Last minute Christmas Ideas! And on the cheap too!

You would be amazed at what you can find right now (or until Dec 24th) when you shop at Amazon.ca.  Lots of deals that you cannot help but like.  For instance, I have been eyeballing a new stand mixer it seems like "forever".  And I've averaged the price to be about the $300 mark.  Way to expensive for my blood.  BUT I went for a peak see on Amazon.ca and what did I find that is PERFECTLY within my price range?  A stand mixer for $180.51!  Now that to me is a deal!    Please, if you can here me Santa......please give mommy a new mixer!!!!!!

And what about for those "hard to buy for people" in your life?  I have one of those.  It's called my husband.  And I quote....."I don't need anything".  RIIIGHT!  And if he didn't have a bloody thing under the tree?  Wouldn't that just go over well.   So I looked around to see what I could see.....hmmm....not a reader, doesn't really play sports unless you call fishing a sport (LOL), loves to work (I know, I know),.....hmmm......WAIT!  I got IT!  Amazon.ca actually has a section for "The One that has Everything".  Now that was worth checking out to me.  Maybe he wants a new pocket camcorder???  Never mind that!  How about a Notebook!  So now it looks like I have a new more ideas.  I really like Christmas!

Lindt Midnight Madness! The only way to a Hostess's Heart during the Holiday Season!

I love Lindt chocolate. I love it more when it is FREE or cheaper then full price. So here is a deal that you cannot beat this time of year.

Produce this "coupon" on December 22, 2010 between 9 - 12 and receive 25% off regular priced merchandise and 10% off already discounted merchandise. As you can see, there are boutiques across the country, so finding one should not be all that difficult.

Don't forget to print off the "coupon" and enjoy that chocolate, or .......give it to your Christmas hostess. I know she will enjoy your thoughtfulness.

www.lindt.com/ca/swf/eng/information/midnight-madness-sale/

OMG! This is a GREAT last minute gift idea for the Ladies in Your Life!

Ok, I am SO excited to share the deal with you. I love to shop at www.wayspa.com to find the perfect gift for the hard to shop for female's in my family. You know the ones. They have everything, they don't want anything, etc. I don't know any female that wouldn't appreciate a gift of pampering and massage.

AND the best part of it all? You can save 25% RIGHT NOW if you use the following code: RF9HQ56. That's RIGHT! 25% off $100 or $200 gift certificate equals great savings in your pockets, and a huge smile on the recipient of the gift. So come on, what have you got to lose on this one?

2011 Entertainment is now selling for $19.99!

I don't generally tend to purchase this book because I don't live near a major shopping/dining/attraction centre. But I do know that the deals are fantastic! I used to work in Toronto, and I loved borrowing the book to steal coupons from for attractions and dining. You really can't go wrong spending $19.99 (DID ANYONE NOTICE THE FREE SHIPPING!!!!!) because you would re-coup that just in the first month of use.

Take a look, and remember to enjoy! http://www.entertainment.com/discount/?LinkName=10AFF_CJ&affiliateID=106743213618303&orcustom=&AID=10674321&PID=3618303

TBS: The Bargain Shop has coupons GOOD UNTIL DEC 17TH!

It's not often that I see the Bargain Shop posting coupons, but here you go. Take a look at the copy of the coupons that they are offering consumers. They are good until December 17th, and if you are a regular shopper at TBS, then you will know that they are very comparable with pricing! If you want a copy, send me a message, and I'll send you an email with the attachment! Enjoy!

Shoppers is doing it again! 20x points when you spend $75

I love when I can increase my loyalty points for the cards that I have. Two of my fav's are the air miles and of course Shopper's Optimum. THIS SATURDAY ONLY spend $75 or more, and you can earn 20x your points. I noticed that the wii is on sale so if you are interested in getting one for christmas! See you there!

Old Navy Online and in Store!

Old Navy is having a promotion on sweaters this week! Using this promotional code ONSWEATER entitles you to to buy one sweater and get the 2nd sweater of equal or lesser value ABSOLUTELY AND ENTIRELY FREE! This promotion is available online and in store until December 11, 2010.

Enjoy your shopping!

SDM: Spend $50 and get $10 SDM coupon Dec 6-10th

Spend $50 in one shopping trip between December 6th to 10th and you can receive a $10 coupon from Shoppers! Gotta love these promotions at Christmas. They give you a chance to increase your reward points, in this case Optimum.

Rexall 200 Bonus Airmile Event! Dec 3-9, 2010

Spend $50 or more on cosmetics, prestige skin care, fragrance or bath products and receive a bonus 200 air miles. Not only that, when you look in the flyer, if you buy 3 or more hallmark cards there are additional bonus airmiles. As a matter of fact, the bonus airmiles abound in this weeks flyer! So if you are an air miles collector, check it out!

Here is the website for the flyer: http://director.flyerservices.com/ktz/PostalCodeEntry.aspx?OrganizationId=12107a6a-5066-48a1-b166-6701a1cb1c0f&BannerName=KATZ&Language=EN&SessionId=2twaavaw2ap3wz55gnsj3j55

Tim Horton's Free Holiday Skating Schedule

And Tim Horton's is doing it again. This is an inexpensive way to enjoy time with the family, and get some fresh and and exercise. Something that all members of the family can enjoy.



Free skating is currently offered in the following provinces: Alberta, New Brunswick, Newfoundland, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, PEI and Ontario. For the complete schedule please see here: http://www.timhortons.com/ca/en/difference/free-skating.html



Enjoy the Christmas Season everyone!

Tax Free Shopping at Giant Tiger! November 27 & 28th

So, looks like we are getting a "tax free" weekend for shopping at Giant Tiger this weekend. But of course, there are restrictions.

** Tax free Weekend excludes grocery, candy, pet food, cleaning supplies, health & beauty, tobacco, lottery, gift cards and online purchases. While quantities last - no rain cheques issued for applicable goods. Offer only valid at participating stores on Saturday and Sunday, from open to close. Not valid on previous purchases.**

Do you Shop at Pharma Plus??? November 26 -28th, 2010

Starting tomorrow, spend $50 + at Rexall Pharma Plus and you will receive 100 bonus airmiles. I do shop there, and they have some amazing deals this coming week, so I'll be taking advantage of this. Spending $50 isn't usually a problem in this store, especially because of the food/bathroom paper. Not to mention makeup, cards, etc. LOL. I'm really very close to having my 1,000 airmiles and that is what I'm trying to get before year end. Anyone want to join me?

Zellers: Moonlight Madness is here again!

I love shopping at the Zeller's Moonlight Madness events. And it's that time of year again! So everyone prepare for the following deals and specials that are advertised for the upcoming sale:

Specials:

Toy Story Bikes @ $39.99 (regularly $99.99)

50% off womens regular priced robes

Step 2 Kids Kitchen or Road Rack/train set @ $69.99 (regular $139.99)

7' Adirondack pre-lit tree @ $99.99 (regular $199.99)

Sealy pillow top mattress & box spring (Queen) @ $499.99 (regular $1499.99)

BOGO women's sweaters

Hourly Specials:

6PM - Berghoff 10" Copper Clad non-stick or stainless steel skillet $17.99 (regular $59.99)
6PM - Faux leather storage Ottoman $59.99 (regular $109.97)

7PM - Corningware 16 pc French White Set $39.99 (regular $99.99)
7PM - Dan River Microfibre 3pk Sheet Sets $29.97 (regular $59.97)

8PM - Destination Twilight 4pc Luggage Set $30 (regular $150)
8PM - VTech 2 Handset Cordless Phone $24 (regular $39.99)

9PM - Olympus T-110 Digital Camera $88 (regular $119.99)
9PM - Sony Bravia Single Disk BluRay Player $98 (regular $169.99)



So, who is going to join me?????

Future Shop: SHH Secret one day Sale Nov 25th

Ok, I don't shop at the Future shop all that often, but with Christmas coming up and having five (yes count them FIVE) young adults, it's amazing how many Christmas requests we get for electronics and such things. Each child is asked to provide a list, and we go from there. Knowing that this sale is up and coming makes it a little easier for the shopping as I have been eyeing a few things from Future Shop for them. So now I go and buy them that night. LOL. Anyone out there want to join me?

GLADE, GLADE, You gotta love GLADE!

WOOT! WOOT! More glade coupons!

Just received an email from Glade (and SC Johnson too by the way).
And they just informed me that in my local November 27th newspaper, I'm going to find $9 in savings for glade products.

So, what are the coupons??????

• Buy 2 glade jar candles, get one FREE
• $5 off any Glade Fragrance Collection product

I just LOVE Glade!

Here is a deal from GIANT TIGER! Nov 20 - 21st ONLY

Anyone out there a Giant Tiger fan? Love the store for buying kids clothes and cheap cheap food. Especially if the coupons match what is on sale.....LOL.

So here is the deal! And it's only good November 20 to 21st. Buy $40 in clothing and footwear, and get $10 back! 25% savings isn't bad, especially this time of year.

CK BEAUTY contest

CK BEAUTY contest

I've posted this picture and have entered the above contest. Right now I am really looking for your vote to help me win! I would really appreciate if you took the time and helped me out with this one and voted for the attached picture.

Voting starts November 23rd and ends December 1st.

VOTE DAILY here: www.fashionmagazine.com/contests/ck In the search box type in "sunrise on the falls". Click my picture, and you have voted! Each person that votes may have an opportunity to receive 2ml sample of Calvin Klein.

PLEASE...... and thank you

Are you a Bulk Barn Shopper?

Christmas is fast approaching which means a couple of things in my home.

First, pull out the gifts that I have purchased for all the family during the year. Sit down and review, and then decide who is getting what. Then the fun part. SHOPPING for what I need to get to finish my list. Usually it's not a really big deal because I do a lot of shopping during the year, and my husband is usually pretty pleased that I don't spend all that much in the six weeks leading up to Christmas (If only he totally understood the reason WHY!!!!!)

Secondly, we prepare for the big BAKE OFF needed to supply our cookie exchanges, our family get togethers, our midnight Santa treat raids....well, you get the idea. Lots of baking is needed. Thankfully we are lucky enough to have a Bulk Barn close by. There is nothing better when you have to do baking for more then 20 people to eat then to shop at Bulk Barn.

Right now, Bulk Barn has a very nice special coupon going on. Shop between November 12th and 25th, spend $10 and you will get $3 off with the coupon http://www.bulkbarn.ca/en-ca/page/coupon7.html. Looks like you can use it as many times as you want during this period, but sure makes Christmas baking all that much easier if it's cheaper to the pocket......

Have you checked your Dollar Store recently?

Have you spent any time in the Dollarama recently? Gee, I just LOVE shopping at Dollarama. After the price changes earlier this year, you can now purchase quite a few items that will be no more then $2 each. How can you go wrong?

I know it's not the normal thing, but you can get some pretty mean electronic items there. I mean seriously, can you beat $2 for batteries? What about a cell phone case? $1.50. Try getting that price at Bell (good luck). Phone extension cords are a favorite in my house too. I guess that is what happens when your phone lives in the dining room and you want to get into the fridge for a drink (a LOOONG way away from the dining room....LOL).

Kids crafts. Another fav of mine. All of our babies are grown and gone now, but most of our friends are in the process of young ones. There is nothing worse then having to "lug" toys to just have a coffee when you are on your way to visit with our house, so for less then $20, we have been able to create a "basket" with tons of scrapbooking crafty ideas that keeps most kids busy and happy. And give's mommy a chance for a "kid free" coffee (as if that would ever happen!)

And when you are in the store, trip down the aisle where they keep there toiletries, bath and health and beauty. You would be so pleasantly surprised to see the kind of deals that you can find that are so much more cheaper then shopping in other stores. Try finding nail polish remover for $1 anywhere else (and yes, that is what I paid for it!)

I love dollar stores. And a lot of people I know shop there. There are times that people call me cheap, strange (because I use coupons), or just down right weird. But as I have said before, I would much rather the money stay with my family then be in some retailer's bottom line. Besides, frugality is a way of life. An option, but a good one.

New Brandsaver coupons starting November 3, 2010!

Hear ye hear ye........... the newest Brandsaver coupons will be available NOVEMBER 3, 2010! Not only will most people be getting the flyer in their weekly paper, but you can order the coupons online at http://www.brandsaver.ca/. It's amazing the coupons that are available, and sometimes if a person is really lucky there are some high value coupons that really make it worth while.....read free products when they are on sale! Take a look and enjoy the savings. I know that I do.

Walmart.....Would you shop there?

I have heard a lot being said by some people that they would not shop at Walmart because of the business practices of the company in general. I've also heard that some people don't shop there because "it's an American company taking money from Canadians". And my most favorite reason is because they are not unionized.

Ok, some interesting reasons not to shop there. But, I do like shopping there. I do like saving oodles of money that I can keep in my pocket to use for my family vs. putting that money into some other Canadian retailer's till that DOESN'T benefit my family. I do like saving even more money by using the sales they advertise, applying coupons to the sale price, and sometimes walking out just paying the tax on the item. Best of all shopping is being able to price match with other retailers in the area which allows me to combine the shopping of two or three stores into one. It works for me.

Let me give you a for instance. I have over 15 bottles of body wash and at least 8 deodorants stored away in my "stash" of purchased products. I had a coupon (actually 4 of them) that allowed me to purchase "3 products and save $9" on specific products. IE - Olay body wash and Secret deodorant. I also had a coupon that stated "buy two Secret deodorant and save $5" (actually, 4 of those too). So off to Walmart I went.

Remember I said that I had more then enough of both of these products? Well, by using these coupons, I have been able to purchase 10 body washes, and 10 deodorants. Total cost to purchase these items (including taxes) was $64.86. I paid $8.86 and of that $7.46 was taxes.

I now have a very nice donation to our local food bank (which in turns provides these types of items to our local shelter) and it was at a small cost to my family. How wrong can I go? I've paid less then $10 OOP and so many people will be able to benefit.

Doesn't that make you really smile?

Glade is one of my favorite companies

Have you noticed how many promotional coupons that Glade has been providing to the public these days? I have just received via my weekly paper a coupon provided by Glade that states that you purchase $15 worth and save $10. Now to me that is a pretty good deal. NOW, add the added promotion that you can find at http://www.glade.ca/ for a $5 mail in rebate (MIR) when you purchase $10 worth of Glade products PLUS $5 worth of holiday items and now you are talking!

$20 worth of products costing $5 out of pocket (OOP). How can you go wrong? Now to me that is a deal that you and I can afford.

Liquidation World: Save 75% on a huge outdoor storage box!!

As some people know, I do have a few favorite stores that I haunt for deals. Now I know that my local Liquidation World does NOT accept coupons, but some of the deals that they advertise are so fantastic that I make it a point to visit the store regardless. Check out some of the deals that are happening over the next couple of days.

http://www.lwstores.com/flyer.aspx

Here is a Contest to try! Heart and Stroke, and you must enter by October 31st

So, I'm a gym nut. As a matter of fact, I'm so much a nut that I decided to become a fitness instructor, which by the way is one of the most fantastic educational experiences I've ever decided to attempt. Not only do I get my daily dose of exercise, but THEY PAY ME TO DO IT!. OH, and did I mention I no longer pay gym fees? How can I go wrong????? But I digress.

So, I decided to look around for a new contest to enter today, and didn't I find one for the chance to win not only a yoga mat but a stability ball too. I love yoga, and would love to own both of these items for my home gym.

Come on, join me in entering. There is nothing better then bettering your health, and it's so much fun to do it using FREE gym equipment won in a contest! Enter the contest here

http://www.heartandstroke.com/site/c...ps/fc/form.asp

Contest is open to Canadian residents and you can only enter once, otherwise your entry is invalidated. You also have to complete all field's. But that isn't so bad. Take a look at the rules before entering (it's always worth that few minutes). For contest rules:

http://www.heartandstroke.com/site/c.ikIQLcMWJtE/b.6238553/k.A290/Kickstart_your_home_gym_contest_rules.htm

Anyone interested in receiving free garbage bags from Glad??????

And more and more companies are promoting themselves by providing freebies to people that are willing to look for them. I've sent off my own address for this one. I mean really, who can't use garbage bags?????

If you do end up getting a coupon from Glad, post a message. Everyone would be interested in knowing how it works out for you, including me!

http://www.glad.ca/bag_giveaway_promotion/index.php

My new Project. How much have I saved??????

It's easy to say that you are saving money by using coupons, gift cards and weekly sales, but actually how much are you saving? I know that there have been a few receipts that I have kept because of the IMPRESSIVE savings on them, but I'm sure they are the exception to the rule generally speaking.

So, as a lark, I thought I would keep track of my savings since the beginning of October to actually see how much I would have spent had I have paid the advertised price for the item in question. I have to say though, I'm not factoring in the regular retail price, but starting the equation with the sale price that I find (because most of the things I buy are on sale first and foremost) and subtracting the value of the coupon and or gift card (that I have not paid for because it's a gift)used to purchase the item.

So here is the fun numbers. SINCE THE BEGINNING OF OCTOBER MY FAMILY HAS SAVED A GRAND TOTAL OF $40.54!!!! Which is 25% of our total grocery bill. I've been shopping (and stashing) lots of products over the last few years so I do have many cupboards full of canned food, cleaning supplies, smellies and health and beauty items, so I'm at the stage where I only buy what we need (but multiplies of it if we do). And our shopping has been minimal because of that. BUT, I'm happy with the savings so far this month.

I'll be keeping everyone posted with the new totals every now and then. I want to see what my yearly total is going to be because I'm putting the savings into a "jam jar" just to physically show my husband that I'm not wasting my time. LOL.

Happy Thursday everyone!

Stouffer's Rewards - Free Coupons mailed to you!

Seriously, I'm finding that more and more companies are willing to mail free product coupons to you when you complete certain requirements. For instance, Stouffer's have PINS on selected products, and you enter 12 of these pins and they send you $15 worth of free product coupons and a $10 gift card for the store of your choice. Now how can you go wrong with a deal like that?

My family eat's a lot of Stouffer products. Particularly the Lean Cuisine (for me)

and the entrees (my husband) and I make sure to buy only the ones with PIN's so that I can get these coupons and gift cards. It is definitely worth checking out.

To make it even less expensive for you, save.ca has a coupon right now that allows you to buy 3 entrees and save $2. And this week, if you shop at Metro, they are on sale for $1.99 each. Now that means you are paying $1.33 for an entree that normally sells for over $4.00. You can't beat that price.

Check out this website. Remember to carefully review all of the questions, and enjoy receiving these coupons. I know that I can collect the PIN's fairly quickly. Remember though, this particular promotion expires January 31, 2011 so start collecting!

http://stouffers.ca/en/default.aspx

Contests - Have you seen how many there are out there right now?

I spend a lot of time on the internet and lately I've been finding a lot of Canadian summer contests. Now and again I've entered these internet contests, but generally speaking I haven't. Surprisingly enough though in the last two weeks, I've spent a LARGE amount of time entering them.

Did you know that Scotia Bank has a new contest out there that you enter once and could potentially win $5,000 towards your existing mortgage? Or to help with your down payment on a new (to you) home? And even if you are not in the market for a home, a cheque to you for $5,000!

What about the La Grille contest I've seen lately. Another good one. And this isn't from trying to find these contests, this is just from looking at one site or another.

So, here is my motor running............. why not do a search on canadian contests. AND WOW! Can you imagine the number of sites that popped up. So I thought just for the sake of it, I'm going to do some entering. I mean, someone has to win, right? And you can't win if you don't play!

So wish me luck, I hope to see $5,000 in my future (my mortgage will look good with that kind of lump sum payment dropped on it), or perhaps a new set of Calloway golf clubs (and no, I don't play well, but I am using a borrowed set).

www.matchstick.ca

Don't you just LOVE the mailman? I know that I do. I sign up for freebies, enter contests, request coupons through the mail, and even try my hand at product testing. So on any given day, I come home from work to an interesting assortment in my mailbox to "weed" through.

This week was a very prime example. I received samples from Kashi, a sample for the new Kotex tampon, believe it or not a calendar I requested back forever ago. A LARGE envelope of coupons from shoppers voice (and I'll talk all about Shoppers Voice in another blog that I do, it deserves it's own space), and lo and behold an envelope from Matchstick.

What is Matchstick? It is a product testing company that you apply too for different products they want to test. I've tested men's cologne, I've tested make-up and just recently, I applied to test kittie litter (Purina Maxx Scoop) for small spaces. I hadn't heard from them letting me know whether I was chosen or not, but after the amount of time that had past, I thought for sure I wasn't going to be on this test.

And then I got my mail. And I was right. I wasn't chosen for this test. BUT. They did send me a coupon for a FREE opportunity to try the product. Something that I truly didn't expect. So now, I'm off to "buy/not buy" kittie litter for my little ones. At no cost to me. Now that is something that you cannot complain about.

If you are ever lucky enough to get in on one of their testing's for products. Try it. It is worth the time, and obviously worth the effort regardless.

www.matchstick.ca

AIR WICK® Offer Received in the mail & I want to SHARE

It can be very interesting what the mailman brings. I came home last night to an interesting offer sent to me by Shoppers Voice. And in this envelope I found a fantastic offer provided by AirWick®! They sent me a $7 coupon to purchase an AirWick® IMotion and 10 other coupons ($7 each) to share with family and friends. Now that is a deal because I know for a fact that these air fresheners can be purchased for less then that. Which means that you get to try it for FREE! I love those kinds of deals.

So, fantastically (is that really a word????) I want to share these coupons with others. I don't know how many people check out my blog. I do know that I won't be purchasing ELEVEN of these. So here is what I want to do. ANYONE IN CANADA that wishes to receive one of these $7 coupons needs to do the following

1. Comment to this post using an email that I can send a responding email too.
2. I'll send you an email requesting that you are who you are and that you want one of these coupons

and
3. I'll mail to you!

It's as easy as that! Share with each other and the karma flows back tenfold!

Is there anyone out there interested??????

www.flyerscoupons.ca

Has anyone checked out this site recently? What a place! A lot of websites regarding coupons, deals, contests etc are really chatty places where you find some interesting deals. This website is no different in that aspect. The difference is instead of having to go through a bunch of threads to get all the information on a specific store, you just click on the store in question, and all the threads pertaining to the flyers, deals, contests, etc are listed in one spot. It's so much easier for someone that shops store specific like I do.

For instance, take a look at the Walmart thread (can you tell I like shopping at Walmart????) Not only do you find the most current flyer, you find deals from the photoshop in the store, you find online deals, and you find different threads just for letting you know the best price on certain products. How can you go wrong?

If I was (and I do) going shopping I would check out this site first and foremost. Then head out shopping! www.flyerscoupons.ca Take a look!

Liquidation World......Interesting place to shop

Now I've been more then lucky over the last couple of years. And I mean by saying that I don't need much in the line of home furnishings. A good portion of the furniture in the house is relatively new, or at least is not in the position of needing to be replaced. That being said, has anyone checked out Liquidation World recently?

We have one in town, and I don't go there all that often, but I'm thinking it's about time that I did. Last week they had baby furniture on sale (I'm in the market for a good baby gate.....no.....don't ask), and this week there is a really good sale on Saunder furniture. I've been taking the time to check out there website at least weekly to see what is all going on. I know it's not a website that I would say I am a fan of, but if the deals are as good as I have seen over the last two weeks, then I think it's time for me to start frequenting this store a little more often then the once a year that is my current. www.lwstores.com Take the time to check it out. You might not be sorry.......

Price Matching One store to another

Another interesting way to save money, time, energy and GAS is to price match. Two stores in my area price match, and most areas have both of these retailers. Walmart and Zellers. Now I know that there are others out there, but you take what you can get, right?

Walmart is great for price matching. As long as they have the product that is. No questions, no hassle, but out of respect to the cashiers, I try to find a non busy time of day and do it then. There is nothing worse then a large lineup behind someone when they are price matching to another store. Sure makes people ugly that is for sure.

Zellers is just as happy to price match for you too. And the up side of price matching with Zellers is that you get your HBC rewards too. So that is one of the reasons why I tend to choose Zellers over Walmart to price match. My HBC rewards eventually turn into Air Miles, which then in turn become gift certificates (GC's) for food. A great Christmas gift to kids who don't live at home. And a great way to spend your points that everyone appreciates.

One thing that I have found with both of these stores is that not only will they allow you to price match another flyer, they will allow for coupons too. So, you save money with the coupons, save money on wear and tear on your car, gas, and time, but you have the extra bonus of feeling that you just made the best deal out there. How can anyone go wrong?

Coupons in all their various shapes and sizes

I've been very lucky to have had the opportunity to use coupons to lower the costs of my purchases on a month to month basis. And what I am finding is that there are numerous ways to obtain these coupons. You can find manufacturer coupons in the store hanging beside the product. You can write a manufacturer and request coupons (and yes, this really works, but that is another blog topic that I will expand on another day). You can have them downloaded to your cell phone or blackberry (now this is something that I have heard about, but have not experienced myself. If anyone out there uses this, please let us know as it's definitely worth having another discussion about). You can request them from websites such as www.save.ca, www.websaver.ca, etc. And you can print them from the internet.

All of these methods, whether used by all or not, are valid ways to obtain coupons. But does the retailer honor them?

Most retailers will honor a manufacturer coupon, but I'm finding more and more will not without a UPC bar on them. Their are just too many fantastically good replicas out there, and retailers are getting burned and not reimbursed for these replicas. I too would have the tendency to shy away if this was the case. Now, I'm not saying ALL retailers are doing it, it's just something that I have noticed more and more frequently in the different retailers that I personally frequent, and on different websites where the discussion has been brought up.

Like I said above, I've heard about downloading your coupons to a hand held device. This sounds like an ABSOLUTELY wonderful green and earth friendly way to go. And if retailers are going to get on board with this, then I say lets go for it! I'm all for ending the waste of paper and the killing of trees. Quite the idea if you ask me.

Requesting coupons from websites is a great way to obtain coupons too, and I've personally not had any problems using them at any retailers that I frequent. You just have to wait for the mailman/lady/person to deliver them. Use them, and save your cash.

Printing coupons off the internet. Now that is a topic of discussion. I've found that MANY retailers will not accept this. It's unfortunate, but like mentioned above, manufacturers have at times not honored the coupon and the retailer is not re-imbursed. I understand why a manufacturer will not honor a valid coupon. And I understand why a retailer would have problems accepting a printed coupon from the internet because of being "burned" in the past. It's just really unfortunate that others out there have made it virtually impossible to find a store that will accept internet coupons anymore.

Now I'm not saying that all retailers don't accept them. In my personal experience, the following stores DO:

Giant Tiger
Walmart
Shoppers Drug Mart

I'm sure the list is more extensive, but these are the only ones that I know of. I truly hope the trend of rejecting internet printed coupons is NOT completely rejected by all retailers. It's definitely another way to save money.

www.brandsaver.ca and other websites for coupons and deals

So it's a new month, and Easter is now behind us. Thank you Easter Bunny for Visiting our home!

So now that another holiday has past us by, it's time to review what has been happening over the last couple of weeks. For instance, www.brandsaver.ca has provided us coupon a holics with a brand new stack of coupons to request. AND, not only that, they inserted a flyer in most papers for deliver on the Easter weekend. Great bunch of coupons, and if anyone needs extras, it seems that I have quite a few. People are really starting to notice just how much I coupon because now they are giving ME their inserts. Gotta love sharing.

Another favorite of mine of course is www.save.ca. An amazing website that has been around for awhile. Lots of savings for lots of different types of products from laundry all the way to diabetic products. Now most of these coupons are printed with expiries that expire approximately six weeks after your request, so make sure that you only request the ones that you know that you can use, or trade with friends and family.

And of course, another one of my new favorite websites is www.flyercoupons.ca. A website that has been created for the use of the deal/coupon hunter in all of us. Each major Canadian store is listed with the appropriate deals and flyers available for all to review. There is nothing better then to decide that you want to go shopping at Walmart, and then stop in to this website; take a look at all the best deals that OTHERS have found, and then shop your little heart out!

I truly do love it when someone else makes shopping that much more easier for me. It saves me so much time, energy and most of all GAS IN MY CAR!

SmartCanucks.ca

Have you ever had the chance to just google Canadian coupon websites? Well, try it. You are going to find this amazing website called smartcanucks.ca. Not only is it a blog where registered users can post new coupons found, amazing deals and freebies. Now the website has lots more then that, but it would take me forever to list them all. It's run by a Moderator by the "name" of Boo Radley. Absolutely an amazing guy that has provided like minded people with a medium to share all these deals, coupons, etc to better manage our finances. And yes, I have to admit I'm a registered user and have been since the fall of 2008, but I have saved so much money. Can you imagine the feeling of walking into a store knowing that you are going to walk out with something that you either paid nothing but the taxes or totally FREE to your family????? It's such a high. And it's a site so worth the time to check out. Take the time, look me up, and save yourself some money from the tips that others share. You will thank yourself, regardless of your age!

Where are the Wii's?????

So into Shoppers I go thinking that I will be either purchasing a Wii with my bonus points, OR at least finding out about a store that does have them. NO! That doesn't happen. Instead, I go and see that there are 2 empty Wii boxes as display items. No Wii's. Up to the counter I go, and am told that they are in VERY short supply. Now isn't that interesting. So no Wii this bonus redemption day. I wasn't all that happy. But that is ok. I made it through all right. I'm just going to keep collecting my points and maybe one day I'll be able to own on. It's just not going to be this weekend.

It's BONUS redemption Time again!

Tomorrow I go shopping. I have enough points now to get $300 free from Shoppers. Oh, and I SO getting my Wii. I truly can't wait, and I really believe that my husband is going to love it. Especially knowing that his 50th is this year. Maybe I can get him some games that he might like to play????? Thank goodness for free point cards. I wouldn't be able to do things like this without it. How many points cards do people have in their wallet? I know that I personally have four that I use at least once a week, if not more. And each one does a different thing. My SDM card (free Wii), my HBC card (converts to Airmiles), of course my Airmiles card (free groceries for the house), and now my petro points card that gives me free CAA $$ to apply towards my purchase of CAA once a year. In just 3.5 months I've already accumulated $5 towards that. It's going to be a nice savings this year. And people say that these loyalty cards don't add up to much. I say they are wrong!

Can you beat this kind of deal? I think NOT!

So I go to Sears last night because quite honestly, with all the exercise that I have been doing over the last year, I felt my pants were not fitting at all. As a matter of fact, I was a size 14 before I started at the gym. So here it is 53 weeks later, and I thought I would take a look at their clearance section. I found two pairs of pants there, and a regularly priced pair for $49.99 (with 30% off). First, can you imagine my complete happiness to know that I dropped down to a size 8. A SIZE 8! I've not seen that in my closet for at least 10 years. AND, not only did I get that surprise, but lo and behold, don't I get some bargains on top of everything else. I paid (all prices include taxes) $13.44 for the first pair, $21.35 for the second, and $39.54 for the third. A total of $74.33. You just can't beat that for high quality dress pants for work! It was such a great day all around. Thank you thank you thank you for the weight loss!!!!!

Smartsource Flyer

Do you know what gets my goat? They advertise that this coupon flyer will be in the paper on a specific date. And it's NEVER there until the following weekend in my weekend paper. I find that so frustrating. Especially this time because there is a coupon in the flyer that I could be using to get FREE razors for Christmas baskets. Oh well. What is a girl to do? Go shopping!

So, it's Tuesday morning, and I'm getting over a cold. I've got a meeting tonight for the Relay for Life, and I'm not feeling the best. To top it all off, I've got to work today. So the day hasn't started out all that well. No matter, if you are given lemons, make lemonade......RIGHT? So, time to stop whining, and try to find something positive to dwell on. For example, the email that I received last night letting me know about the secret 20x Optimimum event happening tomorrow at SDM. Now isn't that nice. I will be able to spend $50 and get 10,000 points. And that my friend brings me all the closer to getting my WII fit program. As it is, I have enough points for the Wii itself now. And I can't wait for the next redemption date so that I can own my new Wii. I'm even sure my husband is going to love that particular addition to the house. LOL.

Lets go shopping!

You have to love shopping if you shop with coupons. Off to Walmart I go this afternoon because I've heard some interesting rumors that they have some new dove coupons going on! And I do so love there product. Can you IMAGINE getting their stuff so much cheaper???? It's really good for the organization that they support, but even better for my families skin. Wish me luck!