Good stuff in the mail!

There was a cute post I noticed recently on at The Finer Things, where the blogger discussed listed some of her favourite things in life that are free. One of my favourite things is getting “good mail.” Getting mail from my international friends is probably my most favourite thing to receive, but coupons and freebies aren’t bad either! Here’s a list of goodies I got last week:

Save.ca coupons, including coupons for a free Campbell’s Healthy Request Soup (sells for $2.47 at Price Chopper) and coupons for Dairy-Oh milk, Best Water Fish, Duracell Batteries, and more.

A Kraft cookbook. Join the “Kraft community” and they will send you a feee cookbook. Unfortunately it didn’t come with coupons like I had hoped, but there are actually a couple interesting recipes, like one for double baked sweet potatoes! And if you are looking for coupons for Kraft products, I recommend you stop by Loblaws for a kraft coupon booklet, with $8 of savings inside. I got a bunch of these last time they were out and saved a lot of money on cheese.

Kotex samples and coupons. I got 2 free samples for Kotex pads and liners and 4 coupons, sent courtesy of Shoppers Drugmart. I honestly don’t know why I got them, so it was a nice surprise! Did anyone else receive these?

An insurance cheque for dental work. If you have benefits through your company at work, don’t forget to mail in for your rebates. It’s worth it! If you have a chronic condition, it’s a good idea to mention it on your rebate sheet, and then save up your receipts and mail them in all at once. If it’s just a one-off, send it in right away. If you made the payment on your credit card, you want to get the cheque before you have to pay the bill - especially if you’re carrying a balance and don’t want to pay interest on it.

Did you get some good mail this week? Let me know what good stuff you got!

How to Beat Student Poverty

Some tips to beat the student debt blues:

1. Apply for Scholarships, Bursaries and Grants. The very best way to earn money as a student besides getting a part time job is to apply for scholarships.  If you are a winning candidate, it will be the best investment of time you will ever make. I spent several days applying for a SSHRC grant and it was hard work.  I had to deal with seething criticism from a professor who was, in retrospect, kind enough to edit my work and improve my proposal.  But for a grant that was worth $27,500 it was probably the most I will ever be paid for about a weeks’ worth of work.  Research all possible scholarships before going to university - research the ones your university offers but also check the internet. Many corporations or local organizations offer scholarship opportunities. During my last year in highschool, I applied to everything under the sun, and it paid off. Aim especially for the ones that are renewable.

2. Plan ahead. Your success in receiving scholarships may depend on the work you do before applying.  Be aware of this as a highschool student and as an undergraduate.  You never know if you will want to go to grad school, so leave yourself the opportunity.  Take every opportunity to publish, attend conferences, give presentations, keep your grades up, and do some volunteering or extra-curricular activities on the side.  It will pay off.

3. Take advantage of your benefits while you can!  As soon as you graduate, you are likely no longer eligable to receive any of the medical or dental benefits your university offers.  So take advantage of them while you can!  Shortly after I graduated, I met with my dentist and realized I had literally of thousands of dollars worth of dental surgery of me, and I was not yet employed.  I also had to deal with a chronic back problem and shelled out hundreds of dollars for osteopathic and chiropractic work. Even if you find employment right away, there is often a 3-month probationary period before you become eligible for your benefits.  

4. Seek out the student-friendly network of health practitioners if you are not fully covered for dental, chiropractic, massage or physiotherapy. They give students highly discounted rates. For example, if you are a grad student at the University of Waterloo, you can visit a chiropractor listed under the Chiropractic Network, and pay only $5 a visit. ($40 for an initial visit but $25 after that - and the student health plan will reimburse you for $20 per visit.)

5. Proctor as many exams as you can!  No one likes to do this, but you should take advantage of the opportunity. After all, you’ll make a good hourly wage, just for walking around a classroom and trying to look scary. 

6. Take advantage of your school gym - and enjoy yoga, pilates and all kinds of sports activities for cheap.  It’s far more economical to use your school facilities than buy a membership at another gym.

7. Milk your student card.  Ask everywhere you can if they give student discounts.  Many shops and restaurants will do this, even if they don’t advertise it.  And check the expiration date on your student card - it may expire months, or even years, after you graduate.

8. Don’t pre-drink.  Everyone “pre-drinks” before they go out as an effort to save money and it fails every time.  Why? Because you get drunk faster, and enter the bar with your inhibitions already lowered.  The more you drink, the faster you drink.  All you care about that point is having fun - the cost be damned!  If you go to the bar while sober, you’re more likely to sip slowly on a few drinks and head home.

9.Eat for free - This is a really funny post on how to get free food as a student!

10. Follow the other tips here at Saver Queen. Take your bike, walk or take public transit, take your lunch to school and bring a travel mug and water bottle with you. Keep snacks and drinks at your desk if you have an office. If you go out with friends for coffee between classes, just go for the chat and avoid buying stuff just for the sake of having a break.  

11. Take the minimum number of years to complete your degree. Work hard, and you will graduate sooner.  Slack off and you can add thousands of dollars to student debt load, just for being lazy.  Get focused, ask for help if you need it, buckle down and study. 

12. Buy Apple products online at the apple store for education or at your university store when you buy Apple products. You will save $100 off your laptop!

13. Claim all your expenses on your taxes including tuition, books, research expenses (this includes your computer, books, travel and equipment) and interest on your student loans.  If you aren’t earning enough income to make these deductions now, you can use them later.

Today’s savings

Good products made cheap by coupons!

Today when grocery shopping, I saved $10.75 on coupons alone, not to mention the great deals I got shopping at Price Chopper.  Some of the products turned out really cheap with the coupons.  For example, one box of Catelli Pasta was only 39¢ with the coupon. And the boxes of Muslix only came to $1.44 each (they had many other varieties on sale, too.)  The other box of cereal I got (Organic Flax Plus) is normally too expensive to purchase, but it came with $1 off coupon for SoyNice (one of my favourite brands of soymilk) plus I had a $1 off coupon for the cereal.  So once I deducted $2 in coupons, the cereal was only $1.97. And the Campbell’s Healthy Request soup you see here was free!  I also saved 75¢ off Dairy Oh! omega 3 milk with a coupon from save.ca! I love that I can save on good, healthy products like organic cereal, soymilk, omega-3 milk, and whole wheat pasta.  

While we were at the store, Josh noticed a sales clerk taking down a pack of coupons for $2 off Kelloggs cereals, and thought to ask her for them.  She gave us a whole wad!  And they don’t expire until June, 1999.

I also made sure to use my Green boxes and cloth bags, which not only helps the environment, it also saves a few cents off my bill, since I don’t need to buy bags.

Other coupons and deals to check out this weekend: 

Look in your flyer for PC stores (Loblaws, Superstores, and Zehrs.)  They have lots of coupons for baby stuff.  Most of them require at least one other purchase, but you can get free Pampers megawipes, Pampers clean n go wipes, Nestle cereal and save $10 on Pampers club packs of diapers and wipes, Huggies and pull-up products. 

Shoppers Drug Mart is offering 10xs the points this weekend when you buy $40 or more - and 15xs the points when you buy $50 or more.  If you have been saving up for a big trip to Shoppers, now is the time to go.  Unless of course, you can hold out for a 20xs the points sale!

Attention Frugal Wine Lovers

I just ran across this great blog post on Spin the Deal called “Vino on the Cheap”. I thought it would nicely augment my earlier post, “The Grapes of Wrath” since it offers more tips on where and how to access cheap wine.  

I also ran across this wiki: How to Brew Cheap Wine.  Personally, I love wine too much to reduce it down to an “educational project” but I thought I would share it in case any of you are up to the challenge!  

Muffin update

Josh and I tried our pumpkin muffins recipe again, only this time, instead of cutting off the tops of the muffins, we baked the cream-cheese icing right into the muffins.  We just put half of the muffin mixture into the tins and then gave a dollop of icing, before capping it with more muffin mix.  We also doubled the recipe so the muffins came out nice and big, just like we wanted them to.  We took them home for Thanksgiving and the family loved them!  My Grandmother, who I consider to be the best baker in the whole world, loved them, which is a great compliment to me!  The whole recipe can be found here or under Recipes from the Category menu, incase you’re interested in trying them yourself.

Purrrfect Pet Savings

My kitten, Butternut, is one of my biggest blessings.  Every day when I get home from work, she begs to be picked up and then proceeds to lick my face, just like a dog.  Our pets enrich our lives.  But pets, as much as we love them, can be expensive.  Here are a few tips to save money when caring for your beloved four legged friend.

1. Save with coupons.  Right now there are plenty of coupons for Iams to be found on save.ca and in Canadian Living Magazine. (In save.ca there are coupons for $5 off Kitten and Puppy Chow and $2 off Cat or Dog Chow.)  Recently, I found a number of Purina $1 off coupons at Loblaws and of course grabbed a whole bunch.  Last winter, I registered my kitten with Purina and they gave me a coupon for a free bag of Purina One cat food.  Since the coupon arrived late, they apologized by sending me another coupon for my next purchase of Purina One.  Unfortunately, this great deal has expired, but keep your eyes out for further deals.  (When searching for coupons for pet food, just keep in mind that you should not abruptly or erratically change your pet’s diet.)

For my American friends, you’re in luck - there are plenty of coupons available at Purina.com. You can also subscribe to their newsletters or Snack Club using that same link, and be notified of future coupons or promotions.

2. Use Petsmart’s saving system.  Apply at the register.  You attach your loyalty tag to your key ring and it gives you special deals.  And if you call the number they give you within 48 hours and complete a brief telephone survey, you get $5 off your next purchase!

3. Make your own toys.  There is an abundance of crafts you can use - string, ribbons, toilet paper rolls, and other bits of packaging can be made into cute cat toys with very little effort.  I have done this myself on many occasions.  And like children, sometimes the simplest toys, like cardboard boxes, provide the most fun.

4. Wash cat toys in the machine.  Not all toys will survive but you can usually suss out which ones will be just fine.  This means that you can reuse the toys even when they get terribly dirty.

5. Shop at the Dollarstore - like Dollerama - for pet supplies like food and water dishes (and rubber mats to place under them to keep them from spilling).  They also have toys and treats, all for $1 each!

Josh and Butternut, sharing a tender moment

6. Store pet food in a a plastic container with a good lid - especially if you buy in large quantities.  It keeps food fresher for longer and reduces the smell to boot.  I love Lock n Lock products, but you can reuse containers from around the house.  For example, I recently used an old Epsom salt container to store Butternut’s pet food, after realizing I forgot her Lock n Lock full of cat chow at my parents’ place on the weekend.

7. Buy catnip in large quantities, and then store it in the freezer.  It’s cheaper in large quantities and it stays fresh in the freezer!

8. Consider pet insurance or keep your pet indoors. Butternut is an indoor cat, so her risk is reduced significantly. But if you have an outdoor pet, you might want to consider buying pet insurance, and President’s Choice seems to have pretty reasonable rates.

9. Take advantage of warranty rebates.  If you recently got your pet from a pet store, look carefully about the warranty that she comes with. Some pet stores will claim to refund your vet bill if your pet has contracted a disease at the pet store.  Diseases are rampant at pet stores, so this appears useful.  However, there is usually a clause that states that your vet bill must not only be signed by your vet but must also have a clear diagnosis written on the bill.  Since this is not common practice, you must explicitly ask your vet to do this for you, before you mail it in to make your claim. 

10. The best things in life are free.  Pet products are a big business these days, but I think what your pet really enjoys the most is your love and attention.  They don’t care how much you spend on them.  They just want to be loved and cared for.

TANSTAAFL (but coupons make it cheaper)

That’s right, there ain’t no such thing as a free lunch. But I’ve narrowed it down to $5 or less. Plus, there are lots of strategies you can use to lower your costs of eating out.

So, you’ve heard me preach about the importance of taking your lunch to work or school. But let’s be honest, we can’t always be prepared. There are those days when you forget your lunch or leave it on the streetcar (I have done both of these things) or days when you just feel like having a break. So here are some tips of where to eat when you just want a quick, cheap lunch.

1. Subway. Your best buy: A 6” cold cut sub for $2.09

Subway just lowered their prices, which means that their subs are even more affordable now! Their footlong cold cut sub now comes to – including taxes in Ontario – to $5.18. If you split this with a friend and eat just a footlong, your entire lunch comes to $2.09, including tax. Simply fill up your reusable water bottle at the water cooler. My suggestion is to bring some pop and snacks, like fruit, and keep it at your desk. These drinks and snacks mean you can avoid buying the over-priced chips and fountain drinks.

If you live in the States, go to Subway’s website and you can get updates on promotions sent straight to your cell phone.

2. Wendy’s. Your best buy: Chicken nugget meal for $4.14

At Wendy’s you can get a chicken nugget meal, that comes with 5 nuggets, a side (I suggest the chili as it is one of your more filling and healthy options) and a drink. Plus, if you sign up for Wendy’s survey, you get a coupon! I just got a coupon in my email today for $1 off flavour dipped chicken sandwiches.

3. Pizza Pizza. Your best buy: Use a coupon for a 2-for-1 pepperoni slice! This coupon is only available to “members” but it only takes a second to sign up and you can print the coupon instantly. And lately, Pizza Pizza has been selling slices for $1 for the United Way in Toronto subway stations.

4. Quiznos. Not necessarily your cheapest option but they are currently offering a coupon for free chips and a fountain drink when you buy a footlong sub. Just sign up and they will email you a printable coupon.

5. Any Vietnamese Pho place will offer a delicious, steaming hot bowl of Pho for about $4.50 including tax. Prices will depend on where you go, but you most typically fall under the $5 range.

Other tips:

6. Sit at the bar: If you go to a restaurant during a busy hour, save by sitting at the bar. Some restaurants, such as New Generation Sushi, offer you 15% off for sitting at the bar during peak hours.

7. Go early in the week: Many pubs will have deals on Mondays, Tuesdays and Wednesdays. Seek out these deals and you can treat yourself to beer and wings at half the normal cost.

8. Eat Family Style. If you eat at a Chinese restaurant, for example, order fewer dishes and split them with your colleagues. You waste less, enjoy more variety, and pay less.

9. Order simple items. For example, you can order toast or a bagel at an all-day-breakfast place, with peanut butter and jam. It might not be a very filling lunch, but if you bring your own snacks to supplement your hunger, it just might get you through the day on under $1.

Save your Samples!

I save my samples and put them to good use.  If you’re looking for samples, I suggest you check out Red Flag Deals, or go directly to product sites you like.

I make good use of little samples by carrying them in my purse or taking them while traveling. They come in handy! Sometimes you can get very useful samples - recent examples include free Mitchum deodorant sticks, Gillette razors (mens and women’s), and Kashi and Campbells soup products. You can go directly to their websites for more details or simply google the items to find where these products are available.

Cashless Philanthropy(Charitable Series, Pt.1)

On Gail Vaz-Oxlade’s blog today, she posted a very interesting article on tithing, called “Giving a Part of What You Have.” In the article, Gail argues that even if tithing is important to your religious beliefs, you should put it aside temporarily if you are drowning in debt.  Gail’s point is that when you make charitable contributions on credit, the money is not really yours to give.  Instead, she encourages financial responsibility to begin with.  If giving is important to you, make sacrifices; don’t just rely on credit.

To give with real spirit, as opposed to by rote or by rule, is to take what you HAVE and give a little to someone else. It is about prioritizing the needs of others over our own wants. It requires thinking about how you will spend your money so that you can also afford to give some of that money in support of your beliefs.

If you can’t afford to live within your means, you aren’t demonstrating responsible living, and you don’t have to right to salve your conscience by tithing. The fact is, only solvent people have the right to tithe, and if you don’t have your crap together yet, you shouldn’t be doing it.

In response, I thought I would post a few suggestions of how to continue to give philanthropically while on a budget, through cashless gifts.  If you are on a strict debt diet but still want to give back, here are some suggestions on how to make an impact.

1. Volunteer - but be creative! You may have more skills than you realize! Charities will appreciate it if you go to them with something specific in mind, especially if it requires minimal supervision on their part. For example, my sister and I once put together an original workshop for an at-risk youth group, encouraging the children to dream of a world without drugs, by building a collage.  Using symbolic representation through words and pictures in old cut-up magazines, the kids put together an outstanding, inspirational piece of art.  Volunteering does double duty - it helps you remember what you have.

2. Give away your “stuff.”  Do you own anything that you’re no longer using but might be useful to someone else? You can give to a thrift store, but you can also directly contact an organization you wish to serve, such as The Redwood,  St.Christopher House or St. Joseph’s Residence, where your item can go directly towards helping someone. 

Kitten blankets for the THS

3. Give homemade gifts. For example, some women recently knitted warm blankets for cats at the Toronto Humane Society. If your gift has a cash value - for example, you are a professional quilter or artist - then you may get a tax-receipt for the cash value of your “in kind” gift.

4. Make a Planned Gift (such as a Residual Gift in your Will). This might seem irrelevant and too far away to have an impact, but it will give you the time to accumulate assets and it will make a big difference to the charity when the gift is finally made. These gifts are the lifeblood of many charities.  Most people don’t realize that even if they are liquid poor, they may have assets that can make a big difference to a charity after they pass away.  In my line of work, I see the impact of these gifts every single day.

5. Life insurance and Securities - two other tax-efficient ways of giving that don’t delete your cash flow.  I will post more on these options soon in a post dedicated to tax-efficient giving in my Charitable Series.

Fantastic Coupon Sightings!

I just wanted to draw your attention to a few amazing coupon websites.  I’ve checked them all recently and have pleasantly discovered that there are new coupons to be printed and clipped.

I’ve mentioned it before, but visa has some great deals - check them out at www.visaperks.ca.  I didn’t know that you can save this much money just by using your visa card.  Saving opportunities include 50% off at Via Rail, 20% off at Carlton Cards, $10 off at The Gap, and so much more.  I learned about this deal through a flyer that came along with my credit card bill.  This just proves my point that you should go through your junk mail and bills, because you can often find hidden treasures admist other useless advertisements.

Also, flyerland.ca has recently posted coupons on their site.  Not all of them are good, but Michaels is offering 50% off until October 17th.  If you enjoy DIY, scrapbooking and crafts, Michaels can be a fun place to shop.  But these coupons are especially valuable if you are an artist - I wait for opportunities like this to buy my large canvases.  A large canvas can go for $100 easily - so you’re looking at saving $50!

Proctor & Gamble has great coupons on its website right now, including $1 off Tide and $10 off Gillette Fusion Power Razor. Even better, visit Brand Saver and enjoy all kinds of amazing coupon savings!  I just ordered $55 of coupons!

Discover more great coupons off groceries, household products, restaurants and loads more at Frugal Shopper.

Last but not least, there has been a Rexall/Pharmasave coupon floating around the internet from an e-newsletter, that encouraged customers to take advantage of $5 of freebies.  Of course, there turned out to be a printing error.  The coupon was meant to read, “$5 when you spend a minimum of $25!”  It’s still a good coupon though, which you can print at the Rexall site.

I actually counted up the amount of money in my coupon collection and found the number was at $135. After today I will be close to $200.  Just a reminder though, to only use coupons on products that you regularly buy anyway, or when the coupon makes turns the product into a really fabulous deal.  Some people, (see Centisble Savings, for example) even make money when using coupons!