July 30...my addiction

Today I am going to be real with you. I have a confession to share only with my frugal pals.  I am addicted to second hand shopping.
I love Yard Sales and thrift stores.  I buy clothes way in advance for my kids if it’s  in good shape and a good brand.

In our basement we have 3 long wooden shelves with shoes and boots waiting for our kid’s feet to grow.   I tried many ways to store footwear and if you have space old wood nailed onto the wall is the best solution for us, and could also work for you.

In the basement I always had kept the kids clothes in totes with the sized written on the outside.  Now the girls are getting older and I don’t have as many sizes in advance. I now use an old dresser and each drawer is a size and a season for the future.

Their closets also have a section for storage of the next size.  At Frenchy’s I bought hanging organizers that are labelled for each day of the week.  In our home they store t shirts, pants and hoodies.

I know many of you think second hand clothes are dirty, out dated and expensive for what they are.  Know your prices, and dig.  I am very careful at Value Village.  On Thursday I saw kid jackets for $18.99, yet got a North Face one marked $9.99


Here are my scores for the week:
Value Village ( after price had a voucher for 30% off since I donated items)
Kid North Face jacket $9.99
Iviva hoodie $14.99
Books 1.79 every 4 get one 1 free, my kids read a lot
Under armour sneakers 2.49
Coach purse 7.99
Marble maze building game 3.99

Frenchys for the week
Kid under Armour spring coat $4.99
Michael Kors pants for me $5.75
For $9.80 kid under armour long sleeve shirt, J crew tank top and J Crew dress for my girls

Often I leave without making a purchase but I am ok with that.  Dig Deep, have patience and Resolve spray and enjoy the treasure hunting.

It pays to be frugal.

July 28...Take your lunch

This frugal tip is BORING, but it works.  Take your lunch to work. 
When I am cooking supper the night before I try to make enough to have leftovers.  When I am cleaning up from supper, I pack the leftovers into reusable containers right away to be my lunch the next day.  I don't think clearly at 620 in the morning, so it is a two fold bonus, I don't have to think just grab while I am waiting for the coffee to kick in.  It also saves a lot of money.  At first, buying your lunch doesn't seem like a big expense.  Realistically, even being frugal, a lunch from the grocery store deli would be about $7.  That number is conservative but is still $140 a month.
I work in a school and we have a super cheap lunch at $4.25. Even so, that's $85 a month.  I order lunch once a week, unless it is a week that hamburgers are on the menu, then twice :)
Sock your lunch money savings away towards your debt, or your fun money and watch it add up fast!

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 27...snacks

I love to eat and I always feel hungry!
This week I did two days of road trips.  Knowing that I would be driving a lot and would need some treats.  Stopping at coffee shops along the way for treats can add up quickly.  I packed a cooler each day and was ready to go.
I made a coffee before I left to bring with me.  Most coffee shops give a 5 or 10 cents discount if you bring your own mug. Every bit helps plus it’s  one less cup for the landfill.
I also peeled a bag of carrots to make carrot sticks and put them in a Tupperware keep fresh container.
I packed a few bananas.
I popped popcorn and brought it in a bowl with a lid, it made it easy to eat in the car.  This was the first time I’ve done that and it was great and hit the spot.
I also packed water bottles and granola bars.
We were not hungry over our two days and it saved us money.
Do you pack snacks when you leave the house?

It pays to be frugal.

Donat Dollar$

No Frills
2.00 arm and hammer laundry detergent 50 loads
1.00 ragu sauce
1.00 cucumber
2.00 dole fruit cups 6 pack

SOBEYS
Spend $100 in store 50air miles or 10 cents off a litre of gas
33 cents cob of corn
2.49 bag spinach
59 cents bunch green onions
1.79 pound of mussels
2.49 bag of pretzels 🥨 buy 4 6 Miles
2.49 source yogurt
2/5.00 cavendish crispy fries use coupon

Suoerstore
1.99 pound grapes
2.99 Mickey Mouse eggo waffles new product EXCITED

Giant Tiger
2.85 pack avocados

Shoppers Drug Mart
Saturday spend $75earn 25,000 points
1.88 Christie crackers
1.88 eggs

Lawton’s
95 Air Miles with $35 our compliments products
4/5$ compliments chips

July 22...More Laundry

I don't know about you, but I feel I am always doing laundry!  I don't mind the task, there are worse cleaning chores, like vacuuming!
I stockpile bottles of laundry detergent and they take up a lot of room. Over my washer and dryer there are 3 shelves where I keep my cleaning supplies. 
I had a glass lemonade pitcher from a yard sale that I fell in love with instantly.  I put it in my laundry room and poured 3 jugs of laundry detergent into it. 
It had a slow leak, and because I am frugal and hate to waste solved that problem quickly. I cute a plastic pop bottle and hung it around the hook and it catches detergent and when it has enough in it I use for a load of laundry.
Now, the point of this blog entry and frugal tip: I use one tablespoon of laundry per load.  A bottle lasts forever this way!  When I bought our front end washer a plumber told me they don't need to use all that detergent, and using a lot of detergent leads to the machines needing to be replaced more often. 
I happened to hear this tip on the morning that I fell in a puddle at Walmart and was covered head to toe in mud!  I washed my clothes in a tablespoon of detergent and they were clean.

It pays to be frugal.  Check out my Ebook on Amazon A Guide to Collecting Air Miles in Canada, and A Penny Saved is a Mortgage Paid. 

July 20 Stock Pile

 I love a bargain.  When I see a great deal I buy multiples of the item, this is called "stocking up".  I started to build my stock pile slowly, and over time it has become quite large.
Stock piling toiletries is a great place to start if you have storage room. 
Did you know that if an item is on sale you can also use a coupon on the item? Sometimes cash back apps also have money back options on the item, or bonus points with your loyalty cards.
I stock pile body wash, shampoo, conditioner, soap, toilet paper, paper towel, cleaning supplies, razors and shaving cream just to name a few.
Mail in Rebates are around a few times a year for items and take advantage of these for your stock pile. 

 Shopping your stock pile helps save you money.  I have not needed to buy some items for a long time, which allows money from the budget to go towards other financial goals. such as paying off det or saving for a vacation.

It pays to be frugal.

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

Donat Dollar$

No Frills
3.91 watermelon
2.97 10 pound potatoes
2.47 a pound yellow, orange, red peppers
1.88 poi yes with $10 spent on goldfish crackers and Campbell’s soups
1.97 source yogurt

Sobeys
200$ in gift cards is 100 Air Miles
3.99 watermelon
2.00 ciabatta baquette
2/5 El Paso slash and shells and bowls spend $10 earn 15 Miles
1.99 sensations chocolate bars
3.00 3 pack romaine lettuce

Super Store no tax Saturday

Giant Tiger
99 cents celery
4 pack peppers 2.47

Walmart
6.94 950 g Folgers coffee

Lawton’s
BOGO 3.99 planters peanuts
BOGO 3.69 nail polish

Pharmasave
BOGO nail polish but not sure of price it wasn’t stated

Shoppers spend your points Saturday

July 17, Portion Size

Everyone needs to wash their hair and their body...or at least I hope so lol.
I was noticing that I was going through a lot of shampoo, conditioner and body wash monthly.  I took a minute about 3 years ago and really read the label for the amount needed per use. 
Each bottle gives a different and vague answer in the directions on the label. 
I know it sounds foolish to read the directions on basic items, I felt a tad bit silly doing it too.
What I have come up with that works for my shoulder length hair. I use the size of a quarter for shampoo and conditioner to wash my hair.
I use body wash and use the size of a pea or a dime and put it on my loofah. It really does foam up and do the trick.
Paying attention to the portion size of these items has paid off, and my toiletries are lasting longer.

It pays to be frugal.

July 16

Today's post is self explanatory.  Hang your clothes to dry.  I don't have an outdoor clothesline at my house but I improvise. 
I have a clothes drying rack always set up in the basement.  It can hold one full load of wash and I use that to dry our clothes. On nice days if my kids aren't playing outside I take the drying rack outside to dry faster. 
In our basement bathroom my husband geared up a large drying system for me.  He hung bungee cords back and forth to be able to hang our towels.
Also if you look closely at the photo I bought two racks at yard sales to hand on the drying racks.  These racks have clips that hang small      items.

July 15 Financial Advisor

Once upon a time, when we first were asked if we had a financial advisor we responded that we didn't have any money.  Our friend that asked us quickly responded that we never would if we didn't have a financial advisor.  That night my husband and I talked to each other and decided we should meet with someone.
We had an appointment and talked to them about our dreams to retire at 55, pay off our home, and to pay for one degree for each child.  A plan was created and we began our journey with one small step.
Fast forward 9 years and we are on our second financial advisor for a few reasons. 
Trust your gut, and ask many questions to your advisor. 
We are very happy with our current Financial Advisor.  We meet with him twice a year.  We go over what has changed in the past 6 months both from our current financial situation and we also review our investments. Sometimes we make changes to the type of portfolio we have, other times we just do an educational re-visit into the types of things we have in our portfolio and what they mean.
Talk to your advisor about all your dreams and plans etc.  This year we were debating a new to us SUV but were having a hard time pulling the trigger.  An honest discussion into the reasons we wanted it, the impact it would have on our portfolio etc. We decided to go with a great second hand one and took our time to find the right one for us and our desires.  The honest discussion with our Financial Advisor helped. 
No matter where you are in your journey to building wealth, a Financial Advisor can help. The plan is able to change with you, start today!

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

July 14

We are a family of 4,2 kids and 2 adults and a golden doodle dog.  This means we do a lot of laundry.

Laundry seems to pile up here very quickly.  We do our laundry on the cold wash setting.   This avoids paying for the water to heat up during the cycle.

There is even laundry detergent that can be purchased created specified the cold water setting.

My husband is a Massage Therapist and his laundry is done on hot, I feel better knowing ours is done and cold and cutting down a bit on the laundry costs.

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 12 Price Match

Flyer Time!

Wednesday after work there is a little  plastic bag in my driveway that saves my family lots of money.  I love the flyers! I make a mug of green tea and get ready for 20 minutes of home budget work.   

 

When I first started to watch my prices, I would write down when I got home from the store how much I paid for an item, and record the size of the item.  I would then figure out cost per unit…how much the item costs per ml, L, g and kg.  It gets a bit tricky as some items are priced per pound, be aware.  I am not the math person, and my husband gets calls from me time to time at the store asking him to figure this out fast! It can get over whelming at the store to do this when you are in the moment.  Getting to know the prices of the items you regularly purchase will help you know when the item is a great deal. 

I first sort the flyers by the grocery stores that I prefer.  

 No Frills in my town is my favorite grocery store and I start there. The owner is present, and is very helpful with the customers.  No Frills also has the PC Optimum, where you collect points on every day purchases and points when you charge to your PC Master Card. And….No Frills will Price Match.

 

In my town ( and across Canada) Giant Tiger and Walmart will Price Match.

How Do I Price Match?

If you see an item in the flyers advertised cheaper than what it is at No Frills, Giant Tiger or Walmart you may Price Match. I circle item in the flyer, and take it with me to the store. You are allowed to Price Match as many items as you like, but can only get 4 items of the same product. For example, if Dawn liquid dish soap was on sale at a Lawtons, I take the flyer to a store that will Price Match and get the exact item for the advertised price.  I could get 4 of the Dawn liquid soap, and then also Price Match other items, such as bread. 

Flipp App also allows you to price match.  It has all the local flyers on the app, and when you are at the cash, before the cashier rings in your item, show the Flipp App on your phone and the cashier will adjust the price.

Why Would I Price Match?

I price match to cut down on my driving to other stores.
Also, I price match to get points with my loyalty cards.   No Frills belongs to the PC Optimum program, I try to buy as many of my groceries there as possible to collect points.

Donat Dollar$

NO FRILLS
2.97 4 pack danone oikos 4pack
97 cents cucumber
$2 36 pack of ice cream cones

SOBEYS
2/5.00 Villaggio breaad
6.99 375 ml Compliments Maple Syrup
2.99 Dole Pineapple Juice cans

SUPERSTORE
2.77 General Mills Cereal

GIANT TIGER
1.88 IOGO tubes
99 cents sour cream

LAWTONS
2/5.00 Ben's Buns collect 5 and text for a Burger Pool Float

SHOPPERS DRUG MART
20x points on Saturday when you spend $50
1.88 wonder bread
3.99 royale/majesta brand toilet paper
1.99 lysol wipes
3.99 1kg Kraft Peanut Butter
1.88 eggs

July 11

I love a glass of wine now and then.  Ok, quite often I enjoy a glass of wine.  My favourite bottle of wine costs $16.99 a bottle. Two bottles a week and I am looking at over $30 a week on alcohol. 
12 years ago my husband started to make beer and wine.  Our friends had started making it around the same time.  We would go to various wine and beer stores and buy different kits and then share them with each other.  Now, we use it all:)
Wine and beer making materials are often at yard sales and and on Kijiji for sale.  Starting to make your own booze is quite cost efficent.
Pick a store that sells wine and beer kits and be store loyal.  Most offer reward clubs and you can earn towards free product or money off of supply kits.
Now a bottle of wine costs less than $4 a bottle and tastes good.  I still purchase my favourite bottle from time to time as a treat.  $16.99 every few weeks is much easier on our budget then twice weekly.
We went to the local bottle depot and asked them if we can buy the beer bottles that self close.  This was very cost efficient for beer making.
Save your bottles for your kits. 
Now, it is 5 o'clock somewhere enjoy!

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

July 10

Today I am at an airport on my way home from a fun trip in Orlando.  We are not taking advantage of the available lounges because we only had less than an hour between flights. 
I took advantage of an offer exclusive to World Elite Master Card holders  and will never look back again!

Priority Pass Lounges are something that I have seen at airports when I travel, but I never knew how to get inside.

Last year, before a trip to New York I had phoned Master Card to ask questions about traveling outside of the country. I was told about the insurance that was available to me, and also that I was able to gain access for myself and a guest to the Priority Pass Lounges.

Inside the lounge are comfortable chairs and sofas. That alone was worth using the Priority Lounge. 
If you don't have access to the lounge card, you can pay a walk in fee which varies from $25-$50 depending on the airport and services. There is a bar with free drinks, with a small fee for the premium beverages. Coffee, tea, pop and bottled water are also available. Since you are through security, you can take it right onto the plane with you. There were also sandwiches, veggies and desserts along with WIFI. Some lounges also offer a shower and hot meals. 

Despite me being cheap and frugal, after this airport experience at the Priority Pass I would go out on a limb and suggest it is even worth the fee to sit in the Priority Lounge vs purchasing a meal at the airport and waiting for flights in uncomfortable chairs. 

A list of all available lounges can be found at https://www.prioritypass.com/  

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.

July 2

It is summer which means we are all hot and thirsty!
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.
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!

It pays be frugal.  Go on Amazon.ca and purchase my books A Penny Saved is a Mortgage Paid and A Guide to Collecting Air Miles in Canada