July 9

Be grateful for the things that you have in your life. 
Sometimes we spend money on things that we think we need, to make us happy.  Look at your life, the basics.  Try to find the happiness that surrounds you daily.  Our family phrase is that we are rich with love.  Since we have adopted this, it really has made us happier, and realize money isn't needed.
Be grateful.
It pays to be frugal.  On Amazon check out my Ebooks A Guide to Collecting Air Miles in Canada and also A Penny Saved is a Mortgage Paid

July 8

I love to eat out.  What is better than a meal that it cooked by someone else, in a kitchen that I don't need to clean up the mess!  If you are on a budget, then eating out is still an option. 

I do find that serving portions at some restaurants are HUGE!  There are some restaurants that we know there is no way that we can eat the whole meal, so we share.  Or we know that there will be enough for lunch the next day and take some home in a Take Away Tray.

I find every single restaurant in the US the servings are massive and we share there too.  We can't take a Take Away Tray when traveling.
Sharing meals is cost efficient and is also good for the waist line!  Almost every single time the servers respond positively when we order an entree to share and say that their portions are huge. 
A few times we have ordered something at the end to eat when we were still hungry, but it hasn't happened often.

It pays to be frugal.  On Amazon check out my Ebooks A Guide to Collecting Air Miles in Canada and also A Penny Saved is a Mortgage Paid

July 7

On a recent trip to Las Vegas I knew that there would be a lot of walking.  Before we went we had discussed renting a car for the duration of our stay.  Quickly we did some research and discovered our hotel charged a daily parking rate that was quite steep.  With having car rental fees and the stress of not having clear directions we decided to skip car rental. 
I had heard about UBER from listening to the Dave Ramsey show.  It is very easy to pick up rides, but you do need to have a data plan.  If you are doing any travel I suggest UBER vs a taxi, much easier. Here is my referral code, I earn $5 if you sign up from me, thanks.
meghand3515ui


 It pays to be frugal.  On Amazon check out my Ebooks A Guide to Collecting Air Miles in Canada and also A Penny Saved is a Mortgage Paid

July 6

Hotel loyalty earned us 3 free nights on our summer vacation at the Best Western.  I can't see any better deal than that!

I used to spend time on Expedia and other sites choosing hotels, and go with one that was even $5 cheaper than the others.   Then last year we stayed at a Best Western ( found through Expedia) and signed up for a loyalty card. Within 24 hours they sent me a statement with my status in an email.

We noticed that with each stay it accumulated for a free night's stay.  Within the email there is always a survey to complete and receive more Best Western Points. Usually it is 250 points and less than 2 minutes.

This is just the beginning.  There are a few options when booking a Best Western night there a few ways to make your reservation.

Ebates.ca allows you to earn cash back on each stay, it is usually around 2.5% cash back!  With Ebates, when you hit $5 in your account you can redeem for a cheque to be mailed out to you.
Sign up here for EBATES: https://www.ebates.ca/referrer?referrerid=dmI00Ysp2yY%3D  (comment below if you sign up from me, thanks)

Airmilesshops.ca allows you to earn Air Miles with each Best Western Reservation.  Every $35 spent is 1 Air Mile.

bestwestern.com often has special deals, with bonus points attached to them.  With your membership you will often get an email of special promos, sign up for these emails on their website.  A popular promotion is a $10 gift card with each stay to be used in the future.  There are often deadlines attached to these promos.   If we don't have a hotel stay planned before the promo ends, I go to my local Best Western and use it towards a pool pass.  They sell 10 swim punch cards for pool use.  I stick these aside and use them as a stocking stuffer for my girls.  The gift cards can also be used at restaurants within the Best Western hotel.

Best Western points can also be cashed out for gift cards to other stores, merchandise and aeroplan or Air Miles.

This next part is only if you are financially responsible, and completely positive that you trust yourself!
Best Western has a Master Card, and with the first charge you earn enough points for 1 night hotel stay!  I applied for this card, and charged $5 and paid it off the same day. I earned enough points to redeem for one free night when we go to Universal Studios in Orlando.  Then my husband applied for the card during a bonus offer, and earned enough points for 2 free nights with his $5 charge!!!  We will keep these cards open until we come back from our trip to Universal Studios.

If you think that opening up a credit card will lead to you charging things and building up debt DON'T DO THIS, THE HOTEL NIGHT IS NOT WORTH IT!!!
https://apply.mbna.ca/applicationform/generateApplicationForm.htm?src=DAAB91&locale=en_CA

It pays to be frugal.  Check out my Ebooks on amazon.ca A guide to Collecting Air Miles in Canada and A Penny Saved is a Mortgage Paid

July 5

I try to buy things second hand, but that isn't always possible.  Whenever I get the chance I try to shop near an outlet mall.  When we take vacations I like to go to hit up the outlets.
Always sign up in advance on the website of the outlet you will be visiting home page.  If not, hit up Guest Relations when you arrive. Members receive special deals available only to VIP shoppers.
My friend and I were recently shopping at a Michael Kors outlet and got an extra 10% off coupon from a salesclerk on the store floor.
It isn't always possible to get to outlets but if you can, I suggest knowing your prices.  A few of the outlets were selling items at the same price as home and not worth purchasing the item.
When I have friends traveling to outlets I ask them if they see anything at a great price to text me.  Having shopping buddies is great! Just make sure you return the favor somehow, perhaps with giving them extra coupons or picking them up items from a thrift shop from time to time.
When I hit up outlets I make sure I let the friends that "scratch my back" know and get their shopping lists also.

It pays to be frugal.  On Amazon check out my Ebooks A Guide to Collecting Air Miles in Canada and also A Penny Saved is a Mortgage Paid

July 4

Say NO!!!
This is the most unglamorous part of becoming Debt Free.  It sucks to say no to things. 
Many people won't understand why you are trying to save money.  Before we began this path we used to go to dinner on the weekends, go to the movies and spend money like crazy!  Doing these fun activities with our other couple friends was part of our social life.

We started to say NO to events that cost more money than what was in the budget.
HOWEVER, we always suggested FRUGAL things as an alternative to events.  Saying NO! to suggested events but yes to others helps cut back on your finances.  For example, instead of going to the movies and spending $30 for admission and popcorn we started to ask friends over to watch movies.
Another huge perk... once I began to say no, I started to feel better mentally.

It pays to be frugal.  On Amazon check out my Ebooks A Penny Saved is a Mortgage Paid and A Guide to Collecting Air Miles in Canada.  

July 3

 I used to spend a lot of money on groceries.  I would go to the grocery store and buy a few items and then would come home only to find out that I had the items in my pantry already. OOPS!
I went to Zellers one day to buy baskets and containers to organize my pantry.  Yep, it was that long ago that there was a Zellers!
I was about to purchase all the containers when I realized it was a lot of money for containers. I  went home and thought about how I could organize on the cheap.  I am a teacher and had a bunch of plastic fish tubes in the basement. (Grocery stores sell them for $1 with the lid) I grabbed a bunch of them and lined one shelf with them.
I wanted a container that was a bit higher and bought dish bins at the Dollarama and lined them up on my second shelf.
One day I was at my mom's and noticed she had 2 pop cases out for the recyclables and thought it was genius for soup cans.
When I took a look at the pantry it was all mismatched and wished that I had something to look uniform.  I went back to the Dollarama and picked up thick tape in a bold pattern and applied it all over the front of the containers.  There wasn't any point to do the back and sides since they can't be seen. Another bonus frugal tip.
I also picked up 2 canvas shoe racks and use those for snacks and spices.
I love that each bin has a theme when I organize it.  Not only were the containers cheap, but I save a lot of money at the grocery store since I know what is actually in my pantry and it cuts down on the grocery shopping bill.

It pays to be frugal.  On Amazon check out my Ebooks A Penny Saved is a Mortgage Paid and A Guide to Collecting Air Miles.