July 1

I love coffee.  When I am home I always have a mug of coffee on the go.  I would say I drink between 4-6 large coffee mugs a day.  McDonald's coffee costs $1.91 a cup for my preferred size. I know many people leave their homes to buy coffee and come home to drink it!
If I bought my coffee out that would cost me about $11.46 a day!  I can't even imagine that!
I brew my coffee at home  This is a picture of when I had my K Cup coffee maker.  This is cheaper then purchasing your coffee daily, and is a great start to saving money.  I sold mine and now only use the French Press.
I buy a large container of Folgers when I have coupons and match it up with a sale.   When I leave the house I brew a mug for my to go mug on the go.
I now only buy coffee about twice a week.  If I am out with my husband we buy one extra large and share it, its cheaper and sort of counts as a date.

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

Disney on a budget Part 2...Packing

Shopping in Disney World is expensive, and it is also in American currency which comes at an extra charge.  When I pack to go to Disney World there are things I always pack to help out my budget.

* GLOW STICKS. I take enough for each night we are there. I take various styles such as bracelets, necklaces, princess themes and I purchase them at the Dollarama

*BRITA WATER BOTTLE. I take one for our packed book bag at the park. There are water fountains everywhere but I enjoy it being filtered and it’s free

* ZIPLOCK BAGS.   I use these when packing to put in each of our daily outfits so they are ready to go with ease.   I also put our dirty clothes back in them. I also use them to store my snacks in or divvy the snacks up when we re at the parks.  They can also be used to store things you don’t want to get wet when you are on water rides at the parks

*PONCHOS. I bought plastic disposable ponchos at the Dollarama for our trips. This time I purchased the  old fashion wind breakers that zip into a small pocket from a thrift shop. It rains a lot in the summer but for the sake of convenience reusable is the way to go

*FAN. I have bought a water bottle at Giant Tiger with a fan at the top.  I fill it up at water fountains or in the bathroom and spray it when we get hot.  I managed to find one that’s Disney World theme at Frenchy’s

*SUNTAN LOTION. I check one bottle with my checked luggage and put some in small 100 ml bottles and put them in my carry on bag.  I purchased silicone containers at the Dollarama a few months ago, and wash them out and refill.  The silicone containers cost a bit more (one silicone for the price of 3 plastic) but are much easier to reuse. 

*MICROWAVE POPCORN. Everywhere in Disney smells like popcorn.  Hotel lobbies have restaurants but also include microwaves for guests to use.  I pop a bag in the morning when I am getting my coffee and then divvy up the snacks in Ziplock bags.

*INSTANT OATMEAL  The hotel restaurants have a hot water tea dispenser.  With our dining plan we get 1 quick serve meal and one sit down meal a day and receive a free mug with this plan.  Some days we don't get breakfast and make it instead.

*BAGS OF CEREAL I take a bag of Cheerios with us and put it in Ziplock bags once we arrive at the hotel.  I take a bag with us in our back pack to eat on the bus in the morning or as a quick snack to tie us over.

*BABY WIPES  Disney World is clean, but I still like to have baby wipes on hand to clean up spills from the yummy Pineapple Doles.  Often times there is a wait for a Quick Serve table and I use the wipe to clean up the table quickly after I poach the table from another family

*HAND SANITIZER  All those people, all those germs, self explanatory

*EXTERNAL PHONE CHARGER  You will burn through your battery with taking pictures and also updating your Fast Passes.

*LAUNDRY PODS  I take 2 laundry pods with us to do laundry during our vacation. I get these free from time to time at Costco or in my Smart Source Box.   I love this cost saving tip for a few reasons.  If you do laundry you don't need to bring as many clothes and can bring all your items in a carry on luggage. This avoids the fee for checked luggage.

*TEA BAGS  I am a coffee addict.  I get coffee in the hotel lobby in the  mornings for free. StarBucks is everywhere at Disney, and I buy one a day, but it is close to $5. I always have my refil mug on me, and ask for hot water at some of the Quick Service restaurants.  I always have green tea bags in my Disney backpack, this saves me $5 a few times, and I still get my caffeine kick.

*MISTING FAN  It can get very hot in Disney World.   I picked up misting fans for $5 at Giant Tiger, and then I found a Disney World one at Frenchy's for $1.75!  I will take this with us and fill it up at all the water fountains through the park.  Cooling down will help our moods and keep us going.  PRICELESS

*BUBBLES  Who doesn't love bubbles? I have enough for the kids to have a bottle a day.  They blow them during parades, and while waiting in lines to pass the time.

*FIRST AID SUPPLIES  The first aid stations are amazing at Disney World.  Our first trip my daughter was sick and needed to go to a clinic.  They transported us for free to the off site clinic and picked us up a few hours later.  Once on a family trip my cousin had an asthma attack and went by ambulance to the hospital.  Disney gave her a stuffed animal and a book to help calm her down.  I have also used the First Aid stations for band aids and Tylenol.

*CRAFTS  I always pick up a Disney theme craft from Dollarama or Michael's to decorate the hotel windows.  This seems silly, but some people go all out with decorating and its fun to look at the decorations when walking to the bus.  It also gives the kids something to do on the airplane to pass the time.

*DISNEY THEM CLOTHES  I buy our shirts and accessories at Walmart and Frenchy's before we go away.  $4 here for a piece of Disney theme clothes vs $20 in Disney World.  We do purchase a Disney World hat though and have the kid's names on them when we are in Disney World they are an amazing souvenir and in my opinion worth the  money. 

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

Gas

Rising Price of Gas

The price of gas is one of those things that will always be a thorn in our side.  Let's be honest we spend a lot of money at the pump. There are some things that you can do to make the price a bit more easily to handle.

I buy gift cards at Sobeys when they have the promotion buy $200 in gift cards and receive 95 or 100 Bonus Air Miles. 

Sobeys gift cards can be used directly at Shell locations that have a Needs.

I try to fill up on Thursdays, as gas changes during the night Thursday. 

I watch the trend to see if going up or down.  

Shell gives a free hot beverage with 20 L of gas, I like to splurge and get a cappuccino.

I tend to fill up in the morning.

I use cruise control.  I have been watching the econo gas gauge and notice that with cruise control turned on I get better gas mileage.

I drive our smaller car for most of my town running around and it’s a standard.

I put my car in neutral a lot when driving and coast.

I unplug the phone charger when I am not using it.

I keep the sunroof open and windows open vs the air conditioner for in town driving, unless its unbearable, I'm cheap but not that cheap!

I try to plan my outings to do them all in one trip. I really suck at this though, and need a lot of work on it.

I keep my car serviced for the regular maintenance.

My husband checks the tire pressure regularly.

 Find a loyalty card and make it work for you. 

Canadian Tire has a program to collect cash back in their store. Each receipt has a survey code and after it’s completed you earn 2 cents off a litre with your next fill up.

Irving does air miles. If I am going to Irving I get gift cards at Lawtons and Sobeys and pay with my Sobeys gift card. This process collects your air miles twice. 

Petro Canada has Petro Points. Points can be redeemed for 5 cents off a litre cards or money off of a purchase.

Esso has Aeroplan Miles and soon to be PC Optimium

Ultramer has their own fuel program ( I don't know anything about this program)

Sobeys Fuel locations Air Miles, and a coupon to use at Sobeys AND sometimes free coffee

The trick is find a gas station near your house with a loyalty program you like and start collecting.

 It pays to be frugal.