A deal I fell for...thankful for returns!

Coffee.  I need coffee! Seriously I have an addiction. My body goes through some nasty things when I don't have coffee early in the morning.
Wednesday night I popped in to the Superstore to see what the daily Bonus PC points deal was for the day. ( I scored well on Christmas PJS on Monday).
Bonus PC Points on Coffee was calling me to the aisle, it was like my body knew to go to that section.  There was a deal for every $10 spent on President's Choice coffee, earn 2000 Bonus PC points. This equates to $2 to redeem when you hit $20.
Quickly I scanned my PC app and found 1000 Bonus PC Points for every $5 spent on PC brand coffee, and PC coffee was on sale for $10 a 950g can.  I know that PC offers can be stacked, so I got caught up in the moment.
I bought 4 cans of coffee, spent $40 in money, and earned the $8 in PC points for the Wednesday offer, and $8 in my personal offers, meaning 16000 points ($16) to cash out when I hit 20,000 points.
If I calculate the points in with the cash paid, it worked out to $6 per 950g can of coffee!  SCORE!!
BUT WAIT....
When I came home I added the PC coffee to my Folgers coffee stock pile with 7 cans , and remembered my rate for the 920g can of Folgers coffee.
This coffee goes on sale often for $5.97 sometimes as low as $4.88.   I always find Folgers coffee coupons at the Super Store. The coffee that has been in my pantry a few weeks was on sale for $5.97 at No Frills, and I used $2 off coupons for the coffee, bringing it to $3.97 of actual cash spent, vs the $10 actual cost spent on the PC coffee.
4 cans of PC coffee equals $40 ($6 after points per can) .  4 cans of Folgers with coupons used prior equals $15.88 (3.97 per can or $4.97 with the $1 coupon)
Currently in my coupon book I have Folgers coffee coupons for $1.00 off expires May 31. Even if it goes on sale again for $5.97  and use the coupon it would be $4.97 actual cash.
The next morning I returned the 4 cans of PC coffee to Super Store and got the $40 back.
MORALE OF THE STORY:
We all get caught up in a deal from time to time.  Most of the time it is not too late to fix it, return the non deal when you have your mind clear.
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Christmas Budgeting

It is October, why am I worried about Christmas?   It is expensive, and you may be spending more money than you even realize.

 A quick Google search and I found that for 2016 the average American spent $935.58 on Christmas including food and decorations.   I couldn’t find a Canadian stat, but I am guessing it is close to this number. Calculate what you spend, and divide it by 12 to sock money away for the Christmas budget all year long.  Create an envelope solely for this purpose. 

Christmas is December 25^th every year, and I suggest you always have a spot in your budget for it.  Not planning for this large amount can really damage your hard budgeting work and lead to you starting the new year doing damage control. You still have 2 months to prepare for the big day, and 4 pay days.  Start preparing for Christmas now. 

I always try to scale back my Christmas to be smaller than the one before.  Not only does the price of things drive me bonkers, but I can’t handle all the clutter from the toys and ‘stuff’ around my house. 

Make a list of EVERYONE you need to buy for.  Family, and friends may come to mind easily, add in 2 gifts to wrap and stick under the tree in case someone shows up with a gift and you don’t have something for them.  If you exchange gifts with all of your family and friends, you may want to have a chat about cutting out this tradition. I know some families put everyone’s name in hat at Christmas dinner, and draw one name to buy a gift for the following year.  This can save you money and headache looking for gifts.  We don’t buy gifts for adults in my family. We buy gifts for the kids.  Two of the little kids live in BC and shipping gifts can be expensive.  Two years ago I had coupons for a free Hasbro toy worth $20 and sent them to the parents to pick them up a gift.  Last year I sent out a gift card to their parents, this year I am going to have Amazon ship the gift to their door to save money.  Be creative.

I use our home made wine for gifts our friends since it costs under $2 to make including the gift bag.  Don’t forget your child’s bus driver, teacher and activities leaders.  I don’t go over the top for this, I spend $5 or less on these gifts.  A coffee card means a lot. I have also shown up to my child’s activity with hot chocolate in a travel mug for the leader to drink too, and collect the mug at pick up. That is free and means the world to them. 

When I think about Christmas I think about all the yummy food and snacks that are eaten.  There are also more parties to prepare food to bring.  Make a list of the extra food you prepare during the holidays and add that into your December food budget.  I ball park that I will attend 3 parties each holiday season.  I have a few go to recipes I use, and allot $15 per holiday party, so that adds $45 to my food budget. I host Christmas dinner at our house every year, and I plan $50 for that in my December grocery budget. 

I shop all year long for Christmas gifts. Each child has their own large tote.  I put items that I buy after holiday sales and even new in package finds from yard sales.  On the weekend I sorted out the gifts, and   I managed to spend $70 for two stockings, and on gifts $192.  I’m happy with those numbers for two children.  I have a gift for my parents to pick up $20 each, and 2 cousins $20 each, and then I am done. That will bring my Christmas budget including the extra food to $437 spent on Christmas. If this was spent in one shot it would shock me, but a little bit each month makes it more manageable. Based on my budget, I should be putting $37 a month in my Christmas envelope. 

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A book to start your financial independance

I love to read. This book, The Total Money Makeover, by Dave Ramsey is the best financial book I have ever read. I suggest before you purchase this book to take a night to talk to your partner first.
Talk about your financial dreams. Then order this book on the link below.
It is a fast read. I made lots of notes as I read it, grab a highlighter and start dreaming!

I am now an Amazon affiliate! I look forward to sharing some of my favorite items with you. I appreciate you purchasing the items you are interested in from my links, it helps me generate an income, and for you to save money as they are items I enjoy and approve!


 https://www.amazon.ca/dp/1595555277?tag=guesswhoschea-20&camp=8641&creative=330649&linkCode=as1&creativeASIN=1595555277&adid=13CBW7NXCRVZWGVPP662&

And since you are reading, here is the link to my book, A Guide to Collecting Air Miles in Canada
http://amzn.to/2yoC8hO   

September Budget... Kid Activities

I don't know about you, but September always feels like the start of a new year.  Kids off to school and the beginning of new routines.
Which leads me to the kid activities!  We have two kids that are now 7 and 9 and boy are they busy!  I always say that we are cutting down the activities that they sign up for but something always sneaks in.
Today it was gymnastics.  Now there is an activity for the girls Monday to Thursday which lead to some hefty up front fees. OUCH!
We have an envelope in our cash budget system labelled Kid Activities.  Original eh? Each month we put a set amount of money in the envelope for the kids. Let's face it, they always want to do something.  Gymnastics and dance is paid for based on term, no more fees until the real new year.  Guides and Brownies is paid for in June for the year. But wait, there is a weekly dues. I always write a cheque and pay them for the year to keep it in the budget while also not relying on my bad memory as we are rushing out the door.
Even though all activities are allotted their money for the fall activities, the key is to keep saving. Keep adding to the envelope to build up the fund for the next round.
September also means back to school and after school child care for some.  Count these items in your budget. You may even start an envelope system too!
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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 prefer Shell as my primary gas station since I get air miles, and a bonus large hot beverage with each fill up.  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.  I tend to fill up in the morning and have a French Vanilla as my pre work treat.

Perhaps Shell isn't your favorite gas station. Find a loyalty card and make it work for you. This summer I went to Irving a lot to get air miles and the game pieces to win prizes.  I bought my Irving gift cards at Lawtons and Sobeys and paid with my Sobeys gift card. This process collects your air miles twice.
Other gas stations offer loyalty programs
Petro Canada has Petro Points
Esso has Aeroplan Miles
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 this is the fill up lotto win

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

BUT THERE ARE OTHER WAYS I CUT DOWN ON FUEL FEES
I drive a smaller car. I drive a Toyota Corolla
I drive 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

What tricks do you do to help with the gas prices?
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Want to Make Some Money?

I am sure if you could were offered some extra money you would be excited!   It is hard when working full time to get extra money, and being creative is the only way!
I do online surveys regularly to earn money.  

SWAGBUCKS
I LOVE THIS SITE!
http://www.swagbucks.com/refer/Donats    Click on this link to join Swag Bucks.  I will receive bonus Swag Bucks and you will also. Please PM me or comment below if you joined so I can watch for the bonus bucks.  I get about 10 to 15 dollars worth of Amazon.ca gift cards a year, worth it to me.
I have made Swagbucks a search tool on my computer. I earn between 10 and 20 Swagbucks a day just from my regular internet usage.  On the left hand side of the swagbucks home page there is a menu, click on ANSWER.  There is a daily poll that gives 1 swagbuck daily, and many surveys to answer while watching TV. I often forget about the ANSWER menu and go through phases where I don't use this site for weeks, but still earn with internet use.
It's August, and I just redeemed today for $10 in Amazon gift cards. There was a sale today to redeem for $10 for 875 Swag Bucks.  Daily price for $10 is 1000 Swag Bucks, watch for the sales. 

  https://legerweb.com/SJJ39 Copy this link in a new browser. ....this is an online survey site. Get in touch with me and we each get $1 on your first survey that's completed. Let me know when you do it, so I can watch for it. Once you have $20 in your account you get a cheque mailed out to you. I do the surveys while watching tv, they don't take long. I get about $40 a year, worth it to me! You can choose to have Air Miles on this site vs the cash. I love air miles, but I am aware of the cost per unit. The money is better bang for your buck, (pun intended)

CADDLE APP
This App can be used on any phone.  There are surveys to fill out that are less than a minute. Also when you buy items you take a picture of your receipt and upload it to this App. When you have $20 sitting in your Caddle account, cash out for a cheque! Click on the link below, we each earn $1 
https://caddle.ca/signup/referral/57f933eb86129

CHECKOUT 51
This is an APP for your phone or IPAD.  Every Thursday you get a list of items that you buy at the grocery store or at Walmart that offers a money back option. When you buy the item, you take a picture of your receipt through the APP and follow the step by step directions.  When you receive $20 you can cash out.
I have two accounts to CHECKOUT 51.  There are often limits to what can be claimed. With 2 accounts I can collect faster.  If you are having 2 accounts, make sure your items are on a separate receipt.

 GROUPON

Click on this referral link and I will earn $10. Trust me this site is amazing!!  Create your account and make sure you sign up to get their daily emails. I have gotten deals on restaurants, hotels and admission to activities.  I use it to get tourist attractions when visiting other cities also. Explore my blog for my GROUPON post or click

 http://guesswhoscheap.blogspot.ca/2017/05/groupona-new-trick.html 

I always cash out when I hit the amount. You are able to keep collecting, but I am paranoid. There was an App a few years ago that went belly up and we lost the money collected.

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Yummy Candy

First, thanks for everyone's patience. I haven't been able to add pictures on my blog for a while, and I  have been frustrated. Finally, I have figured it out.
If you have recently purchased the skittles that are now out there are many things to do with them.  In stores Skittles and M and M's have a blue cineplex logo on selected packages. When you collect 8 packages, you redeem the codes online for 2 movie passes to be used at Cineplex. Just log online to purchase your tickets, and voila! I have bought some packages for $2 and some for $2.22 a bag during the past two weeks. I have a lot of candy here! The down fall is to insert the codes all the packages need to be opened.  I store them in large glass jars. As you can see, my frugal ways also are used in my canisters. These are old Nescafe Instant Coffee Jars that have been my canisters since 2001!
I then went to the Dollarama where they have loot bags in a great cone shape. 
I have filled up a few of them to be birthday gifts. I have attached a Movie Pass with the bag of Skittles to be the gift. Voila!
Last year ( I will also do it this year) these were stocking stuffers for my kids. I put a bag of candy in their stocking along with the print out ticket to the movie from the redeemed code. For the $16 plus tax my two kids get a trip to the movies, and candy.
I also keep a jar on my desk at work. 

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