Packing up Christmas

Today is that dreaded day, the day where I tackle under the Christmas tree.  Despite that we cut down on the amount of presents bought and the money spent the number of gift bags and tissue paper looked like it grew.  When I tidy up this mess of Christmas I save everything that I can.  I have a bin that I put all the tissue paper that I can save in to re-use.  I flatten it as best as I can and fold it up for the container. When I was out shopping the Boxing Day sales with a friend I did pick up a package of white tissue paper half price in case I needed it.  I buy 1 new package a year, this year it was 64 cents.  The rest of my tissue paper is recycled from birthday parties and Christmas.  This little tip will save you a few dollars a year.
Next I sorted out every gift bag that was in the house.  Surprisingly we have a lot of gift bags!  I had two large plastic gift bags that the handle broke off of, and used one for Christmas and one for birthday themes.  I folded each gift bag into the "holder bag" and I should have enough to last eternity.  Until today these bags were saved each year but just shoved in an area of my basement.  I did find some Valentine bags that I added to my Valentine storage tub.  Not needing to buy a gift bag for each event saves at least $1.15 a bag.
I also went through the wrapping paper that I have and organized into two categories, Christmas and everything else.  I had bought the storage containers half price at Canadian Tire three years ago. I also weeded out the character wrapping paper that I had that I know the kids won't like anymore. Dora, really???Obviously forgot about that roll of paper for the past 4 years.  I filed that in the Yard Sale area of my basement.
Lastly, all the bows were placed in an open gift bow bag.  Although the stickiness is long gone, it is nothing that some Scotch tape can't fix.
Join Guess Who's Cheap on Facebook and feel free to like and share.

Free Wood

We have a fire place wood insert in our home. I love wood heat! We burn a lot of wood a year along with our heat pump.  In the summer when there isn't a fire ban we also use our fire pit quite a bit.  A few days ago a friend of mine moved into a new house and cut down some trees around the property.  She posted an ad on Facebook to have the wood picked up curbside, and I jumped all over it.  It took 2 trunk loads to bring this home, but well worth it being that I can drive by the house on my way home, no special trip needed.  Some pieces are large and my husband will cut it up to use in the house and some pieces are ready to go in the fire pit.  I say free wood on the side of the road, a few days of free heat, well worth my stop.  Side Bar, I am sure anyone driving by was laughing that I was taking free wood from the side of the road wearing a Michael Kors dress $3 yard sale find! 

Printing Coupons....Printer Ink

Printer Ink can be very expensive, yet printing coupons can save you lots of money. It can be a toss up if it is even worth it to buy the ink to print the coupons. My answer is yes it is!!!!
When I print coupons at home I make sure that my printer is set to black ink only. This can be found in the printing options under Advance.  I also click to print in the grey scale, it makes the printing a bit lighter and uses less ink. 
When the ink runs out it is expensive to replace.  We purchase ours online at either Amazon.ca or Ebay.ca and my husband refills it.  Make sure you log into airmilesshops.ca first to get your Airmiles. 
This can be messy, he uses a syringe (left over from kid medicine) a pair of old plastic gloves, and a yogurt container. 
I have only had a problem at one store with a printed coupon.  Make sure it says Internet Coupon and you will be ok.  Don't ever photocopy coupons. Each printed coupon has a special bar code. Sometimes if you open up another Internet Browser you can print more.  I use Modzilla and Explorer.
Happy Coupon Hunting!
Join Guess Who's Cheap on Facebook 

Pink Stickers

Today is Thanksgiving, and my family has a lot to be thankful for.  There aren't many days in the calendar year that the grocery store is closed.  I love shopping the day before the store closes as there are magical pink stickers placed on many fresh products.  I haven't quite figured out if there is a time of day that is the best for the pink stickers, but I tend to head out mid afternoon.  I prefer shopping at my local No Frills, however, on these days I find the larger grocery stores have more mark downs.
Yesterday I found many items for the deep freezer and to use during the holiday
2 garlic fingers
4 pizzas
1 whole chicken (dinner Tuesday night)
2 skinless bone in chicken (this was a mistake I thought it was boneless but will be great in the crockpot)
2 packages of red peppers already sliced
2 packages of green peppers already sliced
1 package of sliced cucumbers
1 spinach  dip
1 family size pesto alfredo chicken (dinner for a night this week)
1 package of rolls
 for a grand total of $36! 
Morgan had collected $20 of PC Plus points this month and I cashed it in and paid only $16.  2 meals, had a munchie with raw veggies with our company yesterday, rolls with our dinner tonight and 4 nights of our Friday pizza nights with 2 nights a bonus of garlic fingers and chicken to prepare an evening.   7 meals!!!
Follow Guess Who's Cheap on Facebook

Teacher Storage Uses on the Cheap

I am a teacher, and trust me there are many ways that I could spend my money daily at work.  I have become quite resourceful with being cheap at work also.  A few examples are in the pictures.  I rolled up my boarders to store in empty frosting cans.  I use Baby Wipe containers to store pens, markers, pencils, dice, glue sticks, the list goes on and on.  My favorite teacher frugal use is my home made white boards. I bought 15 plastic plates for $3 and use them as white boards!!!!!   They last a long time, I am on year 2 with the same plates!

Facebook Alias

Who Am I?  Sometimes when I log onto Facebook I get mixed up with which account I am using...OOPS.
On my phone I am who I am, but my IPAD I have an Alias. I am Meghan Savings, because...well I like to save.  I have friends that have added Savings to their name or Coupons it is really up to you. 
Creating a Facebook account for money things is a great idea, it saves your regular account from many notifications to weed through. 
Examples of my other account are:
I have joined the Facebook groups of all the products I enjoy.  Doing this allows you to get a notification of coupons or contests.  Example:  Purex, advil and some of my favourite shampoos.
I sell a lot of things online.  Through this account I have joined all of the FB buy and sell groups and have all the messages come through to here. 
I follow Dave Ramsey, Rachel Cruze and Chris Hogan's Facebook pages on this account.  I use this account to subscribe and follow the money articles I enjoy. 

If you are thinking about diving into saving money, creating a new Facebook Account may work for you.  I enjoy that my personal account only gets notifications about the updates in my friend's lives:)

Join Guess Who's Cheap on Facebook.  Sometimes you may even see Meghan Savings or Meghan Donat posting:)

Brush Your Teeth!

I get my toothpaste for free through coupons or from the dentist. However, I still don't want to burn through my stockpile of it, or throw it away when it isn't empty.  We cut up the side of this tube and stick our toothbrush inside and brush our teeth with what is scraped on.  This gives us almost an extra week from a tube!
Join Guess Who's Cheap on Facebook and Share

Packed Lunch....part 2

It is the night before school starts, and Facebook is full of posts about the dreaded packed lunch.  I popped a batch of popcorn to be a snack for tomorrow.  The kids will have their snack in a ziplock bag (reused of course) and mine is in a yogurt container.  We eat a lot of yogurt and recently I started to collect the containers to reuse.  I won't send these with my kids, but when we go on outings as a family they are great.  Friday I was out with friends when they pulled a Folgers container out of their bag filled with goldfish crackers.  My first reaction was shock that my buddy was thinking Cheap like me, then I felt proud, and then I thought man, that's going on my blog!  Sadly, the picture came out dark. The point is, be creative with the snacks you pack, and the packaging.  Kids aren't the only ones that should be eating a packed lunch. 

Lunch Box Repurposed

There was a phase in my children's lives when everything was about the Disney Princesses.  This ship has sailed, and of course the remains of the Princesses are everywhere in our home.  I was preparing today for back to school and came across a few Thermos Jars that I was positive the kids wouldn't use even though they were in great shape.  I had nothing to lose, so I decided to take an SOS Pad to scrub off the picture.  It worked perfectly! Now I have a few Thermos Jars for each kid's lunch box that are plain and were essentially FREE!!! I am so happy this worked, however, I am now kicking my butt for not trying this sooner and buying them and the water bottles I have seen at Yard Sales all summer. I hope this helps some of you with the back to school lunch boxes. 

Free Organization Tip

I drink a lot of coffee, plus 2 kids equals a lot of milk jugs at our house.  I am not sure where my husband got this idea from but I feel so proud! I went into the basement and saw on his work bench he has cut down milk jugs and uses them to hold screws, nails, bolts etc.  Then recycle the top part. I am impressed, I have to share!!!
Join and Check out Guess Who's Cheap on Facebook

Explore Your Community

Yesterday it was an overcast day. My husband took a day off work for a Fam Jam day and we wanted to have an experience of some sort.  I put a post on Facebook asking what people suggest for the day. I suggest doing this as I got  lot of ideas! A friend who has a child the same age as my oldest suggested the Fisheries Museum of the Atlantic.  This seemed like the perfect mix of inside and outside and it triggered a deal. 
I have blogged before about the library, and here I go again. Each branch of our library has 2 family day passes to the Fisheries Museum.  Just show your library card and they give you a pass on a blue laynard that has to be returned same day, after hours in the drop off box is fine.  After I got it I sent our friend up and she was told that there are online ones and they were signed out.  I sent another friend up this morning and they told her the same thing. If you plan to go in, ask for the hard copy that you could wear around your neck.  My buddy texted me from the parking lot and I described it and she went back in and borrowed it.  This saved our family over $30 well worth it. 
Join Guess Who's Cheap on Facebook

Is It Empty???

I have a secret...I love body lotion. I have it by my bed with a pump for my feet before I go to sleep at night. I also carry small ones in my purse for my hands when they get dry in the winter. I used to throw them away when the lotion stopped coming out the pump.  Then one day I was curious how much I was throwing away.   The answer was a surprise to this cheap girl... a whole bunch.
Here is what you need to do:
1) Get 1 plastic container to store the lotion
2) Scissors
3) Popsicle stick (I'm a teacher and have crafty kids I'm sure a butter knife would also work)
4)Lotion container
I first take the pump out and shake it into the container. Then I cut it near the top as lots of lotion gathers up here. Then I scrape it with the popsicle stick.  Pretty easy!  This one large Vaseline bottle and 2 small trail size (from previous hotel stays) equaled TWO of these containers from the Dollarama.  That was a lot of waste averted.  
Join Guess Who's Cheap on Facebook and Follow my Blog. Share your comments on my blog

Yard Sale Part Two

As I posted in my last entry I love Yard Sales. I also love second hand shops such as Frenchies and Value Village. I buy most of the items for our girls and for us at these types of places. When we are done with items I try to resell them (see previous blog entries). I first try to sell on Facebook Groups, then Kijiji, then will try to sell in my own Yard Sale and then donate the items to Value Village.
When I see items cheap at these places that I think I can resell I often purchase them.  I only take the risk if it is an item that I feel I will use, or someone I know will use if it doesn't sell, or is cheap enough that I don't mind taking the hit if I end up donating it to Value Village. 
If an item is under a certain price point I leave it on my doorstep for people to pick up and put the money in the jar. My husband works from home, and often I am in the house.  When we come home or hear a car leave, we go to the doorstep and pick up the money.
To some, this may seem like a lot of work but to me and my family it has become second nature and helps generate extra cash flow to help pay of the house faster.
Does anyone try this? comment below how you create extra cash flow, I'd love to hear from you.
Join Guess Who's Cheap on Facebook and follow guesswhoscheap.blogspot.ca blog

Yard Sales

The yard sale season is starting to wind down already....big sigh.
I am a yard sale junkie.  I go every Saturday and furnish and decorate our home with yard sale finds. Many times I find things that are new in the package, and will slip it aside for Christmas gifts.
There are some key tricks to the Yard Sale Day.
Have some buddies.  I go faithfully with one of my girlfriends for the past two years and we have a blast. Also I have another friend that goes with his mom and we text each other where we find sales, it helps.
Here are my yard sale day tips
1) look in the local paper and Kijiji and Facebook groups for locations
2) Drive by key intersections and look for posters (this is when a buddy helps as they peer for signs as the other drives)
3) clear your car of all stuff before you go as some days it will be full.  It is amazing what we fit in our sedans!
4) Bring coffee and treats (it can be 2 hours of being out and it is early a person gets hungry!)
5) Leave early
6) Have small change and bills (I have a separate yard sale wallet always ready to go)
7) I don't ticker with people, well almost never. I am out early and I figure that if I want it someone else will later. I also know I have yard sales to save money for certain items and assume others are too, so most of the time I pay the price.
8) if you see something hold on to it, it will not be there if you think about it
9) ALWAYS PUT A QUARTER IN THE KID'S LEMONADE STAND I love seeing the kids saving up
10) if you are really looking for something special tell your yard sale buddies, and it doesn't hurt to ask. 2 years ago I was at a yard sale and they had a tonne of toys and a few Ninja Turtle items, my daughter was a huge fan at this stage. I asked if they happened to have any more Ninja Turtle toys, she said yes some big items that I have on kijiji right now they are in the house, and I said I"ll take them, you just never know
11)be open to any finds you never know what you will find
12)wash items when you get home, Resolve, Lysol spray and Green Works Wipes are my Saturday morning best friends
13) HAVE FUN!!!!!
Join Guess Who's Cheap on Facebook and Like and Share

ROAD TRIP!!!!!

People think because we are on a budget and cheap we don't do anything fun.  NOT TRUE! We just find creative ways to make it work.
3.5 hours from our house is a water park.  Gasp, it is even in another province.  We knew that it would be a fun activity for the kids, and being how we aren't doing a traditional summer vacation thought it would be fun.
The night before I packed up snacks and a lunch. I actually packed way too much food to eat during the day.  We had pineapple, pears, peaches, carrots, celery, crackers, 6 water bottles, bananas, turkey sandwiches, granola bars, applesauce to eat inside the park. I was either planning on making lots of friends or spending the day stuffing my face.  We did a bit of both:)
The night before we went to Shell and filled up the car with gas, paying with our Sobeys gift card (this deal better come back this week I am on my last gc) got airmiles, and a free large cappuccino with fill up.
Yesterday was road trip day. We woke up early, put portable dvd player screens in the car for the girls to watch a movie (yard sale find $20 2 screens!) brewed coffee to go for us, and drove away. We spent the drive up counting trailers, listening to Dave Ramsey, the girls watched a movie near the end, and we listened to the best of Hip Hop on free Google Play.  We stopped along the way and got a Mc Cafe for free with our filled coffee stamp card. It was a great drive. 
As soon as we entered New Brunswick we went to the Tourist Bureau and asked if any coupons to Magic Mountain. There was a $10 off a family of 4!  This took less then 3 minutes from off the highway to back on the highway, well worth it.
We spent 4 hours at the water park. When we were done we went to Costco and ordered a large pizza, pop (free refills) and a water for $13.49 great supper price. 
I made a side trip to Value Village and bought New Balance sneakers for the girls $2.49! They have been washed up and look new, SCORE.
On the way home we popped in Shell again to top off the tank, but we are pretty sure we would have made it home on the original tank of gas. We love our Toyota.  Got another free cappuccino and shared it on the drive home.  My hubby listened to the Jays game on the radio, I read a book, and the girls fell asleep watching a movie.  Great affordable day.  Lots of driving yes, 7 hours in a day is a lot. However, we skipped the price of a hotel room and that savings essentially paid for our whole day.

Join Guess Who's Cheap on Facebook  Comment below blog and tell me what you would like to see more of

PRODUCE

Oh my gosh, I am not sure what's going on with the price of produce!!! The past few months I am finding produce is going up in price.  I like to stock up on items when I see a sale and freeze items whenever possible.
Last week we went strawberry picking.  We picked 24 boxes as the picking was good.  The cost was $1.50 a box well worth it compared to the $2.99 if you buy them after someone else picked.  The berries were tasty and fast, easy picking. To prepare them all we had to hull them fast.  A bottle of wine helped this process go a lot smoother (Home Brew of course).
We took most of the berries and froze them into sandwich bags for future use.  Most bags have 2 cups in them.  The rest of the berries we made 25 jars of freezer jam.  We will use some of the jars of jam for gifts throughout the year, such as hostess gifts and token Christmas gifts.
Yesterday I went to the grocery store and noticed a bag of green peppers for half off.  I bought them, it was $2.31 for 4 large green peppers.  When I got home I cut out a few spots but for the most part they were fine.  I chopped the peppers into small pieces to freeze.  I had enough peppers for the kids to have some with their lunch and to freeze 7 sandwich bags with half a cup of peppers.  To many buying half price produce isn't appealing, but it is worth it for the most part.  I also bought bananas close to the end, and peeled them and froze them for smoothies.

Share and comment on the blog. Join Guess Who's Cheap on Facebook

Cheap Snack/Meal Side Dish

Tonight I made Corn Chowder for a yummy and also very cheap meal. 
When I peel potatoes I always save the peelings in a container in the fridge with water. I use them to make Potato Skins.
I microwave the skins for about 5 minutes.
While they are in the microwave, in a frying pan heat up olive oil.
After the 5 minutes, break the peels into small pieces and put in the frying pan.
While they are frying, grate cheese.
While the skins are frying, add pepper, and Italian season to flavor.
When the skins look fried (browned), add the grated cheese.
Turn off the stove top burner, and place a pizza pan on top, cheese will melt.
Serve with sour cream, ketchup. 
***At times I put bacon bits on top, yummy and cheap!

Movies

We don't do grading presents but I do like to have an experience with the girls when school is finished.  We went to Boston Pizza for lunch the day after school ended, bearing their report cards for a free kid's meal.  Then we were planning to attend a movie, Finding Dory.  Going to the theatre is expensive!
I had bought 2 passes at Costco that includes admission and a kid pack.   I bought them online where Costco allows you to register your aeroplan miles and collect miles, and then I paid with MasterCard for airmiles.   I printed it at home and used it for the kids.
While at Boston pizza I told our server we were going to e movies after. He reminded me that they sell movie passes for $8, $3 cheaper then paying at the theatre.   Score, as I had taken advantage of Sobeys offer a few weeks ago and I had $200 in Boston Pizza gift cards. At the restaurant I bought my ticket and paid with the gift card.  
For my husband's ticket I had filled out a McDonald's survey that was sent to me via email when I joined McDonald's Facebook group in January.  There was a code that made a movie $5 when a ticket was bought online. BONUS I could use the scene card for points.
At the theatre I used the 2 Costco kid passes, my pass from Boston Pizza at the conseccion stand and collected Scene points on it all!! The movie was great and felt good knowing the price was cheaper then buying at the theatre.  

Emergency Fund

An emergency fund seems daunting.  It is when you add up all your expenses in your budget for 3-6 months.   If shit hits the fan this is your...you guessed it emergency fund. It also seemed crazy to me to have such a thing. This money isn't touched unless there is an emergency. I got this once I started following Dave Ramsey.   It's goal is to avoid you from going into debt something happens beyond your control. Today our 8 year old car went in for a regular service and then we got the call.   You know the one when your mechanics number appears on caller id and you have the feeling of dread. We got that call.  Guess what? It sucked to know we have to pay this large amount. I had a freak out moment. Then I calmed down a bit and thought wait we have an emergency fund.  It took us a  loonnggggg time to collect this emergency fund. It certainly didn't happen fast.  
To build up our emergency fund we saved everything we could u till we got to our number.
Selling things on kiji and Facebook helped. Coupons to lower the other budget categories helps.
I can't say enough about the importance of the emergency fund.  I will be able to sleep tonight, if not for this emergency fund I would be freaking out!

Receipts

Yesterday we went to the city to take the kids to watch an Elsa and Anna show. On our way home we went to Montana's for a late lunch/early supper. My oldest daughter has decided to call this meal Lupper :)
We had a gift card with some money left on it from the fall. Our kids shared the hamburger kids meal as it comes with two burgers. My hubby and I shared a wrap and salad. It was plenty of food for the four of us.  When the bill came our server told us our gift card has a zero balance. I insisted there was money on it, and he checked it on another machine. Turns out I was right, so don't throw those gift cards away if you think there is money left on it, ask they to check it.
BACK TO THE RECEIPTS...I noticed on the bottom of our receipt there was a survey code.  If this is filled out in the next 21 days I will get a free appetizer with a $25 order.  (side bar if anyone local wants the receipt, it needs to be present with the code pm me it is yours)  This got me to thinking that Walmart, No Frills, and Shoppers Drug Mart also have surveys on the bottom. I fill these out weekly when I do my credit cards, I have never won anything, but hey, someone must?  Take a close look at your receipts who knows what you will find, the free appie was news to me.  

Join Guess Who's Cheap on Facebook and share this blog if you find it useful

Hanging Baskets

We built our dream house three years ago.  Since then we have been trying to work on landscaping, and man is it every expensive!
I wanted to get some hanging baskets for our Shepard hook in our front garden but didn't want to spend a lot on them. They start in price at $16.99 and I saw them all the way to $39.99.  On Sunday when we were driving home from the beach and noticed two empty hanging baskets on the side of the road for spring cleanup. We stopped and I picked them up and put them in the trunk.
Yesterday my husband went to Canadian Tire and picked up some flowers for $6.00 and planted them for me. We had soil from gardens that were planted this year.  My husband surprised me with doing it, it was on my list for this weekend when school is out.  I am so happy that for $6.00 we have two nice hanging baskets, compared to $34 we were close to spending.  We saved $28 and I think they look great.  We will keep the baskets to continue to plant them ourselves, and I will continue to look road side and yard sales for another blue one. I love the colour!

Join Guess Who's Cheap on Facebook and Share and Comment

Store Punch Cards

Some stores offer perks when you shop loyally. I have talked about Airmiles, PC PLUS and Optimum.  One card that came in handy today was the Pharmasave Buy 10 get 1 Free Card.
At the Pharmasave, when you purchase their Pharmasave brand items you are eligible for their buy 10 get 1 free program. The cashier will ask for your card if they item is over 1.99. After you collect 10 you get 1 item free, up to a $15 max value. 
Today I am sick with quite a sore throat....it hurts to swallow my coffee and to talk.  If you know me you know how these two things kill me!  After a doctor appointment he suggested Ibuprofen and I knew I was out.  In the parking lot of the Dr office I did a quick wallet check and found 3 Pharmasave cards each with a few on each card, and noticed I had 12  stamps in total...JACKPOT. 
I picked up the pills for free, which would have been $13.99 plus tax.  I also got a bonus airmile. 
This stamp card is a great perk when shopping at the Pharmasave, where you also receive Airmiles. I also use the Pharmasave as my pharmacy, I enjoy my pharmacists there:)

Join Guess Who's Cheap on Facebook  comment and share 

Cheap Water

We mostly drink water, and avoid pop and juice. Not to say we don't have other beverages, but water is the choice most of the day.  When we go to Disney World I always have a Brita Water Bottle in my bag, with a built in filter. There are water fountains everywhere, and no way will I ever drink out of water fountain!  So, this style of water bottle is the go to.  I buy things when they are on sale, and bought this tonight for 50% off to put away for when we go on vacation 2018. But now I am thinking I will be throwing this in the car and anytime we are on the go this summer we will have 300 free water bottles before needing to replace the filter. At Disney World a bottle of water is around $4, and around here at a store usually $2.  Go out everyone and buy one of these money saving items!
Join Facebook Group Guess Who's Cheap and like and share with your friends

This and That

I have been thinking I haven't done anything to save money in the past few days as I haven't spent any money since Thursday. Here are some things I have done in the past few days that may give you some ideas:
1) went to the movies Friday night and used Costco passes.. $12.99 each kid including kid pack and a movie pass for us 29.99 2 passes and 2 pop and 1 popcorn also collected scene points when purchased tickets
2) threw a cheap birthday party...made our own vegetable trays and had the party at our house kids played outside and played on a water slide
3) oops did spend money buying vegetable transplants for the garden...this will pay off for us soon
4) shampoo using a quarter size portion
5) body wash dime size portion it lathers up a lot
6) drank home made wine
7) went through the house and posted things on Facebook to sell that we won't be using....made $102 mostly selling a home base business products that I no longer sell and were left over I. My inventory that is no longer needed.   PUT THE $102 ON THE MORTGAGE AS AN EXTRA PAYMENT
8) watch Seinfeld episodes on TV
9) took coffee to work
10) bought strawberries and dip using sobeys gift cards and collected airmiles again
11)made a rain barrel to collect water to water the plants
12) ghoulish as a cheap easy meal for supper
13) wash dishes by hand instead of the dishwasher

Have you done any frugal tips? Comment below

Join guess who's cheap on Facebook

Lots of Airmiles!!!!

Ok...this post sounds very complicated....think about it step by step.  As many of my followers know, I am a Cheapskate. I am working very hard with my hubby to pay off our house by June 2018. Our goal is to drive to Nashville and see Dave Ramsey and do our Debt Free Scream. After that trip we plan to go to Walt Disney World for 5 days, and then Universal Studios, Sea World and home.  I have discovered that if I collect 33,000 airmiles we will get our Disney Vacation part for free. We are currently sitting at 25000. Gathering Airmiles is my second area I am focused on after making the budget small and throwing all money at the mortgage. This week I found an amazing Airmiles Promotion. Here goes:

Airmiles has a promotion buy $ 200 in Sobeys gift cards get 95 miles
I bought 5 sets for 475 miles
I charged on my Sobeys Master Card earning 1 mile every $20 spent, it is 50 miles right away
Because in the  first 3 months I get 3x miles base miles charged at Sobeys is extra 150 miles
AS AN EXTRA BONUS...
This week Sobeys has promo buy 50$ gift card for  Boston pizza get 60 miles 
I bought $200 worth and paid using my 200 Sobeys gift card I just bought earning 240 miles...
For a total of $1000 in Sobeys gift cards I  earned 915 airmiles!!!!!

Now, I know that looks like a lot of money tied up in gift cards, but remember to read my other blogs. A Sobeys gc is able to be used at Sobeys, Shell and Lawtons Drug Store. I can also buy other gift cards with my Sobeys gift card.  My month budget will be funded with these gift cards.
Please like and share, and remember to join Guess Who's Cheap on Facebook.
Comment any questions below I will talk you through this...

Making Rags

Clothes that my children have outgrown I sell online.  If an item is in good shape and isn't sold I donate it to Value Village. 

However there are times that my kids have completely ruined their clothes either by stains or holes.   

I collect the clothes that are ruined in the basement in a Rubbermaid container. Every now and then I take them and cut them into rags and put them in a large bag.   We use the rags for cleaning or out and around the property for clean ups. We wash them whenever possible.  We keep a bag of rags on top of the washing machine, one in the linen closet and many in the basement.

I have even sold them in a grocery sized bag for $5 online.   My paper towel usage has gone down plenty.  More money in my pocket... These loonies add up quickly. 

Toaster Oven

First of all, I hate cooking. I am starting (very slowly) to cook more meals. Thankfully my  husband is a great cook, phew!
Whenever possible, we use the toaster oven to cook vs using the oven. The amount of space to heat up is much smaller, and becomes more cost efficient.
That's it, simple! Also, there isn't a light in my toaster oven. In the winter when I am done using the toaster oven I leave the door open and a bit of heat escapes, making the kitchen warmer for a few minutes.
Don't forget to unplug the toaster when it is not in use and avoid using phantom power. 

Tell everyone you are cheap!

It is no secret that I am frugal.   I often brag about the deals I find, and when I get items on sale.  Since I have started this blog, friends on Facebook have also learned this about me. 
I have found that telling people that you are are a deal hunter opens the door for people to share their deals with you.  This can have you take advantage of the deals they find, and cuts down on your deal hunting.  
This week my oldest daughter had a cross country run.  A person that reads my blog came up to me and told me that book bags are on sale at the local Staples.  Naturally I went to check it out ASAP. 
I found nice book bags for sale in the front of the store for sale, and decided to go inside and see what other deals could be found.  To my surprise in the back of the store I found even more bookbags for sale with attached lunchbag and pencil case with the bag.  They were $5 and an extra 25% off!!!!  
I bought three for future years and I also have 2 stashed in the basement. 
WATCH THE ITEMS BEING RUNG IN
I can't stress enough how important it is to watch items being scanned at the cash register.  One bookbag scanned for $9.99 and I pointed it out and it got price adjusted.  

Join Guess Who's Cheap on Facebook and Share

Membership Rewards...Secret Club with Airmiles

There are reward cards available at most stores to give you a little perk.  Signing up for these takes little effort and is well worth the effort.  I carry a business card size wallet in my purse where I still all of these cards for easy access.  I am not techie at all, and prefer hard copies of almost everything whenever its possible. My husband has an app for his Smart Phone called UGO Wallet where he has registered all of our card numbers and opens the app at stores and can read stores the card number to punch in their register.
One reward program is my favorite and that is Air Miles.  You can reach Gold status when you receive 1000 Airmiles in one year.
Last year I discovered a secret Airmiles Card, Onyx. Since I have found it and researched its perks I am happy and doing everything I can to accumulate these miles.
Onyx Airmiles is automatically sent out to you when you collect 6000 miles in one year. They do all the work, you just get a great black envelope in the mail with a black Airmiles Card.  As long as you continue to earn 6000 miles in one year, you get to keep the status.
With the Onyx Card, you can enter contests with miles, skip lines in the toll free customer service line, discounts on miles needed for select flights and merchandise and have access to an Airmiles Personal Shopper.  When I had received the card I called for more information and they spoke to me for a long time, I had a lot of questions.  If you see say a pair of Michael Kors shoes in the Michael Kors store you LOVE, Airmiles will hook you up. You phone them and tell them the item you saw in a store, and they make arrangements to see how many Airmiles are needed to make the transaction possible, even if they aren't an Airmiles store!!  Although this tempted me, shoes are my weakness, this is how I know about this option, travel is still the best option.
ONYX deals with three major travel agencies.  I phoned and spoke to Airmiles about a trip to Disney World I want to take to celebrate our family being debt free in 2018.  We made all the plans of all the items I want included, hotel, dining plan and hopper passes and they calculated how many miles I need to make that happen.  For 33500 Airmiles we will get 5 days FREE at Walt Disney World!  I say that's worth some time scouring deals wouldn't you? I need 12000 more miles, we got this:)
Choose which loyalty card benefits your family the most, and explore ways to maximize the rewards, you won't be sorry.
Click on the link below and apply on my referral link and you will get 2000 Airmiles when you spend $500 and I will earn 500 Airmiles.

 http://amex.ca/share/meghanC9nK

Please share this blog, make some comments below and Join Guess Who's Cheap on Facebook

Coffee

Coffee
I love coffee. This may even be an understatement. I try to avoid buying coffee during the day. I  bring coffee with me most of the time to avoid a weak moment.   My exceptions are when I am out of town. My husband and I will often buy a large or extra large coffee and we share, instead of buying 2 small or medium coffees.  We have also discovered that Second Cup will take money off the total purchase with the use of our refillable mug. McDonalds will also refill your mug, so at these times I buy a small if we are staying a while and I refill when I leave.  As I have mentioned in other blogs, when you fill up at the Shell Station you get a free hot beverage of your choice and size and your Airmiles!  French Vanilla Cappuccino...yes please!!!
At home we have a few coffee machines, all I justify serve a purpose. 
The Keriug    4 years ago when asked what I wanted as a Christmas gift from my father I asked for a Keriug. I quickly felt that this was a very expensive way to have my daily coffee. I drink roughly 6 cups a day. This was expensive as I was drinking a box every 2 days just on my own.   They are around $10 a box so I had to explore other options. Also, a part of me felt guilty about all the waste.  I bought a mini filter where I can use my own ground beans. I use the Keriug now for my flavour treat coffees.
The French Press   This is the go to now for my coffee. I can put in 3 scoops and then use the kettle to boil water and start the coffee brewing process.   I like this as it is easy to throw in some decafe when needed. 
The Coffee Pot  My coffee pot is close to retirement. It has a timer on it and times I know I am up early or rushing in the morning I will set the machine to have my coffee ready for the morning rush.   I also use it when there are gatherings at my house, which is really only a few times a year.   I find there is more waste with the pot no one wants to drink the end of the pot. 

Please share, comment and make sure to join Guess Who's Cheap on Facebook 

Cereal Coupons

Tonight I am going to share with you a great secret place where I find awesome coupons.... Cereal Boxes!
While I was flipping through the flyers the other day ( scouring, I really go over them with a magnifying glass) I noticed an ok price on family size cereal, $4.47 a large box.  I then noticed that there was a $5  sign and a picture of a gas nozzle and I got excited.  Again this year, for the 3rd summer in a row, Rice Krispies, Corn Puffs, Fruit Loops and Frosted Flakes have this special logo.  When you purchase TWO boxes, there are special bins inside that you send BOTH away and in 6-8 weeks you receive a 5$ pre paid Visa card to use at any gas station.  You are allowed 5 per house.  Then, use them at Shell or Irving and earn Air Miles!!  Win Win.
I paid $8.94 and will get a $5 gas station card all for $3.94 out of pocket for two family size boxes of Rice Krispies.

Follow me on Facebook Guess Who's Cheap   Explore the ads that are a recent addition to Guess Who's Cheap blog

Money Articles

I spend some time each month reading various financial articles.  Pinterest is a great source for fast articles.  On that site, I often search Frugal, Cheap Living, Cheapskates, and Money Saving Tips.  You can find me on Pinterest at Meghan Savings comment below if you have any problems searching me.
I go to the library every now and then and borrow financial books. I was waiting for the book debut of Chris Hogan's new book Retire Inspired. I was even prepared to...wait for it...buy it! But it wasn't at Costco.  On the launch date I asked my library branch if they were getting it in to request a hold. They weren't, but they ordered it for me! It has been a fast read so far, and am 3/4 of the way through. I suggest you go purchase a copy, or place a hold at the library. I have mine 1 more week and hope my husband reads it also.
What financial books or articles have you enjoyed?
Follow me on Facebook Guess Who's Cheap 

 

Repair Items....

I am hard on my sunglasses. I wear them all year long, and almost always the whole time that I am outside.  Last summer I had the arms come off of two pairs of my sunglasses.  I was sad, and I couldn't bring myself to throw them away. Murphy's Law, the cheap pairs I have never broke, but the ones I splurged on did.  So, I kept them in a storage pocket in my mudroom.  Today I threw them in my purse (probably how I broke them, and have a few scratches on them) and thought I would go to the eye glass store on my way home from work. They were able to fix one pair and the other pair was broken beyond belief.  I feel that we live in a disposable society, and from somewhere I got the idea to repair them.  I saved about $30 from buying a new pair today.  Now I wonder what else I could have repaired that I threw out instead?
Do you have anything that you have repaired instead of replacing? 
Follow me Guess Who's Cheap on Facebook

Spend Spend Spend

There are times when I think it is ok to spend money without thinking. Yesterday was one of those days.   My daughters' school was having their annual school fair.   There were games, food and a circus performance.   We bought our tickets in advance with the amount we wanted to spend .  When they ran out we ought more😊  The kids had a blast playing with their friends.   My husband and I had time to chat with our friends while the kids played.   And the best part all the money went to their school for playground equipment and resources to help their education.   A day without thinking about spending was a ok.    An extra bonus Boston Pizza gave out free kid meal vouchers and we went out for supper last night and the kids ate free. Their meals are big for me and I brought half home and have lunch for today.  

Birthday Party Gifts

I have two daughters that are both in elementary school....are you like me wondering where the party is????
I can bet that at lease every other weekend there is a birthday party for one of my girls to attend. Don't get me wrong, I would rather them be invited then left out,but it gets costly! Not only that, but waiting until the last minute to buy the gift can lead to a frantic Mama.
In our house, I shop the sales all year long.  I pick up gifts at the most random times of year, and random items.  I have a milk crate that I put items in if they aren't pieced together as one gift.   And yes, this may be extreme, but I put gifts into a gift bag for the birthday parties as soon as I can.
 I have two very large bags of gift bags, one is a birthday theme and the other is a Christmas theme. I keep every gift bag we receive. I even have my parents doing it now. The past 4 Christmas' the girls have gotten the same large penguin gift bag from their grandfather, who takes it with him when he leave that morning. Their grandmother also takes hers too.  Gosh it being Earth Day and all, we are saving the planet and money!
Before the kids go to a party they get to look in the gift bags and determine what gift they think would be the best pick for their friend.  Then, when it is picked, the final step is to add the tissue paper from the small container by the gift bags, and Voila Let's Get This Party Started!

PLEASE JOIN GUESS WHO'S CHEAP ON FACEBOOK AND SHARE ON FACEBOOK, THANKS

Treat on a budget...

Today's blog may upset a few people...keep in mind this was a treat, not a necessary item, and my kids do get treats, they are great kids.

We have had a flu here since Thursday and today was the first day we are feeling well.  The sun is shining and I wanted some outside time, those that know me means... GREEN BAY BEACH!!!

We first went to the Dollarama and bought buckets and pails for the sand.  They didn't get new ones last year, and they are cracked oops.  If the Easter Bunny was thinking she may have looked into the condition of the beach toys. We will have a chat.

After that we went to an icecream store.  The girls were going to each get a small soft serve icecream and the cashier told me it was $6.42  I said oh no I just want two, I'm not getting one.  She said with a smile, I know. I looked at the kids and said ok ladies, you wanted the icecream and cookie treat in the car, I said no, let's get one and share and talked them into 2 small cones. I had no idea the price and thought I was smart, alas nope I wasn't.
They were over the moon, I ordered a small Oreo cookie icecream treat with two spoons. Cost $5.12 and much more tastier and more smiles:) The lady was so nice, I apologized and said sorry but I am cheap, just wanted a little after school snack. She said oh gosh you are fine, and being nice about it, I understand. She ended up giving us an extra cup. My girls shared it, no issues and I had a quiet drive half way to the beach while they had a treat. Win Win. 
And, well Mama needed a bite from each one just to make sure they were equal, no flies on me.  I of course drank my coffee that I brewed at home before we left.


* I had a picture but you could see the store logo...I didn't want that on the blog so no pic today

The 4 C's

A reminder on my pantry door....


I have been asked how I stay on track with my budget.  I daily listen to Dave Ramsey and I can't wait to do Our Debt Free Scream.  He asks everyone that tells their debt free story what is their secret? I think about it a lot, what will we say and I think I've got our secret. It takes a lot of work, and I have narrowed it down to the 4 C's-Coupons, Contentment, Consistent, and Commitment. 
COUPONS- I use coupons any chance that I get.  Using coupons enables us to build up a stockpile of items we use regularly. Coupons range from fifty cents off, to a product being free.  Combine coupons with items when they are on sale, and with a points card and voila, the coupon face value has increased. We have used coupons regularly for the past 8 years, since my first maternity leave.  (view my other blogs on coupon usage)
CONTENTMENT- This is the hardest one for me.  I can't lie, I get envious when people go on vacations, drive nice cars and have nice cars. I am only human. However, at the end of the moment I am truly content with our life.  This C could get mushy and messy, I will keep it short. Honestly every day Morgan and I say how happy we are with each other, our 2 girls and our home.  I feel being content with what we have keeps us on track. We don't run out on the whim and book vacations or get a new car on lease, even though all that know me know just how much I hate my car!   I will also add, that we have a list of things that we want to do as soon as we are debt free.  This also helps us remain content, knowing this isn't forever.
CONSISTENT-Our budget and monthly plan is consistent. We re-visit it often, and are creatures of habit. We phone in for our credit card balance every Friday and pay it off for the week. On the last day of every month we put every penny over our emergency fund on our mortgage as extra payment.  It didn't take long of doing this to see that consistency pays off, and each month a few extra dollars is added to our principal. Also by doing this for us on the last day of the month allows a fresh slate for the next monthly budget.
COMMITMENT- Being Frugal is a huge commitment.  There are little jokes from those around us about how cheap we are but we are focused on the big picture.  We have a goal together, that we have written down and talk about together.  Knowing that we are on the same page with our goals, enables us to remain committed. When we have a few slip ups, we know that we have to do a bit more then next month to stay on track.  February was frivolous for me, a bit of extra shopping, oops. Keeping our eye on the prize helps us stay focused, and Our 4 C's help maintain that. 
Please join Guess Who's Cheap on Facebook, and share my blog, and leave a comment on your thoughts

Bottle Exchange

We don't buy beverages in a bottle regularly.  It took us a year to save up all these refundables. Yesterday my oldest and I were looking for a few things to do while her sister was selling Girl Guide Cookies and this seemed like a good chore.
We got a whopping $12, but hey, its something. Slow and steady wins the race.  I am always surprised on garbage days when I see people have bottles in their blue bags at the trash.  Each one is a nickel, I know, not much, but throwing them in our utility room for a year and getting $12 back is worth holding on to them to us.
I had a large bag from when Toyota changed my tires and used that, it was huge. I also re-used two blue bags from large items I picked up at a yard sale in the summer.
I have decided though that we will take them back more often now as it was the whole trunk space.  I have a laundry basket that has a small crack on it, this will now be for bottles. It is easy to put in the trunk and I think will hold a few months worth.
My husband makes our beer and wine. We buy juice in concentrate in the can, and for the kids' lunch boxes we use water bottles.
Join Guess Who's Cheap on Facebook

Birthday Party on a Budget

Our daughter had her 8^th birthday on the weekend.  It was a huge success, 11 of her friends came for the celebrations. 5 spent the night. We pulled it off on a pretty good budget, and even had lots left over.

We have a birthday box of supplies in the basement. When there are sales on streamers, paper plates and napkins I pick them up.  I was at Giant Tiger one day and saw cases and cases of these supplies for a quarter a piece. I know that we will always decorate the house with streamers and stocked up.  Also when we don’t blow up all the balloons in a pack, I throw them in a ziplock bag.  The balloons don’t need to match.  I have also seen bags of party supplies on Facebook groups and yardsales, although I haven’t purchased supplies these routes. 

I do “splurge” on the theme plastic table clothes and napkins right now. For $4 it is worth it for me as I feel the themes won’t last long. I have shared last year’s Ninja Turtle’s theme with my friend, and from another friend have borrowed banners.  It really takes a village on this frugal path.

We ordered two large pizzas, and two large garlic fingers.  We paid for it using our PC Points, but it would have cost us $39. 74 with the donair sauce.  I am always afraid that I will run out of food. We had one garlic fingers untouched, which are thrown in the freezer for our Friday night Pizza Nights. Also, we had one whole pizza left over.  When two friends picked up their boys, they had teenagers in the car that got pizza!  I bought 6 bags of chips, and 2 were left over. (don’t ask where they are, they were yummy!)  I popped lots of popcorn, cheap and healthier and was the biggest hit.  I made Shirley Temples in a big punch bowl at my daughter’s request. I think they all felt grown up.  A bottle of grenadine lasts FOREVER.

I have also bought 4 years ago 20 plastic reusable cups. I use those with juice instead of juice packs, and write the kids names in wipe off markers.  

Treat bags for the boys cost around $3 each with a reusable cup and a full size chocolate bar and mini ones suckers and caramels.  This year I am not doing all the trinket treat bags, they are a expensive and the stuff falls apart fast. The girls spent the night.  We had gift bags that were 6 for $2.  I had bought electric toothbrushes that can be decorated with stickers using coupons and they were on clearance, they cost me under $1 each. PLUS it gave them 20 minutes of entertainment and giggles.  There was also a bottle of nailpolish in each bag that I bought after Christmas sales for $5 for 10 bottles.  I have the left overs to donate to the school fair nail booth.  I had picked up after Valentine’s Day a box set of hand lotion, bubble bath and bath salts for $7 that was adorable with owls.  For $23 there were 6 treat bags, not too shabby.  Always look for things that can be used for treat bags, and think outside the box.  I have never pulled off treat bags this cheap, and better then trinket stuff.  When I used to do that style of treat bags, I bought after season. I bought a ton of bracelets of Christmas colours, and tops, rings etc. Guess what? Kids like red and green even at a birthday party! After the summer was over I bought a lot of bubbles, which still work the following season and will be for my youngest daughter’s friends at her party.  

 We have two kids and keep all left over supplies.

Please comment below, like and share and join Guess Who’s Cheap on Facebook!