Free, free, free!

I got lots of free stuff at Shoppers Drug Mart today using coupons. Oh what fun it is to get free stuff!

Here’s what I got:

Two free bottles of Diet Coke with the coupons I got from icoke.ca.

One free box of Kleenex with lotion (and it’s such a pretty box!) The Kleenex was on sale for 59¢ and I had a coupon for 60¢ off.

Two free Toberlone chocolate bars. I had a coupon for $1 off, and the chocolate bars were on sale for 49¢ each.

One free Satin Care saving cream for women with aloe. It was on sale for $1.99 and I had a coupon for $2 off.  There were lots to choose from!

In addition, I was discounted 5¢ because three of the products were one cent less than the coupon.  This took some arguing with the cashier - not because I cared about 5¢ but because she has continually denied us our overage and I know she is wrong.  She asked her supervisor who told her to give us the overage.

The reason I only got one of everything that was free instead of stocking up was because I only had one coupon of each product.  Normally I don’t collect coupons for products I don’t use, and I normally skip buying “extras” like shaving cream or chocolate bars. However, I am going to hang onto pretty much all coupons from now on, because after all, why not take it if it’s free? If you don’t use it, you can give it to someone else who will - or just enjoy it as a treat for yourself. 

I also grabbed a couple of other good deals.  The Royal Toilet Paper (24 pack) was $4.99 with a $1 coupon off, totaling $3.99. This works out to just over 16¢ a roll - still more expensive than my earlier great find a few weeks ago at 12¢ a roll at IGA. But I don’t think I’ll see that deal again for a while.

I also got the Cascade dish detergent for $2.50 (I used a 50¢ off coupon.)  The Cascade Action Packs and liquid soap was also on sale and I had better coupons for them, but I decided to get the powder because it is still a better deal. (The Action Packs, while convenient, were $1.99 after the coupon but only provided 15 loads!)

I also grabbed a 750ml bottle of Cocoa Butter Vaseline lotion for $3.99.

In total, I spent $10.43 for the lotion, dish-detergent, 24-pack of toilet paper, Cokes, chocolate bars, kleenex and saving cream! I also snagged a few coupons for Tylenol for Arthritis and toothbrushes.

Did any of you have success with your shopping this week? 

Changes to Saver Queen

Hi everyone! Just to let you all know, tonight I upgraded to Wordpress 2.7.  If anyone notices any problems or defects, please leave me a comment below or send me an email at saver queen dot com.

Thanks!

Get fit for free!

Find fun, free entertainment in your city!  Go ice skating, hiking, jogging, or take leisurely walks in new neighbourhoods.  Some of my most favourite moments with Josh include the times we’ve spent walking and jogging in the winter.  I still recall those brisk winter runs and how refreshing they felt, even though they were tough.  We would talk to each other throughout the run and point out different restaurants or shops we wanted to try.  

Another favourite memory is the time we left the house during a huge snowstorm.  None of the roads were plowed but we were crazy enough to go out anyway.  It was a Sunday and we took a walk to get a custard tart and coffee at a nearby Portuguese bakery, and then walked through a snowy park before picking up some dumplings at another European bakery. Being out there in the snow was so romantic - there were no cars, only crazy fools like us, walking dogs or playing in the snow.

If you want to stay indoors, try a new gym for free!  Many fitness clubs give a daily or even weekly pass to try out their gym - this is especially common among the fancier, up-and-coming fitness clubs that are trying to compete for new members.  In Toronto, there are a countless number of gyms, revealing lots of opportunities to exercise for free!

Yoga and pilates need not be expensive. Yoga Space in Toronto offers community classes that are only $7 each.  They also offer Pay What You Can Yoga on Sunday evenings. They also occasionally offer free Pilates classes. If you don’t live in Toronto, ask around and look into other affordable options.  

If you’re heading out in the snow or going sledding or ice skating, bring a thermos of hot chocolate with you.  This means you can enjoy a warm treat without buying anything.  (Hint: you can slip a little Bailey’s in it, too!)

What is your favourite method of enjoying athletic activities for free?

Buy refurbished!

Thinking about buying an iPod, laptop or other Apple product for a Christmas gift this year?  Apple sells their refurbished iPods and other products at drastically reduced rates. All refurbished products come with their original warranty and Apple guarantees that these products are in tip-top condition.  Save $60 on each iPod Touch (16GB and 32GB) and save $129 on each 8GB.  Or, save $40 on an 8GB iPod nano. Of course, the stock depends on what’s available at the time so you’re not guaranteed access to the latest model.  To see what’s available, go to the apple store website.  

Winding down ‘08

This has been a tough year. We have already moved once this year, for reasons too numerous to mention - well, actually, I can name one of them: a raccoon found its way into the walls via a hole in the roof and its, um, waste came down through the ceiling on to the alcove which housed my few but precious and highly sentimental treasures.  (And that’s just the tip of the iceberg but I don’t think anyone needs a better reason to move than that!)   I was also recently diagnosed with a chronic disease.  And as you know, my partner has been working so much that I haven’t really been able to connect with him for a long time and our relationship has been strained because of it. We’ve barely had time to even talk about my diagnosis.

One of the best aids to my disease is, thankfully, exercise, stretching, and other types of self-care.  And have I been taking care of myself? Not really. But I look forward to integrating health into my lifestyle and I hope that by working from home I will give myself an opportunity to take frequent breaks, exercise daily, and have a varied lifestyle that brings flexibility and diversity.  We move to a smaller town (Guelph, Ontario) on January 2nd.  I do believe that all our hard work of finding other employment (we’ve been on interviews all over the map - San Francisco, Austin, Montreal) and finding a new place to live will be worth it in the end.

Here’s to all the simple pleasures that help a person get through a rough year.  For me it’s been my kitten, my blog - and my blogging friends - and all those little moments that make you smile or bring you comfort. Oh yeah, and new episodes of Till Debt Do Us Part! 

It’s been a rough year for everyone… please let me know how you find peace, comfort or strength in simple ways!

Buying to save

Although the best way to save money is to stay out of the stores, there are a few products you can buy that will actually help you to save money.  Here are a few of my own personal favourites.  They are also great ideas for Christmas gifts for the frugal shopper on your list!

1. A battery charger.  There’s no reason not to own one.  They are cheap! And you will never have to buy batteries again. I bought a pack of four and found it more than enough, since you rarely need more than four at a time.  It’s better for the environment and it means you can permanently cross one annoying purchase of your list.

2. Good tupperware.  It keeps your food fresher longer and it means you can buy in bulk.  It also means you can take your leftovers to work or school. 

3. A beard trimmer or electric razor for your man. Eliminate the cost of razors and razor blades (they are expensive these days!)  Another way to cut back, if he uses a razor, is to buy shaving soap and a shaving brush and quit buying expensive shaving cream.  I bought this nice shaving soap over a year ago and he is still using it!  It only costs $4.99 at the Rocky Mountain Soap Company - worth every penny.  It’s also better for the environment!

4. A heavy ceramic baking dish. You can throw all kinds of veggies and/or meat in there and roast them in the oven.  Putting an entire meal in one dish means you save on energy.

5. A crock-pot.  A crock-pot makes it easy to put together cheap meals like soups, stews and casseroles. 

6. A travel mug. I use mine all the time to transport coffee to work in the morning and save $25 every month.

7. A good quality water bottle. Forget buying bottles of water, just refill your own!

What are your favourite purchases that have saved you money?

Blogtastic!

As promised, I have *finally* updated my blogroll.  I’m probably forgetting lots of blogs, so if I’m a visitor to your blog, please leave me a comment to remind me!  

The multi-purpose kleenex box

A fun way to stay organized and recycle packaging - reuse a kleenex box as a plastic bag holder.  Simply cut-out the plastic part and stuff your plastic grocery bags inside.  I did the same with an empty ziploc box for all my bread bags.  I recently ran out of my stash of ziplocs (we stocked up at a big loony sale at Price Chopper last spring) and now I’m trying to come up with a stand-in solution so I don’t have to buy new ones.  For now, I’m using bread bags and plastic vegetable bags.  The empty Ziploc container is useful to hold them all.  I love finding new things to do with packaging!

New coupons at save.ca!

Some great new coupons have arrived at save.ca, including $2 off Venus razors!  In order to get these coupons, go here to the PG promo site - or to sweetspot.ca and then click on the Venus ad - and you will be taken to save.ca where you can make your coupon request!  You can also go directly to They also have a few new coupons there like $1 off Gillette body wash.

Stretch your food budget: stock up on staples

Keeping your pantry stocked with staples is a great way to save money.  By making sure you have access to the basics you can ensure that you eat healthy meals even when you’re nowhere near a grocery store. Not only are these foods incredibly cheap, they permit you to stay out of the grocery store for longer and stretch that food budget! For me, basic staples include chick peas, canned tomatoes, eggs, and carrots.  

Here are some basic, healthy meals and snacks I make with these staples:

Chick peas - hummus, chick pea-salad, chickpea curry

Canned tomatoes - pasta sauce, soups, Indian spiced tomatoes and lentils

Eggs - egg salad sandwiches, frittata, omelette, impossible pie, fried rice

Carrots - soup (lentil and carrot soup, tomato and carrot and ginger soup, etc.,) carrot muffins, and of course carrots are great as raw snacks with hummus or steamed as a healthy side dish; they are also a nice addition to pasta salad

Tonight I made a great carrot and lentil soup using little more than carrots, canned tomatoes and lentils.  It’s amazing what you can do with just a few simple ingredients!

What are your favourite “staples” that you keep around for cheap, easy, healthy meals?