minutes to nicely steam them. Then I put them into my applesauce masher(thanks again Mr. Mike!) and using the wooden masher, I mash and mash them!

This is the yummy result. Immediately a gang gathers with large bowls and spoons. I go back and put another batch on the burner. :)

I pack them into square containers(square is the best for space conservation! :) and we look forward to warming them up for breakfast or snack on a cold morning!

I've Got Lots of Cauliflower

2011-09-06T12:00:00.000-07:00

Even though it was 30 degrees today, I really wanted cream of cauliflower soup! I made it on the burner on the BBQ while hopping from foot to foot as the deck was toasty!

Cream of Cauliflower and Corn Soup
Start with 4 cups of cauliflower broken into little pieces. In a saucepan heat some butter or margarine and saute an onion, until soft. Add the cauliflower and corn and cook for about 2 minutes.

I had some yummy corn and decided to slice some in for a little color and a yummy taste! I added two cobs.

Add 2 tbsp flour and stir and cook for 1 minute.

Next add 2 cups of chicken or veggie broth. (I cheated and used 2 cups water and a package of seasoning from a Ichiban noodle pack.) Cook for 15 minutes on medium.

Add a cup of milk or half and half and 3 Tbsp of cream cheese. This is what makes it nice and creamy.

Cook for another 10 minutes stirring often. Add some pepper. Serve.

Very yummy soup! The only downside is the picture below....this is all the leftovers, not even enough for another bowl. :( Enjoy!

I've Got Lots of Spaghetti Squash!

2011-09-05T18:22:00.000-07:00

Here's one of my favorite uses for spaghetti squash! If you are not familiar with spaghetti squash you need to find out what you have been missing! My kids like it when I just bake it up and then scrap it out into a bowl. It looks just like yellow spaghetti and tastes oh so good!

For this recipe I cut the squash in half, took out the seeds, wrapped it in foil and put it in the toaster oven (it's out on the deck as we are trying to keep the heat outside). You can feel free to use your oven if you want. I cook it at about 350 for 45 minutes to an hour. You will know it's done when it is tender when you poke it.

Meanwhile, cook up 2/3 cup of bulgur or cracked wheat in 2 cups of water until it is softened but still firm, about 10-12 minutes.

To your cooked squash add your cooked cracked wheat and some feta cheese. Put it back in the oven for 25 minutes.(Or if you'd like to bake this tomorrow you can stop here and pop it in the fridge and do the last oven time the next day.)

Viola! Done! It's a very filling meal so you may find half of a half is enough per person! Enjoy!

Cheap cheese at Safeway!

2011-09-02T10:03:00.000-07:00

Yowsers! Cheap cheese at Safeway! Print this coupon and get 700-750g block of cheese for $5.99! Make sure you play the weight game and get the biggest block possible. Can you handle 3 big blocks of cheese?(remember you can freeze it). Why not wait until Tuesday and buy it then. You are already at $18 of the minimum $35 needed for the 10% off. If you need the chicken breasts one box will put you over. Suddenly,(miss you Yoon Hee!)you are at $44. So, now your cheese will be $5.39!!! Shred it up, throw it in Ziploc and enjoy this fall and winter in your casseroles, wraps and pizzas!

This Week's Sales

2011-09-02T09:40:00.000-07:00

The sunset on the Lake Okanagan...taken by my talented husband!
So it's September 1st, and to me this is more like the new year than January is. I enjoy this season, especially where I live now as we have a true fall. Right now there are beautiful flowers blooming everywhere. I am always shocked as it's only been 4 years that we have lived here, and I spent so many where the leaves all fell off right away and that was it...winter. I enjoy all the seasons, except winter, so I am never in a rush to get to it. Another reason I have to be thankful! Anyways, this time of year is a time of getting back into routines. We will be learning at home again this year, and have decided to start Sept 6.

Now is the time for harvesting. In our yard we have grapes(many, many grapes), plums(only half a tree this year after the bear took out the other half), hazelnuts(I am hoping this year the Stellar Jay might share!), and walnuts. Besides that this is the time to enjoy the upicks around town. I was told yesterday that there are peaches to be picked for .50/lb! We are coming to the time of year where it's getting safer to use the oven inside, evenings are cooler so the chance of getting things cooled off for sleeping is good. So, now is the time for planning how to properly preserve the bounty so it will last the winter. More on that in later posts!
Walmart 2-8
Red,green,or black grapes seedless .97/lb
Fresh Boneless Loin Center and Rib Pork Chops $7(this is a good deal if there is a kg or more in each package, be sure to root through them as they are all different weights and more is better!)
Cantaloupes are $1.47
Cucumbers .50
Pears .88/lb
Tomatoes .77/lb
Cauliflower .97
Royale TP 48singles for $9.97
Report covers(we called them duo tangs!).10
Bic pens $1 for 10 pack

Superstore 2-8
Sept 2-4 spend $250 get a $25 gift card
Chicken Legs $1/lb
Broccoli .96
Pears 6lbs $4.98(.83/lb)
Bok Choy .38/lb
Cantaloupe $1.46
Rye Bread is $1.66 when you buy 3
Whole Chicken $1.98/lb
10 pack Bic Pens .99
Black Diamond Cheese 700g $6.99

Extra Foods has the coupons on the front of their flyer. Mon and Tues 10-15% off when you spend $25-$100.

Shoppers Sept 3 only
SATURDAY ONLY 20X the points when you spend $50
Paper towel life brand $1.99 for 8 pack limit 4
Maxwell House coffee 925g $6.99 limit 4
Christie cookies and crackers $1.79 limit 4
Everyday Tuna 170g .59 limit 4
Campbellls' Soups .49 limit 4
Dempster's Hot Dog Buns 2/$3 for 12's limit 4
Sept 3-9
Everyday Market Butter $2.99(limit 4)

Safeway 2-8
Tuesday Sept 6 is 10%off day. Spend $35 minimum
Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts $2.99/lb ($26.36/box) limit 2
White Mushrooms $1.99/lb
Corn on the Cob 10/$4
Here's the Old Town Market Specials

A great deal on photos!!! Blacks has 50 6X8's! Yes, that's the big size for $5! I am seeing comments on their site that you can get the same deal on 4X6 and 5X7. I think I am going to print off some of our summer photos and use them as thank yous. Click here to check it out. Offer ends Sept 6.

Free Photos and 25% off at Chapters

2011-08-31T08:31:00.000-07:00

Costco is offering 60!!! free 4X6 photos to new online photo members. Must have a Costco membership, click here.
Get 25% off at Chapters in store Aug30-Sept 30! Here's the link.

Free Tex Mex Cheese

2011-08-26T19:31:00.000-07:00

Thanks to a new fellow frugal friend I learned of this fun deal. Right now you can buy a kit for the hard tacos, it has the shells, the sauce and salsa for $3.47(that was at Superstore). I looked at Walmart and didn't see any. Inside there is a coupon for either a free 200g bag of Kraft Tex Mex Cheese or $6 off the 380g bag the next time you purchase another Old El Paso kit. The 380g bag is $5.99 right now at Superstore. So, a taco kit and a bag of shredded cheese for $3.47, not bad. The coupon is good until January 31,2012.

Free Cereal

2011-08-09T17:16:00.000-07:00

It's on again....$5 credit cards when you purchase Kellogg's Miniwheats, Frosted Flakes or Fruit Loop.(that's all we saw, maybe there's more?). Last time they did this the cereal was $4 :( . You can buy unlimited amounts at Save On for $4.99 a box. At Superstore they are $4.97 but there's a limit of 2. For a refresher on the fine print read the last post I did on it here.

Once you mail away for your maximum of 5 gas cards and then you receive them you can use them at any store for anything, not just gas. The gas seems to be the most complicated way to use them.

Also, a little tip....do you ever need a credit card online to sign up, or do something? You can use this one! I have done it, it's quite nice if you don't really want to give your credit card number out.

Also, there is a chance you'll win $500.

Maybe you will be the one who wins the $500!!! Please let me know if you do!

Bonus Airmiles

2011-08-04T17:15:00.000-07:00

This came in a mailing from airmiles.You may remember my post about bonus airmiles and Shell a little while back. At that time they offered 100 airmiles(our free movies and popcorn and pop gift certificates are on their way!) if you filled up 4 times with a $30 purchase each time. Now it's 50 airmiles and you need to spend $40 4 times. Last time I found it worth it as it worked out to $18.84(movie coupons)for 100 airmiles. This time it works out to $9.50. According to my calculations if I did what I usually do(fill up at Superstore)I'd get $5.69 in gas bucks for the same $160 spent. On top of that my credit card pays me 5% on my gas purchases so that's another $8. So from my point of view I would save(or make?)more($13.69-$9.50=$4.19) by doing what I always do. Plus, I wouldn't have to make 4 special trips to Shell.

It's always interesting to see how it all works out, according to your circumstances! Maybe it will be beneficial for you?

How's it going???... and back to school sales....

2011-08-04T16:44:00.000-07:00

Hubby took this picture while we were on a hike!

It's a funny thing, a blog...you make friends all over the world, people you've never met. You share information about whatever you are passionate about. It's tough to know how much to share as it is such a wide open space....I always enjoy hearing what's really happening and so I will do to you as I would like done to me. It has now been a month since hubby's work place shut down. He was eligible and we applied for unemployment insurance, right away. In the meantime he was asked to do a couple of jobs in his area of expertise. It was piece work. He claimed it on his EI reports and everything that might have started came to a grinding halt. His file is now in review and whether or not he'll get benefits is unknown. I feel frustrated with the system, punishing honesty. It would have been easy for them to just subtract the few dollars made from the few dollars he was going to get, but it seems like the message is don't even try to work. Anyways, I don't want to rant, the subject makes me ranty(I have decided this should be a word!)....Here again I am thankful for an emergency fund. Dave Ramsey always says don't rely on the government, ever. So, our first month we managed to live on his last paycheck! That was happy! Now we have 3 full months of monies left. We are putting some stuff on Castanet and Craigslist, that frees up space and money!

His work is quite specialized and there aren't many companies in our town, but he's contacted them. Some have shown interest in giving him contract work if he had his own set up. Something to think about. I think I stressed in a post earlier, how awesome it is to have an emergency fund, but I'll say it again...stash teensey bits away each month..it will add up, you'll have wiggle room if something happens. Wiggle room is really nice.

Back to School Sales are starting!? Staples has some great deals.

Hilroy 80 page coil ring note books are .15(limit 6)

150 pack of lined paper is .19(limit 6)

Exercise Books 4pk .25

See their flyer for more

Costco has a screaming deal on blank photocopy paper 800 pages for $5.19 until Aug 7

Bic Pens 56 pack $4.49

This Week's Sales

2011-07-14T14:20:00.000-07:00

I know this is a strange picture, but I thought it was a beautiful, colorful mushroom! We saw it on a hike up at Conkle Lake.

Superstore 15-21(Extra Foods)

Spend $150 get a 4kg case of mangoes

Chicken Drumsticks Club Pack $1.98/lb(Extra)

Peaches and Nectarines(Extra)
Romaine .56(Extra)
Cantaloupe $1.46
Hot dog/Hamburger buns $1.97each(Extra)

Pork shoulder blade $1.98/lb(Extra)
Foremost Yogurt 5/$2(Extra)

NN Cheese 200g $2(Extra)

NN Sliced Meat 175g $1(Extra)

NN Wieners $1limit 1(Extra)

Royale TP 30 doubles $11.99(limit 6)
NN Fries 2.2kg $3
NN Perogies 2kg $3(Extra)

NN extra virgin olive oil 750ml $3(Extra)

NN Sliced Olives 398ml $1(Extra)

NN Parmesan 250g $4(Extra)

NN Chicken Thighs 2Kg $9(Extra)
Extra Foods
Cherries $1.77/lb
Fortune Rice 8kg $6.98(limit 8)
NN TP 24 doubles $6.98

Safeway 15-21
Lucerene Ice cream 1.89L 2/$5
Rye Bread 500g $1.29 when you buy 4
limes 4/$1
Cherries $1.99/lb
Corn on the cob 10/$4
Bakery Bread 570g $1.29when you buy 3

Rexall
15-17 only
2L Coca Cola Sprite Pepsi 7up .99 limit 6
140g Snack up chips 2/.99 limit 6
15-21
Stamps 10% off

Shoppers 17-18 only
Paper Towels 8 for $1.99 limit 4
Tuna .69 limit 4

Walmart 15-21
Peaches/Nectarines .77/lb
Fruitopia/Five Alive 1.75L $1
Tostidos/Lay's 220g-320g $2
Royale 24 Mega Rolls $6.98
Plums .97/lb
Croissants .33 each

Why Have an Emergency Fund?

2011-07-10T20:55:00.000-07:00

Most financial writers, planners, and teachers recommend having an emergency fund.How much varies, some say $1000, some say 3 months, or 3-6 months worth of household expenses. Why? Well, the emergency fund is supposed to be your insurance against going into debt when that unexpected, but inevitable thing happens.The idea is you are your own bank, you can borrow from you.How much do you really need to survive? Bare bones? I always like it when I have a bit of an outline, so I will share what our bare bones are.
Mortgage
Home Insurance(we pay once a year, but set aside the monthly amount each month)
Property Taxes(we pay once a year, but set aside the monthly amount each month)
Terasen Gas
Fortis Power
Medical Services Plan
Vonage(VOIP)
Cell(we are on a plan, so even though this isn't a necessity it can't be left off, it is only $28 all taxes in per month)
Gas
Groceries
BMI(Water)
Car Insurance(we pay once a year, but set aside the monthly amount each month)
Life Insurance(we pay once a year, but set aside the monthly amount each month)
Grand Total is what we need to survive on.(A normal budget would include giving and saving but that's when there is an income).
As, I have written before we were really working at getting past one month of expenses saved. Well, we finally did! Taking on an extra job we stashed away another 3 months...just in time! We got our emergency! Hubby's place of employment closed down! So, once again...I can say having an emergency fund is really, really important.
Where to begin?Start off small if it seems like a huge undertaking. I know how you feel, it felt impossible to squeeze anymore from our income....be encouraged you can do it. Once you get your $1000 you have already started taking steps backwards from the financial debt cliff. Having an emergency fund takes away some of the panic that can be involved in a backed up sewer, blown tire, or job loss. Having an emergency fund gives you some options. Suddenly you don't have to hurry up and decide, you can think about it. There is another thing that kicks in....you know how hard you worked to save that money, so you may be more thoughtful when making that big ticket purchase..how much do I really want to spend? When charging a purchase on a credit card, it feels pretty hopeless and kind of like it's not your money anyways..so maybe there's a bit more impulsiveness to our spending?
We have spent many years gathering up a small emergency fund, having emergencies, and then starting all over again. The good news is we don't charge us interest! If we had to use credit cards or lines of credit the interest charges would be hefty! How are you doing getting your rainy day fund????

This Week's Sales

2011-07-08T11:18:00.000-07:00

This was taken at Conkle Lake where we spent the past few days.

Rexall Grand Opening Sales July 8-10

Admiral Tuna 2/$1 limit 4
Royale TP 16single or 8 double $2.99 limit 4
Colgate Toothpaste 75ml-100ml .49 limit 4
Colgate Extra Clean Toothbrushes .49 limit 4
Country Harvest Bread 3/$5 limit 6
Rexall Facial Tissue .39 limit 6

Walmart 8-14
Allen's Juices 1L .88
Christie Cookies or Crackers $1.88
Broccoli Crowns .97/lb
Green Peppers .97/lb
Lemons .33ea
Kiwi $1 for 1lb bag
Mastro Extra Virgin Olive oil 1L $4.97

Superstore 8-14
Gas savings is on again this week Spend $100-$250 on groceries and then save .10-.35/L on gas. Coupon on front of the flyer

Cherries are $1.96/lb
NN Cheese 800g $7.98 limit 4
Bagels 5/$2
Terra Delyssa extra virgin or pure olive oil 3L $14.99

Extra Foods 8-14
2lb strawberries $2.88
Lean Ground Beef $2.18/lb limit 4
Bag of 4 Red Peppers $1.98
Vine Ripe tomatoes .87/lb
Terra Delyssa extra virgin or pure olive oil 3L $14.99
NN Cheese 800g $7.98 limit 4

This Week's Sales

2011-07-01T10:04:00.000-07:00

Happy Canada Day!!

Rexall July 1-3
Christie Crackers $1.49!!! limit 4
Tuna .50!!!! limit 4
Doritos $1.88 limit 4

Safeway 1-3
Corn on cob 12/$3.96
Hot Dog buns $1.98
July 5 is 10% off day

Extra Foods is having Family Days July 4 and 5(buy x$ of food get % off see coupons on front of flyers)
Superstore has buy $250 get a $25 gift card
1-7
Case of Mangoes $4.96
Country Harvest Bread 2/$5
Cantaloupe $1.46
Plums .96/lb
Bok Choy .48/lb
Min Maid Frozen Punch .50
Salsa 1.89L $4.48!!!

Walmart 1-7
Watermelon $3.96
Tositos 320g $2
limes .20
plums, peaches, nectarines .97
Grape Tomatoes 227g $2
Donatello's frozen pizza $2.50(we tried these last time and they are actually pretty good...nice to have on hand for a quick supper)
Summer Washer Fluid .88

Entertainment Books $9.99 and Free Second Cup Chiller Today

2011-06-30T08:49:00.000-07:00

Today(June 30) at Second Cup if you have a SPC card you can get a free 4 oz chiller. My daughter got one of these cards free when we opened her BMO bank account, so I think we will take her for her chiller!

Right now until July 4 the Entertainment Books are only $9.99! Great if you can use any of the coupons to lower your vacation costs...car rentals, entertainment, eating out etc. I have already got my $10 back in using the Safeway $5 off when you spend $50 and the McGavins Free Bread coupons! Here's the fine print...

Terms & Conditions of Entertainment® Book Membership Offer

The 2011 Entertainment® Book is a part of your 2011 Entertainment® Membership.

Offer expires 07/04/11. Offer is valid while supplies last.

All 2011 Entertainment Books are $9.99 and FREE standard shipping.

Offer only available through this email. Offer not valid on prior purchases.

Offer cannot be combined with any other offer, coupon, points, rewards programs or gift card programs.

Entertainment Publications, LLC retains the right to modify this program at any time without prior notice.

All merchant offers referenced in this email were accurate at time of deployment.

All prices and discounts referenced are in U.S. dollars.

You must own a 2011 Entertainment Book to activate the Entertainment Book Companion App.

Entertainment Book Companion App displays content from participating merchants

2011-06-24T10:37:00.000-07:00

I made a whirlwind trip to Alberta and the scenery was breathtaking!

I just love the reflection in the water!

We drove among the clouds!

This Week's Sales
Well it's been awhile since I have posted! It has been a very busy time. Yesterday, the last high school final exam was written! Today, the last tutoring session will happen, and then suddenly....summer! Our summers consist of lots of fun visits from friends and family! We are looking forward to it!
Superstore(Extra Foods) June 24-30
No Tax June 24-26....in BC that's a 12% savings!
Corn on the cob is 6/$1.92
NN Chips $1 limit 4
Mushrooms 454g $1.98
Peaches .76/lb
Watermelon $3.96
Suey Choy .58/lb
Romaine .76each
NN BBQ sauce 455ml .88
NN Canned Veg 12X341ml $7.48
Royale TP 30 doubles $11.99!!!! limit 6
NN Trail Mix 11Kg $5.98
NN Sour Cream 1L $2.98
NN ramen noodles 24 $4.98
Black Diamond Cheese Slices 1Kg $5.47 limit 4
NN Yogurt 1Kg $2.48
NN OJ $1 frozen
Black Diamond Cheese Bars 700g $6.99 limit 4
NN Ice Cream 4L $3.98
Red Peppers bag of 4 $2
NN Honey 3kg $15.98

Rexall June 24-26
Peak Frean Cookies $1.88(limit 4)
Speed Stick Mennen or Lady speed Stick $1.49 (limit 4)
Lay's Chips $1.88 (limit 6)
Nestles Chocolate bars 2/.99

Safeway 24-30
Broccoli .99
Hot Dog Buns $1.98
Corn on Cob 10/$4

Shopper's Sun-Mon only
Tuna .69 limit 4
Walmart has a free photo book from now until July 9th. Just order one 4X4 Brag book and enter the code BRAG at the online checkout. Value is $10 Available at http://www.walmartphotcentre.ca/

Flights and Renos

2011-06-08T12:04:00.000-07:00

Today June 8th only use this coupon code XNAJKBP1 and get 15% off with Air Canada. You have to book today, but you can fly until Sept 4, 2011.

Also, June 11 Rona is having no tax day. For us in BC that's 12% for Alberta double the GST.

This Week's Sales

2011-06-03T15:47:00.000-07:00

Well happy sunny weekend! It will be a quick post as I dash off to get my vitamin D! This is very important!

Walmart June 3-9
Watermelons $3.97
Green onions .33/bunch
Cauliflower $1.47 each
Ragu 700ml $1.25

Extra foods(Superstore) 3-9
Pineapples $1.96
Roma Tomatoes .86/lb
Fresh Chicken Thighs $2.18(not screaming, but reasonable)
NN TP 24 doubles $6.98!!! 14 1/2cents/roll limit 6
Extra Foods has family appreciation days June 5-6
Spend $25 get 10% off
Spend $50 get 12% off
Spend $100 get 15%off

Save On 5-11
Green Grapes $1.49/lb(Cooper's has red grapes $1.49/lb)
Broccoli Crowns .99/lb
Green Peppers .99/lb

Shopper's has spend your points this June 4-5
40,000 points gets you $90 off(extra $27)
80,000 points gets you $200 off(extra $64)
I am waiting for Christmas as it is usually a bit better deal and I buy Christmas presents. However, this is pretty good if you have 80,000!

June 8 is Clean Air Day! Travel on the bus all day for free! There are a few locations for a free continental breakfast too. Check out the details in the Capital News!
Hope it's sunny where you are!

This Week's Sales

2011-05-27T14:10:00.000-07:00

May 27-June 2 Superstore

Spend $250 get $25 gift card

NN Cheese 800g $7.98 limit 4

Imperial Marg 1.36kg $2.99 limit 4

Hot House Tomatoes .96/lb

Cantaloupe $1.47

White Mushrooms 454g $1.98each

Whole Fresh Chicken $1.99/lb

Fresh Chicken Drumsticks $1.98/lb

Chicken Legs Back attached frozen $1/lb(Extra Foods)

NN Hot dogs 450g $1.38(make sure to check the price of the Club Pack it may be cheaper)

NN Bacon 500g $2.98

Eggplant .98/lb

NN Peanut Butter 2Kg $4.98

Minute Maid Frozen Juice 8X355ml $4.56(.57ea)

NN Frozen Vegetables 2Kg $3.48

Terra Delyssa Pure Olive oil 3L $14.99

Walmart May 27-June 2

Cottonelle TP 24 doubles $9.98

Celery $1

3pk romaine $1.50

Donatello's Pizza 395g-715g $2.50

Rougemont Apple Juice 2L $2

Bleach 2.85L $1

Shopper's Drugmart May 28-June 3

May 28 20X the points when you spend $50

May 29 & 30 only Everyday Market tuna 170g .59 limit 4

Cooper's May 29-June 4

Corn on cob 5/$2

Save on May 29-June 4

Romaine .79

Red Grapes $1.69/lb

Large Navel Oranges .59/lb

Corn on Cob 5/$2

More I've Got Lots of Rhubarb/ Strawberries

2011-05-26T07:27:00.000-07:00

A refreshing rain

It's raining cats and dogs today! The air smells fabulous. I have been up since 3:30am(hormones!).....yawn! Amazing what you can do in the quiet....I decided to put on a big jacket with a hood and tromp(shall I say wade?)out to the rhubarb. Yesterday I picked up some yummy strawberries and so this morning I thought strawberry rhubarb muffins would be nice. I searched through my Rolodex of recipes sure that I had a good recipe in there somewhere, sigh...I seem to have not saved one. The problem with the wonderful world of Internet recipes is that I try something new, don't write it down...and then can never find it again! So, I decided to take a few recipes and combine them. Here it is...enjoy!

Rhubarb Strawberry Muffins

3 cups flour
1 cup sugar
1 Tbsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

1 1/2 cups sour cream(you can use plain yogurt)
2 large eggs
1/2 cup melted marg or butter

1 1/2 cup rhubarb

1 cup strawberries
Mix the wet, add the dry, toss the fruit in the dry, don't over mix. Bake at 375 for 25 minutes.

I am testing one as I blog...they are wonderful...I tried cutting back on the sugar and then are still tasty.

Recipe makes 12
I had to sample!

Oh!!! I almost forgot! Feta Cheese is on sale at Costco this week(sales usually change Mondays). It's the lowest I have ever tracked it! 1kg $8.79(regular price is $11.99)!!!!! If you click on the picture you can zoom in and see that it is good(unopened) until April 2012!!! I stocked up! I guess you'll be hearing about feta cheese recipes shortly!

I've Got Lots of Rhubarb

2011-05-23T13:34:00.000-07:00

Rhubarb Compote

This lovely compote is easy to make(thanks mom for the recipe!)and soooo good for you! I cut up 8 stalks of rhubarb. I whirled it up in the food processor(not an exact science!!!try it you will know what I mean!) and then put it in a glass bowl in the microwave.This is a much easier, burn free method! All I did was cook it on high 2 minutes, stir it and then did it again. In the end it cooked up to this lovely sauce. Because I had food processed it, some of the liquid was released, so I didn't need to add any. If you want to cut it up by hand you can just add a tiny bit of water before you microwave it. Afterwards I added about a 1/4 cup of honey. It has a really nice taste plain, but you may want to add a sweetener. We had this large bowl at lunch and there is less than a small serving left! Tasty, easy, good for you, and free!

Rhubarb Bake Filling

Rhubarb Bake

Here's another great user upper of rhubarb! You may remember me modifying it for plums awhile back.This recipe calls for 4 cups!
First you make the rhubarb filling.
4cups rhubarb(fresh or frozen)
1 cup granulated sugar
2 Tbsp cornstarch
1 tsp orange rind
In a medium saucepan, stir together the above. Cook over medium heat 5 mins for fresh and 15 minutes for frozen. STIR CONSTANTLY. Let cool.
Next make the base and topping by combining the following:
1 1/2 cups flour
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup chopped nuts
1 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp salt
Then use 2 knives or pastry cutter to cut in 1/2cup of soft butter. When done reserve 1 cup of this mixture. Take the rest and spread evenly in a square pan. Pour the rhubarb filling over and sprinkle with the reserved mixture. Bake at 350 for 35 to 40 minutes. It freezes really nice and can be kept frozen for months! A great treat for lunches or picnics! Enjoy!

What do you like to do with lots of rhubarb?

This Week's Sales

2011-05-21T14:32:00.000-07:00

Long Weekends aren't usually a great time to buy groceries. There are, however a few things worth mentioning!
Rexall May 20-26
Apple Juice 1.2L Rougemont .79(no limit when I was there)!

Walmart 20-26
Beef Steak Tomatoes .97
2lb Strawberries $2.97
Christie Cookies 550g $2.77
Corn on the cob .40each
Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts $9/package(this is a good deal if the package is 3lbs or 1.5kg or bigger)
GV Chicken Wieners $1.47
Summer Windshield Washer Fluid 3.78L $1

Safeway 20-26
Chicken Drumsticks $1.99/lb
Corn on cob 5/$2

Extra Foods/Superstore 20-26
4kg Mangoes $4.96
4kg Boneless Skinless Chicken Breast $2.97/lb
Red Seedless Grapes 41.46/lb
Kraft BBQ Sauce 455ml .99 limit 6
Corn on cob 5/$1.80
Minute Maid Juice .57 each
Canola Oil 3L $4.98
NN TP 24 $3.98
Bag of 3 romaine hearts $1.47

Shoppers 20-26
Paper Towel Life brand 8 rolls $1.99 limit 4

Save On 20-26
English cucumbers .99
Tomato on the vine .99/lb

This Week's Sales

2011-05-13T14:47:00.000-07:00

We have this dead birch that I can't bear to see be cut down, because of moments like these! This beautiful guy posed for me! (I don't know why this in underlined!)
Superstore May 13-19
Superstore is doing the gas deal again this week. Spend $100-$250 in groceries from May 13-19 and get .10-.25 cents/ litre off. Your gas can be purchased up until May 25. I did this last week and it saved me $15.60 on my gas plus I got a gas buck for $2.73!
Mushrooms 454g $1.98
Kiwi 1Kg Bag $1.96
Eggplant .98/lb
Top Sirloin steaks $3.78/lb
NN TP 24 doubles $6.98 limit 2
Walmart May 13-19
Green Peppers .97/lb
Broccoli .97 each
Armstrong Cheese 750g $7.97(not the best price)

Making Money with Mail in Rebates

2011-05-09T18:54:00.000-07:00

Thanks Cory for pointing out this little freebie! Spend $20 on selected items at select stores(double click on the rebate form to see the list of eligible items and stores) and send in your receipt and get $30 worth of President's Choice Gift cards!
The fine print
1. Make sure to buy the items and sizes as shown on the rebate form
2. Make this purchase separate at the till so you can send in your receipt(all items must be purchased at one time)
3. Write all the UPC codes on the back of the receipt and circle all the item's prices on the receipt
4.Purchases must be made between April28 and May 19th 2011
5.Must be mailed by June 3,2011
6.Only one mail in rebate form per address or household

This Week's Sales

2011-04-29T15:00:00.000-07:00

Hubby took this happy picture!

Superstore April29-May 5

Is having a no tax event on Fri Apr 29 from 5pm until midnight

Also on April 29 Boneless Blade Roast $1.88/lb

Fresh Mangoes are .38 each limit 6

They also have the gas coupon again. Buy $100 get .10/L off. Buy $150 get .15/L off. Buy $250 and get .25/L off.

NN TP 24 doubles for $6.98 limit 4

NN Bacon 3X500g $7.44

NN Salami, Pepperoni or Summer sausage 1Kg $3.48

5lbs Spartan or Fuji apples $2.96

NN Orange Juice Frozen 12 for $12

NN Pretzels 1.36kg $3.98

no name sour cream 1L $2.98

Chicken Drumsticks or Thighs $1.88/lb

                          pork loin chops rib and center, or sirloin and center, frozen $1.88/lb
                            PC Thick and Juicy Bear Paw Burgers 4.54Kg $19.99 limit 3
                                                               Mangoes 4kg $5.88

                                                           Save On Foods May 1-7
                                                          Red Globe grapes $1.47/lb(Coopers)

                                                              Shoppers Apr30-May 6

Christie crackers or cookies $1.79 limit 4 May 1&2 only(limit 4)

SunChips and Ruffle Chips 2/$4 May 1 & 2 only(limit 4)

Walmart Apr 29-May 5

Red Globe grapes $1.47/lb

3Pk Romaine $1.50

Great Value Bleach 2.85L $1

Crest toothpaste 100ml .88

Majesta TP 16 doubles $5.98

Safeway

Tuesday is 10% off day

Boxes of Boneless skinless chicken breast $2.99/lb

Extra Foods Apr29-May5

Family Appreciation Days Coupons are on the front of the flyer again. Effective May 1-May2 Spend $25 get 10% off, Spend $50 get 12% off, Spend $100 get 15% off.

NN Salami, Pepperoni or Summer sausage 1Kg $3.48

NN Bacon 3X500g $7.44

PC Thick and Juicy Bear Paw Burgers 4.54Kg $19.99 limit 3(I have never tried these, most of the time I make my own, but this works out to .50 a burger and $2/lb so if they are good it might be a great deal!)

NN OJ 12/ 341ml for $12

5lbs Spartan or Fuji apples $2.96

NN Pretzels 1.36kg $3.98

no name sour cream 1L $2.98

Mangoes 4kg $5.88

Chicken Drumsticks or Thighs $1.88/lb

Celebrate the Royal Wedding with free cereal!!! This link takes you to a Kellogg's contest and on the left you click on the link for free cereal. It will take you to the save.ca site where you can order one free cereal and 3 Kellogg's coupons!(plus many more coupons.)
Then at websaver.ca they are offering free Cheerios or Fibre 1 cereal, here . This link will take you to the websaver site and there you can also gets lots of other coupons. The free cereal is only redeemable on June 21???

Computer Repair Help

2011-04-28T17:37:00.000-07:00

I have been looking forward to doing this post. I hope it's clear and easy to understand. Let's start by saying I am not a computer whiz! Any of you who have followed my blog for any amount of time can see that I am just learning!!! So, that's why I thought this post would be an encouragement to you. Let's start at the beginning. It all began when our desktop said we had encountered a virus and we needed to click here and pay this to fix it. It was not our anti virus reporting, but it looked a lot like it. We did not click here or pay anything, but we did get infected with the XP Home Security virus. The computer came to a stand still. Slowly getting more and more incapacitated.

As I googled fixes I came across some posts on you tube for Bleeping Computer.com. I followed these to their website and signed up after checking them out online. I posted as a new member and very shortly I got a reply as to what I could do to start to solve this problem. The moderator walked me through step by step. Bleeping Computer is a computer fix site for the novice. They strive to help you and me fix and learn! The website is supported by advertising. The moderators are volunteers as I understand it. The man who helped me was very patient and clear in his explanations of what I should do. He was several time zones away in the USA. It took a total of 5 days and I had a fixed computer! I learned valuable tools to better protecting my computer and you can too, just go on their website http://www.bleepingcomputer.com/ . This post is my thank you to boopme over at Bleeping Computer and my encouragement to you in your efforts to learn more about computers and save money. If I can do it....you can definitely do it!

Peanut Butter!!!!

2011-04-17T07:55:00.000-07:00

I just had to quickly post this deal on Peanut Butter! At Costco you can get a 2Kg of Kraft Peanut butter, regular or light, for $3.89!!!!!
I have never tracked it this low!!! I am curious if all Costcos across Canada do similar sales, would you help me by emailing me or posting a comment as to whether or not your Costco has peanut butter on sale? Ours in Kelowna, expires in August(the peanut butter that is). What would you do with all that peanut butter you ask??? I will do a post on that shortly. If your family eats peanut butter at all, go buy some!

This Week's Sales

2011-04-16T07:53:00.000-07:00

This week's Sales

Walmart 15-21

Potatoes 5lb $1!!!!

Purex 30 double rolls $11.98

Celery .77 each

Lemons or Limes .33

Bread or baguettes $1

Superstore 15-24

Spend $250 get a $25 gift card

Pineapples $1.96

NN Bacon $2.48

NN Spinach Frozen 300g $1

Brussels Sprouts $1.46/lb

Cabbage .46/lb

Broccoli Bunches .96/lb

Sweet Potatoes .46/lb

Rexall 15-21

Country Harvest Bread 2/$3!!!

Admiral Tuna 170g .59

Rexall Paper Towel and Facial Tissue .59

Colgate toothbrushes.99

Comet 480g $1

Safeway 15-21

Turkeys .99/lb

Washing Machine Woes

2011-04-14T13:12:00.000-07:00

So, last week I had a bit of washing machine troubles! One morning I woke up and found my washer was full of super wet clothes! My washer is probably 9 years old(it came with our house). I had gotten quite behind on my laundry and so a broken washer was not convenient! We ended up going to the laundromat and doing 8 loads. Now, I haven't been to the laundromat very often and so I don't have a lot of experience, but the one we visited was very nice. It was roomy, not busy(we went during the day) and the staff were very friendly! 8 loads get done a lot faster than they would at home, but it's also fairly pricey! My 8 loads cost $17.25 and that was without fully drying them(I ran out of time). I wonder if you calculated out the price of a new machine, the number of years they last, the cost of water and power, how it would compare in the long run. Now of course there is the hassle factor, not being able to do your laundry at home, having to make a special trip....Anyways, all things to factor in I guess.
So, back to my washer. Fortunately for me I have a very smart, very capable husband! He took apart my washer and quickly determined that the problem was a broken shock(or maybe both shocks...oh dear, I'm not sure if they are called shocks or maybe stabilizers?).Anyways, off he went to get a part and a few hours later I was back to being able to use my own washing machine again!
Total cost? $89.
So, the beautiful washing machine in the picture above is not mine.....I am saving for one like this, but in the meantime, my washer is working! Thanks to my wonderful hubby!

Last Weekend of Skiing and This Week's Sales

2011-04-09T07:15:00.000-07:00

This was taken from Big White yesterday, by my hubby, who got quite the sunburn! Those lumps of snow are trees! Big White has had an incredible amount of snow this season! Sadly, this is the last weekend of skiing. Do you want to go? Try castanet.net(click on community and then tickets) for inexpensive tickets.

Walmart 8-14
Red Seedless Grapes $1.47/lb
Cauliflower $1.47
Lettuce .88
Pears .97/lb
Christie Crackers $1.88

Superstore/Extra Foods 8-14(No Tax Event 9-10 only)
Lettuce .76
NN Frozen Veg 2kg $3.48
NN Frozen Perogies 2Kg $2.98
NN Salsa 1.89L $4.48
Case Mangoes 4Kg $5.88
Asparagus $1.28/lb!!!!!!!

Zellers 8-10 only
Mr.Goudas White Rice 8Kg $5.99
Charmin TP 12 doubles $4.99
9-10 only
Carefree Pads $2.49

Save On 8-10 only
Onions 3lbs .99
Ocean Spray Cranberry Juice 3.78L $4.99 limit 2

10-16
Green Grapes $1.49/lb
Cantaloupe .69/lb
25 lb bag of onions $5.99

Safeway 8-14
Grade A Turkeys .99/lb
Green or Red Grapes $1.49/lb

Rexall 8-9 only
Purex TP 2/$5 (16 singles)!!!! limit 4

8-14
Rexall Paper Towel/facial tissue .59
Peak Frean's cookies $1.88
Snack up chips 140g .79

Membership Has It's Benefits!!!

2011-04-04T18:17:00.000-07:00

Whenever I present my course Costco memberships always come up. Are they worth it? I always say you need to figure out if you save more money than the membership fee. We get ours as a Christmas gift each year from my husband's parents. Anyways, I learned today that membership did have it's benefits! I had to blog about it, in case any of you have lost receipts and need to find them!We bought a Costco truck battery at the end of 2009 and last month it died. Costco batteries have one of the best guarantees out there at 3 years. When our battery died I went to my handy dandy file cabinet where all my receipts are. Under B for batteries I didn't find a Costco receipt! I began a furious search through a year's worth of monthly envelope files, with no luck! I was distressed as the battery would be 100% replaced, which was $95 plus tax. I basically lost $100. We bought a new battery and I continued my search. Finally, the other day we were at Costco and I got an idea. I asked the cashier if they could search my Costco American Express card and find this purchase? She said, "No problem!" Today, I went in with the battery and viola, a $106 cash card! This time membership did have it's privileges!