Free coffee from McDonalds

As my faithful readers already know, the scope of this blog has become more about simplicity, sustainability and frugality and has veered away from freebies, free samples, and coupons. 

However I just can’t let me readers go without knowing about the great freebie from McDonald’s - free small “premium roast” coffee every morning during breakfast hours for the next two weeks!  No purchase necessary and no strings attached!

While we are on an environmental theme, however, let me remind you all to bring your own mug and request that they use it instead of a paper cup.  Not all restaurants may allow this and quite frankly I’m not sure where their policy lies on the subject.  I do know, however that Tim Hortons will reduce the price by 10¢, so why not give it a try and see what happens.

Enjoy your free coffee!  I happen to love McDonald’s coffee so it works for me!

Free Yoga Mat

Get a free yoga mat with four proofs of purchase (receipts) of Astro Zero Yogurt, either family size or 12-pack.  

Right now you can find coupons on the back of the 12-packs, including two $1 off coupons for Astro yogurt! 

As I mentioned in Saver Saturdays, Astro Yogurt is on sale right now at No Frills (check flyerland.ca to see No Frills prices in your area) for $2.99.  If you use the $1 off coupon from your first pack, each pack becomes $1.99!  Packages of Naturegg also have 50¢ Astro yogurt coupons hidden inside (check under the lid before buying).

See Finding in-store coupons for more tips on where to find great coupons.

There are no apparent shipping & handling fees, making this a genuine free treat!

Fabulous freebies!

P&G’s brandsampler is back!

Want to get a bunch of freebies for body wash, shampoo, floss, and even razors?  Visit Proctor and Gamble for their Brandsampler - an array of free samples.  Register and fill out a quick survey and then choose the samples you want.  The samples are available for a limited time only, so hurry!

Free magazine subscriptions!

Catteli pasta is offering free magazine subscriptions when you supply 6 UPC codes for Catteli pasta products.  If you buy their pasta anyway, this is a great deal.  Your magazine choices include Style at Home, Elle, and Homemakers magazine.  The best part is that the magazines will likely arrive at your door encased in plastic and full of coupons.  There are lots of free coupons inside Homemakers magazine to begin with, so this is a great money making treat.

If you want to register, go to Catteli pasta’s website here and don’t forget to register for the free trip to Venice!

Be sure to use the pasta coupons that can be found on save.ca or in store.

A few deals to say “happy new year!”

We are only one day away from our move now.  Josh and I are both feeling excited but also sad to leave our pleasant home in the Beach. We are also pretty scared about all the changes that lay ahead.

However, I thought I’d post a few good deals and tips that have been assimilating in my mind during my relative hiatus from blogging:

- If you got a Starbucks gift card this holiday, be sure to hang on to it, even after you use it up.  Use the number on the card to get two hours of free wi-fi every day at Starbucks.

- Price Chopper had Ristorante and Casa di Mama frozen pizzas on for $2.77 this week; if you saved your $1.50/2 coupons from previous boxes, this works out to just $2.02 a pizza.  They also had some other great deals on, such as 1 litre containers of coffee cream for $1.99

- Loblaws had a sale this week on Entertaining Ritz crackers at 2 for $4 - but we had two coupons for $1 off each, making them only 99 cents!

- West Jet has sales on from Toronto to Orlando this month - from as low as $19 a trip.  I can’t wait to take a closer look at these, since my sister and I are planning a trip to DisneyWorld soon.

- I am excited to announce that Proctor and Gamble will be having it’s brandsaver coupons (over $90 in value) ready for order on January 17th. I can’t wait to request these coupons - they are the best!  Head to brandsaver.ca to order yours.

- Save.ca has some new coupons up, including $1 off Catelli whole grain pasta - this is a great one because they are often on sale for as low as $1.39, which means you can get this delicious and very healthy pasta at only 39 cents a box; there are also coupons for cereal, including $1.50 off All-Bran, $1 off Pampers wipes and Buy one Get one Free Olay Facial Cleanser. It’s a great time to stock up on new coupons - most of my coupons expired on December 31.

Hope you enjoy these deals!  Happy New Year everyone!

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? 

A fun freebie for North York residents

Register with icoke.ca - even if you are not a fan of the beverage - to enjoy fun freebies and perks.  I just got an email with a coupon for a free small popcorn and pop at the December 5th Grand Opening of SilverCity Fairview Mall Cinemas in North York! The only catch is you need to be one of the first 100 people to arrive at the theatre between 5pm an 10pm. Valid at the SilverCity Cinemas at Sheppard Avenue East and the 404 in North York’s Fairview Mall.  Leave a comment if you would like a copy of the coupon and I will forward it to you!

A week of coupons & freebies

I’ve been so busy that I haven’t even updated you with some great deals and freebies I discovered last week. First, let me begin with my favourite grocery deals I scored.

This week's best deals

As Kate mentioned on a previous post, the Europe’s Best Frozen Veggies were on sale for $1.99 and with plenty of Europe’s Best coupons out there, the priced was reduced to just 99¢ each.  Luckily, this sale, which can be found at Loblaws, is recurring this week!

The Robin Hood Flour was on sale for only $3.49, but with a 75¢ off coupon (came with my free Homemakers magazine) it was only $2.74.

The Maestro Extra virgin Olive Oil was on sale for $5.89 - and this sale came just in time, as we had just run out.

The Knorr soups were on sale for $1.99 and came with a $2 coupon when you buy two, so they were only 99¢ each.  This special is still on this week at Loblaws and Valu Mart.

The Royale toilet paper was purchased from IGA at $2.99 for a pack of 16. With a $1 coupon, it came to $1.99 - or just over 12¢ a roll.  The equivalent sale is on now at No Frills this week - 40 rolls for $5.97. Use a coupon (Royale coupons are plentiful, at save.ca, for instance) and pay $4.97, or again, just over 12¢ a roll.

I will be adding the flour and toilet paper to my Food Bank stash for the Saver Queen Shopping Challenge. I am adding to my personal stash every time I get a great deal and will be delivering to the Fire hall this December.

Butternut loves exploring the cloth bags when I unpack the groceries!

In all, I used $6.55 in coupons - a little bit less than normal, however I also got extra PC points with points coupons and from bringing cloth bags.  Make sure to remind the cashier to give you your PC points with every green bin and cloth bag you use.  I used two bins and one bag. 

I also received some coupons with my PC bill.  If you spend $75, you will get a bonus of 5000 points; 10,000 points come with $150 purchase and 20,000 points with a $200 purchase.  Don’t forget to check your bills for coupons like these!

Other freebies this week:

My partner and I went to Marks Work Warehouse to use my two free $10 gift cards that came with the flyer.  (As earlier referred to here.) The minimum purchase was $10 so the products were free (minus taxes). I got a stainless steel water bottle (stainless steel is apparently the safest kind of water bottle) and another travel mug (a certain someone keeps forgetting his at work.) The best thing about getting these purchases for free is that they are money savers!  Water bottles and coffee mugs are great investments to make so that you can avoid frequenting the coffee shops.

Did anyone else use their free gift cards?

They were free! And a great investment to boot.

Finally, I also enjoyed receiving a few more freebies.  I used my free coffee card at the Second Cup (also mentioned here) and found Head & Shoulders shampoo and conditioner samples in my mail box. Good for a stocking stuffer or a travel kit.

What great deals, sales, or freebies did you enjoy in the last week? 

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!

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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!