Buy locally and save

Unfortunately, this time of year the Big Box Stores are rolling out the sales, prompting shoppers desperate for a deal to bite the bullet and head into their nearest Wal-Mart or Best Buy.

I know that many of my readers prefer to buy locally. But it’s hard to pass up great deals. If you enjoy supporting your local shops and are considering buying locally this holiday season, here are some tips to make sure you still get a good price.

1. Watch for neighborhood sales. Sometimes the stores lining an entire street will offer sales as an effort to promote local commerce. Watch for flyers, posters and check your local community newspapers for info.

2. Include local stores when price shopping. Even if your favourite stores do not post their sales on flyerland.ca or produce a paper flyer, call and inquire about prices when seeking the best deal. You may be surprised what they have to offer.

3. Ask them to price-match or offer a similar deal. Store owners may have more clout than staff at a Big Box store and they may be willing to negotiate with you. Bring in another store’s flyer or simply ask them to cut you a deal. They may be especially willing if you are buying lots of gifts, so consider doing more of your holiday shopping in one place and asking for a substantial discount in return.

4. Don’t get fooled by Big Box deals. Some of the sales and bonuses currently offered by chain stores are great; others are not. A free gift card for $10 when you buy $100 is only 10% off and it requires a hefty purchase price to begin with - plus, it requires you to come back and buy more from that store to use the gift card. Buy one get one free is only a good deal if you really need two of that item. Don’t assume that the advertised “limited time only” or “Black Friday” sales are that much better than what they regularly offer. Sometimes local stores have competitive prices but lack the ability to advertise. Staying abreast of competitors’ prices, being spending savvy, and thinking before you buy will help you make wise decisions.

5. Buy less. If you are in a store that is more expensive, consider the trade-off. Would you rather buy a unique, one-of-a-kind gift that is handcrafted with love, or a cookie cutter gift that has been mass-produced (not to mention where that gift has been produced). Ethics aside, it is fun to buy unique gifts from local stores. Even if you buy less, your recipient may appreciate the uniqueness and authenticity of the gift. Sometimes less really is more!

When crap happens

Who knows what lies on the road ahead?

Yesterday, my partner was told at the end of a long work day that the employees would not be getting paid.  The company had run out of money.  All employees are paid monthly, so he will lose his entire paycheque for the last month.  In addition, the company owes him $500 worth of out-of-pocket expenses.  Needless to say, we need the money; my partner makes about 75% of our household income.

What bothers me more than the loss of money is that he has suffered so greatly in order to meet his commitments.  Working such extreme hours has meant that he has injured the muscles in his back, causing him extreme pain and limiting his mobility right now. Of course, if he knew what lay ahead, he would not have bothered to force himself out of bed in the morning, in pain, in order to fulfill his commitments. If he had stayed in bed, his injury would have likely cleared up, instead of becoming what appears to be a lasting problem.

This also came at a bad time.  I quit my job this week to start my own business.  And we will be moving to a new city for my partner to start a new job. Not to mention the holidays.

Despite this let-down, I thought I would take this opportunity to share what valuable lessons I have learned. With a looming economic recession, more businesses may shut down and more employees may find themselves in a similar boat.  Here are some tips to deal.

1. Have an emergency fund.  I really am grateful for Gail Vaz-Oxlade, who drilled home the importance of an emergency fund, and thank God I listened to her.  We managed to get an emergency fund in place before this unpleasant surprise - it’s not Gail’s recommended 6 months worth, but it should be enough to cover us until my partner starts his new job.  This really made me realize just how important it is to save and keep enough cash liquid.  Think something like this can’t happen to you?  Think again.  Like Gail says:

Crap happens - that’s life.  It’s how you handle it that separates winners from losers.  And an emergency fund is the best tool to deal with crap.

2. Invoice, invoice, invoice.  If you are a contractor or are self-employed, invoice on a regular basis.  It’s easier for the company to pay you in small doses, and if the bottom falls out, at least you’ll be paid something.  

3. If possible, get paid upfront.  It depends on the type of work you are doing, but wherever possible, get the cash up front, or at least a reasonable down payment.  Even companies that have the appearance of looking solid go under.  And people who you trust sometimes disappoint you. Avoid loss by establishing your personal policy on when and how you are paid.

4. Know the warning signs.  My partner knew the company was not doing well but still thought he would get out in time before something like this happened.  Nevertheless, if it looks like a duck… it probably is.  If you do not trust the organization or person you are working for, get your money and get out.

5. Do not buy things with money you expect to get, but do not yet have.  Thankfully, we are not in this situation.  But it is an easy trap to fall into!  We never thought twice about whether this money would come in.  

5. Determine how much you can reasonably take on.  Although I am grateful for having the extra money from my partner’s second job, I realized that we cannot take on as much responsibility as we wanted. I recognize now that it may take us longer to reach our financial and personal goals. But it’s not worth the strain on our mental and physical well-being.

Sometimes, life throws us curve balls and we can’t do anything about it.  All we can do is handle what we’re given the best we can. I’m grateful for the opportunity to learn these great lessons - who knows how they will benefit me in the future!  I hope you can learn from my experience too.

What would you do with $610?

Lately, my partner has been working two full-time jobs, sometimes working up to 22 hours a day.  This has been rough on both of us, and I look forward to it being over.  However, I thought it was a good opportunity for a little experiment.

Since he has been working so many hours, my partner has been unable to come home for dinner.  He also uses his brief lunch breaks as a few minutes of refuge and goes out frequently for coffee breaks to keep going. 

Hence, he has been eating out for nearly three meals a day for the last month. We both agreed this was a “necessary evil” that comes from working such excessive hours. Meanwhile, I have been eating at home and taking my lunch and coffee to work almost 100% of the time.   I thought I would use this as a demonstration of how much you can spend or save on food.

My partner, relying on the cheapest food available to him (cheap lunches like 6″ subs, simple coffees, no lattes at Starbucks, etc.) still spent over $650 within one month on food and coffee.  Thank God we don’t do this every month - that’s $7320 a year!

This works out to $21.67 a day, or $162.50 a week.

I, however, spent approximately $20 a week on grcoceries.  This includes breakfast, lunch and dinner, and snacks (and believe me, with him gone, I really relied on the snacks.)  It seems almost impossible, but I here’s how I did it: I ate insanely cheap lunches and breakfasts.  I used up leftovers, pulled the frozen chili I had made out of the freezer, ate up our dried soups that we had purchased at a discount, and made simple meals out of what we had, like veggie whole wheat pasta, tuna casserole, homemade pizzas, etc.  I took coffee to work and bought $1 coffees only twice.  

I should also mention that my grocery bill was low because I used coupons and PC points.

So, my partner spent $610 more than me on sustanence  - in just one month - by eating out.  See what a difference it makes?  Let’s consider what that $610 could buy you:

A 32GB iPod Touch, with anywhere speakers and a dock

A ticket to Orlando, Florida

Three leather purses at Roots

A typical monthly car payment, debt repayment, savings or emergency fund

What would you do with that monthly $610?  And do you know how much you spend every month on food and coffee? You might be surprised!

Richer than you think?

In response to an article written in the Globe on October 28, “As consumer confidence dips, embrace frugality” by Judith Timson, I wrote the article below.  It was not published, but the article on Gail Vaz-Oxlade’s site today inspired to post my commentary anyway.

As more Canadians “embrace frugality,” they will find themselves in good company; the frugal subculture includes everybody from evangelicals to environmentalists – and then there are folks like me, a self-proclaimed “saver queen” who wants to spend and save wisely.  I believe that many of us are, actually, richer than we think.  And so, here are a few suggestions of how Timson can “trim the fat.”  Flowers every week cost $1040 a year – buy long-lasting house plants instead.  Pliates classes? Save a few thousand by going to “pay what you can” community classes (trust me, they’re out there). The books? Visit your long-lost friend, the public library. Magazines? Buy a subscription – and buy online for the best deal.  Visit community and discount theatres, and bring your own snacks. These suggestions (which could save you nearly $3750 a year) are the tip of the frugal iceberg.  And you will find, to your surprise, that the frugal life is a fulfilling one.  As Mr. Spock said, “after a time, you may find that having is not so pleasing a thing, after all, as wanting. It is not logical, but it is often true.”

In this article I contradict the author who lists a lot of things she just can’t live without and justifies each one of them.  My point with this article is to show her (and others) that we can be richer than we think if we just pay attention.  We often assume that some costs are natural and necessary when they are not.  We hand over our money for coffee in paper cups every day without thinking about it.  We don’t second guess whether new clothes will really make us happy.  We don’t bother to see if we can get a better deal, cut back or go without.  We assume that certain things are needs when they might just be lowly wants.  If we pay attention to where the money actually goes, presto, money appears!  If you track your spending and make conscious decisions on where and how you want to spend your money, all of a sudden, you become richer than you think.

Let me know what you think!

A night at the movies

Who doesn’t a love a night out at the movies? Whether you’re heading out to the theatre or staying in for a cozy night at home, there are always ways to save!  Here are my top tips.

At the theatre

Choose a cheap theatre!  In Toronto, I enjoy going to the Fox - a small theatre in the beach.  Not only is it cute and cozy, it’s only $7 a ticket - plus, if you become a member, you save an extra dollar each trip!  

Get a Scene Card and earn 100 points with each movie you see.  The cards are free and you only need 1000 points (or 10 movies) to get one free adult admission or concession combo!  And the rewards just get better from there!

Take your own snacks.  Bring food from home - or pick up some snacks from a nearby grocery or convenience store.  That’s right, even convenience stores will beat the price of theatre munchies!

If you do eat at the theater, here are two suggestions to cut back on the price.  First of all, just buy a main course - like a hamburger - and skip the fries and pop.  That’s where the biggest mark up is.  Secondly, for a drink, choose a tea or coffee - these are usually within their normal price range.

"Why watch a movie when you can watch me?"

At home

Believe it or not, you can even cut back while at home!

Rent movies from itunes. They are only $4 each, with no late fees!

Make your own snacks. No need to pay full price for that microwave popcorn, salsa or queso dip- just make your own!  I have some delicious suggestions for homemade snacks. 

Avoid new releases.  New movies are not always the best movies!  Consider movies that are renowned as classics or brilliant films that you just never got around to watching! Older movies are far less expensive and many rental shops offer great prices with extended borrowing times.

Bring your movies back early. If you do rent new releases, bring them back early for a discount - many stores offer up to $1 off if you bring it back before it’s due.

Rent from the library.  A great opportunity to borrow for free!

Exchange with friends.  Do a DVD swap and exchange movies with a friend.  Chances are you both have movies you’d love to watch.

How to get FREE Christmas cards!

Buying Christmas cards can represent a big chunk of money that we often forget to budget for, because they don’t constitute as Christmas gifts.  If you want to buy Christmas cards at a store (as opposed to making them yourself) here is one way to get them for free.

I always shop at Carleton Cards because of their store points and their ongoing, “Buy 3 Get 3 Free” deal.  Here’s how to take advantage of it:

Stock up on cards you know you will need - birthdays, weddings, anniversaries.  Even if you buy ahead a few months’ worth, you know that eventually that birthday will come along and rather than having to look for a card at the last minute, you can just grab the one that you have in your own collection.

If you buy 6 at a time, you will automatically save 50%.

By purchasing cards this way and being loyal to the store, you will quickly accumulate Carleton Cards points, which you can then use to get free cards.  They are easy to accumulate - you get ten points for every $1 spent and they seem to add up pretty quickly.

I have just over $12 in free cards, and with their Buy 3, Get 3 Free deal, I will easily get $24 worth of free cards.  If each card is $4 I will get 6 free Christmas cards this year! (Not to mention all the free cards I’ve received throughout the year.)

Hallmark’s deal does not compare - buy 10 cards get 1 free.  I far prefer the Buy 3 Get 3 Free deal, which allows me to simultaneously earn points towards free cards!

You also get special prices on products in the store - like 60% off boxed Christmas cards - and the newsletter updates you about special promotions.

To supplement, I will make use of the packages of holiday greeting cards sent to me by various charities! (Hey, they paid for ‘em - you might as well use ‘em!)

If you are not currently receiving Christmas cards from charities, simply make a donation to any major charity and you will be on several lists instantly!

***

This just in - if you shop using your points card this weekend you can double your points! Sign up to receive the newsletter and get the coupon!

Saver Queen’s Shopping Challenge for the Daily Bread Food Bank

YOU CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE!

Win a prize, have fun and help those who really need it most

by taking the Saver Queen Shopping Challenge!

My readers are some of the most talented bargain shoppers in North America!  As frugal spenders, we know how to sniff out the very best deals on food prices.  By using coupons and combining them with lucrative sales, price comparing and going to stores that offer the lowest prices, we can buy food for less than half the cost of what the average person pays - sometimes, even getting food for free!

The Saver Queen Shopping Challenge is to encourage all of my readers and their families to put these skills into action for the Daily Bread Food Bank.

If you live outside the Greater Toronto Area, any other food bank will do!

Consider why this challenge is important:

Quick facts about hunger in the GTA

* Over 79,000 people visit a food bank in the GTA monthly

 * 34% of those accessing food banks are children

* 28% of households using a food bank has at least one person working

* 47% of clients accessing a food bank have a disability or serious illness

***

Here’s how to participate in the Saver Queen Shopping Challenge

1. Register for the challenge by leaving a comment below.  If you are not from Toronto, please tell me who you are shopping for, and leave a link to their website as the URL.

2. Decide how much you will spend.  Either set a maximum price you will spend or set a “maximum value” - i.e. buy groceries with a retail value of $100 but only spend $50.  You can keep the amount confidential.

3. Go shopping for the items on the shopping list at the Daily Bread Food Bank or your Local Food Bank (see below). 

4. Take a picture of your food (either in the cart at the store or at your home) or photograph the receipt.

5. Send in your picture to Saver Queen, or post it on your blog and link back to Saver Queen.  Let us know how well you did!

6. Drop off the food at a designated location.

7. Once you complete the challenge, let me know and you will be eligible to win a prize*! Everyone who enters will be entered to win, and winners will selected randomly.  

I will update you with my progress.  Please feel free to stop by and update us with how your shopping challenge is going - let us know of all the great deals you find!

I will also regularly update you with tips!

All entries must be received before December 24!

Thanks for making a difference by taking the Saver Queen Shopping Challenge - and good luck!

*** SHOPPING LIST ***

The Daily Bread Food Bank’s most needed items:

Peanut Butter
Baby Formula & Food
Canned Fruits or Vegetables
Canned Fish  or Meat
Dried Pasta & Tomato Sauce
Rice
Lentils
Cans of Soup or Hearty Stew
Powdered, Canned or Tetra Pak Milk
Cans of Beans
Macaroni and Cheese

Please, only buy nutritious food that you would want to serve to your own family!  Ask your food bank for their shopping list, or look online!  No dollarstore wafers, please!

*I have some great ideas for a prize - nothing finalized yet so stay tuned!

Coming Soon to Saver Queen!

I have some exciting plans in the works so I thought now would be a perfect time to let you all know about what’s in store for the next several week:

1. The Saver Queen Shopping Challenge - have fun, win a prize, go shopping, and donate food to The Daily Bread Food Bank - an exciting opportunity with details to follow tomorrow.

2. Financial expert on Canadian investing, Gail Bebee, will be writing two guest posts, followed by “ask an expert” day where Gail will respond to your questions!

3. An updated Blog Roll.  I’m going to add my favourite websites and have them well-organized so you can have easy access to other relevant money saving blogs.

4. Two more giveaways this winter. When I hit 5000 visitors I will do another coupon giveaway!  I also have a possible book giveaway in the works.

5. On December 2nd, I will be writing my first article for the Beach Metro Community News. If you happen to live in the Toronto area, pick up a copy!

6. Exciting new posts are coming your way with information on:

How to shop for Christmas gifts locally and SAVE

Finding FREE entertainment

Movie nights for LESS

Questions to ask when donating to charity

Saving money when traveling

CHEAP places to travel

Simple investing strategies

Worst purchases I’ve made

How to get Christmas cards for FREE

Tax-efficient ways of giving to charity

Please let me know if there is something you are particularly interested in and would like to read about on Saver Queen!  Are there any topics you would like to see discussed here?  Thanks!

Peace, love and a big screen tv

Yesterday in the subway I noticed an ad for the lottery.  It had a picture of a woman walking her dog in a pretty, quiet park, but her pocket was the shape a great big-screen TV.  The caption said something to the effect of, “are you carrying the winning ticket in your pocket?”

But haven’t they got it all wrong?  Picture yourself outside on a lovely day.  It’s the middle of the afternoon.  There aren’t too many people around.  It’s just you and your dog, and you are free to breathe in the fresh air, drink in the afternoon sunshine.  The weather is just perfect - not too cold and not too hot.  You don’t even need to wear a jacket.  You’re grateful to have a moment to just be.  And enjoy your dog, one of your best little friends in the whole world.  You finally feel relaxed and at peace.

But wait.

No, there’s something missing.  What is it?  If only I could just put my finger on it…

Oh!  Of course!

I REALLY WISH I HAD A BIG SCREEN TV!

And not just a big screen TV - a huge one, that takes up half of my living room wall!  Yes! That’s what I need to be happy!  Oh, and just one more thing…

I NEED IT RIGHT NOW!

Our consumerism has gotten so out of whack and it is driven from these kinds of ads that suggests that even in our most ideal of circumstances, we’re still not okay.  We need more stuff.  And we can’t trust ourselves to earn and save enough for the item, we have to go out and buy a ticket and hope that the TV, the answer to all the little imperfections in our lives, will show up in our pocket.

Would you really prefer to acquire more “stuff” than enjoy a moment of inner peace?

The lottery doesn’t have the answer to what we’re truly seeking. 

The next time you feel like you want or need to buy something, take a walk with your dog.  You might just find exactly what you’re looking for. 

Reduce, reuse, repurpose

I love repurposing things - taking something I own and giving it a new purpose to fill a need, instead of going out and buying something new.

I especially love doing this with packaging. By reusing packaging, you create less waste. It also lets you buy in bulk, because you already have the convenient containers at home. The way I look at it, we pay for packaging just as much as we pay for what’s actually inside the container. So why not see what you can do with it?

My first rule is to save any good quality containers you have - even if an immediate purpose doesn’t come to mind.  

Here are some examples of how to repurpose your packaging.

Reuse jars to hold homemade snacks or store buttons, nails, or other small objects.

Save your empty bottles of pain killers. Since I take pain medication regularly, I like to make sure that I have a supply in my purse. Small bottles are (for some reason) way over-priced. I transfer a small number of pills into a extra bottle and keep it in my purse.

Repurpose heavy duty plastic jugs to hold pet food. I saved an epsom salt container -  a large, plastic jug with a handle. I then bought epsom salts at the bulk barn, and reused the jug. After I stopped buying epsom salts, the container made a transition into feline territory by becoming a handy storage and feeding device for Butternut’s cat chow.

Refill your sample size containers. I kept the miniature contact lens solution sample I received for free. I refill it and take it with me on trips instead of taking a big bottle or going out and buying a new sample-sized one.

Reuse your spray bottles. I resuse my spray bottles by filling them with homemade leaning products, like vinegar and water. 

Keep bread bags to hold your homemade bread, muffins, and other baked goods. And save your twist-ties and tags, too!

Clean out your empty powder compact and use it as a mirror in your purse. You can also cut and glue a cute picture in the space where the powder used to be! 

Turn packaging into gift and craft supplies. Keep brown paper bags, brown paper, ribbons, bows, tissue paper, wrapping paper, shoeboxes, gift bags,and stickers that come with presents or parcels from stores. This will all come in handy for future gifts and crafts.     

Save your bubble wrap. You never know when you will need it! When I installed a window box air conditioner I was proud that I already had all the bubble wrap I needed ready to use for insulation. 

I even save my netting - this comes with garlic, avocadoes, oranges, etc. It can be used for nautical-themed crafts, glued to a picture frame with sea shells.

I also save cardboard for future craft projects, like collages.

Reuse store bags as lunch bags and shopping bags.  Other stores besides Lulu Lemon are following the trend. Keep an eye out for these freebies and reuse them to carry your lunch.

I especially love little bags. They are great for transporting delicate jewellery or perfume while travelling, or packing a new gift.

Reuse fruit baskets to store snacks or odds’n'ends.  We put ours in our pantry and fill it with granola bars and chocolates, that are easy to grab for lunches.  

When I was a teenager, I saved the boxes that clementines came in because I figured out that the size of the box fit my 7″ records perfectly!  I used one to hold all my 7″s which made it convienient to flip through them. 

Essentially, I save anything that looks interesting.  I usually find a use for it.  The key is to keep organized.  I use a large craft organizer that keeps it all organized instead of just one big pile of junk.  

What is your favourite tip for reusing packaging?